December 2012
-
Upload
holy-family-cathedral -
Category
Documents
-
view
212 -
download
0
description
Transcript of December 2012
CCATHEDRALATHEDRAL N NEWSEWS December 2012 Volume 18 Issue 5 Tulsa, Oklahoma
Holy Family
2
Identification Statement: The Cathedral News Issue 5 December 2012 (USPS 022-729) is published 10 x per year (monthly, except for June and July) by Holy Family Cathedral at 122 W 8th St., Tulsa OK 74119-1402. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CATHEDRAL NEWS, PO BOX 3204, Tulsa, OK 74101-3204.
Dear People of Holy Family Cathedral Parish,
It is hard to realize that Thanksgiving is over and Advent is upon us. That of course also
means that Christmas is right around the corner. During this Year of Faith that the Holy Father
has asked us to observe, we are providing some books for your reflection. They are called Little
Blue Books and are available at the doors of the Cathedral. Each one of you is welcome to take
one and use it for reflection. It is designed to take about six minutes out of your day and give
them to God. Please let me know what you glean from these few minutes a day with God.
Also we included in last month’s Cathedral News the financial report concerning our present
situation. Certainly the summer months went very well and the added income came in line with
the need. As usually happens, October fell off for some reason and the needs continue to climb.
So we now await the generosity of Christmas. As you know our yearly solvency is greatly depend-
ent on the Christmas and End of the Year donations. So PLEASE REMEMBER TO GIVE THE
CHURCH A CHRISTMAS PRESENT THIS YEAR.
I sincerely hope and pray that this Advent and Christmas Season find each of you well and your
families well also. Please keep the parish and school in your continued prayers. May you have a
Blessed Christmas following a grace filled Advent Season.
Sincerely in the Holy Family,
Msgr. Gregory A. Gier
Rector
The The
Rector’s Rector’s
ReportReport
3
Cathedral News deadlines: Please submit articles and announcements to the Cathedral News by the 15th of the preceding month.
Email [email protected] or send your article to Mike Malcom at the parish office.
COVER : T H E IC ON OF TH E NEW AD V EN T WA S C REAT ED BY F R. WI LLI A M
MC NI C H OLS S .J . FOR POP E J OH N PA UL II D URIN G HI S V I SI T T O DENV ER
I N 1993. IT I S T H E OFFI C I A L I CON OF TH E ARCH D I OC ESE OF DEN V ER. HOLY
F A M I LY CA T H ED RA L D I SP LAY ED TH E I CON B RI EFLY IN 1997.
CHRISTMAS EVE:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 24
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Confessions
5:00 p.m. Children’s Mass
7:30 p.m. Vigil Mass with Motet Choir
11:00 p.m. Christmas Carols
12:00 Midnight Mass with Full Choir
CHRISTMAS DAY:
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25
8:00 a.m. Mass
10:00 a.m. Mass with Motet Choir
12:00 p.m. Mass with Motet Choir
[No 5:00 p.m. Mass]
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31
5:00 p.m. Mass
TUESDAY, JANUARY 1
8:00 a.m. Mass
10:00 a.m. Mass
12:00 p.m. Mass
5:00 p.m. Mass
4
I sought my Lord on Christmas Day in a stable where He lay. I heard He had the Gift of Peace to fill each heart with Grace increased Inside I found a naked Child broken, hungry, much defiled. “Where is my Lord?” I dared to ask- much perplexed by this masque. The Child glanced up. He began to speak: “I am the One you came to seek. “You thought to find a royal prince arrayed in gold and frankincense. “Yet you passed Me by on the road shivering, naked in the cold.
“Saw Me begging in the street pleading for some bread to eat. “You turned your eyes from my abuse sold for a pittance to evil amuse. “There was My Peace at every turn but every offer you chose to spurn. “Instead you rushed to find a ‘prince’ not having heart or time to mince. “For, you see, My Peace is within your reaching but must be found in those beseeching. “So, I give to you My way of Peace Go, now - and give it to the least. “Then you will know you have found the way to celebrate by coming on this Christmas Day!”
A Poem by Martin Reidy
5
A little food for thought before beginning this
Christmas narrative: St. Augustine had a child, a
son, who he described as “the sweet fruit of my sin.”
What was the child's name? Meanwhile, back at the
stable...
The story of the stable, or creche, is as old as St.
Francis who began the custom of a Nativity scene
circa 1223 in Crecio, or Grecio, Italy (both
spellings are given) when he set up a
Nativity scene for Midnight Mass in a
hollow on the side of a hill. And the
rest, as they say is history. Sani-
tized through the centuries the
original scene, in a cold and smelly
hollow located probably below a local
inn, was no fit place to give birth to a child.
The description of swaddling clothes belies
the fact that the clothes were more akin to strips
of cloth to wrap or swaddle the Child Jesus. His first
admirers were the dregs of society: shepherds who
were a class of workers a step above a swineherd.
Any protection offered by this stable from the ele-
ments was purely accidental.
However, survive He did and in accordance with
Jewish Law Jesus was offered to the Father (God)
in a ceremony called Pidyon HaBen or, Redemption
of the Son (or First Born) in what we call the Feast
of the Presentation in the Temple. Criteria for this
acclaim was that the child be:
• the first born of the mother,
• neither a Kohanim (priest) or Levite,
• a natural birth (no C-section), and that
• the mother had never had a miscarriage more
than 40 days into her pregnancy.
Notes from the Knightstand BY MA RT I N REI D Y
This offering back to the Father occurred
thirty-one days after the day of birth, and five
shekels of silver were paid to "redeem" the
child from obligatory Temple service. This
Temple ceremony and requisite Law evolved
from Exodus where God demanded of the
Jews the dedication of their first born male
child in thanksgiving for their deliverance out
of Egypt. Thus, the first born child fulfilling
the criteria set forth became, in
effect, a gift to God.
However, Mary and Joseph
according to tradition lacked
the five silver shekels and so, in
a way, Jesus was not redeemed
from His Temple service of which we
now know to be His life and eventual Cru-
cifixion to redeem all of us before the Father.
So, in a way, all of you who have donated so
generously to our- pleas for “five silver shek-
els” to underwrite our various and sundry pro-
jects - Ultrasound, Turkey Drive, Homeless
Project to name but a few - are, in your own
way, a gift to God and for which we are very
grateful. We do say that, indeed, you have
found the Way to celebrate the Peace of
Christmas come this Christmas Day! So it is
that we also say to each of you may you have
a Blessed and Merry Christmas.
Uh, Yes! - The name of Augustine's son?
Adeodatus: Gift to God! Pax
6
The Inquirers in RCIA reached their first
official conversion milestone, the Rite of
Acceptance, at the Feast of Christ the
King on November 25. This was the mo-
ment the unbaptized chose to become
Catechumens. Those already baptized in
other ecclesial communities became
Candidates. They each had a sponsor
who verified their interest in the Church.
The entire congregation encouraged them
to pursue further study into the Catholic
faith. The sponsors placed a simple
corded wooden cross around each in-
quirer’s neck as a symbol of Christ’s sac-
rifice for all of us. At this point they be-
came members of our community - al-
though they are not in full communion
with us. They cannot receive the Eucha-
rist but they do have many other rights as
members, such as being married or bur-
ied in the Church. They will continue their
study of our faith as they seek to become
fully in union with us at the Easter Vigil
next spring.
They have learned many of the basic
tenets and structure of the Catholic
Church, including embracing both Scrip-
ture and Tradition. This Tradition is con-
sistent with what the apostles taught
during those early years of the Church.
While the Bible holds much of what God
has revealed to us, Jesus taught his fol-
lowers many things that are not recorded
there, and showed them how to worship
and continue the faith. The classes on
Church History revealed how much of this
was finally written down and authenti-
cated by Church fathers and the applica-
tion of these early forms continue to be
used by the current Church leaders to
maintain consistent, true beliefs.
The First Transition: The Rite of Acceptance BY T H E RCIA MI N I ST RY T EAM
There is still time for new inquirers to
join this year’s inquiry sessions. The
regular schedule continues on Wednes-
day evenings at 7pm. in the Halpine
Room. A calendar of topics is available on
the Holy Family website, along with many
other useful items related to RCIA. For
those entering at these later times, we
have DVD recordings of the topics to en-
sure they are not left out of the presenta-
tions. These provide the lesson, but at-
tending the actual sessions brings a
much fuller understanding of each topic.
After the Rite of Acceptance, we begin
reserving several rows each Sunday at
the 10:00 Mass for these catechumens
and candidates so they get an opportu-
nity to clearly view the Mass, and are visi-
ble to the congregation who became their
church family. The folks filling those
pews are not the entire group, as many
attend other Masses. Be sure to welcome
them into our family and encourage them
in their studies.
MON SI GN OR GI ER T EA CH ES RCIA C LA SS T O A ROOM FULL OF IN QUI RERS.
7
Catholic Charities gave away 14,000 coats last year!
The Cathedral’s annual Coats & Blankets Drive is our par-
ish’s way to participate in this corporal work of mercy.
The final date to bring items to the Cathedral is December
9. If you cannot bring a coat to Holy Family by Dec. 9, you
may drop it off at any Yale Cleaners before year’s end.
The parish youth group will take the coats and blankets to
Catholic Charities: time and date to be announced.
From the Diocese: It is the policy of the diocese to prohibit any weapon inside any building owned or occupied by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, Bishop Kelley High School, or any parish within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa.
The Little Blue Books in the back of the church are free for you
to take. They contain a series of daily reflections for this year’s
Advent and Christmas seasons.
2013 Calendars: The parish will not be distributing calendars at
the end of the year. The previous sponsors for the calendar have
withdrawn.
Women’s Club: The Women's Club December luncheon is Thurs-
day, Dec. 6. It is a catered lunch at Holy Family Cathedral Heiring
Auditorium after the 12:05 Mass. Cost is $16 per person. You
may pay at door or send a check to Paulette Barnes. Reserva-
tions are needed.
The Knights of Columbus sponsor a pot luck dinner and the
showing of a full length Catholic or Christian movie on the first
Friday of the month. The pot luck dinner starts around 6:30 p.m.
and the movie begins around 7 p.m. The kitchen area is open
before the 5:05 p.m. Mass for anyone wishing to drop off their
dish before Mass.
The 55+ Group will meet at the Cathedral in the Halpine Room
for our Christmas Lunch at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December
12. Please bring a covered dish and small inexpensive un-
wrapped toy for Catholic Charities.
RCIA sessions are on Wednesdays at 7p.m. in the Halpine
Room. All those interested in the Catholic faith are invited, in-
cluding Catholics who have fallen away from the Church and
have questions or concerns. These classes are free and require
no obligation or commitment...Just come learn what it means to
be Catholic.
The Women’s Club announces that the price of the Cathedral
prints has been reduced in time for Christmas: $50.00 per print.
Some of the prints are signed by the artist. They also have note-
cards: $5.00 per package of six.
Parish News and Events Diocesan Notice
L A ST Y EA R, PA RI SH I ON ERS B ROUGH T B AG S OF C OA T S T O CA TH OLIC CH A RIT I ES.
8
Holy Family Cathedral
P.O. Box 3204
Tulsa, OK 74101-3204
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED