Parish Clergy: Rev. Dr Janusz Bieniek CSMA (Parish Priest) Fr Kenneth Kaimalan CSMA Parish Staff: Leena Strickland-Langatuki (Office Admin) Mass Times: Sunday Masses: Vigil Mass (Sat) 5.00pm, Sundays 8am, 10am & 6pm Spanish: Saturday 6.30pm Cantonese: Fourth Sunday at 12.00pm Mandarin: 1st & 3rd Sundays at 12.15pm Weekday Masses: Mon, Tues & Wed: 6.45am and Thurs, Fri & Sat: 9.00am Healing Mass: First Friday of: March, June, September & December at 6pm

Children’s Liturgy: Sunday 10.00am Mass (except 5th Sunday) Confessions: Every Saturday: 9.45am—10.15am & 4pm –4.45pm Baptisms: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Sundays of the month at 11.15am Marriages: Please contact the Priest 6mths prior to the wedding. Pre-marriage course is required Anointing of the Sick and Dying: Call the Priest any time

Fourth Sunday in Advent— 20 December 2015 Yr C

It’s only in this last week before Christmas that we begin to hear about the Christmas story itself. For the past weeks we have been preparing ou r se l ve s to gre e t the Lord , when he comes . Now we prepare to remember how he first came, by listening to the prophecies of his coming, and by hearing of the events before his birth. We meet the woman, Mary, who herself had been prepared for the coming of the Messiah. She has received the angel’s greeting, and his strange news, and has accepted her role in God’s plan. Now she hurries to her kinswoman, Elizabeth, who herself bears John the Baptist in her womb. John, just as we heard last week, alerts us to the presence of the Lord, as he leaps for joy in his mother’s womb. His joy is that God has kept his promise, and is with his people.

Prayer to St Michael the Archangel Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and

snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do you, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

TUE 22 DEC Exposition of Blessed Sacrament & Marian Movement of Priests Cenacle 6pm Church Devotion to St Michael & the Angels 7pm Church Spanish Prayer Group 7pm Corroboree Room

WED 23 DEC Legion of Mary 7.30pm Old Church

THU 24 DEC CHRISTMAS EVE Marian Devotion Croatian Prayer Group 11am Church Children’s Christmas Eve Vigil Mass 6pm Bethany Hall Christmas Eve Vigil Mass 8pm Church Carol singing 11.30pm Church Christmas Eve Midnight Mass Church

FRI 25 DEC CHRISTMAS DAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORD! Christmas Day Mass 8am Church Christmas Day Mass 10am Church Parish Office CLOSED

SAT 26 DEC Meditation 8am Presbytery Meeting Room Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help after 9am Mass Cantonese Prayer Group 10.30am Back Meeting Room Reconciliation 9.45am and 4.00pm

JESSE TREE

The Jesse Tree is located at the front of the Church. There are gift tags for

Parishioners to take from the tree and gifts can be returned to the Church.

Suitable items for Christmas Hampers

should be non perishable and of course, not be out

of date. We shall be gifting the residents in

Botany Gardens, Homewood Care and communities in need.

Please bring all gifts by 22 December 2015 so we can arrange

delivery of gifts to the recipients by Christmas

Day.

From all of us at St Michael’s Presbytery; Fr Greg, Teodora, Leena, Ella and

myself we wish you a very happy and holy Christmas

and grace-filled New Year!

God bless, Fr Janusz.

ST MICHAEL'S PARENT ROSARY PRAYER GROUP

Where: St Michael's When: Every 2nd Thursday of the month (school term

only) at 2:30pm

ALL ARE WELCOME! Please join us as we pray for

our children, our families, our community & our parish.

All enquiries, please contact Elizabeth

0412 199 452.

Check the Notice Board for the latest information and to see what’s happening in our local and surrounding areas

within the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Australian Family Association

THURS 12 NOV from 8-9pm

in the Corroboree Room

followed by supper.

For more info, please contact

Richard Sofatzis 0431291078

FIRST READING: Mi 5:1-4 A reading from the prophet Micah The Lord says this: You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel. He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace. The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 79:2-3. 15-16.

R. Lord, make us turn to you;

let us see your face and we shall be saved.

O Shepherd of Israel, hear us, shine forth from your cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help. R.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see. Visit this vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted. R.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen, the man you have given your strength. And we shall never forsake you again: give us life that we may call upon your name. R.

SECOND READING: Heb 10:5-10 A reading from the letter to the Hebrews This is what Christ said, on coming into the world: You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’ Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ. The word of the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Lk 1:38 Alleluia, alleluia! I am the servant of the Lord: may his will for me be done. Alleluia! GOSPEL: Lk 1:39-45 A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Why should it happen that I am honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ The Gospel of the Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and his name will be called Emmanuel.

We pray for the repose of the souls of the

recently deceased: Peter Kleist, Mary Elliott, Marion Prokopec, Wilma

Amper, Fr Stanislao Amper, Ligaya Majer, Regina Labutap, Myrna Magno Velasco, Wally, Sr Catherine Chang OLC, Clive Breen,

Christy McGing, Jeffery Bishop, Victoria Boulos and Br. Denis Richmond.

We pray for: Stephenos Altouvas, Augustino Huu

Chi Nguyen and Simisoni Strickland whose

anniversaries occur about now.

We pray for the sick in our community: Rolando Madrona, Joel Elpos, Leslie Sayson, Sonia Ortega,

Bebita Carolina Fernandez Lovato, John Kokinovski, Bernie Holdsworth, Maree McCann,

Matu Sjolander, Leonie Walker, Keith Hillier, Andrew Ang, Ron Ritchie, Badoui Massoud, Slavka Kokinovski, Sr Pauline, George Coaker and baby

George Craven.

We pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and

for those that have no one to pray for them.

Blessing of the Advent Wreath

Priest: Today we commence our final preparations for the coming of our Lord. Jesus shows us God’s perfect love in human form. The Bible says that “God so loved the world that God’s only Son was given, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” Let us pray together..

All: Send us your love, O God.

Leader: That we might be saved by the

power of your Son.

All: Send us your love, O God.

Leader: When we are alone.

All: Send us your love, O God.

Leader: When we spend time with

family and friends.

All: Send us your love, O God.

Leader: When we reach out to those

around us.

All: Send us your love, O God.

Leader: We thank You for Your gift of

Love shown to us in Jesus Christ.

Help up prepare our hearts to

receive Him. Bless our worship,

helping us to hear Your word.

We ask this in the name of the

One born in Bethlehem.

All: Send us your love, O God, that

we can bring that love to

others. Amen.

Notice to All Ministries:

If you are able to help out with any of the Christmas Masses and New Years Day Mass,

please complete the form in the Sacristy so we can organise rosters in advance.

Extraordinary Ministers and Lectors

New rosters are now available for collection from the Sacristy in the Rosters Folder. Rosters can also be viewed online at:

www.stmichaelhurst.org.au.

Thank you to our Filipino Group, Parish staff and our volunteers for your help in

making our Parish Christmas Party a very enjoyable night with good entertainment, lots of scrumptious food and desserts and

great company.

On the night, the raffle for our Christmas Hamper kindly donated to us by Catholic Church Insurance was drawn, we would like to congratulate Alexander Poposki

(8yrs old) on winning the Parish Christmas Hamper.

Thank you also to Susan Adams and family for your continued help and

support of our Parish and for taking care of the Children’s Christmas Party. Again, many people and lots of pizza and treats

for everyone.

We must also congratulate our hardworking Altar Servers: This year, 1st

prize was shared by Lavinia Wira and Alexandra Policarpio, 2nd prize was

shared by Margaret & Marianne Sarmiento and 3rd place was shared by

Nicola Dinapoli, Vivian & Danny Nguyen.

We thank you for your time and efforts in fulfilling the work of the Ministry of an Altar Server and pray you continue to

love and serve the Lord always.

We would like to wish all the teachers and

students of our schools a happy and safe

holiday.