WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ST. MARY'S

of

Rev. Vernon Smith Pastor Office: 712.246.1718

shenrectory@msn.com

www.parishesonline.com/shenandoah

Diane Strunk

Secretary

Laurie Johnson

Visitation Ministry

246.9812

Lynda Marshall

Religious Education

Brad Johnson

Youth Ministry

Mike O’Hearn

Pastoral Council

Justin Trowbridge

Finance Council

Dr. Janet Bumgarner

Leon McEnaney

Trustees

Linda McGargill

Council of Faith Formation

Sue Hanna & Jane Emge

Music Coordinators

Erwin Aust

KC Grand Knight

Bernadette Stanbrough

Ladies Guild President

Mary Beth Gowing

Organist

Catholic Charities

www.CatholicCharitiesDM.org

515-244-3761

December 13th, 2015 3rd Sunday of Advent

Welcome to St. Mary’s Church on this our 3rd

Sunday of Advent. REJOICE! Today is traditionally called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, from the first words of the entrance antiphon,

“Rejoice in the Lord always,” taken from today’s reading from St. Paul to the

Philippians. Why should we rejoice? Because the Lord is near. More than halfway through our

Advent preparations now, let us be sensitive to the nearness of the Lord.

THE YEAR OF MERCY BEGINS

A Time to Heal, To Help, To Forgive

St. Mary's Catholic Church

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Saturday - Dec 12 3:30PM - Confessions 4:30PM - Mass for Clarice Maher + Sunday - Dec 13 6:30AM - Mass for People of Faith Community 8:30AM - Hamburg 10:30AM - Mass for Karen Wright + Monday - Dec 14 No Mass - Fr. Vern's Day Off 1:30PM - Special Music Meeting - Church Tuesday - Dec 15 5PM - Mass for Hilda Mattern + 6:30PM - Parish Council Meeting - Rectory Wednesday - Dec 16 Noon - Mass for Alfred Hoffman + 7PM - Marriage Preparation Thursday - Dec 17 No Mass - Bishop's Christmas Gathering - Council Bluffs 7PM - Confessions - Red Oak - Fr. Vern Friday - Dec 18 Noon - Mass for Max Woerth +

Saturday - Dec 19 11AM - Noon - Confessions 3PM - 4PM - Confessions 4:30PM - Mass for Phyllis Wilkin + (Sue Hanna's mother) & Jenny Odegard + (Sue Hanna's sister)

Sunday - Dec 20 6:30AM - Mass for People of Faith Community 8:30AM - Hamburg 10:30AM - Mass for Dona Leininger +

SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF

THERE IS A FUNERAL

Stewardship Report

Tithes $3027.00

Plate $ 294.56

NCYC $ 400.00

Hamburg Stipend $ 877.30

Building Fund $ 25.00

Total $4623.86

Return of Lapsed Catholics to the

Sacraments Prayer

.Almighty Father,

You desire not the death of the

sinner, but that he may be converted

and live.

Pour out upon us Your mercy and

hear the prayers of Your servants. Soften the hearts of Your children

who have strayed from the true path

which You established for their

salvation.

They are now forgetful of their duties as Catholics,

and pursue the pleasures of the

world.

Grant that they may quickly return to

the practice of every Christian virtue,

so that their lives may shine with the integrity of faith,

the fervor of piety, and the ardor of

charity.

Restore them all to Your sacraments

and the life of Your grace, through the merits of the most

precious blood of Your Son, our

Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ST. MARY'S

Gospel Lesson "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, lection 2230

Ministers of Service Saturday Dec 19

4:30 PM

Sunday Dec 20

6:30 AM

Sunday Dec 20

10:30 AM Eucharistic Ministers Rod Nuss

Annette Nuss Steve Huerter Barb Huerter

Emily Daoust Karen Haigwood Ernie Aust Brad Johnson

Lector Terry Engelmeyer Pete Wenstrand Carol Ross

Ushers Gary Nebel Pam Nebel

Bob Stanbrough LeRoy Vrbsky

Altar Servers Elizabeth Adkisson Jonathan Adkisson

Shut-Ins 1. Kay Frederick

*if you are unable to do shut-ins, please find a replacement or call the office.

Cantors 4:30 PM - Sue Hanna 10:30 AM - Pat Aust

Money Counters Ernie Aust & Terry Engelmeyer

Seeing the whole field It was a great moment in kids' soccer: A six-year got the ball and kicked a line drive 20 yards out for a goal - this in a league of players who have trouble simply kicking 20 yards, let alone scoring. Fans roared and teammates cheered. But not the coach. After the play, the coach took the boy aside. The coach was not smiling. Then, unbelievably, the coach took the boy out of the game. What was going on? Teaching the youngster a valuable lesson. After congratulating the boy for the long goal, the coach asked him to name two team members who were closer to the goal when he shot - and to whom he could have passed the ball to assure that the team would score. Without scolding his young player, the coach left him on the bench until he could remember those players' names. The coach's standard was simple: An assist is as good as a goal. Making good things possible was the point - and those who helped were as much stars as those who scored. Not surprisingly, that team of kids became nearly unbeatable.[Adapted from Insights on Leadership.] REFLECTION: This coach instills in his young players what John proclaims at the River Jordan: we can only realize the presence of the Messiah in our lives when we step beyond ourselves to embrace the needs and hopes of others. In baptism, we are called to be witnesses of God's love by the love we extend to one another; we are called to be precursors of his justice by our unfailing commitment to doing what is right and good for others; we are called to be reflections of the light of God's Christ in the forgiveness, mercy and compassion we extend; we are called to imitate the example of Christ the Servant in our humble, joy-filled service to our brothers and sisters. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHILDREN'S PROGRAM NEXT SUNDAY Next Sunday, the 20th of December, the young people from our two parishes will be presenting their Christmas program for us all to see & to enjoy. A regular short Advent homily will be given at the Saturday evening/early bird Masses, but on Sunday the homily time will be given over to our young people to present us their program. Be sure to come to see your children/grandchildren all dressed up in the traditional Nativity clothing of the shepherds/wise men, etc. Our young people will also be singing for us the glorious music of this most holy season. It is with anticipation and joy that we look forward to our children's beautiful program.

HOLY HUMOR

Why do they call it Penn State? Because "State Penn" was already taken. What does a football player do when he loses his eyesight? Become a referee. How did the Green Bay Packers fan die from drinking milk? The cow fell on him! Where do you go in Chicago in case of a tornado? Soldier Field they never get a touchdown there! What did the football coach say to the broken vending machine? Give me my quarterback! What's the difference between the New York Jets and a dollar bill? You can still get four quarters out of a dollar.

Gospel Lesson

"I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming . . .

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and

fire." Luke 3: 10-18

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ST. MARY'S

Fr. Bob Hoefler’s Prayer “Lord, I don’t know what this day will bring. I accept it as your gift to me and I ask you to help me live it as well as I can with the confidence that

will see me through all that happens-good and bad. Thank you for the peace that faith in you can bring. Help me never to lose faith in you. Amen.” Fr. Bob Hoefler July 10, 1947 – August 7, 2013, beloved pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Des Moines, Iowa.

M ESSAGE FROM BISHOP PATES

“Father Hoefler blessed our community in exercising a priesthood that was sacrificial, generous and effective. May he now enjoy the fullness of life with the Risen Savior forever.”

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Christmas Choir practice Monday, December 14th at 7:30PM in the Church

WE GLADLY WELCOME NEW MEMBERS ------------------------------------------------------

St. Mary's Ladies Guild News

November Bingo-Thank you to those giving their time to brighten someone's day! Hosting the Bingo game at Elm Heights were: Jessica Bumgarner, Mary Gittins, Mem Laughlin, Kaye Norton, and Patty Woerth. Those helping at Garden View on the 10th were: Terry & Betty Engelmeyer, Mary Gittins, Wally & Leesa Teten, and Patty Woerth. If you'd like to get involved call Bernadette 712-370-2912 or Susan 712-246-5006. A special thank you to Shirley Farrell! Shirley has been coordinating the Bingo volunteers for years and has decided to retire. Thank you so much Shirley for all the time you've given to St Mary's and our community! You will be hard to replace. Remember gifts for nursing home residents. Need gifts by Dec. 15th. There is a box in church entry. Please mark gift for man, or woman. Thank you. No Guild luncheon or meeting for December. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we ready ourselves for a time of deeper awareness, we ask you to consider a donation for flowers in memory or in honor of a loved one. The flowers will be placed on the altar to enhance our worship area at Christmas.

Please fill out the form and put in the offertory basket or bring to the church office. If you have any question, please call Diane at 246-1718. In Memory/HonorOf________________________________________________________ Name____________________________________________________________________

$15 Large - $20 X-Large

OVERFLOW CROWD ATTENDS ST. MARY’S CHURCH SUPPER!! This past Wednesday evening St. Mary’s Christmas Turkey dinner with all the trimmings saw an overflow crowd in attendance as everyone enjoyed a most delicious meal prepared by the KC’s & Ladies Guild. The musical program was fantastic--and, the singing by everyone as the evening came to a close was ever so happy & joyful. Attending the Christmas event was one of the leaders of the local Shenandoah Mormon congregation was Elder Aaron Green, along with his gracious wife. Fr. Vern, along with Elder Aaron, along with Bishop Baldwin, made religious history some years ago when St. Mary’s of both Hamburg/Shenandoah went to the Mormon Church for lunch & to enjoy the choirs from both faith communities presenting a delightful musical program. The gym at the Mormon Church was packed, the meal was delicious and the warm of the gathering, the fellowship shared, was an event that has been long remembered with cherished memories by all in attendance. Your pastor was most happy to welcome our Mormon neighbors; and, with a loving greeting to so many dear and familiar faces that are parish members in both Shenandoah and Hamburg. More exciting details of the evening in next week’s bulletin. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pre K to 8th grade students participated in making ornaments last week for our Jesse Tree!

Religious Ed is gearing up for Christmas! We are planning on having our annual Christmas Pageant on December 20th during the 10:30 Mass. Practices will be during class times on December 13th and 20th. If your child will not be present during these timeframes, please contact Lynda Marshall so we can assign parts in the play accordingly. Also, looking for volunteers to help with getting costumes on the children on December 20th. Please contact Lynda if interested!

Field Trip to Omaha! RE students and their families are invited to attend the Westside Church Pageant on December 20th. Play begins at 3:00pm, we will be carpooling to Omaha and afterwards go for pizza. Cost is only $5.00 per person which includes the meal. Only 40 tickets are available, first come, first serve. Please contact Lynda if interested in going.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ST. MARY'S

new din life.

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YOUR PASTOR’S SPECIAL ADVENT DEVOTIONAL ***"John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works. Matthew 11: 16-19 A rabbi was officiating at the naming of a baby for a family who had resettled in the United States from the Soviet Union. The father, taught to regard all religion as illusion and claptrap, looked at his infant daughter and asked the rabbi, "Rabbi, do you believe in God?" The rabbi replied that, yes, he did believe in God. The rabbi then asked the newborn's father whether he believed as well. The father responded, "No, I don't. But I hope she will."[Rabbi Samuel E. Karff, The Christian Century.] The coming of Christ - God becoming one of us out of love for us - calls us to joyful hope in God's constant presence among us, a presence that we are often too busy or too jaded or too overwhelmed to realize. But the notion of "joy to the world" and "peace on earth to all people of good will" that we at least give a hearing to every December can be just as real and life-giving in every month and season of the year: in imitating the loving kindness, the compassionate forgiveness and the reconciling selflessness of Jesus, we make God's living presence a reality in every human heart, in every moment of time, in every gathering place. We all have our doubts sometimes; we struggle to find God in our stormiest moments or see him in our darkest nights. This Advent calls us to embrace the grace and wisdom to realize his presence in the compassion and mercy we experience in the love around us.

OUR PRAYER: Lord Jesus, open our hearts and minds to see what is hidden from us, to hear what the noise and clamor of the world shout down, to embrace the wisdom we cannot yet understand. Through the joys and struggles of family and friendship, may we find our way to your dwelling place by the light of your peace. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR ALL OUR FOOTBALL FANS UCLA and Nebraska to meet in Foster Farms Bowl. UCLA will play the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Foster Farms Bowl on December 26 at Levi's Stadium. Bowl matchups were determined last Sunday, and this will pit a Pac-12 team against a Big Ten opponent. Nebraska is coached by Mike Riley, who formerly coached at Oregon State. Game time is 6:15 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPN. WHAT ABOUT IOWA & IOWA STATE? HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS: IOWA IS GOING TO THE ROSE BOWL!! The University of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the 102nd Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California. The Rose Bowl is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. (CT), on Friday, Jan. 1. The game will be televised by ESPN from the Rose Bowl (89,105). Fifth-ranked Iowa meet, Pac-12 champion and sixth-ranked Stanford (11-2)

IOWA STATE HAS A NEW FOOTBALL COACH Iowa State has a great new football coach, Matt Campbell, to coach them for the next season, so they will not be off to a bowl game this year. Without a doubt many experts believe that they will be in a bowl game come next season. Good luck to the Cyclones !!!!

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HOLY YEAR BEGINS Pope Francis launched this past Tuesday on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception an "extraordinary" Roman Catholic Jubilee on the theme of mercy during which priests will be allowed to absolve women who have had abortions. In the latest incarnation of a 700-year-old Catholic tradition, this Year of Mercy will mark the beginning of a holy period of just under a year in which believers are encouraged to renew their relationship with God and seek forgiveness for their sins. Francis set a new tone for this Jubilee with his surprise announcement in September that he would be granting every priest the discretion to absolve women for having had abortions. Catholic Church dogma considers terminating a pregnancy a heinous sin, and it is normally punishable by excommunication. By having this Year of Mercy Pope Francis may indeed by signaling his desire to change the Church's approach from condemnation of wrongdoing to an understanding of the difficulties faced by 21st-century believers. "The greater the sin, the greater the love the Church must express," the Argentinean pontiff said when he announced the extraordinary Jubilee in March on the second anniversary of his election. The jubilee runs until November 20, 2016. As has been the case for seven centuries, pilgrims visiting Rome will be able to mark the occasion by entering St Peter's and other famous churches through special Holy Doors that are kept bricked up between Jubilees. The pilgrimage is no longer a required rite. In a Francis innovation, believers will have access to Holy Doors around the world The pope said he hoped the year would be a chance to repair divisions between Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians dating to the 11th century. Speaking on the 50-year anniversary of a joint declaration by then Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras expressing regret for many of the past actions that led up to the Great Schism between the Western and Eastern rites, he said he hoped for "new steps in mutual forgiveness". Jubilee years have their roots in an Old Testament tradition of freeing slaves and prisoners once every 50 years. The concept died out in Judaism with the dispersal of Jews around the world but was relaunched in a Catholic format by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 with pilgrimages to Rome at its heart. They have been held variously at intervals of 25, 33 (Christ's age when he was crucified) and 50 years with occasional extraordinary ones slotted in between. The last Jubilee was in 2000 and was called by John Paul II to mark the millennium. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advent as I Consider the World Situation God of comfort, these times seem so uncertain, so scary. The world seems darker than it has in the past and I am less sure of myself. Maybe that's a good thing; maybe now I am turning to you with a realization that I need you so much more and that my life is not in my own control. Let me not forget all of those around the world who are frightened at this moment. Help those who are victims of terrorism and war. Be with those who have lost so much in the past year. Hold us all in your loving arms and let us be comforted by the strength and peace you want to much to offer us through the birth of your son, Jesus. Thank you for the many gifts you offer us.