Reverend James Rodia, O. Praem.

Website: www.stpiocatholicschool.org

ST. RICHARD PARISH PHILADELPHIA, PA

Fourth Sunday of Advent

SUNDAY December 18th

8:00 Anthony Tavani requested by Mom & Dad

10:00 HOLY SPIRIT Joseph & Lucy Baldino

requested by family

11:30 Birthday of Angelina Buonadonna req by children

MONDAY December 19th

8:00 Edith Scairato req. by Ted Scairato, Sr and family

TUESDAY December 20th

8:00 Connie DiSilvestro requested by husband, Lou

WEDNESDAY December 21st

8:00 Sister St. David Bequest of Gerald J. Ziccardi

THURSDAY December 22nd

8:00 Stani & Carmela Mallia requested by daughter

FRIDAY December 23rd

8:00 John Spitaleri requested by family

SATURDAY December 24th

8:00 Cornelius Brannigan requested by Mary and Cass

4:00pm HOLY SPIRIT Living & Deceased Parishioners

4:00pm Living & Deceased Parishioners

7:00PM Carols in St. Richard Church

7:30pm Living & Deceased Parishioners

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our SANCTUARY CANDLE will be burning

this week In Loving Memory of Edith Scairato

requested by Ted Scairato, Sr and family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VOTIVE CANDLES

ILM Angelina Buonadonna requested by her children

IMO Angela M. DiGirolamo req. by Ann & John Palmieri

IMO Birthday of Edith Scairato requested by Charles &

Linda Emmertz and children

ILM Irene Pino requested by her friends

IMO Connie Mazzola requested by Joann Pasquarella

IMO 65th Birthday of Virginia R. Prouix-Vonarx

requested by cousin, Jean

IMO Doris Blessington requested by Ted & Debbi Scairato

IMO Connie Mazzola requested by Joe & Eileen Ceraso

FROM MY HOUSE

TO YOURS

Dear Parishioners,

Isaiah is the great prophet of the Advent season. It

was he who was chosen by God to announce that a virgin shall

conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel. The

hope that one day prayers would be answered and prophesy

fulfilled would sustain the faith of God’s children through

many a crisis as the centuries ticked by. It is hope that sustains

us during our darkest times. Isaiah was entrusted with the mes-

sage, but not the time for its fulfillment. Little could his audi-

ence or their descendants know they would be waiting, hoping

and praying for more than 700 years before these events came

to pass.

Perhaps they waited too long, for by the time Jesus

was born in the flesh, many of God’s people had forgotten he

was coming. They had stopped looking for the day of his arri-

val - had ceased to prepare for the coming of the kingdom of

God. That might explain why Jesus was rejected by so many.

They were expecting someone far grander - of noble blood

born of wealthy parents in the finest the circumstances. Joseph

and Mary and the little town of Bethlehem hardly impress

when the expectations are this high.

What if Joseph had not obeyed Gabriel, who spoke to

him in his dreams? Even today, an unwed pregnancy raises

eyebrows. In a small town like Nazareth, where everyone

knew everyone, such a scandal represented the kiss of death.

How could Joseph be with her if she had already been with

someone else? Mary said nothing in her defense and allowed

Joseph to draw his own conclusions. His doubts are still ex-

pressed in love, as he wishes to keep the whole affair quiet so

as to prevent any harm coming to the mother or her unborn

child. Had he made a stink, Mary and the baby would both

have been stoned until death.

“Do not be afraid.” That’s all. With these four words -

repeated again and again by the Archangel Gabriel, our hope

of heaven was born. Gabriel told Joseph to not given into these

fears of what others might say, think or do. Previously, Gabriel

had spoken these similar words of reassurance to Zechariah

when he received news of his wife’s miraculous pregnancy.

Gabriel would utter these words again, telling Mary, Do not be

afraid, for she has found favor with God. After Jesus’ birth,

these same words would be used to beckon the shepherds to

come in from the fields, following the light of the star, to adore

at the Christ child’s crib.

Fourth Sunday of Advent December18, 2016

Continued

“Do not be afraid.” These were the words with which St. John

Paul II began his papacy when he emerged from the conclave,

under the white smoke of the chimney from the Sistine Chapel.

These same words are spoken to us each time we face life’s

challenges, difficult decisions or even our own sinfulness. Je-

sus being born among us means we no longer have to be afraid

- either to live or to die, for he truly is “God with this us.” As

we prepare for Christmas just one week away, and buy and

wrap our last-minute gifts, let us recall that the greatest gift

isn’t the one we will find under the tree. The greatest gift of

Christmas would be wrapped in swaddling clothes not ribbons,

and he would one day be found on the tree of the cross - born

to die that we might live.

God Love Ya!

Fr. Reilly

Calling all ALUMNI of ST RICHARD –

HOLY SPIRIT – ST PIO !!! We are building a database of our School’s Alumni in order to keep everyone updated on all of the GREAT things that

are happening at our school. It will only take a minute to complete.

The Alumni form link can be found on the following websites: St. Richard Parish website at http://www.strichardchurch.org/

St. Pio School website at http://www.stpiocatholicschool.org/

Please pass this note on to your family and friends that have moved from the area as we want to reach out to as many of

our former students across the area and country as possible.

Newly Enrolled in the

St. Richard Memorial Society

Pete McGee

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

CONFESSION

Tuesday, December 20th St. Richard Church Parish Advent penance Service at 7PM

CHRISTMAS MASS

Saturday, Christmas Eve, December 24th 4:00 and 7:30 pm @ St. Richard Church

4:00pm @ Holy Spirit Church 7:00pm Carols @ St. Richard Church

Sunday Christmas Day, December 25th 10:00AM @ Holy Spirit Church

8:00 and 11:30 am @ St. Richard Church

NEW YEAR’S MASSES

Saturday, New Year’s Eve , December 31st 4:30PM @ St. Richard Church

Sunday, New Year’s Day, January 1st Masses 8:00and 11:30 AM @ St. Richard Church

10:00 AM @ Holy Spirit Church

Pre-Cana Classes In preparation for the sacrament of Marriage,

Pre-Cana classes are required for all couples.

You must register in advance for this class.

For registration and more information visit

www.philamarriageprep.com .

Pre-Jordan Classes In preparation for Baptism Pre-Jordan classes

are held Sundays in St. Richard Church after the

11:30 Mass.(Dates are subject to change.)

The parents of the child are required to attend the class;

godparents are also welcome but not required to attend.

Please call the rectory to make arrangements for the

Baptism and to attend the class. After you have attended

the class and acquired certificates of eligibility for

your godparents, you may then call the rectory for an

appointment to book the date of your choosing. The next

scheduled class is:

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Lord, you are Emmanuel, “God with

us.” Open the eyes and ears of my

heart that I may see your presence

in every person I meet and hear

your voice in the cry of the poor.

Joyful Meditations for Every Day of Advent and the 12 Days

of Christmas, Rev. Warren J. Savage and Mary Ann Sweeny

Fourth Sunday of Advent December 18, 2016

Mark your calendars!! These are two events you won’t want to miss.

• CYO Designer Bag Bingo

January 20, 2017

• Love Me Tender, A Night with Elvis Elvis impersonator, Beef n Beer, DJ,

Line dancing and more.

February 18, 2017 7-11pm

Flyers with more information soon to follow.

St. Richard Students Excel at

Roman Catholic High School Congratulations to the students who have demonstrated

academic excellence for the First Quarter.

First Honors

Patrick R. Cavalieri ‘17

Justin Vespasiani ‘18

Eric W. Helmer, Jr. ‘20

Second Honors

Anthony Rocco Pellicane ‘17

St. Richard Students Excel at

SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti HS Congratulations to the students who have demonstrated

academic excellence for the First Quarter.

First Honors

Dana Albanese ‘17 Alexandra Arrigale ‘17

Theresa Hamilton ‘18 Ryan McGettigan ‘18

Deanna Albanese ‘19 Lauren Colantuono ‘19

Savannah Maratea ‘19 Eric Nardini ‘19

Alexis Oakes ‘19 Gianna Pratt ‘20

Second Honors

Victoria Spina ‘17 Madalyn Greco ‘18

Riabene Troili ‘18 Gia Capuano ‘19

Madeline Cavalieri ‘19 Robert Escaleras ‘20

Abalisa Fareri ‘20 Aiden Snyder ‘20

SAVE THE DATE

Fourth Sunday of Advent

We are just 1 week away from welcoming the

Baby Jesus. Are we preparing in mind and spirit as well

as in presents and festive homes?

In these last days before Christmas, let us be as

excited as the children are to see Santa Claus, but let our

excitement shine through as authentic disciples of Jesus

Christ. We are preparing our hearts and minds for this

wonderful day and can't wait to wish Jesus a Happy Birth-

day. Both in times of joy and times of sorrow, we need to

listen to the voice of Jesus Christ. It is only then that we

can be at peace with ourselves and live out the Gospel

message of loving God and loving our neighbor.

So we ask ourselves:

∗ Are we happy to be disciples of Jesus Christ or is our

faith something we use when it is convenient and

necessary?

∗ Is preparing for Jesus as important as preparing for

Santa?.

Advent Week 4—Angels Candle On the 4th. Sunday of

Advent, light four candles on your wreath. Christmas is now

days away. The light is increasing! This candle is called the

Angels candle and PEACE. It represents all the Angels that

God sent to us. The Angel's candle reminds us of God's ac-

tions to save people by sending His Son to earth and also of

God's plan to gather His people to himself on the last day.

Blessing: Dear God, Christmas is almost here. Once more

we give you the gift of our hearts. Help us, Lord, to give

you one whole week of not yelling, crying, arguing, fight-

ing, or being mean. We will really try to be nice to one an-

other all this week, and then on Christmas morning each of

us can say, "I did this for you, Jesus, and now I give myself

to you." Amen.

December 18, 2016

Parish Registration

It is IMPORTANT that all Catholics

within our boundaries be registered

and be active participants of the

parish. Circumstances often change

registration status. If you can answer

“yes” to any of these questions, you need to be sure

you are registered correctly in the parish.

• Have you moved away from your parental home

(not just for college)?

• Have you recently changed your marital status?

• Are you living with your parents, are over 18,

and not receiving your own mailings and

envelopes?

If you answered yes to any of the above, please call

the rectory office to update your registration status.

If you made your sacraments here at St. Richard/Holy

Spirit or went to school here does NOT automatically

register you in the parish.

In order to receive a Letter of Eligibility from the

pastor to be a godparent or sponsor, you MUST be a

registered and active participant of the parish.

New families moving into the parish…..Welcome!

You can register online at www.strichardchurch.org.

RCIA Forming the Catholic Faith !

Do you or someone you know want to learn

about the Catholic Faith? Were you Baptized

another faith and desire to become Catholic or

Catholic and never received First Communion or

Confirmation?

If the answer is YES, then we invite you to become part of the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of

Adults) process at Saint Richard Parish. The jour-

ney will allow you to deepen your relationship with

Jesus Christ and learn about the Roman Catholic

Faith. If interested or if you have any questions as,

please call Maryellen at the Rectory 215-468-4777.

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