St. Justin Parish

When was it hardest for you to trust in

God’s plan, as Mary did? What can help you at such times?

Weekend Masses

Saturday Vigil 5:00 p.m. Sunday

7:30, 9:00, 10:30 a.m., 12:15 and 7:00 p.m.

Weekday Masses

Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Holy Days of Obligation 8:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m.

and 7:00 p.m.

Reconciliation Saturdays 3:30 p.m.– 4:15 p.m.

Or by appointment

Parish Office Phone 408-296-1193 ext. 100

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.

2655 HOMESTEAD ROAD SANTA CLARA, CA 95051

Page 2 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 23, 2018

PASTORAL STAFF Rev. Christopher Bransfield, Pastor 408-296-1193, x 107, cbransfield@dsj.org

Rev. Gerald Nwafor, Parochial Vicar 408-296-1193, x 113, gnwafor@dsj.org

Ms. Karen Suty, Principal 408-248-1094, x 232, ksuty@dsj.org

Mrs. Mary Kane, Director of Faith Formation 408-296-1193 x 104, mykane@dsj.org Mr. Joe Bauer, Facilities Coordinator 408-296-1193 x 109, jbauer@dsj.org

Mr. Clement Cano, Music Director 408-296-1193 x 112, ccano2@dsj.org

Ms. Laura Ortiz, Office Manager 408-296-1193 x 102, lortiz@dsj.org

Ms. Diane Serrianne, Receptionist 408-296-1193 x 100, dserrianne@dsj.org

Mrs. Nancy Uyeda, Community Ministry Assistant 408-296-1193 x 105, nuyeda@dsj.org

Rev. James Okafor, In Residence

PHONE NUMBERS

Parish Offices: 408-296-1193 Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00 p.m.

closed 12:00-1:15 p.m. Fax: 408-244-9437

Website: www.st-justin.org

Catechetical Ministry Ext. 102

Ministry to the Sick Ext. 113

Youth Ministry Ext. 104

Liturgical Ministry Ext. 107

Community Ministry 408-243-1462

School Office 408- 248-1094

Thrift Store 408-243-7117

Current Hours: Monday-Friday 9-2:30 p.m.

Saturday 9-3:00 p.m. Sunday 10-3:00 p.m.

4th Sunday of Advent

On this last Sunday before Christmas, our Gospel prepares us for Christ’s birth by showing us how Jesus was recognized as the long-awaited Messiah even before his birth. The Gospel turns our attention from the ministry of John the Baptist to the events that preceded John the Baptist’s birth. The story of John the Baptist and his parents are only in the Gospel of Luke. Today’s Gospel reading recalls Mary’s actions after the announcement of Jesus’ birth by the angel Gabriel. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, her cousin, who is also with child. Elizabeth greets Mary with full recognition of the roles that they and their unborn children will play in God’s plan for salvation. Luke pairs the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, establishing John’s early connection to the Messiah. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Replace Mary’s name with your own. What if an angel came

to us and told us we had found favor with God. Would we believe? How would we react? We need to see that the words of the angel were kind, but they were also a great challenge. Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” With those words Mary admitted her dependence and reliance upon God. She gave up her own will and embraced God’s will. She trusted that what was spoken to her by God would be fulfilled. Do we trust what was spoken to us by God will be fulfilled? As Christmas draws near, may we welcome God with open hearts and open arms. May God’s kingdom grow and thrive as we allow God to work in our lives. May we be ready and eager to follow the example of Mary. Blessed are we who believe and live our days with this assurance! May we be like Mary, open and cooperative in God’s plan for salvation. Have a good week. Peace, Fr. Chris

Go to our website at www.st-justin.org to make safe and secure donations by credit card, checking or savings.

We have 180 regular users!

WEEKLY STEWARDSHIP REPORT DECEMBER 16, 2018

Goal $12,500.00

1st Collection NOT IN TIME FOR

PUBLICATION

Upcoming Second Offerings Your generosity is appreciated. *Denotes Parish Second Collection.

12/23 Fire Assistance Fund

1/6 Ethnic Minorities &

Latin America

Page 3 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 23, 2018

ORGANIZATIONS

PARISH COUNCIL Thai Tran 408-296-1193

FINANCE COUNCIL Mary Sparacino 408-296-1193

STABLEMATES (Men’s Club) Dan Grimley 408-296-1193

LADIES GUILD Eva Eveleth 408-482-6687

GUADALUPE SOCIETY Maria Marquez 408-985-1088

ALTAR SERVERS Stephen Russell 408-472-1931

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, COUNCIL #3523 Aaron Curley 918-772-2779 gk@kofc3523.org

FIL-AM ORGANIZATION George Solanzo 408-296-1193

BOY SCOUT TROOP 14 Toby McPheeters 408-421-9770 www.bsa14.org

Christmas Eve 4:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

FOR ALL PARISHIONERS

Silver Ancheta + Sabrina Ancehta +

Alfred Williams

Saturday 5:00 p.m.

Buenaventura Ferrer + Kathleen D’Priest +

Christmas Day 7:30 a.m.

9:00a.m.

10:30 a.m.

12:15 p.m.

No Intention

No Intention

No Intention

Luke Binh Vu + Louis Silveria Gomes +

Sunday 7:30 a.m.

No Intention

Wednesday 8:30 a.m.

No Intention Sunday 9:00 a.m.

Isha Latib

Thursday 8:30 a.m.

Rigobeto Canales + Sunday 10:30a.m.

FOR ALL PARISHIONERS

Friday 8:30 a.m.

Francisco Canales + Sunday 12:15 p.m.

No Intention

Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Robert Bucholtz + Sunday 7:00 p.m.

Lyle April Roberts + Robert Mathews + Caroline Mathews

Mass Dedications for the Week of December 24 – December 30, 2018 + notes deceased

We pray for those who are ill or suffering from loneliness, sadness, or depression. We pray for

those who care for them. We pray for our deceased family and friends. We pray for our men and women who are serving in the military.

This week we pray especially for those who are ill or preparing for surgery: Matt Armenta, Cay Browning, Manuel Cruz, John Figueira, Selena Gonzalez, Mark Platt, Gloria Rohrig, Erick Ryan, Lynda Sattler, Gus Soares, Jean Soper, Jack Varty, Alfred Williams

And for those who have died: Orlando Tamburino Virginia Tijano

CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 24th Christmas Eve

4:00 p.m. Family Mass 6:00 p.m. Mass

10:30 p.m. Christmas Concert 11:00 p.m. Mass

Tuesday, December 25th Christmas Day

7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 12:15 p.m.

Tuesday, January 1st Solemnity of Mary,

The Holy Mother of God 8:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Parish Office will be closed Monday, December 24th and will re-open Monday, January 7th.

The School Office will be closed Thursday, December 20th at 12:30 p.m. and will re-open Monday, January 7th.

MASS SCHEDULE

St. Justin Thrift Store Holiday Hours

The Thrift Store will be closed Thursday, December 20th at 11:30 a.m. and will re-open Wednesday, January 2nd.

Please consider the St. Justin Thrift Store as an alternative to donating your household items and clothes.

Page 4 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 23, 2018

CATECHETICAL MINISTRY NEWS Call or email Laura Ortiz, (408)296-1193 ext. 100, lortiz@dsj.org for registration information.

If you have any questions about our programs, contact Mary Kane at (408) 296-1193 ext. 104

Catechesis more than just religious education. It is a life long journey towards a deeper

relationship with Christ.

Our program seeks to bring children to Christ, to prepare them for the sacramental life of the church, and to help them understand our call to serve one another through social justice.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ongoing Faith Formation Classes will Resume January 6th

Did You Know We Have a Program for Your 3 and 4-year olds?

We offer an Early Childhood Program during the 9 a.m. Mass, from Fall until April. Our three and four-year old classes still has plenty of room. Feel free to drop by ANY Sunday to see if it might be a good fit

for your child. You may obtain registration forms in room 2 or download them from our parish website.

Sacramental Preparation Program

A gentle reminder to all who have not completed their registration and paid their fees, please do so. Letter for First Eucharist Mass selection will not be mailed until registration is complete. High School Confirmation There is no session today. We will resume on Sunday, January 6th.

Please keep our confirmandi in your prayers! RCIA (adapted for children) Sunday, December 23rd Attend Mass with Family, Dismissal to PMC after homily CLOW (Children’s Liturgy of the Word) During the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses, children are dismissed to the Parish Ministry Center Chapel for an age appropriate Liturgy of the Word. The children return to church during the Presentation of the Gifts.

GENERAL INFORMATION

(Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)

Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 8th at 7:00-8:30pm in

the PMC. Come with any questions that you may have about faith, religion, and the

Catholic Church. This program is for adults who are seeking baptism, or were baptized

Catholic but have not celebrated the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. This is a process marked by liturgical rites that are celebrated with the community. This process is centered on the Sunday readings and includes

attending Mass. For more information email Mary Kane at

mykane@dsj.org.

The next infant Baptism Preparation class is

Thursday, January 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish

Ministry Center.

Please call the Parish Office to register.

408-296-1193 ext. 100

Page 5 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 23, 2018

MINISTRY NEWS

Community Ministry Christmas Project Last weekend we distributed Christmas food and gifts to all families requesting our assistance. While I do not have the final total of the number of people we served, I can guarantee you that all those who came to us appreciated what we were able to provide for the,. Thank you for your continued support and Merry Christmas.

Outreach Dinner Our next Outreach Dinner will be taking place, Sunday, January 6. It will begin at 1:30 p.m. in our Parish Small Hall. All Senior Citizen members of our Parish are invited, along with a guest, to this meal followed by BINGO.

Financial Assistance for Parishioners St. Justin Community Ministry has set aside some funds to provide Parishioners with limited Financial Assistance when facing unexpected issues. If you find yourself in need, contact Joe Bauer via email at jbauer@dsj.org or at 408-296-1193 extension 109.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables needed For those of you who have back yard fruit trees with an over abundance of fruit and/or gardens with vegetables please consider donating what you can to Community Ministry. The fruit and vegetables are a welcome addition to the food that we distribute to those seeking assistance. Donations can be dropped off at the Community Ministry Pantry Monday-Saturday from 10-12 p.m.

Food & Diaper Collection Most of you are aware of the Community Ministry Collection Barrels that are located in our Church. During the month of December, we will continue to request canned Soup, Ravioli, Chile, Macaroni & Cheese and Tomato Sauce. We are also in need of size 5 and size 6 diapers. These are items that we do not receive often from the Second Harvest Food Bank. Please feel free to drop donations in the barrels in the Church, the barrel in the Foyer of the School or bring items to the Parish Office.

COMMUNITY MINISTRY

Just a reminder to check all parish activities, go to our website at www.st-justin.org. Click on the CALENDAR link, and you will find where it is being held and the times.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

In ancient pagan Rome, these days in mid-December were a time for general slacking off at work and far too much rejoicing. The period of leisure after the harvest and a whole cluster of pagan festivals were a force for the church to reckon with. The Saturnalia, breaking out on December 17, was a time of high living and loose morals. Christians were advised by their bishops to drop out of the mayhem and do some serious fasting. A famous church council at Saragossa in Spain made a season of fasting mandatory from December 17 to December 23, exactly coinciding with the Saturnalia. The bishops at that time were perhaps less concerned with preparing for Christmas than with resisting the kind of loose living going on. Modern times have restored a bit of the Saturnalia spirit to our culture, so that a general period of partying with a vague connection to religion is now upon us. How does a Christian keep balance? The practice of charity by remembering the poor in our gift‑giving, of hospitality in finding a place at our holiday tables for the poor and lonely, and of daily prayer in the home and at church are great helps. Although Advent is not a penitential season like Lent, it is a time for making room in our lives for what matters most.

—James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Page 6 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 23, 2018

STAND & BE COUNTED

Registering in a parish is a declaration of your desire to be part

of a Catholic community and a commitment in all its dimensions

brings you advantages, recognition, and responsibilities of many kinds.

Being a registered parishioner makes things much easier when it is time

for infant Baptism, weddings, when asked to be a Baptismal or

Confirmation Sponsor and even funerals.

We are often asked to provide affidavits for Baptismal and

Confirmation Sponsors. We can only do this if a person is a registered, active and contributing member.

So, are you a registered parishioner?

If not, please consider registering. Registration forms are available in

the Parish Ministry Center or online at www.st-justin.org

Dear Brothers and Sisters, From Christ who was, who is and who is to come, grace light and peace be with you! The coming of the end of the year coincides with our annual observance of Advent and Christmas. As we look back to a year that in so many ways has been terribly sad and disappointing, still we are full of hope in view of what is yet to come. This hope is founded in Who is to come: our Lord Jesus Christ. The weeks leading to Christmas encourage us to be one with the prophets who foretold the Lord’s coming as they fervently hoped for an end to the bondage and captivity that so often marked the life of the people of Israel. Even now, we live in this same hope as we so often sing “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” We rejoice, for we are confident that, in spite of all things, God is with us. Advent also serves to help us prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Birth, surrounded by the love of Mary and Joseph, the song of angels and shepherds’ witness. We look fondly to that first Christmas as the reason for our celebration so many years later. These weeks before Christmas challenge us to see and welcome the Lord who breaks into each of our lives as surely as He entered the life and history of humanity long ago in Bethlehem.

Where do we recognize the Lord today? Do we allow ourselves to hear His voice speaking to us through the Scriptures? Do we encounter His loving care for us in the sacraments, most especially in the Eucharist? Do we know Him in one another and in the poor and needy who knock on the doors of our lives? Today, in December 2018, parents and young children, not so unlike the Holy Family, are seeking asylum from the violence that threatens them. They come to the borders of this nation in the hope that just as the Holy Family found safety in Egypt, so these families will find the welcome that we might reserve for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Looking forward to Christmas and the New Year, we cannot erase the mistakes and tragedies of the past, but we can surely recommit ourselves and our Church to a renewed faithfulness to the Lord Whose Birth we prepare to celebrate with joy and love. May this ancient prayer be on our lips and in our hearts: “Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in us.” With every best wish and kind regard, We remain,

Sincerely yours,

Patrick J. McGrath and Oscar Cantú

Bishop McGrath and Bishop Cantú’s Christmas Message 2018

Is God calling you to the priesthood?

Join us on February 8-10, 2019 for the #Thinking Priesthood Men’s Discernment Weekend. You will

have the chance to explore the priesthood, listen to priest’s voca-

tion stories and learn about steps for discernment, values of priestly life

and the structure of seminary formation. It will be a weekend of

prayer, discussions, fraternity, recreation, and fellowship to help

you find more clarity on where God is leading you.

Contact vocations@dsj.org or visit the Diocesan website.

ADS

Marriage Anniversaries

If your anniversary is coming up, please let us know!

Laura Ortiz at 296-1193 ext. 102 or lortiz@dsj.org

St. Justin Filipino-American Organization invites you to

A nine-day Advent Novena Masses

December 16-24,

2018 6:00 a.m.

Bob & Gloria Rohrig December 26, 1950

You are cordially invited to attend St. Justin School

Open House

Sunday, January 27, 2019 10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

St. Justin School is a nurturing community that is truly Living Our Faith. The school offers a

curriculum of challenging academic course work as well as physical education, technology skills, art and music

instruction for children in grades Preschool – 8th.

For More Information Contact Us At St. Justin School

2655 Homestead Road Santa Clara, CA 95051 Phone: 408-248-1094

Email: schooloffice@stjustinschool.org Website: www.stjustinschool.org

Catholic Values ◊ Technology ◊ Full Athletic Program ◊Extended Care

CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS St. Justin Church #488800 2655 Homestead Road Santa Clara, CA 95051 TELEPHONE 408 296-1193 CONTACT PERSON Laura Ortiz EMAIL: lortiz@dsj.org SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2007 Adobe Acrobat X Windows 10 TRANSMISSION TIME Tuesday 11:00 SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION December 23, 2018 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 8 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS