Regular Devotions

Holy Rosary

20 minutes before daily Mass

Divine Mercy Tuesday after the 7 PM Mass

Our Lady of Fatima 3rd Monday of the month 6:30-7 PM

3rd Saturday of the month 9:30-10:30 AM

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Saturday after the 9 AM Mass

First Friday After the 8 AM Mass -

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 12:00 noon Benediction

6:25 PM—Holy Rosary

Sunday, January 5, 2020

PARISH OFFICE

Rev. Tien Tran, Pastor ttran@rcav.org; frtran@hotmail.com

Rev. Lucio Choi, Asst. Pastor lchoi@rcav.org

604-589-2083 Rectory

Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

604-589-2448 office@saintmatthews.ca

Parish Admin: Ms. Caroline P. Mrazek Mrs. Stephanie Chessell Mrs. Anna G. De Leon Bookkeeper: Mrs. Melanie A. Narvaez P.R.E.P.: Mrs. Trish Van Vliet prep@saintmatthews.ca Maintenance: Mr. Lorne Ward lorne@saintmatthews.ca

Elementary School: 604-589-7545 www.stmatthewselementary.ca Preschool: 604-589-1222

REGULAR MASS TIMES SUNDAY: English Masses - 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 7:30 PM; Vietnamese Mass 5 PM; African: Last Sunday 12:30 PM (Mass in English with African Choir)

SATURDAY: 9:00 AM / Anticipated Mass at 5:30 PM

WEEKDAYS: Monday to Friday (except TUESDAY) 8:00 AM Tuesday 7:00 PM Friday Night—Mass at 7:00 PM (Vietnamese) ***except First Friday (in English)

CONFESSIONS Weekend & Daily Masses: half an hour before each Mass

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sat. Jan. 11 Feast of Sto. Nino Thu. Jan. 16 Bible Study begins Sat. Jan. 18 Feast of St. Joseph Vaz

(see details inside)

St. Matthew’s R.C. Parish 16079 88 Avenue, Surrey, B.C. V4N 1G3 Tel: (604) 589-2448 Fax: (604) 589-2344

Website: www.saintmatthews.ca

APPEAL TO OUR PARISHIONERS: Please be mindful that the hymn books in the pews are not toys. Please take a minute to restore them in the right order in the pews. Garbage should be disposed of in receptacles provided.

ATTENTION NEWCOMERS AND NON-REGISTERED PARISHIONERS: Please take the time to fill out our Parish Registration Form found behind the counter by the Parish Office, if you have not done so yet. Thank you.

2020 Sunday Envelopes are now available for pick-up at the Fireside Room. They are all arranged alphabetically by last name.

By appointment with a minimum of 2 months’ notice (during pregnancy) so that instructions can be given to parents and god-parents about the duties and responsibilities assumed in this Sacrament. A minimum of 6 months’ notice with one of the parties regis-tered in the parish and practicing his/her faith. The Marriage Preparation course is mandatory. Please ask for “Guidelines for the Celebration of Marriage”. Please call the parish office before making arrangements.

BAPTISM:

MARRIAGE:

FUNERALS:

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Stewardship Reflection

Penances and Prayers

God’s glory, now, is kindled gentler than candle-light under the rafters of a barn:

Eternal Peace is sleeping in the hay, And Wisdom’s born in secret in a straw-roofed

stable.*

If you have never read Thomas Merton’s poem, “Epiphany Carol”, search it out on the internet. Merton’s words are profound and paint a pic-

ture of the awesomeness of Jesus, the newborn King of Kings, lying in a simple straw bed. The

shepherds and Wise Men are drawn to pay homage to the One who has been born above all others and brings with Him hope for a bro-

ken world.

As Merton correctly points out, the gifts we are called to bring to this baby and lay at His feet are our prayers and penances, next to those

gifts of worldly wealth. What is it that you have to bring to the stable on this feast of the Epiph-any of the Lord? Unless those prayers and pen-ances lead to a new way of living, our gifts will be void of meaning. What we lay before Him

speaks to the change in us that He has given to us by His birth. Our daily stewardship is resem-bled in those gifts. If we are to truly echo the

kingdom of God in our lives and actions, what we ultimately offer to Him is no less than our entire selves. This baby will give His entire self

for us, and His work must continue through our hands and feet.

While we unnumbered children of the

wicked centuries Come after with our penances and prayers,

And lay them down in the sweet-smelling hay Beside the wise men’s golden jars.*

*Excerpts from “Epiphany Carol”

by Thomas Merton

-Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) Gr. 2 & CIC 2 Parent Meeting – January 8th meet in the church. SME & PREP – Student, teacher and Parent Gr. 2 & CIC2 – PREP & SME Celebration Mass – January 11th meet in the Jubilee Hall at 5:10 Gr. 7 Sponsor, Parent & Student Meeting- January 15th – PREP, SME & Viet PREP. Meet in the church at 6:40 One parent and Sponsor must be in attendance at meeting. Classes resume on January 8th - please return Holy Childhood boxes as soon as possible. Just a friendly reminder that cheques for Loon Lake & Gr. 2 Sacramental fee for PREP submitted in September will be deposited next week. Please contact the PREP office if there are any concerns. Parents with outstanding fees will be advised in the coming weeks.

Many Blessings to you all. Trish Van Vliet—prep@saintmatthews.ca or call 604-589-2448 ext. 233

50+ Seniors Seniors!!!!! Please come and join us. We are a group of retirees who enjoy good company, play cards and board games. We meet every Tuesday from 1 to 4pm in the Jubilee Hall where we share laughs while enjoying coffee/tea and some goodies. Don’t stay at home alone ————- come and meet new friends!

LIVE THE LITURGY Have you ever experienced a time in your life when everything came together and became abundantly clear? You may have been confused about something, in the dark, at a point of doubt, or unclear as to how to act. You may have questioned someone’s motivation and found yourself coming to the wrong conclusion. Then out of nowhere, the insight came and reali-ty dawned. You experienced an epiphany of sorts! Today, we celebrate Christ’s manifestation to all of the nations of the world. Has it dawned on you yet that Jesus Christ is the answer humanity has been seeking? Jesus is truly the beginning and end of all things and the key to understanding God’s presence in every human heart. Once this real Epiphany dawns on us, we can never see God, ourselves, or one another in any other way. The Divine Light illumines everything and connects the dots.

Holy land with Egypt and Jordan - 4 Countries Feb. 10, 2020 $3900 CAD per person all inclusive with tips. Beautiful East Europe with Oberammergau Add on …. 7 countries (17 days) Sept 8, 2020. Cost is $5300 CAD per person excluding tips + 600 Euros for Oberammergau. Western Europe. Visit the Shrines of Our Lady of Lourdes and Fatima with Oberammergau addon …. 8 countries (17 days) Aug 18, 2020. Cost $5,400 CAD per person excluding tips + 600 Euros for Oberammergau Holyland with Egypt and Jordan and Petra…. 4 Countries Feb. 10, March 9, April 20, May 4, Oct 19, Nov 23, 2020 $4300 CAD per person all inclusive with tips. The tours include your return flights to Vancouver, accommo-dation, transportation, taxes, sightseeing, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Contact Brian or Deon Tel: Vancouver 1-778-999-4599 / 1-778-866-8118 Email: Royaleorchid@shaw.ca and Website: www.Royaleorchidtours.com

CWL Corner A New Year Begins... Please mark your calendars for Tuesday January 21, 2020. We are having the first meeting of our 35th Anniversary Year with a Membership Potluck Buffet after the 7pm Mass in the Jubilee Hall. Bring a favourite dish for the buffet and come and share your ideas

for this special anniversary year! We will continue to "grow in faith, and to wit-ness to the love of God through ministry and service".

St. Matthew’s Prayer Group St. Matthew’s Prayer Group invites you every Monday night (except statutory holidays) from 7:30pm to 9:00pm in the Jubilee Hall (except Statutory Holidays) to give praise, worship & glory to our Lord God. Come as you are to live your faith & grow in spirit.

We may walk many roads when we search for God, and He leads us all the while. The men we honor today were not Jews. The Messiah wasn’t coming for them, not in the minds of Jesus’ con-temporaries. These men were astrolo-gers. They were adept at reading por-tents in the sky, a practice condemned in the Mosaic covenant. Still, to the best of their knowledge and awareness, they were seeking the truth. This truth led them to journey from their own home-land to honor a king they’d never met, one they couldn’t be sure truly existed. “‘We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.’” Who do you know seeks God so tenaciously? “Magi from the east arrived in Jerusa-lem,” the Gospel tells us. Who are the

seekers in your own life? Maybe it’s your cautiously curious co-worker, the neighbor who unexpectedly found peace on a yoga retreat, or your desperately angry child who has chosen, for now, to go their own way. Perhaps they’re not overtly headed for Jesus now, not yet. But they may well be seekers of truth in ways we didn’t ex-pect. Our invitation is to listen, inquire, and give directions when appropriate. The magi and modern-day seekers can inspire us as well. When is the last time you sought God’s truth so tenaciously? As believers, it can perhaps be easy to become desensitized to the Christmas season and to the miraculous reality we recently cele-brated. Mass may have been lovely, but so was the succulent roast beef, the crisp smell of evergreen, and the warm glow of family. Consider asking yourself, “God, do I know you as well as I should? Would I journey as far as the magi to meet You, if I could? Do I journey to meet You daily in prayer? What do those answer say about me, and about our relationship?” Perhaps we, like the magi, can once again be “overjoyed” at seeing the Light of the World.

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Legacy Brick Campaign Be a part of building our “Parish Centre” and leave a legacy donation that will live on past your lifetime, in memory of your support. We have a Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Brick board where your contributions will be placed. Platinum is worth $2,000 and up, Gold

is $1,200.00; Silver is $600.00; and Bronze is $300.00. A donation can be a one-time donation or monthly payments through Pre-Authorized Offering Payment e.g. 12 monthly payments of $25.00 is a $300.00 Bronze Donation. When you make a donation, you will receive a “brick” to go onto one of 4 Brick Legacy boards. When the building is complete, these Brick Legacy boards will be placed along the wall so you can see who the builders are. The “brick” can be “in memory of” a loved one or simply a contribution from your family, organi-zation or ministry. All donations stay in the Parish. Contact the Parish Office to make your Legacy Brick Donation and be part of the church builders.

Pro-Life Ministry

Our next meeting will be Friday, January 10, at 5:30 in the Upper Room. We will be planning events for 2010 and welcome every-one’s input. Please join us!

If you know anyone going through illness, loneliness, loss of a loved one, who would benefit from the comfort of a visit from our ministry & a prayer shawl please contact. Neil Penalosa profnotes@yahoo.ca

NEW APPLICANTS: Any family wishing for their child to attend St. Matthew's Elemen-

tary School for the 2020-2021 school year can pick up an application form at the school office starting Tuesday, January 7, 2019. If you have any questions please contact our school office at office@stmatthewselementary.ca or 604-589-7545. Thank you.

Bible Study Paul’s letter to the GALATIANS speaks directly to the heart of Christians and addresses the most important question we can ask: “What must we do to be saved?” It speaks of the extraordinary gift of salvation that Je-sus has won for us, and how we can unite ourselves to Christ’s redeem-ing sacrifice. In GALATIANS, we learn what it means to have this filial

relationship with God the Father, how He honors us as His children, and how we must honor Him as our loving Father. St. Matthew's will begin the 8 wk. Bible study --GALATIANS: Set Free to Live --on Thursday, Jan. 16th from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. Participants will meet every week to view an engaging video presentation followed by a time of lively group discussion and fellowship. For more information or to register, email: bible_study@live.com or register at the Parish Office. Cost $35. (includes all materials). See you there!

St. Matthew's Youth Retreat Weekend 2020: Pursuit Young people age 14-19 are invited to attend St. Matthew’s Youth Retreat Weekend: "Pursuit", taking place at Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre on February 14-16, 2020. Talks, testimonies and discussion that will allow you to encounter God in a new and per-

sonal way. Celebrate the Eucharist and encounter Jesus in the sacraments. Hang out, laugh and play games. Showcase your abilities with a talent show - pyjama edition. Enjoy five hearty, fresh and delicious meals among friends. REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 15! Email matthewfurtado@hotmail.ca for regis-tration and more info.

St. Vincent De Paul Society The SSVP Conference at St. Matthew’s would like to thank all pa-rishioners for their great support of our Christmas hamper pro-gram. With your donations of gifts for the children, gift cards and cash we were able to generously meet the needs of those who re-

quested or those whose names were put forward to us for a hamper. 79 families were recipients this year. This was our largest year to date. This translates to 212 individuals ( 120 adults, 92 children.) Thank you so very much. Our work for 2020 will begin again with our first meeting set for Fri-day, January 10 @ 9am in the Upper Room. We welcome all who wish to join us.

Feast of Sto. Nino On January 11, 2020, the Feast of Sto. Nino will be celebrated during the 5:30pm mass. There will be a procession inside the Church after the mass , and snacks will be served at the Fire-

side Room.

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Desiree Pino; Ryker Slaney; Veronica Wong; Carol Ward; Liz Da Costa; Annemarie Belgardt; Tommy Contre-ras; Cathie Gasler; Amelia Real; Dominic Celio; Ester Maceda; Walter Slaney; Pinky Castillo; Victor Miller; Gerry Della Mattia; Maria Jean Pereira; Daisy Rodriguez; Thea Luyten; Raymond Wittrock; Mrs. Clavero; Margaret Irvine; Sueann Zore; Basil Paigan; Stephen Letourneau; Erwin Belgardt; Juanito & Jovita Lim; Nora Bawasanta; Judy Ibao; Virgilio Pino; Julie Cunningham; Helen Stote; Rosa Villarama; Elmer Kachur; Horst & Elsa Seliger; Teresa Kelly; Romualdo Nicdao; Claire Looi; Ivan Gervasio; Josefina & Teodulfo Hosain; Nenita Cabilan; Dr. Demetrio Tamparia; Loida Tobias; Angelita Correa; Edgardo Olivares; Alex; Mai and Anton Car-riedo; Cynthia Apacible

Priority on this list is given to parishioners, as space permits. Names will be removed from time to time. If you submit a name to the Prayer List, it is your responsibility to inform the office should his/her circumstances change.

CONTACT LIST—ST. MATTHEW’S PARISH MINISTRIES African Community Ms. Tina Obiwumma aneledom@hotmail.ca Altar Servers Mrs. Teodora Suzuki teodora.suzuki@gmail.com Altar Women Ms. Marcella Garneau marcellagarneau@gmail.com BLD Community M/M Lito & Lulu Imperial jimperial324@live.com Bible Study Mrs. Gail Estrada bible_study@live.com Catholic Women’s League Mrs. Louise Klaponski klaponsk@telus.net Catholic Young Adults of Surrey (CYAS) Fr. Lucio Choi lchoi@rcav.org Choirs: Fri 7 PM Mr. Hahn Nguyen henryq.nguyen@yahoo.ca Sat 5:30 PM Mr. Danilo Bernabe dannybernabe9@gmail.com Sun 8:30 AM Mrs. Kathleen Grosjean grosjean@shaw.ca 10:30 AM Mr. Peter Luongo sluongo@telus.net 12:30 PM Mr. Homer Garcia-Reyes askmymusic@rocketmail.com (last Sunday) 12:30 PM Ms. Tina Obiwuma aneledom@hotmail.ca 5 PM Mr. Vincent Nguyen vien4cdsurrey@gmail.com 7:30 PM Ms. Nannette Lenoue-Guze nannettelg@gmail.com Couples for Christ M/M Cris & Ophel Quidasol cris_quidasol@icloud.com Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Mrs. Deborah Joel djoel@positec.com Fifty Plus Group Mr. Andre Maris anne_andre_maris@telus.net Greeters & Gift Bearers Mrs. Stella Lemos stella.lemos15@gmail.com Hospitality Committee Mrs. Maureen Fadum mgfadum@shaw.ca Knights of Columbus Mr. Richard Thompson grandknight@shaw.ca Lectors Mr. Jon Javier jon2ejavier@yahoo.com Legion of Mary Mrs. Carmen Caballero 604-589-2448 Liturgy of the Word for Children Mrs. Nenita Capili capilin@shaw.ca Our Lady of Fatima Mrs. Germana Brotto grbrotto@gmail.com Pro Life Ministry Mrs. Teresa Gares tgares@live.com Parish Education Committee Mrs. Katrina Bellosillo katrina.amurao@gmail.com Parish Pastoral Council Mr. Bill Bouwman bouwbill@gmail.com R.C.I.A. Fr. Lucio Choi lchoi@rcav.org St. Matthew’s Prayer Group Ms. Christie Castro christie1225@hotmail.com St. Matthew’s Soup Kitchen Mrs. Belle Carson bellecarson@hotmail.com St. Vincent de Paul Society Mr. Eric Andres 604-589-2448 Sports Ministry (Basketball) Mr. Marlowe Billedo marlowe25@hotmail.com Sports Ministry (Volleyball) Mr. Tot Phan totphan@gmail.com Ushers Mr. Doug Thomas dougjamesthomas@hotmail.com Vietnamese Community Mr. Hoang Minh Nguyen nhoang682@gmail.com Youth Ministry Ms. Eleanor Wong eleanorfwong@aol.com

Were you married outside the Catholic Church? If you are married, but were not married in the Catholic church, we would like to offer you an opportunity to have your mar-riage regularized with the Church. Please make an appointment with our priest to discuss having your marriage convalidated. Sacrament of the Sick. What was referred to as “Last Rites” is now called “Anointing of the Sick” administered by a priest when one is “in danger” due to sickness or old age. Please call the Parish Office to arrange. Hospital/Care Home Communion Visits. Please remember to let the Parish Office know whenever you or a loved one is hospi-

talized or moved into a Fleetwood area care home. The Parish has a dedicated group of people who will bring Holy Commun-

ion weekly to you or yours. Please phone Deacon Raul Abella 778-512-9163 for a visit and to receive Holy Communion.

Devotions to Our Lady of Fatima: Every third Monday of the month @ 6:30 PM and

third Saturday of the month after the 9am mass, beginning this January. Please join us to recite the Holy Rosary.

Funeral prayers for +Filemon Gapuz Duna is going to be held on January 17, 2020, 6pm at Valley View. Funeral mass is on January 18, 2020, 11:30am at St. Matthew’s Parish. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Breathe: A Catholic Marriage Conference Whether you’re newly married or have been married for a few dec-ades, this weekend will

be a time to breathe life into various aspects of your marriage. The con-ference will provide an opportunity for you to invest in your relationship by stepping away from the busyness of life in order to recharge, refresh, and journey deeper into the sacra-ment. You’ll hear life-giving messag-es and engaging stories that will in-spire and spark something new in each of you. You will also be given practical tools designed to help you build unity, rediscover joy, and expe-rience peace in your marriage. Join us at Harrison Hot Springs Resort on Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. Register online at catholicmarriageandfamily.com

Feast of St. Joseph Vaz Celebrate the Feast of St. Jo-seph Vaz on January 18 at 6:45 p.m. at St. Matthew's Church. Mass will be celebrat-ed by Fr. Rosary Pratheep, as-

sisted by Deacon Peter Gomes and Deacon Dileep Athaide. Potluck dinner and fellowship to follow after the Mass at the Fireside Room. This event is or-ganized by the Sri Lankan and Goan Communities of B.C.