It’s Parish Mission Time!

“Finding Christ in Our Sufferings” Presented by:

Fr. Patrick MartinFr. Patrick MartinFr. Patrick MartinFr. Patrick Martin The schedule is as follows:

Sunday, December 17 at 6:00 PM Monday, December 18 at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM Tuesday, December 19 at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM

All sessions are held in the main body of the church. Morning sessions followed by the 12:10 Mass

Fr. Pat will hear confessions for 2 hours prior to each morning session And for 1 hour before each evening session Father Patrick Martin, a native of Limestone, Maine has worked with the “broken” of this world for some 48 years. His work grew out of his own handicap—legal blindness since the age of 9. Currently he is a priest in the Diocese of Norwich, CT and has preached parish missions on “God’s Love in Our Broken Lives” in over 1300 parishes worldwide since 1980. He also has published a number of books help people to live with their brokenness.

COME AND BRING A FRIEND!

Second Sunday of Advent December 10, 2017

Page 2 Website - www.saintcecilias.org

The Week AheadThe Week AheadThe Week AheadThe Week Ahead

Registered Families ..................................... 1,028 337 Envelopes..................................... $11,130.88 Loose Cash ........................................... $1,194.64 Loose Checks ....................................... $1,907.00 Total.................................................... $14,232.52 Maintenance and Repair Fund .................. $801.36 Christmas Flowers .................................... $689.00

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Last Week’s CollectionLast Week’s CollectionLast Week’s CollectionLast Week’s Collection

This Week’s Sanctuary This Week’s Sanctuary This Week’s Sanctuary This Week’s Sanctuary LampLampLampLamp

Is in Memory of George Johnson, Parents and Siblings Requested By Claire

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 12:45 PM Senior Lunch PH 2:00 PM St. Vincent De Paul 103-104 7:00 PM AA Meeting 101 7:00 PM Divorce Survival 104 7:00 PM Boy Scout Pot Luck Dinner A TUESDAY 7:00 AM Men’s Gospel Forum 101 7:00 PM Knights of Columbus PH WEDNESDAY 6:00 PM Hand Bell Choir CR 7:00 PM Advent Music Study A, B 7:30 PMAdult Choir Practice CR THURSDAY

7:00 PM First Reconciliation C FRIDAY 8:00 AM Brothers in Christ A 10:00 AM Scripture Sharing L 10:00 AM Divine Mercy Cenacle 101 5:00 PM Parents Night Out A,B,101-104 SATURDAY 3:00 PM Confessions until 3:30 PM C SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 8:30 AM Youth Group Pancake Breakfast A,B,K 9:00 AM Children’s Liturgy of the Word CR 10:30 AM RCIA 100 11:00 AM Advent Program 101-104 1:00 PM Decorating Christmas C 12:00 PM Sacramental Prep 101-104 12:00 PM Confirmation Class 204 6:00 PM Parish Mission C

Our readings from Holy Scripture on this Second Sunday of Advent remind us of what we are supposed to be doing during Advent, in fact throughout our lives. The reading from Isaiah an-ticipates the coming of Christ and John the Baptist as it proclaims “… prepare

the way of the Lord.” This is a time of preparation for us.

That message is repeated in our Gospel from St. Mark. To-day’s Gospel is the absolute beginning of Mark’s Gospel and it immediately gives us that same signal by declaring, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Of course, we all realize that the path to the Lord may not al-ways be straight for us, but now is a time to correct that.

God is waiting for us. St. Peter in his Second Letter, from which our Second Reading is drawn, indicates that God, however, “is patient with you.” You might say on this Sec-ond Sunday of Advent that the Lord is giving us a second chance to respond to His call. One of the basics of St. John the Baptist’s messages was that we need to get ourselves right with the Lord, perhaps turn our lives in a different di-rection. We can change; now is the time to do that.

Pope St. John XXIII once stated during a homily in Advent, “We are all part of an immense family. This is proven by what is in our hearts during Advent and Christmas.” Now is the time to put love in our hearts and to truly prepare the way of the Lord. www.THECATHOLICSTEWARD.com

This Weekend’s Altar WineThis Weekend’s Altar WineThis Weekend’s Altar WineThis Weekend’s Altar Wine In Memory of Jim and Betty Tragesse

Donated By John and Cathy Devine

OPLATEK ~ The Christmas Wafer We have Oplatek, or Christmas Bread, available in the parish office for $2.00 per pack. You may call or stop in Mon-day through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Family members and friends break off a small piece of the opłatek wafer and give it to one another along with a blessing. Breaking off and ex-changing part of opłatek with someone

is symbol of forgiveness between two people and is meant to remind participants of the importance of Christmas, God, and family.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 7:30 AM † Loreto Bunal By Ligaya Rafferty 12:10 PM † Frank Hojczyk By Brother TUESDAY 7:30 AM † Judith Kathryn Alves By Ronnie 12:10 PM † Our Parents By Dick and Holly Myer WEDNESDAY 7:30 AM † Ella Reger By Pat and Laura Agnew 12:10 PM Priest’s Intention THURSDAY 7:30 AM † Tom Lovell By Fran and Marian Jeko 12:10 PM Jean Berry Forester Jeanne and Claire FRIDAY 7:00 AM † Alice Graves By Sheri and John 12:10 PM † John Tomandl By Daughter, Jill SATURDAY 4:00 PM † Larry Romano By Lisa and Marc Ioli SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 7:30 AM St. Cecilia’s Parishioners 9:00 AM † Michael Lovero By Dick and Nancy Zavada 11:00 AM † Violet Zadrovitz By Sheri and John

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS the deceased members of our parish families.

† Catherine Madden

Phone: 239-936-3635 • Fax: 239-936-2108

Liturgy IntentionsLiturgy IntentionsLiturgy IntentionsLiturgy Intentions

For the WeekFor the WeekFor the WeekFor the Week A Thought From St. Francis De SalesA Thought From St. Francis De SalesA Thought From St. Francis De SalesA Thought From St. Francis De Sales "You will show me the path to life," says the psalmist [Ps 16:11], not only because our temporal life depends on the Divine Will, but also because our spiritual life consists in its fulfillment...The rebellious spirit, instead, wants its heart to be full of itself and its will to be above that of God. Eternal God, do not permit this disorder to take root in my soul!"...not my will but yours be done." [Lk 22:41] You alone can give me the grace to have no will but Your own.

Pray For Our SickPray For Our SickPray For Our SickPray For Our Sick Mary Adams, Kelley Allen, Penny Arcuni, Larry Atkin-son, Janice Austin, Millie Azcuy, Agnes Boller, Black Family, Marguerite Bosman, Brendan Brennan, Jack-ie Busch, Harry Chernin, Nicasio David, Nina Devine, Marci DiCosta, Marie Diraimo, Corinne Dwyer, Dawn Dunham, Gordon Forester, Mena Granatino, Mary

Greco, Pat Greco, Curtis Hackett, Mary Jo Hobbs, Joyce Ho-jnacki, Rose Mary Immken, Marie Keller, Dorothy Kiesel, Mary Kyle, Judy La Rose, John Lampman, Dory Lane, Carol Lindstrom, Lauren Lombardi, Nancy Lylis, Joan McGarry, Evelyn Machette, Catherine Madden, Lauren Major, Fred and Antoinette Marquardt, John Meagher, Eduardo Moas, Chris Noel, Gerri Parkinson, Jim Parucci, Anne Pavese, Mary Ann Ritter, Hedy and Michael Roper, Diana Rose, Zachary Ross, Maryjean Ahearn Rotondo, Joseph Ruiz, Lorraine Ryan, Tommy Scardina, James Scheibelhut, Josh-ua Schmeck, Ellen Serviss, Martha Temby, Ann and John Thomp-son, Emma Valla, Donna Vilardi, Tonya Heidelberg-Yopp, Ed Ze-big, Charlie Zebrowski.

Scripture Readings for the Week

Monday Isaiah 35: 1-10

Luke 5: 17-26

Tuesday Zechariah 2: 14-17

Luke 1: 26-38

Wednesday Isaiah 40: 25-31

Matthew 11: 28-30

Thursday Isaiah 41: 13-20

Matthew 11: 11-15

Friday Isaiah 48: 17-19

Matthew 11: 16-19

Saturday Sirach 48: 1-4, 9-11

Matthew 17: 9, 10-13

Sunday Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11

Thessalonians 5: 16-24

John 1: 6-8, 19-28

HELP WANTED! HELP WANTED! HELP WANTED! HELP WANTED! We will decorate the Church for Christmas on Sunday, December 17, at 12:30 PM. Please come with the family and join us for an afternoon of fun. Enjoy a light lunch immediately following the 11:00 AM Mass. Hope to see you ther!

Gaudete Sunday— What is it? The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, this year fall-ing on December 17. On this Sunday we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Gaudete is the imperative plural form of the Latin verb gaudere (to re-joice). It is a command ordering us to rejoice! In these days of

penance and preparation leading up to the feast of our Savior's birth, it reminds us of the joy that is to come, and serves, amid this season of penance, as a kind of 'break' when we recall the hope we have because of the coming of Jesus. We encourage you to rejoice and wear your pink or rose color on this special day!

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WITH GRATITUDE TO OUR “ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK” WHOSE SUPPORT HELPS TO PUBLISH THIS

BULLETIN!

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Our next date is Saturday, January 6, from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. To volunteer call Elaine at Ext. 10.

Goal ..................... $216,000.00 Pledged ............... $178,953.00 % of Goal .......................... 82% % of Households ............... 33% Total payments .... $173,772.00

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The MAGI Are On Their Way! Our annual Giving Trees are located in the narthex and the north and south wings of the church. The giving spirit of the Magi is located in your hearts. Please return your gifts by De-cember 10 by Noon.

Next Week is our monthly St. Vincent de Paul collection. Please use the envelope in today’s bulletin to help the Society feed the poor in our community.

SSSSTTTT. V. V. V. VINCENTINCENTINCENTINCENT DEDEDEDE PPPPAULAULAULAUL DDDDIAPERIAPERIAPERIAPER DDDDRIVERIVERIVERIVE

Next weekend, please bring diapers to the church. Currently we are in great need for diaper sizes 3 and 4. Diapers will be distrib-

uted by the St. Vincent de Paul Society to families seek-ing assistance. Thank you again for helping the needy in our community.

Christmas Eve MassesChristmas Eve MassesChristmas Eve MassesChristmas Eve Masses: 4:00 PM Quartet Voices and Chil-dren’s Choir with solo instruments

6:30 PM Teen cantors and Hand-bells with solo instruments

9:00 PM Choir and Handbells with solo instruments

Christmas Day Masses:Christmas Day Masses:Christmas Day Masses:Christmas Day Masses: 9:00 AM Cantors with solo instruments

11:00 AM Cantors with solo instruments

The solo instruments will include variations of trum-pets, oboe, horn, flute, clarinet, guitar, and violin.

Please come at least 30 minutes prior to Mass to get a good seat and listen to about 20 minutes of Christmas prelude music.

Have you wondered how you might be able to share your treasure with your Faith Community?

We are looking for parishioners who would be interested in donating one case of our altar wine (12 bottles per case). The cost is $70 per case. You can offer it in memory of someone, in honor of someone, or for a spe-cial lifetime event. We will also print it in the bulletin. If you would like to be a part of our wine ministry, please contact Jill at Ext. 29.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to the Palms Retirement Community are needed on Tues-day mornings. The commitment is one Tuesday morning a month for about two hours. What could be a more fulfilling spiritual experience than bring-ing the Lord to others? Come join in His works!

For more information contact Pam at 239-936-3635, Ext. 16.

WE NEED YOU!WE NEED YOU!WE NEED YOU!WE NEED YOU!

Christmas is approach-ing and everyone will be busy shopping for gifts.

Think of Saint Cecilia when shopping Ama-zon online! Help sup-port your church when you shop online.

#StartWithaSmile at smile.amazon.com/ch/59-1092092 and Amazon will donate to St Cecilia Catholic Church.

Page 5 5632 Sunrise Drive • Ft. Myers, FL 33919

Family Faith FormationFamily Faith FormationFamily Faith FormationFamily Faith Formation

We are here to welcome your child into the Church, God’s Family. It is never too early to register your child.

Regular participation in parish life is essential. Please know there is a six-month wait for new pa-rishioners unless your former parish assures your membership with them.

To plan the baptism of your child, please contact Linda Sigl at 936-3635, Ext. 19 or email: lsigl@saintcecilias.net

PARENTS’ NIGHT OUTPARENTS’ NIGHT OUTPARENTS’ NIGHT OUTPARENTS’ NIGHT OUT

On Friday, December 15, we will watch your kids while you finish your Christmas errands. Drop off is 5:00 PM, pick up is 9:00 PM. Our Youth and Confirmandi will assist children’s activities in the parish hall under adult supervision. (Safe Environment Trained adult volun-teers are needed and welcome.) The cost is just $5 for the night and includes a pizza dinner, games, a movie, and a craft.

GOD’S PROMISE CAME TRUE!

Please join us after 9:00 AM Mass on December 17 for our annual Family Faith Formation Advent Event. Our program includes our talented Faith Formation children and teens, and each class will be highlighted throughout the morning. A light pancake breakfast is availa-ble for just $3.00 and our program will begin once all are served.

JOIN ST. CECILIA’S JOIN ST. CECILIA’S JOIN ST. CECILIA’S JOIN ST. CECILIA’S CHILDRENS CHOIR for Christmastime music-making!.

Rehearsals will be on the following dates:

Sunday, December 3 at 10:20 AM. to 11:00 AM.

Sunday, December 10 at 10:20 AM. to 11:00 AM

Sunday, December 17 at 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. (Immediately following our Advent Event)

Rehearsals on December 3rd and 10th will start in the main part of the church and then con-tinue in the Community Room. The rehearsal on December 17 will be in the church. Parents must be present with their chil-

dren at rehearsals. Please make every effort to be prompt and to attend ALL rehearsals. Performances will be on: Faith Formation’s Advent Event Decem-ber 17, at 10:30 AM, Caroling at 2:30 PM, and Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 PM. Times listed are start times; please arrive early. Children are strongly encouraged, but not required to sing at both events. Please advise the director if you will be unable to at-tend both.

Questions? Contact Teresa at Teresa.m.mitchell@gmail.com or 239-344-9865. Thank you!

Bishop Verot Catholic High School Open House will take place on Wednes-day, January 24th at 6:30pm. Find out what a small school with big opportunities is all about. Register at www.bvhs.org/admissions in advance. Campus tours will

be available. We are still accepting applications for the 2018-2019 school year. We accept the Step Up for Students Scholarship. Please contact Jill Rhone at 239-274-6760 or jill.rhone@bvhs.org with any ques-tions. Thank you.

BISHOP VEROT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

5598 Sunrise Drive

Fort Myers, FL 33919 239) 274-6700

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The Knights Corner

OUR ETHICS- Reflecting the moral teachings of the Catholic Church and upholding the core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism in its good works, the Or-der makes ethics an essential commitment to its business client relationships.

This commitment to ethical leadership has been recognized in the business com-munity when the Knights of Columbus was named a 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company® by Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. The Knights of Columbus has been rec-ognized among the world’s most ethical companies since 2014 when it was one of only two in the life insurance category, underscoring the Knights’ commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices.

We will be at the back of the church this weekend accepting donations for our Christmas cards and Keep Christ in Christmas magnets.

Interested in becoming a Knight of Columbus? Please contact our Grand Knight Tom Tarantelli 518-320-2628 or our Fraternal Benefits Advisor Bobby St. Romain 239-201-5799 for more information.

God Bless