Pastoral Staff Father John T. Howren

Pastor

Father Mark Thomas Parochial Vicar

Father Patrick Kingery Part time Parochial Vicar

Deacon Terry Millinger Deacon José Ortiz

Deacon Bob Riddett Sr. Louise Sommer, CSJ | Pastoral Associate

Outreach Kelly Schreckenberger | Pastoral Associate

Evangelization Cristina Corbin | Pastoral Associate

Hispanic Ministries Faith Formation Staff

Diane Maguire | Director Vickie LaClair | Administrative Secretary

Gloria Kennerty | Coordinator Christian Initiation

Beth Hodgson | Coordinator Elementary Students

Michele McPheely | Coordinator High School Youth Ministry

Tarcy Hernandez | Coordinator Middle School Youth Ministry

Music and Liturgy Staff John Brandt | Director

Kathi McKenna | Assistant Director

Administrative Staff Deacon Terry Millinger| Director of

Operations Alma Martinez| Administrative Secretary

Maria Simon | Coordinator of Finance & HR Tarcy Hernandez | Coordinator

Safe Environment Amy Titshaw | Coordinator

Maintenance Barbara Baez | Coordinator

Nursery Wendy Guillory | Coordinator

Preschool

Counseling Services Sylvia Elaine Smith, MS, LPC, NCC

404.444.8956 En español:

Dunia Lobo, MA, LPC

Saint Lawrence Catholic Church 319 Grayson Highway Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Phone: (770) 963-8992 Fax: (770) 963-1710 www.saintlaw.org

Seek God. Encounter Christ. Grow as Disciples. Share the Gospel.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT PAGE 1

SATURDAY VIGIL EUCHARIST 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish).

SUNDAY EUCHARIST 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 3:00

p.m. (Spanish), and 5:00 p.m. A nursery is available during all Masses.

WEEKDAY EUCHARIST Monday-Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and

Friday at 7:00 p.m. (Spanish; September-May)

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Every Friday 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

CONFESSIONS Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.

SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION Christian Initiation of Adults follows the restored rites of the ancient Catechumenate.

Christian Initiation of Children Age seven and older takes place in a community of young inquirers who

prepare for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist during the Octave of Easter.

THE BAPTISM OF INFANTS Is celebrated on the first Saturday of the month (English) and last Saturday of the

month (Spanish), except during Lent.

SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING Saturdays during 9:00 a.m. Mass

and upon request.

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Couples contemplating marriage should contact a deacon or priest at least six months before their

desired wedding date.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS Those interested in ministry as a priest,

deacon, sister or brother should contact a parish priest.

AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR PARISH:

Alpha-Because Life is Worth Exploring! Food, Talk, Good Conversation.

ARISE Small Christian Communities Contact Kelly Schreckenberger

kschreckenberger@saintlaw.org

Christ Renews His Parish

Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreats are held once a year for men and women. Contact Deacon Bob Riddett

bobsgiants@gmail.com

Sacraments

SINCE YOU’VE ASKED…. To fulfill BOTH your Sunday Obligation & Christmas Obligation,

You and your Family will come to Celebrate 1 Mass in Each Column Below:

(*Mass in Spanish)

4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT MASSES CHRISTMAS MASSES Select 1: Select 1: Sat. Dec.23 - 5:00 p.m. Sun. Dec.24 – 3:00 p.m.* Sat. Dec.23 - 7:00 p.m.* Sun. Dec.24 – 5:00 p.m. Sun. Dec.24 - 8:00 a.m. Sun. Dec.24 – 7:00 p.m. Sun Dec.24 – 10:00 a.m. Mon. Dec.25 – 12:00 a.m. Sun. Dec.24 – 12:00 p.m. Mon. Dec.25 – 8:00 a.m. Mon. Dec.25 – 10:00 a.m. Mon. Dec.25 – 12:00 p.m. Mon. Dec.25 – 3:00 p.m.*

As one person asked: “Can I come to the 12pm Mass on Sunday, and then stay for the 3pm Mass on Sunday, and fulfill both obligations?”

Answer: “Absolutely! Remember, it’s One Mass from Each Column!”

Our Advent Penance Service is this Tuesday, December 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Father John, Father Mark and Father Patrick will have the assistance of many neighboring priests. Plan now to make this night an important part of your preparation for Christmas.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 St. Patrick, Norcross, 7:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 St. Stephen the Martyr, Lilburn, 7:00 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7

Corpus Christi, St. Mountain, 7:00 p.m.

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation, is Friday, December 8. Come celebrate God’s special love for the Virgin of Nazareth, who was prepared from her own conception to be the vessel of the Incarnation. Holyday Masses are Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (English) and Friday at 9:00 a.m., 12:15 p.m., (English) and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish)

From the Pastor’s Hand

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH DECEMBER 3, 2017 PAGE 2

Stewardship

DEC 3 SUN: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:00 a.m. Mass: Patricia Dixon McGrath 10:00 a.m. Mass: Junior Pavik

12:00 p.m. Mass: Graham Goodall 3:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): Guillermo Toledo

5:00 pm. Mass: Beverly Fenker

DEC 4 MON: ADVENT WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: Women in our Catholic Bible Study

DEC 5 TUES: ADVENT WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: Olivia Walsh

DEC 6 WED: ADVENT WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: Thomas Grassi

DEC 7 THU: ST. AMBROSE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

9:00 a.m. Mass: Gary Root 7:00 p.m. Mass: Olga Ortiz

DEC 8 FRI: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRING MARY

9:00 a.m. Mass: The Talbo Family

12:15 p.m. John Murphy 7:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): Elba Justiniani

DEC 9 SAT: ADVENT WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: Ed Phillips

3:30 p.m.: Confessions

5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass: John Donelly 7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Spanish): Xenia Lazo De Munoz

DEC 10 SUN: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:00 a.m. Mass: All People of the Parish 10:00 a.m. Mass: Bill Dearworth

12:00 p.m. Mass: The Gianni & Wiles Families 3:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): Comite Guadalupana

5:00 pm. Mass: Rita Schultz

Sun, Dec 3 9:00 am Adult Bible Study 11:00 am Alpha & Omega (sp)

Mon, Dec 4 10:00 am DeSales Companions 7:30 pm Raised in Christ Prayer

Tue, Dec 5 10:00 am Woman to Woman 6:00 pm Penance Service

Wed, Dec 6 6:15 pm Adult Faith Formation 7:00 pm Men’s Quest

Th, Dec 7 9:45 am Senior Exercise (Tue & Th) 7:00 pm Ladies of St. Lawrence Meeting

Fri, Dec 8 6:00 pm Altar Servers (sp) 7:00 pm SVDP Celebration 8:00 pm Escuela de la Cruz (sp)

Sat, Dec 9 11:00 am Baptism 3:00 pm Divine Mercy Prayer 4:00 pm Clases de Ingles 8:00 pm CRHP Hombres (sp) 8:00 pm CRHP Mujeres (sp)

Please Pray for Our Sick: Donald Clifford, Jo Courtney, Becky Farthing, Barbara Hajdakievicz, and Ofelia Ortiz along with their families and caregivers. To add or remove names, contact Alma Martínez, parish secretary, at 770.963.8992 x300 or email at amartinez@saintlaw.org. Unless we are told otherwise, names remain for one month.

Congratulations to newlyweds Alexi Flete and Adriana Aguirre! May their love for God and for one another deepen

Recent Collections In-Pew Offertory November 19 ..............$25,752.48 Electronic Giving November 19 ............... $13,187.50 Total Offertory November 19 ................. $38,939.98 Human Development ............................... $6,038.94 In-Pew Offertory November 26 ..............$22,970.74 Electronic Giving November 26 ............... $10,936.57 Total Offertory November 26 ................. $33,907.31 Parish Debt Reduction .............................. $6,496.91

Please remember in your prayers Janet Eileen Bennett, and Pete Strickland who recently passed away. May they rest in peace.

This Week at a Glance

Mass Intentions

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal—Only a few more weeks re-main to fulfill our pledges for 2017! Remember that all funds donated to the Annual Appeal above our parish goal will re-turn to us for the further reduction of our parish construction debt and other critical improvements. Please do your best to fulfill your Annual Appeal pledge before the end of the year. If you have any questions or concerns about this year’s AAA, please contact our bookkeeper, Maria Simon at 770.963.8992 x304.

Next Week’s Second Collection is for the Retirement Fund for Religious. Your generous contribution helps to care and sup-port for the retirement needs of senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. It also helps ensure that younger members of religious orders can continue the good works of their elders!

The Jesse Tree, coordinated by our parish St. Vincent de Paul Ministry, has returned to the Narthex. Angels with gift re-quests will fill the tree giving us the opportunity to bring the love of Christ to parish families as well as families in our com-munity who are struggling during the Christmas sea-son. Please help by taking an angel and returning the wrapped gift, placing it under the tree by noon Sunday, December 17. Thank you for your generosity!

We are the servants of God, each with his or her own task. We will be judged good stewards if, at His coming, He finds us ready and conscien-tiously pursuing the tasks to which we have been called.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT PAGE 3

Adult Faith Formation

Virtus

High School Middle School

Discover Japan’s Forgotten Christian Martyrs This Sunday, (December 3) at 6:15 p.m. upstairs in DeSales Hall, histo-rian and author, Walt Mussel will offer an informative presentation on how over the course of a century, Japan rose to being the jewel of missionary efforts, then became a land as forbidden as the Garden of Eden. DeSales Spirituality Group Are you looking to deepen your relation-ship with Christ? This group reads and discusses the wisdom and writings of St. Francis De Sales in light of every day life situation. Fr. Joseph Mullakkara, MSFS facilitates our discussion and would wel-come your presence on this Monday, December 4 at 10:00 a.m. in the Divine Mercy Room. Questions? Contact Diane at dmaguire@saintlaw.org. Woman to Woman We will meet this Tuesday, December 5 with the DVD se-ries on “David the King” at 10:00 a.m. and a study of the upcoming Sunday readings at 10:30 a.m. upstairs in John-son Hall. All are welcomed to sit in for one or both of these parts of our wom-en's fellowship as part of your spiritual preparation for the Christmas season. Men’s Quest meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. upstairs in the library (Room 209) to preview the upcoming Sunday readings. Newcomers are always wel-come. Contact Mike at mikedstew-art@yahoo.com for more details.

St. Nick’s Workshop– come and support the teens going to CHWC! They will be hosting a St. Nick’s workshop, where they will wrap any Christmas gifts for you! Bring your gift in the box you want it wrapped in and a donation to give to the teen who wraps it! We will have wrapping paper you can choose from, or you can bring your own. We will be St. Nick’s happy helpers next Saturday, De-cember 9 in the gym from 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and Saturday December 16th. from 12:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. in Johnson Hall. Come and get your gifts wrapped by our helpful elves!

Decision Point– meets tonight, (Sunday) December 3rd. in Cogswell Hall! Our focus is on relationships-Who are your friends? Do you want to have great rela-tionships? God will show you how.

Youth Alpha– Our next Youth Alpha meeting will be December 10th. with a focus on prayer—how do we pray? Why do we pray? Where and when do we pray?

Gospel Study– Come break bread, share God’s Word, ask questions, learn, and grow closer to God-DeSales Hall, 6:15 -7:30 p.m. each Wednesday night.

Ladies Devotional Group– Open to all high school ladies. Enjoy a small, per-sonal group, where we openly share our lives and faith. We hope to see you in DeSales Hall , 5:45-6:45 p.m. on Mon-day, December 4th.

Questions? Contact the High School Youth Minister, Michele McPheely, at mmcpheely@saintlaw.org.

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me ac-cording to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38).

The goal of tonight’s Edge Night is for the youth to come to a greater under-standing of the Annunciation, the great-ness of Mary’s “yes” and how during Advent we wait like Mary for the com-ing of Jesus Christ. For more information or questions about the Edge program for middle school youth, contact Tarcy Hernandez at thernandez@saintlaw.org.

Virtus: Protecting God’s Children The Archdiocese of Atlanta provides the VIRTUS aware-ness training for adults to help iden-tify and prevent child sexual abuse. The Protecting God’s Children® Program for Adults teaches clergy, employees, volunteers, parents and other caring adults to recognize warning signs and to respond appropriately with 5 easy steps to help prevent child sexual abuse. Your efforts are so important in our contin-ued effort to make all of our ministries safe environments for children. VIRTUS sessions are offered throughout the year and at various locations across the archdiocese. We will be offering a ses-sion at St. Lawrence on Saturday, De-cember 16 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in DeSales Hall. To register go to www.virtus.org and find the VIRTUS Online “Registration” link on the left menu to set up your on-line account. If you have any questions, please contact Tarcy Hernandez at thernan-dez@saintlaw.org.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH DECEMBER 3, 2017 PAGE 4

Around the Parish

Toiletries Collection The homeless in Gwinnett and the Living Room appreci-ate your hotel items. Leave your dona-tions for Sister Louise at the Welcome Desk.

Pancake Breakfast with St. Nicholas! Sunday, December 10, the Knights of Columbus will host a breakfast in the gym from 8:30-11:30 a.m.! Dine-in or take-out. Bring and unwrapped toy for Quinn House and receive half a price discount. Come take a picture with St. Nick. All are welcome!

Young Families of Faith! - Advent Cele-bration! Families with young children (0-5th grade) - Our next Potluck Dinner meeting will be Thursday, December 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Cogswell Hall. This is our Advent Celebration. Bring your favorite soup! For more information and/or to RSVP contact Julie Donlin at julie.donlin@hotmail.com.

The African Community of St. Lawrence will meet for their regular meeting after the 12:00 noon mass on Sunday, Decem-ber 10 in the Gym. For more information of questions, please contact Cornelius Ani at 404.396.0192. All are welcome!

As we enter into a New Liturgical Year, we look forward to two events that will be highlights of our parish life:

+ The February 3rd Ordination to the Diaconate of Rick Hogan, Pete Ranft and David Schreckenberger. + The 10th Anniversary of the Dedication of our beautiful Sanctuary on October 29.

In commemoration of these events in 2018, I am asking generous parishioners to consider a memorial gift to the parish: a beauti-ful matching set of Sacred Vestments for Priest and Deacons – in green, since that is the color most often used throughout the year. Some may not know that the proper vesture for a Deacon at Mass is not only the Stole worn diagonally over one shoulder, but over this is supposed to be a tunic – called a “Dalmatic.” (The priest’s vestment worn over his stole is called a “Chasuble.”) The only Dalmatics we have at St. Lawrence are in white: none in green, red, violet or rose. If you would like a loved one or an event remembered embroidered into the inside color of these 3 vestments, please consider this opportunity. Fr. John has selected a green set from the Holy Rood Guild, and each of the 3 (1 Chasuble and 2 Dalmatics) run just shy of $1,500.00 each. (Yes, handmade dignified and noble Sacred Vestments, worthy of the Paschal Mystery we celebrate in our Sacred Litur-gies, have great worth! To the right are pictures of the Chasuble and the Dalmatic. (Sorry, professional models are not included! – just the vest-ments!)

The Ladies of St Lawrence will hold their annual cookie exchange on Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. in De Sales Hall. We will also collect toys for Quinn House at this meeting. Call Karen Ren-ner at 440.864.5050 or Frances Alkire at 770.513.8704 for a list of needed items. All Women of the Parish are Welcome!

American Red Cross Blood Drive will be Thurs-day, December 7 from 2:00—7:00 p.m. Walk-ins

are welcome. For more information contact Sister Louise at 678.240.3063.

Senior Adult Ministry will meet for lunch on Wednesday, December 20 at Olive Garden o Scenic Highway. Call Sis-ter Louise for reservations at 678.240.3063.

St. Lawrence's Festival Of The Nativi-ties will be held on December 16 & 17. All types of nativities are needed - chil-dren's nativities, novelty sets, family heirloom sets, nativities from your travels, paintings of nativities - all kinds, all sizes, all shapes. Remember how inspiring it was last year. Become a part of our Festival this year. Regis-tration Forms are available on the St. Lawrence website, in the hall literature rack and will be available after all masses starting this weekend (in the Narthex Hall). Be sure to save the date to attend. Contact Robin Ramsey 770.365.2134 or Betsy Podriznik 770.841.3572.

Woman of the Year nomination forms are available in the literature rack in the main hall or at the Welcoming Window. This is the time to nominate those wom-en who do so much for our parish and community. Please return the forms to the parish office by Sunday, January 7. Contact Rosanne Larkins, 770.995.1680, rosannelarkins@bellsouth.net or Karol Gaines 770.962.6314 for more infor-mation.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH PRIMER DOMING DE ADV ENTO PAGINA 5

Domingo 10 de Diciembre

7:00 p.m. Rosario Bilingüe

Ministerio de Jóvenes And Edge

7:30 p.m. Ventas

Tradicionales (Pan dulce, tamales,

Chocolate y…) en el Patio Parroquial

Para los que se han preguntado…. Como cumplir AMBOS días de obligación tanto el Domingo & La Navidad Usted y su familia puede venir a Celebrar la Eucaristía los siguientes Días.

Misas en Español

4th Domingo de Adviento Sábado 23 de Diciembre a las 7:00 p.m.

Misas de Navidad Domingo 24 de Diciembre a las 3:00 p.m. Lunes 25 de Diciembre a las 3:00 p.m.

También usted tiene la opción de elegir y combinar una de las Misas de español y una de inglés para cumplir con los deberes de católico y puede mirar el calendario de las Misas en Ingles en las páginas anteriores.

Recuerde, es una Misa de cada columna!

Desayuno con San Nicolás! El Domingo, 10 de Diciembre, los caballeros de Colón serán los anfitriones de un desayuno en el gimnasio de 8:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m.! Los invitamos atraer un juguete sin en-volver para ser donado a Quinn House y así tendrá un descuento al pagar el desa-yuno. También puedes tomar la oportu-nidad de a tomarte una fotografía con San Nicolás. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! Bautizos de Diciembre: Las clases pre-bautismales serán el jueves 7 de Diciem-bre a las 6:30 p.m. y los bautizos se cele-braran el Sábado 16 de Diciembre a las 12:00 p.m. estos son los últimos bautizos del año.

Adoración al Santísimo: Sera el jueves 21 de Diciembre de 6:00 p.m. a 8:00 p.m. Los invitamos crecer más en la ado-ración y la oración personal. Esta es una gran oportunidad para pedir por nues-tras necesidades y las de los demás. Los esperamos!

6:30 a.m. Rosario Mariano 7:30 a.m. Mañanitas 8:30 a.m. Desayuno

MISA SOLEMNE A LAS 7:00 p.m.

Ofertorio de Incienso (Ofertorio Azteca)

Procesión al GYM Concierto Mariano

Bailes Típicos Venta de Comida

*Venta de tiquetes

Después de las misas de fin de semana y

Durante la festividad

Martes 12 de Diciembre

O I

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