SCHEDULE OF MASSES SATURDAY:8:30 AM, 5:30 PM VIGIL

SUNDAY: 7:00 AM, 8:30AM,10:15AM,12 Noon,

4:00PM (Vietnamese), 6:30PM WEEKDAY: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM

FIRST WEDNESDAY: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 6:30 PM FIRST FRIDAY:

6:30AM, 8:30 AM, 6:30 PM 8:00 PM (Vietnamese)

HOLY DAY: 8:00 PM (Vietnamese/English) VIGIL

6:30AM, 8:30AM, 7:00 PM

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION SAT: 4:00 PM - 5 :00 PM,

6:30 PM - 7:00 PM, and by appointment

St. Christopher Church is a faith-community of diverse people who gather to joyfully celebrate life,

faith and love in Jesus Christ through serving others.

629 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91790 TEL: (626) 960-1805 FAX: (626) 851-0595

OFFICE HOURS: Mon - Thu: 9AM to 8PM; Fri : 9AM to 5PM; Sat: 9AM to 2 PM; Sun 8AM to 4PM

EMAIL: parishoffice@sccwc.net WEBSITE: www.sccwestcovina.net

Pastor Rev. Joseph Dass

Associate Pastor Rev. Huy Nhat Nguyen

Vietnamese Chaplain Rev. John Pham Quoc Hung, CSsR

Permanent Deacons Deacon Douglas Moloney

Deacon Loc Nguyen Deacon Jesse Batacan Deacon Andrew Cho

School Principal Olivia Carrillo

Business Manager Pauline Dimaculangan

Director of Religious Formation Judi Peña

Bookkeeper Tuyet Romero

Administrative Secretary Elizabeth Hudson

Page 2 St. Christopher Catholic Church 3rd Sunday of Advent

Your prayers are requested for the recovery of: Miracle Sanchez, Nora Agbayani, Virginia Moloney, Felix Lampa, Rosario Dijamco Barrios, Julie Alvar, Erlinda Laguitao, Connie Bragado, Hermes Guillera, Baby Kingston Marshall, Tamira Hughs, Elizabeth Stephens, Elizabeth Stephens, Adrian Carlson, Mary Ann Rambeau, Anna Lisa Gates, Rita Vengco, Dawn Rud-Brenner, Manuela Garcia, Arthur Reyna Sr., Maggie Subia, Robert Corrington, Nicholas Rivera, Jose del Rosario, Marco A. Aguilar, Rod & Terry Elsdon, Sonia Vargas, Edwin Sr. & Myriam Vargas, Edwin Vargas, John Gourrier, Jr., Virginia Franco, Christopher Apostol, Jo Ng, Imelda Pascual, Emy De Gusman, Mary Rose Merten, Rita Carlson, Mercedes Gomez, Perna Castillo, Philip Urgel, Emily Weathermon, Anthony Trozzi, Guille Rivas, Lydia España, Doretha Lear, and Ferdinand Asuncion.

Your prayers are requested for the

repose of the soul of: Henry Collosi, Augusto Correa Fuente, Elena Mecate, Demetria Corpus, Michael Bove, Esther Techico, George Mejia, Zenaida B. Gonzales, Karen Luevano, Valentin Mindaro, Olivia Serrano, Linda Macale, Leticia Reyes, Ed Skutnick, Manny Ordanza, Karen Gonnella, Antonio Sosa, Gabriel B. Gapido Jr., and David Juarez.

1st Sunday of December Collection: $14,880.09 Last year: $13,416.38

Thank you for your generosity!

Did you miss last year’s OneLife LA? You won’t want to miss this

year! On January 23, 2016, join Archbishop Gomez and tens of

thousands in downtown Los Angeles for the second annual OneLife

LA, an event celebrating the beauty and dignity of every human life

from conception to natural death. Beginning at 12:00 at La Placita/

Olvera St., we will walk to Grand Park for a family-friendly day of

inspiring speakers, live music, entertainment, food trucks, and

exhibits from community organizations serving those in need. The

Requiem Mass for the Unborn at the Cathedral will follow at 5pm.

Book parish buses now! Get t-shirts, postcards, posters, buttons,

and everything you need to promote OneLife LA in your parish and

school at OneLifeLA.org. Don’t miss out!

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

www.Radiate.La

We are called to radiate the love of Jesus

Christ to all the world! However, this

divine love only comes through a personal

relationship with our Lord and Savior.

In this website, we will learn how to love

God with our head through spiritual

reading, with our heart through deep

prayer, and with our hands through

humble service.

St. Christopher Church

Located at the Parish Center next to the Parish Office.

OPEN ON SUNDAYS AFTER THE MORNING MASSES 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING

BULLETIN REQUESTS

Due to the holidays, we are required by

the printing company to transmit the

bulletin earlier. Please note of the

following special deadlines for

bulletin requests:

Please be reminded that all bulletin

requests are subject to approval and

space availability.

Issue Date Deadline December 27 December 12

January 3 December 19

Support religious communitites. Your generous contribution helps us to care for our

retired sisters and enables our younger sisters to continue in active ministry,” writes

a religious sister. Your gift to today’s collection for the Retirement Fund for

Religious provides vital support for the retirement needs of senior sisters, brothers,

and religious order priests. It also helps ensure that younger members can continue

the good works of their elders!

December 13, 2015 St. Christopher Catholic Church Page 3

TODAY’S READINGS Reading 1 ZEP 3:14-18A Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing

joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with

all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment

against you he has turned away your

enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is

in your midst, you have no further

misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall

be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion,

be not discouraged! The LORD, your

God, is in your midst, a mighty savior;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love, he will sing

joyfully because of you, as one sings at

festivals.

Responsorial Psalm IS 12:2-6

R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for

among you is the great and Holy One of

Israel.

God indeed is my savior; I am confident

and unafraid. My strength and my

courage is the LORD, and he has been

my savior. With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation. R.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his

name; among the nations make known

his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his

name. R.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious

achievement; let this be known

throughout all the earth. Shout with

exultation, O city of Zion, for great in

your midst is the Holy One of Israel!

R.

Reading 2 PHIL 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord

always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your

kindness should be known to all. The

Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but

in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, make your requests

known to God. Then the peace of God

that surpasses all understanding will

guard your hearts and minds in Christ

Jesus.

Alleluia IS 61:1 (Cited in LK 4:18)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring

glad tidings to the poor.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,

“What should we do?” He said to them in

reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should

share with the person who has

none. And whoever has food should do

likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be

baptized and they said to him, “Teacher,

what should we do?” He answered

them, “Stop collecting more than what

is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him,

“And what is it that we should do?” He

told them, “Do not practice

extortion, do not falsely accuse

anyone, and be satisfied with your

wages.”

Now the people were filled with

expectation, and all were asking in their

hearts whether John might be the

Christ. John answered them all,

saying, “I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming. I am

not worthy to loosen the thongs of his

sandals. He will baptize you with the

Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is

in his hand to clear his threshing floor

and to gather the wheat into his

barn, but the chaff he will burn with

unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in

many other ways, he preached good

news to the people.

Everyone whose life is touched by

cancer is invited for fellowship on

Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 7:00

pm at the Parish Center Meeting Room

C.

Bring your favorite dish to share and

enjoy listening to Christmas carols.

Find us and like us on:

www.facebook.com

/benotafraidcancerministry

or visit us on the web at:

benotafraidcancerministry.org

For more information, please call Lydia

at (626) 960-9110 or

Julie at (626) 780-6221

“Be Not Afraid ”

Cancer Ministry

Retreat

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

- Jeremiah 31:3

Located on the beautiful and serene

grounds of the

SACRED HEART RETREAT HOUSE in Alhambra, CA.

Retreat Master– Bob Lombardo, CFR

Don’t miss this unique personal spiritual

experience. Invite family and friends to

share quiet time with God.

The weekend retreat begins at 5:00 P.M.

on Friday and ends at 12:30 P.M. on

Sunday.

For information and reservations,

contact: Victoria Lorenzo at 626-224-

4000 or Nancy Ripoly at 626-893-0518.

Registration Deadline:

DECEMBER 15, 2015

WOMEN’S SILENT RETREAT

January 22-24, 2016

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

Sunday: Third Sunday of Advent

Monday: St. John of the Cross

CELEBRATE

This Sunday, God rejoices and sings because of us. We read in Zephaniah today

that God "will sing joyfully because of you, / as one sings at festivals" (Zephaniah

3:18). We know plenty about singing at festivals. Already our ears are ringing

with the songs and carols that anticipate the Christmas season.

Paul reminds us of the source of our own double rejoicing: God is the mighty

savior who is in our midst (in Zephaniah's words). Because this is so, says Paul,

we can rejoice and be at ease. We don't have to worry, for God's peace will

stand guard over our hearts and minds.

A medieval carol depicts Christmas as "my dancing day" and urges us to enter into

the dance. Why all the merrymaking? Because "the Lord is near," as Paul reminds

us (Philippians 4:5). He then points to another reason for the dancing: the dawn

of the promise of peace, the peace beyond all understanding, that is now within

our grasp.

Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

Page 4 St. Christopher Catholic Church 3rd Sunday of Advent

TREASURES FROM OUR

TRADITION

This week, our celebration of Advent

makes a transition in ritual and texts.

Beginning December 18, the countdown of

nine days (a novena) to Christmas sees a

heightened sense of expectation, and also

a turning from the call of the Baptist in

the wilderness to the events leading up to

Jesus' birth. In ancient Spain, December

18 was once celebrated as the "Feast of

the Expectancy," and customs grew up to

heighten readiness in the homes.

Some customs arise from monastic life

and practice and spill over into our parish

life. Beginning tonight, those who pray

Vespers will sing in the opening phrase a

beautiful title of Christ. These titles

belong to a collection of opening phrases

called the "O Antiphons" after the awe-

inspired "O" sung on the first note. There's

a playful code in the titles: O Wisdom, O

Lord, O Flower of Jesse, O Key of David, O

Dawn, O Ruler, O Emmanuel. When you

take their Latin names--Sapientia, Adonai,

Radix, and so on--the titles form an

acrostic when you read them backwards:

"ERO CRAS." In Latin, that is translated as

"I will be there tomorrow!" It's as if Christ

were answering the prayers of the waiting

people in the words of the prayers

themselves.

--Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

DID YOU KNOW? Safety is key even when visiting Santa Claus

Visiting Santa Claus can be a grand and positive childhood experience. However,

some people who seek to bring Santa to life in a child’s world are not deserving of

our trust. Make sure your child knows that there are special rules for Santa and that

parents or guardians must always be with the child when he or she visits Santa. One

rule to consider is encouraging your child to stand next to Santa or sit on the floor

between his feet rather than sitting on his lap. For a copy of the VIRTUS® article

“Safety for Children AND Santa’s Helpers,” email: jvienna@la-archdiocese.org.  

AN ADVENT PRAYER

May the God of peace make us completely

holy. May God keep us blameless in

spirit, soul and body for the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Forever faithful is the

One who calls us--God our Father!

Expectant, let us live in joyful hope

for the revelation of the glory of our God

and Savior, Christ Jesus! To him be glory

forever! Come, Lord Jesus! Your grace be

with us all.

Our meeting will be on January 7, 2016 at 12:00 P.M. in

Room C of the Parish Center. Please bring your lunch.

Coffee and water will be furnished by the ministry. For

any questions, please call Adele at (626) 339-4251 or Mary

Rose at (626) 338-3459.

BATANGAS SANTO NIÑO FIESTA JAN. 16, 2016 @ 2PM

All Santo Niño Devotees are invited to the Batangas Santo

Niño Fiesta on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at

the Bramble Hall. The celebration starts with the Holy Mass

at 2:00 P.M. inside the hall. For more information, please

call: Evelyn Masongson (626) 222-1287 or Emma Gutierrez at

(626) 913-5236/(626) 478-8524.

December 13, 2015 St. Christopher Catholic Church Page 5

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 5:30 P.M. Lucy D. Cruz

Ben & Aida Felix

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 7:00 A.M. St. Christopher Church Parishioners

8:30 A.M. Agnes Aquino

(D) Lupe & Juan Puga †

10:15 A.M. (D) Juanita Calma †

(D) Jesus Lopez †

12:00 P.M. Flaviana Lee-Lim

Rachelle Siy

6:30 P.M. Felipe Asuncion, Jr.

(D) Lucy Acosta †

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14

6:30 A.M. Agnes Aquino

Jeffrey Lasher

8:30 A.M. (D) David & Victoria

Ledesma †

(D) Concepcion Vela †

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15

6:30 A.M. Friends of Barney Bertoglio

(D) Feliciano Mateo †

8:30 A.M. Ramirez Family

(D) David & Victoria

Ledesma †

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16

6:30 A.M. Evelyn Santos

(D) Greg Baron †

8:30 A.M. Elizabeth Angeles

(D) Gennie Jota †

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17

6:30 A.M. Carrillo Family

(D) Mike M. Ventura †

8:30 A.M. Melody Angeles

(D) Maria Catalina Sandoval †

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

6:30 A.M. (D) Loreta F. Eclar †

(D) Danilo Banaag †

8:30 A.M. Esperanza Tigno

(D) Pacita Soller †

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19

8:30 A.M. (D) Dr. Primo David †

(D) Zosimo Axalan †

St. Christopher Church will be having an

Advent Novena of Masses (Simbang Gabi)

from December 15th through December

23rd.

The first mass of Simbang Gabi Novena

will be celebrated at the Our Lady of

Angels Cathedral on Tuesday, December

15. Our parish will participate in the

Parade of Parols and Banners as in the

past years.

A chartered bus will be available to take

passengers to the Cathedral and

back. We will take up to 48

passengers, please call Letty at 626-260-

2891 for reservations. Cost of $15/person

covers round trip fare, gratuity, snacks

and drinks. Bus will start loading at 4:30

pm from the Church Parking Lot, and

start loading from the Cathedral

i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r m a s s a t

approximately 8:30-9:00 pm.

Simbang Gabi (Advent Novena of Masses)

December 15th

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

6:30pm

December 16th-23rd

St. Christopher Church at 7:00 PM

(except Sunday, December 20th , the

Mass will be at 6:30 PM)

Christmas Eve Masses

December 24th

5:00 PM, 7:00 PM

9:00 PM (Vietnamese)

12:00 Midnight

Christmas Day Masses

December 25th

7:00 AM, 8:30 AM,

10:15 AM, 12:00 PM,

4:00 PM (Vietnamese),

6:30 PM

Holiday Office Hours

December 24th: 9 AM - 12 PM

December 25th: Office Closed

December 26th: Office Closed

December 31st: 9 AM - 12 PM

January 1st: Office Closed

January 2nd: Office Closed

CHRISTMAS FLOWER DONATIONS

We will be accepting poinsettia beginning

December 15th. You may drop them off

at the Parish Office during office hours or

at the church vestibule after Mass. For

those who wish to give monetary

donations for the purchase of flowers,

envelopes are available at the parish

office.

ADS

ADS

Dec. 1st - 16th

Thanks to your generous support, for the 10th consecutive year, we will be partnering with 5 other churches in the East San Gabriel Valley hosting the Winter Shelter for 16 nights this Dec. It is only with the support of your time and treasure that we are able to open our doors, as Christ has taught us, to our less fortunate brothers and sisters during the cold winter months. With a predicted El Niño year upon us, we are expecting large numbers staying with us, so your ability to give your time to this ministry is especially needed.

For more information, please contact (626) 338-2937.

Holiday Giving

The Giving Tree is now up in the church vestibule. You are invited to pick an “ornament” from the tree and donate the items indicated. You may drop off the unwrapped gifts in the Parish Office. Please keep the ornament attached to the purchased items for identification purposes. Applications for families in need of a Christmas Food box and/or Christmas gifts to those who would otherwise have none are now available in the Parish Office. Families in need should be residing within our parish boundaries. Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee inclusion in our distribution. All applications are subject to review as well as what our resources allow.

Jubilee Year of Mercy

Pope Francis chose to inaugurate the Jubilee Year of

Mercy last Tuesday because December 8 marks the

fiftieth anniversary of the closing of Vatican II. That

council, Pope Francis reminds us, inaugurated a new

phase in the Church's history. The Spirit called the

Church to tear down the walls that for far too long had

made it a fortress, and to proclaim the gospel in a new,

more accessible way. Pope Francis quotes Saint John XXIII

in declaring the Church's preference for "the medicine of

mercy," and Blessed Paul VI in proposing the Good

Samaritan as our model for discipleship (Misericordiae

Vultus, 4). Pope Francis adds that God's mercy is "the beating heart of the Gospel,"

and that mercy "must penetrate the heart and mind" of every disciple (MV, 12). Three

times today's Gospel asks, "What should I do?" Pope Francis would say: Imitate Jesus,

who came not wielding the fiery judgment that John the Baptist had threatened, but

instead imparting healing, compassion, forgiveness--mercy!

--Peter Scagnelli, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. Papal quotes Copyright (c) 2015, Libreria Editrice

Vaticana. Used with permission.

Our Adoration Chapel is open from 6:00

A.M. to 10:00 P.M. daily. Won’t you

come and spend an hour with our Lord?

To sign-up please call Rita at

(909) 229-3425.