St. Barnabas Catholic Church December 14, 2014 — Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent)

Rev. Fr. Bryan W. Jerabek, J.C.L., Parish Administrator

Sunday Mass

6:00PM Saturday Vigil

10:00AM Sunday

Daily Mass

8:30AM Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri

7:00PM Wed (with novena)

8:30AM First Saturday

Eucharistic Adoration

7-8:00AM Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri

Confession

7-7:45AM Tuesday

12-12:45PM & 5-5:45PM Saturday

and upon request

7921 First Avenue North

Birmingham, Alabama 35206 http://barnabascatholic.com

church@barnabascatholic.com

205-833-0334

Rev. Msgr. Eugene O’Connor, Pastor Emeritus (in residence)

Ms. Alice Carter, Secretary

Mr. David Renda, Pastoral Care

Mr. Steve O’Donnell, Maintenance

Ms. Sandra Hudecz, Housekeeper

Mr. Tim Tipton & Mr. Isaac Johnson, Organists

St. Barnabas Catholic School (K4-8) 205-836-5385 – Mr. John Parker, Principal

Third Sunday of Advent – December 14, 2014 – Brothers and sisters: rejoice always.

Parish Mass Intentions

Saturday 12/13 Lee Joseph Bruno+ Sunday 12/14 People of the Parishes Monday 12/15 Sarah Shahid+ (School Mass) Tuesday 12/16 Maximilian Biddle+ Wednesday 12/17 Fr. Wrigley+ (Anniversary) #

Thursday 12/18 8:30am Lee Joseph Bruno+ Friday 12/19 None scheduled Saturday 12/20 Sacred Heart of Jesus*

* Mass Intention transferred from Our Lady of Sorrows # 8:00am Mass at Holy Rosary will also for this intention.

Msgr. O’Connor’s Mass Intentions

Saturday 12/13 Paul Petruzella+ Sunday 12/14 John O’Connor+ Monday 12/15 Renda & Gagliano Families Tuesday 12/16 Betsy Veigl+ Wednesday 12/17 Fr. Wrigley+ (Anniversary)

Thursday 12/18 12pm Jules Avrard, Jr.+

Friday 12/19 Josephine Musso+

Saturday 12/20 Frances Ross+ Sanctuary Lamp – December 15—28

For Rosemary Gagliano by David Renda. Offertory Collection – December 6/7/8, 2014

Regular Offertory $ 3,765.00 Maintenance Fund $ 170.00 Benevolent Fund $ 340.00 Beacons of Hope $ 262.00 Immaculate Conception $ 219.00 Vocation Crucifix Apostolate

The crucifix and prayer will be passed from the Lackey Family to Mr. & Mrs. Bill Martin on Saturday and from Janet Buchanan to Mike Renda on Sunday.

Pray for the Sick

Please remember in your prayers: Sam Pilato, Leslie Walters, seminarian Jim Handerhan, Keskia Willis, Mary & Audrey Benson (Ireland), Rosemary Gagliano, Chris Fine, Mike Renda, Cesarea Villanueva, and all those listed in our Long Term Care Book. You are welcome to add names to this book, which is located by the St. Joseph statue in the church. To add names to this bulletin list, please call the office.

Parish School of Religion

Classes are on Sundays, 8:30 – 9:45am.

Apologetics Course – High School Age or Older

Sundays, 8:30 – 9:45am, in the Fireside Room.

RCIA – Instruction in the Catholic Faith

The final class for 2014 will be on Thursday, December 18 at 6:30pm in the Fireside Room. Classes will then resume after New Year.

Msgr. O’Connor’s Bible Study

Monsignor’s class will resume after New Year!

Scripture Readings for Next Sunday – 12/21

1st Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Responsorial: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29 2nd Reading: Romans 16:25-27 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

FOOD PANTRY All hands on deck! (TOYS) ALTAR/CHURCH Margo L. and Janet B. SACRED LINENS Father Jerabek

NEW! Congratulations to Raffle Winners

Congrats to Anne & Robert Lorino, winners of the 32” television raffled by the Altar Sodality!

REMINDER! Christmas Confessions

Be sure to take advantage of our new parish Confession schedule, with its additional weekly times, in order to prepare yourself for a holy Christmas and New Year. On Tuesdays 7:00-7:45am & Saturdays 12:00-12:45pm Fr. Jerabek is available, and on Saturdays 5:00-5:45pm both Fr. Jerabek and Msgr. O’Connor are available. You are also welcome to make an appointment with either priest – just call, or speak with him after Mass. Examination of Conscience leaflets are available in the brochure rack by the front doors of the church.

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR SCHEDULES HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION

Plan ahead so that you can fulfill your religious obligations! Missing Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation is objectively a mortal sin (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2181), requiring sacramental confession to be forgiven.

Wednesday-Thursday, December 24-25 Christmas: The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Masses at St. Barnabas: 5:00pm Xmas Eve Family Mass (4:30pm Carols) 8:30pm Xmas Eve Spanish Mass 10:00am Xmas Day Mass

Mass at Holy Rosary: 8:30am Xmas Day Mass

Wednesday-Thursday, December 31-January 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Masses at St. Barnabas: 6:00pm New Year’s Eve 7:00am & 8:30am New Year’s Day

Mass at Holy Rosary: 8:30am New Year’s Day

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF FR. WRIGLEY’S DEATH: Holy Hour, Benediction, Holy Mass

Join us on Wednesday, December 17, the one year anniversary of the passing of our previous pastor, Fr. Michael Wrigley. A Holy Hour will begin at 5:45pm, concluding with Benediction at 6:45pm. A Scriptural Rosary will be prayed during the Holy Hour. Mass and Novena will follow at 7:00pm. Pray with us for Fr. Wrigley’s repose and for all of our deceased priests. Can’t attend the entire Holy Hour or stay for Mass? That’s fine – join us for what you can!

Diocesan Priest Necrology

Please pray for the following deceased priests: 12/01/1999 Fr. Timothy Burns 12/03/1972 Msgr. Francis McCormack 12/10/1971 Fr. Sean O’Connor 12/13/1988 Fr. Thomas Sadler 12/17/2013 Fr. Michael Wrigley 12/26/1983 Msgr. John McGonegle

TODAY: Advent Service at Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes will host a traditional Holy Hour w/ Benediction today, Sunday, December 14 at 3:00pm, in the church. All are invited!

NEW! Senior Citizens

Our monthly Senior Citizen gathering will take place on Thursday, December 18, with Holy Mass at 12noon followed by lunch and bingo in the school cafeteria. All “seniors” and retired parishioners and friends are invited to attend. A donation of $5.00 (or for workers, $4.00) is suggested to defray the cost of food and prizes.

NEW! First Reconciliation

Please pray for the children of the parish who are preparing to receive God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance for the first time on Saturday, December 20.

Our Wonderful Catholic Faith

Not Thusly For Any Other

I would be surprised to hear of a church in Mexico that did not have a special altar dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe: her image is surely in every Mexican church, to say nothing of the countless other places – public and private – that it can be found in that beautiful country. The Mexican people have a remarkable devotion to Mary under this title. And this past Friday, December 12, we celebrated her feast, the 483rd anniversary of her appearance on the Tepeyac Hill in what is now Mexico City (1531).

In many of the older Mexican churches, near the image of La Guadalupana, there is also a Latin inscription, taken from Psalm 147. It says, “NON FECIT TALITER OMNI NATIONI” – in English, “He has not done thus for any other nation”. The association of this psalm verse with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe arises from something that happened in 1754. A Jesuit priest from Mexico brought a painted copy of the image to Rome, to Pope Benedict XIV, and recounted to him the history of the apparition and the great wonders that followed thereafter. Upon hearing about it, the Holy Father fell to his knees and exclaimed this Latin phrase – a phrase that he would have known by heart, since he would have prayed it at least weekly in the Breviary.

Well, what were the great wonders that followed Our Lady’s appearance in 1531? By that point the Spanish conquistadores had already been in Mexico for about 15 years, along with their missionaries (principally Franciscan and Dominican priests), trying to convert the native peoples to Catholicism – with very little success. Once Our Lady appeared, however, Mexico became Catholic. Within ten years, nine million people were baptized. As Cardinal Ratzinger once wrote, “In Mexico, at first, absolutely nothing could be done about missionary work – until the occurrence of that phenomenon at Guadalupe, and then the Son was suddenly near by way of his Mother... and suddenly the Christian religion no longer wears the terrible face of the conqueror but the kindly face of the Mother.”

God had truly not done thus for any other nation, intervening through his Mother, to work such a prodigy of conversions in such a short time after such a period of failed missionary efforts! Again: nine million new Catholics in only ten years!

Pope Francis has repeatedly reminded us that the Church is missionary in nature – that we are called to go out as missionaries into our world and bring Christ to others. Our Lady of Guadalupe has also been proposed as the special patroness of the New Evangelization. May we learn from her, then: may we show to others the kindly face of God’s love. The Lord himself taught us this powerful lesson, at Tepeyac Hill, 483 years ago. He has not done thus for any other nation!

— Father Jerabek

THANK YOU! Pantry Christmas Gifts

Thank you to those who purchased gifts for the children of our Food Pantry! They will be distributed starting Wednesday, December 17. 2015 Offering Envelopes

There are still several boxes of Offering Envelopes remaining in the back of the church. Please be sure to check for yours. Christmas Flowers Envelopes/Trio of Masses

Leave your envelope in the collection or in the office by December 22 in order to have the names listed in the bulletin and remembered in the three special Masses. Please write legibly! Parish Calendars

Our 2015 parish calendars will be blessed and distributed at the end of Masses next weekend.

GENERAL PARISH INFORMATION

Baptisms – Contact Father Jerabek, preferably during the pregnancy so as to be able to schedule the baptism soon after birth.

Weddings – Contact Father Jerabek no less than six months in advance to begin preparations.

Parish Registration – Contact the church office.