Office Hours: 9:30—1:00 Monday—Thursday Phone: (504) 281-2267 — Fax: (504) 281-2268

E-Mail: stbernard@arch-no.org www.stbernard-stbla.com

DAILY MASSES Monday—Friday: Mass 8:30 a.m. First Saturday 8:30 a.m.

WEEKEND MASSES Saturday Vigil 4:00 p.m. Sunday 10:00 a.m.

St. Joseph Adoration Chapel: Any Time

Rev. Hoang M. Tuong, Pastor Cell Phone: 985-705-0357

Rev. Charles Caluda, Retired Deacon Norbert Billiot, Jr.

Music Director: Bea Girard

St. Bernard Catholic Cemetery: (504) 421-9533 Lynne, Parish Secretary, Cell: (504) 421-5969

Lenore—Religious Ed stbchurch.reled@arch-no.org

Baptism: Parents are asked to call the office. Baptisms will be held the 3rd weekend of the month or by special arrangement. Sacrament of Reconciliation: Confessions are held before each Mass, or call for an appointment. Communion of the Sick: Please call when someone is ill or in the hospital. Sacrament of Marriage: Couples must contact the church at least six (6) months before the date of the wedding. Christian Burial: Please contact the funeral home to make arrangements they will contact church and cemetery. Pastoral & Finance Meeting - Pastoral Council meetings will be announced.

St. Bernard Catholic Church

(Established in 1787)

MISSION STATEMENT In the total love for Jesus through the Heart of Mary,

We St. Bernard Catholic Church commit to BE BOLD—BE CATHOLIC—BE CHRIST

And faithfully pass it on...Heart to Heart. I.M.

2805 Bayou Road P. O. Box 220

St. Bernard, LA 70085

Volume 52 Issue 49 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 8, 2019

Saturday December 7, 2019 Rosary 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. All Parishioners of St. Bernard Catholic Church; Bernard & Chase Naquin; Duke Collins; Donald Serpas, Sr.;

Tim George; Timothy George; Sal Gagliano; Mazie LaFond; Karen Smith; Donna Gonzales; Scotty Lopez; Beth Byrd Ruiz; Richie Byrd; Ramona Ramos; Anthony Greco, Jr.; Charles, Cornelia & Lori Robertson; Fr John; and all on our Sick List

Sunday, December 8, 2019 Rosary 9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Charles L. Smith; Gauthé Family; Agnes & Wallace Serpas; Jerry Wheat; HJ Lind; Josephine & Reese Nunez; Mike, Rosie & André Colletti; Dickie Stander; Merle King; Louise M. Alphonso; Larry Gonzales, Jr.; Raymond Serpas; Jason Steele; Adam Serigne; Walter Guidry; Chester Romero; The Romero Family; Rudy Alphonso; Martin & Cecile Alfonso; Jerry, Vernon & Nathan Alfonso; Juan & Frankie Montelongo; Alfred Nunez, Sr. & Family; Karen Smith; Weshe Melerine; Adam & Evelyn Gonzales; Flora Calabrasi; Fidelino Forteza; Celie Robin; Jake Loyacano; Healing of Sylvia Guillot; Linda Gagliano and Phillip Acosta; and all Military Personnel & Families DAILY—Rosary 8 a.m.—Mass 8:30 a.m.: Monday For Our Youth Tuesday All Sick & Dying Wednesday All Souls in Purgatory Thursday All Parishioners Friday Deceased Priests Saturday (only First Saturday) 8:30 a.m.

Sanctuary Lamp Beth Byrd Ruiz

Marian Candle

Duke Collins

St. Joseph Candle Donald Serpas, Sr.

November 30—December 1, 2019

Attendance: 87

Collection: $1,287.42

Thank you for your support

Readings For The Week Monday: Is 4:2-6; Ps 122:1-9; Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk: 10:21-24 Wednesday: Is 25:7-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37 Thursday: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a Mt 7:21, 24-27 Friday: Is 20:17-24; Ps 27”1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31 Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35-10:1 Sunday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12

Ministry Schedule For Next Week:

Saturday, December 14, 4:00 p.m. Celebrant: Fr. Hoang Lector: Mary Frances

Ministers of Communion: Lucy

Sunday, December 15, 10:00 a.m.

Celebrant: Fr. Hoang Lector: Lacye

Ministers of Communion: Sandra

Philomene

6 And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” The messiahship of healing and blessing was not the messiahship which the people, including the disciples, expected. 7 As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, Jesus gives testimony about John the Baptist; first in a set of six rhetorical questions, then in three positive assertions about him. “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. 9 Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. The common Jewish belief is that there has been no prophecy in Israel since the last of the Old Testament prophets, Malachi. The coming of a new prophet was eagerly awaited and Jesus agrees that John is a prophet, and much more! 10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.’ See Malachi 3:1; Exodus 23:20. John is the long awaited precursor of the one who will bring in the new and final age. 11 Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; This makes John the Baptist the last and greatest of the prophets, even greater than Moses. yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John lived and worked before the messianic reign. Therefore, even the least in the messianic reign, who will have the light of the gospel and the communication of the power of faith, will accomplish greater works than John.

Gospel - Matthew 11:2-11 Last week we heard John the Baptist announce the coming of the messiah. This week we hear Jesus affirm that announcement. 2 When John (the Baptist) heard in prison Matthew postpones the explanation of why John the Baptist is imprisoned until the story of his death (Matthew 14:3-12) [for publicly rebuking Herod Antiapas for his adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias (ex-wife of his brother Herod Philip)]. According to Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2§119) the prison was in the palace-fortress of Machaerus, built by Herod the Great on the desolate heights of Moab near the east central shore of the Dead Sea. of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him 3 with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” The way this is phrased it sounds like they are asking about the nature of Jesus’ messiahship, it may well have been an inquiry as to whether he was a divine messenger like Elijah; but the most likely interpretation is that John knew that Jesus was the Messiah (see Matthew 3:13-17). John sent his disciples to Jesus so that they could shed their mistaken notions about the kind of Messiah to expect, and come to recognize Jesus. 4 Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. Recall our first reading from Isaiah 35:5-6. Although this is not a formal claim of messiahship, these are allusions to the phenomena in the Old Testament which were associated with the messianic era. Note that it is not a messiahship of judgment and wrath, nor the establishment of an empire over all the kingdoms of the earth, nor a war of extermination against the enemies of the elect people. It is a messiahship of the healing of ills and the conferring of blessing.

10 Ways to honor the Immaculate Conception this December

Annabelle Moseley | Dec 01, 2019

What the month of December means to Catholics and how to honor it in your home…

Did you know that in the Catholic Church, each of the 12 months of the year has a devotional theme? For Catholics, December is the month of the Immaculate Conception, and it’s an ideal time to strengthen our connection to Our Lady. The Church taught of the Immaculate Conception for ages, but it was in 1854 that Pope Pius IX officially proclaimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.” This teaching refers to the conception of Mary in the womb of St. Anne, her mother. Redemption was applied to our Blessed Mother from conception, by the merits of Jesus Christ, her son — a truly awe-inspiring reality. Preserved from original sin, Mary has been called “our tainted nature’s solitary boast,” in the words of the great poet William Wordsworth. Mary remained free of sin for her entire life. Honoring her purity is an antidote to the sometimes garish bustle of December, and a complementary devotion to our usual Advent activities culminating in the festive splendor of Christmas. Continuing our monthly series on ways to showcase each month’s Catholic theme in your life, here are 10 ways you can honor the Immaculate Conception this September…

1 Invoke the Intercession of Sts. Anne and Joachim, parents of our Blessed Mother Ponder Giotto’s beautiful “Meeting at the Golden Gate” (1304–1306) fresco painting — which depicts the saintly parents of Mary coming together in a holy kiss, upon discovering the news St. Anne is pregnant with Mary. Their two faces, which join together to form one face of love, are full of emotion. 2 Practice gratitude for your baptism and bear the goal of heaven in mind Let us thank God that by our baptism we were cleansed of Original Sin and labor each day to keep and live the faith as we are reminded that those who go to heaven will be freed from all stain of sin, and will therefore someday become immaculatus (Latin for “stainless”). What a gift we’ve been given and what hope we must hold onto as we continue to work for the Kingdom. 3 Clean up your soul This month, inspired by the desire to someday be in heaven with the Holy Trinity, work to “clean up” your soul by going to confession, giving to the poor, and performing acts of mercy. Think of what way(s) you’d like to do this during December. 4 Clean up your mind and heart In order to make our minds and hearts more pure so they might be more like our Blessed Mother and be true temples of the Holy Spirit, consider what television shows you watch, what you read and look at. Try to live according to the advice of Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Look at great religious art by the Renaissance masters; listen to some Gregorian Chant; watch Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life!

5 Clean up your environment In honor of Immaculate Mary, why not clean as a way to practice humility, give your hands meaningful work, and be reminded of Mary’s purity as we do so? Christmas is coming at the end of the month. Why not scrub your home, your desk at work, even volunteer to help clean your church? This small and modest act of love, if done prayerfully, can be dedicated to Our Lady.

6 Create something lovely to honor Mary In honor of the Immaculate Conception, come up with a special way to honor Mary. That is, come up with a way to give her special honor. Maybe you’re an artist and can dedicate a painting, poem, or song to her. Maybe you’re a business owner and can give to a charity in her honor. Maybe you can think of a work of love in her name

7 Wear your Miraculous Medal and make a home display honoring Mary Remember that the Miraculous Medal bears these fitting words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Wear it proudly all month! Set a table in your home with a white cloth and consider placing a bouquet of white roses near a picture or statue of Mary. You can write the words of the Miraculous Medal on a card and place it on your altar as a daily aspiration, or place an extra medal or even a computer-printed image of the Miraculous Medal in a prominent place. Start a special prayer In honor of the Immaculate Conception.

8 Get patriotic! Our Lady is the Patroness of the United States of America under her title of the “Immaculate Conception.” This is a good month to place a little American flag on your home altar or near your statue or picture of Our Lady, and as for Mary’s intercession for the United States.

9 Play music fit for a queen Enjoy listening to “Immaculate Mary,” the Lourdes hymn, and if you know the words, sing along! Also, the hymn honoring Mary for the feast of the Immaculate Conception for Vespers is “Ave Maris Stella” so why not end your evening with that stunning chant all month long? Any Marian Gregorian Chant is a great way to celebrate.

10 Look to famous art to study the symbols of the Immaculate Conception Throughout art history, certain symbols continue to appear in images representing the Immaculate Conception. These depictions are similar to the representations of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Marian apparition at which Our Lady said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” If you have an Our Lady of Lourdes image or statue, this is a great month to feature it more prominently in your home. Many of the great paintings in history show Mary just moments after her assumption looking skyward in gratitude and awesome wonder. Beneath her foot is the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, referencing Rev 12:1-2. You will frequently notice the presence of putti (childlike angels), roses, lilies and clouds swathed in golden light.

SANTA ON THE BAYOU Santa on the Bayou will host its Christmas Celebration here on the St. Bernard Catholic Church grounds on Saturday, December 14, beginning at 11:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m.

This will be our 20th Anniversary of Santa on the Bayou. Santa has delivered thousands of gifts to the children here in St. Bernard and invites you to come and celebrate the Birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Please Pray for Our Sick Manuel Alfonso; Debbie Gonzales; Charles Duhe; Harold J. Lind, III; Aiden Smith; Madeline Colletti Cimino; Gene Perez; Patricia Fincher; Frances Evans; Donald Campo; Edna O’Rourke; Marlene Campo; Bernard Naquin, Jr.; Dorothy Easley; Devin Dimadigo; Kylie Gritter; David Naquin; Sheri Fernandez; Christina Landry; Brett Gagliano; Brendan Graf; Emile Evans; Landon Ansardi; Kayla Vogelaar; Mindy Casanova Dardar; Wilmoy & Florine Shows; Brett Bergeron; Allen Nunez; Eleanore Erato; David Casanova; Danny Morales; Riley Richards; Hyacinth Serpas; Jerrilee Odinet; Karley Draper; Hailey Martin; Lorraine Daroca; Barbara Simpson; Michael George; Joy Fernandez; Marianne Marks; Kimberly Mones; Avery Cantrelle; Rita Bauer; Sandy Thurman; Talor Gutierrez; Erica Stewart; Maggie Serigne; Valerie Wheat; Hunter Hoffmann; Christina Gardner; AJ Arnone; Evis; Michelle Matthews; Fr. Charley; Sandra Jones; William Ybarzabal; Don Clark; Fred Everhardt; Thelma Lee; Lela Weber; Janey Yates; Connie St. Pierre; Tino Mones; Mary Gagliano; Patrick Campo, Sr.; Joyce Serpas; Michael Fernandez; SE Kreiger; Pasqual Alfonso; Henry Dietrich; Sidney Evans, Jr.; Hope Serigne; Mr. & Mrs. Caesar; Mary Barker; Bob Couch; Linda Gagliano; Rhonda Riley; Norbert Billiot, Sr.; Lisa and Samantha; Paul Remick; Justin Serpas; Rene Poche; Lisa Montelongo; Bobbie Schmitt; Barbara Robin; Lorenza Acosta; Becky Couture Riker; Linda Melerine; Stephen Lobre; Barney Koons; Romona Lucas; Paul Serigne; Taylor Tycer; Dan Assevado; Wendy Walls; Kaleah Kate Ma; Robert Oalmann; Noah Campo; Arley Jarammillo; Robert Burns; Peter Peterson; Anna Morales; Elsie Smith; Philip Deogracias; Beverly Bachemin; Ryan Peltier; Lonny Becnel; Kerry Robertson; Pat Cassagne; Jimmy & Dolly Brien; Margie Palmeri; Misty Morales; Esther Gonzales; Katie Caluda Sanpart; Carol Morales; Michele Morales; Kim Juminias; Charolotte Luna; Elba Quiles; Branden David; Ralph Ziegler; Wayne Landry; Sylvia Guillot; Ryan Guerra; Hillary Miller; Phillip Acosta; Decker Landry; Sherrie & John Graf; Linda Barrett; Stanley Alfonso; Rachael Lemoine

Call the office to add or remove someone from list.

ADORATION CHAPELS The Deanery Adoration Chapel located at OLPS invites you to come spend a little time with the Lord in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Come for a few minutes or consider becoming a “committed adorer” for a particular hour. OLPS 8 am to 8 pm Monday-Friday. If anyone would like to be on the committee at OLPS please contact them. OLPS is need of adorers if you can commit please call them. Our Lady of Lourdes has Adoration on the first Wednesday of the month. St. Bernard has Adoration on Thursday. Please consider spending an hour with the Lord.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION “Outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace” is the often-memorized definition of sacrament, but through more than five decades of reform we have rediscovered the power of sacrament to bestow grace by reshaping our lives as individuals and communities. Not so long ago, most people were not attentive to the nature of sacrament as an act of the Church, a power that flows from the Body of Christ. Fifty years ago, we were inclined to see a sacrament as an encounter between Christ and an individual. Today, we see that definition does not go far enough. God’s grace is not a trickle, but a gushing torrent washing over the whole Church. Like a photographer pulling back the camera for a broader picture, today we are not only interested in the person who is being baptized, reconciled, or anointed. We think about how celebrating a sacrament transforms a community. We think about the grace given by Christ to the community that baptizes or marries or ordains or confirms. Sacraments are for the good of the community. Even when it appears to be a private, hidden moment, as in individual confession, a sacrament is always for the sake of the whole body, a lways more than “meets the eye .” —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Christmas and New Year’s Masses

Christmas Eve Masses:

4:00 p.m. Christmas Day Mass:

10:00 a.m.

New Year’s Eve: 4:00 p.m. New Year’s Day: 8:30 a.m.

Christmas Flowers

If you would like to make a donation to the church for Christmas Flowers in memory of a loved one

please place donation and names in an envelope and place in the collection basket.

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