CHRISTMAS PAGEANT NEWS

Christmas Pageant News

Our Annual Christmas Pageant will be celebrated at 3:30 PM--immediately before the 4 PM Christmas Eve Mass--on December 24^th .

·         FIRST AND SECOND GRADERS are our Pageant Kids. No sign up; just show up for rehearsal.

·         Boys are Shepherds; costume is an Arab-like headpiece (white cloth and dark headband), SUPPLIED BY PARENTS

·         Girls are Angels; costume is a garland halo, which the church will provide on Christmas Eve; each girl carries a battery operated candle, SUPPLIED BY PARENTS.  Nothing more, except that each girl will wear her special Christmas dress.

·         Mary and Joseph:  we will draw the names of two SECOND GRADERS. Calls will be made to see if the kids are willing and able (sometimes, they can’t or just don’t want to).   Will keep calling until we get Mary and Joseph.  Costumes:  the church has the costumes for Mary and Joseph.

·         Costumes do NOT come to rehearsals; come with your costume on CHRISTMAS EVE only.

Christmas Pageant Rehearsal

MONDAY, DECEMBER 23

10-11:30 AM

Christmas Children’s Choir

For the Christmas Pageant Mass, we form a children’s choir of kids in Grades 3 to 8.   No sign up; just show up for rehearsal.

Children’s Christmas Choir

Rehearsal Schedule

Tuesday, 12/17:          4-5 PM

Wednesday 12/18:     4-5 PM

Thursday, 12/19:       4-5 PM

Monday, 12/23:          10-11:30 AM

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

The gospel story is a very simple one. The thief asks, "Please, remember me."  And Jesus answers, "Sure."  What would make us memorable to Jesus?

Children & Youth Choir

Sign up by clicking on the link and completing the form.  Joe Nigro, our Music Director, will contact you with more information.

Link for Sign Up:  Choir

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Love,
Deacon Charlie

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THIRD & FOURTH GRADE MASS

This Sunday, at the 10 AM Mass, our Third & Fourth Graders and their families will participate in a special way at our celebration of Mass. During the week, we encouraged everyone to come, and we practiced some hymn singing.  

After Mass, there is a reception where all of the Third & Fourth Grade families will contribute sweets for the Sharing Table.  We are never disappointed at St. John and St. Mary with the abundance of our Sharing Table.  And we are always grateful.  

And remember, there will be bracelet making with the Rainbow Looms.

Yes, Virginia, Christmas is coming and so is our Christmas Pageant and Christmas Eve Family Mass!!!  Watch for more details after Thanksgiving.

Children & Youth Choir.  Sign up by clicking on the link and completing the form.  Joe Nigro, our Music Director, will contact you with more information.

Link for Sign Up:  Choir

Love,
Deacon Charlie

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Sunday's Gospel

Last week's gospel about Zacchaeus was rich for storytelling. Not so this week. In fact, you have to dig pretty deep before you find its meaning.  I had to honestly admit to the kids that I had to keep digging and digging before I came up with any kind of find, and I am not too sure I was successful.  But here goes. 

Jesus gets stuck with a couple of wise guys, who try out a "gotcha" joke on him--1 wife among 7 brothers; so, who gets to call her the Mrs. when they all get to heaven?  (We tried a couple of our own "gotcha" jokes, like this one:  What did the dog and the tree say to each other?  Nothing; they just barked!)

The "gotcha" joke is not so much a funny story to make you smile, but a trick to puzzle you and make you look stupid.  And that's what the wise guys tried to do to Jesus--trick him into foretelling the heavenly future.  But Jesus would have nothing of it.  He was no heavenly fortune-teller. Heaven is not about the future of the dead; it is the now of the living. The measure of heaven is how much we allow God in our lives--NOW!

3rd & 4th Grade Mass

Sunday, November 17th

10 AM Mass

Next Sunday, at the 10 AM Mass, our 3rd & 4th Graders will participate in Sunday Mass in a special way.  We will be preparing next week with music and prayers to make Sunday's liturgy belong to the kids.  Please mark your calendars and make every effort to attend, even if you have to move some things around. Remember that measure of heaven--God in our lives NOW!

A reception will follow in Skelly Hall.  So, we will need sweets for the Sharing Table and extra hands for setting up, serving and cleaning up.  You will hear from me by email.

At the reception, the kids will have the opportunity to MAKE BRACELETS for the Christmas Fair.  Bring your Rainbow Looms.  Bands and beads will be provided.

Thanksgiving Outreach

Sunday, November 10th

Please bring to all the Masses this weekend:

Frozen Turkeys (no larger than 15 lbs.)

Cranberry sauce, stuffing, potatoes (sweet and white), canned vegetables, canned fruit, turkey gravy, soup and rolls cookies, pies, juice, cider, coffee and tea.

The need is great.  Please be as generous as always.  Thank you.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THIS SUNDAY'S GOSPEL

I asked the kids if they played any video games.  You can guess the response.  "Yes; yes' yes' are you kidding, Deacon Charlie!"  Then, I told them I had a lot of free time on my hands, and I was thinking of starting myself.  I wondered if they might have any suggestions.  And the suggestions were unending.  All kinds of video games--so many, I can't remember all the names!  As the names came, so did the descriptions of the games--killing zombies, playing soccer and football, even dancing. As different as all these games are, I asked whether there was something that made them all the same.  Lots of good answers, but not what I was looking for.  

What makes every video game the same is that every one not only gives us a chance, but really wants us to try again.

ZACCHAEUS AND THE SYCAMORE TREE

This Sunday's gospel is my absolute favorite.  I showed the kids that Zacchaeus and his sycamore tree hang

on my office wall.

It's the story of the baddest guy in town, and everybody knows he's the baddest guy in town.  He's also the shortest.  So, when word comes that the Jesus parade is about to pass through, the baddest and shortest guy is muscled away from curbside by the rest of the crowd.  That's when he climbs the sycamore tree and perches himself for a bird's eye view of this Jesus.  

The parade stops at the sycamore tree; Jesus looks up; calls Zacchaeus by name (amazing, since they've never met!), and tells him to come down quickly, because tonight Jesus will eat dinner at Zacchaeus' house.  

And the crowd's reaction?  The kids all got it:  "Not fair!"

So, why did Jesus go home with the baddest guy in town?  Jack Reilly, a first-grader had the bestest answer:  "Maybe Jesus just wanted to talk to him about being bad."  Right on, Jack!

The Zacchaeus story is the story of our salvation.  Like the video games, we all not only get the chance, but Jesus really wants us to try again.

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

This Sunday's Gospel

Jesus tells a parable--a short story with a single lesson.

Two guys go up to pray--a big shot and a little shot.  
The big shot marches right up front and begins to pray to himself.  He thanks God that he is not like the rest of the riffraff in town, especially the guy in the back row.

Meantime, the little shot stays in the back with head down and admits to God that he hasn't always been the best.  
But he is grateful that God still loves him and forgives him his sins.




I asked the kids to read the gospel quietly (quiet was a new experience for us!).  Then, I asked them to tell me the one word in the gospel story that summed it all up.  Lots of guesses:  "God," "pray," "grateful," "loves," "forgives" and "sins."  All good, but not that one word.  The one word is "himself;" the big shot prays to himself. Self just can't get out of the way; so, there is no connection to God, and, therefore, no prayer.  

If we want to connect to God, we must connect to others and let self get out
of the way.  If that's how we live, that's how we will pray.

Thanks

It's that time of year when I look around and see teachers in classrooms, kids in their seats, registration done, buses arrived and a good beginning made.  Thank God and thank you.


I am especially grateful this year.  We are so blessed to have so many
veteran teachers return and give more of their time and talent.  The more
they give, the more they show how gifted they are.  And when the word went
out that we would need new teachers this year, the response was
overwhelming.  We quickly filled our classrooms with new faces and new
gifts. The generosity has been extraordinary and the parish is very
grateful.

A special note about our substitute teachers and Jen Waterhouse, who has
been coordinating this effort.  Over 30 people have volunteered as
substitutes. No one can imagine more than I how great this is. It not only
helps KidsRelig run more smoothly, but it spreads among more people the
happy task of spreading the Good News.  Thanks to all of you, and a special
thanks to Jen Waterhouse.

Last but not least, I thank Ellie DURR and Jen Narcissi for their help in
the office right before and during KidsRelig.  Just having them there adds
so much to what we do every week.

Love,
Deacon Charlie

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Sunday's Gospel

 

Divided the church into 2 cheering sections.  The first had one word to shout, "decide."  The second was to shout, "pest."  (You will never guess, but everyone was great at shouting!). Then, we started to tell the story of this week's gospel about the old lady who had tried her case to the court and wanted the judge to "decide."  But the judge didn't and thought the old lady was just a "pest."  The old lady kept calling the judge to "decide," and the judge kept complaining that the old lady was a "pest."  Finally, not

because he cared about the old lady or his decision, but only to shut up

this "pest," the judge decided to "decide."

And that's the gospel story. Pretty silly!  It ends without really ending,

because we don't even find out what the judge decided or whether the old

lady was satisfied.

What's even sillier is that Jesus says the story is all about prayer. Well,

we hate to disagree with Jesus.  But--NOT!

Is prayer being a pest to God?  NOT!  Is prayer trying to get God to decide

one way or another?  NOT!  Is prayer trying to convince God to make sure

we're satisfied.  NOT!

As we prayed for some of our teachers who are sick and one of our students

who just underwent heart surgery, we realized that prayer is nothing more

than all of us learning to become more like God.  Because when we pray, we

care.  We care about ourselves, but, more often, about others.  And when we

care, unlike the judge in the gospel story, we become like God .  And when

more and more of us become like God, we spread God's Kingdom. Now, there's a

pretty good result for our prayer!

 

CHILDREN & YOUTH CHOIR

 

Watch your inboxes this week for an email announcement of our new Children & Youth Choir.

 

 



 



Love,

Deacon Charlie