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December 21st, 2003

4th Sunday of Advent

Schedule of Masses Week of December 22nd - December 28th, 2003
Day	Time	Requested for	Requested by
Mon 12/22	7 A.M.	Bernadette R. Berger	Daughter
Mon 12/22	9A.M.	Christopher	Mom, Janice
Tues12/23	7 A.M.	Frank Otersen	Family
	9 A.M.	Liv Theresa Lattanzi	Frances M.
Wed 12/24	9A.M.	Albert Muzikar Sr.
	7 P.M.	Liv Krieger Family	Family
	Midnight	Liv. Victor P. Kennedy	Theresa Lattanzi
	Midnight	Socorro Kennedy	Barbara Verdonck
Thurs 12/25	7:30 AM.	For the People of the Parish
	9A.M.	Glennon & Ruddy Families	Family
	10:30A.M.	Mr. & Mrs. Michael Curley	Burke Family
	12 Noon	Liv Nina & Son John
Fri. 12/26	7 AM	Winterhalter & Charles Families	Grace Winterhalter
	9A.M.	Charles B. Gerrity	Madeline
Sat. 12/27	9 A.M.	Mary Cerosky	Frances & Anne
	6P.M.	Charles Schaadt Sr.	Family
	7:30 PM	Exequilia Gomez	Mirna Pacciello
Sun. 12/28	7:30AM	Krasuski Family	Family
	9 AM	Mary & Thomas Doyle	Children
	10:30AM	Anna Evangelista Batocchi	Anthony Evangelista
	12 PM	Romano & Diego Families	Romano Family

Sanctuary Gifts December 21st - December 27th, 2003
Gift	In Memory Of	Requested By
Altar Wine	Albert Hollingsworth	Doris Hollingsworth
Altar Bread	Helen Clifford	Doris Hollingsworth
Sanctuary Lamp	Joseph Rinyak	Rita Rinyak
Altar Candles	Emma Hollingsworth	Rita Rinyak

Let Us Pray For Those Seriously Ill
People will remain on the sick list for 2 weeks unless otherwise notified:

Anthony Tuzzo, Margaret Ng, Angelo Polcari, and Richard Carlson.

Vocation reflections

Mary “believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled”. She trusted all that the Lord had told her. Are you willing to trust in the Lord? Are you willing to allow the Lord to fulfill his word through you? Are you willing to do this as a priest or religious brother or sister?

If so, please contact the Vocations Office at 973-497-4365 or by e-mail at platebri@rcan.org or visit our website at www.rcan.org.

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SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

From Bethlehem shall come one who will rule Israel. Born of Mary, the servant of the Lord, he will protect and save us, offering himself once and for all in doing the Father’s will.

Our Weekly Offering
December 2003
December 13/14	$ 5,570.
Month’s Total	$ 9,386.
Month’s Average	$ 4,693.
Mailed in, thank you	$ 1,129.

MONTHLY AVERAGE COMPARISONS:
Month	‘02 Monthly Avg.	‘03 Monthly Avg.
November	$5,281.	$5,314.
December	$5,330.	$3,816.

HOLY HOUR

Every Tuesday, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the church from 3 to 4 p.m. It is an hour of prayer for the priests, DIVINE MERCY and religious men and women of the church. Prayers are also said for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

We invite you to come and spend time with the Lord for these intentions and for your personal requests. The Holy Hour closes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. If you cannot join us in church, we ask you to join us from a quiet spot in your home and pray with us, asking the Lord to guide and protect our priests.

Church Website

A reminder that St. Anne’s Church website is: HTTP://STANNESJC.COM . Log on to view our current parish activities.

Church Decorations

Our Church will be beautifully decorated with fresh trees and Poinsettias for the Christmas Season. If you would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one or a friend while also helping to defray the cost of the decorations, please put your donation in your “FLOWER” envelope and deposit it in the Christmas Decoration Depository located in front by the altar.

Sew What?

We are in need of ten (10) seamstresses to assist with two Centennial projects. If you can sew and can spare a few hours, please call Judy Waddleton at 201-659-4641.

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Spiritual Bouquet

As we get ready to celebrate our Centennial year, our Centennial Committee is inviting all parishioners to set aside the year 2004 as a Jubilee year of prayer. The tradition of a jubilee year comes from OLD TESTAMENT ORIGINS. The ultimate derivation of the word jubilee is disputed, but it is most probable that the Hebrew word jobel, to which it is traced, meant "a ram's horn", and that from this instrument, used in proclaiming the celebration, a certain idea of rejoicing was derived. Further, passing through the Greek iobelaios, or iobelos, the word became confused with the Latin jubilo, which means "to shout", and has given us the forms jubilatio and jubilaeum, now adopted in most European languages.

For the Israelites, the year of Jubilee was, in any case, preeminently a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year," we read in Leviticus 25:10, "and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee."

With this in mind, as pastor and Spiritual Shepherd of St. Anne’s, I am calling for a year of prayers during our Centennial. I ask that we pray for the continuing conversion of our parish and the world around us, to a life open to Christ. I ask that this take the form of a spiritual bouquet to be offered during our Centennial Year. Let it be a time of forgiveness and healing; a time filled with rejoicing and shouting for joy, the great love God has for his people and the desire he has for us to be healed. Let us pray, that at the conclusion of jubilee year, the words of Micha the prophet. “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Mi 6:8, will be witnessed in our parish.

The spiritual Bouquet is found in pews of the church. Please fill out and place in the collection basket or drop at the rectory. these will be brought up in the Offertory Procession of the January 11th opening Mass, and kept before the Blessed Sacrament during the Centennial Year.

Monthly Memorial Mass

At the request of many parishioners, we will begin a monthly memorial mass on the first Saturday of each month. Those who are enrolled, will have their names recorded in our Parish Prayer Request Book located near the Blessed Sacrament.

Each month, this book will be brought up in the Offertory Procession and all will be invited to pray for these special intentions. These intentions can be for the living or for the deceased. Our Parish Family of St. Anne's wishes to share in your sorrow and in your prayer. We are calling this “Our Lady of Fatima Society”. Each person enrolled on a yearly basis, will share in the spiritual benefits and good works of the St. Joseph’s Morning Prayer Group, and in a monthly Mass and Rosary shared on the First Saturday of each month in honor of the Blessed Mother.

These Memorial Mass cards will be available at the rectory. You may see an example already set up in the Parish Prayer Request Book.

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‘CATHOLIC’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Time is a most precious gift. As we see time through the eyes of faith, it becomes an opportunity to grow in grace. May the year 2003 be a true year of grace for each of us at Saint Anne’s. To aid us in holding the gift of Christmas throughout the year, may I suggest the following ideas for New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Attend daily Mass once or twice a month;

2. Participate in one of our novenas;

3. Set aside some time each day to read the Scriptures;

4. Do not leave Mass right after Communion – Pray the final song. Spend some time in meditation. Don’t rush your prayer.

5. Join one of our Societies (Holy Name, Rosarians, Legion of Mary, Padre Pio, St. Joseph’s Morning Prayer Group, etc) and share your faith in community;

6. Pick a ministry the parish needs and develop it with friends and family;

7. Pray for vocations in this time of need;

8. Evaluate your involvement in the parish and pledge a Gift of Time;

9. Say the Rosary;

10. Pick a corporal work of mercy and make our faith incarnate;

11. Become a coach and help our youth have real adult role models;

12. Share a “cost of living” donation in your envelope;

13. Use of parish envelope system;

14. Set time aside at night to pray over your day and seek the Lord’s presence;

15. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation by developing a confessor. Take time to grow with this very unique and very Catholic Sacrament. One of the seven precious Sacramental ways the Lord reminds us of His tender love.

16. Become a bingo worker and help keep tuition low;

17. Become a coach and help our youth have real adult role models;

18. Share a “cost of living” donation in your envelopes;

19. Use our parish envelope system;

20. Set time aside at night to pray over your day and seek the Lord’s presence;

21. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation by developing a confessor. Take time to grow with this very unique and very Catholic Sacrament. One of the seven precious Sacramental ways the Lord reminds us of His tender love.

Pick one, two, or three resolutions and each month renew your pledge so that it becomes a habit or second nature to your person. This will let Christmas lead to Easter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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2004 Anniversary Masses

The Archdiocese of Newark is once again preparing the annual tradition of honoring those couples in our Archdiocese who will be celebrating five, twenty-five or fifty years of Christian marriage in the year 2004. These liturgies will be celebrated by Archbishop John J. Myers and will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark at 3 p.m.:

Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 25 & 5 years

Sunday, May 2, 2004 - 50 years

All Are Invited!!

All are invited to make a joyful noise unto the Lord! The adult choir will be having a rehearsal on January 4th at 1 p.m. in the church in preparation for our Centennial Mass on January 11th. They would like the community of St. Anne’s to join them in this special rehearsal.

BINGO CANCELLATION

Due to Christmas and New Year Holidays, there will be NO Bingo on Fridays, Dec. 26th and Jan. 2nd!

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READINGS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY 1Sm 1:24-28 Ps 1Sm 2:1-8 Lk 1:46-56

TUES. Mal 3:1-4,23-24 Ps 25:4-5,8-10,14 Lk 1:57-66

WED. 2Sm 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16 Ps 89:2-5,27,29 Lk 1:67-79

THURS. Is 52:7-10 Ps 98:1-6 Heb 1:1-6 Jn 1:1-18

FRIDAY Acts 6:8-10;7:54-59 Ps 31:3cd-4,6,8ab,16bc-17 Mt 10:17-22

SATURDAY 1Jn 1:1-4 Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12 Jn 20:1a,2-8

NEXT SUNDAY - HOLY FAMILY Sir 3:2-7,12-14 Ps 128:1-5 Col 3:12-21 Lk 2:41-52

Annual Gift Giving Tree

Gifts need to be dropped off before Christmas Eve for distribution. If you are available to help sort or distribute gifts during the week before Christmas, please contact Sister Alberta at 201-659-1794.

CCD News

· Happy Birthday Jesus Celebration TODAY in auditorium. Anyone who has cupcakes, please bring to auditorium after 9 a.m. Mass.

· Christmas Plant Sale - Every evening Dec. 21,22,23 in auditorium.

· NO CLASSES Dec. 28th and Jan. 4th due to Christmas/New Year Holiday. Classes will resume Jan. 11th!

St. Anne Seniors

For more information on events below, contact Peggie Riscoe at 201-659-3930: (Open to all, sorry NO children.)

· Dec. 31 - New Year’s Luncheon at Empire Club cost $29 (open bar, champagne, family-style dinner)

Senior Christmas Party has been moved to December 17th at the request of the Fiesta.

Centennial Grand 50/50 Raffle

Could make a great Christmas Gift!!?

To Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of St. Anne Church, the Centennial Committee is having a Grand 50/50 Raffle with the opportunity to win up to $50,000 (based on the sale of 1,000 tickets). They are now available for purchase at the rectory or from Committee Members and will be available up to the day of the raffle.

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