Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 627 East 187th Street, Bronx, New York 10458 | T: (718) 295-3770/ 3771 | F: (718) 367-2240

www.ourladymtcarmelbx.org | Parish E-mail: mtcarmelbx@aol.com

Sunday, December 4th, 2016| Second Sunday of Advent- Year A PARISH STAFF

Pastor

Rev. Fr. Jonathan Morris

Parochial Vicar Rev. Fr. Urbano Rodrigues

Coordinator of Religious Education

Sister Edna Loquias, S.M.C.

Office Manager & Spanish Choir Director Sebastian Amaro

Parish Secretary

Elizabeth Mannini

Music Director & Organist Dr. Stephen Rapp

Cantor

Bilen Eminov

Youth Minister School Principal Jesus Vargas Ms. Valerie Savino

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Saturday: 8:30am (English) | 12:00pm ( English) Saturday Evening: 5:00pm (English) Sunday: 8:30am (English) | 9:30am (Spanish)

11:00am (Italian) | 12:15pm (English)

1:30pm (Spanish)

Weekday: 8:30am / 12:00pm / 6:30pm (All English)

RITE OF RECONCILIATION

Saturdays 4:00pm to 5:00pm or any time by calling the Parish Office. RITE OF BAPTISM

2nd Sunday of every month in Spanish at 2:30pm 3rd Sunday every other month in English at 2:30pm Attendance at Pre - Baptism Class is required. Please stop by the Parish Center to register or call for more information.

RITE OF MATRIMONY

Wedding dates may be scheduled after initial meeting with a priest.

PASTORAL VISITS TO THE SICK

If you or someone you know is in the hospital or homebound and would be served by a pastoral visit by a Priest, Religious Sister or a lay Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please contact the Parish Center.

NEW PARISHIONERS

We invite new parishioners to register at the Parish Center. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM

For information please call Sr. Edna at the Parish Office at (718) 295-3770.

MOUNT CARMEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Please contact the School Office at (718) 295-6080.

PARISH CENTER

2380 Belmont Avenue Bronx, NY 10458

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 9:00am to 8:00pm

Thursday & Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

December 4, 2016 CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL 2

ANNOUNCED MASSES

Sunday,December4th|IISundayofAdvent

8:30am Pietro & Angela Fascilla, Grazia & Antonio Clarizio 9:30am Pro Populo 11:00am Membri Defunti del Coro 12:15pm Teresita Van Wuerzen 1:30pm Constancio Vera, Victoria Villalba & Magdalena Vera

Monday,December5th|AdventWeekday 8:30am Mariantonia, Vincenzo and Gennaro Del Vecchio 12:00pm Felice Moschetta 6:30pm Mario and Erma Borgatti

Tuesday,December6th|SaintNicholas 8:30am Fr. Nicholas F. Basile 12:00pm Carmela Yacovino 6:30pm Michael and Jane Verini

Wednesday,December7th|SaintAmbrose

8:30am Marie De Dominicis and Family 12:00pm Bartolomeo and Maria Cerro 6:30pm Caryl Borgatti

Thursday,December8th|ImmaculateConception

8:30am Immacolata, Aniello, Maria Carmela, Carmine and Domenica Squillante 12:00pm Michele Sabatino 6:30pm Rigoberto Areola

Friday,December9th|SaintJuanDiego

8:30am Carmine Pistocco 12:00pm Emiliano Rodriguez 6:30pm En honor a San Juan Diego

Saturday,December10th|AdventWeekday

8:30am Mario Mondelli (Living) 12:00pm Lindo and Maria Borgatti 5:00pm Ryan Frank Maloney and Salvatore Cunningham

Sunday,December11th|IIISundayofAdvent

8:30am Nicola and Yolanda D’Orsogna 9:30am Pro Populo 11:00am Franco Cibelli 12:15pm Dec. Members of the Marano & De Luca Families 1:30pm En Honor a la Virgen de Guadalupe

From the Desk of Father Jonathan

As we light the second candle in the Advent Wreath this week, we move ever closer toward Christmas. It's a good time to ask ourselves, what are we doing as a family, in our homes, to prepare our hearts to receive the Baby Jesus into our lives? This is the time to make changes in our lives to make sure we can say to the Lord, "Come on in, today there is room in the Inn for you". One simple change we can make is to improve our prayer. During the last week of Advent the Church prays what we call the "O" Antiphons, prayers we have used since at least the eighth century. They are the anti-phons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They use ancient biblical im-agery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. Although they are used universally on the last week of Lent, I like to pray one each day of Advent. I memorize one and repeat it throughout the day. Here they are in case you want to do the same:

December 17 O Wisdom of our God Most High,

guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18 O Leader of the House of Israel,

giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power!

December 19 O Root of Jesse’s stem,

sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

December 20 O Key of David,

opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21 O Radiant Dawn,

splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the

shadow of death. December 22

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23 O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God!

Collection 11/20/2016………………………...$3,932.53 Last year’s Collection …..................................$4,201.02

WEEKEND ATTENDANCE - 11/20/2016 Adults: …644 Children: …….281 / Total: ……925

+ REST IN PEACE + Please pray for the deceased members of our parish, Antonio Maiorino, Feliciana Olivo & our fallen military.

WEDDING BANNS

III. Vito Maceli and Clementina Porcelli

WEEKEND MASS COLLECTION -

Collection 11/27/2016..................................$3,928.33 Last year’s Collection …..................................$4,317.15

WEEKEND ATTENDANCE - 11/27/2016

Adults: …703 Children: …….168 / Total: ……871

December 4, 2016 CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL 3

REFLECTING ON GOD’S WORD Sunday Gospel: Matthew 3: 1-12

There is so much busyness at this time of year, so much noise. Can you hear the voice over the racket? John the Baptist, in today’s Gospel reading, says we must change ourselves. A great light is going to appear that will expose our sinfulness and burn up in fire what we cannot hide. We cannot afford to be complacent and think we are doing fine as we are. Change is a great idea, you think, but how do I do that? Sixteen hundred years ago a young man grew up in what is now Algeria, on the north coast of Africa. He was the child of a Christian mother and a pagan father. They gave him an excellent education, but as a youth he fell in with a sect called the Manichees, who encouraged sexual promiscuity, drunkenness, and many other vices. In his autobiography he tells us that he reached a point in his life when he had no beliefs and neither the prayers of his mother nor the urgings of his best friend to become a Christian seemed to have any effect. He prayed to God to change him, “but not yet.” Finally, he stopped and realized his own limited ability, his emptiness and his powerlessness. He could do nothing through his own efforts. At that point he was quiet enough to hear the “still small voice.” God said, “Take up and read,” and the scriptures fell open to a passage in the Letter to the Romans (13:13–14). His heart was changed. His name is Augustine and he became a bishop, a great Christian theologian, a doctor of the Church. Advent is a time to slow down, to be quieter, and to listen more carefully, or we might miss the personal message that God has for us.

RIFLESSIONE SULLA PAROLA DI DIO Vangelo della Domenica: Mateo 3, 1-12

In san Matteo e san Marco, la predicazione di Giovanni Battista è il segnale dell’inizio dell’azione pubblica di Gesù. Con il suo discorso che chiama alla conversione, la presenza vicina diventa il messaggio di Gesù: “Il regno dei cieli è vicino!”, e la differenza con questo si fa chiara: i battesimi di Giovanni non permettono di rimettere i peccati. San Matteo con le sue parole ci dà un’idea della grande importanza di Giovanni Battista, della sua influenza e della sua azione. Nelle parole di san Matteo si legge la convinzione che Israele si trovi in una situazione senza uscita. Non vi è più la sicurezza collettiva che derivava dall’appartenenza alla discendenza di Abramo. L’avvenire di ognuno dipende dalle proprie azioni: “Fate frutti degni di conversione!”. Tuttavia l’avvenire è anche nelle mani di Dio, cioè nelle mani di colui che verrà dopo Giovanni: la mano che separa il buon grano dalla zizzania compirà presto la sua opera. Il giudizio che verrà è anche la ragione per cui Giovanni invita alla conversione. Israele è alla fine della sua sapienza. Anche se Giovanni Battista non ha ancora un’idea chiara di colui che verrà dopo di lui, sa una cosa: egli è il più forte. Giudicare è fare una scelta. Così, prepararsi al giudizio è prendere una decisione.

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Remembrance Tree

Today in Fatima Hall – 2:45pm

Please join us as we honor the memory of our dearly departed

Pope’s Intentions for the month of December

Universal: End to Child-Soldiers That the scandal of child-soldiers may be eliminated the world over.

Evangelization: Europe That the peoples of Europe may rediscover the beauty, good-ness, and truth of the Gospel which gives joy and hope to life.

Living Stewardship Now

Spend some time in a quiet place. Use the silence to ask what God is waiting to tell you this Advent.

THANKSGIVING DONATIONS

Thank you to all the parishioners who donated food! Thanks also to the Children of OLMC School, Antoinette Elia / St. Barnabas Hospital, De Lillo’s, Northeast Community Bank, East 187th Street Realty and Royal Arcanum. May God bless you abundantly!

REFLEXIONEMOS LA PALABRA DE DIOS Evangelio del Domingo: Mateo 3, 1-12

¿Puedes escucharlo en medio de todas las ocupaciones y del ruido? Juan el Bautista dice que debemos cambiar. Una gran luz aparecerá que expondrá nuestros pecados y lo que no dé fruto será arrojado al fuego. No podemos sentirnos auto-satisfechos. Debemos cambiar, ¿pero cómo? Hace muchos siglos vivió un hombre en la parte norte de África. Recibió una educación excelente, pero cayó en la secta del maniqueísmo, que lo llevó a una mala vida. Le pidió a Dios que lo cambiara, pero “todavía no”. Finalmente, se enfrentó con su propio vacío y su incapacidad, y pudo encontrar la suficiente quietud para escuchar una voz “como la de un niño”. Dios le decía, “toma y lee”. Al buscar en las escrituras la página se abrió en la carta de san Pablo a los romanos (13:13-–14). Su corazón cambió. Su nombre es Agustín, obispo, gran teólogo cristiano y doctor de la Iglesia. El Adviento es un tiempo para buscar la quietud y estar a la escucha para no perdernos el mensaje personal que Dios tiene para nosotros.

Viviendo la Palabra de Dios

Pasa un rato en un lugar tranquilo. Aprovecha ese silencio para preguntarle a Dios qué desea decirte durante este

UN REGALO PARA NUESTROS NIÑOS

Tomando un Angelito de nuestro árbol de Navidad en la entrada de la Iglesia e intercambiarlo por un regalo, para nuestros niños de la parroquia! Los regalos serán entregados el domingo, 8 de Enero del 2017.

Lectors for December 10th & 11th

5:00pm Carlos Vera and Maria Gerbasi

8:30am Mike Mongiovi and Carmine Marino 9:30am Adriana Cardona y Jose Peguero 11:00am M. Cibelli e Nicola Trombetta 12:15pm Victor Vera and A. Santos 1:30pm Catalina Modesto y Guadalupe Pimentel

Readings for the Week December 5th to December 11th

Monday: Is 35: 1-10/ Lk 5: 17-26 :

Tuesday: Is 40: 1-11/ Mt

Wednesday: Is 40: 25-31/ Mt 11: 28-30

Thursday: Gn 3: 9-15, 20/ Eph 1: 3-6, 11-12/ Lk 1: 26-38

Friday: Is 48: 17-19/ Mt 11: 16-19

Saturday: Sir 48: 1-4, 9-11/ Mt 17: 9, 10-13

Sunday: Is 35: 1-6, 10/ Jas 5: 7-10/ Mt 11: 2-11

SANTO ROSARIO EN LOS HOGARES 4 DE DICIEMBRE 5 DE DICIEMBRE Elizabeth Rivera Patricia Castillo 2320 Hughes Ave #5 2319 Hughes Ave #5

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Patroness of the United States

– Holy Day of Obligation –

Mass Schedule

Wednesday, December 7th Vigil Mass – 6:30pm

Thursday, December 8th

8:30am (English) 12:00pm (English / Italian)

6:30pm (English / Spanish)

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