Church of Saint Rita

281 Bradley Avenue - Staten Island, NY 10314

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2015

ADVENT CONFESSIONS During Advent, we will hear St. John the Baptist call us to “Prepare the Way of the Lord”. In addition to our regular Saturday schedule, Confessions will be heard after the Sunday morning Masses on December 13th and 20th.

ADVENT RECONCILIATION MONDAY Fr. Carrella and Fr. Anthony will also be hear-ing Confessions on Monday, December 14 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Cardinal Dolan desig-nated this day as “Advent Reconciliation Mon-day”. All parishes in the Archdiocese of New York are expected to provide the Sacrament of Reconciliation for all the faithful.

ST. RITA SCHOOL PRESENTS THE LIVING NATIVITY

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 7:00pm

School Auditorium The fourth grade and fifth grade students will be presenting the Living Nativity for the parents, parish, and guests on Friday, December 19th at 7:00pm in the school auditorium. Students from Grade 8 will narrate.

The students have been working hard preparing a beautiful performance for our parish, which should prove to be a great community experience. Admission is free. A special thank you to our teachers Mrs. Macaluso, Mrs. Parziale and Mrs. Soos.

Simbang Gabi”, a Filipino tradition, is a nine-day Novena of evening Masses. All are invited to participate in this Advent Novena, a great way to prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. St. Rita’s Church will host the Novena on Saturday, December 19, 2015, at 8:00pm. After the Mass, a reception will take place in the auditorium. Please join the fes-tivities and taste the delicious Filipi-no delicacies. The following days of this Novena will be held at the following Churches at 8pm: December 15 St. Charles Church December 16 Sacred Heart Church December 17 Blessed Sacrament Church December 18 St. Sylvester Church December 19 St. Rita Church December 20 Holy Rosary Church December 21 St. John Neumann Church December 22 Our Lady of Pity Church December 23 St. Peter’s Church Concelebrated Midnight Mass December 24 St. Paul Church

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 4:00 Robert Mc Carthy SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 8:00 Zummo Family 9:30 Gennaro & Michael Pitoscia 11:00 Joseph P. Lorusso 12:30 Raia & Catalanotto Families 6:00 For the People of the Parish MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 7:00 Eugene Carrella 9:00 Curtis Ardite TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15 7:00 Reynaldo Cacaos 9:00 Annette Palmieri WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16 7:00 Christine Pillarella (Living) 9:00 Thomas Lynch , Jr. & Thomas Lynch, Sr. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 7:00 Josephine Thomas 9:00 Annette Palmieri FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 7:00 Assunta Licari 9:00 Anthony Buono SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 9:00 Fr. Carrella & Fr. Gonzales (Living) 4:00 Bruzzese, Vivo & Sinatra Families SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 8:00 Sergio & Morrone Families 9:30 Ron Liss 11:00 Vincent Toa Nguyen 12:30 Connie & Frank Calabrese 6:00 For People of the Parish Tree of Life—Call the Parish Office

SERVED BY Rev. Eugene J. Carrella, Pastor

Rev. Anthony Gonzales, Parochial Vicar Rev. Stephen Challman, In Residence

PARISH OFFICES 61 Wellbrook Avenue ~ Phone: 718-698-3746

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Ms. Mary Grace Liss, Parish Manager

ST. RITA SCHOOL—S. I. REGION 30 Wellbrook Avenue ~ Phone: 718-761-2504

Mrs. Nicole C. Fresca, Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Phone: 718-982-6948

Mrs. Mary Gillespie, Coordinator

MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Evening: 4:00pm Sunday: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, and 6:00pm Monday to Friday: 7:00am and 9:00am Saturday: 9:00am Holy Days: Please refer to the bulletin or website

CONFESSIONS Saturday from 3:00pm to 3:45pm, First Sunday of the month after the morning Masses and by appointment.

BAPTISMS Second & Fourth Sundays after the 12:30pm Mass. Baptism class for the parents is held on the Second Saturday of the month at 5:00pm by appt.

SICK CALLS Please call the Parish Office to arrange Communion Calls and Hospital Visits.

MARRIAGES Must be arranged six months in advance. Couples must see a priest to secure a date.

OUR LADY OF GOOD HEALTH NOVENA First Saturday of the month after the 4:00pm Mass, reception following in Church Hall.

SAINT RITA NOVENA Tuesdays after the 7:00am and 9:00am Masses

MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA Thursdays after the 7:00am and 9:00am Masses

ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Mondays 7:00pm in the Parish Center.

ADULT CHOIR Adults sing every Sunday at the 11:00am Mass. Rehearsal Wednesdays at 7:30pm in Church Hall.

CHILDREN’S CHOIR Children sing every Sunday at the 9:30am Mass. Rehearsal Wednesdays at 5:15pm in Church Hall.

LORD’S FLOCK First Friday Mass at 8:00pm in the Chapel. Third Friday Prayer Meeting at 8:00pm in Chapel.

ST. RITA’S LADIES GUILD First Tuesday of the month at the 9:00am Mass, meeting following in the Parish Center.

ST. RITA’S ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION First Monday at 7:30pm in the School Café.

stritasports@gmail.com ST. RITA’S BOY SCOUTS

Fridays at 7:30pm in the Parish Center. ST. RITA’S GOLDEN AGE CLUB

Thursdays at 12:00 noon in the Church Hall.

Welcome to St. Rita’s Parish Community Please introduce yourself and register at the parish office. We welcome new parishioners to participate in the spiritual and social life of our church. Church Website: www.stritachurch.net School Website: www.stritaschoolsi.org

ALTAR SERVERS St. Rita School and CCD students in the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th grades wishing to become Altar Servers are asked to call Mary Grace Liss at the parish office. Community Service hours can be earned.

50-50 CLUB The donation is $5.00 per envelope, and 50% goes to the winner and 50% to the parish. The pink envelopes can be found at the entrance of the church or at the parish office. The next drawing will be held on December 23rd.

VIGIL OF CHRISTMAS Thursday, December 24, 2015

3:40pm – The Children’s Choir will sing Christmas favorites. 4:00pm – Family Mass

11:30pm – The Adult Choir will present Christmas selections. 12:00am– Solemn Mass at Midnight

MASSES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY Friday, December 25, 2015 9:30am, 11:00am & 12:30pm

There will be music at all the Masses on Christmas Day. (There will be NO 8:00am & 6:00pm Mass.)

Solemnity of Mary The Mother Of God – January 1, 2015 Thursday, December 31, 2014 – Vigil Mass – 4:00pm Friday, January 1, 2015– 9:30am, 11:00am & 12:30pm

(There will be NO 8:00am & 6:00pm Mass.)

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

CHRISTMAS CRIB Fr. Eugene Carrella has set up his "presepio" or Christmas crib in the office building at 61 Wellbrook Avenue. If you would like to view this display, please ask him to take you to see it.

Thank you to St. Rita’s Ladies Guild for their hard work in all the preparations for the Bake Sale fund-raiser. We are grateful to the ladies for their continued dedication. The

profit of $2,600 was donated to our parish.

The Gift of a Catholic Education The 2016 Staten Island Catholic Elementary School Open Houses are January 12, Febru-ary 2, February 23, March 8 and April 12 from 9-11am. This Christmas give the gift of a Catholic education. Staten Island Catholic Schools are Christ-centered, academically excellent and welcoming communities that teach students to be life-long learners and lead-ers energized by fidelity to Christ, the Church, and one another. To locate a faith-based Pre-K, Kinder-garten of elementary school program, visit www.buildboldfutures.org or call 646-794-2885. Additional Open Houses and private tours are avail-able.

SAINT RITA’S ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

A NITE AT THE RACES

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016

Doors Open at 6:00pm First Race at 7:00pm

HORSE RACES ~ FOOTBALL POOL ~ RAFFLES

MONEY WHEEL ~ 50-50 DRAWING

Buffet, Heroes, Coffee, Dessert, Soda, Water and Beer

ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAMS AT ST. RITA’S Cheerleading ~ Basketball ~ Baseball / Softball ~ Soccer ~ Bowling ~ Track and Field ~ Intramurals

Ticket Reservations Are $20.00 per person (in advance)

(TICKETS PURCHASED AT THE DOOR ARE: $25.00 per person)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

A NITE AT THE RACES

NAME: ___________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________ Telephone: _________________________ Email Address: _____________________________________________________ # of adults attending ______________ X $20.00 = ______________

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: St. Rita’s Athletic Association

** Please return Completed Reservation Form and Payment to: Mary Grace Liss at St. Rita’s Parish Office, Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm

or through St. Rita School—c/o Anthony Iraci, Grade 6.

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