December 22, 2019 Fourth Sunday of Advent

DECEMBER 22, 2019 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

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PARISH CALENDAR & MASS INTENTIONS

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT

SUN. 22 Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:00 a.m. Mass (St. Lawrence Parish) CH

10:00 a.m. Mass (Harry Metzger) CH 11:00 a.m. RCIA

12:15 p.m. Spanish Mass (Phyllis Collins) CH MON. 23 St. John of Kanty, Priest 7:40 a.m. Morning Prayer CH

8:00 a.m. Mass (Dean McPherson) CH 9:00 a.m. Church Decorating 1:00 p.m. Parish Staff Meeting RD TUES. 24 Parish Office Closed No 8am Mass

4:30 p.m. Vigil Mass (Nancy Hansan) CH 6:30 p.m. Mass-bilingual (St. Lawrence Parish) CH 11:30 p.m. Prelude CH Midnight Mass (L/D of Mitchell family) CH WED. 25 Christmas – The Nativity of the Lord

9:00 a.m. Mass (Alice Pitsenbarger) CH THURS. 26 St. Stephen, the first Martyr No 8:00 a.m. Mass FRI. 27 St. John, Apostle & Evangelist 7:40 a.m. Morning Prayer CH

8:00 a.m. Mass (Jim Shaw) CH SAT. 28 The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

8:00 a.m. Mass (Gary Riggin) CH 9:00 a.m. Church Cleaning 3:00 p.m. Confessions CH

4:30 p.m. Mass (Floyd Jones) CH SUN. 29 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 8:00 a.m. Mass (Welfare of Hilton/Sherrill CH Families) 10:00 a.m. Mass (St. Lawrence Parish) CH

12:15 p.m. Spanish Mass (David Traub) CH

CH-church; RD-Rectory Dining; AH-St.Agnes Hall; RL-Rectory Living Room

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Lawrence,

On behalf of the staff and myself, I want to wish

all of you a very joyful and blessed Christmas as we

approach the celebration of the historical event that

defines all of human history. In the Christian

Catholic understanding, all of the history of humanity

was directed toward the movement in which God

entered into communion through the second person

of the Blessed Trinity with the whole of humanity. In

his person the kingdom of God became present in our

world. As He is the one through whom we live and

move and have our being, He is in true union with

us. To be faithful to His voice, is to be faithful to the

very depth of our being. To be disconnected from

Him, is to be alienated from the core of our very

person. Through His presence among us and within

us all of creation is being restored to the Father and

the alienation that began through sin and has

continued through the embrace of sin is being

transformed by the power of the love of Christ that

conquered death on the cross. Christ is risen and

death and sin have no power over Him. His love, His

Kingdom, continues to overcome the power of sin

wherever truth and love break the power of falsehood

and violence. The full innocence and pure love of

God for the human family is revealed in that innocent

child lying in a manger. Our response to that child is

the response we make to every human being our life

encounters. Jesus Christ, in His union with each one

of us, experiences the joy, love, peace and hate,

contempt, suffering and indifference of every human

person. How can we love, truly love this child, if any

child is mistreated in any way?

As Jesus has united Himself to all, each face that

we look into, we are looking into the face of Christ.

So truly, welcome each one with “Merry Christmas.”

God Bless,

Fr. Dave

St. Lawrence Catholic Church http://www.stlawrencemuncie.com

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TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — You will be given this sign: The virgin

shall conceive and bear a son (Isaiah 7:10-14).

Psalm — Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory

(Psalm 24).

Second Reading — God has called us to belong to Jesus

Christ (Romans 1:1-7).

Gospel — The son born of Mary shall be called Jesus, for

he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:18-24).

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on

English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14;

Lk 1:57-66

Tuesday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29;

Lk 1:67-79

Wednesday:Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29;

Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25]

Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14;

Lk 2:1-14

Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12;

Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20

Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6;

Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14]

Thursday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab,

16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22

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

Saturday: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18

Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Ps 128:1-5;

Col 3:12-21 [12-17]; Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please remember the following parishioners in your

prayers this week: Beth Kaiser, Sonja Bickey,

Larry Tricker, Isaiah Greiner, Dan Wade, Joe Morgan,

Dale Goth, JoAnn Brown, Miriam Walker, Adam Pence,

Alex Pence, Anthony Pence, Joseph Jenkinson, Clara

Persinger, Martha Jean McIntosh, Dorothy Duncan, Linda

Goth, Pete Whitcomb, Betty Wright, Shirley Jordan,

Kameron Kadinger, Joe Duncan, Dick and Lucille

Kanney, Pat Daunt, John Haack, Larry Rigel, Ronald

Macken, Joyce Doyle, Marie Rhorer, for the family of

Alex and Kim Flores, Stacey Vencel, Joshua Cole,

Richard Biehl, Ed Kratochvil, Mary Hadley, Noah Cross,

Judy Cool Beaty, Mary Kerrigan, Roni Johnson, William

Berger, Tia Lindsey, Dixie Lindsey, Harry Seffrin, David

Duke, Bill Brown, Bailey Michelle Rinker, Jimmy

Hossom, Paula Hughes, Don Cox, Kevin Farrell, Helen

Fouts, John Hartmeyer, Phyllis Dornberger, Julie Coley

Werling, Charles Beaty, James Kenneth Barnes II, Mary

Bedel.

.

Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for December

The Future of the Very Young That every country take the measures necessary to

prioritize the future of the very young, especially

those who are suffering.

For Our Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians

Sun. Fr. Paul Cochran Jordan Boone Mon. Fr. Ron Comeau Jason Diebolt Tues. Fr. Philip Cover Brian Farrell Wed. Fr. Alan Cox Matthew Jakupco

Thurs. Fr. John Cummings Jacob Miller Fri. Fr. Cole Daily Andrew Morand Sat. Fr. Christian DeCarlo TJ Slamkowski

Weekend of December 15, 2019

St. Lawrence Parish ………………….. $9,949.00 School Support ……………………… .. $ 160.00 Children’s Envelopes ……………….. .. $ .00 Deacon’s Food Pantry ………………. .. $1,210.00 Fuel Fund ……………………………. .. $ 100.00 --------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE NOTE: CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE 2019 GIVING YEAR ARE TO BE IN THE PARISH OFFICE BY 4:00 P.M. ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 30. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT PHIL OR LOIS AT THE PARISH OFFICE. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Please consider online giving. Go to

www.osvonlinegiving.com/4289 or call the Business

Office at St. Lawrence 765-288-9223, Ext. 22. We

will help you work through the process in no time!

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2019

They shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

— Matthew 1:23

DECEMBER 22, 2019 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

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PARISH MINISTRIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ADULT FAITH FORMATION COLUMN

(Sue Wilhelm)

EAT, PRAY AND LEARN

4 Wednesdays – Noon-1:00 p.m. –

January 29, February 5, 12, 19 –

Location: St. Agnes Hall

Join us for a simple lunch, and learn how prayer

changes our relationship with Christ. There will be

opportunity to practice ways of praying. These

practices might become part of your Lenten prayer.

REGISTER BY JANUARY 19 BY CALLING THE

PARISH OFFICE OR EMAIL SUE WILHELM AT

swilhelm@parish.dol-in.org

Prayer: Encountering Jesus and Letting Jesus

Encounter us

Week 1: Joining Jesus in Praying the Psalms

Week 2: Lectio Divina: Meeting Jesus in the Word.

Movements in our prayer.

Week 3: Walking with Jesus in the Gospels. How

our Imagination can aid our encounter.

Week 4: The Examen: Noticing Jesus’ presence

throughout our day.

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Tuesday Scripture Study: Join us

Tuesdays after the 8:00am Mass in St.

Agnes Hall where we share a simple

breakfast, coffee or tea and break open

the Word of God for the coming Sunday. All are

welcome. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RCIA Class will meet at 11:00 am

this Sunday, December 22, in St.

Agnes Hall. If you have any

questions, contact Sue Wilhelm or Fr. Dave at the

Parish Office 288-9223.

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HEARTS OF HOPE MINISTRY This Ministry meets on a regular basis—once a month in

St. Agnes Hall. We will meet again on Tuesday,

January 28 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. and 6:30-8:00 p.m.

All are welcome who have lost a loved one or anticipate

the loss of a loved one. Join us! If you have any

questions, contact Deb Saxon at 765-760-4800.

STEPHEN MINISTRY Are You Going Through a Difficult Time?

Stephen Ministers are members of St.

Lawrence Church who listen, care,

encourage, and provide emotional support

and spiritual growth to those who are facing

a crisis, or going through loss or tough times in their

lives. The care you will receive is confidential, free, and

can be life changing. To learn how you can receive the

care and prayers of a Stephen Minister, or if you have

questions, call the Rectory 765-288-9223 and talk

privately to Fr. Hellmann. You may also contact a

Stephen Leader. Stephen Leaders are John and Melinda

Haack, Jim and Pat Savage, and Deb Saxon.

The next opportunity for Adoration will be

Sunday, January 19, following the 10:00 a.m. Mass and

will close with Evening Devotions at 7:00 p.m. If you are

interested in joining our ministry, please contact Marilyn

Sherrill at 765-396-3583 or 765-744-4086.

FOOTPRINTS SEWING GROUP Footprints Sewing Group will not be meeting

during the month of December. The ladies

will, however, still be working at home. Our January

meetings will be on the 9th

and 23rd

. For more

information, please contact Carmen Simmons at 765/808-

1917 or Jayne Waechter at 765/288-8920.

---------------------------------------------------------------- Please pray for those serving our country in the military – especially: Benjamin Branson, William Cox, Jared Hargis, Kyle

Jones, Kyle & Leandra Long, Jon Powell, Stephen Smith, Kyle Stewart, Christopher Tolmachoff, Payden Schug, and Matt Johns. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In case of an emergency, an AED (Automatic

External Defibrillator) is located in the

vestibule of the church. There is also one

located in St. Agnes Hall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

St. Lawrence Catholic Church http://www.stlawrencemuncie.com

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FAITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUTH!! Please Note: Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the 10am

Mass will begin again after the New Year when the

university students are back.

SACRAMENT CLASSES FOR FIRST

COMMUNION AND FIRST PENANCE

WILL START SOON:

Parents, If you have a child at least 7

years old and you would like to prepare

them to receive the sacraments of Penance and

Eucharist this Spring, please call Sheila Henry at

(765)729-1229 or notify the Parish Office as soon as

possible.

A FAMILY OF FAITH (Grades K-8) Sunday, January 12 – Parents and Students meet in

St. Agnes Hall at 11:00 a.m. For more information

the Parish Office.

High School Youth Group (HSYG)

Check future bulletins for dates for next

semester. Have a wonderful Christmas

break.

---------------------------------------------------------------- CONFIRMATION CLASS – Our next session will be

Sunday, January 5, from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. in St. Agnes

Hall.

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Congratulations to our high school

parishioner, Thomas Wilhoite, a senior

at Yorktown High School. Thomas

was awarded a Lilly Scholarship by

the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware

County. Thomas is the son of Leland and Mary Wilhoite.

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Ministers of Hospitality

With Winter weather rapidly approaching, we

would like to begin the Hospitality Ministry.

These ministers will help welcome parishioners

and visitors to Mass and assist those that might

need assistance getting into the Church. If you are

interested in serving in this ministry, please contact

the Parish Office.

Christmas Mass Times: December 24: 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. (bi-lingual)

December 25: Midnight Mass (prelude 11:30 p.m.)

9:00 a.m. Mass

Solemnity of May – Holy Day of Obligation Mass Times:

December 31: Candlelight Vigil – 4:30 p.m.

January 1: Mass – 9:00 a.m.

PLEASE NOTE: The St. Vincent

dePaul Thrift Store will be closed

from December 23 through January 1. They will reopen on January 2 at 10:00

a.m. If you have donations for the store,

please wait to drop them off when the store reopens!

Thank You from the St. Vincent dePaul Society

Our Christmas Adoption program for the Muncie

community on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13th

and

14th

was a huge success. Parishioners from all three

Muncie parishes adopted families in need and

provided food, gifts, blankets, and winter wear. A

generous donor gave turkeys to all of the

families. There were 71 families helped. There were

close to 50 volunteers over two days from all three

parishes. These volunteers helped unload and load

cars, organized the food and gifts from donors, and

distributed the extra donated gifts to all of the

families. The recipient families greatly appreciated

the effort and the items. Some of them were brought

to tears because of the generosity that was shown. A

difference was truly made in their lives.

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MARRIAGE IN CHRIST SEMINAR: This seminar is five weeks long (one 2-hour evening per week). Dates: Sundays -January 12

thru February 9 – 6-8pm Have you ever spent $100 on a dinner at a restaurant with your spouse? It is easy to spend $100 on a couple of movie nights, especially if you buy popcorn and pop and then go out for coffee and dessert to talk about the movie. It is easy to spend $100 on a professional baseball game, a concert, or a play. Now think about the investment that you want/need to make in your marriage. Is your marriage worth $100? Join us for the Marriage in Christ seminar. If you cannot afford the entire fee, but would like to attend, please let us know. We have scholarships or financial aid available. We also provide childcare, if you need it. To Register: Contact Deb Conlon 765-749-7299. For more information about the Marriage in Christ Seminar visit: www.marriageinchrist.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER 22, 2019 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

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Saint Lawrence

Catholic School

stlawrencemuncie.org

765.282.9353 Rob Frey, Principal: r.frey@stlawrencemuncie.org

Our mission is to provide a Catholic Christ-centered

education through an atmosphere of love and

compassion for all students.

Students are on Christmas break through

January 2.

As promised here are more of Mrs. McKinley’s

kindergarten class comments on what they would

give to baby Jesus for Christmas.

Samantha:

I would give him a teddy bear because baby Jesus

might like it.

Emma:

I would show charity by making more friends for

him and making him smile.

Jeremiah:

I would give him sheep to keep him warm.

Julie:

I would give him a “Thank you” prayer because

God made the world.

James:

I would give him a baby toy because he would love

that to play with.

Leilani:

I would give him a unicorn because I want him to

have one for Christmas.

Sara:

I would give him more money for the poor so that

he could give it away.

Ryder:

I would give him an angel to help him.

150th Anniversary of Our Church

Remember Renew Rejoice

Mark your calendars!!

Closing of our 150th

Anniversary Year

Candlelight Mass – 4:30 p.m.

December 31

DISCOUNT ON

150TH

KEEPSAKE ITEMS These items will make a nice Christmas Gift,

Anniversary Gift, or Birthday Gift

Ornament of our beautiful church - $20

Stained Glass Window Book - $5

Coloring Book – FREE WITH PURCHASE

T-Shirt with our 150th

logo - $7

Call the Parish Office at 288-9223 or stop by the

office if you would like to purchase any of these

items. --------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Parish Mission and Vision

Mission: St. Lawrence Parish, a people of prayer

and service glorifying God. Vision: Through prayer

and service, St. Lawrence Parish deepens its love for

and knowledge of God.

St. Lawrence Catholic Church http://www.stlawrencemuncie.com

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MINISTRY ASSISGNMENTS FOR DECEMBER 28 AND 29 Readers Altar Servers E.M.H.C. Ushers

4:3

0 P

.M. Nick Flowers

Jeanette Carnes Andrew Shaw Deb Miller

Nancy Mills Cheryl Schmitt

Mike Brand Jim Carnes Jeff Crabtree Steve Lansing

8:0

0 A

.M. Mitchell Dudley

Carolyn MacDougall Rachel Waechter Sandy Shirey

Nancy Taverna Lynette Varner JoEllenWard Tom Ward

Jerry Bricker Mary Burford Sheila Caudill Jack Holland

10:0

0 A

.M. Les Coutinho

Kayleigh Cooper Breaking Open the Word: Jack Greiner

Alex Cox Ava Echelbarger

Mary Bowling Bob Carpenter Lea Carpenter Bridget Cole Cindy Spears

John Coutinho Omar Galan Jeff Huff Mateo Romero

MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS FOR CHRISTMAS Tuesday, December 24 – Vigil Mass – 4:30 p.m.: 1st Reader: Deb Miller; 2nd Reader: Nick Flowers EMHC: Jeanette Carnes, Jim Carnes Bob Carpenter, Lea Carpenter Mike Dransfield Nancy Mills Ronald Sells Cindy Spears Marilyn Sherrill Altar Server: Need 2 volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers Tuesday, December 24 – Vigil Mass – 6:30 p.m.: 1st Reader: Myron Echelbarger 2nd Reader: __________________ EMHC: Kathy Taylor Need 2 volunteers Altar Server: Need 2 volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers Christmas – Midnight Mass: 1st Reader: Mark Dirksen; 2nd Reader: Dolphus Stephens EMHC: Rob Frey Patrick Hellman, Lynne Hellman Julie Huff Amy Miller Deb Saxon Lynette Varner JoEllen Ward Need 1 volunteer Altar Server: Eli Hart Need 3 volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers Christmas: - 9:00 a.m. Mass 1st Reader: Mary Burford 2nd Reader: Kathy Taylor EMHC: Della Gregory Mary Bowling Les Coutinho Altar Server: Need 2 volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers

MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS FOR: Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God

(Holy Day of Obligation) Tuesday, December 31 – Candelight Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. 1st Reader: Maria Hart 2nd Reader: Nancy Zachary EMHC: Mike Dransfield Rob Frey Deb Miller Nancy Mills Deb Saxon Cheryl Schmitt Tom Schmitt Altar Server: Need 4 Volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers Wednesday, January 1 – 9:00 a.m. Mass 1st Reader: Mary Burford 2nd Reader: Kathy Taylor EMHC: Della Gregory Need 2 volunteers Altar Server: Need 2 volunteers Ushers: Need volunteers ---------------------------------------------------------------