Mary was no mere instrument in God’s dispensation. The Word of God…did not merely pass through

her, as he may pass through us in Holy Communion. It was no heavenly body which the Eternal Son

assumed…No, He imbibed, He sucked up her blood and her substance into His Divine Person. He

became man from her, and received her lineaments and her features as the appearance and character

under which He should manifest Himself to the world. He was known, doubtless, by His likeness to

her, to be her Son…Was it not fitting…that the Eternal Father should prepare her for this ministration

by some preeminent sanctification? St. John Henry Newman

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 2 Battle Creek, MI

Mass Schedule

Lover of Poverty, Pray for Us

St. Joseph Catholic Church, 61 23rd St N

Parish Office: 962-0165 Monday-Thursday 8:30 am-4:30 pm (Closed 12:30-1:30 pm) Summer: May 24 - August 30 - Friday 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Confessions First Friday 12:15 pm, Saturday 3:30 pm or by appointment

Rosary After daily Mass and Sundays at 9:30 am in Church Mondays 7:00 pm in Spanish Parish Center Chapel

First Friday 7:00 pm Parish Center Chapel

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

▪ Monday 4:00 - 8:00 pm in the Parish Center Chapel ▪ Wednesday 9:00 am - Saturday 9:00 am In St. Philip Seton Center Chapel ▪ Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 pm for Vocations in the Parish Center Chapel ▪ Friday 8:30 am - Benediction at 4:45 pm in St. Joseph Church ▪ First Wednesday 7:00 pm in St. Joseph Church

St. Joseph: To sign up for a Holy hour or to be on the sub list for Friday Adoration, please call Marlene: 962-8641 and leave your name and phone number.

St. Philip: Seton Center Chapel, Wednesday 9:00 am to Saturday, 9:00 am, call Betty Dillard: 962-8255 to sign up.

Readings for: Second Sunday of Advent

Is 11:1-10, Rom 15:4-9, Mt 3:1-12

Saturday, December 7 - Vigil: Second Sunday of Advent 5:00 pm † Helen Schoder by Family 6:00 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena Sunday, December 8 - Second Sunday of Advent 8:00 am † Norma Naas by Family 10:00 am † Kathryn Angle by Family 12:00 pm † Deceased Members of Van Wolvlear Family by Wyson Family 2:00 pm † Donald Flynn by St. Joseph Parish Burmese 5:00 pm For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome Spanish

Saturday, November 30 - Vigil: First Sunday of Advent 5:00 pm † Ellen Kenyon by Nancy Hood Sunday, December 1 - First Sunday of Advent 8:00 am † Carl (Rusty) Wahmhoff by Friends 10:00 am † Judy Syc by Rondeau family 12:00 pm † Alan Grady by Phil & Mary Pat Harter 2:00 pm NO Burmese Mass 5:00 pm For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome Spanish

Prayers for the Sick/Those in Need

Chris Bradley, Chuck Brown, Peggy Crane, Bernadette Emmons, Bradley Gagnon, Vicky Gray, Sharon Harris, Sr. Cyrilla, Jerry Johnson, Carolyn Kewley, Pat Kukla, Erika Leman,

Nathan & Robert Lindstrom, Jakob Livingston, Scott Marko, Doug Marshall, Curtis Mason, Katie Miller, Laurie Morris, Karen Partin, Cheryl Scales, Ron Seyka, Margaret Smith,

Michael Wells, Elizabeth Wells, Sara Wixson, Dee Wygant, Marion & Ozzie Zull

Adoration for Vocations December 5, 8-9 pm,

St. Joseph Parish Center Chapel

Eucharistic Adoration, rosary, half hour of silent prayer, a litany and benediction. We pray for all the young men and women in our parish called to religious life and priesthood. And we also pray for Sr. Danielle Lussier, Sr. Laura Toth, Sarah Robinson, Paul Thuantho, Jacob Thomas, Dane Clem, Michael Scriber, Fr. Chris, Fr. John, Fr. Andrew, Fr. Pius, Fr. Raj and Fr. Rob. Please join us!

Monday, December 2 8:00 am † Vic Coulson by Mary Lohrstorfer Tuesday, December 3 8:00 am † Mary Smith Stokes by St. Joseph Unit CCW 6:00 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass with Novena Wednesday, December 4 8:00 am Intentions of Glenn & Christine Belland by Glenn & Christine 6:00 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass with Novena, Cafeteria 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Project 177 Thursday, December 5 8:00 am † Pat Maliszewski by Phil & Mary Pat Harter 9:00 am † Kelli Anne Bradley by St. Joseph School, School 6:00 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass with Novena 8:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations, Parish Center First Friday, December 6 8:00 am † Norma Naas by Mr. & Mrs. Gary Everling 8:30 am Adoration 12:10 pm Confessions 2:15 pm Adoration, School 4:45 pm Benediction 6:00 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass with Novena Saturday, December 7 8:00 am † Therese Munie by Bob Munie 3:30 pm Confessions

First Sunday of Advent Page 3 December 1, 2019

From Fr. Christopher Ankley

Two questions: Is the mountain of the Lord’s house the highest mountain in our life? Is praise and worship of God more important to us than anything else? Pier Giorgio climbed the mountain of the Lord. He came from a wealthy family; and he could have climbed the mountain of wealth. He came from a powerful family; and he could have climbed the mountain of power. He was handsome and charismatic; and he could have climbed the mountain of pleasure. Yet even with all these blessings he chose the mountain of the Lord. He used every blessing he received, money, influence, and charisma in service to climbing the Lord’s mountain. Experts in spirituality often tell us, if we don’t have the love of God first in our lives then we won’t know what to do with the other goods and blessings in our lives. These other goods and blessings could very easily become the mountains we end up climbing. Now after telling us that the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest mountain Isaiah goes on to say that people will climb this mountain for instruction. “Come let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.” Isaiah is saying to us, come to the temple to be instructed. Today many people get their instruction from TV, internet, movies, magazines, newspapers, and music. We need news of what is going on in the world around us, but when these sources become the determiner of value in our lives then something is wrong. Where do we go for instruction? 75% of our Catholic brothers and sisters stay away from weekly Sunday Mass. Where do we go for instruction? People used to go to Church for the answers; going to Church is our version of going up the mountain of the Lord. We go there seeking the wisdom of our ancient religious tradition, because truth is timeless. This is our mountain; you could call it Mount St. Joseph. Pier Giorgio used to encourage his friends as they climbed with this phrase they always lagged behind, he said to them, “Higher and higher there, you can hear the voice of Christ!” Come to St. Joseph; come to the mountain week after week and you will hear the voice of Christ! I want to end with a question that Pope Francis once posed, “Do I adore the Lord? Do I adore Jesus Christ the Lord? Or is it half and half, do I play the play of the prince of the world?” To adore till the end, with loyalty and faithfulness this is the grace we should ask for this advent. Let us become great Saints, Fr. Christopher J. Ankley

Dear Friends, In the first quarter of the twentieth century there was a young man, Pier Giorgio Frassati, and he loved climbing mountains. It was his number one hobby. On weekends and school vacations he’d be in the Italian Alps practicing his climbing skills. And he didn’t go alone he always brought a cohort of friends. To the top, verso l’alto was his motto, always climbing as high as his skill and ropes would take him. Now this young man was also a great prayer and he brought his rosary with him on these mountain treks and as he made his way to the top he would stop multiple times on the craggy ledges to not only rest but to also contemplate the greatness of God. Pier Giorgio was born in Turin Italy in 1901. He was born into a very wealthy and influential family. His parents were not too religious but they made sure that their children went to Mass every Sunday and that they learned the catechism. Very early on Pier Giorgio showed a great compassion for the poor. Walking home from school he’d sometimes give away his coat and sweater and shoes, coming home almost naked, his mom was not amused. Or if poor people knocked on their front door looking for handouts he’d give away dinner and empty the pantry of food. As he got older his philanthropy grew. He joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and any allowance he received went to helping those in need. His dad never knew the money he gave him was going to help the poor. Pier Giorgio, a Third Order Dominican, received communion every day, confession every week, and many nights he would spend in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with his skis lying next to him. They say he loved to sing, but he sounded awful, so he would have to sit in the back so as not to distract too many people. He has been described as athletic, handsome, and bounding with charisma, he also had a reputation as a practical joker. His pranks included short-sheeting priest’s beds. In 1925 Frassati died after contracting polio from a man he was helping. He was only 24. As the funeral procession left the Turin Church his family was surprised to see the numbers of poor people lining the street to honor their son. The poor were just as surprised to see that their benefactor came from such a rich and powerful family. In the early 20th century Frassati’s story became well known and it inspired Catholics across the world including a young Polish student Karol Woytjla, future pope. In 1990 Pope St. John Paul II beatified Frassati calling him a man of the beatitudes. Pier Giorgio’s body is incorrupt and he’s a patron of the youth. As I stated earlier Pier Giorgio loved climbing mountains, “To the top” being his motto. In many of the photos we have of him there are often mountains in the background. In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah, he speaks of a mountain, “In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it.”

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 4 Battle Creek, MI

Saturday 5:00 pm

Ministry Schedule December 7 & 8

Cantor Robert Opalek

Reader Jacqueline Clem - rd 1 JoEllen R. Campos - rd 2

Server Elliot Ormsby, Pedro Reyes Renzo Sanchez, Gregory Sang Camille Evangeliste

EMHC

Dolly Vumzathang Warren & Kathy Scott Julie & Brett Cutshall Dee Wygant

Usher

Conrado Campos Randy Davidson Denise Sutter-Davidson Carol & Lee White

Cantor Bernadette Heldt

Reader Shirley Youmans - rd 1 Sandy Power - rd 2

Server John Lyon, Emily Mawi Brendan Bailey-Vega

EMHC Missy & Bassy Skutt Rhonda Washington

Usher Rosemary Coon Lynne & Steven Culver Jo & Michael Olson

Cantor Matt Davis

Reader Rhonda Washington - rd 1 Kitty Manzo - rd 2

Server Sean Gage, Adam Sprague Megan & Kathryn Keller Juan Mejia-Lugo

EMHC

Tammy Allington Nancy Everling, Patty Miller Thomas Carpenter Jr. Stephen & Theresa Riley

Usher Kenneth Kropen Mary & Stephen Nelson NOT FILLED

Sunday 8:00 am

Cantor Robert Valkner

Reader Angela Adamson - rd 1 Anthony Wojcik - rd 2

Server Katie & Colt Myers Judy Rohr

EMHC Roger Buch, Alicia McCullough Greg Finnila, Sara Myers Judy & Thomas Allen

Usher Carl & Kim Bolles Dawn & Mike Guzak

Sunday 12:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am

Legion of Mary St. Joseph Parish members and guests are invited to a light breakfast reception celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Monday, December 9 in the Parish Center Community Room following the 8:00 am Mass. Legion of Mary members will be available to answer any questions about the Legion to those who may be interested in joining. Please join us in honoring and remembering our church’s Mother on this special feast day.

Divine Mercy Prayer Group

An exploratory meeting for the establishment of a Tri-Parish Divine Mercy Prayer Group for the sick and dying will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday,

December 10 at St. Philip Parish Center. Please plan on attending if you are interested in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and the dying, propagating the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or wish to serve on a committee to facilitate Catholics in the Battle Creek Area to visit and pray with those near death. If you unable to attend, but are interested, email Patrick Hirzel Phirzel@aol.com

Connecting with Mercy

Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good, His mercy endures forever.

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 5 Battle Creek, MI

Christmas and cookies go hand in hand! The Council of Catholic Women is holding their annual Cookie Walk after Masses on December 14 and 15. Please visit us in the Narthex to select your favorite cookies and breads from the tasty array of sweet treats generously baked by our members. We will provide bags for the cookies you choose but if you wish to bring your own containers, we are happy to accommodate you.

Parish Calendar ● Board Room = BR ● Chapel = CH ● Community Room = CR ● Music Room = MR ● School Cafeteria = Café

Monday 12:30 pm Small Christian Comm, Squires, BR 4:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration, CH 6:00 pm St. Vincent de Paul, CR 6:30 pm Small Christian Comm, Nielsen, BR Tuesday 9:00 am Legion of Mary, CR 1:30 pm Small Christian Comm, Sheets, BR Wednesday 7:00 pm Catholic Men’s Fellowship, CR Thursday 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal, MR 8:00 pm Adoration for Vocations, CH Saturday 5:00 pm Burmese Prayer Group, CR

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Financial Information

Lunes: 4:00 pm a 7:00 pm Adoración en silencio Capilla Centro Parroquial S. José 7:00 pm a 8:00 pm Adoración comunitaria Capilla Jueves: 6:30 pm Grupo de Oración Centro Parroquial S. José Viernes: 6:30 pm Ensayo de Coro, Salón de música Iglesia S. José Domingos: 4:15 pm a 4:45 pm Confesiones S. José - 5:00 pm Misa en Español

Ultreya (reunion de grupo) de Colores: 3r domingo de cada mes a las 6.15 en S. José. Charlas pre Bautismales: contactar a la Señora Josefina 589-7347.

Noticias de la communidad Hispana Spanish Community News

Act

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November 24 collection information was not available when this bulletin went to the publisher, Due to an early deadline prior to Thanksgiving Week Special Envelopes DEC 8: Immaculate Conception, Retirement for Religious, DEC 25: Christmas As the calendar year comes to a close, please consider making up donations that were missed this year.

“The nuns left lasting impressions on me,” writes a donor. “I shall always be grateful for my Catholic education.” Please join in

thanking the thousands of senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who worked tirelessly to educate the young and serve those in need. The collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, which helps hundreds of religious communities care for aging members, will be taken December 8. Give in thanksgiving. Please give generously.

1st Sunday DEC 1 12:00 pm Burmese Leadership, CR 1st Wednesday DEC 4 7- 8:00 pm Adoration, CH 1st Friday DEC 6 7:00 pm First Friday Rosary, CH 2nd Tuesday DEC 10 7:00 pm Knights of Columbus 6:30 pm Book Club, BR 2nd Wednesday DEC 11 9:00 am Daily Mass Breakfast, Lux 2nd Thursday DEC 12 7:00 pm Good News & Brews, Arcadia, Kalamazoo 2nd Friday DEC 20 7:30 pm Gaudium Christi Last Friday DEC 27 6:00 pm Convivio Spanish, CR

The Council of Catholic Women invites all CCW members and women of the parish to join us December 10 at 6 pm in the Parish Center as we celebrate our Christmas Potluck/Meeting. The St. Joseph unit will be the host and will be serving ham and scalloped potatoes. Please bring a vegetable, salad, or dessert of your choice.

We will be having a purse/bag exchange. Bring a purse you don't use anymore and let someone else enjoy it. There will be no money exchanged. Please take home what you bring if it doesn't find a new home.

We will be collecting cans of Chili for the share center. Please only pull tabs to open. We will also be collecting personal items such as shampoo, liquid/bar soap, deodorant, hair brushes, kids bubble bath, toothbrushes etc for the tree of love. Members, please bring your notebooks.

In preparation for celebrating the birth of our Lord, St. Joseph Men’s Group will be hosting a special Advent reflection on the Gospel Nativity Narratives. Interested men are invited to join us beginning Wednesday, December 11, from 7-8:30 pm in the St. Joseph Parish Center.

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 6 Battle Creek, MI

BCACS & BCACS Foundation, 63 24th St N, Battle Creek, Michigan 49015 † 269.963.1131 † www.bcacs.org

Dec. 23-Jan. 3 Christmas Break Jan. 26-Jan. 31 Catholic Schools Week Apr. 6-10 Spring Break May 24 High School Graduation May 28 8th Grade Graduation May 29 Last Day of School

Visit bcacs.org for more details.

BCACS Office ...Cathy Erskine 963-1131 BCACS Foundation ...Abby Lumbard 963-4771 BCACS Scrip ...Joy Finilla 963-3034 St. Joseph Elementary ...Jeanine Winkler 965-7749 St. Joseph Middle School ...Katy Arnson 963-4935 St. Philip High School ...Stacy Lightfoot 963-4503

Upcoming 2019-20 Calendar Dates

Contact Us:

TIGER PAWS

…To our St. Philip Catholic Central's National Honor

Society for preparing and serving Thanksgiving

breakfast to those in need in our community.

…To Nick Buckley and Vicky Groat for organizing

the Annual Alumni Basketball Tournament.

…To our many, many volunteers, who consistently

share their time supporting our schools. You make a

positive difference for our students!

2019 Christmas Program

We invite families, parishioners and friends to join St. Joseph Schools as they present a musical performance in celebration of Christ's birth. Join us on Friday, December 20th at St. Joseph Church at 10:00 am.

We are currently at 75% of our $150,000 goal and

are continuing to raise funds. Thank you for blessing

our schools with your gifts! If you are able to offer

further support in reaching our goal, please contact

the Foundation at 269-963-4771.

Updates on the St. Joseph School Roof

BCACS FAST FACT:

Tuition assistance from he BCACS Foundation provided

financial support to more than 125 families with over

$250,000 funded for the 2019-2020 school year!

Please consider supporting our 37th Annual

Fund Drive!

What is the Annual Fund Drive?

The Annual Fund Drive (AFD) is the BCACS

Foundation’s largest annual giving project to support

the schools. By contributing to this campaign, you are

ensuring the future of Catholic education.

Why does the Annual Fund Drive support?

All contributions directly support BCACS’ annual

operating costs, tuition assistance for families, facility

and technology expenses or improvements, along

with other essential needs. Your support of this

campaign enables our schools to continue thriving.

Contact Abby Lumbard

alumbard@bcacs.org or

963-4771 for more

information to make your

contribution.

Track our progress! *As of 11/18/2019

2019-2020 Annual Fund Drive

Parish Clergy

Pastor .......Reverend Fr. Christopher Ankley frchris@bcacs.org Parochial Vicars ...................... Fr. Pius Cung

frpius@bcacs.org ................................. Fr. Andrew Raczkowski frandrew@bcacs.org Deacons ...... David Krajewski, James Nelson

Emergency Assistance St. Vincent de Paul Society ........... 969-5606

Pastoral Care of the Sick If you are homebound, contact Linda Kellogg ......................................... 965-2074

Sacrament of Baptism Parishioners should call the Parish Office to make arrangements.

Sacrament of Eucharist Sacrament of Confirmation

Contact our Schools or our Director of Faith Formation.

Sacrament of Marriage Parishioners must contact one of the parish priests at least six months before setting a wedding date.

Sacrament of Holy Orders If you or someone you know has a vocation, contact a parish priest for assistance.

Sacrament of Anointing the Sick In case of an accident, surgery or other emergency, call 962-0165.

Parish Staff

Parish Office Manager ........... Shirley Springer ▪ sspringer@bcacs.org 962-0165

Bulletin, Media Communications Ellen Tipton ▪ etipton@bcacs.org 962-0165

Faith Formation ..................... Barbara Kincaid ▪ bkincaid@bcacs.org 965-4079 Liturgy and Music .................... James Zalewski ▪ music@bcacs.org 962-2133 Pastoral Ministry ............ Sr. Cyrilla Jegla, RSM 965-1990 Youth Ministry ........................... Andrea Perry ▪ aperry@bcacs.org 788-7000

Parish Ministries

All Saints Superfest ....................... Ed Bauman ▪ edbauman@hotmail.com 962-1328 Boy Scouts Troop 235 ................. Bob Johnson ▪ scoutmaster325@gmail.com 965-7365 BC Catholic Weekly ...................... Missy Skutt ▪ mskutt@bcacs.org 989-205-3027 Catholic Men’s Fellowship ............ John Duyck ▪ jrdaddio@outlook.com 965-8954 Connecting with Mercy ................... Mary Sine ▪ sine74@msn.com Council of Catholic Women ...... Colleen Vitale ▪ cvitale@mail.com 989-723-1842 Echo Apprentice ......................... Ruby Briones

▪ rbriones@bcacs.org 962-0165 Evangelization Commission .. Suzanne Nielsen ▪ stjec@bcacs.org & Nancy Haack Family Activity Night ............... Loretta Mahley ▪ Lmahley30@icloud.com

Finance Council ............................. Ed Bauman ▪ edbauman@hotmail.com 962-1328

Formed Access Code ........................ PTRKXD Hispanic Community .. Fr. Andrew Raczkwoski ▪ frandrew@bcacs.org 962-0165 Jail Ministry ............................. Rita Wahmhoff ▪ ritawahmhoff@yahoo.com 968-3067 Knights of Columbus .............. Andrew Kincaid ▪ kincaid.tribe@gmail.com 589-5888 Lakeview Food Pantry.......... Mary Ann Lupina ▪ malupina51@att.net 629-6109 Legion of Mary ........................... Linda Kellogg ▪ kellogg-dl@att.net 965-2074 Newcomers .................. Phil & Mary Sue Avery ▪ marysue_a@yahoo.com 979-9105 Our Catholic Community ……………Missy Skutt Tri-Parish Newsletter 989-205-3027 ▪ ourcatholiccommunity@bcacs.org Perpetual Adoration St. Philip ................ Betty ▪ bdillard7@gmail.com 962-8255 Prayerline ..................................... Linda Opack 962-7339 Small Christian Communities…………Judy Buch (Scripture Study) 425-9395 Spanish Choir ............................... Teresa Bello

269-274-7409 Spanish Prayer Group Sarah & Francisco Sanchez 419-5786 Spiritual Library ....................... Rita Wahmhoff ▪ ritawahmhoff@yahoo.com 968-3067 Tri-Parish Pro-Life Karen Rabineau, Julie Staab ▪ karenrabineau@gmail.com 517-227-0864 ▪ juliems3@zoho.com 317-7164

Parish Directory