November 27, 2016 - First Sunday of Advent

Rev. M. Keith LaBove, Pastor Parish Website: www.stpat.org

stpat.org@gmail.com

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm; Friday 8:30 am – 12 noon

Celebration of the Eucharist

Saturday: 4:00 pm – Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 am Monday through Friday: 7:30 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday: 3:00 – 3:30 pm and Weekdays: 7:00-7:25 am

Baptisms

Seminars are held every other month - register

by calling the office. At-tendance is suggested

during pregnancy.

Anointing of the Sick The Church recom-

mends this sacrament for those who are grave-

ly ill or in danger of death. Call the priest to

arrange a visit.

Weddings

Arrangements must be made at least six

months in advance to allow time for prepara-

tion and planning.

406 East Pinhook Road Lafayette, LA 70501-8727

Phone: (337) 237-0988

Welcome to St. Patrick Church

First Sunday of Advent November 27, 2016

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, November 26--Vigil of the First Sunday of Advent 4:00 PM: Cecil & Eva Mae Hebert; Dr. & Mrs. Leonard Rolfes; Anna Delcambre; Steve Huter; M/M Alfred Hitter, Sr.; M/M Eugene Montagnet, Sr.; M/M Charles Bachus; Dr. & Mrs A. P. Sillian; M/M J. S. Brown, Sr.; Monty & Pierre Montagnet Sunday, November 27--First Sunday of Ad-vent 8:30 AM: Robert Chastant & Evelyn; Eddie Upton 10:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Monday, November 28--Advent Weekday 7:30 AM: Sick of the Parish Tuesday, November 29--Advent Weekday 7:30 AM: Mary Ann Lavergne (living)

Wednesday, November 30--St. Andrew, Apostle 7:30 AM: Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne; Col. Clark Comeaux & Catherine (living); Col. Kimberly Fedele (living) Thursday, December 1--Advent Weekday 7:30 AM: Johnny Leon Ducote Friday, December 2-- Advent Weekday 7:30 AM: Dr. Charles Stewart

Today the Church lights the first of our candles on the Advent wreath.

Perhaps you will want to light a candle too.

Non-Liturgical Devotions Daily Rosary: Monday - Thursday 6:55 a.m. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Tues-day 7:15 a.m. Rosary for Priests: Wednesday 7:00 a.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Thursday 7:15 a.m. Pro-Life Rosary: 1st Friday of the month 7 a.m. Shamrocks—Friday, December 2: Stephanie Bacque; Josette Delahoussaye; Martha Thomp-son; Karen Gambel; Melanie Campbell.

Annual Christmas Social You are invited to attend our yearly Christmas Social on Sunday, December 11th., at 11 am. at the Parish Hall. Bring your favorite holiday dish. The parish will provide the meat. This is a great opportunity to fellowship with one another and to meet parishioners who attend mass at another time. Advent Prayer Ever faithful God, your prophets foretold the coming of the light. In your name they promised that the eyes of the blind would be opened. We confidently await the coming of your Son, and the day when he will gather all people to live in your light, for ever and ever. Amen. —Proclaiming all your Wonders

“You . . . must be prepared,

for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

— Matthew 24:44

For Advent Advent missions begin this week, with events at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and at Holy Cross Church. Details are on the flyer available on the table near the main en-trance. Wednesday Evening Confessions On the first three Wednesdays of Advent [November 27, December 4 and 11th] from 6:30-8:00 p.m., we will be offering confessions here at St. Patrick, together with all the Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. This out-reach is called “The Light is On For You,” and is an effort on the part of our Diocese to make it as easy as possible for every Catholic to come or to return to this great source of God’s mercy and healing love. You are welcome to come here or to go to any other Catholic parish in the Diocese. Come, Lord Jesus! We have an active group that meets on Tuesdays, at 6 pm, in the classroom directly behind the Church (across from the restrooms). Anyone interested who missed the previous meetings is welcome to attend, even if you are not sure about continuing. Resources for the program are available for purchase at the Come, Lord Jesus! office at 1804 West University Ave, Lafayette. Call: 337-233-6277 Mercy Crucified A photo of the crucifix mentioned in last Sunday’s homily. From the sanctuary at Chimayo, New Mexico

Food for the Journey The Central Region of the Diocese of Lafayette pre-sents “Food for the Journey”, a monthly lunchtime speaker series designed to help Catholics live out our faith in our daily lives. Our speaker for December is Rev. C. William “Billy” Massie, Associate Pastor of St. Genevieve Catholic Church, Lafayette. “Food for the Journey” will be held on Tuesday, December 6, at Wyndham Garden Lafayette (formerly “Hotel Aca-diana”), 1801 W. Pinhook Road, beginning at 12:00 noon. An optional lunch buffet is available for pur-chase beginning at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome to come “eat and be fed”- please bring a friend! Pre-registration is not required. For more information, please call Mary Bergeron (654-8682). Holy Hour for Vocations Please join us for our monthly “Holy Hour for Voca-tions and for the Spiritual Renewal of All Priests” on Monday, December 5, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at St. Pat-rick Catholic Church, 406 E. Pinhook Road. Recitation of the Rosary begins at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to join in these prayers for vocations and perseverance of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, spon-sored by the Serra Club of Lafayette. Food for the Journey Seminary Burse In celebration of the 10-year Anniversary of “Food for the Journey” and with great gratitude, the Central Re-gion of the Diocese of Lafayette has created a “Food for the Journey Seminary Burse” through the Office of Vocations and Seminarians. Donations for seminary burses are placed in a trust fund, with interest used to pay for the education of men preparing for the priest-hood. To contribute, please make check payable to “Diocese of Lafayette” (with notation “Food for the Journey Seminary Burse”) and mail to Office of Voca-tions, Diocese of Lafayette, 1408 Carmel Drive, Lafa-yette, LA 70501. For more information, please call Mary Bergeron (654-8682). Volunteers Needed for Lafayette General Health Lafayette General Medical Center, Lafayette General Southwest, and University Hospital and Clinics. We would like to give you an opportunity to give back to your community while experiencing the joy and satis-faction of serving others through our extensive volun-teer program. We have positions in Pastoral Care, in-formation desks, greeters, clerical assistants, and many more. For more information call Monica Guidry, Vol-unteer, 289-7130 STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST WEEK Our Response to God’s Generosity to Us Offertory……………………………. $ 4,862.78 C.C.H.D……………………………...$ 673.00 Thank You! The second collection next weekend is for our Building Fund.

Date

Saturday, December 3 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 4 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, December 4 10:00 a.m.

Lectors Janell Venable Kenneth Phillips Phyllis Roy

Eucharistic Ministers

Peggy Spruill Oren Spruill Merrick Stelly

Geneva Phillips Larry Lewis Maggie Sonnier

Leroy Abshire Barbara Abshire Monica Mullins

Altar Servers Harold Guilbeau Fred Vallot Debra Carroll

Ushers Kathy Kalweit George Guidry

Rachelle Trahan Keith Toups

Jenny Feehan Lionel Jeanmard

Liturgical Roles for December

Readings for the Week

Monday Is 4:2-6; Ps 122:1-9; Mt 8:5-11

Tuesday Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24

Wednesday Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 4:18-22

Thursday Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27

Friday Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31

Saturday Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35 — 10:1, 5a, 6-8

Sunday Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12

From the Pastor’s Desk

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to give a couple of talks, where I’ve explored what we might do once the Year of Mercy concludes, as it did last Sunday. I’ve become convinced that mercy needs to be an essential part of our understanding of God, as well as our relationships with one another. Pope Francis recently wrote an Apostolic Letter in which he explores the same idea. For example, he says:

“Now, at the conclusion of this Jubilee, it is time to look to the future and to understand how best to continue, with joy, fidelity and enthusiasm, experiencing the richness of God’s mercy. Our communities can remain alive and active in the work of the new evangelization in the measure that the “pastoral conversion" to which we are called will be shaped daily by the renewing force of mercy. Let us not limit its action; let us not sadden the Spirit, who con-stantly points out new paths to take in bringing to everyone the Gospel of salvation.”

One of the ways he hopes to accomplish this has gotten some attention in the secular press, and has re-sulted in some confusion. To be honest, Pope Francis’ language could have been a bit more precise. The report is that he has extended indefinitely the ability of all priests to forgive the sin of abortion in the Sacrament of Recon-ciliation. That’s not quite what happened.

First, all priests have always been able to forgive this sin. The issue surrounds the fact that in certain situ-ation, in addition to the sin itself, one can incur an excommunication by procuring or assisting in a direct abor-tion. Church law reserves the lifting of this excommunication to the Bishop, as with some other excommunica-tions (e.g., desecrating the sacred species of the Eucharist). What Pope Francis has done is extend the permission to lift this excommunication to all priests.

What is interesting for us in the United States is that priests here have had this permission for decades now. However this was not true all over the world. Now it is. And what is the goal in all this? As is not unusual for him, the Holy Father is simply trying to remove any barriers that might stand between a sinner and God’s for-giveness. If someone confesses the sin of abortion, the Holy Father does not want having to have recourse to the Bishop as well to hinder their return to the sacramental life of the Church.

Of course, for this to happen, one other thing is necessary. The person in question (mother, father, doctor, etc.) must admit they have sinned, be contrite, and seek forgiveness in confession. Naturally this is true of any grave sin. Moved by God’s grace, the journey to forgiveness and healing always begins in the heart.