199 McGovern Boulevard Crescent, PA 15046 www.scatparish.com

PARISH CLERGY

Fr. Lou Vallone ............... scatpastor@verizon.net Fr. Robert Zajdel

MASS SCHEDULE

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday...8:30 a.m. Wednesday............................................ No Mass Saturday Vigil Mass ............................. 4:00 p.m. Sunday Morning...............9:00 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Holy Days ....................................... as Scheduled See inside for Daily, Holiday and Special Events

CONFESSIONS

Saturday..................3:15−3:45 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.;

Also by appointment.

BAPTISMS

By appointment.

WEDDINGS

Call the parish office 6 months in advance of the

prospective date. Marriage Classes required.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

After every Mass (please ask the priest) and by request.

Low-gluten hosts available for Communion –

See priest before Mass.

DIRECTORY

Parish Office ....................................................... 724-457-7026 Fax...................................................................... 724-457-3292 Jennifer Persuitte, Organist/Secretary.................. 724-457-7026

(Bulletin submission deadline is Tuesday at Noon.)

Sue Tranter, CCD Director.................................. 724-601-1872 scatccd@verizon.net Mary Ann Jones, Bookkeeper .............................. 412-771-5646 John Galzarano, Maintenance.............................. 724-457-7026 Jeri Stotlemyer, Scheduler of Ministries..... sjogscat@gmail.com

Parish Email.......................................... scatparish@verizon.net Vatican Website ..............................................www.news.va/en

PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday–Thursday ..................................... 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Friday ........................................................ 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OFFICE HOURS Sundays ......................................................... 10:00–11:15 a.m.

AN OPEN INVITATION OF WELCOME

Non-Catholics and non-parishioners

are always welcomed guests.

Inactive, unsure or irregular Catholics are lovingly encouraged to reconnect with the Faith.

New parishioners are joyfully received in our community.

Please call the parish office. Though our space is small, our hearts are large

and there is plenty good room for all.

DECEMBER 14, 2014 • THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

of Siena ROMAN

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Saint Catherine

The Third Sunday of Advent

Saturday December 13th

4:00 PM Fr. John Huber (Jennifer Persuitte)

Sunday December 14th

9:00 AM Conner Buckley (John & Debi Cattley) 11:30 AM Mary Reiff (Prigorac Family) Monday December 15th

8:30 AM Alessandro & Giusepina Lepore

(Carolina Santilli & Family)

Tuesday December 16th 8:00 AM Rosary

8:30 AM In Memory of Elmer Dash

(Synowka Family)

Thursday December 18th

8:30 AM Parish Family

Friday December 19th

8:30 AM Ross & Emma Merante (Family)

Saturday December 20th

4:00 PM George Schneider (Family)

Sunday December 21st

9:00 AM Ricky Bittner (Mom, Dad & Ray) 11:30 AM Florence & Louis Denny (Daughter, Beverly Lang)

NEIGHBORING CHURCHES WEDNESDAY MORNING MASSES

Our Lady of Fatima in Hopewell Twp. 9:00 AM St. James in Sewickley 6:45 AM & 9:00 AM St. Titus in Aliquippa 7:30 AM St. Margaret Mary 8:30 AM

PRAYER REQUESTS: In your kindness will you please pray for the following : Joann, Bub H., Florence Plum, Jan, Germaine, Sean C., Curtis, Grant, Robbie, Kevin, Jamie Paige, Leslie, Dan R., Ardith G., Ross M., Cordell Family, Keith C., John T., Alissa & Travis, Jenny C., Carl, Dina, Clayton, Jay, Bill, Bill, Leah, Nathaniel, The Unemployed, The Homeless, DJ, M.P., Wayne King, Roseanne Wolak-Farls, Marc Chimile, Mary, Ryan, John & Debi Cattley & Family, James E., Thomas DeMacio, Betty A., Lenore Hoovler, Helen Dixon, Mary, Isabella, Frank Hribar, Becky, Angela Willig, Carmelo Ramos, Melania Gonzalez, Jim B., N.M., Ryan Joseph, Mr. Bozich, Matthew P, Danielle, Mary J., Marjorie Henry, Michael Hilliard, MaryAnn Seskey, Darlene R., Diana Colaianni, Art Keenan & J., Earl, Maureen Lingg, Bill Ivy, R.M., Aunt Helen, Jim, Rick Vaccarelli, Nick Ranieri. Please Note:Each intention slip will be printed for 2 weeks. There is no need to fill out a slip every

week with the same names on it. If after the 2

week period you wish to add the names again, you

are more than welcome to do so. Hopefully this system will work for everyone.

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

Our Mass Schedule at St. Catherine of Siena for the Christmas Holiday will be as follows: Wednesday, December 24, 2014,Christmas Eve

4:00PM 6:30PM 9:00PM

Thursday, December 25, 2014 Christmas Day 10:30AM

Our Mass Schedule for the Solemnity of Mary, A Holy Day of obligation, will be as follows:

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 4:00PM

Thursday, January 1, 2015 10:30AM

DAILY MASS WEATHER POLICY

If any local school districts (Hopewell, Moon Area, Sto-Rox) have a 2 hour delay or cancellation for ANY weather related circumstances, there will NOT be a weekday Mass celebrated here.

St. Catherine of Siena Parish Crescent, PA

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”

“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Third Sunday of Advent December 14, 2014

ST. CATHERINE’S CHRISTIAN LADIES SOCIETY NEWS

PENANCE SERVICE The last penance service with our priests will be THIS Tuesday, Dec. 16th at 6:30PM at St. Joseph Parish in Coraopolis.

CANDY PICK-UP Just a reminder that anyone who or-dered candy from the Religious Educa-tion Fundraiser, can pick it up in the parish office NEXT WEEKEND, after any Mass.

SAVE THE DATE!! Please make time in your busy schedules on Sunday, December 21st. This is the last Sunday of Ad-vent. So after the 11:30 Mass, we will need anyone who’s available to help in decorating the church for Christmas. We could especially use some strong men to help with the

heavier items. Remember 2 things...Many hands make light work and this is YOUR parish. If you can’t volunteer for anything else, this is a great time to lend a hand. Thank you for your consideration.

LECTOR BOOKS Any lectors who have not yet picked up their new workbooks for the year, please stop in the sacristy and get your copy. There’s help with pronunciation of difficult words and contain other useful information.

OPLATKI AND CALENDARS AVAILABLE We have 2015 calendars available at all the en-trances of the church for each registered family. Also, Oplatki, the Christmas Wafer, is available in the back of the church for a $3.00 donation per package.

FOLK GROUP PRACTICE FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

As has been our tradition, the Folk Group will be singing at the 4:00PM Mass on Christmas Eve. Our practice for this Mass will be THIS Wednes-day, December 17th at 6:30PM. We realize this is a busy time of the year, but please make every effort to save

this date so we can practice together and sound our very best!

ATTENTION ALL SOCIETY MEMBERS Reminder...December 16th at 6:00PM will be our annual Christmas Dinner Meeting. Dinner will be provided and there is a $10 gift exchange. All mem-bers are invited! We hope you can at-tend!

KNITTING AND CROCHETING CLASS The next class will be Wednesday, December 17th at 6:00PM in Siena Hall. Please note this is a time change and will depend on weather conditions. If in doubt, please contact Erin Heidenreich at 724-378-4783.

HALL RENTAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS? Why not have that family party in Siena hall? It’s a great deal for members of our parish at $65! Call Antoinette Garuccio @ 724-457-2386 for details.

GET WELL BAGS Do you have a loved one who is sick or in the hospital? Did you know our Ladies Society has FREE bags of get well cheer for anyone who is sick , in a nursing home, or just needs a pick me up? Please notify Erin Heiden-reich and your special loved one will receive one of our special bags of cheer! Contact info 724-378-4783. Do you know of someone who is sad or feels lonely and would love a phone call from one of our Ladies society members just to chat? Someone who could possibly brighten their day, pray with them or just tell stories together to get their minds off their prob-lems? If this is something you are interested in please call Erin Heidenreich at 724-378-4783 and we can arrange a friendly voice to call your loved one …just to talk. Sometimes knowing someone ca-res is all a person needs!

“Vintage Handkerchiefs” Our soci-ety is making baby bonnets and we need handkerchiefs for our project.

Regular Offertory Collection

December 7, 2014.……….......................$4,144.00 (This is ordinary income from contributions for the general running of the parish. It is subject to a 17.6% tax to the diocese of Pittsburgh.)

Parish Share Program

PSP Assessment for 2015………………….......? PSP Collected……………...……………….....$946.00 Remaining on Goal………………………………? (This is the tax paid to the diocese. We must remit this entire amount to the diocese by December 31, 2015. Any surplus then remains in the parish, tax free.)

Capital Improvements

Collected for future Goal……………………...…$0.00 (Due to an anonymous donation, we have reached our goal. Please watch this space for our 2015 project and our new goal in a future bulletin. As always, we want to thank everyone for their continued generosity to our parish.)

Religious Education

Assessment 2014-2015………………..…$26,688.00 Contributions to date…………………….....$1,086.00 Remaining on Goal……………….….….....$25,602.00 (This is our new assessment for the 2014-2015 year for the Elementary School Grant Contributions to the diocese based on 10% of the gross parish income. Contributions to this fund are parish share exempt.)

Special Collection (These collections are mandated by the Diocese for specific purposes. These moneys are remitted in total to the diocese and are not taxed.)

Weekend Attendance

December 7, 2014 4:00 PM Mass.....................................………...260 9:00 AM Mass................................................ ..275 11:30 AM Mass............................................... .177 Total…………………………………...……..........712

MINISTRY SIGN-UP SHEETS The sign-up sheet for the Christmas Masses is in the sacristy. We need 1 lector for each Mass, 2 Altar Servers and 3 Eucharistic Ministers. Please plan accordingly for whatever your schedule allows. Thank you for volunteering!

“From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

St. Catherine of Siena Parish Crescent, PA

VETERAN GIFTS INSTRUCTIONS Thank you for participating in the Veter-ans Gift Event. PLEASE BE RESPON-SIBLE AND HAVE YOUR GIFT IN THE CHURCH BY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21ST!!! The last few years, one or two late presents have come in after delivery and the Veteran wouldn’t have received a gift unless someone from the church made a spe-cial trip. Please make a similar tag containing all the same info from your gift tag in the event of losing the origi-nal. Don’t roll your eyes, it happens every year! Please wrap your present and attach the tag with the NAME FACING UP. Please avoid using overly ornate decorations since they may not survive transit in the condition you in-tended. Please DO NOT include any personal messages or perishable edibles inside the package. Finally, please have your gift at the church by De-cember 21st. On Tuesday, they will be delivered to Butler by whomever wishes to help do so. It is a 45 minute trip each way but there is usually car pooling involved. We also usually stop for lunch on the re-turn so you will need to consider that as we arrange transportation. Those who plan to go need to be at the church at 9:00AM on Tuesday December 23rd.

GIFTS DUE BACK NEXT SUNDAY,

DECEMBER 21ST!

Third Sunday of Advent December 14, 2014

“The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”

PARISH REGISTRATION We welcome all those who would like to become members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish community. To register as a parishioner, please complete the following information and return it to the Parish Office or drop it in the collection basket at Mass. If you need to update your parish info, use this form also.

Name_________________________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number:_____________________________________________________________________

ST. JOSEPH TEEN MINISTRY SCHEDULE Red Angel Project Gift-Wrap December 20th 5:00PM-7:00PM Healy Hall Christmas Eve Living Nativity December 24th Calling all aspiring actors and actresses! Present a silent Nativity Tableau before the Mass on Christ-mas Eve at 4:00PM Any questions or for more information, please call one of the youth ministers, Linda Rossi or Cathy Grimm or email teensaliveministry1304@gmail.com

RETROUVAILLE A Lifeline for Married Couples.

Retrouvaille offers help to couples experiencing trou-ble in their marriage. The weekend and post ses-sions focus on rebuilding marriage through better communication, listening, and understanding. Call today to begin the healing process beginning with a weekend on January 16, 2015. Contact Retrouvaille at 412-277-3434 or e-mail 3041@retrouvaille.org. More information is available at http://

www.retrouvailleofpittsburghinc.org/.

FLOWER DONATIONS FOR LOVED ONES Just a gentle reminder that if you do not put your flower donation in the collec-tion basket this week, December 14th, we cannot guarantee that your loved ones’ name(s) will be included on the list. that we print every year to put on the shelf by the Nativity. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

CHRISTMAS DISCERNMENT RETREAT

December 19th-21st Led by Father Joe Freedy with Fathers Welding ,Vaskov, and Bishop Zubik. For College and Post-College aged men who are inter-ested in discerning God’s will with regard to a Priestly Vocation. Go topghpriest.com or jfreedy@diopitt.org for information and to register. Living the Church Year….…...by Heidi Busse I love everything about the season of Advent, the waiting and watching and wondering, the parties and presents, the Nativity scene and the Advent wreath, the music and the little kids with sticky fingers at Christmas morning Mass. Advent is a time of joyful anticipation of the birth of Christ and as with any celebration, the planning and preparation is almost as important as the event itself. Of course, as Chris-tians we know that the real preparation of the sea-son takes place in our hearts. Advent is also a sea-son marked by peace and reflection. Be sure to take a few moments in the middle of the hustle and bustle to remember the One whom we are waiting for...He shall be called “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace”

“He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.”

St. Catherine of Siena Parish Crescent, PA

Ways to watch This Advent… Watch for signs of Jesus all around you each day. Watch for someone to hold a door for the next person, or shovel a neighbor’s walk, or help carry something heavy. Watch for someone to offer a compliment or to share a seat on the train or to give away a treat. Each night at dinner, take turns describing the ways you saw Jesus in others. Watch for ways to be Jesus to those around you each day. Watch for opportunities to say hi to some-one who looks lonely or to cheer up a crying child or to clean up a mess that you didn’t make. Offer these moments up to Jesus in silent prayer at dinner each night. Or write those moments on slips of paper and add them as cushion for Baby Jesus in the manger in your Nativity scene. Pause and watch...with nothing to do...watch for the first star of the evening one night, then read from the Bible the story of the star announcing Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1-20 by Juliannne Will A Family Perspective…...………..by Bud Ozar Today’s gospel reports “there is one among you whom you do not recognize.” It is hard to believe Christ is present in a family with crazy schedules, suppers that start too late and end too early, cars that don’t start, misunderstandings, frustrations, piles of laundry, unmatched socks and stretched food budgets. The list is endless. The words spoken at mass, “The Lord is with you,” are not a hope, they are a fact. Parenting Pointers…………….by Susan Vogt With Christmas approaching, this is a good time to talk with your child about selecting one or several toys to pass on to other children. It’s consistent with the “one in-one out” principle for keeping a simple home. It doesn’t have to be a favorite toy but it should be something they think will bring to joy to someone else.

FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS Please join us in welcoming Emmanuel with a beau-tiful, inspiring service of scripture, readings, carols and hymns that will help you ready your hearts for the coming of the Light of the World on Sunday, De-cember 14th at Most Holy Name of Jesus Church, from 2:00PM-3:00PM Music by Most Holy Name of Jesus Choir, under the direction of Carol Ann Spe-har. A reception will follow in the school hall.

CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES 5 & 21 Do you have a child with Down Syndrome, Autism or Intellectual Disabilities? Have you been looking for a school that will give your child the opportunity to learn in a safe and loving environment? St. Anthony School Programs can help. For over 60 years, St. Anthony’s has been helping students grow and become active and contributing members of so-ciety. We are offering 20 full scholarships for new students entering our program for the 2015-2016 academic year. For information, visit us at info@stanthonykids.org or call 724-940-9020 ST. FERDINAND’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Wednesday, December 31, 2014, 7:30PM to Wednesday, January 1, 2015, 12:30AM. Marriott – Pittsburgh North, Route 228, Cranberry Township, PA- Tickets must be purchased in ad-vance. $75/person thru December 21st - $80/person December 21 thru December 29. Re-served seating available – ages 18 & over are wel-come -Call 724.776.9177, ext. 313 weekdays –or- 724.779-3986 weekends. Ticket includes: 5-hour event with hors d’oeuvres, 3-course dinner, cham-pagne or sparkling juice toast, 2 free drink tick-ets, discounted drink prices, DJ entertainment. Din-ner choices: Prime Rib of Beef or Panko Chicken or Vegetarian Purse. Dinner includes: Spring greens salad, green beans, red potatoes, breads, NY Cheesecake w/strawberries, water/coffee/tea. Marriott offers discounted room reservations at $99.95 (plus tax) for a deluxe room with late check-out. Room reservations must be made via Marriott; call 724.772.3700.

STEELERS FOOTBALL POOL WINNERS December 7, 2014 Steelers vs. Bengals

Half Time Score: Steelers 10 Bengals 14

GIDGET owned by Michael Mrozowski $100 DREW owned by Andrew Hanobik $100 Cool People owned by Dolores Papas $100

Final Score: Steelers 42 Bengals 21 TAM owned by Joanne Lorenz $150 J. W. H. owned by Judy Harbaugh $150 ZAJAC owned by Joan Rosner $150

Third Sunday of Advent December 14, 2014

“My soul rejoices in my God.”

The Pastor’s Corner…..…Fr. Lou Vallone

If we would have had an anticipated Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception last Sunday, we would have had a regularly scheduled Town Hall Meeting, at which the following topics would have been discussed: 1. You are currently holding the first piece of news. We have a redesigned weekly bulletin, with artwork from our own parishioners, because we have changed bulletin companies. We now use Liturgical Publications, which print our bulletins for free since they sell advertising to local businesses. Same with the old company. However, we have a profit sharing contract now. Once the expenses for printing the bulletin have been met, we get to share part of the profit. Therefore, the more advertisements, the better the deal for the parish. We encourage you to encourage businesses to advertise with our bulletin - patronize those that do and tell them that you appreciate their support of us. It is a win-win for everyone. 2. A new feature in the bulletin is that we have replaced the old parish mission statement with a welcoming statement in line with the new evangelization initiatives. These are not merely words, but we hope is the attitude that all who ever visit our community will feel in reality. So take the bulletin, read the bulletin, save the bulletin, and take extras to pass out to others and invite them to check us out - and even make us their Church home if they haven't one. 3. Another new feature is the Fr. Flood cartoon. When I was at St. Peter on the North Side, it was a parishioner of mine there, Spyder Webb (really!) who developed the cartoon and I was the first to carry it in our bulletin. It is now nationally syndicated. (And if anyone notices any similarities between Fr. Flood and yours truly, it ain't accidental.) 4. We were successful in meeting our pledge to the Church Alive! capital campaign in the first half of 2014 - over $340,000 was pledged. We are to receive 40% of all moneys actually contributed in fulfillment of the pledges over the next 5 year period. We have already received our first check of almost $13,000 and the money will continue to be disbursed quarterly as the funds are sent in. Thank

you so much for your generosity - and keep up the good work! 5.Our case statement for the use of the funds included upgrading our parking situation. We hope to start with a long time dream (at least of mine!) for a garage for the rectory. We have been granted a building permit and we have the architectural plans and a contractor to guide it. Only the weather will now be an issue in scheduling its erection. 6. We have rebooted our capital improvement fund, having reached our past goal. We will continue to use the monthly envelops and will announce the planned improvements for 2015 as we decide on them. We try to allocate about 10% of our yearly budget for capital projects. We have a beautiful plant and we are proud to maintain it as best we can. Thanks for the generosity. 7. We have also rebooted Parish Share. We doubled our assessment for last year (and got to keep all the overage tax free.) We will continue to use the monthly envelops to get a head start on next year's assessment, which we will not learn until March. PSP is our biggest fund raiser outside the offertory (actually, it is our only fundraiser) and by maintaining the process of monthly envelops year round and keeping our level of giving where it is, it provides us with quite a bit of financial stability. Thank you again. 8. We have received an anonymous and continuing donation that will provide partial scholarships for students of our parish enrolled in Catholic high schools and grade schools. Details are being worked out for qualifying for them (this is in addition to the scholarships offered by our Ladies Guild.) Look for announcements in the near future with details, for we hope to have them available for the 2015 school year. 9. All of the important stats - Church attendance, sacramental service, parish ministries and activities, are healthy and growing. God is good to us, and you are good to your parish. I feel blessed to be your pastor. (And, no, I have not heard anything yet from the diocese regarding the fact that my term is overdue and about my future. You will know when I know. In the meantime, we keep on keeping on in trust of the Lord.)