ST. BRIDGET AND ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA WEST RUTLAND, VERMONT

Rest in Peace

Rev. Felix Reczek, ofm

8/2/1913-12/21/2014

Reginald R. Dorr

11/30/1937—12/23/2014

Mildred Cechanek 2/8/1923—12/23/2014

The Epiphany of the Lord

Sat./Sun., Jan 3/4 The Epiphany of the Lord 4:00 PM (SSK) In Memory of Joseph “Jim” Reczek Requested by Tom & Nancy Jakubowski 5:30 PM (SB) In Memory of Fran & Rosemary Johnson Requested by Patti, Bill, Tom & families 9:00 AM (SB) In Memory of Larry & Deva Golgioni Requested by Gladys & Leo DiGangi Tue., Jan 6 St. John Neumann 8:30 AM (SB) In Memory of Alfred & Hortence LaVictoire Requested by Genevieve & Joyce LaVictoire

Wed., Jan 7–Christmas Weekday 8:30 AM (SSK) In Memory of Msgr. Frank Warzocha Requested by Joseph Warzocha

Thurs., Jan 8– Christmas Weekday 8:30 AM (SB) In Memory of Michael P. Harte Requested by Joseph Vaccarella

Fri., Jan 9–Christmas Weekday 8:30 AM (SSK) In Memory of Frances Tomaszewski Requested by Joseph Warzocha

Sat./Sun., Jan 10/11 The Baptism of the Lord 4:00 PM (SSK) In Memory of Kathy Bailey Requested by the class of 1965 5:30 PM (SB) In Memory of Ellen Woods Reilly Requested by Barbara Burns & family 9:00 AM (SB) In Memory of Frank Bruno Requested by Angela Budnicki

Our Thoughts and Prayers Are With...

Sick and Infirmed: Sophie Krysztofik, Stanley Borowy, Elizabeth, Marie Frankiewicz, Beverly Staruski, Tiffany Marquis, Drew Richard, Peg Patch, Helen Dydo, Deidy Forte, Reilly Jakubi-ak, Frank Baginski, and those who are home-bound or in nursing facilities..

Our Military Members: Gregory Foley, Michael Gould, Ryan Harvey, Ross and Britta-

ny Lowell, Kody McFarren

Extraordinary Ministers Jan 10- 4 PM (SSK):(EM) M. Nemeth (L) S. Martineau Jan 10- 5:30 PM (SB): (EM) M. Cassar ino(L) B. Har -vey (S) TBA (S) TBA Jan 11- 9 AM (SB): (EM) J . Coughlin (EM) K. Budd(EM) J. Rousseau (L) K. Corbo (S) TBA (S) TBA

Religious Education classes Resume this Sunday, January 4th at St. Stani-slaus Kostka Hall at 10:30 am.

St. Bridget Parking Lot Update

Cost of Parking Lot Renovation $16,838.00 Donations Received to Date $11,797.00 Amount still needed $5,041.00

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Prayer Group Welcomes New Members

Following Tuesday morning Mass at St. Bridget church each week, a group of pa-rishioners and friends gather in prayer. An-yone and everyone is welcome to attend. No need to register, just show up and be wel-comed.

Welcome Bishop Coyne!

It is with great pleasure and antici-pation that we welcome our new Bishop the Most Reverend Christo-pher J. Coyne. Let us hold him in our prayers as he takes on the diffi-cult task as leader of our diocese.

Christmas Collection, Dec. 24 & 25, 2014

St. Bridget Church Christmas Offertory…..$2,532.00

Last year’s total…..$2,319.00

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church Christmas Offertory…..$1,917

Last year’s total…..$1,913

Sunday Stewardship Collections, Dec. 28, 2014

St. Bridget Church Weekend Offertory…..$2,331.00

Last year’s total…..$3,250.00

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church Weekend Offertory…..$1,607.00

Last year’s total…..$1,376.00

Comfort Blankets Sought for Needy Children

Donations of new homemade blankets are needed for children who are needy, sick or

traumatized—ages infant to teens– in the Rutland County area and beyond. The blankets can be quilted, knitted or crocheted. This is a community service of the Maple Leaf Quilters Guild, Rutland, VT. For more information contact Kathy Budd “Comfort Blankets” Chairperson at 438-5180 / Kpbudd@tastebudds.com

Donation Drop-off sites are The Viking Sewing Gal-lery at JoAnn Fabrics in Rutland or at The Quilter’s Corner at the Middlebury Sew n Vac.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD JANUARY 4, 2014

Can Redemption Benefits WR Food Shelf

Please consider bringing your empty deposit bottles and cans to the Sunoco station in Center Rutland. They have an account under St. Stanislaus/Food Shelf for West Rutland. All money collected will benefit West Rutland Food Shelf. Thank you for help!

The shepherds may have been poor and simple, but they were trusting and open-hearted, too. And so they knew Christ Jesus was born in a manager in Bethle-hem that cold winter night because they heard the an-gels sing.

Fr. Vincent

Endow Study Groups for Catholic Women

The women of Vermont are invited to participate in Endow study groups, an exciting new opportunity to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ and discover their God-given dignity as daughters of God. For more information on this apostolate, please contact Marie Antunes in the Office of Catholic Formation at (802) 658-6110.

Project Rachel

A Day of Hope and Healing will take place on Sat. Jan 31, 2015, in Chittenden County, and on Sat. Mar 14, 2015, in Southern Vermont.

This day offers an opportunity for anyone struggling with the emotional and spiritual pain of abortion, mother, father, sibling or grandparent, to find hope and healing. For more information please call (802) 658-4118 or email projectrachel@vermontcatholic.org

Did Anyone Know? Who knew the Messiah was born as a baby in Bethle-hem in that wintertime long ago? Well, in the Gospel Reading, we see that a lot of people figured it out. When Herod called them together, the chief priests and scribes could tell him where the Messiah would be born, because they could interpret the parts in the Old Testament that predicted the Messiah’s birth. The magi from the East knew that the Messiah had been born, because they could interpret the meaning of the star. For all these people, there was a way to know about the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. The priests could interpret Scripture, and the magi could read the stars. King Herod had the political power to command their knowledge and wisdom for his own purposes. But what about all the people back then (and even now!) who lack the wealth and education of the priests and magi and who have no power to command others? How are they to know about the birth of the Christ child? Does God make provision only for the fortu-nate? Here it helps to think about the shepherds watching their flocks outside Bethlehem then. They lacked the money needed for education, and so they lacked the ability to use Scripture or stars to learn about the birth of the Messiah. They had no power to command others to share the fruits of their education with them either. But it isn’t powerlessness or poverty that keeps a per-son from knowing about the birth of God’s Savior. Consider Herod, for example. In the end, it wasn’t the shepherds who didn’t know where the Messiah was born. The magi didn’t return to tell Herod where the Messiah was, because God warned them in a dream not to. And so it was the powerful but evil-hearted King Herod who didn’t know. But those lowly and underprivileged shepherds did. In spite of their lack of all worldly advantages, the shepherds in fact outranked the king and all the others. They were by the side of the Messiah first, and they didn’t have to figure his birthplace out for themselves either.