Parish UPDATE: Sunday, November 30

Beloved of God, 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is what is making news in our parish:

1. THIS WEEKEND  AT ST. MARY: 

• Saturday, November 29: The first in our series of Advent Quiet Days. We begin at 10 am and finish at 12 pm
• Sunday, November 30: The First Sunday of Advent. Notice the changes in our worship service for Advent, including the lighting of the Advent candle and the Sprinkling rite. Join us for our Masses at 10 am (English) and 1 pm (Spanish).  
• PLEDGE CARD: Please, pick your 2015 Stewardship Campaign package on Sunday, fill in the pledge card and return it to the church by Sunday, December 7. Thank you for making the mission and ministries of this parish possible. 

2.   FR. FEDERICO & FR. JUAN BARRAGAN:

• Fr. Federico, who has nurtured our Hispanic community at St. Mary from day one, will be leaving St. Mary at the end of December 2014. His last Sunday here will be on December 28, The First Sunday after Christmas.
• Please, join us in a celebration on Sunday, December 28 at 3 pm at the church, to celebrate and thank him for his ministry with and among us.This is a potluck event, so bring some food and beverage to share.
• Fr. Juan Barragan, who is presently in charge of St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, Pico Rivera, will be taking the place of Fr. Federico beginningSunday, January 4, 2015. 
• Join the Vestry and the Staff in welcoming Fr. Barragan and  Petra to St. Mary in Palms.

3. PARISH SURVEY: If you have not completed or send in your response to our recent parish survey, please, remember to do it this weekend and bring it to church on Sunday, fold it and put it in the collection plate. Thanks. 

4. UPCOMING EVENTS:  

• Diocesan Convention (Ontario Convention Center): 
• Friday, December 5 and 
• Saturday, December 6.
• Delegates of our parish are: Fr. Vincent, Debora Shuger, Kevin Liu and Belinda Sharma (Alternate)

• ADVENT QUIET DAYS: 
• December 13 and 
• December 20. 10 am to 12 pm each Saturday. 
• Br. Derek Ford, SSF, will lead all these Quiet Days. Join us.

5.  FASTING OPPORTUNITIES IN PREPAREDNESS FOR CHRISTMAS:  

• Take some time for "inscaping" - tending your interior spiritual life this Advent by observing the following days of fasting.
• Wednesday, December 10:   Meditate on Hymn 657 (1982 Hymnal)
• Thursday, December 11:       Meditate on Hymn 84 (1982 Hymnal)
•  Friday, December 12:           Meditate on the following hymn: 

                                  Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
                                  When Thou camest to earth for me;
                                  But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
                                  For Thy holy nativity.

Refrain

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

 

                               When the heav’ns shall ring, and her choirs shall sing,

                                At Thy coming to victory,

                                 Let Thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room  

                                There is room at My side for thee.”

6.    OF YOUR CHARITY, PLEASE, PRAY FOR:

• Continued healing for Gerda, Anthony Jo, Fr. Anderson
• all travelling at this time: Sean, Florence, Vincent
• a cure for the Ebola disease. God's blessings on the work of Health Care professionals working in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. For all who have died in the Ebola pandemic and for their families as they mourn.
• Our youth: Natasha, Vincent, Simone, Audrey, Michelle, Larry Jr, Jeffrey, Yasmine

7. For news about:

• the Diocese of Los Angeles, please click on www.ladiocese.org

• the Expo Line construction, please, click on www.buildexpo.org

• the Palms Neighborhood Council, click on www.palmsla.org

8: Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter.

See you at Mass. Bring a friend and your family to church.

Fr. Vincent

www.stmarypalms.org