Last Week’s Bulletin – Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish and St. Patrick's Parish

December 15, 2024.
Third Sunday of Advent

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Reflection Questions:

Adults: To whom have your past acts of kindness brought joy?

Children: What kind thing have you done for someone lately?

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COLLECTION DETAILS:

Monthly Budgeted Income:$10,835.00

Collection for December 2024:$ 7,083.25

SANCTUARY CANDLE FOR BOTH SAINT PATRICK’S AND OMPH: Each week we invite you to have the sanctuary lamp lit in memory of a loved one or for a special intention. The cost is $20.00 and you may drop the donation off at the office or place it in the collection with the information enclosed.

OMPH FOOD BANK COLLECTION: OMPH is collecting for the New Liskeard Food Bank

SUNDAY OFFERINGS: The Parish is able to accept your Sunday offering via e-transfer. For those who wish to donate to the Parish in this manner, use the email “omphoffice@gmail.com” and the security password “OMPH81”

POPE’S INTENTION FOR DECEMBER: For pilgrims of hope - We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.

DECEMBER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: Angel Tree (for Christmas Hampers), Christmas Offering

ANGEL TREE DONATIONS: Contributions can be put in the yellow envelope that can be found in your offering box or in any envelope marked Christmas Hampers. The funds will be used for gifts cards for food and other necessary items for families in need. Any money raised, that is not needed for our Christmas Hampers will go to the Salvation Army Food Bank. If you would like an income tax receipt, please indicate your envelope number or your name. The Angel Tree donations can be made in memory of a loved one, which will be published in the Christmas bulletin. If you would like to make your donation in memory of someone, please send in your donation by Friday, December 20th and the names will be in our Christmas bulletin.

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS: Do you know of someone that could use a gift card at Christmas? If you do, please contact Fr. Wayne with details. Referrals will remain confidential. Your assistance is important if we are to reach out to those most in need. We require names by Friday, December 13th.

ADVENT ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT will take place every Friday of Advent (December 20th) from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at OMPH. All are invited to come and spend some time with our Lord this Advent. Come and be reminded the true reason for the season!

SUNDAY OFFERING ENVELOPES: The 2025 Sunday envelopes are available at the back of the church. It’s not too late to still get envelopes, just fill in the form on the sofa table.

TIME FOR YOU AND ME will take place on Wednesday, December 18th at 1:30 P.M. in the parish hall. Join us for friendship, chit-chat, coffee & tea and a snack. There are times when we need to relax and forget daily chores, so plan to come and bring a friend.

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE: Christmas Eve Mass at St. Pat’s will be at 5:00 P.M and at OMPH at 8:00 P.M.. There will be one Mass at OMPH on Christmas Day at 11:00 A.M. Please join us and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.

CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE SICK: To reach out to our sick and elderly parishioners we have a monthly celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick for those in need of God’s healing grace. According to the teaching of the Church, the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick should be celebrated with people who are: 1) seriously ill, 2) are seriously weakened by advanced age, 3) are scheduled for serious surgery, or 4) are elderly. Our next communal celebration will be on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:00 P.M. at OMPH.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY will take place on Monday, December 23rd from 2:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. in the OMPH Parish hall. All kids are welcome to join us for an afternoon of movies and crafts before Christmas! Popcorn and juice will be served. A big thank you to Parish Council who is organizing this fun afternoon.

Spirit of the Season

Joy and Hope

Advent is a season of joy and hope for all who follow Jesus. We must be careful not to lose sight of the true meaning of the season as the world around us hustles to buy and sell, to have parties and plan vacations. Advent is a time to renew our life in Christ and to thank God for saving us in Jesus; it is a season for asking God to save all people and for praying for peace in the world.

During Advent, we are invited to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord – to wait in joyful hope for his return in glory at the end of time and to prepare for the annual celebration of his birth.

∙ Dying to sin; We strive to die to sin and selfishness and to obey the Father’s will.

∙ Living for God; We set out to love God each day by loving and serving others.

This is the way in which Jesus wants us to make a straight way for him in our hearts as we await his coming.

Lord Jesus, our brother and our saviour,

come into our hearts with your love,

with your joy, your hope, and your peace.

Help us to reflect your love for all

by loving and serving all we meet.

Lord Jesus,

come into our lives,

and share your gifts with all people.

Blessed are you, Lord Jesus,

forever and ever. Amen!

National Liturgy Office CCCB

WELCOMING CHRIST . . . WELCOMING THE GIFT OF LIFE: At Christmas we celebrate the gift of Jesus who came to us as a tiny child so long ago. We know that there are many children who are not given the chance to receive or celebrate life because their lives are taken away before they are born. It seems only fitting that at Christmas time we should help support and build a culture of life in our society today. After each of the Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day a special collection will be taken to support the work of Tri-Town Pro-Life to assist them in their efforts to support and protect human life at all stages. We know how important it is to build a culture of life, so please be generous.

CHRISTMAS OFFERING ENVELOPES: Often people wonder where the Christmas collection goes. The total collection goes toward the needs of the Parish. If you would like to give Father Wayne a personal gift at Christmas, please mark it clearly on the envelope that the offering is for him. Otherwise, it will be directed to the Parish.

JUBILEE

Profession of Faith

The profession of faith – also known as the ‘Symbol’ - is a sign of the identity of the baptized person. The profession of faith expresses the central content of the faith: it succinctly captures the main truths that a believer accepts and witnesses to on the day of his or her baptism and shares with the entire Christian community for the rest of his or her life.

There are various professions of faith which show the richness of the experience of encountering Jesus Christ. Traditionally, however, there are two that have gained special recognition in the Church: the baptismal creed of the church of Rome and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed, originally formulated in 325 at the Council of Nicaea, in present-day Turkey, and then refined at the Council of Constantinople in 381.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved,” (Romans 10:9-10). This passage from St. Paul emphasizes how proclaiming the mystery of faith requires a deep conversion not only in one's words, but above all in one’s understanding of God, of oneself and of the world. “To say the Creed with faith is to enter into communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst, we believe” (CCC 197).