Saint James Church and Assumption Church 896 Main Street, Manchester, Connecticut 06040

Website: www.stjamesmanchester.org (860) 643-4129

December 9, 2018

MASS SCHEDULE Vigil: Saturday 4:00pm @ Saint James, 5:00pm @ Assumption

Sunday: 7:30am, 9:00am & 11:00am @ Saint James Sunday: 10:00am @ Assumption

Monday: 12:05pm, Tuesday - Saturday: 8:00am @ Saint James

CLERGY Father Kevin P. Cavanaugh, Pastor

Father Janusz Kukulka Deacon Alan A. Germain

Deacon Lee LaRocque

PARISH SECRETARY Carole Scialla (860) 643-4129

secretary@stjamesmanchester.org

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES James J. Bagni

jamesjbagni@yahoo.com (860) 231-2316

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & CONFIRMATION PROGRAMS

(860) 643-4129 Macy Jordan, Coordinator

SAINT JAMES SCHOOL PRE-KINDERGARTEN - 8TH GRADE

73 Park Street, Manchester (860) 643-5088

www.saintjamesschool.net Mrs. Bridget Zorger, Principal

SJS FOUNDATION www.stjamesschoolfoundation.com PO Box 254, Manchester, CT 06040

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY (860) 643-8445

Please consider remembering Saint James Parish or Saint James School in your will.

Saint James Parish — Manchester

Please make ALL checks payable to Saint James Parish.

The weekly collection for last Sunday totaled $14,525.00.

The 2nd collection this weekend is in support of St. James School.

Saint James Parish offers Online Giving. Visit: www.stjamesmanchester.org, or call our

Business Manager, Marisa Howard, at 860-643-4129.

Saturday, December 8 VIGIL MASS —SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT SJC 4:00 PM Edward Adamy, Jr. by Grace Carlson AC 5:00 PM John Cycenas by Romeo & Pauline Dube

Sunday, December 9—SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT SJC 7:30 AM John & Gretchen Reidy by Sean Reidy

SJC 9:00 AM Deceased Members of the LaForest Family by Paula D’Avignon AC 10:00 AM Roger Sirois by Jean & family SJC 11:00 AM The Panas & Zaremba families by George & Shirley Panas

Monday, December 10 SJC 12:05 PM Jon Eichler by his mother, Merry Ellen

Tuesday, December 11—St. Damasus I, Pope SJC 8:00 AM Mary & Ben Gasorek by Merry Ellen Gasorek

Wednesday, December 12—Our Lady of Guadalupe

SJC 8:00 AM Eleonora Pavan by family

Thursday, December 13—St. Lucy, Virgin & Martyr SJC 8:00 AM Irene Fisette & deceased family members by Walter Fisette

Friday, December 14—St. John of the Cross, Priest SJC 8:00 AM Parishioners of Saint James Parish

Saturday, December 15 SJC 8:00 AM Jacinto Lage Teixeira by Walter Fisette

VIGIL MASS —THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT SJC 4:00 PM Laura Franco by Tom & Linda Franco AC 5:00 PM Barbara Tierney by Romeo & Pauline Dube

Sunday, December 16—THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT SJC 7:30 AM Elaine Connors & Emily Condio by the Leslie family

SJC 9:00 AM Jyslenne Ricci by the Webb family AC 10:00 AM Sammy Smith by parents SJC 11:00 AM Teresa Robba by Richard & Mary Bunnell

Key: AC - Assumption Church / SJC - St. James Church

burns this week for the greater honor

and glory of God and in memory of

Nicola Lippolis

Readings for the Week of December 9, 2018

Sunday: Bar 5:1-9/Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 [3]/ Phil 1:4-6, 8-11/Lk 3:1-6 Monday: Is 35:1-10/Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14 [Is 35:4f]/Lk 5:17-26 Tuesday: Is 40:1-11/Ps 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13 [Is 40:10ab]/Mt 18:12-14 Wednesday: Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/ Jdt 13:18bcde, 19 [15:9d]/Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47 Thursday: Is 41:13-20/Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab [8]/ Mt 11:11-15 Friday: Is 48:17-19/Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 [Jn 8:12]/ Mt 11:16-19 Saturday: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11/Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19 [4]/Mt 17:9a, 10-13

SOCIAL ACTION CHRISTMAS SHARING PROGRAM

Gifts supporting our Christmas sharing program are due back this Sunday, December 9th. Christ-mas dinners for our MACC seasonal sharing pro-gram should be delivered to St. James Church Hall next Saturday, December 15th by 10 a.m. Please consider helping us deliver your meal and Christmas gifts that day. Please call George Hirko, 860-646-4351, with any questions. Thank you for your support!

Second Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 10 7PM—St. Vincent de Paul Society will meet in Conference Room 1 in St. James Church Hall. 7PM—K of C Council 1155 will meet in the Assumption Church hall. For information contact Grand Knight Joe Congdon at 860-372-1738 or jrcongdon@att.net

Religious Education Classes for 2018-2019 for Grades 1-8 are held on Sundays 10:00AM—10:50AM

in St. James School.

**PLEASE NOTE** THERE WILL BE NO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES

ON DECEMBER 23 AND 30. CLASSES WILL RESUME ON JANUARY 6, 2019.

Weekly Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Weekly exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place on Mondays at Assumption Church from 2 pm until the con-clusion of the evening Novena service. Please try to set aside at least one hour weekly to spend with the Lord in prayer for the special intentions requested by the arch-bishop: an increase in priestly vocations, the success of the archdiocesan synod, and healing for our suffering Church. Sign-up sheets will be available at the church entrances. Please note: exposition will not take place if Monday is a holiday.

2018 Tree of Blessings

We are currently accepting orders for the 2018 Tree

of Blessings. You may purchase a beautifully de-

signed cardstock ornament “In Memory

of” or “In Honor of” a loved one. The

ornament, with your loved one’s name,

will be displayed on the school Christ-

mas tree. A Prayer Service honoring the

recipients will be held on Wednesday, December

19th in the gymnasium of Saint James School. Order

forms will be sent home with students, and extra or-

der forms will be available in the school office and at

the exits of the church. Please have all order forms in

by Friday, December 14th so ornaments can be made

in time for the ceremony. All proceeds will benefit

Saint James School. Your generosity is greatly appre-

ciated. Have a blessed Christmas season!

The Knights of Columbus will be selling Keep Christ in Christmas items after all Masses for the next couple of weekends for as long as supplies last. We have a variety of six beauti-

ful Button Pin designs and a Nativity Scene Magnet for your vehicle which looks great on any color vehicle. Buttons are $1 each and car magnets are $4 each. We appreciate your support in helping people to be more aware of the real significance of Christmas.

COFFEE AND... in the St. James Church Hall after all Sunday Masses this Sunday, December

9th. Our Lady Crafters will have many Christmas crafts for sale. Please help support our dedicated

Crafters for their time and talent by making a pur-chase. Our host will be the Saint James Parish Men’s Prayer Group. Also, there will be COFFEE AND...after the 10 AM Mass on Sunday, December 9th in the Assumption Church Hall. Please plan to join us!

Second Sunday of Advent

Sacraments

Baptism: contact the Parish Office for information Penance (Confession): Saturdays 2:00 PM –3:00 PM & Thursday Evenings before First Fridays 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Communion: (parishioners who are homebound or hospitalized) contact the Parish Office

Marriage: contact the Parish Office at least six months prior to possible date Priesthood: speak with one of our priests or visit www.vocationshartford.org Anointing of the Sick: contact the Rectory as soon as possible

ASSUMPTION CHURCH MEMORIAL CANDLES

Week of December 9, 2018

Mary’s altar st. Joseph’s altar

Lillian Zammiello For my daughter & Frederick & Ellie Dandeneau her family & souls Leonore Ash in Purgatory Annamay Potocki Mr. & Mrs. Cebula Carmen Mencher Special Intention

To request that a candle be lit, please take an envelope from either Mary’s or Saint Joseph’s Altar, fill in the information, and place it in the collection basket or mail to St. James Rectory, 896 Main Street, Manchester, CT 06040. You can request more than one candle per envelope by utilizing the space on the back of the envelope. Those that attend Mass at Saint James Church are welcome to complete an envelope for a candle. The cost for each candle is $7.00. Please print legibly.

For more information about priestly vocations,

visit www.hartfordpriest.com or speak with Fr. Cavanaugh or Fr. Janusz.

Saint James Parish Circle of Love Prayer Line

For information on joining or to add a prayer intention to the Saint James Parish Circle of Love Prayer Line, please call Marcia Giglio, 860-432-2527, or Patricia Albers, 860-643-1015.

Parish Appeal Update

As of November 21, a total of $ 428,133.76 in donations has been received and another $ 96,185.41 has been pledged to be paid during the remainder of the campaign’s 2-year

donation period – for a total of $524,319.17—70% of our $750,000 goal.

If you have yet to make a pledge or a donation to the Annual Parish Appeal, please take the opportunity to do so at your earliest convenience so that we may assess which projects we will undertake immediately. Thank you to those Parishioners who have responded to our recent mailing and have helped us to get closer to our goal!

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no Can and Bottle Drive later this month. The next one is scheduled for January 26, 2019 and on the 4th Saturday of each subsequent month.

Vigil Masses (Dec. 24th)

4:00PM & 6:00PM (SJC) 4:00PM (AC)

Christmas Carols & Hymns beginning at 11:15PM

Midnight Mass: 12:00 MIDNIGHT (SJC)

Christmas Morning 9:00AM & 11:00AM (SJC)

10:00AM (AC)

Second Sunday of Advent

SHOP AMAZON, SUPPORT SAINT JAMES SCHOOL

Do you shop on Amazon.com? Amazon's new charita-ble giving program, AmazonSmile, will donate a per-centage of your total Amazon purchases to Saint James School! Simply type http://smile.amazon.com/ch/06-0653122 into your website browser and begin shop-ping. Or visit http://smile.amazon.com and, when prompted to select a charity, enter St. James School Manchester or 06-0653122 in the search box. Entering Amazon through the "Smile" link gives you the same products, same price, same service as Amazon.com but with the extra bonus of supporting Saint James School. We thank you for supporting our School!

Christmas Nativity Castles

For the past 8 years, Saint James School students have participated in the annual Szopka Krakowska Contest in Hartford sponsored by the Polish Cultural Club of Greater Hartford. This year the making of these beautiful 'szopki' or 'Nativity Cathedrals/Castles' was offered as an after school activity/club for stu-dents in grades 4-8. The students

recycled boxes, used a variety of other lightweight ma-terials, and covered them with colored foils, shiny beads, ribbons, glitter, decorative ornaments, and much more to create a Christmas Nativity Cathedral that is bright and cheerful for welcoming Baby Jesus and the Holy Family. This tradition started in Krakow, Poland, in 1937. You are welcome to view the szopki down in the lower church after Mass this weekend.

Waiting for Bethlehem’s Child Sunday, December 9 at 5 p.m. St. Francis of Assisi Church

673 Ellington Road South Windsor, CT 06074

All are invited to a magnificent evening of musical preparation for the birth of our Savior, as the St. Junipero

Serra Music Ministry’s Concert Choir and Orchestra perform Bethlehem’s Child. Drawing upon the words of Isaiah, Micah, and inspired by the Gospel writings of Matthew and Luke, come join us as we reflect on the voyage to Bethlehem and retell the story of Christmas and the miracle of Christ’s birth. Admission is free, but free-will donations will be accepted to support the growth of the

music ministry and future performances. You do not want to miss this extraordinary evening! Refreshments will be provided following the concert in the church hall.

THE SOCIETY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL assists your neighbors in need. The Society provides assistance in the form of food, utilities, and oil, thanks to the gener-

osity of Saint James parishioners. Please consider a do-nation to assist those in need. Donations marked “SVDP” can be placed in the collection basket, and checks should be made payable to “Society of St. Vin-cent de Paul”. Thank you in advance for your support!

Christmas flower envelopes are located at the church exits. Donations should be returned by December 23rd. Please print legibly.

Thank you!

THE ADVENT TOWNWIDE PENANCE

SERVICE WILL BE HELD AT SAINT BRIDGET CHURCH ON SUNDAY,

DECEMBER 16TH AT 3 P.M.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

COLLECTION FOR SAINT JAMES SCHOOL

Each box top you clip is worth 10₡. Please bring in your box tops and put them into one of the boxes at the entrance to the church, and they will be counted with box tops collected at the school. Box tops are used for school supplies. Thank you very much for your support!

December 2018 Saint James School News

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

The holy season of Advent is underway, and students at

Saint James School have joined with Christians around

the world in preparing for the Lord’s coming through

prayer, service, and activities that celebrate the season.

A long-standing tradition related to this penitential sea-

son is the lighting of the Advent wreath. On Monday,

December 3rd, students at the school took part in the cer-

emony held in the school auditorium. Father Cavanaugh

lit the candle representing the first week of Advent, and

members of the eighth grade class read from Scripture

and led the prayers.

On December 19th, stu-

dents will participate in

the traditional Tree of

Blessings ceremony, in

which members of the

Saint James Parish com-

munity have the oppor-

tunity to honor or memo-

rialize a loved one by

having his or her name

inscribed on a beautiful

card stock ornament and

placed on the Tree of

Blessings. A donation

of five dollars is re-

quested for each orna-

ment, and all the pro-

ceeds directly benefit

the school. Friends and family members are invited to

join the students at the ceremony at which prayers are

offered and the names of the loved ones are read.

Throughout Advent, students make a special attempt to

reflect in their behavior the spirit of the season. This

year’s new tradition is the practice of the virtue of the

month. For December, the virtue is peace, a reminder

that we are all called to love one another in honor of the

Prince of Peace. Throughout the month, students are en-

couraged to put the virtue into action, and those whose

efforts are exemplary will be recognized at the rosary

assembly in January. In all grades, students’ writing as-

signments are dedicated to the theme of peace. Fourth

graders wrote poems in which they used a familiar

shape—for example, a dove—and used their senses to

create words relating to the theme.

Every culture has its own ways of preparing for the com-

ing of the Christ Child. Two of these practices have be-

come part of the Advent traditions at SJS. On December

6th, the children in pre-K through Grade 3 take part in the

Dutch tradition of putting their shoes outside the class-

room door to receive small gifts from Sinterklaas. In a

tradition that comes to us from Poland, the older students

create castle-like creches called Szopka. Several stu-

dents at the school won prizes for their beautiful crea-

tions.

Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without mu-

sic, and the Christmas concert on December 5th ushered

in the season. Friends and family members joined stu-

dents in listening to the Christmas carols and viewing the

Nativity tableau presented by the students in Grades 1

and 4. On the last day of classes before the Christmas

break, the entire student body will come together for the

Advent Mass to culminate the time of preparation.

All of us at Saint James School wish you a happy and

holy Christmas season!

Father Cavanaugh and Father Janusz with several kindergarten students after the school-wide ceremony for the first week of Advent.

Students Angielee and Tyler show one of the projects their class completed while exploring the concept of peace. Students wrote words or phrases signi-fying what peace means to them inside an artistic peace sign.

Siblings Jameson and Maya, with the Szopka they made from boxes and recycled materials, won 1st place in the 38th annual Szopka competition at the Polish Cultural Club in Hartford.

December 9, 2018

**PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN TIME **

Novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary every Monday, beginning at

7:00 PM at Assumption Church dur-ing exposition of the Blessed Sacra-ment. We will pray the Rosary and conclude with Benediction.

(Please note: Adoration and Novena will not be held if Monday is a holiday.)

TUESDAY EVENING BINGO

Join us for a fun evening of BINGO at Assumption Church Hall every Tuesday evening. Doors open at 5:00PM and Bingo starts at 6:30PM. Coffee and tea are provided. Food and soda available to purchase. Cash prizes. For further information, call Romeo @ 860-647-9335.

PROGRESSIVE PRIZE………………………..$400.00

**PLEASE NOTE** BINGO HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

There will be no Bingo on DECEMBER 25 AND

JANUARY 1. The regular schedule will resume January 8, 2019.