December 2020 Year 25 — No. 12

Holy Cross Catholic Church Newsletter

Paphos Gate, 1010 Nicosia; PO Box 21964, 1515 Nicosia, Cyprus

Tel. (357) 22 662132; Fax: (357) 22 660767

Email: holycross@cytanet.com.cy; URL: www.holy-cross-nicosia.com

Parish Priest: Fr. Andrew Arhin, ofm

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

7:30 am Monday, Wednesday, Thursday,

Friday, Saturday

- English

7:30 am Tuesday - Greek

St. Anthony Devotion

6:30 pm Every day - English

4:00 pm Polish: Every 1st Saturday

of the month

4:00 pm Spanish: Every 2nd Saturday

of the month

6:30 pm English (Children/Families)

12:00 nn St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Kyrenia

- Every Sunday - English

7:00 pm Famagusta - Every Sunday -

English

8:00 am English

9:30 am Greek

10:30 am English

12:00 nn French: Every 1st Sunday

of the month

12:00 nn Tagalog: Every 2nd Sunday

of the month

12:00 nn Indian: Every 3rd Sunday

of the month

12:00 nn Sinhala: Every 4th Sunday

of the month

6:30 pm English

SUNDAY MASSES

SATURDAY VIGIL MASSES (For Sunday)

WEEKDAY MASSES

MASSES IN NORTH CYPRUS

Arise and shine all my Catholic faithful,

The first Sunday of Advent reminds us that Christmas is just around the corner. Now what is Advent ? Advent is a season observed in many Christian Churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the second coming. The word " Advent " is derived from the Latin word "adventus, meaning " coming," which is a translation of the Greek word Parousia. The season of Advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Prayer is a wonderful way to help cut away from distractions of the season and open your heart to prepare for the joy and hope of Christ's birth. I wish you all and your loved ones the blessings which come from the new born baby Jesus. Merry Christmas and a very prosperous happy new year 2021 .

Fr. Andrew Arhin ofm

Parish Priest

The Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month of December 2020

For a Life of Prayer We pray that our personal relationship with Jesus

Christ be nourished by the Word of God and a life of prayer.

and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be:

S EA S ON C ELEB RA T IO N S

THE PROGRAMME FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD WILL BE PUBLISHED AND POSTED AT THE

ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH VERY SOON.

BELOW WE GIVE SOME ESSENTIAL PRELIMINARY INFORMATION.

(THE PROGRAMME MAY VARY, DEPENDING ON NEW REGULATIONS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS.)

6 December: 2nd

Sunday of Advent

8 December, Tuesday: The Immaculate Conception of the

BVM Holy Masses 7:30 am and 6:30pm

13 December: 3rd

Sunday of Advent

16—24 December: Christmas Novena with meditation

20 December: 4th Sunday of Advent

24 December, Thursday: Christmas Vigil

6:30 pm: Christmas Vigil Mass for Children

10:30 pm: Reading of the Gospel of Christ’s Birth and Carol Singing

12:00 midnight: Solemn High Mass of Christ's Nativity

25 December, Friday: The Nativity of the Lord

(Christmas Day)

Holy Masses as on Sundays

26 December, Saturday: St Stephen, Martyr

27 December, Sunday: Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

28 December, Monday: The Holy Innocents

31 December, Thursday

6:30 pm: Thanksgiving Mass for the end of the year 2020 with the proclamation of

the Te Deum of Thanksgiving.

1 January 2021, Friday: New Year’s Day

Feast of Mary, Mother of God, Θεοτόκος

The Fathers of Holy Cross Parish, Fr. Jerzy, Fr. Andrew, Fr. Daniele-mose , Fr. Peter and Fr. Zacheusz wish to all parishioners

A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2021

Readings for Sunday Masses and Christmas Mass (Year B )

2nd Sunday of Advent (6/12) Isa 40:1-5 9-11 Ps 84:9-14 2Pet 3:8-14 Mk 1:1-8 3rd Sunday of Advent (13/12) Isa 61:1-2 10-11 Lk 1:46-50 53-54 1st Thes 5:16-24 Jn 1:6-8 19-28 4th Sunday of Advent (20/12) 2Sam 7:1-5 8-12 14 16 Ps 88:2-5 27 29 Rm 16:25-27 Lk 1:26-38 Nativity of the Lord (25/12) Readings of Vigil, Midnight, Day Masses from the proper readings. Holy Family Sunday (27/12) Ecc3:3-7 12-14 Ps127:1-5 Col3:12-21 Mt 2:13-15 19-23

PA RISH NEW S

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS & MESSAGES As December begins, the year 2020 draws to a close with the period of Advent, the festive season of Christmas and the dawn of the New Year 2021. We recall the many different experiences the Lord let us live, each one of us in our own lives, and together, united in the faith, here at the Holy Cross - this year with the protective measures which we have to faithfully follow as a shield against the coronavirus.

The year 2020 has certainly been quite unique for us and at the Parish Council also. We had to go without the very popular Lenten Pilgrimage this year, the Movie Nights, the Good Friday Passion Drama, the Parish Lunch during Eastertide, the songs and dances and the Parish Feast, we had in previous years, on the Feast of the Holy Cross in September.

We had to adapt the Annual Plan of the Parish Council, to reconsider the various activities and events to be organised as far as possible, in a way more appropriate as permitted by the circumstances at this time.

Instead of the Holy Cross Advent Retreat, this year, it was decided to have the Advent Recollection trans-mitted live on the internet also for all parishioners to join.

Instead of the Movie Nights normally organised on the first Friday of each month, a series entitled “Life of a Saint” has been launched on the Holy Cross website (at www.holy-cross-nicosia.com ), dedicated to a different saint every month, with videos and references, to inspire us in the faith.

The children of our Parish, not part of the first Holy Communion or Confirmation preparation groups, had, instead of the normal catechism classes, weekly catechesis sessions via zoom on the internet.

This, in addition to the live webcasts from Holy Cross of the Holy Eucharist transmitted on the Facebook page of Holy Cross, which began with the lockdown in the Spring earlier in 2020.

As we go forward, we pray and wish you, your loved ones, our priests and religious and all of us in our Parish a wonderful Advent preparation, above all spiritual, a Christmas Feast, and a Happy New Year 2021, full of the Hope the Lord brings and His abundant mercy.

We encourage you also to make sure you get your copies of our new 2021 Holy Cross Parish Calendar dedicated to the Devotions to the Saints, to be available before Christmas. It will include, for each month, devotional prayers as well as the references of the readings of the Holy Mass each day, the prayer of the Church and the liturgical seasons and feasts for Cyprus and our Parish of the Holy Cross.

Once again, we pray that the Lord may bless you and our Parish especially at this time - do not forget to pray for us on the Parish Council too!

Akis Hjiiossif (Chairman of the Parish Council – email: holcrossparishcouncil@yahoo.com)

Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Holy Cross Parish Advent Recollection and Penitential Day “2020”

Holy Cross Liturgical Ministry 10th Anniversary “ November 29, 2020”

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The Church's first steps in the world were interspersed with prayer. The apostolic writings and the great narration of the Acts of the Apostles give us the image of an active Church, a Church on the move, yet which, gathered in prayer, finds the basis and impulse for missionary action. The image of the early Community of Jerusalem is the point of reference for every other Christian experience. Luke writes in the Book of Acts: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42). The community persevered in prayer. We find here four essential characteristics of ecclesial life: listening to the apostles’ teaching, first; second, the safeguarding of mutual communion; third, the breaking of the bread; and fourth, prayer. They remind us that the Church’s existence has meaning if it remains firmly united to Christ, that is, in community, in His Word, in the Eucharist and in prayer – the way we unite ourselves to Christ. Preaching and catechesis bear witness to the words and actions of the Teacher; the constant quest for fraternal communion shields us from selfishness and particularisms; the breaking of the bread fulfils the sacrament of Jesus' presence among us. He will never be absent – particularly in the Eucharist, He is there. He lives and walks with us. And lastly, prayer, which is the space of dialogue with the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

If you wish to receive the

Parish Newsletter

electronically,

send an email to Berna

bernadette@cytanet.com.cy

Notices, Contributions, etc. for the Parish Newsletter

Please send your notices and other contributions for the next newsletter to Berna (bernadette@cytanet.com.cy) and/or

to the Parish priest (holycross@cytanet.com.cy), or leave them in an envelope in the Church Library.

Deadline for submissions: 20 December

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. .[Isaiah 9.6-7]

M O RE NEWS

We would like to thank the Holy Cross Liturgical & Filipino Groups for preparing this year the manger of Christ’s Nativity.

Coffee Morning in the Library

Attention!

During the time of pandemic coffee morning is

suspended!!!

Entrance into the Convent 30

On one occasion I was reflecting on the Holy Trinity, on the essence of God. I absolutely wanted to know and fathom who

God is. …..In an instant my spirit was caught up into what seemed to be the next world. I saw an inaccessible light, and in

this light what appeared like three sources of light which I could not understand. And out of that light came words in the

form of lightning which encircled heaven and earth. Not understanding anything, I was very sad. Suddenly, from this sea of

inaccessible light came our dearly beloved Savior, unutterably beautiful with His shining Wounds. And from this light came

a voice which said, Who God is in His Essence, no one will fathom, neither the mind of Angels nor or man. Jesus said to

me, Get to know God by contemplating His attributes. A moment later, He traced the sign of the cross with his hand and

vanished. 31 + Once I saw a big crowd of people in our chapel, in front of the chapel and in the street, because there was no room for

them inside19. The chapel was decorated for a feast. There were a lot of clergy near the altar, and then our sisters and those

of many other congregations. They were all waiting for the person who was to take a place on the altar. Suddenly I heard a

voice saying that I was to take the place on the altar. But as soon as I left the corridor to go across the yard and enter the

chapel, following the voice that was calling me, all the people began to throw at me whatever they had to hand: mud, stones,

sand, brooms, to such an extent that I at first hesitated to go forward. But the voice kept on calling me even more earnestly,

so I walked on bravely.

When I entered the chapel, the superiors, the sisters, the students,20 and even my parents started to hit me with whatever

they could, and so whether I wanted to or not, I quickly took my place on the altar. As soon as I was there, (13) the very

same people, the students, the sisters, the superiors and my parents all began to hold their arms out to me asking for graces;

and as for me, I did not bear any grudge against them for having thrown all sorts of things at me, and I was surprised that I

felt a very special love precisely for those persons who had forced me to go more quickly to my appointed place. At the

same time my soul was filled with ineffable happiness, and I heard these words, Do whatever you wish, distribute graces as

you will, to whom you will and when you will. Then, instantly, the vision disappeared.

(To be continued)

CATECHESIS OF POPE FRANCIS NOVEMBER 25 2020

FROM THE DIARY OF SAINT FAUSTINA “NOTEBOOK 1”