St. Ignatius of Antioch Church 999 Reading Avenue Yardley, PA 19067 Phone: 215-493-3377 Website: www.stignatius.church E-Mail: contact@stignatius.church

MINISTERIAL STAFF Rev. Andrew C. Brownholtz, Pastor Rev. Anthony J. DiGuglielmo, Assistant Pastor Deacon Robert J. Skawinski, Retired Deacon Michael Cibenko Mary Ann DiTommaso, School Principal Annmarie C. Flanagan, Director of Religious Education Gregory Lucidi, Business Manager Maria L. LaMantia, Parish Secretary Lee F. Milhous, Music Director Trevor Dooley, Youth Minister RECTORY OFFICE HOURS Sunday—CLOSED Monday– Friday 9am—4pm Saturday—CLOSED

SCHEDULE OF MASSES: Saturday: 5:15 PM Vigil Mass Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, 11:30AM, 6:00PM Children’s Liturgy of the Word: at 9:30 Mass Daily, Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM Saturday: 8:30 AM Holy Day Schedule: 7:00PM Vigil Mass, 7:00AM, 9:00AM, and 7:00PM. Special Schedules for Christmas, New Years & Easter SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Saturdays: 4:00 to 5:00 P.M. Confessions will also be heard upon request. Please call the rectory to make an appointment. NEW PARISHIONERS New to the parish? Please call the rectory to register. 245

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. Matthew 13: 31-32

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

Daily Readings and Mass Intentions

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ADORATION CHAPEL- Thank you to our new adorers who have agreed to cover a weekly hour. Also, our thanks to those who help out by substituting. We truly appreciate the generous gift of your time. As we know, time spent with Jesus is one of our greatest spir-itual gifts. Won't you consider substituting or covering one of our open hours each week? The current hours in need of an adorer are: Sunday 6pm and 1am, Monday 6am, 3pm and1am, Saturday 1am, 6am (the last 2 Sat-urdays of each month). We are also in need of a partner for Monday 8am and 7pm. Kindly call Marianne Kloc at 267-346-0152 if you are interested. May God bless you! ANNOINTING OF THE SICK—Please call the rec-tory if someone is sick. The Holy Eucharist will be brought to anyone homebound. BAPTISMS—The Sacrament of Baptism is normally administered on Sundays at 12:45P.M. Pre-Jordan class, for the first child only, is required for parents. Class is held on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 PM in room 2B on the 2nd floor of the Meeting Center. Parents, please call the rectory to register for the class or for a Baptism. CHARISMATIC PRAYER GROUP—All are invited - as we sing God’s praises and share in His Word and His Love in an intimate community of faith. We meet every Tuesday from 7:00-8:30PM in Room 2F in the Meeting Center. For more information, please contact our spiritual prayer group director, Deacon Bob Ska-winski, at rjcs1219@verizon.net. FOOD COLLECTION— We will collect our usual items for Mary’s Pantry on the second Sunday of each month. Please bring your canned and boxed items, pa-per goods and baby needs to Mass and place them in the designated places RCIA—For those who are considering becoming a member of the Catholic Faith information is available. Please contact the Director of Religious Education, Annmarie Flanagan, at 215-493-5204 or 215-370-5701. ROSARY—All are invited to recite the rosary after the 9:00am Mass. For those who can stay longer, the Chap-let of Divine Mercy is also recited. The rosary is also recited before the 5:15pm Saturday Mass starting at 4:45pm. WEDDINGS—Arrangements should be made at least six months in advance. Please call the rectory to make an appointment with one of the priests.

Sunday December 3, 2017 Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37 7:30AM Margaret Rattie (Bill & Katie Pasko) 9:30AM Katherine Marselgia (Vito Marseglia & Family) 11:30AM Clifford C. Crawford (Mary Crawford) 6:00PM Helen, Andy Hanuschik and Son (The Carroll Family) Monday December 4, 2017 Is 2:1-5; Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9; Mt 8:5-11 9:00AM Diane Mays (The Mays Family) Tuesday December 5, 2017 Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24 9:00AM All Living and Deceased Members of the Parish Wednesday December 6, 2017 Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Mt 15:29-37 9:00AM Richard F. Pierce (Bill & Kathy Pasko) Thursday December 7, 2017 Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27 9:00AM Theresa Fazzalore (Frank & Mary Fazzalore) 7:00PM Desiree & Grace Eslick (Mary Rose Wolodzko) Friday December 8, 2017 Gn 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Lk 1:26-38 7:00AM Mr. & Mrs. William Lydon (Sheila Cardone) 9:00AM Ann Noto (RoseAnn & Tom LaFisca) 7:00PM Rich Petrucco (Eileen Lilley) Saturday December 9, 2017 Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8 8:30AM Marie Cardone (The Cardone Family) 5:15PM Michael Downs Jr. (Mother) Sunday December 10, 2017 Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8 7:30AM Mary Claire McIntyre (Maryann & Jim Shannon) 9:30AM Gus Kuhlman (Lou & Ruth Gunkel) 11:30AM Ann & Joe Noto (RoseAnn & Tom LaFisca) 6:00PM Giuseppa Covello (The Covello Family) *PRAYER REQUESTS—The receptacle for prayer re-quests is a wooden box located on the wall under the First Station of the Cross. All are welcome to place prayer re-quests in the box. A member of the parish prayer group will intercede for your request for 7 days.

FOR THE SICK IN OUR COMMUNITY that they return to the comfort of good health: Loretta Amerine, Sabrina Amerine, Lucille Brantl, Eileen Burke, Ruthann Carroll, Brynn Clare Connor, Cliff Conway, Gabrielle Cordisco, Mary C. Craw-ford, Alex Dobzanski, Olga Fleming, David Fry, Sherry Golden , Rose Ann Grall, Madeline Guarnieri, Denise Hiel, Charles Jacobson, Myrna Kane, Andrew Kelly, Jake Lindahl, Ellen Masterson, Donna McCarthy, Chris-tine Miller, Eileen Murphy, Lily Mur-phy, Christine Nassar, Nabil Nassar, Daniel O’Brien, James O’Brien, Thomas O’Brien, Francisco Pepito, Thelma Pisano, Jeffrey Poe, Madison Ritter, Millie Robbins, Mark Sassa-man, Marlene Spillane, Darwin Stout, Catherine Torres, Jane Wallace, Sabri-na Wooding, Barbara Zenno. (Please call the rectory to submit prayer re-quests for the sick, and also to remove a name from the list. Names will be removed after a month, unless you request otherwise.) FOR OUR BELOVED DECEASED, especially Jack N. Sparks, all of our service personnel killed while serving our country, those who have no one to pray for them, and the Holy Souls in purgatory. FOR THOSE SERVING OUR COUNTRY : Cameron Armstrong, Matthew Bauer, Melissa Bishop, Christian Blaydon, Sara Brill, Mark Buckley, Michael Joseph Buckley, Brad Bullman, Evan Cumming, Brent Cummings, Kevin O’Brien Darby, Staten DeTample, Andrew Dill, Ronald Ernst, Kevin Frawley, Anthony Fuscarello, Joe Galle, Jessica Garcia, Shane Gibbons, Stephen Greene, Jona-than Grubb, Edward Hill, David & Christine Kawoczka Krueger, Matthew Krall, Justin Kumor, Daniel LaMorte, Matt Leonardo, James Limer, Matthew Listner, Michael Lowe, W. Kyle Ma-grisi, Joseph Marchand, Greg Marolo, Matthew McGurk, Phil Melandez, Chris Merrick, David Morgan, Kevin Nash, Stephen Neder, Fred Olivari, John O’Rourke, John Parente, J.C. Peabody, Laura Perazzola, Gregory B. Procaccini, Jason Propst, Matthew Rieser, James Tams, Scott Toro, John Worman.

FISCAL CORNER As of our eight week of the Parish appeal, 255 families have contributed $92,767 toward our goal of $150,000. We are at 61.85% of this year’s goal. We have $57,233 to raise to meet our goal. We believe, through your generosity we can reach this year’s goal! But only with your help. This is one of our largest sources of income, aside from our normal Sunday collec-tions, and is greatly needed for the daily operation of our parish. There are appeal envelopes located in the entrances of the church for those who need them. Please return your donation by placing this year’s appeal envelope in the collection basket at Mass. You may also mail your contribution or drop it off directly to the rectory. As a reminder, we are having a weekly drawing called the “Monday Morn-ing Madness” raffle. Each Monday we will draw a lucky ticket for a fixed cash prize. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the rectory or through the school. Tickets will also be available after mass. There will only be 1,000 tickets available and can be purchased through the end of De-cember. The first drawing will take place on Tuesday January 2nd, 2018 with additional drawings every Monday through March. Prizes will be $100 on each Monday, and $500 on the last Monday of the month. Makes a great stocking stuffer!

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COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS

November 27, 2016 November 26, 2017 Sunday Offering $14,588.00 385 env $15,674.00 361 env Online Parish Giving $1,573.50* $4,053.00 Total Wkly Contribution $16,161.50 $19,727.00 Thanksgiving $1,848.00 $1,974.00 November 20, 2016 November 19, 2017 Sunday Offering $17,471.50 434 env $14,112.00 385 env Online Parish Giving $1,573.50* $3,553.49 Total Wkly Contribution $19,045.00 $17,665.49 *November 2016 Weekly Average

We are very grateful for the support of our parish!

ADVENT GIFT-GIVING MASS Our annual ADVENT GIFT-GIVING MASS, which benefits the children of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Chester and Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, will be on Tuesday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m. Please come and bring a new un-wrapped toy for a needy child. There are refreshments after the Mass in the auditorium.

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The Adult Faith Formation Committee of St. Ignatius has some great programs planned for our parish for 2018. We will be offering our very first afternoon program on the Letter of St. James presented in DVD format by Jeff

Cavins. For many years, several of our parish members have not been able to attend evening or Saturday programs so this one will be in the afternoons from 1-2:30 PM in the Church. This will be a 10 week program running from Jan 4 through Mar 8 weekly. Come join us and bring some friends.

On another note, we are looking for new members of our committee with new ideas and fresh perspectives, especially younger members. We need your help. We meet every first Wednesday of the month for one hour from 7:30 to 8:30. Why not join us and bring a friend or two?

Rose of Life: For all babies, that we receive them as we receive Jesus. “When we encounter Christ, experience his love, and deepen our relationship with him, we become more

aware of our own worth and that of others.” As we prepare for the celebration of the coming of our Savior and His In-carnation, we need to be aware that it is His divinity that elevates our hu-manity, while He ‘honored’ us by assuming the flesh of a human. He came as a baby born to a Virgin who said ‘yes’ to life and love. She did not know man but said ‘yes’. Are we being called to say ‘yes’ to life and love? Are we being called to accept children willingly and lovingly? Is Roe v. Wade an error in law and justice? In addition to the coming of our Savior, we are in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of “Humanae Vitae”, the encyclical by Blessed Pope Paul VI released on July 25, 1968 re-stating the 2,000 year continuous teaching of the Catholic Church on the meaning of life and love. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Intercessory Prayer: For Catholics: May God keep us steadfast in protect-ing the sacred gift of human life; We pray to the Lord:

MONDAY MORNING MADNESS RAFFLE

We are looking for volunteers to help sell raffle tickets. Our weekly Mon-day morning madness raffle will be drawn every Monday morning Janu-ary through March for a fixed cash prize. Tickets are $10 each and are available at the rectory, the school, and also available after Mass. If you are able to take 10 tickets to sell to your friends and family please con-tact the rectory. We need your help to make this parish fundraiser a suc-cess!

SAVE THE DATE Our 2nd annual Night at the Races will be held on Friday, January 19th. More information to follow.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION On Friday, December 8th we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immacu-late Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. Masses will be celebrated on Thursday, December 7th at 7:00PM and Friday at 7:00AM, 9:00AM, and 7:00PM.

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

As Christmas draws near, many of our thoughts are turning toward our preparations for the annual celebra-tion of Our Lord’s birth. Many are involved in travel plans to be with family, trimming the Christmas trees, getting the right gifts for those we love, preparing special family recipes, etc... Our St. Ignatius family is also beginning preparations for this cele-bration. One thing that adds so much to our annual celebration is the spe-cial care with which the church is decorated to enhance the festivities. Each year, the church is beautifully decorated through the generosity of our parishioners’ contributions to the Christmas Flower Fund. We ask that you consider making your Christmas flowers donation in honor of or in memory of loved ones (living or de-ceased). You may place the Christ-mas Flower envelope in the regular Sunday collection or send it to the rectory any time in December.

OPEN HOUSE AND CHRISTMAS CONCERT SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY

THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

The 2017 Open House & Christmas Concert will take place on Sunday, December 10. This year, the annual event features: Campus tours, Christmas concert fea-turing Seminary choir and musicians, and an International Christmas crèche display. One hour tours begin at 1:00 pm with the last tour at 3:00 pm. Light re-freshments preceding the 4:00 pm concert.

Take cour-age; get up, he is calling you. Mk 10:49

Simply Visit: www.formed.org Enter Our Parish Code: 40742e Register yourself and enjoy the content available to you and your family!

GET FORMED

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BOY SCOUTS CHRISTMAS WREATHS

The Boy Scouts of Troop 230 will be selling Christmas Wreaths be-fore and after mass on Saturdays and Sundays between Thanksgiv-ing and Christmas. Scouts will be stationed outside each entrance to the church. Wreaths are fresh cut evergreen branches and come with a red bow. They cost $15.00 each. Cash or check will be ac-cepted for payment.

Get the most out of Advent by following along with Bishop Robert Barron's homilies as he unpacks these profound scripture readings. The homilies in the talk will correspond to the Scriptures for Sunday Masses through-out Advent and Christmas 2017: Advent Week 1: Isaiah 63: 16-64:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:33-37 Advent Week 2: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11, 2 Peter 3:8-14, Mark 1:1-8 Advent Week 3: Isaiah 61:1-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-28 Advent Week 4: 2 Samuel 7:1-16, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38

SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE TURKEY DRIVE The annual turkey and food drive was a success thanks to the parishioners of St. Ignatius. Over 131 turkeys were collected along with at least 100 bags of groceries and $1920 in grocery gift cards. The recipients of these donations included people served by Catholic Social Services/Mary’s Cup-board of Bucks County, No Longer Bound of Bristol, PA., the Diocese of Trenton, NJ, Holy Trinity Baptist Church, Hamilton, NJ, Our Lady of Sor-rows, Hamilton, Aiding our Neighbors, Yardley, and three food cupboards in Philadelphia. An anonymous donor gave a donation of $2000 in memory of our recently deceased founder Rich Petrucco and our usual "Thanksgiving Angel” once again donated $1000 in giant gift cards. An-other “Angel” donated $350 in gift cards. A special thank you to Tom Adams Windows and Carpet of Churchville who donated the use of a truck for the morning. Students who worked all morning to help make this event a success included Nathan Swan, Shane Swan, Ella Ruppersburger, Caroline Sullivan, and Nicholas Bontempo. Your generosity helped make this Thanksgiving a meaningful holiday for many and we are most grateful for your continued support.

DECORATING THE CHURCH FOR CHRISTMAS

Please join us on Sunday, Decem-ber 17th at 12:30PM, to help deco-rate the church for Christmas. Confirmation candidates are wel-come to help. If you can help, please call the rectory at 215-493-3377 extension 211, and leave your name and phone number. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

AID FOR FRIENDS GIFTS OF WARMTH

Gifts of Warmth are invaluable to our homebound friends during the cold, winter season. Please use the Aid for Friends donation boxes at any of the church entrances to leave your unwrapped gift. Some suggestions for donation include: men’s or women’s robes and pa-jamas, blankets, socks, sheets, sweat suits, toiletries, Ensure or Boost, etc. Thank you! Your kind-ness and generosity are always ap-preciated.

AID FOR FRIENDS Aid for Friends provides free meals for the elderly, ill and homebound in the greater Philadelphia area. Our next meeting to assemble meals will be held on Thursday, December 14th from 9 am – noon in the church auditori-um kitchen. We are truly blessed, but more helping hands are always need-ed and welcome. If you can’t stay to help assemble the meals, a main dish or starch can be delivered on the morning of the meeting or a donation can be given to help us buy supplies. Your gifts and talents are always appreci-ated. If you would like additional information on how you can help, please call Kathy, 215-321-0116 or Jayne, 215-321-5739. See you on October 14th! “To change the world we must be good to those who cannot repay us.” --Pope Francis

ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH SCHOOL “High Achievement ~ Higher Purpose”

“Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the gifts you have given me. Help me learn how to put them to better use in building your king-dom.” Santa Shop opens on Monday. Gifts for mom, dad and family members are avail-able.

St. Ignatius Parish Annual Advent Giv-ing Mass will be held Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7:00pm. Won’t you bring a gift to help a needy child?

First Friday Mass at 9:00. Tree Blessing at 2:15 – cafeteria First Trimester ends

Open House for our school will be held on Tuesday, January 9th. Hours are: 9:00-11:00 and 6:00-8:00PM.

Tours are available at any time by contacting Helene at the school office. (215-493-3867)

From the Religious Education Office … The PREP Office is open on Sun-day from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and on Monday through Thursday

from 9:30 a.m. on. CONFIRMATION: A Reminder : All robe envelopes are due in the PREP Office by December 15. The Infor-mation Sheet, Name Form, Works of Charity, and Spon-sor’s Letter of Eligibility are due by January 15. ADVENT GIFT-GIVING MASS: Our annual AD-VENT GIFT-GIVING MASS, which benefits the children of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Chester and Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, will be on Tuesday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m. Please come and bring a new unwrapped toy for a needy child. There are refreshments after the Mass in the auditorium. PREP CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: Please come and join us for our little Christmas Pageant in Church, on Thursday evening, December 14, at 6:30 p.m. We will sing tradi-tional, religious carols, and the Pageant will remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. All are welcome. CATECHETICAL AWARDS: At the 11:00 a.m. Mass on Saturday, January 6, 2018, Archbishop Charles Chaput will recognize Parish Religious Education Programs throughout the Archdiocese and present awards to many generous Catechists and Aides who give their time and talent to PREP all year long. Here at St. Ignatius we have several Catechists and Aides who will be honored for their years of service to the young people of our Parish. WE CONGRATULATE... Helene LaRosa 20 years Ashley Haas 5 years Jacqueline Scharko 10 years Michael Phinney 5 years Yolima Gray 5 years Parents of students who are in grades 7-8: Please en-courage your sons and daughters to continue their Reli-gious Education after Confirmation. Confirmation is a beginning, not an end. Don’t deprive your older kids the chance to learn more about who God is and what he is all about. We all know how much we need God in our lives. “Special Needs” PREP class: Parents, are you aware that we have a PREP class for students with special needs? This class meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. If we could help to give your child a religious education in a small group environment, please give Annmarie a call at 215-493-5204.

Youth and Young Adult

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FAMILY MINISTRY Advent Small Group Discussion Dec 10th Church basement ~10:30-11:30 AM Join friends to discuss ways to make Advent a more faith-focused time. Before the conversation, try to check out: http://ascensionpresents.com/video/waiting-for-christmas/ & http://www.catholicicing.com/10-meaningful-advent-traditions-for-catholic-families-with-little-to-no-prep-work/ Lite refreshments & kids activities!