24252 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA 92637 (949) 837-1090; FAX (949) 837-9510; www.st-nicholaschurch.org

School of Religious Education: (949) 837-7676

Our Parish Mission Statement St. Nicholas Parish is a Catholic community, celebrating our faith

through the Sacraments, Liturgy, Prayer and Service. We strive to nurture family life and to create one body out of many in the Lord.

We share the Good News with people of all ages, cultures and faith backgrounds.

BAPTISM Fourth Sunday of the month at 2:00PM. Arrangements must be made a month in advance. Parents must attend two preparation sessions.

MARRIAGE Arrangements must begin at least six months in advance with a priest of the parish.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK Call Parish Office in an emergency. Special Service celebrated in fall/spring as announced.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS At the death of a family member, please call the Parish Office at your earliest convenience to plan for the Mass of Christian Burial.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION DAY 24-hour adoration begins the second Wednesday of the month at the 9:00AM Mass.

DEVOTIONS & BENEDICTION Wednesday evenings at 7:00PM; Vietnamese—2nd Wednesday of the month at 8PM. Recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction.

CLERGY

Pastor Rev. George P. Blais Parochial Vicar Rev. Quyen Truong Visiting Priest Rev. Msgr. John Campbell Visiting Priest Rev. Gerald Walker Visiting Priest Rev. Brendan Hankins Visiting Priest Rev. Jack Sewell Visiting Priest Rev. Chin Dang Deacon Wayne Thompson Deacon Chau Tran Deacon Gerardo De Santos

MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 4:00PM, 7:00PM in Spanish Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:45AM, 12:30PM, and 5:00PM in Vietnamese. Monday through Friday: 7:00AM and 9:00AM Saturday: 9AM

Filipino Mass: 5:30PM, First Saturdays, October-June. Holy Days: 4PM Vigil, 7AM, 9AM, 12PM, 6PM and 7:30PM in Vietnamese

RECONCILIATION (Confession) Saturday: 9:45AM to 10:15AM and 3:00PM to 3:45PM or by appointment.

Parish Office Hours: Sunday: 8:30 AM—1:30 PM Monday through Friday: 9 AM—12 Noon; 1 PM — 7:00 PM;

Saturday: 9 AM—12 Noon

St. Nicholas Parish

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

Stewardship of Treasure 2017 2016 52-Weekly Required Budget November 19 $20,683.83 $18,285.03 $25,856.00 November 23—SVdP $ 3,041.00 $ 3,357.00 November 26 $40,753.31** $19,333.18

**Includes an anonymous generous donation by a parishioner.

Dear St. Nicholas Parishioners,

Today begins our Advent season, and marks the beginning of a new Liturgical year. Advent is a time of preparation. We are to prepare ourselves to meet the Lord: as we remember that first Christmas Day, when He comes into our daily lives, and when He will come again. This first Sunday, the focus is on the coming of Jesus at the end of time. As we heard these last weeks, we are to “Stay awake, be alert,” and prepare ourselves to greet the Lord when He comes again. This is the same message that we hear today as we begin this Advent season and look forward to the future. May we take time to reflect on the great gift of our salvation and prepare to effectively share this reality with those that we meet.

This Wednesday, we celebrate the memorial of St. Nicholas, our patron Saint. St. Nicholas is well known for his charity. As we celebrate our parish Feast Day, may we always follow his example of living the Gospel message and bringing Christ into our daily lives.

Friday is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. On this day, we reflect on the reality that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin, thus preparing her to be the instrument that would bring the Lord Jesus into the world. Let us follow her example of being a humble servant of the Lord.

Fr. George

Retirement Fund for Religious Collection NEXT WEEKEND—December 9th and 10th

Your gift in the collection helps to provide prescription medications, nursing care, and more for thousands of elderly religious sisters, brothers and religious order priests who worked for many years

for little, if any, pay. Like many Americans, religious communities face the monumental

challenge of funding eldercare. By 2027, retired religious are projected to outnumber

wage-earners by more than three to one. We appreciate your generosity.

GOD HAS A DIFFERENT PLAN We begin the season of Advent with a heartfelt call for our own repentance. We remember God’s faithful love for us, and call upon God to help us to turn back. For “behold, you are angry, and we are sinful” (Isaiah 64:4). In the first reading and in the psalm, we recall God’s promises and lament our unfaithfulness and our guilt. We call upon God’s might and power in order to save us. With Isaiah, we ask God to “rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you” (Isaiah 63:19). Yes, God is faithful to us, because we are the work of God’s hands. God is the potter, we are the clay. And yet, our concept of how God will come to save us is rooted in our own expectations of a warrior God who crushes mountains and thunders into our lives with great noise and glory. But God has a different plan: the Incarnation. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

The Feast of St. Nicholas, our Parish’s Patron Saint, is this Wednesday, December 6th. Parishioners are invited to a Reception in the Parish Center after the 9am Mass.

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

Monday: 7AM Jeanette Morin (d) 9AM Ricardo Teves, Jr. (d) Tuesday: 7AM Christina Spatola (d) 9AM Alice and Albie Vollero Wednesday: 7AM Fr. Quyen Truong 9AM Acyla Fely L. Barroque Thursday: 7AM Marianne Collins (d) 9AM Thi Ngoc Nguyen (d) 4PM For the Parish Friday: 7AM Frank Hernandez (d) 9AM Eileen Anderson (d) 12PM Maria Amezcua 6PM James and Lee Hutton Saturday: 9AM Little Company of Mary—30th Anniversary Mass 4PM For the Parish Sunday: 7:30AM Donna Gerrard (d) 9:00AM Bridget Finneran (d) 10:45AM Mario Balledos (d) 12:30PM Sr. Brigid Carey (d)

Parish Calendar This Week

MONDAY Sewing Group, Small Hall, 8AM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Spanish Rosary, Church, 6:30PM Bible Study, Rooms 201-204, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 7PM Pastoral Council, Rooms B & C, 7PM TUESDAY Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Spanish RCIA, Room C, 6PM SRE Confirmation II, Parish Center-upstairs, 7PM 7 & 8 Grade SRE, Parish Center-downstairs, 7PM St. Nicholas Chorale, Small Hall, 7:15PM WEDNESDAY Finance Council, Conference Room, 9AM Charismatic Prayer Group, Room A, 9:45AM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Knights of Columbus, Parish Center, 6PM Devotions & Benediction, Church, 7PM Hispanic Choir, Room C, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 8PM THURSDAY Faith Alive-Faith Sharing, Room A, 10AM Hispanic Council, Room C, 6:30PM RCIA, Parish Center-Room 201, 7PM St. Nicholas Choir, Small Hall, 7:15PM Teen/Family Choir, Choir Loft, 7:30PM FRIDAY Divine Mercy-St. Faustina Study, Room C, 9:45AM Council of Catholic Women Luncheon, Parish Center, 11:30AM Hispanic Bible Study, Small Hall, 7PM Baptism Preparation—Spanish, Room B, 7PM Baptism Preparation—English, Room C, 7:30PM SATURDAY Hispanic Choir, Room C, 4PM SUNDAY Library is OPEN, Room C, 8:45AM

TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7 We are the clay and you, O LORD, are the potter: we are the work of your hands.

Psalm 80: Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 God is faithful; by God you were called to fellowship with the Son.

Gospel: Mark 13:33-37 Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

We Remember

Frank Mc Quirk who entered his new and eternal life in Christ.

Grant to all our dearly departed, eternal rest, O Lord,

and may your light shine on them forever. The Solemnity of the

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass Schedule is as follows:

Thursday, December 7: Vigil at 4pm (English) 7pm (Spanish)

Friday, December 8: 7am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm (English) 7:30pm (Vietnamese)

PLEASE NOTE

The School of Religious Education and Parish Offices will be closed on Friday, December 8th

in observation of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

School of Religious Education

Check us out on Facebook!

Teen/Family Choir Rehearsal: Choir Rehearsal on Thursdays, Dec. 7th and 21st at 7:30pm in the Choir Loft. We will be singing at the 3:30pm Christmas Pageant and at the 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve. We will also sing at the Saturday, Dec. 30th, 4pm Parish Mass. Teen/Family Choir will be “Christmas Caroling” at local retirement homes on Sunday, Dec. 17. We’ll meet at St. Nicholas at 1pm and carpool to the locations. For more information, call Gwen at 837-7676. We need volunteers to perform in our annual Christmas Eve Pageant—please call the SRE Office, 837-7676, if you are interested in taking part. There are NO speaking parts!

On Dec. 10th, Confirmation & Youth Ministry students will be serving Coffee and Donuts, and our special guest will be Santa Claus! Santa will be here after the 9am and 10:45am Masses.

Join us and discuss how the Bible can help us in our everyday lives. Bible Study on Tuesdays, Dec 5, 12 and 19 from 6pm –7pm in the Youth Ministry room. If you’ve missed a Confirmation I or II class, you may attend one of these to make up for your absence.

SRE Elementary: Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 4—6, in the Parish Center from 4:15pm to 5:30pm.

7th & 8th Grades: Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7pm to 8:30pm, downstairs in the Parish Center.

Confirmation II: Tuesday, Dec. 5, upstairs in the Parish Center, from 7pm to 8:30pm.

Special Events in December…

This week, our patron Saint, St. Nicholas, will be visiting all our Elementary Classes in the afternoon.

Sunday, December 10th, after the 9am and 10:45am Masses, Santa Claus will be visiting at Coffee and Donuts in the Parish Center.

Don’t forget to bring your “Angel Tree Gift,” by Dec. 13th.

Last week of classes for Elementary and Junior High and Confirmation is December 17th. The School of Religion will be closed for the Christmas and New Year’s break the weeks of December 24th and 31st. Classes will resume on January 8, 2018 for Elementary, and January 9th for Junior High and Confirmation.

On Christmas Eve, December 24th, our SRE Students and Youth Ministry will be presenting a Christmas Pageant at 3:30pm in the Church followed by Mass at 4pm.

ADVENT RETREAT FOR ADULTS Look for the Lord; He is near!

Sunday, December 10th, 10am — 3pm 2927 S. Greenville St., Santa Ana. Mass and lunch are included. Freewill offering greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP by December 4th — Space is limited. Call: 714-557-4538 or

Email: RetreatCenter@sacredheartsisters.com Our website: www.sacredheartsisters.com

Some of our more energetic Confirmandi and Leaders on a nature walk at our recent Confirmation Retreat.

Confirmation Students and leaders who were on the recent Retreat wish to thank Fr. Quyen who celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Mass and Adoration with us

on Saturday, November 18th. You made this a memorable Retreat for all of us! God bless you!!

Some of the outstanding Leaders gather at the Retreat.

Save the Date!

The Knights of Columbus will again be sponsoring a FREE bus ride to the 2018 March for Life in LA on Saturday, January 20th, 2018.

All those interested in attending should contact Bill White, KOC, at 949-859-6203, to reserve a seat. The bus will leave the Church parking lot at approximately 9:45am, the morning of January 20th. For more information, see posters available in the Church and Parish Center, or contact Bill White.

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

Wordnet Productions presents: “The Word in the World” — week of Dec. 3rd:

Prodigal Daughters—Pastor Paula Daniels, President, Forgotten Children.

Loving care and empowerment can bring new life to those who’ve had to sell their body.

TCT (Direct TV-377) - now on Sundays, 4am–-record it!! (TCT is on Channel 205 in Laguna Woods Village.)

Or go to www.wordnet.tv—Program Archives, or YouTube: Wordnet Productions Channel.

Come to the Parish Library!

The Library is open on Sundays, 8:45am to 12:45pm, and the last Wednesday of the month, 2pm to 4pm.

Starting January 7th, 2018, the Library will only be open the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month, 8:45am—12:45pm, and we will no longer be open on Wednesday afternoons. We have a cart of free items: rosaries, prayer cards, etc.

The Library is located in Room C, behind the Parish Office.

FOOD BOXES for Senior Citizens over the age of 60.

Community Action Partnership of Orange County is collaborating with St. Nicholas Church

and local churches to provide monthly food boxes for Seniors the second Tuesday of each month.

Following are income guidelines:

Family Size Monthly Income 1 $1,287.00 2 $1,736.00 3 $2,184.00 4 $2,633.00 5 $3,081.00

Distribution of boxes will be on Tuesday, December 12, from 2-4pm, at the Lutheran Church of the Cross

(back parking lot), 24231 El Toro Rd., Laguna Woods.

First Sunday of Advent December 3, 2017

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know

when the time will come.

St. Nicholas Senior Singles We are gathering for lunch on

Friday, December 15th at 12:30pm, at Macaroni Grill, 26641 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo. Reservations required: Call Joan at 949-855-8755.

New members invited and welcomed! “Friendship with the love of God in our hearts.”

The Knights of Columbus & The American Red Cross

invite you to a Community Blood Drive on Thursday, January 18—7:45am to 7:45pm

at St. Nicholas Church in the Parish Center.

To schedule appointments call: Rod: 949-831-0208, Paul: 949-581-5503, Peggy: 949-500-0826 or

Omar: 949-616-8514 Walk-ins are welcome or make

an appointment for faster service!

Bulletin Date Articles Due By

December 24th December 13th

December 31st December 15th

January 7th, 2018 December 20th

Please note early Bulletin deadlines! With holidays and Publisher requirements, articles

for our bulletin have EARLY DEADLINES! Articles submitted after the required “Due Date”

will not be published in the bulletin.

A Prayer For Advent

Let us open our hearts to receive the grace of this Advent season,

which is Christ himself, whom God our Father has revealed

to the entire world. Where God is born, hope is born. Where God is born, peace is born.

And where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war.

God alone can save us and free us from the many forms of evil and selfishness in our midst.

Let us welcome into our lives God’s mercy, which Jesus Christ has bestowed on us,

so that we in turn can show mercy to our brothers and sisters.

In this way, we will make peace grow!

—Pope Francis

HELP WANTED!

More volunteers are needed to help in the cleaning of the Church. We meet the first Tuesday of the month after the 9AM Mass. If you can contribute an hour or two of your time, it would be appreciated!

Our next church cleaning is Tuesday, December 5th.

Call: Phoebe at 949-855-9263 with any questions.

December 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent

The Knights of Columbus...

are hosting a Pancake and Sausage Breakfast TODAY after the 7:30am, 9am and 10:45am Masses.

This is a major fund raising event for the Knights of Columbus and your patronage would be most appreciated.

Come with your family and friends for a delicious breakfast!

The Angel Tree will be up until December 11th.

Our annual Angel Christmas Tree is in the alcove, on the small parking lot side of the

Church, and is decorated with angels that have been colored by our SRE children. On the back of each angel is a label with the description of a child or an adult.

Please purchase an appropriate gift for the person described, and bring it to the Parish Office by Wednesday, December 13th — unwrapped please!

Put the angel on your own tree so that you can remember the person who received your gift in your prayers. Gifts will be distributed to South County Outreach

and other charitable organizations in the county. Thank you for your generosity!

Hispanic Group Events All Parishioners are invited to these Hispanic Group events:

Tuesday, December 12 — Our Lady of Guadalupe: 6am Procession from the Parish Center 6:30am Las Mananitas in the Church 7am Mass in Church 8am Reception in the Parish Center following Mass

Thursday, December 21 — Las Posadas at 6:00pm in the Parish Center.

Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge for the birth of the baby, Jesus.

Area Advent Penance Services

Tuesday, December 5 at 7PM– Santiago de Compostela Wednesday, December 13 at 7PM—St. Kilian

Friday, December 15 at 7PM—San Francisco Solano Wednesday, December 20 at 7PM—St. Nicholas

The Hispanic Group would like to thank St. Nicholas Parishioners for supporting their Tamale Sale. The event was very successful!

LIKE A CHILD One who aspires to the grace of God must be pure, with a heart as innocent as a child’s. —St. Nicholas

THE UNITY GROUP INVITES YOU TO

come worship with your St. Nicholas Family at our semi-annual Eucharistic Adoration.

As an Advent preparation, we will have an evening of Prayer for Unity, Peace and Vocations with a

multi-lingual program presented by the Unity Group on Wednesday, December 6th at 7PM in the Church.

Everyone is welcome to participate in this special Advent Service.