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HOLY FAMILY PARISHDON BOSCO CHAPEL
FORTBAAN 79
2900 SCHOTEN
www.holyfamilyantwerp.org
November / December 2019
Years C and A
Sunday Mass 10:30am
Father Francis Peerlinck, Pastor
MESSAGE FROM FATHER: OUR LITURGICAL CALENDER FOR NOV. & DEC.
Dear Parishioners!
– November 1 & 2: “Solemnity of All Saints” and “Commemoration of all the FaithfulDeparted.” The Church celebrates all great Christians, who have actively worked outGod's grace in their daily lives. We also commemorate our dearly beloved, who passedaway in the course of the years. We pray that they may live in eternal peace.
– November 24: The Church celebrates the “Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King ofthe Universe.” The feast was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI and intended to 'restoreall things in Christ.” It is a big feast for all Christian youth movements.
December 1: First Sunday of Advent. A new liturgical year lies ahead of us. We followthe liturgical year A, the evangelist Matthew is our guide through this new Church year.
- December 15: We celebrate our Penitential Service as our preparation to Christmas. Atthe beginning of the Mass we look back on the past months, and see what could beotherwise or better in our life. We feel sorry for our shortcomings, and ask God for hisforgiveness.
- December 22: English Mass.
- December 24: Christmas Eve. We celebrate Jesus ’birth at 5:30 p.m. Children areinvited to come to the sacristy and participate in the procession at the beginning of theMass. We also need two people who represent Mary and Joseph to join the Entranceprocession. All parishioners, their families and friends are heartily invited to celebrateChristmas with us.
“Holy Family Parish” started – 47 years ago – with six American families. The parishwent up and down in the course of the years, and it has become today very smallagain. A “Parish Council meeting” decided that the Christmas Eve Mass would also bethe last mas of “Holy Family Parish.”
We thank all people who, in the course of the years, contributed to the wellbeing of theparish. A special thanks goes to our present president Graeme Stephen for all he’s donefor the Parish in the last years. We thank Olga and Eric for the music and singing overthe years. We thank Rosanne for the monthly Bulletin. We thank Marta for her teachingand preparing the First Holy Communion children. We thank all participants for theirpresence and contribution to the parish. It was a great time to be your Pastor over theyears!
I wish everybody a “Merry Christmas,” a most “Happy New Year,” and all the best inyour marriage and family life of the coming years.Father Francis Peerlinck
PRAYERS AND SPECIAL INTENTIONS
† For parishioners who are separated fromfamily, that they find comfort in the friendsthey have here at Holy Family.
† For families grieving the loss of a loved one.May they find peace and comfort knowingthat God holds them close to Him now.
† For parishioners who are suffering fromserious, ongoing physical problems.
† May we take time to thank God for all his blessings, for our family andfriends, our work and our homes, for all who have blessed us with friendshipand love throughout the years.
† Please pray for all our friends and family who may be fighting a battle withcancer. May God give them strength and courage to go through each daywith a strong spirit and a hope that they will come out a survivor.
† Prayers for all people suffering from the throws of dementia in all forms,for peace of mind for those suffering the diseaseitself and for family, friends and caregivers forstrength, courage, patience and understanding.
† For parishioners, past and present, who are goingthrough difficult times with work, relationships,health and/or life in general. May God wrap themin Peace and Love this Christmas Season andbring them peace and contentment in theknowledge they will get through and be OK.
† For all the members of our parish who aretraveling over the holidays, that they have awonderful holiday and a safe return trip home.
POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
NOVEMBER - Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Near East
That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and reconciliation emerge in the Near East,where diverse religious communities share their lives together.
DECEMBER - The Future of the Very Young
That every country take the measures necessary to prioritize the future of thevery young, especially those who are suffering
SOME AMUSING QUOTATIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ALAN
Don’t worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.(Winston Churchill)
Be just before you’re generous.
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending;and to have the two as close together as possible. (George Burns)
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.
The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he’s too old to goanywhere. (Billy Crystal)
May your troubles be less; may your blessings be more and may nothing buthappiness come through your door.
The only person who never makes a mistake is the person who never doesanything.
The sermons that I like best are those that have more love for one’s neighborsthan indignation against them.
If you are swept off your feet, it’s time you got on your knees.
In prayer, it’s better to have heart without words than words without heart.
Charity is not a bone you give a dog but a bone that you share with a dog.
When they come down from their ivory towers, Idealists are very apt to walkstraight into the gutter.
A ‘cause’ may be inconvenient, but it’s magnificent! It’s like champagne orhigh heels. One must be prepared to suffer for it.
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING
THE ADVENT WREATH is a simple way tohonor Advent. By using the symbolic power ofcandles within the four weeks of Advent, weillustrate that Advent is a time of solemnpreparation, that during this time, we areawaiting the Light of the Word and the Dawningof Hope. Advent is a penitential season, just likeLent. We are called to fast, to pray, and toperform good works to prepare
ourselves for the great Feast of Christmas.
The liturgical color of violet, or purple, symbolizes humility and penitence. This iswhy the candles of the Advent Wreath are purple, with the exception of the thirdcandle, which is rose, or pink. On the Third Sunday of Advent, the 'mood' lifts asthe Church begins to look forward to the Coming of the Christ Child, and thisjoyful waiting is represented by the lighter color of the candle and vestments.
Christ came to bring us Eternal Life. He promisedthat "the gates of Hell would not prevail againstHis Church" and "whatever was bound on Earthwould be bound also in Heaven." This is why weuse a circle of greenery for the Advent Wreath,the circle symbolizes eternity and the greenerysymbolizes new life and our evergreen, evergrowing, ever living faith.
As this will be our last Advent together as a parish, if you would like to participatein the lighting of the wreath one week during Advent buy doing a short readingand lighting the candles, please contact Rosanne so she can organize it.
2019ADVENT May Christ our Savior bring light into the darkness of this world, and tous, as we wait for his coming.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1First Sunday ofAdvent
I will spenda few extraminutes inprayertoday.
2
I will do mywork welltoday andwith joy forGod.
3 St. FrancisXavier
I willsecretly doa kind actforsomeone.
4
I will obeymyparents,myteachers,and othersin chargeof me.
5
I will be kindina special waytosomeone I donotlike much.
6 St. Nicholas
I willdonatelike-newtoys andbooks I’veoutgrownto needyfamilies.
7 St. Ambrose
I will workhard todayand do mybest.
8Second Sunday ofAdvent
I will try toshowspeciallove forsomeonewho seemsunhappy orlonely.
9 ImmaculateConceptionof Mary
I will honorMary in avery specialway todayby beingcheerful.
10
I will keepcalm and notlose mytemper whenI am pushedor treatedrudely.
11
I will dosome workfor myparents tohelp themrest after aday ofwork.
12 Feast of Our
Ladyof
Guadalupe
I will askMary tohelp memake roomfor Jesus inmy heart.
13 St. Lucy
I will eatmore of whatis good forme today andless of whatis not.
14 St. Johnof theCross
I will try to bemorethoughtful ofothers.
15Third Sunday ofAdventI will find aquiet placeand sit for afewminutes, justletting Godlove me.
16
I will notcomplaintoday, even ifI must dothings Ido not want todo.
17
I will tryto bepatienttoday.
18
I will make aspecialeffort to bekind to thoseIfind it hard tolike.
19
I will speakkindly to all Imeet today.
20
I will behelpful athome theselast daysbefore Jesus’birthday.
21 St. PeterCanisius
I will give asmileto all I meettoday.
22Fourth Sunday ofAdvent
I will thankGod for allhe gives tome.
23
I will do whatI can toplease myparents andfamily in aspecial waytoday.
24
I welcomeJesus withgreat love andoffer him allthe good actsI haveperformedand theprayers I havesaid duringAdvent.
25
MERRYCHRISTMAS!
WHO’S DOING WHAT IN NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
LITURGY READERS:
10/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alan17/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Barbara24/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne01/12/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Graeme08/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alan15/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne22/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Barbara24/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Graeme
AFTER MASS TREAT BAKERS:
10/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne17/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marta24/11/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eric & Olga01/12/2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Renée08/12/ 2019:~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Barbara15/12/ 2019:~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Refreshments provided by the Parish22/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne24/12/ 2019: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merry Christmas!
Maybe this is one of the best explanations of the concept of GOD
In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked theother: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The otherreplied, “Why, of course. There has to be somethingafter delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselvesfor what we will be later.” “Nonsense,” said the first.
“There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?” The second said, “Idon’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legsand eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understandnow.”
The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths?Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But theumbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”
The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than itis here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”
The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover, if there is life, then why has no one evercome back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery, there isnothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she willtake care of us.”
The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Motherexists then where is She now?”
The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. Itis in Her that we live. Without Her, this world would not and could not exist.”Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus andlisten, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, callingdown from above.”
– this lovely parable is from Your Sacred Self by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Hello past and present members of Holy Family Parish, Antwerp
A decision has now been made about the future of our parish. The last couple years,attendance at Holy Family has been dropping pretty regularly. The fact that there are notmany ex pats anymore has hurt Holy Family. The English Mass at the cathedral has alsoaffected the attendance at Holy Family.
At our last Parish Council meeting we made the decision to stop.Less than 10 people attending Mass is not enough to warrantFather Peerlinck, who will be 86 in November, to keep making thetrek from Antwerp to Schoten every week. Attending Mass in aclose to empty chapel also, is not very inspirational. Pretty much,the parish council and a handful of others is the extent of theparish. That being said, it’s been decided that Christmas Eve Massthis year will be the last time we will celebrate the Eucharist as aparish. Sunday, December 15th, will be a special Mass ofThanksgiving for the 47 years we were blessed to celebrate as aparish. There will be an extended social gathering after that Mass, with cake, refreshmentsand extra time to socialize. The following Sunday, the last Sunday before Christmas will be anormal Mass with a normal social afterwards. After the Christmas Eve Mass, everyone rushesoff to their own celebrations so there will not be a special gathering. If you will happen to bein the area, and would like to join us for either the Thanksgiving/Celebration Mass and special“party” after on Dec. 15th at 10:30 am or the Christmas Eve Mass, Dec. 24 at 5:30 pm, wewould love to see you.
If you can’t/won’t be able to join us for the Mass before Christmas and you would like to dropa note to Fr. Peerlinck or any one of the council members with your thoughts on this, anycomments about the time you were with us, we would be happy to hear from you. ( All emailaddresses can be found on the back of any bulletin at www.holyfamilyantwerp.org ) Anynotes or emails would be mentioned, like Father has always done with, for instance,Christmas greetings from past parishioners. If you would like to send something to me, I willbe sure to have it read at our Celebration Mass on the 15th of December.
It’s a sad time for Holy Family, but we are thankful to have had 47 years to meet andcelebrate the Eucharist with each other. Many lasting and wonderful friendships have beenforged over these years and for that, we are forever grateful.
May God Bless and keep you all in His love and mercy,
Rosanne
Father Peerlinck email address: [email protected]
A PART OF MY VERY HEART
I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book, and every yearat Christmas time I go and have a look. And that is when I realizethat these names are a part, not of the book they’re written in, butof my very heart.
For each name stands for someone, whose path touched mine andthenLeft such a print of friendship that I wanted to touch again.
And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim, I reallyfeel I am composed of each remembered name
So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine Of names upon aChristmas list forgotten in between. For when I send a Christmas card that isaddressed to you,
It’s because you’re on the list of folks I’m indebted to.
And every year when Christmas comes I realize anew That thehighest gift that life can give, is meeting folks like you. And maythe spirit of Christmas that ever and ever endures,
Leave it’s richest blessings in the hearts of you and yours.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DECEMBER 15TH
Mass on Sunday, December 15th will be a mass ofcelebration and thanksgiving for the 47 years HolyFamily Parish was blessed to celebrate the Eucharisttogether. Over the years many people have come andjoined us each week, became a part of our “family” andthen moved on as their life and/or jobs have deemedso.
After mass we will have an extended social in the small room with cake andrefreshments provided by the parish.
Please plan to join us on this special day.
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OLGA
Dear Parishioners,
December brings us the beautiful liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas. Anonline resource you might be interested in is "Sacred Advent Retreat". Just write itlike that in your search engine online, it belongs to the Loyola Press, a JesuitMinistry.
A nice resource is this Advent Calendar for children. We hope you enjoy ittogether with your children or you can adapt it for yourself. There is also anotherone for adults, but not really printable and you need to go online to use it.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so thateveryone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
John 1:1-16 for further reflection.
We look forward to our Christmas Eve Mass where we will get together to praiseGod and to give Him thanks for the gift of His Son, our Lord and Savior, JesusChrist, our Lord.
God bless you all!
MONTHLY PRAYER CONNECTION
Dear Ladies,
The Int. Christian Women’s Club invites youto the December prayer connection whichwill be held on Tuesday, December 3rd.Place is still to be determined. If you wouldlike to go, you can always call either MarieLouise or Sharmini (phone numbers arelisted below) for information.
You are welcome from 10 o’clock in the morning.
Prayer time starts at 10.30h.
If you are unable to come and have a prayer request please let one of us know.
In Christ,
Sharmini (03-354 01 43)
Marie-Louise (03-605 71 88)
SATURDAY NIGHT MASS IN THE CATHEDRAL IN ANTWERP
Every Saturday evening at 5pm there is a mass said in English inthe Antwerp Cathedral. With the closing of Holy Family Parish, youmight like to attend this English mass and enjoy the beauty of theCathedral.
After mass, as in Holy Family, there is a social gathering in a sideroom of the cathedral where we can come together and meet one
another.
A Doll from Santa By Alice Ferguson
Alice's mother died when she was five years old. Although her nine brother andsisters were loving and caring, they were no replacement for a mother's love.
The year was 1925, and life was hard. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, toldme that her family was too poor to even afford to give her a doll.
In the aftermath of her loss, Alice vowed to care for others. First, her father,then her husband, later her three children and then her grandchildren were themain focus of her life. She felt that she could make up for her sad childhoodthrough her dedication to her own family, but an unfilled void seemed to remain.
In December 1982, I had a job at a local bank. One afternoon, we weredecorating the tree in the bank lobby and singing carols, getting ready for theChristmas season. One of my customers approached me with a sample of herhandiwork: beautiful handmade dolls. She was taking orders for Christmas. Idecided to get one for my daughter, Katie, who was almost five years old. Then Ihad an idea. I asked my customer if she could make me a special doll for mymother - one with gray hair and spectacles: a grandmother doll.
The doll maker felt that this idea was certainly uniqueand took it on as a creative challenge. So I placed myChristmas order: two dolls, one blonde and one gray-haired for Christmas morning!
Things really started to fall into place when a friend hadtold me that his dad - who played Santa Claus at variouscharitable functions in my area - would be willing tomake a visit on Christmas morning to our home to delivermy Katie her presents! Knowing that my parents wouldbe there as well, I began to get ready for what would
turn out to be one of the most memorable days of my mother's life.
Christmas Day arrived and at the planned time, so did Santa Claus. I hadprepared the presents for Santa to deliver, along with one for my mother tuckedinto the bottom of Santa's bag. Katie was surprised and elated that Santa hadcome to see her at her own house, the happiest I had ever seen her in her younglife.
My mother was enjoying watching her granddaughter's reaction to the visit fromthis special guest. As Santa turned to leave he looked once more into his
knapsack and retrieved one more gift. As he asked who Alice was, my mother,taken aback by her name being called, indicated that she in fact was Alice. Santahanded her the gift, which was accompanied by a message card that read:
For Alice:
I was cleaning out my sleigh before my trip this year and came across thispackage that was supposed to be delivered on December 25, 1925. The presentinside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Many apologies forthe lateness of the gift.
Love,
Santa Claus
My mother's reaction was one of the most profound and deeply emotional scenesI have ever witnessed. She couldn't speak but only clasped the doll she hadwaited fifty-seven years to receive as tears of joy coursed down her cheeks. Thatdoll, given by "Santa," made my mother the happiest "child" alive.
Reprinted by permission of Alice Ferguson (c) 1999 from Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul 2 by JackCanfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marci Shimoff and Carol Kline. In order to protect the rights of the copyrightholder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
PARISH COUNCIL 2019
Pastor Fr. Francis Peerlinck .................. 03 232 [email protected]
President Graeme Stephan ....................... 03 366 [email protected]
Vice President
Treasurer
Religious Ed. Marta Krzyskow ........................ [email protected]
Parish Registration Paul Van den Bossche................ 03 322 [email protected]
Bulletin Rosanne Pizzella ...................... 03 322 7753SunshineHospitality Deena van der Steen.................... 0468.47.03.91
[email protected] Rosanne Pizzella ...................... 03 322 7753Advisor Barbara Noels ........................... 03 664 7231
[email protected] EricWouters&OlgaVelez ............. ----------------
Upcoming Events:
December ~~~~ 1st First Sunday of Advent.
15th Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving for 47 yearsof Celebrating the Eucharist together.
24th Christmas Eve service at 17:30 in the chapel
29th No English Mass
