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614 Route 517, Vernon, NJ Mailing Address: P.O. Box 785, McAfee, NJ 07428

Telephone: 973-827-3248 www.stfrancisvernon.org

Fourth Sunday of Advent December 18, 2016

They shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

— Matthew 1:23

Welcome to St. Francis de Sales Parish We extend a warm welcome to all who attend our Church.

We hope you will find our parish community a place where your life of faith will be nourished. Your prayers, your presence, and your talent are most welcome. May God bless all of us.

We Invite You to Celebrate Eucharist: Saturday (Vigil): 5:00 PM Sunday 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM

Morning Mass: Monday through Friday 8:30 AM Saturday (Memorial Mass) 8:30 AM

Holy Days : 7:00 AM 8:30 AM 12:00 PM 7:30 PM

Reconcilia on : Saturday 4:00 ‐ 4:45 PM

Adora on :

First Friday 9:00AM ‐ 9:00PM Subsequent Fridays 9:00AM ‐ 12:00PM

___________________________________________________________________________________

Served By:

Rev. Brian P. Quinn, Pastor Deacon Dennis Gil

Mission Statement As a parish family of St. Francis de Sales Church, we are committed to stewardship as

our way of life. We place God first in all things. Centered in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, we devote ourselves to proclaim the Gospel. We are dedicated to grow as a faith community to holiness through prayer, sacraments and service to all God’s people.

Page Two December 18, 2016

17‐ Saturday 8:30 AM Saturday Memorial Mass 5:00 PM Magdalen Troxel req by Peggy Whitson 18‐ Sunday 8:00 AM Anthony Fusco req by The Family 10:00 AM Peter Finn req by Peggy Whitson 12:00 PM Brian Burke req by The Eberle Family 19 ‐ Monday    8:30 AM Ann Kohu s req by The Grib Family  20 ‐ Tuesday 8:30 AM Stella Kolakowski req by Rosary & Prayer Shawl Ministries

21 ‐ Wednesday          8:30 AM Mass of Inten on for Martha Wetzel req by Sue Supino 22 ‐Thursday       8:30 AM Arthur Maggio req by The Nye Family 23 ‐ Friday 8:30 AM Veronica Cherry, Herb Sandford, & Chuck Franco req by The Franco & Mohn Families

24‐ Saturday Christmas Eve

8:30 AM Saturday Memorial Mass 4:00 PM Alphonse Trapanese req by His Wife 7:00 PM Mary & John Gil req by Deacon Dennis & Madeleine Gil 12:00 PM Ellen Hollar req by St. Francis Staff 25‐ Sunday Christmas Day 8:00 AM Lawrence Gene Beard req Deacon Dennis & Madeleine Gil 10:00 AM Ellen Hollar req by The Avery Family 12:00 PM Catherine & Margaret Ma hews req by The Family

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16- 17; Lk 1:5-25

Tuesday: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-4ab, 5-6; Lk 1:26-38

Wednesday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45

Thursday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46- 56 Friday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14; Lk 1:57-66

Saturday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79

Sunday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14. Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11 -12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14]

Dec 24-25, 2016

Saturday, Dec 24, 2016 CHRISTMAS EVE 4:00PM E1 Ed DeYoung Frank Garrity Joanne Baez E2 Carolyn Kelly Ami Byra Sara Mazzella E3 Janet Redyke C1 Denis Tanguay C2 Janice Tanguay C3 Jen Remington C4 Heather Baez XC Chuck McGill CC Kevin Reed CE Barbara Reed SHE Leila Kirchmer SHC Bob Kirchmer 7:00 PM E1 Janice Gaughan Arleen Hill Kaitlin Tompkins E2 Frank McNulty Jeannie Diemer E3 Allie McLaughlin C1 Deacon Dennis C2 Gen Miller C3 Kelly Leavitt C4 Ann Leavitt 12:00 AM Midnight E1 Cindy Ferrazano Hal Avery Mia Annunziata E2 Mike Molloy Amita Romer Luca Ondris E3 Ed Ferrazano C1 Deacon Dennis C2 Cheryl Avery C3 Joan Stellingwerf C4 Cathy Randazzo XC Matthew Randazzo Sunday, Dec 25, 2016 CHRISTMAS DAY 8:00 AM E1 Claire Schmidt Bob Kusma Olivia Kretschmer E2 Father Brian Bella DeJager E3 Val DeBuck C1 Steven DeBuck C2 Kathy Zayatz 10:00 AM E1 Bob Snow Marie Snow Patrick McCurry E2Bea Harrigan Barbara Andreski Kyle McCurry E3 Marion Geerlof C1 Ann Conte C2 Barbara Thomas C3 Joe Kearns C4 Ken Mahouchick 12:00 AM E1 Joan Gengaro Britt Gaule Danielle Bruce E2 Maureen Carr Jill Marchesani Ryan Carr E3 Chris Gaule C1 Natalie Callahan C2 Luann Lambert C3 Roger Gengaro C4 Allie McLaughlin

December 18, 2016 Page Three

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

STEWARDSHIP OF OUR TREASURE

SATURDAY MEMORIAL MASS The 8:30AM Saturday Mass during the month of December will be offered for the souls of : Loretta Biagini, Clara Borst, Veronica Cherry, Maggie Crow-ley, Frank DeFazio, Catherine & Ed-ward DeYoung, Stephen Fava, Michael McGov-ern, Cyril F. McGranahan, Albert & Marion Sin-forosa, Gail Smith, Jennifer Kirchmer Young

17 ‐ Saturday 9:00‐10:15 AM Rel. Ed.: Mass 11‐12 AA (SCB) Hospitality/ Blood Pressure Screening Mom to Mom Cookie Walk 18 ‐ Sunday Hospitality/ Blood Pressure Screening & Mom to Mom Cookie Walk (A er All Masses) 10:00 AM Children’s Liturgy 11:00 AM Welcome Mee ng (Boland Hall)

19 ‐ Monday 10:00 AM Grace & Divine Virtues 4:30‐6:00 PM Children’s Choir 6:30 PM Circle of Friends

20‐ Tuesday 9:30 AM Rosary Makers / Prayer Shawl 10:00 AM Mom to Mom (Kitchen) 7:30 PM Wisdom & Works of Mercy (SCB)

21‐ Wednesday 7:00 PM Youth Music Ministry

22 ‐ Thursday 9:00AM Vietnam Vets 6:30 PM Circle of Friends (109‐110) 7:30 PM Choir

23 ‐ Friday 7‐8 PM AA (SCB)

24 ‐ Saturday 11‐12 AA (SCB) Christmas Eve

25 ‐ Sunday Christmas Day 26 ‐ Monday Parish Offices Closed.

ONLINE GIVING OPTION

We are pleased to announce that our parish website has the ability to accept donations online. With online giving you can set up a monthly gift or just a one-time donation because you are traveling. The added benefit of course is that if you are using your credit card you can re-ceive points. To make a gift online go to www.stfrancisvernon.org, under the home tab you will find the link for online giving. As always, we thank you for your support of our parish.

LOOK on the back of the bulletin!

We are able to provide the bulletin each week without cost to the parish because of the advertis-ers. Please patronize our Advertiser’s business!

During Advent - The opportunity for individual

confession will be available on:

Monday Evenings:

December 19th

7:00- 8:30 PM

Reconciliation is also available at it’s regularly scheduled time: Saturday’s 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

Stewardship Offering for Dec 11, 2016 $ 12,883.00 Same Sunday Last Year $ 11,911.00  

Thank you to our many envelope users last weekend. For our parishioners who contribute electronically, the next up-coming special collections are:

Christmas Dec 25, 2016 Sunday, Dec 25, 2016 Solemnity of Mary Jan 1, 2017 Sunday January 1, 2017

2016 Diocesan Assessment $75,779.00 Raised to date: $6,587.00 (July 2016- now)

St. Francis de Sales Follow Us!

https://www.facebook.com/StFrancisVernon/

Fr. Angelus Croce Retires After serving the community for many years and being the Chaplain for the Salesian Sisters for over twenty years Fr. Angelus Croce is retiring to Nazareth Village in Chester. A simple reception will take place at Sacred Heart Center from 1:30-3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 8th. Please RSVP by Leaving a message: 201-396-1101 or Email: croceretirement@gmail.com . Please come and wish Fr. Angelus a happy retirement.

GETTING EVEN The only ones you should try to get even with are those who have helped you.

—Anonymous

Page Four December 18, 2016

Please Pray for those who are sick, especially: Anna Aikens, Alexander, Paul Antola Sr., Eddie Becker, Melinda Borst, George Botsco, Brian Braun, Kevin Braun, Marilyn Burnham, Lillian Brunetti, Baby Solly Chait, Kris Chmara, Stanley Chmara, Meg Cleary, Sean Connell, Janiece Contreri, Paul Con-treri, Rosanne Contreri, John Crow, Kelly Cusack, Kelly Della Rosa Laure Di Domeni-co, Raymond Diemer, Baby Evie Dixon,

Robert A. Drogo, George Duerr, Maureen Dunn, Lisa Merck Ed-wing, Lisa Ernst, Edward P. Farrell, Gerald Farrell, Maureen Flan-nery, Peter Ganzer, Joe Garcia, Kim Gaughan, Margaret Guiton, Bob Haley, Bill Hall, Barbara Harsche, Walter Harsche, Gerhard Hartung, Bill Healey, Joanne Healey, Jeanne Heinke, Maria Her-mann, Greg Holowach, Frances Hummel, Andy Jacko, Gary Ko-lalowski, Anne Kolibas, Joseph Kolibas, Lorraine Kuhl, Joe Kunz, Ryan Lambert, Christopher Lehane, Ed Loftus, Janet Macaluso, Carol McDonald, James Mc Donald, Maureen McDonald, Kim McGovern, Marianne Meehan, Maria Megna, Marie Mendez, Brook Minondo, Michael, Devon Parrish, Nadine Porter, Bernice Regan, Silas Rocchio, Harold Rowan, Dominique Scerbak, Judy Scheidel, Lisa Smith, Stephen Smith, Sara Snyder, Alison Walters Soderberg, Denis Tanguay, Sr., Adrienne Teel, Madeline Thall, Todd, Jeff Todd, Norman Trass, Alexander Truong, Brian Walters, Fr. Fred Walters, Patricia Wetterlind, Brenna Whitson, Baby Jaden Williams, Walter Winkler, Anna Wyborski, Emma Marie Wyman

ADULT FAITH FORMATION

FORMED is an exciting program that St. Francis de Sales has subscribed. You will have access to the best CATHOLIC teaching videos, books and audio talks to deepen your relationship with Christ and His Church.

ALL IN ONE PLACE! Go to www.FORMED.org. Scroll to “ Does your Parish already have Formed?” and enter the Parish Code : RX7GDK and then sign in by creating your own login password. (Don’t forget to write it down)

On the Go or Home- Your Faith Connection!

Coming in January: Begins Thursday

Jan 19th A new course: THE APOCRYPHA

Early Christian Writings and Gospels- not included in the Bible. These books were excluded because their au-thorship and authenticity cannot be certified. Most were discovered in the caves at Quman on the West Bank in

Israel (Dead Sea Scrolls) and in archeological find at Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt.

Presenter: Debbie Zweier Please call (973) 229-7996 to sign up.

Classes are Thursday Mornings, 10:00am, Room 209 Adam & Eve, Books of Enoch, the Gospel of the Birth of

Mary, the First Gospel of the Infancy and Childhood of Je-sus, the Gospels of Philip, Thomas, Mary and Judas and

several others.

Christmas Eve Mass, SATURDAY, Dec. 24

4:00 PM Mass - Children’s Choir 7:00 PM Mass Youth Music Ministry 12:00 Midnight- Adult Choir (Carol singing begins at 11:45 PM)

Our 7PM Mass on Christmas Eve will be said for the

intentions of all those servings in the military and their families. We invite anyone who is serving in the armed services and is home for Christmas and those families

whose loved ones are away to join us at this Mass.

Christmas Day Mass, SUNDAY, Dec. 25

8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM

SUMMONED BY GOD

As Christmas draws near, Advent’s scriptures lure us into a world of dreams, signs, wonders, and the miracle of the virgin birth. Too o en we allow the great stories of our faith, the ones that are most familiar, simply to wash over us. Today’s Gospel account of the events leading up to the birth of the Lord reads like a present‐day soap opera. Yet Joseph’s courage, even in the midst of what must have been an incredibly confusing me, provides a model for us. Each week, we are summoned by God to embrace the way of goodness and truth through the proclama on of God’s holy word. Like Joseph, we are called to do as the Lord commands us. As we stand at the threshold of Christmas, let us have the courage to be open to whatev‐er it is that the Lord will require of us as we celebrate the miracle of Bethlehem. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

NOTICE:NEW JERSEY ADOPTION LAW HAS CHANGED Beginning Jan 01, 2017, adoptees and certain relatives will be able to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate without a court order.

The birth certificate will include the names of the birth parents who placed the child for adoption, even though for 40 yrs both State and the Church promised anonymity to the birth parents at the time of the adoption.

The Catholic Church always supported reunions between adoptees and birth parents if such reunions were by mutual consent. For this reason, Catholic Charities agencies continue to assist both birth parents and adoptees seeking reunions. The Catholic Church also supports adoptees having full access to their birth parents medical, cultural, and social history infor-mation.

For more information regarding the changes to NJ’s Adop-tion Law visit the New Jersey Catholic Conference website:

www.njcatholic.org/adoptions

December 11, 2016

Page Five

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ANTIOCH RETREAT ADULT HELP IS NEEDED

Adults are needed to chaperone the overnight portion of our upcoming Antioch Retreat Weekend in Jan. 2017

Arrival time on Saturday, January 14, 2017 is 10:00PM

Departure time on Sunday Morning is 8:00 AM We will provide the coffee!

** Must be compliant with Protecting God’s Children If you are a Nurse or EMT we need you too!

Please contact Melory in Rel. Ed. Office (973) 827-3248 x 249 Or email: melory@stfrancisvernon.org

Thank you for taking a tag off the Giving Tree.

ALL GIFTS are due in this weekend , so they may be distributed to the families,

during the week.

Gluten-Free Communion Hosts

Are you or a family member allergic to gluten? To receive gluten-free Communion

please follow these steps: Arrive 10-15 minutes before Mass and speak to

the priest in the sacristy. You must receive communion from the priest

you spoke with before Mass. When it is your turn to receive; remind the

priest that you spoke with him earlier and re-quire a gluten-free host.

7 & 8 Grade (10 Hours per Year) H.S. (40 Hours in 2 years)

See Melory Weber - Check the Service Board in Hallway

Religious Education Teacher Needed . If you have been blessed with

the gift of Faith. Can you consider sharing that Faith

with others? We have students in need of working in a small group set-ting to understand the basics of our Catholic Faith. These

students that are entering our program out of sequence or have missed some time in the program and need to get

caught up. One or two adults can work with a small group of about 4-5 to help educate them and instill the seeds of our

Catholic Faith. If you can spare about an hour and a half a week, Please contact :Jane Kunzweiler

jane@stfrancisvernon.org (973) 827-3248 x 127

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

By now, the first Christmas carols are heard in the home, but usually not yet in church. What is a “carol” any-way? Originally, a carol was any kind of communal song sung at a festival such as a harvest. By the thirteenth centu-ry or so, carols were associated with household celebra-tions. “Carol” comes from the Old French carula, meaning a circular dance. Carols weren’t for church, since the lan-guage of liturgy was Latin and the carols were in the com-mon language. Their characteristic sound comes from me-dieval chord patterns, and they often have strong refrains for everyone to sing. Even in the churches of the Refor-mation, carols didn’t make it into church services until the 1870s or so, since there was a preference for psalms. Angli-cans resisted popular carols; most of our beloved carols came via the Methodists, an offshoot of the Church of Eng-land. The Catholic Church generally didn’t admit carols to liturgy either, but we didn’t make laws against them. We are told that the beloved carol “Silent Night” comes from Catholic Austria and a harried parish music director. Joseph Mohr, the priest of St. Nicholas in Obern-dorf, had written the words in 1816, but offered them to his music director, Franz Gruber, when the church’s organ broke. Mohr asked him to write a melody that could be played on guitar as a prelude to Mass. Gruber finished the tune just hours before midnight Mass in 1818. The people were shocked to hear a guitar in church, but were charmed by the sweet lullaby. The church was swept away by a flood in the 1990s and the village later relocated, but the townspeople have set up the “Silent Night Memorial Chap-el” at the site. Today the carol is in print in some three hun-dred languages. How wonderful that the pipe organ broke on that night! —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

CHRISTMAS CHILDREN

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas.

-Charles Dickens

Page Six December 18, 2016

Prayers for the Sick and Dying

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is one of the best means of assisting the dying. Jesus revealed the power of this prayer to St. Fausti-na. The Lord gave many promises regarding recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and or dying. There are parishioners who regularly pray the chaplet. We are currently forming a prayer chain and accepting prayer requests. If you are interested in joining the prayer chain, please contact Bea Harrigan at (973) 827-0083. If you have a special prayer request for a loved one who is sick and dying, you may call Bea Har-rigan, Cheryl Avery at (973) 702-1342, or Denise Drogo at (973) 875-6863.

OPEN After ALL MASSES

FREE CLOTHING For men, women and children

The Cl hing Closet Offering free clothing to those in need.

Open: Thursday 10 AM - 1 PM Saturday 10 AM - 1 PM

Located at: 20 Schoolhouse Rd in Pine Island NY Contact us: visionclothingcloset@gmail.com

“Prayer Chalice for Vocations” Each weekend through June, the

Chalice will go home with a family. The Chalice will be displayed in a prominent place in their home to be used as a focus for prayers for Voca-tions throughout the week. The Chal-ice should be returned at the end of week, Saturday by Noon. Great op-portunity for all ages to appreciate and foster the need for Vocations.

Contact the Parish Office to Sign Up

Mom to Mom Annual

Cookie Walk

December 17th & 18th, 2016

THIS WEEKEND -After all Masses

Delicious Homemade Cookies All the work is done!

Christmas Shopping List Rosary for Daddy for when he travels. Cross necklace for Mommy. Christmas statue for Grandma and Grandpa. Children’s books for the little cousins Prayer cubes, lapel pins, cord bracelets “Wow, I can get all of these and more at the

Church’s Gift Shop.”

Come see us. We’d love to serve you.

Merry Christmas wishes! St. Francis Gi Shop

Women’s Retreat January 6 - 8, 2017

Sacred Heart Spirituality Center in

Newton, NJ, is hosting our Women's Weekend Retreat January 6 – 8, 2017.

The theme for this retreat is "Listen to my

Voice." Come and spend some get-away time with Our Lord, lis-ten-ing to Him speak of His

great love for you!

Register now by downloading a registration form at our website

<www.sacredheartspiritualitycenter.org> For further information,

please call : 973-383-2620 or e-mail shretreatcenter@gmail.com

We have a great need for the following staples for our Food Pantry. God bless you for your continued generosity to

those in need.

Canned Soup, Coffee or Tea Hot Chocolate, Cold Cereals, Hot Cereals- Instant and Cooked. Tu-na, Laundry Soap, COMPLETE Pancake Mix, Syrup. Mac &

Cheese, Toilet Paper.