Church of Saint Philip Neri,

Pennsburg

November 30, 2008

Rev. Robert A. Roncase, Pastor Deacon Michael J. Franks, Permanent Deacon Rev. Edmond J. Speitel, Pastor Emeritus Rev. John J. Scarcia, Retired Pastor Rev. Raymond W. Smart, Retired, Resident Shirley Misiak, Office Manager Mark J. Meinzer, Business Manager Catherine E. Faust, Director of Music Patricia A. Schleeweiss, School Principal Jeffrey W. Daley, Director of Religious Education Colleen Daley, Parish Youth Minister Sister Patricia Kelly, M.S.B.T., Parish Outreach Rectory Phone 215.679.9275 Rectory Fax 215.679.0386 School Phone 215.679.7481 Religious Education Phone 215.541.3120 Religious Education Fax 215.541.1398 Parish Social Hall Phone 215.679.8116 Parish Outreach Phone 215.679.2282 Neri Center Phone 215-679-6490 Church & Rectory Address: 1325 Klinerd Road Pennsburg, PA 18073 Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Email Address: spnofc@comcast.net Website Address: www.spnparish.org School Address: 6^th & Washington Streets East Greenville, PA 18041 Hours: 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM Website Address: www.spnelementary.com Religious Education Center Address 565 Main Street East Greenville, PA 18041 Hours: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Neri Center Address 6^th & Washington Streets East Greenville, PA 18041 ROSARY: Prayed every Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass.

SCHEDULE OF MASSES Saturday – Vigil Mass – 5:00 PM Sunday – 7:30, 9:30, 11:00 AM Weekdays – In the Chapel Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 8:00 AM Wednesday – 7:00 PM HOLY DAYS: 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 7:30 PM Eve of Holy Days –5:00 PM CHAPEL OPEN FOR VISITS The Chapel will be opened Monday thru Saturday until 7:00 pm for your visits to the Blessed Sacrament. CONFESSIONS Saturdays: 4:00 – 4:45 PM Eve of Holy Days: 4:15 – 4:45 PM BAPTISMS Celebrated the 2^nd & 3^rd Sundays of each month. Please call the Rectory to schedule. 2^nd Sunday Baptisms are held at the 11:00 AM Mass 3^rd Sunday Baptisms are held at 12:30 PM PRE-JORDAN CLASSES 1^st Monday of every month at 7:30 PM in the Rectory meeting room. MARRIAGES Arrangements should be made at least SIX MONTHS before the date of the wedding. NEW PARISHIONERS Welcome to your new home! Please stop by the rectory between 9:00 am - 3:00 pm to fill out a registration card. We are happy to have you in our parish and want to get to know you. SHUT-INS Please call the Parish Outreach Office. SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING Please call the Rectory. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Every 1^st Friday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM in the church, followed by Benediction. FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS If you wish to have a floral arrangement placed in front of the altar, please call the rectory

OUR PARISH MISSION STATEMENT

WE ARE THE CATHOLIC PARISH COMMUNITY OF ST. PHILIP NERI, ANSWERING CHRIST’S CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH WORD, SACRAMENT AND SERVICE.

WE PROCLAIM GOD’S HOPE AND LOVE TO ALL.

LET US PRAISE CHRIST TOGETHER

Today we begin the preparation for Christmas…Advent. I thought that it would be good for us to meet the true Santa Claus…better than Santa Claus. Meet St. Nicholas the wonder-worker.

The bishop of the early Church-the real person behind the figure of Jolly Old Saint Nick-might not strike you as an obvious choice when it comes to interceding for a desperate case. But Nicholas has long been the most beloved of the “wonder-worker” saints honored by Eastern Christians.

Pretty much everything about Nicholas is a wonder. His legendary generosity and compassion for the poor. The miracles of healing and protection that he worked, sometimes from a distance. Even his bones are wondrous. Ever since his death in the fourth century, they have secreted a liquid that has been associated with many physical and spiritual healings.

Generous Giver. A certain mystery surrounds the life of Nicholas. This is because early biographers, wanting to emphasize his holiness, tended to embellish the facts and the stories people were telling about him. Historians agree, however, that Nicholas was born in the second half of the third century and that sometime in the next century, he became bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor (modern Demre, Turkey).

Myra and nearby Patara, which is considered Nicholas’ birthplace, were travel hubs in the Roman province of Lysia. Since St. Paul stopped at both (Acts 21:1-2, 27:5), I like to think that Nicholas might have been a descendant of his converts from two hundred years before.

Tradition has it that Nicholas was the only child of devout and wealthy parents, both of whom died when he was young. But unlike the rich young man of the gospels, it seems that his wealth didn’t keep him from following Jesus. From very early on, he was known as a generous giver, especially to those in need.

The biographies tell how Nicholas became a monk, visited the Holy Land, and was chosen bishop by divine intervention. Highlighting his devotion to Jesus, they recount his imprisonment and torture during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians.

Miracles of Mercy. One story tells how Nicholas, while sailing to the Holy Land, instantly calmed a violent storm that rose up around Cyprus. Through his prayers, God saved the crew and passengers from shipwreck and healed a sailor who had fallen from the mast.

The best-known incident concerns three young women whose father too poor to support them or to supply the dowry they needed to marry-resolved to sell them into slavery, one by one. Alerted to God, Nicholas met the family’s need by tossing a bag of his own gold through their open windows on three successive nights.

Everyone knows Nicholas. The wonders didn’t cease after Nicholas died on December 6^th, around A.D. 345. Recognizing his holiness, people thronged to Myra to pray at his tomb. The sick were anointed with the liquid secreted by his bones, (called manna), and many healings were reported.

Enter Santa. In the early nineteenth century, a quite different kind of wonder began to unfold in the city of New York. In a development that our ancestors in the faith would have found astonishing, holy Bishop Nicholas was repackaged as a fat, bearded elf in a red suit.

In began in 1809, when the New York Historical Society decided to promote St. Nicholas and to recapture the Christmas traditions of the city’s early Dutch settlers. Those settlers had not, in fact, continued their St. Nicholas traditions in the New World, but this lack was quickly met. That same year, write Washington Irving published a satirical account of New York’s Dutch history. The spoof included descriptions of a jolly, pipe-smoking St. Nicholas who flew over treetops and slid down chimneys to deliver gifts. The fiction quickly became an urban legend. In 1822 came the hugely popular poem by Clement Clarke Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” This gave the bishop his furs, sleigh, and reindeer, along with a date change: “The Night Before Christmas.” Illustrators and commercial artists did the rest. By 1931, a hefty Santa Claus (from Sinterklaas), the Dutch name for St. Nicholas) was advertising Coca-Cola. Today, the whole world recognized Santa. By comparison, not many would recognize the face of St. Nicholas.

Wonders in Bari. But Scientists have been working to discover the “real face of Santa.” The process began in the 1950s, when the Basilica of St. Nicholas, in Bari, was renovated. The saint’s bones were exhumed, and a Vatican commission was established to study them. Anatomy professor Luigi Martino meticulously examined, measured, and x-rayed the bones in the casket. He determined that they all belonged to an older man who stood about five foot six, ate a mainly vegetarian diet, and had a broad forehead, rather large eyes, and somewhat prominent cheekbones. “The condition of certain bones suggested that he had done time in some damp jail,” wrote Dr. Martino. He concluded that his findings were consistent with the life of St. Nicholas. More recently, Francesco Introna, a professor of forensic pathology, used the latest techniques to analyze the data on the skull. His findings revealed a Nicholas with a broken nose-perhaps another souvenir of imprisonment. Facial anthropologist Dr. Caroline Wilkinson then created a computerized, three dimensional reconstruction of this head. Both this model and Dr. Martino’s sketches show similarities to traditional images of Nicholas handed down by iconographers. The 1950s studies also included an examination of the manna. Scientists said the liquid was not easily explainable and determined that it did indeed come from the bones, not from an outside source. Recognized as an authentic relic, the manna is collected every May 9, which marks the “translation” of the bones from Myra to Bari. Orthodox and Catholic join together to celebrate the feast, making it an ecumenical event.

Praise Be Jesus Christ…Now and Forever!

Amen

First Friday – December 5th

Mass in Church at 9:00 am followed by Adoration all day until 7:00 pm evening Prayer and Benediction.

Holy Day of Obligation

Feast of the Immaculate Conception – December 8

This Feast is a Holy Day with the obligation to attend Mass. (Even though it falls on a Monday, this is a holy day that always in the United States is a holy day that always has the obligation to attend Mass). The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is our national Patroness.

Vigil Mass: Sunday evening at 5:00 pm.

Masses on December 8^th (Monday):

8:00 am; 9:30 am; & 7:30 pm

Parish Advent Penance Service

Confessions will be heard on Tuesday, December 16^th in Church at 7:00 pm. Visiting Priests will be here to help with confessions.

Congratulations to Mark Meinzer

Mark, our parish Business Manager, is also preparing to be ordained a Deacon. On Saturday, November 22^nd, Mark received the Ministry of Lector. This is a step on the journey to the diaconate. Congratulations Mark!

CHAPEL OPEN FOR VISITS

Our Chapel is open Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm for visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

2009 MASS BOOK is now open for Mass intentions. Stop by the rectory or call Shirley at the rectory.

Serving at Mass December 7

Extraordinary Ministers Lectors

5:00 pm – Linda Franks Bob Piccone

LaRue Emmell

Priest

Deacon

Trish Dornisch

Lee Johnson

Marci Jaman

Alice Swift

Bob Talbot

Kathryn Talbot

Pat Meinzer

Mark Meinzer

7:30 am – Anna Murphy John Guckin

Gerald Murphy

Priest

Deacon

John McHale

Immaculata Barndt

Wally Varallo

Joan Varallo

Stephan Adelsberger

Christine Adelsberger

Denise Guckin

Pat Scheerbaum

9:30 am – Jack Nash M. Gehringer

Monica Nash

Priest

Priest

Bob Brennan

Eleanor Brennan

11:00 am – Dana Orr D. McCausland

Amanda Charlton

Priest

Priest

Kevin Charlton

Maryanne Charlton

Serving at Mass December 8

Extraordinary Ministers Lectors

The Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

5:00 pm – Mary Souder Pete Frank

John Burke

Priest

Priest

Catherine Cahill

Trish Dornisch

8:00 am – Immaculata Barndt Joe Cassarella

Jim Michels

Priest

LaRue Emmell

Mark Meinzer

Pat Meinzer

9:30 am – Joan Pongia George Kirkwood

Rita Tokarski

Priest

Cecilia Kirkwood

Bob Talbot

Kathryn Talbot

7:30 pm – Rose Anderson M. Gehringer

Mary Ellen Paulk

Priest

Deacon

Dianne Kennedy

Pat Kennedy

Serving at Mass December 14

Extraordinary Ministers Lectors

5:00 pm – Dave Moser Bob Ellis

Trudy Moser

Priest

Priest

Lisa Edleman

Michael Edleman

7:30 am – Mary R. Giambrone John Gilmore

Michael Duka

Priest

Lori Brozena

Michele Martin

Peter D’Amico

9:30 am – Jeff Daley Ed Tryon

Michael Sledgen

Priest

Deacon

Sharon Shaak

Kathy Raubertas

Irene Novelli

Keith Greczyk

Ken Mayer

Marilynn Mayer

Christine Kemp

Lester Kemp

11:00 am – Bob Schwind Donna Tarantino

Barbara Schwind

Priest

Priest

Tony Shellaway

Sandy Shellaway

First Sunday of Advent

November 30, 2008

Monday – December 1

8:00 am – Edward Dobrzynski, (Bruce & Jean Gerhart)

Tuesday – December 2

8:00 am – Millie Seachrist, (Friendly Visitor Ministry)

Wednesday – December 3, Francis Xavier

8:00 am – Joseph Josko, (Emily Bloch)

Thursday – December 4, John of Damascus

8:00 am – Ralph Bolognese, (Stan & Betty Mikanowicz)

Friday – December 5, First Friday

9:00 am – Edward Dobrzynski, (Helen Fogel)

Saturday – December 6

8:00 am – Paula Suh, (Sung & Sun He Suh)

5:00 pm – Michael Sarbocca, (Mark & Pat Meinzer)

Sunday – December 7, Second Sunday of Advent

7:30 am – Stanley Grochowski, (Richard & Barbara Grochowski)

9:30 am – For the living & deceased members of the Parish

11:00 am – A special Intention, (Tony & Noreen Bauer)

5:00 pm – Vigil in Church

FLOWERS/ROSES

The floral arrangement on the center altar is in memory of James & Ruth Hemphill and Richard Hemphill, requested by Rich & Ruth Rodeghiero.

BUILDING MEMORIALS

Give a St. Philip Neri Memorial Gift!

For a donation of $25 or more, there is a beautiful folder recording the gift and donor to be presented to the family. A Mass is offered each month.

In memory of Gordon Heckler, requested by:

Mike & Paulette Macenka

We also have “Living Memorials” for those special occasions in life.

WE INVITE YOUR PRAYERS

For the sick, those in hospitals, nursing homes and also for their caregivers.

Please pray in particular for:

Rev. John J. Scarcia, Frances Cannon, Josh Fromnecht, Bernadette Hanna, Charles Snyder, Mary Ann Bencie, Madeline Eiser, Lori Thorsen, Jake Kriebel, Kate Nellett, Bruce Gerhart, Henry Tarver, Mike Wieder, David Albright, Richard Whitney, Elizabeth Campaglia, Cathy Compos, Jim McCaughn, Natalie McNish, Mary Pondo, Cory Ronayne, Kelly Brogan, Marigo Vanim, Neal Hanke, Steven Gebhardt, Mary Finkbeiner, Peggy Romberger, David & Kim Koch, Baby Tristen Scott, David Leister, Robert Joseph Dreleick, Jennie Virus, Lily Dusza, Jeremy Kircher, Edward Azarovich, Robert Rukstalis, Stanley Piontkowski, Michael O’Leary, Darrell Joslin, Theodore Martin, David Nunan, Mary Ellen Paulk, Ken Ruck, Jack Cahill, Kelly Conolly, Baby Owen Gilbreath, Sue Smith and Bill & Pat Cody.

For those who have died, rant them eternal rest and peace.

Please note: Every first week of the month, the names on our Prayer of the Faithful – Ill, will be removed. Anyone wishing to add a name or have a name removed from the Prayer of the Faithful – Ill, please call the rectory office between 10:00 am – 2:00 pm; or email to: spnofc@comcast.net.

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS

Knights of Columbus – Fr. Leo J. Letterhouse Council #6614 meets every second Sunday of the month in the Council Meeting Room at the rectory. Consider joining us by calling Duke Doherty at: 215-679-0660.

________________________________________________________St. Philip Neri Craft Guild – Meets the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Social Hall Meeting Room from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Note: no meetings in the month of December.

Our next meeting will be: Tuesday, January 6, 2009.

For more information, please call Connie Marks at: 610-287-9829.

________________________________________________________Boy Scouts – Tuesday evenings in parish Hall from 7:00 pm- 8:30 pm. Join our Boy Scouts by calling Mark Walther, 610-754-6541.

Cub Scouts – Thursday evenings in Neri Center, East Greenville.

Join our Cub Scouts by calling Alicia Tryon at: 215-679-4193 or email to: Cubpack591@yahoo.com.

________________________________________________________

CYO Sports – For more information, please contact Kevin Loose, 215-679-5481.

_____________________________________________________

Parish Youth Ministry – For more information, please contact Colleen Daley, 215-541-1716.

SUNDAY COLLECTIONS

Due to our holiday schedule, our Sunday collections will be posted in next week’s Bulletin dated December 7^th.

ACTIVITIES - *BINGO*

Kitchen opens 5:00 pm – Bingo – 6:30pm

Working Thursday – December 4^th

Team #4

All regular games pay $50

FINAL COVER – ALL SPECIAL PAYS: $500

Our Bingo sales numbers will be posted in next week’s bulletin dated December 7^th.

MEETINGS and EVENTS THIS WEEK

Sunday, November 30^th – Children’s Liturgy of the Word – Church – during the 9:30 am Mass.

Sunday, November 30^th – CYO Sports – gym – 12pm-8pm

Sunday, November 30^th – Parish Advent Prayer Celebration in Church at 7:00 pm

Sunday, November 30^th – Men’s 30 & over basketball – 8pm

Monday, December 1^st – CYO Sports in gym – 5-10 pm

Monday, December 1^st – Pre-Jordan Baptismal Class – rectory – 7:30 pm

Monday, December 1^st – Eucharistic Ministers Meeting (For new Eucharistic Ministers – Church – 7:00 pm)

Monday, December 1^st – Pre-Jordan Baptismal Class – rectory – 7:30 pm

Tuesday, December 2^nd – SPN Craft Guild – gym – 1:00 pm

Tuesday, December 2^nd – CYO Sports – gym – 5-10 pm

Tuesday, December 2^nd – Cantor & Choir practice – Church – 6:30 pm

Tuesday, December 2^nd – Boy Scouts – gym – 7:00 pm

Tuesday, December 2^nd – Little Flowers Girls Club – Neri Center – 6:30 pm

Wednesday, December 3^rd – CYO Sports – gym – 5-9 pm

Wednesday, December 3^rd – PREP (Religious Education) school – 6:00 pm

Wednesday, December 3^rd – ALPHA – gym – 6:30 pm

Wednesday, December 3^rd – Charismatic Prayer Meeting – Chapel – 7:30 pm

Thursday, December 4^th – Bingo – gym – 6:30 pm

Thursday, December 4^th – Cub Pack Den Meeting – Neri Center – 6:30 pm

Thursday, December 4^th – RCIA – rectory – 7:00 pm

Friday, December 5^th – 1^st Friday Mass – Church – 9:00 am – Adoration all day until 7:00 pm Benediction.

Friday, December 5^th – No School – (Teacher In-Service Day)

Friday, December 5^th – CYO Sports – gym – 5-10 pm

Saturday, December 6^th – CYO Sports – gym – 8am-8pm

Sunday, December 7^th – Little Church – gym – 9:30 am

Sunday, December 7^th – Children’s Liturgy of the Word – Church during the 9:30 am Mass

Sunday, December 7^th – CYO Sports – gym – 12pm-8pm

Sunday, December 7^th – Holy Day Vigil Mass – Church – 5pm

Sunday, December 7^th – Youth Ministry – gym – 5pm-8pm

Sunday, December 7^th – Men’s 30 & over Basketball – 8pm

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Christmas Concert – “John McNally” – Saturday, December 6^th – Church – 7:00 pm

Hometown Christmas – Sunday, December 7^th – Neri Center – 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Breakfast w/Santa – Sunday, December 14^th – gym – 7:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Parish Penance Service (Confessions) – Tuesday, December 16^th – in Church at 7:00 pm

THE EDGE

It is the youth leader’s prayer that each and every tween/teen build a closer relationship to Christ and His Church.

For more information, please call Mrs. Daley at: 215-541-1716 or email: prolifer53@comcast.net

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

PREP SCHEDULE:

December 3 – class

December 10 – class

December 17 – PREP Mass/Social in Hall – 7pm

December 24 – no class

December 31 – no class

January 7 – classes resume – Happy New Year

January 14 – class

January 21 – class

January 28 – class

February 4 – class &

First Communion Parent Meeting – 6:10 pm – Mandatory Meeting

February 11 – class

First Communion Parent Meeting – 6:10 pm – Mandatory Meeting (SNOW DATE)

February 18 – class

February 25 – Ash Wednesday –no class

February 27 – Stations of the Cross – 7:00 pm

March 4 – class

March 11 – class

March 16 – First Penance Prayer Service – in Church at 7:00 pm

March 18 – class

March 25 – NO CLASS – Parish Mission – Church

March 31 – First Communion Retreat – Social Hall/Church

PARISH NEWS

FROM THE PARISH OUTREACH OFFICE:

ELIZABETH MINISTRY NEWS

Can you remember when a brief conversation with your mom, sister or friend left you feeling energized and encouraged? The support of women for women is essential during the childbearing years – we all want to know that someone else understands our joys and sorrows and that someone does care. The Elizabeth Ministry at St. Philip Neri Parish reaches out to women in our parish to celebrate the expectancy, birth or adoption of a child, to console and comfort a woman experiencing the frustration of infertility, the pain of miscarriage or child death and even the confusion of raising a child with special needs. In following the example of our Blessed Mother as she visited the expecting St. Elizabeth, we want to sincerely love and support women in their time of need and happiness.

If you would like to serve other women in our parish or if you know someone who could use an understanding friend, please contact LaRue Emmell: 215-679-3086.

FRIENDLY VISITORS MINISTRY

Are you recently retired? Is God calling you to serve someone in need? “As long as you did it for the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” Friendly Visiting is the ministry for you!

There are only two things required:

1.) a short orientation program,

2.) a willingness to listen.

If you can serve God’s people as a Friendly Visitor, please call the Parish Outreach Office at: 215-679-2282. Leave your name and number. (speak slowly)

Won’t you consider joining us as we serve our parishioners who are in need of a friend?

H.O.P.E.

Do you need a FREE ride to appointments, store, bank, phone assurance, light housekeeping? Volunteers are willing to respond to these needs.

Please call H.O.P.E. Outreach Office at 215-679-2282 or Kathy & Bob Talbot: 215-541-0250.

HOSPITAL VISITS

Please call the rectory to request a visit when you or a family member is hospitalized. Due to the Privacy Act, a request to have a priest or the hospital minister visit and/or bring Holy Communion can be made only by you or a family member.

CHARISMATIC PRAYER GROUP

Every Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the Chapel following the 7:00 pm Mass.

Come to grow closer to God and experience the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer, praise, song, scripture reading, teaching, witnessing, and use of the charisms. Discover the love of God in a more profound way. Call Rich Grochowski at: 610-323-1127 for more information.

LITTLE FLOWER GIRLS CLUB

Little Flowers Girls’ Club is a catholic program for girl’s ages 5-10 based on learning catholic virtues through the lives of catholic saints, scripture, and the catechism of the Catholic Church. The club strives to bring the catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic catholic women. The Little Flowers meet at the Neri Center, East Greenville, on the First Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. The schedule will be as follows:

December 2^nd January 6^th, February 3^rd, March 3^rd, April 7^th, May 5^th & June 2^nd.

If you are interested in this club, please call Dana Orr at 215-679-8223; or: DANA@GOODNEWS4HEALTH.NET or check the website: WWW.ECCEHOMOPRESS.COM

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER – HELP NEEDED

World Day of Prayer will be celebrated on Sunday, March 8, 2009, at 3:00 pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Planning for this women’s sponsored Event will begin soon.

If any women from St. Philip Neri would be interested in the planning of this Ecumenical Event, please call Shirley at the rectory.

THE GIVING TREE IS HERE!

The “Giving Tree” has been set up in the Sanctuary of the Church.

If you wish to participate, take a tag from the tree, purchase the item described, wrap the gift if you desire, affix tag, and return it as soon as possible. All gifts should be returned by Sunday, December 14^th. Any gift not returned by December 14^th, can be dropped off at the Social Hall on Monday, December 22^nd from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The gifts will benefit Birthright in Pottstown, St. Mary’s Franciscan Shelter and Catholic Social Services.

For more information, contact Eileen or Pat at: 215-234-0124.

Sponsored by the SPN Respect Life Committee

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES – GIVING TREE TAGS

The Giving Tree is Here! – Catholic Social Services

If you choose to take a tag marked Catholic Social Services (C.S.S.), it will be for a specific needy family. Those gifts MUST BE RETURNED by December 14, 2008 or they WILL NOT BE USED! Anything coming in after December 14^th will be put in storage until next year! Please notice how different this is from the other tags. Catholic Social Services has to have the gifts ON OR BEFORE December 14^th. We distribute on December 18^th, but no one will be here to collect any late gifts after December 14^th.

MUSIC MINISTRY

Can you help?

November 30^th begins the first week of Advent and is the first Sunday of our new Liturgical Year. Commit to a more active role in the Music Ministry of St. Philip Neri as your New Year’s resolution. With more musicians, cantors and choir members, there are so many more options to enhance our liturgies with music. We would like to form a day choir to sing at Lenten mid-day Masses and funerals, a bell chime choir, a contemporary group, an acappella group and some musical ensembles to enrich our worship. The music program is very flexible; some of our current cantors and musicians are only able to serve the community with their talents once or twice a month. But even that is a significant and appreciated contribution.

Contact the music ministry on the music notes link (www.spnparish.org) (parish website), download a musician’s information form, email it back, drop in collection basket or call the rectory with contact information. God gave us all special talents – let yours shine for all to hear!

Advent Celebrations happening in the Parish

Saturday, December 6^th – A Christmas Concert in Church at 7:30 pm; John McNally an Irish tenor. Tickets can be purchased at rectory or at the door.

Sunday, December 7^th – Hometown Christmas downtown. St. Philip Neri will be participating. Our Neri Center will be open – Christmas caroling, crafts for the children, free cookies and hot cocoa and a live Nativity.

Sunday, December 14^th – Breakfast with Santa in our gym from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm.

At every Sunday Mass, a family or organization is invited to light the Advent Wreath in Church. The sign-up poster is in the Church vestibule.

Anointing of the Sick and Elderly

Anointing of the sick and elderly will take place at all the Masses on the weekend of December 13/14.

Adult Altar Servers

We will be putting together a practice for any interested adult who would like to serve funerals and holy day Masses where student altar servers are not available.

If you are interested, please call the rectory and leave your name and phone number and Deacon Mike will contact you.

We welcome men and women, husband and wife teams and teams of friends who would like to serve together. We will discuss scheduling at the practice.

Please call this week so we can get started as soon as possible. Practice has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 7:30 pm in the Church.

FREE THROW CONTEST

St. Philip Neri Social Hall

Monday – January 19, 2009

Registrations begin at 6:30 pm.

This contest is for boys and girls ages ten (10) years old thru fourteen (14) years old.

Questions? Call Bernie at: 215-679-8275.

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus

St. Philip Neri Christmas Concert

with John McNally

Saint Philip Neri Parish is pleased to present a Christmas Concert featuring John McNally on Saturday, December 6^th at 7:30 pm in the church. Tickets are $15 and children 10 and under are free. For tickets you may contact the rectory at 215-679-9275 or call committee members at 215-541-1048, 610-754-7185 or 215-679-3086.

PRE-CANA WORKSHOP

The St. Philip Neri Pre-Cana Team will be offering a Workshop for couples preparing to marry in 2009.

The Workshop dates are all Monday evenings on:

January 12, 2009

January 26, 2009

February 2, 2009

February 9, 2009 &

February 16, 2009.

You are required to attend all five (5) evenings to complete the Workshop.

Please call the rectory to register for this Pre-Cana Workshop.

Parish Bulletin Transmission Schedule

Announcements for the December 21^st bulletin must be submitted to Shirley by Thursday, December 11^th. No exceptions will be made.

Announcements for the December 28^th bulletin must be submitted to Shirley by Wednesday, December 17^th. No exceptions will be made.

Announcements for the January 4^th bulletin must be submitted to Shirley by Friday, December 19^th. No exceptions will be made.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS

Office of the Cardinal

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus be with you!

The simple admonition of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Advent is both sobering and, at the same time, hopeful: “What I say to you, I say to all: “Watch!”

(Mark 13:37)

The words of Jesus call us to a greater fidelity as we await his return in glory to be the judge of the living and dead. These words proclaimed to us during the holy season of Advent also point us to the celebration of His birth and to the reality that He is continually brought to birth in the hearts of all those who believe in Him.

As we strive to be faithful to the command of the Lord and to be vigilant, we are aware of those things which can distract us and keep us from fulfilling His will in our lives. I encourage you to use these days of prayerful preparation to deepen your love for the Lord Jesus and to make an ever greater offering of your hearts to him so that they might be purified of all that prevents us from living in joy as his disciple.

Sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Justin Rigali

Office of the Cardinal

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Annual Retirement Fund for Religious Collection, now in its twenty-first year, continues to be one of the most successful appeals in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. Many religious institutes and societies of apostolic life received much needed support through your generosity in sharing with them the responsibility of caring for their retired members.

On behalf of the Christian faithful, our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has thanked God for the precious service which is and has been rendered to the Church by men and women religious. In doing so, His Holiness has also expressed his prayerful remembrance of all “the brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or in difficulty” {Message on the Occasion of the XII World Day for Consecrated Life, February 2, 2008).

Consecrated life in the Church is directed to the contemplation of things divine and to constant union with God in prayer. Though consecrated persons serve in many apostolates of human formation, service to the poor, education and health care, their essential contribution depends more on who they are than on what they do, even though their achievements are enormous.

As part of your support of our men and women religious, I ask you for your characteristically generous response to the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection, which is scheduled for December 6-7, 2008. In addition to your financial assistance, I ask for your continued prayers for all our retired religious priests, sisters, brothers, and for those who selflessly care for them.

Assuring you of my deep gratitude, I remain

Sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Justin Rigali

Next weekend we welcome Sister Barbara Bradley who will speak at all weekend Masses on Retirement Fund for Religious Collection.

This second collection will be taken after Communion and after Sister’s speaking.

Religious Classes at St. Charles Seminary

Take a class at St. Charles Seminary! The Religious Studies Division announces its Spring 2009 course schedule. Registrations for the Catechetical Institute non-credit adult catechesis classes, undergraduate courses, and applications for the Master of Arts program are now being accepted.

To register go to www.scs.edu and click on Religious Studies – Register for classes. Spring semester begins January 20^th.

AREA NEWS

RETROUVAILLE OF DELAWARE VALLEY

Marriage Help – Retrouvaille is a Catholic based program to help marriages that are stressed or in trouble. Retrouvaille has helped countless married couples in all stages of disillusionment or misery in their marriage.

Retrouvaille can help your marriage, too. The next Program will be held at St. Joseph in the Hills Malvern Retreat Center – Malvern – February 13^th thru February 15^th. All calls are confidential.

For more information:

Call: 1-800-470-2230, 302-832-8044 or visit the website at www.HelpOurMarriage.com.

DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP

Dayspring Counseling Center, a program of Penn Foundation, is now offering a Depression Support Group for those individuals who either struggle with depression themselves or have a family member who struggles with depression. This is not a therapy group, but a support group. The cost is free. The Depression Support Group will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Dayspring Counseling Center beginning Wednesday, December 3^rd.

If interested in participating of if you have any questions, please call Donna Massey at 215-257-6551 at ext. 345.

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow—a day at a time.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

First Sunday of Advent

Wake-up call

At a time when people are setting up manger scenes to depict the scene of the infant Jesus’ birth, it seems strange to look ahead—as this Sunday’s gospel does—to the return of a very adult Lord Jesus to gather his people at the end of time. “Keep awake,” he told the disciples, “for you do not know when the master of the house will come.” While these two pictures look very different, what connects them is watchfulness. Advent is the season of our long wait for the coming of Christ at Christmas. And as followers of the risen Lord, we wait for Jesus to come again in the last days. Watch for him; he will come.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

“You are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Monday, December 1

Advent weekday

School’s out forever

In the satirical movie Lord of War, Nicholas Cage is the dark lord who gleefully sponsors—and profits from—violence the world over. While certain industries do make a grim profit on war, most of us hope fervently for the day when no one learns the art of war anymore, as Isaiah beautifully puts it. How do we close the school of war? We begin by closing the door to the impulse for retaliation when someone does us wrong. When it comes to violence, school’s out forever only when we learn the rare art of forgiveness.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 2:1-5;

Matthew 8:5-11

“Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Tuesday, December 2

Advent weekday

Our life in Christmas cards

’Tis the season when scenes of peace and serenity start arriving in our mailboxes daily. Every Christmas card is a bid for a more hopeful world. A star shines against the darkness of a fearful nation. A child is born into a culture sadly given over to ways of death and destruction. Wild animals learn to live together as people never do. Even Saint Nick, sliding down the chimney, brings gifts through a spirit of generosity as wide as his belly. This year let’s bring those Christmas cards to life in us!

Today’s readings: Isaiah 11:1-10;

Luke 10:21-24

“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid.”

Wednesday, December 3

Advent weekday

Let there be abundant peace

The Book of Isaiah promises abundance for nations that live in peace. With the U.S. engaged in two long-running wars, we do well to ask: What is the economic outcome of not being at peace? Columbia University economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the ultimate price tag for the war in Iraq alone will reach $3 trillion or higher, when factors such as the cost of health care for disabled veterans, surging oil prices, and the economic impact on families who have lost breadwinners are considered. Let us pray this Advent for the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a;

Matthew 15:29-37

“He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.”

Thursday, December 4

Feast of John of Damascus, priest, doctor of the church

Imagine a nation that is just

It’s very hard to get somewhere if you don’t know where it is you’re going. It’s true not only in travel but in the larger destination of life goals as well. For many, contemplation of religious images helps to focus on the inward journey toward holiness. Such images can even aid in establishing relationships with a spiritual guide in the person of the saint. John of Damascus championed the use of images to ignite the religious imagination. This season let’s imagine together what a just nation should look like.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 26:1-6;

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

“Open up the gates, so that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.”

Friday, December 5

Advent weekday

To see thee more clearly

At First Sight is a movie that tells the true story of a blind man who, at the urging of a friend, undergoes experimental surgery to restore his sight. The operation is successful; his retina works and he can see. Or at least his eyes function. But he finds he must still finger objects to “know” what they are. He can “see” a cheese grater, for example, but he doesn’t know what it is until he has felt it with his hands. Seeing is a function of light striking the retina, but it takes the mind to interpret what we are looking at. Sight is one thing; understanding what we see is another. Do you understand what you see?

Today’s readings: Isaiah 29:17-24;

Matthew 9:27-31

“Out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.”

Saturday, December 6

Feast of Nicholas, bishop

The path of generosity

On St. Nicholas Day this year let’s consider not what goes into those stockings “hung by the chimney with care” but the socks themselves. Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in Ode to My Socks celebrates a gift of hand-knit socks and the love that produced them. He receives the gift in a way that any true gift-giver wants: He uses the gift. His ode concludes: “I stretched out my feet and pulled on / the magnificent socks and then my shoes. / The moral of my ode is this: / beauty is twice beauty / and what is good is doubly good / when it is a matter of two socks / made of wool in winter.” Even as we hope that our family and friends will accept, use, and find joy in the tokens we give to bless and warm the body and spirit this season, so also God desires that we will accept and use the gift God gives us in the Christ.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

“You received without payment; give without payment.”