The Epistle Online:  December 3, 2018
  
St. Paul Catholic Parish
St. Paul Church ~ Sacred Heart Church

In This Issue
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Peace and All Good Wishes!

Wishing our entire St. Paul Parish family a blessed Advent and a Christmas filled with peace and joy.

Best wishes from Fr. Joe, Fr. Michael, Fr. Peter, Fr. Raymond,
Deacon Carmen  and the entire parish staff

Advent is a season for wholehearted and joyful expectation,
a season to prepare for Christmas
when Christ's First Coming to us is remembered,
and a season to await Christ's Second Coming at the end of time.
  
'Let every heart prepare Him room'
Joy to the World

Advent 2018
 
  
Our parish celebrated the start of the new liturgical year with the Tree Lighting on Dec. 1st ( see below for photos! ) and a wonderful musical concert on Dec. 2nd.  

Today, the first Monday of Advent, we encourage all of our readers to continue the celebration each day during Advent, to prepare ourselves sp iritually for Christ to come into our lives.

Here are 2 simple ways to get started in preparing your heart for Christmas...

*Sign up for the Best Advent Ever, an amazing email program from Dynamic Catholic.

The title of the series is 'Turning Point'.  " I really do believe that if you commit yourself to this program every day this Advent that this Advent will be a turning point for you, a turning point for something in your life that you want God to come in and transform ..."    - Matthew Kelly

Unsure?   Click here to view the first/introductory video of the program.


*Join us on Monday evenings for Eucharistic Adoration and Confession at St. Paul Church, starting TONIGHT, December 3 from 7-8pm.

There are only three Mondays during Advent this year!  If you can't make it tonight, add a reminder to your calendar to come on   December 10th and 17th.  7-8pm in St. Paul Church.




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Never been to Adoration? You don't need to know specific prayers, know exactly what to say, or spend a lot of time. Just come and be there with Him.  Adoration can simply be time spent in the company of Our Lord.

Bishop Robert Baron commented on Adoration in his  Advent Reflections for December 2nd: 

" As you keep vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, bring to Christ some problem or dilemma that you have been fretting over, and then say: 'Lord, I'm waiting for you to solve this, to show me the way out, the way forward. I've been running, planning, worrying, but now I'm going to let you work.'"

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One more thing on Advent...  this explanation from Fr. Mike Schmidtz might surprise you:


Advent: More Than a Chocolate Calendar
Advent: More Than a Chocolate Calendar


While Advent is not a season of penance, it is not possible to " celebrate the birth of him 'who saves his people from their sins' without some effort to overcome sin in one's own life, while waiting vigilantly for Him who will return at the end of time." www.vatican.va



  
'For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn'
O' Holy Night

Happy New Year 2019!
  

Looking ahead to January and the new calendar year, it's not too early to think about New Year's Resolutions!  Consider making bold changes, start reading the Bible, learn about the saints, take a little time to pray every morning...  these spiritual resolutions can change your life.










A Saint for the New Year - You can use this simple online 'Saint Name Generator' tool to choose a saint at random. Pray to this saint for a particular cause or a special intention, simply to get to know about this new saint and perhaps imitate his/her virtues, or even share the saint's story with your children.  




Start your New Year with this:  

 


Who me? Study the Bible?   Yes !!!  Our Scripture Study Group here at St. Paul Parish will  begin a new study in January, Exploring the Gospel of Luke. The group uses the 'Little Rock Scripture study' as a guide.

Consider joining this welcoming group and get to know the Word of God while building relationships with members of your parish family! M ore information about the Scripture Study will be posted online and in the bulletin in January. In the meantime, if you have questions about scripture study, please contact Mark Chasse at mchasse1@comcast.net or Kathy Pacinda at mpacinda@sbcglobal.net 


Christmas Presents
Christmas Presents


This video will make you smile and to be thankful as you celebrate the holidays and begin the new year!



  
'O tidings of comfort and joy'
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

God Bless Our St. Paul Parish Family  
  

Oplatek?  Many of our Polish parishioners know all about this long-held tradition and for many years our parish has provided Oplatek wafers at Christmastime.   For those who are unfamiliar, here is a humorous yet respectful example of this tradition.
Oplatek are available in the Parish Center as well as at the entrances to the church. (A free will offering can be placed in the baskets.)


Click here to see pictures from our 2nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting on the Parish Green!




Are you or your loved ones traveling for holidays?   Keep in mind this beautiful prayer to Saint Raphael, patron saint of travelers.

PRAYER FOR A SAFE JOURNEY 
St. Raphael, archangel, you protected Tobias as he journeyed to a distant land. How natural, therefore, for us to pray for your powerful help for safe travel and a happy return. This is what we ask for ourselves, as well as for all loved ones who are far from home. Please protect us and all travelers. Spread your loving wings of protection over us and guide us as we journey both near and far from home.~ Amen


Supporting our parish school:  If you'd like to help support Saint Paul School while you get your Christmas shopping done on Amazon, remember to sign in to AmazonSmile and select Saint Paul School as your charity!  You can also support our school by purchasing gift cards after weekend Masses. Keep an eye out for the Gift Card table at the church entrances!
  
'For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home'
No Place Life Home for the Holidays

Our Youth, Winter Break and Football!
  

Congrats to the Berlin High School football team for an amazing season!  Good luck tonight!  We'll be praying for you!!!

We look forward to seeing all of our college students when they come home for Christmas break!

Remember the College Winter Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9th at 6pm!








When The Game Stands Tall - Official Trailer [HD]
When The Game Stands Tall
While the students are home on break, if they didn't get enough football after watching the Redcoats, here are a few inspiring football movies to enjoy!  

These are great sports movies that the entire family can watch together.



  
Name that Christmas Movie!


Just for fun....test your knowledge of Christmas movies with this little Christmas Quiz!



Here are the quotes - name the movie! 
(Hint: the same movies may be the answer for more than one quote.)


  • Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, he thought, means a little bit more.
  • No man is a failure who has friends.
  • Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind.
  • You'll shoot your eye out, kid.
  • Blast this Christmas music. It's joyful and triumphant.
  • I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.
  • Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.
  • Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
  • This place reminds me of Santa's Workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me.
  • Hey, I'm not afraid any more! I said I'm not afraid any more!
  • Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.
  • If we don't fail sometimes, our successes won't mean anything.
  
'Say Hello to Friends You Know and Everyone You Meet'
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Our Staff

This section of the newsletter aims to help you put names with faces and allow everyone in our parish family to get to know each other better.

Christina Norton is our new Religious Education Administrative Assistant. She is also a catechist who co-teaches a seventh grade religious ed class with her husband, John. The Nortons moved to Berlin in July 2015 and enrolled their two sons, Caleb and Luke, into the Berlin public school system. Before moving to Berlin, Christina had homeschooled the boys using a Christian curriculum.

From 2009-2012 the Norton family lived in Nashville where John received ministry training. It was here he felt called to start an urban street ministry, and since returning to Connecticut in 2012 he has been leading Hope Immanuel Mission (HIM), an urban outreach ministry primarily serving homeless "friends" in New Britain.

In 2017 the Nortons came home to the Catholic Church after having been members of a Protestant church for ten years. It was through much thought, prayer, study, and counsel that they found themselves home in the Church with which they have fallen in love. They are grateful reverts who enthusiastically share their faith whenever and wherever they can. Christina is thrilled to be in her new position in the Religious Ed program - she says it combines her love of Jesus and the Church with her love of children and education, and she always looks forward to Monday mornings! We are thrilled to have Christina on board and wish her all the best in her new job!
  
Calendar
 
 
Here's a list of just a few of the events coming up ... 

For a complete schedule of all the great things happening at St. Paul Parish,


Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Vigil Mass December 7th at 5pm.  Mass on December 8th at 7:30am & 9:00am at St. Paul

Mercy Mondays 7-8pm at St. Paul Church
December 3, 10 and 17

Holy Hour Tuesdays 4-5pm at St. Paul Church
December 4, 11, 18
(No Holy Hour on Christmas Day or New Year's Day)

Christmas Masses
Christmas Eve, December 24th
Vigil Mass at 4pm, 6pm and 10pm at St. Paul Church

Christmas Day, December 25th 
Mass at 9am, 10:30am and 12 noon at St. Paul Church
Mass at 9:30am at Sacred Heart

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
New Year's Eve, Monday, December 31st
Vigil Mass at 4pm at St. Paul Church

New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1st
Mass at 8am, 10am and 12 noon at St. Paul Church

The Epistle Online
We hope this newsletter will be a helpful resource for you, providing information about what's  going on in our parish and sharing content on both spiritual and practical matters related to our Catholic faith.  The Epistle  is so named as a tribute to our patron, Saint Paul, whose letters to the earliest Christians still guide and inform us today.
  
As always, w e value you and your opinions. Feel free to share your thoughts with us.
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A Ministry of the Conventual Franciscan Friars,  Our Lady of the Angels Province