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Words and actions shape our identity
Through ours words and actions we truly show who we are. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, has always been seen as the fulfillment of God's Promises, thus has revealed to all na-tions God's hidden essence. John the Baptist appeared to the people as a steadfast testi-mony to the light, and he knew that his words and actions only made him a forerunner of one even greater than him. Even though what he did and said seemed to make man-ifest messianic signs, he humbled himself by denying that he was the Messiah, Elisha or the Prophet. The point is that John the Baptist outwardly manifested who he was in relation to the ONE who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. When our words are en-dorsed by our actions, ours is a life of credibility and reliability. Like John the Baptist, we are to prepare the way of the Lord by doing what we say and believe as we ap-proach the coming of the Emmanuel.
DECEMBER 17, 2017 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Facility Reservations Calendar Please confirm events at www.olaparish.net
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 Quinceañera—Rodriguez 11:30am, Church Baptism—Whitmore 1:00pm, Church Quinceañera—Alicia Jimenez 2:00pm, Church Aurelio Cordero Funeral Reception 3:30pm, St. John’s Hall Birthday Party OLA 8th Grader, 5:30pm, Parish Hall SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 Open Gym—OLA Basketball 7:30am, Parish Hall Giving Tree 9:00am, St. John’s Hall MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 Christmas Program Practice 9:00am, Church OLA Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Christian Meditation 4:00pm, Church Pastoral Council Meeting 6:30pm, St. Paul’s Room Advent Reconciliation Service 6:30pm, Church Neocatechumenal Group 7:30pm, School Mtg. Rm. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19 Christmas Program Practice 9:00am, Church OLA Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Young Rembrandts Art Prgm. 3:05pm, Schl. Mtg. Rm. Christmas Program 5:00pm, Church WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 Legion of Mary Meeting 8:45am, St. Paul’s Room Christmas Program 8:45am, Church OLA Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Music Ministry Rehearsal 7:00pm, Church Neocatechumenal Group 7:30pm, St. John’s Hall THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 OLA Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall Pack Meeting 6:30pm, St. John’s Hall Advent Prayer Service 7:00pm, Church FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 OLA Basketball Practice 3:00pm, Parish Hall SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 Children’s Choir Concert 6:00pm, Church
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 5:00pm Fred & Lizz Baca † Baca Family SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17
8:00am Jo Chilelli † Ricci Family 9:30am Robert Srabian † Kuzmich Family 11:00am Flo Tupa † Pat & Jerry Laumer 7:30pm OLA Parishioners MONDAY, DECEMBER 18
8:00am John Mc Daniel † Mary Lou & Deborah TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19 8:00am Souls in Purgatory Anonymous WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 8:00am Genevieve & Giselle Janice & William Leighton-Arrmah— in Leighton-Arrmah thanksgiving THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 St. Peter Canisius 8:00am Mrs. Kick † Campos Family FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 8:00am John Fuoco † Mary Jane Fuoco SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 St. John of Kanty 5:00pm Al & Donna Roehr † Litchfield/Stacy Tom Stacy † Family
Mass Intentions To request a Mass, please call the Parish
Hearing Assist Devices Available
Please ask an Usher for assistance.
CHRISTMAS MASSES SCHEDULE
This year the 4th Week of Advent is as short as it can possibly be!
Masses for the 4th Sunday of Advent will be Saturday, December 23rd, at 5:00pm and Sunday, December 24th, at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am. THERE WILL NOT BE AN EVEN-ING SUNDAY MASS!
Christmas Masses begin with the Family Mass on Sunday, December 24th, at 4:00pm followed by 6:00pm Mass. On Monday, December 25th, we will begin with Midnight Mass, followed by 9:00am and 11:00am. THERE IS NO 8:00AM MASS!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Support OLA Via Amazon Smile
The Amazon Foundation contributes half a percent of your total purchases to our Parish.
Just shop via OLA Parish’s Amazon Smile portal: smile.amazon.com/ch/45-3954215.
Remember this doesn’t cost you anything!
We appreciate your support!
ESTATE PLANNING
A legacy gift to Our Lady of the Assumption is one of the most rewarding and far-reaching investments you can make. Our Lady of the Assumption takes the trust you place in us seriously. We are grateful to those who have included us in their plan for the dis-
tribution of their assets after death. We pray that you will keep Our La-dy of the Assumption Parish and/or School in mind. We invite you to contact the Parish Office if you wish to learn more about how you can
include us in your estate planning.
STEWARDSHIP
IS 61: 1-2A, 10-11; LK: 1: 46-50, 53-54; 1 THES 5: 16-24; JN 1: 6-8, 19-28
A key facet of stewardship has always been personal witness. Today’s readings deal in large part with the witness of John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist, according to historians, was a few months older than Jesus. It is also generally accepted that he began preaching about six months before Jesus came to him to be baptized and to begin His ministry.
St. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. John the Baptist, through personal witness, raised a great sense of expectancy and excitement, the kind of expectancy and excitement that we associate with this season of Advent. John tries to awaken in people a consciousness of sin, the importance of conversion and change, and the need to become more holy in God’s eyes.
Those are the same goals we should have during this Advent season. The matter of witness is a serious and important thing. It establishes truth and a solid foundation for faith. When we personally witness, it means we make a commitment. We cannot be neutral when it comes to our faith. We are called to be disciples, witnesses of and for Christ. We best accomplish that by the ways we live our own lives and how we relate to and treat others.
Jesus can meet our every need. Now is the time for us to accept that and to place our total trust in Him. We can do that best by making our own commitment to be His disciple, a witness to Who He is and what He means to us and all people.
WE SHARE
Earlier this year Liturgical Publications (LPi) bought ParishPay and began to tran-sition ParishPay into their We Share Service. If you use
electronic giving, we ask that you validate your ac-count. You can go to the link below. If you don't, check it out with this link: https://olaparish.churchgiving.com. If you are a current user, go to ParishPay and com-plete the transition process to WeShare.
INVITATION TO HELP CARMICHAEL’S HOMELESS “THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I.”
Between 150 – 300 fellow residents are homeless in Carmichael. Many of them were born and raised in our area, but have fallen on hard times. Our Lady of the Assumption does much to help the poor and those in material need. Yet, homelessness remains a formidable challenge. With the support of Father Eduino, the Pastoral Council, and the Strategic Planning Committee, Our Lady of the Assumption parish has offered to assist St. John by staffing their Winter Sanctuary for fourteen hours, from 4:30 PM Wednesday January 3rd through 6:30 AM Thursday, January 4th. St. John will host 20-25 guests that have been screened and bussed to their church. OLA will need a minimum of 20 volunteers to sign up for various shifts. We will need additional volunteers to cook a simple dinner and pack a light breakfast, as the guests leave in the morning. If you are interested in volunteering to help OLA help the homeless, please contact Juan Yñiguez ([email protected] or 916.207.9512). This is also a good opportunity for our parish ministries to volunteer. Teens are welcome to participate, but they must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. Please feel free to learn more about Carmichael HART (https://carmichaelhart.org).
OFFERING
Week of December 10 - December 9
Weekend Offertory: $ 10,024.57
Electronic Giving: $ 5,950.33
Total: $ 15,974.90
Average Weekly Budget Amount: $ 12,500.00
A request from our counters: they are asking that you please, please write the amount of your donation on your envelope. This would not only save them a great deal of time, but it will help us record your contribution correct-ly too. Thank you!
● ● ●
“The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is
far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.”
~Anonymous
● ● ●
WISDOM OF THE DAY
OLA Youth Groups
Wednesdays (Grades 7 - 8) 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Tuesdays (Grades 9 - 12) 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Meetings are held in Seton Hall.
For more information about Youth Groups, please
contact Johann Rubia-Miller at 481-5115 or
Email: [email protected]
Dinner and Mass Fellowship Night
Every 3rd Sunday of the month come and break bread in the youth room, attend Mass together, and experience our faith through prayers and worship. There will be a light dinner in the youth room from 6:30pm to 7:15pm followed by attendance at the 7:30pm Mass. Help to participate in the Mass by greeting, ushering, bringing up the gifts, and reading. This evening is for youth in grades 7-12. RSVP is not required.
Information and/or questions, contact: OLA Youth Minister, Johann Miller at (916) 481– 5115
OLA Youth Choir and Music Ensemble for
Advent and Christmas
All parish and OLA school children (grades 3-12) are invited to participate! Singers and instrumentalists welcome. We will be serving at the 9:30 am Mass for the Sec-ond Sunday of Advent (December 10) and at the 4:00 pm Christmas Eve Mass.
Practices are from 6:00-6:55 on
most Wednesday evenings be-
ginning November 8th through
December 20th. (No rehearsal the Wednesday before
Thanksgiving, 11/22.)
Please contact our Music Director, Casey Oliver,
with any questions at 481-5115
OLA SCHOOL NEWS
Note From Our Principal As Catholics, we love to celebrate. This is especially true here at beauti-ful OLA. Please join me in remem-brance (and celebration!) of Advent and the enormous celebratory spirit of Catholicism. In fact, celebration is a genius and fundamental orientation throughout our faith. We celebrate: Birth, earthly and eternal life with
baptism and burial Communion with God and community with the Mass All beloved Sacraments Love and marriage Children and education! Service of God's people with Holy Orders and Vo-cations Changing of the seasons with the richness of the Church's calendar Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and other Holy Seasons and Days Excellence by honoring saints and heroes of our faith Pilgrimage - our common journey and our own in-dividual journeys Truth, beauty, and goodness by seeking them out wherever they are found and honoring them in our everyday lives Salvation! Grateful blessings on our work, and on each other!
~Nicole Grant
OLA INFORMATION NIGHT JANUARY 10, 2018
Please attend to learn more about our school pro-gram from our Principal, Ms. Nicole Grant, and members of our faculty at 7:00 p.m. in St. John’s Hall located off Walnut Avenue parking lot be-tween the school and church buildings.
“For me it is always a pleasure, a joy, to meet young people. Today I say to you: please keep joy alive; it is a sign of a young heart, of a heart that has encountered the Lord. And if you keep alive that joy with Jesus, no one can snatch this away from you (cf. Jn 16:22). But should there be any doubt, let me offer you some advi-ce: Do not let anyone rob you of joy; look after that joy which unites everyone in the knowledge of being loved by the Lord. For, as we said repeated earlier, God loves us… how did it go? [They repeat: “God loves us with the love of a Father”]. This is the foun-dation of joy .”
~Pope Francis to Young People of Colombia
Gaudete Sunday Today you might notice that Father Eduino as well as our deacons are wearing the color rose. This is the 3rd Sun-day of Advent and is known as Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” means literally “rejoice” and on this third Sunday we take the time to rejoice that Christ’s birth is imminently near. Another tradition of the faith, beginning on December 17th, is called the “O” Antiphons. An antiphon is a short liturgical text chanted or sung responsively preceding or following a psalm, psalm verse, or canticle. We tradi-tionally hear the “O” Antiphons in the song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. The antiphons are actually more than a thousand years old and have long b een used during the last week of Advent (Dec. 17-23) in the liturgical prayer of the Church. Since the Second Vatican Council, they have also been adapted (slightly reworded and rearranged) for the "Alleluia Verse" of the Mass. Each Antiphon invokes the coming of the Messiah, beginning with a bibli-cal title and closing with a specific petition. Below is each antiphon with the verse number it corresponds to. Dec. 17: O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care: Come and show your people the way to salvation. (Verse 2) Dec. 18: O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burn-ing bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: Come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free. (Verse 3) Dec . 19: O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid. (Verse 4) Dec. 20: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom. (Verse 5) Dec. 21: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. (Verse 6) Dec. 22: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man: Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. (Verse 7) Dec. 23: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people: Come and set us free, Lord our God. (Verse 1)
When I'm out shopping in mid-November, and I hear the strains of "Silver Bells" and "The Little Drummer Boy" wafting from hidden store speakers, I just want to cover my ears. By the middle of December each year, I've usually had it up to here with most Christmas mu-sic. The ever-present repetition of Christmas carols of-ten serves to point out that the rest of the world is cele-brating Christmas, while we're still in the season of Ad-vent.
For me, the one exception to this audio barrage is a simple chant for Advent, “O Come, O Come Emmanu-el." This song, with its longing for the coming of the Savior, genuinely belongs to Advent and not to Christ-mas. Its melody is based on Gregorian Chant, and it's verses are all taken from the Church's "O" antiphons. These antiphons introduce the Magnificat, or canticle of Mary, at evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, from December 17th through December 23rd. Each of them begins with a traditional title for Christ.They are:"O Wisdom,""O sacred Lord," "O Flower of Jesse's Stem," "O Key of David," "O Radiant Dawn," "O King of all the nations," and finally, "O Emmanuel" which means "God with us." Each of these traditional titles for the Messiah connects the coming of Christ with the prophetic writings of the Old Testament.
In some Catholic parishes, the Sunday liturgies during Advent feature the tune of "O Come, O Come Emman-uel" as the setting for the Holy Holy, the Great Amen, and other sung parts of the Mass. While it's asking a lot for this simple tune to bear so much repetition for four weeks, this setting does anchor us firmly in the longing and anticipation of Advent. But the original hymn, with its pleading for Christ's coming, still serves as a wel-come antidote to the onslaught of bad commercial Christmas music that we have to endure every Novem-
ber and December. It also connects us to the evening prayer of the whole Church in the last week of Advent.
~ Rev. Larry Rice, CSP - USCCB
FAMILY CONNECTION
Third Sunday of Advent Theme: God is doing great things for us.
Breaking Open the Word Suggested text for faith sharing: Today’s 2nd Reading from St. Paul Step One: Listen to the Word Listen carefully to Paul’s word to the Thessalonians. What do you hear Paul saying here? What single word or phrase catches your attention? Step Two: Look into Your Life Question for Children: As we get closer to Christ-mas, name one thing you really want for your home or the world, such as peace, friendship, or food for the poor. Question for Youth: John tried to help people prepare their lives for the coming of the Messiah. What do you need to change about your life to be ready for Jesus’ coming? Question for Adults: If you were to write three sug-gestions for those who follow Jesus, to keep them strong in their faith, what would you write?
GET ON THE BUS Each year this program rallies Catholic
communities throughout the state to
provide the children of incarcerated par-
ents with a visit with their Mother or
Father. Please join us for Get On The
Bus volunteer training on Saturday,
January 27, 2018 from 10:00 – 2:30pm
at St John the Evangelist Church in Carmichael. Lunch
will be provided.
Please RSVP to Jackelin Aguilar, at (530) 844-8750 or
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE
20TH ANNUAL MARIAN
EUCHARISTIC CONFERENCE
JANUARY 12, 13, 14, 2018
St Rose Of Lima Church Hall, Paso
Robles, CA. We have added a Teen
Track this year, for information Call Jacob at 805-466-
0849 or Christina 831-402-4308. Visit our web-site at
www.ccmec.org for speakers and further information.
LIVE, LEARN &ENJOY YOUR FAITH
Job Announcements at Pastoral Center. Director of Family & Faith Formation – Sacra-mento Coordinator for Pastoral Juvenil – Sacra-mento Regional Coordinator for Youth & Young Adult Ministry – Sacramento.
Job Announcements at Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services. Family Service Advisor – St. Mary Cemetery & Funeral Center, Sacra-mento Part-time Funeral Assistant – St. Mary Fu-neral Center & George L. Klumpp Chapel of Flowers, Sacramento. To apply for a position, please email a short cover letter, resume, and application to [email protected]. Positions are open until filled. For more information and complete job descriptions, visit the diocesan website www.scd.org and look under employment.
We’re Hiring! Camp Pendola is hiring energet-ic Catholic adults as Summer Camp Counselors for Summer 2018. Camp Counselors live with campers in a small group outdoor setting. Camp Counselors will mentor campers, provide a posi-tive role model, assist in teaching special pro-grams (archery, nature, arts & crafts), lead activi-ties with campers and promote a positive spiritual atmosphere. If you would like more information or to apply please go to www.pendola.org/employment or contact Jennifer Campbell at (530) 389-2780.
DIOCESAN EVENTS
Save the Date for the Epiphany Cursillo Ultreya &
Community Dinner to be held Saturday, January 6,
2018 at St. Mel’s Social Hall 5:30 to 8:00pm. Addi-
tional details to follow.
AN ACT OF HOPE by Fr. J. Michael Sparough
When faith falters,
Virtue fails,
And deeds of love are few,
Then, Lord, I pray
That we may turn in hope to you.
So why are we disheartened
When those whom we appoint
Reveal themselves as only human
And inevitably disappoint?
May we hope not in our strength,
Wisdom, goodness, nor our reason,
Not in our economy, technology,
Nor the latest, greatest of a season.
Turn our eyes to you, Beloved One,
Beauty, ever ancient, ever new,
Birthing hope, not of our own making
But from you, in you, through you.
Jesus, I trust your words of hope,
Cutting deeper than a knife:
“I’ve come in love for only this—
OUR PARISH
27th ANNUAL OLA GIVING TREE
This weekend we sort the beautiful gifts and prepare them for distribution to the families. Please remember to bring in your wrapped gift by NOON on SUNDAY, DEC 17.
Thank you warmly for your generosity. You are shar-ing Christmas joy and hope with those in need. Ques-tions? Call Christine 761-4939, Beth 487-2374 or MaryCaye 481-7484.
ADVENT PRAYER – THURSDAYS, DECEMBER 7TH, 14TH & 21ST
Advent is a time to prepare for Je-sus’ second coming into the world. Although we know not the time and place, we renew our desire for his second coming by sharing in the preparation of his first coming. I invite you to prayer during this
season on three Thursdays in Advent, December 7th, 14th and 21st at 7:00 pm. These are not evening pray-er, rather simple prayer services. I offer this to provide you time and space, to take a breath during the busy-ness of the days. You can participate in any way you wish, through sharing of prayer, listening to scripture or sitting quietly in your thoughts. It is a half hour or so of time not in terms chronos, the inexorable march-ing of time, rather a time of opportune moment.
~Deacon Michael Tateishi
Monday, Dec 18 Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Mt 1:18-25 Tuesday, Dec 19 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Ps 71:3-4A, 5-6ab, 16-17; Lk 1:5-25 Wednesday, Dec 20 Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-2, 3-4AB, 5-6; Lk 1:26-38
Thursday, Dec 21 Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18A; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 Friday, Dec 22 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Saturday, Dec 23 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14; Lk 1:57-66 Sunday, Dec 24 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16; PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
SAVE THE DATE, January 20th, 2018
Pasta Dinner, Parish Hall
ADVENT TAIZE PRAYER AND
PENANCE SERVICE
This year we will offer Advent Music and Taize Prayer in con-junction with our traditional Ad-vent Penance Service. The date is Monday, 12/18. Med-itative Advent music and Taize prayer begins at 6:30 pm, and the Penance Service begins at 7:00
pm. Confessions will take place immediately follow-ing. Please plan on attending this beautiful evening of prayer and reconciliation!
The fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas are
BOTH holy days of obligation. Parishes that normal-
ly have Sunday night Masses are replacing them with
Christmas Eve Masses. It’s important to note that at-
tending Mass on Christmas Eve does NOT fulfill the
obligation to attend Mass on the Fourth Sunday of
Advent.
January 1, 2018, which is also a Monday, is a Solem-
nity, but NOT a Holy Day of Obligation.
Knights of Columbus: As a service ministry, we were pleased to work with the parish/school providing breakfast at the Christmas program last Sunday. A great event and well attended. We were
also pleased to be able to talk to a number of parish-ioners about the Knights and requirements for join-ing. Since our council now only directly supports Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Ignatius parishes, we are eager to bring in more men and their families into the Order. Fr. Eduino is in full support of this effort. Please contact Gene Gobbo at 283-5223 or [email protected] for more information.
