St. Patrick Catholic Church

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Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen

RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS
Data submitted to the National Religious Retirement Office reveals that the average annual cost of care for women and men religious age 70 and over has more than doubled since 1989. Current statistics put this figure at $35,077 per person annually, with skilled care reaching nearly $55,000. Your donation to the Retirement Fund for Religious provides critical support to religious institute in meeting the escalating costs of elder care. Please pray for all religious and give generously to today’s second collection.

ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE
Advent is here. While many are cleaning up homes and yards in anticipation of Christmas, putting up the Christmas lights and decorating inside and out, let us first think about cleaning up our interior homes, our hearts and souls, for the coming of Our Lord. The Advent communal penance service is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m. We will have 4 priests with us to hear confessions. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to practice together the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So mark your calendar now for December 15, you’ll be glad you did.

NO TUESDAY EVENING MASS DUE TO PENANCE SERVICE

CHRISTMAS WORK PARTY
Our Christmas Work Party is scheduled for Tuesday, December 22nd from
9:00am until finished. Help is needed to set up and string lights on trees, hang garland and wreaths, set up the nativity, and place poinsettias. Your help is always needed and appreciated.

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day, so little N. can go out and play” is a children’s chant that has been around for generations. The implication is that there is much more to do for children outdoors; cooped up inside the house, they often ask, “What should we do?” They are really asking about how they find something to do inside that is as interesting and wide open as the great outdoors. Outside, creativity abounds, expectations of finding new and interesting things are abundant, such as everything from discovery of a tiny new bug to learning how to do a new trick on a bike or skateboard. The question, “what should we do?” has a build-in set of expectations-if what we do is to be satisfying, it must fulfill our expectations and involve more than we are and are doing now. In the gospel three groups of people ask the same question, “What should we do?” John exhorts them to define their obligations in right relation to others, just as John himself defines his role in relation to Jesus. The gospel, further, pivots on the people’s “expectation.” To whom were their expectations led? The Christ, yes, but also for another “who”-our neighbor. The “good news” is that our relationship with others makes visible our relation to Jesus. “What should we do?” John’s loaded answers about right living fill the people “with expectation.” Their seeking “the Christ”-that is, the Messiah, the anointed one of God-means that they were seeking a new life. John answers them by using himself as the model for the ultimate answer to the question, “What should we do?” John denies being “the Christ” himself and announces that “one mightier than I is coming.” Just like John, our lives are about others. And by being about others, we actually exceed ourselves and point people to the presence of Christ. Thus, the explicit question about what we are to do points to our natural desire to find the ultimate One. We define ourselves not in terms of what we do but who we are in relation to Other and others. The relationship to others is the key, not what we or they do.

OUR PRIVILEGE, OUR RIGHT, AND OUR DUTY
As it is written ‘Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.’ (Is 49:15):
We in the Catholic Church in the Community of St. Patrick remember, hold in our memory, and pray for the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces especially: Cody Amick, Ryan Thomas Blackwood, Douglas Bower Jr., Ryan Bridges, Lonnie Brown, Nathan Brown, Jeremy Burke, Carlos Bustamante, Adamm Creel, Isaiah Creel, David Davis, Loyd Davis, Kenny Doleac, Brad Dunn, Brian Dykeman, Bill Ellis, Adam Ferrell, David Hannon, April Kennedy, Patrick Kirsch, Mike Krzmarzick, Jessica Krzmarzick (wife of Michael Krzmarzick) Johnny Lugo, Adam Lulay, Alex Martin, Jordan Morelli, John Nguyen, Robert Nolan, Daniel Olsen, Robert Selner, Tarl Spencer, John Suchanek, Leah Sundquist, Brian Thomas, Kenneth Thorpe, CJ Trillo, Jonathan Turner, William Walsh, Erik Wiesehan, Ivan Wilson and John Zagyva, may they be servants of Christ through service to those in need, and may they be kept safe from all harm.

He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love.
Zephaniah 3:17

PARISH SUPPORT
Parishioners of St. Patrick through the Sacrificial giving
Program gave to God the gift:
December 6, 2009
Funds Collected for Others
Cemetery $53.00
St. Vincent dePaul $223.00
Total: $276.00
Collection Parish Operating Expenses
Envelopes’ $8972.00
Loose $393.82
Children’s $3.00
Poor $180.00
Unemployment Fund $1944.46
Building Fund $597.00
Campaign for Human D.$100.00
Total $12, 190.28

MASS INTENTIONS OF THE WEEK
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
There will be NO MASS-instead we will have our Penance Service
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
+Dick Johnson by Fred & Nancy Kahut
Thursday, December 17, 2009
+John Trumm by William & Mary Trumm
Friday, December 18, 2009
+Frances Montecucco by the Simnitt family

MONASTERY MUSTARD. . .THE PERFECT GIFT TO SPICE UP YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING
If you are looking for a unique “Oregon” gift, without breaking the bank, consider Monastery Mustard made locally by our own Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel. Their award winning mustard varieties are now available in 13 flavors, something to please every palate. With names like Devoutly Dill, Glorious Garlic and Heavenly Honey, it has to be good. Monastery Mustard is available in Canby at Cutsforths Thriftway and Fishers Meat Market. It can also be ordered on line at Monastery Mustard.com or purchased directly at the Shalom Prayer Center bookstore on the monastery grounds in Mt. Angel. It is not every day that a great gift idea coincides with advancement of Catholic ministry. Consider including MONASTERY MUSTARD in your holiday gift giving!

GIVING TREE
The Giving Tree Tags have all been taken! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Our parish is truly blessed by your giving hearts!

THANK YOU!
Thank you to the children who made the announcements after Mass Saturday and Sunday. Isabella “B” Parker, JP Phan and Jennifer Pattershall, you were awesome!

GIVING TREE
Today (December 13th) is the last day to return the packages for the Giving Tree. We are making the baskets and preparing the gifts this Tuesday, Dec. 15th in the Parish Center from 1pm-5pm. If you would like to help with this project, please call Connie or Francis at 503-266-9411.

PARENT/CHILD RECONCILIATION MEETING
Our Parent/Child reconciliation meeting was rescheduled for Monday, December 14 at 7pm in room 7/8. Thank you to everyone for making the change. I hope you were able to attend the lovely vigil Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are blessed with so many beautiful feasts during this Advent season. Our meeting will cover the same materials mentioned in last weeks email. See you Monday evening at 7pm. First Reconciliation is January 16 at 10am

ADVENT PROJECT
Please continue to remember the coins for the RE Advent project. It is fun to see the money grow. The children will be deciding which animals they will choose to send to the villages in Africa. This project is a win, win solution for the African people, it enables the families to raise their own animals to share, to eat and use for farming. They also have a clean water project that is so necessary for the health of the communities. Please take time to look at the bulletin board in the parish center. It will show how much we have collected and the prices of the animals and water projects! It is very exciting!

EPIPHANY PLAY
Information about the Epiphany play is being sent home today with the elementary students. Pre-school -5th grades, look for a red flyer in your child’s folder. We are very excited about the play! We still need Jr-High and high school students for the choir. Maybe for a couple of parts in the play too! If you have any questions please call Connie, 503-266-9411 or Adriana Baurer, 503-651-4103. Lora Heli is working with the choir. Thank you to everyone who is working to make this a great celebration. Thank you Gary.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CHRISTMAS BREAK
Journey in Faith (6th, 7th & 8th grades) and Youth Group (High School) will have class this week, December 16 and resume class on January 6, 2010. Sunday religious education classes will meet December 13, December 20th and resume on January 10, 2010. Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas break.

JOURNEY IN FAITH & YOUTH GROUP
Journey in Faith & Youth Group will be collecting non-food items for our food bank. We will have a donation spot at the parish center as well as the vestibule of the church. Items of need are disposable diapers, bar soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, disposable razors, shaving cream, etc. . . Thank you for your donations and continued support for those in need.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION STUDENTS & ORNAMENTS
We are still making beautiful Christmas ornaments for all young & youthful parishioners - all you need is a photo of yourself. These ornaments will hang throughout the parish center. You are a gift and we want to share it!

MAGAZINE/BOOK RACK AVAILABLE
We have a magazine/book rack available to anyone who would like it. The dimensions are 54"H x 49 ½" W x 24"D. If you are interested, please contact Frances Parker at 503-266-9411 or fparker@canby.com.

CHRISTMAS CD TO BENEFIT OUR CANBY SCHOOLS
Please visit www.stayandplaychristmas.com to learn more about “Joy to the World a celebration of Christmas.” This beautiful CD was put together by local musicians and all proceeds will benefit the Canby School District’s Stay and P.L.A.Y. program (an after-school program for Canby elementary students). The purchase price of the CD is $15.00 and would make a wonderful gift this holiday season.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES - A NEW TRADITION
We continue our new tradition this week with a story from Connie Bilton-Smith. Following this story, please see the guidelines for including your memories. It’s not too late! Thank you Connie for your beautiful story.

“The Christmas Season has always been special both when I was a kid, when I grew up and had children of my own and now there is the blessing of Grandkids, eleven and 2 Greatgrandkids, Yeah! With the coming of Grandchildren and Great grandchildren you are blessed by seeing it all new again! My story begins in Gold Hill, Oregon, around 1955. I am the oldest daughter of 9 children. My Dad was a builder and he built all of our lovely family homes, but during the winters it was very slow and sometimes Dad would take a second job at the local lumber mill. He was able to buy wood for building and projects for less than a third of the cost as well as wood for the fireplace and wood stove!
Our Christmas was about the advent season, we collected greenery from the woods, we decorated the fireplace mantel with greenery and 4 big white candles ( we didn't have purple or pink). Every evening we read scripture and sometimes said the Rosary as a family. (no TV, we didn't own one yet) I remember one year when Dad was not working much, we all decided to have a homemade Christmas. Mom baked fruit cakes (my Dads favorite) for all the neighbors, made divinity, fudge, cookies and filled the baby crib Mom kept in their bedroom, (no babies that year) hiding everything from the little ones.
Dad made a little chair and table set and painted it red, a rocking horse painted black and white with yarn mane and a saddle and stirrups! He made rifles for the little boys and a beautiful new family table for my Mom! I made cloth dolls and pajamas for all the little brothers and sisters and aprons for Mom. It was wonderful!
One thing I almost forgot was our home had beautiful hardwood floors, they had to be paste waxed! (because everything had to shine for the birth of Jesus) The boys job was to put on work socks and skate all over the floors to polish them. You can imagine where that usually ended up, they were using their whole bodies before the job was done. Usually finishing with a bruised elbow, head or a sock in the eye!
Christmas Eve was a mad dash for Mom and Dad, the Christmas Tree (real, cut in the woods) was always put up after the little ones were in bed, stockings were filled and presents were set out. Clothes were laid out, shoes polished and made ready for Christmas Mass 8AM, 17 miles to Grants Pass, on Christmas morning. We could look at our stockings

but no eating until after Mass. When we returned from Mass, sometimes with Father Kelly, we would all help with breakfast and then everyone would rush to the living room, put the infant Jesus into the manger, sing O Little Town of Bethlehem and last but not least open presents!
Mom always invited our elderly neighbors to dinner, Edith and Shorty Brian ( an elderly English couple). Edith always brought plum pudding and Mr. and Mrs. Harrison who had a plum orchard, would always bring home canned plums. Sometimes old Frank Bucklemeier, he was a hunter from Alaska.
Mr. Harrison played the fiddle and Shorty Brian the banjo. After dinner we all went up to the living room, with a "rip-roaring" fire going in the stone fireplace (that is what my Dad and brothers called it when the fire was blazing) and everyone sang Christmas carols. Usually Shorty Brian would bring a bottle of spirits which Dad, Shorty, Frank, Fr. Kelly and Mr. Harrison would savor! We all had a great time singing and sometimes a little dancing!
Writing this made me realize how simple our Advent and Christmas season was but also how wonderful it is now too! We just celebrate in a little different way. We prepare for the coming of Jesus, we give a lot but we give from the heart, we celebrate our traditions, we spend precious time with our family and friends, and come together to worship and remember the birth of Jesus our friend and savior of the world!
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and that it will help you with some memories
you will share during this Advent and Christmas Season. May the love and peace of Jesus Christ be with you and your families!
This is written in loving memory of my Dad who was a great family man and a man who wasn't afraid to show how much he loved my Mother and all of his children, David J. Morris. Merry Christmas Dad! You are loved, Connie

Guidelines:
You are invited to share a Christmas memory or tell us “What does Christmas mean to you?”
You may submit your stories from now through December 15. You can submit your articles two ways:
1. Email your article to dnewbury@canby.com subject line: Christmas Memories

2. By mail: Christmas Memories - % St. Patrick Church; attn: Debbie Newbury - PO Box 730, Canby, OR 97013. *If you do hand write your article, please make sure it is written legibly so we can read it. Please include a contact number in case of questions. Questions, contact Debbie Newbury in the Parish Office.

WINTER WEATHER POLICY
The cold winter weather is here and this is a great time to be reminded of our winter weather policy for St. Patrick Parish. If the Canby School District closes all public schools in our area, then all activities for St. Patrick for that day are cancelled. If children are sent home in the middle of the day, then all activities for that day will also be cancelled here St. Patrick.

KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS CARD SALES
Don’t forget to purchase your religious Christmas cards to spread the TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS to family and friends. Choices are limited so please come and buy your cards now. The parish Knights of Columbus will be selling religious Christmas cards at reasonable prices at all the Masses through Dec. 20.

LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT, WHY NOT GIVE TICKETS TO THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CRAB DINNER, AUCTION AND RAFFLE?
The 13th annual Knights of Columbus Crab Dinner and Charity Auction will be held February 6, 2010. The location will be the main pavilion building at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $30. Doors open at 5:00pm. Silent Auction 5:30-7:00pm, Dinner 7:00-8:00pm and Oral Auction 8:00-10:00pm You can reserve a table for 8 people for $25.00 but you must also buy 8 tickets at the same time. Tickets are sold after the weekend Masses, or you can contact Dave Tibbetts at 503-263-6932. We are always looking for additional auction items. If you have something that you would like to donate, please contact Mike Schmader at 503-266-1331.
ALSO. . .
CHARITY RAFFLE TICKETS
Charity Raffle tickets are also on sale for $10. First prize is a Three Minute Shopping Spree at Cutsforth Thriftway. Second prize is a One Night Stay at “The Landing” in Newport. Third prize is a $25 gift certificate to Canby Pub and Grill plus two tickets to Canby Cinema 8. Drawing will occur on Feb 6, 2010.

COOKIE EXCHANGE
St. Patrick Ladies Club Annual Cookie Exchange will be this Monday, Dec. 14 at 7:00pm. Bring at least 3 dozen of your favorite cookies to exchange for a delicious variety to take home. If you need a ride, please call Edie Pavlicek or Karen Sadoff.

SPECIAL THANK YOU
The family of Walt Malanowski would like to thank Fr. John and Sara Creel for their guidance and comfort in celebrating Walt’s life. We also thank the women of the parish for a reception that was filled with love and friendship. God bless you all.

ST. PATRICK WEBSITE (Online Update, content is different with printed bulletin)
Our website is currently running with new url address: http://www.stpatcanby.com . These changes had been made to improve both look and performance beside also celebrating our coming Christmas day December 25, 2009. Budhi Suwardi was working hard on making the changes. Do not forget to bookmark the new url address which is http://www.stpatcanby.com . Your suggestion and participation in enriching the content of the website are highly appreciated and welcome, used "suggestion navigator" for online submission or call St.Patrick Canby office.