Pastoral Staff
Tel: 503-266-9411 Fax:503-263-2293
Pastor: Fr. John Waldrom email: stpatricks@canby.com
Pastor Associate: Sara Creel
Director of Rel. Educ: Sue Unger
email: stpatrickreligiouseducation@yahoo.com
Aministrative Assistant: Debbie Newbury
email: dnewbury@canby.com
Maintenance: Heriberto Aguilar
email: haguilar@canby.com

Rectory Office Hours
Monday thru Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We are closed for lunch between 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Bulletin Policy
Items for the bulletin are due in the Parish Office no later than Wednesday of each week. Email your items to dnewbury@canby.com

Prayer Needs
If you have prayer needs, please call St. Patrick prayer chain. Contact Kathy Usher, 503-266-2485

Social Service Ministries
St. Vincent dePaul Food Bank:
Bill & Delores Piller: 503-701-9135

Sacrament
Infant Baptisms:
Registered parishioners are expected to complete a Baptismal Preparation program prior to scheduling a baptism. Baptismal preparation programs are offered 3 times a year. For information and /or registration, contact Sara 503-266-9411.
Next Baptismal Prep Class: September 28, 2006

Adult Baptisms:
Adults seeking baptism are expected to participate in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.) RCIA begins in the fall with the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation in the Spring (Easter). For information and/or registration contact Sara at 503-266-9411.

Marriage Policy:
Our parish is a signator of the Clackamas County "community marriage policy", that is a multi denominational agreement for common standards for marriage preparation. Please contact the Pastor at least six months prior to the wedding to ensure adequate time for these preparations.

Forth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2007

SPECIAL THANK YOU
Christmas is a special time of giving thanks for the birth of Christ. We are also reminded that each of us carries Christ within us and His love is very aptly expressed by so many of our parishioners here at St. Patrick. It is shown through out the year but it is especially evident during the Christmas season. As the staff of St. Patrick parish we are recipients of your kindness and your thoughtfulness in so many ways over the Christmas season. We thank you for making Christ visible to us through your generosity and good wishes. As your ministers we want to express our gratitude to you and to assure you of our prayers now and throughout the coming new year. With every blessing, the Staff of St. Patrick.

FR. JOHN ON VACATION
Fr. John will be on vacation from January 2 through January 7, 2008. He will be back in the office Tuesday afternoon January 8. While Fr. John is away, there will be communion service Wednesday, January 2 through January 4, 2008.

NO DAILY MASS
There will be no daily Mass or communion service on Wednesday, December 26, 2007. However, we will have daily Mass on Thursday, December 27 and Friday, December 28.

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS
The Parish Office will be closed from December 26 through January 1, 2008. If you have an emergency, please contact our Answering Service at 503-829-6105 and they will contact Fr. John or a member of the staff as soon as possible.

THERE WILL BE NO EUCHARISTIC ADORATION on Thursday, December 27. Adoration will resume on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 12noon.

Many people today travel great distances and go to great lengths seeking miraculous happenings. Often parish prayer networks and prayer groups request a miracle for someone to be healed. But the surprise of this season is that God’s greatest miracle happens close to home: the simple consent of a man and woman to do God’s will. This Sunday’s gospel is an annunciation to Joseph that Mary would conceive and bear a Son by the Holy Spirit: the “birth of Jesus Christ came about. . . through the Holy Spirit.” Yet, by God’s choice, the collaboration of an ordinary man and an ordinary woman was necessary. Joseph and Mary heard God’s work announcing salvation and obeyed it. Through such divine-human collaboration Jesus became “Emmanuel. . . God is with us.” Here is the Good News of the gospel: by such a simple act as Joseph’s obeying God’s messenger and taking “his wife into his home,” God is with us in the incarnated Son. There is even more Good News: if God chose such simple folk as Joseph and Mary to incarnate the divine Son, is it not reasonable to think that Son’s continued presence in the world is brought about by us? Paul assures us of this very thing when he writes in the Letter to the Romans that “we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith” and we “are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” God’s choice to cooperate with humanity in bringing about salvation is not limited to Mary and Joseph, but continues in our own hearing of God’s word and obedience to God’s will. Thus, the Incarnation is not limited to a single event we celebrate annually in December, but happens every day in the ordinary circumstances of our own lives. The twist in this gospel is that God chose us to bring salvation to us who need it. In this Good News of God’s choosing to use simple, human folk to cooperate with the divine plan for salvation, we experience the great dignity God affords us human beings who hear and obey him. We are raised up, not only because God became incarnate and shared in our humanity in every way except sin, but also because God chooses us to continue that.

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 Ryan Thomas Blackwood, Ryan Bridges, Lonnie Brown, Nathan Brown, Douglas Bower Jr., Carlos Bustamante, Nick Classen, Adamm Creel, Isaiah Creel, David Davies, Brad Dunn, Brian Dykeman, Bill Ellis, Adam Ferrell, Rob Gamble, David Hannon, April Kennedy, Mike Krzmarzick , Jessica Krzmarzick (the wife of Michael Krzmarzick) Johnny Lugo, Alex Martin, Ryan McInnis, John Molamphy, John Nguyen, Patrick Ross, Tarl Spencer, Leah Sundquist, Kenneth Thorpe, CJ Trillo, Jonathan Turner, William Walsh and Ivan Wilson, may they be servants of Christ through service to those in need, and may they be kept safe from all harm.

PARISH SUPPORT
Parishioners of St. Patrick through the Sacrificial giving program gave to God the gift: December16 , 2007
Building Fund $205.00
Cemetery $
Envelopes $8826.00
Loose $535.65
Children $29.00
Poor $647.00
Retirement Fund $72.00

Total $10,314.65

MASS INTENTIONS OF THE WEEK
December 27-28, 2007

Wednesday NO DAILY MASS or COMMUNION SERVICE
Thursday +Herman Battilega & Joann Battilega by the family
Friday +George Gent by Mark & Darlene Wilmes

ADVENT ACTIVITIES FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Each Advent we look to the celebration of Christmas. As a community of believers this is a time of anticipation for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. There are many families that suffer on a daily basis providing the basics. Holidays bring even more stress to their budgets and can be very hard to hold onto any type of celebration. The parish of St Patrick is so generous to those that need a helping hand and their generosity is appreciated. During this Advent season we are asking for families to put a little extra aside for those that can’t. We are collecting Personal Hygiene items throughout the Christmas Season. This can be anything that most of us would use everyday and not think about it. Collection spots for the Personal Hygiene items are in the Parish Hall near the Resource Room and in the vestibule of the Church. For information or questions contact Sue Unger.

THANK YOU FOR CHRISTMAS HELP
Thanks to all families that sacrificed part of their Christmas to give to others. Your generosity is truly inspired by God. The families were so excited to receive the many gifts and food that you brought. Each one of the families said they would be praying for us though the Christmas Season. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

ADULT SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
All are invited to join our Faith Sharing Group on Wednesday at 7 pm. It is a time of reflection on the Gospel of the week and to grow in the understanding of Scripture. Call Sue Unger or Jerry Giger with questions or concerns. Beginning in Lent the diocese is encouraging all adults to be a member of a sharing group for the Lenten season. We have ordered the booklets for groups to gather and reflect on the gospel throughout Lent. You can gather with Jerry Giger’s class on Wednesday at 7 pm or with either of the Bible Study groups on Monday morning about 9 am or Thursday night at 7 pm. If you would like to form a group for reflection in your home contact Sue Unger at the office.

RIDE NEEDED
We have a parishioner from our parish who is in need of a ride to Mass. Carol normal attends Saturday night Mass at 5:30pm but is willing to attending Mass on Sunday mornings. If you would like to help, please contact Debbie in the Parish Office at 503-266-9411.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CATECHISTS AND VOLUNTEERS
Religious Education always needs volunteers. If you are interested I would love to help you find a space that would be beneficial to you and the community. I have one volunteer for Children’s Liturgy of the Word. I need three more to begin training. This would be at the 11 am Mass Contact Sue Unger at 503-266-9411 or stpatrickreligiouseducation@yahoo.com.

NEEDS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
We are in need of some prizes for a couple of activities that will be coming up in the next few months. We have the lock -In for Jr High and we are also hoping to have a Sr High lock in as well. With this being the time of year when everything is on sale this could be a great time to donate. Here are some ideas: MP3 player, Ipod, PSP, Wii games, basketball, soccer ball, volley ball, baseball, bat, baseball glove, Blazer tickets, music cd’s, gift cards for any major store, restaurant, or movie.

We could also use a CD player that has large room capacity ~ the ones we have do not play loud enough for use in the auditorium. A Wii system for the Youth Ministry could be used in many ways for various activities.

PICTURES FOR THE NEW YEAR
This year we would like to have pictures of all families in the Religious Education program. Please plan on sometime in the month of December or January either before or after Religious Education to have your family’s picture taken to put on the bulletin board in the Auditorium. We will take photos until we have all family pictures. So come prepared to get your picture taken soon.

YOUTH MINISTRY AND JR HIGH MINISTRY
The Journey in Faith (6th- 8th grade) group meets on Wednesday night at 7 pm. All are welcome to join us. Our next Fun Friday will be January 11th at 7 pm. This will be a New Year party. If you bring a friend make sure they have a permission note with them. There are no classes on 26th of December. Our next class will be January 2nd at 7 pm. The annual Jr High Mardi Gras Lock in is almost here. Put on your calendar for a night of fun & games. February 1st beginning at 7 pm all students need to arrive no later than 7:30 pm unless they have special permission from Sue Unger. The Lock in will be over Saturday Morning at 8 am. We will need volunteers to help in several areas which include: set up on Friday afternoon, to chaperone in shifts throughout the night, donations of prizes for the games, cooks for the breakfast on Saturday morning and a clean up crew on Saturday morning.

FAITH IN ACTION (9TH-12TH GRADES) meets on Sunday evening from 5:30 pm -7 pm in the Parish Center. All High School teens are welcome to join us. Our next class session will be January 6 at 5:30 pm. We are planning to take a collection on Super Bowl Sunday February 4th . We will need several volunteers to help make this collection successful. The collection will be at the doors following all masses on Super Bowl weekend. Our next Youth Mass is December 29. Watch the bulletin for more information. Contact Molly, Liz or Sue Unger for more information.

YOUTH MINISTRY FUND RAISERS
To be able to run a active Youth Ministry it takes much more than just the fees we collect. We will be doing a couple community fundraisers as the year goes by. Watch the bulletin for more opportunities to help fund the Youth Ministry program. We are taking returnable cans and bottles again thanks to Kay and Ryan Morris and Joe Battilega. You can leave them by the gym doors Monday through Thursday or on Sunday you can leave them in the gym in the southeast corner. We sorted $90.00 worth this last week. Please be sure your cans or bottles are returnable and that there is no garbage in the bags or boxes. Thanks for your contributions ~ every little bit helps.

SACRAMENT PREPARATION CLASSES
For preparation for Reconciliation and Eucharist our next Parent/child class is Monday, January 7 at 7 pm in the church. We will be reviewing chapter 5 & 6 and rehearsing for the First Reconciliation on January 12 at 10 am . Make sure you are working in your Sacrament books at home. For more information contact Sue Unger. Remember if you have a child in first grade that will want to receive Reconciliation and Eucharist in 2008-2009 they must be signed up for Religious Education this year.

Our next Confirmation gathering will be January 6 at 4 pm in room 7&8. Be sure to bring your folder and any paper work you have completed. Remember our 2nd retreat is a one day retreat at Mt Angel Seminary on February 10. For more info contact Sue Unger. Adults seeking Confirmation need to contact Sara Creel for more information. Our Confirmation ceremony will be Wednesday, May 21 at 7 pm at St Luke’s Church in Woodburn. Archbishop Vlazny will be the celebrant. Rehearsal for the ceremony will be Sunday, May 18 at 5 p.m. at St Luke’s. All candidates and their sponsors will need to attend. If the Sponsor cannot attend rehearsal a substitute needs to come to practice with the candidate.

NEW OFFICE HOURS
Starting January 1, 2008 the Parish Office will have new hours. We will be open Monday - Thursday, 9am - 5pm, Friday 9am-12noon. We will be closed on Friday afternoons after 12noon. This will mean an early deadline for the Bulletin. Anyone needing an item in the Sunday Bulletin will need to have the item into the Parish Office no later than Tuesday morning of each week.

END OF THE YEAR GIVING
In the coming months of the New Year our parish will be undertaking some much needed church repairs and renovations. For those who would like to contribute in a special way to the Renovation Campaign Fund now is a good time to get in on the end of the year charitable donations. Contributions received prior to December 31, 2007 are eligible for your 2007 Charitable Donations Tax Credit. Contributions marked, Renovation Campaign - or Building Fund, will all be designated for the specific use of the church repair/renovation project.

ST. PATRICK PICTORIAL DIRECTORY COMING SOON
If you have not reserved a time to be photographed yet, be sure to do so today while there is still a good selection of appointments. We have added an additional day, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 for photography. Each family/household that comes for photography and portrait viewing at the church will receive a complimentary directory and a 8x10 custom color portrait. You will be able to view and select your portrait electronically from a variety of poses. Additional portraits will be available for purchase. Our goal is 100% participation. It just won’t be complete without you!

ANNUAL CRAB FEED AND AUCTION
The 11th annual Knights of Columbus Crab Feed and Charity Auction will be held February 2, 2008. The location will be the main pavilion building at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. Ticket prices will remain the same as last year at $25. Doors open at 5:00pm. Silent Auction 5:30-7:00pm, Crab Feed 7:00-8:00pm and Oral Auction 8:00-10:00pm. Remember that you can reserve a table for up to 8 people for $25 so reserve early for the best selection. Charity Raffle tickets are also on sale for $25. First prize is a 7 day Caribbean or Alaskan Cruise for Two, second prize is an overnight stay at McMenamin’s Edgefield, third prize is a dinner for two at Jake’s Grill (Portland). Only 300 raffle tickets will be sold! Tickets will be sold after Mass or contact Mike Robert at 503-266-4541.

Sunday
12:30pm Children’s choir Reh.
3:00pm Spanish RCIC
5:00pm Bible Study
Wednesday
4:00pm-8pm Food Bank open
Friday
7:00am Marian Prayer group
7:00pm Hispanic Prayer Gr.
Saturday
4:00pm Spanish Choir practice

December 30, 2007 through January 4, 2008
Sunday
5:00pm Bible Study
Monday
6:00pm New Year’s Eve Mass
Tuesday
9:30am New Year’s Day Mass
Wednesday
4:00pm-8pm Food Bank open
6:30pm Evening Prayer
7:00pm RCIA, Small Faith sharing, Journey in Faith
Thursday
12:00noon Eucharistic Adoration
6:00pm Spanish Religious Education
8:00pm Benediction
Friday
7:00am Marian Prayer group
7:00pm Hispanic Prayer Gr.
Saturday
4:00pm Spanish Choir practice
7:00pm Baptismal Preparation (Spanish)

Rejoice always,
never cease praying,
render constant thanks.
1Thessalonians 5:16