St Joseph’s Como-Oyster Bay Catholic Church Fr. Jerzy Chrzczonowicz PP e-mail:jerzy1junior@hotmail.com, mobile: 0411 125 357 210 Oyster Bay Road, Como 2226 PO Box 12,

Jannali 2226. Ph: 9528 0205. Fax: 9528 7434 Web: www.stjosephscomo.org.au; stjoscomo@bigpond.com, Parish bookkeeper Patricia Low, Parish Auditor Cesar Marmolego, Parish Secretary Anne McMaster Office Mon. 12:00 – 3:00pm Thur. 8:00am – 3:00pm .School Principal: Mr Allan Fagerstrom PO Box 447, Jannali 2226. Phone: 9528 8716 info@stjcomo.catholic.edu.au

Sat 9am: +Souls in Purgatory; 6 pm Vigil: For the People Fs; Midnight: + Olga Dwyer Sunday 8am: +Jaroslaw Kollar; 10am:+\For Souls in Purgatory; Mon:Souls in Purgatory; Tues: + William Thomas Dwyer Wed: + Grace Olga Dwyer; Thurs: +Dorothy and Kenneth Nagel Fri: +Thomas Kirczid

Please pray for the sick: Josefa Dabu, John & Rita Webb, Josie Lay, friends from the Chesalon Home and housebound

Collections Last Sunday: 1st $784.70 (includes Baptism offering) 2nd $357.30 Planned Giving Envelopes: $967.00 Poor box: $15.00 Piety Stall: $0.00 Archdiocesan Christmas Offerings $311.85 Candelabra donations $ 2000.00

WEEKEND MASS TIMES:

Saturday Vigil: 5pm Sunday: 8am, 10am WEEKDAY MASS TIMES:

Mon 6.45am Tues 7.30pm Wed 9am Thurs 6.45am Fri 9.00am Sat 9.00am HOLY HOUR: Saturday 8.00-9.00am RECONCILIATION: 10 mins before Mass and Saturdays 8.00-8.55am BAPTISMS: at 10am Mass (each Sunday)

BAPTISMAL PROG: First Thursday each month, 7pm in the meeting room

WEDDINGS: By appointment ANOINTING MASS: next: Weekend

Masses 7th and 8th January NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

DIVINE MERCY Tues. 6.30 - 7:30pm PLANNED GIVING PROGRAM: 100% tax deductable contribution. Please join. LEGION OF MARY: Friday 9:30am VOCATION: www.vocationcentre.org.au

BIBLE STUDY: Wed 7:30 - 8:30pm

Boys and girls please join our Acolytes serving at the Masses. Columban Calendars 2017 - $ 9.00 please place in the box provided.

Rosters: 24h and 25th December: Linen: Julie O’Hara; Cleaning: Rhonda Hewitt, Lee Quailey; Readers: 6:00pm- Maddie Ebbs, Charlotte Cook; Midnight -Melinda Hoskins, Terry Crowe; 8:00am -

Ian Robinson, Jim Hagley; 10:00am Anne McMaster, Cristina Toson

Communion: Volunteers required for 6:00pm, Midnight, 10:00am. 8:00am Cheryl and Tony Reed

Homebound: Peter Madden, Beth Mattock, Linda Gillies, Joan Hagley

Chesalon: 28th December: Rose-Marie Hoekstra

Rosters: 31st December and 1st January 2017 Linen: Joan Hagley; Cleaning: VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED; Readers: Peggy Saab, Candace Anthony; Glennis Spence, Geoff Croxson;

Karen Moseley, Sharon Moore-Lambert Communion: Elizabeth Pemberton, Greg Conroy; Kathy Cattanach, Madeline Salway

Linda Gillies Sandra Moore Homebound: Margaret Lewis, Michelle Ziegler, Linda Gillies, Ada Bajt, Marguerite Kelly

Chesalon: 4TH January 2017: Margaret Duffey

The origins of Christmas go back to before the time of Christ when many ancient cultures celebrated the changing of the seasons. In the northern hemisphere in Europe, for example, the winter solstice, which was the shortest day of the year, occurs around Dec. 25th. These celebrations were based on the decline of winter. Since winter was half over and on its way out, it was a time of celebration. In the ancient Roman believes , Saturn was the god of agriculture. Each year during the summer, Jupiter would force Saturn out of his dominant position in the heavenly realm and the days would begin to shorten. The feet of Saturn in its temple in Rome, were then symbolically bound with chains until the winter solstice when the length of days began to increase. It was this winter solstice that was a time of celebration and exchange of gifts as the hardness of winter began to wane and the days grew longer. December 25th specifically coincided the day of the birth of the sun-god named Phrygia. In the Roman Empire, by the time of Christ the winter festival was known as saturnalia. The Roman Church was unable to get rid of saturnalia, so, early in the 4th Century, they adopted the holiday and tried to make it a Christian celebration of the Lord's birth. They called it the Feast of the Nativity. This custom has been part of western culture ever since.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE REGARDING TAX DEDUCTIBLITIY ON PLANNED GIVING:

Due to recent NSW State Government legislative changes that take effect from 1 January 2017 it will not be possible to provide tax deductibility on planned giving donations made after 31 December 2016. A tax deductible receipt will however be provided for any contributions made for the period 1 July to 31st December 2016. A letter will be given to each parishioner who is currently contributing to the Parish Planned Giving to provide them with further information.

PLEASE USE PLANNED GIVING ENVELOPES ALTHOUGH YOUR OFFERINGS WILL NOT ATTRACT TAX DEDUCTABILITY FROM THE 1

ST

January, 2017. On behalf of our whole Church Community at Como/Oyster Bay please accept sincere thanks for your long years of generous support given to St. Joseph’s Parish and School. God bless.

CHRISTMAS OFFERING: Your kind gifts will go to the Central Fund that

attends to the needs of the priests and bishops in particular retired ones of the Archdiocese. I am grateful for your generosity. Fr. Jerzy

Last Sunday our community celebrated Christmas gathering in outstanding stile. Beginning with the preparations and then presentation of the Nativity Story in the church, sharing food, acknowledgment ceremony and obviously Santa’s extraordinary arrival and his conversation with children made time flow fast. It wouldn’t be as fantastic an event without Sonia, Ashia and Mary-Clare’s, and their supporters’, ingenuity and far-reaching dedication to the cause. Sonia, Aisha and Mary-Clare please accept our gratitude and endless thanks.

At this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year 2017 may you be enriched by the Blessings from the Lord. Fr Jerzy

Let us pray. Priest: O God, who by the guidance of a star did on this day manifest your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know you by faith may also attain the vision of your glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Priest: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you – Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary. All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of your rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Priest: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen. After the prayers of the blessing are recited, walk through the house and bless each room by sprinkling with Epiphany / holy water and incensing it. Take the blessed chalk and first write the initials of the three Wise Men, connected with Crosses, over the inside of your front door (on the lintel, if possible). Then write the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this, for example:

20 C+M+B 17 with the “20 “being the millennium and century, the “C” standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the “M” standing for Melchior, the “B” standing for Balthasar, and the “17” standing for the decade and year. It is also popularly believed that the Kings’ initials stand for “Christus mansionem benedicat” (“Christ bless this house”). In the past, priests would visit each home in their parish after the Feast of the Epiphany, but it became more difficult to do that as parishes became larger and larger. That is why the “head of the

household” (which if you are single or a widow is yourself) is permitted to do this blessing in place of the priest.

House Blessing at Christmas

New Year’s Eve Gathering in the hall for Fireworks on

the big screen. BYO

From 8pm -9.30pm

Paul VI John XXIII

Rosters 5 June: Linen:

Maggie Cranney Cleaning:

Irene Riley, Robyn Crowe Readers:

Youth Mass Rosters 12 June: Linen:

Julie O’Hara Cleaning:

Cleaners needed Readers:

Janne & , Jim Hagley, Anthony Reed, Isabelle Evans, Cassidy Borst Communion:

Elizabeth Pemberton, Melinda Hoskins, Glennis Spence, Geoff Croxson, Anne McMaster,

This is our hall. St. Mary’s Nativity Crib

My Dear friends, Whilst enjoying this annual festival of

the Nativity of Our Lord I express from the depths of my heart my countless ‘thank-you’ to all the willingly giving hands for the

preparation of our community for this wonderful celebration. May the true Light dispel the darkness from our

daily life. Blessed Christmas and Prosperous

New Year 2017 On behalf of the Parish Mission

Board and Parish staff. Father Jerzy.