Newsletter | December 5, 2023

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Saturday at 5:00pm

Sunday at 9:00am

Sunday at 11:00am

READINGS FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

PRACTICE OF HOPE

Throughout the centuries God has brought about wondrous and surprising change. Whenever God's people felt that he had abandoned them, he always revealed himself, renewing their hope and leading them in a new and better future.

• Imagine how people felt as they listened to John the Baptist. Place yourself at the Jordan River. What are people saying to one another? How are they reacting? What do you say and do? In the second reading, we hear of God's patience as we prepare ourselves for God's transformation of heaven and earth.
• How is God patient with you? Is there a person toward whom you can show greater patience? What specific, concrete steps can you take to treat that person with greater patience?
• What particular change do you need to make in your life "to be found without spot or blemish" (2 Peter 3:14) before the Lord?

We are doing our best to continue to provide a safe space to worship for everyone. Click here to see current COVID safety measures.

Live Stream Mass

STEWARDSHIP

Gratitude starts when we recognize that we have received a gift. We currently have 123 pledges in our Stewardship Campaign which represents almost 14% of our active families. If you are part of the 14% who have returned your pledge form, thank you very much for your promptness and support! If you have not turned in a pledge form yet, please do so. If you are not changing your pledge from previous years, we would still appreciate having a pledge form returned. Your pledge helps us to sustain the many ministries at our parish. May you have a blessed Advent season.

If you have not yet responded, please prayerfully consider making a pledge today. You may do it online using the button below.

2023 APPEAL FOR THE POOR

Special Collection This Weekend, December 9-10

The CCSWW Appeal for the Poor Campaign kicks off this weekend at SJV. Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services are our local Catholic Charities at work, serving tens of thousands of individuals and families in our neighborhood and across western Washington. Prayerfully consider how you will join the thousands of volunteers and staff to support our neighbors in need through prayer, advocacy, volunteerism, or a generous donation.

OLIVE WOOD FROM BETHLEHEM

This Weekend, December 9-10

Olive wood carvings will be available for purchase after all the Masses December 9-10. The proceeds support Christian Catholic families in the Holy Land. This is a major source of income for them. More than 75 families in Bethlehem hand carved these beautiful and unique items (Nativities, Crucifixes, Rosaries, Statues). The Christian population in Bethlehem has dropped from 22% to less than 2% in the past two decades. And this is a way to support them to stay there. Thank you in advance for your support. 

ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

PREPARE THE WAY

Reconciliation Service

• Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00pm

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Holy Day of Obligation)

• Friday, December 8 at 9:00am and 7:00pm

Second Sunday of Advent

• Saturday, December 9 at 5:00pm
• Sunday, December 10 at 9:00am and 11:00am

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

• Tuesday, December 12
• Procession at 4:00pm
• Rosary at 4:30pm
• Mass at 5:00pm followed by Reception

Third Sunday of Advent

• Saturday, December 16 at 5:00pm - Simbang Gabi Mass followed by Reception
• Sunday, December 17 at 9:00am and 11:00am

Fourth Sunday of Advent

• Saturday, December 23 at 5:00pm
• Sunday, December 24 at 10:00am

The Nativity of the Lord - Christmas

• Sunday, December 24 at 4:00pm (with Pageant) and 9:00pm
• Sunday, December 25 at 10:00am

The church will be closed December 26-29

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus

• Saturday, December 30 at 5:00pm
• Sunday, December 31 at 9:00am and 11:00am

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

• Monday, January 1 at 9:00am

The Epiphany of the Lord

• Saturday, January 6 at 5:00pm
• Sunday, January 7 at 9:00am and 11:00am

BRIDGE MINISTRY CHRISTMAS PARTY

Thank you to everyone who helped with prepping, serving, cleaning up, and assisting our guests. Your time gave our disabled friends and their caregivers an opportunity to make essential connections in our faith community. What a blessed time!

WELCOME OUR NEWLY BAPTIZED

Remmi Lynn and Rowan John, children of Brandon and Ashleigh

May the love, peace, and joy of your baptisms bring everlasting happiness to your family.

Infant Baptisms are celebrated on the first Sunday of each month during the 11:00am Mass. To register for your child please get a Baptism packet from the parish office. Contact Laura to reserve your spot. Check out sjvkirkland.org/sacraments/#baptism for more information.

"WARMTH IN LOVE" BUSKING

Thank you to all who attended and supported this fun-filled event. Greg and the "Sonshine Band" got people singing and dancing. The Sonshine ministry thoughtfully prepared a delightful reception. The event raised $817 for Sonshine to continue to support parishioners with their loving cards and meals.

REST IN PEACE

The Funeral Mass for Raul Ventura will be on Friday, December 8 at 11:00am.

The Memorial Service for Ruth Warmuth will be on Thursday, December 21 at 11:00am.

Salad and dessert donations for both receptions are appreciated. Please bring food donations to the Parish Office before 4:30pm the day before or by 10:30am the day of. Thank you for your ministry to bury the dead.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS BASKETS

THE FOOD DRIVE IS UNDERWAY

The SJV St. Vincent de Paul society will be assembling and distributing food baskets again this year for families in great need. Last year we helped 77 families, distributing over 245 boxes of food! Of course, we would not be able to do this without your help. Over the next several months, we will be collecting non-perishable food items. When you do your own shopping, please consider purchasing some of the items on the food drive schedule for our pantry. Checks (payable to SJV St. Vincent de Paul) or cash donations are always welcome and may be dropped off in the parish office. Thank you for making stewardship a way of life.

Dec 9-10: Cooking Oil, Canned Fruit, Pancake Mix, Syrup, Jam/Jelly, Canned Vegetables, Spaghetti Sauces, Pasta, Cake Mix, Frosting, Brownie Mix, Stove Top Stuffing Mix, 5 LB Flour, 4 LB Sugar, Canned Stew

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

END OF YEAR GIVING

Click on the flyer above to learn about ways to give beyond cash.

SJV will be closed December 26-29. All monetary donations for 2023 need to be in the parish office or postmarked by December 31 in order to be applied to this calendar year.

Our sincerest THANKS to you — for your generosity and good stewardship in helping one another and others encounter Jesus Christ throughout the year. We hope your own spiritual journey has flourished as well. We are so grateful and blessed to have you as part of our SJV faith community.

DID YOU KNOW???

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER AND COMMUNION RITE

The altar is prepared; the bread and wine are placed upon it; and now we enter into the Eucharistic Prayer.

The first part of the prayer is called the Preface. This is not a preface in the sense of a foreword or introduction. The preface is a prayer, addressed, like the entire Eucharistic Prayer, to God the Father. The Missal contains more than fifty different prefaces, each of which praises God for a different aspect of the mystery of salvation: for the coming of Christ in human flesh at Christmas, for his glorious Resurrection at Easter, for God's provident care for humanity, for the saints, even for the gift of the liturgy itself, with its times for penance and rejoicing.

Every preface concludes with an invitation to join in the hymn of the angels, the Sanctus, the Holy, Holy, Holy. The Sanctus is a song of praise, recognizing the power of God, whose glory fills heaven and earth. The text is drawn from two passages of Scripture. The first part is from Isaiah's vision of seraphim worshiping before the throne of God: ''Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!" (6:2-3). The second part, beginning "Blessed is he," has deep Scriptural roots as well. Most directly, it recalls the words of those who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem a few days before his Passion: "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest" (Matthew 21:9). As we pray the Sanctus together, we lift up our hearts and unite our voices and prayer with the unending prayer of heaven. At the altar, the distance between earth and heaven narrows to a vanishing point.

Following the Sanctus, we kneel as the priest prays the words of the Eucharistic Prayer. This prayer is the heart of the Mass. Addressing God the Father, the priest prays on behalf of the community. The Missal includes ten different Eucharistic Prayers, all of which follow the same pattern:

We give praise and thanks to God. The priest calls down the Holy Spirit on the gifts of bread and wine, extending hands over them in what is called the epiclesis. Then comes the institution narrative-the story of what happened on the night of the Last Supper is told, as the priest takes first the bread, and then the cup. While the entire Eucharistic Prayer is consecratory, the words of Jesus in the institution narrative are especially important,

After the consecration, we sing an acclamation of remembrance and praise, Christ, crucified for our salvation, is present upon the altar.

In the second part of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Church offers the Body and Blood of Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit, and we ask that we may offer ourselves in the same way, so that all may be one in God. The priest then offers a series of intercessions-prayers for the members of the Church, both living and dead. The Pope and the bishop of the diocese are mentioned by name. The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a doxology of praise— "Through him, with him, in him"—and we join in and assent to all of this with our sung "Amen."

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

Tonight - Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00pm in Room 8

Open to all who are struggling with the loss of a loved one. Please join us the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm. Please contact Dana, 206-371-0803, for more information.

WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP

Tonight - Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00pm in the Parish Office

The first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM, our Women’s Book Group gathers with wine and chocolate to discuss a book that has been chosen by the group. You do not need to read the book to come to the book group.

ADVENT RECONCILIATION SERVICE

This Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00pm

Make time for Reconciliation this Advent. After the Reconciliation Service multiple priests will be available for Confession.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also available every Saturday from 3:30-4:30pm.

The season of Advent is the perfect time to repent. Advent is a season of hope, the hope that God puts into our hearts. In some obscure way, we all long for a new beginning. We long to shed the burden of the past, to rediscover within ourselves a hope that longs for the future, that is ready to begin anew.

Repentance is something more than a reluctant confession of past wrongdoing. Repentance is a whole new way of thinking and change of attitudes. We begin to believe that in Christ we can become what was promised long ago. We begin to believe that the Spirit that descended on Jesus can transform our lives, filling them with hope. We begin to believe in the peace that Christ alone can bring to our troubled hearts and broken world.

Advent is a good time to repent, to forgive and be forgiven, and to rediscover the precious gift of inner peace. We begin with those closest to us, our own family and friends. Without such repentance the Christmas we prepare is mere tinsel.

LUNCH MAKING FOR THE HOMELESS

This Thursday, December 7 at 10:00am

Join us in the social hall following 9:00am Adoration & Mass every first Thursday of the month. We will be preparing 100 sack lunches for the Cold Weather Homeless Shelter in Snohomish County. Special thanks to Mike McAuliff who provides the food items to prepare the lunches. 

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (HOLY DAY)

This Friday, December 8

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Friday, December 8, which is a Holy Day of Obligation. Join us for Mass at 9:00am or 7:00pm.

MOMS MEETUP CHRISTMAS BRUNCH

This Saturday, December 9 at 10:30am - Beardslee Public House, Bothell

Calling all moms, especially moms with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school-aged children! We’re a community built upon our shared Catholic values, our love for our children, and our knowledge and support of our shared experiences that meets once a month.

If you’d like to come to our Christmas Brunch, please join the SJV Moms Meetup Facebook Group to RSVP so you can be added to the reservation.

CKCC BLESSING BAGS

will be stuffed this weekend, December 10 and 11

Catholic Kids’ Catechism Club members will be stuffing blessing bags for the homeless again this year. If you would like to donate personal care items, please place them in the boxes next to the welcome table. 

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS TREE FOR FAMILIES IN NEED

Gift cards should be turned in to the SJV office by December 11

Please help our local families in need this Christmas with gift cards from any of the following stores: Amazon, Fred Meyer, Target, Safeway, and QFC. $25 or $50 denominations requested; please write the amount clearly on the card. Thank you for your support.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CELEBRATION

Tuesday, December 12

We want to honor and give our respects to our lovely mother, and celebrate her on this special day. Please join us for:

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession at 4:00pm
• Bilingual Rosary (English and Spanish) at 4:30pm
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass celebrated by Fr. Vu at 5:00pm

After Mass there will be a potluck reception. If you would like to participate and bring something to share it would be a blessing.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 13 at 7:00pm via Zoom

“To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world.” (Pope Francis)

All are welcome to join our group the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm via Zoom as we work for social justice. Please contact Susan for the link to our next meeting.

SIMBANG GABI

Saturday, December 16 at 5:00pm Mass

Join us for the Filipino tradition of Simbang Gabi, a novena of Masses leading up to Christmas. It will be a festive, colorful, and prayerful Advent celebration! Reception to follow.

CHURCH CHRISTMAS DECORATING

Sunday, December 17 after the 11:00am Mass

It’s almost time to deck the halls! Help get the church ready for Christmas. Everyone is welcome. Many hands make LIGHT work! 

REMINDERS

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS NEEDED

If you feel called to serve in this special way while you are at Mass, please contact the parish office for a training.

HIGH SCHOOL ESPERANZA MISSION TREK CHRISTMAS TREE LOT IS OPEN

Meet our trekkers and find your Christmas tree and wreath. All proceeds support their trek to Tijuana.

CHRISTMAS FLOWER OFFERING

Offerings of Christmas flowers to honor/memorialize a loved one can be made using the envelope in your monthly pack or by sending a check to the office marked “Christmas Flower Offering,” including the names of those you’d like to honor/memorialize. 

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

Kids 4 years old and up! Be part of the Christmas Pageant, which will be during the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Mass! Rehearsal will be Saturday, December 23 at 10:00am and dress rehearsal at 3:00pm, right before the Mass. Sign up by emailing Laura. 

RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS

Classes have begun. Contact the parish office if you are interested in receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter. Learn more

CONFIRMATION PREPARATION

This Saturday, December 9 at 2:30pm in Room 6, then Mass together. Learn more

CATHOLIC KIDS' CATECHISM CLUB

We stuff blessing bags this weekend. New members and volunteers are welcome any time. Learn more

YOUTH GROUP

Join us for Prayer Night this Sunday from 5:00-6:30pm. Middle School and High School youth are always invited. Learn more

SJV VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

How can you best use your gifts?

Learn more

PREPARE FOR ADVENT

Wednesday, January 10 from 7:00-8:30pm - Isaac Orr Conference Room or Livestream on Zoom

Visit archseattle.org/advent for Advent inspiration, weekly Advent reflections from the bishops, Advent Scripture readings, prayers, traditions and more.