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The Church ofSt. Christopher andSt. Margaret MaryThe Church of St. Christopher130 Midland AvenueStaten Island, New York 10306Parish Office: (718) 351-2452Fax: (718) 351-1174Office Hours: Monday - Friday,9:30am - 4:00pmWeb: www.stcstmmsi.orgRev. Joseph M. McLafferty, PastorRev. Thomas DeSimone, Parochial VicarRev. John P. DeLora, SIUH Chaplain, in residenceRev. Edgar Devina, in residenceRev. John A. Boehning, Weekend CelebrantRev. Deogracias Lingao, Weekend CelebrantDeacon Patrick GrahamThe Church of St. Margaret Mary560 Lincoln AvenueStaten Island, New York 10306Church Office: (718) 351-2612Fax: (718) 987-0446Office Hours: Monday - Friday,9:30am - 2:30pmWeb: www.stcstmmsi.orgDECEMBER 16th, 2018 - THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT!!MASSES!Monday Friday: St. Christopher 9:00am!St. Margaret Mary . 8:00am!Monday:Island Shores . . 10:30am, Residents Mass!Saturday:St. Christopher . 9:00am and 4:30pm (Vigil)!Sunday:St. Christopher . 9:15am, 12:00pm!and 7:00pm!St. Margaret Mary . 8:00am and 10:30am!Holy Days of Obligation as announcedCONFESSION!Saturday:St. Christopher . 1:30pm 2:30pm!Otherwise by appointment; call (718) 351 2452BAPTISMS!By appointment. Interviews of parents seeking baptism for their!children are arranged by calling the Parish Office; (718) 351 2452.MARRIAGES!By appointment with one of the priests at least six months in !advance of the wedding date. Please contact the Parish Office !for further information; (718) 351 2452.SICK CALLS!Please call the Parish Office; (718) 351 2452.!EUCHARISTIC ADORATION!Monday Friday: St. Christopher 12:00pm 4:30pm!Coordinators: Barbara Fiore (917) 593 4743 or!Terry Warner (718) 979 0258 !NEW PARISHIONERS!All new parishioners are invited to register at the Parish Office!and to participate in our parish life.!ST. CHRISTOPHER SCHOOL!15 Lisbon Place, 10306 (718) 351 0902!Mrs. Catherine Falabella, Principal!RELIGIOUS EDUCATION and RCIA!560 Lincoln Avenue, 10306 (718) 351 2119!Mrs. Barbara Regan, Coordinator!MUSIC MINISTRY!Patty Beniquez!To arrange music for Weddings call 718 954 0247!ESPOSITO COMMUNITY CENTER!136 Midland Avenue, 10306!The center may be rented for private parties.! !Please contact the rectory at!(718) 351 2452!!for available dates and rates!!!!!!!!!

!MASS INTENTIONS!!S! aturday, Dec 15 !8:00am (M)! Armando Aquino!!9:00am (C) ! Lydia Tulino!!!Sunday, Dec 16th!!!8:00am (M) ! Lorraine Conway!!9:15am (C)! Liv & Dec’d Members Legion of Mary!!10:30am (M)! Richard Daretany!12:00pm (C) Anne & James Favaloro!! !7:00pm (C) Christopher Canale in Thanksgiving!!!!Reconcilliation Monday!Monday, Dec 17th!8:00am (M) ! Linda Brooks!! !9:00am (C) ! Matthew Pietromonaco!!!Tuesday, Dec 18th!!! ! ! 8:00am (M) ! Tom Bilali!! !9:00am (C) ! Christopher Fahy!!!Wednesday, Dec 19th ! !! !8:00am (M)! William T. Harris, Sr.!!!9:00am (C)! John McLafferty!!!Thursday, Dec 20th!! !8:00am (M) Edmund McManamon!! !9:00am (C) John McLafferty! !!!Friday, Dec 21st!!! 8:00am (M)! For the Parishioners!!9:00am (C) ! David Shackett!!!Saturday, Dec 22nd!!!9:00am (C) ! Alfonso Mantione, Giuseppe & Filomena!!!Sanfilippo!!4:30pm (C) ! Dec’d Members of the Vito Family!!!Sunday, Dec 23rd !!!8:00am (M) Rita and Francis Brenneck!!9:15am (C) ! Della Jacono, Potoczki, Bujaki & DeAbreo!!!Families!!10:30am (M) ! Kevin Walsh!!12:00pm (C) Baby Isabella Frittitta!!7:00pm (C) Giangarra & Rossi Families!!!(C)(M)St. Christopher Church!St. Margaret Mary Church!thPRAY FOR THE MEMBERS OF OUR PARISHFAMILY IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES!!ARMY!Lt Colonel Suzanne L. Jones, DDS,ABGD,FAGD!Specialist Edward Murphy, 4th Infantry Div!PFC Joseph Cascio!NAVY!Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Matthew Gardiner!Max Davidson, Navy Fighter Pilot!Ensign Patrick T. Walsh!Benny Davidson, Submarine Officer!Julian C. Olivar, E4 !Sierra P. Butts, E4!AIR FORCE!Master Sgt. Elisa Nickolic!MARINES!Corporal Vincent P. Gennaro!Master Gunnery Sgt. Frederic Zeyer!PFC Denis Hugh Corrigan, Jr.!!If you know of an active duty military member please notify PeggyRybarczyk (718) 351!2452 of their name, rank and branch. REFLECTION!December 16, 2018 !3rd Sunday of Advent!!!In Christianity, we hear often about the "Good News." We might often associate it with Jesus' compassion to the poor, his healings andmiracles, and the salvation he won for us. In today's Gospel, we read of John the Baptist. "Exhorting them in many other ways, hepreached good news to the people." Yet as we examine the rest of the reading, we see examples of John's preaching. If you have twocloaks, give one away. Don't cheat others out of their money, extort, or lie. And, of course, the warning that the Messiah is on the moveand "his winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn withunquenchable fire." Merry Christmas?!!Not only do John's listeners enjoy his message, but they seem to think he might be the awaited Messiah! To understand today's Gospel,it's important to understand the Jewish people. For most of their history, God's chosen people had been under someone else's heel. Theywere slaves in Egypt. Their kingdoms were ravaged first by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians. Now they were under the yoke of theRoman Empire. Familiar with being strangers in a strange land, welcoming the stranger, caring for the vulnerable, and enacting justicewas incredibly important to them as a people. While John's words may seem odd or strong to our modern ears, this call to justice waswelcome, even if it was directed at the hearer.!!The truth is, no one is exempt from John's call to repentance. We all have further to go in the Christian life. We can all grow in virtueand love our neighbors more generously. The Church gives us the Advent season to examine our own hearts. Did any of John's !warnings resonate with you? That could be a great thing to bring to Jesus this week!!

FOR THE WEEK OF DEC 16th!!PRAY FOR OUR SICK!“. touch only the tassel on his cloak, !and as many as touched it were healed.” Mark 6:56!!At St. Christopher Church the !Bread and Wine ar e being offer ed !in memory of Richard Willis!and the Sanctuary Lamp !is lit for the Cannavo & Vasta Families!both living and deceased.!At St. Margaret Mary Church the !Bread and Wine ar e being offer ed !for William T. Harris, Sr.!ADVENT PAMPHLETS!!In the rear of the church you can find some “catechetical” !pamphlets, please feel free to take one of each home with you, aswe all prepare the way for the Lord’s coming.!HOLY NAME SOCIETY!The next meeting of the Holy Name Society will be held, on !Sunday, January 13th, 2019 in the Esposito Community Center !following the 9:15am Mass. We are looking for new members sotake a few moments and come see what we are all about. You’llbe pleasantly surprised.!Ann Basso!Barbara Boccia!Peter Boragi!Sal Catucci!Ann Ciabattari!Frank Ciabattari!Michael Cigliano!Paul Cigliano!Sal Cigliano!Coleen Comita!Christopher Cranston!Mary Graham Delmar!Rev. John P. DeLora!Anne DeRenzi!Jennifer Dennis!Thomas Emery!Anita Fabiano!!DEC. 17TH IS !RECONCILLIATION MONDAY!!!!!CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE!OF MASSES!!!!!!!!CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24TH!Masses for Christmas Obligation will be !at 4:30pm (C); 6:00pm(M) ; and Midnight (C)CHRISTMAS DAY, DECEMBER 25TH!Masses for Christmas Obligation will be at !8:00am (M); 9:15pm (C);10:45am (M); 12:15pm (C) !YOUR ENVELOPE COUNTS !!12/8 Immaculate Conception 1,874.00!12/9 Regular 1st 7,588.00!School Support 2nd 1,480.00!!!!Thank you for your continuing generosity !!Mary Parnell!Judy Paul!Christopher Pigano!Mark Ravotta!Josephine Roe!Angelo Savarino!Michael Savarino!Alfred Sebastiano!Eleanor Shields!W. Robert Shields!Christian Sigua!Jerry Soricelli!Helen St. John!Anthony Umana!Stella Vasile!Ginger Yannotta!!NOTE: Those in bold were added this week. !!!!Joe Fabiano!Joan Ford!Kathleen Gaynor!Ernest Giovelli!Peter Guinta!Norman Kuhar!Kathleen King!Diane Leershen!Nicholas Lombardi!Diego Lopez!Richard Malanga!Delia Mayott!Danny Meagher!Carol Miano!Anna Nerone!Lily O’Donovan!Eileen Palozzola!!On Monday, Confessions will be heard !from 4:00pm until 8:00pm at !St. Christopher Chur ch!!Confessions are always heard on Saturdays !from 1:30pm until 2:30pm at!St. Christopher Chur ch!

!SEARCH FOR THE LONGEST !MARRIED COUPLE !IN THE NY ARCHDIOCESE!!The search for the longest married couple in the Archdiocese ofNew York has started.!!To enter ; couples must be sacramentally married for a minimumof 65 years and reside in the Archdiocese of New York.!!The longest married couple will receive commerative certificatessigned by His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan. The winningcouple will be interviewed and featured in an article in CatholicNew York. Winners are determined by how long the couple hasbeen married as of World Marriage Day, February 10, 2019.!!For further information, contact Joan Brisson at the Family LifeOffice at (646) 794 3190 or Joan.Brisson@archny.org. Emailentries can be sent directly to Joan.Brisson@archny.org. !!The deadline for entries is 5:00pm on Thursday, January 24,2019!NOVEMBER!WINNER!!Darlene Delmar!!Congratulations!!!!!!!WE WELCOME!To our Christian Family on their Baptism. !Samuel Vardanian!Congratulations!!

!!!!!!! Our goal for Renew Rebuild is 674,000!We have secured morethan 515,670 or, over76% of our goal.!!!The Renew Rebuild Campaign !74% of the funds weis a 200 million capital campaign.!raise in the Renew !!Rebuild campaign will!remain with us for ourOur parishes will raise a minimum ofparish needs!! 177 million of the total goal with aprimary focus on the renewal of our local faith communities. 130 million (74%) of all money raised in the parishes will bedirected towards their local needs. After much prayer and discernment, we have developed a plan to provide for a vibrant parish life for our community at St. Christopher and St. MargaretMary.!!!The Renew Rebuild Campaign will make possible the following priorities at our parish:!! Fix the church roof at St. Christopher!! Fix the roof at St. Christopher rectory!! Improve lighting in the sanctuary at St. Christopher,!! Fix the church roof at St. Margaret Mary!! Install a new floor for the sanctuary at St. Margaret Mary!! Reduce debt!! Fix the boiler in the school!! Continue renovations in the Community Center!! Create a Capital Improvement Fund!! Repairs in Dongan Hall.!!!Thank you to those generous individuals who have already madea pledge to this important initiative for our parish!!!!If you have received your campaign materials, and are readyto make your pledge, please return your pledge card to theParish Office or put it in a sealed envelope marked Renew Rebuild in the collections basket at Mass next Sunday!!PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL!Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle;be our defense against the wickedness and snaresof the devil. May God rebuke him, we humblypray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, !by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and theother evil spirits who prowl about the world !seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.!OPLATKI WAFERS!!The custom of Oplatki (unblessed !Christmas wafers) comes to us from !Eastern Europe. They are served to family,friends and neighbors on Christmas Eveand are a foretaste of the Eucharist that wereceive in Holy Communion at ChristmasMass. These wafers symbolize your greatdesire to receive Communion so that you may welcome Christ inyour hearts on Christmas Day. Bring home your share of Oplatkiand enjoy this beautiful custom. Oplatki wafers can be found inthe church to the left of the altar. The donation for each package is 2.00.!