MEMORIALS The Sanctuary Candle this week is burning in loving memory of Joseph and Grace Lahey donated by Francis Lahey. The candle will burn from December 3rd through December 9th.

The Flowers in front of the Blessed Mother this weekend were donated in loving memory of deceased members of the Rapalje Family.

CHOIR REHEARSALS Children Christmas Choir rehearsals are being held on Mondays, November 27th through December 18th, 3:15 to 4:00 pm at Our Lady of Loretto Church.

Adult Choir rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm in the choir loft. New members are welcome at all weekend Masses. If you would like to sing, please come to a rehearsal or call Jeffrey V. Lutz at 228-5612.

INTERCESSORY PRAYERLINE Call in your intercessions • Marian Shrine (Divine Mercy)

Stockbridge • 800-804-3823

PLEASE PRAY For the sick and suffering, especially

ANNOUNCED MASSES If you wish to bring up the gifts for a Mass being said for your loved one(s), please see the Usher before Mass.

Vigil (Sunday) Mass – December 2 5:00 PM Bill and Mary Wilbur Sunday, December 3 – First Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM William Madonna 10:15 AM St. Joseph’s – Carmella Lutz 12:00 PM Rachel C. Percacciolo

Monday, December 4 – Saint John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church

8:15 AM Kristen Faust Tuesday, December 5 – Advent Weekday 8:15 AM Ed Cretelli Wednesday, December 6 – Saint Nicholas, Bishop 8:15 AM Ellen McNelly and all the People of the

Parish Thursday, December 7 – Saint Ambrose, Bishop and

Doctor of the Church 8:15 AM Jessie Hammond Thursday, December 7 – Vigil of the Immaculate

Conception 5:00 PM Colasurdo Family Friday, December 8 – Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary – A Holy Day of Obligation

8:15 AM John and Petra Milcetic 7:30 PM Pam Mehldau Saturday, December 9 – Saint Juan Diego

Cuauhtlatoatzin 8:15 AM Diana Poli

Vigil (Sunday) Mass – December 9 5:00 PM Frisenda Family, Florence Weise and Santa

Huston Sunday, December 10 – Second Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM Florence, William and Butch Henderson 10:15 AM St. Joseph’s – William Gleason 12:00 PM Anna Berarducci

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your

face and we shall be saved. December 3, 2017

READINGS FOR THIS WEEK Monday: Is 2:1-5; Ps 122:1-9; Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24 Wednesday: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37 Thursday: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27 Friday: Gn 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1-4; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Lk 1:26-38 Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35 – 10:1, 5a, 6-8 Sunday: Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 85:9-14; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8

“Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming… What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

(Mark 13:35a, 37)Lucy Abbatine Lucas Boesch Electra Bokanoski Nicole Bokanoski Robert Broughal The Brusco Family Kathleen Clements Ned Flanagan Christopher Hartly Joseph Hoda Parker Jane Holloway Joey Hyatt, Jr. Elizabeth M. Hynes Dennis Klubnick Geoff Lyons Kathleen Manganello Mary Marion Paula Martino Merna Mendelson

Todd Morris Joseph Nowakowski Brian O’Keeffe Inelda O’Keeffe Luis Padilla Rosario Padilla Neilan Pierce Vivian Pisanelli Joan Rosado Phillip Rossignol Melissa Castro-Santos Miguel Santos Laura Schiele Sally Singh Ralph Torres Connie Tuomey Chris Ventura Frank Volkmann Lidia Watrud

that the fighting among nations cease, that vengeance end and lasting peace begin, and for all of our prayers in our book of petitions.

and for all our dearly departed, especially

Susan Duff McFadden Lou Thorpe

OUR LADY OF LORETTO PARISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

“Handing on the Faith” 845-265-3718 ✭ ollfaithformation@gmail.com

CLASSES THIS WEEK Wednesday, December 6th, 2017

Grade 1 – 3:30 to 4:30 pm Grades 2 to 5 – 3:30 to 5:00 pm Grades 6 to 8 – 6:30 to 8:00 pm

FAMILY CATECHESIS EVENT “A Loretto Christmas Pageant”

Sunday, December 10th • 3:00 pm in the Church Please be aware that Family Catechesis Events count as class time, so please make every effort to attend.

Please pray for our Second Graders who will receive the Sacrament of First

Reconciliation on Sunday, January 7th.

MASS ATTENDANCE

Adults Children Total

Saturday, 5:00 pm 89 3 92

Sunday, 8:30 am 110 32 142

St. Joseph’s Chapel Sunday, 10:15 am 44 8 52

Sunday, 12:00 pm 118 24 142

Total 361 67 428

WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER 26, 2017REGULAR WEEKLY COLLECTION – $7,512

SECOND COLLECTION – $2,466 Thank you for your generosity.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION At Our Lady of Loretto • Every Monday • 7:00-8:00 pm

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament remains as it is with individual prayer time, but specific groups are being identified for certain Mondays so they can come together to focus in prayer for a specific intention...

Dec 4 – The unborn and persecuted Christians Dec 11 – Parishioners of Our Lady of Loretto Dec 18 – Liturgy and Spiritual Life Committee Jan 1 – Unborn and persecuted Christians

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSLoretto Council #536

Annual Community Coat DriveNovember 18th through December 10th

The Knights of Columbus Loretto Council #536 is holding its “Annual Community Coat Drive” November

18th through December 10th. Coat bins are located at the rear of St. Joseph’s Chapel

and Our Lady of Loretto Church.

Philipstown Food Pantry DeliverySunday • December 31st

Grand Knight – Bob Murphy To join, email our Membership Director, John Hackney:

johnhackney@hotmail.com.

SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND FOR THE RETIRED RELIGIOUS

Next Sunday – December 10th, there will be a special collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious. This fund distributes grants to religious institutes for the retirement needs of senior religious priests, brothers and sisters. This is a great way to thank the priests and religious men and women that have touched your lives in the past.

Advent Reconciliation Services

At Our Lady of Loretto Church Monday, December 18th

8:45 to 9:30 am (following the 8:15 am Mass) 3:00 to 4:00 pm

7:00 to 8:00 pm during Eucharistic Adoration

THE HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTION FOR DECEMBER

The Elderly. That the elderly, sustained by families and Christian communities, may apply their wisdom and experience to spreading the faith and forming the new generations.

“A Loretto Christmas Pageant” Sunday, December 10th • 3:00 pm

At Our Lady of Loretto Church

Put on by the children of Our Lady of Loretto A reception will follow in the Parish Hall

All parishioners are invited! Bring family, friends and neighbors to celebrate with us as we share in this

beautiful Christmas tradition.

Let’s open our hearts to the true meaning of Christmas!

THE ADVENT WREATH The wreath's symbolism of the advent (coming) of Light into the world is clear. The gradual lighting of the four candles, one on each Sunday of the Advent season, combined with the liturgical colors of the candles (purple is the penitential color used during Advent and Lent; rose is a liturgical color used only

on Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent) help to symbolize not only our expectation and hope in Our Savior's first coming into the world, but also in his Second Coming as Judge at the end of the world. The wreath itself is also symbolic. The circle of evergreen in which the candles are placed represents everlasting life. The seedpods, nuts and cones used to decorate the wreath are symbolic of resurrection, and fruits represent the nourishing fruitfulness of the Christian life.

Blessing of the Advent Wreath Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord. Response: Who made heaven and earth.

With hands joined, the Leader says:

Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ. He is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples, He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us, He is the Savior of every nation.

Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath. May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May He come quickly and not delay. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Response: Amen.

ATTENTION: LECTORS, EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS AND

ALTAR SERVERS A reminder to let us know if you can serve at any of the Christmas Masses. The Christmas Mass Schedule this

year is as follows: Christmas Eve

4:00 pm and 8:00 pm at Our Lady of Loretto 6:00 pm at St. Joseph’s Chapel

Christmas Day 10:00 am at Our Lady of Loretto

If you can serve, e-mail Anna McFadden at anna.mcfadden@gmail.com or turn your form into the

Parish Office. Thank you!

COLD AND FLU SEASON The Sign of Peace

Please don’t be offended if someone chooses not to shake hands with you during the Sign of Peace. An appropriate gesture for those who are concerned about spreading the flu virus might be to strive for eye contact rather than physical contact. Or just wave your hand. You could also clasp your hands together and bow gently to those around you, and with a smile say “Peace be with you,” or “Peace of Christ.”

Receiving Holy Communion Roman Catholics believe that both the Body and the Blood of Christ are contained in the Holy Eucharist under the form of the consecrated host. But the Church encourages reception of the cup at Mass (weekday Masses at Our Lady of Loretto) as a fuller expression of the Last Supper and Christ’s precious blood poured out for us in sacrifice.

If you are feeling sick, please receive Holy Communion in the hand, rather than on the tongue, and refrain from receiving communion from the cup. It is not appropriate to dip your host into the cup, as this is irreverent and can contaminate the cup.

HEALING MASS Tuesday December 5, 2017

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish • 1925 Rte 82 LaGrangeville, NY 12540

A Healing Mass, with a free flow of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, will be held Tuesday December 5, 2017 at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish. The guest celebrant will be Fr. Tom Kreiser, formerly of St.Columba and St. Patrick's Yorktown and currently serving at Sacred Heart in Monroe. Praise and Worship begins at 7:00 pm; Mass at 7:30. Individual prayers for healing will follow the Mass.

The event is sponsored by the Spirit Wind Prayer group of St. Kateri. All are welcome. Weather cancellation on WHUD Storm Center 104FM. For details, contact Pat or Joe at 845-440-3519.

There will not be a Noon Mass at Our Lady of Loretto on Sunday, December 24th.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION à HOLY MASS Our Lady of Loretto Parish will celebrate Mass for the

Immaculate Conception on: Thursday, December 7th • 5:00 pm

Friday, December 8th • 8:15 am and 7:30 pm

HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD On December 8th Our Lady invites us to participate in the Hour of Grace for the World. Please join us for a one-hour prayer service:

12:00 to 1:00 pm In the Church

During this hour we will concentrate on our union with God, meditate on the Passion of Jesus, say the Holy Rosary and pray Psalm 51 as Our Lady has requested. Mary wants all souls to be drawn to God, and that Jesus be loved in every heart. She wants us to help make reparation for the grievous sins offending her beloved Son. Learn about Our Lady under the title of Rosa Mystica.

Our Lady has promised that she will hear any prayer we make during the Hour of Grace if it is the will of the Father. She is our greatest intercessor. Mrs. Diana Roda will be the prayer facilitator. All are invited! For more information, please call Diana at 424-4175.

NATIONAL NIGHT OF PRAYER FOR LIFE On Friday, December 8th, our Parish will take part in the National Night of Prayer for Life: 8:30 to 10:00 pm, immediately following the 7:30 pm

Mass in the Church We will pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament for the conversion of hearts of all those who promote, perform and support abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION It is she, Mary herself, who is the Immaculate Conception; the feast day – celebrated December 8th – does not refer to Mary's conceiving Jesus by the Holy Spirit, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, by Mary's father, St. Joachim. What makes her conception immaculate is that from the very moment of her conception, she was filled with grace by God, Who knew, in His omniscience, that she would say "yes" to the Angel Gabriel and become the Mother of the Savior. Exactly nine months from now, on September 8th, we will celebrate Mary's birthday.

Mary is the All Holy, and it had to be this way: Christ took from her His very Flesh and Blood – the Flesh that was scourged for us, the Blood that was spilt for us, the Bread of Life that saves us! Mary, in her Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the United States.

MARCH FOR LIFE January 19th, 2018 • Washington, D.C.

Bus Information: Saint Columba Parish • 428 Route 82

Hopewell Junction, NY

The cost for students is $25 and adults is $35. The bus leaves St. Columba after the 4:30 am Mass.

For reservations or more information, contact George Morton at 845-226-6896; georgemorton@msn.com

A DAILY PRAYER TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE “REASON FOR THE SEASON”

Sometimes a simple prayer is all we need to remind us of what we are celebrating.

Aleteia.org, Philip Kosloski – Christmas is getting closer and festive decorations are already surrounding us, preparing us for a season of little elves, reindeer, and fluffy snowmen. In the midst of all the exterior preparations and the looming need to go Christmas shopping, it is easy to forget the “reason for the season.”

One simple way to stay focused is by saying a brief prayer at the start of each day. Here is one prayer, called the “St. Jude Prayer,” that is very powerful and can return our thoughts (and our hearts) to what celebrating Christmas is truly about.

Lord Jesus, your power is infinite, your glory, everlasting. Quietly you come, as a tiny baby. Ready my heart for the miracle of your birth. Bring light to this dark world, waiting silently for your warmth in the coldness of the night. Waiting is itself your gift, animating my heart with anticipation. Bless me with needed patience and faithful discipline to prayerfully prepare to welcome and greet you. St. Jude, eternal hope, let your holiness flow into me. May Christmas joy and burning love take root in me and grow until they bloom on Christmas Day, to carry joy to the world and inspire hope to renew the face of the earth.