Come, dear Jesus, come;

My heart belongs to you.

Merry Christmas

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 2 Battle Creek, MI

Mass Schedule

Ite Ad Joseph, Pray for Us

St. Joseph Catholic Church, 61 23rd St N

Parish Office: 962-0165 Monday-Thursday 8:30 am-4:30 pm (Closed 12:30-1:30 pm) Summer: May 24 - August 30 - Friday 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Confessions First Friday 12:15 pm, Saturday 3:30 pm or by appointment

Rosary After daily Mass and Sundays at 9:30 am in Church Mondays 7:00 pm in Spanish Parish Center Chapel

First Friday 7:00 pm Parish Center Chapel

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

▪ Monday 4:00 - 8:00 pm in the Parish Center Chapel ▪ Wednesday 9:00 am - Saturday 9:00 am In St. Philip Seton Center Chapel ▪ Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 pm for Vocations in the Parish Center Chapel ▪ Friday 8:30 am - Benediction at 4:45 pm in St. Joseph Church ▪ First Wednesday 7:00 pm in St. Joseph Church

St. Joseph: To sign up for a Holy hour or to be on the sub list for Friday Adoration, please call Marlene: 962-8641 and leave your name and phone number.

St. Philip: Seton Center Chapel, Wednesday 9:00 am to Saturday, 9:00 am, call Betty Dillard: 962-8255 to sign up.

Readings for:

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14, Col 3:12-21, Mt 2:13-15

Saturday, December 28 - Vigil: The Holy Family 5:00 pm † Mary Smith Stokes by Catherine Hannon & Sara Hannon Green Sunday, December 29 - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph 8:00 am † Deceased Members of the Bizon Family by Family 10:00 am 63rd Anniversary of Al and Jane Haefner by Family 12:00 pm † Mary Smith Stokes by Robert Hegerberg 2:00 pm † For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome Burmese 5:00 pm † Holy Souls in Purgatory Spanish

Saturday, December 21 - Vigil: Forth Sunday of Advent 5:00 pm Intentions of Betty Wezensky by Dee Wygant 6:30 pm Posada Church and Cafeteria Sunday, December 22 - Forth Sunday of Advent 8:00 am † Carl (Rusty) Wahmhoff By Adrienne Becker 10:00 am † Jack Hannon by Family 12:00 pm † Judith Syc by Joe & Sue Arbic 2:00 pm For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome Burmese 5:00 pm † Holy Souls in Purgatory Spanish 6:00 pm Posada Church and Cafeteria

Monday, December 23 8:00 am † Bob & Trudy Burrows by Family 6:00 pm Posada Church and Cafeteria

Tuesday, December 24 8:00 am † Herman & Helen Swick by Dee Wygant

Christmas Season Mass Schedule

The St. Joseph Parish Office will be closed December 24 - January 1. Normal hours will resume January 2.

Christmas Schedule for

Our Catholic Community in Battle Creek

Vigil of Christmas Masses December 24

St. Joseph 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm Spanish St. Jerome 4:00 pm St. Philip 4:30 pm, 7:30 pm

Christmas Mass December 25

St. Joseph 12 am (Midnight), 8:00 am, 10:00 am 12:00 pm Spanish, 2:00 pm Burmese St. Jerome 10:00 am St. Philip 12 am (Midnight), 9:00 am, 11:30 am

Vigil Mass December 31

St. Joseph 5:00 pm Spanish St. Joseph 7:00 pm English

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

January 1

St. Joseph 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 2:00 pm Burmese St. Jerome 10:00 am St. Philip 9:00 am, 11:30 am

Tuesday, December 24 5:00 pm For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome 7:00 pm † Melvin Wood by Chuck & Jean Hockstra 9:00 pm † Fr. Donn Taylor by St. Joseph Parish Spanish

Wednesday, December 25 - Prelude Music at 11:30 12:00 am † Helen Thompson by Joanie Marshall Bilingual: Burmese and English 8:00 am For the Shut-ins of St. Joseph Parish 10:00 am † Grace Kietrys by Family 12:00 pm † Delores Hugo by Family Spanish 2:00 pm For the People of St. Joseph & St. Jerome Burmese

Thursday, December 26 8:00 am † Georgia Cordrey by Dee Wygant Friday, December 27 8:00 am † Mary Smith Stokes by Barbara Smith 8:30 am Adoration 4:45 pm Benediction Saturday, December 28 8:00 am † Susan Isaacs by St. Joseph Parish 3:30 pm Confessions

Fourth Sunday of Advent Page 3 December 22, 2019

From Fr. Christopher Ankley

Even after Ahaz rejects God, God tells him – I will give you a sign; the virgin will conceive and bear a son. She will name him Emmanuel: Emmanuel meaning God is with us. God is telling Ahaz, just as he’s telling us: do not be afraid, trust me; I am with you. In our Gospel from Matthew we have our second Advent man, Joseph. And Joseph like Ahaz is also a descendant of David and he is told by an angel, “Do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, into your home.” What might he be afraid of? There was the fear of what others might think. Perhaps Joseph was fearful and worried about what this Mary was really like. He knew he wasn’t the father of the child she carried. Perhaps he was fearful of the religious authorities. What if he was caught protecting Mary and she was viewed as violating the Law of Moses. Her pregnancy could be viewed as an offense punishable by stoning. Or maybe he was afraid that he couldn’t love this child as a father. But the angel told him - do not be afraid. Trust God, for this child is special and so is his mother. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. Do not be afraid, trust in God. And so, unlike Ahaz, Joseph puts his complete trust in God. God would figure out how to deal with the gossip, God would figure out how to deal with the Law of Moses, and God would figure out how to deal with his concerns about the child. So: Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. In His earthly life, Jesus truly showed Himself to be God-with-us. As He healed the sick, and raised the dead, He visibly brought about salvation. But what about now? Is He still today “Emmanuel, God with us” in so great a way? Yes! Just as He is announced as “Emmanuel” at the beginning of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 1:23), so His final words at the end of Matthew are: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to live even more intimately in you than He did during the whole of His time on earth. And He wants each of you to know Him just as intimately. In the Eucharist, He comes to you now in a way even more intimate than the way He was present, in the flesh, on earth. He comes to you now, not only from the outside, as He did when He walked the earth; He comes to you now also on the inside, as you take Him in, and “God-with-us” becomes “God-in-you.” And that is something we can trust. Merry Christmas, Fr. Christopher Ankley

Dear Friends, On this final Sunday of Advent we are presented with two men, Ahaz of the Old Testament and Joseph of the New Testament. One trusted the other did not. Our first reading from Isaiah is one of the most descriptive prophesies foretelling of the future Messiah. Ahaz is a descendent of King David and he is the king of Judah; he’s a young and inexperienced king. And he’s expecting his country to be attacked from the combined forces of Israel and Syria. Ahaz is not in a good spot and he’s wondering whether to trust in God or to depend upon the neighboring army of Assyria, who he’s asked to help him in defense of his country. God, through Isaiah, tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz refuses. He’d rather decide his own fate and that of his kingdom rather than trusting in God. He says, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” Now Ahaz might appear to be holy and pious when he says, “I will not tempt God,” but actually what he’s saying is that he doesn’t want anyone telling him what to do; he wasn’t going to allow this prophet of God to determine his plans. God was inviting him to ask for anything no matter how big or how grand, but Ahaz was afraid to trust God, and so he refused. Isaiah, frustrated responds, “Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God!” Sometimes I think we react a lot like Ahaz. We’d rather put our trust in ourselves and in those around us who we can see rather than to trust in God, whom we can’t see. Maybe God seems too out of reach for us, and in our weakness or fear, we just push Him aside and put our trust in our self or in others. We are sometimes tempted like Ahaz to trust in our own ability to solve problems and to find happiness. We do this rather than being vulnerable by trusting in God. We do this because God might lead us down a path that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. We are not ready to reject the so-called happiness that the world offers. Fr. Cantalamessa, the papal preacher, points out that the problem with this age (those who don’t follow Christ, and often even many who do), is that they’ve turned upside-down the manner of finding happiness. Instead of making God their happiness, they’ve made happiness their “god.” When you make God your happiness, God gives you happiness. You find both God and happiness. But when you make happiness your “god,” that is, when you seek happiness (in money, power, pleasure, honor) rather than God, you lose both – you lose both happiness and God. There is a story of a young man who had avoided going to Church because he knew that if he started taking his faith seriously, he’d have to change his life. It took him years to realize that his immoral lifestyle did not bring him happiness. When he finally took the step to return to the Lord, everything changes. Others told him that he wasn’t the same guy. He agreed, “That’s right,” he said, “I’m happy now.” Perhaps there are times that we think that embracing God in our lives would cost too much. And, consequently we end up avoiding happiness. There is a temptation in all of us to act like Ahaz.

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 4 Battle Creek, MI

Saturday 5:00 pm

Ministry Schedule December 28 & 29

Cantor Robert Valkner

Reader Cristine Jones - rd 1 Eleonor Stark - rd 2

Server

Robert Duh, Serenity Jones Santiago Nuñez-Rojas Julissa Reyes Jeremy Gallaway

EMHC Kathleen & Warren Scott Kathleen Valkner

Usher Randy Davidson Denise Sutter-Davidson Carol & Lee White

Cantor Annette Kukla

Reader Sandy Power - rd 1 Roger Buch - rd 2

Server Aubri Metz Nicholas Thang Emily Par

EMHC Laura Metz David Censke Cheryl Fleming

Usher

Rosemary Coon Lynne Culver Steven Culver Jo Olson Michael Olson

Cantor Yvonne Holso

Reader Elizabeth Casterline - rd 1 Frank Skeltis - rd 2

Server

VOLUNTEER NOW Ryan Casterline, Adam Sprague Brendan Bailey-Vega Camille Evangeliste

EMHC Patty Miller, Tammy Allington Rich Vitale

Usher Brandi, Kayleigh & Sean Gage Ann Harnisch

Sunday 8:00 am

Cantor Cecilia Krajewski

Reader Angela Adamson - rd 1 Anthony Wojcik - rd 2

Server Katie & Colt Myers Jean Khim

EMHC Judy & Thomas Allen Sara Myers

Usher Carl & Kimb Bolles Dawn Guzak Mike Guzak

Sunday 12:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am

The Diocese of Kalamazoo has and will continue to cooperate with the Michigan Attorney General’s investigation and encourages anyone with information related to misconduct to call the reporting number set-up by the Michigan Attorney General’s office at: 844.324.3374.

Lunes: 4:00 pm a 7:00 pm Adoración en silencio Capilla Centro Parroquial S. José 7:00 pm a 8:00 pm Adoración comunitaria Capilla Jueves: 6:30 pm Grupo de Oración Centro Parroquial S. José Viernes: 6:30 pm Ensayo de Coro, Salón de música Iglesia S. José Domingos: 4:15 pm a 4:45 pm Confesiones S. José - 5:00 pm Misa en Español

Ultreya (reunion de grupo) de Colores: 3r domingo de cada mes a las 6.15 en S. José. Charlas pre Bautismales: contactar a la Señora Josefina 589-7347.

Noticias de la communidad Hispana Spanish Community News

Act

ivid

ades

Parish ● Board Room: BR ● Chapel: CH ● Cafeteria: Café ● Community Room: CR Calendar ● Music Room: MR ● Small Christian Community: SCC

MON 12:30 pm SCC, Squires, BR 4:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration, CH 6:00 pm St. Vincent de Paul, CR 6:30 pm SCC, Nielsen, BR TUE 9:00 am Legion of Mary, CR 1:30 pm SCC, Sheets, BR WED 7:00 pm Men’s Fellowship, CR THU 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, MR 8:00 pm Adoration-Vocations, CH SAT 5:00 pm Burmese Prayer Group, CR

DEC 27 6:00 pm Convivio Spanish, CR JAN 3 7:00 pm First Friday Rosary, CH JAN 5 12:00 pm Burmese Leadership, CR JAN 8 7:00 pm Adoration, Church JAN 14 7:00 pm Knights of Columbus 6:30 pm Book Club, BR JAN 8 9:00 am Daily Mass Breakfast, Lux JAN 9 7:00 pm Good News & Brews, Arcadia, Kalamazoo JAN 17 7:30 pm Gaudium Christi, CH

Weekly Monthly

As the calendar year comes to a close, now would be a good time to make up envelopes you may have missed during the year. We appreciate your support of our parish.

Financial Information

Prayers for the Sick/Those in Need

Chris Bradley, Chuck Brown, Peggy Crane, Bernadette Emmons, Bradley Gagnon, Vicky Gray, Sharon Harris, Sr. Cyrilla, Jerry Johnson, Carolyn Kewley, Pat Kukla, Erika Leman, Nathan & Robert Lindstrom, Jakob Livingston, Victor Lupina, Scott Marko, Doug Marshall, Curtis Mason, Katie Miller, Laurie Morris, Karen Partin, Cheryl Scales, Ron Seyka,

Margaret Smith, Cristian Reyes Torres, Michael Wells, Elizabeth Wells, Sara Wixson, Dee Wygant, Christine Ybarra, Marion & Ozzie Zull

Prayers for the Deceased

Daniel Boone, David Thome

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

If you no longer in need of Prayers for the Sick, please let us know you may be removed from the list. Email Ellen: etipton@bcacs.org. Thank you.

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 5 Battle Creek, MI

Lakeview Community Food Pantry Volunteers from St. Joseph Parish staff the Lakeview Community Food Pantry on the 2nd Wednesday and Friday of every month. More people are needed, especially on Fridays. A new liaison person is needed to ensure enough staff will be present and to coordinate

efforts with the Pantry Director Janet Borders (269-965-2632). If you are interested in the liaison position and/or would like to volunteer for this worthy ministry, please contact Janet Borders. Remember Matthew 25:34-35,40…. Then the king will say to those at his right hand. “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me……And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” From 9:30 am till 11:45 am.

To be in the know, now and in the New Year, Get the St. Joseph Parish App!

Text App to 88202

Our St. Joseph Parish App allows us to send you useful and important messages throughout the week regarding our parish life and events, and allows you to reply to messages or RSVP for events. There will be no need for parishioners with smart phones to remember to silence their phones before Mass. The app will send you a reminder to silence your phone 20 minutes before the Mass you select. Many more great features will be a help to all of us, such as:

Your Weekly Bulletin can be accessed in your App? Prayers and prayer reminders Confession reminders Daily Readings from the USCCB are available through the Readings button? You can see Featured Events, Parish Calendar and Youth Ministry Schedule all in the

calendar button of the app? The Catholic News Agency provides the content for the News button? There is a daily message from Pope Francis in the Pope's Message button?

You are able to donate through the Giving button?

Join a group (see more information below)

Join a Group and Start a Discussion Go into the Groups button of the myParish app and tap the Join button. If you don’t already have an account you will be prompted to create an account. Once you have an account your join request will be sent to the moderator of the Group. The moderator will either accept or decline your join request. There are several things that need to be in place for Group notifications to work. 1. Are you signed into the myParish app with the same account that you joined the group with? 2. Do you have notifications turned on within the phone settings for the myParish app? 3. Do you have notifications turned on for the specific group within the myParish app “My Account” tab? 4. Is your phone’s operating system up to date? Check your phone settings for operating system updates. 5. Is the myParish app up to date? Check your app store for updates. 6. Do you have a strong internet connection? Check WiFi and Data.

If you have problems with the app, contact Ellen in the parish office at etipton@bcacs.org or 269-788-3611.

St. Joseph Catholic Church Page 6 Battle Creek, MI

BCACS & BCACS Foundation, 63 24th St N, Battle Creek, Michigan 49015 † 269.963.1131 † www.bcacs.org

BCACS Office ...Cathy Erskine 963-1131 BCACS Foundation ...Abby Lumbard 963-4771 BCACS Scrip ...Joy Finilla 963-3034 St. Joseph Elementary ...Jeanine Winkler 965-7749 St. Joseph Middle School ...Katy Arnson 963-4935 St. Philip High School ...Stacy Lightfoot 963-4503

Contact Us:

“St. Joseph has a dedicated and caring staff like no other. They will do anything to help a child to succeed. Throughout the years our children have had bumps in the road as most kids do. Whether that be struggling to make friends, difficulties with mastering a skill or developing emotional maturity. Each time, teachers and administrators rallied around them for support. Mrs. Myers has also always made the time to meet with us and make sure any concerns we might have are addressed.“

We are so thankful to all of our donors that have contributed to the 2019-2020 Annual Fund Drive so far this year. Each gift, large or small, gets us closer to our goals. We hope you will prayerfully consider the BCACS Foundation in your year-end giving plans. Your tax-deductible gift to the BCACS Foundation ensures the prosperity of Catholic

education and the success of our future leaders. While the Annual Fund Drive will continue into 2020, informing us of your pledge commitment by

December 31 allows us to plan for our schools appropriately. Monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual, or annual gifts are accepted as well as gifts of stock, mutual funds, and IRA distributions. To make a gift or learn more about the important work of the BCACS Foundation, please contact

Abby Lumbard at 269-963-4771.

Tiger Paws BCACS Administration Office Hours

BCACS & SCRIP Offices

Closed 12/23-1/3

Normal Hours Resume 1/6/2020

BCACS Foundation

Closed 12/20-12/26

Open 12/27, 12/30, and 12/31 9 am-4 pm

Closed 1/1/2020

Normal Hours Resume 1/6/2020

...To our staff, students, and families who gave of their time, talent, and treasure which helped to provide a memorable Christmas for others in our community. ...To St. Philip Catholic Central High School Principal and Volleyball Coach, Mrs. Vicky Groat, who was chosen as a recipient of the W. D. Boyce Leadership award. The annual awards are shared with individuals and businesses who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the service of youth in our community. We couldn't be more proud!

BCACS Position Available

St. Joseph Elementary is seeking a director for

their SummerCare child care program for summer of

2020. The ideal candidate will meet the requirements of a

director as outlined by the State of Michigan Licensing

and Regulatory Affairs for Child Care. Additional requirements/certifications are as follows: Candidates must be at least 21 years of age. Must submit to fingerprinting and a background

check. Hold CPR/First Aid for Adults & Children, or

willingness to become certified Hold VIRTUS certification through the Diocese of

Kalamazoo, or willingness to become certified Willingness to complete appropriate health and safety

trainings as required by Child Care licensing. We are looking for a qualified individual to plan fun and

engaging activities with the spirit, mind and body of every

learner in mind. Resumes may be emailed to: smyers@bcacs.org

Dec. 23-Jan. 3—Christmas Break Jan. 26-Jan. 31—Catholic Schools Week Apr. 6-10—Spring Break May 24—High School Graduation May 28—8th Grade Graduation May 29—Last Day of School

Upcoming 2019-20 Calendar Dates

2019-2020 Annual Fund Drive

FROM A BCACS PARENT:

Parish Clergy

Pastor .......Reverend Fr. Christopher Ankley frchris@bcacs.org Parochial Vicars ...................... Fr. Pius Cung

frpius@bcacs.org ................................. Fr. Andrew Raczkowski frandrew@bcacs.org Deacons ...... David Krajewski, James Nelson

Emergency Assistance St. Vincent de Paul Society ........... 969-5606

Pastoral Care of the Sick If you are homebound, contact Linda Kellogg ......................................... 965-2074

Sacrament of Baptism Parishioners should call the Parish Office to make arrangements.

Sacrament of Eucharist Sacrament of Confirmation

Contact our Schools or our Director of Faith Formation.

Sacrament of Marriage Parishioners must contact one of the parish priests at least six months before setting a wedding date.

Sacrament of Holy Orders If you or someone you know has a vocation, contact a parish priest for assistance.

Sacrament of Anointing the Sick In case of an accident, surgery or other emergency, call 962-0165.

Parish Staff

Parish Office Manager ........... Shirley Springer ▪ sspringer@bcacs.org 962-0165

Communications, Music .............. Ellen Tipton ▪ etipton@bcacs.org 962-0165

Faith Formation ..................... Barbara Kincaid ▪ bkincaid@bcacs.org 965-4079 Liturgy and Music .................... James Zalewski ▪ music@bcacs.org 962-2133 Pastoral Ministry ............ Sr. Cyrilla Jegla, RSM 965-1990 Youth Ministry ........................... Andrea Perry ▪ aperry@bcacs.org 788-7000

Parish Ministries

All Saints Superfest ....................... Ed Bauman ▪ edbauman@hotmail.com 962-1328 Boy Scouts Troop 235 ................. Bob Johnson ▪ scoutmaster325@gmail.com 965-7365 BC Catholic Weekly ...................... Missy Skutt ▪ mskutt@bcacs.org 989-205-3027 Catholic Men’s Fellowship ............ John Duyck ▪ jrdaddio@outlook.com 965-8954 Connecting with Mercy ................... Mary Sine ▪ sine74@msn.com Council of Catholic Women ...... Colleen Vitale ▪ cvitale@mail.com 989-723-1842 Echo Apprentice ......................... Ruby Briones

▪ rbriones@bcacs.org 962-0165 Evangelization Commission .. Suzanne Nielsen ▪ stjec@bcacs.org & Nancy Haack Family Activity Night ............... Loretta Mahley ▪ Lmahley30@icloud.com

Finance Council ............................. Ed Bauman ▪ edbauman@hotmail.com 962-1328

Formed Access Code ........................ PTRKXD Hispanic Community .. Fr. Andrew Raczkwoski ▪ frandrew@bcacs.org 962-0165 Jail Ministry ............................. Rita Wahmhoff ▪ ritawahmhoff@yahoo.com 968-3067 Knights of Columbus .............. Andrew Kincaid ▪ kincaid.tribe@gmail.com 589-5888 Lakeview Food Pantry............... Janet Borders ▪ jdbdvm@comcast.net 965-2632 Legion of Mary ........................... Linda Kellogg ▪ kellogg-dl@att.net 965-2074 Newcomers .................. Phil & Mary Sue Avery ▪ marysue_a@yahoo.com 979-9105 Our Catholic Community ……………Missy Skutt Tri-Parish Newsletter 989-205-3027 ▪ ourcatholiccommunity@bcacs.org Perpetual Adoration St. Philip ................ Betty ▪ bdillard7@gmail.com 962-8255 Prayerline ..................................... Linda Opack 962-7339 Small Christian Communities…………Judy Buch (Scripture Study) 425-9395 Spanish Choir ............................... Teresa Bello

269-274-7409 Spanish Prayer Group Sarah & Francisco Sanchez 419-5786 Spiritual Library ....................... Rita Wahmhoff ▪ ritawahmhoff@yahoo.com 968-3067 Tri-Parish Pro-Life Karen Rabineau, Julie Staab ▪ karenrabineau@gmail.com 517-227-0864 ▪ juliems3@zoho.com 317-7164

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