FATHER JOHN T. HOWREN PASTOR

FATHER REY PINEDA PAROCHIAL VICAR

Parish Center 770.963.8992

Dcn. Terry Millinger | Facilities Mgr. Rev. Mr. Bob Riddett | Deacon

Sr. Louise Sommer, CSJ | Outreach Alma Martínez | Parish Secretary

Janet Volion | Bookkeeper & HR Mgr. Richard Clawson | Liturgy &

Music Director Kathi McKenna | Liturgy &

Music Associate Gloria Kennerty | Safe Environment

Amy Titshaw | Custodian Barbara Baez | Nursery

Faith Formation 770.962.2765

Diane Maguire | Director Rita Schieber | Initiation Coordinator

Beth Hodgson | PSR Coordinator Vickie LaClair | Secretary

Communications/ Youth Ministry

770.963.1251

Kelly Schreckenberger | Director

Preschool 770.962.1676

Wendy Guillory | Director

Ministerio Hispano 678.240.3066

Cristina Corbin | Coordinadora Sr. Jose Ortiz | Diácono

Counseling Services Sylvia Elaine Smith, MS, LPC, NCC

404.444.8956

En español: Dunia Lobo, MA, LPC

678.787.9543

Saint Lawrence Catholic Church 319 Grayson Highway Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Phone: 770.963.8992 Fax: 770.963.1710 www.saintlaw.org

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH First Sunday of Advent Page 1

From the Pastor’s Hand

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: There will be a man-datory meeting on Saturday, De-cember 5 after the 9:00 a.m. mass in Cogswell Hall. If you are not able to attend please contact Father Rey at 770.963.8992. Everyone else will be presumed able to attend.

Our Advent Penance Service is tomorrow, Monday, November 30, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Father John and Fa-ther Rey will have the as-sistance of 16 neighbor-ing priests. Plan now to make this night an im-portant part of your preparation for Christmas. If You Are Unable to Attend Our Penance Service, remember that Father John and Father Rey are as-sisting in the penance services of 14 other parishes and missions this Advent, and you are welcome to join them at one of those. This week’s services:

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30

St. Lawrence, Lawrenceville, 6:00 p.m.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1

Prince of Peace, Flowery Branch, 7:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2

St. Stephen, Lilburn, 7:00 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3

St. Oliver, Snellville, 7:00 p.m.

NEW SCHEDULE

Beginning Saturday, December 5 The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated Every Saturday from 3:30 p.m.– 4:30 p.m.

The Angel Tree, coordinated by our parish St. Vincent de Paul Min-istry, has returned to the narthex.

Please help by taking an angel and

returning the wrapped gift, placing

it under the tree by noon Friday, December 18. Thank you for your generosity!

A Blessed Advent to you and your household!

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin ad venio, “to come.” We begin, in fact, an entirely new liturgical year with the season of Advent, anticipating the Adventus Domini, or the "coming of the Lord.” This is the perpetual stance of the Christian, year-in and year-out. But during this four-week sea-son specifically called Advent, while the days grow shorter and colder, we prepare for the return of the “Sun of Justice” who will come again to kindle our hearts with his light and his love.

God, the Eternal Word, who is outside of time, became Incarnate in time, thereby making all time sacred. In the unfolding of the Advent and Christ-mas Seasons combined, we await the coming of Christ on all the levels in which we experience time: in the past - as a babe in the stable of Bethlehem; in the present - as grace in our souls; and in the future - as the Judge at the end of time.

Practically speaking, the Advent season is filled with preparation and expecta-tion, insofar as everyone is getting ready for Christmas: shopping and deco-rating, baking and cleaning. Too often, however, we are so busy with the material preparations that we lose sight of the real spiritual reason for our activity: the Word-Made-Flesh coming to dwell among us. We must urge one another to preserve the spiritual focus of both Advent and then Christ-mas, amid our prevailingly secular and consumer-driven society.

Therefore, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, let us strive to keep Advent a season of waiting and longing for His glorious Second Com-ing at the end of time; a season of conversion and hope, meditating on the return of the Lord in all His Glory, as Bringer of justice and peace in its full-ness, Judge of the world and all its inhabitants, Creator of a new heaven and a new earth! Then when Christmas comes, we can reflect on the incredible love and humility of our God in already having taken on the flesh of our sis-ter, Mary of Nazareth, through whom Jesus made our invisible God visible!

And so in all our shopping and baking, let us remember to purchase and pre-pare something for the poor. When we clean our homes, let us distribute some of our possessions to those who lack many necessities. While we are decking the halls of our homes, let us not forget to prepare a peaceful place in our hearts wherein the Savior may come to dwell anew.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Quickly come!

Yours in Christ Risen,

Please remember St. Lawrence in your will. A charitable bequest to our parish endowment fund will allow you to continue in death the Christian stewardship you practiced in life. For more information, contact Diane Duquette, di-rector of gift planning at the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia: dduquette@cfnga.org or 404.497.9440.

Last Sunday’s Collections

Not available due to early publishing deadline

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH NOV 29, 2015 PAGE 2

This Week at a Glance

Sun, Nov 29 9:00 am Adult Bible Study 11:00 am Alpha & Omega Mon, Nov 30 10:00 am Book by Book Adult Study 700 pm Guadalupe Committee Meeting 7:30 pm Raised in Christ Prayer Group Tue, Dec 1 10:00 Woman to Woman 10:00 am Choir 7:00 pm Life Teen Choir 7:00 pm Haitian Support Group Wed, Dec 2 5:30 pm Children’s Choir 7:00 pm Life Teen Study 7:00 pm Adult Choir Th, Dec 3 7:00 pm YAM 7:00 pm Haitian Adoration 7:00 pm CRHP Men/Women 7:00 pm LOSL Meeting 7:30 pm YAM Choir (sp) Fri, Dec 4 6:30 pm EM (sp) 6:30 pm SVDP Christmas Party 7:00 pm Mass 7:00 pm Altar Servers (sp) Sat, Dec 5 3:30 pm Confessions 4:45 pm ESL clasess 5:00 pm Apostoles de la Palabra 5:00 pm CRHP (sp) 6:00 pm Cursillo/Ultreya 7:00 pm Haitian Christmas Party

MASS INTENTIONS

NOV 29 SUN: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:00 a.m. Mass: Juanita Thomas 10:00 a.m. Mass: All People of the Parish 12:00 p.m. Mass: Jim & Nell O’Gorman

3:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): The Patino Family 5:00 p.m. Mass: Bruce Kevin Carra

NOV 30: Mon: St. ANDREW APOSTLE

9:00 a.m. Mass: Rick Renner

DEC 1 tue: WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: James Baker

DEC 2 Wed: WEEKDAY 9:00 a.m. Mass: Sheryl Ann Buck

DEC 3 THU: ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, PRIEST

9:00 a.m. Mass: Lloyd Glover

DEC 4 FRI: ST. JOHN DAMASCENE, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

9:00 a.m. Mass: The Infante Family 7:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): Cristina Corbin

DEC 5 SAT: WEEKDAY

9:00 a.m. Mass: Rosario Talbo 3:30 p.m.Confessions

5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass: Richard Clawson 7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Spanish): Ilda Codio

DEC 6 SUN: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:00 a.m. Mass: Thomas J. Grassi 10:00 a.m. Mass: All People of the Parish

12:00 p.m. Mass: Joan Patterson 3:00 p.m. Mass (Spanish): Olga Ortiz

5:00 p.m. Mass: Miriam Cruz

Please Pray for Our Sick: Robert Barnard, Marcia Bas-sett, Betty Fitzpatrick, Lilly Gibbs, Billy Gibbs, Tom Gillis, Christy Jewell, Barbara Levinsky, Tim McNamara, Dale Messick, John Plasman, Steven Robinson, Leonard Sab-bat, Ginny Schulte, Caroline Wright, along with their fam-ilies and caregivers.

To add or remove names, contact Alma Martínez, parish secretary, at 770.963.8992 x300 or amartinez@saintlaw.org. Unless we are told otherwise, names remain for one month.

Next Sunday’s Second Collection is the monthly appeal for our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society. The volunteers of St. Vincent de Paul respond daily to the emergency needs of parishioners and neighbors alike, and they do so in our name. Thank you for your support.

New and Improved Parish Website! Check out the St. Lawrence website at www.saintlaw.org to see all of the new changes and to get up-to-date information about our parish. Please contact our Communications Director Kelly Schreckenberger, kschreckenberger@saintlaw.org, with any questions.

Respect Life Committee has a heartfelt thank you for your

generosity to all who donated baby items for the Pregnan-

cy Resource Center of Gwinnett. Thanks to St. Lawrence

Knights of Columbus for helping with the distribution of

envelopes after mass. Your kindness is most appreciated

by all.

With the Year-End Approaching, there are opportunities for you to be tax-wise in your charitable giving. A cash gift to St. Lawrence of any amount will provide an income tax deduction for this year. A gift of stock or real estate avoids capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated assets and pro-vides a charitable deduction. For information about giving strategies that can provide additional tax savings and cash flow, contact Diane Duquette, Director of Gift Planning, The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia: 404.497.9440 or dduquette@cfnga.org.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH First Sunday of Advent page 3

Adult Faith Formation Thanksgiving Break

The Parish Library is now open during parish office hours and after Mass. If you are looking for insights for this Advent season check out our display of books and DVD’s. Our collection is located upstairs around the corner at the end of the hallway in room 209. It has been computerized and you will now need a library card to check out materials. Contact Diane at dmaguire@saintlaw.org to sign up for a card. We also now have a chil-dren’s collection across the hall.

Psalms 1 The Book of Psalms is a unique collection of the song-prayers of Israel. Using the Little Rock Scripture Study program we will be challenged to reflect on our own prayer and life experiences. Join Diane Maguire on Monday, No-vember 30 in the Divine Mercy Room at 10:00 a.m.

God is Near In this booklet, Fr. Thomas Connery enriches our spir-itual lives through the art of story-telling to help with our search for the Divine in daily life. His stories and reflections bring laughter and tears to the Advent quest for Jesus. Booklets are available for $1.00 from Diane Maguire or from the literature rack. Come and join a group discussion of selections from the booklet on Wednesday, Decem-ber 2 or Sunday December 6 at 6:15 p.m. in the Divine Mercy Room.

Life Teen, Edge, and PSR will be off today, Sunday, November 29. Sunday programs will resume on December 6. Week-night programs including RCIA, PSR, and Gospel Study resume this week.

The Festival of Nativities is Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20 in Cogswell Hall. Registration forms are available in the hall literature rack and at the Welcome Window after Mass.

The African Community of St. Lawrence (ACOSL) will have an end of the year meeting on Sunday, December 6, immediately after the noon mass in the gym. All are welcome. Come as you are.

Woman to Woman will meet on Tuesday December 1 at Karol Gaines’ home and at Church on De-cember 8 and 15 in Johnson Hall. Join us on Tuesday mornings for faith sharing and fellowship. New-comers are always welcomed. Child care is available.

Men’s Quest addresses the issues men face in living out their Catholic beliefs in today’s world. Join them on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Divine Mercy room (Adult Ed. room). Contact Mike at mikedstewart@yahoo.com or 404.242.5985 for more infor-mation.

Around the Parish

Young Adult Ministry

Young Adults (20s and 30s, Mar-ried or Single) will be gathering at St. John Neumann church on Thurs-day, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. for Mass and a social activity after-wards. For updates go to the YAM Facebook Connected North East Atlanta Deanery at www.facebook.com/noreastdyam.

The Ladies of St. Lawrence De-cember meeting will include our annual cookie exchange. This year we will also bring a new toy to do-nate to those in need. We will meet on Thursday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Johnson Hall. Email Tina Moon anitnoom@bellsouth.net for more information.

Pancake Breakfast with St. Nicholas is Sunday, December 13, 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the gym. Dine-in or take-out. Join us for scrambled eggs, bacon, sau-sage and all the pancakes you care to eat. Have your picture taken with St. Nicholas! Bring a new toy for the Quinn House and receive a free breakfast. Sponsored by the St. Lawrence Knights of Columbus.

Widows Social Group will meet for a potluck lunch on Tuesday, December 15 at 12:30 p.m. in Johnson Hall. For information contact Lynne Gormley at 770.963.7777 or Elaine Vetter at 770.605.2562.

Cursillo Ultreya will meet on Saturday, December 5 at 6:30p.m. We will begin with a Potluck Dinner in Cogswell Hall followed by our evening pro-gram. Join us if you would like information on attending a Cursillo re-treat. For more information contact Glenn & Fran Zipfel at 770.822.9134 or g.zipfel@att.net.

The St. Lawrence Weds Group will meet this Saturday December 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Bob and Joy Hernandez. This gathering for couples who have experienced a Marriage Encounter weekend gives us a chance to sup-port one another through discussion about marriage and family life. For more information contact Bob and Joy Hernandez at 678.985.0125 or email at 1965@BobJoyH.com. The next Marriage Encounter weekends will be held February 26-28 and April 15-17 at the Marriott Norcross.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH NOV 29, 2015 PAGE 4

prevent and report abuse.

We work with law enforcement. We provide outreach to those abused. We report all allegations.

We require background checks. with law enforcement. We provide outreach to those abused. We report all allegations.

We require background

Around the Archdiocese

The Atlanta Homeward Choir, founded at the Shrine of the Immac-ulate Conception, has been invited to sing at the White House on Mon-day, December 21, 2015

With two successful seasons, this choir consists of men who share the temporary community of the Cen-tral Night Shelter, a joint effort of Central Presbyterian and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The non-profit choir has earned national and international attention with over 12 performances over the last two seasons. The beauty of the story is in the lives of its members who daily battle fear and hopeless-ness, but discover genuine inspira-tion and community in singing for the choir.

They will be raising approximately $25,000 towards clothing, trans-portation, shelter and musical sup-port. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey forward.

The “Called by Name” Project identifies young men who may be called to the priesthood, inviting them to discern more closely with the Church, and providing oppor-tunities like the annual Archdioce-san men’s discernment retreat where they are given information and opportunities for discernment so that they may discover God’s plan for their lives.

If you know any men ages 18 – 40 who would like to attend our An-nual Discernment Retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit on December 30th – 31st, please have them register at calledbychrist.com/discernment-retreat. If they have any questions, please have them call Fr. Tim Hep-burn in the Archdiocesan Voca-tions Office at 404.920.7460.

Catholic-Orthodox Ecumenical Gathering: Monday, December 7, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Greek Or-thodox Cathedral of the Annuncia-tion, 2500 Clairmont Road.

A reception will take place immedi-ately following the event. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Wilton Gregory, Catholic Archbish-op of Atlanta and His Eminence Alexios, Greek Orthodox Metropoli-tan of Atlanta will officiate. The Keynote Speaker will be Bishop Se-vastianos of Zela, Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

The theme of this year’s gathering is: Focusing Our Prayers for the Christians Persecuted in the Middle East. Questions? Contact: Fr. Paul A. Burke at 404.252.4513 ext. 229 or email: mpburke@holyspiritcollege.org.

ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH First Sunday of Advent page 5

Anuncios en Español

Del Escritorio del Párroco

F I E S T A D E N U E S T R A S E Ñ O R A D E G U A D A L U P E Viernes 11 , 2015

Horario de la Tarde

4:00 p.m. Comienzo de la Kermes

6:00 p.m. Rosario Por los Nin os de Nuestra Parroquia (monaguillos)

8:00 p.m. Rosario

Por el Fin de la violencia en Latinoame rica (RICA)

10:00 p.m. Rosario Por los Inmigrantes (Padres de Familia)

Tendremos Bailables y

Serenata de grupos Parroquiales De 4:00 p.m. Hasta las 11:00 p.m. en el GYM

11:30 p.m. Procesio n hacia el templo

SANTA MISA A LAS 12:00 MEDIA NOCHE

(Ofertorio de flores e incienso durante la misa)

Sa bado 12 de Diciembre Oracio n de la man ana 7:00 a.m. Man anitas Ofertorio de Incienso

Ofertorio Floral 8:15 a.m. Desayuno

** La venta de tiquetes para la Kermes

Será durante las misas de fin de semana y todo el día Viernes 11 de Diciembre.

Costo: 10 tiquetes por $ 5.00

La Kermes tendrá comienzo a las 4:00 p.m. en el GYM Parroquial.

Nuestro Servicio De Penitencia Es este Lunes, 30 de Noviembre de 6:00-8:00 p.m. el Padre John y Padre Rey tendra n la asistencia de muchos sacerdotes vecinos. Planee desde ahora hacer de esta noche una parte importante de su preparacio n para la Navidad.

Un Adviento bendecido a usted y su familia! El mundo, "Adviento" se deriva de la venio Latina ad, "a." Empezamos, en realidad, un nuevo año litúrgico con el tiempo de Adviento, anticipando el Adventus Domini, o la "venida del Señor." Esta es la posición perpetua de la cristiana, de año y año. Pero durante esta temporada decuatro semanas específi-camente llamado Adviento, mientras que los días crecen más cortos y más fríos, nos preparamos para el regreso del "sol de justicia" que se vuelve a encender nuestro corazón con su luz y su amor. Dios, la palabra eterna, que está fuera de tiempo, se convirtió en Verbo encarnado en el tiempo, lo que todos los tiempos sagrados. En el desarrollo del Adviento y Navidad estaciones combinadas, esperamos la venida de Cristo a todos los niveles en los que experimentamos tiempo: en el pasado - como un niño en el establo de Belén; en el presente - como gracia en nuestras almas; y en el futuro - como el juez en el fin del tiem-po. Prácticamente hablando, el tiempo de Adviento está lleno de preparación y expectativa, en la medida en que todo el mundo se prepara para la Navidad: compras y decoración, cocción y limpieza. Demasiado a menudo, sin embargo, estamos tan ocupados con los preparativos materiales que perdemos de vista de la razón espiritual de nuestra actividad: carne hecha palabra que viene a habitar entre nosotros. Debemos instar a uno otro para conservar el foco espiritual de Adviento y Navi-dad de entonces, en medio de nuestra sociedad consumista y principalmente secular. Por lo tanto, en medio del bullicio de la temporada, esfor-cémonos por mantener Adviento una temporada de esperando y anhelando su venida gloriosa al final de los tiempos; una estación de conversión y esperanza, meditando sobre el re-greso del Señor en todo su esplendor, como portador de la jus-ticia y la paz en su plenitud, juez del mundo y todos sus hab-itantes, creador de un cielo nuevo y de nuevo la tierra! En-tonces cuando viene la Navidad, podemos reflexionar sobre el increíble amor y humildad de nuestro Dios en haber asumido ya la carne de nuestra hermana, María de Nazaret, por quien Jesús hizo nuestro Dios invisible visible! Y así en todas nuestras compras y de la hornada, recordemos a comprar y preparar algo para los pobres. Cuando limpiamos nuestras casas, nos dejan distribuir algunos de nuestros bienes a quienes no tienen muchas necesidades. Mientras estamos decoradon los pasillos de nuestros hogares, no olvidemos a preparar un lugar tranquilo en nuestros corazones en el Salva-dor puede llegar a vivir nuevamente. Maranatha! ¡ Ven, Señor Jesús! ¡ Ven rápido! Suyo en Cristo resucitado,