29 December, 2001 - 4 January, 2002

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

I've had a wonderful Christmas thus far. I am grateful for the many cards I received. I am thankful for the generous and thoughtful gifts lavished on me. I was inspired by the beautiful decor of the Church (Ron Lewis gets the credit here) and the music that lifted our hearts and minds to God during the liturgies (Paul Thomas and Alison Sheer get the credit here). Both the children's choir and the adult choir sang beautifully. Naturally I couldn't help but think of my mother. The last Mass in which she participated was here at Saint Bernard on Christmas Eve last year. I looked over at where she had sat and recalled what my sister Mary said of that night at my mother's funeral: "Without a book in front of her she sang the words to every Christmas hymn, including Adeste Fidelis."

I determined early on to give myself the gift of time during this holiday season. Time to be with myself and with my family and close friends. I am keeping my pastoral activities to the bare minimum. There is a prayer by Jean Royer which expresses my sentiments well: "O God, I come at the end of this year to thank you for all the good times - the fun, happiness, laughter and love. I thank you also for steering me through the bad times; for helping me cope. Thank you for all the growth I have had this year; thank you for everything I have learned about you, about others and about myself. Thank you for all your guidance during the troubling times and events of this past year. I look forward to your help in the New Year to come. Amen."

Happy New Year to All!

• In observance of New Year's Day Holiday, the Parish Center will close Monday, December 31st at Noon and reopen Wednesday, January 1, 2002.
• New Year's Mass for Peace - schedule:
  
  • Monday, December 31, 2001
    • 5:00 PM Mass for Peace - Fr. Dennis will preside and preach.
  • Tuesday, January 1, 2002
    • 8:30 AM Mass for Peace - Fr. Peterson will preside and preach.
    • 10:00 AM Mass for peace - Fr. Dennis will preside and preach.
• Christmas Decorations:
  Many people have commented on the beauty of the Church for Christmas. This is in large part due to the efforts of Ron Lewis and the many people who donated towards the flowers in memory of their loved ones. A thank you list of those who donated will inserted into the bulletin in early January. Thank you to all who made this Christmas special.
• St. Bernard's Church 2002 Calendar will be available after Masses on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
• Food Pantry/Souper Bowl Sunday:
  Watch for our 2nd Annual "Souper Bowl Sunday", coming on February 3rd, to benefit the North Kingstown Food Pantry. Check with the "Sports Enthusiast" in your family to follow the competing teams. More details to follow in January.
• Legion of Mary:
  Would you like to welcome new parishioners to the parish? Come to a Legion of Mary meeting on Saturday 10:00 am in the Parish Center
• Rosary Makers:
  We will be meeting on Thurs. Jan 10, at 9:30 am, in the parish center. The supplies are in and we are ready to start a new year. All are welcomed, we will teach you to make Rosaries.
• The Spirituality Committee would like to wish Fr. Dennis, staff, and parishioners of St. Bernard's, a Blessed New Year! We would also like to thank all those in our CIRCLE OF PRAYER Ministry who pray for those in IMMEDIATE NEED. The Rosary Makers Ministry, both adults and the youth ministry for making the beautiful Rosary beads that we freely give away. May God Bless all of you, and may you continue to share your gifts with others.
• To All Vision of Hope Donors:
  The Stewardship & Development Office would like to remind all Vision of Hope donors that we are in the final phase of pledge redemption. Final pledge reminders will be sent in July 2002, however donors who still have balances being paid may wish to take advantage of year-end tax benefits by remitting their balance by December 31, 2001. For donors who have not made a payment in some time please know that all eligible parishes still receive a parish share of every dollar remitted to this campaign. A full accounting of the use of every dollar raised is planned and will be published in autumn 2002. Many thanks to all whom have made this a very successful effort.

"To be as much as we can be, we must dream of being more."

~ Anonymous

Please STAND UP and DECLARE. Take charge and be a leader in the new year, it is the only year of 2002 you will ever have. We will discuss the possibly of a babysitting type club, new spring service team projects, and our Lock-in. And just a friendly reminder, that your Lock-in registration is first come, first serve and only $10 till January 2nd. We have 34 youths confirmed so far.

Remember to DREAM BIG and BE MORE. Happy New Year!!

Stay tuned for the following:

• January 11/12 - Lock-in
• February 4 - Spiritual Series Workshop #3 on Music
• February Vacation - Ski trip and Ice Skating at the Fleet Center
• March 23 - Easter Breakfast

Grades 3 and 4 are collecting cancelled stamps for the missions. Please help in this service project by bringing your cancelled stamps to the CCD office or leave them in the box at the back of the Church.

INVENTORY SALE!!!!

• 30% off all Christmas items
• 20% off all books

Sale dates: December 30th thru January 20th.

"Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. The conviction that human life is sacred and that each person has inherent dignity that must be respected in society lies at the heart of Catholic social teaching. Calls to advance human rights are illusions if the right to life itself is subject to attack. We believe that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death; that people are more important than things; and that the measure of every institution is whether or not it enhances the life and dignity of the human person."

US Bishops: Faithful Citizenship
Respect Life Committee
Jack Fay and James Cafferky, Chairs

For information on upcoming events please call Guy DeMelis, 782-1057.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CATHOLIC?

If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a Catholic, the parish is most eager to welcome you and assist you in this process. Please speak to Father Dennis for more information.

BAPTIZED BUT NOT CONFIRMED?

Is this you? Or somebody you know? For any number of reasons baptized Catholics do not always complete their initiation into the Church. This is done through the Sacrament of Confirmation and receiving Holy Communion. This is a simple process of preparation that results in the satisfaction of participating fully in the sacramental life that Christ has given us for our joy and support. For more information call Father Reardon.

Anyone having a mass said for a family member or friend and would like to bring the gifts to the Altar during Mass, please contact Dee Scanlon at 884-0166 and let her know the date and the time the Mass is being said and she will take care of notifying the proper people. Thank you.

Note: The New American Bible version of this week's readings can be found here.

Please submit any bulletin materials directly to the Parish Office, or via e-mail to parishcenter@sbcwickford.org, attention to Jane Allen. The deadline for the submission is Tuesday by 5:00 pm and please take into consideration of the cutoff time and the space limit. Thank you for your cooperation.

Joseph's Obedience to God was not a one-time thing. His attention to the angel's warning kept Jesus from being murdered by Herod and led to the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah would be a Nazorean. Fidelity to God's will assures the best use of my talents, too!

Treasures Shared

December 22 / 23

Actual $5,071.00

Budget $5,817.00

Thank you for your continuous support and generosity.