On the eve of a new year, I look back and am grateful for many blessings received during 2006. While the world experienced lots of ups and downs and unsettling rounds and rounds, my personal life unfolded without any great drama. That in itself is a blessing. I turned sixty, which is a cultural marker of sorts. The day came and went like other birthdays before it.

One event from this year that I look back on and from which I derive great personal satisfaction occurred early in September. Bob Dylan had released a new album "Modern Times" on August 29. By the end of its first week of release it had reached number 1 on the album sales chart. This made Dylan the oldest living person to top the charts at the age of 65.

Like lots of people of my generation, Bob Dylan has been an important influence. The satisfaction I derived from that achievement lies in its validation of being willing to be yourself and do what you must do whether it is popular or not. Dylan is a mysterious figure in many ways. But during his forty plus years on the music scene he has refused to change in order to stay in the spotlight and be popular. In fact, he risked his popularity by making several unwelcome changes in his musical style. He remained faithful to himself and his work.

I find great encouragement in this. It can be very difficult to remain faithful to what we believe when a lot of forces converge to make us doubt ourselves. There are lots of great songs on "Modern Times." The title itself captures the theme of Dylan's poetically musical reflections. I listen to the CD often. The songs are good. The first track "Thunder on the Mountain" situates Dylan in relationship to what is going on around and within him. The final line of the song is a good one to take us into the New Year: "For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself."

Happy New Year to all! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support during 2006.

• MASS SCHEDULE FOR NEW YEAR'S

  New Year's Day

  8:30 & 10:30 am

• The Parish Center will be closed Monday, New Year's Day. New Year's Day is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation.
• Sparkling memory for your tree
  Sparkling St Bernard signature ornaments are now available after all Masses and in the Parish Center during normal business hours. Each 24K gold plated ornament comes in an attractive gift box with a brief history card. They are $17 each (including tax) and all proceeds will benefit the building fund. There are a limited number available so don't miss out on this opportunity for buy a gift for yourself or especially for anyone who received the sacrament of Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation or Matrimony here at St Bernard.
• WINNERS CHOICE RAFFLE WINNER
  CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSEPHINE PERROTTA, winner of the $500 "Early Bird" drawing which was held prior to the 5 pm Family Mass, Christmas Eve. Many thanks to all who purchased tickets and to Paul Bailey's Chrysler-Dodge for their generosity. Keep your hopes up as there are still two more drawings!! Special thanks to Sarah Papa who pulled the winning ticket #1014. All proceeds to benefit St. Bernard Church Capital Campaign. Tickets may also be purchased via the SBC web site, at http://www.sbcwickford.org/ec/winnerschoice/.
• Parish Calendars for 2007
  Please take home a parish calendar and refer to it often during the year. It is a good guide to the seasons and feasts of our life as a Catholic community. The end page of the calendar contains even more helpful information. Each month there is an insightful thought that encourages us to grow as stewards of God's many blessings to us. The calendars are courtesy of the Cranston-Murphy Funeral Home in Wickford.
• LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF SOUTH COUNTY will begin holding weekly meetings at St. Bernard's Parish Center on Wednesday, January 10th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Please come and join others who want to improve their conversational skills. If you would like more information on attending these sessions or would like to volunteer to assist, contact Iona Gardiner, Literacy Volunteers of South County, at lvsouthcounty@yahoo.com or 225-1068.
• INAUGURATION DAY MASS
  Bishop Tobin will celebrate an Inauguration Day Mass on Tuesday, January 2 at 9:00 am in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. Governor and Mrs. Carcieri and other elected officials are scheduled to attend. All are welcome.
• MARCH FOR LIFE
  The time for the January pro-life events in RI and Washington, D.C. has come again. You can now reserve a seat on the Catholics for Life bus going to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 21 and 22. $50 per person. RI Motorcade for Life will be held January 22. Please call 421-0821 for more information.
• STARS Speakers, Tutor, Achievement, Retention Success: The Exeter Job Corps Academy is looking for positive role models interested in mentoring, tutoring and/or speaking to students at the Academy. Students at the Academy range in age from 16-24 and are working on obtaining their GED along with vocational training. Mentors will meet with students on a weekly basis to encourage healthy behavior, provide support, and develop a meaningful relationship. Tutors will encourage and support students academically and speakers will provide motivational and inspiring messages to students. Please volunteer your time to encourage and support a young person and make a real difference in their life! For more information contact: Ashley Laferriere, STARS Coordinator, 268-6062 or alaferrier@wics.org.
• Festival of Carols featuring traditional and contemporary carols will be presented by the parish choir and instrumentalists of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 141 State St., Bristol, on the Feast of the Epiphany, Sunday, January 7th at 4:00 pm. Free will donation. For more information call Stephen Romano, 433-5338.
• A Recovering American Soldier
  If you are currently writing cards to friends and family please send an extra one (or 10, or 20) to our American military heroes who are recuperating from wounds this Christmas Season. Please enclose a short note thanking them for their service and personal sacrifice and letting them know we appreciate them. Your small act of kindness will be greatly appreciated. The address is:
  A Recovering American Soldier
  c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
  6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20307-5001
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend
  "And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more... said that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ...." (Second Reading) Come to a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend and recharge your marriage. Upcoming dates are February 9-11, and March 2-4. For more information call 1-800-710-WWME or (401) 397-8752 or visit our webpage at www.ri-me.org.
• ANNUAL COAT DRIVE
  Please drop off your GOOD USED COATS at the Parish Center. We distribute to local agencies. For more information call the Parish Center at 295-0387 or e-mail us at parishcenter@sbcwickford.org.

Sacramental Preparation Classes start the week of January 7th. Teachers are in the process of contacting their classes. Would you like to help out with a class? It is just a commitment of 7 classes. All materials are provided. Please contact the Parish Center for more information.

The next sessions of Generations of Faith begin in February. Please watch the bulletin for further information.

We will not be open this weekend. If you would like some assistance or help with orders when we are not open, please call Deborah (885-6405) for availability. Self service is available when ever the parish center building is open.

Happy New Year from the Youth Ministry. We hope that each day of 2006 for you will be healthy, spiritual and lots of FUN!! Make a New Year's Resolution to come to at least one Youth Ministry event. There is something for everyone. We're thriving with very dedicated and fun high school students and their parents. We would love to see the Junior Group (middle school aged youth) grow into a group as well, which take attendance, commitment, and faith. Please check out the calendar and pick one event to go to and invite a friend from church. Parents are needed to help support the ministry as chaperones, a very important role, especially if you jump in and stay at a Social Night and play a game with the youths. We are looking forward to lots of exciting activities and projects that will exercise our minds, bodies, and spirit. We believe that you once you start, you will add our calendar events to your very busy refrigerator calendar.

Upcoming dates:
Monday, 1/9 - Mandatory Camp Team Meeting from 7-8:30 pm Saturday, 1/13 - SENIOR POSSE TRIP to the RI Community Food Bank from 9-12 pm.
Saturday, 1/20 - JUNIOR GROUP ONLY!! Madness till Midnight (Social Night) 6pm-12am. Please let Dawn know if you are coming by email or by calling 461-3048.

MARCH FOR LIFE
The time for the January pro-life events in RI and Washington, D.C. has come again. You can now reserve a seat on the Catholics for Life bus going to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 21 and 22. $50 per person. RI Motorcade for Life will be held January 22. Please call 421-0821 for more information.

Those who would like to bring the bread and wine to the altar, please call the Parish Center at 295-0387 to arrange.

Click Here for Today's Reading

For prayerful preparation during the week before Sunday Mass, please visit http://liturgy.slu.edu. Reflecting on the spirituality of the scriptures before Mass can have a great impact on hearing the Word proclaimed on Sunday.

Please submit 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. Please take into consideration the cutoff time and the space limit. Thank you.

The Gospel today says that, having found the infant Jesus, the shepherds returned to their work, "glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen." We, too, have seen and celebrated the mystery of the Word made flesh. Will we follow their example when we return to work tomorrow?

St. Bernard's now offers parishioners the opportunity to make their budget contributions by Direct Debit. Call the Parish Center, 295-0387 for further information.

December 23 / 24	Actual	Budget $7,043.17
Through 11/30/06	Actual $145,187.00	Budget $145,975.00

ACH $365.00

Matching Contributions: Many companies offer matching funds for donations to non-profit organizations. If you donate weekly to St. Bernard's your company might match it! Please take time to find out if your company has this policy.

Thank you for your continuous support and generosity.