HOLY ROSARY CHURCH
Washington, DC

Serving Italians and all Catholics on the move in the Greater Washington DC Area since 1913

Bulletin
Sunday, 27 December 2009
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Sunday, December 27, 2009 – Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph
9:00 The Grimaldi Family
10:30 Vincenzo Avallone
12:00 Peter, Bambina & Alexander Carlino
Monday, December 28, 2009 – The Holy Innocents
12:05 Anne Tambe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 – The 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas
12:05 David Armstrong, Sr.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 – The 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
12:05 Metaura Spadone & Milena & Marcello Gallo
Thursday, December 31, 2009 – The 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas
12:05 Maria Giancone
4:00 Wedding of Todd A. Bracken & Michele E. Snow
6:00 Dario Flaim
Friday, January 1, 2010 – The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
11:00 Anna Alberti
Saturday, January 2, 2010 – First Saturday
No Mass
Sunday, January 3, 2010 – The Epiphany of the Lord
9:00 For the Deceased Members of the Sodality of Mary
10:30 Alma Vignola
12:00 Dorothy & Tom McCabe

 

LECTORS THIS SUNDAY
9:00 Antelmo DeLeon
10:30 Marco Randazzo and Adriano Romano
12:00 Alex LoBianco

HOLY FAMILY

As our family’s struggle, so too did the Holy Family. Mary was an unwed mother, surely no less a struggle and social problem in the first century than it is today. The holy Family was an exiled family. They were refugees in a strange land, as are countless families in our own time. At the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Joseph and Mary must have been terribly worried to hear that Jesus was a sign that would be contradicted. In the pilgrimage to Jerusalem when Jesus became separated from Joseph and Mary for three days, Mary and Joseph were filled with great anxiety.

St. Paul gives us a list of virtues that were modeled in the Holy Family and that will make our families holy as well: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. If the whole list seems too daunting, choose just one or two to focus on each day. Our families will become holier.

LA SACRA FAMIGLIA

Nel Vangelo di oggi, il vecchio Simeone si presenta come il simbolo della lunga attesa messianica. Il mistero di Gesù è già svelato: incontrerà soltanto contraddizioni da parte di coloro che avrebbero dovuto essere i primi ad accoglierlo. La passione sarà il culmine tragico di questo rifiuto. Gesù non è venuto a dividere gli uomini; ma il suo mesaggio e la sua presenza metteranno in luce una divisione, già latente nel cuore di ciascuno. Egli mette a nudo la nostra coscienza.

Jesus said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. - Lk 2:49-50

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Readings for the Week of 27 December 2009
Sunday: Sir 3:2-7, 12-14 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28/Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24/Lk 2:41-52
Monday: 1 Jn 1:5---2:2/Mt 2:13-18
Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:3-11/Lk 2:22-35
Wednesday: 1 Jn 2:12-17/Lk 2:36-40
Thursday: 1 Jn 2:18-21/Jn 1:1-18
Friday: Nm 6:22-27/Gal 4:4-7/Lk 2:16-21
Saturday: 1 Jn 2:22-28/Jn 1:19-28
Next Sunday: Is 60:1-6/Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6/Mt 2:1-12

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HOW TO PREPARE FOR MASS

(Part 2)

3. Think about your offering: When you come to Mass, you bring everything you are to the Altar as one offering to the Lord. Spend a little time during the week thinking about what you will offer to the Lord on Sunday. What joys will you share? What sorrows would you like to unburden? Do you need to forgive someone or seek the forgiveness of someone you hurt? Do you need to seek the Lord’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Is there something or someone that you want to pray for?

4. See yourself as part of the community: Plan to get to church a little early. Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. A friendly hello makes everyone feel wanted and welcome. As you enter the church, bless yourself with holy water. It is a reminder of your baptism, which made you a part of the Body of Christ and a full participant of the Eucharistic celebration. Try setting in a different pew once in a while. It will give you a new view of the Altar and a chance to interact with different people.

5. Enter into God’s presence: Spend some time in silence before Mass to quiet your mind and allow your soul to yearn for the Lord. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you in the readings, the music, the homily, the prayers of the Mass and your Communion meditation.

When you take time to prepare for Mass, the Mass becomes much more than something that you do every Sunday. Your mind discovers a deeper appreciation of the mystery that you experience during the liturgy, your heart becomes more open to God’s love, and your soul becomes more receptive to the graces that God is bestowing upon you.

WE WELCOME INTO THE CHURCH Grace Cecilia Robb, daughter of Thomas Howard and Michele (Farley) Robb, who was baptized in our Church on Sunday, December 20, 2009.

THE SECOND COLLECTION NEXT SUNDAY will be for the Renovation Fund. Our next ambitious project is the restoration of the Lower Church Hall. Please, be generous.

THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY will meet next Sunday after the 9:00 a.m. Mass in the Lower Church Hall.

NEW YEAR’S EVE MASS: Thursday, December 31, 2009, at Holy Rosary Church at 6:00 p.m.

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION: Casa Italiana, Thursday, December 31, 2009, from 7:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Dinner catered by Tesoro Restaurant. Music by Mario Palumbo, Sergio Fresco and the Omni One Band. Ticket price: $75 per person (Please, make checks payable to Holy Rosary Church). All tickets must be paid in advance by December 27, 2009. For further information and reservations please contact Eileen Parise 202-276.6066 or Mario Ciccone 703-759.5758.

NEW YEAR’S DAY: Friday, January 1, 2010: We celebrate the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. It is a holy day of obligation. At the beginning of a new year, we seek God’s blessing. Mass at Holy Rosary Church is at 11:00 a.m. We extend to each and every parishioner our best wishes for a blessed and healthy new year, filled with the peace that only Christ can give.

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO OUR BEFANA, which will take place next Sunday, January 3, 2010. The children will be blessed at the 12 noon Mass, after which all will go to Casa Italiana to await the arrival of the Befana with gifts for those children who have been good.

THE OFFERING ENVELOPES FOR 2010 are now available and can be picked up at the entrance of Casa Italiana. Taking them personally saves the Church the expense of mailing them. Envelopes are also available for new users. Extra calendars can also be picked up in the same area. We have them both in English and in Italian.

THE 2010 CALENDARS HAVE BEEN MAILED OUT to all our parishioners and friends. Please, return your Christmas offering in the enclosed envelope. Needless to say, the Church depends heavily on this collection to meet its year-round expenses. Thank you!

DIAMO IL BENVENUTO NELLA NOSTRA CHIESA a Grace Cecilia Robb, figlia di Thomas Howard e Michele (Farley) Robb, che fu battezzata nella nostra Chiesa, domenica, 20 dicembre, 2009.

LA SECONDA COLLETTA DOMENICA PROSSIMA sarà per il Fondo Restauri. Il nostro prossimo ambizioso progetto è il restauro della sala sotto la Chiesa. Siate generosi!

LA SOCIETÀ DEL SANTO NOME si riunirà la prossima domenica dopo la Messa delle ore 9 nella sala sotto la Chiesa.

MESSA ALLA VIGILIA DEL NUOVO ANNO: Giovedì, 31 dicembre, 2009, alla Chiesa del Santo Rosario alle ore 18.

CELEBRAZIONE DELLA FINE D’ANNO: Casa Italiana, 31 dicembre, 2009, dalle ore 19 alle ore 12:30 a.m. Pranzo preparato dal Tesoro Restaurant. Musica di Mario Palumbo, Sergio Fresco e la Omni One Band. Prezzo biglietti: $75 per persona. (Favorite intestare assegni alla Chiesa del Santo Rosario). Per ulteriore informazione e prenotazioni contattare Eileen Parise 202-276.6066 o Mario Ciccone 703-759.5758.

PRIMO DELL’ANNO: Venerdì, 1 gennaio, 2010: Celebriamo la festa della divina maternità della Beata Vergine Maria, Madre di Dio. All’inizio del nuovo anno chiediamo la benedizione del Signore. La Messa alla Chiesa del Santo Rosario è alle ore 11:00 a.m.. Estendiamo a tutti i nostri parrocchiani i nostri migliori auguri di Buon Anno, pieno della pace che solo Cristo ci può dare.

TUTTI SONO INVITATI ALLA NOSTRA BEFANA: Domenica, 3 gennaio, 2010. Alla Messa delle ore 12:00 i bambini saranno benedetti, dopodichè tutti andranno in Casa Italiana per aspettare l’arrivo della Befana che porterà regali ai bambini buoni.

LE BUSTE PER L’OFFERTA DOMENICALE PER IL 2010 sono ora disponibili all’entrata di Casa Italiana. Se le prelevate voi stessi, si risparmiano le costose spese di spedizione. Ci sono pure scatole di buste per nuovi utenti. Sempre all’entrata di Casa Italiana si possono trovare extra calendari in inglese e in italiano.

I CALENDARI PER IL 2010 SONO STATI SPEDITI a tutti i nostri parrocchiani e amici. Favorite usare la busta allegata per mandare il vostro dono di Natale alla parrocchia. La vostra offerta natalizia è davvero essenziale per poter andare incontro alle spesse di tutto l’annno. Grazie!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS: Mark your Calendar!