FROM OUR PASTOR

Dear St. Charles Parishioners:

Justice and peace will kiss. The lion will lie down with the lamb. Peace on earth, good will to all. In a thousand songs and symbols, the coming of the Lord is celebrated as the inauguration of a new era of reconciliation and Peace. Let this Christmas evoke in every heart a new commitment to the ways of peace-making. Let us hope that the great negotiator George Mitchell will help bridge the divide in Jerusalem as effectively as he did in the North of Ireland. Dialogue is the alternative to violence. Let us pray also for our divided nation that party labels and ideology may submit to the higher demands of justice and compassion and concerted action. Let us pray for our President elect and all who will guide us in the years ahead. Let us be a church that does not succumb to the divisions and polarization that mark our world. Let us in the words of the eucharistic prayer "be a sign of unity and an instrument of peace". On the eve of January the 20th, St Charles will celebrate unity in diversity, a call to celebrate difference as we search for a new harmony of religion and race. Check the upcoming bulletins and web site for details.

Shalom, Salaam, Suiochain, Paix, Paz, Peace

HAITI CORNER

Would you like to share your holiday cheer with the children in our sister parishes in Haiti? The St. Charles Haiti committee representatives will be making their annual trip to Cavaillon and Gros Marin in early 2001 and will be taking equipment for the schools. Your donation will help us provide a few additional gifts for the schools. Please make your check out to the St. Charles Haiti Committee and give it to Micheline at the Parish Office. Call Leslie 703-525-5647 or Monica at 703-528-4359 with any questions. Thanks! We will also be collecting letters from Godparent sponsors for the kids. Drop them off at the Rectory.

ADDITIONAL PARKING AVAILABLE AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

George Mason has made available to St. Charles parishioners 75 parking spaces on their surface lot during Sunday Masses. The parking lot entrance is located on Kirkwood between Fairfax Drive and Washington Blvd. Please note that George Mason also uses the lot during these times and cannot be responsible for any property loss or damage. In the spirit of cooperation, we thank them for their consideration.

FROM THE PARISH OFFICE:

Please note that the Parish Office will be closed on Christmas Day, Monday, December 25th. We would like to wish everyone a blessed and wonderful Christmas and New Year!

We are working on plans for a “one-way” traffic flow in the Church parking lot to avoid parking difficulties. Please be patient with us during this transition. Thank you for your cooperation!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2000

7:30 Parishioners

9:00 Alice Buck by Mark & Casey Weiser

11:00 Joe & Hazel Hagarty by the Sirotniak family

1:00 In Thanksgiving by Martha Ferrufino

Readings: Micah 5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

Monday, December 25:

10:00 The Daughter of Doug Cloud by Kevin Hilton

1:00 Susan de Ascencio by Familia Villanueva

7:30 (at the Arlington Detention Center) for Inmates

Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; 1 John 1:1-18

Tuesday, December 26:

9:00 Jean Jenkins by Camille Burruto

Readings: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Matthew 10:17-22

Wednesday, December 27

9:00 Bernard English by Mary English

Readings: 1 John 1:1-4; John 20:2-8

Thursday, December 28:

9:00 The Mother of Frank Hake by Kevin Hilton

Readings: 1 John 1:5-2:2; Matthew 2:13-18

Friday, December 29:

9:00 Joe C. Horner by Pat Horner

Readings: 1 John 2:3-11; Luke 2:22-35

Saturday, December 30:

9:00 Venson Chu by the Chu family

5:00 Pearl Walsh by Camille Burruto

Readings: 1 John 2:12-17; Luke 2:36-40

Please remember to keep in your prayers, those who are sick and those who suffer, especially: Bert Sebben, Joe Frascone, Michael Ann Dean, Fugiang Wang, John Biddle, Andrew Niland, Gene Biedscheid, Lucile Phelan, Eileen Bruno, Glyne Goodridge, Judy Birt and Maria Segarra Hines. Let us also pray for those who have died, especially: Samuel Gavinelli and Edward Burzynski.

SOCIALJUSTICE CORNER

WHAT DOES “FAMILY” MEAN TO YOU?

Please help Father Creedon prepare his homily for Holy Family Sunday (Dec.31) by sharing your thoughts about what “family” means to you. Everyone is encouraged to participate! A box will be available at the back of the Church and in the school for your contribution.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK: Our Special Thanks to Murphy Funeral Home for their support.

MINISTRY

God makes us capable of giving ourselves, even sacrificing ourselves for the sake of the common good. Part of our self-sacrifice is to create a culture worthy of people make in God’s image and likeness.

--Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I,

“Entering the Millennium as a people of life

WINTER HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TESTING

The winter High School placement testing will take place on Saturday, January 6, 2001 (snow date: January 20th) for those 8th graders from public and other private schools. Please call the Arlington Diocese at 703-841-2519 for more information.

HAVEN NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

HAVEN of Northern Virginia, a non-profit, all volunteers organization needs volunteers to provide emotional support to the bereaved, the seriously ill, the dying and their family and friends. Volunteers must be available during weekdays and must be able to commit to a minimum of 2 ½ hours a week for phone duty for at least one year. Training is provided and will be offered in March 2001. Orientation for prospective volunteers will be held at 10:30 a.m. on January 19th, 24th, 26th, 31st and February 2nd, 7th, 9th, 14th and 16th in 2001. For more information call 703-941-7000. HAVEN is located at 4606 Ravensworth Road, Annadale, Virginia.

COME LET US ADORE HIM!!

Exodus Youth Services, Inc., brings help and hope to the needy through Christ. Be an active partner in combating the chaos of inner-city neighborhoods. Consider offering your prayers, making a financial donation, or volunteering your time so that the light of Christ can continue to shine brightly in the hearts of Exodus’ clients. Your contribution will help support programs like our Catholic catechesis for children, our senior citizen drop-in-center, KINDNET-a-network of kids helping kids, and social services as well as holiday gifts and meals. Your support in the past has been a tremendous help. Please consider helping exodus again. For more information contact Marques at 703-748-2356, or send donations to Exodus youth Services, PO Box 9444, McLean, VA 22102.

COME OUT FOR AN EVENING OF DINNER AND DANCING

The annual Polka Party Dinner Dance to benefit the Dina Ryan-Jane Houston Memorial Scholarship Fund of St. Charles School will be held Saturday, January 27, 2000, at the Edward Douglas Council knights of Columbus, 5115 Little Falls Road, Arlington. Dinner service will begin at 7:00PM. The band of Mike Surratt and the Continentals will provide the music for 8:00 to 12:00. Tickets are $25 per person, so please make your reservations early to Melissa at 703-266-4932!

IN OUR PARISH

ATTENTION VISITORS AND NEWCOMERS

We invite visitors, newcomers and their guests to go to the parish website, www.stcharleschurch.org; this week to see all that our parish has to offer you. We appreciate that you chose to be part of our family during this Christmas season so we’re offering you ways to keep connected going forward. On our site you’ll find photos from parish events, prayers and reflections, ways to get involved, and details about what makes St. Charles a special place. you can also reach us via e-mail at webteam@stcharleschurch.org.

HELP WANTED

FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help) is looking for someone to help coordinate the program. FISH coordinates rides for people needing to get to medical appointments who don’t have access to transportation. Contact Norma Jimeno-Canales at 703-532-0702 if interested.

VAN RIDES TO CHURCH

Are you aware that there is a van transports elderly parishioners to Church every Sunday for the 11 a.m. Mass? There is room for a few more passengers! Contact Norma Jimeno-Canales at 703-532-0702 if interested.

ENGLISH CLASSES!

If you are interested in learning English, please join us on Sunday, January 7th at 11:15 a.m., here at St. Charles. Volunteer teachers, aides, and coordinators are also needed. Please call Sally O’Dwyer at 703-534-9805 ext. 222 from 9am – 1pm. Se habla espanol.

WASHINGTON THEOLOGICAL UNION IS A ROMAN CATHOLIC GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY

The Washington Theological Union, a Roman Catholic graduate school for theology for ministry, announces spring semester courses that can be taken for credit or audit in: Church History, Pastoral Studies, Sacred Scripture, Moral Theology, Word and Worship, and Mission and Cross Cultural Studies. Most classes begin on January 8, 2001. New this semester are courses on Saturdays with distance learning options. The Union also offers free low cost lectures and programs. Please see our website at: www.wtu.edu or call the Enrollment Services office at 202-541-5213 for program registration information. The Union is accessible by commuter rail and Metro.

CHURCH SUPPORT

• Last Week’s Collection: $15,693.00
• Last Week’s 2nd Collection of $1,569.30 was for the Latin American Community in Arlington.
• This Week’ Tithe is for the St. Charles Outreach
• Next Week’s Tithe is for Project Lazarus.

Revised/reviewed December 28, 2000