FROM OUR PASTOR

Dear Members of St. Charles:

On December 18th at 7:30 PM, Fr. Francisco Mendez and I welcome all our volunteers and staff to an Open House at the Rectory to celebrate and anticipate the joy of Christmas! Come and share your voice or musical instrument, or you will have to listen to us!

At 6:00 PM on the 18th, I will lead an ADVENT UPDATE in the Chapel, brief reflection on Forgiveness, Rite and Reality.

Please join us on the 20th for the Communal Celebration of Reconciliation.

Open Wide the Doors for Christ,

BAPTISM PREPARATION IN ENGLISH

The Baptism Preparation class in English scheduled for December 19th has been rescheduled for Tuesday, December 21st at 7:00 PM in the Parish Library.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

This weekend has been designated Catholic Charities Christmas Collection weekend in the Diocese of Arlington. Proceeds received from this annual effort will be allocated to various programs, including adoption, foster care, crisis pregnancy counseling, family and individual counseling, elderly services, emergency assistance, homeless shelter, soup kitchen, immigration assistance, English as a Second Language, prison ministry, and services to disabled persons. Your donations have been, and will continue to be one of the primary sources of funding for Catholic Charities. Last year, your contributions were overwhelmingly generous and nearly 35,000 people were helped. Hopefully, with our help, the members of the Arlington Diocese will be able to match that good will, as the demands for basic human and spiritual services have increased. Please be as generous as you can. The services Catholic Charities provides are given in the name of us all.

BHI CHRISTMAS PARTY

Want to do something special this Christmas season? If so, volunteer to help the good lil C'YA elves as we bring the Spirit of Christmas to the families of Borromeo Housing. Sunday, December 19th, we will throw a Christmas party for the children and mothers at BHI. Volunteers are needed to bring refreshments and help decorate the Christmas tree. Party is from 2 4 PM. Please contact Marcie Williams at 703-979-8651 if you want to volunteer.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK: Our special thanks to Harry Wilhelm, Jr. & Company, CPAs for supporting our Parish. Thank you!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1999:

7:30John Maguire by Bertha Maguire

9:00Parishioners

11:00Rose & Frank DAmbrosio by Mario DAmbrosio

1:00Our Lady of Guadalupe by the Latin American Comm.

Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2a,10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24;

John 1:6-8,19-28

Monday, December 13:

9:00 Lucy (L) by a friend

Readings: Numbers 24:2-7,15-17a; Matthew 21:23-27

Tuesday, December 14:

9:00 Alejandro Quiroz by Pascual Quiroz

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

Readings: Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13; Matthew 21:28-32

Wednesday, December 15:

9:00 Gabriel Villamizar by Lucia Hittle & family

Readings: Isaiah 45:6b-8,18,21b-25; Luke 7:19-23

Thursday, December 16:

9:00 Marcos, Paciencia, Reynaldo Ciriaco Menciano

by Juanita Fadul

Readings: Isaiah 54:1-10; Luke 7:24-30

Friday, December 17:

9:00 Robert H. Monks by Helen E. Monks

Readings: Genesis 49:2,8-10; Matthew 1:1-17

Saturday, December 18:

9:00 Regina C. Finan by Frank J. Finan

5:00 Pearl Walsh by Camille Burruto

Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-24

URGENT HAITI APPEAL

On January 14th, a group of volunteers from St. Charles and St. Anthony will be travelling to Haiti to visit our sister parishes in Cavaillon and Gros Marin. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti are in need of medicines. If you are able to help, please deliver your contribution by January 10th to the Parish Office. The medicines needed are baby and adult aspirins, cough and cold medicines and similar over-the-counter remedies, vitamins, generic adult medicines, bandages, etc. During Frs. Mussalier and Charles visit in August, they mentioned the following priorities: Funds to complete the construction for the Flamande clinic; roof repairs on the Flamande Chapel (the Chapel is also used as their school); benches are needed for Oiseau; and, a church sacristy and pews for Gros Marin. The 2nd story of the High School was completed last year. The ongoing teacher training has been very beneficial and they are very appreciative for their professional development. This year, we sponsored 90 children to school through the generosity of our parishioners. If the spirit moves you to help with any of these projects, we would deeply appreciate your generosity.

Ministry

We need to proclaim with our deeds as well as our words that no form of physical dependence can diminish the innate dignity of a human person.

- M. Cathleen Kaveny, Dying Well, Assisted Suicide, and the Law

SPREAD THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS!

By delivering Poinsettias to the homebound. Volunteers are needed to pick up poinsettias from the Parish Library TODAY to be delivered whenever you can over the course of the week. Call Allyson Ugart (862-2559) for details. Also, mark December 17th on your calendar so you wont miss the ever-popular, always-fun C'YA Christmas Party. 20-30+ year olds welcome. Festivities start at 8 PM. See Decembers C'YA Scroll for details. Call Larry Prikockis at 312-9463 for more information.

ADVENT BIBLE STUDY SERIES

Exploring the deeper meanings of Christmas, facilitated by Mark Andersen of the St. Charles Young Adults group. THE CHRISTMAS STORIES: Finding God In Unexpected Places (Thursday, December 16, 1999; 7:00 PM; Upper Room) Modern scholarship has yielded startling insights about the historicity and deeper meanings of the Christmas stories recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. To learn more about this, and the astonishing appearance of God on earth, arriving not amidst the rich and powerful, with imperial pomp and glory, but in a humble manger, born to a homeless peasant woman, come to this special holiday Bible Study.

JUBILEE 2000 NEWS FROM CAFÉ

Have you seen the large banner (hung by our hero, Marvin Mayorga) which proclaims OPEN WIDE THE DOORS TO CHRIST? It is on the West side of the Church above the doors at the circle entrance as an evangelization sign and welcome to all our neighbors. On the doors of the church you will see posters with Jesus first sermon. The CAFÉ Jubilee team (Giselle Dupuis, Gail Goodridge, Carol Poplin, Gemma Furno, Anne Rodgers & Jean Sweeney) with the help of submissions from 36 other parishioners has produced a Jubilee booklet with reflections on themes of Celebration, Forgiveness, Sabbath, Freedom & Justice. It is now being printed and will be given out at all the Masses on January 9th so that we can all LIVE the Jubilee year.

POPE JOHN PAUL II ON THE JUBILEE

All jubilees refer to the messianic mission of Christ, who came as the one anointed by the Holy spirit, the one sent by the Father. It is he who proclaims the good news to the poor. It is he who brings liberty to those deprived of it, who frees the oppressed and gives back sight to the blind (cf. Mt. 11:4-5; Lk. 7:22). In this way he ushers in a year of the Lords favor, which he proclaims not only with his words but above all by his actions. The jubilee, a year of the Lords favor, characterizes all the activity of Jesus...

- As the Third Millennium Draws Near

IN OUR PARISH...

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

Advent activities continue in the parish neighborhoods. Neighborhood Bs Home Mass, Party and Food Drive (to benefit St. Charles Pantry) takes place on Monday, December 13 at 7:30 PM in the Courtland Towers Community Room (1200 N. Veitch Street. All attendees whose last names begin with the letters A through L are asked to bring a light snack to share). Call Pat Quinn at 527-3316 for more details. Neighborhood Es Caroling Party is scheduled for Thursday, December 16 at 7:00 PM. Meet at the Klaus-Nichols residence. Call Colleen Dykema at 527-0624 for additional information.

Also, we very much hope that you will join us for the Parish Christmas Open House next Saturday, December 18 from 7:30 9:30 PM in the Rectory. Come and celebrate the season!

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

Have Breakfast with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves TODAY, Sunday, December 12th from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Join them in the St. Charles School Cafeteria for pancakes, sausage, applesauce, orange juice and coffee. There will be a gift for children who have breakfast with Santa and a chance to have their picture taken for a small fee. Proceeds benefit the School. See you there!

DISCOVER ADVENT ON-LINE!

Treat yourself to a special Advent this year by visiting the St. Charles Advent web page. From our parish site at www.stcharleschurch.org, click on Advent and you will find a choice of reflections, the complete list of parish holiday events and the chance to send a Christmas e-card. Visit us today! The St. Charles Web Team wishes you and your family a blessed Advent season.

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

The Parish Office is now accepting donations for Christmas Flowers. If you wish to have a loved-one remembered, please include his or her name with your donation. For your convenience, there are envelopes available at the Church entrances or you may place your donation and the name of your loved-one in a plain envelope. Both may be dropped in the Sunday collection basket or you can stop by the Parish Office. The list of those remembered will be published on Christmas Day, so please have your donations and names to the Parish Office by Monday, December 20th. Thank you.

• Last Week's Collection: $16,434.00
• Last Week's Tithe of $1,643.40 was for our sister parishes in Cavaillon & Gros Marin, Haiti.
• This Week's 2nd Collection is for Catholic Charities Christmas Collection.

Next Week's Tithe is for St. Charles Outreach.

Bulletins from other weeks