PARISH NEWS
December 9, 2022

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 10  |  6:30 PM

Corpus Christi will have a Spanish liturgical celebration in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday, December 10, at 6:30 p.m. The Holy Mass will include a traditional liturgical dance. Afterwards, parade over to the Parish Hall for a reception with a light meal, music, and folk dancing.

First Communion Students
December 10 | 9:00 AM

​The students of the First Communion program will celebrate their First Reconciliation on Saturday, December 10. Parents and students will report to the Parish Hall building at 9:00 a.m. After a brief introductory session, the parents will join Father Joseph in the Old Church building for a talk while the children remain in the Parish Hall for a lesson and activity. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will commence in the church at approximately 10:15 a.m. Please keep in mind that at least one parent needs to be present with the child throughout the reception of First Confession inside the church building. There will be xis (6) priests available for Confessions.​ Once your child has completed their penance you and your child are free to depart. Please be advised that our First Communion students will NOT have class on Sunday, December 11. All other grades will meet as usual. 

Bambinelli Sunday
​December 10 - December 11

Bring the Baby Jesus from your home Nativity sets. Our priests will bless the Bambinelli (Baby Jesus) figures at the end of every Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent, as instituted by St. John Paul II.

Your Community Needs You

Your continued support is urgently needed and gratefully received during this challenging times. Please take time to become an online giver. It is safe, secure and easy. You can setup a weekly or monthly recurring payment. To become an online giver, please click on the OSV Online Giving logo below.

CCCW Giving Tree Project
December 10 - December 18

Year after year, our parishioners have provided for the wider community through the Corpus Christi Catholic Women Giving Tree project. Through this long-standing Christmas tradition, parishioners are invited to participate by taking with them one of the tags covering the Giving Tree in the vestibule area, fulfilling the specific request listed on the tag, and then bringing the gift back to the Parish.

​A representative of the Corpus Christi Catholic Women group will be available at the entrance door of the church building to accept the gifts before all weekend Masses from Saturday, December 10, through Sunday, December 18. Thank you for your continued generous support of the CCCW Giving Tree project!

Christmas ​Mass and Confession Times

​Wednesday, December 21
12:15 PM – Daily Mass followed by Confessions
1:00 PM – Eucharistic Adoration until midnight
4:00 PM – Confessions in Spanish
6:00 PM – Confessions in English

Thursday, December 22
8:30 AM – Daily Mass followed by Confessions
6:00 PM – Confessions in English

Friday, December 23
8:30 AM – Daily Mass followed by Confessions

CHRISTMAS EVE
Saturday, December 24
3:00 PM - English
5:00 PM - English
7:00 PM - Spanish
10:00 PM - Solemn Liturgy Mass with Incense

CHRISTMAS DAY
Sunday, December 25
8:00 AM – English
11:00 AM – English
5:00 PM  – NO MASS

SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
Saturday, December 31
5:00 PM - English
7:00 PM - Spanish

SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
Sunday, January 1
8:00 AM – English
11:00 AM – English
5:00 PM  – NO MASS

Ministers' Special Schedule
December 24-25 | December 31-January 1

A special schedule for all seven (7) Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses have been created and posted in the Ministry Scheduler online system - with the number of ministers still needed for each role at each Mass. If you are interested in serving as a greeter, usher, altar server, lector, Eucharistic minister or sacristan, please go to the special schedule (link below) and click on the “available spot” icon. For the special schedule, tab the button below.

Christmas Flowers

Corpus Christi invites you to donate a poinsettia in memory of a special person(s) – whose names will be listed in the Parish website and bulletin. The poinsettias will be used in our decorations for the Christmas season. Please submit your poinsettia envelope by Monday, December 19.

Assistance to Those in Crisis​

Thanks to your generosity, during the month of November we were able to provide 2,353 pounds of non-perishable supplies to 71 families and 193 individuals, in addition to assisting families with their utility bills and rental expenses. We are truly grateful for all your help!

Prayer Intentions

We ask that you pause a moment to offer a prayer for those in our community who are ill, suffering or in need, in particular for:

​Charlie Evitt, Sheila Grogan, Shirlene Polk, Cooper Schultz, Elaine Smith, Ronnie Hawkins, Lauren Harmon DuBose, Father Mike Koncik, ​Francisco Ramis, Stephen Thorne, Alan Arsenault, Ellie Wargo, Antionette Davis, Patricia Edmonds, Brian Johnson, Ruth Donahue, Chester Zondlewski, Robert Kirchner, Logan Savoie, Donna Lybrand, Donald Clifton, Roberta Malejko, Fred Barton, June Bearden, Kathy Olson, Jennifer Frank, Kathy Grave, Fran Dougherty, Dan Dougherty, David Sutton, Carol Werner, Brooks Boy, Ivone Carter, Mary Carter, Stephen Becker, Sharon Torbett, Marlon Duran, Jim O’Neil, Father Mike Koncik, Peter Buttress.

Visit With Santa
December 18 | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Loosing Someone Important to Us
​Wednesdays | 9:00 - 11:00 AM

The Bereavement Ministry is for parishioners and community members who have experienced the death of a loved one and need assistance in the healing process. This outreach is facilitated by a trained minister who offers a compassionate, consoling and encouraging presence. The Ministry employs the series Grief Share, an internationally acclaimed Christian-based program designed to assist individuals who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. The weekly sessions are held every Wednesday from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. in the youth room of the modular building located in the lower-level parking area of the church campus. For further information, please click the button below.

Basic Medical Emergency Guidelines

The Guidelines is available in the altar server room of the church building, next to the first aid kit, to serve as a resource or point of reference. To read the basic medical emergency procedures, please click the button below.

Christmas Mass Intentions

The graces of all the Masses on Christmas and its Octave will be applied towards specific needs and intentions of your families and friends. Please use the special envelope for the Christmas Mass remembrance (mailed to parishioners; enclosed with the monthly contribution envelopes; available in the Church vestibule) to list those you wish to be remembered during these special days. You can remember both living and deceased members of your family and friends. Please return these envelopes to the church office either by mail or drop-off box on or before December 23.

Offertory Report
November 13 - December 4
​
It is only through your generosity that we can achieve our mission to celebrate the sacraments, grow disciples, and bring Christ to people.

 November 13 
$16,447.60

November 20
$15,323.65

November 27
$10,947.00
​
December 4
$24,913.04

Volunteer Non-Profit Organizations
Month of December 2022

The Holy Father asks for our prayers for a specific intention each month. We are invited to answer the Holy Father's request and to join with millions worldwide in praying for this intention each month.

FOR VOLUNTEER NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
​We pray that volunteer non-profit organizations committed to human development find people dedicated to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths to international cooperation.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Amid the many ways Catholics prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is often overlooked, yet a good confession can be one of the best ways to enter into the joy of the nativity with a clean heart, light and love. Paraphrasing Cardinal Henry Newman, we have a right to this most personalized encounter with Christ. Why wouldn’t we want Confession, to be able to unburden ourselves of these cares to somebody bound by the seal of Confession and giving us a counsel personalized for the benefit of our salvation.
 
And so, let us receive the word of John the Baptist with open minds and hearts to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path” by going to confession, spending additional time in prayer, and proclaiming the Gospel in word and action.

A Ministry Like No Other

Corpus Christi is in need of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist to minister Holy Communion to the sick and shut-ins in Corpus Christi. This ministry is the next level for those of you that are ready for something more in your spiritual journey. Along with the many home bound parishioners that can’t attend Mass to receive the Holy Eucharist, ministers are needed to visit facilities that have to be ministered weekly by different teams of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. The current rotation for each team presently is every three weeks. Our goal is to achieve a four week rotation for all facilities. We also have a need for Extraordinary Ministers to visit parishioners in their homes. This individual Minister would visit the same person weekly. This visit can be any day of the week as you and the parishioner would agree on the best time for both of you. If interested and/or for more information, please click on the button below and complete a brief form.

The Most Blessed Sacrament

Let us not self-deprive ourselves from adoring Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament, a natural consequence of our faith in the real substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Like Mary, who kept the words of our Lord in her heart and meditated on them day and night, let us reflect on her greatest treasure and the fitting homage to give to it by adoring Christ every Wednesday for one half an hour or for one full hour. Let us stop by to simply converse with Him, present really and truly a few feet away from the pews, as the doors of the church will continue to open every Wednesday – after the conclusion of the 12:15 p.m. Mass until midnight – so we can come close to our Lord in the Eucharist, Who should receive the adoration, the reverence that is given exclusively to God.

Have Your Ever Registred?

If you have never registered as a parishioner, please take time to fill out the Corpus Christi Registration Form through the Parish website by clicking the button below. Also, if you need to update your personal information, take a moment to complete the Family Information form below so we can have all the necessary information regarding you and your family. Corpus Christi keeps parishioners’ information confidential in a secure database.

Live Stream

​For those who cannot attend Holy Mass because of health concerns, you may worship from home by clicking on "The Holy Mass" button on the homepage of the Corpus Christi website. Utilizing two upgraded cameras for audio and video quality improvement, the Parish will continue to broadcast live the weekend Masses as well as all weekday Masses.

Spiritual Direction
Joan Patrick, Certified

​A time-honored practice of the Christian faithful is to walk with another, to seek God and grow in ability to hear his voice. If you desire to grow your relationship with him, prayerfully consider spiritual direction. Joan Patrick, a certified parishioner of Corpus Christi, offers Spiritual Direction at the Parish. There is no charge for this service. To make an appointment, please click the button below.

Planning Your Wedding

​Though we at Corpus Christi know what an exciting and special time this is for every couple, we also know that it can also be a bit overwhelming at times too. The goal of the new manual Planning Your Wedding is to help make the process of planning the wedding a smooth and enjoyable one. We hope that everyone find this guide both informative and helpful. To read and/or share it, please click on the button below.

Wednesday Special Intentions
Wednesdays  |  12:00 PM

For those who would like to have their intentions remembered without waiting extended periods of time, the Wednesday 12:15 p.m. Mass is offered for all "Wednesday Intentions" requested that week. Intentions are to be submitted by 11:50 each Wednesday as they will be announced prior to Mass that same day.

All gifts are donated to our Assistance Ministry in order to help our neighbors in need. To submit a "Wednesday Intention," please tab the button below.

Pray Every Day This Advent
A Catholic Prayer & Meditation App

Hallow is an excellent resource for people searching for deeper spiritual lives, especially the younger generation of Catholics today. It helps make clear that a relationship with God is and can be extremely personal and can be a great source of peace, joy, and strength.

What to expect? The Hallow app, suitable for iOS and Android, offers a choice of five-, 10- and 15-minute sessions and a male or female voice option. “Pray lists” offer themed content such as meditations on humility, which involves praying through the litany of humility. There are meditations based on the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and a “Daily Prayer” section that is based on the readings of the day.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU

Christmas is at its heart a feast and a day where we try to appreciate again the initiative of God. So much of our lives are shaped around the initiatives that we take, what we strive to do, what we want to achieve. But Christmas is actually about God’s initiative. God’s initiative from the very beginning in creating this world. God’s initiative in giving this world its astonishing beauty. And God’s initiative working through that long history of salvation, until His eternal Word takes on flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and enters into our reality in the stable in Bethlehem.

So in front of this initiative of God, we first of all should be still. We should be full of wonder and awe as so many of the Christmas carols and songs remind us. On this day, we should take such joy that the Lord bothers about us, that He reaches out to us. That He does not, as it were, stay at His eternal distance, but actually embraces our reality and each one of us.

While Christmas Day is an enormously busy day, one full of bustle and excitement, it is so important and so worthwhile to try and give it a silent heart, a quiet heart. Because it is from that quiet appreciation of God’s love for us that our real joy and our real celebration will flow like an enormous river.

On behalf of Father Joseph, Father Gustavo, Father Mike and the Parish Office, we really want to wish you a very, very happy Christmas with a happiness that comes from that source as we respond to the initiative of God who first comes to us. May the thousands of Christmas lights lead us to the one light from which they flow, the one great light, the light of God made visible in the birth of this Child, Jesus. When we set ourselves close to Him, may His light shine in and through us too. As He is the pathway we are to follow, may the light of Christ shine in our actions so that all may see and come to the joy and delight at the heart of this great Feast!