Roman Catholic Parish

DECEMBER 31, 2017

300 East 16th Avenue, Apache Junction, AZ 85119-6403 480-982-2929 Fax: 480-982-0036

E-mail: office@stgeorgeaj.com Website: www.stgeorgeaj.com

Office Hours: M-F 8 a.m.-12 noon & 1-5:00 p.m.

PASTORAL STAFF

Father Domenico Pinti, Pastor Father Stanley Nadolny, Parochial Vicar Ext. 104 Caroline Hodges, Bookkeeper Ext. 103 Grace Vozel, Parish Secretary Ext. 101 Christine Ollive, Coordinator of Religious Ed Ext. 102 Debbie Wohlforth, Receptionist Ext. 100 Denis McDonald, Maintenance

WINTER PRIESTS Fr. Howie McGraw Fr. Vince Lieser

PARISH DEACONS Deacon Bill Jones

Ministries Youth Altar Server Training, Fr. Stan Eucharistic Ministers, Fr. Pinti Lectors, Cindy Nuttall 602-312-6667 RCIA, Fr. Pinti Ushers, Fr. Pinti Divine Mercy, Joetta Carlos—735-8471 Grief Support Group, Susan Insalaco—250-3522 Natural Family Planning, Darrin & Pems Tebon—671-9040 Adult Choir—Sheryl Johnson—480-354-5985

Organizations Knights of Columbus, Tom Wolf 982-4441 Our Lady of the Desert Guild, Barbara Reddington—671-0719 Respect Life Ministry, Fr. Pinti

Finance Council Susan Insalaco Caroline Hodges Will Bublitz Arlene Showers Ray Kimble

COMMUNION TO THE SICK If you or someone you know is sick or homebound, please call for the assistance of a Minister of Care. Ministers of Care bring communion to those who cannot come to Mass. Please call Mary Ellen Akin at 480-983-7026 or the parish office to arrange a scheduled Minister of Care visit.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EMERGENCY

If you or someone you know is in critical condition or near death call 480-982-2929 weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After hours and on weekends call 480-303-1253. Please do not use this service for any other reason.

INFANT BAPTISM Parents requesting baptism for their children under 7 years old must attend a mandatory preparation class offered every other month. Please call the Parish Office in advance for scheduling or other information. Infant baptisms are the last Sunday of each month.

MARRIAGES/MARRIAGE PREPARATION Couples seeking the sacrament of marriage must be regis-tered parishioners who are actively participating in the life of St. George Roman Catholic Parish. Notification of intent to marry must be provided six months in advance. For more information on the marriage preparation process, please call the Parish Office.

LITURGY SCHEDULE

Masses

Saturday: 11:30 a.m., 1:15, 3:00, and 4:30 p.m. Sunday: 6:30, 8:15, 10:00, 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Life Teen Mass) Weekdays: 8:00 a.m.

Confessions: Sat. 10:30 a.m.

Holy Days: 8:00 & 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Th_ Holy f[mily of j_sus, m[ry [n^ jos_ph

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UPCOMING EVENTS

January 8—Volunteer Dinner January 9—Eucharistic Minister Meeting

January 10—Baptism Class January 11—Bible Study resumes

January 15—PARISH OFFICE CLOSED January 17—Get Acquainted Party-Ladies Guild

January 26—Spaghetti Dinner February 5—Ladies Guild Tea

February 7—Our Lady of the Desert Guild Meeting February 9—Ladies Retreat

For the full monthly calendar of Parish Events please visit our website at: www.stgeorgeaj.com.

THIS WEEK IN OUR P@RISH

MONDAY, January 1, 2018 HAPPY NEW YEAR! PARISH OFFICE CLOSED TUESDAY, January 2, 2018 PARISH OFFICE CLOSED 7:00 p.m. KC Council (Room 3) WEDNESDAY, January 3, 2018 9:30 a.m. Our Lady of the Desert Guild THURSDAY, January 4, 2018 8:30 a.m. Quilters (Social Hall) 9:30 a.m. Grief Support (Room 6) 1:30 p.m. Rosary for the Unborn (Chapel) FRIDAY, January 5, 2018 8:45 a.m. Adult Choir (Atrium) 3:00 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet (Chapel) SATURDAY, January 6, 2018 9:00 a.m. Children’s choir (atrium) GBFH tickets being sold SUNDAY, January 7, 2018 9:30 a.m. Children’s choir (atrium) GBFH tickets being sold

DEVOTIONS Daily Rosary: 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday Adoration daily: Until 9:30 a.m. First Friday: 8:00 a.m. Mass, Anointing of the Sick, Adoration until 9:30 a.m. First Saturday: 8 a.m. Mass/Adoration until 9:30 a.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet: Daily 8:30 a.m. in Cry Room Tues. & Fri. 3:00 p.m. in the Adoration Chapel

BEARERS OF THE WORD The Church has placed a number of notable feast days immediately after Christmas. The feasts of Stephen, John the Evangelist, and the Holy In-nocents form a summary of the life lived in Christ, the Word made flesh. What do these have to do with the feast of the Holy Family, which crowns the Octave of Christmas? These feasts remind us that suffering will occur in fulfilling the mission of Christ, and that we are all called to be bearers of this Word whose birth we celebrate. We also see this manifested in the lives of Jo-seph and Mary, both of whom took social and reli-gious risks in obedience to the will of God, and both of whom were open to the word of God sent to them from on high. In these ways they prefig-ured the life of Jesus himself. Most likely, few of us found ourselves at Mass this past Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but the essence of these feasts and the essence of the holiness of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus remain central, a holiness we celebrate today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM Fr. Pinti,

Fr. Stan and The parish staff

M@SS INTENTIONS 2018

Mon. January 1 8:00 a.m. +Chuck Kerzman +Dorothy Lewandowski +Brenda Merriman Tues. January 2 8:00 a.m. +John Gervais +Sister Lucille Pritzl Wed. January 3 8:00 a.m. Our Lady of the Desert Guild +Tom Gerasch +Randy Heckert +Paul McDonald Thurs. January 4 8:00 a.m. +Jacqueline LaFontaine Fri. January 5 8:00 a.m. Tom & MaryClare Gibbs Family Earl Lewis +Jill Wyrick Sat. January 6 8:30 a.m. Disciples of Jesus & Mary +George A. Zahn 11:30 a.m. All L.O.M. Junior praesidia 1:15 p.m. Members of the Wegrzyn Family +Beatrice Frankus +Keeli Rzentkowski 3:00 p.m. Souls in Purgatory +Ric Clark +Josephine Frantz 4:30 p.m. +Faber Hood +Kathy & Pam Robrecht Sun. January 7 6:30 a.m. Police, Fire, & First Responders 8:15 a.m. People of the Parish 10:00 a.m. +Jerry Hirman +Jim Ryan 11:30 a.m. +Maria & Josef Irgang +Tere Martinez 6:00 p.m. +James & Grace Valiante

MINISTRIES

Altar Flowers—Betty Bublitz 480-671-1028 (home), 602-300-8439 (cell), or Mary Dikes 480-983-0897

Prayer Shawl Makers—Mon. 9:00 a.m. room 6 Carol 480-380-2634

Legion of Mary—Mon. 4:00 p.m. room 2 Josie 480-202-6783/Martha 480-544-1683

Knights of Columbus—7:00 p.m. room 3 Grand Knight: Tom Wolf 982-4441

Council: 1st Mon.

Assembly: 2nd Mon. of month

Divine Mercy Chaplet— Tues. & Fri. 3 p.m. in the Chapel Daily after 8 a.m. Mass in the Cry Room

Bridge Players—Tues. 1:00 p.m. Margie 602-316-4174

Rosary Makers—Wed. 9:00 a.m. social hall

O. L. of the Desert Guild—1st Wed. Month 9:30 Barbara Reddington—480-671-0719 Quilters—Thurs. 8:30 a.m. social hall Jacque Florez-Ball 480-310-0126

Grief Support—Thurs. 9:30 a.m. room 6 Susan 480-250-3522

Secular Franciscans—4th Sunday of each month 2:00 p.m. room 3 Mary Domke OFS—920-366-2438 or Carolyn Peterson—920-246-1038 Email: franciscanjoyinaj@gmail.com

Catholic Discussion Group (Patr icians) Open to anyone wishing to come. 3rd Sat. 9 a.m. room 2 Josie 480-202-6783 Topic: How did Mary help bring us new life through Jesus Christ?

GIFT SHOP The gift shop will be closed December 23 & 24 for Christmas and December 30 & 31 for New Years. We will reopen the weekend of

January 6 & 7, 2018

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SAINT GEORGE QUILTERS The Saint George Quilting Group meets Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m. in the social hall. The quilts we make are distributed to those in need throughout the community. You do not need to be a quilter to join us. Donations of fab-ric, batting and other sewing notions are always welcome.

Any questions: Contact: Mary Irwin 480-982-1975

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READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4 -7; Lk 2:16-21 Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Wednesday:1 Jn 2:29 — 3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn 1:29-34 Thursday: 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Jn 1:35-42 Friday: 1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-5; Jn 1:43-51 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-28 [23, 31-34, 36, 38] Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER ALL ARE WELCOME!

COME AND JOIN US The 4th Sunday of Each Month

2:00 p.m. in Room 3 Starting January 28, 2018

Questions?? Call: Mary Domke OFS 920-366-2438

Or Carolyn Peters 920-246-1038

THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL You may enroll any one person, Catholic or non-Catholic, for one year at .25ȼ each. Enrollment forms, medals and information on the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine Laboure are available on the table at the back of the church.

Saturday Mass Schedule for December 30 11:30 a.m., 1:15, 3:00, & 4:30 p.m.

Mass Schedule for New Year’s Eve Sunday, December 31

6:30, 8:15, 10:00 & 11:30 a.m. (No 6:00 p.m. Mass)

New Year’s Day Monday, January 1, 2018

8:00 a.m. Mass ONLY (The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God is NOT a Holy day of Obligation in the

USA this year

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION There’s no more unusual setting to celebrate to-day’s Feast of the Holy Family than Barcelona, Spain and the towering unfinished sandcastle known officially as the Temple Expiatori de la Sa-grada Familia. In 1882, the plan was hatched to build a vast place of worship in reparation for the revolutionary and liberal leanings of the city. The modern artist Antoni Gaudi dedicated his life to the project, living in the building, attending Mass daily, and giving up his personal wealth. When people pressed him to pick up the pace, he responded, “My client is not in a hurry.” (Gaudi’s cause for beatifica-tion is moving along, and he could be the first pro-fessional artist and architect to be beatified.) The Spanish Civil War, a disaster for the Catholic Church in which thousands of priests, brothers, and nuns were murdered, halted work in 1935. In the 1950s work began anew, speeded up by computers in the 1980s. Still, the final stage of construction is not due to end until 2026. If the original methods had stayed in place, it would take several hundred more years to complete the plan. So far there are eight towers, with four to go. The highest steeple is three feet shorter than the nearest hill, since the ar-chitect didn’t want his work to surpass God’s artist-ry. The three faces of the basilica each have three doors, with the faces named Passion, Nativity, and Grace. The interior is crammed with geometric fig-ures that almost seem to spin, crazy-quilt windows, spiral staircases, and jumbles of statues and figures. Although inspired by ancient Gothic cathedrals, the style is called Expressionist, and very little is left unexpressed by the masonry. If you can’t afford a visit, Sagrada Familia maintains a web site, and vir-tual visits are free.

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Monday: Mary, the Holy Mother of God; The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord; World Day of Prayer for Peace; New Year’s Day Tuesday: Ss. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen Wednesday:The Most Holy Name of Jesus Thursday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Friday: St. John Neumann; First Friday Saturday: St. André Bessette; First Saturday

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NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING Has anyone ever clearly explained for you why the Catholic Church does not approve of unnatural birth control? For most of us, the answer is NO. Learn about your faith and discover a natural method of family planning that goes beyond the physical. A course on the Sympto-Thermal Meth-od of NFP taught by a certified couple having two separate start dates: Thursday, January 11, 2018 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and Saturday, January 13, 2018 from 1:30-4:30 p.m., right here at St. George. Each class is limited to 4 couples and you need to pre-register at ccli.org. For more infor-mation call Pems & Darrin at 480-671-9040

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS’ MEETING There will be an important meeting for all current and new Eucharistic Ministers on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, in church. One session will be at 9:00 a.m. and another at 4:00

p.m. Eucharistic Ministers need to attend only one session. New ministers may obtain an application and more information from one of the sacristans. If you have any questions, please contact a sacristan.

VOLUNTEER DINNER There will be an Volunteer Dinner on Monday, January 8, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. in the Social Hall. If you volunteer anywhere here at St. George’s you are welcome to attend for a wonderful meal and a small gift from the parish.

CASINO TRIP Sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Join us on Monday January 8th, 2018. We will make stops at Lone Butte and wild Horse Pass. Bingo is at Lone Butte and both casinos have lots of slot machines. Also from Wild Horse Pass it is a short walk or free shuttle ride to the Premium Outlet shops. Cost $10, which you re-ceive back on arrival at the casino. The bus will leave St. George’s Church at 9:00 a.m. and Holy Cross Church at 9:15 a.m. Reserve your seat to-day by calling: Susan Mone 480-969-0447or Lin-da Maguire 480-924-1746. If you have a slot card for Gila River please have your number ready when calling. Please call by Wednesday January 3rd to reserve your seat.

A RETREAT FOR WOMEN “COME TO ME”

Friday, February 9, 2018 9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. St. George Social Hall

Get away——-hungry or thirsty Get away for the day to Re-Discover the Je-sus of scripture; Jesus the Healer, Jesus the great comforter—Jesus who invites you to come to him if you are weary or burdened, hungry or thirsty. The presenter, Judith Dunlap, has been in-volved in Church ministry for over thirty years. She has authored a number of books and been a regular columnist for CHURCH Maga-zine and Franciscan Media. Judith has a Mas-ters degree in theology. This is her third year coming to St. George church for the Women’s retreat. To bring a SALAD : Mary Helen 480-671-4511

To bring a DESSERT: Denise 480-671-5986 R.S.V.P. by Friday, February 3, 2018

(PLEASE NO LATER) There is no cost for the retreat

POLISH MASS Fr. Stan celebrates a Mass in Polish on the 1st Saturday of every month at 6:00 p.m. You are welcome to attend the next one on January 6, 2018.

TH@NK YOU Crockett Dental

for advertising in our bulletin.

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CHILDREN’S CHOIR Do you love to sing?

Are you in grades 1st-8th? Then come join us!

Practice is on Saturday mornings The Mass we sing at is on

Sunday 11:30 a.m. (Family Mass)

Further Information Call: Sharon 480-570-5134

Take a chance on our youth!

Support the youth of our parish with their dreams of going onto

college!

Buy a Golf Ball From Heaven! $10 each Chance to win $1,000 1st place, $500 2nd place,

$200 3rd place. Students will be selling tickets

Jan 6/7, Feb 10/11 & Mar 3/4 2018 after all the Masses.

Ball Drop takes place Sunday, March 18, 2018

Need not be present to win.

ADULT CHOIR DO YOU LOVE TO SING?

Come sing with the Adult Choir! Practice is on Friday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the Atrium Room. We sing at the 8:15 a.m. Sunday

Mass (meeting in the Atrium at 7:30 a.m.) For further details: Sheryl Johnson 480-354-5985

SPAGHETTI DINNER Friday, January 26, 2018 St. George Social Hall

Seating at 5:00 or 7:00 p.m. Adults $10.00

Kids (10 & under) $5.00 TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE

AFTER ALL MASSES JANUARY 20/21

or THROUGH THE PARISH OFFICE

Proceeds benefit the Life Teen Retreat Fund

WISHING YOU A JOYOUS NEW YEAR FROM THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Religious Education Classes Resume: Life Tee, Sunday, January 7, 2018

EDGE, SPC 6+ Tuesday, January 9, 2018 Wednesday, K-5, SPC 3-5, January 10, 2018

Sunday K-3, January 14, 2018

Life Teen Epiphany Party Sunday, January 7, 2018

Following the Life Teen Mass @ 6 p.m. Bring a small gift (from the Dollar Store-be crea-

tive!) to exchange. We’ll have food, fun and share in friendship!