Pastor Reverend Christopher J. Papa

Weekend Assistant Reverend John T. Kelly, S.J.

Permanent Deacons

Deacon Thomas P. Fitzpatrick Deacon Michael J. Kubiak

Deacon Francis B. Burke, Retired

Director of Religious Education Marykate Murphy

School Principal Thomas L. Tobin, Ed.D.

Parish Business Manager Robert J. Helmig

Administrative Secretary Helen V. Kraus

Parish Music Coordinator Dorothy Toomey

Saint Bernadette of Lourdes Parish “Where Miracles Happen”

1035 Turner Avenue Drexel Hill PA 19026 Phone: (610)789-7676 Fax: (610)789-9539

www.stbl.org December 4, 2016 — Second Sunday of Advent

____________________________________________________________________________ Mass Schedule

Sunday Masses Holy Day Masses Saturday Vigil: 4:30pm Vigil Mass: 7:00pm — Holy Day: 8:30am Sunday: 7:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am Weekday Mass Sacrament of Reconciliation Monday—Thursday 8:30am Saturday: 3:30pm — 4:15pm Friday—4:00pm __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

0234 Page Two December 4, 2016

Parish Information

NEW FAMILIES Welcome to St. Bernadette Parish! To register in the parish, please come to the rectory on Sunday mornings between 9:00am and 12:00noon. We are eager to greet new members of our parish community and look forward to meeting you.

RECTORY OFFICE HOURS The rectory office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00am to noon and 1:00pm to 5:00pm. During the summer the rectory will close at 3:00pm on Fridays. Items for the Sunday newsletter must be at the rectory by Monday at noon for publication the following Sunday.

BAPTISMS

Baptisms are held at 12 noon on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. Parents must attend a Pre-Jordan class held in the Wright Center at 12 noon on the first Sunday of every other month (please refer to the bulletin for exact dates). Registra-tion for the class is required. In order to arrange for a baptism, the parents must be active members of the parish for six months. To register, please call the rectory office at 610/789-7676. Godparents should be practicing Catholics, confirmed and at least 16 years of age. If not from this parish, sponsors must have a letter of eligibility from their parish stating that they have been actively participating for six months. St. Ber-nadette Parishioners must be registered and actively participat-ing for six months to receive a letter of eligibility.

MARRIAGES We request that couples contemplating marriage call the recto-ry to make an appointment with the priest. At this initial inter-view, the date and time of your request will be recorded and you will receive a copy of the Parish Wedding Guidelines.

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK/COMMUNION CALLS A priest will administer Holy Communion to parishioners who are unable to come to Church. If you desire, Eucharistic Minis-ters can bring Communion each week. Please contact the Rec-tory to be placed on our Sick List. Parishioners who are to undergo serious surgery at a hospital are encouraged to make an appointment at the Rectory before going to the hospital.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION St. Bernadette School offers sessions for Pre-School and Kin-dergarten and conducts full-time classes from first through eighth grades. CCD classes are held in the parish school for all students attending public school. CCD classes are held on Monday evenings at 6:45pm. Adults seeking religious instruc-tion should call Marykate Murphy, Director of Religious Edu-cation at (610) 789-7676 ext. 212. The RCIA Program begins in October.

SAINT BERNADETTE PARISH ON FACEBOOK We can be found at “Saint Bernadette of Lourdes Parish”. Check out the page and “like” us to keep up with the latest par-ish news.

VISITS TO THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT can be

made in the Chapel. The chapel is open for visits Monday through Friday from 7:30am - 5:30pm.

RECITATION OF THE ROSARY takes place every Monday

through Thursday at 8:00am in the church and on Wednesday evenings along with the Miraculous Medal Novena at 7:00pm in the Chapel.

NOVENA TO ST. LEONIE AVIAT takes place every Tues-

day at 7:00pm in the Chapel.

FLAME OF LOVE PRAYER CENACLE takes place every

Thursday at 7:00pm in the Chapel.

HOLY HOUR FOR LIFE takes place in the chapel on the last

Sunday of the month at 7:00pm.

RESPECT LIFE GROUP information can be obtained by call-

ing Doris Hurd at 610-789-2708.

MEN’S PRAYER GROUP meets in the chapel every Tuesday

at 7:30pm - call Tom Fitzgerald at 610-446-3667.

MUSIC MINISTRY is open to all who wish to share their

time and talent in praise and thanksgiving to God – call Dottie Toomey at 610/449-4013 for rehearsal times.

ST. BERNADETTE MARTHAS AND A JOSEPH are a ded-

icated group who clean the church every Thursday after the 8:30am Mass; new volunteers always welcome—call Pat Ly-ons at 610-789-2516.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS meetings are held ever

Thursday at 9:30am in O’Brien Hall.

ST. JOHN’S HOSPICE Casseroles to feed the homeless, sponsored by St. John’s Hos-pice in Philadelphia, are collected in O’Brien Hall before the weekend Masses that precede the first Tuesday of the month. Casserole pans are available in the main entrance of church. Call Mary at 610/789-6206.

FOOD PANTRY Non-perishable food items for the Food Pantry can be place in bags and left in the vestibules of church. Any monetary dona-tions or donations of gift cards should be sent to Fr. Papa. If you have a question, call the Food Pantry at 610-789-7676 ext. 213.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A Page 605) On this Second Sunday of Advent our focus begins to shift from the end of time to the time imme-diately before the first coming of Christ into the world. Yet the message is still the same: God’s reign is at hand. As we worship together today, let us heed John the Baptist, whose message of pre-paring those people of Israel so long ago echoes in our own hearts: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

0234 Page Three December 4, 2016

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, December 3 Thursday, December 8 - Immaculate Conception 4:30pm Frank Reinke 8:30am Mary Adams (1st Anniv.)

Sunday, December 4 Friday, December 9 7:00am Lucy Tamaccio 4:00pm Rita Davis 9:00am Charlotte McCann 11:00am Edward J. McDonough (39th Anniv.)

Monday, December 5 Saturday, December 10 8:30am Adam Rantz 4:30pm Peter Shields

Tuesday, December 6 Sunday, December 11 8:30am Peter Condo 7:00am Rita Davis 9:00am Tom Contino Wednesday, December 7 - St. Ambrose 11:00am Kevin Wallace 8:30am Living & Deceased of St. Bernadette Parish 7:00pm Vigil of the Immaculate Conception Thomas & Margaret Kennedy

FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL REFLECTION This week’s readings are:

First Reading - Isaiah 11:1-10

Second Reading - Romans 15:4-9

Gospel - Matthew 3:1-12

Next week’s readings will be:

First Reading - Isaiah 35:1-6a

Second Reading - James 5:7-10

Gospel - Matthew 11:2-11

December 4 PreJordan Class

8 Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of

Obligation

10 Baby Jesus Birthday Party

13 School Christmas Presentation in Church

14 School Mass - 8:30am

We are now taking Mass intentions for 2017. The rectory is

open Monday - Friday from 9am - noon and 1pm - 5pm if you

wish to schedule a Mass.

___________________________________________________

WELCOME TO THE NEWLY BAPTIZED

Shane Roman Coughlin

Mason Nathaniel Methven

SYMPATHIES AND PRAYERS

We extend our sympathies and prayers to the families and

friends of Phyllis Fletcher, Norma Lambert and Mary McFad-

den who were recently buried from our church.

SUNDAY BULLETIN DEADLINES

Christmas and New Year’s

Bulletin Date Due at Rectory December 11 Noon - Monday, December 5 December 18 Noon - Monday, December 12 December 25 Noon - Monday, December 12 January 1 Noon - Friday, December 16 January 8 Noon - Friday, December 16

2016 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

CONFESSIONS

Saturday, December 3, 10 and 17 3:30pm - 4:15pm

No Confessions Christmas Eve

MASSES Vigil Mass for Christmas - Saturday, December 24

4:00pm (Church) 4:00pm (O’Brien Hall)

7:00pm (Church)

Christmas Day - Sunday, December 25 7:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am

2017 NEW YEAR’S SCHEDULE

CONFESSIONS Saturday, December 31

3:30pm – 4:15pm

MASSES Vigil Mass - Saturday, December 31

4:30pm Sunday, January 1

7:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am

0234 Page Four December 4, 2016

FINANCIAL FACTS

Envelopes Mailed Out in November, 2016 -- 1,276 Sunday, November 20, 2016 Sunday, November 22 2015 Envelopes Used: 326 Envelopes Used: 333 Weekly: $14,545 vs Target of $15,000 (a) Weekly: $11,579 vs Target of $15,000 (a) $12,501 Collection + $2,044 Parish Giving (32) $9,898 Collection + $1,681 Parish Giving (25) Mass Attendance: 859 Mass Attendance: 896 Poor Box: $234 Poor Box: $251 Sunday, November 27, 2016 Sunday, November 29, 2015 Envelopes Used: 320 Envelopes Used: 347 Weekly: $11,861 vs Target of $15,000 (a) Weekly: $12,528 vs Target of $15,000 (a) $10,920 Collection + $941 Parish Giving (29) $11,886 Collection + $642 Parish Giving (20) Mass Attendance: 856 Mass Attendance: 879 Poor Box: $318 Poor Box: $208

(a) Weekly target necessary to fund Parish operating expenses and avoid operating deficit. As followers of Christ Jesus, we are reminded that all things including life itself are a gift from God. What matters to God is not the gift, but the giver. Giving is God’s invitation to a way of life. It helps us to overcome our selfishness and love of things. What we do with what we have been given is a sign to God and to the world of the depth and meaning of our commitment. By recalling that all is gift, we therefore must strive to be generous with the financial gifts, both great and small, that God has be-stowed upon us. Thank you for your support and your generosity to God and to St. Bernadette Parish. St. Bernadette Parish has enlisted Parish Giving to provide its parishioners and supporters with the opportunity to use Electronic Funds Transfer as an alternative method for giving. The Program is free of charge for parishioners. More information about Parish Giving is available on our Parish web site: www.stbl.org on the “Parish Giving” page.

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thursday, December 8 Thursday, December 8, is the Feast of the Immacu-late Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses for the Holy Day are: Wednesday at 7:00pm and

Thursday at 8:30am. The rectory office will be closed on Thursday, December 8.

BERNADETTE SOCIAL CLUB

The St. Bernadette Seniors meet for lunch in the Wright Center on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month at 12:30pm (doors open at 12noon). We are an over 55 group, and new

members are always welcome. Our next meeting is our Christ-mas Luncheon on Friday, December 9. Regular meetings will resume on Friday, January 13. Please call Annette Pauswinski at 610-246-8506 for more information about the Social Club and to make your reservation for the Christmas party.

ST. PIUS X CRAFT AND VENDOR FAIR

December 10 from 9am - 3pm at the school Join us for a fun-filled day of shopping! You can easily finish your Christmas list with access to 46 specialty vendors, including LuLaRoe, Stella & Dot, Tastefully Simple, sports memorabilia and an array of homemade crafts. We will also have a concierge

jeweler on hand to buy gold, silver, platinum, old phones, coins, etc. And you won't want to miss a shot winning one of this year's raffles prizes!

BABY JESUS BIRTHDAY PARTY Everyone is invited to come to the Wright Center (1st floor) Saturday, December 10 at 10:00am to celebrate the Baby Jesus in song and prayer. Birthday cake and refreshments will be served. This is a joyous Advent celebration, especially for children. Please bring a bell from home to ring during the carols, and a new unwrapped toy or donation of food for the Christmas Food Drive. Volunteers are needed. If you would like to help, please call Evelyn Tarpey at (610) 789-4187.

STEWARDSHIP APPEAL

The 2016 Annual Stewardship Appeal is now underway. This appeal is most important to the strength, vibrancy and health of St. Bernadette Parish, and we ask that you please be as gener-ous as your means permit. Please return your census form and your donation to the recto-ry or put it in the Sunday collection basket. Thank you for your continued support of St. Bernadette Parish.

0234 Page Five December 4, 2016

PARISH GIVING TREE November 27 — December 11

Christmas is a time for giving. Give a gift to the less fortu-nate families. Remove a tag from the tree and return the gift with the tag attached. SPECIAL NOTE: Gifts should NOT be wrapped and NOT placed in gift bags. We have been asked to br ing the gifts with just the tags attached to ease the distribution of the gifts by the various organizations. You may bring the gifts in the boxes or bags from the store. All gifts must be returned no later than Sunday, December 11. The gifts will be distributed on Monday, December 12.

St. John’s Hospice (Men) Knitted hats, scarves, gloves, belts, long underwear (tops and bottoms), regular underwear, flannel shirts, hooded sweatshirts (L & XL)

Women of Change Single bed sheets, pillows, pillow cases, towels, night-gowns, slippers, sweatshirts, sweatpants, flannel shirts, long underwear, regular underwear, woolen hats and gloves (no scarves) - sizes L, XL and XXL for clothing items

Gift of Mary (Mother Teresa’s Sisters in Chester)

SPECIAL NOTE: This year, instead of toys, the Sisters have asked for diapers, wipes, books, puzzles, card games, board games, coloring books and crayons.

PARISH CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE November 27 — December 18

Once again we are asking for your help in providing food FOR OUR CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKETS. As mentioned in the past, the people who receive these baskets are ever so grateful and always ask us to thank our parishioners for providing for their families. If possible over the next couple of weeks, please do-nate canned potatoes, vegetables, sweet potatoes, soup, fruit, cranberries, gravy, stove top stuffing mix, cake or brownie mix, pancake mix and syrup. If anyone wishes to donate frozen turkeys, please call 610-789-7676 extension 213 and leave a message. Your call will be returned. The St. Bernadette Food Pantry is open and available for anyone who is in need of food and personal items. Please call 610-789-7676 extension 213. We want to thank our parishioners for their ongoing donations to the pantry. Many people have and will continue to benefit from your kindness. For the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holi-days, we distribute between 30 – 40 baskets for each holi-day so your generosity is appreciated and needed.

OPERATION SANTA CLAUS

Beginning December 1 Those who wish to adopt a family or a person in need in the parish who would otherwise not be able to provide Christmas presents can call or text Amy Sandman at 610-931-5692.

ST. BERNADETTE SCHOOL “What’s Happening”

From the Second Grade

And the Saints came Marching In at St. Bernadette School! The children in 2nd grade celebrated All Saints Day by re-searching and writing a report on a favorite saint. The culmi-nating activity was our annual Saints’ Museum. The children dressed as their special saint and shared their knowledge with our entire school community. Parents, grandparents and sib-lings joined us for this memorable day. As one student said, “Learning about the saints and living lives like them is like looking at a map to heaven." What a joy to be working with such talented, insightful children! __________________________________________________

BERNIE’S BIG BUCKS

Drawing moved to the month of March! Just in time for Christmas: our annual Bernie’s Big Bucks Raffle Tickets are back. One $20 ticket gives you 31 chances to win! Drawings begin March 1st for daily prizes ranging from $100 - $2,000. Winners are determined by the three-digit Pennsylvania Even-ing Daily Number during the month of March with the final drawing on March 31st. SPECIAL NOTE: March 17 is the “Luck of the Irish Drawing” for $1,000.

These tickets make great stocking stuffers, gifts for teachers, mail carriers, newspaper deliverers, and hair dressers. They make great host/hostess gifts for Christmas parties. Tickets will be sold at the back of church beginning December 15. Can’t wait until then? Contact Ciaran Bellwoar, Director of Advancement, at cbellwoar@stbl.org to get your tickets. If you have a favorite number, don’t delay buying your ticket!

ST. BERNADETTE GROCERY CLUB AND NATIONAL SCRIP PROGRAMS

Scrip is a way to save money on St. Bernadette School tuition, CCD registration and high school tuition. For Grocery Scrip, 4% is returned on every dollar spent at Acme, FreshGrocer, Giant, Pathmark, SuperFresh, Kohl’s, Swiss Farms and Coloni-al Village and can be purchased by anyone. Grocery scrip is available daily for purchase from the home sellers: - Megan Kearney 610-446-4219 - Karen Rollo 610-789-1531 - Carolyn Frank 610-220-8716 - On Monday from 6:30pm – 8pm in the school gym (When CCD is in session) Our National Scrip Program includes gift cards to hundreds of retailers, airlines & restaurants providing a 3% tuition voucher for every dollar spent. This scrip is ordered through Megan Kearney. For a complete list of participating companies, go to www.st-Bernadette-org. If you have any questions, call Megan Kearney at mbkearney95@verizon.net or 610-446-4219.

0234 Page Six December 4, 2016

WE PRAY FOR THE SICK - Joe Anderson, Dennis Annelli, Lorraine Baldwin, Tommy Bellenghi, Pamela Bower, Joseph Bradley, Marie Bree, Jarod Callan, Theresa Caputo, Michael Carroll, Dennis Conway, Patricia Cooley, Dave

Costella, Charlie Craig, Barbara Cunningham, Ann Davis, Laurel Dee, Michael DeEmilio, Avery Mae Dill, Christopher DiMarto, Gabriella DiSaverio, Julia Donohue, Darrin Dougherty, Dawn Dougherty, Michael Dougherty, James Drumm, Jeff Dudley, Jason Durkee, Jeffrey Edwards, William Egbert, Marie Feola, Patrick Flanigan, Emily Flynn, Jerry Flynn, Joe Flynn, Sherry Fon, Toni Fonzo, Tom Forester, Sr., Rose Foulk, Regina Freas, Larry Gallow, Greg Garcia, John Gavin, Christine Grosso, Joan Grycewicz, Rachel Hagan, Christian Hampton, Mildred Hart, Kim Hayman, Lizzy Hennessy, Judy Holmes, Baby Lila Holmes, David Kasella, Edward Killian, Brooklyn & Madelyn Kulinski, Fr. Larry Kozak, Thomas Laskey, Betsy Long, Paula Lumi, Michael Marino, Dalton Martin, Kathy Martin, Larry Martin, James Maynard, Kathleen McGinley, Theresa Merlini, Janice Molluro, Robert Molluro, Bridget Morris, Charlie Morris, Michael Muscarella, Sydney Nihill, Sr. Eleanor O’Connell, SJ, Maria Perno, Carmen Pettin, Tara Polto, Sharon Pozzuolo, Michele Re, Rita Reavey, Dan Rock, Jim Roden, Mimi & Rich Rogge, Anna Rokos, Kathi Rosenberry, Evelyn Runk, Michael Russo, Michael Shane, Bridget Sharpe, Rob Smith, Kristin Sorrentino, Patricia Stanton, Caroline Tamaccio, Mario Turchiarolo, Carol Tyson, Gavin Tyson, Jim Tyson, Wes Tyson, Charlie Uebele, Sean Williams and those suffering from serious illnesses & incurable diseases. HOSPITAL SICK CALLS - Emergency sick calls may be made to the rectory at any time. If surgery or admission to the hospital is scheduled, please call the rectory ahead of time to make arrangements to receive the Sacrament of the Sick. Due to the privacy act, if you are in the hospital and wish to see a priest while you are there, you must register as a Catholic when admitted or make sure a family member does so for you. This is the only way to assure a visit by a priest or Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.

THE SEMINARIANS OF ST. CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY

invite you to the

2016 Open House & Christmas Concert Sunday, December 4

The annual event will feature Papal artifacts from the 2015 Philadelphia Apostolic visit. One hour tours begin at 1:00pm with last tour at 3:00pm, followed by light refreshments. The Seminary’s Musicians and Choir will perform at 4:00pm in the Chapel of Saint Martin of Tours.

The events are FREE and open to the public.

For more information visit www.scs.edu

Dear Friends, My sincere thanks to all of you for your kind mes-sages, phone calls, emails and support after the death of my mother. Losing a family member is al-ways difficult, but the concern and support I re-ceived from you helped me immensely. I am also extremely grateful to you for your kind-ness while I was at St. Bernadette and your best wishes, gifts, phone calls, etc. when I accepted my new position as Pastor of Sacred Heart in Oxford. St. Bernadette will always hold a special place in my heart, and I hope if any of you are traveling to Ox-ford you will stop by to visit. Thanks again for everything and may God bless you! Fr. John Crowley

The St. Bernadette food pantry wishes to thank all who contrib-uted to the Thanksgiving Food Drive. It was wonderful to be able to provide food to those in need within the parish commu-nity. The St. Bernadette food pantry provides parish families experi-encing a need with the necessities to feed their families while also providing them with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Your continued support of both the St. Bernadette food pantry and our Thanksgiving Food Drive is greatly appreciated. The food pantry also wishes to thank the CYO who assisted with the donation of milk, eggs, bread and butter. We also wish to thank the following groups and organizations for assisting the pantry with packaging, delivery, assembly and volunteering of their precious time: school service club, 7th & 8th grade CCD students and the CYO. To everyone in our community who donated and contributed to this yearly drive — thank you and may God bless you! Amy Sandman St. Bernadette Food Pantry Coordinator