St. Mark Catholic Church

4220 Ripa Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63125

Office: 314-743-8600, Fax: 314-743-8618 www.stmarkstl.com

December 24, 2017 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Mass Schedule Sundays—7:00, 9:00, & 11:00 am

Monday—Friday—6:30 & 8:00 am Mass Saturdays—8:00 am & 5:00 pm

Holy Day—6:30 & 9:00 am, 7:00 pm Confessions

Saturday afternoon—3:30 to 4:30 pm Sacraments

Call 743-8620 or 743-8600 to make an appointment with one of the Priests.

Clergy Rev. Msgr. Patrick K. Hambrough

Pastor phambrough@archstl.org 314-743-8609—church 314-743-8620—rectory Rev. Ted Vitali, CP

Non-Resident, Associate vitalit@slu.edu 314-729-7572

Administrative Staff: Parish 4200 Ripa Ave., St. Louis, MO 63125

Diane Little—Secretary 743-8602 dianelittle@archstl.org

Alice Wilcox—Bookkeeper 743-8603 alicewilcox@archstl.org

Christina Sanders, Ph.D. Pastoral Associate

743-8604 christinasanders@archstl.org

Rose Masidonski—Music Director 743-8605 rosiemaz@hotmail.com

Loretta Gutting—Webmaster 922-6838 loretta5@swbell.net

Prayer Hotline Dolores Bollwerk @ 631-5108

Rose Duane @ 631-0202 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Tuesday after 8:00 am Mass to 9:00 pm Bulletin Announcements Deadline is Monday at noon

BULLETIN—dianelittle@archstl.org WEB—www.stmarkstl.com

Administrative Staff: School 4220 Ripa Ave., St. Louis, MO 63125

Fax: 314-743-8690

Jill Burkett—Principal

743-8643 principal@stmarkstl.com

Mary Althage—Secretary 743-8640 malthage@stmarkstl.com

As the Season of Advent comes to an end—the shortest possible Fourth Week of Advent—our attention quickly moves to the celebration of the Birth of the Lord. Fittingly, our primary emphasis at this special time is the Mass. The most perfect prayer we weak humans can offer to the God who sent His Son to be one of us, not for His benefit but for ours.

Aware of the specialness of the Mass I offer some quotes from some very holy people. (Note: a Servant of God is a person whose process for canonization has been accepted by the Vatican):

“When we worship you in the form of bread….we always see you as an adult. But every year at Christmas, you reveal yourself to us as a child born in a crib, we stand in silent amazement….In silent adoration we stand before the mystery, like Mary when the shepherds came and told her what they had seen and heard.” ~ Servant of God Chiara Lubich

“Whoever really takes the Eucharist as his daily bread, experiences each day the mystery of Christmas, the Word made flesh.” ~ St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

“The Holy Eucharist is the continuation of Christ’s Incarnation on Earth. The mystery of the Eucharist gives us the joy of having Christmas every day. When we come to the Blessed Sacrament we come to Bethlehem, a name which means ‘house of bread.’ Jesus chose to be born in Bethlehem because He would dwell with us forever as the ‘Living Bread’ come down from heaven. When the shepherds and Magi came to adore Him, they brought Him so much joy with their humble visit to Bethlehem that their visit has been praised and retold down through the centuries. God has never stopped honoring them for honoring His Son. So, too, your humble visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament brings Christ so much joy that it will be retold for all eternity and bring the world closer to His promise of peace on earth.” ~ St. Teresa of Calcutta

“What is the fact of the Eucharist? It is that the same Jesus who was born on earth not only became man but remains man. The Eucharist is Christmas prolonged because faith tells us that once God became man, He decided to remain man. From all the reaches of past eternity, God will always remain man. And this God-man is here; Bethlehem is wherever there is a Catholic Church or chapel in which Christ is present.” ~ Servant of God Fr. John Hardon

“Bethlehem! The city where Jesus was born in fulfillment of the Scriptures, in Hebrew means ‘house of bread.’ It was there that the Messiah was to be born, the one who would say of himself, “I am the Bread of Life.” In Bethlehem was born the One who under the sign of broken bread, would leave us the memorial of His Death and Resurrection. On this Holy Night, adoration of the Child becomes Eucharistic adoration. We adore you, O Lord, truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar, the living Bread which gives life to humanity. We acknowledge you as our one God, a little Child lying helpless in a manger.” ~ St. John Paul II

Thus, with great expectation and enthusiasm we gather today, tomorrow, indeed, any day, at the altar of the Lord. We again are struck with amazement at all God does for us and we grow with zeal in responding to the call of Christ to “Follow me.” May the joy of Christmas always infiltrate our hearts and influence our lives.

As you surely noticed, our new sign is up and running and it looks great. I’m thankful to all who donated to make the sign possible. Your generosity has led to our ability to inform and invite our neighbors about the good things Christ does here at St. Mark’s.

On behalf of Fr. Vitali and all the staff of St. Mark’s I wish you a safe and beautiful celebration of Christ’s birth. God bless all of you. Father Hambrough

Fourth Sunday of Advent December 24, 2017

With the absence of Fr. Vitali at the end of December and for the first three weeks of January and with Fr. Hambrough’s absence during the Pro-Life March there will be a

change in the Monday-Friday Mass schedule.

Effective Tuesday, December 26 to Friday,

January 26 there will be one Mass each weekday starting at 7:30 am.

Parking for Christmas Masses

IF the ground is dry on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day parishioners may park on the grassy area between the

rectory and Union Road. This is a Christmas celebration privilege only and, again, only if the ground is dry.

Prayer Shawl Crafters

The Prayer Shawl Ministry Crafters will reconvene on Tuesday, January 9 at 8:30 am in the Parish Office.

Anyone interested in learning more or joining this ministry is encouraged to join us and learn more. All are welcome!

Monday Midnight K. Goersch, A. Rowe 7:30 L. Grebing 10:00 G. Shoger Tuesday 7:30 G. Shoger Wednesday 7:30 M. Dozier

December 25—31

Thursday 7:30 Server needed Friday 7:30 Server needed

Saturday 8:00 K. Goersch 5:00 M. Schindler Sunday 7:00 L. Grebing 9:00 C. & A. Maloney 11:00 M. Lotspeich, K. Goersch

Mass Intentions December 24—31

Sunday 7:00 People of the Parish 9:00 Henry, Edith & Robert Orr 11:00 Joseph Lordo 5:00 Hortense Flood Midnight Margaret Hambrough Monday 7:30 People of the Parish 10:00 Msgr. Charles Forst Tuesday 7:30 Al Quillo Wednesday 7:30 Bill Kelly Thursday 7:30 Larry Viero Friday 7:30 Carol Powell Saturday 8:00 Mary Ingram 5:00 Lou Comerio Sunday 7:00 People of the Parish 9:00 George Sweeney 11:00 Lorenzo & Letetia Gianfrancesco

December 30 & 31

5:00 Lectors: Joan White Ministers: K. Goersch, T. Worrell, M. Cass, P. O’Rourke, J. Preisack Hospitality: J. & L. Guillot, C. & R. Hamilton 7:00 Lectors: Jean Kertz Ministers: S. Chambers, C. Fleming, J. Johnson, C. Oberbeck, D. Stanger, L. Wells Hospitality: D. Tullman, R. Leiber, M. Masidonski, L. Weber 9:00 Lectors: Mitzi Mallette & Fran Stephens Ministers: K. & K. Maloney, N. Matteuzzi, F. Stephens Hospitality: J. Langevin, D. Little, L. Meier, R. Puricelli 11:00 Lectors: Bernadette Williams Ministers: G. & M. Snodderley, F. Steinmeyer, K. Gillman Hospitality: J. & M. Bono, J. Heaman, M. Holdman

Ministry Schedule December 24—Christmas Vigil

5:00 Lectors: Ed Schneider Ministers: B. Terry, T. Worrell, M. DeHekker, P. O’Rourke, J. Preisack Hospitality: M. Paur, R. Chinnici, C. Micciche, R. Flynn Midnight Lectors: Tom & Sandy Bast Ministers: K. Goersch, D. Kopff, L. Malone Hospitality: M. Kramper

December 25—Christmas Day

7:30 Lectors: Donna Stanger Ministers: S. Chambers, C. Fleming, J. Johnson, C. Oberbeck, D. Stanger, L. Wells Hospitality: D. & J. Carey, V. Slama 10:00 Lectors: Sandy & Tom Bast Ministers: K. Vaughn, W. Gemmer, K. Griebenow, D. Kopff Hospitality: P. Ebel, S. Clements, M. Fischer, C. Batye

Eucharistic Adoration Can a few MEN help us with Adoration hours between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays? We are short of visitors to the Blessed Sacrament … Our parish wants to maintain all day and evening Adoration hours. Tuesdays are powerful days of praise and thanksgiving within St. Mark. Choose 15 minutes, a half hour, 45 minutes or an hour….please come and visit!!!

Please pray for the repose of the souls of our parishioners who died last week, Bob O’Rourke, Mary Ellen Tayon and Jack Overturf. May they, and all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

The Parish Office will be closed Tuesday, December 26. Note, also, there will not be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday, December 26. Adoration will resume on January 2.

December 25—31

Monday Merry Christmas! Masses at Midnight, 7:30 & 10:00 am —-————————————————————————— Tuesday No Adoration 6:30 pm—Bingo—Bandwagon Hall 5:30 pm—Basketball—Parish Center 7 pm—St. Vincent de Paul mtg.—Parish Office —————————————————————–--———–-Wednesday 4 pm—Private Party—cafeteria 5:30 pm—Basketball—Parish Center —————————————————————————— Thursday 5:30 pm—Basketball—Parish Center 6:30 pm—Choir Christmas party—cafeteria ——————————————————————————- Friday 5:30 pm—Basketball—Parish Center ——————————————————————————-Saturday 8:30 am—Basketball—Parish Center 6 pm—Family Potluck/Game Night—Parish Center

December 25—31

Monday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27-29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] During the Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Tuesday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Wednesday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Thursday: 1 Jn 1:5 -- 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18 Friday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps 128: 1-5 or Ps 105:1-6, 8-9; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or Hb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19; Lk 2:22-40 [22, 39-40]

Bingo is played every Tuesday at Bandwagon Hall,

on Reavis Barracks and Lemay Ferry Road.

Doors open at 3:30 pm and games begin at 6:30 pm.

Team 3 will work Tuesday, December 26

Peggy Matye

If you cannot work when scheduled or have questions, please call Loretta @ 922-6838,

or Megan Bono @ 261-3570.

Joyce Williams Donna Jercinovic Jackie Carretero Sandy Schelling Misty Mandina

Deborah Solari Christina Martin Brenda Bingel Kevin Bradshaw Annie Beckerle

Come ring in the New Year with your St. Mark family on Sunday, December 31, from 6:00 pm till ? Bring some food to share and a game to

play. Please call or text a RSVP to Glenn, 314-803-6475, so we know how many to plan for.

Altar Angels

January 2 & 5—Dianne Benz Debbie Kopff January 8 & 12—Marge Diethelm & Theresa Reilly January 15 & 19—Mary Boehm & Mary Ann Kroener

January 22 & 26—Sue Eveker & Angie Lybarger January 29 & February 2—Linda Bornemann & Theresa Winecoff

Altar Angel Schedule

The Altar Angel Schedule for 2018 is ready for pick up. See the box marked “Altar Angels” in the

Sacristy with your name on the envelope. God bless all for the work you do to keep all the

laundry clean and ironed. Call Susan Metherd for any questions

at 314-894-2201.

50+ Club News We will close for the months of January and

February. If any parishioner would like to join our club they can call Mike at 276-5767. Jesus is the Reason for the Season! Have a safe and joyous holiday season.

It is our responsibility in the Lord to remember the sick, who are especially close to the

Redeemer in their suffering:

Carol Capkovic Brett Haubrich Ava Reichert

Karen Thompson

December 17, 2017

Envelopes $ 10,371.87 Online Giving 1,293.00 Loose 677.01 School Support 230.00 Total $ 12,571.88 —Avg. Weekly Expenses 15,000.00 Final Total $ 2,428.12

Thank you for your support!

Rosary Collection

If you have any old or broken rosaries that you would like to discard, please leave them in the marked box on the stand in the new vestibule of church.

They will be sent to a lady that mends and cleans them for distribution to hospitals, missionaries and military who request them. She also will take new rosaries.

Sts. Peter and Paul Soup Kitchen Volunteers

A very special thank you to all who helped throughout the year with baking, cooking, serving, and transporting food for the monthly Sts. Peter/Paul Soup Kitchen. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated. Also, thank you to Mrs. Roeseler and the 8th graders for their help with serving and cleaning up.

New schedules for 2018 will be mailed out the week of January 8th.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Children of the parish are somewhat focused on Santa Claus these days, who is keeping an eye on who's

naughty and who's nice. Santa Claus, with his heavenly patron Saint Nicholas, has been more or less in charge of gift-giving to American children for a hundred years or

so. In other places, perhaps more attentive to our Christian tradition, there are different gift-bearers. In Greece, Saint Basil delivers the presents on his feast

day, December 31, and makes sure everyone is sprinkled with holy water. The Baby Jesus is in charge

elsewhere, called the Christkind in Austria and Belgium, El Niño Jesús in Columbia, and Le Petit Jesus in France, where he shares his duties with Père Noël. In the Czech Republic almost everyone is atheist, but Je í ek, the infant

Jesus, brings gifts to one and all. In Poland the "Star Man" is said to bring the gifts, although often he turns out to be the village priest in disguise. Saint Nicholas, not his

Americanized cousin, is the giver in Holland, where he wears a bishop's miter, and in Russia, where he wears a

bishop's crown. Soviet Russia tried to dethrone Saint Nicholas and promote Grandfather Frost, but no one was

much fooled by this attempt to squeeze religion out of Christ's birth. One country has a saintly woman in charge

of the gifts, Saint Lucy, honored in Sweden on December 13, when children serve their parents

breakfast in bed, and others awake to news that they have been nominated for a Nobel Prize. Some children

have a second round of gifts on Epiphany, when the magi assume the gift-giving duties. In general, the gifts of Christmas are simple pleasures, not great heaps of

treasures. Once upon a time, a new pair of socks or an orange was enough for us. No matter what gifts we receive, all of them are to point us to the true gift,

and the true giver.

--Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

Our Lady’s Inn Maternity Homes—Annual Trivia Night— Saturday, January 20th at Chaminade

College Prep School (425 S. Lindbergh). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and trivia begins at 7:00 p.m. Cost is

$25 per person and $200 for a table of ten. For more information or to register,

visit www.ourladysinn.org or call Katrina at 314-736-1544. Our Lady’s Inn provides a loving home and an

array of services supporting pregnant women and their children suffering with homelessness.

Canyouhelp?Thismonth,December2017,theSistersoftheMostPreciousBloodarehostingaGiftCardDrivetosupporttheirFebruary17,2018

AnnualDinnerAuction

* Unused gift card taking up space in your wallet? * Buy a gift card for the Sisters while you’re

Christmas shopping! * Visit our website, http://cpps-ofallon.org/ways-to-give/

donate/donation-funds/ donate, and we will buy one for you!

Thank you so much for your support! Sisters of the Most Precious Blood

Mission Advancement Office 204 N. Main St.

O’Fallon, MO 63366

Marriage Encounter—Resolve to make your marriage even better in 2018! Attend a Marriage Encounter weekend and your good marriage will become even better. Just ask a couple who has attended the weekend. Apply for the weekend you deserve either on February 2-4, 2018 in St. Peters, MO; March 23-25 in Springfield, IL; or April 20-22 in St. Peters, MO. Go to www.stl-wwme.org or call 314-649-7317.

March for Life 2018 – Seats Still Available

MISSOURI LIFE CARAVAN still has seats available for our bus trip to the annual March for Life in Washington,

D.C. from Thursday-Saturday, January 18-20, 2018. Join us and thousands of others from across the U.S. for this huge pro-life gathering in our nation’s capital. This trip is

open to anyone ages 7 and up (chaperones not provided). We depart from several locations in the St. Louis area. We do not stay in hotels as we sleep on the busses. The cost

if received by December 22 is $190. The cost after December 22 is $205. For registration and bus

information contact us at: 314-434-4900 or mrl.eastern@yahoo.com. You can also download our registration form at www.missourilife.org. Registration

deadline is January 2, 2018.

Marriage On Tap STL—Married couples are invited to an evening out, just call it a date night! Be with other couples who care about strengthening their marriage, and want to enrich themselves. Come

Tuesday, January 16, 2018, to The Pasta House Company at 8213 Delmar Blvd, University City,

63130 (just East of I-170). 6:00 PM dinner, $20 per person with a new menu for buffet dinner (cash bar available); at 7:00 PM is a dynamic talk by Jerry &

Julie Cinco, parishioners at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in St. Charles. Jerry & Julie have been

married 47 years and have two grown daughters. They have faced many ups and

downs in their marriage adventure, and attribute their strong marriage to God's patience, His

constant love for them, and their Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. This evening is open to all married couples.

RSVP required: marriageontapstl@gmail.com Visit our Facebook page: Marriage On Tap STL

Please join us for the Fifth Annual Christmas Concert

Sounds of the Season: An Afternoon of Song and Prayer

on Sunday, January 7, 2018 at 2:00 pm

at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 5821 Pernod, 63139.

Featured performers include: Joy Boland, Tamara Campbell, Emily DePauw, Ashley Edelbrock, Abbey Fronick, Peter Merideth, Matt and Mary Pentecost, Clara Richter, Phil Touchette and Sarah Wilkinson,

plus other talented, surprise guests.

The St. Joan of Arc Youth Cantor Ensemble will also sing. No admission charge.

A free will offering can be made to support the music ministry at St. Joan of Arc Parish.

Missouri Birth Parents and Adoptees: Missouri adoption law is changing!—On January 1, 2018, adult adoptees (ages 18 and older) will be granted access to their original birth certificate. Birth parents have the right to protect their confidentiality under the new law, but they must act before January 1st. For more information, contact the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records by phone at (573)751-6387 OR by email at vitalrecordsinfo@health.mo.gov. Visit the Bureau’s website at www.health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords/adopteerightsact.php for more detailed information about the new law.