St. Marks Weekly Bulletin

January 1, 2006

SATURDAY-December 31
9:00 A.M        Lena Worcester by Charles & Janice Worcester

SATURDAY-VIGIL FOR SUNDAY-December 31
4:00 P.M.        Bernard Ferland by Urbain Dupont

SUNDAY-January 1 –NEW YEARS DAY
8:30 A.M.        Theresa Curley by family
11:00 A.M.        For the parishioners of St. Mark's Parish

MONDAY-January 2
9:00 A.M.        Judy Myers by Helen Braddock

TUESDAY-January 3
9:00 A.M        Mary Claire Jette by Geraldine Cunningham

WEDNESDAY-January 4-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
5:30 P.M.        Joseph J. Maiette by Corinne Bove Maietta

THURSDAY-January 5-St. John Neumann
9:00 A.M         Ellie McNamara by family

FRIDAY-January 6-Bl. Andre Bessette
9:00 A.M.        Henry & Rose Pellerin by Theresa Pierce and family

SATURDAY-January 7
9:00 A.M.        Eileen Lapan by Charles & Janice Worcester

SATURDAY-VIGIL FOR SUNDAY-January 7
4:00 P.M.        Miriam Lalime by Joe & Sue St. George

SUNDAY-January 8-Epiphany of the Lord
8:30 A.M.        For the parishioners of St. Mark's Parish
11:00 A.M.        Normand Roy (1^st Anniv.) by his wife, Maureen

December 18 Attendance at Mass	645
December 18 (212 envelopes)	$5,127.50
Religious Education Collection	$950.50
Weekly Average since July 1^st (25 weeks)	$4,946.16
Weekly Goal	$5,195.00

MOM'S MINISTRY will meet Friday, January 6^th at 7 p.m. at the Family Center. All mothers of the parish are invited.

PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION CHAPEL

“The quiet and solitude of the night make it a favorable time for prayer and most suitable for those who watch. With worldly occupations put aside and the attention undivided, the whole man, at night, stands in the divine presence.” - St. Nicetas of Remesiana.

Committed adorers are needed for Saturday, 3 to 4 p.m. Please call Marge at 658-0228 or Winnie at 862-9598 to sign up to commit to spend one hour with our Lord.

Dear Friends,
Today is not only New Year's Day, it is also the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. Within the Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium, there are some wonderful reflections on Mary. In this document, Mary is revered. She is seen as Jesus' first follower. What Lumen Gentium emphasizes is Mary's response to God. She is presented as a model of how we should be before God.
This Feast of Mary also falls on the Octave of Christmas. An “octave” is eight days, and counting Christmas Day, this is the eighth day. Some feast days are so important that one day of celebration is not enough, and Christmas is one of those days. For eight days (the number eight often symbolizes something that is beyond perfect) the Church has celebrated as if each day were Christmas day. As we bring these days to a close, we ask “what next?”
Mary is our model. Mary's unique role was to serve the Kingdom as the mother of God's Son. She did not understand what the angel meant when this was announced, but she said yes anyway. She accepted her role. As her life progressed, she became not just the mother of Jesus; she became a follower of Jesus. In this is her greatness. In this is our model.
Within us is something great. Looking at this year with piety, this could be the year we too become true followers of Jesus and take our roles in the Kingdom, roles God created us to fill. God bless you. Fr. Bill

BISHOP SALVATORE MATANO will celebrate Mass and the Living Rosary, January 17^th at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross Church in Colchester. This Mass is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Plan to attend and pray with Bishop Matano for the unborn and for an END TO ABORTION. It has been 32 years since Roe vs. Wade and the death of over 45,000,000 babies in the United States. Life is God's precious gift. Let us not forget His Angels.

SCRIPTURE STUDY: What is the SOUL? will be held Thursday evenings, January 5^th through February 9^th, from 7-8:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Church. This study is based on Deacon Ivan Hawk's new book: Soul, the Fountain of Youth.

Readings for the Week of January 1, 2006

Sunday	Nm 6:22-27/ Gal 4:4-7/ Lk 2:16-21
Monday	1 Jn 2:22-28/ Jn 1:19-28
Tuesday	1 Jn 2:29—3:6/ Jn 1:29-34
Wednesday	1 Jn 3:7-10/ Jn 1:35-42
Thursday	1 Jn 3:11-21/ Jn 1:43-51
Friday	1 Jn 5:5-13/ Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-38 or Lk 3:23, 31-34, 36, 38
Saturday	1 Jn 5:14-21/ Jn 2:1-11
Sunday	Is 60:1-6/ Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6/ Mt 2:1-12

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM 2005-2006

RELIGION CLASSES: No Religion classes this week, due to Christmas vacation. Classes resume January 3, 2006 for the Tuesday group and January 8^th for the Sunday group.

PARENT MEETINGS will be conducted in January and February. This is an opportunity for the parents to meet their child's teacher and discuss with Sr. Helen spiritual development. Parents of Kindergarten students will meet Sunday, January 8^th during class time. Parents of 1^st Grade students will meet Tuesday, January 10^th or Sunday, January 15^th during class time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THANK YOU to all who helped at Christmas time to decorate the church, assist at the Masses and participate in the liturgies of this great feast. Our children involved in the choir and pageant did a fabulous job and they and their parents are to be commended. Thanks to all of our musicians, the various ministers-extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, lectors, altar servers and ushers. All you did to help in making the liturgies so beautiful and meaningful was appreciated. Finally, to all the faithful parishioners of St. Mark's, we are grateful for your presence and support.
-Father Bill, Father Dan and Deacon Tim

IMPORTANT MEETINGS: Two special meetings have been scheduled, one for the Lectors on January 10^th at 7 p.m. and one for the Ministers of Holy Communion on January 11^th also at 7 p.m. If you are involved in either of these ministries, please keep these dates available. Thank you.

LITURGICAL PUBLICATIONS, INC., our bulletin publisher, will have a representative come to our parish within the next few weeks. We would like to thank our present advertisers for renewing their ad, and for those interested in placing a new ad, this is your opportunity. To reserve a space for the new publication year, please contact the rectory. Keep in mind; our advertising sponsors make your bulletin possible.

ATTENTION: PARISHIONERS ON MEDICARE! Medicare Part D Prescription coverage is available to all parishioners on Medicare through Catholic Golden Age. Call 1-800-706-1268 for enrollment information.

THE SECULAR FRANCISCANS will meet Sunday, January 8^th in the chapel and parish hall of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Burlington. Newcomers and guests are welcome.
CALCUTTA NIGHT is Saturday, February 11, 2006. We are selling 100 numbers with dinner included for $50 each. If you come as a couple the extra meal will cost $10. Once the 100 numbers are sold, no other reservations will be accepted. To reserve your special number, and to be included in an evening of fun and excitement, call Barb King, 862-8350 or Carole at the rectory, 864-7686.

RESPECT LIFE MASS AND RALLY FOR LIFE: A special Mass will be offered by Bishop Matano at St. Augustine's' Church in Montpelier on January 14, 2006 at 9:30 a.m. The Rally for Life begins at 10:45 a.m., when marchers gather in the lot behind the church and proceed to the Pavilion Auditorium where Bishop Matano will be one of the featured speakers. For more information, contact Michele Morin, Respect Life Coordinator, 658-6110 ext. 319 or email at mmorin@vermontcatholic.org.

RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: The application deadline for the school year 2006-07 is January 21, 2006. The financial aid application deadline is February 15, 2006. As a reminder, there are two dates remaining for the 9^th grade entrance exam: January 14^th and February 4^th. The exam will be held from 9 a.m.-12 noon at Rice High School. For more information call Tresa Pickup at 862-6521 ext. 235.

A CATHOLIC INSTRUCTION ON CHRISTIAN DEATH: Brochures are located at the entrances to the church entitled “On Holy Ground: The message provides inspiration and support for those facing death, whether their own or the death of a loved one. We are also urged to contact our state legislators as soon as possible with a simple message: vote “NO” on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Please pick up a copy to bring home.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED for the safety of our service men and women and support personnel working as peace-keepers throughout the world and for those who are seriously ill, especially Karen Magnan, Tiz Mazza, Jean Popecki, Jane Roberts, Barbara Sanneman, Mikaela Sienkiewicz and for the repose of the souls of Fr. Charles McNeice, Ralph Maietta, Donald Provost and Irene Prive, mother of Fr. Francis Prive.

To have someone from your family enrolled in this list, please call the Rectory Office at 864-7686. Names will be listed for one month unless the office is notified that the condition continues and prayers are still requested.

Holy Water

The Church sends us St. John the Baptist as “the voice crying out in the wilderness,” and the one who was baptizing in the Jordan River. At Jesus' Baptism (the One who knew no sin), the waters were made holy by Him, and the sacrament of Baptism was instituted. From the earliest days of the Church, water has also been used in other symbolic ways to refresh our memories and help us respond to God's grace. Holy water is a sacramental - something instituted by the Church for the sanctification of her members (they do not confer grace like a sacrament does, but they prepare us to receive grace). (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1667-1679)

There are three primary reasons the Church uses holy water: as a sign of repentance of sin; for protection against evil and sin; and as a reminder of our own Baptism. We traditionally find holy water fonts at the entrances of Catholic Churches. Old Testament custom required the Jews to remove impurities before offering sacrifice and prayer to God. Now with the sacrament of Baptism and Confession, we are given the means to ensure that we are pure before we offer our prayer and the Sacrifice of the Mass - and before we receive our Lord's Body and Blood in Holy Communion. No other ritual washing is needed, but this holy water serves as an outward sign of our repentance for our sinfulness. At Mass, the priest also washes his own hands and prays inaudibly: “Lord wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sins” as a reminder of his own sinfulness and his need for God's mercy and forgiveness before offering the perfect sacrifice to the Father.

On special occasions, the priest may choose to use the sprinkling rite at the beginning of Mass by sprinkling the congregation with holy water. A traditional song is taken from Psalm 51 - attributed to King David after his sin with Bathsheba when he implores God to “blot out my offense... to wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.” During this rite, we together make a similar act of repentance of sin.

Holy water also protects us against evil. The prayer of blessing of water reads: “... we ask you to bless this water ... and free us, body and soul, from every danger.” When a house is blessed, holy water is used with this intention - that the house and all who live and visit there will be kept free from the power of the evil one. Finally, holy water reminds us of our Baptism, when we were set free from sin by water and the Spirit and incorporated into the life of the Church by being born as a child of God.

Holy water is used for these three reasons at Church, but it can also be used elsewhere. Maybe we can consider having holy water in our own homes - especially during this Christmas season. Any church goods store or catalog sells small holy water fonts that can be placed near the entrances or holy water bottles can also be used for sprinkling the home. It is a great way to remind us of our repentance of sin; for protection against evil and sin; and as a reminder of our own Baptism.

Fr. Dan

Last Update: February 2, 2006