St.

Philip Neri Parish

The Northwest Paulist Center
For Evangelization & Reconciliation
2408 SE 16th Avenue l Portland, OR l 97214
www.stphilipneripdx.org

Parish Office 503-231-4955 l Fax 503-736-1383

Guided since our founding in 1912 by the missionary vision of the Paulists, committed
to the mission of Jesus, and dedicated to be welcoming to all, we, the community of St.
Philip Neri, strive to reach out, to reconcile and to promote unity for all Gods creations
through worship, education, and service toward the
common good.

Third Sunday of Advent s December 13,

2015

SECOND COLLECTION
This weekend is the annual Retirement Fund for Religious
collection. This a way to say thank you to all those
religious sisters, brothers and religious order priests who
have served many with great dedication, with little or no
PIANIST NEEDED
pay and no retirement benefits. Give generously We
to help
are in need of a pianist for the Contemporary Music
support these men and women in their senior years.
Group on the second and fourth Sundays for the 9:30am
Mass. It is a great group to work with. The music for the
HOLIDAY MASS SCHEDULE month is posted at the beginning of the month and rehearsal
is prior to each Mass. If you are interested, please contact
Thursday, Dec. 24:
BarbaraH@stphilipneripdx.org this coming week.
5:30pm Family Mass
9:00pm Mid-eve Mass
Friday, Dec. 25:
9:30am Christmas Mass
January 1: Mary, Mother of God
9:30am Mass

HOLIDAY OFFICE CLOSURES

Thursday, Dec. 24, Closed at noon
Thursday, Dec. 31, Closed at noon

WILL YOU BE HERE FOR HOLIDAY LITURGIES?

Please consider helping as a Eucharistic Minister or Welcome

Minister at the door. Signup on the bulletin board in the
foyer. You will be contacted ---so please leave a phone or
email address.

WERE GLAD YOU ARE HERE

If you are new to the parish, visiting from across town, across the country, or other parts of the world, welcome &
you
for worshiping with us! Fill out one of the Welcome Cards in the pew racks and drop it in the collection basket or give it
one of the priests. Stop by after Mass and introduce
If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the office, 503-231-4955.

Third Sunday of Advent s December 13, 2015

Saturday, December 12th:
Sunday, December 13th:
Monday, December 14th:
Tuesday, December 15th:
Wednesday, December 16th:
Thursday, December 17th:
Friday, December 18th:
Saturday, December 19th:
Sunday, December 20th:

8:00am Mass
4:00pm Mass
9:30am Mass
10:30am Mass
8:00am Mass
8:00am Mass
8:00am Mass
8:00am Mass
12:10pm Mass
8:00 am Mass
4:00pm Mass
9:30am Mass
10:30am Mass

Ngo Van Hien

For those without shelter
Margaret Capri
Deaf Community
Great-Grandfather & Great-Grandmother
Tom Myers
Jo Hill
Joseph Scafidi <B>
Barbara OBrien
Jo Hill
Catherine Trotters <A>
People of St. Philip Neri
Deaf Community

Chapel
Church
Church
Chapel
Chapel
Church
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
Church
Church
Chapel

If you would like a Mass celebrated for you, for an anniversary of death, birthday, marriage, or other special event,
Office Hours:
Mon, 9am 12pm
Tues Fri, 9am 4pm
Parish Staff
Pastor & Director of NW Paulist
Center
Fr. Charlie Brunick, CSP x118
frcharlie@stphilipneripdx.org
Parochial Vicar
Fr. Michael Evernden, CSP .x114
mecsp@mac.com
Parochial Vicar
Fr. Bill Edens, CSP .x113
frbill.csp@gmail.com
Director of Faith Formation
Barbara Harrison ...x107
barbarah@stphilipneripdx.org
Business Manager
Jeanne McPherson ..x103
jeannem@stphilipneripdx.org
Office Manager
Rose Wolfe ..x101
rosew@stphilipneripdx.org
Maintenance & Grounds
Ed Danila
edwardd@stphilipneripdx.org

Bulletin deadline is Tuesday noon

Church Cleaning, Dec14-, David & Alison Olsav

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Dec. 15: 1pm & 7pm, Reconciliation Service, Chapel
Dec. 16: 7:15pm, B-Catholics, Chapel
Dec. 19: 1pm, Womens Group, Carvlin
Dec. 20: 10:30am Parish Breakfast & Christmas Party
Check out the December calendar for more events

YEAR END GIVING

A common theme I have read in many church bulletins is that stewardship is
NOT just about giving. It is also a spiritual way of living within the church
community, part of discipleship and giving of our time, talent and treasure. We
as a parish have been very fortunate over the years with the amount of time
that has been put into fundraisers, childrens liturgy, cleaning the church and
numerous other activities. This is very much appreciated. As we will have
celebrated Thanksgiving with our families and friends, we all have blessings in
our lives. We can share our blessings with our parish community and one
example of this is to provide a yearend gift to the parish. There are many ways
to accomplish this. Cash gifts are always appreciated, given the chronically
precarious position of Operating Income not always meeting Operating
Expenses. There are also specific items we need around the parish and we will
be preparing a A Wish List for Santa to share with you.
For those considering Estate/Planned Giving, both the Paulist Fathers and the
Archdioceses development offices have materials and advisors to assist you.
Please consider a year-end gift at this time, no matter the amount, as every gift
helps St. Philip Neri Parish. With the years end closely approaching, it is always
beneficial to review your expenditures for tax purposes as there are always
ways to give and you can benefit from the gift, a win-win for both the donor
and the parish. For more information, you can speak with Fr. Charlie or contact
Jeanne at the office, 503-231-4955, ext. 103. Thank you for your consideration
and for all that you do for the parish. As each one has received a gift, use it to
serve one another as good stewards of Gods varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10)

please fill out a Mass Intention form

(located in foyer of the Church) or call the office.

Third Sunday of Advent s December 13, 2015

Pastoral Corner
Carl Jung once said, You cant change anything until you accept it. Many of you have heard me say,
Acceptance is the key to happiness. The thing, or more exactly, the person we most need to change is ourselves.
If we cannot accept ourselves why should we expect anyone else to accept us? In AA we often say let us love you
until you can love yourself. This doesnt mean that once you love yourself, the love stops. No, it becomes
something we need to pass on to others. It is a community thing. We dont need a bunch of co-dependent people
but rather independent people who love lavishly with no expectation of anything in return.
Perhaps the first step toward maturity is saying holy crap, I need help. This is a very good first step
toward healthy self-acceptance. I once walked into a counseling center and another parishioner was in the waiting
room, along with some others. She perked up and said to me what are YOU doing here? I responded, I dont
know about you but I need help. Everyone laughed. Suddenly the playing field was level. Self-acceptance is the
beginning of a new way of life.
Once we get used to accepting ourselves, we can begin accepting other people, places and things, just the
way they are. This doesnt mean that everyone or everything is all to our liking, no; but it does mean that we stop
all the fighting of competing ideas in our heads. The playing field is leveled and we can make clear decisions about
what can or cannot be changed; and we can see how we might need changing in a given situation.
We spend a lot of time pumping ourselves up, trying to look good, make names for ourselves; and we end
up building a house of cards, afraid that at any moment it could all come crashing down. Better to build our
foundation on what we really know, our faults, failing, mistakes and blunders. This will make us far more
compassionate in all our affairs. All of the above is much easier to do in the context of a faith community. The
playing field is level and God makes it so.
In this Advent season we celebrate the already and not yet of God. God doesnt love us because, or only
when we are good; God loves us because God is good. We are, in this Advent season, remembering and awaiting
the Incarnation of God, God becoming flesh. God is saying to us, in Jesus, just how acceptable we are. God didnt
and doesnt wait for the perfect time but rather the acceptable time. For God, every single moment is the perfectly
acceptable time to embrace us with love; in all of our faults, failing, stumbling and blundering. We are infinitely
acceptable to God, just as we are, no strings attached. This should give all of us great hope to move on to the next
moment in our lives.
Fr. Michael Evernden, CSP

A Word from Servant of God Isaac

Hecker, Paulist Fathers Founder
These men should awake in our day an
enthusiasm similar to that inspired by the
Dominicans and Franciscans in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries and by the Jesuits in the
sixteenth. They should attract around them the
best youth of the Church, and turn their
enthusiasm into those channels necessary to her
present development and her defense. They
should renew the apostolic spirit, life, and
courage. [On the Mission of New Religious
Communities, 1876]
If you have asked Father Hecker to pray for you or
another person who is ill, and you believe something
miraculous has happened, please phone Fr. Paul
Robichaud, CSP, at 202-269-2519 and tell him your story.

Reminder: If during November you shared

pictures of your loved-ones who have died --please remember to pick the pictures up this
weekend. And---thank you for sharing them with
us.

Next

Fourt

De

Reading 1: Micah 5
Responsorial: Psalm
Reading 2: Hebrew

MINISTERS NEEDED

Help with the Masses: The 9:30 Sunday Masses are in

need of one Reader and two Eucharistic Ministers to serve
once a month. The 4pm Saturday vigil needs one Reader and
three Eucharistic Ministers to serve once a month. The
schedule will start in January. Please think about helping to
serve the Mass and community---and then call the parish
office to volunteer this month.

PAJAMA COLLECTION
The Preschool and Children's Liturgy of the Word classes will
be collecting pajamas for the Mother and Child Education
Center each Sunday of Advent. The following sizes of clean,
new pajamas are needed: Infant & toddler sizes 0-3 months
to 6T (toddler), Children 7-16 or XS-XXL, Women XS XXL,
Men XS-XXL

ADVENT OFFERINGS & MORE NEWS

3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT THEMES

Advent SPECIAL INTENTION

OFFERINGS
Just as we prepare for friends, relatives and guests
to share the Christmas event with us---we might
want to make a special effort to prepare our-selves
for the celebration of the Incarnation of Christ as
remembered at Christmas. Following are several
good deeds from which to choose special
intentions for the coming days.
*I will spend four extra minutes in prayer today.
*I will do my work without complaining today.
*I will try to show special care for someone who
seems unhappy today.
*I will eat more of what is good for me today and
less of what is not.
*I will make a special effort today to be kind to
those I find it hard to like.
*I will try to be more thoughtful of others today.
*I will try to be more patient today.
*I will find a quiet place and sit for few minutes
today, just letting God love me.
*I will keep calm and not lose my temper when I am
pushed or treated rudely.
*I will not complain today, even if I must do things I
do not want to do.
*I will do a kind act for each member of my family
today.
*I will share joy today with two other people.
*I will be grateful and thank God today for the food
I have.
*I will speak kindly to everyone I meet today.
*I will ask Mary to help me make room for Jesus in
my heart.
*I will pray for each member of my family today.
* I will look for Christ in the faces of other people
today.

St. Philip Neri Bulletin Insert

This Sunday's Gospel continues last week's focus on

John the Baptist and his role in preparing the way
for Christ. Last week's reading described John's
connection with the prophetic tradition of Israel. If
we were to read Luke's Gospel continuously, we
would learn about John the Baptist challenging the
crowds who came to him and calling upon them to
show evidence of their repentance. John tells his
listeners that they cannot rely on their lineage as
Israelites. Repentance, must be observable in one's
own actions. Here, Luke is continuing to set up two
important themes of his Gospel message: the
Christian faith is expressed in one's actions, and the
call to salvation is extended to everyone, Jews and
Gentiles.
In today's Gospel reading, the crowds ask John the
Baptist for specifics. What evidence of repentance is
required? John replies by naming concrete actions:
people should share their wealth;
business/merchants should be fair; and government
should act fairly. The concern for justice is a
hallmark of Luke's Gospel.
When the crowd begins to wonder if John might be
the Messiah, John makes it clear that his ministry is
in preparation for the Messiah. At the same time, he
is encouraging the people to cooperate with what
God has called them to be and do. John's teaching
suggests that each person has a role to play in God's
salvation.
The third Sunday of Advent is also called Gaudete
Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin word that means
rejoice. This name is taken from the entrance
antiphon for Sunday's Mass, which is also echoed in
today's second reading from the Paul's letter to the
Philippians. Some people mark this Sunday by
lighting a pink candle instead of a purple one on
their Advent wreath. It is a reminder that the Advent
season is a season of joy because our salvation is
already at hand.

WOMENS GROUP
Women of all ages are invited to join us for
our next monthly Womens Group on Sat.
Dec.19, 1-3pm in Carvlin Hall. Join us for
light refreshments, prayer & reflection and
getting to know a great bunch of women.

3rd Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2015

ADVENT OFFERINGS & MORE NEWS

RECONCILIATION SERVICES
Many people tell us they dont take advantage of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation because either: 1)
they havent been in years, or, 2) they dont
remember the words. The Good News iscome
anyway. Its not only spiritually healthy---its
psychologically healthy. Advent Reconciliation
Service: Tuesday, Dec.15, 1pm in the Paulist
Center Chapel and 7pm in the church. Regular
time-- Saturday, 5pm in the church or by
appointment with one of the Paulists.

PARISH BREAKFAST NEXT WEEK

Our monthly parish French Toast Breakfast is next
Sunday after the 9:30am Mass. Join us this month
we will have live music by Bari, organist & pianist for
some of our liturgies. The ladies will have the hall
cheerfully decorated and are ready to serve us with
big smiles. Breakfast is only $5 for adults & $3 for
kids. Invite someone to join you this month.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING

Prayer Corner
Prayer for one another is an important part of our
daily prayer life. Please take a moment to pray for
these people in our parish family, community and
world.
Leota Cutshall, funeral 12/11/2015
Sr, Eileen Brown
Paulist Seminarians
Paulist Vocations
For an end to hate and discrimination
For joy as we await the birth of Christ, Our Savior
For all who will be travelling

St. Philip Neri Bulletin Insert

As you shop this holiday season, remember to use

your Fred Meyer Rewards card and to use the eScrip online Mall for online purchases. Each time
you use your Fred Meyer card you receive points
and Fred Meyer matches your points to send to the
parish. By signing up for the e-Scrip online mall and
designating one or more cards that you use to
purchase gifts, e-Scrip will send a portion of sales to
the parish as well. A couple of simple ways to
increase your stewardship giving over the holidays.

3rd Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2015