Parafia p.w. Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny
ST. MARY’S POLISH PARISH
21 Wesley St., Sydney, NS, B1N 2M5
Tel.: 564-4847
www.StMarysPolishParish.ca
Preparing for our 100th anniversary (2013).
Witamy wszystkich! Welcome to all!
We are pleased to share our faith and rich traditions with the whole community.

PROBOSZCZ/PASTOR:  Father Paul Murphy 564-4355
MSZY/MASSES: Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. including Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa

SPOWIEDŹ:  Godzina do uzgodnienia z księdzem.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Anytime upon request to the priest.

SAKRAMENT CHRZTU ŚWIĘTEGO:  Prosimy o kontakt z księdzem conajmniej na 1 miesiąc przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM: Please contact the priest at least one month in advance.

SAKRAMENT MAŁZEŃSTWA:   Zapowiedzi powinny być ogłoszone conajmniej na 6 miesięcy przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY: Intentions must be announced at least six months in advance.

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Pierwsza Niedziela Adwentu/First Sunday of Advent

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION is for Teofil Pierrynowski offered by Mary & family. Eternal rest grant onto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Wieczny odpoczynek racz Mu dać Panie, a swiatłość wiekuista niechaj Mu świeci na wieki wieków. Amen.

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NASTĘPNY TYDZIEŃ/THE WEEK AHEAD:

Wednesday, December 5, 4:00 p.m.: Mass followed by Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa (Please note time change) For Michael Tynski offered by Michael & Ursula Melski.

Sunday, December 9, 9:30 a.m. The Second Sunday of Advent. The Mass intention will be for Georgia LaRusic, offered by the family.
Lector: Paul Tynski
Eucharistic Minister: Janet Hawthorne
Altar Servers: Carolyn Kiley and Marjorie Ardelli

The Vigil Candle for this week is for John Tynski offered by Elaine Tynski-Shipley & Chris Shipley.

Collection receipts for Sunday, November 25: $998.41 (broken down as follows: $509.41 weekly contributions, $57.00 candles, $157.00 building fund, Christmas flowers $275.00). Not included in the above total is Graveyard upkeep $10.00 Sincere thanks for your support of St. Mary’s Polish Parish! Dziękujemy bardzo!

MASS CARDS/VIGIL CANDLE: Please call Paul Tynski (562-1716)

“IMIENINY” (NAME DAYS) FOR THE COMING WEEK. Help to maintain a longstanding Polish Catholic tradition by acknowledging relatives, friends, and colleagues who are celebrating their “name day,” corresponding with the feast day of a saint of the same name.  Where there is more than one saint of the same name who has been assigned a day, your “name day” is the one closest to your birthday. It is customary in the Polish tradition to acknowledge the name day of a relative or friend:
December 2: Aurelia, Paulina
December 3: Franciszek, Kasjan, Lucjusz
December 4: Barbara, Hieronim, Krystian, Piotr
December 5: Gerald, Krystyna, Pęcisława
December 6: Emilian, Jarogniew, Mikołaj
December 7: Marcin, Ninomysł
December 8: Boguwola, Maria, Światozar
December 9: Joachim, Wielisława, Wiesław

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OGŁOSZENIA/ANNOUNCEMENTS

CHANGE IN WEDNESDAY MASS TIME FOR THE WINTER MONTHS: 4 p.m.: Our Wednesday evening Mass is at 4 p.m. Novena to Our Lady of Czestochowa follows as usual. Father Paul has effected this change out of consideration for people who may find it difficult to drive in the dark, especially in inclement winter conditions.

PASTERKA (MIDNIGHT MASS) AND CHRISTMAS DAY MASS IN OUR CHURCH: There will be traditional kolędy (our beautiful Polish carols) about a half hour before midnight on Christmas Eve. The Mass will begin at midnight. Pasterka literally translates as “shepherd’s mass.” On Christmas Day, Mass will be celebrated  at our church at 9:30 a.m. In the Polish tradition, it is customary to attend both the Midnight Mass and the Christmas Day Mass. There will be no Mass on Wednesday, December 26. Our neighbouring parish, Holy Redeemer, will have Christmas Eve masses at 4 and 8 p.m. and Christmas Day at 11 a.m. Also, the Special Advent Sunday devotions (Holy Hour) continue this week at Holy Redeemer at 3p.m.

ŚWIĘTY MIKOŁAJ (ST. NICHOLAS) VISITS OUR PARISH TODAY AFTER MASS DURING LUNCH DOWNSTAIRS: Everyone is welcome. This is in keeping with the Polish tradition linked to the feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6). St. Nicholas will have small gifts for the children. In Poland, St. Nicholas normally visits homes to leave gifts during the night of December 5-6. Among Polish Cape Bretoners, this sometimes happens but it has been more common over the years to have St. Nicholas visit our church or hall on or close to the feast day. St. Nicholas will be in his bishop’s clothing when he visits us because, in the 4th century, he was the kind-hearted and generous Bishop of Myra, in present-day Turkey. In some Polish churches St. Nicholas is accompanied by an angel when he visits. He sometimes poses Catechism questions.
Let us all extend to him a warm welcome!

NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE AT THE POLISH VILLAGE HALL: The net proceeds will support the hall and the St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society. For tickets, please speak with Tony Melski (537-1417).

OPŁATEK IS AVAILABLE AS OF TODAY ($3 PER ENVELOPE): The custom of breaking and sharing unleavened wafers (embossed with holy images) at family and community gatherings during the Christmas season (beginning with Christmas Eve) originated in Poland in the 17th century – and is today a primarily Polish, Lithuanian, and Slovak tradition. The large majority of families of Polish heritage continue to follow this custom. It is also traditional for Polish families who send Christmas cards in the mail (even to non-Polish friends) to put a piece of Opłatek inside the card. When sharing the Opłatek, it is customary to say something like the following: “I wish you much health, happiness and the Lord's bountiful blessings as well as the fulfillment of all your plans and everything you wish for yourself.” The Opłatek-filled envelopes may be obtained from Paul Tynski after Sunday and Wednesday Masses or by calling 562-1716.

For Mass intentions for next year, please speak with Paul Tynski (562-1716).

JOLANTA CEBULA’S CLASSICAL VIOLIN STUDIO: Christmas Concert & coffee, tea, and cakes. Saturday, December 8th, at 2:00 pm St. Mary’s Polish Church, 21 Wesley St., Whitney Pier Tickets:  $5 each

COMPLIMENTARY 2013 CATHOLIC CALENDARS ARE AVAILABLE FOR EACH HOUSEHOLD TODAY: Please feel free to take one. These will be downstairs after Mass today during lunch.

“VIRTUAL TOUR” AND PANORAMA OF OUR CHURCH ARE NOW ON-LINE! Patricia and Justin Nalepa have completed this phase of their project. Please check it out on our parish website (www.stmaryspolishparish.ca – and proceed to the “Virtual Tour” link). It is quite impressive. We appear to be the first parish in the diocese to have this feature. If there are any errors or omissions, please rest assured these can be addressed and this can always be considered a work in progress. Thank you to our webmaster, Chris Shipley, for working with Patricia to put this on-line.

VISITORS/EXTRA TIME IN THE CHURCH: You are most welcome to show our collective, sacred, historic home to visitors or guests, or to spend extra time here for prayer. If you would like to access the church outside normal Mass/open hours please call 563-1226; email: tom_urbaniak@cbu.ca and everything will be done to try to accommodate.

THE INTERIM FINANCE COMMITTEE continues to welcome suggestions for what improvements or upgrades you would most like to see to the church building and property. Although there is no assurance that funds will be available to carry out the enhancements, the committee is looking at a Department of Canadian Heritage grant program – coinciding with major anniversaries -- for which we may be eligible, as well as a legacy fund-raising initiative coinciding with the 100th anniversary. Suggestions can be conveyed to Andrzej Cebula, Chair of the Interim Finance Committee (jolacebula@yahoo.com; 567-1164).

DECEMBER 8 IS THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, A SIGNIFICANT FEAST. It is celebrated exactly nine months before The Feast of the Nativity of Mary – September 8 (our parish’s feast day)

PARISH VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP: DZIĘKUJEMY ZA POMOC/Thank you for your help!
Drodzy Parafianie/Dear Fellow Parishioners:
Thank you for your dedication and for everything you are doing by your prayers, by your presence, and by your much-valued volunteer work. The Parish Planning Team wishes to reach out to parishioners for some additional volunteers in several very important areas. If you are already serving in these functions, we will assume that you are continuing! Thank you! But if you would like to serve – even for a short time to try it out – please indicate by a check mark beside one or more of the points below. We endeavoured to contact everyone who volunteered for various tasks/roles in March. If we missed anyone, we apologize and invite you to please sign up here.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMPLETED FORM IN YOUR PEW (ON THE BENCH) AFTER MASS. THERE ARE PENS OR PENCILS IN THE POCKETS OF THE PEWS. Dziękujemy serdecznie! Bóg zapłać!
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Telephone number: _________________________________________________
E-mail address (if applicable): _________________________________________
Please turn over the page and check one or more of the functions/roles on the reverse side ….
____ Altar Society – to assist with preparing/decorating the altar in accordance with liturgical seasons and keeping parish artefacts in good condition
____ Eucharistic Ministers – would include a training protocol
____ Leading the Rosary before Wednesday evening Mass (not every Wednesday – on rotation)
____ Property Working Group – to obtain estimates, do periodic check-ups, assist with safety and maintenance
____ Ushers (to take the collection at Mass)
____ Altar servers
____ Cleaning the church – on a rotation (once every few weeks)
____ Hospitality Committee – includes food preparation for special events and will involve some smaller receptions for special guests who visit us for the 100th anniversary
____ Lectors – please indicate whether you prefer to read in Polish or English, or both
____ Help to organize community service projects (eg. food bank collections)
____ Greeters – to welcome people as they arrive for Mass
____ Other tasks/projects with which you may be willing to assist. Please indicate: ____________________________________________________________________

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OUR OFFERTORY HYMN TODAY
Głos Wdzięczny z Nieba Wychodzi

As with our other hymns, there is a recognizable Advent theme – a theme of anticipating and solemnly preparing for the birth of Christ. This particular hymn originated in the 17th century as a Gregorian melody with Latin text entitled Creator alme siderum.

Głos wdzięczny z nieba wychodzi,
Gwiazdę knam nową wywodzi,
Która rozświeca ciemności
I odkrywa nasze złości.

Z różdżki Jesse kwiat zakwita,
Który zbawieniem świat wita;
Pan Bóg zesłał Syna Swego,
Przed wieki narodzonego.

Ojcowie tego czekali,
Tego Prorocy żądali,
Tego Bóg światu miał zjawić,
Od śmierci człeka wybawić

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Our other hymns today will be as follows:
Opening: #17 (in the coil-bound hymnal)
Offertory: Głos Wdzięczny z Nieba Wychodzi
Communion: #119
Post Communion: Witaj święta i poczęta (#255 in the Siedlecki hymnbook). (First verse: -- Witaj święta i poczęta niepokalanie, Maryjo, śliczna lilija, nasze kochanie!/Witaj, czysta Panienko, najśliczniejsza Jutrzenko!/Witaj, święta, Wniebowzięta, Niepokalana!)
Closing: Oto Pan Bóg przyjdzie (Oto Pan Bóg przyjdzie, z rzeszą świętych k’nam przybędzie. Wielka światłość w dzień ów będzie, Alleluja, Alleluja.)