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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Czwarta Niedziela Adwentu/4th Sunday of Advent
Przybądź, o Panie, Tyś jest Królem chwały! (Psalm 24)
Come to dwell among us, O Lord, for You are the King of Glory!

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

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NASTĘPNY TYDZIEŃ/THE WEEK AHEAD:

CHRISTMAS EVE: Traditional Polish carolling in our church to begin at 11:30 p.m., Mass at Midnight (Pasterka). The Mass intention will be for all parishioners.
Lector: Aggie Stephenson
Eucharistic Minister: Marilyn Gillis
Altar Servers: Carolyn Kiley & Marjorie Ardelli

CHRISTMAS DAY: Mass at 9:30 a.m. The Mass intention will be for Michael Ardelli offered by Shirley & family.
Lector: Paul Tynski
Eucharistic Minister: Marilyn Gillis
Altar Servers: Nicholas & Caleigh

Wednesday, December 26, 4:00 p.m.: Feast of St. Stephen, the Martyr (a major Feast day in Poland). The Mass intention will be for Mary Leonard offered by Walter & Mary Clarke.

Sunday, December 30, 9:30 a.m.: Feast of the Holy Family: The Mass intention will be for Jim Leonard offered by the Kyte family
Lector: Anne Marie Campbell & Elaine Tynski-Shipley
Eucharistic Minister: Janet Hawthorne
Altar Servers: Marjorie Ardelli & Carolyn Kiley

Collection receipts for Sunday, December 16: $734.15 (broken down as follows: $546.15 weekly contributions, $88.00 candles, $100.00 100th Anniversary donation). Sincere thanks for your support of St. Mary’s Polish Parish! Dziękujemy bardzo!

OPLATEK/MASS CARDS/VIGIL CANDLE/MASS INTENTIONS: 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 23: Sławomir, Sławomira, Wiktoria
December 24: Adam, Adamina, Adela, Ewa, Ewelina, Grzegorz
December 25: Anastazja, Eugenia, Piotr
December 26: Szczepan, Wróciwoj
December 27: Cezary, Jan, Radomysł
December 28: Antoni, Dobrowiest, Emma
December 29: Domawit, Dominik, Gosław, Jonatan, Marcin, Tomasz
December 30: Dawid, Eugeniusz, Katarzyna

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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.

OUR 100th ANNIVERSARY YEAR WILL BEGIN WITH THE BLESSING OF OUR HOMES: Father Paul and Father Alex are kindly carrying on this important Polish tradition. They will be visiting parishioners’ homes as follows:
January 3 and 4 (afternoon and evening on both days) -- suburbs of Sydney (eg. Sydney River, Coxheath, Westmount, Howie Centre)
January 8 and 9 (afternoon only on both days) -- Sydney proper (excluding Whitney Pier);
January 10 and 11 (afternoon and evening on both days) -- the Pier and points north (eg. South Bar). On these days, Fathers Paul and Alex will also endeavour to make it to homes elsewhere in the CBRM not covered in the preceding geographic areas.
There is a white binder for sign-up on the table at the back of the church. Please indicate your name, telephone number, and address, and we will try to ensure that you are visited for the blessing. It is traditional during the blessing to inscribe with chalk above a doorway inside your home the following:  K+M+B and the year (2013). This signifies that we are ready, as were the wise men in Matthew’s Gospel, to defer our present preoccupations to follow Christ. If your visit happens before the Feast of Epiphany, the visiting priest will bring the blessed chalk. Otherwise, you will be able to obtain blessed chalk in the church.

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).

PASTOR’S NEW YEAR’S DAY LEVEE: On January 1st, New Year’s Day, 1 -3 pm., you are invited to drop in at Holy Redeemer glebe house and visit with Father Paul and Father Alex. Please join them for a cup of tea as we usher in the New Year.

PARISH OPŁATEK GATHERING: Sunday, January 13, at 6 p.m. Please mark this time on your calendar. As usual, it will be a potluck supper and our choir will lead us in carols. The Parish Oplatek is a tradition we have been upholding for 100 years, and it is also a custom followed by all Polish churches around the world.

THE VIGIL CANDLE is still available for the weeks of January 21st and 28th. Please speak with Paul Tynski.

LECTORS’ SCHEDULE:
Dec. 30: Elaine Tynski-Shipley, Anne Marie Campbell
Jan. 1: Stephanie Black (First Reading in English); Janusz Wawrzyszyn (Second Reading in Polish)
Jan. 6: Jola Cebula, Edmund Rudiuk
Jan. 13: Elaine Tynski-Shipley, Tom Urbaniak
Jan. 20: Paul Tynski, Tony Melski
Jan. 27: Stephanie Black, Paul Tynski

SUPPORTING THE WHITNEY PIER YOUTH CLUB (BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB): The Knights of Columbus kindly granted our parish $200 to allocate as part of the “Christmas Cheer” initiative. The Planning Team and Finance Committee decided to grant these funds to the Whitney Pier Youth Club, which our parish is already supporting with service initiatives. The WPYC, which is situated just a block from our church, does excellent, grassroots work in our community and has helped turn many lives around.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE AND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: Pursuant to the recently approved Rada By-laws, the Planning Team was entrusted with serving as the Interim Rada (Pastoral Council) until January 27, the date of the next scheduled Annual General Meeting, at which elections will be held. At the same time, the Ad hoc Committee on Parish Statutes and Policies was entrusted with serving as the Nominating Committee for the AGM. Therefore, any parishioner wishing to be nominated to the Rada or to make a nomination is invited to please communicate with Janet Hawthorne before January 6, 2013 -janethawthorne@hotmail.com.  Dziekujemy bardzo!

SHORT MEETING FOR ALTAR SOCIETY/DECORATING/CLEANING VOLUNTEERS – Sunday, Jan. 6 – AFTER MASS

SUCCESSFUL PIEROGI FUND-RAISER – THANK YOU!: The recent pierogi fund-raiser for the parish was very successful. It made (net) $900.16. Thank you to Peggy Ryba for coordinating and to the following volunteers: Mary McMullin, Jancia LaRusic, Nellie Tynski, Jancia MacCormack, Frania McKay, Shauna McKay, Catherine Tucker, Marilyn and Joe Gillis, Stephanie Melnick Black.

THE FAMOUS COMPETITION OF HAND-CRAFTED NATIVITY SCENES IN KRAKÓW: At this time every year, the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków organizes a large competition of nativity scenes. Each scene contains the same basic elements but also designs, architecture, colours, and symbols that reflect different Polish regions and, indeed, other countries. In fact, the tradition of building elaborate “szopki” in Poland dates to the 13th century. There are categories for master craftspeople as well as for amateurs, and for children of various ages. On the first Thursday of every December, the craftspeople gather with their scenes at the Adam Mickiewicz monument and have a procession through the Sukiennice and the Market Square to the Historical Museum.

A RECIPE FOR “USZKA” (“Little Ears” dumplings) to go with your Wigilia (Christmas Eve) barszcz
Prepare the stuffing:
•10oz. (300g) mushrooms, preferably wild varieties which have more flavour
•4oz. (110g) sweet (un-salted) butter
•1 medium-sized onion
•The white of one hard-boiled egg
•1 tablespoon (15g) breadcrumbs
•Sprig of parsley
Cook the mushrooms, then cut into very fine pieces, and fry (sauté) in the butter with onion. Thoroughly mix with the bread crumbs, finely cut egg white and parsley and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the dough and make the uszka:
Take the yolk of one fresh egg, 1½lb (700g) white flour and thoroughly mix the flour with egg yolk and a little water. Knead into soft mass. Roll out into thin layer, cut into 1½ inch (35mm) squares. Place portions of mushroom mixture into centre, fold over all edges, then fold and stick two opposite corners together. Cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. This quantity of ingredients will provide about 40 uszka.

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Our hymns today will be as follows:
Opening: Archanioł Boże Gabriel - #17
Offertory: Po upadku czlowieka  grzesznego - # 26
Communion: Jezusa Ukrytego - #113
Post Communion: Zdrowaś Bąć Maryja - #30;
Closing: #25