Pastoral Staff
Tel: 503-266-9411 Fax:503-263-2293
Pastor: Fr. John Waldrom email: stpatricks@canby.com
Pastor Associate: Sara Creel
Director of Rel. Educ: Sue Unger
email: stpatrickreligiouseducation@yahoo.com
Aministrative Assistant: Debbie Newbury
email: dnewbury@canby.com
Maintenance: Heriberto Aguilar
email: haguilar@canby.com

Rectory Office Hours
Monday thru Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We are closed for lunch between 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Bulletin Policy
Items for the bulletin are due in the Parish Office no later than Wednesday of each week. Email your items to dnewbury@canby.com

Prayer Needs
If you have prayer needs, please call St. Patrick prayer chain. Contact Kathy Usher, 503-266-2485

Social Service Ministries
St. Vincent dePaul Food Bank:
Bill & Delores Piller: 503-701-9135

Sacrament
Infant Baptisms:
Registered parishioners are expected to complete a Baptismal Preparation program prior to scheduling a baptism. Baptismal preparation programs are offered 3 times a year. For information and /or registration, contact Sara 503-266-9411.
Next Baptismal Prep Class: September 28, 2006

Adult Baptisms:
Adults seeking baptism are expected to participate in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.) RCIA begins in the fall with the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation in the Spring (Easter). For information and/or registration contact Sara at 503-266-9411.

Marriage Policy:
Our parish is a signator of the Clackamas County "community marriage policy", that is a multi denominational agreement for common standards for marriage preparation. Please contact the Pastor at least six months prior to the wedding to ensure adequate time for these preparations.

First Sunday of Advent
December 02, 2007

IN SYMPATHY
Please remember in your prayers Fr. John Connelly a close friend of Fr. John Waldron who passed away this past week. Also Ragnhild Carlberg the mother of Chris Carlberg. May we remember to keep all of our family and loved ones who have passed away in our thoughts and prayers.

ADVENT PENANCE
The Advent Penance Service is scheduled for this Wednesday, December 5th at 7:30pm. Together, as a church, we pray in the Eucharistic Preface, “Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in glory.” During this holy Season of Advent we are given the opportunity to focus and prepare in a more intentional way, for the coming Glory of the Lord. We look to ourselves to see how God may be calling us to a deeper conversion of heart. To a closer examination of our lives, to see where we have sinned and to seek both forgiveness and strength to turn more faithfully to the life of discipleship our baptism calls us to. Participation in the Advent Penance Service offers us an opportunity to make the pathway straight for the coming of the Lord.

THE FEASTS OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION & OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Saturday, December 8th is a Holy Day of Obligation. We will have a Vigil Mass on Friday, December 7 @ 6pm and Saturday, December 8 at 8am and 7pm (in Spanish). Wednesday, December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is not a Holy Day of Obligation but Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patron Saint of the Americas. There will be a Mass at 8am, 10:30am at Hope Village Retirement Center and 7pm (in Spanish).

COLLECTION: Retirement Fund for Religious
A second collection will be taken up at all the Masses next weekend, December 8/9 for the Retirement Fund for Religious. This special collection will benefit elderly women and men religious. More than 19,000 religious (mostly sisters and nuns) have less than 20 percent of the amount needed for the projected costs of living and health care as they age. Please be generous by using the attached envelope.

We jokingly talk about two sure bets in life: paying taxes and dying. Somehow we figure that everything else is up for grabs. The readings this Sunday caution us that this is not quite true. There is one more sure bet for us Christian believers: that Christ comes to us, and during Advent-Christmas-Epiphany we celebrate the many comings of Christ. Always at the beginning of Advent the Lectionary invites us to reflect on the end times. Yes, Jesus is coming. Even his Second Coming is a sure bet, which is why preparing for it is so critical. In the readings this Sunday we have alternate visions of what the end looks like. Isaiah envisions this world will be transformed: God will reign from Zion, people will live in peace, nations will not go to war, people will “walk in the light of the Lord.” Paul envisions the Lord’s coming so near that he admonishes the people to “make no provisions” for things of this world that lure us but walk as people who have “put on the armor of light.” Matthew envisions this world being carried away as in the days of Noah. Noah was truly an Advent man! He knew the future that was coming and prepared for it because he listened to God. We, too, know our future: the “Son of Man” will come and establish God’s kingdom of peace. We must prepare by “staying awake” and “conducting ourselves properly”. Thus can we, too, be Advent people. No, we do not know when “the Son of Man” will come again or how God’s kingdom will be established-whether peaceably or by destruction. Yet the readings and Advent call us to look forward to the future with hope and expectation. Why? Because Christ’s Second Coming will bring to completion God’s work of salvation. This hope undergirds our efforts in daily life to “conduct ourselves properly” and to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”.

OUR PRIVILEGE, OUR RIGHT, AND OUR DUTY
As it is written ‘Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.’ (Is 49:15):
We in the Catholic Church in the Community of St. Patrick remember, hold in our memory, and pray for the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces especially Ryan Thomas Blackwood, Ryan Bridges, Lonnie Brown, Nathan Brown, Douglas Bower Jr., Carlos Bustamante, Nick Classen, Adamm Creel, Isaiah Creel, David Davies, Brad Dunn, Brian Dykeman, Bill Ellis, Adam Ferrell, Rob Gamble, David Hannon, April Kennedy, Mike Krzmarzick , Johnny Lugo, Alex Martin, John Molamphy, John Nguyen, Patrick Ross, Tarl Spencer, Leah Sundquist, Kenneth Thorpe, CJ Trillo, Jonathan Turner, William Walsh and Ivan Wilson, may they be servants of Christ through service to those in need, and may they be kept safe from all harm.

PARISH SUPPORT
Parishioners of St. Patrick through the Sacrificial giving program gave to God the gift: November 25 , 2007
Building Fund $5.00
Cemetery $
Envelopes $7610.00
Loose $481.68
Children $6.00
Poor $326.00
Thanksgiving Mass $1216.00

Total$8644.68

MASS INTENTIONS OF THE WEEK
December 4-7, 2007

Tuesday Special Intention for John Yeager by Kathy Charboneau
Wednesday +William & Bill Krueger by Violet Krueger & Family
Thursday +The Deceased members of Jungwirth family by Ray & Jenny Wellman
Friday +Joanne Battilega by Mike Cereghino & Family

ADVENT PREPARATION
The season of Advent is almost here. As we see the decorations for Christmas in all the local stores it reminds us that we need to prepare ourselves as well for the coming of Christ in our hearts. One of the traditions of the church is to remember this season with an Advent wreath. On the weekend of December 1st & 2nd after all masses we will have the supplies for making Advent wreaths a donation to cover costs will be appreciated. Plan this year to be actively involved in preparing your heart for the birth of Jesus in your heart as well as your home for the holidays.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Our Christmas pageant is scheduled for December 16 in the church at 10 am. We welcome anyone who would like to work on this project to contact Sue Unger for volunteer jobs. We will be practicing for the first time with speakers on Wednesday December 5th at 6 pm. There will be an all School practice scheduled after the first practice. It worked last year and we hope that many relatives and friends of the children of the RE program will be able to attend and hear the story of the birth of Christ through the acting of our children.

ADVENT ACTIVITIES FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Each Advent we look to the celebration of Christmas. As a community of believers this is a time of anticipation for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. There are many families that suffer on a daily basis providing the basics, holidays bring even more stress to their budgets and can be very hard to hold onto any type of celebration. The parish of St Patrick is so generous to those that need a helping hand and their generosity is appreciated. During this Advent season we are asking for families to put a little extra aside for those that can’t. We will have a group of family names and needs for parishioners to donate things to enhance the Christmas for these families. We are also asking for personal hygiene items again for the Food Bank. This can be anything that most of us would use everyday and not think about it. Collection spots for the Personal Hygiene items will begin the First Sunday of Advent in the Parish Hall near the Resource Room and in the vestibule of the Church. The family needs will be on the bulletin board in the Auditorium. For information or questions contact Sue Unger.

BABY BOTTLE FUNDRAISER
If you took home a plastic baby bottle in October to collect money to support the Canby Pregnancy Care Center, we ask that you return it, filled or unfilled. We would like to complete the fundraising by Dec. 9. Give the bottle to a Knights of Columbus member before or after Mass. Thank you to those who have already contributed to this cause.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CATECHISTS AND VOLUNTEERS
Religious Education always needs volunteers. If you are interested I would love to help you find a space that would be beneficial to you and the community. Contact Sue Unger at 503-266-9411 or stpatrickreligiouseducation@yahoo.com.

NEEDS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
We are in need of some prizes for a couple of activities that will be coming up in the next few months. We have the lock in for Jr High and we are also hoping to have a Sr High lock in as well. With this being the time of year when everything is on sale this could be a great time to donate. Here are some ideas: MP3 player, Ipod, PSP, WII games, basketball, soccer ball, volley ball, baseball, bat, baseball glove, Blazer tickets, music cd’s, gift cards for any major store, restaurant, or movie.

We could also use a CD player that has large room capacity. The ones we have do not play loud enough for use in the auditorium. A Wii system for the Youth Ministry could be used in many ways for various activities.

YOUTH MINISTRY AND JR HIGH MINISTRY
The Journey in Faith (6th- 8th grade) group meets on Wednesday night at 7 pm. All are welcome to join us. Our next Fun Friday will be December 14th at 7 pm. This will be a Christmas party.. If you bring a friend make sure they have a permission note with them. Next week we will be having a Penance Service that the classes will participate in - class will begin at the normal time. The students will review the sacrament of Reconciliation from 7- 7:25 pm and than go to the church. Parents are encouraged to take the time to come and begin your Advent season with a clean heart by receiving the Sacrament at the same time as their children will. The service will begin at 7:30 pm.

FAITH IN ACTION (9TH-12TH GRADES)
meets on Sunday evening from 5:30 pm -7 pm in the Parish Center. All High School teens are welcome to join us. Remember to attend the Penance Service on Wednesday December 5th at
7 :30 pm. Contact Molly or Liz or Sue Unger for more information.

YOUTH MINISTRY FUND RAISERS
To be able to run a active Youth Ministry it takes much more than just the fees we collect. We will be doing a couple community fundraisers as the year goes by. Watch the bulletin for more opportunities to help fund the Youth Ministry program. We will be taking orders for poinsettias and Christmas Wreaths until December 16th. Please order your poinsettias from the program. You may even buy some for the church to put in our decorations for Christmas. Flyers will be available in the vestibule of the church and from the Youth Ministry room near the auditorium. We are taking returnable cans and bottles again thanks to Kay and Ryan Morris and Joe Battilega. You can leave them by the gym doors Monday through Thursday or on Sunday you can leave them in the gym in the southeast corner. We sorted $90.00 worth this last week. Please be sure your cans or bottles are returnable and that there is no garbage in the bags or boxes. Thanks for your contributions - every little bit helps.

SACRAMENT PREPARATION CLASSES
For preparation for Reconciliation and Eucharist our next Parent/child class is Monday, December 3rd at 7 pm in room
7& 8. We will be reviewing chapter 3 & 4. Make sure you are working in your Sacrament books at home. For more information contact Sue Unger. Remember if you have a child in first grade that will want to receive Reconciliation and Eucharist in 2008-2009 they must be signed up for Religious Education this year.

Our next Confirmation gathering will be December 2nd at 4 pm in room 7&8. Be sure to bring your folder and any paper work you have completed. Adults seeking Confirmation need to contact Sara Creel for more information.

ADULT SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
All are invited to join our Faith Sharing Group on Wednesday at 7 pm. It is a time of reflection on the Gospel of the week and to grow in the understanding of Scripture. Call Sue Unger or Jerry Giger with questions or concerns.

PICTURES FOR THE NEW YEAR
This year we would like to have pictures of all families in the Religious Education program. Please plan on sometime in the month of December or January either before or after Religious Education to have your family’s picture taken so that we can put all the pictures of our families on the bulletin board in the Auditorium. We will take photos until we have all family pictures. So come prepared to get your picture taken soon.

LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE
SANTA CLAUS BREAKFAST
Saturday, December 8, 2006
Doors open at 8:30am - Breakfast will be served at 9am. Menu will be Ham, Eggs, Hashbrowns, homemade Cinnamon rolls, juice, coffee, chocolate. Prices for the breakfast are: Adults $5.50, children 12 & under are $4.00. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time either by purchasing them after the Masses this weekend or by contacting Helen Krzmarzick at 503-266-3390 or 503-260-4839.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS CHOIR
Don’t forget that the Children’s Christmas Choir will be starting rehearsals today immediately following the 11:00am Mass. All children from Kindergarten through Middle School are welcome. Rehearsals will last until approximately 1:00pm. See you there!

WORK PARTY
The Christmas work party will be Friday, December 21st from 9:30 until completion. We will need help setting up trees in the sanctuary. Stringing lights on trees. Setting up the manger in the vestibule. Hanging garland inside and outside of the church. Hanging wreaths. And of course, cleaning up! Please contact Sara at the office - 503-266-9411 - if you can help.

ALL LADIES OF ST. PATRICK’S!!!
St. Patrick’s Ladies Club is hosting their third annual x-mas Cookie Sample and Exchange. Please join us for goodies and fellowship at 7:00pm on Monday, December 10th in the Multipurpose room. If you wish to participate in the exchange, please bring two dozen cookies to swap. If you want to just come and sample there will be plenty of wonderful cookies!

KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS CARD SALES
Buy and send religious Christmas cards to spread the TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS to family and friends. The parish Knights of Columbus will be selling religious Christmas cards at reasonable prices at each weekend Mass through Dec. 16.

ST. PATRICK’S PICTORIAL DIRECTORY COMING SOON
If you have not reserved a time to be photographed yet, be sure to do so today while there is still a good selection of appointments. Each family/household that comes for photography and portrait viewing at the church will receive a complimentary directory and a 8x10 custom color portrait. You will be able to view and select your portrait electronically from a variety of poses. Additional portraits will be available for purchase. Our goal is 100% participation. It just won’t be complete without you!

LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT, WHY NOT GIVE TICKETS TO THE ANNUAL CRAB FEED AND AUCTION
The 11th annual Knights of Columbus Crab Feed and Charity Auction will be held February 2, 2008. The location will be the main pavilion building at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. Ticket prices will remain the same as last year at $25. Doors open at 5:00pm. Silent Auction 5:30-7:00pm, Crab Feed 7:00-8:00pm and Oral Auction 8:00-10:00pm. Remember that you can reserve a table for up to 8 people for $25 so reserve early for the best selection. Charity Raffle tickets are also on sale for $25. First prize is a 7 day Caribbean or Alaskan Cruise for Two, second prize is an overnight stay at McMenamin’s Edgefield, third prize is a dinner for two at Jake’s Grill (Portland). Only 300 raffle tickets will be sold! Tickets will be sold after Mass starting Dec. 8, or you can contact Mike Robert at 503-266-4541.

Sunday
9:45am Religious Education Gr. 1-5
11:00am Preschool/Nursery
12:30pm Children’s choir Reh.
12:30pm Talent Rehearsal
3:00pm Spanish RCIC
4:00pm Confirmation
5:00pm Bible Study
5:30pm Faith in Action
Monday
9:15am Advent Video-Bible St.
7:00pm English Sacramental prep
7:00pm Knights of Columbus
7:00pm Charismatic Prayer
Tuesday
7:00pm Mass
7:00pm Spanish RCIA
Wednesday
4:00pm-8pm Food Bank open
7:00pm Journey in Faith, RCIA, Faith Sharing, Spanish RCIA
7:30pm Penance Service
Thursday
12:00noon Eucharistic Adoration
6:00pm Spanish RE
7:00pm Advent Video-Bible St.
8:00pm Benediction
Friday
7:00am Marian Prayer group
6:00pm Vigil Mass for Immaculate Conception
7:00pm Hispanic Prayer Gr.
Saturday
8:00am Immaculate Conception Mass
5:30pm Regular Saturday night Mass
7:00pm Immaculate Conception Mass in Spanish