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.

Second Sunday of Advent
December 09, 2007

IN SYMPATHY
Please remember in your prayers Clara Housen the Sister-in-law of Ann Housen and Olivia Barberis the Sister-in-law of Helen Davis. May we remember to keep all of our family and loved ones who have passed away in our thoughts and prayers.

COLLECTION: Retirement Fund for Religious
This weekend we will take up a second collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious. The Catholic Church assists the financial need of elderly religious through the national appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious. Today,
5,452 women and men religious need skilled nursing care that costs an average of $49,850 each. Please be generous.

THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
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).

WORK PARTY
The Christmas work party will be Friday, December 21 from 9:30a.m. 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!

Advent is a time when we are bombarded with all kinds of messages, especially from advertising. We must beware that we don’t lose the message John the Baptist brings. We usually think of John the Baptist as the precursor of Christ and rightly so, for he was that. But no matter how wonderful a role this is for John, the gospel also tells us John is about more than simply “preparing the way of the Lord.” John preaches repentance as well as announces that “one who is coming after me is mightier than I” will render judgment at a future eschatological time when the good will be rewarded and the bad will be punished. John’s message is brief and clear: “Repent” and “Prepare the way of the Lord.” We might even say that repenting is preparing for Christ’s coming. John the Baptist is truly an Advent man! John, anticipating the judgment Christ’s coming would bring, prepared “the way of the Lord” by calling the people to repentance. We become an Advent people when we heed John’s message by converting our way of living and bearing good fruit. Indeed, our whole Christian life is an Advent, for all our lives we are about repenting and preparing for Christ’s coming, thus bearing good fruit. Living a repenting life which bears good fruit, we have nothing to fear at Christ’s Second Coming and final judgement. In John’s preaching, the “winnowing fan” is a metaphor for the coming judgment which brings both deliverance for the just and condemnation for the wicked. We might consider John as the bridge between Israel of old and Jesus the Messiah. He is the bridge between the alternative world painted by Isaiah and the eschatological end times described in the gospel. John forcefully reminds us that vindication or punishment is our choice, according to the life we lead. We must produce good fruit or be cut down. John is the voice which cries out to us an Advent message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” We cannot afford to let the busyness of this season close our ears to his message. We cannot afford to risk being chaff rather than wheat.

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: December 2 , 2007
Building Fund $642.00
Cemetery $
Envelopes $12,400.50
Loose $560.21
Children $4.00
Poor $667.00

Total $14,273.71

MASS INTENTIONS OF THE WEEK
December 11-14, 2007

Tuesday +Larry Housen by Delores Dominiak
Wednesday +William & Bill Kruger by Violet Kruger & Family
Thursday +Ana Stroik by Debbie Newbury
Friday +Joyce M. Smith by Linda Shields & family

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.

GOSPEL LIVING DECEMBER FOCUS “ AWARENESS”

Advent is the beginning of the Church year. Like New Year’s, it is a time to look back over the past year and consider what we might do to make the coming year a better one. This Advent, as you prepare to celebrate Christmas, take some time to reflect on the past year. As you plan who will get cards or gifts, think about what these people have contributed to your life. Tell these people how they have helped you and made you a better person. Perhaps as part of your decorations, you could have pictures of these people with a brief note about what they have brought to your life. Making such a gallery of pictures should help remind you of how blessed you have been to have these people in your life. Looking back helps us see where we have been, what has made us strong or weak. That is part one. Part two is looking ahead. Make a list of your top three strengths or weaknesses. Get family or friends to help-you may be surprised at what they come up with! Consider how you can use and develop at least one of those strengths in the coming year. Pick one weakness and consider what you could do to make it better. Be practical. Resolutions to be more patient are too vague. Pick a very concrete thing that you really could do no matter how small. Children can do this too. Get the whole family involved so you can support, encourage and remind each other about what you are working on this year. Make a little sign or symbol to put some place you will see it and be reminded of your resolve. Children may do better with some added reinforcement like adding a star to their sign for every time they succeeded in their resolve. Become more aware of where you have been and where you are going and see what happens.

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.

PICTURES FOR THE NEW YEAR
This year we would like to have pictures of all families in the Religious Education program. Please plan sometime in the month of December or January before Religious Education or after to have your family’s picture taken to put 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.

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. Each person attending is asked to bring a personal hygiene item and a $5.00 gift to exchange with the other people attending. Next week the 6th grade will be working in the food bank. Please arrive at 6:30 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. All High School students are invited to help with the food bank on Wednesday December 12th at 6:30 pm in the gym. Don’t forget to bring your gift on Sunday for the family you are supporting for Christmas. 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, January 7th at 7 pm in the church. We will be reviewing chapter 5 & 6 and rehearsing for the First Reconciliation on January 12th at 10 am . 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 16th 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. Our Confirmation ceremony will be Wednesday May 21st at 7 pm ( this is a change from the date given at the last class) at St Luke’s Church in Woodburn. Archbishop Vlazny will be the celebrant. Rehearsal for the ceremony will be Sunday May 18th at 5 pm at St Luke’s. All candidates and their sponsors will need to attend. If the Sponsor cannot attend rehearsal a substitute needs to come to practice with the candidate.

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.

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.

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. Our next practice is on Wednesday, December 12th at 6 pm in the auditorium. We hope that most of the children will be able to attend practice. We still have some speaking parts available. 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.

ST. PATRICK 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. We have added an additional day, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 for photography. 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.

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 by Dec. 9. Give the bottle to a Knights of Columbus member.

PRAYER FOR ADVENT
Dear God,
as another Advent candle is lit
in joyous anticipation of your Son's nativity,
remind us always of the reason for our joy.
As the purple of the candles stand for both penance
and atonement for sin,
give us the grace to do penance for our wrongs,
and to love Christ,
whose sacrifice atoned for the sins of the whole world.
But just as the rose candle stands
for joy in the midst of suffering and expectation,
give us the joy of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who came into a world that had so longed for its Savior,
and made the angels themselves sing with joy at his birth.
Amen.

Sunday
9:45am Religious Education
Gr. 1-5
11:00am Preschool/Nursery
12:30pm Children’s choir Reh.
3:00pm Spanish RCIC
5:00pm Bible Study
5:30pm Faith in Action
Monday
7:00pm St. Patrick’s Ladies Club Cookie Exchange
Tuesday
7:00pm Mass
7:00pm Spanish RCIA
Wednesday
10:30am Mass at Hope Village
4:00pm-8pm Food Bank open
7:00pm Journey in Faith, RCIA, Faith Sharing, Spanish RCIA
Thursday
12:00noon Eucharistic Adoration
6:00pm Spanish RE
8:00pm Benediction
Friday
7:00am Marian Prayer group
7:00pm Journey in Faith Fun Night
7:00pm Hispanic Prayer Gr.
Saturday
9:30am Choir practice

Accept one another, then,
as Christ accepted you,
for the glory of God.
Romans 15:7