Bulletin (December 14, 2008)

This weekend our Knights of Columbus are serving the delicious Pancake and French Toast Breakfast. Please come after morning Mass - any time between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. You will not only enjoy an economical breakfast of French toast, pancakes, sausage, peaches, juice and coffee, but you will also support the great work of the Knights. This is also an opportunity to purchase Christmas cards, Holy Family Parish note cards and Scrip, as well as signing up for the parish bus to the January 20 March for Life.

Last Saturday the Knights did a great service by the clean-up of parish grounds. With the help of many volunteers, they cleaned up the beds and removed a truck load of debris. Inside the church the Knights replaced a good number of burned out lights. No doubt you have noticed that the church is much brighter in preparation for Christmas. The picture below shows some of our Knights moving the scaffold to change the church lights.


The work on the St. Michael Chapel is advancing well. In the Spanish section, I put a picture of a couple of the workers cutting the paneling for the chapel. If all goes well, the Chapel will be completed by Christmas. We will have a dedication and blessing of the new prayer chapel on January 18. Your support of the Annual Catholic Appeal has made possible this wonderful renovation.

This coming Monday our school children will present a Christmas Concert at 6:30 p.m. in the Church. Our school and parish music director, Mrs. Anca Wilson, has put together a wonderful program. What better way to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth than to listen to the beautiful voices of our children? All are cordially invited.

In relation to our parish school, I want to thank you for your donations to the Randy Terlicker Fund on the First Sunday of Advent. A total of $2,157.93 was donated. Mrs. Colleen Terlicker has matched those donations dollar for dollar, for a total $4,315.86. This is a great help for our school and parish. The Randy Terlicker Fund provided immediate assistance, in addition to the Endowment Fund that you will be hearing more about on the beginning of January.

This week our Filipino brothers and sisters begin a novena of Masses called Simbang Gabi. The Masses, celebrated mainly in English, have beautiful music and prayerful devotion. Besides our Filipino community, each year more and more non-Filipino parishioners take advantage of this wonderful way of opening one’s heart to the gifts Jesus wishes to bestow on us at Christmas time.

Finally, on this Gaudete Sunday, I want to share a “proud uncle” moment. On November 30, I had the honor of baptizing my grand-niece, Esther Josephine Temba. The picture shows my niece Sarah, her husband Julius and Esther’s godmother, Sister Jane. Sister Jane is actually “co-godmother” with my other niece Tonya Lindenau. As you will remember, Tonya’s husband, Major Robert Lindenau, died in Afghanistan on October 20. Tonya is back at Fort Bragg, where her children will complete the school year before moving permanently to Camano Island. My sister, Melanie (Tonya’s mom) has been staying with her during the past four or five weeks. Please keep Tonya, Melanie, and the Lindenau children in your prayers. Also, a prayer for Sara, Julius and Esther – and all new parents. With Christmas so near, it is a good time to pray for children and for young families. May the Child Jesus inspire us to work together to make a better world for them.


Antes de todo, quisiera agradacer a los que trabajaron en la Novena, las Mañanitas y la Misa en honor a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. En forma especial, estoy agradecido a los que contruyeron el bello altar, a los organizadores del rezo del santo rosario, a los jovenes que presentaron la historia de la Virgen, a los coros por su linda musica – y a todos que contribuyen a esta devocion. Que Dios los bendiga y la Virgen interceda por todos.

Tambien quisiera agradecer a los que ayudaron a los Caballeros de Colon en la limpieza de la parroquia en preparacion para estos dias de festividad. Hay quitado un monton de basura y remplazado muchos focos para que haya mas luz en templo durante estos dias cortos y oscuros.

Y hablando de mejoramiento del templo, seguro que han visto el nuevo Capilla de San Miguel. Abajo hay una foto de unos trabajadores. La Capilla – Dios primero – estará completada para Navidad y Año Nuevo. Habrá la bendicion y dedicacion de la Capilla el 18 de enero.


Finalmente, gracias todos que contribuyeron al Fondo Randy Terlicker el primer domingo de adviento. Ustedes donaron $2,157.93 y la Sra. Colleen Terlicker dio un dolar por cada dolar contribuido para un total de $4,315.86. En los principios de enero habra una invitacion especial para participar en lo que se llama el “Randy Terlicker Endowment.” Como Rudy y Paulina Alvarado explicaron, este es fondo para el futuro de nuestra escuela y parroquia – para que familias con bajos recursos siempre puedan enviar a sus hijos a la Escuela de Holy Family.