Parafia p.w. Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny
ST. MARY’S POLISH PARISH
21 Wesley St., Sydney, NS, B1N 2M5
Tel.: (902) 564-4847
www.StMarysPolishParish.ca
Witamy wszystkich! Welcome to all!
We are pleased to share our faith and rich traditions with the whole community.
Celebrating 100 years of faith and service (1913-2013)

PROBOSZCZ/PASTOR:  Father Paul Murphy 564-4355

MSZY/MASSES: Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. followed by Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa. Praying of the Rosary begins prior to Mass at approximately 3:35 p.m.

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 / Fourth Sunday of Advent

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION is for Henry Pierrynowski offered by Aggie and Peter Stephenson. 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

TODAY’S RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Przybądź, o Panie, Tyś jest Królem chwały [Come, O Lord, Thou art the King of Glory] PRONUNCIATION: Psh-i-bo-n-ch/ o/ pa-nee-e/ ti-sh / yest/ kroo-lem /hv-a-w-i .

The Vigil Candle this week is for Pope Francis’ December prayer intention: “That children who are victims of abandonment or violence may find the love and protection they need."

Eucharistic Minister for today: Suzanne Campbell

Ushers for collection today: Steve Melnick, Toni LaRusic

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NASTĘPNY TYDZIEŃ / THE WEEK AHEAD

WIGILIA (CHRISTMAS EVE) PASTERKA (MIDNIGHT MASS) – with carols beginning at 11:30 p.m. The Mass intention is for all parishioners.
Lectors: Stephanie Black, Andrzej Cebula   
Eucharistic Minister: Janet Hawthorne              
Altar Servers: Please see Krista Ann Starzomski                                          
Ushers: Michael Melski, Robert Melski Jr.
Greeters: Mary DiPenta, Teresa Fagan

CHRISTMAS DAY: Mass at 9:30 a.m. (carols half hour before). The Mass intention will be for Michael Ardelli offered by Shirley and family.
Lectors: Anne Marie Campbell, Tom Urbaniak   
Eucharistic Minister: Marilyn Gillis              
Altar Servers: Marjorie Ardelli, Carolyn Kiley                                          
Ushers: Bernie LaRusic, Robert Melski Sr.
Greeters: Toni LaRusic, Janina MacCormack

Sunday, December 29, 9:30 a.m. The Mass intention will be for Jim Leonard offered by the Kyte family.
Lectors: Elaine Tynski-Shipley,Tony Melski   
Eucharistic Minister: Suzanne Campbell               
Altar Servers: Caleigh, Nicholas                                           
Ushers: Steve Melnick, Toni LaRusic
Greeters: Joan Mosher, Rose Dalesandro
Altar Society volunteers for December:  Catherine Tucker, Herb Tucker, Marjorie Ardelli                   

Collection receipts for Sunday, December 15:  $1450.60 (broken down as follows: $575.00 weekly contribution, $150.00 monthly supplementary contribution, 61.00 candles, $24.60 loose, $50.00 fuel, $125.00 building fund, $65.00 Christmas flowers, $50.00 sales of Oplatek  & Polish Christmas cards, $50.00 donation from concert, $300.00 from Pogoria Polish Folk Ensemble. Thank you very much for your support of St. Mary’s Polish Parish. Dziękujemy serdecznie!

MASS CARDS/VIGIL CANDLE: Contact Tom Urbaniak (563-1226)

IN MEMORIAM DONATION: To make an In Memoriam donation, please pick up one of the IMO cards/St. Mary’s Polish Church envelopes at the back or speak with Shauna McKay. These will be acknowledged in the bulletin. We also welcome donations to the Building Fund, as we continue with improvements and repairs.

“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 22: Beata, Drogomir, Franciszka, Zenon
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

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OGŁOSZENIA / ANNOUNCEMENTS

WE WOULD VERY BE GRATEFUL TO ANYONE WHO COULD STAY AFTER MASS TO ASSIST WITH PUTTING UP THE CHRISTMAS TREES, NATIVITY SCENE, etc.

ADVENT HOLY HOURS: from 2 – 3 o’clock this afternoon at Holy Redeemer. This is a way to prepare for Christmas in a prayerful, peaceful atmosphere, and to pray for all those enduring illness, trial, and difficulty. There will be hymns, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Adoration, and Benediction.

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE:
CHRISTMAS EVE:
4pm – Holy Redeemer with carols ½ hour before
8pm -- Holy Redeemer with carols ½ hour before
12 MIDNIGHT - St. Mary’s Polish Church with Polish carols ½ hour before (Pasterka)
CHRISTMAS DAY:
9:30am – St. Mary’s Polish Church with carols ½ hour before
11am – Holy Redeemer with carols ½ hour before

TRADITIONAL POLISH DOOR-TO-DOOR CAROLLING -- Kolędowanie (Sunday, Dec. 29th): There is a sign-up sheet at the back if you can spare some time to be a caroller (no previous experience required – beginners and non-Polish speakers welcomed!) or to receive carollers at your door. We will have a practice at church after Mass on the 29th, then start at Harbourstone for 2-3 p.m., and then go to people’s doors.

OPŁATEK (Polish Christmas wafer for breaking and sharing during Christmas-season meals and for inclusion in Christmas cards) is on the back table. Please leave $3 per envelope in the basket on the back table. Thank you!

POLISH RELIGIOUS CHRISTMAS CARDS: There are some cards for sale at the back of the church ($2 per card; please place in basket).

NEW YEAR’S EVE (“SYLWESTRA”) at the Polish Village Hall. Hosted by St. Michael’s Polish Benefit Society, 9p.m. - 1 a.m. DJ Robin Krszwda. Tickets are $15, available from Tony Melski 537-1417.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE BLESSING OF HOMES! In keeping with this important Polish custom, Father Paul will be visiting parishioners’ homes early in the new year. There was a great response last year. The following is the schedule (please note – the visits would take place in the afternoon – but if it must be evening due to your work/school schedule, please indicate same):
January 3 and 7 -- suburbs of Sydney (eg. Sydney River, Coxheath, Westmount, Howie Centre)
January 8 and 9 -- Sydney proper (excluding Whitney Pier)
January 10 and 13 -- the Pier and points north (eg. South Bar). On these days, Father Paul 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 (2014). 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.

RECENT IMOs (“in memory of” contributions) to the Parish Building Fund:
IMO Peter and Ludwika Tynski from Annie Redmond
IMO James Redmond from Annie Redmond
IMO Eugene Sztuka from Peggy Ryba and Lynette Ryba

Please note – Altar Society designated volunteers for January: Evelyn Cook, Janet Hawthorne, Anne Marie Campbell, Jimmie Campbell.

CONFIRMATION: Congratulations to Bartek Cebula, Justyn Gillis, Nicholas Pellerine, Nikolas Starzomski-Wilson. Let us pray for them and their families. Thank you to all who helped with their preparations.

NEXT WORLD YOUTH DAY IN KRAKÓW, POLAND -- 2016: Father Paul and the Rada have discussed sponsoring some of our youth to attend this major gathering with Pope Francis – and we are all eager to go forward with it. Also, some people have expressed interest in a parish pilgrimage to Poland at the same time, with a welcome for others in the diocese to join us as well. We welcome any expressions of interest and assistance.

ROOF ISSUE/CEILING WATERMARKS: We have identified what appears to be the source of the watermarks on the ceiling on the eastern side. Estimates have been obtained, and the contractors have promised to be available early in the new year as soon as the weather permits. For work of this nature, we draw from the Building Fund and are very grateful for any contributions made by parishioners and friends of the parish.

CONSULTATION ON DESIGNING A POLISH CAPE BRETON TARTAN: If you did not indicate your preferred option/comments on the form that was in the bulletin last week, there are additional forms pinned to the bulletin board. Please simply leave it in the pew once filled out. Thank you. Based on the comments/input, we will continue to work with the designer in the next couple of weeks, hoping for something that everyone will like.

PARISH OPŁATEK SUPPER – SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, at 6 P.M. – PLEASE MARK ON YOUR CALENDARS. This will also be an opportunity to acknowledge everyone for the exceptional, collective volunteer effort that went into our 100th anniversary service projects, events, exhibit, publications, and other legacy initiatives – and to recharge for our second century of faith and service!

THE PEACE LIGHT OF BETHLEHEM: In several countries, including Poland – where this has become a major undertaking - the “Peace Light of Bethlehem” (a special candle) has been passed from town to town for the past 25 years during Advent. The effort is led by Scouts and Guides, who have reached out to people of other nationalities and faiths as a gesture of goodwill. The Scouts and Guides even take the Peace Light of Bethlehem to the Sejm (the Polish Parliament) and remind dignitaries of their sacred trust – to promote the good of all. Within the Polish and Ukrainian scouting movements in Canada, there has been some discussion of making this a regular practice in this country.

PARISH CENTENARY COOKBOOKS have sold out, but more will be printed based on orders received. Please speak with Shari McKay or Shauna McKay.

OUR BOOK PRZEZ POKOLENIA: Prayers and Customs of St. Mary’s Polish Church also makes a great gift ($10 each). Please speak with Tom Urbaniak.

THE RENOVATED AND REFURBISHED POLISH VILLAGE HALL is a comfortable, well appointed, modernized venue for events large and small. Please consider renting the hall for your events. Please call 564-8494.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR ON-LINE “VIRTUAL TOUR” AND AN 8.5 MINUTE PARISH WELCOME VIDEO ON OUR WEBSITE:  www.stmaryspolishparish.ca

Wishing you a blessed week! Bóg zapłać!

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TODAY’S HYMNS:
Entrance: Hejnał – # 22 in the coil-bound hymnal
Offertory: Głos wdzięczny z nieba wychodzi [A grateful voice descends from heaven] -- #20
Communion: Jezu w hosti utajony [Jesus, contained in the host] – not in hymnal
Post-Communion: Zdrowaś bądź, Maryja [Hail to You, O Mary] -- #30
Closing Hymn: Oto Pan Bóg Przyjdzie (Behold, the Lord Cometh) – #25

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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME POLISH WIGILIA (CHRISTMAS EVE) TRADITIONS

For generations, most families at St. Mary’s Polish Parish have been upholding Wigilia traditions, which are rich with symbolism. The following is a brief overview. More on our customs for the Christmas season and other times of year can be found in our recently released book, Przez Pokolenia: Prayers and Customs of St. Mary’s Polish Church  and in the new Parish Centenary Cookbook. There are copies of the first book in the pews (to be please left in church), but copies can also be purchased for $10 each. The cookbook has sold out but a waiting list is being kept for reprinting.

PIERWSZA GWIAZDKA – THE FIRST STAR: Families wait for the first star before commencing their meal. It symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas tree lights should only be turned on at this time.

OPŁATEK:  Before the meal begins and after the prayer, everyone takes a piece of Opłatek and goes around the table sharing it with the others who are present and exchanging blessings and best wishes.

SIANKO – CHRISTMAS HAY: A piece of hay is placed under the white tablecloth or sometimes in a glass bowl at the centre of the table. Sianko represents the crib where Jesus was born.

THE MEATLESS SUPPER: Wigilia marks the end of Advent and so, except for fish (especially carp or herring), there is no meat at this candle-lit meal. Typical dishes (it is common to have 12 or 13 dishes) include soups (often red beet with uszka, fermented rye, fish, dried mushrooms), sauerkraut with beans, pierogi, sometimes noodles with poppy seeds and honey, sweet strudel, and a compote made with dried fruit.

THE EXTRA PLATE: It is the custom to set an extra plate at the table. The place is symbolically for Jesus but also for a stranger who may be in need of a meal or assistance. There is a Polish saying that “When a guest is at the house, God is at the house.”

KOLĘDY: After dinner, it is customary for the family and guests to gather to sing Christmas carols. In some homes, St. Nicholas visits in person at this time.

PASTERKA (MIDNIGHT MASS): The whole family attends the Midnight Mass and also Mass on Christmas morning.