Parish Weekly Bulletin

2008-2009

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

Chairperson Barry Auer 984-1041

Vice-Chairperson John Abraham 791-4527

Member-at-Large Amy Hobler 984-3087

Member-at-Large Mary Kay Lynch 731-7155

Member-at-Large Peg Halpin 631-7301

Member-at-Large Conrad Neumann 793-3165

Athletics Steve Schaefer 792-9455

Building & Finance Ray Bauman 984-4239

Education Comm. Ken Gleason 891-4280

Worship Debbie Kamp 891-4168

Development Comm. John Sichel 891-7237

Community Life Phil Hying 984-1533

Social Justice Comm. Chris Homan 745-9958

Festival Comm. Patti Lowe 793-1112

Seminary Intern Adam Puntel 686-1126

Communication & Volunteer Recruitment Comm.

Gerald Shannon 791-9313

Recording Secretary Maryanne Staubach 891-0949

Communion Visits to the Homebound -Members of this ministry take Holy Communion and visit with parishioners who are unable to attend Mass. This service is available for short and long term convalescence. Please call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Driving Ministry– For parishioners needing transportation to weekend Mass, for health related appointments and grocery shopping. Please call Donna Piening (791-7449) or the Parish Office (791-9030).

Prayer Chain – To request prayers for a special intention call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Messiah is foretold in Second Isaiah and the words of John the Baptist continue the foretelling during Advent. Just as the Jewish exiles were filled with hope and led home, John the Baptist filled his followers with hope if they would only first repent and then share the Good News. He told the people to accomplish this by turning away from their sinful actions and words.

Reflection: Like John the Baptist, we are the heralds of the Good News. Also, like John, we may stand out as “different” when we try to do this. Others may point out to us that some do not go to church, or they allow their children to wander the community, or have parties where under-age drinking is permitted. They look at us as though we’re dressed in camel hair and eating locusts when we hold steadfastly to our values. By setting a good example our children and others will come to recognize the value and sincerity of our message and example.

Monday, December 8^th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary – A Holy Day of obligation. It is under this title that Mary is the Patroness of the United States. Masses for the Holy Day will be celebrated on Monday, December 8 at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The observance of this Feast Day is an important part of our Advent preparation.

Masses for the Holy Day, the Immaculate Conception will be in Church and Eucharistic Adoration will be in the Chapel.

St. Vincent Ferrer will have our Advent Reconciliation Service on Wednesday December 10th at 7:00 p.m. in St. Vincent Ferrer Church. Receiving the Lord’s healing and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a very prayerful way to prepare for Christ’s coming at Christmas.

The second collection will be for the many religious Sister, Brothers and Priests who have dedicated their lives to serve others in God’s name. Even in their retirement, they continue to counsel, teach and pray for us all. Sister Patricia Marie Tyree a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame from Covington, Kentucky will be speaking before all Masses concerning the collection.

On Sunday, December 7^th, a welcome Mass will be celebrated for Archbishop Schnurr at the Cathedral at 2:30 p.m. While tickets will be required at the entrance to the Cathedral that afternoon, the public is invited to the reception that will be held at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel following the ceremony.

At the doors of the Church today are liturgical calendars for 2009. These calendars are a nice way to weave our everyday appointments and family events into the liturgical seasons of the Church. They are also a gentle reminder of the many saints we honor throughout the year. We are grateful to Thomas-Justin Funeral Homes for providing them.

St. Vincent Ferrer is providing each family in our parish a booklet for reflection during the Advent and Christmas Season. The booklets are in the back of church.

God calls us to proclaim the Good News. Share the Good News with others. Pray for the grace to be a faith-filled witness of God’s love.

Your prayers are requested for the souls of George Strutz whose Mass of Christian Burial was held November 26; Dorothy Campbell whose Mass of Christian Burial was held November 28 and Margaret Hauser whose Mass of Christian Burial was held December 4.

Please welcome the newest member of our faith community: Sarah Elizabeth Carter, daughter of Timothy & Michele Carter, who was recently baptized. Congratulations to the proud parents.

Please welcome the following family who recently joined St. Vincent Ferrer Parish.

The baptism preparation class is for parents who are having their first child baptized. The next class will be offered on Sunday, March 8 at 1:15 p.m. in the Community Building Chapel. You must call the parish office 791-9030 to register.

So that as a parish we can keep in our prayers those in our community who are ill, St. Vincent Ferrer Parish would like to publish the names of those parishioners and their families who are in the hospital, recovering from an illness or going through treatments. We ask that you contact the Parish Office at 791-9030.

Glorianne Barbacane, Jim Boyatt, Gerry Brinker, Jenny Castelluccio, William Church, Ann Corder, Joe Crachiolo, Bette DiSalvo, Mary Heinlen, John Hill, Virginia Howd, Marie Kleiman, Anne Kowalski, Mary Langemeier, Mary Sue Lawrence, Ann Lytle, Mary Alice Menke, Marilyn Naehring, Maurice Niehaus, Earlene Retford, Grace Schwallie, George Seurkamp, Marie Sheehy, Phyllis Villari.

STEWARDSHIP OF OFFERING

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Weekly Offertory

Sunday Collection – Nov. 23 $12,146

Sunday Collection – Nov. 30 $10,592

Other Donations $1,051

Estimated Weekly EFT

Donations for 2 weeks $4,570

Sunday Collection Total for 2 weeks $28,359

Other collections

Catholic Campaign for

Human Development $856

Our Daily Bread (Thanksgiving) $790

St. Vincent for the Poor $630

Offertory Budget

Weekly Offertory Budget requirement

for 2 weeks $35,760

Offertory Budget deficit Nov. 23 & 30 -$7,401

Finance Fact: Soon it will snow! The price our parish paid for salt to keep our lots and walks clear increased by 40% this year.

~ ATTENTION ~

ALL ST. VINCENT FERRER

FALL VOLUNTEERS & CHAPERONES

must participate in a Child Protection Workshop and be Fingerprinted

Workshop & Fingerprinting Dates

New parish volunteers who will be working with children this school year, or those who have not yet had a chance to be fingerprinted or take the workshop will have the opportunity to participate in them at neighboring parishes.

WORKSHOPS:

*Immaculate Heart of Mary–388-4466

7820 Beechmont Avenue (45255)

2^nd Monday of each month @7:30PM

3^rd Wednesday of each month @ 4PM

*Call to confirm!

PERMANENT FINGERPRINTING SITES:

Archdiocese of Cincinnati - 421-3131

100 E. 8th Street (45202)

Monday through Friday -- 9:00AM - 4:00 PM

*Holy Trinity, Norwood – 366-4400

2420 Drexel Avenue (45212)

Monday through Thursday -- 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

*Need appointment or call ahead @ 366-4400

Immaculate Heart of Mary – 388-4466

7820 Beechmont Avenue (45255)

Tuesday through Thursday --9:00 – 5:00PM

St. Maximillian Kolbe – 777-4322

5720 Hamilton-Mason Road (45011)

Monday thru Friday – 9:30-11:30AM & 1:30–4:30PM

and Wednesdays – 1:30 – 7:30 PM

Additional Child Protection Orientation Workshop and Fingerprinting dates and times can be found at www.catholiccincinnati.org , the Archdiocesan website. Click on “Fingerprinting Information”, then onto “Sites” and “Calendar.”

For further information please call Marc Greenberg

in the Parish Office at 791-9030.

Donations for the annual TOY COLLECTION of new or gently used games, books, puzzles, and toys, etc. are being accepted through Sunday, December 7^th/EC &PREP, and Monday, December 8^th/SCHOOL. Donations will be given to the Over-the-Rhine Contact Center, where residents are able to buy these items at a low cost, thus giving them a sense of pride and providing them with quality toys for their children at the same time.

FIRST RECONCILIATION

Second grade students choosing to celebrate First Reconciliation are invited to attend the Parish Advent Reconciliation Service this Wednesday, December 10^th at 7:00 PM. A letter was mailed to parents with additional details.

Grades 7 & 8 from all schools are invited to join All Saints’ Jr. High School Youth Group;

We’ll be offering and receiving Christmas hope and joy by making Christmas cards for folks who may not get any others, and by our participation earlier at the **5:30PM Mass.

Grades 9 through 12 from all schools are invited to join All Saints’ H.S. Youth Group.

We’re adopting a family for Christmas, making Christmas cards for many at Veterans Hospital, Childrens Hospital, Meadowbrook, and Lebanon Correctional Facility, and on participate in the **Dec. 7^th, 5:30PM Mass.

Monday evenings from 6:45PM – 8:30PM, in All Saints’ Youth Room … that’s the when and the where and the HOW. We’re on for Dec 8^th, and Dec. 15^th.

An important future date for your calendars is January 22^nd. Please try to clear as much of that day (after school) as possible for our “Right to Life” efforts … details to follow!

High School Catholics from lots of schools meet to share, learn, discuss, eat, pontificate, joke, pray, support, laugh, sympathize and empathize, complain and sustain, and enjoy a safe, neat group of peers. You are welcome to join us … that’s how HOW kids are!

ATTENTION! - The Parish Library is now located in the Office of Faith Formation, on the 2^nd floor of the Parish Center. Hours are 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Mondays through Thursdays. Stop by to peruse our wide selection. Book returns can be made at that time, or placed in the blue bin in the main hall.

The SVF Music Ministry will again host a Christmas Party at Mercy St. Theresa Care Facility on Thursday, December 11. This has been an annual tradition for many years, hosted by various groups at St. Vincent’s. The residents really “light” up as carols are sung while they munch on cookies we provide. The last thee years, we have asked what was on their “Wish List”. This year they have requested a gas grill & 50 cup coffee pot. Could you help us give these residents a nice gift? We appreciate anything you can give. We will be collecting at Saturday & Sunday Masses the weekend of December 6 & 7. We thank you in advance for your generosity. God Bless you.

Thank you to all who took time to participate in the 2008 / 2009 Parish Family Directory. It is a great Reference Guide to recognizing and meeting fellow parishioners and with such a good response; we even added and filled an additional day. We realize that due to some circumstances that not all families that wanted to were photographed. There is a "small window" of time to make "other" arrangements. For more information, please contact a Communications Commission member.

A special thank you to all who assisted in the "Process" of scheduling our families with their

Portrait Sessions as well as all of our host and hostesses who welcomed and signed in our families to their session. Your time and effort is truly appreciated.

The Directory will be available in the Spring and information on your free 8" x 10" Portrait will be coming shortly. Thanks again!

Thank you for all who attended and welcomed our new parishioners at our Welcome Reception on November 23. Our parish has grown by 30 families this year and your warm reception supports them as they explore parish life at St. Vincent Ferrer.

A special thank you to Kate Wordeman, who made beautiful invitations and decorations for the reception as well as Laura Geraci who coordinated the delicious food and drinks that made the event all the more relaxing and supportive. We are a special parish and with everyone's support at functions like these, our growth will continue.

Bringing your paper trash to the green and yellow bin next to the school, you are supporting SJ&O activities as well as helping the environment. We receive about $100 from Abitibi each month that we then use to sponsor mission work and to help support SVF projects. Thank you!!

St. Vincent Ferrer Parish recycles empty aluminum beverage cans. The can recycling container is located next to the paper-recycling bin. We only accept beverage cans (soda, beer, juice) - no soup cans, sauce cans or other types of cans please. Please make sure your cans are rinsed and completely empty before putting them in our container.

The students from St. Vincent Ferrer Parish (school, PREP, etc.) are holding their annual "SVF Toy Drive" and are collecting toys, books, and other items for needy kids to enjoy for Christmas! We have collected a large quantity of quality items that will brighten the holidays for many of our friends. You can help with this great service project, also! Just send any item to St. Vincent Ferrer School with any of our children. They will drop them off at the toy location. Thanks for helping spread the true meaning of Christmas!

We will celebrate Catholic Schools Week beginning Sunday, January 25, 2009. Our celebration will continue all week thru Friday, January 30. This year we would like to honor a "Distinguished Alumni" from St. Vincent Ferrer School. If you would like to nominate someone for this honor, please send your nomination to Mrs. Suzanne Bryce, PTO Chairperson, at bryce5svf@hotmail.com or Mr.Z., Stephen Zinser, Principal, at zinser_s@svf-school.org. Please include a short description of why this person should be honored. All nominations should be sent by Sunday, January 18, 2009. We look forward to a wonderful celebration. Our thanks to the St. Vincent Ferrer Faith Community for their continued support and prayers for our school!

The following students have earned honors for the first quarter: Moeller – First Honors: Robert Joseph, John McGrath, Patrick McWilliams, Oliver Englehart, Nicholas Lefke, John Harbaugh, Mitch Fischer, Anthony Molinaro. Second Honors: Daniel Schneider, Sam Merritt, Jeff Nymberg, Dominic DeNoma, Daniel Cleves, Andrew Combs, Alex Feldhaus, Kirt Hobler, Doug Nymberg, Alex Stagge, Brian Thiery, Brian Lowe, Christopher Sweeney, Andrew Sweeney, Scott DeNoma, Blake Gibson. Congratulations on a job well done! Any High School parishioner who made the honor roll needs to have their school provide us a list so your name can be included in the bulletin

No need to stand in the long line at Honey Baked Ham…The SVF Dance Team will be taking orders for Honey Baked Hams and other items after Masses on December 6 & 7^th. Additional order forms will be available in the back of Church, the School & Parish Offices. Pick up will be Tuesday, December 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria. Any questions call Amy Painter, 777-5404 or apaint36@aol.com

Do you have your green bags yet? Made from recycled material, they are reusable and they keep their shape. $2 per bag and 3 bags for $5. Use them instead of the plastic grocery bags. Great for toys, books, gifts, almost anything! You can even use them instead of wrapping paper or gift bags for the Christmas Season! To purchase your SVF Green Bag, call Heidi Shannon at 791-9313.

The SVF PTO is currently selling LaRosa Buddy Cards. One Buddy Card gives you 10 buy one-get one FREE pizza coupons and also 4 buy a pizza get a hoagy, calzone or 2 salads FREE. Also included is a buy one-get one FREE zoo admission. The card sells for $10 and can be purchased at the school office during school hours. Contact Amy Painter for more information at 777-5404 or apaint36@aol.com

The Christmas Party is scheduled for Friday, December 19. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. and serving will begin at noon.

For dues-paying members, the price is $6.00; or non-members and guests the price is $11.00

Music, carols, gifts, prizes & surprises -the menu will include dinner with all the trimmings.

Please fill out the reservation form below and send with check (make out to St. Vincent Ferrer) to St. Vincent Ferrer, Roamin’ Catholics 7754 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236

Reservation deadline is December 12

NAME_________________________________

PHONE________________________________

It is movie night again. The SVF MOMS GROUP Movie Club is going on Monday December 8, 2008 to Kenwood Mall theaters to see Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. Please come join us for movie night. We meet about 15minutes before in front of ticket window. All are welcome to join us. Email if you are interested in joining us and we can tell you the movie time. Hope to see you movie lovers there. Heather Leland dhleland@fuse.net

We have just celebrated All Saints and All Souls Days. It might be a good time to remember a loved one (living or deceased) with a Memorial Brick in the SVF Memorial Garden. It is located on the Montgomery Road side of our campus. The gardens have been a spot of beauty cared for by members of our Adopt a Plot ministry. Each brick costs $50 to have engraved with three lines of up to 14 characters (including spaces) per line. Stop in at the Parish Office to order or call Bob or Donna Piening with questions, 791-7449.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m.; concession provided; instants are sold at 1:00 p.m.; first Bingo game begins at 1:30 p.m.; Bingo will end by 5:00 p.m. Bingo questions call 324-3788 or Brenda Hauser, 984-8446.

Bebe Broerman, Allen Arthur, Joe Martini, Carol Martini, Dan Eifert, Patti Cron, Greg Feltrup, Mark Mitchell, Dan Frank and Frank Geiser

We need to receive all articles in writing by Monday at 2:00 p.m. You should indicate the dates you would like your bulletin article to appear. Unless otherwise indicated, all articles will run for 2 weeks.

Please call the parish office to get your bulletin insert on the calendar. All inserts must be put on the insert calendar as soon as possible. (The number of inserts are limited to 2 per week) and the copies need to be in the Parish office by Wednesday morning. This will allow the bulletin stuffers ample time to adjust their calendar for volunteer time. A special thanks to our volunteer bulletin stuffers, we appreciate your help!

Don’t forget to notify the parish office of your new address and phone number when moving.

For the 43^rd year now, Boy Scout Troop 18 will be selling fresh-cut Christmas Trees daily beginning Saturday November 29 (at ~1:00 p.m.) until Christmas, or they are sold out, whichever comes first. The Scouts will be selling all varieties: Scotch Pine, Frazier Fur, Balsam, White Pine, even a few Douglas Furs. And you’ll be able to get your pine roping too. The Christmas Tree lot is conveniently located at St. Savior Church on Plainfield Road north of Galbraith and across from Deer Park High School. Buy one while they last: Saturdays and Sundays: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and weekdays: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Your boys in Troop 18 wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Featuring: Kathleen Cassini & Ken Czillinger Presented by: National Catholic Ministry to the Bereaved at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. For more information call Gerry at 677-8026.

Make time for just the two of you! Take your good marriage and make it GREAT with a Marriage Encounter Weekend! The next Marriage Encounter weekend is February 6-8 at the Comfort Inn in Erlanger, KY. Celebrate your sacrament of marriage with your spouse and God. For more details or reservations call: Keith & Lori Maurmeier at 1-800-547-1251 code 00.

Communion Visits to the Homebound -Members of this ministry take Holy Communion and visit with parishioners who are unable to attend Mass. This service is available for short and long term convalescence. Please call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Driving Ministry– For parishioners needing transportation to weekend Mass, for health related appointments and grocery shopping. Please call Donna Piening (791-7449) or the Parish Office (791-9030).

Mass Intentions & Readings

for the Week

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Calendar for the Week

Monday, December 8, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

FIRST RECONCILIATION

PARISH LIBRARY

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

Reservation deadline is December 12