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100 South 8th Street

Arma, KS 66712
(620) 347-4525
Pastor: Fr. Max Biltz

St. Joseph Catholic Church

MASS SCHEDULE GIRARD
Saturday
5:30 pm
Sunday
10:00 am

ARMA
4:00 pm
8:00 am

From the Pastor

Instead of my words, here is a homily which Pope Benedict Gave in Advent of 2011:

RECTORY HOURS & INFORMATION

Wednesdays: 9:00 am - Noon
Rectory: (620) 347-4525
Fr. Maxs cell: (316) 708-9473
Fr. Maxs email: thomas.becket.fan@gmail.com

"Watch!" This is Jesus' call in today's Gospel. He does not only address it to his disciples but to
everyone: "Watch!" (Mk 13:37). It is a salutary reminder to us that life does not only have an
earthly dimension but reaches towards a "beyond", like a plantlet that sprouts from the ground and
opens towards the sky. A thinking plantlet, man, endowed with freedom and responsibility, which is
why each one of us will be called to account for how he/she has lived, how each one has used the
talents with which each is endowed: whether one has kept them to oneself or has made them
productive for the good of one's brethren too.

STAFF Pastor: Fr. Max Biltz

Secretary: Georganne Galichia
Bookkeeper: Janel Scales
Bulletin Editor: Nancy Bauer

Today, Isaiah, too, the prophet of Advent, with a heartfelt entreaty addressed to God on behalf of
the people, gives us food for thought. He recognized the shortcomings of his people and said at a
certain point: "There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for
you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our iniquities" (cf. Is 64:6).
How can we fail to find this description striking? It seems to reflect certain panoramas of the postmodern world: cities where life becomes anonymous and horizontal, where God seems absent and
man the only master, as if he were the architect and director of all things: construction, work, the
economy, transport, the branches of knowledge, technology, everything seems to depend on man
alone. And in this world that appears almost perfect at times disturbing things happen, either in
nature or in society, which is why we think that God has, as it were, withdrawn and has, so to
speak, left us to ourselves.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Finance Council
Parish Council
TBA
TBA
6:00pm
6:00pm in rectory

!St. Ann Altar Society

TBA
6:00 pm

Knights of Columbus
1st Tuesday of Month
7:00pm, St. Michael hall

In fact, the true "master" of the world is not the human being but God. The Gospel says: "Watch
therefore for you do not know when the master of the house will coming, in the evening, or at
midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning lest he come suddenly and find you asleep" (Mk
13:35-36).
The Season of Advent returns every year to remind us of this in order that our life may find its
proper orientation, turned to the face of God. The face is not that of a "master" but of a Father
and a Friend. Let us make the Prophet's words our own, together with the Virgin Mary who guides
us on our Advent journey."O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you are our potter: we
are all the work of your hand" (Is 64:8).

Mass Schedule and Intentions for Dec. 5 - 13

Dec. 5 Saturday
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

4:00pm
5:30pm
Sunday
8:00am
10:00am
Monday
7:00am
6:30pm
Tuesday
7:00am
12 noon
6:30pm
Wednesday 6:30pm
Thursday 8:00am
8:30am-3:00pm
Friday
7:00am
8:00am-6:00pm
Saturday 4:00pm
5:30pm
Sunday
8:00am
10:00am

Francis Buche
Jim Peak
Jim Davied
For the People
Joe Martin
Holy Day Vigil Mass
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
Regina Madl Smith
Jim Davied
Adoration
Arlene Schulte
Adoration
Mary Ellen Galichia
Ron Breneman
Jim Davied
For the People

Arma
Girard
Arma
Girard
Girard
Girard
Girard
Arma
Girard
Girard
Arma
Arma
Girard
Girard
Arma
Girard
Arma
Girard

Altar Ministers for Dec. 12 & 13

Saturday (12/12/15)
!Altar Servers: 4:00pm
Grant Waterman

!
EMHC:
!
Lector:
!

Contributions

$1,336.00

$27,124.60

Expenses - November

$4,428.38

$25,974.79
$1,149.81

Gift Bearers:

Sunday (12/13/15)
8:00am
Cody Burns

Sharon Giacometti

Tracey Bogina

Anne Meyer

Joe Broyles

Donna Fleury &

Louise Jarboe

Joyce Klinkon &

Mary Sayre

Usher/Greeter: Mike Buche &

Mike Ashbacher

Greg Bogina &

Dan Cole

Tuesday, Dec. 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a

Holy Day of Obligation. There will be a Mass Tuesday at 12
noon at St. Joseph. St. Michael Masses will be on Monday,
Dec. 7 at 6:30pm, and Tuesday at 7:00am and 6:30pm.

PENANCE SERVICES

A penance service will be held Monday, Dec. 21st. at 7pm in

Girard and Tuesday, Dec. 15th after 5:30 Mass in Arma.

COMMUNITY PANTRY

We will be filling boxes for the Community Pantry and are in

need of canned goods, non-perishable food items, new or
unused small toiletries, lotions, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
During November, place your items in the back of the church.
Call Helen Normand, 347-8563, with questions. Thanks!

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS & POINSETTIAS

Donations are now being accepted for our Christmas flowers

& poinsettias in memory of a family member or special friend.
We will be purchasing larger poinsettias and arrangements for
the altar this year and publishing a list of the memorials in the
Christmas bulletin. Any size donation is appreciated. Please
place your donation and the memorial names in an envelope
marked Christmas Flowers and place it in the collection
basket. In order to publish the list of memorial names, we
need to have your request no later than Sunday, December 13.

K of C NEWS

The Girard/Arma Knights of Columbus will be saying a

rosary the 5th Sunday of the month.

CHRISTMAS CANTATA

A beautiful Christmas Cantata will be presented this Sunday

evening, Dec. 6, at 6:00 p.m. at Arma's United Methodist
Church. It is sponsored by the Arma Methodist and Catholic
Churches and will feature area musicians directed by Mike
Doue. A freewill offering will be accepted to benefit the
Community Pantry that supplies food and other gifts for area
needy. Refreshments will be served in the church basement
immediately following the musical program.

PSR NEWS
Reminder: St. Michaels PSR will be on break from
December 16 thru the end of the year. Classes resume Jan. 6
for the evening program and Jan. 10 for the elementary
students. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
PSR Advent Penance Service will be held on Dec 9,
immediately following Mass for all evening PSR students. Fr.
Max has invited in several area priests to help hear confessions
during this time.
Santa is coming! Santa will be at St. Michaels hall on
Sunday, Dec 13 immediately following Mass to hand out
goodie bags to all parish children! Parents are welcome to
bring their cameras and take pictures with Santa!

ADVENT IS NOT CHRISTMAS!

Now that were into this holy season that starts the new church
year, we must recall that Advent looks back to the past, when
Jesus was a baby, yet it looks forward in time as to how this
child will affect our future. Advent is not a holiday season,
despite our sometimes festive behavior. Its a season of joyful
penance and renewed hope. The word, Advent, comes from
the Latin, to come. The four weeks correspondent to the
4000 years of Old Testament history as people waited for the
Messiah. We set out the Advent Wreath to remind ourselves of
this, with its four candles. The reason for the season is to pray
and do penance, bringing self-control back into our lives. Over
indulgences in partying would be like celebrating Easter at
mid-Lent! Good topics for meditation during this season would
be the four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
There are worse things than Death. Remember, Advent ends
on Dec. 24. Christmas will then begin and last for 12 days
until the Epiphany, when the wise men arrive with their gifts to
signify Christ is for all, not only the Jews. Enjoy the Christmas
season until early January. The world takes the tree down on
December 25. That should tell us all something.




- Marcel Normand

A big Thank You to our advertisers. Please support them!

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620-395-2141

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WORSHIP COMMITTEE:
Chair - Karen Pryer
EMEs - Joann Black
Ushers/Greeters - Bill Harman
Altar Society - Judy Smerchek
Lectors - Marcel Normand
Music - Jan Harman

PARISH FINANCE COUNCIL:

Fred Bogina - Chair, Members: Joe Polhlopek, Judy Wingebach,
Linda Broyles

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION

Dear Parish Family,

CONFESSION
GIRARD
ARMA
Saturday
2:00-2:30 pm 3:15-3:45 pm
Weekdays before Mass, anytime by appointment

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION:
Thursdays from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

July 2015 to date

Over / (Under)

Today, together with the Church, we are beginning the new liturgical year: a new journey of faith
to experience together in Christian communities but, as always, also to be taken within world
history so as to open it to God's mystery, to the salvation that comes from his love. The liturgical
year begins with the Season of Advent. It is a marvelous period in which the expectation of
Christ's return and the memory of his first Coming when he emptied himself of his divine
glory to take on our mortal flesh reawakens in hearts.

PARISH WEBSITE:
www.stjosepharma.com

Last Week

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

OFFICERS:
Pat Westhoff - Chair, Karen
Pryer - Secretary, Debbie
Amershek, Dustin Ashmore,
Joe Broyles,, Debbie Shaub

Girard, KS 66743

Jim OToole 620-724-8536

620-724-3225 c
Ronnie OToole 620-632-5165 620-724-2754 c
Tim OToole 620-724-8990
620-238-0430 c