Welcome to ST

1 ST. Welcome to 6060 WEST LOOMIS ROAD GREENDALE, WI 53129 4 1 4 - 4 2 1 -2 4 4 2 w w w . s t- a l p h o n s u s . o r g Fourth Sunday Of Advent/The Nativity Of The Lord December 19/December 25, 2021 S t . A l p h o n s u s N o t e s 2 Dear Parishioners, As we celebrate the birth of Christ, May the true meaning of Christmas fill your hearts with happiness all year. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year-2022! -Saint Alphonsus Parish Staff Holiday and Weekend Liturgy Schedule Here is the schedule of Masses for the next two weekends: Christmas Eve, December 24 4:00 & 9:00 Christmas Day, December 25 8:30 & 11:00 Sunday, December 26: 7:30 , 9:00 , & 11:00 The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (New Year s) Not a Holy Day of Obligation this year Friday, December 31, 4:00 & Saturday, January 1, 10:00 Sunday January 2 4:30 (Saturday, January 1) 7:30 , 9:00 & 11:00 Please join us for Mass.

2 Parish Census 2022 Saint Alphonsus is a parish family of people worshipping together. Help us update our parish records. We have two goals for this census: 1) to know who our active parishioners are; 2) to have updated current communication information. You should receive a Question-and-Answer Sheet explaining the census through the US Mail the second week in January. About two weeks later, you should receive a personalized census form to review/update and return to us. Please help by re-turning your census form during the month of February. Year-End Donations We truly appreciate all of the year-end donations we receive from parishioners and visitors to our parish but want to share the guidelines we have to follow in accepting these toward your 2021 contribution.

3 The IRS allows individuals to deduct charitable donations from their income in the year the donations were delivered. Gifts delivered in the weekend collections are easily recorded with those dates. When a donation is mailed, we are required to use the postmark date to determine when the donation was made. This year the Parish Office will be open on Friday, December 31, until 1:00 to accept your year-end donations. If you need to stop by after 1:00 , please use the mail slot to the left of the main doors. Or, you can simply drop your donation into the collection basket the previous weekend or at the New Year s Eve Mass, and we will apply it to your 2021 contribution record.

4 Thank you for your continued generosity and support of the parish! -Kathy Jaeckels, Director of Finance Question Of The Week Theme: Jesus is identified as Lord before he is born. Question for Youth: When have you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit? Question for Adults: What role does Mary play in your own spirituality? If you were Elizabeth, how would you greet her at your doorway, if she were to arrive there? Advertiser of the Week Talsky & Talsky Attorneys At Law 7111 W. Edgerton 414-421-7070 John Talsky, Parish Member Christmas Today marks the end of the Advent season and the beginning of the Christmas season. We have lighted four candles these past four weeks and asked God to help us be present to our neighbors and friends.

5 Now in the Christmas season we are called to be Christ in the flesh to our world. Let us God, you became human through the obedience of a simple young woman named Mary. Mary is our model of faith. May we be faithful to your word as Mary was. Give us the courage to face each day with the yes that Mary gave to you. We ask this through the incarnate God, who comes to us again during this Christmas season. Amen. Listen To The Whole Bible In A Year Thinking about New Year's resolutions? Consider!joining Fr. Kevin, Fr. Patrick and fellow St. Alphonsus' parishioners as we journey together through the entire bible over the course of the upcoming year. We will be following Fr. Mike Schmitz' "Bible In a Year" podcast.

6 Individually, we will be listening to this 20 minute daily podcast; com-munally, we will gather once a month to check in and see how the Word of God is bearing fruit in our lives. Sign up if you would like to be a part of our monthly meeting by emailing frpatrick@ S t e w a r d s h i p : T i m e , T a l e n t & T r e a s u r e 3 Christmas 2021 The angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Imagine being a lowly shepherd, watching over your sheep on a typical night, and then suddenly, your life changes forever. A bright light and a multitude of angels appear, pro-claiming that great joy is to be had.

7 While the message was one of celebration and awe, I can t help but think that if it were me, I too would be a little more frightened than overjoyed in the moment. How many times have we been struck with fear in our lives? During the past year, many of us faced the fear of a worldwide pandemic, a serious health diagnosis and possibly a job loss. During difficult times, it can be hard to fear not, as the angels assured the shepherds. No matter where you find yourself this Christmas perhaps back to Mass for the first time in a long time, or in the same pew you ve been sitting in for years please know that Jesus loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you. This coming year, I encourage you to reconnect, rediscover, and renew your relationship with Jesus and his Church.

8 Here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, you ll discover a mul-titude of opportunities to encounter the love of Jesus and deepen your spiritual life. Together, let us not fear but rejoice in the good news of great joy! Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki Archbishop of Milwaukee Saint Of The Week Saint Peter Canisius | Feast Day December 21 Born in Holland, St. Peter Canisius (May 8, 1521 December 21, 1597) was a preacher, teacher, and writer throughout his whole life. At the age of 19, he received a master s degree from the university at Cologne. Soon afterwards, St. Peter met Peter Faber, the first disciple of Ignatius of Loyola, who influenced him so much that he eventually joined the Society of Jesus.

9 Saint Peter Canisius founded colleges and seminaries, served as a missionary, cared for the sick or imprisoned, and wrote close to eight volumes of letters many about St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great. A man blessed with many talents, St. Peter Canisius is a wonderful example of a man who developed his talents to further God s work here on earth. LPi Pray For Our Military Please remember in your prayers all the men and wom-en serving in our military. If you know someone who is currently serving in our armed forces and would like to have their name mentioned here, please specify their name and title and your relationship. Call the parish office at 421-2442, or email This list will run monthly.

10 Please pray for: SSG Daniel Nowak, son of Rick & Sue Nowak; SGT Kristen Dodds, daughter of Walter & Geri Dodds; LT CMDR John Zablocki, son of Jean Huebner, SSGT Kevin Zastrow, nephew of Janet Brandt; SSGT Chadd Sievert, son of Don & Debbie Sie-vert; 1LT Anna Kastelic & 1LT Brian Kastelic, daughter & son-in-law of William & Monica Swin-son; SSG Jake Prochnow, son-in-law of Jody Wilimitis, PO Zachary Lachman, grandson of Cathy Panka; SSGT Joshua Dozier, son of Terry & Lori Knapper; MAJ Mary Ayres, daughter of Paul & Clare Servais; LT JG Michael Bek, son of Mary M. Bek; PVT Julianne Nolan-Phillips, daughter of Rick & Judith Phillips and granddaughter of Dick & Kathy Phillips; A1C Katie Pospyhalla, grand-daughter of Jeanette Tabbert; CAPT Katie Duffy, daughter of Sharon Duffy; PVT Joshua Knier, grandson of Ted & Bernie Knier; Ben Shaffer, grandson-in-law of John & Geri Ekstrom; LT COL Jeffrey Ignatowski, son of Jim and Jackie Igna-towski; PVT Tommy Hodkiewicz, grandson of Bob Towne; A1C William Lomax & Airborne Ranger Michael Lomax, grandsons of Carol Maholias; PFC Jacob Bartaczewicz & LCLE3 Jake Banach, grandsons of Gil Banach; SGT Evan Miller, son of Diane & Gary Miller; 2LT Max Renk, grandson of Ken & Aurora Derdzinski.