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St. Vincent de Paul Parish Newsletter November 24, 2023 Mass Times Saturday - 5pm Vigil Sunday - 9am, 11am (live-streamed), 5pm Monday thru Friday - 9am Saturday Confession - 3-4:30pm Anointing of the Sick The first Monday of the Month after the 9am Mass. Morning Prayer , Holy Family Chapel, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM Prayers of the Faithful For those who are sick. For those in our community who have passed away. Dear Friends,  Congratulations! God’s grace has seen us through yet another year. This is because the Liturgical Year of the Church comes to an end on November 26th, with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. As we end the liturgical year, and look toward Advent, our readings reflect a need to prepare ourselves for the Final Judgment, when Christ the King will establish justice by passing sentence on every human being and rewarding those who surrender themselves to loving unconditionally. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the criteria used by the Son of Man is based on “whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine.” Although this certainly includes the poorest of the poor, this begins with how well we treat those who are identified with the Body of Christ, the Church. This means that each of us do well to make an examination of conscience on how well we relieve the suffering of the spiritually and materially impoverished, hungry, thirsty, naked, and imprisoned among us. The Sacrament of Reconciliation serves as a natural outflowing of an informed Examination of Conscience, and Advent is replete with opportunities for this sacrament. Why not make this the Blessed Christmas Ever - by marking your calendar to attend any of the following Advent Reconciliation Services as appropriate: Friday, December 1st at 10:00 am - School Advent Reconciliation Service Wednesday, December 6th at 6:30 pm - Youth and Family Reconciliation Service Saturday, December 9th at 10:00 am - Sacramental Prep Family Reconciliation Service Monday, December 11th at 6:30 pm - All Parish Advent Reconciliation Service Should you find committing to any of these dates difficult, please remember that Reconciliation is available on Saturdays from 3:00 – 4:30 pm, or you can call me at (253) 839-2320, ext 207 to schedule a personal appointment. This is one concrete action that can help change the world, because, together, we can alleviate suffering, starting with our own best selves. Let’s get ready for a year of favor acceptable to Christ the King! Sincerely, Fr. John Patrick First Friday Eucharistic Adoration : Join us in the Holy Family Chapel for Eucharistic exposition and adoration from 10am to 10pm on Friday, December 1st . Feel free to come and sit with Jesus for whatever time your schedule allows. You may also sign up for a one-hour or more slot by clicking on the link below. St Vincent de Paul Parish - Federal Way, WA Click to listen to Bishop Frank Schuster's weekly Homilies From Deacon Juan's Corner deaconjuanlezcano@stvincentparish.org ext 210 For information regarding Baptisms for children (newborn to age 6); the Sacrament of Marriage; or a Funeral Mass, please contact Deacon Juan Lezcano, OFS, here , or thru the parish office. From the desk of Katie Goodson kgoodson@stvincentparish.org ext 205 Adult Faith Formation is for any adult in the parish who wants to grow in faith and friendship. Join us every Wednesday in the Church from 6:30pm to 8pm. November 29 - Fr. John Patrick will lead the evening. December 6 - Experience the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Now Hiring - Mini Vinnies Coordinator and Staff Contact Katie Goodson here or thru the parish office. Youth Ministry News! Vanessa Tompkins vtompkins@stvincentparish.org ext 218 Edge (6 th -8 th Grade); Lifeteen (9 th -12 th Grade) Confirmation (7 th -12 th Grade); Mission Trek (6 th -12 th Grade) Children's Ministry James Nguyen jnguyen@stvincentparish.org ext 208 First Reconciliation Service for BOTH Wednesday and Sunday Tracks is Saturday, December 9 at 10 am in the Church Wednesday Track: Classes resume on Wednesday, November 29. Class on 12/06. Saturday, December 9 is First Reconciliation Service at 10 am. Sunday Track: Classes then resume 12/03. Saturday, December 9 is First Reconciliation Service at 10 am. Grapevine (Grades 1-5) along with the Wednesday Track for Sacramental Prep are on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 pm. Classes resume on Wednesday, November 29. Rite of Christian Initiation for Children is intended for children of catechetical age (7+) who have not been baptized as infants or baptized in another denomination to enter into full communion with the Church. Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming is next Sunday, December 3 rd at the 11 am mass. OTHER PROGRAMS AND EVENTS Gethsemane Cemetery Masses 37600 Pacific Hwy South Federal Way WA 98003 at 10:30am November 25, 2023 December 16, 2023 Knights of Columbus Council #7528 2023 Christmas Gift Cards for a Wounded Warrior It is time for our annual Christmas Gift Card program for Wounded Warriors. Please consider supporting this program to support those who have given so much. Our Christmas Program to serve our Wounded Warriors is designed to empower the Warrior to purchase food for Christmas dinner, goods for family needs, or gas for medical appointments. This give a gift card program targets specific needs. Our Gift Card Program is a way to say Thank You for ALL they have done to keep us free. GIFT cards in amounts of $20, $25, $50, $75, $100 or even more are greatly needed! GIFT cards to Fred Meyer, Safeway, Walmart, Target, Amazon, or gas cards to ARCO and Chevron are requested by our Wounded Warriors. Please stay to this list as these stores are in most areas and give the most amount for your dollar! Please do not use prepaid Visa or Master cards, they have been a source of fraud. How can you help? Starting October 28, 2023, through December 4, 2023, you can purchase gift cards and mail them to the address listed below or drop them off at the Parish office during business hours. Why do we do this so early? So, you have time to help without the pressure of your holidays and so we can get your donations to the troops in time. Please be generous. Our goal is to provide 300 Warriors with gift cards. It means so much to those who have so bravely served. If you have any questions, please contact Tony Robinson at Advocate@kofc7528.org Thank you for your generous support. Mail your gift cards to: Tony Robinson 31219 4 th Ave SW Federal Way, WA 98023 or drop them off at the Parish office during business hours. Our Giving Tree is here! Our St. Vincent de Paul Society is collecting gift cards to give to families in our parish who need a little help with Christmas gifts and food this year. All gift cards are greatly appreciated, although we recommend Target , Winco , Fred Meyer , Safeway , and Amazon cards. They can be dropped off at the parish office or in the collection basket ( please clearly mark them for the Giving Tree !). Thank you for helping make someone's Christmas wonderful this year. For a double blessing you can order the cards from our School and help them with their scrip program. Visit our Website NW Catholic Website Sunday Giving: Give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7 Ways to give: Online - signup to give onetime, weekly or monthly , click here to sign up. Basket - put your envelope in the Basket as it's passed around during Mass. Mail - you can mail your contribution to 30525 8th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003. St Vincent de Paul Parish Office Hours Monday - Thursday 9:30-3:00pm Friday 9:30-12:00pm (253) 839-2320

Lk 17:7-10 The relationship between master and servant is well defined as is the role and attitude of the servant. Good work is an ordinary part of the duties of the servant without expectation of a special reward. Jesus is telling the disciples that faithful service is what is expected of one who commits to following him. Divine Master, we serve you willingly without any expectations other than the feeling that comes with doing your will, what is right and good. This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

The Mass is a unique and marvelous sacrifice. It is the mystical reality in which Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is renewed. The Mass is also a sacred banquet where together as the Church family we fulfill Jesus’ command at the Last Supper to “Do this in memory of me.” In many ways, the liturgy is similar to (but certainly more than) a family meal. It may help children to think about Mass as a “holy meal.” Before we sit down to eat together as a family, we usually wash up and get ready. That is similar to what we do when we enter the church and bless ourselves with holy water. The holy water is a reminder of our baptism in which we were “washed clean” of sin in order to be able to share the Eucharist. As families gather around the table, we hear about the important news of the day. We do the same thing at Mass when we listen to the readings, especially the Gospel (the Good News), and say the opening prayers. This helps us prepare our hearts for the rest of the Eucharistic meal. In most homes, dinnertime is a time to talk as a family, to bring up issues that are important to the family as a whole. In some ways, this is what the priest is doing when he preaches the homily. He discusses aspects of our faith life and provides practical applications for living our beliefs after we leave the table of the Lord. Of course, without food there would be no dinner, and without bread and wine there would be no Eucharist, so at Mass we bring up the sacred gifts to the altar just as we bring the food from the kitchen to the dining room table. Before our family starts to eat, we say grace. Praying the Lord’s Prayer and extending the kiss of peace is our Church’s family’s grace, a way to connect and be present to each other. Jesus commanded us to “take and eat.” During Communion, we, as an entire Church family, do that when we share the Body and Blood of Christ. We all eat the same food and the same drink, in the same way as families do at home, only this food and drink, instead of merely nourishing the body, provides nourishment for our souls. We receive the real and true presence of the risen Jesus in the Eucharist, and we look to our eternal life with Christ at the heavenly banquet. Finally, once our family dinner is complete, each of us leave to go about our separate activities. At Mass, the same thing occurs after the dismissal and final blessing, when we “go forth” to “announce the Gospel of the Lord.” When we look at Mass as sharing a holy meal with our beloved brother Jesus and the rest of our Church family, we can come to understand that it is truly “in the breaking of the bread that we come to know him.” This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.