Georgiann Benkovic – Prince of Peace

Sunday, November 30

First Sunday of Advent

Listen, Learn and Follow

Many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:3)

The Old Testament prophets speak of the Lord’s Day, when the enemies of God will be brought low and the Kingdom will be established for all to follow God. We look forward to Christ’s return when he will reign, but fortunately, we don’t have to wait to learn from him and walk in his ways!

As we enter into this Advent season, we have many opportunities to listen at Jesus’ feet: through the prayers of the Mass, by reading Sacred Scripture and by engaging in the works of mercy, just to name a few.

Lord make us attentive to the signs of your Kingdom in our midst, and help us listen more closely to the words of your Son.

Jonathan F. Sullivan serves the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana as a Pastorate Consultant.

Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions

Knights of Columbus Breakfast

The Knights of Prince of Peace Parish-Assumption of the BVM Church will sponsor their “All You Can Eat” Breakfast on Sunday, December 7th from 9m to 12 noon. Come to the breakfast and enjoy, eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, orange or cranberry juice and coffee for $11.00.

St. Nick will probably be stopping by as he travels through Steelton. He has some “gold coins” for the children but may have a few for the adults as well.

We hope to see you at the breakfast with family and friends.

CHURCH DECORATING

We are planning on setting up our outdoor Manger in front of our Parish Church on Saturday, November 29 at 10:00am.

We will be decorating the outside of our Parish on Saturday, December 6th beginning at 10:00am. We will need lots and lots of Church elves to accomplish this job, hanging lights, garland, decorating the Grotto and much, much more.

If you would like to participate please dress warmly and don’t forget this is the season for volunteering. God’s Blessings.

OUR GIVING TREE

Our Giving Tree will be available on Sunday, November 30th. This year we are purchasing gifts for Lourdes House, Interfaith Shelter and Evergreen House.

Please take an ornament off the tree, purchase the gift, wrap it and then place it under the or beside the Giving Tree in our Church. Be sure to place your ornament on the package so we can identify where it should be delivered.

Gifts will be delivered to the charities on Friday, December 19th. Thank you for your generosity to the mothers at Lourdes House and families at Interfaith Shelter and those at Evergreen House.

Diocesan Annual Campaign

Our Diocesan Annual campaign is well underway and the donation pamphlets are in each pew for your convenience. Please take them home and prayerfully decide on your donation and/or pledge for the 2025 campaign. As you are aware we have not met our goal as of October 29th for the campaign.

The Diocesan Annual Campaign supports the formation and continued education for priests, deacons and seminarians. Community outreach through Catholic Charities.

Youth engagement including sacramental preparation, CYO programs and Catholic Campus Ministry efforts.

Catholic education including resources, training and guidance for our 33 Diocesan schools.

Catechetical certification for religion teachers and training for Marriage Mentor couples.

Our own Mary’s Helpers Food Pantry is benefited yearly with a grant to purchase food to be given to their clients who are most in need and not able to afford feeding their families.

Your gift, no matter the size, impacts those throughout our Diocese who benefit from the many ministries and programs that are funded through the Diocesan Annual Campaign. Please be generous, your donation is very much appreciated.

What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?

What Does It Mean To Be Catholic?

The Catholic Church was founded by Christ and his Apostles. There are four marks or characteristics of the Church, and we are reminded of them each time we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass.

One: Means all members are united as the Body of Christ, given life by the one Spirit. We acknowledge one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.

Holy: Means the Church is centered on God. It is Christ who, by his sacrifice, makes the Church holy.

Catholic: Means universal. The Church is for all times and all people. The Church is “the fullness” of the means of salvation”. (CCC830)

Apostolic: Means the Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles. We teach the doctrine of Jesus as it has been handed down through the apostles and their successors, the pope and bishops.

Each Catholic is called to full and active participation in the life of the Church and has the right and responsibility to:

1.) Attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation.

2. Confess your sins, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a least once a year.

3. Receive the Eucharist.

4. Observe the days of fasting Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Ash Wednesday in Lent established by the Church.

5. Help to provide for the needs of the Church

Encountering Christ and being a witness to his love means we are called to live like Jesus and work for justice and peace in this world by living the 10 commandments, the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

We are called to stand for the: Life and dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and Rights of workers, Solidarity of the Human Family, Care for God’s Creatures.

Infant of Prague

It was a little painted statue and stood a foot and a half high, was dressed in exquisite court dress, and cherished as an heirloom wedding gift. It came from Spain during an early spread of devotion to the Christ Child.

In the 17th century, a Spanish noblewoman named Isabel Manrique gave this little statue to her daughter Marie when Marie married a Czech noble. Marie gave it, in turn, to her own daughter Polyxena when the later married.

Polyxena treasured it for many years, but at last gifted it to the Carmelite monastery of Our Lady of Victory.

Shortly afterward the Czech kingdom was invaded by the Saxons, forcing the Carmelites to flee their monastery. The statue of the Christ Child, damaged and tattered was left behind in the ruins of the church.

Ten years later in 1638, a Carmelite priest found it. He took it to his church in Prague and displayed it by the altar.

Suddenly, as he knelt in prayer before it, the statue spoke, saying: “Have mercy on me and I will have mercy on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me the more I will bless you.”

After this, many miracles were reported to have been wrought through the statue and devotion to the Christ Child increased all the more.

Many saints, such as Therese of Lisieux and Francis of Assisi, were greatly devoted to the Infant Jesus. Nurture love for the Child Jesus in your own home.

The Catholic Company: Bite-Sized Faith

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

Spiritual Communion:

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto

Dear Friends

Visit our Grotto at Prince of Peace Parish-Assumption of the BVM Church. Pray to our Blessed Mother for peace in our country and the world and ask her assistance to bring friends and families who are not practicing their faith to return to her Son, Our Lord Jesus.

Our Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto is the Queen of Peace.

Sacrifice of the Mass

The Sign of the Cross and the Greeting tells us who we are as we gather to enter into the Mystery of Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection.

The Penitential Rite gives us the opportunity to acknowledge our sinfulness as we approach the Sacrifice of Christ that destroys sin and bring us back into a relationship with God.

The Gloria is a hymn that leads us to praise glorify, adore, thank and ask our Triune God for all we, His sons and daughter, need as we beg His mercy.

The Opening Prayer or “Collect” collects the intentions of the people assembled and presents them to God by the priest who stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ).

In the Reading of the Old Testament we hear the story of God’s covenant with His chosen people Israel and the revelation of Himself that speaks of His mercy and desire for their salvation.

The Responsorial Psalm is the faithful’s response of praise and thanksgiving to God’s Word in the First Reading . It reminds us that we are not passive listeners to the Word; we are in a relationship of love with the Word of God.

The Second Reading from the New Testament tells us of God’s New and Eternal Covenant forged in the Blood of His Son who is the Word Made Flesh.

The Gospel is a proclamation of an event from the life of Our Savior. In the readings from Holy Scripture that are not taken from the Gospel, it is God who speaks to His people. But when the Gospel is proclaimed, it is specifically Christ Jesus, true God and true man, who speaks to us.

The Homily is a vital part of the liturgy of the Mass that explains the Holy Scriptures and instructs us in the Faith.

The Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) is the ancient formula of beliefs that unites the people assembled with the Universal Church of all ages in their expression of their Faith in Christ.

General Intercessions or Prayer of the Faithful offers prayers to God for the Church the world, and the need of people both living and dead.

The Preparation Rite is the offering of the bread and wine brought to His altar by the priest on behalf of the people of God assembled. The people participate in the offering by virtue of their baptism into the priestly people of God.

The Eucharistic Prayer makes present the Mystery of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Christ’s Sacrifice of the Cross, His offering to the Faith of Himself for the salvation of the world is represented on the altar. At the words of consecration the bread and wine brought to the altar become the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The baptized are called to participate in the sacrifice of Christ that is made present through the ministry of the ordained priest.

The Our Father begins the Rite of Communion. We are faithful to Jesus’ command to pray in the words He taught us. The priest prays for deliverance from evil, peace, and freedom from anxiety as we wait for the coming of Christ Our Savior in glory. The priest extends a greeting of Christ’s peace to all present in the assembly. The faithful share a sign of peace with one another. The priest comingles a portion of the Sacred Host that he has broken in the chalice of the Precious Blood. The faithful sing the Agnus Dei. “Lamb of God You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, grant us peace.”

Communion has arrived. The faithful go forward to receive His Sacred Body. This reception of the Holy Eucharist effects communion between the individual and God and among the individual members of the Body of Christ.

The priest then blesses the people in the name of the Holy Trinity and dismisses all to go forth to witness to Christ in the world.

No One is a mere spectator at Mass. All of the baptized are invited to participate in the sacred Mysteries by full, conscious and active participation. This participation is not limited to eternal expression. It must also be an external expression of faith and devotion. The mass is an awesome treasure! It is Christ’s work of salvation active in our midst!