-Gabriel y Miralda Tahan -Georgie Davis -Giovanni Garcia -Gladys Green -Glen Arellano -Gloria Sanguillen -Guadalupe Morales -Henre Dorsey -Jack & Michael Stokes -Joan McLaughlin -Juan Madariaga -Juan Moreno -Juanita Orozco -Juanita Rubalcava -Julia Ureña -Linda Guillian -Lisa Gallardo -Lorraine Duperon -Lucy Rodriguez -Marcelle Mehlinger -Margaret Alexander -Maria Jimenez -Maria Luna -Maria Perez -Mariana Reynoso -Maura Fitzgerald -Marlene Debora -Michelle Porter -Miguel Alfredo Piliado

-Alfio Mazzei -Alicia Jimenez Bravo -Anabel Manriquez -Andres Luna -Archie Brown II -Arlasha Allen -Blanca Saviñon -Barbara Harvey -Bertha Antee -Bonita Sanderlin -Camille Jones -Carlos Antonio Vasquez -Christina Paul -Constantino Perez -Damacio Horta -Darwin Varela -Dee Carlson -Dulce Maria E. Saviñon -Dustin, Gabriel, Carmelo, and Jorge -Devina Molette-Ford -Dominique Barksdale -Edwin Raland -Edwin Rivas -Edy Becker -Elsa Perez -Elvia Herrera -Ethel Lamirault -Fredia Sanderlin

-Mykhail J. Thomas -Nicole Michelle -Norma Barker -Nyniece Micheaou -Oscar Barbosa -Pam Terry -Patrick Fitzgerald -Paula Dupre Moore -Peggy Anderson -Penelope Mendoza -Rafael Segura -Ramon Jimenez Andrade -Ramon Reyes -Raymond Almeida -Ricardo Morales -Rita N. Ashe -Robert Johnson -Ronald Mayberry -Rosa Diaz -Rose Thierry -Sophie Demarcos -Sergio Villanueva -Sevarina Legaspi -Silvia Esquivel -Sylvia Smyles -Timothy Akens -Teri Lanham -Terry Ally Sr. -Virginia Gadison

“P reparing the way of the Lord” is all about

expanding our charity. Charity can be dol-

lars and cents, right? And we probably

should be more generous than we are--we all know that.

(Maybe it’s time to think of a Christmas offering to the par-

ish and upping our annual pledge, as well!) But, charity also

goes far beyond money--it is all about enlarging our circle of

care. It’s easy to care for our family--well most of the time!--

but it gets harder to truly care the more removed from us peo-

ple seem to be. So, Christmas is a time when we do for the

helpless what we should probably be doing all year long! We

do the dinners for the poor, we go to the shelters, we carol

the nursing homes. We do this because we know, instinc-

tively, without being told, that Christmas is about an expan-

sion of love. John the Baptist, in his own simply way, helped

people to expand their hearts as a way to prepare themselves

to see the Christ walking among them. It is still the only way

that I, myself have ever found to open my eyes to see the

Christ in front of me! I tend to get so “caught up in ME and

my projects,” that it takes the annual Advent and Lenten ex-

ercises to “wake me up” to see Him. St. Paul’s advice is sim-

ply, “Your kindness should be known to all for the Lord is

near.” And when the Lord is near to us, we ARE kinder,

aren’t we? And, to be kind on a large scale, often involves

“removing judgments”--the judgments we make that allow us

to be less generous than we know we could be. The first

reading reminds us that God has removed judgment from

us...so, the question becomes, “Why can’t I remove judgment

from others?” As we do so, our lives become kinder, and we

show that the Lord, is indeed, near, even here. - Fr. Bill Axe

“P reparando el camino para el Señor,” se

trata de mejorar nuestra caridad. La cari-

dad puede ser en dólares y en centavos,

¿no? A lo mejor deberíamos de ser más generosos que ya lo

somos– todos lo sabemos. (¡A lo mejor es tiempo de pensar

sobre una ofrenda de Navidad y incrementar nuestra prome-

sa anual también!) Pero, la caridad también es más allá que

el dinero– se trata de hacer más grande nuestro círculo de

cuidado. Es fácil cuidar de nuestra familia– bueno casi siem-

pre– pero es más difícil cuando cuidamos a los que están

más retirados. Entonces, ¡La Navidad es un tiempo cuando

ayudamos a los necesitados lo que deberíamos de haber

hecho todo el año! Hacemos las cenas para los pobres, va-

mos a los albergues, cantamos cantos navideños en asilos.

Lo hacemos porque sabemos, por instinto, que la Navidad

es se trata de expandir el amor. Juan el Bautista, con su ma-

nera simple, le ayudó a la gente de expandir sus corazones

de una manera de prepararse a sí mismos de poder ver a

Jesús entre ellos. ¡Es todavía la única manera que yo mismo

he podido ver a Jesús enfrente de mí! Suelo ocuparme “en

mí mismo y en mis proyectos,” que ocupamos todo el Ad-

viento y la Cuaresma para “despertar” y poder verlo. El con-

sejo de San Pablo es simplemente: “la amabilidad se dará a

conocer pues el Señor está cercas.” Y cuando el Señor está

cercas, somos más amables, ¿no es así? Y de ser amables en

todos los aspectos, se requiere a que “dejemos” los prejui-

cios,” - los prejuicios que nos hacen menos generosos que lo

que podemos ser. La primera lectura nos recuerda que Dios

nos ha removido todos los prejuicios, por tanto: “¿Por qué

no puedo dejar los prejuicios contra los demás?” Cuando lo

hacemos, nuestras vidas son más amables, y enseñamos que

el Señor, en verdad, está cercas, está aquí.

"No one heals himself by wounding another"

-St. Ambrose of Milan

“Peace begins with a smile.” -Blessed Mother Teresa

C uando fuimos bautizados con agua y con el Espíritu

Santo, prometimos de vivir como Jesús y de estar en

su presencia en maneras concretas. Juan el Bautista

nos indica cómo él esperaba que viviera la gente de su tiempo.

¿Cuál va a ser nuestra respuesta el día de hoy? ¿Cómo puedes

ser Jesús para los demás el día de hoy? En la luz de todos los

terrores y mataciones que se han hecho en el nombre de Dios,

¿cómo vives tu vida? ¿Puedes ser una persona amorosa, ama-

ble y bondadosa con una persona que no conoces? ¿Qué es lo

que Dios nos está pidiendo hacer en nuestro mundo? Éstas son

las preguntas que nos hacemos, y escuchamos una respuesta

en Sofonías. Dejemos que la amabilidad abunde de

tal manera que los demás vean a Jesús y vivan el

amor de Dios.

Que tengan una semana bendita,

Hermana Karen Collier

W hen we were baptized with water and the

Holy Spirit, we promised to live Jesus

and to be his presence in concrete ways.

We hear in John the Baptist's answers how he expected

people in his day to live. What would be our answer to-

day? How can you be Jesus to others in today's world. In

light of all the terror and killing that has gone on in God's

name, how do you live your life? Can you be a loving,

kind and gentle person to strangers? What is God calling

us to do in our world? These are questions many of us are

asking ourselves. We hear an answer in the

reading from Zephaniah. Let kindness abound in

ways that help others see Jesus and experience

God's love.

Have a blessed week, Sr. Karen Collier

-

To build and foster a Christian Community that offers the opportunity to experience God’s uncon-ditional love and acceptance to all who come into

contact with it.

Construir y alimentar una Comunidad Cristiana que ofrece la oportunidad de experimentar el amor incondicional de Dios y la aceptación a todos con

quienes nos encontremos.

UNA DESPEDIDA Y UN REENCUENTRO

Después de haber sido bendecidos con la presencia del Padre

Bill y Padre Frank, el tiempo de partir ha llegado. Como todos

sabemos, el Padre Bill y Padre Frank se van a Baltimore y no

estarán con nosotros. El último día que van a estar con nosotros

es el 31 de diciembre de 2015. Gracias Padre Bill y Padre Frank

por su amistad y su guía.

WE ONLY PART TO MEET AGAIN

After being blessed with Fr. Bill and Fr. Frank’s presence, here

at St. Agatha’s, the time has come to part our ways. As we all

know, Fr. Bill and Fr. Frank will be moving to Baltimore and

will no longer be with us. Their last day with us is December

31, 2015. Thank you Fr. Bill and Fr. Frank for your friendship

and guidance!

We simply cannot put into adequate words the depth of our

gratitude to those who planned and attended the farewell party

given for us this past Sunday afternoon. We were completely

overwhelmed with the outpouring of feelings of love and care

that we experienced. We are grateful for the food and the gifts

and the time it took out of your busy schedules to attend, but we

are most grateful for the constant love and support you've

shown us over the 10 years we have been here. We are con-

vinced that you do not realize what a wonderful congregation

you are! You are kind, welcoming, generous, and deeply

prayerful, inquisitive about matters of intellect, but most of all

you want to put your faith into action. You have been so good

to us these past 10 years. Our lives have been enriched and en-

nobled by the experience of coming to know you and be

touched by you. How does one person thank another for enno-

bling his soul? Yet, that's what you've done for us, and we are

truly grateful. Thank you for the party and for the gifts, but

most of all, thank you for being YOU. And for those of you

who couldn't be there, don't feel bad that you were unable to

attend. Over these 10 years, you've let us know in so many

ways that we mean a lot to you. Know that YOU mean a lot to

each of us, too. God be with you all.

-Fr. William Axe and Fr. Frank Whatley

Simplemente no podemos expresar con palabras adecuadas la

profundidad de nuestra gratitud a los que planearon y asistieron

la despedida para nosotros este domingo pasado. Estábamos

completamente abrumado con la efusión de sentimientos de

amor y cuidado que hemos experimentado. Estamos muy agra-

decidos por la comida y los regalos y su tiempo, pero estamos

muy agradecidos por el amor y el apoyo que nos han demostra-

do durante los 10 años que hemos estado aquí. Estamos conven-

cidos de que no se dan cuenta que congregación tan maravillo-

sa son! Son amable, generoso y profundamente devota, inquisi-

tivos sobre asuntos de inteligencia, pero la mayoría de todos

quieren poner su fe en acción. Han sido tan buenos con noso-

tros en estos últimos 10 años. Nuestras vidas se han enriquecido

y ennoblecido por la experiencia de venir a conocerlos y ser

tocados por su amor. ¿Cómo una persona da gracias a otra para

ennoblecer su alma? Sin embargo, eso es lo que han hecho por

nosotros, y estamos muy agradecidos. Gracias por la despedida

y por los regalos, pero sobre todo, gracias por ser como eres. Y

para aquellos de ustedes que no pudieron estar allí, no te sientas

mal que no pudo asistir. Durante estos 10 años, nos han dejado

saber de tantas maneras que significan mucho para ti. Sepan

que usted se refiere a una gran cantidad de cada uno de noso-

tros, también. Que Dios este con todos ustedes.

Penance Service

Monday December 14—in the Church

Servicio de Penitencia

Lunes 14 de diciembre en el Iglesia

Advent Online Retreat Continues

Visit our website www.stagathas.org daily to read

our parishioner’s meditation and leave a comment.

Let us prepare for the Birth of Jesus together.

Seguimos con las Reflexiones de Adviento por Internet

Visiten nuestra web www.stagathas.org cada día, le-

an las reflexiones diarias y dejen un comentario. Pre-

parémonos juntos para el Nacimiento de Jesús.

Advent Faith Sharing

The Advent season is a time of imitate Mary by pondering the

word of God and allowing it to resonate within our hearts and

pour into our lives. What can Mary teach me about the

Advent season? Each session will explore the feast up to and

including the Nativity of our Lord. Join Natalie Roberts on

four Tuesdays December 15 from 7:00 pm—8:30 pm. This

group will meet in the Parish Center Conference Room. If you

are interested in participating in this group, please contact

Natalie at (925) 818-6816 or by email: Natcrob@gmail.com

Advent Faith Sharing

Experience the joyful anticipation of Advent in this medita-

tive faith sharing prayer experience. We will have the oppor-

tunity to pause in the midst of the hectic holiday season and

listen to the word of God. Are you ready to Pause and

Connect? Join Gilbert Dorado on three Wednesday, De-

cember 16 from 7:00 pm—8:30 pm. This group will meet

in the Guadalupe Room. If you are interested in participating

in this group,

please contact Gilbert at (323) 397-7374 or

by email: gdorado2004@yahoo.com

Sacrament of Confirmation

St. Agatha’s is offering a five month Adult Confirmation

Preparation Course. This course is open to:

• anyone who is 18 years or older,

• baptized in the Catholic Church, and

• has already received their First Communion

Through this process you learn about the Catholic Faith but

more importantly you get an opportunity to experience God’s

grace and presence. Take the time to pray to see if God is call-

ing you to this Sacrament. (This course will only be offered

in English.) Please contact:

Gilbert Dorado at (323) 397-7347 Or

Natalie Roberts at (925) 818-6816

Confirmation: Igniting the Holy Spirit within you

Sacramento de Confirmación

Santa Águeda estará ofreciendo el curso de preparación de Con-

firmación para adultos por cinco meses. Este curso esta abierto:

• personas que tengan 18 años o mas.

• bautizados en la Iglesia Católica

• y para los que ya recibieron su Primera Comunión

A través de este proceso aprenderá acerca de la fe católica pero

mas importante que tendrás la oportunidad de experimentar la

gracia y la presencia de Dios. Tome tiempo para orar para ver

si Dios le llama a este Sacramento. (El curso será ofrecido

solamente en Ingles.) Por favor contactar:

Gilbert Dorado al (323) 397-7347 o

Natalie Roberts al (925) 818-6816

Confirmación: Encendiendo el Espíritu Santo dentro de ti

Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, 2015

4:30 p.m. Family Mass (Bilingual)

7:30 p.m. Gospel Mass (English)

12:00 a.m. Midnight Mass (Bilingual)

Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2015

9:00 a.m. Christmas Mass (Spanish)

10:30 a.m. Christmas Mass (English)

Vísperas de la Navidad, Jueves, 24 de diciembre

4:30 p.m. Misa Familiar (bilingüe)

7:30 p.m. Misa con Góspel (inglés)

12:00 a.m. Misa de Gallo (bilingüe)

Navidad, Viernes, 25 de diciembre de 2014

9:00 a.m. Misa de Navidad (español)

10:30 a.m. Misa de Navidad (español)

Retirement Fund for Religious

Today we have a special collection to support reli-

gious communities. Thank you for your generosity!

Fondo de la Jubilación para Religiosos y Religiosas

Hoy tenemos una colecta para apoyar a las comuni-

dades religiosas. ¡Gracias por su generosidad!

December 26— NO MEAL HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! December 19— S.H.A.R.E. Ministry Contact: Margie

“As each one has re-ceived a special gift,

employ it in serving one another as good

stewards of the mani-fold grace of God. “

- 1 Peter 4:10

"Que todos, como buenos administrado-

res de los múltiples do-nes de Dios, pongan al servicio de los demás el

don que recibieron"

-1 Pedro 4:10

"NOBODY CAN DO

EVERYTHING BUT

EVERYBODY CAN DO

SOMETHING"

Thank you Mrs. Stamps and the

Linda F. family for volunteer-

ing to donate sandwiches for

our guests. Mrs. Stamps and

Linda read the request in the

bulletin for sandwiches and

immediately volunteered to

help. Linda and her family for

the past 4-5 years each month

donates 3 full sheet cakes for

our guests to celebrate the spe-

cial blessings in their lives

during the month. Our guests

love it that someone is thinking

about them and is wishing

them a Happy Birthday. We

thank Joe Petersen for making

his special lunch bags for our

youngest children guests. The

children gather in a corner and

sit down to look in their bags,

they unload the bags and giggle

at what's inside then they eat

and chat with one another. It's

very precious to see their inter-

action with each other as they

enjoy the contents of their bag.

Thank you the guests were

thrilled to have the warm jack-

ets and blankets that you sent

in. We thank you our wingless

angels and saints for being the

providers that God sent to touch

the lives of our guests.

Amen.

TODAY IS THE BAKE

SALE. PLEASE STOP BY

TO SUPPORT OUR EF-

FORTS. WE ATTEMPT TO

CREATE AN ATMOS-

PHERE THAT WILL

STIMULATE AND EN-

COURAGE FELLOWSHIP

AND UNITY AMONG ALL

OF OUR CHURCH FAMILY

MEMBERS. WE MUST

LEARN TO APPRECIATE

AND CHERISH OUR

SAMENESS AND NOT AL-

LOW THE DISTRACTION

OF FOCUSING ON THE

DIFFERENCE TO CREEP

IN AND TAKE OVER. GOD,

PRAYER AND SMILES

CAN BRING PEACE HERE

ON EARTH. YOU AL-

READY ARE AWARE

THAT OUR GOD CAN DO

ALL THINGS. REACH

OUT DEAR FAMILY TO

THAT CHURCH FAMILY

MEMBER THAT YOU AL-

WAYS RUSH PASS WITH-

OUT ACKNOWLEGING

GIVE THEM A HUG AND

INVITE THEM TO COME

AND HAVE A GOODIE

AND COFFEE WITH YOU

ON THE PLACITA TO-

DAY. DO NOT LET THESE

MOMENTS THAT GOD

HAS BLESSED YOU WITH

PASS YOU BY.

The Christmas Dinner is in

about two weeks. The list of

needs was in the bulletin last

week. This is the time when

doubt creeps in for THE

S.H.A.R.E. MINISTRY the

sheets for donations for the

dinner are out and each year

the emptiness on the needs

sheets seems to be steadily

increasing. This St. Agatha

outreach ministry to the

needy belongs to every mem-

ber of the church and not to

just those who serve as the

S.H.A.R.E. Ministry Leaders

it's your support and outreach

on Christmas Day and Satur-

day's that impacts the lives of

guests who are served. On

Christmas Day volunteers come

to serve for the day and leave

your support is what sustains

the outreach and provides the

blessing to make and be the

difference for so many lives. St.

Agatha Hands Are Reaching

Everywhere that's you all dear

family.

We pray that God gives com-

fort to you as you reach out to

pass on the blessings the He has

provided for you. Do not be

afraid to show and give kind-

ness God has your back and

will support and give you such

joy in your heart that you will

want to shout, sing and dance

and just want to tell everybody

about your blessing.

We must all pray for unity and

God's peace everywhere on

earth. Can we all try to do this

at 12noon each day?

Be blessed and

be a blessing.

Sunday, December 6 $ 8,833.50

Online Giving $ 1,001.00

Sunday, November 29 $ 7,283.00

Online Giving $ 340.00

Sunday, November 22 $ 7,321.50

Ministry Christmas Thank You Dinner

All members of our ministries and volunteers are invited to our Annual Christmas Ministry / Volunteer Thank You Dinner Party on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm., in our Parish Hall. Please bring a $10.00 value gift to participate in the Gift Exchange Game. Allow us the opportunity to thank you by attend-ing our Thank You Dinner! May God continue to bless you and may God bless our St. Agatha Family!

Cena de Agradecimiento de Navidad

Todos los miembros de ministerios y todos los volunta-rios están invitados a nuestra Cena Navideña de Agrade-cimiento para todos los Ministerios. La cena será el sábado 9 de enero, 2016, de 6 p.m. a 9 p.m. en nuestro Salón Parroquial. Por favor de traer su regalo navideño con valor de $10 para participar en el Juego de Entre-cambio de regalos. Denos la oportunidad de darles gra-cias y vengan a la Cena de agradecimiento.

Pastoral Staff Directory Pastoral Office (323) 935-8127

(323) 743-8127 (text messages)

St. Agatha's Web: www.stagathas.org

Sat December 12 ╬ Sábado 12 de Diciembre

5:30 p.m. Our Parish Family -

Sun December 13 ╬ Domingo 13 de Diciembre Zep 3: 14-18a/ Is 12: 2-3. 4. 5-6 (6)/ Phil 4: 4-7/ Lk 3: 10-18

7:00 a.m. Jose Armando Covarrubias † - A petición de su familia

7:00 a.m. Manuel y María López (Bendiciones) - A petición de la Familia Sánchez

7:00 a.m. Agustín Gutiérrez† - A petición de Eusebia Ramírez

7:00 a.m. Lucía Romo † - A petición de Eusebia Ramírez

8:30 a.m. Our Parish Family -

10:00 a.m. Frank Bryant † -

12:15 p.m. Gladys Arellano † - Requested by Carol Daliet

12:15 p.m. Josefina Vargas † - A petición de María Arellano

12:15 p.m. Edmundo Escoto † - A petición de la familia

5:30 p.m. Our Parish Family -

Monday, December 14 ╬ Lunes 14 de Diciembre Nm 24: 2-7. 15-17a/ Ps 25: 4-5. 6 and 7bc. 8-9/ Mt 21: 23-27

6:30 p.m. Our Parish Family

Tuesday, Dec 15 ╬ Martes 15 de Diciembre Zep 3: 1-2. 9-13/ Ps 34: 2-3. 6-7. 17-18. 19 & 23/ Mt 21: 28-32

6:30 p.m. Nuestra Familia Parroquial

Wed, December 16 ╬ Miércoles 16 de Diciembre Is 45: 6-8. 18. 21-25/ Ps 85: 9-12. 13-14/ Lk 7: 18b-23

8:00 a.m. Our Parish Family -

Thurs, December 17 ╬ Jueves 17 de Diciembre Gn 49: 2. 8-10/ Ps 72: 1-2. 3-4ab. 7-8. 17/ Mt 1: 1-17

10: 00 a.m. Servicio de Comunión -

Friday, December 18 ╬ Viernes 18 de Diciembre Jer 23: 5-8/ Ps 72: 1-2. 12-13. 18-19/ Mt 1: 18-25

6:30 p.m. Our Parish Family -

Pastoral Office Hours Monday - Friday • Lunes - Viernes

10:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Saturday • Sábado

9:00 am - 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Sunday: OFFICE CLOSED

Mass Times / Tiempos de Misa

Mon: 6:30pm (En) Tues: 6:30pm (Sp)

Wed: 8:00am (En) Thurs: 6:30pm (Sp)

Fri: 6:30pm (Bl) Sat: 5:30pm (En/Vigil)

Sun: 7:00am (Sp), 8:30am (En)

10:00am (En/Gospel) 12:15pm (Sp) 5:30pm (En)

Confession / Confesiones

Saturday/Sábado: 4:40pm

Submit a bulletin Announcement

emontenegro@stagathas.org

ereyes@stagathas.org

Sr. Karen Collier

Parish Life Director

Ext. 227

srkaren@stagathas.org

Fr. Bill Axe

Priest Ministry

Ext. 223

wx007@aol.com

Dn. Ricardo Recinos

Hispanic Apostolate

(323) 935-1308

deaconrrecinos@stagathas.org

Enrique Reyes

Parish Business Manager

Ext. 224

ereyes@stagathas.org

Teresa Amezcua

Director of Faith Formation

(323) 933-0963

tamezcua@stagathas.org

Gricelda de la Cerda

Youth Ministry

Ext. 240

gdelacerda@stagathas.org

Emmanuel Montenegro Receptionist

Ext. 221

emontenegro@stagathas.org

Eddie Hilley

Music Ministry Director

(323) 935-2853

hilleysound@prodigy.net

Welcome to St. Agatha Catholic Church!

We extend our hands and hearts in Christian fellowship to you here

celebrating with us, whether longtime residents or newly arrived in the

parish.

New: [ ] parishioner [ ] address [ ] phone [ ] email

Name: _________________________________________

Phone:_________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

Next Sunday Readings

-Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 20, 2015

Mi 5: 1-4a/ Ps 80/ Heb 10: 5-10/ Lk 1: 39-45