Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church 300 Fulton Street ▪ Redwood City, CA 94062 Tel. (650) 366-3802 ▪ Fax: (650) 366-1421 [email protected] [email protected] ▪ www.mountcarmel.org

The Epiphany of the Lord January 07, 2018 Parish Center Hours Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Parish Phones Parish Center Office: (650) 366-3802 Pastor’s Office: (650) 306-9583 Religious Education Office: (650) 368-8237 Mt. Carmel School Office: (650) 366-6127 Kids’ Place (Pre-School): (650) 366-6587 Parish Staff Pastor: Rev. Ulysses D’Aquila Deacon: Rev. Mr. Thomas J. Boyle Principal: Teresa Anthony Administrative Assistant: Ivette Meléndez Director of Religious Ed.: Magdalena Hernández Youth Confirmation: Judy Draper Director of Music: Bianca Remlinger Spanish Music Ministry: Andrés García Pre-School Director: Maureen Arnott Development Director: Nori Jabba

All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. — Psalm 72:11

Ante él se postrarán todos los reyes y todas las naciones. — Salmo 72:11

Mass Schedule Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm (Español), and 5 pm Saturday: 8: 15 am and 5:00 pm Vigil Mass Monday to Friday 8:15 am Reconciliation/Confession Saturday 3:30 –4:30 pm

Baptisms / Bautismos Call parish at least two months in advance. Llame a la parroquia a lo menos dos meses antes.

Weddings / Bodas Call parish at least six months in advance. Llame a la parroquia a lo menos seis meses antes.

Mission Statement Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is a Christ-centered community in the Roman Catholic tradition. We try to share the Good News of salvation with others. As a diverse community, we value and respect individual differences. As God’s people, we gather in the Spirit to pray, to celebrate the sacraments, to teach, to learn, to console, to rejoice, to minister and to renew our faith with one another.

Notes from the Pastor

Notas del Párroco

When I was a boy living in Spain with my family, it was Tres Reyes or the Feast of the Epiphany that was celebrated as the day when children received gifts rather than at Christmas as in the United States. For that reason, everywhere you went you would see references to the Three Kings, including special cakes and little crowns and costumes for the children. Thinking about this made me ask myself, “Who were these mysterious Kings or Wise Men or Magi who in the Bible have such an interesting role in the Nativity of Jesus? Where did they come from? Did they travel together, or did they independently find out about the impending birth of the Holy Savior? What happened to them after they left the Holy Land? Did they tell others of what they had seen?” Most of these questions cannot be answered with any certainty, but that does not indicate that the story of the Wise Men as reported in St. Matthew’s Gospel is not full of theological meaning. First of all, the Magi are foreigners. In other words, they’re not Jewish and in all likelihood would have known nothing of the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah. They have come from a long distance, probably from Persia, Babylonia and Arabia, drawn to the little town of Bethlehem by a sign they have seen in the sky. In my opinion, the Magi represent the deepest wisdom of the pre-Christian world, a world in which there were certainly great philosophers, astronomers and spiritual seekers. Our Church has always taught that God implanted His divine spirit in human beings from the beginning. This means that wise people of whatever race, culture or religion, and long before the birth of Jesus, were seeking to understand the universe and the purpose of our existence. So these Magi, whoever they were, had simultaneously discovered, by whatever secret sciences they employed, that the answer to these perplexing questions was about to be born; that Divine Truth from above was going to enter the world in the person of a little child born in a stable. And what does this story of the Wise Men mean for us today, so far away in time and place from Christ’s Nativity? Maybe it means this: that in the 2,000 years since the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem the number of those who call themselves Catholic and Christian is now over 1.5 billion. From a small movement that began in the Jewish community of Palestine, our holy Catholic faith has now spread to every continent of the globe. And every day someone somewhere discovers Christ anew, and like the Wise Men, comes to adore him. May all of us be counted among those believers, and may we – full of faith and hope – help to shine Christ’s divine light into our dark world. Fr. Ulysses

Cuando yo era niño viviendo en España con mi familia, era la Fiesta de Epifanía o Tres Reyes que se celebra como el día cuando los niños recibieron regalos en lugar de en Navidad como en los Estados Unidos. Por esa razón, en todas partes uno veía referencias a los Reyes Magos, incluyendo pasteles especiales y pequeñas coronas y los trajes para los niños. Pensando en esto me hizo preguntarme "¿Quiénes eran estos reyes misteriosos o hombres sabios o magos que en la Biblia tienen un papel tan importante? ¿De dónde vienen ellos? ¿Viajaban juntos, o uno por uno? ¿Qué pasó con ellos después de que salieron de la Tierra Santa? La mayoría de estas preguntas no se pueden contestar con certeza, pero eso no indica que la historia de los Reyes Magos como se informó en el Evangelio de San Mateo no está lleno de significado teológico. En primer lugar, los Magos son extranjeros. En otras palabras, no son judíos y con toda probabilidad no sabían nada de las profecías del Antiguo Testamento acerca de un Mesías. Vinieron de muy lejos, probablemente de Persia, Babilonia y Arabia, guiados a la ciudad de Belén por un signo que habían visto en el cielo. En mi opinión, los Reyes Magos representan la sabiduría más profunda del mundo pagano o pre-cristiano, un mundo en el había grandes filósofos, astrónomos y hombres sabios. Nuestra Iglesia siempre ha enseñado que Dios implantó su espíritu divino en los seres humanos desde el principio. Esto significa que muchas personas de cualquier raza, cultura o religión, y mucho antes del nacimiento de Jesús, estaban tratando de entender el universo y el propósito de nuestra existencia. Así que estos reyes magos, quienesquiera que fuesen, habían descubierto al mismo tiempo, por cualquier ciencia secretas que empleaban, que la respuesta a estas preguntas desconcertantes estaba a punto de nacer; que la Divina Verdad desde arriba iba a entrar en el mundo en la persona de un niño nacido en un establo. ¿Y qué significa esta historia de los Reyes Magos para nosotros hoy, tan lejos en tiempo y lugar del nacimiento de Cristo? Tal vez significa esto: que en los 2.000 años desde el nacimiento de Jesús en Belén, el número de aquellos que se llaman católicos y cristianos es ahora más de 1,5 millones. Desde un pequeño movimiento que comenzó en la comunidad judía de Palestina, nuestra santa fe católica se ha extendido a todos los continentes del mundo. Y cada día alguien descubre de nuevo a Jesucristo, y al igual que los Reyes Magos, viene a adorarlo. Que todos nosotros seamos contados entre estos creyentes, y que - llenos de fe y esperanza - ayudemos a brillar la luz divina de Cristo en nuestro mundo oscuro. P. Ulises

Bible Study at Mount Carmel Unlock the Mystery of the Bible. Sessions every Wednesday from January 17 to March 7, 2018. 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. Registration in Parish Office. For more information call Ray Smith (650) 400-5425

As we reach the end of 2017, let me take this chance to thank all of you who so kindly blessed me with your faithful presence at Mount Carmel, and particularly to those who wrote me cards, who gave me checks and other gifts and who offered birthday and Christmas greetings in the past weeks. May God bless all of you with his peace; may He keep you in his loving embrace and watch over you; may he send down a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to guide us on the right path as we enter a new year of grace.

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Archdiocesan Annual Appeal 2017 Thank all of you who have contributed to the Archbishop Annual Appeal. Our parish assessment this year is $77,050. To date we have received $70,100. Our new balance $6,950. Please consider how you can help us meet our goal. For those who have not done so, would you take one of the brochures and consider what you might do to help us make our goal?

Mount Carmel Men’s Club Join us in the Small Hall Thursday January 11, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. for Aneesh Bakshi’s famous Curry Night. Tandoori Chicken, Lamb Vindaloo, Samosas and Saffron rice, $20, but first-timers always free.

SAVE THE DATE !!! Annual Mount Carmel Crab Feed. Saturday Feb. 03 All you can eat Crab, Pasta, Salad, garlic bread and More.

Next Week Second Collection The second collection next week, be for our Religious Education Program .

Thank you!

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TODAY’S SECOND COLLECTION IS FOR PARISH FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE.

This collection helps us to maintain our church and other parish facilities in good condition, to do the repairs and upgrades that are needed, and to cover the gardening needs of the Parish.

Kinder and TK Information Night! Tuesday January 9th at 7:00 p.m. Childcare available. For more information call School (650) 366-6127 HOMEBOUND MINISTRY If someone in your family is homebound, lives nearby and is unable to attend Mass, but would like to received the Eucharist, please contact Julie O’Leary at (650) 361-8681. Communion ministers are needed to bring the Eucharist to homebound parishioners. Please call Julie O’Leary if you would like to participate in this worthy ministry.

Saturday, January 06, 2018 05:00 PM Joe Sala † Sunday, January 07, 2018 08:00 AM Robert Thomas † 10:00 AM Josiah Harris † 12:00 PM Angel and Marta Perez † 05:00 PM Simon Moynihan † Monday, January 08, 2018 8:15 AM Engracio ‘Chito’ deLeón † Tuesday, January 09, 2018 8:15 AM Eamon Deegan † Wednesday, January 10, 2018 8:15 AM John F. Mullen † Thursday, January 11, 2018 8:15 AM Dave † and Maryann Gonzales Friday, January 12, 2018 8:15 AM Mario and Tina Mondin † Saturday, January 13, 2018 8:15 AM Special Intentions (health)

Welcome Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Registration Form The following confidential information will be entered in our parish data system. It is only for the purpose of knowing and serving you better. Name (s): ______________________________ Address: _______________________________ City:_________________ zip:______________ Telephone:_____________________________ e-mail:_________________________________ Others in your household:________________ Number of adults over 18 years of age: _____ Number of children under 18 years of age: ___ Would you like a parishioner number in order to register your donations? ______

Sunday:

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

The Epiphany of the Lord; National Migration Week; Monday: The Baptism of the Lord Tuesday: First Week in Ordinary Time begins Wednesday: of the First week in Ordinary Time Thursday: of the First week in Ordinary Time Friday: of the First week in Ordinary Time Saturday: St. Hilary; Blessed Virgin Mary

New Flooring for Mount Carmel Church We are eagerly looking forward to realizing our new church floor project in January. There is a display in the vestibule with a rendering of more-or-less what it will look like, as well as samples of the material. This flooring will be much easier to keep clean, it is a 100% natural and ‘green’ product, it has a guarantee of over 40 years, and with the main aisle designs, it should be a beautiful enhancement of our worship space. If you would like to contribute to this project, there are envelopes on the table near the front doors. All substantial donations will be acknowledged on a plaque.

OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL #919128 300 Fulton St. Redwood City, CA 94062 CONTACT PERSON Ivette Meléndez, Bulletin Editor: 650-366-3802 Fr. Ulysses D’Aquila, Pastor: 650-306-9583 EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected] SOFTWARE Microsoft ®Publisher 2007 Adobe®Acrobat®X Window7® PRINTER Toshiba e studio 3055c TRANSMISSION TIME By 11:00 a.m. On Wednesday SUNDAY OF PUBLICATION January 07, 2018 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 6 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS