This Sunday, November 28th, 2021

Saints Peter and Paul

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Fr. Ricky V. Ordóñez

*****

ADVENT IS UPON US!

Expectant and Jubilant waiting on the Lord’s birth is here! As I mentioned to you, I always believed that every day of our lives should be ADVENT! May this season of hope continue to bless us with AN EXPECTANT FAITH!

*****

THE CHURCH WANTS TO HEAR YOU!

His Holiness Pope Francis has called for all the Bishops of the world to come to Rome for a SYNOD in 2023.

It is entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”.

In simple terms, Synod is “journeying together” to help her (Mother Church) to live in communion, to achieve participation, to open Herself to mission.

It is in this light that we NEED to come together as a parish in a “listening session”, the second one to be held on Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 8:00, am to 9:30 am.

So, what happens in our coming together? The Vatican has come up with 5 topics that we need to discuss. These are the following:

1. Companions on the Journey

In the Church and in society, we are side by side on the same road.
Who are those who “walk together”?
Who are those who seem further apart?

2. Listening

We need to have an open mind and open heart without prejudice.
How is God speaking to us through voices we sometimes ignore, especially people who experience poverty, marginalization, or social exclusion?
How are the laity listened to, especially women and young people?
What facilitates or inhibits our listening?
How well do we listen to those on the peripheries?

Father's note Continues on top of the next column

3. Celebration

“Walking together” is only possible if it is based on communal listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist.
How do prayer and liturgical celebrations actually inspire and guide our common life and mission in our community?
How do we promote the active participation of all the faithful in the liturgy?

4. Dialogue in Church and Society

Dialogue requires perseverance and patience, but it also enables mutual understanding.
To what extent do diverse peoples in our community come together for dialogue?
What are the places and means of dialogue within our local Church?
What particular issues in the Church and society do we need to pay more attention to?
How does the Church dialogue with and learn from other sectors of society: the spheres of politics, economics, culture, civil society, and people who live in poverty?

5. Discerning and Deciding

In a synodal style, we make decisions through discernment of what the Holy Spirit is saying through our whole community.
What methods and processes do we use in decision-making?
How can they be improved? How do we promote participation in decision-making within hierarchical structures? Do our decision-making methods help us to listen to the whole People of God?
Do our decision-making methods help us to listen to the whole People of God? What tools and procedures do we use to promote transparency and accountability? How can we grow in communal discernment?

SAINTS PETER & PAUL GIVING TREE!

Welcome to the holy season of Advent!

We hope that we can journey together as a faith community this season of giving. The parish is once again knocking on the doors of your hearts to participate in our annual “Giving Tree” project. We invite you to please take an ornament from the “Giving Tree” located next to the Sacred Heart shrine. When you do so, please drop your unwrapped donation directly to the parish office.

Thank you in advance for your generous support! God Bless!

OPPORTUNITY TO SPONSOR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Parishioners who would like to assist with the Christmas poinsettias and decorations in the Church for the Christmas season are urged to personalize their sponsorship by making a dedication either “In Honor Of” or “In Memory Of” loved ones.

The sponsorships will be published in the parish bulletin at Christmas, SO PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY.

IN HONOR OF__________________________________ __________________________________

IN MEMORY OF ________________________________ _________________________________

SPONSORED BY ________________________________

Phone No._____________________________

Look for this form in the Bulletin.

Please return this form and your donation in an envelope marked “Christmas Dedications”. Drop it in the Sunday collection or deliver it to the Parish Office. Please make your requests by Monday, December 13th.

RCIA – The Rite of Acceptance /Welcome

Please join us at the 11:00 am Mass to welcome our new RCIA individuals.

The Catechumens are asking to be baptized and receive the Sacraments of Initiation to become part of the Catholic Church.

Our baptized candidates ask to be in Full Communion with the Church by completing the Sacraments of Initiation.

This Rite will begin the journey towards receiving the Sacraments during the Saturday Easter Vigil Mass this coming spring.

Please approach these folks and make them feel welcome at Saints Peter and Paul!!

Our Religious Education program needs additional volunteers to teach Religious Education classes, grades 1-8.

If you love to interact with students and can help prepare them as members of the Catholic community, I would love to talk with you.

All applicants will go through our clearance program. We supply the complete curriculum; you do not need to create lesson plans.

If you are interested in contributing to this vital ministry and mission of our Church, then click on the “Sign Up" below.

Parish Volunteer for the Religious Education program

Sign Up

Teachers needed for Grades 1-8

Family activities during Advent.

It’s finally here! Christmas time is here! Or is it?

While Christmas is getting close, it isn’t here quite yet. Instead, we are in a period of waiting, a time of preparation and longing. We are in the Advent season.

So, before you jump into your favorite Christmas playlist, try as a family to listen to some beautiful Advent carols and songs, to really prepare your hearts for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Here are a few you can enjoy:

‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ - LISTEN or LISTEN in LATIN

‘Light of the World’ - LISTEN

‘Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus’ - LISTEN

‘Love Comes Down’ - LISTEN

‘O Come, Divine Messiah’ - LISTEN

‘You’ll Come’ - LISTEN

‘Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence’ - LISTEN

‘Breath of Heaven’ - LISTEN

A message from our Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger:

Dear Fellow Tucson Catholic Parishioners,

November 2021 We are pleased to announce that Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger has asked the Knights of Columbus to restart our efforts to fund the Tucson Diocese Seminarian Education Fund. The Knights of Columbus Assembly 2392, at St Thomas the Apostle, has raised more than $700,000 over the past 16 years supporting both the Retired Priest Fund and the Tucson Diocese Seminarian Education Fund.

We missed 2021 due to Covid19 and are now ready to revitalize and refresh Mass and Dinner with the Bishop on behalf of the Seminarian Education Fund.

2022 Mass & Dinner with the Bishop – January 15th at St. Augustine Cathedral Mass at 5:30 PM followed by dinner catered by Stillwell House at the Cathedral Event Center. Cost $150 ea.

See the attachment for the entire message.

MDB-Letter-2022 - proof 08 NOV 2021.pdf

Announcement:

In November and December 2021, the parishes and other communities within the Diocese of Tucson will hold special listening sessions as part of the global preparations for the 2023 Synod of Bishops: “For a Synodal Church: Communion + Participation + and Mission.” These listening sessions are an invaluable opportunity for everyone in the diocese to both share their experiences and to listen to the experiences of others.

This Synod poses the following fundamental question: A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.”

How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church?

What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
To help everyone to prepare to take part in a listening session or to take the online survey (available on December 1, 2021), we are happy to share with you these five (5) areas of consideration and some reflection questions. See the below list.

The listening sessions will be built around these important themes, which are taken from the special instructions provided by the Holy See.

Saints Peter and Paul's listening session will be on these dates. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The first listening session was on November 13th.

Please sign up for the second listening below.

Dec

4

SSPP 2nd Listening session

Held in the Church at 8:30-9:30

Are you going?

Yes

No

Maybe

going.

not going.

might be going.

Diocese of Tucson

Listening Session Reflection Questions

1. Companions on the Journey

In the Church and in society we are side by side on the same road. In our local Church, who are those who “walk together”?

Who are those who seem further apart?

How are we called to grow as companions?

What groups or individuals are left on the margins?

2. Listening

Listening is the first step, but it requires an open mind and heart, without prejudice. How is God speaking to us through voices we sometimes ignore, especially people who experience poverty, marginalization, or social exclusion?

How are the laity listened to, especially women and young people?

What facilitates or inhibits our listening?

How well do we listen to those on the peripheries?

3. Celebration

“Walking together” is only possible if it is based on communal listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist. How do prayer and liturgical celebrations actually inspire and guide our common life and mission in our community?

How do they inspire the most important decisions?

How do we promote the active participation of all the faithful in the liturgy?

4. Dialogue in Church and Society

Dialogue requires perseverance and patience, but it also enables mutual understanding. To what extent do diverse peoples in our community come together for dialogue?

What are the places and means of dialogue within our local Church?

How are divergences of vision, or conflicts and difficulties addressed?

What particular issues in the Church and society do we need to pay more attention to?

How does the Church dialogue with and learn from other sectors of society: the spheres of politics, economics, culture, civil society, and people who live in poverty?

5. Discerning and Deciding

In a synodal style, we make decisions through discernment of what the Holy Spirit is saying through our whole community. What methods and processes do we use in decision-making?

How can they be improved?

How do we promote participation in decision-making within hierarchical structures? Do our decision-making methods help us to listen to the whole People of God?

What is the relationship between consultation and decision-making, and how do we put these into practice?

What tools and procedures do we use to promote transparency and accountability? How can we grow in communal spiritual discernment?