St.

Helen Church
4106 Mountain St.
Beamsville, ON L0R 1B7
Ph: 905-562-7427
Fax: 905-563-0003
Email: office@sthelenscatholic.ca
Opened - October 2, 1938 Est. as a Parish - January 1, 1986
Pastor: Rev. Krzysztof Szczepanik Sunday Masses:
Office Administration: Aggie Agnino Saturday: 5:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am, 11:00am *
*(Children’s Liturgy of the Word)
Office hours:
Tuesday to Friday 9:00am - 3:00pm Weekday Masses:
Closed on Mondays and all Statutory holidays Tuesday: 6:30pm
Wednesday to Friday: 9:00am
Website: www.sthelenscatholic.ca 2nd Friday at Albright: 10:00am
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/sthelenscatholic 3rd Friday at Mennonite: 10:00am

Sacraments Contacts
Catholic Funeral Rites:
Baptism: When a death occurs in your family, Music Ministry:
1st & 3rd Sunday at 1:00 pm. please call the Parish Office and we Anthony van Engelen
Call parish office. will assist you in making the neces- cell/text 905-563-7067
sary liturgical arrangements. Email adve1@yahoo.com
1st Communion & Confirmation
Contact the Parish Office. Chronic Care Facilities: Ministry Scheduling & RFM:
Pastoral visits are made monthly. Rachel Reid 905-941-4150
Reconciliation: Reception of Holy Communion is ministryschedul-
Every Saturday 4:00pm - 4:30pm or by available to residence. ing@sthelenscatholic.ca
appointment with the priest.
Homebound: Fundraising Events:
Marriage: Notify the Parish Office when serious Joe Della Manna
Arrangements six months in advance. illness occurs. When the sick, aged or josephdellamanna@yahoo.ca
Marriage preparation is required. incapacitated are confined to home for
an extended time, pastoral visit can be Facility & Grounds Maintenance:
RCIA & RCIC: arranged. Craig Luey 905-988-6522
Contact the Parish Office. craig.luey@gmail.com

Anointing of the Sick: Schools Catholic Women's League:

Please let us know when someone has
a serious or prolonged illness or is to
have surgery. This sacrament cele-
brates the healing of mind and body
and the forgiveness of sins.
St. Mark School
Principal: Steven Ward
St. Edward School
Principal: Carla Bianco
Colleen Drake 905-563-8981
Knights of Columbus:
Marcel VanRuyven 905-931-7556
mgvanruijven@gmail.com

Kindly complete the following and place in the collection basket

☐ New Parishioner* ☐ Change of address ☐ Moving
Name________________________ Phone_________________ E-mail___________________
Address______________________________________________ City_____________________
☐ I would like to use offertory envelopes* Postal Code______________
 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph - Year C
December 30th, 2018
Mass Intentions
 December 31, 2018 to January 6, 2019
As we gather, let us remember and pray for . . .
Monday ~ ..…………NO MASS……….……..Dec. 31st
Tuesday ~ Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 1st
10:00 am For the People of St. Helen Parish
Wednesday ~ ...…………..………………….….Jan. 2nd
9:00 am + Margaret Young (by Nancy Winslow)
Thursday ~ ..…………………………………….Jan. 3rd
9:00 am + Edward Comerton (by Clarke Family)
Friday ~ .…….………………….….…..……... Jan. 4th
9:00 am + Richard M. Cahoon (by Clarke Family)
Saturday ~ ...…………………………………... Jan. 5th
5:00 pm + Vern Adams (by Frances Henriks)
Sunday ~ The Epiphany of the Lord Jan. 6th
9:00 am + Ingrid Rider (by Mary Smeenk)
11:00 am For the People of St. Helen Parish
MINISTRY FOR THE SICK AND HOMEBOUND
We are grateful to those who give of
their time and care to bring Holy Com-
munion to our parishioners who cannot
make it to church due to sickness or in-
firmity. If you know of anyone who
would like to receive communion in
their home or while hospitalized at West Lincoln Hos-
pital, please contact the parish office.
ARE YOU REGISTERED IN OUR PARISH?
If you are new to the parish or have been attending
Mass here, ensure that you are registered by complet-
ing the tear off section at the front of this bulletin.
Please do not take for granted that you are registered in
the parish, just because you attend Mass here. In the
future, should you be in need of a pastoral letter
(godparent, school, sponsor for confirmation, teacher
referral, etc.), it would be difficult to issue one if you
are not formally registered with the parish.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
The Prayer Shawl Ministry contin-
ues to create handcrafted shawls for
parishioners, their families and
friends who are coping with illness,
loneliness, pain or trouble. During
the past year, we have distributed
many prayer shawls and lap blankets. The shawls are
knitted with compassion and prayerfulness. They are
available to anyone who needs one. Please call the of-
fice to request a shawl or lap blanket or if you would
like to join this ministry. We meet monthly and wel-
come new members.
This week, the Sanctuary Lamp burns in
memory of STAN KAMINSKE
The Sanctuary Lamp burns to remind us of Christ’s
presence in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
If you wish to sponsor the sanctuary lamp for one
week the stipend is $35.00
Stewardship of Treasure
December 23, 2018 ~ Offertory (176) $4,293.00
Loose 297.60
December 25, 2018 ~ Offertory (181) 5,953.00
Loose 809.05
Building Fund (39) 3,226.00
“May God bless you for your faithful stewardship!”
CWL News
The CWL meeting on Jan 1st is cancelled. Next meet-
ing will be the 1st Tuesday in February (5th) following
the 6:30 p.m. Mass. All ladies of the parish are wel-
come and bring a friend.
MASS January 1st, 2019, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of
God will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m.
ANNUAL OFFENCE DECLARATIONS
If you were asked to sign a declaration for this year and
have done so, we thank you. Anyone still needing to
sign their declaration is to do so by January 15th.
Forms can found in the vestibule or sacristy. Please re-
turn your signed form to the office to keep your status
current.
PREAUTHORIZED DEBIT (PAD) is a convenient
way to make your offerings to the church. If you’re in-
terested, please complete the card found in the pews
and return it to the parish office either directly or
through the collection basket. These donations are pro-
cessed once a month, on or about the 15th of each
month.
A note from the Pastor . . .
I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt
THANK YOU to the parishioners for their Christmas
wishes, cards, gifts, baking and prayers. Your sup-
port is really appreciated and as we journey together
into the Christmas season, let’s remember also those
who don’t have any family members with them to cele-
brate this awesome season when Jesus came down to
live with all of us. May God bless you and your fami-
lies in this upcoming 2019 NEW YEAR!!!
FATHER KRZYSZTOF
 THE MYSTERY OF LEARNING TO LOVE
Hannah offers her only child, Samuel, as a gift to the
Lord. (1 Samuel)
Living as a family and a community. (Philippians)
Jesus’ parents find him in the Temple among the
teachers. (Luke)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus was
found three days later in the Temple
in the midst of the teachers. His dis-
traught parents were upset that he
had done this to them. Jesus said to
them, “Did you not know that I must
be in my father’s house?” Perhaps
Mary and Joseph had been lulled by the years and had
forgotten what they knew of Jesus’ true identity.
In our lives, we often forget about our own true
identity. It is not who we are, rather whose we are.
God has given us our life for a purpose and we need
to never forget that. God is not ours. Instead, we are
God’s own children and we are loved more than we
could ever comprehend. Deacon Dick Folger
A New Year’s Prayer for You
May GOD make 2019 happy for you!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright,
even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their
causes need you most,
And by making you anxious to be there to help.
GOD’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the
year ahead.
In JESUS’ Name, Amen.
FINAL DAYS FOR THIS YEAR’S CHALLENGE!
All Christmas donations re-
ceived in the special Christ-
mas Basement Kitchen Cam-
paign Envelope to a maxi-
mum of $10,000 will be
matched by a benefactor. With your kind support, we
hope to complete the kitchen and purchasing some
smaller appliances and dishware, glassware, dishwash-
er racking, trolleys etc. Envelopes can be found in the
pews.
The Feast of the Holy Family is often celebrated on
the Sunday after Christmas. When a Sunday does not
occur between December 25 and January 1, this feast is
celebrated on December 30 with only one reading be-
fore the Gospel. What family or faith community can't
benefit from reflecting upon the Holy Family? This is
not the time to reflect upon a "perfect family," but to
ask ourselves how we might be blessed to reflect upon
Joseph, Mary and Jesus, and ask ourselves what graces
they could offer us. This allows us a bit more time to
reflect upon the Christmas story, including the every-
day reality that was part of their lives as family - the
patience, give and take, the self-sacrifice and the love
that was a part of their very human interaction together,
throughout what we call "the hidden life" of Jesus. That
can include all the growing up years of Jesus' life, what
their village was like and what ways they spoke with
each other, as well as what difficulties they might have
experienced.
These are all great ways for us to contemplate this
feast. We can imagine what Jesus learned from both
Mary and Joseph that prepared him for his life of pro-
claiming the coming of the Reign of God. Finally, we
can imagine the death of Joseph and the life of Mary
and Jesus after his death.
Tuesday, January 1st will be the Solemnity of Mary
the Mother of God. It is also the World Day of Prayer
for Peace.
We celebrate the Epiphany, in a week or so. We can
draw great fruit from reflecting upon the readings and
prayers of the days before Epiphany or the days after
Epiphany.
This week we keep asking for the grace to celebrate
his coming among us. Each of us can keep growing in a
sense of freedom and joy over the gift we have been
given to know God's love for us and presence with us
more deeply. It is a week of gratitude.
However, if our celebration of the days before Christ-
mas and Christmas Day itself were busy or even diffi-
cult, then this can be days of recovery and added time
to let Our Lord come into our lives where we need him
to come.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
PRAY FOR THE POPE’S JANUARY INTENTIONS
Evangelization: Young People and the
Example of Mary That young people, espe-
cially in Latin America, follow the example
of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord
to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the
world.
FridayS @ 7:00 p.m.
Come out for A fun
night!