SUNDAY SCRIPTURE – QUESTIONS TO PONDER
~ How does your parish help members realize their mission to seek justice for the oppressed?
~ Which virtues have you tried to cultivate in yourself this Advent?
~ What good works do you see lived out in your community that tell of Christ’s presence in the world?
GAUDETE SUNDAY – REJOICE!
READINGS FOR THE WEEKEND: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121122.cfm
LIVE-STREAMING: Visit https://www.youtube.com/c/StPolycarpSmyrnaDE for live stream at 8:30 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 4 pm on Saturdays.
Thank you for your patience as we experienced some issues last week with our live stream.
PARISH WEBSITE: Visit: www.saintpolycarp.org/.
WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN: CLICK HERE . BULLETIN OVERFLOW: Bulletin Overflow – CLICK HERE
THIS WEEKEND, DECEMBER 10/11 (& week of December 11)
The BLESSING OF USHERS and GREETERS will take place this Sunday, December 11th, during the 10:30 am Mass.
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS: There is a limited supply of Christmas Ornaments available for purchase this weekend after both Masses at the doors of the Church. They are beautiful!
Come check them out! Ornaments are $15. If you already ordered one, see Erica at the front doors for pickup. As always, thank you for supporting PSR.
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS & NOVENA
Gifts are usually given at the birth of a child. Let us generously give the Holy Family beautiful flowers representing the intentions of our loved ones. Christmas is a magical time of year for LOVE and PEACE and time to reflect and BELIEVE that God gave us His Son to be with us always. There is much comfort in knowing that God loves us unconditionally. Share the joy of Christmas by adding all your loved ones to our Christmas Novena of Masses. Envelopes are available at the doors of the Church.
DEANERY ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE will be held this Thursday, December 15th at 7 pm, at Holy Cross Church in Dover.
Several priests will be available to hear confessions. Need a refresher? CLICK HERE
THE DEACON CHARLIE MEMORIAL ADVENT POSTER CONTEST: This is an annual event that our students participate in each year. Each poster was special in its own way which made it very difficult for Deacon Charlie’s family to choose the winners. Make sure you stop by the hall during the month of December to check out the wonderful display of posters! The winners will be showcased in the bulletin and will be at the Church doors for all to see! To see the 3rd Place poster and Honorable Mention poster, visit this weekend’s bulletin! https://www.jppc.net/onlinebulletins/301template.pdf
SIGNAGE COORDINATOR NEEDED
Are you looking for an opportunity to serve our parish and help fellow parishioners navigate our campus? The Pastoral Council is searching for a volunteer to coordinate the Parish Signage project. This person will work with Father Jim and the Pastoral Council to assess the signage needs for our campus and to facilitate the implementation of this project. If interested, please contact Kathy Curlett at kathleencurlett19@gmail.com.
EARLY SUBMISSION DATES FOR THE WEEKLY BULLETIN: Early submission dates have been set by our bulletin publisher for the holiday season. All submissions that you would like to appear in the bulletin will need to be submitted earlier. These dates seem weeks away but they will be here before we know it. Plan now and submit early. Bulletin Date January 1, submit by Thursday, December 15; Bulletin Date January 8, submit by December 28th.
NEXT WEEKEND, DECEMBER 17/18 (& week of December 18)
BREAKFAST WITH JESUS: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18TH FOLLOWING MASS: Come enjoy “Breakfast with Jesus” and share the blessings of the season with each other as we await the coming of our Lord! Breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus. There will be photo opportunities! Hope to see you there!
St. Polycarp:
Saturday, December 24 at 4 pm (Followed by the Children’s Christmas Pageant – see below*)
Saturday, December 24 at 9 pm
Sunday, December 25 at 10 am
St. Dennis:
Saturday, December 24 at 4 pm
Saturday, December 24 at 6 pm
Sunday, December 25 at 10 am
* O Come, O Come Emmanuel: We are happy to announce that our PSR students will once again be performing our annual Nativity Pageant immediately following the 4 pm Christmas Eve Mass. All are welcome to join us! Our 1st and 2nd graders will surely put you into the Christmas Spirit with their lively personalities and the jolly songs they sing!!! Merry Christmas to all!
UPCOMING/ONGOING
COME TO THE BROTHER VINCENT CHUCK WAGON! Tickets for the January 14th Dinner and Show, sponsored by the Brother Vincent Knights of Columbus and the Columbiettes, are on sale this weekend after Masses at the Church exits. The show features The Legends of Country Music – Sean Jamison and Jenna Young with Country Music. Tickets are $40.00 each. Tickets may be purchased by check (made payable to Brother Vincent Council), by credit card through Faith Direct CLICK HERE, or by using this QR code. 
CHANGE THE WORLD: BECOME CATHOLIC! Is there someone you would like to invite to explore the Catholic faith – someone unbaptized, or baptized in a non-Catholic Christian tradition? Do you know someone who needs Confirmation and/or First Eucharist? Perhaps, the Catholic faith can fulfill their desires for a closer relationship with Our Lord. Then, the RCIA process is for them. Please contact Deacon Frank Weber for more information. DeaconFrank@saintpolycarp.org or leave a message with the Parish office at (302) 653-8279.
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD takes place on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month during the 10:30 Mass. All children ages PK – 4th grade are welcome to join us. Children will be called to come forward before the First Reading. They will return to you after the General Intercessions. All catechists and assistants have a cleared background check. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, please contact Erica Taylor at (302) 653-4101.
CONNECTED IN CHRIST (ADULT FAITH FORMATION) meets every Tuesday at 9:30 AM in the Parish Library – ALL are welcome. Please join us. If you have any questions, please call Cookie Ruane at 302-540-6429.
FROM OUR BROTHER VINCENT COUNCIL #7517 – KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS FUNDRAISER You can help our Knights as they work to help our church and community by purchasing these premium nuts, gourmet confections and sweet and savory snack mixes. They make great gifts. Orders shipped right to your door! A portion of every product sold benefits Brother Vincent Council #7517. Delivery is no longer guaranteed for the holidays, but our fundraiser will continue until we reach our goal! Please support your Council. To order visit https://council-7517-kofC.terrilynn.com
GLUTEN FREE? Do you have an intolerance to gluten? If so, our parish offers gluten-free wafers to be consecrated for you. Please see our Sacristan 10 – 15 minutes before Mass and let them know that you need a gluten-free wafer put in the pyx. At Communion, please proceed down the aisle to the priest who will have the pyx in his hand and let him know you need a gluten-free host.
THE VOCATION CHALICE MINISTRY: Please consider signing up to host the vocation chalice in your home for a week. Text or call Alice Gaston at (302) 670 – 7924. For more information visit https://saintpolycarp.org/vocation-chalice/ December 18 at the 10:30 Mass – Bobeck
VIA CRUCIS: (The Way of the Cross – Lent 2023)The Via Crucis was first presented in St. Anthony of Padua Church in 1933. It was revived in 1961 and has been presented continuously from 1961 to the present. All grade-school age to college-age boys and girls are welcome to participate.. The presentation is open to participants from any parish. Bring along your friends and relatives as well! NEW VIRTUAL BEGINNNING —December 16th, 2023 AT stanthony.viacrucis@gmail.com. Please include name, age and contact information. For more information CLICK HERE
IS THAT YOU, FR. JIM? If you receive emails or texts from Fr. Jim asking for favors or gifts or stating something similar to “I am currently busy in a meeting now, no calls so just reply to my email.”, please ignore and delete. If an email looks suspicious and you’re not sure, give the office a call.
Have you had the opportunity to dive into FORMED? To sign up visit www.formed.org. Type in our Parish zip code (19977) and follow the steps to sign up or you can use the QR code below. Take advantage of your free subscription to FORMED! Enjoy thousands of hours of quality Catholic content! 
REDNER’S MARKETS 1% SAVE-A-TAPE FUNDRAISER: Turn your food shopping into cash for our parish. Simply be sure to obtain and scan your Redner’s Rewards Card each time you shop. Save your whole receipt. Bring your receipts to the Parish Office or put them into the collection basket. There is no expiration date – you can turn in receipts months old!
BULLETIN SPONSORS: Thank you to all of our weekly bulletin sponsors for your support during the year! Your support has not gone unnoticed by our parish community and is so appreciated!
USEFUL LINKS:
WEBSITE: www.saintpolycarp.org.
BULLETIN: https://www.jppc.net/onlinebulletins/301template.pdf
BULLETIN OVERFLOW: https://saintpolycarp.org/this-weeks-bulletin/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/StPolycarpSmyrnaDE
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SaintPolycarpCatholicChurch/
ONLINE GIVING: Please consider becoming an e-giver. It is easy to make your weekly or one time contributions in support of the Parish. For more information and to sign up for online giving, visit faith.direct/DE831
ST DENNIS: http://www.stdennischurch.org
DIOCESE OF WILMINGTON – LIVE STREAMING https://www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofWilm
FOR THE SAKE OF GOD’S CHILDREN: https://www.cdow.org/giving/fsgc/
THE DIALOG: http://thedialog.org/ Newspaper of the Diocese, copies available as you leave Church or online
EWTN: ewtn.com
FROM THE DIOCESE:
CATHOLIC FORUM/RELEVANT RADIO: Saturdays at 1:30 pm on Relevant Radio 640AM. On Saturday December 10th, Teresa Brown from the Catholic Publishers Association will tell us about some of the great new Catholic Advent and Christmas books that are on the market. CLICK HERE You can listen online at cdow.org/CatholicForum, or by searching “Catholic Forum” on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Amazon Music podcasts. “Like” Catholic Forum on Facebook at facebook.com/CatholicForum @CatholicForum.
LET US PRAY:
The symbolism of the Advent wreath is quite beautiful. The circle of the wreath, with no beginning or end and made with evergreens, represents eternity and the everlasting life found in Christ.
The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent whose progressive lighting expresses the expectation and hope surrounding the coming of the Messiah. There are different systems of considering the four weeks. For example, Week 1 evokes the patriarchs and the virtue of hope. Week 2 recalls the prophets and peace. Week 3 recalls John the Baptist and joy while Week 4 presents the figure of Mary and the virtue of love. 
Week 3: Light the first and second purple candles and the pink candle
Scripture Reflection: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:20
*pause for reflection
Advent Wreath Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us focus on you during this busy season. May we stay aware of the joy you bring into our lives. We want to find you in the everyday moments and come with hearts of gratitude to your manger on Christmas. Amen.
https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/advent/advent-wreath-prayers.html