Isaiah 61: 1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28. In the first reading, Isaiah rejoices as he brings glad tidings of God’s vindication for his people. In the second reading, Paul encourages rejoicing as God prepares his people for the return of the Lord. In the Gospel, John testifies to the light and cries out in the desert to make straight the way of the Lord.

Domenica 3A Di Avvento Bisogna sbrigarsi a percorrere la strada della conversione, perché “Il tempo è compiuto e il regno di Dio è vicino,” ha ditto Gesù. “Il tempo ormai st è fatto breve. Passa la scena di questo mondo,” ripete con forza San Paolo.

將臨期第三主日

在今天的福音中，我們清楚地聽到若翰洗者明白地表示，他不是默西亞，而是祂的見證人，是祂的前驅，為耶穌准備道路，使人認識祂，歸向祂。 若翰洗者說自己是在荒野裏呼喊的聲音：「修直主的道路！」每一個基督徒的生活方式，至少要帶有某種程度的曠野意味，那就是有刻苦、補贖，痛悔的精神。

不認識天主的世界就是個荒蕪的世界，今天還有許多人不認識天主。我們身為基督信徒，也應有聖若翰洗者的心懷，在這個荒野般的世界，以若翰洗者的精神去生活。不要讓塵世的繁雜事務，阻礙我們為基督的來臨作準備的工作，求天主給我們智慧，追隨基督，實行愛德，謹守十誡，不斷祈禱，凡事感恩，凡事信賴。這是吸引人歸向天主的有效方法，也就像若翰洗者一樣，為主修直道路！

From the Pastor’s Desk

The original St. Nicholas Church, where “Silent Night” was first sung, was damaged beyond repair by a flood in 1899.

Silent Night (Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber in the small town of Oberndorf, Salbsburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. It is the world’s most recorded Christmas song, with more than 137,000 known recordings.

“Stille Nacht” was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at the St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf.

A young Catholic priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had been assigned to Oberndorf. On Christmas Eve of 1818 Father Mohr brought the words to Gruber who was the schoolmaster and organist in the village and asked him to compose a melody for that night’s Mass.

The carol has been translated into about 300 languages.

This is the new Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf.

Fr. Al Mengon, SDB

Parochial Vicar

Mass Intentions For The Week

Sunday December 17, 2023

8:45 Frank & Linda Machi + – Vickie Moresco +

10:15 Soul of Fr, Mario Rosso, SDB + – Tam Park Sun, Chui San Kan, & Andrew Wong +

12:00 For the People of Saints Peter and Paul – Maria Bruno +

5:00 Birthday of Joseph Maggiora +

Monday December 18, 2023

7:00 Birthday of Lorraine DeNicolai +

9:00 Emilia Lucchesi + – Maria & Ambrogio Calcagno +

Tuesday December 19, 2023

7:00 Birthday of Rosario T. Bugayong

9:00 Anniversary of the Death of Giuseppe D’Ascoli + – Maria Serchia +

Wednesday December 20, 2023

7:00 Joseph Leo Torre & Family +

9:00 Vincenzo & Marianinna Torrano + – Alessandro Celi +

Thursday December 21, 2023

7:00 Angelo Sanguinetti + – Mara Amato +

9:00 Luigi & Rosa Mangini + – Mario Crotti +

Friday December 22, 2023

7:00 Anniversary of the Death of Andrea Marenzi +

9:00 Mary Jane & Al Wilson, Aurora Santiago, & Theresa Densler +

Saturday December 23, 2023

7:30 The Giurlani Family +

9:00 Mary & Joseph Lavin + – Mario Crotti +

5:00 Birthday of Sheila Iyer – Dolores Brockenshire +

Baptisms

Sloane Marquez – Knew Suzuki Whittaker

Marriages

Andrew Carlson & Laura Bugon

Rest in Peace

Flavia Bardelli – Domenic Cannizzaro

Particular Items

Advent & Christmas Schedule

December 18 - 20 and December 22

Christmas Novena Service, 5:00PM in the Church

December 21

School Christmas Show 7:00 PM

December 23

Salesian Boys’ and Girls’ Club Christmas Carols at 9:30 AM

Christmas Eve

Confessions 4-5 PM Vigil Mass 5:00 PM.

Carols 11:30 PM, followed by Midnight Mass

Christmas Day

English Masses: 12:00, 7:30, and 8:45 AM

Cantonese Mass: 10:15 AM

Italian Mass: 12:00 PM

NO 5:00 PM Mass Christmas Day

Christmas Novena this Week & More: Join us at 5:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week for the chanted Christmas Novena. This beautiful service, which last about 20 minutes, is your chance to join the Salesians and Salesian Sisters in their evening prayer. On Thursday, we don’t have the Novena, because we have the school Christmas show, which is great. And on Saturday the Salesian Boys and Girls’ Club will sing Christmas Carols through the streets of North Beach. Everyone is invited, and carols start at 9:30AM in front of the Church.

Eucharistic Adoration & Confession/ Anointing of the Sick: We have Adoration & Confession every Friday, following the 7:00 AM Mass. And on the first Friday of the month we have the Anointing following the 7:00 AM Mass.

Christmas Legends: The tabby cat. “It was late at night in Bethlehem. All the visitors to the stable had gone home leaving only the Holy Family. All who remained were the holy animals and, outside, a tabby cat. Standoffish, she had watched the events with awe, but had not come into the stable. Now the only sound to be heard was the crying of Our Lord Jesus. He could not sleep. Our Blessed Mother comforted him, but to no avail. Even the ox and ass tried to help. Something compelled the tabby to help. She walked into the stable, and jumped into the manger. She lay down next to Our little Lord, and soon a loud purring filled the stable. Tabby’s purring calmed baby Jesus, and soon He was fast asleep. Our grateful Lady said “O proud cat, although you will never be tamed, from now on there will always be a warm place for you with the family by the fire.” Then Our Lady rubbed the cat’s forehead, and, with her finger, drew a mark. That’s why even today the Tabby cat has an “M” on her forehead—in memory of her good deed in Bethlehem.”

Advent Giving Tree for Poor Moms & Children: Project Gabriel of the Archdiocese of San Francisco has an Advent Giving Tree where you can support mothers in need and their children this Christmas. Go to sfarch.org/gabriel-project-advent-tree/ and select the gift you would like to give!

Pew Kneeler Project: Do your knees hurt at Mass? YES! Are you tired of it sounding like the 4th of July when people drop their pew kneelers to the wooden floor? YES! In preparation for our 100th Anniversary next November, Fr. Tho is planning to install new pew kneelers which will be much SOFTER, and they will have a pneumatic plunger so that they go QUIETLY down on to the floor. A late, great parishioner left us a nice bequest that will pay for more than half of this project, but we still need around $35,000 to make it happen. Can you help? Checks for this should have "Pew Kneelers" in the notation field, and if you donate online, please specify "Pew Kneelers." https://salesiansspp.org/donations We are also looking for men willing to help remove the old pews from the Church (Date TBD). By doing this ourselves (it is not hard) we will save about $12,000. Call the parish office if you’d like to help.

Choose Life! 20th Annual Walk for Life West Coast: Join fellow Catholics and Pro‐Lifers from all over California and beyond as we stand up for the littlest among us at the 20th Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco on January 20, 2024. This year marks the Walk’s 20th anniversary of standing for the littlest among us. Who would have thought that when Dolores Meehan walked into our then-pastor Fr. John Malloy’s office in 2004 that that would be the start of America’s second largest pro-life event? The day begins with the Walk for Life Mass at 9:30AM at St. Mary’s Cathedral celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

Adoration for Life: As always Saints Peter and Paul will host all-night Eucharistic Adoration for Life the night before the Walk. If you’d like to schedule an hour (or more) to be with Our Lord during the night, call Gibbons at the parish office. For more, visit walkforlifewc.com or call 415‐658‐1793.

Archdiocesan Annual Appeal WE’RE ALMOST THERE! Our assessment this year is $64,663. We’re almost there, help us get over the top! So far 75 families/parishioners have pledged or donated $61,616 leaving us with a balance of $3,047. If you, can, join the 1% club—give $647! But ALL Parishioners should give SOMETHING! Help us to meet this shared obligation! Remember, if we do not make the assessment with your gifts, we have to pay it anyway.

Saints Peter and Paul Salesian School & Pre-K Accepting Applications: Our K-8 Salesian school is accepting applications for this year and next. Please email Dr. Lisa Harris at the school at lharris@sspeterpaulsf.org, sspeterpaulsf.org/ or Barbara Simons at the Pre-K at bsimons@sspeterpaulsf.org to learn more!

Pre-K Open House: Come learn about our Laura Vicuña Pre-Kindergarten! The Pre-K will have an open house on Sunday, January 28, 2024 from 10:00 AM to noon. Please share with your friends!

Sponsor a Student! Are you able to help a student receive a Catholic education? We are receiving more request for financial aid than ever before. The Salesians started by educating the children of the poor and we are not about to stop now—but like Don Bosco before us we need your help! We invite financially able parishioners to help with this ministry. Please call Dr. Lisa Harris at 421-5219 or Fr. Tho Bui at 421-0809.

Catholic Medical Care right in our Parish! Bella Primary Care offers primary & pediatric healthcare in accordance with Catholic principles. They are located at 2000 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 304, in San Francisco. Now scheduling appointments for: PEDIATRICS: Wellness visits for ages 6 months to 18 years with our pro-life pediatrician Dr. Virginia Schneider. WOMEN and MEN: Comprehensive annual exam. EXPECTANT MOMS: Pregnancy verification, initial ultrasound and blood work. FERTILITY: Initial and follow-up appointments using natural fertility assessment methods. For appointments, call 415-775-1500 or email our office at info@bellahw.org We look forward to caring for your families in a Christ-centered way! “Bella is an answer to my prayers to bring an authentically Catholic woman-centered healthcare clinic to our people in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. I invite your collaboration and support so together we can make something beautiful for God. May God bless and reward you for doing so!”– Archbishop Cordileone. Support Bella at www.bellaprimarycare.org

Liturgical Calendar

Sunday 17 Third Sunday of Advent

Monday 18 Late Advent Weekday

Tuesday 19 Late Advent Weekday

Wednesday 20 Late Advent Weekday

Thursday 21 Late Advent Weekday, Peter Canisius; Priest, Doctor

Friday 22 Late Advent Weekday

Saturday 23 Late Advent Weekday, John of Kanty; Priest

Sunday 24 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Your gifts of December 9/10 : $2,952.

Weekly goal: $8,670.

Shortfall: $5,718.

Retirement Fund for Religious: $1,085.

Immaculate Conception: $684.

We are always in shortfall. Fr. Tho asks for your help Please consider donating an amount equal to a breakfast or lunch or movie ticket. Thank you! Your parish appreciates your continued support!