St. Francis Xavier Parish Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish St. John Parish 126 Hickory Street Strawn, TX 76475 Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 p.m. (English), Reconciliation: Before Mass St. Rita Parish 1109 Blackwell Road Ranger, TX 76470 Sunday Mass: 8:00 a.m. (English) Reconciliation: Half Hour before Mass St. Francis Xavier Parish Halbryan and Foch Street Eastland, TX 76448 Sunday Mass: 9:45 a.m. (Spanish) Reconciliation: Half Hour before Mass http://stfranciseastland.org/ Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish 1108 Avenue F Cisco, TX 76437 Sunday Mass: 11:30 a.m. (English) Reconciliation: After Mass www.ciscoholyrosary.com Parochial Administrator: Father Reehan Antony Parish Office Telephone: 254-647-3163.  If you need a priest (Fr. Reehan) in an emergency (hospital, etc.), please call 682-207-8557 † Feast Day of the Week † December 21st – St. Peter Canisius The energetic life of St. Peter Canisius should do away with any stereotypes we may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Reformation in Germany. He played such a key role that he has often been called the “second apostle of Germany,” in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface. In 1547, Peter attended several sessions of the Council of Trent, whose decrees he was later assigned to implement. After a brief teaching assignment at the Jesuit college at Messina, Peter was entrusted with the mission to Germany—from that point on his life’s work. He taught in several universities and was instrumental in establishing many colleges and seminaries. He wrote a catechism that explained the Catholic faith in a way that common people could understand—a great need of that age. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press, and can easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Whatever our gifts, the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the world but not of the world. STEWARDSHIP December 9 – December 10, 2017 Holy Rosary $ 929.00 Retired Religious $ 1,118.65 St. Rita $ 555.00 Retired Religious $ 113.00 St. John $ 567.40 Retired Religious $ 121.00 St. Francis $ 720.00 Retired Religious $ 215.00 May God bless you for your generosity. Weekday Events in Your Parish/Eventos Durante la Semana de su Parroquia St. Francis, Eastland Monday – Rosario (Rosary in Spanish), 7 p.m. Tuesday – Estudio Biblico (Bible Study in Spanish), 7:30 p.m. Friday – Oracion (Evening Prayer), 7 p.m. Holy Rosary, Cisco Wednesday – Rosary 9 a.m., then coffee & donuts 1st Wednesday – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Rosary Sunday – Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark, 5 p.m. Calendar of Events/Calendario de Eventos December 19 Friendship Meal, Conrad Hilton Center, Cisco, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. ″Everyone in need of a meal is invited to attend.″ December 24 Christmas Eve Vigil Masses for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Mass at 5 p.m., St. John, Strawn Mass at 9 p.m., St. Rita, Ranger December 25 Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Holyday of Obligation Midnight Mass at Holy Rosary, Cisco Mass at 9 a.m., St. Francis Xavier, Eastland December 31 Vigil Masses for the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord and Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Mass at 4 p.m., St. John, Strawn Mass at 6 p.m., St. Rita, Ranger January 1 Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord and Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Holyday of Obligation, and New Year’s Day Mass at 11 a.m., Holy Rosary, Cisco MASSES THIS WEEK Monday 8 a.m., St. Rita, Ranger Wednesday 6:45 p.m., St. John, Strawn Thursday 7 p.m., St. Francis Xavier, Eastland Friday 9 a.m., Holy Rosary, Cisco Mass Intentions +Holy Rosary, Cisco – SUNDAY, December 17th For the repose of the soul of Michael de la Garza Requested by Betty Galvan – As of November 30, 2017 – Our four parishes have surpassed their commitment goals – through pledges and donations – for the Annual Diocesan Appeal. We are all in the top 10 listing for the Diocese of Fort Worth! 1. Holy Rosary, Cisco, 196.41% 2. St. John, Strawn, 191.88% 5. St. Francis Xavier, Eastland, 169.75% 7. St. Rita, Ranger, 136.92% Well done, good and faithful servants! Your generous donations will help diocesan programs – including the operating grants that our four parishes receive. What a way to show our appreciation! There is still time to pledge and donate – let’s try for 100% participation from our four parishes! Knights of Columbus Donate to Local Charities Last week, the Knights of Columbus Saint Barbara Council 2123 in Ranger donated $200 to each of the Food Banks/Food Pantries in Cisco, Eastland, and Ranger, and $200 to the Meals on Wheels program in Strawn – for a total donation of $800.  These donations were only possible because of the support from our four Parishes and the communities we serve.  With your help and support, we will do this again in about six months.  We welcome all men in our four Parishes to join us in serving our God, our parish communities, and our neighborhood communities. The Holy Rosary Altar Society would like to thank everyone who – in any way – contributed to the success of this year’s Magi’s Bazaar. Bless you for your time, your gifts, and your patronage! Four Parish Thanksgiving CCD Food Drive Our CCD classes are again sponsoring a Four Parish Food Drive. Please place your food donations in the box near the door of each church. Food donations will be collected until Christmas. Let us do our part to help feed those in need in our neighborhoods and communities!