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

Office hours:
Tuesday to Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm Weekday Masses:
Closed on Mondays and all Statutory holidays Tuesday to Friday: 9:00am

Website: www.sthelenscatholic.ca 1st Friday of the Month:

Adoration after morning Mass
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/sthelenscatholic

Sacraments Catholic Funeral Rites:

Music Ministry:
When a death occurs in your family,
Baptism: please call the Parish Office and we Anthony van Engelen
1st & 3rd Sunday at 1:00 pm. will assist you in making the adve1@yahoo.com
Call parish office. necessary liturgical arrangements. Ministry Scheduling & RFM:
Rebecca Williams ~ ministryschedul-
1st Communion & Confirmation Chronic Care Facilities: ing@sthelenscatholic.ca
Contact the Parish Office. Pastoral visits are made monthly.
Fundraising Events:
Reception of Holy Communion is
Reconciliation: office@sthelenscatholic.ca
available to residents.
Every Saturday 4:00pm - 4:30pm or by Facility & Grounds Maintenance:
appointment with the priest. Homebound: Craig Luey
Notify the Parish Office when serious craig.luey@gmail.com
Marriage: illness occurs. When the sick, aged or
Arrangements six months in advance. incapacitated are confined to home for Catholic Women's League:
Marriage preparation is required. Piera Palmieri ~ contact parish office
an extended time, pastoral visit can be
arranged. Knights of Columbus:
RCIA & RCIC: Marcel VanRuyven
Contact the Parish Office. mgvanruijven@gmail.com
Schools
Anointing of the Sick: SVDP:
St. Mark School
Please let us know when someone has Principal: Jennifer DeCoff Lorraine Martin ~ contact parish office
a serious or prolonged illness or is to Vice-Principal: Timothy Atkinson Prayer Warriors/Requests:
have surgery. This sacrament Sandra Mactaggart ~
celebrates the healing of mind and St. Edward School sandbmac@gmail.com
body and the forgiveness of sins. Principal: John Romano
Contacts
Kindly complete the following and place in the collection box.
Envelopes will be on the round table in the foyer the following weekend.
Merry Christmas!
☐ New Parishioner* ☐ Change of address ☐ Moving
Joyeux Noel! Buon Natale! Khristos Razhdayetsya!
Name________________________
Feliz Natal! Feliz Navidad Wesolych Phone_________________
Swiat! Sretan Bozic! E-mail___________________
Frohe Weihnachten!
Address______________________________________________
Kala Christougena! Natale Hilare! City_____________________
☐ I would like to use offertory envelopes* Postal Code______________
 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - Year C
Sunday December 26, 2021
Mass Intentions
December 28, 2021—January 2, 2022
As we gather, let us remember and pray for . . .
Tues. ~ …..The Holy Innocents, Martyrs…. Dec. 28th
9:00 am + Guglielmo & Angela Ricci
(by Ricci Family)
Wed. ~ ……………………….……...………. Dec. 29th
9:00 am + Michael Colanecco
(by Christine Bonehill)
th
Thurs. ~ ………………………………………. Dec. 30
9:00 am + Pasquale Monda
(by Lina & Giuseppe Compagnone)
Fri. ~ ……………………….……...………. Dec. 31st
9:00 am + Liberto Palmieri
(by Maria & Piera Palmieri)
Sat. ~ ……Mary, the Mother of God……. Jan. 1st
10:00 am For the People of St. Helen Parish
Sun. ~ ………Epiphany of the Lord..…….. Jan. 2nd
9:00 am + Michael Newport
(by Rebecca Williams)
11:00 am + Armando Bruni (by the family)
PRAYER TEAM / WARRIORS
To become a member of this
ministry or to submit your prayer
request, please contact sandbmac@gmail.com
SANCTUARY LAMP
We have openings for the Sanctuary Lamp for the
weeks of Jan 30 - Feb 5 and all of February 2022
is completely open as well. If you would like to
book a particular week in memory of your loved
one, please contact the office. Cost is $35 per
week.
MASS INTENTIONS 2022
If you would like to have a Mass offered for someone,
contact the parish office. The Mass stipend or offering
given is $10.00. Mass cards are $2.00. Intentions are
already booked into March 2022, so book soon.
PREAUTHORIZED DEBIT
(PAD) is offered for your donations. If you are
interested in using this convenient way to make your
offerings to the church, please contact the parish office.
Donations are processed once a month, on or about the
15th.
OUR PARISH PRAYER
Jesus, open our hearts, enabling us to embrace your
teachings and to love one another. Holy Spirit, lift us
and lead us, deepening our desire to serve God through
serving each other. Amen.
To receive the weekly bulletin via email, make your
request by email: office@sthelenscatholic.ca
This week, the Sanctuary Lamp burns in
memory of:
LIBERO PALMIERI
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
Dec. 19, 2021 ~ Offertory (86) $ 3,228.00
Loose 173.00
Building Fund (41) 16,672.00
“May God bless you for your faithful stewardship!”
A NOTE OF THANKS FROM BISHOP BERGIE
Dear Fr. Chris and Parishioners of St. Helen Parish,
Please accept this letter as a sincere thank you for your
prayers and thoughtful words of condolence on the
death of my father Gerald Bergie and the beautiful
flower arrangement that I received. I appreciate your
kindness, generosity and prayers. May God bless you.
With kind regards and prayerful best wishes, I remain
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D.
Bishop of St. Catharines
THE PRAYER SHAWL
MINISTRY continues to
create handcrafted shawls for
parishioners, their families
and friends who are coping
with illness, loneliness, pain or trouble. They are
available to anyone who needs one. Call the office to
request a shawl or lap blanket or to join this ministry.
2021 TAX RECEIPTS
Last year we emailed most of the tax receipts which
was both convenient and cost saving. If you would like
your 2021 tax receipt emailed when it’s ready in
January, send an email to the office with the subject line
PLEASE EMAIL MY 2021 TAX RECEIPT.
OUR CONDOLENCES
Our condolences and prayers are ex-
tended to the family and friends who
mourn the loss of:
ANDREA FURLANETTO
ALEX GECZY
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
 THE HOLY FAMILY
For as long as he lives, Samuel is given to the Lord.
(1 Samuel)
We are called children of God; and that is what we are.
(1 John )
His parents found him in the temple, sitting among the
teachers. (Luke 2)
His parents found him in the temple,
sitting among the teachers. (Luke 2)
Today's feast is a celebration
of family: that unique nucleus of
society that gives us life, nurture and
support throughout our journey on
earth. Families are the first and best
places for the love of God to come
alive.
In Matthew and Luke’s stories of Jesus birth and
childhood (which were later additions to those Gospels,
drawn from the many stories about Jesus’ life that were
part of the early Christian oral tradition that had
developed), life for the family of Joseph, Mary and
Jesus is difficult and cruel: they are forced from their
home; they are innocent victims of the political and
social tensions of their time; they endure the suspicions
of their own people when Mary's pregnancy is
discovered; their child is born under the most difficult
and terrifying of circumstances; they experience the
agony of losing their beloved child. And yet, through it
all, their love and faithfulness to one another do not
waver. The Holy Family is a model for our families as
we confront the many tensions and crises that threaten
the stability, peace and unity that are the joys of being a
family.
Jesus remains with us even when he seems most
distant and farthest away, when he is nowhere to be
found. He is with us in the love and compassion of
family and friends, in the forgiveness we receive and
give, in the generosity and healing we make happen
even in the simplest and most hidden ways.
With Jesus, we must be about “the Father’s house,”
bringing the justice, reconciliation and compassion won
by the cross into our families and communities.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
Christmas Eve - Friday, Dec. 24:
5:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m.
Christmas Day - Saturday, Dec. 25:
9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 26: 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Friday, Dec. 31: 9:00 a.m.
Mary Mother of God (New Year’s Day) - Saturday, Jan. 1:
10:00 a.m.
Epiphany - Sunday, Jan. 2nd: 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Attendance will be on a first come first serve basis.
Please come early to get a seat. Doors will close when
we reach capacity (135 ppl). Masks MUST be worn.
The parish office will be closed from Dec. 24th to
Jan. 3rd and re-open on Tuesday, Jan. 4th, 2022.
2022 OFFERTORY ENVELOPES
2022 envelopes are available in the vestibule; please
check the label for accuracy. Contact the office to
request a box of envelopes or to register and obtain a
parish ID for those using CAFT or e-transfer.
THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY ~ JANUARY 1ST
The Solemnity of Mary
Mother of God falls exactly
one week after Christmas,
the end of the Octave of
Christmas. It is fitting to
honour Mary as Mother of
Jesus, following the birth
of Christ. When Catholics
celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God we are
not only honouring Mary, who was chosen among all
women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but
we are also honouring our Lord, who is fully God and
fully human. Calling Mary “Mother of God” is the
highest honour we can give Mary. Just as
Christmas honours Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the
Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honours Mary as
the “Queen of Peace”. This solemnity, falling on New
Year’s day, is also designated the World Day of Prayer
for Peace.
WORLD DAY OF PEACE ~ JANUARY 1ST
The World Day of Peace was established by Pope
Paul VI in 1968 who asked that “every year, this
commemoration be repeated as a hope and as a
promise, at the beginning of the calendar which
measure and outlines the path of human life in time,
that Peace with its just and beneficent equilibrium may
dominate the development of events to come.” We
pray for peace in the world, for love and goodwill
among all nations, and for light and guidance for civil
leaders. Families are encouraged to pause today to
discuss their responsibility to work and pray for peace.
SYNOD 2021-2023, JOURNEYING TOGETHER
The active phase of our local participation in the Synod
will begin in the New Year with small group
discussions organized in every parish focusing on the
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”? (PD, 26) For more information, visit https://
www.synod.va/en.html. For local Church info, visit
http://www.saintcd.com/synod-2021-2023 .
BULLETIN ADVERTISING
Our advertising sponsors on the back of the bulletin
support us and make your bulletin possible; their
advertising revenue reduces our printing costs. Please
support them when you can. There are several open
advertising spaces available if you know someone who may
be interested. Ask them to contact the office.
TO PLACE

YOUR AD

HERE

CALL THE

TO PLACE

YOUR AD

HERE

CALL THE

PARISH OFFICE
 DONATIONS DURING COVID-19
1. Pre-Authorized giving (monthly automatic withdrawal): contact the office

2. E-transfer: use our business email address with your

bank: donations@sthelenscatholic.ca
If you would like to use this convenient method through your bank, please follow these
instructions (some banks charge a fee):
Go online and log into your bank account. Select Interac e-transfer and select a
recipient – the first time you will have to add recipient by putting in
donations@sthelenscatholic.ca (after the first time it will then stay on your list of
recipients). Input amount to send and complete the transaction. Note in the memo area
what your donation is for; Sunday Offertory (SO), Facility Maintenance (FM) and
Building Fund (BF). (Please include your ID# in the memo - contact the office if you
do not have a parish ID.)
Example - SO $20 One transaction can be made for all three if you wish. Such a
notation could look like this: SO $xx, FM $xx, BF $xx. If your transaction does not
work the first time, please try the next day as the Diocese can only receive a set amount
of donations in a 24-hour period. If you have any questions, please email or call the
office.

3. Regular mail: send your weekly offertory envelope or cheque payable to St. Helen
Church to:
St. Helen Church
4106 Mountain St.
Beamsville, ON L0R 1B7

4. Drop off: If preferable to you, you may drop off your envelope Tuesday to Friday
mornings at the office.

5. Credit card or Paypal (Canada Helps link): https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/49448

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/119109791RR0006-st-helens-parish/
(tax receipt is issued by Canada Helps, they retain a nominal percentage as fee)

COVID 19 pandemic
Thank you for considering the financial needs of our parish during the COVID 19 pandemic. We
understand and appreciate that financial pressure on families is different today than it was even a
few months ago. We are also carefully managing the expenses at the parish and are deeply
grateful for any help you can provide. Thank you and be assured of our continued prayers and
best wishes.