FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 21, 2003

REFLECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK
Assembly & Faith-Sharing Groups
The word of the Lord that has been fulfilled for me this Advent is. . .
My blessing(s) for believing in the Lord’s word is (are). .
Like Elizabeth, I am amazed that “my Lord” should come home. I express and share my joy by. . .

Hospitality Ministers
As Elizabeth welcomed and greeted Mary, she witnessed the presence of the Lord. In my ministry of hospitality I have witnessed in others and to others the presence of the Lord when. . .

Music Ministers
In singing together I have experienced God coming to me when. . .
I have experienced God coming to the assembly in their singing when. . .

Altar Ministers
Serving others empties me of. . . so that Christ may be born in me.

Lectors
When I believe that the word is spoken by the Lord and will be fulfilled, my proclamation and living are like. . .
When I doubt that word, my proclamation and living are
like. . .

Eucharistic Ministers
Each communicant’s Amen professes his or her willingness to do God’s will and consecrates him or her in Christ (see second reading). My response to such faith is. . .

Liturgical Press, St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321, Copyright 2002 by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc. Published by The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota,. Reprinted with permission.

CANDLES FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 21st
will burn for the following:
At the Blessed Mother’s Statue:
Deceased members of the Miele & Shields Families
Mary Very
At the Statue of St. Albert the Great:
In memory of Anna Darkowski
Special Intentions of the Adult Choir

COLLECTIONS
Sunday, December 14, 2003: $5,887.30
Total Budget over (under) to date:
($14,984.01)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY

BAPTISM PREPARATION - Baptism preparation sessions are available here at St. Albert. We encourage parents who are expecting a child in the near future to sign up for a session. Please call Sister Jean Rene at 412-884-7744 for more information.

Still puzzled over what to get for your friends for Christmas? “1000 Club” Tickets are an economical gift and they make great stocking stuffers! Tickets are available after masses or at the rectory.

“ 1000 Club” Ticket Sellers are still needed to sell tickets after masses. Please call the rectory to sign up for a time to sell tickets.

THE ADVENT GIVING TREE is a parish tradition and a wonderful way to remember the less fortunate at Christmas time. The money collected will assist our parish St. Vincent de Paul in their ministry to the needy and less fortunate. Simply take an envelope from the tree, place your cash donation in the envelope, and put it in the designated box by the tree. Then, take an ornament from the basket and place it on the tree. Remember the poor with a Christmas gift, too.

PITTSBURGH CATHOLIC NEWS - Direct Mailing of Pittsburgh Catholic - Presently bundles of Pittsburgh Catholic newspapers are being delivered to our parish where one can pick it up on a weekly basis. Beginning July 2, 2004, the newspaper will be mailed directly to every Catholic household in the diocese. In order for us to determine an accurate number of subscriptions, we will be doing a new census. Please watch the Bulletin for more details. Your cooperation in completing an accurate census will be greatly appreciated.

RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND
Retrouvaille Is called “A Lifeline for Troubled Marriages.” if your marriage has grown cold or uncaring, Retrouvaille may be the program to get you back on tract. This Christmas give each other the gift of a renewed marriage. The next weekend in this area will be January 16, 17, 18, 2004. For confidential information, or to receive a brochure describing the program, or to talk with a couple experienced in the Retrouvaille program, please call Bill & Evelyn Turocy at 412-563-0465. More information is also available at www.retrouvaille.org.
Marriage Moments

“ What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with compatibility. (Leo Tolstoy) In what way are you and your spouse most different?” . “A Marriage Moment was developed by Susan Vogt, (859-291-6197), susanvogt@fuse.net.”

2004 CALENDARS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE COURTESY OF
BORON FUNERAL HOME We are grateful to the Boron Family for their generosity in providing these calendars.

Dear Santa,
We have been very good boys and girls in St. Albert’s rectory and we have only one request for Christmas...we just wonder if one of our parishioners might have a gently used computer for our parish census program. We will be taking the census in January and then entering it in the computer. It would be wonderful to have a dedicated computer for this project. Santa please have people contact the rectory if they have a computer they would like to donate.