Parishioners wishing to include information into the bulletin must have their article submitted to the parishoffice@stfoa.org (attention - Charlotte) no later than Noon on Monday. Thank you.

Stewardship
“The Christian community is a community of people who remind each other who they truly are the beloved of God. And everything around us is trying to tell me that it is not true.” “Beloved: Henri Nouwen in Conversation”, p. 20. Stewardship reminds that we are God’s beloved.

Current Parish Bulletin:
November 16, 2008


Pastor's Thoughts

As we continue to feature Stewardship we talk this weekend about the Stewardship of Treasure. In difficult economic times it seems even more difficult to ask people to consider giving of their treasure in thanksgiving to God who gives all. But it is in these most difficult of times that we really look at what we have, and how we can make an even greater sacrifice in giving back to God some of what God has given to us. It takes even greater Faith to believe that we are blessed in these times. Without a doubt we are blessed so abundantly when we compare what we have to those in the
world who have so little. Maybe we can appreciate what we do have when things are tight.

We are expecting our parish budget to tighten as well. We are planning on making
cuts in our budget so that we will not go into further debt. We ask you prayers for all
who are struggling financially and ask that you discern in prayer what you will be able to
pledge to the parish as part of your own stewardship of your treasure. Let us in
gratitude give back to God by making a sacrifice that is personal and proportional.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to help our parish continue to carry
out its mission and ministries and bring the goodness of God to all.

Fr. Dick

Parish Administration
From the Desk Of John Eisen
(206) 242-4575 ext.15 jeisen@stfoa.org

Photo Directory:
In 2000, 509 families took advantage of a free portrait photo that helped us get to know each other. We have had about 280 families sign up.


Family center:
We had small leak in the roof located about dead center of the gym. The leak was repaired on Monday.


Gym Assistant:
Sabrina Souffront was hired to manage weekend CYO games in our gym. This position runs from the
middle of November through April depending on tournament play. A portion of the CYO registration fees are used for this hourly position.


Special Thanks: Chad and Cyndi Ohrt, Al and Brady Halverson and Dr. Steve Olson for purchasing
business advertising banners that will be installed in the family center this week. Colleen Nelson- Goodie Gumdrops – and Dr. Frank Rudey – Rudey orthodontics - had renewed their banner for another year. A 4x8 sign costs $500 to our smallest size 2x4 sign for $225. The proceeds go to offset the $20,000 a year operating costs for the family center as well as to the CYO program if enough ads are sold.


SAVE THE DATE... Our Parish Advent Retreat will be Friday evening, December 5, in the Parish Hall.
“Come away... and rest a while.” (Mk 6:31) You are invited to begin this holy season of waiting and
expectation by entering into a quiet evening of reflection. The evening will include a simple supper, prayer and Advent reflections. Rosanne M.will facilitate. Details forthcoming.


PASTORAL COUNCIL MEMBERS NEEDED
Are you interested in serving on the Pastoral Council? We need people
who look at the big picture to help us set goals and priorities. Call
Father Dick at the Parish Office if interested.


COLLECTION
Weekly Income Budgeted Goal ...................$17,594
Collection for week of Nov 8-9 .....................$18,857
Sunday Goal Year-To-Date ........................$295,286
Sunday Collection Year-to-date .................$287,490
Over+ (Short) .............................................. ($7,796)
Adult Envelopes - 276 Children -4

Sources of “Collection”: EFT & Credit Card transactions, during the week Sunday Gifts and
Sunday Offertory.


Current Parish Bulletin:

November 17th - 23rd , 2008

Monday
Mass: 9:00 AM


Tuesday
Mass: 9:00 AM
Mom’s Connection, Unity, 9:00AM
St.Francis Walkers, Parking Lot, 10:00AM
Adult Gym Night, Family Center, 1/2 Gym, 7:00PM
Just Faith, Parish Hall, 6:30PM


Wednesday
Mass: 9:00 AM
SacraMentors, Conf Room, 7PM
Meaningful Movie NIght, UP1, 7PM
8AM Choir Rehearsal, 7:30PM


Thursday
Mass: 9:00 AM
Prayer Service, Church, 6:45PM
Sister Parish Mtg., UP1, 7:00PM
K/C Mtg., Parish Hall, 7PM
10AM Choir, Church, 7:30PM


Friday
Mass: 9:00AM


Saturday
Parish Bazaar, 9:00AM
Baptism Annointing, Church, 9:30AM
Confession: 4:00 PM
Baptisms, Ch-Mass, 5:00PM
Mass: 5:00 PM


Sunday
Masses: 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM
Children’s Faith Classes, 9:00AM and 10:00AM
RCIC,UP3, 9:00AM
Baptisms, Ch-Mass, 10:00AM
Marriage Prep, Conf.Rm., 7PM
Adult Volleyball, Family Center, 7PM


The Sign of Peace is one of the most meaningful gestures in our liturgy.
Our liturgy is full of signs and symbols. One of the signs we use in Eucharist is the Sign of Peace. A liturgical sign indicates something larger than itself. The Sign of Peace is more than a greeting and in fact should not be thought of as a greeting at all, but something much greater. The placement of the Sign of Peace during our preparation for the reception of Holy Communion helps to clarify its meaning. It follows the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, in which we ask to be forgiven as we forgive. We then make the Sign of Peace and say, “The Peace of Christ.” This sign signifies our desire to be forgiven by the community for any hurts we have caused, and our willingness to forgive any who
have hurt us. The meaning of the sign goes beyond the person to whom it is extended, to the whole
community. It is the expression of our willingness to be reconciled to one another. Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-25, “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and come and offer your gift.” It is not to any specific person that we signify our desire for reconciliation, but through the one whom we approach with the Sign of Peace that we express that desire to the whole community. Because it is a sign which means something greater than itself, we don’t have to make it to everyone in the community, but rather to only one or two in our immediate vicinity. (Condensed from Fr. Syd Mifflen, Assistant Spiritual Director Canadian Cursillo Movement)


St. Francis is hosting the CYO JV Basketball Jamboree
this Sunday, November 16th in the McClean Family Center.
12:00 – 8th Grade Boys JV Jamboree
1:30 – 7th Grade Boys JV Jamboree
3:00 – 6th Grade Boys JV Jamboree
4:30 – 6th Grade Girls JV Jamboree
Come out and support our teams as we kick off the 2008- 2009 season.
Please return your Cross Country South End Saints tshirts to the box in the entryway of the Parish Office.
Thank you.


“Conversations with Fr. Bob”
Tune in Tuesday, November 18th to “Conversations with Father Bob”. This week, Fr. Bob Camuso will interview author and theology professor, Dr. Robert Stackpole, about his latest book on Divine Mercy. Fr. Bob will also speak with Matthew Loucks, the new Pastoral Assistant for Music and Liturgy at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Seattle.

“Conversations with Father Bob” is broadcast on Sacred Heart Radio KBLE AM 1050 every Tuesday,
5:00-6:00 PM and Thursday 9:00-10:00 PM. It also airs every Saturday 8:00-9:00 AM and Sunday 7:00 – 8:00 AM on KKNW AM 1150. “Conversations with Father Bob” is a listener-supported program hosted by Fr. Bob Camuso, the pastor at St. Luke Catholic Church, Shoreline, WA.
Subscribe to our free podcast and listen to all of our past programs on the internet at www.conversationswithfatherbob.com.


NOVEMBER BRINGS OUR THANKSGIVING BASKET PROGRAM:
During Masses in November, parishioners are asked to bring in the foods we use to pack our Thanksgiving baskets for local people experiencing hardship. This early in the month, we cannot estimate our number of requests, but hope that every family can contribute a can or box of food for our baskets. Foods requested are those that go into a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner – turkeys, hams, gravy, potatoes, onions, canned green beans, corn, yams, pie ingredients, etc. Thank you for sharing your bounty.
If you know of a family in our community who could use help for Thanksgiving, please contact the
parish office before November 20 to place them on our Thanksgiving basket delivery list.


St. Francis of Assisi Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 22 9:00am—4:00pm
You’ll find Unique Art, Original Handmade Items & Holiday Decorations. Gifts for you or gifts to give!
Also be sure to exnjoy our scrumptious Bake Sale & Soup Kitchen!


Impress your kids/grandkids/neighbors with the answers to these questions:
What is an ipod?
What are itunes?
How do I text message?
What is My Space?
Some of our 8th graders want to demonstrate how“kids these days” use technology. They will give
demonstrations and answer questions. Stop by after Mass and listen or ask questions.
When: November 30th
Where: Unity Place after the 8 & 10 am Masses
Why: Because they want to share what they know, and they know alot. (They promise to go slow for
those of us who know nothing about today’s technology.)


SAVE THE DATE... Our Parish Advent Retreat
will be Friday evening, December 5, in the Parish Hall.
“Come away... and rest a while.” (Mk 6:31) You are invited to begin this holy season of waiting and
expectation by entering into a quiet evening of reflection. The evening will include a simple supper, prayer and Advent reflections. Rosanne M. will facilitate. Details forthcoming.


NATIVITY DISPLAY -
Would you belive that in four weeks we will be into the second week of Advent, is this possible? The Holidays come faster and faster. Our third Nativity Display will be held in Unity Place after the Masses on the weekend of December 6 and 7. We hope you will consider sharing your Christmas Creche with our Parish Community. Plan to bring the children to see how different artists create the Nativity scene. We will set up on Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. and dismantle Sunday afternoon at 12. Any questions call Pat at 206-243-6238.


KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS
Our Knights of Columbus have Christmas cards for sale every weekend through December 7th at
the 5PM Saturday Mass and the Sunday morning Masses. Please support our Knights in this
fundraiser.


Mom’s Connection
Tuesdays  from 9:30-11:30 in Unity Place.
We are a group of mothers with young children who come together to support and enrich each other in an environment of friendship, fun, and service. We have wonderful childcare providers, so our kids have a great time too! Please join us on the 16th or call Allison at 206-246-2209 for more information.


St. Francis Holiday Bazaar Saturday Nov 22, 2008
Save the date for some great holiday shopping!
If you would like vendor information please contact
Suzanne L. at (206) 824-5319 or seloiseau@aol.com


Arts and Crafts Vendors Needed
JFK Arts and Crafts Fair December 6th 9am-4pm
Call Tina at 206-932-4571 or email stariha30@earthlink.net for an application

Adult Volleyball
is in the Family Center on Sunday Nights, 7pm-9pm. Bring your knee-pads and play! All are welcome (18 years and older).

THAT’S L.I.F.E.! Living In Faith Everyday
Dan Colgan 242-4575 Ext. 22 - dcdanwccfman@yahoo.com

Gospel Reflection for the Weekend Matthew 25: 14 – 30
‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities".
Today is the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time!
The Gospel today is a parable where the Master gives out talents to the servants and wants to see what they will do with them. Two of tem use the talents and their talent grows. The third one buries his talents and does not let it develop. We all work hard, have busy schedules, get caught up with life’s demands. Are you using the gifts God has given you? Are you intertwining your life and gifts together? Or are you letting life take control and not allowing yourself to enjoy your naturally gifted self?


Reflection Question: Answer the questions above. What is your gift? Are you using it to the full
potential?

CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF SAINT PAUL - We are now on the 2nd letter, continuing writings from:
BENEDICT XVI St. Paul & New Outlook(Saint Peter’s Square Wednesday, 22 November 2006
St Paul and the Church…Continued from last week’s Bulletin…)
Paul, therefore, was at the same time converted to Christ and to the Church. This leads one to understand why the Church later became so present in Paul’s thoughts and heart. In the first place, she was so present that he literally founded many Churches in the various cities where he went as an evangelizer. When he spoke of his “anxiety for all the Churches” (II Cor 11: 28), he was thinking of the various Christian communities brought into being from time to time in Galatia, Ionia, Macedonia and in Achaea.
(…continued next week)

(go here and look for Year of Saint Paul in the News section of the website)

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

THANKSGIVING PRAYER SERVICE – This Thursday, November 20 at 6:45 in the Church. Come
together for an evening of THANKS for all that we have in our lives – The people, the experiences, those who are with God in Heaven. For more information, contact Dan Colgan

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY FORMATION
Sister Blanca Sagles, SP 242-4575, Ext 24




LITURGY AND BAPTISM PREPARATION
Elizabeth Hanks, Ext. 25, email: ehhanks@yahoo.com


Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27 -

As we give thanks for the many gifts God has bestowed on us, we remember those in need in our community. As is our tradition, we ask that you bring nonperishable food items with you to the celebration of Mass on Thursday, November 27th at 9:00 AM. During the Offertory we ask that you bring your gift of food forward to the sanctuary. All scouts in our parish are asked to help by receiving these gifts from our community and placing them around the Altar. All boy and girl scouts are invited and encouraged to participate in the Mass. The food collected will be used by our St. Vincent de Paul Society to help those in need in our parish community.


In November we pray for all Souls.
During the month of November we remember all of our family and friends who have died. If you have a moment, take a look at the memorial photographs of many of our parishioners that have gone before us, they are set up on the side altar by the statue of St. Francis. I remember many of them with affection. There is a basket on the table in the church vestibule that you can place the names of your deceased loved ones that you want to remember in prayer throughout the month of November, as we say. . . Life is changed – not ended.


Scheduled dates for Pre-Baptism Classes and
the Sacrament of Baptism


November
Class: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, Parish Hall
Rehearsal/Anointing: Saturday November 22nd 9:30 AM Church
Baptisms: Saturday, November 22nd at the 5:00 PM
Mass and Sunday, November 23rd at the 10:00 AM Mass


No Baptisms during Advent.


January
Class: Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Rehearsal/Anointing: Saturday January 17 9:30 AM
Church
Baptisms: Saturday, January 17th at the 5:00 PM Mass
and Sunday, January 18th at the 10:00 AM Mass


For more information and to sign-up for a class contact Elizabeth in the Parish Office.

Are you interested in having Children’s Liturgy of
the Word during the 10:00 AM Mass? Junior and Senior High School students and adults are all
encouraged to consider this ministry. To make Children’s Liturgy of the Word a part of weekly
worship at St. Francis we will need many volunteers including Team Leaders to reflect on the readings and lead the children in discussion, Readers to proclaim the Word of God, and Helpers to watch over the children and do crowd control.

Team Leaders: Set up and take the role of leading the children out of Mass after the opening prayer when prompted by the Priest. Guide the group through the readings found in the Children’s Liturgy of the Word curriculum. Follow with a question and answer period to help the children think about the readings. Information will be provided to help you with preparation for your reflection on the readings.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Readers will prepare before hand and proclaim the readings found in the Children’s Lectionary.

Helpers guide the children along with Leaders down to Unity. Encourage children to get quiet and situated as soon as possible to listen to the readings. Helpers keep track of the time, about 20 minutes. Make sure that the group re-enters the Mass during the Offertory. If Mass is running long, watch for an appropriate time for the children to quietly re-enter the church. The commitment would be only one Sunday per month if we have 12-16 volunteers. School parents, this would be an easy way to fulfill some of your service hours.
If you would like to volunteer for this ministry or for more information contact Elizabeth in
the Parish Office 242-4575, ext 25.

Please continue to pray for our military members and
their families. We ask God to protect them from harm and
bring them home soon.


Is the Spirit calling you to Liturgical Ministry?
If you feel you are being called to service at St. Francis
of Assisi Parish as a Liturgical Minister please call
Elizabeth in the Parish Office, ext 25 for information on
how to get involved. These ministries are open to all
who are called by the Spirit. Please prayerfully consider
being a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Sacristan, Music
Minister, Church Cleaner, Linens Care Minister, Altar
Server, Acolyte, Environment Minister, or Usher.



Outreach

From The Desk of Frances Davis...... fdavis@stfoa.org

The best line of defense for the unborn child is the mother. Neither the law nor any other person can protect the unborn as effectively as the mother. Protection of the life growing within her overrides every other instinct a woman has. In order to make abortion bearable, a woman must believe what society is telling her, that abortion is her choice and that it represents the ideal of self-determination, no matter if her baby has to be killed to achieve it. Abortion is seen as the badge of honor by which women reclaim control over their own lives. Rather than some great privilege which has been granted to their gender, abortion is a tool by which women have been abandoned, exploited and brutalized. Contrary to the slogan of “freedom of choice”, women who have experienced it know that abortion is seldom, if ever, a free choice. Women are made to believe that unplanned children will ruin their lives. Abortion is the most violent manifestation of discrimination against women and children today.
Thoughts taken from the book Aborted Women, Silent No More by David C. Reardon.


Bishop Richard Sklba identifies three types of teaching authority in the church and the way they
compliment each other. First is the authority that comes from lived experience, those who struggle between grace and sin. That would be, in this case, women who have had abortions. Second, the authority of expertise that comes from competence, skill or learning, which would be doctors, researchers and professionals who can tell us the physical and mental health and morbidity facts about abortion. The third is the authority of delegation, which is the law of the Church that says abortion is wrong and the law of the land that says abortion is legal. One of the roles of the bishop is not merely to represent the delegated responsibility but to make sure that the Church community experiences a healthy balance between the three kinds of teaching authorities.
Taken from The Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Teaching by Marvin L. Krier Mich


Warm for Winter is the campaign to collect handmade knitted or fleece hats and scarves for the homeless in our community. We have already received a number of beautiful scarves and hats. Bring hats and scarves to the Outreach Office by November 16. We have donated yarn available for the knitters in our parish. Contact Frances or Linda in the Outreach Office, 242-4575 ext. 29.



What is JustFaith? The name is derived from Justice
and Faith. It is a journey with a small group for 30 weeks.
But what is the JustFaith experience? Suppose you
are at work or at home mowing the lawn or doing the
laundry and Jesus walks up to you and says, “Put down
what you are doing and come and follow me.” JustFaith
may be as close to that experience as you will find.
JustFaith is an experience, not a class. JustFaith is
compassion, revelation, the witness of the Gospel in
the lives of others, and taking a look at the world as
God sees it. JustFaith examines systems that perpetuate
injustice, just as systems at the time of Jesus’ birth upset
a system of justice that had been working for the children
of Israel.

The Occasional Yellow Page You will find an updated version here.


Building Families through Adoption is a service of Catholic Community Services. If you are
considering adoption or if you know of a family who is, there are brochures on the table just outside the Parish Office. .


Pregnant? Need someone to lean on? Unsure what your plan is? Planning on making an adoption plan? Planning on parenting? Call Catholic Community Services Pregnancy Support Services, (206) 328- 5922. We can help. Free. Confidential. Non-judgmental. Available to the father of the baby, family members and others affected by the pregnancy.



Women volunteers needed to sleep overnight once a month or spend a few

hours on holidays at the Burien women’s shelter, Hospitality House, located at

Hospitality House Cooks: Our next week to provide dinners at H.H. is Thanksgiving week -
Nov. 24-30. The Confirmation youth have already reserved Monday, 11/24 for them to cook. I know that is a busy week, but you can always make up something early and I could help deliver it for you if necessary.
Contact Linda in Outreach (ext 34) to schedule which night you want to cook for 10
women in the local homeless shelter.


THANKSGIVING BASKETS FOR OUR NEIGHBORS: As in past years, our tradition at St.
Francis is to gather food during November to create a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, distributed
through our St. Vincent De Paul Society to those families that they have been helping. We need
canned food, boxed food, frozen turkeys and hams, and cash to make up any gaps. Last year we did
33 baskets, and the year prior we delivered 43. We don’t know what our request load will be yet. Food will be sorted and counted between morning Masses on November 23, and the whole parish is
invited to a Sunday evening potluck at 5:00, November 23rd to bless the food and pack the
boxes.

Project Rachel is a program of the Catholic
Church which offers healing to anyone sufferingemotional and spiritual pain resulting from a pastabortion.For more information or to register call Valerie at 1 800 822 HOPE (4673)
Project Rachel is a program of CatholicCommunity Services. You need not be Catholic to
participate.


Caregiver Support
Family Caregiver Support Groups provide a consistent and caring