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 9th – St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin St. Juan Diego was born in 1474 about 14 miles north of Mexico City, and he lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. On December 9, 1531, he started early to walk 15 miles for daily Mass in Mexico City. As he passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and was called to the hilltop by a woman’s voice. At the top of the hill, he saw a beautiful woman dressed as an Aztec princess. The woman said that she was the Virgin Mary and asked that the bishop build a church on that site so she might “give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother”. The bishop was skeptical and requested proof of the Lady’s identity. On the day that Mary promised that Juan Diego would receive a sign, Juan was looking for a priest for his dying uncle. The Lady appeared to Juan, assured him that his uncle had been healed, and told him that he would find what the bishop asked for at the top of Tepeyac Hill. Juan found the hill summit covered with beautiful flowers growing in frozen soil. He cut the flowers, and the Lady helped arrange them within his coarse cloak, known as a tilma, and sent him to the bishop. When Juan unfolded his tilma, the image of Our Lady appeared on the fabric, and the flowers were Castilian roses, not grown in Mexico. The bishop wept and asked forgiveness for doubting – and he built an adobe structure on Tepeyac Hill to honor the Blessed Mother. St. Juan Diego died in 1548 at the age of 74. He was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. STEWARDSHIP November 25 – November 26, 2017 Holy Rosary $ 696.00 St. Rita $ 584.41 St. John $ 330.00 St. Francis $ 750.00 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. MASSES THIS WEEK Monday 8 a.m., St. Rita, Ranger Wednesday 9 a.m., St. John, Strawn Thursday 7 p.m., St. Francis Xavier, Eastland Friday 9 a.m., Holy Rosary, Cisco Friday 6 p.m., St. Rita, Ranger Calendar of Events/Calendario de Eventos December 3 First Sunday of Advent Feast Day of St. Francis Xavier Church Four Parish Christmas Party, Lumberyard, Eastland, 5 p.m. December 8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holyday of Obligation December 10 Parish Pastoral Council Meeting, 5 p.m., Eastland Church House December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas December 13 Christmas Carols by CCD Children, St. Francis Xavier Church, Eastland, 6 p.m. December 15 Advent Confessions: St. Francis Xavier Church, Eastland and Holy Rosary Church, Cisco, both at 6:30 p.m. December 25 Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Holyday of Obligation Vigil Mass, December 24th – St. John, Strawn, 5 p.m. Vigil Mass, December 24th – St. Rita, Ranger, 9 p.m. Midnight Mass, December 24th – Holy Rosary, Cisco, 12 midnight December 25th – St. Francis Xavier, Eastland, 9 a.m. Mass Intentions +Holy Rosary, Cisco – SUNDAY, December 3rd For the repose of the soul of Helen Gaeta Requested by the Holy Rosary Altar Society SAVE THE DATE FOR CONFESSIONS! You can receive the Sacrament of Penance during the Advent season on Friday, December 15th, starting at 6:30 p.m., at both Holy Rosary Church, Cisco, and St. Francis Xavier Church, Eastland. Guest priests will be available to hear Confessions. SECOND COLLECTION On December 9-10, the Second Collection will be for the Retirement Fund for Religious. A religious sister writes – "Thanks to support from the Retirement Fund for Religious, we are now in a much better position to care for our elders". Your donation helps her religious community, and hundreds of others, provide for aging members and plan for long-term needs. Please give to next week's Second Collection - please give to those who have given a lifetime. Four Parish Christmas Party  December 3rd, Lumberyard, Eastland, 5 p.m. Come and visit with parishioners – and remember that we will collect canned goods for those in need! Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Monday, December 4th St. Rita, Ranger, 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 6th Holy Rosary, Cisco, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, December 7th St. Francis Xavier, Eastland, 7:30 p.m. Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Friday, December 8th December 7th Vigil Mass at St. Francis Xavier, 7 p.m. December 8th Mass at Holy Rosary, Cisco, 9 a.m. Mass at St. Rita, Ranger, 6 p.m. 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.