Dear Parishioners,

As we prepare to enter the new Millennium, we celebrate the two thousand years since the birth of Christ. It is a time for all of us to give thought to what our priorities will be in this new century. What is our relationship with God? How is that relationship manifest in our relationship with our family, our neighbor and our community?

I would suggest that all of us need to meditate primarily upon the words of St. Therese who wrote: "God is nothing but mercy and love." Or as Andrew Greeley has written: "... at the core of the cosmos beats compassionate love. The Big Bang is an explosion of loving passion that dwarfs the sum of all human love but is shared and reflected by each and every human love."

One of the most moving books I have ever read was written by Cardinal Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, who died of cancer in 1996. He wrote the small book in the final months of his life. All of us should give much thought to his final words:

"As I conclude this book, I am both exhausted and exhilarated. Exhausted because the fatigue caused by the cancer is over-whelming. Exhilarated because I have finished a book that has been very important to me. As I write these final words, my heart is filled with joy. I am at peace. It is the first day of November (1996), and fall is giving way to winter. Soon the trees will lose the vibrant colors of their leaves and snow will cover the ground. The earth will shut down, and people will run to and from their destinations bundled up for warmth. Chicago winters are harsh. It is a time of dying. But we know that spring will soon come with all its new life and wonder. It is quite clear that I will not be alive in the spring. But I will soon experience new life in a different way. Although I do not know what to expect in the afterlife, I do know that just as God has called me to serve Him to the best of my ability throughout my life on earth, He is now calling me home... What I would like to leave behind is a simple prayer that each of you may find what I have found - God’s special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find a freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go of what is nonessential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the hands of the Lord."

My prayer for our Parish as we enter the year 2000 is that we OPEN WIDE THE DOORS TO CHRIST by becoming more like Christ in becoming people of MERCY AND LOVE.

Communal Sacrament of Penance
Saturday December 18th 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday December 21st 7:30 p.m.

Christmas Masses:
Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24th
4:30 p.m., Children's Choir
8:00 p.m.
Midnight Mass, Adult Choir

Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25th
7:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
12:00 Noon
NO MASS at 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 26th
7:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
12:00 Noon
5:30 p.m.

"Seven weeks of years shall you count—
seven times seven years—
so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.

Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month
let the trumpet resound;
on this, the Day of Atonement,
the trumpet blast shall re-echo throughout your land.

This fiftieth year you shall make sacred
by proclaiming liberty in the land
for all its inhabitants.

It shall be a jubilee for you,
when every one of you shall return to his own property,
every one to his own family estate.

In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow,
nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.

In this year of jubilee, then,
every one of you shall return to his own property.

Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor
or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly."

- Leviticus 25:8-11, 13-14

The word "jubilee" is derived from the Hebrew word "yobel," the name of the ram’s horn (the "trumpet blast") which was blown to signal the beginning of the year.

Every seven years, the Israelites observed a Sabbath year during which they would not plant, prune or harvest their fields and vines. It allowed the soil and the people to replenish themselves. They relied on the promise of God that the harvest of the sixth year would provide for them through the Sabbath year. Also, Hebrew slaves were returned to freedom during the sabbatical year.

The jubilee year was not only a Sabbath year for rest and liberty, but also a year for justice. Land was returned to poor families who originally owned it. In fact, the price of land was determined in part by the number of years until the next jubilee. Those who might have had to sell land out of financial hardship were restored to landowner status.

The Sabbath and jubilee practices were more than wise land and social management policies for the Israelites. At the core, the practices reflected their faith in God’s providence and ultimate "ownership" of all lands and people. The faithful Jewish understanding of ownership was actually more akin to stewardship. They understood that all people and property truly belong to God; they were the caretakers. In humble faith they could release property without feeling they were being done an injustice.

Your St. Vincent de Paul Society in St. Robert’s Parish has many various functions, but the main one is to supply food and money to the families that are temporarily in need due to sickness in the families or maybe a "lay-off" from one’s job.

This food comes from our parishioners who leave the bags of non-perishable food in the vestibule of the Church when they attend Mass on Sunday. Our income is primarily received on the 5th Sunday’s 2nd collection of which there are 4 per year!

The Sociables is an organization that was started by Carolyn Holland in 1986. We try to get together every couple of months for a lunch or brunch at a restaurant in our vicinity. We are open to widows and widowers, divorced, separated, or single people over 50. For more information call 589-2800.

St. Robert’s Grownups is a group of parishioners who are mostly over the age of fifty. A steering committee of twenty-one members meets once a month to act as the leaders, planning all the events for each calendar year. There are two general membership meetings a year which include a guest speaker, social activities that include overnight trips to Lake Tahoe, and Reno day excursions and Communion brunches. The Grownups also assist in the parish picnic and festival and hold a Christmas dinner party to raise funds for the poor. Contributions are made to St. Robert’s for special needs that arise in the parish. For more information call 589-2800.

Are you middle aged? Do your joints hurt when you wake up? Do you experience hot and cold when nobody else does? Do you need to hold the menu across the table to read it? Do your kids suddenly talk too fast for you to understand? You get the picture if you answered yes to any of the above - you definitely should belong to the InBetweeners. The InBetweeners celebrated its first birthday in June of this year with a BBQ. We are a group of parishioners some of us married, some widowed, some divorced, and some never married. We meet 6 times a year on the third Friday of the month. Some of our past activities have included a Mystery Dinner, a Pedro Tournament, a Crab dinner, and the Fun Train to Reno.

All of our events and meetings are open to all members of the parish. Come try a meeting on for size-you are all welcome. We are extremely friendly and you will feel welcome. Our meetings include dinner and sometimes a small activity is planned afterward. The meetings are in the Parish Hall, cocktails are from 6:30 to 7:30, dinner is usually at 7:30 followed by a short meeting. Dues are $10 per person per year. Call George Lynch for more information

People sometimes ask "What is the Legion of Mary and what do they do?"

They are a group of parishioners who meet in the school library every Tuesday 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. The primary aim of the Legion is to strengthen the faith of its members. We begin our meetings with the Recitation of the Rosary followed by Spiritual Reading. Midway through the meeting we have a talk given by our Spiritual Director.

Each member is committed to a specific assignment that is given by the President. This is in accordance with the wish of the Pastor. At present we visit the sick and shut-ins in our parish, at board-and-care homes and at convalescent hospitals. We try to get lapsed Catholics back to the Church and arrange for visits by our priests.

The Legion also has associate members. They do not attend the meetings but recite the Legion Prayers.

The St. Robert’s Women’s Guild is an organization open to all women of the Parish, and its purpose is to bring women together for social and spiritual growth and personal enrichment, as well as to facilitate fundraising activities to generate financial support for St. Robert’s Parish, School and School of Religious Education. The guild organizes many annual social activities, including the Back-to-School Breakfast, Grandparent’s Day, Skate Night at the Rolladium, Breakfast with Santa, Women of the Parish Communion Breakfast and Family night. Funds are raised by selling World’s Finest Chocolates and Gift Wrap in the Fall, and See’s Candy in the Spring, but the main social and money raising event, the St. Robert’s Women’s Guild Fashion Show, occurs each Spring, culminating a year’s worth of hard work by the committee in a day of fashion, food and fun.

www.saintroberts.org

Did you Know? Gosh, here we are already into the Advent Season...It seems that school just started....The Holidays are such a busy time...Christmas is almost here so we should stop, take a deep breath and think what the Season is really all about....it’s about the Birth of the Baby Jesus....Jesus is the Reason that all this happens....and speaking of new babies....congrats to Pat and Nancy Monaghan and big brother David on the birth of little Dylan Monaghan...Bunny Moniz recently returned from 1 week vacation in St. Louis...She enjoyed visiting the sights which included a tour of the Our Lady of the Snows Shrine....Our organist, Don Thompson recently returned from a trip overseas where he put on numerous organ concerts....and we thought that only we knew about his organ playing talents....Now that school is in full swing....some news on past graduates....all teachers.....Kathleen Lynch is a 5th grade teacher in Millbrae....Gina Garcia is teaching 4th grade in the Sacramento area and we all know that Mr. Carey is teaching here at St. Robert’s....This year Carol Downs, Keith Orchard, Michelle Quigley, and Lori Smiley all got married....all graduates of St. Robert’s are invited to add their e-mail address to the Alumni list on the St. Robert’s web page. Drop by the rectory to pick up a form, fill it out, and we will pass it on to our very own "webman", Gary DeMartini to ....Mark your calendars....for a very special evening....the date is April 8th....keep the date open for the Fashion Show!! St. Robert’s recently welcomed 16 adults from our R.C.I.A. program at the Rite of Welcoming celebrated at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Dec. 5th....Please pray for these committed adults, as well as their sponsors and the R.C.I.A. team members, as they journey together toward the Easter Vigil to receive their sacraments.....Good-bye to 1999 and welcome the year 2000 in a safe and responsible way...

Archbishop William T. Levada and the Office of Marriage and Family Life cordially extend an invitation to all married couples of the Archdiocese of San Francisco who celebrate their 25th or 50th Wedding Anniversary during the Year 2000 to a Solemn Eucharistic Celebration in their honor on Saturday, February 12, 2000, at St. Mary Cathedral 10:00 a.m. Reception immediately following Eucharist.