Week of January 3, 2010

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Dear Parishioner,

Throughout the Old Testament God is called by a personal name. Sometimes called the TETRAGRAMMATON, this name is formed by four Hebrew consonants which when transferred into Latin letters become YHWH. Although God’s name occurs throughout the Bible, the Jewish people have long maintained the practice of never saying the name out loud. It is deemed too sacred to pronounce. When coming upon the name in the text they substitute “The Lord” in its place.

After the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Catholics came to understand the importance of the Divine Name within the Bible and began to use it both in prayers and in music. They added vowels to the four Hebrew consonants and pronounced it as “Yahweh.”

No disrespect was intended by this vocalization, yet it reversed a pious practice which had been in place for centuries. Recently the Vatican has asked Catholics to refrain from pronouncing the Divine Name in our worship. As a result of this directive, changes have been made in our music which replace “Yahweh” with other phrases. Next weekend for example, a phrase in the psalm which used to be “for Yahweh alone is God” has been replaced with “creator of heaven & earth.”

In the upcoming months we will be changing the words in our hymnals to avoid using the Divine Name. Hymn #670 “Sing a New Song” which used to include “Yahweh’s people dance for joy” will now be “Shout with gladness! Dance for joy.” Hymn #619 which used to begin “Yahweh, I know you are near” will now be sung “O Lord, I know you are near.”

In one way these changes are small, only affecting a few words. Yet they take an important step of conforming our musical expression to an ancient tradition which honors the name of God. As you notice these changes in our music, take the opportunity to remember the wonder of God whose majesty is beyond our comprehension and whose name is so sacred that we refrain from expressing it.

                                                        Fr. George Smiga

IF YOU ARE VISITING ST. NOEL THIS WEEKEND – We welcome you to our parish. We pray that you will be blessed by worshipping with us, and if you are searching for a faith community to call your own, we hope you will consider joining us. For information on registering as a parishioner, please call 440-946-0887.

HEALING MINISTRY – Every one of us can be the recipient of God’s healing touch for all of our emotional, physical or spiritual problems. Come…be touched by His love this Wednesday at the 6:45 p.m. evening liturgy. Experience God’s healing through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick during Mass. Be comforted and refreshed by Jesus in the Eucharist. Our prayer team will be available to pray with you if you wish.

MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP - We will meet next on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the St. Noel Banquet Center Large Hall. Bring your bibles and binders. Start the new year of 2010 by coming to youth group…we’ll see you then!

PRIME TIME NEWS - All teens join us for some winter fun this weekend, Sunday, January 3rd. We will be snow-tubing at Alpine Valley in Chesterland. We will carpool from Divine Word parking lot at 3:30 p.m. and return approximately at 6:30 p.m. Parents are needed for driving. Permission slips are needed and will be online and available in the kiosk. The cost is $14.00. Reservations are recommended. Please contact Dotty and Tim Smitley (440-256-1224).

PARISH POT LUCK AND GAME NIGHT – Join us following the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, January 23, for a relaxing evening of food, fellowship, and fun. Bring along a dish to share and any table or board games you might like to play (we’ll have some, too). After dinner, we will set up games like Trivial Pursuit, Buzz Word, Taboo, Chronology, chess and checkers, pinochle, Chutes and Ladders (and many more). All you have to do is decide what game you want to play and we’ll spend the rest of the evening table hopping from game to game (or stay put if your luck is holding out)! Make plans now to join us in the Large Hall for this fun evening of food and entertainment. We will provide pasta and meatballs for the main course, but please sign up on the kiosk with the number of people from each household attending and what you think you might bring as a side dish. If you have any questions or suggestions, please call Marianne Slattery (440-946-1128).

EPIPHANY CONCERT AND DINNER will take place this year on January 10th beginning at 4:00 p.m. The entire forces of our Music Ministry will reprise their Christmas program. This will include a 65-voice choir, the 20-voice Chamber Singers, 20-voice “Young Voices” our handbell choir which rings 5 octaves of bells and chimes, and our excellent instrumentalists. They will be presenting their music from the Christmas season including the Midnight Mass program. To add to the festivities Chef Randy will offer a Post Concert Feast Buffet Dinner at 6 p.m. The cost is $20 for adults, $5 each for the first two children (6-12 yr.) and additional children are free. The buffet will include two types of salad, London broil with sherry mushroom sauce, sautéed chicken breast with artichokes and sun-dried tomato cream sauce, red beans & rice, pea pods and baby carrots, penne pasta in red sauce and assorted strudel. A children’s buffet will include chicken fingers, hot dogs, penne pasta with meatballs, celery & carrot sticks, applesauce and cookies. Please call the Banquet Center (440-946-6635) for more information.

POPE’S WORLD DAY OF PEACE MESSAGE – In the Social Justice section of the kiosk you will find copies of Pope Benedict’s peace message for January 1, 2010 entitled “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.”

MARCH FOR THE UNBORN - On Sunday, January 10th at 2 p.m. Lake County Right to Life is sponsoring their 37th annual March for Life, beginning at Great Lakes Mall in Mentor and ending at St. Mary Church. Please check the flier on the kiosk for more detailed information. 

SHOUT IS RETURNING TO THE BANQUET CENTER on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. There will be a buffet dinner for $30 per person and a cash bar is available. Please call the St. Noel Banquet Center for reservations (440-946-6635).

Something to think about from the St. Noel Endowment Board…  If you have included St. Noel in your estate plan or would like to know how, please contact the office and leave a message for the Endowment. One of our trustees will confidentially contact you.  We are making progress toward our goal of "50 Wills for the Future of St. Noel", but we need to know of YOUR plan.

ST. NOEL FELLOWSHIP – All meetings are held on Thursdays at 12:00 noon in the St. Noel Banquet Center Small Hall. Activities for January are as follows: January 7th, reverse raffle; January 14th, auction; January 21st, 12:00 noon, socializing, meeting, then at 12:30 p.m. we will have our luncheon of meat loaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, mixed vegetables, cherry strudel, salad, rolls & butter. For more information or tickets, please call the parish office (440-946-0887). The deadline for tickets and payment is January 18th. On January 28th, we will have bingo, birthdays & anniversaries. Please bring something for the food pantry to this meeting. Everyone is welcome!

ALWAYS OUR CHILDREN – The parents support group for families and friends of gay and lesbian Catholics welcomes you to join us at our next meeting, Sunday, January 10th, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Library of the Administration Center at St. John Vianney Church on Bellflower Road in Mentor, Ohio.

MEAL MINISTRY – Our Lady of Mount Carmel Hot Meal Ministry, 29850 Euclid Avenue in Wickliffe will serve dinner to anyone or any family that is in need of a hot meal from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday evenings beginning January 18.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES FOR CHRIST is in need of gauze, tape, bandages, rubber gloves, eyeglasses, up-to-date vitamins, antibiotic creams, over-the-counter cough and allergy medicines, Tylenol, Motrin, and Aleve. Please call the parish office (440-946-0887) for more information. Thank you.

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