Text Box: WORK OF MERCY POSSIBILITY A parishioner is in need of financial help to pay for a necessary medical treatment which can save his life - God willing. This parishioner has no means to pay for this treatment as he is currently unemployed and has no medical insurance. The cost of the treatment is about $ 4,000 plus costs of medicine. If you would like to contribute funds for this cause, please send your check to the rectory made out to St. Margaret Mary with the memo “medical treatment” written on the check. You can place it in the collection basket, if you would like. May God reward your generosity! Our Lord Jesus said: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36. REVELATION BIBLE STUDY meets Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. in the parish hall. For more info, contact Rebecca O'Hare at latin4all@sbcglobal.net. ALMS GIVING Many people around the world are hungry every day. They have no chance to satisfy their hunger even once. Every time of the year is good to share. Our Lord Jesus said: “I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”!!!. Please share whatever you have with others, who are less fortunate than you. We are collecting imperishable food items for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society to feed the hungry people in Oakland. In the vestibule of our church barrels for food are placed. PLEASE SHARE YOUR FOOD WITH HUNGRY PEOPLE. RITE OF ACCEPTANCE On Sunday, January 25, our new inquirers will be taking a close look at the first step towards baptism and other sacraments. We will be talking about acceptance. Acceptance is a big step in being a Christian in the Roman Catholic Church. This step will say to the members of this parish and the church at large, that they are ready to accept that Jesus is becoming a very important part of their daily lives. The first step of acceptance will bring them to the Rite of Acceptance on Sunday, January 25, at our 10:30 a.m. Mass. I invite all of you, parishioners of St. Margaret Mary, to the Rite of Acceptance as a supporting community to these disciples on their journey to the Eucharist, Confirmation, and Baptism. Please pray for their intentions. At the Rite of Acceptance, you will witness their acceptance of the cross on which Jesus suffered and died for all. You will also witness the Signing of the Senses to integrate all that the church has to offer. Text Box: ANNUAL SEMINARY COLLECTION. Our Diocese currently has 20 seminarians preparing to serve our parishes as priests. Education and formation in the Seminary is costly ($27,000 per year) per seminarian. Our diocese conducts, once a year, a special collection to help to pay for these expenses. On the January 17/18 weekend, we will have a 2nd collection to support those called to serve us as future priests. Write checks to: St. Margaret Mary Church with memo: “for Oakland Seminary”. Thank you for your generosity. MAY GOD REWARD YOU. WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY (JANUARY 18 – 25) Every year we celebrate a Week of Prayer for the Unity of all followers of Jesus. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated in 1908 by the Rev. Paul Wattson of the Episcopal Church in 1908 at Graymoor in New York’s Hudson Valley; the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism in 1964; and the formation of the Joint Working Group between the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches. A world observance, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an important expression of ecumenical activity at the local level. This year the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is: “Where two or three are gathered in my name...” (Matthew 18:20). The features provided in this year’s resources thus intend to evoke a sustained reflection on Jesus’ invitation to gather in His Name and on the meaning such gatherings hold for the unity of the Church and the renewal of the human community. FIFTH WALK FOR LIFE - West Coast 2009! Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 24th 2009. Join upwards of 25,000 pro-lifer’s for the 5th Annual Walk for Life in San Francisco as we peacefully proclaim our message that abortion hurts women and we all deserve better than abortion. For more information visit our website at www.walkforlifewc.com. To volunteer or to arrange busses, contact us at (415) 586-1576 or email questions to info@walkforlifewc.com. THE DEVIL IS NOT SLEEPING Roe v. Wade is the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. It was handed down on January 22, 1973, and stated that women have a constitutional right to abortion, based on a newly discovered right to privacy, during the first six months of pregnancy. The court ruled that states could restrict abortions only during the final three months of pregnancy, a stage when medical experts considered the fetus capable of “meaningful life” outside the womb. Before the court’s ruling, a majority of states prohibited abortion, although most allowed an exception when pregnancy threatened the woman’s life. The court overturned these state prohibitions in the Roe v. Wade decision. The Roe decision aroused extreme reactions in the public. The decision was