SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH

49/59
Številka - Number / Leto - Year

3.12. 2023
1. ADVENTNA
NEDELJA

1ST SUNDAY OF
ADVENT

Fr. Drago Gačnik, SDB
ŽUPNIK - PASTOR
NASLOV - ADDRESS
125 Centennial Pkwy N.
Hamilton, ON L8E 1H8
PHONE: 905-561-5971
CELL: 905-520-2014
E-MAIL
gregory_sdb@
stgregoryhamilton.ca
HALL RENTALS
905-561-5971, ext. 2
E-MAIL
hallrental@
stgregoryhamilton.ca

Adventni čas je čas pričakovanja: pripravljamo se na Gospodov prihod. K nam bo
prišel v božičnem prazniku in mi moramo
biti pripravljeni. Današnja tri berila nam
govorijo prav o tem pričakovanju. V prvem
prerok Izaija izraža gorečo željo po Gospodovem prihodu: »Vrni se zaradi svojih služabnikov, zaradi rodov, ki so tvoja dediščina. O da bi predrl nebo in stopil dol, da bi se
pred teboj tresle gore!« V drugem berilu nas
Pavel vabi, naj pričakujemo »razodetje našega Gospoda Jezusa Kristusa«. V evangeliju
nas Jezus spodbuja k budnosti, da bi bili
pripravljeni, da bi ga sprejeli, ko bo prišel.
Poklicani smo k budnosti. Jezus nam v
evangeliju pravi: »Pazite in bedite, ker ne veste, kdaj pride ta čas! ... Bodite torej budni, ker ne veste, kdaj pride hišni gospodar - zvečer, opolnoči, ob petelinjem petju ali ob zori.« Zato moramo biti vedno pripravljeni.
Žal mi velikokrat zaspimo. Namesto da bi bilo naše duhovno življenje
goreče, je slabotno. Tako ne pričakujemo Gospoda, nismo pripravljeni
sprejeti njegove volje, njegovih želja; ne odgovarjamo na to, kar od nas
zahteva. Moramo se torej prebuditi, da »bomo prihajajočemu Kristusu
šli naproti z dobrimi deli«, kakor pravi današnja glavna mašna prošnja.
Prvo berilo z vso močjo izraža željo po Gospodovi vrnitvi. Prerok
nam da razumeti, da ljudstvo živi v žalostnih razmerah: zdi se, da ga je
Bog zapustil in dopustil, da blodi daleč od njegovih potov.
Želja po Gospodovi vrnitvi je rasla ob spominu na njegova pretekla
dejanja: »Narodi so trepetali pred teboj, ko si delal strašne reči, ki jih
nismo pričakovali.« Gospod je mogočen, dober in mi pričakujemo razodetje njegove moči in njegove dobrote.
Ta želja v vernikih zbuja žalost zaradi njihove nezvestobe. Če si v
resnici želimo srečanja z Gospodom, zavest naših grehov postane zelo
živa v nas in izzove v naših srcih obžalovanje. Izaija pravi: »Ti si se srdil
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in mi smo grešili.«
Vedno se znajdemo v tem bolečem stanju nezvestobe Gospodovemu klicu. On nam kaže dobro pot, pot
vere in ljubezni, mi pa svojo srečo iščemo drugod. Zato,
pravi prerok, »smo postali kakor umazanec, vsa naša
pravična dela kakor umazana obleka. Vsi smo oveneli
kakor listje, naša krivda nas je odnesla kakor veter.«
Kljub trpljenju, ki ga je izzval greh, lahko še naprej
zaupamo, ker je Gospod naš Oče: »Ti, Gospod, si naš
Oče. Naš odkupitelj iz davnine ti je ime«; »In zdaj, Gospod, si ti naš Oče. Mi smo glina, ti si naš upodabljavec,
vsi smo delo tvojih rok.«
Bog je od vedno naš odkupitelj. Zato grehi ne morejo biti resnična ovira za naše srečanje z njim. Brž ko se
oddaljimo od njih, nam Gospod pomaga in gremo lahko z zaupanjem naprej.
Toda potrebna je molitev, kakor nas spominja Izaija: »Nikogar ni, ki bi klical tvoje ime, ki bi se prebudil,
da bi se te držal.« Če ne kličemo Gospodovega imena,
ne pripravljamo njegovega prihoda. Gospod nam ne
more podeliti milosti priprave, ki je tako pomembna
za naše srečanje z njim.
V drugem berilu je Pavel pred bolj pozitivnim stanjem - gre za stanje kristjanov v Korintu - ki nalaga
stalno zahvaljevanje. Apostol se razveseli ob ugotovitvi, da je oznanjevanje evangeliju v Korintu prineslo
obilne sadove. Obilje milosti zbuja še močnejše pričakovanje dokončnega razodetja našega Gospoda Jezusa
Kristusa. Prizadevati si moramo torej, da bi bili brez
graje, da bi šli naproti Gospodu, ki prihaja.
Vendar nas prizadevanje, ki se od nas zahteva, ne
sme prestrašiti, saj nam bo Gospod podelil tudi milost,
da ga bomo uresničili. Pavel zatrjuje: »On vas bo tudi
do konca utrdil, da boste brez krivde na dan našega
Gospoda Jezusa Kristusa.«
Bog je zvest: poklical nas je in ne bo pustil, da bi
nam kaj manjkalo, da bi ustrezali svoji krščanski poklicanosti, naj postanemo »sveti in brezmadežni v ljubezni«. Zato gremo lahko z velikim zaupanjem naproti
Gospodu, ki prihaja.
Božja beseda, ki jo poslušamo danes, mora v nas
prebuditi drže, ki so potrebne, da bi resnično sprejeli
Gospoda, da bi ga srečali in da bi to odločilno srečanje
spremenilo vse naše življenje.

(prim. Oznanjevalec 2009, št. 1)

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1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
R: Restore us, O God; let your face
shine, that we may be saved.
First Reading Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1. 3-8
The Prophet cries out for God to tear
the heavens open and come down to
save us.

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
St Paul constantly thanks God for the
graces his converts received in Corinth.

Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Jesus entrusts the Church, his followers,
with our own special tasks as we live
out our personal Christian vocations.
“Let your face shine on us and we shall be
saved.”

Illustration
“O that you would tear the heavens open
and come down!” This desperate cry for help is
heard wherever war, violence and the breakdown of order inflicts terror and suffering on
innocent people. It is heard in the silent, sobbing pleas of millions in refugee camps; human beings surviving in terrible conditions.
These are the people the Church asks us to
remember and pray for today, Migrants’ Sunday. The urgent appeal for God to sort out the
mess of human affairs, “to tear the heavens
and come down to save us”, is the constant
plea of the Old Testament prophets, the
prophets to whom pay attention in Advent.
This appeal comes from the Prophet Isaiah
in our first reading: why doesn’t God stop all
this evil?

“Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your ways?”
Isaiah goes on. “Return for the sake of your servants.” Isaiah continues to cry out for the sake of all
who are suffering; people close to us or maybe in
our own family; neighbours and friends who sometimes have a secret anguish in their heart, like
someone who has been hurt and damaged in childhood. “Return for the sake of your servants.” Isaiah
goes on. “Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your
ways?” That is the cry of someone who longs to find
the way forward. “You hid your face from us and
gave us up to the power of our sins.” This is the cry
of many a recidivist criminal who goes back to prison again and again, too weak to change. Or it can
be the crushed and tearful prayer of an addict,
someone addicted, perhaps, to gambling or drugs
or alcohol.

Gospel Teaching
“O that you would tear the heavens and come
down!” But God has. Isaiah’s prayer was heard. God
did tear the heavens and come down. God was
born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He has not left us
to stray from his ways: he came to be our Good
Shepherd who seeks out the stray, saves the lost
sheep, bandages the wounded, makes the weak
strong; someone who doesn’t just teach us, but
who puts out his hand to save us.
St Paul was one of the first he saved. Converted
by a blinding light Paul suddenly realised that

Christ had set him free from his awful past. It no
longer controlled him and he began living in a new
way for Christ, saving others like himself. In the reading today, he exudes a strong confidence. Jesus
Christ “will keep you steady and without blame until
the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because
God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus
Christ, and God is faithful.”
The last day is, of course, the day when he will
return. Meanwhile, as Jesus says in the Gospel today,
it is as though he has now gone abroad, leaving his
servants in charge, each with their own tasks. To his
servants, the Church, he gives the task of proclaiming
the message of salvation, and for 2000 years, both
the Church and individual Christians have been so
doing, bringing hope and help to others. People do
repent like Paul and change. Sometimes world leaders listen to the Pope. When they are deaf, he never
stops calling to them, like Isaiah.

Application
When it comes to individuals crying out for help,
the Church, (our Christian communities and parishes)
is there. By evangelisation we bring them salvation,
as Paul did to those who were not Christians, or
deepen the lives of those who are. And we also offer
our love to help people, maybe at some personal
cost, especially when they are falling apart or sick.
Pope Francis, in his call for Synodality, is asking us
to increase the sense of community in our parishes,
to watch out for people, to be aware when they need
our help. The Collect, with which Mass began, is not
empty words but a real prayer: “Grant your faithful,
we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to
meet Christ with righteous deeds… so that we may
be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.”
We mostly do this quietly on our own. But sometimes righteous deeds are better done with others in
the Church working together. God has torn the heavens open and come down. He has not left us straying
from his ways. Jesus Christ is our life, our way, our
hope! Let us rise and follow him as we wait for his
return!
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Da je bilo na banketu veselo, povedo že same slike. Tudi
starejši so se radi zavrteli ob nostalgičnih melodijah.

Sobota, 25. nov. 2023,
pri društvu Bled na
tradicionalnem
»Lovskem banketu«.
Dva lovca sta bila »za
vzorec« oblečena v
lovske obleke.
Kuhinja se je dobro
odrezala z bogato ponudbo hrane; prav tako
je ansambel Golden
Keys uspel mnoge zvabiti izza miz na plesišče.
Bar so dobro založili.
534 | VESTNIK 2023

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P OTICA B AKINGS SESSION & ORDERS

N EW Y EAR ’ S E VE C ELEBRATION

Now that we are into December, Christmas will soon be here and a lot is going on.

After Christmas we will be gearing up for
New Years!

As previously mentioned I will be hosting
a Potica Baking session
on Saturday, December
9th in the lower hall. Potica freezes very well, so by
starting early, you can be
ready with this wonderful
tradition ahead of time. If you are interested
in baking your own potica for the Holidays,
please call or text me at 905-317-6002 by
Wednesday to save your spot and join us as
we bake and have some Christmas fun. I will
purchase ingredients and the cost will be
divided by those in attendance. I will send
an email with a list of what to bring to anyone interested in participating. This baking
session will start at 9am this coming Saturday, so tie your hair back, bring your aprons
and come make some Potica for Christmas.

As things finally start to settle, your parish
council is working hard to create an amazing New Year's Gala event to ring in
the 2024 year with family and friends.
We are happy to offer early bird pricing
of $100 per ticket and have them ready to
go. Early bird pricing will only be here until
December 17th, after that, starting on the
18th, the ticket prices will increase to $120.
We have special pricing of $75 for those aged
18 years and younger.
Tickets need to be paid for upfront, so be
sure to come to church and secure your spot.
You can also contact Heidy Novak at novakhsn@gmail.com or 905-317-6002 and
pay by e-transfer using the password
"Celebration".
If paying by e-transfer, please be sure to
include your name, number of tickets and
email address in the message box so that I
can confirm your tickets with you.
We hope that everyone will plan to join us
as we prepare to ring in the 2024 New Year
together.
Let us not forget that
Slo Beat will be playing, so we
know the music will be good.
We hope that everyone
takes advantage of this great
deal $100/person and plans to participate in
our New Year's event on December 31, 2023.
Wishing a Happy Sunday to all!
Heidy Novak

I am also taking orders for those who
would prefer to just buy a Potica for the
Christmas Holidays. The plan is to make
potica for sale at a selling price of $35 each (I
can make a traditional round mold or a
straight loaf sized Potica - your choice) I will
be freezing the potica so that you can thaw
them for whenever works best for your Family Christmas celebration. Because planning
and preparations are required, those interested in ordering a potica for the holidays
should let me know by the latest Tuesday,
December 12th. Depending on the number
of orders, pick-up will be coordinated between December 16th and 20th. If you
would like more information, please contact
me at 905-317-6002
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Na račun »Eno Srce,
Ena Duša« - »One
Heart, One Soul« ste
za našo slovensko
župnijo sv. Gregorija Velikega do 1. dec. 2023 pripevali:
$187,112.- Hvala vsem, ki ste že prispevali. Naš cilj je, da dosežemo vsoto
200.000,-

KRST - BAPTISM
V nedeljo, 26. novembra 2023, je med angleško sveto mašo zakrament svetega krsta
prejel deček Malcom Louie Foster. Oče dečka
je Matthew Richard Foster, mati pa Melanie
Jessica, rojena Kopač. Iskrene čestitke staršema ob krstu drugega otroka. Naj družino
spremlja božji blagoslov in priprošnja nebeške
matere Marije.

Hvala Olgi Glavač in
sinu Marjanu, da je naša cerkev dobila začetek adventne okrasitve.
Gospa Olga vedno
najde kakšno novo idejo, kako se lahko drugače adventno okrasi.
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O BVESTILA - A NNOUNCEMENTS
KOLEDAR DOGODKOV

CWL - KŽZ

- Dec. 03 - Lipa Park - Santa Clause & Festive
luncheon
- Dec. 03 - Slovenska Šola -St. Gregory the Great Miklavževanje - Mass: 10:00 a.m.
- Dec. 10 - Bled - Christmas Social & Cookie
Sale
- Dec. 17 - Breslau - Mass 1:00 p.m.
- Dec. 17 - London - Mass 4:00 p.m.
- Dec. 24 - St. Gregory the Great Parish:
- 9:30 a.m. - Slovenian Mass
- 6:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Mass - English
- 9:00 p.m. - Sveti večer - Slovenska maša
- Dec. 25 - St. Gregory - Christmas Day:
- 9:30 a.m. - Slovenian Mass
- 11:00 a.m. - English Mass
- Dec. 31 - St. Gregory the Great - New Year’s
Eve
- Jan. 1 - Lipa Park - New Year’s Day Luncheon

Our next general CWL meeting
will take place on Wednesday,
December 6th after 7:00 PM Mass.
We thank our members for renewing their membership in our
league. We would also like to wish our parish
community a blessed Christmas and all the
best in the New Year.
Blagoslovljene božične praznike in srečno
novo leto.
- Rosemary Šušteršič

CLEANING OF THE CHURCH
- Dec. 9th - Lojzka Novak & team
- Dec. 23rd - Lukežič and Volčanšek team

BRALEC - READER
Slovenian - Terezija Sarjaš
English - Mary Ann Demšar

GIFT BEARERS AT SLOVENIAN MASS
- Dec. 3rd - Family Tran
- Dec. 10th - Jose Hapke & Mary Holder

OGNJIŠČE
Naročnina za revijo Ognjišče ostane enaka
kot lansko leto in sicer $91.- Če ne boste odpovedali računam, da boste še naprej naročniki
na revijo za leto 2024.
538 | VESTNIK 2023

DAROVI - DONATIONS
Za gradbeni sklad so darovali
V spomin na pok. Franka L. Gimpelj Jr.:
- $500.- mama Elizabeth z družino
- $100.- Anica Letnik
V spomin na pok. Matija Škerl:
- $750.- Family Škerl
- $200.- Ivan in Mary Miketič

Hvala vsem za vaše darove in podporo.

ZAHVALA - THANK YOU
We would like to sincerely
thank our extended family,
friends, and the Slovenian community for your kindness and
expressions of condolences for
our husband, father, and grandfather Matija Skerl.
Our gratitude to Father Drago Gačnik for
administering the Anointing of the Sick sacrament a week prior to Matija’s passing, leading
us in prayer at the funeral home, and for a
lovely funeral service - it brought us much
comfort.

Thank you to the choir for making the funeral mass special. Thank you to Nancy Dundek for preparing a nice luncheon, to Tony
Horvat for his work at the bar, and to all those
that contributed with desserts and setting up
and cleaning the hall.
Thanks to our dear family and friends that
consoled us during this difficult time, your
help and support during this time will always
be remembered.
Sincerely, Angelca, Frank, Marianne, Eric,
Leah, and Mark Škerl

ADVENT - BOŽIČ
Danes smo s prvo adventno nedelja vstopili v štiri tedensko pripravo na Božič. Letos je
res samo 4 tedne, ker je na četrto adventno
nedelja zvečer že Sveti večer.
Prihodnjo nedeljo boste imeli na razpolago
koledarje: Slovenski Marijanski koledar in Angleški misijonski. Prav tako boste lahko vzeli
zavitek nedeljskih kuvert za prihodnje leto. Če
jih kdo do sedaj ni uporabljal, pa bi jih rad v
prihodnje, naj mi sporoči.
Ta teden je 41. obletnica posvetitve naše
cerkve, ki se vršila 5. decembra 1982.

Svete maše - Masses
†
1. ADVENTNA NEDELJA †
1ST SUNDAY OF AD- †
††
VENT
†
3. DECEMBER
†
Frančišek Ksaver, red. †

DON BOSCO

Za žive in rajne župljane
Alojzija Novak, obl.
Anton Vinčec
Jože Zadravec
Štefan in Marija Kovač
Izidor Fujs
Frank L. Gimpelj Jr.
Janez Kokalj, obl.
Miklavževanje

Ta teden je v petek, 8. decembra praznik
Marijinega brezmadežnega spočetja. 16. decembra bomo pri večerni maši začeli božično
devetdnevnico. Vabljeni da se je udeležite.
V teh dneh bo na razpolago tudi kadilo, da
boste na svete večere lahko pokadili prostore
svoje hiše.

V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti
faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah:
Halas
Andrec
Napast
DiPietro
Vrstovšek
Prebil
Božič
Rejc
Bitežnik
Marušich
Doma
Mešiček
Sevšek
Bolko
Dolar
Žigon
Majzelj

Ivan (John) Daniel
Theresa
Stanislav
Antonio
Stanislav, Stane
Ciril
Adolf
Maria
Michael
Frank Radivoj
Ivan
Dragica
Franc
Karolina, Dragica
Rozalija
Ivan
Marica

Dec. 4, 1976
Dec. 4, 1983
Dec. 4, 2010
Dec. 4, 2011
Dec. 4, 2022
Dec. 6, 1977
Dec. 6, 1995
Dec. 6, 2012
Dec. 9, 2001
Dec. 9, 2013
Dec. 9, 2022
Dec. 10, 2001
Dec. 10, 2006
Dec. 10, 2010
Dec. 10, 2020
Dec. 10, 2022
Dec. 10, 2022

MASS IS - - - - - - Sin Frank z družino
10:00 A.M. Vera Lackovič z družino
Fran in Ljudmila Zadravec
Hči Ljudmila in Franc Zadravec
Aranka z družino
Mary in Robert Kure
Sestra Ana
12:00 Upper Hall - Slovenska šola
ONLY AT

SV. MAŠE - MASSES: Mon. to Fri.: 7:00 P.M.; Saturday: 5:30 P.M. (Slo); Sunday: 9:30 A.M. (Slo); 11:00 A.M (Eng) - From July to
Fall Banquet only 10:00 A.M. - KRSTI / BAPTISMS: For an appointment, call one month before. POROKE / MARRIAGE: By
appointment, call one year before the wedding date. SPOVED / CONFESSIONS: First Friday of the month 6 to 7:00 P.M. (or
by appointment) BOLNIKI - Sporočite, če je kdo bolan ali v bolnišnici, da ga obiščemo. You are welcome to call for a personal conversation with your priest – please call for an appointment. Tel: 905-561-5971 or Cell: 905-520-2014

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SVETE MAŠE - MASSES
PONEDELJEK - MONDAY
4. DECEMBER
Barbara, mučenka

†
†
†
†
†

Stane Napast
Frančiška Napast
Marjan Svoljšak
Marjan Svoljšak
Matija Škerl

TOREK - TUESDAY
Za mir na svetu
5. DECEMBER - Saba, opat † Victoria Zamuda
SREDA - WEDNESDAY ††
Za rajne župljane
6. DECEMBER
†

7:00 P.M. Ljudmila Pinter z družino
Ljudmila Pinter z družino
Žena z družino
Družina Marjan Žvan-Watson
Družina Marjan Žvan-Watson
7:00 P.M. Jožica Novak z družino
Toni in Marija Franc

Nikolaj (Miklavž), škof

Leopold Kline

7:00 P.M. CWL - KŽZ
Društvo sv. Jožefa (4)

ČETRTEK - THURSDAY
7. DECEMBER

† Stane Zupančič
† Ivanka Ferenčak

7:00 P.M. Jožica Hapke
Jožica Vegelj z družino

†† Pokojni starši
† Ivan Zelko
† Franc Belavič, 30. dan (Slov)

7:00 P.M. Helena Špiler
Marija Korošec z družino
Jože Gimpelj

††
†
†
†
†
†
†
††
†

5:30 P.M. Marija Košir
Hči Ivanka Dogar
Ignac in Ivanka Dogar
Ignac in Ivanka Dogar
Hči Ivanka Dogar
Kathy Simončič
Kathy Simončič
Amalija Štadler
Olga Glavač

Ambrož, šk.-uč.

PETEK - FRIDAY

8. DECEMBER

Brezmadežno spočetje
Device Marije

SOBOTA - SATURDAY
9. DECEMBER
Bernard Jezusov, red.
Valerija, mučenka

2. ADVENTNA
NEDELJA

2ND SUNDAY OF
ADVENT
10. DECEMBER
Judita, svetopisemska
žena

540 | VESTNIK 2023

Leopold in Milica Kline
Rozina Kramar, obl.
Ivan Doma, obl.
Rozina Doma
Ignac Kramar
Frančiška Napast
Stane Napast
Pokojni farani
Ana Leben

Za žive in rajne župljane
† Frank L. Gimpelj, Jr.
†† Paula in Franc Pelcar
Bogu v zahvalo
† Štefan Zadravec
† Ivan Zadravec
† Štefan Dundek
† Irma Dorenčec
† Ana Doma
†† Štefan in Elizabeth Ftičar
† Ivan Žerdin
† Janez Hočevar
† Marica Majzelj, obl.
† Frank L. Gimpelj Jr.
† Matija Škerl
† Frank L. Gimpelj, Jr.

9:30 A.M. - - - - - - Jože Gimpelj
Stan Pelcar & Josie Dubé z družino
Jožica Novak z družino
Franc in Ljudmila Zadravec
Franc in Ljudmila Zadravec
Aranka z družino
Mož Ignac z družino
Toni in Marija Franc
Branko in Mary Fylypiw
Branko in Mary Fylypiw
Branko in Mary Fylypiw
Mož Frank z družino
11:00 A.M. Heidy in Adam Novak z družino
Heidy in Adam Novak z družino
Mary Lesica z družino