First Friday - May 2 is First Friday. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration from 9:30am to 12:00 noon. We invite you to spend at least one hour in prayer. Invite your family and friends to join us.
Anointing of the Sick - The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be celebrated on Saturday, May 3 after the 5:30pm Mass. We invite those who are chronically ill or having surgery to be anointed at this Mass.
Feast of the Ascension - The Feast of the Ascension has been moved to the seventh Sunday of Easter which is next Sunday, May 4. Consequently, Thursday, May 1 which traditionally was the Feast of the Ascension is not a Holy Day of Obligation. On that day we will have our regular Thursday Mass at Mt. Carmel at 5:30pm.
May Crowning - May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be held Saturday, May 10 at the 5:30pm Mass. We invite the children from the First Holy Communion to come dressed in their First Holy Communion outfits to honor Our Lady. Parents, please bring the children about 4:00pm. We will be doing the LIVE ROSARY with each child representing each bead of the Rosary. We want to keep this tradition that we have done in the past that the Catholic Daughter's started. The Catholic daughters are in charge. For more information, please call Stephanie at 898-5253, ext. 3, Frances at 898-5253, Ext. 0 or Jeanette at 831-4372.
Visitation and Prayer - The church will be open for visitation and prayer from 9:00am to 5:00pm during the week. Cameras have been installed in the church which will be monitored from the parish office. Also, an alarm system has been installed to prevent persons from entering the sanctuary of the church. An alarm will sound if a person enters the restricted area. Please obey the signs in church to prevent sounding the alarm.
Ministers of Holy Communion - If you would like to assist with distribution of Holy Communion at the Sunday Masses, please call the office at 898-5253 and give us your name, address and phone number. We will contact you for instructions.
Lectors Needed - If you are able to read well and have a good speaking voice we invite you to become a lector at the Sunday Masses in our parish. Please call the office at 898-5253 and give us your name, address and phone number. We will contact you for instructions.
Young Adult Ministry Group - Young adults ages 18 to 25 are welcome to become a part of this new ministry. Join us and see what you can do to be an active member of the young adults of Nativity.
Communion Ministers Needed - If you have flexible time and are retired and would like to bring Communion to the sick people at Lovelace Hospital, please contact Deacon Fabian at 262-7345.
Proper Dress - We encourage our parishioners to dress properly when attending Mass. Remember, you are celebrating the Sacrament, the Lord's presence through Word and Eucharist, coming into your lives. Our external appearance symbolizes our inner disposition. Please do not wear shorts or any other kind of inappropriate clothing to church. Please have respect for the house of God, for the Lord himself and also for all our parishioners.
Monthly Service for Cancer Patients - There will be monthly prayer services to St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of cancer Patients. Prayer Service at Nativity and will be held after the 5:30pm Mass on the last Saturday of each month to offer those who have cancer, their relatives and friends an opportunity to join with each other in prayer to St. Peregrine. Everyone is invited to join us. For more information, please call Peggy McClure at 898-5551.
Church Entrance and Exit - We remind everyone who uses the rear entrance of the church to always use the one on the North side or the main entrance. This allows the ministers of the altar to do their job without interference before and after the masses. Thank You!!
Homebound - If someone in your home is sick and can no longer leave the house, please call the parish office. Our Eucharistic Ministers will be glad to visit with them and take them Communion. The priest will also visit and anoint those who can't leave their homes. Also, if you have someone who is ill and wishes to put their name on the sick list, please call the office. We will keep them on the list for a couple of weeks.
Offering Envelopes - We thank you for your contributions which make it possible for the ministries of our parish. Please use your offering envelopes whenever making any donation to our parish regardless of the amount. If you forget your envelope, please use the temporary ones located by the entrances of the church.
Over 50 and Not Confirmed? - If you are 50 years of age or older and you know for certain that you have never been confirmed, please call Michael Illerbrun or Fr. Juan at 898-5253. We will be happy to assist you in being confirmed. We need to know soon.
Sunday to Sunday Video - Please Note: Sunday to Sunday video in our parish is offered every Monday evening at 7:00pm and on Tuesday morning at 8:15am before Mass. This video serves as a great opportunity to grow in faith by reflecting on the Sunday Readings. For more information call JoAnn at 792-4926 or Cindy at 898-3743.
Women at the Well - All women are welcome to attend. This will be an ongoing program, scheduled for the second Saturday of every month from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Canossian Spirituality Center, 5625 Isleta Boulevard SW. It should appeal to the ladies who would like a change of pace by spending some time in prayer, discussion and study with other women. The inclusion of lunch will enhance the sense of warmth and friendship. Hospitality here at the Center cannot be beat (and we have a good cook). For information please call 425-9402.
Active Adult Parishioners - who have been Baptized but never Confirmed or made their First Communion: if you are interested in receiving the Sacraments, please call Father Mendez or Michael Illerbrun at 898-5253.
RCIA - The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults - If you are interested in becoming Catholic or maybe just interested in finding out more about the Catholic faith, or maybe you have a relative or friend inquiring about our faith; RCIA is a program worth looking into. RCIA is the primary process through which adults receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist and fully join the Catholic Church. Classes begin September 5 on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm in the Pastoral Center. For more information, please call Patrick Garcia at 839-7197 or Dave Deis at 897-4662.
Message From
Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan
Attention Roman Catholics
If you or any of your Roman Catholic family members or friends have been attending services or receiving sacraments in the following churches, please know that these are NOT recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics cannot fulfill their Sunday Mass obligation at these churches. In order to be a Catholic, a church must be in union with the Holy Father, Successor of St. Peter and the local Bishop he sends. The following churches are therefore not Catholic and Catholics should not attend them. Archbishop Michael Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe has NOT appointed any pastors or priests to the churches listed here: Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Chapel, 333 58th Street NW, Albuquerque; Our Lady of Victory, 3701 19th Avenue SE, Albuquerque; Our Lady Queen of Angels Liberal Catholic Church, 1701 Tulip NE, Rio Rancho; Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel, 1420 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque; Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, last address known, 515 Main Street SE Los Lunas; Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada, last know address, 2006 Bridge SW, Albuquerque; Christ the King Independent Catholic Church, last known address, 2801 Lomas NE, Albuquerque; Guardian Angels Mission Old Catholic Church of Antioch in Corrales; Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 919 Goff SW, Albuquerque; Holy Trinity Orthodox Catholic Church, last address known, 403 63rd Street, Albuquerque; St. Peter's Holy Catholic Church, 8100 Eubank NE, Albuquerque. For any questions regarding this, please contact a priest, deacon or parish life coordinator in your parish.
Not a Roman Catholic Church - Recently a new church named St. Peter and Paul has been opened on the west side (Ouray NW). Although they call themselves "Catholic" THEY ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE ARCHDIOCESE AND THEREFORE IT IS NOT ROMAN CATHOLIC. Their services are all in Latin. Most of you know that San Ignacio Church does have a Mass in Latin at noon on Sundays and is part of the services of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for Catholics who wish to attend a Latin Mass.
Octave on Christian Unity - A web page entitled The Octave on Christian Unity, was posted on the Archdiocesan web site at www.archdiocesesantafe.org It will contain creative, yet manageable, ideas for observing the Octave, including materials for conducting ecumenical study and prayer services as well as links to Vatican documents on ecumenism.
New Parishioner Registration - Are you registered in your parish? While attending mass is a mandate for all Catholics, it is not the same as belonging to a parish. When we attend mass at different churches there is no commitment, nobody knows us, there are no expectations. Registering is choosing a family to belong to. It involves commitment. To register or change information please fill out the form on the front of the Bulletin or click on the New Parishioner/Change Form. After completing the form you can drop it in the collection basket, mail or bring it to the parish office.