A sense of urgency is reflected in all of today's readings. Jonah warns the Ninevites, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed." Paul reminds the Corinthians that "time is running out." Jesus proclaims that "this is the time of fulfillment." There is no denying that we humans tend to respond more readily to an urgent request; we seem to be much more motivated by something that must be done right now. This tendency makes it all too easy to put off less urgent things: "Oh, we've got time for that later."
    For the people in Jonah's day, for the people of Jesus' time and Paul's time, the end was believed to be imminent. The words of the prophets and reformers frequently tried to evoke a sense of urgency. We don't know, of course, how much time we have as individuals or as nations to reform our ways, but it's safe to say that there's less time left today than there was yesterday. Today's readings may be inviting us to revise our priorities.

BELIEVE IN THE GOOD NEWS    Jesus' urgent message to the people of Galilee contains two important declarative statements. The command to "repent" is commonly heard. Far less common is a command that requires the hearer to have faith. Yet Jesus says, "Believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). This is not a request or a suggestion. He does not say, "I hope you can believe" or "Would you consider believing?" Baptized Christians, believers by definition, are to live their lives as if their beliefs mattered. That is why we must repent as well as believe. Whatever our calling in life, our families, neighbors, friends, and co-workers should all be able to tell that we believe in the gospel by the way we live the gospel. Time is too short to do otherwise.

Our 47th Annual Parish Festival is approaching! You will find the entire schedule below. Please volunteer as much time as you can for Setup and Tear down and, of course, during the Festival. Your help is what makes this event successful.

Setup: Saturday, January 28, 8 AM – 1 PM; Saturday, February 4, 8 AM – 1 PM
Raffle: Please sell and buy Raffle Tickets; this is the largest fundraiser of the Festival. They are available in the front of church.
Ride Ticket Sales: Will be available after all Masses, February 4-5. Save Big Money when you purchase tickets at the pre-sale bargain prices!

Festival Dates/Times:
Thursday, February 9, 6 PM - 10 PM
Friday, February 10, 6 PM - 11 PM
Saturday, February 11, 1 PM - 11 PM
Sunday, February 12, 1 PM - 10 PM

Festival is a week later than usual (the weekend after the SuperBowl) - But there is still much to do to organize the booths, raffle, food, entertainment, ride tickets, and more… Workers, chairpersons, cooks, all interested parties – plan on attending this planning meeting called by our general chairman Ben Tipps, ably assisted by his son Danny. Call Ben for more information 954-261-3109

Teardown: Monday, February 13, 9 AM – 9 PM or until finished; Saturday, February 18, 8 AM – if necessary


See our Festival Flyer from the Bulletin.

Regular CCD Classes for Grades Pre-K4 through 8th - Sundays, 10:15-11:30 AM in the school
Communion Class for Grades 6-7-8 - Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 PM in the school
High School Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation Class - Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 PM in the school

And don't forget..... Children's Liturgy. On the Sunday's that Religious Education Classes are held there is a special Children's Church held in the Parish Hall. Sunday mornings start at 9 a.m. with children in the hall, parents in church. Parents should bring their children to the parish hall before 9 a.m. Then they can go back to church for the beginning of Mass. Children will have their own worship in the hall with a scripture and music service specially tailored to these younger members of the community. Then they will come back to the church and join with their parents and the other members of the parish for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Thank you, thank you for all your generous support of our St. Vincent Angel Tree Toy Drive for needy children of the parish. We were able to provide toys for over 80 children.

Please continue to remember St. Vincent de Paul society throughout the year. Donations of food for the Food Pantry can be dropped off at the rectory or in the donation box in the entrance to church and monetary donations are always welcome. Please remember to use your monthly St. Vincent dePaul envelope in your regular envelope package. The Society exists only with your generosity. Thank you and God bless you!

Read more about our own St. Vincent DePaul Society in a special SVDP page from the Bulletin.

Come visit our school - find out what makes St. Bartholomew Catholic School such a wonderful place!
• Quality academic education
• Religious and moral formation
• Fully accredited school and faculty
• Computers in every classroom and computer lab.
Where Bibles and Computers fit together in one learning environment.

St. Bartholomew Catholic School accepts children age 3 through the eighth grade. For information about registration or to arrange a visit to the school, call the school office (954) 431-5253.


Catholic School for Free? Take advantage of scholarships that cover amost the entire cost of parochial school education. A variety of scholarships are available to qualifying families in the state of Florida, including "Step Up For Students" (formerly Florida PRIDE) and McKay Scholarships. Read more about our school inside the bulletin. See www.stepupforstudents.org for scholarship qualifications. Don't Miss This Great Opportunity. Don't Miss This Great Opportunity.

Did you ever think about becoming Catholic? Is there a friend or a member of the family with whom you could share your faith? Do you or someone else have a lot of questions seeking answers.

Try us… ask, listen, share, grow. We are anxious to share with others our special Catholic vision of faith and love in Christ. We do this through our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) or Catechumenate.

RCIA – The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults – is not like going back to school, because RCIA is more of a process of growth than a project in school. RCIA means learning not just with the head, but most importantly with the heart.

Our Catechumenate program, also called RCIA, can benefit:
• Those unbaptized persons who want to become Christians.
• Those baptized non-Catholic who want to join the Catholic community.
• Adult Catholics who have not yet received First Communion or completed their Sacraments of Initiation.
For info call and leave your name at the Office 954-431-3600.

We welcome your inquiry into our parish and its unique Web Site. We invite you to share your journey of faith with us. Please feel free to contact us personally: via e-mail: office@stbartholomew.com; by phone: (954) 431-3600; or in person: 8005 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL 33025-3004. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions specifically about this Web site, please email: dmurphy@stbartholomew.com