Pastoral Staff Rev. Denis Condon

Transcription

1 Pastoral Staff Pastor Rev. Denis Condon Associate Pastor Rev. Henry Kricek Pastor Emeritus Rev. John Hergenrother School Principal Ms. AnnMarie Mahay Faith Formation Coordinator Ms. Anne Watylyk Youth Minister Mrs. Karyn Miller Business Manager Ms. Lynn Waterloo Music Director Mr. Jim Harrold, Secretary/Bulletin Editor Ms. Maureen Johnson, Spiritual Companion Mrs. Jane Kucera, Parish Council Chair Mrs. JoAnna Leon, Rectory 1144 Harrison Ave., FAX School 1125 Harrison, LaGrange Park, Faith Formation Weekend Mass Schedule Saturday Evening: 5:00 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Weekday Masses Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. Sacraments and Ministries Reconciliation/Confessions Saturdays 4:00 4:30 p.m. or on request. Baptisms Second Sunday: 12:30 p.m. A baptismal class is necessary prior to scheduling a Baptism. Marriage Contact the rectory six months prior to wedding. Home Communion Visits Contact the rectory. Parish Nurses, Hours as posted in church. New Parishioners Register at the rectory or online. Website parishoffice@slmparish.org Bulletin Deadline Monday at 10:00 a.m. Traveling? Call or

2 D ecember s a funny time of year. We scramble about shopping malls and then grumble about how commercial the season has become; mail out a forest of cards many to people we hardly know or want to know; warm to old familiar stories; set up Christmas trees only to utter unmentionable words over knotted strings of lights; break keepsake ornaments leaving someone in tears; anticipate grandma s cookies; and go to parties we say we d rather not go to and then get up grumpy the next morning. All this accompanied by a certain amount of obligatory grumbling about it all being too much. Bah, humbug! And yet it is the most wonderful time of the year. Then we step into church on the weekend only to find a whole other world: bluish purple banners and vestments, four big colored candles (three blue, one pink), songs of longing for the coming One and much ado about waiting. At least the past part we can plug into. We re all waiting. But while most of us are involved in busy waiting (remember the malls and stores and cards and cookies), church talk speaks of quiet, even silent waiting, like in a doctor s waiting room or in a bank and supermarket lines. Boring waiting. Nothing-to-do waiting. It s all very tedious. No excitement here. But our dislike of the Church s version of December may say more about us that we d like to think. See, during December the church tries to find the silence of night. She tries to rediscover not the nights of city lights and hang-outs, but country nights of stillness, except for the whisper of the wind or the occasional hooting of an owl. Much happens during a country night that we city-folk can miss. Glaring city lights wash out the wonder of a universe of stars spread over our heads. They also don t let us feel those cloudy nights when night closes in like a blanket drawn tight and you can t see you hand in front of your face. Concrete and asphalt keep the damp night-smell of earth from our noses. Night speaks in hushed tones drowned out by the blare of horns, the rumbling of engines and the ever present noise from electric boxes whether TV, I-pod or radio. A country night lets us escape the endless bombardment that our senses get from the man made techno world we ve replaced Nature with. At least once during the course of the year the Church tries to lead us back into God-made night; a place for quiet and listening. But a country night can be frightening as well. Standing before the spread of our universe passing overhead, we may question where we fit into all this. When darkness closes round us, strange and menacing snaps, crunches and growls make us long for the rising light. The silence of the night lets us listen to our own heart. Hearing our own inner fears and regrets teaches us why we are in need of a Savior, a Prince of Peace. The more the hobgoblins of our mind and the demons of our world taunt us, the more we yearn for the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. For only one hour each week for four weeks of the year does the Church lead us into the night, God s night. We need to let that night speak to us; we need to wait through the darkness of the night. Listen to our inner selves speak so the Word can once more take flesh. Not in the rushing about and lights and noise of town was the Word born, but in the stillness of a silent night. Father Denis December 14, 2014 Page 2

3 Monday, December 15 6:00 p.m. Play Practice-PC/M 6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts-C 7:00 p.m. Summerfest Mtg.-R Tuesday, December 16 Christmas Play Set Up-PC 2:45 p.m. Girl Scouts-C 7:00 p.m. Communal Reconciliation-CH 7:00 p.m. Bereavement Mtg.-M Wednesday, December 17 2:30 p.m. Children s Choir-CH 7:00 p.m. Adoration-CH 7:00 p.m. Faith Group-M Christmas Play-PC Thursday, December 18 4:30 p.m. SPRED-R 5:00 p.m. Athletics-PC Friday, December 19 5:00 p.m. Athletics-PC 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts-C Saturday, December 20 9:00 a.m. Athletics-PC 10:00 a.m. Drama Club-C 11:00 a.m. Family Mass Practice-CH Sunday, December 21 8:00 a.m. Bible Breakfast-M 12:30 p.m. Athletics-PC 6:00 p.m. BEDS-C 8:00 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous-R Panther Beat Students Celebrate Grandparents With Special Program! St. Louise students hosted a Grandparents Tea in November to honor their grandmas and grandpas. Preschool, Kindergarten, Superkids and Challengers students performed special songs and everyone enjoyed refreshments and visits to classrooms! HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL Congratulations to our St. Louise alumni who made the Honor Roll at their high schools. Good Work! De LaSalle Institute: Gerald Hopkins Nazareth Academy: Rebecca Letcher, Brittany Schneider, Robert Schneider, Robert Turek, Gina Crisanti, Maria Giampietro December 14, 2014 Page 3

4 Communal Reconciliation Service (with private confession) Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday, December 20, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Christmas Masses December 24, Christmas Eve 3:45 p.m. Mass 5:30 p.m. Family/Children s Mass Midnight ~ Solemn Mass of Christmas Carols begin at 11:30 p.m. December 25, Christmas Day 7:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. New Year s Eve & New Year s Day Wednesday, December 31-5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 1, :00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Each One Has Unique Gifts Are we moved by the suffering of those without shelter? Do we seek to alleviate the fear, confusion and panic that women facing unexpected pregnancies may be experiencing? Do our hearts ache for the elderly patients in nursing homes who feel abandoned and unwanted, having no one to visit them? Our mission is to show each person the love of Christ. As uniquely created individuals, we each have unique gifts which we are called to use to share Christ s love. ~Cardinal Sean O Malley, O.F.M. Support Religious Communities Your generous contribution helps us to care for our retired sisters and enables our younger sisters to continue active ministry, writes a religious sister. Your gift to today s collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious provides vital support for the retirement needs of senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. Senior religious, who have served our Church so faithfully, rely on you to share their needs with your parish family. It also helps ensure that young members can continue the good works of their elders! Pope Francis has said, Wherever we go, even to the smallest parish in the most remote corner of this earth, there is one Church. Your Choice. Your Future. Test with Nazareth! Saturday: January 10, 2015 at 8 a.m. Bring two No. 2 pencils - $25 Exam Fee - No calculators No pre-registration required. Exam concludes at 11:30 a.m. Optional Parent Gathering, 8:15-9:15 a.m. Info: December 14, 2014 Page 4

5 Invitation to Bereavement Support Group Our lives are covered with many types of loss; one of the hardest being the loss of a loved one. I welcome you to journey with others whom have lost a loved one, to share and comfort while continuing to learn to cope and grow in God s love. Whether your loss was recent or many moons ago, I invite you to join our bereavement group on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Marillac Room (east side of school.) If you want to join, but are unable to attend or have any questions, feel free to call me. Jen Reynolds: bbreyfam@comcast.net or ADVENT FAITH GROUP A faith group is an excellent way for people to explore faith together. Our Faith Group meets December 17 in the Marillac Room at 7:00 p.m. We welcome those who are searching no matter what their level of faith or religious background. Teen Club: No Teen Friday, December 19 or 26. High School Teen Club resumes January 2 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Open gym at 8:00. Christmas Lock-In: There is a high school lock-in on December 29 and 30. Permission forms are available at the rectory. Hunger Banquet: In preparation for the 30-Hour Famine, Youth Ministry is sponsoring a Hunger Banquet on January 9. Learn how food is distributed in our world. There is no charge, but make a reservation with Ms. Miller by Monday, January 5. Anyone planning to participate in the 30-Hour Famine, should plan to attend. Famine packets will be passed out. All Night Ski Trip-High School On Friday night, January 30, the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry is sponsoring an overnight ski trip to Chestnut Mountain. Cost: $100 and includes coach bus transportation, lesson, lift ticket, and ski or snowboard rental. With your equipment, cost is $87. Permission packets at the rectory. Fees and forms due by January 15. Looking for a great stocking stuffer? St. Louise Player s rendition of The Music Man on DVD is available for sale for $5 each; a great gift idea for the theater buff in your family. Contact Linda Noon lnnoonan@aol.com, phone: (708) ASP DONUTS The ASP teens are selling Krispy Kreme donuts after Masses on December 20/21 to help raise funds for their trip to Kentucky in June Stop in back of church to see pictures from previous trips, talk to the teens about their experiences, and for donuts. Please support this important mission by buying a dozen or two. We appreciate your help! G Advent Blessing od our Father, during Advent, we look forward to celebrating the coming of your Son as a human child, and we look forward also to his Second Coming. Bless all our preparations and we ask you to illuminate our hearts and ground us in your goodness. May we be like Christ to each other and to our communities. You who sent your Son into a human family, grace ours. When we become busy or frustrated, give us peace. We ask this through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen. December 14, 2014 Page 5

6 December Monday 8:30 - Bill Purl, Otto & Beverly Spevak Tuesday 8:30 - Kevin O Connor Wednesday 8:30 - Karen Kleppetsch Thursday 8:30 - Gary Eugene Frederick Friday 8:30 - John Battle Saturday 5:00 - Al Graf, Otto Weiler, Brad Stock, Fred Vacchiano, Joan Dolezal Sunday 7:30 - Madelyn Lynch, Mary Ritchie 9:30 - Joan Dolezal, Petrovic & Melin families, 11:00 - Sukola & Zalac families, William Scholle, Dorothy Sadlowski, Angela Stepanek Altar Servers Mon. - Wed., December 15, 16, 17 8:30 - B. Schneider, T. Swanson Thurs. - Fri., December 18, 19 8:30 - A. Thomas, M. Bosshart Sat., December 20 5:00 - K. Valdez, C. Melone, M. Melone Sun., December 21 7:30 - D. Keen, L. Keen, Da. Keen 9:30 - A. Copp, B. Copp, M. Schaffer 11:00 - L. Dunn, Bra. Schneider, Bri. Schneider In Sympathy Our condolences to the family of Olive Likavec Presiders December 20 December 21 Confessions - Fr. Denis 7:30 - Fr. Henry 5:00 - Fr. Denis 9:30 - Fr. Henry 11:00 - Fr. Denis Readers December 20 December 21 5:00 - P. Hammerschmitt 7:30- E. Keegan 9:30-J. Derus 11:00-M. Miller/B. Schneider Eucharistic Ministers December 20 5:00 - R.&B. Stepina, C. Hammerschmitt, P. Erickson, T. Nedvar, T. Popernik, L. Sroka December 21 7:30 - F. Johanek, M. Voss, R. Voss, B. Petek, E. Siuda, B. Strnad, E. Wagner 9:30 - M. Sinde, B.&G. Garvey, L. Boyd, L. Korenchan, R. Jevorutsky, D. Juday, L. Waterloo, G. Witkowski 11:00 - J. Skowronski, Jo.&Ja. Gaske, R.&L. Valdez, S. Buckley, J. Gerberi, B. Koll, J. Zalig WEEKLY OFFERTORY December 7, 2014 Sunday Collection, This Week: This Year $8,098 Last Year $8,828 Sunday Collection, Year-to-Date: This Year $48,227 Last Year $43,575 Year-to-Date Collection Budget $45,150 Envelopes Returned, This Week: This Year 354 Last Year 413 December 14, 2014 Page 6

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