BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH 518 W. State St., Grand Island, NE 68801 308-384-0532 Emergencies Only: 308-249-0009 Website: blsachurch.net E-Mail: bscc_1@msn.com Sunday, December 17, 2017 Third Sunday of Advent Date Time Intention Saturday, December 16 5:30 p.m. Ed Kosinski+ Sunday, December 17 8:00 a.m. Parish Family Sunday, December 17 10:00 a.m. Dawn Stobbe+ Tuesday, December 19 12:05 p.m. Margaret Dillon+ Wednesday, December 20 12:05 p.m. Andy Bohnart+ Thursday, December 21 12:05 p.m. Mary Ann McBride+ Friday, December 22 12:05 p.m. Dawn Stobbe+ Saturday, December 23 5:00 p.m. Ann Dohmen+ Saturday, December 23 7:00 p.m. Parish Family Sunday, December 24 9:00 a.m. William Fay+ Sunday, December 24 4:00 p.m. Parish Family, Living & Deceased Sunday, December 24 7:00 p.m. Parish Family, Living & Deceased Sunday, December 24 10:00 p.m. Parish Family, Living & Deceased Monday, December 25 9:00 a.m. Parish Family, Living & Deceased Reconciliation: Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, December 23 No Confessions We re in the Pink! This old-fashioned saying, which was in vogue decades ago, means that there is reason to rejoice because things are going our way. This is the third Sunday of Advent, and we light the pink candle, which has a similar, if not exact, meaning. We always light the pink candle in the church to recognize that our hope is at a high because everything is going God s way. Isaiah s prophesy comes true, and hope that the Messiah is coming soon becomes more evident. We, too, look for the Messiah to come more fully and completely in our lives, church and community. We look to encounter him throughout our lives, but we need to be cautious not to look for my Messiah, but rather God s Messiah. We make ready our hearts so that God s Messiah can change our life and make our kingdom look more like the Reign of God that Christ describes. It will be a journey of faith that will not have a time-line, but it will have hope for all. Yes, we re in the pink. The love and forgiveness of God is ours, today and forever. Fr. Marty
Sunday, 12/17 Monday, 12/18 Tuesday, 12/19 Wednesday, 12/20 Thursday, 12/21 Saturday, 12/23 Sunday, 12/24 Monday, 12/25 THIS WEEK S ACTIVITIES Third Sunday of Advent 10:00 a.m. - Children s Celebration 11:00 p.m. - Mom s Prayer/Support Group 7:00 p.m. - 4 th Grade Communal Reconciliation Service Service at Blessed Sacrament 5:30 p.m. - Yoga 6:30 p.m. - Centering Prayer Enrichment Group Service at St. Leo s 7:00 p.m. - Women s Open AA Meeting 6:30 a.m. - Men s Early Morning Tuesday Group 1:00 p.m. - Quilting Service at St. Mary s Cathedral 7:00 p.m. - Guitar Group Practice 7:00 p.m. - AA & Alanon Meetings 6:15 p.m. - Handbell Choir Service at Resurrection 7:15 p.m. - Adult Choir 1:00 p.m. - Quilting 5:30 p.m. - Yoga 10:00 a.m. - Alanon Meeting 5:00 p.m. - Mass 7:00 p.m. - Mass Fourth Sunday of Advent/ Christmas Eve 9:00 a.m. - Mass 4:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Mass 7:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Mass 10:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Mass 9:00 a.m. - Christmas Day Mass Our Deepest Sympathy to the Family of: MARION SCHUTTE. MAY HE REST IN PEACE! We pray for the following parishioners, who are currently serving in the military: Riley Allen Jeff Bellamy Chad Brown John G. Frankenberg Bryan Hulit Mikel Schlick Heather Rempe Shawn Ruzicka OUR GIFTS OF TREASURE December 9/10, 2017 Adult Envelopes $10,878.00 Plate 472.83 Children s 61.56 Diocesan Appeal Our Goal $ 77,850.00 Pledged to Date (218) 58,154.00 Received to Date 56,125.00 Religious Formation News 4 th Grade Communal Reconciliation, December 17, 7:00 p.m., church. All parents and 4 th grade students should meet promptly at 6:30 p.m. in the Jubilee Center for a short meeting prior to this Reconciliation Service. No Classes during Christmas Vacation on December 20 & December 27. Classes will resume January 3. Edgar Barge Memorial Scholarships: Blessed Sacrament will award scholarships in the amount of $1,000 and $500 to two seniors, who are going on to college. All applications must be completed on-line at www.gicf.org and click on the scholarship tab. Completed application must be electronically submitted on or before February 15 at 4:00 p.m. No faxes, emails, or paper applications will be permitted. Please remember the following individuals in your prayers, who are experiencing serious health problems/issues: Anna Blake Cari Cobler Diane Douglass Agnes Fila Cookie Gilroy Earleen Moroney Larry Palacz Evelyn Rech Allen Duke Rein Marlene Sargent Teresa Scarborough Ted Schlick Please let us know if you, or an immediate family member, are experiencing a serious health issue and wish to be included on this list. To add or remove a name from this list, please call the Parish Office at 384-0532. If you are experiencing serious health issues, or other things of importance, please call the Parish Office and ask to speak with Fr. Marty. He wants to be able to minister to you, and your phone call will ensure that he is aware of your situation. Thank you!! Guitar Group Practice: Tuesday, December 19, 7:00 p.m. The group will play at the 7:00 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve. Red Cross Bloodmobile: Thanks to all who donated at the December 7 blood drive. Due to your generosity, 31 pints are now available for patient care. Thanks to the Catholic Daughters who provided delicious sandwiches and cookies, and to all who helped with the drive. We appreciate you! The next drive will be on Good Friday, March. 30.
ATTENTION: ALL CONTRIBUTORS!! With the pending Tax Reform legislation moving through Congress, it appears that many people who itemize their deductions may not get the same benefit of their charitable deductions in the future as they currently get under current tax law. You may want to consider this in your year-end planning for your charitable giving. As always, please consult with your tax advisor accordingly. If you wish to make an additional contribution to be reflected in your 2017 giving, it must be labeled 2017 and be received no later than December 31. Thank you for your cooperation!! Liturgical Ministers: Please sign-up in the Gathering Area for the SUNDAY Masses (Saturday, December 23 at 5:00 & 7:00 p.m. & Sunday, December 24, at 9:00 a.m.); the CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES (December 24 at 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00 p.m.); and the CHRISTMAS DAY Mass (Monday, December 25, at 9:00 a.m.). Thank you!! Adult Choir Practice: Wednesday, December 20, church. We will sing at the 10:00 p.m. Mass on December 24. Children s Christmas Choir Practice & Caroling: Friday, December 22, in the church from 1:00-2:00 p.m. We will go Christmas Caroling from 2:00-2:30 p.m., followed by hot chocolate and cookies. If you plan to sing for the Children s Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 p.m., please contact Barb Klein at 384-0532, Ext. 205. Parish Thrift Store - 4 th & Eddy Streets Gross Sales, 12/11/17 - $1,325.91 The Thrift Store will be closed for the holidays from December 22-January 1. They will reopen on Friday, January 5. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!! Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Donations are accepted when the store is open. If you are interested in helping at the Thrift Store, please contact Gene Greene at 308-258-2417, or call the Thrift Store at 398-3443. We especially need volunteers on Saturdays. Would you consider giving us an hour or two of your time?? Befriender Ministry: Our parish is in need of individuals who can offer a presence of the Church Community and minister to those who are in need of someone to walk compassionately and prayerfully with them through a difficult time. If you feel a call to such a ministry, in the name of your parish, please come to an information meeting about BeFriender Ministry on Thursday, January 11, from 7:00 8:00 p.m. in Room 12. For more information, please contact S. Bernadette at 384-0532, Ext. 202, or email her at bengelhaupt@blsachurch.net. Blessed Sacrament Catholic Preschool Notes Due to retirements and a resignation, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Preschool has openings for a teacher of 3/4 year olds, and a teacher of 4/5 year olds. Certification preferred for teaching positions. Also, we have an opening for a paraprofessional, Associates degree in Early Childhood Education preferred. All are part-time positions. Start date is September, 2018. Blessed Sacrament Catholic Preschool is NAEYC accredited. Applications are available by contacting Mrs. Seier at 308-384-2086, or by email at bscpreschool@hotmail.com. The Preschool would like to thank everyone who helped with our Christmas program, Soup Supper, Silent Auction and Quilt Raffle. A big THANK YOU to Mary Picthall for her beautiful quilt. Congratulations to Mary Teichmeier, the winner of the quilt. Campbell s Labels for Education is no longer taking soup labels. The Preschool appreciates all who have participated in this program. Events Happening Elsewhere 30 th Annual Knights of Columbus Christmas Dinner: Saturday, December 23, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., St. Mary s Cathedral Square. The Knights of Columbus Councils #1159, #9562, #10387, #11363 & Doniphan #11824 are working together in conjunction with the business people of our community, by sponsoring a community Christmas lunch of turkey and all the trimmings. They are asking all of the ladies of the parish to donate either a pumpkin pie or a salad in disposable containers. Please deliver it to St. Mary s Cathedral Square on the afternoon of December 22, or early in the morning of December 23. They also need individuals to help cut pies. Annual Community Christmas Day Dinner: December 25, Noon-2:00 p.m., St. Paul s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 1515 S. Harrison, Grand Island. Menu: turkey, dressing and all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie! All are welcome! Retrouvaille A Lifeline for Marriage: Retrouvaille helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. It is designed to provide the tools to help get your marriage back on track. It will give you the opportunity to rediscover each other and examine your lives together in a new and positive way. This program has helped tens of thousands of couples experiencing marital difficulty at all levels, including disillusionment and deep misery. For confidential information about, or to register for, the February 16-18, 2018 weekend, please call 1-888-317-5654 or go to www.retrouvaille.org on the web. AseraCare Hospice: Do you enjoy visiting or keeping someone company? How about playing bingo or cards? Can you give a few hours a month? If so, please consider becoming a hospice volunteer and Be the Reason someone smiles today! We are in need of volunteers to provide support and companionship to hospice patients and their families. Anyone 16 years or older is encouraged to join our hospice team. For more information, please contact Keely Zavala at 384-2080, Ext. 2, or email her at keely.zavala@aseracare.com.