BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Advent Christm
as Season Newsletter 2015
Advent Christm
as Season Newsletter 2015
Advent Christm
as Season Newsletter 2015
Advent Christm
as Season Newsletter 2015
-- -- 2016
2016
2016
2016
4TH ANNUAL PARISH COMMUNITY OUTREACH DAY
DRAWS RECORD NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS
Inside this issue:
Pastor’s ColumnPastor’s ColumnPastor’s ColumnPastor’s Column 2
Worship & Spiritual GrowthWorship & Spiritual GrowthWorship & Spiritual GrowthWorship & Spiritual Growth 3
Youth MinistryYouth MinistryYouth MinistryYouth Ministry 6
Faith FormationFaith FormationFaith FormationFaith Formation 7
Program UpdatesProgram UpdatesProgram UpdatesProgram Updates 8
Pats’ ColumnPats’ ColumnPats’ ColumnPats’ Column 13
Service & JusticeService & JusticeService & JusticeService & Justice 14
S H O U T F O R J O Y!
Handel’s
The Messiah
Sunday, December 6, 2015 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Blessed Sacrament Parish
with the musical talents of
Warren Civic Chorus & members of
the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra
American Red Cross
BLOOD DRIVE
Monday November 30 2-6 p.m.
Reagan Hall
Adults & Students 16* years +
Schedule your appointment time
in advance --
Call 1-800-RED
CROSS
or visit redcross-
blood.org
Paperwork required including parental
consent
After four years of planning an Annual Day of Service for our parish community to participate in, it seems the concept has caught on...in fact, very well!! The first three years saw marked involvement, both from families requesting assistance at their homes and families signing up to be the ones pro-viding the help.
What a fabulous way for a large parish to bring eve-ryone together! While the de-tails of the November 2015 Community Outreach Day will not be available prior to this newsletter going to press, the response from families shows that this is a strong, vibrant stewardship parish!
A majority of calls for help involved the need for am-bitious groups to rake leaves and clean up yards. Some calls came in for additional
help at homes of parishioners -- and their neighbors -- who shared that they have little family in the area to help out in getting their properties ready for the winter.
These acts of generos-ity of physical strength and stamina were so very much appreciated by our parishion-ers. Some helpers will have ended the day with much dis-comfort, yet delight in a job well done.
Volunteers came for-ward who would set the dinner table in Reagan Hall to feed the workers a meal at the end of their service time. Others provided baked goods or bev-erages to round out the meal. Parishioners who are business people in the community pro-vided food for the meal. There would be no shortage of any-thing in this feast!
Families new to the parish worked hand-in-hand with others who have been members for years and years...and great work would be their common goal, while sharing their backgrounds and forming new relationships. And in forming these new ties, many lessons were to be en-joyed through the task at hand. Service, yes. Community, yes. Formation, yes indeed!
Catholic social teach-ing helps us to see the world through new eyes and to dis-cover opportunities to live out our faith that we might other-wise overlook. According to our social tradition, there are two basic ways we must re-spond to human needs -- charitable works and social justice. Through charitable works, we identify people who
(Continued on page 15)
Before celebrating ves-
pers on April 11, 2015,
Pope Francis formally
announced the 2015-2016
extraordinary jubilee or
Holy Year of Mercy. The
Holy Year is to begin on
December 8, and in soli-
darity with the Holy Fa-
ther, the Diocese of
Youngstown will have a
special Mass at St.
Columba Cathedral at
2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 6. All parishes of the
diocese are welcome to attend and mark the opening of
the Holy Year. During this year, all Catholics are en-
couraged to contemplate how merciful God has been to
them, and to understand better how they are called to
be merciful to others in turn.
Mercy, the pope wrote, is “the beating heart of
the Gospel.”
“How much I desire that the year to
come will be steeped in mercy, so that we
can go out to every man and woman, bring-
ing the goodness and tenderness of God,” he
wrote. “May the balm of mercy reach every-
one, both believers and those far away, as a
sign that the kingdom of God is already pre-
sent in our midst.”
Nothing in the church’s preaching
or witness, he said, can be lacking in mercy.
And he urged all Catholics to spend more time
practicing what traditionally have been called the cor-
poral and spiritual works of mercy. The corporal
works are: Feeding the hungry, sheltering the home-
less, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the
imprisoned, giving drink to the thirsty and burying the
dead. The spiritual works are: Converting sinners,
instructing the ignorant, advising the doubtful, com-
forting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiv-
ing injuries and praying for the living and dead.
Here is the Vatican’s translation of the pre-
pared text of the pope’s brief homily given that eve-
ning:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The greeting of the risen Christ to his disci-
ples on the evening of Easter, “Peace be with you!
(John 20:19), continues to resound in us all. Peace,
especially during this Easter Season, remains the desire
of so many people who suffer unprecedented violence
of discrimination and death simply because they bear
the name “Christian.” Our prayer is all the more in-
tense and becomes a cry for help to the Father, who is
rich in mercy, that he may sustain the faith of our
many brothers and sisters who are in pain. At the same
time, we ask for the grace of the conversion of our own
hearts so as to move from indifference to compassion.
St. Paul reminds us that we have been saved
through the mystery of the death and resurrection of
the Lord Jesus. He is the reconciler, who is alive in
our midst offering the way to reconciliation with God
and with each other. The Apostle recalls that, notwith-
standing the difficulties and the sufferings of life, the
hope of salvation which Christ has sown in our hearts
nonetheless continues to grow. The mercy of God is
poured out upon us, making us just and giving us
peace.
Many question in their hearts: Why a Jubilee
of Mercy today? Simply because the church, in this
time of great historical change, is called to offer more
evident signs of God’s presence and closeness. This is
not the time to be distracted; on the contrary, we need
to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves the
capacity to see what is essential. This is a time
for the church to rediscover the meaning of the
mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the
day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument
of the Father’s mercy (cf. Jn 20:21-23). For
this reason, the Holy Year must keep alive the
desire to know how to welcome the numerous
signs of the tenderness which God offers to the
whole world and, above all, to those who suf-
fer, who are alone and abandoned, without
hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father’s love. A
Holy Year to experience strongly within ourselves the
joy of having been found by Jesus, the Good Shepherd
who has come in search of us because we were lost. A
Jubilee to receive the warmth of his love when he
bears us upon his shoulders and brings us back to the
Father’s house. A year in which to be touched by the
Lord Jesus and to be transformed by his mercy, so that
we may become witnesses to mercy. Here, then, is the
reason for the Jubilee: because this is the time for
mercy. It is the favorable time to heal wounds, a time
not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to
see and to touch with their hands the signs of the close-
ness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of for-
giveness and reconciliation.
May the Mother of God open our eyes, so that
we may comprehend the task to which we have been
called; and may she obtain for us the grace to experi-
ence this Jubilee of Mercy as faithful and fruitful wit-
nesses of Christ. Excerpts from cnsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/pope-mercy-is-the-beating-heart-
of-he-gospel/ posted 4-11-15 by Cindy Wooden
PASTOR’S COLUMN
Page 2 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Page 3
WORSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTHWORSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTHWORSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTHWORSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH Submitted by Pat Campbell
BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
“In God’s Time” – Advent in a Reflective Hour of Spoken
Word and Song
The parish debut of this Advent presen-tation by Samm Lewis and Pat
Campbell. 7 p.m. in the Chapel.
Parish Kick-Off of “The Year of
Mercy”
After the 7 p.m. Holy Day Mass. A look at the Pope’s favorite devotion – Mary, Undoer of Knots – and how
she can help us. Holy Family Hall
“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”
Transform the “Year of Mercy” from an idea to a daily faith-strengthening gift! Begin with 7 p.m. Evening
Prayer in the Chapel.
Join us...each session wraps up with dessert in Holy Family Hall.
Steal a few quiet moments as the days get shorter!
Why not set aside a few minutes to center mind and heart in calm-ing prayer, in the style of the Taizé community?
Join us Sunday, December 20 at 4:30 p.m. in the church. Give the gift of prayer time to yourself as the celebration of Christmas nears!
Taizé Prayer includes singing, psalms, scripture reading, inter-cessory prayer and silence.
This ancient prayer of the church
will be prayed during the Advent
season as Evening Prayer, on Mon-
day, December 14 and Tuesday,
December 15, to begin our final
Advent Tuesday session.
Join us in the Chapel at 7 p.m.
Evening Prayer will take place in
January on Monday the 11th, and
each Tuesday, beginning January 5.
ADVENT TUESDAYS
All Are Welcome! Liturgy of the
Hours TAIZE PRAYER
AROUND THE CROSS
MEN’S ADVENT PRAYER
BREAKFAST Join Fr. Tom and other men of the parish each Monday of Advent at Panera Bread on Elm Road, 7 a.m., for Men’s Prayer Breakfast.
Mondays, November 30, December 7, 14, & 21
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Advent Reconciliation Service Sunday, December 13, 3 p.m.
Join together with other members of the Warren Catholic churches for the Advent Communal Reconciliation
Service on SUNDAY, December 13, at 3:00 p.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church.
A communal penance service includes the Opening Rite, Liturgy of the Word, Examination of Conscience, Individ-
ual Confession and Absolution, a Song of Praise and Concluding Rite. This is not a “formula” chosen only by
Blessed Sacrament, this is Form II of the Rite of Penance of the Roman Catholic Church. We join together for
prayer and then make our individual confession (where we receive Penance). We come back together to conclude
the service, lifted up by the support of the presence of other believers. This is the only form of communal penance
approved for use throughout the United States.
Father Eisweirth and several other area priests will be available to hear confessions. Here we have the opportunity to
join in prayer with others. In this way we
“obtain from God’s mercy pardon for having offended him and at the same time reconciliation with
the Church, which we have wounded by our sins and which by charity, example, and prayer seeks
our conversion.” Lumen Gentium, Vatican Council II, no. 26 (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church 4, no. 146)
As the Year of Mercy gets under way, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a wonderful way to experience God’s
mercy in a deep way. In a communal setting we can share the gift of God’s mercy as we reconcile ourselves with
one another.
For those who have been away from the sacrament for a long period, perhaps this service will be an opportunity to revisit the Sacra-
ment of Reconciliation. You can join the community in the service even if you do not wish to take advantage of individual confession
and absolution. All are welcome! The service is open to people from all area parishes.
BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Page 4
Scripture Study Winter 2016:
Divine Mercy Tuesday January 5 -- Tuesday February 9 The session follows our parish Evening Prayer at 7 p.m.
(session runs 7:30 – 9 p.m.)
in the parlor of Blessed Sacrament Church
NO ASSIGNMENT BEFORE THE FIRST SESSION
‘Divine Mercy’ will be offered on six consecutive Tuesdays, 7:30-9 p.m., following Evening Prayer in the chapel at 7 p.m. $20 includes materials. Nine hours, general CEU’s available.
Please bring a bible to each session along with “Divine Mercy” materials provided at registration.
Registration takes place after all of the Masses December 26/27 and January 2/3. You may also register at the parish office. Materials may be picked up when payment is made.
Checks payable to Blessed Sacrament Parish
Fundamental Commitment: Prayer - Presence - Preparation - Participation
Eucharistic Bread Bakers Welcome Eucharistic bread will be baked
for each of our Advent weekends.
Please join with other bakers in
the school kitchen any Saturday
during Advent. Our usual meet-
ing time will be Saturday at 10:00 a.m., but if a morning
funeral is scheduled, we’ll move this to 1 p.m.
Saturday Nov 28, Dec 5, Dec 12, Dec 19
We’ll work together to prepare two batches of the bread
for the three weekend liturgies. We welcome elementary
aged children through adults – join in the fun! No bread
baking (or even baking) experience is needed, as the
bread we make is VERY simple – only involving whole
wheat flour, white flour and hot water. That’s it! We
knead the dough, let it rest, shape it and cut it. With a
few hands we are able to accomplish this preparation in
less than one hour and enjoy some fellowship time while
we are at it. NOTE: We’ll also be baking bread for the
Thanksgiving liturgy on Tuesday, Nov 24 at 6 p.m. – All
are welcome!
Advent Items The Advent season begins with 4:00 p.m. Mass November 29.
You are sure to find helpful resources to aid you as you journey through Advent. LITTLE BLUE BOOK (Diocese of Saginaw) Advent DAYBREAKS The PAX CHRISTI Advent publication ADVENT CALENDARS for Children Stop by the table in the gathering space to see what items are
available! Items available through December 13. The Worship and Spiritual Growth Commission
makes these resources available. There is a small charge for each item.
“At Home With the Word” 2016 Our new liturgical year begins with the Advent sea-son. Prepare for the weekly liturgy with At Home With the Word. Makes a great Christmas gift!! Find the readings for the Sundays of the new liturgi-cal year, beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, 11/29/15 - and ending with Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, 11/21/16. “This book invites you to be at home with God’s word. Read and ruminate on the Sunday scriptures, by yourself or with others. Whether you use the book for meditation or study, it will nourish you all week long to act on God’s word in the world as you prepare to hear the scripture proclaimed at Sunday liturgy.” Copies available in the Gathering Space after any weekend
Mass, or in the parish office. $6.50; Large print $9.
Make a Choice to Share Your Love of Music & Love of the Lord! Short Term Commitment – Long-Term Reward
“Joy to the World – a Christmas Welcome!”
In just three rehearsals we will form a choir to sing at one of our 4 & 6 p.m. Christmas Eve Masses
Sing the familiar songs of Christmas and welcome those who fill the church at these Masses!
Be a part of our FIRST Christmas Eve Welcome Choir!
All families, students (grade 3 & above), youth and adults, are encouraged to take part. No audition! No music reading required!
∗ Share your joy at the birth of God’s Son! ∗ Make new friends! ∗ GIVE THE GIFT of WELCOME this
Christmas Eve! ∗ Enjoy 3 rehearsals AND a special snack! ∗ Please accept this invitation! This special choir will sing for the 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. liturgies. Par-
ticipants choose the most convenient liturgy for them or for their family.
Rehearsals take place… Sunday, December 6, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, December 13, 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday, December 20, 1-3 p.m.
Recordings available -- if you cannot attend all rehearsals! Children younger than grade 3 welcome with their family! Teens welcome -- bring a friend! Adults welcome, bringing a child is NOT a requirement!
Contact Director of Music & Worship with questions.
Page 5 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Joy to the
World!!
This sacrament will be available immediately fol-lowing the 4 p.m. liturgy on Saturday, December 26. After Mass ends, please move to the chairs near the piano. Loved ones accompanying those to be anointed are wel-come to sit behind their friend/loved one and touch their shoulder as Father lays hands on them and again as he anoints them, joining all present in pray-ing for those who are anointed. This sacrament is primar-ily a sacrament of physical healing and spiritual strengthening. Anointing of the Sick is available after Mass the fourth Sat-urday of each month throughout the year.
Anointing
of the Sick
We are still praying, still waiting, in joyful hope!
Join us the first Tuesday of the month – December 1 and January 5 – to pray the Stations of the Cross for peace. Simply meet in the church at noon. This prayer will involve spoken prayer along with simple singing. Here is a way to join with others to give voice to your desire for peace in this complicated world. Questions? Call Pat Campbell at the parish office.
Stations of the Cross for Peace
IMPORTANT DATES
EARLY 2016
• Scripture Study
starts: January 5
• Newsletter Deadline:
January 15
• Youth Ministry Pan-
cake Breakfast:
February 7
• Ash Wednesday:
February 10
• Soup Suppers begin:
February 16
• AHA Pasta Cook-
Off & Wine Taste:
February 28
• Easter Sunday:
March 27
Putting Mercy
Into Practice
The Worship and Spiri-tual Growth Commis-sion begins its Year of Mercy publications with “Advent: ‘The Year of Mercy’ and the Season of Hope.”
Copies will be available throughout the Advent season in the gathering space.
Scripture references and reflection ques-tions are included.
LITURGICAL MINISTERS Needed for Holy Days of Obligation PLEASE HELP WITH UPCOMING HOLYDAYS… Tuesday, December 8 Tuesday, December 8 Tuesday, December 8 Tuesday, December 8 (Immaculate Conception – a holyday of obligation/The Year of Mercy begins)
Thursday, December 24 Thursday, December 24 Thursday, December 24 Thursday, December 24 (Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord – holyday of obligation)
Friday, December 25 Friday, December 25 Friday, December 25 Friday, December 25 (Nativity of the Lord – holyday of obligation)
Thursday, December 31 Thursday, December 31 Thursday, December 31 Thursday, December 31 (Vigil of Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – holyday of obligation)
Friday, January 1 Friday, January 1 Friday, January 1 Friday, January 1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – holyday of obligation)
If you could offer your help as a hospitality ministers (greeter, usher), altar server, lector or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at the Masses you plan to attend, you’d be helping the community a great deal. Please check the gathering space for sign up sheets. The December 8 sign ups are ready as you receive this newsletter. The sign ups for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be ready December 10.
PLEASE: YOU MUST ARRIVE EARLY FOR THE LITURGY WHERE YOU WILL MINISTER. IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP.
Tuesday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There will be two liturgies – one at 8:30 a.m. (with the school students) and another at 7:00 p.m. Check the sign up sheets to see what jobs need to be filled.
Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, Vigil of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord there are three Liturgies 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m.
Friday, December 25, Christmas Day, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord there is one Liturgy held at 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, December 31 (the Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God) there is one Liturgy – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 1 (The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God) there is one Liturgy – 8:30 a.m. Please sign up in the gathering space to minister at these special liturgies. We are particularly in need of parish ministers
for the VERY CROWDED 4 p.m. liturgy on Christmas Eve. Can you help? All ministries are needed.
YOUTH MINISTRYYOUTH MINISTRYYOUTH MINISTRYYOUTH MINISTRY / / / / E.P.I.C. Teens younger victims, Amer-
ica’s youth find themselves
engaged in a battle they
never prepared for. Hear
the shocking true stories of
two “All-American” teen-
age girls tricked into traf-
ficking. Eighteen-year-old
Brianna was an honor-roll
student, cheerleader and
worked at a local café.
Thirteen-year-old Lacy was
an active member of her
youth group, and a volun-
teer in her community.
Both were manipulated.
Both were exploited. Both
were chosen. This compre-
hensive video resource
reveals the warning signs,
and sometimes fatal conse-
quences of sex trafficking,
to equip teens to protect
themselves and others from
being trapped in the hor-
rific and violent sex indus-
try.
Again, please plan on at-
tending this movie and
discussion.
For more informa-
tion you can call Brenda
Antenucci, member of
NEOCAHT, Northeast
Ohio Coalition Against
Human Trafficking, in the
parish office or go to
sharedhope.org/chosen.
Our youth group not only has the respon-sibility to serve the church, but to be good examples to the younger children at Blessed Sac-rament - to make them excited about participat-ing in youth activities at the church. It may also make the adults in the parish stop to think - if the teens can help put together a mass - what can I do?
When Pope Francis visited the US, he told a story about St. Katherine Drexel going to Pope Leo XIII about the needs of the mis-sions. Pope Leo asked her - "What about you? What are you going to do?". That is a question I feel teens should ask themselves.
Pope Francis said "Each of us has to respond, as best we can, to the Lord's call to build up his Body, the Church. We, as the future of the church, need to answer the call to respond.
God Bless, Wil Thompson
“Chosen”
Film about the dangers of
human trafficking, for
teens, parents, and other
interested adults!
On Sunday, January 24,
there will be a showing of
the movie, “Chosen” in
Reagan Hall, for all parish
families with students in
grades 7-12. This movie is
age-appropriate, highlight-
ing two teenage girls’ ex-
perience with human traf-
ficking. The movie is 30
minutes; we’ll divide up
for discussion afterwards.
Please mark your
calendar and plan on com-
ing and/or bringing your
teens to this important
event. We are showing this
in January to help protect
our young people, raise
awareness, and honor Na-
tional Slavery and Human
Trafficking Prevention
Month.
About the movie:
“As traffickers narrow their
target to lure younger and
HOW I SEE IT...
Liz McCue and I are the co-leaders for this year's Kairos retreat. I am really hoping for a big turnout and that eve-ryone will have a great time. Many of the teens from Blessed Sacra-ment, St. William's, and other area churches will attend.
I know that Kairos is an amazing event and that everyone who attends will have fun, make new friends, and grow in our Catholic faith. I pray that all the participants will leave with a great im-pression of the retreat and want to return and participate next year. It had such a great impres-sion on me, that I wanted to help lead this year. I hope it will have the same effect on this year's participants.
Our youth group participates in many ac-tivities in the church. We put together our first teen led Mass for World Youth Day on October 25. It was a challenging experience, but well worth it.
Page 6 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
At right,
Brenda
hosts a
parent-student
meeting in the
church to
kick off the
Faith
Formation
Year.
Above, Youth Ministry students talk about flat Francis with their leaders.
FAITH FORMATON SESSIONS 2015 - 2016
Page 7 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Our Blessed Sacrament Faith Forma-
tion program is off to a great start for
this year. We have a wonderful, dedi-
cated group of volunteer catechists,
helpers, children and family partici-
pants who all returned from last year.
What a blessing they are
for our children!
Early in October we celebrated the
Pope’s visit to America and our fami-
lies by hosting a prayer service in the
church. The children and parents
wrote names of those they felt were
good role models and have passed
their faith on to them. Look for these
chains hanging around the church!
From Pope Francis in his homily on
the Baptism of the Lord, January 13,
2014:
“Before ascending to Heaven,
Jesus told us to go out to the
whole world to baptize. And
from that day until today, this
has been an uninterrupted
chain: children were baptized,
and then their children, and then
these children’s children…And
today this chain continues. I
would like to tell you this: you
are those who transmit the faith,
the transmitters; you have a duty
to hand on the faith to these chil-
dren. It is the most beautiful
inheritance you will leave to
them; the faith! Only this. To-
day, take this thought home with
you. We must be transmitters of
the faith. Think about this, al-
ways think about how to hand on
the faith to your children.”
Blessed Sacrament
FFS 2015-2016 Sundays 10:10AM-11:20AM
November 29, No FFS
December: 6 (family Advent event)
Dec. 13, 20
Communal Reconciliation Service,
Dec. 13, 3:00 p.m.
January 3: No FFS
January 10, 17, 24, 31
Our next major event will be an
Advent prayer service on Sunday,
December 6 at 10:10 a.m. in
Reagan Hall, celebrating the Feast
Day of St. Nicholas. This will be
for all Blessed Sacrament families
with children in PreK- 8th grade.
You don’t have to be in FFS to
come and enjoy this time with your
child.
We’ll pray, make a craft, and have
a snack! Are you willing to help?
Please call Brenda in the parish
office to volunteer!
ADVENT FAMILY
EVENT
First Reconciliation and Eucharist 28 children are currently preparing to receive Reconciliation and their first Eucharist. Please pray for these children and families during this special year of preparation.
If you have not received a letter for your child and you are interested in having your child prepared for these sacraments, please call Brenda in the parish office.
The following dates are mandatory for parents and children in the preparation process!
**First Reconciliation
Preparation Sessions**
Session I, Parish Chapel (Parents only)
Sunday, December 13, , 10:15 -11:15 a.m.
OR Wednesday, December 16, 6:30-7:30
Session II, (Parent and Child),
Sunday, January 10, 10:15 -11:15 a.m.
OR Wednesday, January 13, 6:30 -7:30
First Reconciliation, Monday, February 1, 6:30 p.m.
group celebration in the church; reception follows
** First Eucharist Preparation Sessions**
Session I, Parish Chapel (parents only)
Sunday, Feb. 21, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
OR Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Session II, (parent and chil d)
Sunday, March 13, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
OR Wednesday, March 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
April 10, 10:10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Retreat- (Parent and child)
First Communion Celebrations May 1, May 7/8
-- all Masses OR on other weekends after Easter,
convenient for your family.
February 7, 21, 28
March 6, 13, 20
April 10, 17, 24
May 1
Note: No morning FFS- Dec. 27,
Jan. 3, Feb. 14, March 27 (Easter)
April 3
FAITH FORMATIONFAITH FORMATIONFAITH FORMATIONFAITH FORMATION Submitted by Brenda Antenucci
Bambinelli Sunday Join us the Third
Sunday of Advent,
December 20,
to celebrate
Bambinelli Sunday.
Children are
welcome to bring
Infant Jesus figures
to be blessed at Masses on that Sunday, the weekend be-
fore Christmas, during the CLOW sessions.
It’s customary for the pope to bless Infant Jesus
figures brought to St. Peter’s Square in Rome. We are
happy to offer this blessing!
Project Rachel Ministry According to statistics, one of every three women of child-
bearing years in the U.S. has had an abortion. As a result
many of our neighbors and parishioners may be suffering
in silence from the long-lasting effects of abortion. With
the approach of the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by
Pope Francis, the Office of Pro-Life, Marriage and Family
is working to reinvigorate Project Rachel Ministry in our
diocese. The Pro-Life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops uses the following working definition
for Project Rachel:
Project Rachel, the Catholic Church’s ministry to those
who have been involved in abortion, is a diocesan-based
network of specially trained priests, religious, counselors,
and lay persons who provide a team response of care for
those suffering in the aftermath of abortion. In addition to
referring for Sacramental Reconciliation, the ministry pro-
vides an integrated network of services, including pastoral
counseling, spiritual direction, support groups, retreats and
referrals to licensed mental health professionals.
Please pray for those involved in this ministry. If you feel
called to be involved in this ministry, contact
Family Nights! A great time was had by all families, parents, chil-
dren, and youth as we joined together for an evening of fall
fun at Irons Mill Farmstead on October 17! Twenty-two of us
“toughed out” the rain and SNOW, but still enjoyed the fel-
lowship, corn maze, bonfire, slide, and so much more! Next
year we hope we’ll be able to go earlier in the day, and earlier
in the year!
The next family event will be a movie night on Sat-
urday February 20 at 5:30 pm. for ALL parish families!!
We’ll provide pizza, and ask each family to bring a snack or
dessert. We’ll pray, do a simple activity, pop popcorn, and
enjoy a movie. Bring a pillow or blanket -- and a friend if
you’d like! This is a simple night of fellowship and fun. Call
Brenda in the parish office to sign up and possibly to help
with set up and/or clean up!! Your help will make this event
possible -- and fun!
Hospitality Receptions Please call the parish office to help with one of our hospi-
tality receptions! We host simple receptions for Messiah
musicians December 6, First Reconciliation February 1,
Confirmation April 17, RCIA February 14, and Easter
Vigil March 26!
We need you!! Please give an hour or two to provide a
warm welcome from the Blessed Sacrament Community!
Card Ministry to the Homebound Would you like to be part of a group who, on a quarterly
basis, signs, labels, and stamps cards which will be mailed
to our homebound parishioners?? Please call the parish
office and sign up for this ministry, which will help us
keep in touch with and reach out to those who find it diffi-
cult to join us for Mass and other parish events!
Together with Christ Death is nothing at all -- I have only slipped away into
the next room. Call me by my old familiar name, speak
to me in the easy way which you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed together. Play, smile, think
of me, pray for me. Let my name be the household word
that it always was. Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever
was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity. Why
should I be out of your mind, because I am out of your
sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, some-
where very near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is past, nothing is lost. One brief
moment and all well be as it was before. Only better,
infinitely happier and forever.
We will all be one together with Christ.
Words of comfort as prepared by Mary Grace Kraft
Page 8 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Baptismal Preparation Session Our next Baptismal Preparation Session will take place
SUNDAY, January 10, the Feast of the Baptism of the
Lord, at 1:00 p.m. in the parlor. Those wishing to have
a child baptized BEFORE LENT need to be sure to attend
(Lent begins February 10). Please contact the parish office
to let us know you will be there! We hope you will make
plans to take part in the class before your child is born.
Please consider preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism
during the third trimester of your pregnancy.
Those having children baptized need to be registered pa-
rishioners. Please call the office or stop by the table on the
weekend of New Parishioner Registration.
The first Lighting the Way Se-
ries of informational sessions about re-
sources available in our community for
our aging population was a very welcome
program. The series was a collaboration
of local agencies, nursing centers and
churches, whose purpose was to present
current reliable information to families
who are facing important life decisions.
Speakers from the community were
enlisted to share this important informa-
tion in their area of expertise.
We thank our speakers for the
time they took to enlighten our commu-
nity about important and ever-changing
facts that could shape their end-of-life
decisions. Also, we thank the pastors and
volunteers from organizations and
churches for their time and effort.
Based on feedback from this first
series, the program will be offered again
in the Spring of 2016. Look for informa-
tion to be made available about topics and
locations!
LIGHTING THE WAY
Page 9 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Divorce and Beyond When a marriage ends it is more than a separation of two
people. It is a death of an important part of your life.
Divorce and Beyond is a popular program for
adults who have gone through a divorce, and offers nec-
essary support and guidance you need to help you
through the divorcing process. It helps participants
through the stress, anger, and guilt, and will lead you to
ultimate forgiveness, happiness and growth.
Divorce and Beyond is a series for men and
women who are already divorced or have filed for di-
vorce. Each session covers the primary emotions experi-
enced as a person works through the divorce process.
Please contact the parish office if you’d like to
inquire and/or sign up for this program. It is written by
Brother James Greteman, Leon Haverkamp, and Elsie P.
Radtke. More information is available at http://
www.actapublications.com.
We are planning to offer this program in the
Spring of 2016. Please continue to look for details.
Please contact the parish office if you feel the need to
speak with Fr. Tom immediately about your situation.
Many thanks to Pat Campbell
for her vision! Over one year
ago she invited Tony Alonso to
Blessed Sacrament Parish for a
concert. Tony truly WOWED
the audience on Friday, October
9, with his musical presentation
of songs from his vast reper-
toire.
Tony is a gifted artist
and musician who has written
beautiful songs of praise and
worship and devotion to Our
Lord, songs that absolutely reveal his
love of God. Truly wonderful!!
The following morning Tony
led a prayerful and reflective morning
session complete with, of course, song,
as well as silence and sharing.
Thank you Tony -- and the best to you as
you continue studies toward your doctor-
ate degree!! Come back soon!!
Fourth Grade girls from
Girl Scout Troop #116
took the lead in this
year’s baby bottle collec-
tion of spare change dur-
ing October -- Respect
Life Month. Money col-
lected by the Troop will
benefit young families
with children in our dio-
cese.
This helpful group is already talking about how they’ll
further take the reins for next October’s drive.
Awesome job!
KUDOS! THANK YOU,
LADIES!
TONY ALONSO IN TOWN
2015 FIRST STEP FOR CHANGE
Page 10 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
(Above) The enchanting voices of students from JFKCS-LC during their Tuesday morning Masses complements each liturgy!
Under the direction of Mrs. Tina McCue, the students praise God in song each week. Join us in the celebration of Mass with
lower campus students at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays! At right, students in grades 4+ are encouraged to learn to serve as altar
servers for Tuesday morning Masses, and priests from Warren area parishes have followed a rotating schedule to lead Mass at
Blessed Sacrament for the Tuesday liturgies. Fr. Michael Balash, Pastor of St. William Parish in Champion, leads Mass one
Tuesday in October.
HAVE YOU MET NANCY? In her spare time, Nancy Higham,
our parish Administrative Assistant,
enjoys gardening and crafts, and
treasures time with family. She was
raised in Warren of Italian-Catholic
descent. She and husband Marty are
blessed with five children and six
grandchildren.
While she has learned a lot
in her new role in the parish already,
Nancy has found her knowledge of
the Catholic faith has been enhanced
by her varied one-on-one encounters
with the people she meets in the
front office.
She has discovered that no
two days are alike in the parish of-
fice, and admits she enjoys the vari-
ety. She enjoys working with Fr.
Tom and the staff, noting they are a
nice collaboration of people.
Since her childhood she has
always enjoyed doing things for oth-
ers...it is a natural extension of her-
self, she says! Her mornings often
begin with greeting the team of St.
Vincent de Paul Society members
who respond to requests for food.
There is a
steady flow of
calls coming
in, and sur-
prise visitors
at the window,
things that
keep her busy
all day. She
enjoys being
productive;
her cup of tea,
as she calls it,
is keeping the
database accurate and up-to-date.
People have been keen to
the changes made to the front office
in the few months since she arrived,
first a lot of noise and a lot of dust,
then a group of men in jeans and
flannel shirts. Construction?! Well,
renovations. The front office is get-
ting a facelift, and Nancy has been
leading the effort, with the help of
Dan and Gio. It is her hope that the
work will be completed by the end
of November, updates being made to
improve the efficiency of the office.
Prior to working at Blessed
Sacrament Parish, Nancy was em-
ployed for 18 years as Office Man-
ager at Blessed Sacrament School
(aka Queen of All Saints, Notre Dame, now
John F. Kennedy Catholic School). She
comes to us with a strong back-
ground in organizational and people
skills. Nancy has always found our
building has a welcoming atmos-
phere, a spirit of welcome that per-
meates the entire building -- offices,
school, church. That spirit is also
evident in the people she encounters
who work here, who visit here, who
worship here. She has quickly ad-
justed in her new role.
In making the transition to
the parish office, Nancy says it was a
privilege to have been trained by
Karen Lazor. She’d come to know
Karen while working at the school.
It is Nancy who now sends people
on their way when exiting the build-
ing with the phrase we’ve all heard
over the years from Karen, “Enjoy
the sunshine!”
Nancy’s favorite Scripture
verse is from Isaiah 41:14…’For I
am the Lord, your God, who grasps
your right hand. It is I who say to
you, Fear not, I will help you.’
WELCOME, NANCY!
TUESDAY MORNING MASS, CHOIR
BLESS
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rday, 4:0
0 p
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unday, 9:0
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rday, 4:0
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unday, 9:0
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SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRID
AY
SATURDAY
Novem
ber 29
First Sunday
of Adven
t
Year “C
” begins
No FFS
No Coffee and Donuts
Retirement Fund for
Religious collection
Novem
ber 30
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Feast of St. Andrew,
Apostle
Men
’s Adven
t Prayer
Breakfast-7 am-Panera
American Red Cross
Blood Drive
2—
6 p.m
. Reagan Hall
Come and save us, Lord our
God; let yo
ur face
shine
upon us, that we may
be saved.
Decem
ber 1
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Church
Stations of the Cross
for Peace, Noon
“In G
od’s Tim
e”
Presentation in the Chapel,
7 p.m
.
Dessert Follows
in H
oly Family H
all
Beh
old, our Lord shall come
with power; he will en
lighten
the eyes of his serva
nts.
Decem
ber 2
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Parish Pastoral
Council meeting
7pm, rectory
Beh
old, the Lord comes to
save his peo
ple; blessed
are
those prepared to m
eet him
.
Decem
ber 3
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
St. Francis Xavier,
Priest
Musicians Reh
earsal
7 pm
Go and tea
ch all nations,
says the Lord; I am w
ith you
alw
ays, until the en
d of the
world.
Decem
ber 4
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
First Friday
Wait for the Lord w
ith cour-
age; be stouthea
rted
, and
wait for the Lord.
(Psa
lm 27)
December 5
“Messiah” Dress Rehearsal-
Church ; 9—
Noon
Eucharistic Bread
Baking, 10 a.m.
(1 p.m. if a.m. funeral)
The Lord is our Ju
dge,
our Lawgivier, our King;
he it is who w
ill save us.
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the 2nd Sunday
of Advent
Decem
ber 6
Second Sunday
of Adven
t FFS -- ALL
“Family Celebration”
10:10-11:20 in Reagan
Coffee and Donuts
Spanish M
ass 9am,
Providence Center
Christmas Eve
Welcome Choir, 1-3 pm
Handel’s “Messiah”
Performances
4 and 7 pm
Decem
ber 7
8:30 am M
ass, Chapel
Mem
orial of St.
Ambrose, Bishop &
Doctor of the Church
Men
’s Prayer Adven
t
Breakfast-7 am-Panera
I am the good shep
herd, says
the Lord
; I kn
ow m
y sheep,
and m
ine kn
ow m
e.
Decem
ber 8
Solemnity of the
IMMACULATE CONCEPTIO
N
Holy Day of Obligation
8:30 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Masses in Church
Patronal Day of the
United States of America
OFFIC
IAL PARISH
KIC
K-O
FF of
“The Year of Mercy” --
Mary, Undoer
of Knots, follows 7 p.m
.
Mass, Holy Family H
all
Dessert Follows
Decem
ber 9
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
All Seasons 55 &
Over
11:30 a.m
.
Parish Library
Merciful and gracious is the
Lord, slow to anger and
abounding in kindness.
(Psa
lm 103)
Decem
ber 10
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Musicians Reh
earsal
5:30 pm
Let the clouds rain down the
Just O
ne, and the ea
rth bring
forth a Savior.
Decem
ber 11
Service of the Word w
ith
the Distribution of Holy
Communion -- 8:30 a.m
.
The Lord w
ill co
me; go out
to m
eet him
! H
e is the
prince of pea
ce.
Decem
ber 12
Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, Patroness
of America,
8:00 a.m
. in the Chapel
Eucharistic Bread
Baking, 10 a.m.
(1 p.m. if a.m. funeral)
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the 3rd Sunday
of Advent
Relay for Life
Cookie Sale This W
eekend
Decem
ber 13
Third Sunday
of Adven
t FFS/Pre-K — 8
Parent 1st Rec m
tg 10:10am
Coffee and Donuts
Christmas Eve
Welcome Choir, 1-2:30
3 p.m
. Communal
Pen
ance Service
Relay for Life Cookie Sale
this weekend.
Confirmation 6-8 p.m
.
December 14
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Mem
orial of St. John
of the Cross, Priest &
Doctor of the Church
Men
’s Adven
t
Breakfast-7 am-Panera
Blessed
are the poor in
spirit; the Kingdom of
hea
ven is theirs.
December 15
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Church
7 p.m
. “Mercy, Mercy,
Mercy” - The Year
of Mercy in M
y Life,
Chapel
Dessert Follows
Holy Fam
ily Hall
Come, O
Lord, do not delay;
forgive the sins
of yo
ur peo
ple.
December 16
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Parent Meeting,
1st Reconciliation
Option 2
6:30 p.m
.,
Holy Family H
all
Theology on Tap,
off site
Raise yo
ur vo
ice and tell the
Good N
ews: Beh
old, the
Lord G
od comes w
ith power.
December 17
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Musicians Reh
earsal
7 pm
O W
isdom of our God M
ost
High, guiding creation w
ith
power and love
: come to
teach
us the path of kn
owl-
edge!
“O” Antiphon
December 18
Service of the Word w
ith
the Distribution of Holy
Communion —
8:30 a.m
.
O Lea
der of the House of
Isra
el, giver of the Law to
Moses on Sinai: co
me to
rescue us with your mighty
power!
“O” Antiphon
December 19
Family Soup K
itch
en
9 a.m
.
Eucharistic
Bread Baking,
10 a.m.
(1 p.m. if a.m. funeral)
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the 4th Sunday of
Advent
Relay for Life
Cookie Sale This W
eekend
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2015
-- -- 2016
2016
2016
2016
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ken
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ass
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Satu
rday, 4:0
0 p
.m.; S
unday, 9:0
0 a
.m. and 1
1:30 a
.m.
Satu
rday, 4:0
0 p
.m.; S
unday, 9:0
0 a
.m. and 1
1:30 a
.m.
Satu
rday, 4:0
0 p
.m.; S
unday, 9:0
0 a
.m. and 1
1:30 a
.m.
Satu
rday, 4:0
0 p
.m.; S
unday, 9:0
0 a
.m. and 1
1:30 a
.m.
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRID
AY
SATURDAY
Decem
ber 20
Fourth Sunday
of Adven
t
NO FFS
No Coffee and Donuts
Christmas Eve
Welcome Choir,
1-3 pm, Church
TAIZ
E PRAYER
4:30 p.m
.
Relay for Life
Cookie Sale This W
eekend
Decem
ber 21
8:30 a.m
. Mass —
Chapel
Men
’s Adven
t Prayer
Breakfast-7 am-Panera
Worship &
Spiritual Gro
wth
Commission M
eeting, 7 p.m
.
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of
eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those w
ho
dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of dea
th.
“O” Antiphon
Decem
ber 22
8:30 a.m
. Mass -- Chapel
O K
ing of all nations and
keystone of the Church:
come and save m
an, whom
you form
ed from the dust!
“O” Antiphon
Decem
ber 23
8:30 a.m
. Mass -- Chapel
O Emmanuel, our King and
Giver of Law; co
me to save
us, Lord our God!
“O” Antiphon
Decem
ber 24
Office closed
No M
orning M
ass
VIG
IL of
CHRISTMAS
4 p.m.,
6 p.m.,
11 p.m.
Decem
ber 25
Office closed
CHRISTMAS
DAY
One liturgy, 10 a.m.
December 26
Saint Stephen
,
The First M
artyr
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the Feast
of the Holy Fam
ily
Anointing of the Sick
follows 4 p.m
. Mass
Decem
ber 27
Feast of the
Holy Family
NO FFS
No C
offee &
Donuts
Decem
ber 28
Office closed
No M
orning M
ass
Feast of the
Holy Innocents,
Martyrs
We praise yo
u, O G
od, we
acclaim
you as Lord; the
white-robed
arm
y of martyrs
praise yo
u.
Decem
ber 29
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Fifth Day within the
Nativity of the Lord
A light of revelation to the
Gen
tiles and glory for yo
ur
peo
ple Israel.
Decem
ber 30
8:30 a.m
. Mass -- Chapel
Sixth Day within the
Octave of the Nativity
of the Lord
A holy day has dawned
upon
us. Come, you nations, and
adore the Lord. Today a
great light has co
me upon
the earth.
Decem
ber 31
No M
orning M
ass
Seventh Day within the
Octave of the Nativity of the
Lord
The Word of God becam
e flesh and dwelt am
ong us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the
children
of God.
Vigil of the Solemnity of
Mary, Mother of the
Church
7 p.m
. Mass, Church
January 1
Office closed
Solemnity of the
Blessed Virgin M
ary,
Mother of God
Holy Day of Obligation
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Church
January 2
Memorial of Sts. Basil
the Great & G
regory
Nazianzen, Bishops &
Doctors of the Church
You have but one Father in
hea
ven; yo
u have but one
master, the Christ.
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the Epiphany
January 3
Solemnity of the Epiphany
No FFS;
No Coffee &
Donuts
January 10
Feast, Baptism
of the Lord
FFS/Pre-K
--7
10:10am Patent/Child
Reconciliation m
tg, RH
10:10 am Confirmation
Session
11:30am Confirmation
Rite of Enrollment
Baptism
Prep 1pm
January 4
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Christmas W
eekday
MEMORIA
L O
F ST.
ELIZ
ABETH ANN
SETON, RELIG
IOUS
Men
’s Prayer
Breakfast-7 am-Panera
The greatest among you m
ust
be yo
ur servant.
Whoever humbles him
self
will be exalted
.
January 5
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Church
MEMORIA
L O
F ST.
JOHN NEUMANN,
BISHOP
Stations of the Cross
for Peace, Noon
Even
ing Prayer 7pm;
Scripture Study
7:30pm
You have but one Father in
hea
ven; yo
u have but one
master, the Christ!
January 6
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Christmas W
eekday
Parish Pastoral
Council—
7 p.m
.
Glory to you O
Christ, pro-
claim
ed to the Gen
tiles.
Glory to you, O C
hrist,
believed in throughout
the world.
January 7
8:30 a.m
. Mass—
Chapel
Christmas W
eekday
Musicians Reh
earsal
7 pm
The Lord has sent me to
bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim
liberty to
captives.
January 8
Service of the Word w
ith
the Distribution of Holy
Communion —
8:30 a.m
.
Christmas W
eekday
Je
sus proclaim
ed the Gospel
of the kingdom
and cured eve
ry disea
se
among the peo
ple.
January 9
Christmas W
eekday
4:00 p.m
. Mass
Vigil of the Baptism
of
the Lord
The peo
ple w
ho sit in
darkness have seen a great
light, on those dwelling in a
land ove
rshadowed
by dea
th
light has risen.
Page 13
PATS’ COLUMNPATS’ COLUMNPATS’ COLUMNPATS’ COLUMN
Dear Friends of our column,
In honor of our tenth anni-versary of providing you with our own brand of knowledge and humor, we are re-printing some of our favorite Pat An-swers to Perplexing Questions. This particular column dates back to Advent 2007 and is one of our favorites.
Dear Pats,
You girls have been very helpful in supplying infor-mation about the Catholic faith. I appreciate being able to read the parish newsletters, learn about the church and have a good time doing it! I’m definitely a fan of the Pats Column (it’s the first thing I read when the newslet-ter arrives!).
My question seems like it’s something I’m sup-posed to know, but I don’t remember ever having it explained to me. Can you help? Here goesN
What do we celebrate on the feast of the Immacu-late Conception? I al-ways thought it was about Mary’s sinless conception of Jesus, but someone told me that it was about Mary being conceived without sin. Wait a min-ute. How did that slip by me?! Can you clear this up? Thanks girls!
Sincerely,
Lourdes Fatima (a Mary fan)
Dear “Lourdes”,
First, we really appreci-ate the way you signed your note - your crea-tive use of the names of two holy places where visions of the Blessed Mother took place. What a joy it is for us to benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of the Blessed Sacrament family.
As to your question, let us first ask you – would it make a difference to your faith? We just want you to keep in mind that you are living your faith each day. When you come to Mass to celebrate the Solemnity of the Im-maculate Conception, your heart is probably filled with love for Jesus’ mother; as you participate in the liturgy, whose im-maculate conception you are celebrating probably won’t shift or shake your belief that Jesus is the Son of God. This doesn’t answer your question, but we feel it’s an important part of what we discuss when we talk about our faith with others. Some of the details might be unclear, but the underly-ing love of God and the trust we have in the Son and Spirit ultimately hold us and lift us up.
December 8 is the So-lemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. That long title (not the way we usually hear it) gives a hint – this Holy Day of
Obligation honors Mary’s unique position of being conceived without original sin in the womb of her mother. We don’t read that in the Scriptures, but, as with some of our Catholic Christian faith, what we believe is based on both the Word and on the wisdom that has come to us through cen-turies of practice. The feast has been around since the 7th century in the East, but the dogma (a teaching of the Church revealed implicitly or ex-plicitly by Sacred Scrip-ture or Sacred Tradition, to be believed by the faithful) wasn’t defined until 1854. We celebrate her immaculate concep-tion to remind us that Mary was, from the time
she was conceived, prominent in God’s plan of redemption.
Don’t forget to go to Mass on December 8! It’s on a Saturday this year, but it’s one of the few holy days that continues to be one of obligation, even when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday. We’ll celebrate Mass here at 8:30 a.m. on December 8.
(Just a note – there are still six holy days of obli-gation in the United States – and three of them are feasts of Mary.)
Lourdes, we hope we’ve answered your question. Thanks for writing! Keep reading and send in those questions when they come to you.
Love, The Pats
BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Our own two Pats (Campbell and Rogan) answer any questions you might have about Church practice, rules, history, tradition and ritual.
Early registration begins in February,
great incentives! Call the parish for information!
330.372.2215 Must be minimum of 18 years of age
to participate Proceeds benefit parish ministries
SERVICE & JUSTICESERVICE & JUSTICESERVICE & JUSTICESERVICE & JUSTICE
Page 14
ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY Thank You from the SVdP
of Blessed Sacrament
This past budget year ending on Sept. 30, 2015, SVdP society of Blessed Sacrament was able to service 25 clients with food every month. We were able to feed 1,655 men, women and children at the Thursday Soup Kitchen at the Trumbull Country SVdP Deanery. Through your generous donation of used clothing we were able to help over 1,100 people with clothing, and finally, we were able to help 1,509 people with Christmas, Easter and Summer food baskets. We want to thank all of our donors for their generous mone-tary and clothing donations.
The number of families we are able to provide a Christmas basket to this De-cember will change from 2014, as the num-ber will come down. As we look ahead to 2016, this same trend will continue, due to the escalating cost of food.
Please continue to support us through the year with our monthly ‘Bag It, Bring It’ collection of pantry items; monthly Feed My Sheep envelopes; and various drives as announced through the parish office. Please contact the parish office if you are willing to help with daily food calls for SVdP Society. Your support is ex-tremely important to the many people we serve! Thank you!!
How well do you care for your heart? Accord-ing to Chris Pacileo, Heart Walk Director for the Youngstown Division the AHA, their mantra is 'LIFE is why we walk'. Chris, who served as one of our celeb-rity pasta judges in 2014, has seen heart disease in his own family, and believes this slogan is key.
At Blessed Sacrament Parish, we have partici-pated in fundraising for the AHA Heart Walk since 2003. We have welcomed the community to join us in a friendly competition, using everyone's favorite - PASTA - as the means to do so! The committee host-ing this event has proudly raised an average of $4,500 per year for the AHA.
Please consider joining us, as an amateur competitor in the pasta challenge, as an attendee at the event, or as a team volunteer!
Save the date -- Sunday, February 28, 2016,
immediately after 11:30 a.m. Mass. Join us for a sampling of fine professional pastas, and/or amateur pastas. The challenge has been amazing over the years! All attendees have a voice in selecting the best in each of the two catego-ries! Proceeds benefit the AHA Heart Walk. Ticket sales begin February 1. An amateur wine competition has rounded out the event over the years...you will like
the changes we will make next year!
Join us -- we hear everyone loves being Italian on Sunday!!
BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Saturday March 5, 2016, 5:30 p.m. Covelli Gymnasium
PASTA COOK OFF & WINE TASTING BENEFITS
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
CASINO NIGHT & TEXAS HOLD ‘EM SAVE THE DATE!
Festa!Festa!Festa!Festa! Saturday, April 9, 2016
6-11 p.m.
Trumbull Country Club Proceeds benefit Blessed Sacrament Parish ministries
Join our Parish
Relay for Life Team!
Blessed Sacra-ment’s RFL team re-mains strong and full of great energy! We con-tinue to be blessed with many success stories in our parish family, and praise God for the op-portunities to walk with others during very diffi-cult treatments. We pray always for strength and compassion, and remain hopeful with each person with can-cer.
Our fundraising efforts continue: Orders will be taken for our Annual Cookie and Nut Roll Sale. Stop by the table near the parlor after Mass, or call the parish office for infor-mation. Items will be ready for pick-up Dec. 12 & 13, and extras (IF any) will be sold the
following weekend! Order early!!
Our team will be selling tickets to the Sunday, January 17 Trumbull New Theatre production “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kin-dergarten”! Join us for a fun afternoon!! Kin-dergarten takes a funny, insightful, heart-warming look at what is profound in everyday life. It’s an evening of theatrical storytelling in revue format, with monologues, dialogues, and multiple voice nar-ration, enhanced through the use of live piano underscoring, which provides fluidity, charm, and emotional texture. The delightful stories feature colorful characters such as a shy little boy, a man whose dream of flying carries him high over Los Angeles, a “Mother
RELAY FOR LIFE -- we need you!
Page 15 BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
of the Bride” who’s staged a perfect wed-ding, and a modern-day Greek philosopher who finds the meaning of life in a piece of broken mirror from WWII. These stories celebrate our very existence, from the whimsy of childhood to the wisdom of old age. The show will start at 3 p.m. Tickets remain a bargain at $15/person. Snacks & raffles make for even more of a great after-noon. Look for informa-tion when you pick up your holiday pie, or place your cookie order!
Consider sharing the items you no longer need for our Spring ga-rage sale! Items will be accepted March 29 & 30, and during the sale 3/31 & 4/1 & 2. Contact Judy Gerrity with any questions!
Cancer affects about
1 in 2 men and 1 in 3
women in their lifetime.
So there’s a good chance
you know at least one
person who has been
affected by cancer --
perhaps even yourself.
Despite this staggering
statistic, there is hope.
More and more people
are surviving cancer
every day in part through
lifesaving research and
treatments. AHA-RFL
Our team has decided on a theme for our tent at Courthouse Square -- and you’re going to LOVE IT!! We need your input, your vision, your ideas to bring it to life! See the weekly bulletin for meeting information.
WARREN
RELAY
FOR LIFE
MAY 6-7, 2016
need assistance and then go out and help them. Catholic social teaching also tells us there is a second necessary response to meet human needs – through social justice. So-cial justice means we work to change the structures of our community that give rise to these needs in the first place. For example, if someone is hungry, we might ask, “Why are people hungry?” We may then write a letter to an elected offi-cial, write an opinion piece to
the local newspaper or organize a hunger banquet to raise awareness about the problem and advocate a way or ways to address it. (USCCB)
In November 2015, thirty-one requests were made for assistance. A total of one-hundred forty-five volunteers came forward in anticipation of offering help. According to Ja-son Wolf who brought the idea to our parish from his family’s involvement at a prior parish family, the steady increase of requests and volunteer helpers should rise from year to year.
This happening at our parish is just as it had in his past experi-ence.
According to Fr. Tom, “This Day of Service is an ex-tension of who we are as an alive and vibrant parish, some-thing our faith challenges us to be, something we can take pride in as we move into the Year of Mercy.”
Thank you for all that you do!
And will do for one another!
May God bless the work that
we do, always!
(Continued from page 1)
3020 Reeves Road NE
Warren, OH 44483
Phone: 330.372.2215
Fax: 330.372.6380
E-mail: [email protected]
We’re on the web!
www.bspcc.orgwww.bspcc.orgwww.bspcc.orgwww.bspcc.org
BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
JOIN US TO WORSHIP THE LORD! Vigil of Christmas, Thursday, December 24, 4 p.m.+, 6 p.m.+, & 11 p.m. Mass
+ The 4 and 6 p.m. liturgies will mark the “Joy to the World - a Christmas Welcome!” debut!
The Pre-Mass carol singing will begin 30 minutes prior to Mass. Join your voice with others in praise to our
Newborn King! Doors open at 2:45pm for the 4pm Mass; at 5:20pm for the 6pm Mass; at 10pm for the 11pm Mass.
Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 10 a.m. Mass The Pre-Mass program will begin 30 minutes prior to Mass. Doors will be open at 9 a.m. Vigil of the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
Saturday, December 26, 4 p.m. Mass Anointing of the Sick follows this liturgy
The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Sunday, December 27, 9 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Mass
Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
Thursday, December 31, 7 p.m. Mass
Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God A holy day of obligation Friday, January 1, 2016, 8:30 a.m. Mass
Vigil of The Epiphany of the Lord, Saturday, January 2, 4 p.m. Mass
The Epiphany of the Lord, Sunday, January 3, 9 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Mass
Vigil of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Saturday, January 9, 4 p.m. Mass
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
January 10, 9 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Mass
The Christmas Season ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Ordinary Time is only four weeks after Christmas Time ends,
and Lent begins, on Ash Wednesday, February 10!
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