PARISH POST

November 17 - November 24, 2022

our mission: TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO LOVE, SERVE, AND KNOW GOD AND ONE ANOTHER.

In This Issue:

WORSHIP

Hospitality Weekend!

This weekend Sprouts is hosting Hospitality weekend. Join us in the gathering space after Mass for cookies on Saturday, or donuts & coffee on Sunday! 

Advent Schedule

Advent has a two-fold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight” (Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year)

Click Here to See the Schedule

Eucharistic Adoration:

Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday from noon-5 p.m. in the church.

Come spend some quiet time before our Lord to grow closer to him.

Things to do during Adoration: sit quietly and just be in the presence of God, pray the rosary, meditate using Holy Scripture, read some Advent reflections

Confessions

“Part of waiting for the Lord’s coming includes being ready. Sin and injustice weaken our readiness.

They rob us of joy. Advent seeks to restore this joy by our acts of repentance. Part of our preparation is the honest acknowledgement of all that is unloving, unfaithful, and unjust in our lives.” (Companion to the Calendar, LTP publ.)

Saturday, December 3rd 3:45 – 4:45p.m.

Saturday, December 10th 3:45 – 4:45p.m.

Thursday, December 15th 6:30p.m.

Advent/Christmas Concert Sunday, December 4th at 3 p.m. in the church.

Music provided by the St. Albert the Great Children and Adult Choirs and the Louisville Panpipes Flute Choir (flutes, alto and bass flutes and piccolo)

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Thursday, December 8th

Masses will be at 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. (holy day of obligation) School Children will go to Mass at 9:45 a.m.

Blessing of the Child in the Womb

The Catholic Church has a Rite of Blessing for unborn children. This rite serves to publicly affirm the precious gift of human life and to embrace parents and families as they prepare to welcome the birth of a child. Fr. Dave will conduct the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb in the Adoration Chapel right after all the Masses on December 10th & 11th. All expectant mothers and their families are encouraged to participate.

Gaudete Sunday – December 11th

The third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete, or “rejoicing” Sunday. It is called this because of the first Latin word of the entrance antiphon (a sentence or two most often from the scriptures that can be sung at the beginning of Mass). The antiphon for the third Sunday of Advent is Philippians 4:4-3 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near.” The altars may be decorated with flowers and the priest may wear rose colored vestments instead of purple. We also light the rose colored candle in the Advent wreath signifying the anticipated joy of the birth of Christ.

Christmas Schedule

“The mystery of God becoming flesh in the life of Christ Jesus strikes the heart of Christian believers. So rich is this mystery of the Christian faith that Catholics take several weeks and multiple celebrations to ritually unfold this expression of God’s love.” (Companion to the Calendar, LTP publ)

Click Here to See Schedule

December 24th 

5 p.m. with children’s choir and handbells – music starts at 4:30 p.m.

8 p.m. with flute and violin

Midnight Mass 

with adult choir and string quartet – music starts at 11:30 p.m. 

December 25th 

10 a.m. with flute and violin. We are not doing seating reservations this year.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

December 31 st 5 p.m.

January 1st 8a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Epiphany Masses

January 7th 5 p.m.

January 8th 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Special Collection: Catholic Campaign for Human Development Collection

This weekend, our parish takes up a collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. More than 37 million people (over 11% of the population) in the United States live in poverty. This collection supports programs that empower people to identify and address the obstacles they face in bringing permanent and positive change to their communities. 

In addition, 25% of the donations stay here in the Archdiocese of Louisville to fund anti-poverty programs throughout our 24 counties. Learn more about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development at www.usccb.org/cchd.

Holiday Schedule for Weekly Bulletin and Parish Post

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is just around the corner! With shortened weeks and office closures we have to make special arrangements for the printing and delivery of the bulletin. If you need to include your message in the Weekly Bulletin and Parish Post please make note of the following deadlines:

Announcements for the weekends of: 

November 19-20 & 26-27 must be received by Sunday, November 13.

December 16-17 & 24-25 must be received by Sunday, December 11.

Dec 31-Jan 1 & January 7-8 must be received by Sunday, December 18.

*Email blasts will not be sent for individual announcements that miss the deadlines.

* If you would like to offer up in prayer an intention at  the Christmas Masses this year, envelopes are due by Sunday, December 11th.

TITHES & OFFERINGS 

Catholic Service Appeal

COMFORT MY PEOPLE

Our Parish Goal: $134,600

Each year we are invited to participate in the annual Catholic Services Appeal, which is an opportunity for each of us to support our brothers and sisters in Christ. Your prayers and generous support of the Appeal are continuing to make a difference in the Archdiocese of Louisville and right here in our parish. The fund supports more than 100 ministries, services, and programs offered by the Archdiocese. For information on the work of the Archdiocese of Louisville, or to donate online visit www.ArchLou.org/CSA.

A gift to the Catholic Services Appeal is a wonderful way to share our blessings with others and demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has given!

RECEIVED AS OF November 13:

Cash & Check: $9,804.00

Online Giving: $14,330.00

Total Rcvd as of November 14th for FY 2022-23: $576,699.21

Needed Budget as of November 14th for FY 2022-23: $606,455.80

Total Over/Under Budget: ($29,756.59)

Thank you to all who have blessed St. Albert the Great with gifts of treasure! It is through your generosity that our parish is able to meet our financial obligations and continue God's work of supporting and serving our community and those in need.

HOW CAN I GIVE TO ST. ALBERT?

Please call 425-3940 with any questions about giving.  

Now is the perfect time to catch up on your tithing contributions for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year. If you have any questions about where you stand for this year's tithing please contact the parish office. Thank you!

LIFELONG FORMATION & EDUCATION

Baptism

Our next scheduled Baptisms are December 11 during the 10:30 am Mass, and January 22 at Noon.  If your child needs to be baptized, please contact Cindy McKinley cmckinley@stalbert.org

PREP

PREP will NOT meet next Sunday, November 27th!  Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday with your families!  We will resume classes on December 4th. PREP 6-7th Grade Class is hosting a Baby Shower for Mary and St. Joseph on December 11th during PREP collecting baby item donations for The Little Way Pregnancy Resource Center! All of our families are invited to participate!

Sprouts Ministry 

Sprouts will host Breakfast with St. Nicholas on December 4th beginning at 11:30 am in Visitation Hall!  Register with the sign up genius link on the flyer!  

Sprouts Ministry is dedicated to “Growing Disciples” by connecting families with young children Preschool through age 7 through dynamic and fun-filled activities.

SOCIAL CONCERNS

Red Cross Blood Drive

THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20th! 

8:00am - 12:30pm in the PLC

You have the power to save a life in your hands and “pay forward” your gratitude for good health! 

The Social Concerns Team and the St. Albert school children are sponsoring our quarterly Red Cross blood drive in the Parish Life Complex on Sunday 11-20-22 from 8am until 12:30pm. Appointments are recommended but not required. Social distancing will be encouraged and masks are optional. 

For appointments, please call Mary Jo Bird at (502) 552-2093 or email kybirdsnest@aol.com.  Appointments can also be made directly with the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or online at www.Redcrossblood.org. 

Donors who register are also encouraged to fill out the “Rapid Pass” online within 24 hours of their donation to expedite the donation process.

The Christmas Giving Tree 

The Christmas Giving Trees have been set up in the Church Gathering Space, and filled with over 470 paper ornaments. The beauty of this program is realized as the trees slowly become bare and the possibility of fulfilling a wish is in the hands of each of us who take an ornament. Please consider taking an ornament from the tree and grant the wish of the recipient. Each ornament lists the name of the organization, name and age of recipient (if provided), gift suggestion and sizes. An ornament can contain one gift suggestion or several gift suggestions. Feel free to shop for only one gift or as many as you like from the suggestions listed on the ornament. Each ornament includes instructions on the back to return the gift either Wrapped or Unwrapped. Please follow these instructions and return all gifts to St. Albert with the ORIGINAL TAG securely attached no later than NOON, Sunday, December 4, 2022.

The following organizations are supported by the Giving Tree this year:

In addition to the ornaments on the tree, an Amazon wish list has been set up with a few items for Central State and St. John Day Center. When purchasing from the wish list, please select Linda Blackman's Gift Registry Address to ship the items directly to our Giving Tree committee or have them delivered to your home and then bring to the church gathering space by December 4 at noon. Please complete wish list shopping by December 1. The St. Albert Giving Tree Wish List can be found at:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1VVPCY83M32UL

The Social Concerns Committee sincerely appreciates the St. Albert the Great parish community for celebrating Christmas in the Spirit of Giving! Your gift means so much to our neighbors in Christ both locally and out in the state. 

If you have any questions, please email givingtree@stalbert.org or call Linda Blackman at 502-974-5371.

Saint Vincent de Paul

Today as we celebrate Christ the King, may we open the door of our heart so wide that we may listen to the voice of Jesus calling us to help build his kingdom here on earth. Are you feeling the call to serve?


You can build the We need additional volunteers to help serve a meal at SVDP Open Hand Kitchen. This is a 2 hour commitment once a month that provides a direct response to our Lord’s Command to feed the hungry. If interested or for more information, call LuAnn West at 920-539-2209. Remember that opportunities to serve others are also opportunities for our own spiritual growth.

Loaves & Fishes Thanks You!

Loaves & Fishes want to thank the parish & school families for being so “GREAT”. We seem to always live up to our name. We were able to make 84 baskets this year for Eastern Area Community Ministries! Thank you for providing a family with a nutritious meal for Thanksgiving. Extra food was given to Saint Vincent de Paul, who were low on food and so very grateful. Your generosity was so overwhelming. Again, thanks for being St. Albert the GREAT!

SCHOOL

Safe Environment Training

NOVEMBER 29, 6:30PM, ST. ALBERT THE GREAT
All employees or volunteers who have contact with children or youth (18 and under) for ANY length of time are required to participate in one of the 2-hour Safe Environment Training Workshops. No registration is necessary. Sign-in sheets will be available at the workshops.

The Archdiocese is now requiring a refresher course for anyone that has a certificate of completion over five years. To take the online refresher course go to https://louisville.cmgconnect.org/ and create a new account. You can access a completion certificate after you finish the training.

Blue Ribbon Application Announcement

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award recognizes public and private schools based on their overall academic excellence.  The process to apply for the Blue Ribbon award is a long, tedious, and difficult process.  In order to even apply for the award, a school has to score in the top 15 percent of both reading and math at every grade level.

For the past couple of years, St. Albert has strived to achieve the status (top 15 percent) to apply for the Blue Ribbon award.  A couple of weeks ago, we were notified that St. Albert has achieved those test scores to apply for this prestigious award.  

We have started the process of putting together a committee and gathering information as we start the application process.  This is such a great tribute to the hard work of all of our faculty and staff, students and families that continue to work together to provide the excellent education that we provide for our children. 

Thank you for all you do in making St. Albert the best that we can be!

Trivia Night Volunteers Needed

We are looking for volunteers for Trivia Night, December 3rd.  This is a huge fundraiser for SAAM, and we would appreciate your help to make this an amazing night.  Sign up today! 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050545aeae2cab9-stalbert

Poinsettia Sale

The 8th grade is selling Poinsettias to help raise funds to offset the cost of their 8th grade trip. Please consider supporting this fundraiser by purchasing for yourself, a friend or family member. Your purchase can also be donated, and we will deliver to local nursing homes of our choice. Poinsettias come in a 6.5” pot with foil cover, approximately 16-18” tall with 4-6 blooms per plant. Color choices are red, white, jingle bells (red with white speckles), or pink.  Order deadline is November 23 and order pick up is December 2-4. Contact Jenifer Jester (jenher466@yahoo.com) or Maureen Ress (mress@att.net) to order. $15/plant via cash or check made payable to St. Albert the Great with “poinsettia” in the memo section. The 8th grade thanks you!

The Viking Gala

Donate to the Silent Auction

We needs lots of donations for the silent auction including but not limited to experiences such as tickets, passes and memberships, dining and spa certificates, home décor, personal and home services and more. Think of businesses in your network or near our school that might be willing to support! We can provide a gift-in-kind form with our tax ID number as a receipt for any silent auction items. If you would like to donate something for the silent auction email us at gala@stalbert.org or fill out this form!

Donate to the Live Auction

We are in search of unique experiences or travel opportunities for our live auction such as beach or lake house stays, private dining experiences, VIP concert or event packages and more. If you would like to donate something for the silent auction, email us at gala@stalbert.org or fill out this form! 

Donate Bourbon for the Bourbon Pull

We need bourbon donations for the ever-popular bourbon pull! We are looking for premium bottles valued at $50+. If you would like to make a bourbon donation, please email us at gala@stalbert.org.

Congratualtions to Our Saint Xavier Honor Roll Students

Principal’s List

Second Honors

Second Honors

COMMUNITY

Can you help teach English to new neighbors?


The Beginning English class at the Catholic Charities language school (ESL) is in dire need of volunteers for three hours, once a week, from 9:30-12:30. You can volunteer as many days as you want. (Currently there is only one volunteer one day a week.) You will be working with adults who have an urgent need to learn English; how to fill out forms, identify letters and numbers, counting, how to ask questions in English, and other basic language skills we take for granted. Classes are small and are held Monday-Thursday. Christmas break and Spring break are days of no school. We will train you to help tutor new neighbors in English as a Second Language. No experience necessary.


Classes are combined, meaning participants will typically be speaking Kinyarwanda, Haitian Creole, Kiswahili, Spanish, Arabic, Pashto, and Dari. You do not need to know their language, only help them learn yours! Contact Lauren at lgoldener@archlou.org for info.

St Al's Aces

St. Al’s Aces will be meeting for its annual Christmas luncheon on Friday, December 2, 2022 at Audubon Country Club.  Fellowship will commence at 1100 am followed by a meeting and Christmas presents with plated lunch at 1245 pm.  There is a choice of three entrees:  pork chop with new potatoes or mesquite salmon with rice pilaf and vegetables or a vegan plate.  Each entree will be served with a house salad, rolls, coffee, tea and ice cream for desert.  Members and guests are welcome.  Please return a completed reservation form along with $20.00 per person by November 28, 2022 to:  Pat O’Bryant, 8610 Glenfield Way, Louisville, Kentucky 40241.


The Record Bridal Issue

Announce your upcoming wedding or recent marriage FREE in The Record! The submission deadline for the next Bridal issue is December 2, 2022, at 12 noon for the January 12, 2023, publication.

Fill out the announcement at https://therecordnewspaper.org/submissions/bridal-announcements/ or e-mail it to record@archlou.org. Hard copies can be mailed to our office: Attn: Bridal, The Record, 1200 South Shelby St., Louisville, KY 40203. 

If you missed the chance to announce before your wedding, we can print a marriage announcement. Your first anniversary cannot take place before the next bridal publication date, Jan. 12, 2023. You may submit a marriage announcement using this form, as well.

If you have any questions, please contact Rachell Rauh at 502-471-2125, or rrauh@archlou.org.

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS OUR COMMUNITY!