# i Give Catholic

Thank You! Your generosity for our first #iGiveCatholic was momentous! We surpassed our goal, raising $23,295. Thank you for donating, sharing, and celebrating our Catholic connection.

Each gift made during this campaign will allow us to install a camera system in the church. In addition, the extra funds will go to other audio/visual needs in church and around the campus. Thank you to all who took part in this day with us!

Holiday Office Schedule

The parish office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays beginning Monday, December 23rd through Wednesday, January 1st. Call 425-3940 ext. 106 for sacramental emergencies. May the joy of the Christ Child fill your heart and home in this joyous season!It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us! 

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: December 29th & January 5th need to be received by noon December 15th.

Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesdays, December 4, 11, 18

Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday from 1p.m.- 4:45 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.

Evening Advent Mass: Wednesdays, December 4, 11, 18, 5pm

Join us for evening Mass during the season of Advent on Wednesdays at 5pm. Confession will be offered before and after Mass beginning at 4pm. Prepare your heart and mind for the celebration of Christmas by engaging in prayer, reflection, and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Confession:

“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 acknowledgment of all that is unloving, unfaithful, and unjust in our lives.” (Companion to the Calendar, LTP publ.)

Parish Reconciliation Service: Sunday, December 22nd at 2pm.

Confession will be offered on Wednesday at 4pm before the Evening Advent Mass and immediately following; and during our regular times on Monday, Friday and Saturday after the 8:30am daily Mass and at 3:45pm on Saturday immediately before the weekend Mass.

Bambinelli Sunday

St. John Paul II began a tradition early on in his papacy where he invited the children of Rome to bring their little statue of the baby Jesus that would be placed in their Nativity set at home. John Paul II blessed the figurines of those present and told them to pray before their manger scene with their family at home in a spirit of prayer. Children can also wrap their Bambinelli in paper, place it under their Christmas tree, and open it as the first gift on Christmas morning. All children and teens are invited to bring their baby Jesus to Mass on December 14th & 15th for this special blessing and tradition.

Family Friendly Adoration 

Thurs., December 19th  |  6 p.m.

Families and individuals of all ages are welcome!

This holy hour will take place in the church and will include prayers, music, scripture and time for silent reflection. The presence of Christ in the Eucharist is real, true and substantial. We have an amazing opportunity to spend time with Jesus who is physically present in the Eucharist that is exposed on the altar.

“The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time that you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in heaven and will help bring about an everlasting peace on earth.” - St. Teresa of Calcutta

Christmas Masses

Tuesday, December 24th 

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

8 p.m. with flute and violin

Midnight Mass with adult choir and string quartet – music begins at 11:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 25th 

10 a.m. with flute and violin.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

December 31st, 5:00pm

January 1st, 9:00am

St. Albert Book Club

The St Albert Book Club will meet on Thursday, December 19th, at 10:30am in the Sacred Heart Center. The book is The Miracle of the Holy House of Loreto by Federico Catani. For the next meeting, on January 30th, the book will be Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle. 

There is no cost to join and no pre-registration required. Just read the book and show up! 

Baptism 

Does your child need the Sacrament of Baptism?  Our upcoming Baptism Services are scheduled for Saturday, January 11th during the 5pm Mass, with Parent Preparation Class on Tuesday, January 7th at 6:30pm. Contact Sr. Sarah Yungwirth at 425-3940 or syungwirth@stalbert.org.

Children's Ministry 

PREP will not meet for class on Sunday, December 22nd and Sunday, December 29th.

Children's Liturgy will not be offered on Sunday, December 29th.

The Christmas Giving Tree

Thank You!

The Social Concerns Committee would like to thank everyone who gave so generously to the Christmas Giving Tree. We had over 525 ornaments on the trees representing six organizations from Louisville to Eastern Kentucky and several items on an Amazon Wish List. Your generosity allowed us to distribute gifts to many lonely or poor in our community. Your gifts bring much joy to the young and old this Christmas season and to those who would otherwise receive little to nothing. Many thanks also to everyone who helped sort and deliver the gifts. We could not do this project without you!

Environmental Concerns Committee

Holiday Lights Recycling

The Environmental Concerns Committee will be collecting holiday lights this weekend. Maybe you have lights that are broken, that don’t work, or only half of them work (very frustrating for sure!) Or perhaps you have old lights you don't use anymore in your attic or garage. Bring them with you to church and we’ll take it from there. We will make sure they are taken care of in an environmentally responsible way. 

Electronics Recycling

Christmas is almost here. Santa will soon be coming down the chimney (if you’ve been good), bringing lots of new things. Maybe you’ll get some new electronic devices this year. Wonderful! But what do you do with the old ones? That’s where our friends at Greenway Shredding and Recycling come in. You can take all your old electronics (and batteries too) to them at 2318 Watterson Trail in J-town and they will gladly recycle those devices for free. It’s a win-win, both for you and the environment. Of course, you can recycle electronics there any time of the year. I’m sure you will enjoy your new electronics even more knowing you’ve disposed of your old ones responsibly. Remember, you do make a difference, please make it a positive one! Thanks, Environmental Ernie

St. John Center

Volunteering is easy at St. John Center Day Shelter! Open Every Day of the Year!  Offered in Two (2) hour shifts! If interested please contact: Keesha Gardner, Volunteer Coordinator kgardner@stjohncenter.org or (502) 901- 3178.

Markey's Group

Markey's Group will not be meeting in December, but we will resume our monthly gatherings in January. 

Hope & Healing Group: Substance Abuse Passing 

St. Albert the Great hosts a monthly support group for those who have lost a loved one from any type of substance use. Please come and connect with others journeying through the same type of loss. The group meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the Sacred Heart Center. The next meeting will be December 18th at 6:30pm. Contact Laura Graven at lgraven@stalbert.org or 425-3940 ext. 169 for more information.

NAMI Family Support Group

The group provides a safe space for family and friends of people with mental health conditions to discuss their loved ones mental health while receiving knowledge, encouragement and support. The group meets on the third Sunday of the month in the Parish Life Complex. The next meeting is Sunday, December 15th at 7:00pm. Please share with friends and family outside the parish. Contact Blair or Gretchen McBride at blair.mcbride.ky@gmail.com or gllm3112@gmail.com. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness Louisville: Strengthening Families & Individuals Affected by Mental Illness.

Trivia Night Thank You!

On behalf of SAAM and St. Albert the Great THANK YOU to everyone that participated in Trivia Night this past weekend. I think I can speak for everyone in saying that the event was a huge success. It was a great night and it could not have happened without you. Big thanks to Katie and Brad Noe of The Noe Group and to all our sponsors. Thank you to all those that volunteered, we see you, and you are truly appreciated. Last but certainly not least we can’t forget DJ Dave with Odyssey Entertainment.  While we do hire him to provide the emcee services, he truly puts his heart and soul into the production of our trivia night, and it shows. I hope everyone has a great week!   

Thanks again for everything,
Nick and Erin Carter