# 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 Schedule for Weekly Bulletin 

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:

Announcements for the weekends of: 

December 15th: received by noon December 4th

December 22nd: received by noon December 11th

December 29th & January 5th: received by noon December 15th

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. The Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb will take place in the Adoration Chapel immediately following all the Masses on December 7th & 8th. All expectant mothers and their families are encouraged to participate.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Vigil Mass

“Let not your heart be disturbed… Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.” (Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego)  

Mary’s visit to Guadalupe is a reminder that God will remember his mercy for all people. In Mary’s song of joy, the Magnificat, she praised God because he has put down the mighty, exalted the lowly, filled the hungry, and sent the rich away empty. People honor Our Lady of Guadalupe because they recognize her motherly concern for them. Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us that God’s unfailing love encompasses all of us, regardless of race, nationality, and all other differences.

The Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe occurs annually on December 12th. Please join us for a Vigil Mass at 5:00pm on Wednesday night, December 11th. Confession and Adoration will occur from 4:00pm to 5:00pm.

Christmas Mass Intentions

If you would like to offer up in prayer an intention at the Christmas Masses this year, envelopes are due by Sunday, December 8th.

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.

Gaudete Sunday – December 15th

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. The congregation is invited to wear pink or rose colored clothes to Mass for an Advent "Pink Out."

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.

The Christmas Giving Tree

Thank you to everyone who has taken ornaments from our Christmas Giving Trees and shopped using our Amazon list. All gifts must be returned by NOON on Sunday, December 8th. Please securely attach the ornament tag to the gift and follow the wrapping directions on the back of the ornament. 

Gift Sorters needed after 10:30am Mass this weekend!  Sorting will begin around 11:45 or noon as we must wait for the gathering space to clear after mass before we begin sorting. Please sign up using the Sign Up Genius Link: SIGN UP TO HELP SORT or just show up to help.

The Social Concerns Committee thanks you for your generosity!  If you have any questions, please email Linda Blackman at givingtree@stalbert.org or text or call at 502-974-5371.

Environmental Concerns Committee

Holiday Lights Recycling

The Environmental Concerns Committee will be collecting holiday lights this weekend and December 14th/15th. 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. Thanks for helping the earth, and Happy Holidays to you! 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. Also, Check the poster in back of Church for more details.

Markey's Group

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

Seasonal Flower Ministry

This Weekend! December 7th & 8th

Let our parishioners know you care by bringing a flower to one of our ill, homebound or bereaved. Just choose a poinsettia with name and card attached provided by your Pastoral Care Team and deliver. It’s that easy! Thanks for spreading the love!

Candle Sale

There is a group of Bellarmine students hoping to attend SEEK25, a catholic conference where 20,000 college students gather to learn more about the Lord and have a deep encounter with His love. We are in need of funding to travel to the conference though! 

We have partnered with Pax Rosa and 20% of sales, will come back to help fund the trip for these 8 eager young adults. Rekindle the habit of prayer with modern Saint and Prayer candles, prayerfully hand poured in the USA. 

Thank you so much for the consideration. Keep us in your prayers. If you have any questions feel free to email Abby Kaufman at mkaufman@bellarmine.edu