Bulletin Advertising Opportunities Available!

Laurie Ann Wells representing Diocesan (our Bulletin Publisher) is diligently working on the advertising sales for our weekly bulletin. She is seeking new advertisers and sponsors. If interested, please contact Laurie at lwells@diocesan.com

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS, the bulletin is published weekly at no cost to the parish. Please consider purchasing an ad. Your ad and participation make the bulletin successful, and it's a GREAT way to attract customers!

Thanksgiving Schedule 

Office Hours: The parish office will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th. The school office will be closed the week of Thanksgiving, November 25-29th.

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 7th: received by noon December 1st

December 15th: received by noon December 4th

December 22nd: received by noon December 11th

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

Ask the Fathers a Question

Have you ever wondered, "Why does the Church do that?" Go ahead – ask a priest! You can ask about anything – liturgy, prayer, church doctrine and parish life… Our goal is to provide a forum for guidance and information. So go ahead and ask your question… 

Q:  Why does the church ring Bells during Mass, especially during the consecration?

A: There are several reasons for the ringing of the bells during consecration. Use the drop down menu below to read the full answer!

Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood

St. Albert the Great will be hosting a Mass to promote vocations to the priesthood on Monday, November 25th at 6pm. All are invited! We encourage our parishioners to show your support of our seminarians and their families by attending Mass and keeping them in your prayers.

2024 Catholic Campaign for Human Development

This weekend November 23-24, our parish will take up a collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. More than 37 million people 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.

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.

The Choir Needs You!

Wanted: Choir Members

Positions Open: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass

Experience: None required. Just a love for singing!

Work Load: Rehearsals every Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. in the church, Choir sings at 10:30 Sunday Mass.

Wages: Satisfaction and joy from singing for the Glory of God!

Apply: Contact Laura Sullivan, lsullivan@stalbert.org or 425-3940 ext. 148

Tuesday Rosary After Mass 

We will begin “after” the daily mass in the church. All are invited to participate and ask for Mary’s intercession. “The Rosary is a prayer both so humble and simple and a theologically rich in biblical content. I beg you to pray it.” — Pope St. John Paul II

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.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Monday, December 9th

Mass will be at 8:30a.m. (NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year)

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. 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.

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."

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

Please visit the Social Concerns Christmas Giving Trees in the back of church. The trees are filled with over 490 ornaments representing six different organizations:

• The Piarist Outreach in Appalachia – Floyd County, KY

• Church of the Good Shepherd Outreach – Adair County, KY

• Central State Psychiatric Hospital – Louisville

• St. John Day Center for Homeless Men – Louisville

• Lyndon Woods Care and Rehabilitation Home – Louisville

• Jefferson Place – Louisville

The Giving Tree works much the same as an angel tree. The ornaments indicate information about the recipient and gift suggestions. Please take an ornament or a few ornaments off the trees. Some ornaments have multiple gift suggestions. It is not required to get all items listed on the ornament. Please securely attach the ornament tag to the gift and follow the wrapping directions on the back of the ornament. All gifts should be returned by noon on Sunday, December 8.

For those that prefer online shopping there are a few items on an Amazon wish list for St. John Center and Central State.  For delivery, please select Linda Blackman's Gift Registry Address or you may have them delivered to your home and bring them to the church gathering space before December 8 at noon. SHOP AMAZON HERE

Gift Sorters needed!  On December 1 and December 8, the gifts will be sorted by location, carefully marked off a list and placed in large bags so they are easy to transport. 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 

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

Once again this year, the Environmental Concerns Committee will be recycling old/broken holiday lights. We will collect them on the weekends of December 7th /8th and December 14th /15th. We will also collect them for 2 weekends in January. We have the ability to dispose of these lights in an environmentally friendly manner and this is a good opportunity for you to get rid of your old lights in a way that avoids the landfill. So, please bring us your old lights! We’ll take it from there. Remember, you do make a difference, Environmental Ernie

Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!

Once again St. Albert School & Parish has proven they are GREAT! We were able to do a remarkable number of baskets. 120! And we had more than enough cards and cash to give a $25 Kroger Card to each basket for a turkey or ham. EACM is always amazed at our generosity. So again, thank you. The extra food went to St. Ignatius Food Pantry, who was also extremely grateful for the donation.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you spreading the spirit of gratitude & kindness this holiday season. Our next Loaves & Fishes food drive will be in February and will benefit the Schumann Center. 

St. Al's Aces Christmas Luncheon

Friday, December 6th

Fellowship 11:00am/Food 12:45pm

Big Spring Country Club

Seasons Eatings! Come to eat, drink and be merry with us at our annual Christmas Luncheon. The magic of Christmas never ends when you’re in the company of your beloved friends. SWEET HARMONY SINGERS, drawings and lots of presents.

Santa’s Elves have been busy and Santa is checking his list to make sure you mail back your reservations by 11/29 to:  Pat 0’Bryant, 8610 Glenfield Way, Louisville, KY 40241.  In the spirit of the season, we’ll accept the usual late reservations. 

GAP Volleyball

Our Friday Night Adult Volleyball League has started. We have 12 teams again this year that will play every Friday Night through February. Games start at 6:00pm and go to 10:30pm. Come watch some good, competitive volleyball, have a drink and socialize with your fellow parish and school families!

Viking Gala

Thank you to everyone who bought tickets! There are less than 60 of the 500 tickets left, so don’t delay - grab yours at VikingGala.org! 

This year’s PTO Viking Gala presented by Fun Masters will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 at the Louisville Marriott East! Funds raised will help the PTO support student programming and resources for the next two years. 

Purchase a Viking Gala Trip Raffle Ticket
The 2025 Gala Trip Raffle presented by Kaiman & Crahan is a 5-day trip for two to Costa Rica including airfare! Raffle Tickets are now on sale at VikingGala.org! Tickets are $50 each and only 400 will be sold! Spread the word to your friends and family! The winner will be drawn at the Gala, and you do not need to be present to win! 

Email questions to Julie Kruer and Allison Gotting at gala@stalbert.org!
Charitable Gaming License # 0407

St. Albert School is Hiring

Love children? Looking for the perfect part-time job? 

St. Albert’s JK through 5th grade after school program, the Play Café, is looking for enthusiastic individuals to work with our students Monday-Friday, 2:15-6PM (with some early extended days) Contact Debbie Lynch at dlynch@stalbert.org.

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

Queen's Daughters

Have you heard of the Queen’s Daughters? Would you like to be part of an organization that has been serving the community for over 100 years?

Founded in 1915, with the Blessed Mother as our patroness, Queen's Daughters is a faith-filled community of dedicated Catholic women who work to enhance and change the lives of young women and those in need in the Louisville community. If you find yourself interested in learning more, please contact your parish's Queen's Daughter representative, Ann Simms-Sullivan, at xmom1118@hotmail.com, or Mary Olsen, Membership Chair at jansieo@aol.com. More information can be found at their website QueensDaughtersInc.com.