FROM THE PASTOR. SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of December 4-10

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1 528 Lathrop Avenue River Forest, Illinois Be Watchful! De cemb er 3, 2017 Firs t S unday of Adve nt

2 MASS INTENTIONS Monday, December 4 - St. John Damascene 6:30 am Maura Faherty 8:00 am Edward Szmyd Tuesday, December 5 6:30 am Margaret White 8:00 am Timothy Harnett Wednesday, December 6 - St. Nicholas 6:30 am Kathryn Froelich 8:15 am The Williams, Karasis and Kurr Families Thursday, December 7 - St. Ambrose 6:30 am Connie Kelly Barsanti 8:00 am Sarina Conmy Friday, December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception 6:30 am The Williams, Karasis and Kurr Families 8:00 am Special Intention 9:15 am The People of St. Luke Parish 7:00 pm Robert C. Canapary Saturday, December 9 - St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin 8:00 am Thomas McCahill 5:00 pm Carol O Neill Sunday, December 10 7:30 am The People of St. Luke Parish 9:00 am The Poor Souls in Purgatory 11:00 am Mary Ann Haar 2 SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of December 4-10 Mon: Is 2:1-5/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9/Mt 8:5-11 Tue: Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 [cf. 7]/Lk 10:21-24 Wed: Is 25:6-10a/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 [6cd]/Mt 15:29-37 Thu: Is 26:1-6/Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a [26a]/ Mt 7:21, Fri: Gn 3:9-15, 20/Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 [1a]/Eph 1:3-6, 11-12/ Lk 1:26-38 Sat: Is 30:19-21, 23-26/Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 [cf. Is 30:18d]/ Mt 9:35 10:1, 5a, 6-8 Next Sunday: Is 40:1-5, 9-11/Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, [8]/ 2 Pt 3:8-14/Mk 1:1-8 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK: Kimberly Bak, Evelyn Cademartrie, Bill Darley, Jackson Davis, Robert Gorman, Fred Heiss, Delynn and Richard Henderson, Judith Henderson, James Hill, Kathy Ann Howard, Stephen Kehoe, Barry Koster, Frank Kurr, Michael Mazzone, Kevin Nolan, Paul Novak, Kevin O Donohue, Loretta O Dowd, Kelly Petersen, Geraldine Redmond, Fr. Paul Reicher, Herbert Reusch, Joel Rivera, Josefina Santos, Jonathan Saucedo, Patti Sheehan, and Tom Trankina AND FOR OUR DECEASED Cover Art: Today we start the Advent Season by lighting a single candle on our Advent Wreath as seen in this photo ( Stockbyte/Thinkstock). WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL LPi FROM THE PASTOR Prepare the Way of the Lord! During the season of Advent, we are told to prepare the way of the Lord. We are to expect His coming. What does this mean, what does this refer to? His coming at Christmas, when we remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? Or His coming at the end of the end of time? Or both? I leave you to ponder and pray over these questions. The four weeks of Advent pass by very quickly if we let them. It will be a frenzied time with checklists of things to do, shopping, gatherings with friends, and all the other things that go into making this season happy and bright. The real challenge of this season lies in awakening an ability in our hearts to approach all of this with balance and with a mature faith. Such a faith is able to identify what really needs to be done, the real necessities, especially those that are holy and connected to the spirit of Christ. Pope Francis encourages us to be open to God s gift of grace during the year. Throughout this month, too, there are many opportunities for our spiritual growth. We can avail ourselves of the Lord s abundant mercy throughout Advent by receiving the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Extra times for confession are being provided on Saturdays of Advent before the 5:00 Mass (4:00 4:30 pm). This is a great way to prepare our hearts and souls in a transformative way for the season of Christmas. This weekend The Little Blue Book is being provided as a spiritual guide for you through this Advent season. We hope it is helpful. Also be sure to read the liturgical renewal article on the next page because it lists other opportunities for helping our parish, volunteering, and suggestions of Advent prayer resources to use in your daily prayer. This coming Friday, December 8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. It celebrates the role of the Blessed Mother in the plan of bringing God s life, the Living Word, into the world. May all of your Advent preparations keep a special spiritual focus filled with the joyful wonder of expectation! ~Fr. Szmyd

3 A new liturgical year begins this weekend with the First Sunday of Advent. We begin listening to a new set of readings and the Gospel of Mark, the shortest of all the Gospels. Totally unique unto itself, this gospel contains many passages that are also held in common with the works of the other evangelists. UNIVERSAL FOCUS: This is also the Year of Grace for the entire Church around the world. Named so by Pope Francis himself, such a focus is intended to unite Catholics worldwide and draw all people more deeply into the life of Christ and to be aware of his action daily in the lives of his faithful people. MINISTRY: On a local level at St. Luke Parish, we set a course for the coming year in our communal prayer of the Mass. As we review how we celebrate together as a community, we ve listed several points to be aware of and some ways we hope to bring a deeper sense of reverential prayer and a more likely expression of faith to our Masses. Suggestions have been made by parishioners, our Liturgy Committee, and the Liturgical Subcommittee of Parish Transformation. The leaders of the liturgical ministries (Lectors, Cantors and Choir members, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers and Greeters) have stood before you on Sunday, inviting you to consider joining their ranks, to be more involved. Many new ministers have already been welcomed aboard. With the training they receive comes faith formation and renewal in the ministry that should happen in our parishes annually. This recently happened for our Ushers, Lectors, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. We thank all of our ministers for their commitment to church and service. AN INVITATION TO THE SACRAMENTS AND PRAYER DURING THIS ADVENT EVERY TIME A BELL RINGS Years ago, the ringing of the bell during the Eucharistic Prayer at the time of consecration was customary in every parish. As a practice, it fell by the wayside but was never prohibited by the church. It was liturgical reformers and many priests themselves who discontinued the use of the bells. The new Roman Missal and associated instructions to it said just a few years ago, a bell may be rung at the elevation of the host and chalice. In this day and age of distraction, alarms going off on phones all the time, and the lack of a strong belief by many in Jesus present in the Eucharist, it falls to us to rivet our attention on the spiritual significance of what is happening at the altar. The sound of the bell is meant to heighten our awareness to the most important part of the Mass when our Lord becomes especially and really present to us, so that we never take it for granted! CONFESSIONS Every Saturday during Advent, Confessions will be heard from 4:00 to 4:30 pm before 5:00 pm Mass. Our usual times every day will continue to be offered. YOUR ADVENT PRAYER AT HOME The Little Blue Book is back with us again this year. See our parish website for links to these online picks to help with your daily prayer: Our Sunday Visitor s free e-book, Matthew Kelly s Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever series, which shoots a daily reflection to your smartphone (what can be easier than that?), daily scripture subscriptions, and Bishop Robert Barron s Word on Fire series, which is very well done. ALL HANDS ON DECK WE NEED MORE HANDS! Advent Wreath Candle Lighting We still need more families, individuals, and groups of friends to come forward to do that. Please consider helping. Decorating This will be a very quick season of Advent with the shortest Fourth Week of Advent possible one day on Sunday, December 24, which is also Christmas Eve. With our regular Sunday Masses and then that afternoon our Christmas Eve Masses, this is a perfect storm, so to speak, with so much to do in so little time. Call to volunteer to help with decorating our church. There are trees to set up, poinsettia plants to schlep, ribbons and wreaths to hang. Give an hour or two to St. Luke Parish on December 24 after 11:00 Mass. Please volunteer to assist! NEW COLLECTION SYSTEM The Parish Advisory Councils, Parish Transformation and Liturgy Committees suggested that we look at how we encourage stewardship within our parish. For years the collection has been taken up in the traditional way. It was proposed is the passing of the basket, an opportunity for each of us to engage in the collection process with all our brothers and sisters gathered next to us at the Eucharist. And so, as mentioned at each Mass last week, we will start passing the basket every Sunday. Please be patient with this new system. DECEMBER 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent 3

4 National Collection next weekend, December 9-10 The national collection for retired religious will be taken up at all Masses next weekend to support religious sisters, brothers, and mission order priests who have served our Church for little or even no pay. Religious communities are entirely responsible for the support and care of all their members. Their earnings and expenses are managed separately from the parish and diocesan structures of the Catholic Church. Altogether, more than 32,000 religious are now past age 70 in the United States. In 2016, the average annual cost for their care was more than $42,000 per person, but the average annual Social Security benefit was just $6,116! Please be generous in supporting all those who taught us and served our Church so well! Age Distribution of Religious men and women in the U.S, 2016 AGE The Amen Stitching Group will have a special holiday luncheon in place of its regular gathering this Friday, December 8, from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm in the Hospitality House. All those interested in needlework of any kind are welcome to come and meet the group members and enjoy a fun time. To learn about group s monthly gatherings, contact Betsy Maloney at Amen! Parishioners of all ages are invited to be guests of the St. Luke Men s Club s festive Breakfast with Santa next Sunday, December 10, in Waldron Hall. The gala begins immediately following the 9:00 am Mass as Santa and his pancake-cooking elves will serve up great food and photos with St. Nick as well as gifts for all the children. 4 WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL This Friday is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the six holy days of obligation for Catholics in the United States. The Blessed Mother is also patroness of our country under this title, which refers to her birth without the stain of Original Sin. In addition to the normal 6:30 and 8:00 am Masses, St. Luke will have Mass at 9 :15 am with St. Luke School students and at 7:00 pm. Come honor our Blessed Mother and offer a prayer for our country! Look for St. Luke s Giving Tree at all of the Masses next weekend and help make a wish come true for a refugee family who is starting a new life in a strange land our country! St. Luke s Peace and Justice Committee invites all parishioners to take a card from the tree with a wish item needed by a family in the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program. The majority of these newcomers come here from Iraq, Bhutan, Syria, Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Egypt, and Cuba often fleeing war and persecution with just the clothes they escaped in. Bring your unwrapped gift (or a cash donation) to Mass with you on the following weekend, December All donations will be delivered to Catholic Charities to assist them in providing for refugees who are making Chicago their new home. It s a small but concrete way of sharing the Christmas spirit with others in need.

5 See all of the photos online at STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. ~Mark 13:33 We all take things for granted. In particular, we take time for granted. Our lives are so busy, many of us are planning our time our days, weeks, months, even years in advance. Remember, our time on earth is a gift. None of us knows how long we will be here. Start today and begin thanking God for each and every day. Take time in silence every day and listen to what God is saying to you. Our Weekly Offerings From the weekend of November 25/26 Weekly Budget... $15,000 Actual In-Church Contributions... $ 7,836 Actual Online Contributions $ 1,480 TOTAL Weekly Contributions... $ 9, Fiscal Year to Date (From 7/1/17) Budget to Date... $330,000 Actual Weekly Giving... $259,303 Difference to Date for Year +/(-)... $( 70,697) We greatly appreciate the sacrifices you make to support the mission and ministry of St. Luke Church. Thank you for your generosity! Please note that, due to the Christmas holidays, all articles must be submitted for the December 17th bulletin no later than this Friday, December 8. See the parish website for the full schedule of deadlines this month. We will have a very timely visit from representatives of the Christian community in the Holy Land who will be displaying hand-crafted wooden religious figures and items for sale on December The Christian community in Jerusalem and Bethlehem depend largely on these olive wood carvings and tourism for their survival and the preservation of their church community in a very beautiful but often hostile part of the world. Please look for the representatives from Bethlehem Arts after all the Masses that weekend and perhaps you ll find a gift for yourself or a loved one that will be remembered and cherished as a reflection of our faith and love for the Lord. DECEMBER 3, 2017 First Sunday of Advent 5

6 6 The St. Luke Athletic Committee congratulates the following winners of the 500 Club drawing: Jim and Lynn Winikates Thank you to all who have purchased memberships in the Club, the proceeds of which go directly to fund St. Luke Parish School s athletic programs. The group signed up for the Ballet Lègere performance of the Nutcracker on Friday, December 8 at Dominican University will leave from the Hospitality House parking lot at 9:00 am to allow time for parking and seating. On Sunday, December 10, the Prime Timers will be going to Misericordia for their wonderful holiday brunch. This group will leave from the front of the Hospitality House at 11:45 am. There will be time to shop in the boutique shops before and after the brunch. For special, one-time gifts or your weekly Sunday contribution, GiveCentral.org makes it fast and convenient for you to support St. Luke Parish. Make payments from your bank or credit card account using your computer or smartphone. Try it today! 24-Hour Crisis Line: Summer Mass Schedule Saturday (Vigil) 5:00 pm, and Sunday 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 am Weekdays: Monday-Friday 6:30 & 8:00 am (except 8:15 am on Wednesdays), Saturday 8:00 am Confessions The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is offered after 6:30 and 8:00 am weekday Masses and by appointment. Call the rectory to schedule a time. Adoration and Benediction Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament occurs every first Saturday after the 8:00 am Mass and rosary. Rectory Office Hours Monday through Friday 9:00 am-12:00 Noon and 1:00-4:00 pm and by appointment (Call ). Interested in Learning More About the Catholic Faith? Anyone wishing to complete their sacraments or learn more about the Catholic faith may inquire about our adult faith formation program (RCIA) by calling the rectory for more information. WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL Rev. John Szmyd, Pastor jszmyd@stlukeparish.org Rev. Steven Bauer, Associate Pastor sbauer@stlukeparish.org Rev. Leroy Wickowski (Retired) lwickowski@stlukeparish.org Rev. Mr. John Baier johnbaier@isp.com Rev. Mr. Terry Norton reneeterrynorton@gmail.com Rev. Mr. Bob Slobig bobslobig@comcast.net Rev. Mr. Paul Faherty (retired) 528 Lathrop Avenue, River Forest stlukeparish@stlukeparish.org Carol Karlowski, Office Assistant ckarlowski@stlukeparish.org Daniel Szymanski, Director of Operations dszymanski@stlukeparish.org Sheila Price, Director of Stewardship & Development sprice@stlukeparish.org Arlene Michna, Music Director amichna@stlukeparish.org Bradley Collins, Communications Coordinator bcollins@stlukeparish.org Ashland Avenue, River Forest jschwarzbeck@stlukeparish.org Timothy Wesley, Principal twesley@stlukeparish.org 519 Ashland Avenue, River Forest religiouseducation@stlukeparish.org Sr. Colleen Nolan, O.P., Director cnolan@stlukeparish.org 533 Ashland Avenue, River Forest Sr. Pat Farrell, O.P. pfarrell@stlukeparish.org New Parishioners If you re new to the community or just new to our church, please stop by the rectory to introduce yourself and register so we can welcome you into the full life of our parish. Communion Visits and Ministry of Care A parish priest or Minister of Care will be happy to visit those who are sick or homebound. Please call the rectory to make arrangements. Baptism Baptisms take place on the first and third Sundays of each month. Preparation meetings are held on the first Monday of every month for the parents of children who will be baptized. Arrangements can be made by calling the rectory. Marriage Couples wishing to be married should call the rectory to set up an appointment with one of the parish priests at least six months in advance of the desired wedding date. Anointing of the Sick Elderly parishioners, those in poor health or who are anticipating surgery can call the rectory to arrange to receive the sacrament of anointing.

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