Our Lady of Grace Church 1088 Ridge Road Hinckley, Ohio (330) Website:

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1 Our Lady of Grace Church 1088 Ridge Road Hinckley, Ohio (330) Website: Hall:

2 OLOG MINISTRIES Bereavement Women of Hope Pastoral Minister Carolyn Zaverl: Business Manager Hall Catering David Wicinski: Coordinator Parish School of Religion Michelle Dobbins: Director of Music Ministry Liturgy Mary Gabriel: Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Andrea Tabor: Finance Chairperson,- Safety & Security Tom Minch: Parish Council Chairperson Tom Higgins: Readers Joanne Oliver: November 27 $3, Envelopes used Thank you for your generosity! 4:00 pm Reader: 8:00 am Reader: MINISTRY SCHEDULE December 17 & 18 11:00 am Reader: W. Stanek C. Caluya, T. Hannan, R. Manley P. Lorenc, A. Krzywicki D. Manley B. Dobbins, L. Kremser, T. Minch J. Pesarchick, Smith Family, Deacon R. Bomba M. Antonius, N. Gaj, C. Ogrin C. Horwitz, E. & E. Medwid, H. Tramonte Cleaners Sat., M. Janesch, H. Majestic, C. Miller, S. Peterlin OPLATKY Christmas wafers are available in the sacristy or through the church office. Any donation given is appreciated. HOLIDAY NUT SALE The holiday nuts are here! One pound bags from Olympia Candy can be purchased after the weekend Masses or through the church office. Cashews, $9.50; mixed nuts, $9.50; natural pistachios, $9; chocolate peanuts $7.50; chocolate raisins, $ CALENDARS Carlson Funeral Homes has been kind enough to provide our parish with 2017 calendars. Pick up a calendar for your family. They can be found in the church vestibule. VESPERS To provide an opportunity for spiritual growth this Advent, Vespers will be led by Deacon Bruce every Thursday evening at 6:30 pm in the church. Please join us as we offer this ancient prayer of the church. Consider introducing a new Advent tradition in your family to prepare your hearts for Christmas. Vespers will be held on December 15 and December 22nd at 6:30 pm. GIVING TREE All gifts for the Giving Tree must be dropped off no later than December 14th. Please do not wrap the gifts but you may provide wrapping paper or gift bags with the gift. Drop off the gift and the tag to the church office or in the church vestibule. HAVE YOU BEEN TO CONFESSION LATELY? Just as we prepare our homes for the coming of Christ, we should also prepare our souls. To prepare our hearts and our souls extra confessions will be heard: Wednesday, December 14, 6-7:30 pm; Saturday, December 17, 3-3:45 pm; Thursday, December pm. Take advantage of Divine Mercy! THANK YOU! We wish to thank Hinckley Elementary and Hinckley Equestrian Center for the many boxes of grocery items they donated to our Food Pantry. The generosity of their students helped stock our shelves, and we were able to provide nice meals for the Christmas holiday. Thank you! (cut here) Christmas Decorating Fund Donations are being accepted for the Christmas Decorating Fund Deadline is December 14th Donated by: $10 In memory: Other

3 December 11, 2016 Page 3 FAMILY PERSPECTIVES The question in today s Gospel demands a response: Are you the one...or shall we look elsewhere? Put another way: Do you live your life in the way that gives clear guidance to others? Or must children and friends look elsewhere for direction: to sitcoms, athletes and politicians! The Gospel asks, are you the one to bring Christ to others? MOVIE NIGHT Our Lady of the Elms, Akron s premier all-girls school is hosting a movie night on December 17 at 7 pm. Girls in grades 6-8 are invited to bring a friend and join them at their high theater, 1375 W. exchange St., Akron to watch Home Alone. Refreshment and door prizes will be available. For info contact Melanie Drouin at or mdrouin@theelms.org. VIRTUS TRAINING VIRTUS and the Protecting God s Children live training program establishes tools for people to use to create safe environments. It provides basic information surrounding child sexual abuse. The final training session for this year will be held on Tuesday, December 27th from 6:30-8:30 pm. All staff, catechists and any volunteers working with children need to attend this program. Please call the office to register. RELIGIOUS RETIREMENT CAMPAIGN Aging religious need your help. Senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have offered their lives in service to others educating the young, comforting the sick, seeking justice for the oppressed. Today, many are frail, elderly, and in need of assistance. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps to furnish medications, nursing care, and other necessitates. Please give generously to today s collection. PAPER/CARDBOARD RECYCLING For the month of October our parish recycled 9,660 lbs. of paper and cardboard for which we received $ The EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30%. Do your part by bringing your paper and cardboard to our bins! In addition, your efforts saved trees; 33,810 gallons of water; cubic yards of landfill space and pounds of air pollutants. Thank you for being good stewards of the earth. MARCH FOR LIFE Knights of Columbus, Brunswick Council 4847, is offering a bus trip to the 2017 March for Life. It leaves St. Ambrose, Brunswick, on Thursday night January 26th, travelling overnight to arrive in Washington, DC, on Friday morning in time to attend Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception before the Rally and March for Life. You will return Friday night arriving at St. Ambrose early Saturday, January 28th. Cost is $60/person. For more info or to reserve you seat call Marty Shaw at or mshaw603@gmail.com MUSIC MINISTRY The Music Ministry presents our 2nd Annual Family Christmas Concert on Friday, December 16 at 7 pm, followed by a reception of holiday goodies in the hall. Come, spend a few hours away from the hustle and bustle to relax with your family and fellow parishioners enjoying the sounds of the season. The Music Ministry will share a Christmas Concert before each of the Liturgies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Come early to Mass to get your favorite seat so you can hear all the beautiful music prepared for one of the most important celebrations in the church. Christmas Eve: 4 pm Youth Choir; concert begins at 3:30 pm 10 pm Traditional Choir; concert begins at 9:30 pm Christmas Day: 8 am Cantor Schola; music begins at 7:40 am 11 am Traditional Choir; concert begins at 10:30 am On behalf of everyone in the Music Ministry, thank you for all your support and kind words over the past year. PRAYERS WORK WONDERS Please remember the sick and suffering of parish family especially: Rich Abramczyk, Steve Ball Family, Marion Beck, Blanche Bieda, Barb Blake, Galen Bruno, Claudia Bulkowski, Bridget Cassesa, Thom Cerny, Nikki Cipriani, Bobby Culp-Morris, Colleen Darabant, Ken Ertel, Ruth Fredrick, Chris & Kitsa Fuciu, John Hanna, Alison Harsh, Cheryl Henderson, Linda Joseph, Kathleen Klosinski, Betty Kmiecik, Bridget Kovalik, Carmello Leo, Tim Montowski, Jr., Nick Piro, Norma Reynes, Grayce Roach, Lois Rhodes, Anna McCurdy Sander, Frank Scheid, Braidyn Schneid, Jim Steed, Michelle Trisk, Derek Vitas. UPCOMING EVENTS Dec. 13 Women of Hope Noon Liturgy Commission 7 pm Dec. 14 Confessions 6-7:30 pm Choir Practice 6 or 7 pm Dec. 15 Vespers 6:30 pm Rosary 7 pm Women of Hope 7 pm MMP Cenacle 7:30 pm Dec. 16 Christmas Concert 7 pm

4 December 11, 2016 Page 4 OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE On Monday, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady is known under this title because of her apparitions to Juan Diego, a Mexican convert, in To confirm the apparitions, an image of the Immaculate Conception was imprinted on the tilma, or mantle of Juan Diego. The image (tilma) of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been the subject of numerous technical studies since 1751 and extensive scientific investigations in recent years. None of the results offer any sound scientific explanation which defies science and all human reasoning. The Tilma that bears the miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey cactus fiber which usually lasts no more than years. Yet the fabric has maintained its structural integrity, without cracking, fading or any sign of deterioration for nearly 500 years. For centuries the Tilma was exposed to the rigors of all natural elements without any kind of protection. Despite the constant contact of hands and kisses of thousands of pilgrims who venerated the Image and subject of scientific examinations, the Tilma remains in a state of perfect condition. No explanation can be offered by scientists as to why the Tilma is repellent to insects and dust. One of the most bizarre characteristics of the cloth is that the back side is rough and coarse, but the front side is as soft as the most pure silk. An analysis of the fibers in 1946 concluded that the fibers came from the Agave plant, however, researchers could not figure out which of the 175 Agave species the Tilma was made from. There is no explanation offered by NASA scientists on how the image was imprinted on the Tilma. There are no brush strokes, or sketch marks on it. The image also seems to increase in size and change colors owing to an unknown property of the surface and substance of which it is made. The colors actually float above the surface of the Tilma at a distance of 3/10th of a millimeter without touching it. In 1936 biochemist Richard Kuhn, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, analyzed a sample of the fabric and ascertained that the pigments used were from no known source; whether natural, animal, mineral, or vegetable. On May 7, 1979 Americans Dr. Philip Serna Callahan, a biophysicist at the University of Florida and expert in infrared photography, and Jody B. Smith, a professor of aesthetics and philosophy at the College Pensacola, who are both specializing in painting and members of NASA, photographed the image under infrared light and scanned at very high resolutions. They discovered that portions of the face, hands, robe, and mantle had been painted in one step, with no sketches, or corrections, and no visible brush strokes or sizing used to render the surface smooth, no protective varnish covering the image to protect its surface. The Image changes in color slightly according to the angle of viewing, a phenomenon known as Iridescence, a technique that cannot be reproduced with human hands. Scientists were unable to find any trace of paint residue or dye of any sort on the Image and yet the colors maintain their luminosity and brilliance. According to the specialists of Kodak Corp. in Mexico, the Image is smooth and bears more resemblance to a color photograph than anything else. To continue next week.

5 December 11, 2016 Page 5 MASS INTENTIONS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 4 pm Living & Deceased of Parish Family SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 Third Sunday of Advent 8 am Mildred Twardzik / Family 11 am Fred Lorenc / Pat MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe 8 am Living & Deceased of Conrad Family TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 St. Lucy 8 am David & Julia Heistand / Mary Spragg WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 St. John of the Cross 8 am Rev. Edward Lajak / Dlugos Family THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 8 am Michael Schodowski / Bokar Family FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 8 am Fred & Regina Schrembeck / Ken SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17 4 pm Kenneth Benner /Curtis & Rosemary Nemchak SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 Fourth Sunday of Advent 8 am Living & Deceased of Parish Family 11 am Karl Melinz / Melinz Family SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Damasus I Damasus was born around 305 the son of a Roman priest, possibly of Spanish extraction. He started as a deacon in his father s church, and served as a priest in what would become the basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome. Damasus served Pope Liberius and followed him into exile. When Liberius died, Damasus was elected pope in October, 366, by a large majority, but a number of overzealous adherents of the deceased Liberius rejected him, chose the deacon Ursinus and had him irregularly consecrated. The controversy between Damasus and the antipope resulted in violent battles in two basilicas, scandalizing the bishops of Italy. Valentinian recognized Damasus and banished Ursinus to Cologne. The party of the antipope did not cease to persecute Damasus. An accusation of adultery was laid against him in the imperial court. Damasus was exonerated by the emperor and soon after by a Roman synod of forty-four bishops. As pope, Damasus lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome. He was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. He encouraged veneration of the Christian martyrs by restoring and creating access to their tombs in the Catacombs of Rome. During his pontificate, Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state, and Latin became the principal liturgical language as part of the pope s reforms. He commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the Bible. Damasus served as pope for 18 years until he died in 384. His feast day is December 11th.