St. James at Sag Bridge Church

Transcription

1 Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church S. Archer Avenue Lemont, Illinois (Ph) (Fx) Website: Facebook: Listen to The Winds of Change each day, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm on WNDZ AM 750. Fr. Koys substitutes for Fr. A. Bush usually every other Wednesday. You can listen live or podcast shows to listen at anytime. visit: windsofchangeshow.com. Fr. Koys December 22, 2013 Founded in 1833, St. James at Sag Bridge is a country parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago serving a growing community of Catholics who come together to worship God through the celebration of the Eucharist and traditional devotional activities within truly unique and beautiful surroundings. Our faith filled community strives to bear witness to Jesus Christ by loving and serving one another to bring about the Kingdom of God. Parish Boundaries Religious Education Classes The Village of Willow Springs, The Village of Burr Ridge (Cook County only). Unicorporated Lemont Township along Archer Avenue, Bell Road, and Route 83. 1st through 8th Grade Tuesday evenings, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. September through April. At least one parent must be a registered parishioner. Mass Schedule Weekends: Saturdays, 5:30 p.m. Sundays, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 a.m. Holy Days: 8 :15 A.M. and 7:00 p.m. Weekdays: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: 8:15 a.m. Wednesdays: 7:00 p.m. Confession Schedule Tuesdays from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturdays: 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Rectory Office Hours Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 9:30 A.M. to 12:00 Noon 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 p.m. Thursdays, Closed Marriage preparation by appointment only. Parish Ministerial Staff Minimum eight months in advance. At least one partner must be a registered parishioner. Father Thomas Koys, M.A.,S.T.L., Pastor Father Edward Gleeson, Pastor Emertius Deacon John Wilkinson, CKM, Minister of Care/RCIA,DRE Mrs. Pamela Stafford, Music Coordinator Mrs. Pamela Mikrut, Organist Mr. Rodney Poynter, Holy Name President Mrs. JoAnn Starha, Altar & Rosary Sodality President Mrs. Diane Wall, Accountant Funerals Rectory Support Staff For families of registered parishioners. For nonparishioners to be buried in our own cemetery. Mrs. Jane Mayer, Administrative Assistant/Bulletin Editor Mrs. Bronislawa Raj, Housekeeper/Cook Baptisms Sundays after the 11:30 A.M. Mass by appointment. At least one parent must be a registered parishioner. Weddings

2 Page Two December 22, 2013 FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR ISAIAH 7:14 7:14 14 THEREFORE THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL GIVE YOU A SIGN: BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE, AND BEAR A SON, AND SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL. KJV The reading from Isaiah 7 we hear today is one of my favorite prophecy readings. It s fascinating, not because I am captivated by prophecies, because I usually am not. I do believe in prophecies, and I believe the bible is full of them. It s just that the interpretations of prophecies by modern theologians have a pretty bad record. Perhaps the most famous unfulfilled prophecies of modern times come from the Jehovah Witnesses. They have predicted the end of the world in 1914, that Abraham, Isaac & Jacob will return (presumably at the end of the world) in 1925, and again 1975 was a date bantered about as the end times. I also believe a good Catholic should believe that the world will come to an end someday and that our faith leads us to a confidence to accept this fact without trepidation. This may seem kind of obvious, but consider the intensity over the saving the earth causes among those who have little or no concern over the necessity of saving our souls. Almost every student leaves school with an energetic desire to protect the earth from the consequences of our modern industrialized world, but little or no desire to conform their personal behavior to the will of God. For many the loss of the rain forest is a greater threat to humanity than the loss of Christianity. For these people, perhaps those biblical prophecies about the destruction of the world are the only parts of the bible they really take seriously. For me, a balanced approach sounds so much better. Recycling, National Parks and our wonderful Cook County Forest Preserve system are marks of a wonderfully faithful society. But, taking care of the planet is comparable to taking care of my body. It s what a good Catholic should do, but all the while remembering that God has planned an eternal reward that doesn t depend on recycling. Instead, it depends on God s goodness and our cooperation in that goodness. But the real reason I love Isaiah 7 so much is because it s the bible s greatest example of irony, or even sarcasm. If you like sarcastic or dry humor (and let s admit, who doesn t?) then, Isaiah 7 should bring a smile to your face. Why? Just listen to this prophecy. Because of Ahaz s poor faith, God gives the world this sign as the coming of the Messiah: a virgin will conceive a child. Ok, what s so sarcastic about that? Still don t get it? Come on, a virgin conceiving a child. Even if a virgin does conceive a child, who will know it? I believe this type of irony contains the kind of wisdom women will understand far better than us men. Think about it. If you re a virgin, and all of the sudden, without a man, you find out your pregnant, whom are you going to tell? If you tell your boyfriend, he ll tell you to look for another guy to take you to the prom. If you tell your parents, they ll tell you that you better start making your wedding plans. If you tell your priest, he ll tell you that confession time is Saturday at 9:30am. This is crazy. As a matter of fact, if I wanted to make a sign that functioned as a sign in the worst possible way, I don t think I could have come up with a better (or should I say, worse) sign than a virgin who conceives a child. The ONLY person for whom this would be a sign is the pregnant girl herself because she would be the only person who really knew she was telling the truth and that it WAS a sign from God. Isn t God a wise guy? Tune in next week to read about how this applies to you and me. that God will lead us to make our nation, unlike other nations... FATHER THOMAS KOYS, M.A.,S.T.L., PASTOR

3 Page Three THANK YOU to ALL the contributing Parishioners of St. James for the beautiful array of Christmas Flowers surrounding our altar and crib scene. HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR! Due the Christmas and New Year holidays, the bulletin printer requires all bulletin copy to be submitted far in advance of the normal schedule. Therefore, Offertory Envelopes information will be delayed by a week (i.e. December 22nd collection will be published in the December 29th bulletin, etc.). BLESS YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND VALUED SUPPORT. The Ladies of St. James Altar & Rosary Sodality would like to Thank ALL the Parishioners who participated in the St. James Giving Tree Project. Since this was a first-time endeavor and we are very happy with its success and so are the thirty children who benefited from your kindness. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE SICK OF OUR PARISH, ESPECIALLY: Frank Angotti, father of Maria Gallagher Mary Bartik Anna DiNello, mother of Carl DiNello Tom Fitzgerald Nathan McKenna, grandson of Ruth & Norm Kaminski Margaret Mohlfeld Isabella Murphy Theresa Dykas Marsha Liczwek Harold Kopping Jerry Neadly Barbara Pieprzyca Adam Raj Mo Reilly David Reiniche Michael O Shea Clara Gene Schmidt Nick Spore Ambrose Sobczek Fr. Ben Reese Lillian Simanavicius - Aunt of Bridget Curry Mary Tadda, wife of Donald Tadda Melanie Williams, grandniece of the Tadda s PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR LOVED ONES SERVING IN THE MILITARY: Col. Daniel T. Lasica, serving in Afghanistan. Christina Garcia, serving in the Army, Afghanistan. CPL. Michael Bunetta, USMC, serving in Afghanistan.

4 Page Four Second December Sunday 22, of 2013 Advent Page Five

5 Page Five A Prayer For Christmas Oh, God, our loving Father, help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be your children and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus sake. Amen. -Robert Louis Stevenson MANY THANKS to all who have chosen to participate in St. James floor project. We hope to reach our goal in the weeks and months ahead. Happy Christmas & A Blessed New Year Deacon John Wilkinson & Fr. Thomas Koys Mary T. Anderson Thomas & Linda Arra M/M George Bartik Glenn & Mary Berry Tess Blinstrub Dale Butalla M/M William Channell Richard & Loretta Chudzik M/M Robert Cushing Dr. Eugene & Rosemary Diamond M/M Michael Dillenburg Carl & JoAnn DiNello Dr. Robert & Eileen Dolehide Marty Fleckenstein Joseph Felonk M/M Wojciech Fugiel M /M Tim Gorniak Alan & Adrianne Hansen Lawrence & Jackie Heavey Holy Name Society Keith & Kathleen Killacky Fr. Thomas Koys M/M Gregory Krob M/M Tim Malloy William & Pamela Neville M/M Eugene Noska Thomas & Barbara Nayder James & Elaine Nurczyk Angela Schrimpl/John Oldershaw M/M Henry Pabin M/M Joseph Petrich Mary Jane Purkart Maureen (Mo) Reilly Susan D. Sih Joseph & Christine Slowik Dennis & Geraldine Super John Vallortigara D.L. & Pierce Van Auken George & Rosemarie Walschlager Mike & Diane Wall M/M Casimir Wodynski William Wrobel Shelia & Frank Yaeger Byron & Augusta Zawaski

6 Page Six Second December Sunday 22, of 2013 Advent Page Five Christmas Eve & Day 12/24 & 12/25/13 5:30PM Midnight 8:30AM 10:00AM 11:30 AM Celebrant Father Gleeson Father B. Juncer ALTAR SERVERS Cross L. Mikrut A. Bertucci J. Beecher M. May Right Candle M. Dooley J. Reitz F. Zabilka M. Ramirez Left Candle T. Szarzynski J. Wesolowski J. Zabilka D. Wall Acolyte J. Szarzynski Dillenburg J. Beecher W. Tishuk Acolyte E. Dooley Dillenburg M.C. Witter??? Lector L. Pieprzyca Szarzynski C Stach-Pearman C. Slowik R. Augustyn Beecher T. Kulawiak LEM Deacon John Deacon John Deacon John Ushers S. Hillstrom J. Quigley C. Hughes J. H. Dillenburg M. Hally T. Lang F. Pearman D. Butalla M. Lavery J. Pajkos J. Wall B. Czaja J. Neadly R. Poynter

7 VOTIVE CANDLES Votive offering for the week of December 22, 2013 St. James Altar & Rosary Sodality Special int. for the Arra Family Safe Return of CPL. Michael Bunetta, SMC from Afghanistan Special int. for health for Tom Fitzgerald Safe Return of Christina Garcia from Afganistan Special int. for the Sanchez Family Lector LEM Ushers December 23 St. John of Kanty 8:15 AM Special int. for healing for Jeanne Flynn Tuesday December 24 Christmas Eve Purgatorial Society Constance Formanek Wednesday December 25 The Nativity of the Lord 10:00 AM 11:30 AM Special int. for Christine & Richard Guzior Special int. for Tom Fitzgerald Special int. for Deacon John Thursday December 26 St. Stephen 8:30 AM We would like to send you our sincere thanks for the generosity of your parishioners. The 30 children from Anne M. Jeans Elementary School and Burr Ridge Middle School were adopted this holiday season. These families would like to thank you all from the bottom of their hearts for spreading some Christmas cheer to their families. This is a special season and we are blessed to have so many wonderful people who share with others who are having financial difficult. The wish list you helped to fulfill will truly put a smile on a child s face this Christmas. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Lynn Moynihan, Meghan Radtke, and Beth Reynolds The Counseling & Social Work Team Community Consolidated School District 180 Anne M. Jeans Elementary School & Burr Ridge Middle School Celebrant Altar Servers Monday 5:30 PM Midnight Special int. for the Tabaka Family Dear James Parishioners, HOLY FAMILY 12/28/13 & 12/29/13 Page Seven 5:30PM 8:15AM Special int. for Marian Przybylski Friday December 27 St. John 8:15 AM Special int. for Anna Fudala Saturday December 28 Sunday December 29 VIGIL: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY 5:30 PM Birthday int. for Stephanie Hillstrom-Klein FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY 8:30 AM John Obrochta 10:00 AM Regina & Stephen Bozac 11:30 AM Special int. for Peter & Jane Mayer 8:30AM 10:00AM 11:30AM Father Gleeson Father Gleeson E. Dooley M. Dooley W. Tishuk L. Pieprzyca J. Beecher J. Beecher Dillenburg T. Gorski R. Augustyn M. May J. Szarzynski T. Szarzynski Deacon John Deacon John S. Hillstrom J. Quigley C. Hughes J. H. Dillenburg M. Hally T. Lang F. Pearman D. Butalla M. Lavery J. Pajkos J. Wall B. Czaja J. Neadly R. Poynter