Mass Intentions Tue, Dec 4 Mass for the Weibers Children Wed, Dec 5 Mass for Giles Jay + Thur, Dec 6 Mass for Jim & Linda Kubu + Fri, Dec 7 Mass for Donna Preissner + Sat, Dec 8 ( Church Support ) Mass for Carol DeMeulenaere + Mass for Elizabeth Hansen + Sun, Dec 9 ( Church Support ) Mass for Brandon Smith + Mass for the People of the Parish Daily Readings Dec 3 Matthew 8: 5-11 Dec 4 Luke 10: 21-24 Dec 5 Matthew 15: 29-37 Dec 6 Matthew 7: 21, 24-27 Dec 7 Matthew 9: 27-31 Weekend Collection Report for November 24 & 25, 2018 Envelopes: $3,162.25 WeShare: $597.04 Offertory: $219.00 Facility Rental: $75.00 Paydown the Mortgage $140.00 Flower Envelope: $2.00 Repairs & Improvements: $25.00 Coffee & Rolls: $48.00 Deacons Fund: $1,288.00 November 2018 Financial Report For Unrestricted Income vs Expenses November Expenses $30,040 Weekend 11/3-4 Income $5,659 Weekend 11/10-11 Income $7,509 Weekend 11/17-18 Income $7,150 Weekend 11/24-25 Income $4,328 Excess/Defecit $232 Parish Calendar Mon, Dec 3 5:30 pm Rebuilt: Biggest Lie Subcommittee ( R oom G ) 6:30 pm Light Weigh Tue, Dec 4 8:00 am Mass Wed, Dec 5 8:00 am Mass 5:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration Faith Formation 5:30 pm Wednesday Night Meal : Spaghetti 6:10-7:10 pm K - 6th Grade 7:20-8:30 pm 7th - 8th grade 7:20-8:30 pm 9th - 12th grade 7:00 pm Communal Penance, Brooklyn Thur, Dec 6 8:00 am Mass 10:00 am Women's Study Group ( Room G ) 5:00 pm Finance Council ( Conference Room ) 6:00 pm College Student Committee Mtg 7:00 pm Women's Study Group ( Room G ) Fri, Dec 7 8:00 am Mass 6:00 pm Soup Supper & Country Store Sat, Dec 8 4:30 pm Confession 5:00 pm Rosary 5:30 pm Mass Sun, Dec 9 8:00 am Confirmation Class 9:00 am Mass ( Coffee & Rolls ) 10:00 am The Mass Word on Fire Class 11:00 am Mass 2:00 pm Communal Penance, Grinnell 7:00 pm Communal Penance, Newton December 8 Immaculate Conception, 9:00 AM Christmas Masses December 24 Vigil Mass, 4:00 PM Mass at Night, 9:00 PM December 25 Mass during the Day, 9:00 AM
Let us pray for our beloved deceased, most especially for Mimsy Tarman, who passed away on November 19th and whose celebration of life service will be on December 7th at 2 pm at St. Francis. May Mimsy and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 2018 Choral Festival THIS Sunday, December 2 at 4p.m Herrick Chapel on the Grinnell College Campus WHY DO CATHOLICS MAKE SUCH A BIG DEAL ABOUT THE SAINTS? There's a lot of ways to answer why we Catholics make such a big deal about the saints. But I always look for the one that's the most simple. Simply put, we make a big deal about the saints because they're our friends. But not just any friend - they're the kind of friends who come through when you need them the most. You see, the saints aren't dead. They're actually more alive than we are ( eternal life), praising and glorifying God with their prayers for you and me. They're in our corner, praying us on, so that we may one day join them, as saints, in Heaven. That's why, if you've ever been to one of my talks, I encourage others to take one on as a special patron - to get to know them, be inspired by them, and to ask them to pray to almighty God for you and those you love. After all, we're all in this together. Friends, be confident in Christ's mercy and love Come and start the holidays of right by listening to nine Grinnell area Church Choirs and Musical Ensembles with a massed choir of approximately 100 voices, sharing the joy of music and experiencing the hope and expectation of Advent. This event is sponsored by the Grinnell Ministerial Association with free-will offering to benefit the Ministerial Association Emergency Assistance Fund The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a booklet Kiosk with materials for use with our families to help us in building our Domestic Church. Located in the upper gathering space next to the counter, these booklets are written to help Catholics to live out the Church s vision for our families. Knights would like to encourage parishioners to stop and see which of these booklets would be most beneficial for your family to utilize at this time. To report child abuse contact: Iowa Department of Human Services Child Abuse Hotline: 800-362- 2178 and if it involves clergy or church personnel also notify Alicia Owens, the Victim Assistance Coordinator,563-349-5002; vac@diodav.org or PO Box 232, Bettendorf, IA 52722.
An Advent Tradition There are many traditions that surround the season of Advent; the season that the Church gives us each year to prepare ourselves for two reasons. First, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the historic birth of our Lord and Savior. Second, we prepare ourselves for the second coming of our Lord and Savior. We have 4 weeks to unite ourselves with the Blessed Virgin as we patiently await the coming of the Messiah. The Advent Wreath is a centuries old tradition that the Church has used to mark the progression of the weeks of Advent. Made of a circular ring of evergreen symbolizing eternal life. The first candle is called the Prophet's Candle, the second is the Bethlehem Candle, the third, the pink candle is the Shepherd's candle, symbolizing joy, and finally the fourth candle is the Angel's candle. It is a wonderful family tradition to gather around the table in prayer and reading scripture to soften our hardened hearts and to create a warm and inviting home for Christ to settle. Annual Diocesan Appeal Please prayerfully consider your pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal. Our parish goal is $44,441.00. If you did not make a commitment this weekend, please return your pledge form to the parish this week. Your support and prayers are greatly appreciated. # of Donors Avg/ Donor # of Gifts Avg/Gifts Goal Total Pledged ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE Over(Under) Pledges Pledges %Goal Total Payments Received Over(Under) Payments Payments %Goal October 26, 2018 80 $309.51 80 $309.51 $44,441.00 $24,761.00 ($19,680.00) 55.72% $18,003.00 ($26,438.00) 40.51% November 1, 2018 87 $324.84 87 $324.84 $44,441.00 $28,261.00 ($16,180.00) 63.59% $21,068.00 ($23,373.00) 47.41% November 9, 2018 91 $321.66 91 $321.66 $44,441.00 $29,271.00 ($15,170.00) 65.86% $22,728.00 ($21,713.00) 51.14% November 19, 2018 93 $318.40 93 $318.40 $44,441.00 $29,611.00 ($14,830.00) 66.63% $22,932.25 ($21,508.75) 51.60% November 29, 2018 98 $323.28 98 $323.28 $44,441.00 $31,681.00 ($12,760.00) 71.29% $24,632.25 ($19,808.75) 55.43%
Contact Crystal DeNeve 236-8838 grinnellstmarydre@diodav.org December 5 K-12 Classes December 7 Soup Supper and Christmas Country Store ( help support youth activities and continued building projects ) December 9 5th Grade Coffee Host Coffee and Rolls December 12 K-12 Classes December 19 K-12 Classes December 26 NO Classes Current Adult Studies: This Thursday, December 6th is the last Thursday at 10 am and 6:30 pm for the current Woman s Study: "Exploring Advent with Luke" by Timothy Clayton. Bishop Robert Barron's newest video series on the Mass will begin another six weeks again THIS coming weekend. The sessions meet in the Church Hall and start shortly after 10:00 ( right after the 9:00 Mass - giving you enough time to get coffee and a doughnut ) and conclude at 10:50 for those who wish to go to 11:00 Mass. The program has six 30 minutes sessions and includes time for questions and discussion after. This is not a class ( n o homework! ) but an opportunity for enrichment. The goal is to help you understand the Mass and enter into it with greater appreciation. While it s not necessary you attend all of the sessions the more of the six sessions you attend, the greater the benefit, so come as often as you can! Adult Studies coming up in 2019: The Bible Timeline will start again, this time on Sunday nights January 6th and go through February 24th. Follow Me will be the Monday night study and will begin January 7 and go through February 25th. Who Does He Say You Are? ( A women only group ) Thursdays at 10 am or 6:30 PM beginning January 3rd and go through March 21st. The Eucharist by Bishop Baron will begin on Sunday, March 10th and continue on Sunday evenings through April 14th. The Mass by Dr. Edward Sri will begin Monday, March 11 and go through Monday, April 15th. We continue to work on putting our RCIA team together. Please contact me ( Crystal ) if you are interested in joining RCIA and becoming Catholic. We have had several people contact us in the past and we would like to start the process of who is interested in joining us in order to gather materials needed for those seeking the Catholic Faith.
St. Mary Singles, Widowed and Divorce Support Group will meet on December 11th at 11:30 am at Pizza Ranch. Please bring a grab bag gift. For more information contact Rosemarie Vicinanza at 236-1941. Join us for Eucharist Adoration in the Church from 5:00pm to 6:00 pm on Wednesdays. The National Weather Service is warning these areas to brace for what could be a crippling amount of Instagrammed snow photos. When you know someone is struggling during the here are some simple ways you can make a big difference: holidays, Offer to help in specific ways. Try to anticipate needs and ways you can help. For example, you might ask C an I help put out the Christmas lights? Remember, however, to follow the person s lead and not just impose your help. Help people pace themselves. The holidays are busy, and those who are hurting may need help or permission to slow down or do less than they ordinarily would. Let people know it s okay to conserve energy, take breaks, and pick which activities and traditions to take part in. Ask people how they re really doing. During the busyness of the holidays, it can be easy to just interact with people on a surface level. Finding a good time to ask hurting people how they re really doing and then listening is a powerful way to care. Validate feelings. When people do open up and share, listen and then show that you believe them and accept their feelings. Letting people know it s okay to feel whatever they r e feeling can provide a lot of comfort. By relating in these ways, you can help hurting people find comfort and hope in a difficult time.
Liturgical Roles for Immaculate Conception ( December 8 ) Immaculate Conception ( Holy Day ) Sacristan Greeter Ushers Reader Gifts Euch Ministers Servers 9:00 a.m. Volunteer Patsy Probasco Steve Bernemann Mark McLaughlin Volunteer Volunteer Dennis Phelps Mike/Doris Hotchkin Mark Godar Donna Godar Roger Flander Barb Flander Tristan Willenbring Emma Willenbring Liturgical Roles for December 8 & 9 5:30 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am Sacristan Richard Wilson Larry Wilson Pat Guillaume Greeter Colleen Otto TommaLou Jay Lee/Jane McFee Ushers Mike Beck Tom Gallo Brain Cranston Denny Conway TommaLou Jay Jared Speichinger Larry VanErsvelde John Little Lee McFee Neal VanErsvelde Mark McLaughlin Adam McFee Reader Michelle Otto Vicki Nolton Tommy Hexter Gifts Bill/Marj Husak Mark/Dottie McLaughlin Bill/Sandra Gruman Euch Ministers Les Ollinger Dennis Crawford Rick Jacoby Linda Olinder Dave Cummingham Wendy Kramer Richard Wilson Kim Flander Volunteer Volunteer Chris Molitor Volunteer Suzanne Wilkins Patsy Probasco Servers Barb McCulley Matthew Cunningham Monica Gruman Volunteer Alyssa Flander Ryan Gruman Sean Kivi Ooops! Has This Ever Happened to You? The ushers come forward to begin the Offertory collection process. You lean over and ask your spouse if she has the envelope? She replies that she left it on the table for you to put in your pocket. Ooops! No envelope to give this week! In the rush of getting off to church, we all forget the envelope once in a while. Check out an easier way to give. Go to Simply go to the home page our parish website at www.stmarygrinnell.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page. It s simple! It s safe! And it keeps God at the top of your giving list!
If you missed it the first time, we are doing it again! Beginning this Sunday (December 2) from 10 am to 11 am, the class is held in the Lower Church Hall. (Look for signs.) There is no cost and no registration for this program. Contact Lee McFee (641-990-7117 / leemcfee@gmail.com) for more details! A HUGE THANK YOU to all who helped prepare, serve and clean-up at our Parish Pancake Breakfast on November 18th! Your dedication and generosity of time is so very much appreciated! We could not have done it without you! Also, a big thank you to all those who came for the breakfast and fellowship. Our next breakfast will be in February, so keep watching the bulletin for more details! A sign-up sheet for individuals or families to light the candles of the Advent wreath at weekend Masses is available in the upper gathering space. Those that sign up should check in with Fr. Ron prior to their assigned Mass for instructions. If you love to decorate and would be interested in assisting decorating the church in the coming weeks, please call Tomma Lou Jay at 236-5179 to volunteer!!
St. Mary Christmas Country Store and More Is returning in December 9 & 10 following the Masses! Funds raised from this event will be split 50/50 with the Youth Activities Fund and the Building Project. Checks can be written out to St. Mary s. This weekend you will find a poinsettia envelope in the bulletin. If you wish to purchase a poinsettia for the church in memory of a loved one or in recognition of someone special, you may do so by returning the envelope to the parish office with the designated fee by Noon on December 14th. If you have questions or did not get an envelope in your bulletin, please contact the parish office by calling 236-7486 or by email at grinnellstmary@diodav.org We have a wonderful gathering space that can be used before and after Mass as a place to visit and to catch up with friends and family. Please be courteous and keep talking to a minimum inside the Church prior to Mass. Please remember, those wanting to pray should be given a quite and reflective place to do that. Thank you for your consideration.