ST. TERESA of AVILA STUDENT CENTER PAGE 2 1511 Laporte Ave. Valparaiso, IN 46383 Fr. Chris Corner Dear friends in the Lord, As you know, the Pastoral Council has been working with me as we create goals for the next 3-5 years. One of the things that has come is our ministry to our youth as well as the gap we have in ministering to our young adults who are post-college. With that said, we created a new position on staff that combines those two ministries: Director of Youth and Young Adults. This person would oversee all aspects of youth ministry with regard to our Middle School and High School students as well as all of our young adults. We have been searching for quite some time now and praying that God would send us the right person. I am excited to announce that from among all the candidates, we have found our new Director of Youth and Young Adults! Sophie Lorenzo was born and raised in Denver, Colorado where she had an amazing experience of youth ministry. She has her degree in Theology and Religious Studies with a minor in Studio Art. She went through the ECHO Catechetical Program at Notre Dame and for the past several years she has been running the social media accounts for Loyola Press in Chicago. She currently lives in St. John, IN with her husband, Mike, who works at St. John the Evangelist Parish. She has been helping him start a young adult ministry there and has received a lot of experience over the years in youth and young adult ministry. We are so excited to have Sophie as part of our team. She has a lot of fun ideas about how to re-energize these ministries in order to inspire and equip our youth and young adults. Please keep her in your prayers as she gets started and we look forward to the exciting opportunities we have ahead of us. To Jesus through Mary, Fr. Chris Worship Schedule Monday, December 18 5:15pm Tuesday, December 19 8:00am Wednesday, December 20 5:15pm Thursday, December 21 8:00am Friday, December 22 12:30pm 4th Sunday of Advent Saturday, December 23 4:00pm 6:00pm 4th Sunday of Advent Christmas Masses 4:00pm 10:00pm Monday, December 25 Wednesday Saturday Adoration Valeria DeLong By: Community Earline Racich By: Barbara Fuehrmeyer Williams Torres By: Family Ann McDonnell By: Meg & Bob Davidson Bill McRitchie By: Community Deraldine Persyn By: Mary Persyn Keegan Whaling By: Christine & Megan Harsh Bill McRitchie By: Vince & Tammy Marter Joseph E. Wolfe By: Family Toni Lynn Turley By: Melissa Lara For Whom the Christmas Flowers were Donated The last Adoration will begin again on January 10, 2018. Reconciliation Schedule 6:00-6:30pm 2:30-3:30pm
ST. TERESA of AVILA STUDENT CENTER PAGE 3 1511 Laporte Ave. Valparaiso, IN 46383 Stewardship Report What s Up With the Students? Weekly Stewardship Report: December 10, 2017 Budgeted Weekly Collection $10,000.00 Sunday Collection Received Sunday Offering $9,484.00 Children s Offering (Monthly) This Week s On-line Giving $3,217.00 Total Sunday Collection Received $12,701.00 Weekly Status (+/-) +$2,701.00 Year to Date Status (+/-) +6,528.00 Thank you for your generous donations. Stewardship Commission God s Hands in Action St. Teresa s Tithing As individuals we are called to be good and generous stewards with God s manifold gifts. Tithing is the means whereby we have the opportunity to give thanks to God; with that in mind, the community of St. Teresa of Avila tithes $450 weekly. This week our tithing will be donated to St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center. On behalf of the whole FOCUS missionary team, I would like to say thank you to all of you at St. T's! We have been blessed to be welcomed by you all into this community. If you aren't familiar with FOCUS, it stands for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. We thought you might like to hear some of the work God has been doing through our first semester at Valparaiso University. We currently have 10 bible studies with 50 students actively attending. The purpose of these groups is to grow in friendship with God and authentic friendship with each other, while diving into the study of scripture. We've spent many hours outside of bible study going on random adventures with them to ice cream shops, 5K runs, the apple orchard, Sunday football, etc. to invite them more into our lives. In addition, we have seven student leaders who are meeting one-on-one with the missionaries and learning together how to grow in discipleship with Jesus. These students will be working towards starting their own bible studies for their peers next semester. Please keep the missionaries, St. T's staff, and 19 students in your prayers January 2-6th as we head to the FOCUS Student Leadership Summit in Chicago. I know that God desires to encounter each of us more deeply at this conference. Thank you again for your warm welcome and hospitality! I have been amazed by the generosity and servant hearts in this community. Know that you are in our prayers! FOCUS Missionaries: Brittany, Maggie, (Lilly), Nick, Jack and Veronica! Brittany Beck - FOCUS Team Director brittany.beck@focus.org
ST. TERESA of AVILA STUDENT CENTER PAGE 4 1511 Laporte Ave. Valparaiso, IN 46383 Year-end Contribution Suggestions! Here are some suggestions on how to help St. Teresa s for years to come. Sponsor a tuition scholarship for VU Students for $1000 Sponsor a high school student s mission trip for $300 Liturgy and Worship Sponsor a college student s mission trip for $300 Sponsor a Café Manna meal for $300 Sponsor a college student s retreat for $150 Sponsor a Sunday night college dinner for $150 Make a gift to support our FOCUS Missionaries Make a gift to help with capital improvements around St. Teresa s SAVE THE DATE Christmas Mass Times 4th Sunday of Advent Saturday, December 23 4:00pm & 6:00pm Christmas Eve 4:00pm & 10:00pm Christmas Day Monday, December 25 Calling All Cursillistas: Mass of Remembrance at Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in Winfield(Crown Point) http://holy-spiritchurch.org/ Nativity of the Lord Monday, January 1 Christmas Flower Offering 9:00am Bishop Donald Hying Presiding De Colores! Help Support the World Youth Day Team by purchasing a 2018 Bible Diary for only $20.00!! Available in the Community Room. To help defray the cost of our Christmas flowers, we are inviting anyone who is interested, to adopt a poinsettia in memory of a loved one. They will be remembered at our Christmas Liturgies. The cost is $25. This is a wonderful way to remember those who have died and gone before us and help out the church at the same time. Thank you for your generosity. We will begin our Christmas break this week as team and inquirers head off to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. We ask God's blessing on everyone's holiday celebrations and travels. Merry Christmas to all! Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit. Isaiah 42:1
Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 2017, PAGE 5 219-464-4042 Social Justice Food for the body and soul. Thursdays serving from 4:30-6:30pm. December 7, 2017 Number of Meals Served: 309 Weekly guest s donations: $31.65 Meal: Sloppy Joes, Green Beans & Potatoes Faith Formation ARE YOU BEING FORMED? LOG ON TODAY USING PARISH CODE 9GGCPY PREPARE YOURSELF THIS ADVENT FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD! GO TO WWW.FORMED.ORG Please join us for our annual Christmas Day Meal (Free Meal for Anyone) Monday, December 25, 2017 1:00pm RSVP s Required by December 18, 2017 219-464-4042 Sponsor of the Week: Dairy Queen ~Michigan City To view their ad see the back of the bulletin and don t forget to patronize all of our sponsors. They make the bulletin possible. Director of Youth and Young Adults Sophie Lorenzo hails from the fresh mountain air of Colorado. Constantly curious about the beauty of the Catholic Church, she s been involved with six religious orders in five states over the last ten years. She received a B.A. in Theology and Religious Studies from Saint Mary s College of California and an M.A. in Theology through the Echo Program at the University of Notre Dame. For the last two years, she s worked as a Social Media Specialist in marketing for Loyola Press in Chicago. Sophie s loved being married to her husband Mike, a joy-filled goofball who works as Pastoral Associate at St. John the Evangelist Parish. They live in St. John with two cuddly cats. A tumbleweed at heart, Sophie has smiled and prayed her way through Europe, Central America, and the Holy Land. Her favorite days are spent writing letters, dancing, painting, or lingering over conversation at coffee shops and dinner tables. Don t be surprised if she asks about your go-to ice cream flavor when you meet. Growing up with a mom who runs an ice cream shop, she s a self-proclaimed connoisseur! Sophie is thrilled and honored to be joining such a welcoming and vibrant community at St. Teresa of Avila.