Third Sunday of Advent
December 14, 2025 | |
- Bring your gifts for our Advent Giving Tree this weekend. All gifts get delivered to the West Side Catholic Center on Monday, the 15th.
- We will decorate the sanctuary next Sunday, Dec. 21st after the 10am mass, and we need YOUR help. Please stay for a bit and help to put up the trees and the creche.
- Monthly church cleaning is Saturday, December 20th at 9am. Please give us an hour of your time.
- Our annual Reverse Raffle will be Saturday, April 25th - get it on your calendar! Now accepting donations of gift cards, baskets and any new items.
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“Be strong” is the message of the Lectionary readings today. But in my mind I hear the words, “Courage, mon ami!” Courage, be strong: these are the words used to console those who are going through trials; courage, be strong - these are the words for those who have a major test ahead of them or a passage to make. But courage, be strong are also words of those who have passed through these or similar trials, those who have made the journey and survived. The message of this day comes to us not only from the distant past, from the sufferings of Jesus and Saint John the Baptist and Saint James but also from the glorious future where they and countless others stand calling to us, Courage! Be strong!
The call from the past and the call from the future is what gives the season of Advent its song and what gives us the courage we need to do the work of Advent. That work is to open our deepest selves up to the Lord, to the coming kingdom. This season of waiting is not like waiting for the bus, it is time to move - to run towards that coming kingdom, to be like the settlers on the Oregon trail, who dumped possessions left and right because they knew that if they held on to them they would never make the goal. The courage to dump our attachment to this world and to embrace what is to come is the gift of this day and these readings. So be strong, have courage in the sure knowledge of Christ who is coming to each of us today in the Eucharist and who will bring us home in his good time. Liturgy.com
| | 2 Ways to GIVE now: Adult size socks and underwear for the local homeless and non-perishable food to the Duck Island Block Club for the Tremont Holiday Food Drive for neighborhood need. | |  | |
Donations of non-perishable food items will go directly to local families and individuals to ensure everyone can enjoy a nourishing and joyful holiday season. This effort is brought to you by Tremont West Development Corporation with the support of Tremont’s neighborhood block clubs. Go to the following link to learn more:
🔗 https://givebutter.com/9uaB5e
| Bring your items to the bins in the back of the church. | | |
| | Our Giving Tree is up on the altar. Please bring your donations and place under the tree by December 14th. We will deliver all donations to the West Side Catholic Center. Thank you for your help! Give any monetary donation to an usher or place in the collection basket. | | | | Read the latest issue of Diocese of Cleveland's online magazine HERE. | | | Click the button below ⬇️ and add your cell number. We will ONLY send important event updates or cancellations due to weather or emergencies. Thank you! | | Set up a mass by filling out the form on our website (click picture above and scroll to Mass Request), or call the rectory 216.696.1926 or send an email to office@stwendelincleveland.org with the month/day you prefer. | | | |
Pray for the health of Linda Pacanosky, Dennis Vok, Denise Turner, Nancy Simala, Jane Hilf, Terry Chura, Red Rodio, Frank Novak, George Cummings, Steve Dabrowski, Larry Blasius, Roselyn Cowell, Fr. Kropac and for many special intentions for strength, mercy and healing.
Reply to this email to add a name or intention to our list.
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Year-End Giving
This season of giving is a perfect time to express your gratitude for the blessings in your life by making a year-end gift to our parish. As you plan your charitable contributions for 2025, please know that we gratefully accept gifts of cash and appreciated assets, such as stocks or bonds, and grants to our parish from donor-advised funds.
You can make a gift to our parish using your IRA
As Christian stewards, we are called to help make our Church a strong community of faith and a beacon of service to others. This includes supporting the financial needs of today while ensuring a stable foundation for the future. One way to contribute is through your IRA. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) of up to $108,000 directly from your IRA to your parish. This gift will not be taxable income and can satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD). Looking ahead, you might also consider naming our parish as a beneficiary of your IRA. Click here for more details, consult your financial advisor or contact Mary Lou Ozimek at 216-696-6525 x4070.
| | What can YOU do to help? Become a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, a Server or an Usher. Send an email to office@stwendelincleveland.org with your name and the ministry you're interested in helping with. The next sessions for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are listed here: | ➡️ Join the Moriah House Meals Group that prepares a hot meal for the residents of the WSCC's Moriah House. On the 3rd Saturday of every month, meet up in the STW parking lot with prepared foods to deliver. You don't have to participate every month. To join this great service group, text or call Carol at 2164104068. |
Carmona Caravan, an Organization of Catholic Men and Women Dedicated to Assisting Persons With Intellectual Disabilities, is looking for more volunteers. Please click HERE for more information.
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A group of parishioners were lucky to get tickets to the Slovenska Viliya, Slovak Christmas Eve Supper last Sunday at St. Andrew Abbey. They celebrated mass, had dinner and watched Slovak dancers. Don't wait to purchase tickets next year because the event sells out quickly. | | |
Make a will. Make an impact rooted in faith!
August is National Make-A-Will Month, and there’s no better time to create or update your will. Catholic Community Foundation offers a free resource through FreeWill, a simple online tool that can help you plan ahead in about 20 minutes.
Your will reflects your values—caring for your loved ones and strengthening faith-based stewardship for generations to come.
Visit FreeWill.com/CatholicCommunity to put your faith into action.
| | | Listen to all things Catholic at AM 1260 The Rock here. Deepen your and your family’s faith, AM 1260 The Rock offers daily Mass, devotionals, apologetics, and much more. Don’t forget about AM 1260 The Rock’s own Wisdom From The Rock, where you can hear Daily Gospel Reflections from local priests and deacons, special interviews, and more.
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Do you get a birthday card from Fr. Kropac in the mail? If not, we do not have your current information! Click here and update for us. | | |
Want to learn more about our parishioners? Check out the Parishioner Profile Book (blue 3 ring binder) in the back of the church and get copies of all of the stories printed so far.
Nominate yourself or a friend to be the next subject of Parishioner Profiles, just reply to this email with your suggestion.
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