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My dear parish family,
Happy New Year 2024! This New Year is God’s gift to us, inviting us not to be discouraged or disheartened by the errors or struggles of our past, but to summon the courage to start all over, recognizing that we can and ought to keep our gaze on what lies ahead. For many of us, it has become an important tradition to make new resolutions at the beginning of the year or reaffirm past ones. It might be to shed off a few pounds, abandon a looming vice in your character or try to downsize your closet; whatever it is, ask God to assist and bless your efforts.
I take this opportunity to thank all those who made the Christmas season an exceptional experience here at St. Lawrence. I heard and received many positive feedbacks. In a special way, I am grateful to those who ensured that we had great liturgies, beautiful decorations, and a clean and welcoming environment. I ask God’s abundant blessings upon you for your selfless sacrifices. On behalf of Fr. Cristian and myself, I also extend my deep appreciation to all those who gave us gifts and cards during the Christmas holidays. I pray that God’s endless bounty replenishes your generosity in great measure.
This Sunday is called EPIPHANY SUNDAY. The Church commemorates the journey of the Magi (three kings) from the East who came with gifts for the Christ child. As we celebrate this feast day, may our hearts and devotion be our ultimate gift to God.
God bless you and see you at Mass!
Father Henry
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Families with children in the 5th grade or lower, this ministry is perfect for you. Young Families of Faith is a welcoming, faith-based community where families and friends gather to enjoy delicious meals.
Join us for our Christmas Party potluck gathering on Friday, January 5th, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gym. We will start eating at 6:30. Please join us for crafts, coloring, games, dance party with the kids, and more. We are looking forward to meeting you and your family! For more information, please email Julie Donlin at julie.donlin@hotmail.com.
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January Ladies of St. Lawrence Meeting
Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024
Time: We will gather at 6:30 pm with our formal meeting beginning at 7:00 PM
Place: Cogswell Hall
Guest speaker: Seminarian Christopher Larkins (Topic: The Trinity)
All Ladies of the parish 18 and older are invited to join us.
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Senior Adult Ministry
Wednesday, January 10 at 12:00 p.m. in Cogswell Hall.
Please bring a side dish to share.
RSVP to Lori Crocker, 678-240-3065 or lcrocker@saintlaw.org.
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Ministry Fair
Mark your calendars for our Parish Ministry Fair January 20 and 21. Browse the ministry directory by visiting the parish website. In the words of Pope Francis, "We are not called to serve merely in order to receive a reward, but rather to imitate God, who made Himself a servant for our love. Nor are we called to serve only now and again, but to live in serving."
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Adults, are you seeking to deepen your faith in the New Year? The Rescue Project is a Catholic experience of the gospel surrounded by food, conversation, and prayer.
The Archdiocese encourages all parishes to participate, and at St. Lawrence, we begin on Tuesday, January 16, in Cogswell Hall from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm. See and hear the gospel proclaimed in a compelling and attractive way over eight weeks in a small group format, ending on February 27. Nursery available.
Registration is open! Seats are limited. Click here to register or go to the parish website. It is free, with the option of purchasing a Participant’s Book for $15.For more information, go to www.rescueproject.us
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One of our Outreach Ministries at St. Lawrence is Family Promise (FP) - a program for helping homeless children with families get shelter and food as they work to transition back to self-sufficiency. Family Promise at St. Lawrence, will be hosting families at the FP Promise Haven on Moon Road We are seeking volunteers for the week of January 21-27.
If you are not available to participate in-person, please support our upcoming week with gift cards in donations of $20.00 from gas stations, grocery stores or stores like Walmart and Target. Family Promise information and donation envelopes are in the literature rack.
| Faith Formation resumes this Sunday for K-5, and 6-8, and next Wednesday for High School. Happy New Year! Next Sunday, January 14, there will be no Sunday Faith Formation due to the MLK holiday weekend. | Two High School Teen Summer programs: Learn more about Catholic Heart Work Camp (CHWC) and Steubenville-Atlanta (links below) by clicking on the links or contacting Nic at x 447! Enrollment is open now for CHWC and will open in January for Steubenville-Atlanta. Learn more about CHWC & Steubenville. Contact Nic for enrollment information. |  |  | |
🍩 Doughnuts for a cause!! 🍩 St. Lawrence Catholic Church is giving you the best reason to indulge in a dozen (or two) Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Until January 14, 2024, 50% of your order will be donated to help provide scholarships for our middle schoolers to attend Catholic summer camp when you purchase via our fundraising sales page! Simply buy online, visit your local store & redeem using your code. Treat yourself or even gift them to friends and family here.
High School Bible Study! Looking for more? Open to all High School teens. Sunday night, rooms 205-207 from 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm. Contact Nic for more info.
The Young Adult (19-39) Bible Study meets every Wednesday in rooms 208-210 from 7:00pm – 8:00pm. Doors open at 6:30 for socializing, all are welcome! Contact Nic Schmitz for more information. Follow us @st.lawyam.
This week on Formed.org. Who Are the Magi? Dr. Michael Barber sits down to reflect on the Magi from the Gospel accounts and what spiritual lessons can be learned from this historical event recorded in Scripture.https://watch.formed.org/videos/formed-now-the-magi
To access our parish formed account, visit https://formed.org/, and use our parish zip code, 30046 to register for free.
10th National Eucharistic Revival
The wait is over! July 17-21, 2024, Indianapolis, IN. The daily schedule is live on the website, www.eucharisticrevival.org.
Preview the options for impact sessions in the morning and the dynamic revival sessions in Lucas Oil Stadium, where all can experience the power and love of Jesus. Led by an expansive list of faithful speakers. If you are interested in making a pilgrimage with St. Lawrence, contact Elizabeth Chinery at x 445.
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Women and the Word
Preview the upcoming Sunday readings Tuesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Johnson Hall. Contact dmaguire@saintlaw.org for details.
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Retrouvaille
A lifeline for married couples
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Matrimony: A calling to forgive! “Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope.”
Retrouvaille offers a welcoming and loving space to couples who have been living with the misery of a failing marriage. Retrouvaille offers hope: hope that it is not too late, hope of a different and better marriage. Retrouvaille helps couples to show each other mercy through the opportunities it provides to listen, to forgive, to be reconciled and to move into their futures believing that God loves them and with His help and their efforts, their marriages can be healed and restored. Retrouvaille provides help for marriage problems/difficulties/crises. For more information about our upcoming Retrouvaille Weekend program, January 26-28,2024, contact: Mus and Rubina @ 404.234.6006 or visit our website: HelpOurMarriage.org
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The Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study Group continues its weekly bible study sessions at 9:00 AM each Sunday in the Divine Mercy room. We are currently studying one of one of the wisdom literature books, The Book of Sirach, using the Ignatius Bible Study Guide and Commentary as our guide. The inspirations contained in this book are extremely relevant for our times. All adults are invited! No previous bible study experience is necessary and extra copies of the book will be made available.
We will resume on Sunday, January 7, 2024.
| If you are a Catholic who has been away from the church we have an invitation and a warm welcome for you. St. Lawrence is offering Catholics Returning Home sessions beginning on January 11th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This is your chance to get issues addressed, questions answered and learn about your Faith. We miss you and are not complete without you! Please consider attending. To register or get further details please call Eleanor Lashley at 770.963.8992! | Meet our R.C.I.A. Candidates & Catechumens | Register for your state of Georgia 2024 Qualified Education Expense tax credit. Registration for 2024 is open now at www.gracescholars.org. GRACE Scholars provides scholarships to children from families with financial need in grades PreK-12 for use at participating schools located in the state of Georgia. Pass-through owners and corporations have increased benefits. Donors will receive a 100 percent state of Georgia tax credit for donations. For more information, visit www.gracescholars.org. Don’t miss out on your tax credit. Register Early! | |
Let us pray...
For our faithful departed especially: David Jones, Nabela Marie Bakhos Camacho, Enriqueta Ibarra de Toledo, and Jorge Amores. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
For the sick of our parish, especially: Boris Andreyev, Caren Barnaby, Stuart Blackburn, Shirley Brown, Susan Clayton, Mary Jane Cofield, Pat Crellin, Bryan D’amico, Kim Davis, Karen Dekle, Antonio Diaz, Monique Eluka, Judy Fletcher, Maria Garza, Philip Gibson, Lynne Gormley, Peggy Grannan, Bob Haegi, Teresa Haywood, Mike Hernandez, Bob Lauman, Mary Lee, Fisher Londono, John Lucas, Claudia Luviano, Rose Mackin, Jack Martin, Martha Adriana Muñiz, Irene Muse, Hugh M. O'Brien, Gabriel Orozco, Gaudencio Ortiz, Lucy Pérez, Michelle Pérez, Tony Pérez, Gwen Persichetti, Betsy Podriznik, Carl Raimondi, Elvia Rosa Rodriguez, Maira Rodriguez, Joshua Rosas, Shirlee Schneider, Christi Shrader, Carlos Soares, Betty Suiter, Judy Szekely, Marlene Torres, Paul Van Name, Sidney Weaver, Gabriel Wegendt, and Laura Ann Wingate, along with their families and caregivers To add or remove names, contact Darleine Arce, parish secretary, at 770.963.8992 x442 or by email at darce@saintlaw.org.
For our men and women in uniform, especially: Vallerie Azansou, Philip Balmes, Nathan Barrick, Brandon Crocker, Jordan Crocker, Nathan Crocker, Ryan & Kirsten Crocker, Justin Ellis, Mario Flamenco, Giovanni Gachelin, Edgar Godinez, Isaac Gomez, Mark F. Gonzalez, Simone Hardy, Matthew Herbig, Brian Hodgson, Mariana Lacuzong, Nick McNabb, Brendon Murray, Wesley Phillips, Dillon Riedlinger, Dethan Stafford, Eileen Dilks Tatum, Philip Turner, Da’Maris Vanzandt, and Brandon Ware. If you have a son or daughter serving in the military and would like for his or her name to be on our prayer list, please contact Mary Jo Ware at careforthetroops@saintlaw.org.
For all pregnant mothers and mothers to be, especially: For all pregnant mothers and mothers to be, especially: Ashley Blackwood, Stefanie Hauck, Tiffany Morley, Nneze Eluka Nwankwo, Virginia Partridge, Angelica Rios, and Luz Mariela To add your name to this list, please contact our Respect Life Ministry at respectlife@saintlaw.org.
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Our Stewardship of Treasure
December 23-24
Envelopes: $37,049.00
Online Giving: $15,834.00
Children’s Offertory: $396.00
Total: $53,279.00
Children’s Offertory: $435.00
Georgia Bulletin: $4,435.00
December 24-25
Envelopes: $31,521.43
Online Giving: $16,508.91
Children’s Offertory: $397.00
Total: $48,427.34
Catholic Charities: $6,630.96
December 30-31
Envelopes: $26,988.25
Online Giving: $17,744.41
Children’s Offertory: $654.00
Solemnity of Mary: $4,996.00
Total: $44,732.66
Archbishop's Annual Appeal: $6,807.88
The second collection this Sunday (January 7) is for the Maintaining God's House.
Online Giving through Vanco Here is how it works: You authorize a specified amount of money to be electronically transferred directly from your checking, savings or credit card to the parish account. You also specify the frequency of the transfer. Of course you can cancel your authorization of transfer at any time by logging in to your account or by notifying us in writing: saintlaw.org/onlinegiving.
Text to Give: Simply text your donation amount to: 844-865-4493 dedicated for our Give Plus Text users. The first time you do this you will be given an option to fill in your card information. Subsequently, all you need to do is text your donation to that number. You will always be given a receipt and funds will be credited to your parish donation statement.
Thank you for your support!
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