From Father Al's Pen

The Holy Family

In today's gospel, we get a snapshot of family life for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at a time when Jesus was 12 years old. We're reminded that the family was a faithful Jewish family, attending the Passover celebrations in Jerusalem every year. We're also reminded that it is at the Passover celebrations some 20 or so years later that Jesus will be tried and crucified. When Mary chastises the boy Jesus, he reminds her that he needs to be busy with his Father's affairs. Mary and Joseph are confused by this, perhaps forgetting momentaily that Jesus is referring to his heavenly Father. This incident, so often dismissed as background "color" to the gospel narrative, conveys the significant truth that Jesus shared a family relationship with Mary and Joseph, but also shared a family relationsship with God, his Father. It reminds us that Jesus called all of us to enter into the relationship he shared with his Father.

Mary Mother of God Masses For Holy Day will be on Tuesday, December 31st at 5:30 p.m. and on New Years Day at 9:00 a.m.

Have a blessed and Happy New Year! Be safe and well.

Fr. Al

Feast of the Holy Family of

Jesus, Mary and Joseph

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."

During this season of giving, let us remember a beautiful gift that we have received - being children of God! As God's children, it's in our DNA that we share and express our love for others as well. Tell your spouse, children, other family members and friends that you love them, every day! Also, pray for those people that are different than you, those that you may not like or those that go out of their way to annoy you. Your prayers may be the start of a new friendship.

Bulletin Sponsor of the Week

This week we spotlight

Scott & Scott, PC

 Please support this and all of our bulletin sponsors. 

Stewardship of Treasurer

December 21 & 22, 2024

(Weekly Amount Needed: $13,800.00)

Envelopes: $ 8,758.00

Loose: $ 310.00

EFT: $ 2,925.00

Total: $ 11,993.00

Church Attendance

December 21 & 22, 2024

Saturday @ 4:30 p.m. - 172

Sunday @ 7:45 a.m. - 99

Sunday @ 10:00 a.m. - 199

Total for the Weekend - 470

PSR CLASS

PSR class will meet on Sunday, January 5, 2025 @ 9:00 a.m.

New families are welcome any time.

Rod Hughes: 217-899-3762

Tuesday, December 24th

4:30 p.m. - Mass

9:30 p.m. - Choir Christmas Music

10:00 p.m. - Mass

Wednesday, December 25th

9:00 a.m. - Mass

Thursday, December 26th

No Mass

No Adoration

In Our Thoughts & In Our Prayers

Our Parishioners - At Home

Alice Bulinski

Ann Rine

Matilda Cortes

Danielle Loftus

Margie Richards

Patricia Zaffiri

Beverly Jackson

Bill & Linda Lehnert

Joanie Darnielle

Patricia Johnson

Carmen Koches

Jean Pape

Alyce Vespa

Concordia Village

Fran McCue

Eleanor Novotnak

Mary Bryant Home

Rhonda Roeper

Bill Smith

Sharon Fisher

Brendan Gardens

Margaret Rollings

Beulah White

Lois Hall

Fran Retzda

Richard Zanetello

Regency Care

Natalie Clarke

Mary Jean Glisson

Reflections Memory Care

Msg. John Ossola

Barb Wagner

Edelma DePollo

Villas of Holly Brook

Frank Woodcock

Villas East

Veronica DeRosa

Sherman Memory Care

Doris Clarke

Bryan Manor

Trevor Matticks

The Bridge

Helen Rackauskas

Marilyn Choudry

Carriage Crossing

Lea Titone

Assisted Living - Wisconsin

Lora Roscetti

If someone moves to a different location, needs to be added, or needs to be removed, please contact the church office. This will help us keep the list updated/correct. Thank you.

Men's Club

Interested in joining the Men’s Club? They meet in the Parish Center (Gym) at 5:45 p.m. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.  The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, January 13, 2025.  All men of the parish are welcome to join us.  Merry Christmas!

St. Therese Guild

All ladies of the parish are invited to join the St. Therese Guild. The next meeting is February 11, 2025. More information to come. Merry Christmas!

Parish Prayer Shawl Ministry

For questions and to request a shawl, contact Arlene Kocher at

arlene.kocher@gmail.com or 217-306-6413.

 Young At Heart

Are you 55 years old or older? If so, you are welcome to attend any Young At Heart events, trips, etc. The Young @ Heart group has picnics, plays Bingo, attends events - such as musicals and shows, cookouts, wine tasting, dessert socials, etc. They are nice people who enjoy each others company and have a good time when they get together. There is no official membership registration to join. Just attend the events. You are always welcome!



Local Events: (Curt Drew)

Watch for coming events to be announced.

Dee Stern is offering a night at UIS to see the Broadway show “Pretty Woman” on Friday, February 21, 2025.  Before the show, dinner at Golden Corral. $105.00 per person. No bus involved. Drive yourself. Make your reservations and pay in the church office. Limited number of tickets.

Bus Trips: (Dee Stern)

The next bus trip is to St. Louis on Thursday, March 13, 2025. More information coming soon.

REQUIRED: Covid Vaccinated and (hopefully) fully boosted!

Baptism Preparation Class

This class is required before baptizing your children. 

Please call the church office at 217-529-1606.

New Family Formation Program (Formerly PSR Class)

New Family Formation Program is a family-based catechetical program that helps families grown in the transforming love of God by understanding and living the Catholic Faith. Practically, it will involve the usual student sessions (K-8th grades) on Sunday mornings. It will, also, have a component of family lessons that can be done at home. This program is open to ALL parish families who are interested. To sign up, call the office or notify Rod Hughes: (217) 899-3762.

RCIC Class

A Parish process for children ages 7-16 who wish to become Catholic.  Classes will meet every Wednesday right after school in Sister Linda's office (Church Office). Contact Sister Linda: 217-529-1606.

RCIA Class

"Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults”. This class is for adults who want to learn about the Catholic religion and join the church. More information coming soon. Coordinator: Marvin Kocher: 217-306-6414.

MASS INTENTIONS

Tuesday, December 24:

4:30 p.m. - Dominican Sisters & Deceased Priests

10:00 p.m. - Christmas Flower Remembrance Mass

Wednesday, December 25:

9:00 a.m. - Little Flower Parish Family

Thursday, December 26:

No Mass

Friday, December 27:

No Mass

Saturday, December 28:

4:30 p.m. - Gus Pflugmacher

(Janice Spears)

Sunday, December 29:

7:45 a.m. - Mary O'Bryen

(Ron & Tess Ziegler)

10:00 a.m. - Little Flower Parish Family

Monday, December 30:

No Mass

Tuesday, December 31:

5:30 p.m. - Little Flower Parish Family

Wednesday, January 1, 2025:

9:00 a.m. - Little Flower Parish Family

Thursday, January 2:

No Mass

Friday, January 3:

7:00 a.m. - Amelia Zimmerman

(Family & Friends)

Saturday, January 4:

4:30 p.m. - Sam McFadden

(Tom & Jeannette Bland)

Sunday, January 5:

7:45 a.m. - Kurt Teeters

(Tom & Jeannette Bland)

10:00 a.m. - Little Flower Parish Family

Tuesday, December 24:

Christmas Eve

Church Office Closed

4:30 p.m. - Mass

9:30 p.m. - Choir Sings

10:00 p.m. - Mass

Wednesday, December 25:

Christmas Day

Holy Day of Obligation

Church Office Closed

9:00 a.m. - Mass

Thursday, December 26:

No Mass

Church Office Closed

No Adoration

Friday, December 27:

No Mass

Tuesday, December 31:

New Years Eve

No Morning Mass

12:00 p.m. - Church Office Closes

5:30 p.m. - Mass

Wednesday, January 1, 2025:

New Years Day

Holy Day of Obligation

Solemnity of Mary

9:00 a.m. - Mass

Church Office Closed

Thursday, January 2:

No Mass

No Adoration

Church Office Closed

Friday, January 3:

7:00 a.m. - Mass

The Forge

Attention Young Adults! The Forge is a Springfield-based young adult Catholic ministry to help you stay connected through spiritual and social events. All young adults are welcome!

More information: @Theforge on Facebook, https://the-forge-online.com/Email contact: Andrew Hansen: andrewhansen1@yahoo.com

DIOCESE NEWS

25 Not Impossible Christmas Trivia Questions – Dive Deep presents 25 not impossible Catholic Trivia questions about Christmas! Go to youtube.com/diospringfield or search “Dive Deep” on all the major podcast platforms to listen and subscribe. Dive Deep is the podcast of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

Send Christmas Joy to Those Who Need It Most – Catholic Charities has been working very hard all year to serve those in need in our local communities. It is time for the annual Christmas Appeal fundraiser that helps fund the many life-enhancing programs throughout the 28-county Diocese. Please consider making a donation so you can help make a difference. Go to cc.dio.org  to donate now. Select Christmas Appeal under the program options. You can designate the area office of your choice. Thank you!

Fr. Tolton Religious Award – Our local Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting has created a new patch award for Venerable Fr. Augustine Tolton! The award requirements are patterned after similar programs from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and Scouts of any national program may earn the award. Details are online at dio.org/scouts/.

Men and Women! FREE Video Series – Strengthen and grow in your faith for your families with five short videos produced by the Knights of Columbus called the “Mission of The Family.” The videos can be found on the Knights of Columbus website for free! Here is the link and QR Code to find “The Mission of The Family” videos: kofc.org/en/campaigns/into-the-breach.html The five videos are less than 14 minutes in length. 

Project Rachel: Help for women and men to heal from the pain of abortion. For assistance call 1-877-RACHEL-5. 

Retreat for married couples offered – Worldwide Marriage Encounter presents weekend experiences for married couples to rekindle romance, enhance meaningful communication, and deepen and renew commitment. Sign-up now! For more information or to apply, go to wwme.org or call Terry & Eric Engholm at 314-649-7317. Next ones:

1/31/2025 – 2/2/2025, St. Peters, MO

4/4/2025 – 4/6/2025, St. Peters, MO

Keeping in Balance for Women

Come along on a journey throughout Scripture as we discover the relevance of Old and New Testament wisdom to our daily challenges. In this study, we’ll explore biblical ideas for managing life’s pace and pressure while living with calm and steadiness. Your lifestyle of health and holiness awaits. To register and order your workbook call 217/522-3342 or email vcompton@cathedral.dio.org

Thursdays @ 10:00 am. or 1:00 p.m. at the Cathedral, starting Jan 2nd for 22 weeks, $45

Lectio: Eucharist: Discovering the Mass in the Bible, for Women

Acclaimed author and teacher Dr. Brant Pitre digs down to the biblical roots of the Eucharist, through its foreshadowing in the miraculous events of the Old Testament, the Gospels, and Apostolic teaching.

"The Lamb of God," "The Bread of Life," "The Body and the Blood of Christ"... these are phrases we know from the Mass. But do we understand what they mean in the greater and deeper context of Scripture and Church teaching? We'll discover firsthand how Christ's Body and Blood are an integral and wondrous part of God's plan for our salvation. To register and order your workbook call 217/522-3342 or email vcompton@cathedral.dio.org

Thursdays @ 6:15pm at the Cathedral, starting on Jan 30, 10 weeks, $20

Caregiver Interfaith Volunteer Services

CIVS is a network of religious and community agencies that provides services to adults 60 and over who live independently. Volunteers provide transportation to medical appointments, shopping, and grocery shopping for persons no longer able to leave home.

To volunteer or to receive services call 217-757-6621 at HSHS St. John’s Hospital to find the help that you need. There is no charge for the services, however, donations are appreciated. 

WHY WE ARE HERE:

Church of the Little Flower Mission Statement

• Our mission guided by the Holy Spirit is to unite in our common faith, through celebration of the Word and Eucharist;
• form a caring, loving and prayer-filled community, strengthened by the sacraments, that reflects the presence of Jesus;
• bring Jesus' presence to all, especially the poor of our world;
• recognize and affirm the gifts, talents and needs of others.

We journey together imitating the example of our patroness, St. Therese the Little Flower, in doing little things centered in the love of God and one another. We endeavor to make our parish a faith-filled community, a place to meet friends, and a place we call home. 

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

A bequest can take many forms. You may have designated the parish as a beneficiary in your will, trust or as the beneficiary of an asset such as an IRA, annuity or life insurance. You may also designate your parish as the recipient of a bank checking or savings account with a "transfer-on-death" or "pay-on-death" designation. There are five types of bequests:

Specific Bequest - This is a gift of a specific item to a specific beneficiary. For example, "I give my house to Church of the Little Flower, Springfield, IL." If that specific property has been disposed of before death, the bequest fails and no claim can be made to any other property.

General Bequest - This is usually a gift of a stated sum of money. It will not fail, even if there is not sufficient cash to meet the bequest - even if other assets need to be sold. For example, "I give $50,000 to Church of the Little Flower, Springfield, IL."

Percentage Bequest - This is a convenient way of making sure your heirs and those charities you support receive equal shares, and no one is left out. "I give devise and bequeath my estate to my three children and Church of the Little Flower, Springfield, IL

Endowed Bequest - This bequest allows you to restrict the principal of your gift, requiring the funds to be held permanently and used only the income generated or a fixed percentage. "I give $20,000 to the Church of the Little Flower, Springfield, IL Endowment Fund."

Beneficiary Designation - One of the simplest and cheapest ways to add charity to your estate plan is to change a beneficiary designation on retirement assets, IRAs or Life Insurance. There is no charge to make these changes. Any asset with a beneficiary designation can have a full, partial, or contingent beneficiary. Consult your plan administrator or insurance company for a beneficiary change form. Simply insert Church of the Little Flower of Springfield, IL into the form.