"With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation."
~ Isaiah 12:3
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Sunday's Readings:
First Reading — Shout for joy! Sing joyfully! Be glad and exult! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior (Zephaniah 3:14-18a).
Psalm — Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 12).
Second Reading — Rejoice! The Lord is near. Make your requests known to God (Philippians 4:4-7).
Gospel — John tells his hearers to share their possessions with the needy; be honest; do not threaten or accuse others falsely (Luke 3:10-18).
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As we prepare for this Advent and Christmas season, we are grateful that there are no capacity limits on our gatherings. Please follow this link to review the current Sunday and Advent & Christmas schedules. A nd please see below for more opportunities for faith and fellowship with your OLBS family. As we begin this new liturgical year, we invite you to join us in person!
The prophetic writings we hear in today’s scriptures call us to rejoice and celebrate the goodness of God. Zephaniah, Isaiah, Saint Paul, and John the Baptist in Luke’s Gospel all follow the rich tradition of the Biblical prophets, a tradition that reaches full expression in Jesus. The prophets warn that human failings have truly disastrous consequences. All are summoned to repent, and to change their lives. Today we hear the Good News that God’s gracious love exceeds and overcomes all human corruption. God has not given up on us. Indeed, God keeps pursuing us, and eagerly seeks to reconcile with us. God’s initiative to set the world aright culminates with Jesus, whose coming John the Baptist announces. John’s prophetic message summons us to join in God’s reconciling work, by living generously and justly in our daily lives. As we rejoice in God’s grace, we then extend the fruits of this grace to all.
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Kid's Christmas Film Night |
Hey parents, take a night off! Go for a quiet dinner, get some Christmas shopping done or just enjoy some quiet at home.
ThisFriday, December 10th from 6-9pm, leave the kids with Mr. Van and crew for Kid's Christmas Film Night. We're back in person this year and ready with crafts, movies and fun treat bags for kids 4 and older. Drop your kids in Shea Hall and leave the rest to us.
Walk-ins will be welcomed, but kindly let us know how many kids to plan on so we have enough craft supplies and treat bags by signing up here.
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Christmas Angel Tree Drop-Off! |
If you have not already done so, gifts are due at St. Julian by this Sunday, December 12th at 11:00am. Please make sure you have purchased at least one gift for each family member on your list and all gifts are wrapped and assembled into a single bag or box marked with your Angel ornament and/or the family number.
Thank you to everyone who has adopted a family in need this Christmas from our Angel Trees. Follow this link to learn more about all of our Season of Giving activities.
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Please RSVP using the button below or calling the parish office so we know how many to plan for lunch! |
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Awakening Hope: Parish Advent Retreat |
Mark your calendars for this Saturday morning, December 11, 2021 as Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament welcomes back Fr. Britto Berchmans to lead our Parish Advent Retreat. This event is free and will include Mass (daily Mass moved to SJE on this Saturday), Reconciliation (extended time for Confessions between 11am and 1pm) and more!
Every liturgical season helps us to be converted. Thus, Advent awakens hope: it is the time to become watchers and doers again. Praying the prayers of the Christmas season inscribes in our hearts the good news: the knowledge of God, as he wants to reveal himself, favors a new birth to ourselves through the Word Incarnate. To convert at Christmas and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, a personal relationship, is to let a better knowledge of God inspire a new knowledge in ourselves.
While we continue to enforce the mask mandate for everyone’s safety, we are pleased that there are no capacity restrictions on gathering at this time. Please invite family, friends and neighbors to attend the Parish Advent Retreat. Let’s step into the Advent & Christmas season with a new heart for God.
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We have been invited to help the 1,000 poorest parishes across the US with a donation of $1,000
(or more if we are able). Let us help lift up our brothers and sisters in parishes that are most in need. Look for the gold envelopes in church to make a donation. If you prefer to mail in a donation, please clearly mark your envelope with Catholic Extension. Together we can make a powerful difference!
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The Parish Reconciliation Service for Advent will be Wednesday, December 15th at Queen of the Rosary. Reconciliation with Eucharistic Adoration will begin at 7pm. Extra priests will be on hand to hear everyone's Confession.
We will also have extended opportunity for Confession during our Parish Advent Retreat this Saturday between 11am and 1pm. Please note, not everyone at the Retreat will participate in Reconciliation, and you don't need to attend the Retreat to come for Confession.
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The Promise of Our Savior and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ told through nine short Bible readings interspersed with carols and hymns. The Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols was first presented in Cornwall, England in 1880 and is re-told in churches the world over on or near Christmas Eve. This year, Music Director, Michael Hawes, joined by the Adult Choir and Handbell Choir, led by Christina Ray, as well as some of the finest instrumentalists in the Chicagoland area, will present Lessons & Carols for Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
All are invited on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7pm to Queen of the Rosary to join in singing our favorite Advent & Christmas music. This program is free and appropriate for all ages.
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We will again be sending meals to Journeys/PADS to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness at our upcoming Winter Supper on Wednesday, December 22nd.
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It gives me great joy to share with you that our parish now has a subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with more than 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. FORMED has content from more than 60 apostolates, including Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and the Knights of Columbus, with material that is professionally produced, engaging, and solid in its catechism. Best of all, this material is free to you.
Our parish will be using the material on FORMED to support our ministries and provide continuing education for staff members and parishioners, as well as outreach for our sick and homebound members. Much of FORMED’s content is available in both English and Spanish.
You have easy access to all of the material on FORMED to support your own faith journey and that of your family members.
Discover thousands of books, audio talks, movies, documentaries, and studies... there is something for every member of the family to help them grow closer to Christ and His Church.
–Fr. Dan
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Diving into the beauty of the Faith has never been easier: at home, on the go, or from any internet- connected device.
To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:
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Go to Formed.org
- Enter our parish’s zip code
- Enter your name and your email address
That’s it! You’re in. Now you can get the free FORMED app for your phone by searching FORMED Catholic in your app store.
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Wendy's Benefit Day
Stop into Wendy’s® Elk Grove anytime tomorrow, 12/9/2021, and 30% of qualifying sales as a result of your participation will be donated to our Queen of the Rosary School!
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Join OLBS RE for the first annual Christmas Carol Sing-Along on Monday, December 20th at SJE at 7pm. All RE families and catechists are invited.
And just remember, if you don't sing well, sing loud!
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Calling all Youth Ministry teens, join the fun at our Annual Christmas Party on Sunday, December 19th in Shea Hall from 4:30 to 6pm! Each person should bring a white-elephant gift to play Robber Santa. Gifts can be, but don't have to be, something purchased. Remember, gifts don't have to cost anything and something you already have around the house will work just fine. The funnier the better (but keep it clean, folks!) Gifts should be wrapped. Be sure to sign up using this link so we know how many we will be!
And don't forget to join us for these upcoming service projects:
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Coming Events...
Join YCP Chicago and St. Alphonsus' Young Adult Ministry on Saturday, December 11th for the St. Joseph Saturday Retreat! St. Joseph Saturday is a FREE half-day retreat (open to all young adults in their 20s and 30s), where young adults are encouraged to “look upon work with the eyes of faith” and see God’s presence in their vocations and professional lives. The retreat will include talks, group discussion, and prayer, and it will be a time to reflect on the life of YCP's patron saint, St. Joseph the Worker.
Would you like to introduce a Young Adult Ministry at OLBS? Please contact the parish office (847) 979-0901 today!
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Are you looking to get involved at OLBS? Many volunteer opportunities are available. Please contact the parish office or see below for just a few:
Do weddings make you cry with joy? Discover more about Marriage Ministry and consider becoming a Wedding Coordinator or part of our Marriage Ministry.
Do you want to help us set the table? Discover more about our Liturgical Ministries and consider becoming a Sacristan. For youth aged 4th grade and older, consider the Altar Server Ministry.
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The second-largest ministry at OLBS is Religious Education. We offer a Christ-centered program which supports parents in their role as primary educators of the faith of their children, teaching them to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ and His Church, and to love and serve each other. For more information, please contact the parish office.
We are grateful for your continued generosity to the needs of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament family during this time. In addition to dropping or mailing your donation to church, you may give online where you may make weekly contributions to our parish family and keep the vital ministries and services we provide going. We thank you for your generosity!
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Though things have opened up, we recognize that not all are able to join us at this time, so we remind you that we continue to have the following virtual tools available to help us stay connected to our faith and our parish family:
NEW! FORMED. To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:
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Go to Formed.org
- Enter our parish’s zip code
- Enter your name and your email address
Daily Prayer. Follow this link to review daily prayer, or signup to receive daily prayer delivered right to your inbox.
Morning Prayer. No commute, no computer needed...join us on your phone Monday through Saturday for Morning Prayer. Learn more.
Weekly Rosary. The Rosary is prayed at SJE on Tuesdays at 7pm. If you are unable to join us in church, we invite you to join the live-stream.
Live-Stream. We have live-stream available for Sunday liturgy and some daily Mass from both churches: QR and SJE.
Let's Get Social. Like or follow us on Facebook to receive news and updates in real time and join the conversation: QR and SJE.
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Worship sites:
Queen of the Rosary, 750 W. Elk Grove Blvd.
St. Julian Eymard, 601 Biesterfield Road
School:
Queen of the Rosary School, 690 Elk Grove Blvd.
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