Daily Mass Schedule (during the School-Year):
Monday:
6:30am and 8:00am
Tuesday:
6:30am and 9:00am
Wednesday:
8:00am and 9:00am (9:00am Mass is at St. Patrick's)
Thursday:
6:30am and 8:00am
Friday:
6:30am and 8:00am
Saturday: 8:00am
Weekend Mass Schedule:
Saturday: 5:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, NOON & 6:00pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Saturday: 8:30am or by appointment with a parish priest
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From the Desk of Fr. Mike Nacius, Pastor
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Blessed Advent to you! This is the final Advent Sunday when we will be preparing prayerfully and faithfully for the birth of our Savior. It is a holy time. It is a joyous time. It is a special time.
Once upon a time, a young child was playing at the foot of the stairs. Looking at the top of the stairs, the child gazes intently at the top of the stairs at a very old grandfather clock that chimed at the quarter hour, half hour, the quarter hour again and then the hour - striking the number of hours.
When the clock reached the hour, it jammed and the boy - excited that he could count to twelve - was surprised when the clock kept chiming. The boy counted 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14.... Surprised and shocked he ran to tell his family. "Listen - it is later then it has ever been before, come and see." May the hours that remain of this Advent season fill our hearts, spirit, and being with a childlike wonder and joy as we make final preparations for the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
When traveling in Italy, there are many, many historic sights to visit. In Rome, the Basilica of St. Peter and many other magnificent sites fill one's itinerary. Visits to churches of all shapes and sizes can deepen one's faith. There is always more to see when visiting the Eternal City.
A short distance from St. Peter's, down a side street, in a back alley you can find the "Street Sweepers Nativity."
Tucked away in an ex-storeroom near St Peter's basilica, you can easily think you are mistaken when you walk up to the building in a setting that is so humble and unpretentious that anyone not in the know would walk right past. The entrance, in fact, is a doorway leading into a courtyard that houses an unprepossessing block of premises.
The stall where we find the Holy Family is wonderful. The crib in which lies Baby Jesus is made from the very tips of the brooms used by Rome's street cleaners today and the doors to the manger have been made out of olive wood from Bethlehem. It is a beautiful testimony of the deep faith of every street sweeper that contributed to its creation. I have no doubt that St. Francis, who fashioned the first manger scene would be very proud.
It takes some effort to find the location of the street sweepers nativity. It is worth the effort one puts forth. This Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, God with us. I pray that we live the truth of Emmanuel, God with us. I pray that it is not too difficult to recognize Jesus in our lives, in our world. I pray that we make repeated efforts, efforts as often as necessary to seek and to find the one who came to lead us to our heavenly Father. Throughout the Christmas season, may believers of all ages, discover, Emmanuel, God with us!!!!!!
St. Elizabeth of Schonau wrote, "Lift up the eye of your heart to the sacred light, watch closely to see the glory and majesty of the Lord."
God bless you with a receptive heart this Advent and Christmas!
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Letter from the Archbishop
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Advent and Christmas at the Church of St. Mary
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4
th
Sunday of Advent Masses
Saturday, December 22
- 5:00pm
Sunday, December 23
- 8:00am & 10:00am, 12:00 Noon and 6:00pm
Monday, December 24
There will be
no 6:30am Mass
on Monday, December 24.
Mass will be celebrated at 8:00am.
Christmas Eve Masses
Monday, December 24
4:00pm Church (carols begin at 3:30pm)
4:00pm Chapel - Woodlands Academy
4:15pm School Upper Grade Center Gym Family Mass
6:00pm Church
11:00pm Church (carols with choir begin at 10:30pm)
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Christmas Day Masses
Tuesday, December 25
(
all Masses are in church
)
8:00am
10:00am
12:00 Noon
Wednesday, December 26
There will be
no 9:00am Mass
at St. Patrick's on Wednesday,
December 26. Mass will be celebrated at 8:00am at St. Mary's
Holy Family of Jesus Masses
Saturday, December 29
- 5:00pm Mass
Sunday, December 30
- 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00 Noon and 6:00pm
Solemnity of Mary, the Hol
y Mother of God
Monday, December 31 -
8:00am
Tuesday January 1, 2019 -
8:00am; 10:00am
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AmazonSmile
is a website operated by
Amazon
with the same products, prices, and shopping features as
Amazon
.com. The difference is that when you shop on
AmazonSmile
, the
AmazonSmile
Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the School of St. Mary.
To use amazon smile go to smile.amazon.com and then select School of St. Mary Lake Forest, IL as your organization of choice. Then just use amazon as you normally would you will be supporting the school without even thinking about it.
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Donate or Register for Events
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Church of St. Mary Website
Bookmark our parish website for information on all parish ministries, events, contact information and more!
Information on our Mass Schedule, Sacraments, School, Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Guild of St. Mary, Liturgical Ministries, Bible Study, RCIA, Bulletins, Gospel Reading Podcasts, Homily Podcasts and more can all be found on our webpage.
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook Page
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook page to see regular updates from popular Catholic pages such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and the USCCB. See news from the School of St. Mary, Guild of St. Mary, Religious Education Program, Youth Ministry and upcoming events at our parish!
Homilies & Gospel Readings!
Listen to past Gospel Readings and homilies anytime, anywhere! Click on the podcast image or goto our website. Click on Multimedia/Podcasts.
Enjoy!
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