SAINTS JAMES and PATRICK PARISH Blessed and Grateful
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SAINTS JAMES AND PATRICK PARISH To remain in Christ and to reveal Christ to others November 2019 Newsletter Blessed and Grateful Letter From Our Pastor Dear Parishioners and Friends, As you gather with family may you and they be blessed! For so many people, including me, the Gathering our hearts as a parish family, Thanksgiving Holiday is on of the best. The I invite you to join me in praying the following: focus is gathering as family, preparing and sharing a good meal ,remembering all the good and giving thanks to God. And, yes Dear Heavenly Father, some football too. My Parish is composed of people like me; A big part is telling the stories of family, laughing and I will make it what it is. sometimes crying about the events that have brought us to It will be friendly, if I am friendly. today. The remembering then helps renew the relationship My pews will be filled, if I help fill them. with each other—growing as a family. Grateful to God and It will do great work, if I work. each other. It will be prayerful, if I pray. This is part of what we do when we gather for Mass. It will make generous gifts to many causes, The stories of our family are recalled in the reading of the If I am a generous giver. Scriptures. We remember the faithfulness of God and give It will be a parish of loyalty and love, thanks in the way Jesus has asked us, by joining our of fearlessness and faith, sacrifice of thanksgiving and intercessions with His one and a parish of noble spirit, sacrifice on the Cross. In this offering we encounter Jesus if I, who make it what it is, in this fullness in the Eucharist: our Crucified and Risen am filled with these same things. Lord who comes to us as the Bread of Life and Chalice of Salvation. Therefore, with your help, O God, At Mass, like when we gather as individual families, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all things when some of the family is missing we are less than we that I want my parish to be. Amen could be. We support each other with our presence. We assist each other in becoming the Parish Family God God bless you, wants us to be. Father John C. Burnette In This Issue Thanksgiving for the Eucharist Pilgrimage to St. Sharbel’s Advent Evening for Adults Let’s give thanks for the true presence Experience a Maronite Catholic Enjoy this one-time event that combines of Christ in the Eucharist. Mass in Peoria. Couples’ Night Out with Advent by Page 2 Page 3 Candlelight. Page 4 Saints James and Patrick Parish Newsletter November 2019 Page 2 Giving Thanks for the Eucharist As Thanksgiving approaches, many people reflect on what they’re thankful for, and family and friends are probably near the top of the list. However, where does God fit in your thanksgiving? We should thank God for everything we have, but we should also thank Him for simply being God and offering us eternal salvation with Him. We should thank God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, and we can do that by attending Mass as often as possible. The Eucharist is the center of our faith because through it we embrace the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ and become one with Him. We receive God’s grace through this act of love and unity. through the extraordinary gift of Jesus’ presence in the Without this sacrament, we would be separated from Eucharist, we “break the one bread that provides the experiencing the fullness and true presence of Christ, so medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food we must give thanks to God for allowing us this life-giving that makes us live forever in Jesus Christ.” encounter! Use this time of Thanksgiving to attend Mass and offer According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, thanks to God for His gift of the Eucharist. “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” - St. Ambrose of Milan “Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and ... transforming greed into gratitude.” - St. John Chrysostom “The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” - St. Theresa of Calcutta “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.” - St. Teresa of Avila St. James Bell Tower Repair One way you can give thanks for the blessings in your life is to be a good steward of your treasure. Generations of God’s people have been stewards of our parish buildings, and now you can continue passing on the gift of our churches to the next generation. Our Saint James Bell Tower is in need of major repair, and at present, we face $125,000 of repair costs. Will you be a part of restoring the Bell Tower with a gift of treasure? If you want to donate online, there’s a direct link for donating to the Bell Tower Repair. The online donation link is: ssjpparish.weshareonline.org Thank you for your generosity during this time of need! To remain in Christ and to reveal Christ to others SaintsAugust 2016 James and Patrick Parish NewsletterSaints James and Patrick Parish November 2019 PagePage 3 4 Pilgrimage to St. Sharbel’s in Peoria This month you have a wonderful opportunity to experience a Mass that’s a little different than the Mass celebrated at our parish - you’re invited to join our Families of Faith pilgrimage to St. Sharbel’s Maronite Catholic Church for Mass on Sunday, November 17. We celebrate the Roman Rite liturgy at Saints James and Patrick, so you’ll notice a couples differences between the Roman Rite and Maronite Rite. For example, the Maronite Mass is spoken in Aramaic - the language Jesus spoke - for the Eucharistic Prayer and responses. Also, Holy Communion is given by intinction - the priests dips the consecrated host into the precious blood and places it on the communicant’s tongue. Missals in the pew will help you follow along with Mass. The Maronite Rite is in communion with the Pope and the Holy See. The Maronite Catholic Church has Participants will meet at St. Sharbel’s in time for the been in existence since the early centuries. Saint Maron, 10:00am Mass, and the entire pilgrimage event will last who was a 5th century Syriac Christian monk, was known about two hours. The address to St. Sharbel’s is below, for his missionary work, healings, and teaching a monastic and if you wish to attend this Mass, please call our parish devotion to God. Following his death, a religious movement office at 429-5363. began that became the Maronite Catholic Church. The Mass on November 17 is at 10:00am, and after the St. Sharbel’s Maronite Catholic Church Mass, Chorbishop Faouzi Elia will give a presentation 2914 W Scenic Drive about the Maronite Rite and Mass. Peoria, IL 61615 NET Retreat Coming to St. Teresa High School Last year, a NET Retreat Team led in prayer, scripture, Catholic teaching, retreats for our confirmation classes, and Christian character, and ministry skills. our students connected with the team and The volunteers are then put into teams had a positive experience. Therefore, we’re that drive across the United States to share hosting a NET Retreat for the Junior High their faith and invite others to give their lives students from all area parishes and PSR to Jesus. The teams reach out to over groups on Wednesday, November 13 at St. 100,000 youth from September - May. After Teresa High School. serving with NET, nearly all of the team Even though the retreat is intended for members continue in some form of service Junior High students, any of the teenagers to the Church, and 12% will pursue who were confirmed last year and attended priesthood or religious life. the retreat are welcome to join us! We hope your teenagers join us for this Each year, 175 young men and women unique retreat on Wednesday, November serve as volunteers with NET Ministries. 13 from 4:00-8:00pm at St. Teresa High They begin their year of service with an intense five-week School. Your teenagers will be invited through the schools training program during which they’re brought to a deeper and PSR programs, but if you have an interested youth not understanding of their faith, and they’re taught to effectively in these programs, call 429-5363 so we can reserve a spot communicate that faith to others. They receive instruction for them. Please keep the NET Ministries Team and our local youth in your prayers this month! To remain in Christ and to reveal Christ to others SaintsAugust 2016 James and Patrick ParishSaints Newsletter James and Patrick Parish Newsletter November 2019 PagePage 4 3 Upcoming Advent Evening a Unique Event All parishioners are invited to an adult Advent Evening for Advent by Candlelight - 2018 All on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30pm. Due to some scheduling issues with Advent by Candlelight, we’re doing an all-parish events that combines that best features from both Advent by Candlelight and Couples’ Night Out. There will be beautiful table décor, good food, camaraderie with other parishioners, and an Advent reflection to prepare our hearts and home for Christmas. The Advent committee will be doing their usual table decorations, but this event will take place at the Beach House, which will provide the food.