Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church Fall Newsletter 2019 Inside This Issue Neocatechumental Way 2 PSR Education 3 PSR Education 4 Parish Picnic 5 Legion of Mary 5 Rosary Rally 6 Divine Mercy Cenacle 6 Parish Council 7 Annual Pro-Populo Mass 7 Bethlehem Christmas 8 Craft Fair Parish Improvements 8 Mission Statement: We seek to create mature disciples through prayer, education, love and service as Jesus Christ proclaimed. Mass Schedule Vision Statement: Immaculate Conception Church is a group of Vigil Mass Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Catholic Christians who are in the process of becoming a vibrant Eu- Sunday: 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. charistic people by deepening and expanding their faith. We accom- Mon, Wed, Fri, 8:30am Tuesday & Thursday, 7:00pm plish this through prayer, the grace of the sacraments and the process of continuous conversion. With the prayerful leadership of the pastor and the work of many ministries and programs designed to educate, Office Hours evangelize and support our parishioners and greater community, ICC Monday - Friday: 9:30am –5:30pm is a shining example of how a parish uses the gifts of faith, hope and Saturday: 9:00am– 1:00pm charity for the glory of God and in service to others. 2846 Hubbard Road, Madison, OH 44057 440-428-5164 www.iccmadison.com 2 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH Neocatechumenal Way Members of the Neocatechumenal communities in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland gathered on Oct. 1 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Parma for evening prayer, testimonies, a mes- sage from Bishop Nelson Perez and fellowship. Jack Craig, a catechist and member of the Neo- catechumenal Way, travelled from New Jersey to lead the program. Neocatechumenal commu- nities from Holy Family and St. Anthony of Padua parishes in Parma, St. Andrew Parish in Norton and Immaculate Conception Parish in Madison participated, along with priests from those parishes and others. About 60 members from the four parishes’ Neocatechumenal Way communities also participated. “The Diocese of Cleveland has been very welcoming to us,” Craig said. “When I called to speak to Bishop Pe- rez about us, he asked what he could do to help.” The Neocatechumenal Way is a charism in the Catholic Church, Craig explained. It began in 1964 in Spain and is dedicated to Christian formation. Communities are established in parishes and they follow the three- pronged Word of God, liturgy, community approach to catechesis. Bishop Perez, who was familiar with the Neocatechumenal Way from his youth in New Jersey, spoke briefly to the group, explaining that he only attended Catholic school for a couple of years. “I was a ‘publican,’ which is what the kids who attended public schools were called,” he said. And since he didn’t attend Catholic school, he wasn’t trained as an altar server. However, he wanted to be one, so he watched and learned – and then one day went into the sacristy before Mass and donned the server’s garb. “The priest looked at me and asked who I was. I told him, ‘I’m your server.’ And he said, ‘I guess you are,’” the bishop said, adding that he continued serving Mass after that. “God loves you as you are, where you are and for who you are. Thank you for the witness you give each oth- er and thank you to the priests who walk with you on the Neocatechumenal Way. Serve as leaven for the world around you,” Bishop Perez said. “You might not see the grace working through and around you right away,” he said, but he encouraged them to continue their prayer and catechesis. Where can you find us? Want to grow in Faith? Visit our website for more information on parish activities www.iccmadison.com "Look us up on Facebook : "Immaculate Conception, Madison Ohio" ICC's YouTube Channel : IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH-MADISON OHIO 3 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH Education Fall Festival / Trunk or Treat It was a windy, rainy day for our fall festival, but it still seemed to be enjoyed by all. Perfect weather for sipping warm cider and eating pop- corn. Thank you to those of you who decorated your vehicles or came to pass out candy. The kids voted for their favorite vehicles. First place went to the Marcelli family-Cave of Wonders; Second place was the Roach family-Spooky Cat; and Third place was the Dragas family-Monopoly. We appreciate everyone who participated. A big thank you to Pete Wayman who donated 100 pumpkins for our pumpkin patch. The kids were able to choose a pumpkin, then decorate it. The middle school and high school students competed in a pumpkin roll contest. The winners were First place-Dimitri Dragas; Second place-Michael O’Brien; and Third place-John Peter Dragas. Our saint/holy person contest winners were First place, Anna Marcelli as Kateri Tekawitha; Second place-Haylee Breedlove as St. Terese; and Third place-Olivia Breedlove-Angel. We can’t forget to thank Jerome Golenskie for the several dozen cupcakes he baked for our cupcake walk; as well as, all the other donations of cupcakes we received. The kids were able to play the game the whole event due to the amount of cupcakes we received. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped in so many ways to make the event special. We appreci- ate the support and participation of our church community. Jill Chiro PSR Culture Project The middle school students welcomed a new group. They are the Culture Project International group who travel around the US and they are introducing this project for the Diocese of Cleveland. This project is an initiative of young people set out to restore cul- ture through the experience of virtue. The young adults from around the country commit to proclaiming the dignity of the hu- man person, and richness of sexual integrity. They are trained by experts in the fields of medicine, psychology, philosophy and the- ology. Thus they have been equipped to discuss these important topics with knowledge and understanding. The first presentation they did was regarding human dignity. Students learned how we are set apart from the rest of creation and our uniqueness. They heard stories about the abuses of this dignity. Students were empowered and encouraged to make a positive difference in the world, beginning with choices to love and respect their own families, friends and acquaintances. Jill Chiro FORMED: New format for registration Registering for FORMED is easier than ever: Go to formed.org/ signup, Select your parish, Register with your name and email address. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED FALL 2019 4 Education 8th Grade PSR Confirmation Retreat The 8th grade students recently attended an all-day Confirmation retreat at Immaculate Conception Church. The day consisted of prayer, a fun scavenger hunt, lunch, guest speaker Mary Lou Beers, writing letters to the Bishop, and Mass. 7th Grade Confirmation Students Seventh grade Confirmation students recently spent a Sunday afternoon in the parish center preparing baked goods and Christmas cards. Confirmation teachers Rebecca Owoc and Mike Teter guided our stu- dents in the parish kitchen making biscuits and muffins for a Project Hope dinner. Dave Albert Sr. offered his artistic talents in the card making station. Cards will be included in the ICC Spiritual Development Christmas cookie program for homebound parishioners. High School PSR Thank You Teacher Aides We have two aides for our elementary PSR pro- gram, Schuyler Blaess and Alex Porras. They are currently both helping out in the first grade classrooms. Schuyler has been volunteering over nine years in this capacity. She is currently attending Notre Dame College and comes home on the weekends. She enjoys her fish, two cats, and dog. She said she also really enjoys being around the students; “they are always so genu- ine at this age.” She also likes how every week is different with the Sunday evenings high school stu- kids. dents get together and talk about their This year is Alex’s first time working with first graders. She has faith while using the Youcat. Nick helped out in the kindergarten classroom in the past. Alex comes Alcantar is the high school teacher. from a larger family, seven members. She said her interests are photography. She also said she likes helping and teaching the chil- dren. We are blessed to have these two young adults working in the program. 5 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH Parish Picnic Fun! September 15th was the date of the parish picnic this year. There was a light sprinkle at the start of the event, but the weather cleared and the cooler temps made for an enjoyable day. The event was well attended, and it was great to see so many children enjoying themselves. Jill Chiro and Julie O'Brien did a wonderful job as always with the children's activities. The Knights of Columbus han- dled the grilling. Paul Wadowick was the winner of the 50/50 drawing. Several parishioners volun- teered their talents to keep the crowd entertained, first time entertainer, Mike Canfield played his gui- tar and sang a couple of songs, the Brent Family shared their singing voices, Jake Merrill gave a witness to Jesus is in his life, and a thank you to all of the young singers as well as Deacon Tom, who was still recuperating from shoulder surgery. As in the past, the ice cream social was a big hit, even with the cooler temps. Thanks go out of all who helped organize the event, from those that assisted with the setup, to keep- ing things running smoothly during the event, to those that helped with the clean up.