December 9, 2018 Second Sunday of Advent PASTORAL TEAM WEEKLY MASS SCHEDULE Rev. George Omwando, Pastor Weekday Masses: Mrs. Sharon Leamy, Principal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday - 8:30am Ms. Gail Rohmann, Music Director (Please enter the Church by Washington Blvd. 2nd door to the West) Mrs. Christine Wedekind, Religious Education Coordinator NO Thursday Communion Service until the Fall of 2018 SUPPORT STAFF Weekend Masses: Ms. Patricia Pomykalski, Business Manager Saturday Morning - 9:00 am Mrs. Amanda Pomareda, Office Manager Saturday Evening - 5:00 pm Mrs. Fannie Cooper, School Secretary & Sister Marion Cypser, Social Service/Project Coordinator Sunday Morning - 8:30 10:30 am Sacrament of Reconciliation CONTACTING THE PARISH Rectory: 38 N. Austin Blvd.; Oak Park, IL 60302 Saturday at 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM; or by appointment. Telephone: 708-386-8077 Baptisms Email: [email protected] Web: www.stcatherinestlucy.org Baptism of infants and young children is celebrated on Hours: 8:30 AM-8:00 PM—Monday, & Thursdays. the 2nd and 3rd weekends of the month. Parents are Tuesday, Wednesday, & Fridays: 8:30 AM—4:30 PM asked to attend a Baptism preparation session/class prior Saturday 9:00 AM—4:30 PM; Sunday 8:30 AM—12:00 PM to the ceremony. Please call the rectory to register for School - 27 Washington Blvd.; Oak Park, IL 60302 the preparation and set a baptismal date. (cont’d in pg.2) Telephone: 708-386-5286 Page 2 December 9, 2018 Thoughts From our Pastor Rev. George O. Omwando Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Waiting is hardest when it seems it will never end. Do you know the time spent waiting for the doctor to examine you? Or have you ever been waiting for something that seems like it will never come? But still hoping that it will? Do you know that kind of waiting? Can you picture it? Or do you remember it? Waiting can be excruciating; we know that. But waiting is also dangerous. It always comes with expectations. Expectations build and build. They threaten to grow impossibly large. I wonder if you have dangerously waited. I wonder if you have lived with those curiously developing expectations. And then there comes the moment when the waiting seems like too much waiting. Maybe it causes one to lose hope or to give up or leave before the arrival. Sometimes you forgot even what it was you were waiting for. We wait – mostly when we have no other choice. Prophet Baruch, the writer of today’s first reading, knows what it means to wait. The prophet knows what is in the mind of the waiting of the people. The people were in exile and were longing for home. Nothing more, nothing less. The people of Israel, especially the young people, had heard the stories that there had been a time when their land was prosperous ; that their kings had ruled with justice and righteousness as opposed to the pagan kings that they were under; and that God had lived in the Temple in Jerusalem and had been with them. But now they were away from home and separated. Their beautiful Temple where God was believed to be living was destroyed . I wonder whether you have ever heard or gone through that feeling. It was one thing for the people to be far from home but it was another thing to be under pagan people. It is justifiable, humanly speaking, that the Israelites were getting tired and impatient thus wanting to go back to their promised country. The home of their memory. Like the childhood home your parents no longer occupy. The home is no longer – but the yearning is. Finally Prophet Baruch tells them: “Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height; look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them.” It was the people’s dream that one day they would return to their homeland. This hope was passed on to their children, and to their children’s children, for generations. To come back. To find their way back to the place where they met God. And they waited – for centuries. For salvation. To be set free. They waited as exiles. They waited as an occupied nation. They waited for a Messiah. Generations died waiting. The people were waiting to come to God’s home, to be brought back. They expected to be carried home as on a royal throne. The longer they waited, the higher the expectations. The longer they waited, the more it seemed like God had forgotten them and the covenant that He had entered with them. And it never happened – no glory days revisited. But not because God forgot, but because God had something else in mind. The people were waiting for the road home to God but God was paving a road to the people. We wait. But God comes. Not on a royal throne. Not on a red carpet. Not in the way expected. But in the womb of a virgin. To live with us as one of us. To make a home with us, in us. To come near. To a world waiting, God came, God comes, God is coming. As we wait for the second coming of Jesus spiritually, let us not grow impatient but continue to live in a manner worthy of our call and that of the Gospel message. God bless. — Fr. George PARISH MISSION Ministers of the Eucharist: (cont’d from pg. 1) Jeanne Visteen Weddings - Please contact a parish priest STATEMENT Ministers of the Word: to set a wedding date. Allow at least 6 Jeanne Visteen WE THE PARISHIONERS OF ST. Servers: Kathy Paoli months for preparation. CATHERINE OF SIENA-ST. LUCY Ministers of Care: Shelby Boblick RCIA PARISH, SEEK TO DEEPEN OUR Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD AND TO (RCIA): Fr. George O. Omwando (RCIA) is a sacramental process, celebrat- CELEBRATE OD S PRESENCE IN Women’s Ministry: Shelby Boblick G ’ ed in the midst of this Faith Community. WORD AND SACRAMENT. BY Human Concerns Commission ACCEPTING ALL INTO OUR FAMILY Peace & Justice Committee: This process assists adults, as well as Mary and Martin Senica children over the age of 7, in learning WE SEEK UNITY IN CHRIST AND Transportation Committee: SEEK TO PROCLAIM HIS GOOD NEWS Tom Farwell about the Catholic Faith. Through its IN THE DISCIPLESHIP OF OUR LIVES. witness, worship, service, and teaching Education Commission our Faith Community offers the invitation PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Baptism Com.: Fr. G. Omwando Bible Study: Russ McCaughey and support necessary for initiation into Parish Pastoral Council the Catholic Church. Madonna Sloan and Joyce Wade, Religious Education of Children: Co-Chairs Christine Wedekind Ministry to the Sick, Hospitalized and Parish Finance Council Shut—Ins Juan Perez St. Catherine/St. Lucy School: Spiritual Life Commission School Board Chair: Natasha Lee Please notify the Parish Office so that we Faith & Fellowship: can visit and minister to your confined Connie Rakitan Parish Development & Services loved-ones. Liturgy Committee: Commission Cantors: Gail Rohmann Collection Counters: Carol Kallok Newcomers Celebration Choir: Gail Rohmann Facilities Committee: Kevin Kell, Please fill out a registration form after Praise Choir: Julius White Amanda Pomareda Mass, or come by the Rectory Office Greeters & Ushers: Jim Lewis Fundraising Committee: Pat Nelson / Cynthia Weaver during the week. Page 3 December 9, 2018 T O D A Y One Day – Two Great Events! Family Mass - 10:30 Worship Pancake Breakfast with St. Nick St. Catherine-St. Lucy Church before and after the 10:30 Mass at Maguire Hall Children from our school and religious Pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee and tea education program will lead this will be served. Volunteers parents will be service as readers, gift bearers, choir flipping and serving the all-you-can eat pancakes. St. Nicholas will be stopping members, and other parts of the by to meet and greet young and old alike! worship service. Donations will be accepted. Order your GIFT CARDS Christmas Flowers 1. Place your order today Dec 8-9 Sale Today! 2. Pick-up is 2 weeks after the order This weekend Christmas flowers and is placed 2018 plants will be on sale for your delight. 3. The final pick-up weekend will be Put Poinsettias, Cyclamen, Christmas December 22-23 Holiday Schedule Cactus, Green Plants and beautiful Please consider gift cards, not only as St. Catherine—St. Lucy Parish baskets on your gift list. Flowers will gifts, but for your personal use as be sold after all the masses. well. Vigil of Christmas: (Christmas Eve) Monday, December 24, 2018 8:30 AM 5:00 PM - Family Christmas Monday, December 10 Certificates are $25 each and will be 9:30 AM - Bible Study - RRT included in every weekly drawing Mass—(Prelude at 4:30 PM) 2:30-6:00 PM - Day Care - M through October 20st, 2019. The 6:30-9:30 PM - F&F Meeting - RD prize each week is $25 except for Christmas Day Tuesday, December 25, 2018 three weeks when the prize is $500. Tuesday, December 11 If we sell all 500 certificates, there 8:30 AM & 10:30 AM 10:00AM - Fundraising Committee Mtg. - RD will be a 4th drawing for $500. 2:30-6:00 PM - Day Care - M Purchase forms have been mailed to Solemnity of Mary, 7:30-9:00 PM - Praise Choir - MMR registered members of the parish and are available in the back of church. Mother of God Monday, December 31, 2018 Wednesday, December 12 This is a fun way to support the par- 2:30-6:00 PM - Day Care - M ish and it is open to everyone, not just 8:30 AM 7:00-9:30 PM - F&F Meeting - RD members of our parish community.