SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT• DECEMBER 6, 2020 Fostering Christ’s Love in Our Lives 17951 Dixie Highway • Homewood, IL 60430 www.stjoehomewood.org PARISH STAFF Rev. Robert J. Kyfes ......................................... Pastor Rev. Daniel F. Jarosewic……………...Associate Pastor Rev. Richard J. Kozak ...................... Pastor Emeritus George & Nancy Maddock ............... Deacon Ministry Karen Shifflett…...…..Director of Religious Education John Ligda ...................................... Director of Music Eileen Santschi…………………….....Financial Manager Agatha Kienzle ....... Parish Administrative Assistant WEEKEND LITURGIES Saturday Mass ......................................... 5:15 PM Sunday Mass ............................... 8:00 & 10:30 AM WEEKDAY LITURGIES Tuesday -Friday Mass ................................8:30 AM Monday & Saturday Communion Service .. 6:30 AM * YOU MUST SIGN UP ONLINE IN ORDER TO ATTEND MASS. Registration link is available on our parish website stjoehomewood.org. You can also call the office during the business hours. OTHER SACRAMENT S Baptism Sundays at 12:30 PM. Arrangements can be made for any Sunday after attending a Baptismal Preparation CONTACTS Session. Rectory…………………..(708) 798-0622; fax: 798-6137 Marriage Director of Religious Education……..(708) 798-6311 Contact the Rectory at least six months prior to the wedding. Director of Music ………………….……….(708) 798-8412 Please call the Rectory for available times and dates. Parish E-mail……………[email protected] Prayer Ministry E-mail…[email protected] REGISTRATION Office Hours: New parishioners are invited to register at as soon as possible. Mon., Tues., Wed. & Thurs.………...8:00 am - 4:00 pm (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY) Some transactions may be done by phone, mail and email. From Our Pastor WEEKLY OFFERING: NOVEMBER 21-22 CHRISTMAS MASSES – TIME TO SIGN UP! Weekend Giving... $6,620.08 If you recall what I’ve written in the past about rushing the celebration of Electronic Giving...$1,832.00 Christmas, you’ll understand how I feel about writing this nearly three ——————————————————— weeks before the celebration of Christmas actually begins the night of De- Total ......................$8,452.08 cember 24th. But in this year unlike any other—at least in my lifetime—we ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: $1,380.00 have to do things differently. SHARING: $195.00 But if, like many I’ve heard about, you’ve already put up a tree and done all your decorating simply because, as Auntie Mame would have said, you NOVEMBER 28-29 “need a little Christmas, right this very minute”, you might be ready to Weekend Giving... $4,147.00 decide what Christmas Mass you (and your family) would like to attend. Electronic Giving...$1,832.00 Thanks to those who generously offered their help with greeting and sani- ——————————————————— tizing, we’re able to have the schedule I proposed more than a month ago Total ......................$5,979.00 to the Parish Staff & Parish Pastoral Council. Here it is: ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: $1,386.00 Christmas Eve: 4:00, 6:00 and 10:00p.m. SHARING: $165.00 C.C.H.D. COLLECTION: $1,634.00 Christmas Day: 8:00 and 10:30a.m. Thank you for your generosity! As I also announced some time ago, we’ll increase our capacity limit for each Mass to the maximum 20% allowed by the Archdiocese which, for us, TO TEACH WHO CHRIST IS is 175. That seems possible because of the likelihood that more people from PROGRESS TO DATE the same household will be coming, allowing the longer pews to accommo- date more individuals. That’s better than our current maximum of 135, but TOTAL PLEDGED…$1,200,009 still nowhere near the numbers who would normally attend on Christmas. PARISH - COLLECTED TO DATE..$628,652 And while it’s likely that many will not want to come out in the current AOC - COLLECTED TO DATE….....$306,000 Covid climate, it will still be vitally important that you—who either attend Total……………………….…..…$934,652 faithfully now, have continued to contribute faithfully in other ways dur- ing these past seven months, or who make the effort to stay connected by checking the parish website and reading the bulletin online—sign up this PLEDGED week if at all possible. $1,100,000 As I’ve said before, we want to give priority to all of you who are faithful $1,000,000 in one way or another throughout the year. Once we reach that 175 number COLLECTED $900,000 for each Mass, that will be it—no exceptions, no “walk-ins” on Christmas, $800,000 and that will include those who are ministering in any way. So if, for exam- GOAL $765,000 ple, you normally attend the most “popular” Christmas Mass at 4:00p.m. $700,000 on the 24th, you might want to keep open the option of coming at 6:00 or $600,000 10:00p.m. instead. Think about it, make a decision, and sign up now! $500,000 Finally, it’s important to remember that the “obligation” to attend Mass on $400,000 Sundays and Holy Days has been suspended indefinitely during these $300,000 challenging days. So if you don’t feel comfortable being here in church, you fulfill your “obligation” by watching Mass virtually either on TV or a web- $200,000 site of your choice. Yes, it’s not the same as being here and sharing in the $100,000 Eucharist, but it’s the best many will be able to do this year. So if you end up with a virtual Christmas Mass, just be sure those Christmas decorations, especially the manger scene, are nearby. Fr. Bob ●●● 2 December 6, 2020 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Parish Ministries Around the Parish ALTAR SERVERS Contact: Fr. Dan Jarosewic THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ARTS & ENVIRONMENT We will have two Masses this week for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Contact: Erin Roeper, Jeannine Ruse Conception: a vigil Mass on Monday, December 7 at 7:00p.m. and on BAPTISMAL PREPARATION CLASSES Contact: Paul and Deborah Hart Tuesday, December 8 at 8:30a.m. Even though this is a holy day of obliga- tion, the dispensation for attending remains the same as for Sundays dur- BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY Contact: Rosemarie Kearney ing these uncertain days. So, if you do not feel comfortable coming to BULLETIN/WEBSITE EDITOR church, you can fulfill your obligation virtually, either on TV or the internet. Contact: Agatha Kienzle CATECHISTS (RELIGIOUS EDUCATION) Contact: Karen Shifflett ELIZABETH MINISTRY Contact: Marge Hayes EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF We are in need of a part-time, benefits eligible COMMUNION Maintenance Engineer here at St. Joseph. If you or Contact: Deb Framarin, Jack Hayes someone you know is interested, please get in touch GARDENING TEAM with me and I’ll provide you with the full job de- Contact: Elaine Hoffman scription. E-mail me at [email protected] HOSPITALITY or call me at 708-798-0622, ext. 2. Our hope is to have Contact: Mary Ellen Brabec someone on the job before the snow flies! KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Contact: Joe Santschi Fr. Bob LECTORS Contact: Mike Ormsby, Tom Brabec LITURGY WRITING TEAM FOOD AND CLOTHING DRIVE Contact: Joyce Janowick, Janet Ormsby Saturday, December 12th, 9:00am – 11:30am MINISTERS OF CARE St. Joseph Catholic Church, 17951 Dixie Highway, Homewood, IL Contact: Jack Hayes North Parking Lot -- Enter North Driveway MUSIC MINISTRY Contact: John Ligda Non-Contact Drop-off PADS Place donations in bags or boxes in your trunk, drive in, pop trunk…we’ll Contact: Jim Bova unload the food . PIECEMAKER QUILTERS/PRAYER SHAWL Now is the time for the Spirit of Christmas to fill all of our hearts. The food Contact: Marietta Burke th and clothing collection will be on Saturday, December 12 , 9am – PRAYER MINISTRY 11:30am. Pull into the north parking lot, pop the trunk, and our volun- Contact: Julie Orbik teers will unload the food and clothes. Respect Life MINISTRY The Catholic Charities' South Suburban Food Pantry serves 500 families a Contact: Teri McGinley month—our neighbors, many people in the south suburbs appreciating our SANCTUARY GUILD generosity. Please help us answer their calls for food by giving generously Contact: Magda Hepokoski during this season of giving. All non-perishable food items are needed. If ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY you prefer to make a cash or check donation to South Suburban Catholic Contact: Rectory Charities, just give it to the volunteer collecting the food. The pantry USHERS greatly appreciates the generosity of St. Joseph parishioners. Thank you Contact: Jim Wright for your help putting our beliefs into action, feeding the hungry. YOUTH MINISTRY The clothes will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul Society. Thank you for Contact: Allisa Opyd your continued kindness and assistance. Parish of Saint Joseph • Homewood, IL 3 CHRISTMAS TREE TRIVIA Around the Parish BLESSING THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States Before Christianity came to be, trees that re- since about 1850. mained green all year round warded off evil spirits and were special to people during the Between 1887-1933 a fishing winter. It wasn’t until the sixteenth century in schooner called the Christmas Ship Germany that trees were brought inside and would tie up at the Clark Street bridge and sell spruce trees from decorated. When does the Christmas tree go Michigan to Chicagoans. up in your home or parish? Continue the tra- dition by gathering together and blessing this The tallest living Christmas tree is special symbol. believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year- old Douglas fir in the town of Wood- You may bless the tree as soon as you put it inville, Washington. up, or you can wait until after you have deco- rated it. When you are ready to do the bless- The Rockefeller Center Christmas ing, gather everyone around the tree and designate someone to lead tree tradition began in 1933.