St. Alphonsus Catholic Church
210 E. Logan, LemontSt. Patrick Catholic Church
200 E. Illinois St., LemontParish Office
210 E. Logan St., Lemont, Il 60439 Temporary Business Hours:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 2 pm
Parish Office 630-257-2414 Fax 630-257-2476
Religious Education Office 630-257-2371 Website: www.st-als.org E-mail: [email protected]
St. Alphonsus - St. Patrick School 20 W 145 Davey Rd
630-783-2220 Mass Schedule
Saturday 4:00pm at St. Alphonsus Sunday 7:30am & 11:00am at
St. Alphonsus 9:00am at St. Patrick Eucharistic Adoration
No Adoration until further notice
Sacramental Life Reconciliation - By appointment
Baptism
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there are special guidelines for Baptisms. Please call the Parish
Office to schedule. Marriage
Prospective bride and groom must be registered parishioners for at least 6 months before a
wedding date may be scheduled Sick and Homebound – Ministers of Care
All visits suspended.
St. Alphonsus
&
St. Patrick
Parish
C A T H O L I C
C O M M U N I T Y
From Father Brian’s Desk
HolyFamily
The FeastoftheHolyFamily is a wonderful symbol of what Jesus, Mary and Joseph embodied – commitment, generosity and love. We are invited to recognize how important our relationships are with our loved ones. Through the inspiration of the Holy Family, we are called to support one another on our journey of life. On the Feast of the Holy Family, here is a beautiful prayer:
GodandFatherofusall,inJesus,yourSonandourSavior,
youhavemadeusyoursonsanddaughtersinthefamilyoftheChurch. Mayyourgraceandlovehelpourfamiliesineverypartoftheworld
beunitedtooneanotherin idelitytotheGospel. MaytheexampleoftheHolyFamily,
withtheaidofyourHolySpirit,
guideallfamilies,especiallythosemosttroubled, tobehomesofcommunionandprayer andtoalwaysseekyourtruthandliveinyourlove.
ThroughChristourLord.Amen.
MassSchedules
NewYear’sDay is the celebration of Mary, the Mother of God. Below is the Mass Schedule for
St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick parish for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Reservationsarerequired
to attend either Mass. Please register through the link on the parish website or call the Parish Of ice at (630) 257-2414.
Dec.31st,2020(NewYear’sEve) 4:00p.m.Mass at St.AlphonsusChurch
Jan.1st,2021(NewYear’sDay) 9:00a.m.Mass at St.PatrickChurch
The St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Daily Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church during the month of January.
CelticFund
The St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick CelticFund has helped a great deal in supporting our St. Alphonsus/ St. Patrick School daily operations. However, in order to keep our school thriving for the future, we need that inancial support every year. If you are able to, please donate to the St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick Celtic Fund by contacting MikeBruno at (630) 783-2220.
Welcome Guests and Visitors. . . We’re so glad that you’re here and invite you to join us in thanksgiving for God’s action in our lives. Our goal is to provide a spiritual home where all are welcome, where the healing, reconciling, liberating love of God flows through us to all people. In this way, we believe that the Church is the sacrament of God’s saving presence in the world.
“Please come to Mass early enough not to disrupt.
Leave late enough not to insult (the Mass does not end until the final blessing). Worship reverently enough not to distract.
Dress proudly enough not to offend.”
SOLEMNITY OF MARY
January 1st is the Solemnity of Mary and a Holy Day. Mass will be held on:
Thursday, December 31st at 4:00pm at St. Alphonsus Church and Friday, January 1st at 9:00am at St. Patrick Church.
Reservations are required and can be made on our website or by calling the Parish Office.
The Parish Office will be
closed on Friday,
January 1st.
We will reopen on Monday,
January 4th at 8:00am.
Have a safe and joyous New
Religious Education Update
Kevin Cody, DRE, 630-257-2371, [email protected], www.st-als.org/rel-edu STUDENT SESSIONS RESUME THE WEEK OF JAN. 4TH
8th Grade on 1/4 at 7:30pm Grades PS-7 on 1/6 at 6:30pm
FIRST RECONCILIATION DATE First Reconciliation
Saturday, January 23rd at 10:00am and 12:30pm. More details to follow. DECEMBER VIRTUAL PARENT SESSION
Thank you to the nearly 100 parents and catechist facilitators who participated in our December Parent Session last night. In looking at the Readings & The Annunciation for this weekend, we shared in small groups how we listen to God's voice, and how we can help our children to hear God's voice. Some hear God's voice in silent prayer, in Scripture, in Creation, by living in the present with increased awareness of signs and actions in our lives...even through the death of loved ones. It was acknowledged that listening is not always easy; that it may take time & practice.
Some shared that it requires trusting that we are not alone, and in that trust to let go and surrender control to God. One of our catechists, Candy Hamilton, recommended this Surrender Prayer as a powerful means to practice letting go and letting God in. They are short prayers over the course of 9 days. May they enrich your New Year so you can better hear God's voice. https://surrenderprayer.weebly.com/
CELEBRATING THE NATIVITY AROUND THE WORLD
The Epiphany will be celebrated on the day that our student sessions start up on January 6th. The Wisemen who come to pay homage to Jesus are very much part of the Nativity scene found at our church, in our homes, and all around the world. We may each have our own traditions with the Nativity. Here are a few traditions from other countries… In Latin countries such as Mexico and Guatemala, families remember the Nativity story with a celebration called Las Posadas. It takes place over the nine nights before
Christmas, representing the nine months when Mary was expecting Baby Jesus.
The festivities include prayer, Christmas carols and re-enactments of Mary and Joseph’s search for a posada — a hotel or inn.
After the French Revolution ended in 1799, the creators of Nativity sets in France began to add ordinary people to the scenes, including bakers, farmers and carpenters. They wanted to help everyone picture themselves receiving the Christ Child.
It had been a tradition in families growing up in New England to have Mince Pie on
Christmas. I didn’t know why. Perhaps the tradition came from England… Before the 1600s in England, families baked a mince pie in the shape of a manger, and Baby Jesus was placed on the pie until dinnertime. This is why mincemeat pies are often a part of Christmas celebrations today.
Let’s Fill the Shelves… Food Pantry Update
Thank you for your continued support of our local food pantries. During these difficult times, their need is greater than normal. We ask
that you continue to donate any items that you can. You may bring your items to the church on the weekends. Both church locations have bins available. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you may mailyour donations to: Bethany Lutheran Church, 500 Lemont St., Lemont or to United Methodist Church, 25 W Custer St., Lemont. Any monetary food pantry donations received at the Parish Office will be forwarded to these pantries.
Your kindness and generosity are much appreciated.
Weekly Offering
St. Alphonsus December 12-December 13 Week’s Need $ 12,869.00 Sunday Collection $ 7,357.00 EFT $ 7,911.12 Online Giving $ 1,370.00 Surplus (Deficit) $ (84,313.86) Fiscal Year to Date
Surplus (Deficit) $ 3,769.12 St. Patrick December 13
Sunday Collection $ 1,554.00 Online Giving $ 355.00 EFT $
Due to an early bulletin deadline, figures were not available for December 19-20 and will be
published next week.
While Mass options are limited, you can donate online at st-als.org or
StPatrickLemont.org, sign up for EFT or drop off or mail your donation to the Parish Office at 210 E. Logan St.,
Lemont, IL 60439
Electronic Funds Transfer Request Form Name:___________________________________ Address:_________________________________ City/Zip:_________________________________ Phone :_________________ Envelope # ___________
Maybe now is the time to consider Electronic Fund Transfer!
Electronic Fund Transfer, (EFT), is the process of automatically having your contribution offering
transferred from your checking or saving account to St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Parish.
You no longer have to write a check or remember your envelope. It also provides automated record keeping. Your offering arrives even if you are not able to attend Mass. It helps the Parish to plan and budget especially during these challenging times.
To sign up for EFT, you may call the Office to have an EFT form mailed to you, you may complete the Request form below or you may save time and print the form found on our website. Once completed the form may be returned by mail, dropped in the Sunday collection or brought to the Parish Office. If your financial situation changes, you may change or stop your payment at any time. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Parish office at 630-257-2414.
Bethany Lutheran Church 500 Lemont St. Lemont, IL 60439
Dear St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Parishioners, Thank you for your donation of food and the
$140.00 monetary gift to the Open Pantry at Bethany Lutheran Church.
Your contribution will help us provide
non-perishable food as well as gift cards to our clients. Your generosity helps our clients provide meals for their family during this holiday season. We are grateful for your continued support of the Open Pantry.
The World Day of Peace is a feast day of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to universal peace, held on January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.
Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: "Never again war!"; "With war everything is lost". Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.
Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.
Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words "division", "hatred" and "war" be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother", and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen
Mass requests for 2021 are now available!
A Mass is a wonderful way to remember someone who has passed away, to receive healing prayers for someone who may be sick or in need of help, or to celebrate special dates like birthdays or anniversaries. The donation for a Mass intention is $10.00. In addition to the Sunday morning Masses,
requests can also be made for the 7:30 am morning daily Masses. For more information, call the Parish Office at 630-257-2414.
Do we have your current
contact
information?
At the beginning of the Covid-19
pandemic, Fr. Brian and the staffs from St. Alphonsus and St. Patrick Parish reached out to
our registered parishioners to see how they were doing. While Masses were suspended it felt good to
still feel connected to our parish community and each other. Many of the parishioners were so grateful for the call. Unfortunately, we did not reach everyone because their phone numbers had changed.
If you have updated your phone, disconnected the land line, moved recently, or would like to share an
email address, please contact the Parish Office at 630-257-2414 or email us
at [email protected]. Please be assured that your information is not
shared.
It will help us to keep you informed regarding any parish news.
If you are not registered, but would like to join St. Alphonsus and St. Patrick Parish, it is very simple. You can go to our web page, www.st-als.org, look under “About” and then select “Parish Registration”. You can then fill out the needed information. You can also come into the office and fill out a registration form or call and a form can be mailed to
you. A registered parishioner receives all parish mailings.
Being a registered parishioner makes the process much easier when it is time for infant baptism, school registration, weddings, or when asked to be a baptismal or confirmation sponsor.
“TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN.”
“A Time to be Born through Baptism” —
“A Time to Love in Holy Matrimony” —
“A Time to Heal” — Names will remain on the prayer list for two months.
Please contact the office if you need to change, add, or extend a prayer request.
“A Time of War” —
“A Time to Die” —
The military and innocent civilians who have died in war. Please keep all these listed, and their families, in your prayers.
Jordan Skrobot Gerry Malak Gene Malak Brayden Edward Pat Perkey Sharon Oskielunas Norman Kwak Joe Martorano Ralph Shroyer Ed Schafer Peggy Kelly Joe Gress Sharon Pociask Eva Levas Kim Martin Bev Malak Roger Malak Rick Theodore Linda Malak Gene & Dolly Callahan Joanie Riordan Fr. Blasco Fonseca Katherine Malhas Bob Malak Greg Hoger Jessica LaRoi Aldona Grinius Jean Skopas Cynthia Witschorik Eleanor Evavold
Scott Bosco, USA, Kuwait Christopher Durkovic, USA, Korea Joshua Plucinski, US Air Force, Germany Abraham Moore, US Navy
Jacob Christine, US Navy, Andrew J. Bosko, Jr., USN, with the Green Berets in Eric Tucker, USA, Afghanistan United Arab Emirates
ATAR Bradley Komes Zachary F. Eriksen Capt. Daniel J Falvey PFC Nick Kelliher SSgt. John Kenney Warren Miller
Capt. Brittany Neubeck Chad Peters Maj. Leslie Rafferty Ryan Rudman Patrick Schubert Mark Williams, II Sergeant Jonathan Farmer, US Army - Africa
READINGS FOR THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
A reading from the Book of Sirach Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother. My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins- a house raised in justice to you.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (1) R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
Brothers and sisters: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age --and Sarah herself was sterile-- for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Lk 2:22, 39-40
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him
Saturday, December 26 4:00pm Bernard Kucharski – Wife Stephen Nevell – Mary Nevell Ted Bernaski – Wife
Danny Chiaramonte – Pat & Jim Browne
Sunday, December 27 7:30am Bob Michalek – Family
Rozina Vucko – Becky & Joe Vucko Parishioners of St. Alphonsus &
St. Patrick Parish 9:00am Rose Yates – Family
Wladyslaw Czubiak – McGuire Family Angie Quiroz – Fr. Kurt Boras
Marilyn Mason – Emily & Matthew Hennebry & family 11:00am Jerry Noga – Wife
Katherine Wozniak
– Donna & Nick Schmit Nancy Liptak – Donna & Nick Schmit Trudy Hunter & Mary Rita Siefert – Syneta Olson Monday, December 28
7:30am Bob Schmitz – Bev & Paul Malak Tuesday, December 29 7:30am Ted Bernaski – Wife Wednesday, December 30
7:30am Stanley Bromberek – Bev & Paul Malak Fran Urban – St. Alphonsus
& St. Patrick Parish Fran Berst – Family
Thursday, December 31 7:30am Parishioners of St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Parish 4:00pm Parishioners of St. Alphonsus &
St. Patrick Parish Friday, January 1
9:00am Parishioners of St. Alphonsus &
St. Patrick Parish
Mass Intentions
Saturday, Janaury 2 4:00pm Ron Dominick – Wife Henry Domanski – Family Jim Schafer - Pat & Ed Schafer
Sunday, January 3
7:30am Fran Berst – Bev & Paul Malak
9:00am Sr. Peg Ivers – Fr. Richard Shannon Bob Michalek - Hayes Family
Angie Quiroz – Bonnie, Kathy, Michelene, & Sharon 11:00am Lois Horcher-Wohead - Jacki Chiaramonte Bill Wisnasky – Fr. Brian Ardagh
Dan Chiaramonte – Bev & Paul Malak Carrie Bellair – Dan Bellair
St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Parish Bulletin is a weekly publication of St. Alphonsus & St. Patrick Catholic Community of Lemont, Illinois. All rights reserved. Printing by J. S. Paluch Co., Inc., Schiller Park, Illinois.
Morning Daily Mass
Monday – Friday at
7:30am
Mass will be held at
St. Alphonsus Church
for the month of December.
Beginning Monday, January 4th Mass will be held at St. Patrick Church
Reservations are not required, but names and contact information will be taken. All other
guidelines will be followed.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered during the week by appointment only.
There is no designated time before the weekend Masses, as it was in the past.
If you would like to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, please call the Parish Office and one of our priests will be more
than willing to meet with you.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7b-8: Mt:13-18 Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Wednesday: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40 Thursday: 1 Jn 2:18-21; Ps 96:1-2, 11-13; Jn 1:1-18 Friday: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12
