2 L thro Av u • Riv r For st, Illi ois • www.stluk rish.org D c b r 1 , 201 • Thir un ay v nt t d y t e urc terrupt ur Adve t f cere repe t ce t re der t v d d ur d t t t e re d ( d t e e t er) t c ue be yful te t d prep r c f de t t t t e O e e t t d “t d” e t ly e r but ere t u dde e re l e fr er l x u ly f r t e prec u fru t f t e e rt t t t c t be urr ed re rdle f pre e t u er d de re e re t fr e t f revel t f f t u t fy cl r ty, rede pt ve re e ce te e t e e u t be p te t fr er t e “ e t e” et e rd u c ld, b rre , e pty d y e pl re de d r d e t prec u fe t ur ur expect t f et dr u t c e u e y ur prec u “ e t e” y t e urc , t yfully t e ld f t fr le u ver e t y rd br e rld p t e tly tre te d t t re feeble e f r ee t t re e feed t e u ry, c re f r t e vul er ble be p te t d re ce f r He t d t u e c t d cer e t yfully f r t e d y e pre e ce reve led d ll ll be ell pr ed ~E. . Jee R oi in th Lord lw y ! Aga I a , r j . I , th Lr ar. ~ ili ian 4 4-5
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5 2 8 L a t h r o p A v e n u e • R i v e r F o r e s t , I l l i n o i s • w w w . s t l u k e p a r i s h . o r g
D e c e m b e r 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 • T h i r d S u n d a y o f A d v e n t
today the Church interrupts
our Advent of sincere repentance
with a reminder to avoid dour shadows
that the readings (and the weather) might cause
be joyful in the waiting and preparing
confident that the One whom we await is at hand
“at hand” means not only near but here
though hidden
we are like a farmer looking anxiously
for the precious fruit of the earth
knowing that it cannot be hurried
regardless of present hunger and desire
we are waiting for a moment of revelation
of faith!justifying clarity, redemptive Presence
in the meantime we must be patient as farmers
the “meantime” is sometimes hard on us
cold, barren, empty days
when plans are made and work is done
with precious few signs to nourish
our expectation of something wondrous to come
use your precious “meantime” says the Church,
to joyfully take hold of this fragile universe
this wayward broken world
patiently strengthen hands that are feeble
make firm knees that are weak
feed the hungry, care for the vulnerable
be patient and rejoice for He is at hand
though we cannot discern him
we wait joyfully for the day when his presence
is revealed and all will be well
as promised
~E.M. Jeep
Rejoice in the Lord always!
Again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.
~Philippians 4:4-5
MASS INTENTIONS
Monday, December 16
6:30 am † Diane Dispensa
8:30 am † William F. Bauer
Tuesday, December 17
6:30 am † Deceased Members of the Anderson and Froelich Families
8:30 am † Kevin Houlihan
Wednesday, December 18
6:30 am † Loretta Szmyd
8:30 am Living and Deceased Members of the Maroon and
Reisinger Families
Thursday, December 19
6:30 am † Rosemary Muldoon
8:30 am † Lucille Bauer
Friday, December 20
6:30 am † Nick Perisin
8:30 am † Jimmy Dooley
Saturday, December 21 - St. Peter Canisius
8:30 am For an end to abortion and infanticide
5:00 pm † James T. Brennan; Robert Coleman; Emilia Cima;
Maria Zurita and Maria Arambula
Sunday, December 22
7:30 am † Dr. Robert Muldoon
9:00 am † Kathryn Ann Froelich
11:00 am The People of St. Luke Parish
MINISTERS OF THE LITURGY
Monday-Friday, December 16-20
8:30 am Servers D Devereux, A Vazquez
Saturday, December 21
5:00 pm Servers M Bartalis, R Gleason, E O’Neill
Lector Y Hafner
Euch Min J Bresnahan, C Madden, J Megall,
B Peterson, H Peterson, M Peterson, D Piper
Ushers C Cox, J Morrissey, R Nixon, 1 Needed
Sunday, December 22
7:30 am Servers S Leonardi, A Perry, A Vazquez
Lector T Roche
Euch Min K Heiss, J Sullivan, M Sullivan
Ushers B Hickman, J Langton, C Maroon, M Oller
9:00 am Servers E Nash, M Scelfo, J Watts
Lector L Binder
Euch Min P Muldoon, A Ramirez, C Saunders,
S Scelfo, H Slowik, J Winikates, L Winikates
Ushers B Aquilino, L Driscoll, P Driscoll, J Nowicki
11:00 am Servers M Carr, A Iammartino, L Phelan
Lector S Price
Euch Min L Amison, J Baier, B Elwood, B Huerta,
D Kurtenbach, B Stumbris, J Stumbris
Ushers P Carr, K Frank, J McInerney,
K Slepicka, E Wolinski
2
WELCOME TO ST. LUKE • River Forest, IL
On this joyful Third Sunday of Advent
— Gaudete Sunday — we focus on the
joy of anticipating the Lord’s presence
in our lives. We are encouraged to
invite, welcome, and celebrate.
The Invitation
Start reaching out now in anticipation of Christmas Day
to family, friends, and neighbors and welcome them
home. Make plans to spiritually worship Christ our Savior
together with your parish family. Prepare yourself
through regular daily prayer and the sacraments!
Although we are not having an Advent Reconciliation
Service, regularly scheduled confessions are heard
every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday morning after
weekday Mass, and an added opportunity will be
available Tuesday, December 24, after morning Mass.
Make special note of this year’s holy day Mass schedule.
Remember there are only two Masses on Christmas Day
— at 9:00 and 11:00 am. Plan to be with us!
The Welcome
This is the first Christmas to be
spent in our newly painted and
cleaned church. With the extra
people expected at our
celebrations, there are still
opportunities to assist with
greeting, hospitality, and ushering.
Additionally, our parish can use
your help with the decorating on
Christmas Eve morning. Much has
to happen in order to make ready our sanctuary and
church interior so we can joyfully celebrate together.
Don’t forget to reach out to those seniors or others you
know who might need assistance to join us. What a great
act of charity it is to brighten someone’s Christmas by
bringing them to Mass so they, too, can pray and sing to
the Lord. We have a wonderful accessible section at the
front of church to accommodate those with walkers or
transport chairs. Encourage your loved ones to use these
special seats and make the experience as easy as
possible for them — we will bring Holy Communion to
anyone sitting in these designated areas.
The Celebration
Finally, we cannot have a celebration without the
generous service of so many. A special pre-thank you to
all who assist by decorating the interior and exterior of
our church, by serving in a liturgical ministry, or with our
music ministry. In appreciation to you all!
~Fr. Szmyd
FROM THE PASTOR
3
DECEMBER 15, 2019 • Third Sunday of Advent
This year we elevated the Advent Wreath to a place
of honor next to the pulpit so all can see it better.
Many thanks to all of the families who have volun-
teered to light the candles before each Mass.
Remember that we light the rose-colored candle on
what’s traditionally been called Gaudete Sunday,
a name taken from the Latin word for “Rejoice.” It’s
a sign that the time for our Lord’s coming is near.
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First Reconciliation While Advent is very different from Lent in its
penitential tone, this still is a time when we want
to partake of the Sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation to ready our hearts and minds
for the joyous celebration of our Lord’s birth.
Second graders in St. Luke School and St. Luke’s
Religious Education Program received the
sacrament for the first time last Saturday right
after they completed a retreat with their parents
(shown at left). Please continue to pray for all of
the children who will receive their First Eucharist
next April, as well as the 8
th
graders who will be
confirmed in March.
ADVENT 2019
4
WELCOME TO ST. LUKE • River Forest, IL
Holiday Bulletin Deadlines Please note there are two early deadlines for bulletin
submissions this week due to the holiday season:
December 29 bulletin
(covers events from December 30-January 5)
due tomorrow Monday, December 16, by 9:00 am
January 5 bulletin
(covers events from January 6-12)
due by this Wednesday, December 18, by 9:00 am
Brown Bag Groceries Needed It’s the third Monday of the month tomorrow, and our
7th graders are hoping some more volunteers can help
them with some grocery items for their Brown Bag
Project.
As part of their Mercy Year preparation for Con-
firmation, the students are packing 150 “lunches” for
the Fraternité Sisters of Notre Dame to hand out to
Chicago’s homeless on the first and third Mondays of
each month.
What’s typically needed? A jar of mayonnaise, 600
slides of sandwich bread, 150 slices of cheese and deli
meat, 50 desserts, and, of course, 150 luncheon bags.
You can learn more about this project, and exactly
what supplies are needed now for tomorrow’s brown
bag day, by going to our Signup Genius page at
https://tinyurl.com/lukebrownbags.
The grocery items can be dropped off during Religious
Education classes in St. Luke School on Sunday morning
between 10:00-11:00 am or at the Religious Education
Office on Monday by 3:00 pm.
An adult volunteer also is needed each lunch day to
deliver the bags to the sisters by 5:30 pm at 502 N.
Central in Chicago.�
Thank You for Your Support! Thank you to all our wonderful
parishioners for your gracious
support of the St. Luke Respect
Life Wreath Sale last weekend.
Your overwhelming support of
this Culture of Life event assists
many life-giving programs in our community!
Thank you, and may God bless you and your family
with much joy during the holidays!
All donations for our parish
Giving Tree must be under
the tree by the end of the
11:00 Mass today (Sunday)
so our Peace and Justice
Committee can collect and
deliver them to Housing Forward (PADS) in time to
hand them out to the homeless seeking shelter this
Christmas.
If shopping is not your thing, St. Luke’s Peace and Justice
Committee also is collecting cash/check donations for
Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Program. The
archdiocesan agency has been helping newly arrived
refugees from all parts of the world find housing and
employment opportunities and transition into new life in
our city. However, cutbacks in federal funding have
seriously hurt this program’s services.
Look for the collection box next to the Giving Tree
and help make sure that our Church can do everything
possible to make a new home for these individuals and
families in our community.
Today, December 15, is the last class in 2019 for
our 2nd grade Sunday Religious Education Session.
Classes will resume Sunday, January 12.
Wednesday afternoon and evening sessions will
meet this Wednesday, December 18, and then break
for the holidays. Those sessions will resume on
January 8.
Confirmation Saint Reports can still be turned in as
soon as possible to school or re office. A letter to
Bishop Rojas (with picture) requesting Confirmation is
due this Wednesday, December 18, to the school or
Religious Education office.
Home Catechesis families are asked to look for the
Bible presentation from our last family gathering.
You should receive this in your email.
Looking ahead, Sunday, January 12, will kick off
Celebrate Religious Education Week. Parents are
invited to attend the Religious Education session with
their child that week, and everyone is invited to
Waldron Hall after all of the Masses for a special
activity display and light refreshments.
Did you remember Your Gift for the Giving Tree?
5
DECEMBER 15, 2019 • Third Sunday of Advent
SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of December 16-22
Mon: Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a/Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 [4]/
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