Christmas Mass Servers: (only listed names available at time of early bulletin deadline) 4:30 Emma Jones, Aiden & Isaac Positano 6:30 A.J. and Alex Britt, Isabel Peron 8:30 Derek Morgan, Logan Ostrowski, Heidi Forgach 12:00 Caroline Fawcett, Christian and Catherine Jaskulski 9:30 3 to be fi lled 11:30 Jack Kasprzak, 2 to be fi lled
We will have a Parish celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Rite of Penance) on Tuesday evening, December 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the Church, it will include Advent Vespers, and all are invited to attend. The cry of the prophet to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3) echoes throughout the season of Advent. Our Church has long used this mantra as a call to the faithful to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance as a preparation for Christmas. Our spiritual preparation is to remove any sin from our hearts so that we might be ready to accept Christ’s presence worthily, and His gift of peace.
This weekend, December 15, 16th is sign-up weekend for Joseph Meals after all Masses for anyone interested in helping with our monthly parish food donation to the Helping Hands of Saint Louis Soup Kitchen. Tables will be in the back and front of church with lists of various items that are needed. Please signup to make a pasta dish or to provide other foods or supplies. The drop-off point for these items will be at the East Campus, off of Ravine Drive on Wednesday morning, December 19th between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. If you would like to help but can’t make this time frame, please contact Larry or Deb Gaster at 419-466- 4885 or 419-460-7386. If you would like to contribute to this outreach program, please make your check payable to Saint Joseph Social Outreach. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
You’re invited to a free performance of the Cathedral Concert Series on Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. Join us for Christmas Carol Sing featuring The Cathedral Choir with Paul Monachino, director. Sing favorite Christmas carols in Rosary Cathedral accompanied by the historic E. M. Skinner organ, choir, strings, and brass.
Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that explore the basics of the Christian faith. The Alpha Youth Series is designed to engage youth in conversations about life, faith, and meaning. Saint Joseph Sylvania Parish is looking for adult facilitators to build a team to lead Alpha Youth during Lent of 2019! This session of Alpha Youth is for Parish Youth ages 13- 16. If you are an adult interested in helping to run this program, please contact Rachael in Youth Formation at 419-885-2181 or email rhunyor@ stjoesylvania.org
Saint Luke’s Deanery Penance Services during Advent Monday, December 17, at 7:00 p.m. – Saint Louis, Custard, Ohio Tuesday, December 18, at 7:00 p.m. — Saint Joseph, Sylvania Wednesday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m. — Holy Trinity, Assumption, Ohio Sunday, December 23, Noon-5:00 p.m. – Holy Trinity Assumption, Ohio Day of Grace Every Saturday, 3:00 p.m., Saint Joseph, Sylvania
Memory Tree The Christmas Memory Tree is once again outside the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Please feel free to add the name of your loved one who has passed on to God’s Kingdom to a paper ornament and hang it on the tree. They will be remembered by all throughout the Christmas Season. You may take the ornament home to hang on your tree at any time, if you wish. Volunteer Needed The “Memory Tree,” displayed throughout Advent and the Christmas season, is a custom we have had for years at our parish. It is a way to remember and pray for our loved ones who have died. It does not require a great deal of time or maintenance. We are looking for someone who would be interested in taking it over for next year; please contact the parish offi ce or call Kathy Faist at 419-882-8575 with any questions.
Saint Joseph Christmas Ministry Adopt a Family Thank you, God, for all the Parishioners of Saint Joseph Parish!! Together we provided a beautiful Christmas to 142 families or 538 individual men, women and children. I’m so grateful to meet you and witness the love of Christ in each one of you working together within our parish community. Your kindness, generosity and love shines through to bring Hope to our sisters and brothers in Christ. You’re a wonderful example of the true spirit of Christmas! God bless the over 130 volunteers who adopted and/ or helped wrap, deliver, donate or shopped for gifts. We couldn’t do this without God working in all of you! Merry Christmas to you all! Laurie Foster and Sue Jurski, Co-Chairs, Christmas Outreach
Is your marriage going down the right road or is it a little off track? Life can be diffi cult, and so can the challenges you face in marriage. Does the distance between you seem wide? Are you already separated? Looking for a better way? Retrouvaille can help and off ers hope for a better relationship. Retrouvaille is a peer ministry of volunteer couples that can help you learn the tools of healthy communication, build intimacy and heal, just as they have done in their own marriages. Retrouvaille is Christian-based, and Catholic in origin, but welcomes couples of all faiths as well as nonreligious couples. Retrouvaille can help get your relationship back on track. For more information about our January 25- 27 Retrouvaille Weekend program for couples, contact registration team: Robin & Jeff at 419-481-1116 or visit our website: HelpOurMarriage.com.
Bible Study: While the men of the Old Testament often garner the most attention, the women of the Old Testament become all the more worthy of our interest because we have to dig deeper to recover their special contribution to the annals of faith. Their stories are all the more remarkable in that they arise from historical eras that crimped their options in infl uencing or changing the fl ow of history. The women of this study have been bold and decisive, also meek and faithful, but they were compelled to act in ways that brought about change. God’s saving deeds often came through the mind and will of amazing women. Join us for this 10-week Bible Study that will be off ered on Tuesday evenings (7:00-8:30 p.m.) and Wednesday mornings (9:30-11:00 a.m.) beginning January 8/9 in the East Campus meeting rooms. The cost for the study guide is $15 and payment may be made at the fi rst session, when the book is distributed. For more information or to register for the study, contact Joanne Denyer at jdenyer@stjoesylvania.org or call the Parish Offi ce at 419-885-5791.
Walk through the Liturgy of the Mass with Bishop Barron and you’ll be transformed through insights on this most privileged and intimate encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. See how the Mass brings us out of the fallen world and into the heavenly realm, how it resonates with a call from God and a response from His people, the Church, and, most importantly, how we are intimately joined with the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus through the Holy Eucharist. The Mass will help you understand how to fully, consciously, and actively participate in the source and summit of the Christian life. This six-week series will be led by Father Hudgin and held on Tuesday afternoons (12:30 to 2:00 p.m.) and Thursday evenings (6:30 to 8:00 p.m.), beginning January 8th and 10th respectively, in the East Campus Meeting Rooms and Family Center. The sessions will conclude on February 12 and 14. Please register by January 2nd by calling the Parish Office at 419-885-5791, or email at jdenyer@stjoesylvania.org. We hope you will consider participating in this new program by Bishop Robert Barron, The Mass.
