My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I pray you had a Blessed Thanksgiving with your family. Last weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King, marking the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. This weekend we begin a new Liturgical Year starting with Advent. Advent is a time of waiting in preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day and the preparation of Jesus’ second coming. The first part of Advent is the preparation of Jesus’ second coming. The second part of Advent begins on December 17 where we prepare for Jesus’ birth in the manger.
Here in our churches, we have an Advent wreath which is adorned with four candles, three purple and one pink. They represent hope, peace, joy and love. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent called Gaudete Sunday which means rejoice. The circular shape of the Advent wreath symbolizes God’s infinite love for us. As we enter this season of Advent, we are invited to pray for a holy longing – that we can have a deeper relationship with God. How do we open up our lives in a way that allows Jesus to be part of our lives?
Mary Our Queen was recently awarded a matching grant of up to $200,000 through the Lavigne Foundation and the Archdiocese of Omaha that is focused on campus improvements and security. This matching grant (up to $200,000) will help fund security software, door and access-control upgrades, communication system improvements between the Parish Office and School, and boiler replacement. If you are able to contribute towards obtaining this matching grant, kindly contact the Parish Office.
Thank you to all who have donated to our food pantry at St John Vianney. I am grateful for the work done in supporting those in need from our community. Our Church has always had a preferential option for the poor. Through the proceeds from our Casino Night and BBQ Competition at St John Vianney and proceeds from the Garage Sale at Mary Our Queen, we are able to support the less fortunate in our community. As the need is greater than ever, beginning the month of November, there is a second collection on the first Sunday of each month at our Family of Parishes that not only supports our Outreach and Human Needs Programs but also our Food Pantry. The funds raised will support the Outreach Program at St John Vianney and the Human Needs Program at Mary Our Queen. Thank you for your support.
We are in the midst of reorganizing our Outreach Program so that we continue to support those in need in our community. Deacon Chris will be assuming this role, but for the time being until everything is processed, Mary Parizek who leads our Human Needs Program at Mary Our Queen will help in assisting those in need.
We have adopted a new software – Ministry Scheduler Pro- to help coordinate the scheduling for Lectors, EMHCs, Ushers and Sacristans for our Family of Parishes. This will also provide the opportunity for anyone to volunteer at both our Parishes. You are able to log on through your computer or from your phone app to indicate your scheduling preferences or when you need to request a sub. The software provides automatic reminders and makes volunteering easy for everyone. If you would like to be a Lector, EMHC, Usher or Sacristan at our Family of Parishes, kindly contact Deacon Chris at SJV or Renee at MOQ.
As I am writing this bulletin a little earlier, I had my surgery on my ankle on the 18th and am recovering from the surgery. I will need to take a few weeks off to recover but in the meantime, if there is anything that needs my attention, kindly contact the Parish Office.
Blessed week ahead, Fr Marc
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