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2023 Fishers of Men Advent Program

2023 Fishers of Men Advent Program

Calling men of all ages!  Join the SMI Fishers of Men ministry for a 2023 Advent program.  Program details:

  • 7:00AM – 8:30AM on Saturday 12/2/2023 – Saturday 12/23/2023
  • Stewardship Room (upstairs by Cana Hall)
  • Opening remarks | 15 min video presentation | Small group discussion | Prayer & fellowship

Advent is a special season for the Church — it is the time when the world prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ. Often, we get so caught up in our preparations that we lose sight of the point of the season, and we find ourselves no more transformed on Christmas Day than we were at the start of Advent.

Rejoice! is an Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture featuring videos from Fr. Mark Toups and other clergy. We will explore the Sunday Mass readings through a weekly video, small group reflection and prayer. 

Join us for this four-week series during Advent to help you prepare for Christ’s coming along with fellow men at St. Mary’s.  Don’t wait for New Years!  Advent is a great time to “restart” our commitment to our faith with the beginning of the church year. 

SMI Fishers of Men is a group of men seeking to be better husbands, fathers, sons, leaders and followers of Christ through study of scripture, service, fellowship and spreading God’s word.

Questions: Tom Ketelhut | 815-878-9717 | tomketelhut@gmail.com

Image copyright CC BY 4.0 DEED
Original image by Unreal

National Night of Prayer for Life

Thursday, December 7th

8pm in the church

Please pray with us on December 7th at 8 pm, before the Blessed Sacrament after the 7 pm Mass in Church. We will pray in Adoration with Benediction, the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, other prayers, silent adoration, and hymns. This bilingual prayer service (Spanish/English) honors Our Blessed Mother.

On the feast of the Immaculate Conception (then celebrated on December 9th) in 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the unborn, first appeared to St. Juan Diego. This prayer service bridges these two feasts to honor Our Blessed Mother (The Immaculate Conception and her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe to St Juan Diego) and to pray for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.

Simbang Gabi

SIMBANG GABI, meaning “Night Mass”, is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practiced by Catholics in the Philippines in anticipation of Christmas. Its history dates back to 1669 during the early days of Christianity in the Philippines. The Novena Masses are held in the early mornings (typically at 4am) as a compromise for farmers, who began work before sunrise to avoid the midday heat. This treasured tradition has an important role in Philippine culture and symbolizes sharing and community.

ST. MARY IMMACULATE will host the 5th night of Simbang Gabi on Monday, December 18 at 7:30pm in the Church. All parishioners are invited and welcome! Fellowship with free food will immediately follow in the gym. Mark your calendars and join us for this joyful celebration as we wait for the coming of our Savior’s birth.

Please contact Carlyn Tran (708)227-6248 or carlyn.siwa@gmail.com from the Filipino Ministry for any questions or to volunteer! We are in need of volunteers of all ages during the Simbang Gabi Mass and fellowship in the gym. Thank you for your consideration!

Advent & Christmas Mass Schedule

Friday, December 8th – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Holyday of Obligation)

  • 6:30 a.m. English (Church)
  • 9:00 a.m. English (Church) – live streamed
  • 12:00 p.m. English (Church)
  • 5:00 p.m. Polish (Church)
  • 7:00 p.m. English (Church)
  • 7:00 p.m. Spanish (Cana Hall)

Sunday, December 24th – 4th Sunday of Advent (does NOT count toward the Christmas Holyday of Obligation)

  • 7:30 a.m. English (Church)
  • 9:00 a.m. English (Church) – live streamed
  • 9:00 a.m. Polish (Cana Hall)
  • 10:45 p.m. English (Gym)
  • 11:00 a.m. Spanish (Cana Hall)

 * No 12:15pm Mass

Sunday, December 24th, – Christmas Eve (counts for Christmas’ Holyday of Obligation)

  • 3:30 p.m. English (Church)
  • 3:45 p.m. English (Gym)
  • 6:00 p.m. English (Church)
  • 9:00 p.m. Polish (Church)
  • 11:00 p.m. English (Church) – live streamed

Monday, December 25th – Christmas Day (Holyday of Obligation)

  • 7:30 a.m. English (Church)
  • 9:00 a.m  English (Church) – live streamed
  • 9:00 a.m  Polish (Cana Hall)
  • 10:45 a.m  English (Church)
  • 11:00 a.m. Spanish (Gym)
  • 12:15 p.m. English (Church)
  • 12:30 p.m. Spanish (Gym) 

Sunday, December 31st

  • Regular Sunday Mass schedule

Monday, January 1st, 2024 – Mary, the Mother of God (not a Holyday of Obligation this year)

  • 9:00 a.m. English (Church) – livestreamed
  • 9:00 a.m. Polish (Cana Hall)
  • 11:00 a.m. English (Church)
  • 11:00 a.m. Spanish (Cana Hall)

Confession:

Scheduled every Saturday in Church at 2:30 pm – no Confessions on Saturday, Dec. 23 or Saturday, Dec. 30.
Confessionpalooza will be on Sunday, Dec. 17 from 1:30 p.m. until all in line are heard.

Parish Office Closing

The parish offices will be closed starting at Noon on Dec. 22nd and then will not reopen until the morning of Jan. 3rd.

Opłatki Christmas Wafers Available in Commons

Opłatki, meaning “holy bread,” are large, thin, rectangular wafers which are embossed with figures of the Christ Child or other Nativity scenes. The breaking of the Christmas wafer is a custom that began in Poland in the 10th century.

Traditionally, on Christmas Eve, it is shared by family members and friends who offer each other good wishes and blessings.

A limited amount of blessed Opłatki are available at the Commons Reception Desk. Donations are always appreciated. 

Art & Environment Volunteers Needed

Our Art and Environment Ministry is responsible for setting our church environment each liturgical season to help make St. Mary Immaculate a beautiful place to worship.  While we need the most help during Christmas and Easter, our ministry also adjusts the décor in Church and Cana Hall for Holy Days and seasonal changes throughout the year.

This year, our switch over from Advent to Christmas will need to happen between Masses on December 24, so we are especially in need of help for this holiday.     

If you’d like to be a part of the team that contributes to the beauty of our worship space, please contact Rosemary Tack at 630-927-7673, for more information.

SMI School Butter Braid & Cookie Dough Fundraiser

CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOON. ENJOY EASY TO MAKE DELICIOUS TREATS.

ORDER DATES: Nov. 29 to Dec. 6

Online orders website: tinyurl.com/SMITreats

Paper copy available at the commons desk or school office and must be returned by 2:45 PM on Dec. 6 to the Commons or School Office.

Online available through Dec.6th

PICK-UP DATE: Dec. 14 from 3 to 5 PM

Items are frozen and must be picked up this day.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

CCW Happenings

At our November meeting we were delighted to have some of the fifth graders read us their reports on a saint they chose to write about for a class project. They did a wonderful job in presenting and the ladies thoroughly enjoyed their “Saintly Presence!”

We proceeded with the business portion of the meeting, then had some desserts and filled out Christmas Cards for prisoners. Detective Chris Allen from the Plainfield Police Department came to the later part of our meeting and told us about different types of scams to be aware of and possible ways to avoid them. He took questions and had a handout on what to do if you do get scammed.

Our next meeting in 2024 will be Thursday, February 1st!

For additional information or questions – contact Grace Blaszak at gblaszak@sbcglobal.net or 815-254-7078

Giving Tree 2023

Adopt a family or individual(s) to bless this Christmas!
Please visit our table on the weekends of Nov. 4/5, 11/12 and 18/19
In The Commons


Return your wrapped gift(s) – unless your tag specifies not to wrap – on Nov. 25/ 26 and Dec. 2/3
To the Commons
Saturdays (11/25 &12/2)
3:00 PM until 5:30 PM
Sundays (11/26 &12/3)
7:00 AM until 1:30 PM

Ways you can support our ministry:

  • Purchase gifts for a family or individual(s) in need
  • Bring your monetary donation in your Giving Tree envelope to Mass and place it in the collection basket
  • Donate new gift items (unused/unopened) to fill where needed.

Want to volunteer?

Check to see what shifts might still be open at smip.org/GivingTree or inquire at our table for other opportunities to assist.

Other questions?
Call Robin Contreras (815)814-8457


Can’t bring your gifts to either of the designated drop-off weekends? Then we must have your gifts preceding either of the weekends they are due.

Call Robin Contreras
815-814-8457