December is a busy month at Sacred Heart School. We have many special events planned as we wait and prepare for Christmas. The students are practicing for the Christmas Program “Carol and the Bells’ which we will perform on December 15th at 3:00 in the Church hall. Please join us after the performance for a cookie exchange. See the attached newsletter for all upcoming events and news.
Monthly Archives: December 2018
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION
A Holy day will soon be upon us.
Saturday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This is the patronal feast of the Catholic Church in the United States, and Mary the Immaculate is also the patroness of the Diocese of Lansing.
Holy day Masses are set for:
Friday, December 7, at 6:00 pm at St. Mary on the Lake
Saturday, December 8, at 9:00 am at Sacred Heart.
Baby Items for Advent
Remembering the less fortunate during the season of Advent
The Emmaus Group will be collecting new baby items during the season of Advent. There will be boxes in both entrance ways to put the items. We will also be hosting a baby shower for kindergarten through the sixth grade students at SHS on Friday, December 14 and for all the Religious Ed students on Sunday, December 16. Both showers will be during class time. Please bring an unwrapped baby gift. Sleepers, blankets, onesies etc. If you have any questions, contact Deacon John or Linda Higgins.
Principal Anne Atkin Bulletin, December 9 2018
ADVENT SEASON
As we move through the advent season at Sacred Heart School, we have many special activities planned for our students and their families. This past week the 5th/6th grade orchestra students performed at the Anderson~Marry Funeral Home Open House. Under the direction of Mrs. Martinez, they made beautiful music. This is so amazing considering this is the first year for orchestra and the students have only had their violins or violas for 2 and a half months.
Next week, the 1st/2nd grade class will tour the Thompson Museum and on Tuesday we are taking an all-school field trip to the Hudson Cinema to watch the movie The Grinch with our families. On Friday, December 14th, the Emmaus Group will be hosting a special birthday celebration for Jesus. A special thank you to Linda Higgins for coming to the school to celebrate. On Saturday, December 15th, the students will be performing Carol and the Bells at 3:00 in the Church Hall, followed by a cookie exchange. All are welcome to attend. Our hope is that the students will learn that they are able to bring a lot of joy to our community during this season of preparing and waiting for Jesus.
May God bless you this advent season!
Anne Atkin, Principal
Posted by Anne Ellison Atkin on Sunday, December 2, 2018
Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest
KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS POSTER CONTEST
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 6331 at Sacred Heart is sponsoring the annual “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest for all boys and girls from ages 5 through 14. The contest is conducted locally, with winning entries advancing through district/regional and state competitions to the international level. The winning entries will serve as a basis for a series of international “Keep Christ in Christmas” posters with creative credit going to the artists. By engaging the talents of our young people, we hope they come to a deeper understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, and their artwork will bring others to remember Christ in Christmas.
Entry forms are available in the parish office, via the link below and in the entrances of church. The forms include the contest rules and judging criteria. POSTERS AND COMPLETED ENTRY FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE PARISH OFFICE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 21, 2018. The Council No. 6331 judging panel will perform judging for the local level. Prizes for the local competition will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for each of 3 age groups (ages 5-7, 8-10, 11-14). Winners will be announced the week of January 7th. If you have any questions, please contact Deacon John at deaconjohn@sacredhearthearthudson.org.
OnLine Giving
Have you considered using Online Giving? By creating a login and contributing online you’ll always have a report of your giving history available. You can access your giving report easily and securely via the web, and your information will always be up-to-date with your latest contributions.
ParishSoft is offering the Youth Scholarship Program. For every 25 NEW recurring givers, they will donate $200 to our Youth Program.
You can find the Online Giving link on our website: www.sacredhearthudson.org
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!
Christ has given us the great gift of Himself in the Eucharist and may we draw ever closer to Him through Communion, especially our homebound and those in care facilities. This is truly a spiritually rewarding experience for all involved.
We are in need of individuals who would like to take Communion to our Homebound parishioners. If you are able to assist, please contact Pam Marry at 448-8865.
Deacon’s Corner, December 9 2018
Our Gospel today finds us listening to John the Baptist in the desert of 1st Century Palestine as he cries out echoing the message of the prophet Isaiah from 700 years earlier – God is coming so be ready. You don’t want to miss it! Fix the roads He will travel on. Make them flat and smooth. Eusebius, who became the Bishop of Caesarea in 313, makes it clear in the Office of Readings today that Isaiah’s prophecy is not to be fulfilled in Jerusalem where the Temple is neat and tidy, but in the desert. It is this wilderness, this deserted place, where God will appear and make his plan for salvation known to humankind. Eusebius says John the Baptist commands us to prepare the way to our heart so we can receive the Word of God. That the “rough and trackless ground is to made level, so that our God may find a highway when he comes.” In short, God is coming whether we know it or not. Whether like it or not. Whether we are ready or not. So, be ready.
With only 2 weeks of Advent left, I must ask myself – are my pathways for God to enter my heart crooked, hilly, and rough? Or have I fully opened my heart to allow Him in? If not, just what am I doing to prepare the way of the Lord and be ready to receive Him when He comes? Because, God’s plan is for us to spend eternity with him – and there is nothing on this earth that even begins to represent how awesome that will be! But to receive God into our hearts and realize His plan, we must be ready. And that’s what Advent is all about.
Advent is a time to turn away from our sins, from the distracting things of our material lives, and turn toward God, asking His pardon and forgiveness as we pardon and forgive others in our life. Advent is a time for letting go of feelings that we have been wronged by someone. It is a time to make peace with the things that are holding us back – a relative we haven’t spoken to, a friend or neighbor we are angry with, a co-worker that has slighted us or driven us crazy. This Advent, may we turn to God and prepare our hearts to receive Him again at Christmas, with peace inside of us and leaving the sadness that stops us from really living. By leveling the mountains and valleys of our lives, we will be ready for the coming of the little child who will be born in each of us again this Christmas. May you have a Blessed week preparing to receive our God.
Deacon John
Fr. Todd Bulletin Article, December 9 2018
Dear Sacred Heart Family
I have really enjoyed seeing how our local communities work together. This past week we had two annual events- the Hospice Lights of Love and the Christmas Cantata. I saw parishioners from both parishes join these larger community wide events. The Church is meant to be an integral part of the community in which it is found – thank you for your participation in these events.
This Sunday I will go on a Christmas tree hunt with a few members of my family. In the Koenigsknecht clan, this is almost as exciting as the Griswolds from the National Lampoon’s Christmas!
As we continue entering into this advent season, we will hear God calling out for us to prepare the way for His coming. Here are a few helpful ways to continue growing.
Sign up for Formed.org. This great resource offers a ton of different materials to help us grow in our faith in some. If you go to the parish website there is a link that will help you sign up. Two series are highlighted for Advent:
Advent reflections: Preparing for the birth of our Savior. This series offers a short daily reflection by Dr. Tim Gray. You can sign up and have it sent right to your inbox each day.
Prepare the Way: An Advent Journey. This is a video series explaining advent and major themes of this season to help us get ready to welcome Jesus more fully into our lives at Christmas.
Best Advent ever- (https://dynamiccatholic.com/best-advent-ever) Matthew Kelly offers this daily devotional that you can sign up for and it will come right to your email each day. This is a great way to enter into Advent in a more intentional way.
May God bless you during this Advent Season.
Fr. Todd