for the week of...2021/01/03 · saturday, february 6 clare fischer sunday, february 7 teresa...

HOLY CROSS CHURCH SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2021 MENDOTA, ILLINOIS

Sunday, January 3rd

9:00 a.m. +Mary Catherine Wujek by Family

12:00 p.m. +Eudelia Díaz por Eloína Guzmán

Monday, January 4th

8:00 a.m. +Robert & Oneida Doran by the Family

Tuesday, January 5th

7:00 a.m. Parish: +Jean Joerger by Mike & Barb Bokus 8:00 a.m. School: +Larry Lauer by Carlene Schuhler Wednesday, January 6th

8:00 a.m. +Dave Pohl by Mike & Barb Bokus

Thursday, January 7th

7:00 a.m. Parish: Special Intention of the Kuczek Family 5:30 p.m. School: +Bernadine McNally

Tracy & Laura Knapp

Friday, January 8th

8:00 a.m. +Danny Arredondo by the Wackerlin Family

11:30 a.m. Mass at OSF St. Paul: +Msgr. Richard Soseman

Saturday, January 9th

4:00 p.m. +Ben Bokus by the Family

Sunday, January 10th

9:00 a.m. Special Intentions of the Kuczek Family

12:00 p.m. +El Descansos del Alma de Refugio Díaz

por Eloína Guzmán

Lector’s Schedule

Saturday, January 2 Teresa Leffelman Sunday, January 3 Clare Fischer

Saturday, January 9 Nancy Goble Sunday, January 10 Gwen Krenz

Saturday, January 16 Brian Corrigan Sunday, January 17 Rudy Arteaga

Saturday, January 23 Teresa Leffelman Sunday, January 24 Gwen Krenz

Saturday, January 30 Nancy Goble Sunday, January 31 Rudy Arteaga

Saturday, February 6 Clare Fischer Sunday, February 7 Teresa Leffelman

If you are interested in getting on the list of Lector’s for the weekend Mass schedule, please contact the

parish office, or [email protected]

Tuesday and Thursday at

The Mass will continue to be livestreamed via the Zoom connection we have been using. The Sunday Masses, including the Saturday Vigil Mass will contin-ue to be broadcast to the parking lot via the loud-speaker system. It may be best to leave the sound off, but if you would like to watch, this option may make your Mass experience a better one.

Here is the link for the Zoom site:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?

pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09

Meeting ID: 913 805 0856

Password: 811195

Please help spread the word so all of our parishioners are aware of this new development. The link, ID, and Password are the same for all of the Masses. If there are any questions, Fr. Pilon may be reached by email

at: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09mailto:[email protected]

Our Lady of the Cenacle Chapel

“We are made partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ, not as taking common flesh, nor as of a holy man united to the Word in dignity, but the truly life-giving flesh of the

Word Himself.” ~ Council of Ephesus 431

Pray that our Chapel may soon reopen so that we may once again fall down in Adoration of Our Blessed

Lord exposed in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Chapel Coordinator, Karen Brandner 1-815-915-6635

$$$ DAILY DOLLAR WINNERS $$$

Sat. Dec 26 0685 50.00 Savanah Berry

Sun. Dec 27 3194 50.00 Irene Fordham

Mon. Dec 28 1184 100.00 Luke & Allison Vercimak

Tue. Dec 29 2236 50.00 Peggy Halbmaier

Wed. Dec 30 0785 50.00 Jim Hansen

Thur. Dec 31 1632 50.00 Floyd Jones

Fri. Jan 01 2642 1,000.00 Travis Pilon SUPPORT YOUR GENEROUS ADVERTISERS! ! !

THE SUNDAY COLLECTION Sunday School Food Pantry Youth Ministry Religious Retirement Immaculate Conception Christmas Flowers Solemnity of Mary Fuel

Total Ss. PETER & PAUL DECEMBER 27TH, 2020

Sunday Religious Retirement Christmas

Total

For the Week of

12/27/2020

$6,273.00 110.00 446.00 35.00

215.00 13.00

8,899.00 25.00 45.00 50.00

$16,111.00

$1,990.00

100.00 290.00

$2,380.00

Monthly Meeting for January, 2021

~Thursday, January, 7 at 6:30 p.m.

We will meet at the Ss. Peter & Paul Parish Hall. Starting

with a meal at 6:30, with a meeting to follow at 7 p.m. We

are looking to get 2021 off with our best foot forward. If

you haven’t been to a meeting in a while, come and join

us. We’re a pretty good group of guy.

~At least we try to be!

2020 ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL

Thanks to all who have made a pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal. Currently, at Holy Cross we

have pledges of $34,980.00 toward our goal of $46,356.00. We have received pledge cards from 140 parishioners.

At Ss. Peter & Paul we have pledges of $13,150.00 toward the goal of $15,422.00 36 pledge cards have been returned.

A gift to the ADA, no matter how great or small can go a long way. A pledge of $10 or $20 a month can add up. Even a one-time gift is helpful. To those who have contributed, we are most grateful. If you have not yet made a gift to the ADA, we invite you to do so today. Every dollar raised to make our goal supports important diocesan services and every dollar raised over our goal will be kept in the parish.

Give God what is just, not what is left!

The 2021 Daily Dollars are here!

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

Zoom web address: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?

pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09

Zoom Meeting ID 913 805 0856

Password 811195 Sun: 9:00 a.m. Mass

12:00 noon Mass in Spanish

2:00 p.m. Adoration via Zoom

3:00 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet

3:15 p.m. Distribution of Communion drive thru

Mon: 8:00 a.m. Mass

9:00 a.m. Distribution of Communion drive thru


Tues: 7:00 a.m. Mass


9:00 a.m. School Mass—On Zoom


Wed: 8:00 a.m. Mass


12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Confession NOW INSIDE


Thur: 7:00 a.m. Mass


9:00 a.m. School Mass—On Zoom



Fri: 8:00 a.m. Mass


11:30 a.m. Mass @ OSF St. Paul


Sat: 9:00 a.m. Distribution of Communion drive thru


4:00 p.m. Mass


Saint Mary’s Altar Society Beautiful statue restorations have

recently been delivered back to our

church. The Blessed Virgin Mary and

St. Joseph with the child Jesus, have

been meticulously repaired and re-

stored as a most generous gift from an

anonymous parishioner. Two additional

gifts were purchased by the Altar Socie-

ty for the statue of Mary. She is now

adorned with a golden crown contain-

ing colored stones and is holding a new

white rosary around her hands. The members of the

Altar Society are most grateful for the donation of

these statue restorations for all the parishioners to

enjoy now and forever. May God bless our special

benefactor. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas

and a blessed New Year ahead.

Nancy Goble, President

St. Mary’s Altar Society

It is with deep gratitude that Holy Cross Church

acknowledges the most generous gift of the recent

statue restorations of the Blessed Virgin Mary and

St. Joseph with the child Jesus, that have been

placed back in the sanctuary. This parishioner also

donated the restoration of St.

Thérèse and the Sacred Heart

statues last spring that are in the

alcoves on either side of the pews.

This generosity of an anonymous

parishioner has been overwhelming

to our church. All four statues have

been beautifully restored. On behalf

of Holy Cross Church, I extend our

most sincere thank you for your

donation. God bless you.

Father Pilon


https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH

The Chalking of the Doors: An Epiphany Tradition Explained

Jamie Skojec | January 6, 2020

If you’re a Catholic, you’ve probably seen it: a mysterious series of letters and numbers, looking for all the world like an equation, inscribed in chalk over a doorway at your par-ish, or at the home of a friend. Maybe you thought you could figure it out. Maybe you were too embarrassed to ask, “What the heck is that?” If you don’t know what the chalk is all about, don’t be ashamed. You’re certainly not alone. Epiphany (also known as Twelfth Night, Theophany, or Three Kings Day) marks the occasion of a time-honored Christian tradition of “chalking the doors.” The formula for the ritual — adapted for 2020 — is simple: take chalk of any color and write the following above the entrance of your home: 20 + C + M + B + 20. The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the in-itials of the Magi — Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar — who came to visit Jesus in His first home. They also abbre-viate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem benedicat: “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross, and the “20” at the beginning and the “20” at the end mark the year. Taken together, this inscription is per-formed as a request for Christ to bless those homes so marked and that He stay with those who dwell therein throughout the entire year. The chalking of the doors is a centuries-old practice throughout the world, though it appears to be somewhat less well-known in the United States. It is, however, an easy tradition to adopt, and a great practice whereby we

dedicate our year to God from its very outset, asking His blessing on our homes and on all who live, work, or visit them there.

The timing for the chalking of the doors varies some-what in practice. In some places, it is done on New Year’s Day. More common-ly, it is performed on the traditional Feast of the Epiphany — the Twelfth Day of Christmas. Most of-ten the chalking takes place after Epiphany Mass, and

can be done at any church, home, or dwelling. Tradition-ally the blessing is done by either a priest or the father of the family. This blessing can be performed simply by just writing the inscription and offering a short prayer, or more elaborately, including songs, prayers, processions, the burning of incense, and the sprinkling of holy water.

After many Epiphany Masses, satchels of blessed chalk, incense, and containers of Epiphany water (holy water blessed with special blessings for Epiphany) are distrib-uted. These can then be brought home and used to per-form the ritual. Another common practice is to save a few grains of the Epiphany incense until Easter, so that it can be burned along with the Easter candle.

Practicing traditions like the chalking of the doors helps us to live our Faith more concretely and serve as an out-ward sign of our dedication to Our Lord. Our homes are also the place where many of us will make the greatest strides in our spiritual growth, through observance of daily prayer, spiritual reading, and work offered as an oblation to God.

The chalking of the doors of a home encourages Chris-tians to dedicate their life at home to God and to others. Seeing the symbols over our doors can help to remind us, while passing in and out on our daily routines, that our homes and all those who dwell there belong to Christ. It also serves as a reminder of welcoming the Ma-gi gave to Jesus. We should strive to be as welcoming to all who come to our homes to visit us!

Below, we’ve provided some examples of how this cere-mony can be performed.

This ceremony of the blessing of the home and inscrip-tion of the initials of the three Magi above each door can be performed either by a priest or the father of the fami-ly. The following prayer is taken from the book, The Twelve Days of Christmas, by Elsa Chaney.

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2016/01/vigil-of-epiphany-special-blessing-of-water/https://onepeterfive.com/author/jskojec/

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH

The Chalking of the Doors

The feast of manifestation, or Epiphany, is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas, January 6th. In the dioceses of the United States, according to the new calendar, this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.

Prayer: On entering the home, Leader (Priest, if present, or father of the family) : Peace be to this house. All: And to all who dwell herein. All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. All Pray: The Magnificat. During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. After this is completed, All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Leader: Our Father. . . And lead us not into temptation All: But deliver us from evil. Leader: All they from Saba shall come All: Bringing gold and frankincense. Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer. All: And let my cry come to You. Leader: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

Leader: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee—Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary. All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee. Leader: Let us pray. Bless, + O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen. After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with Epiphany water and incensed. The initials of the Magi are inscribed upon the doors with the blessed chalk. (The initials, C, M, B, can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “Christ bless this house”.) Example: 20 + C + M + B + 20

Another possible prayer to say during your Chalking:

May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find

Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in

everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is your

incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen.

God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only-

begotten One to every nation by the guidance of a star.

Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the

light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect

your love. We ask this through Christ our Saviour.

Amen.

Loving God, bless this household. May we be blessed

with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and

abiding in your will. We ask this through Christ our

Saviour. Amen. However you do it, it’s a rich tradition, a worthy invocation of God’s blessing, and a great conversation starter for your guests. For every person who asks about the inscription, there’s an opportunity to spread this authentically Catholic practice during the Epiphany. Steve Skojec contributed to this article.

Originally published on January 5, 2016.

The Chalking of the Doors: An Epiphany Tradition Explained -

OnePeterFive

https://onepeterfive.com/the-chalking-of-the-doors-an-epiphany-tradition-explained/https://onepeterfive.com/the-chalking-of-the-doors-an-epiphany-tradition-explained/

“Like” us on at http://www.facebook.com/MendotaHolyCross by Brian Corrigan

The Magi then, could be said to be a sort of “first fruits” of the Gentiles, paying homage by prostrating themselves before this child, and bringing him very significant gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These men knew there was something happening in the world that was truly super-natural in its unveiling.

Our faith is universal and is called “catholic” to reflect that universality. Catholic is from a Greek term coined by St. Ignatius, a bishop and martyr of Antioch (in present-day Turkey) around the year 110 A.D. when he said “Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wher-ever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” Our faith is meant for all! We are blessed here in our church, with a multicultural practice of the faith. We should embrace this multicultural practice as a proof of our Catholicism. Sure, we can be complacent and get comfortable with the prac-tice that is easiest and most familiar. If English is your first language, I would encourage you to participate in the Spanish language Mass occasionally just to be reminded of the universal nature of our Church. If English is your first language, look around you and notice there are parishion-ers whose first language is not English also in attendance.

The Magi are our first indication that faith in the One, True God, while being first for the people of Israel, is not limited to the people of Israel. This is what St. Paul—the Apostle to the Gentiles means when he says, “...the Gen-tiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copart-ners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, recalling the visitation and adoration paid to the Christ-child and the Holy Family by the Magi from the East.

These men were not Jews. And the name “Magi” simply means they were truly wise men, as we also sometimes call them. The word magi is derivative of the same root that gives us words like magician and also can mean men of philosophy, astronomy, or astrology, and were often men of royal courts and well placed in governments. They were learned men who were used to studying the stars and their movements.

I offer here a brief sidebar to ponder, regarding the star that led these men to the Christ-child. Many ancient Church Fathers thought that the star was actually an angel, or a light brought to bear by an angel. They believed this was a super-natural phenomenon, as opposed to a natural, albeit astral phenomenon. Otherwise, how to explain the star leading them and then stopping over the house where the Holy Family lived. Stars don’t work that way.

Bringing us back to the point of this article, I would refocus our attention to the Magi. As I said above, these men were not Jews, and yet they came to pay homage to this newborn King of the Jews. As non-Jews these men were then necessarily Gentiles.

Sometimes in the Bible, Gentiles are referred to as “God fearing.” When you see this term used in the Scriptures, it is

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Si desea infundir confianza en sus

hijos, especialmente en lo que respecta a su camino de fe, no hay mejor persona a quien mirar que nuestra Santísima Virgen Madre.

Sé que esa declaración puede sonar un poco sacrílega, pero esa es una de las cosas hermosas de nuestra fe y la comprensión del papel que nuestra santa Madre juega pa-ra cada uno de nosotros. Mirar a María, honrarla, no le qui-ta nada a nuestro Señor. Cuanto más sepa de nuestra San-tísima Madre, más sabrá que su función principal es seña-lar el camino hacia su Hijo, nuestro Salvador.

Sus hijos deben ser enseñados por ustedes tanto como sea posible acerca de nuestra querida Madre Bendita. Cuando rezamos el Ave María, la saludamos como lo hizo el Arcángel Gabriel, 'Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gra-cia'. ¿Qué significa esta frase “llena de gracia”?

La Iglesia nos enseña que desde el momento en que María fue concebida en el vientre de Ana, su madre, Dios la protegió de recibir la mancha del Pecado Original. El peca-do original es un gran obstáculo para nosotros en nuestra vida. Es a través del Pecado Original que nacemos con una tendencia al pecado, la concupiscencia, y por eso luchamos desde el mismo momento de nuestro nacimiento. Explique que el pecado original nos ha sido heredado de nuestros primeros padres, Adán y Eva. Al igual que le ha transmitido cosas genéticamente a sus hijos, así es con este desafío es-piritual del Pecado Original.

La Inmaculada Concepción es el nombre que le damos al evento de la concepción de María en su madre. No es la concepción de María por el poder del Espíritu Santo de Jesús en su vientre. Cuando María se apareció a la joven Bernadette Soubirous en Lourdes, Francia, se refirió a sí misma como la Inmaculada Concepción cuando Bernadette le preguntó su nombre.

Sin duda, que María sea la Madre de Dios, significa ne-cesariamente que su hijo es Dios. Y así es, es el Divino Hijo de nuestro Padre celestial. Y si su hijo es Dios y ella es su madre, eso significa que ella es la Madre de Dios. Jesús na-ció verdaderamente de una persona humana, pero no cualquier persona humana fue lo suficientemente buena para llevar al Divino Hijo de Dios en su vientre. Este fue el papel para el que nació María, y le dijo a Dios que 'sí' a tra-vés del Arcángel, que para siempre sería 'Bendita entre las mujeres'.

A María también se le ha dado el privilegio de dispen-sar las gracias de Dios en su nombre. Cuando le damos nuestras oraciones a María, ella nos las viste antes de lle-várselas a su Hijo.

If you wish to instill a confidence in your children, especially pertaining to their journey of

faith, there is no better person to look to than our Blessed Virgin Mother.

I know that statement may sound a bit sacrilegious, but that is one of the beautiful things about our faith, and un-derstanding the role our holy Mother plays for each of us. To look to Mary, to honor her, is in no way taking anything away from our Lord. The more you know of our Blessed Mother, the more you will know that her primary function is pointing the way to her Son, our Savior.

Your children should be taught by you as much as pos-sible about our dear Blessed Mother. When we pray the Hail Mary, we greet her just as the Archangel Gabriel did, “Hail Mary, full of grace.” What does this phrase “full of grace” mean?

The Church teaches us that from the moment Mary was conceived in the womb of Anne, her mother, she was protected by God from receiving the stain of Original Sin. Original Sin is a great stumbling block for us in our lives. It is through Original Sin that we are born with a tenden-cy to sin—concupiscence—and so struggle from the very time of our birth. Explain that Original Sin has been handed down to us from our first parents, Adam and Eve. Much like you have handed down things genetically to your children, so it is with this spiritual challenge of Original Sin.

The Immaculate Conception is the name we give to the event of Mary’s conception in her mother. It isn’t Mary’s conception by the power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus in her womb. When Mary appeared to young Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, she referred to herself as the Immaculate Conception when Bernadette asked her name.

To be sure, for Mary to be the Mother of God, neces-sarily means that her son is God. And so He is—He is the Divine Son of our heavenly Father. And if her son is God, and she is his mother, then that means she is the Mother of God. Jesus was truly born of a human person, but not just any human person was good enough to carry the Di-vine Son of God in her womb. This was the role Mary was born to have, and we she told God “yes” through the Archangel, she would forever be “Blessed among wom-en.”

Mary has also been given the privilege of dispensing God’s graces on His behalf. When we give our prayers to Mary, she dresses them up for us before taking them to her Son.

If you have not checked out the new FORMED.org website, we strongly encourage you to do so. It is chock-full of great videos, movies, eBooks and audio books, Bible studies, talks, and so much more!

All you need to do now is go to: Formed.org and register an account by clicking on “Sign Up,” then select “I belong to a Parish or Organization,” find our parish by name, or zip, enter your email address and you’re in. It’s that easy!

What can we recommend for this week?

Watch GOD’S DOORKEEPER: ST. ANDRÉ OF MONTREAL This week, we celebrate the memorial of a humble doorkeeper, St. André of Montreal. Learn how this man became a great saint through his small acts of love!

Listen PREPARE THE WAY OF THE KING BY DR. SCOTT HAHN As we celebrate the Epiphany, Dr. Scott Hahn explains how we should understand the three Magi and their gifts to the Lord!

Learn FORMED NOW! HOW TO PRAY Whether you are a veteran in the spiritual life or are just beginning, start this year off right by recommitting yourself to prayer! Join Drs. Tim Gray and Elizabeth Klein as they discuss ways to kickstart your prayer life this year!

How did God prepare the world for the mystery of Christ?

† In what sense is the life of Christ a mystery? The entire life of Christ is a revelation. What was visible in the earthly life of Jesus leads us to the invisible mystery of his divine sonship: "whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Furthermore, even though salvation comes completely from the cross and the resurrection, the entire life of Christ is a mystery of redemption because everything that Jesus did, said, and suffered had for its aim the salvation of fallen human beings and the restoration of their vocation as children of God.

Further Reading: CCC 512-521, 561-562

† How did God prepare the world for the mystery of Christ? God prepared for the coming of his Son over the centuries. He awakened in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming and he prepared for it specifically through the Old Testament, culminating with John the Baptist who was the last and greatest of the prophets. We relive this long period of expectancy in the annual liturgical celebration of the season of Advent.

Further Reading: CCC 522-524

† What does the Gospel teach about the mysteries of the birth and infancy of Jesus?

At Christmas the glory of heaven is shown forth in the weakness of a baby; the circumcision of Jesus is a sign of his belonging to the Hebrew people and is prefiguration of our Baptism; the Epiphany is the manifestation of the Messiah King of Israel to all the nations; at the presentation in the temple, Simeon and Anna symbolize all the anticipation of Israel awaiting its encounter with its Savior; the flight into Egypt and the massacre of the innocents proclaim that the entire life of Christ will be under the sign of persecution; the departure from Egypt recalls the exodus and presents Jesus as the new Moses and the true and definitive liberator. Further Reading: CCC 525-530, 563-564

https://formed.org

From the Principal’s Desk We are happy to announce that the Bishops have

approved a return to in-person instruction at the discretion of the Pastor and principal. We will be returning to in-person learning on Monday, January 11, 2021 at Holy Cross School.

More details will follow after the first of the year but we wanted you to know as soon as possible about our happy news about our return to in-person learning. We can't wait to see your kids in person!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. and Merry Christmas from the Office of Catholic Schools!

Mrs. Kobilsek

Box Tops for Education has a New System Our school will continue to collect Box Tops for Education this year. You will now download the Box Tops for Education app to your mobile phone and then scan your receipt. When you scan and choose Holy Cross School, you are helping our school to earn cash. If you have any paper box tops, please send them in to the school.

before they go into the trash. With the new system, the box top icon is not a coupon but an image to remind you to scan your receipt. If you see a Box Top icon, scan your receipt and choose Holy Cross School, Mendota.

School Mass Update

There will be no school Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning this week and remaining in effect until January 5th, 2021.

Tuesdays, December 22nd & 29th—NO 9 a.m. Mass

Thursdays, December 24th & 31st—NO 9 a.m. Mass

• School Masses will resume on Zoom on Tuesday,

Collect Your Empty Cartridges One of our fundraisers is to collect your empty ink cartridges.

Scrip The Scrip order form is in the File Library in OptionC. The businesses listed are only a few of the choices. If there is something you would like that is not listed, please write it on the order form and write the amount that you want.

You can always direct your questions to Lorraine Walter in the business office at 538-6151.

This is an easy fundraiser for the school and it helps reduce your tuition for next year, as well.

Coming Up: January 11—Return to In-Person learning.

WHY ARE WE HERE? WHAT’S LIFE ALL ABOUT?

Sometimes we get so caught up in the depth of our faith that we forget what it was like to first wrestle with the big questions – Who am I? What am I searching for? What’s our shared story? Who is Jesus? Why do we need a Church? Is there a God? We all need to get back to the basics to make sure the foundation is strong.

We are continuing on with Session 6 on Wednesday, January 6 at 6:30 p.m. We have

found that it helps to watch the video ahead of time and just be prepared to discuss it

during the Zoom meeting. This is the same exact process used for the Mass—same

link to the site: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09; the

same meeting ID: 913 805 0856, and the same password: 811195

We are excited to introduce The Search, a new seven part Augustine Institute Original Series with the goal of lighting that first fire in those who don’t yet know the faith or reigniting the fire in those who need a primer on the foundational questions.

Due to Covid-19 we will be using Zoom (the same numbers used for the Mass) to host the study sessions. For those who are unable to use Zoom, you may call in on the number we use for our community rosary—425.436.6314. The access number is 604509.


https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9138050856?pwd=RzZtRi8xNjJtNHg4dnhNb2MzNzBEUT09

If you would like to spend some time before the Blessed Sacrament, Fr. Pilon will

livestream this Exposition, using the same site as is used for streaming the Holy

Sacrifice of the Mass. We can also adore every third Tuesday of the month at

6:30 p.m.

Father will lead the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, fol-

lowing the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

These additional devotions will be every Sunday for the foreseeable future.

**Please note we are returning to the previous Confession schedule, which can be found on page 4 of this bulletin. Father will be offering sacramental confession every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.



Encouragement During Winter’s Dark Days We should never despair, even in our darkest hours. We should remember that God shares our life, that through the Holy Spirit we can be on the most inti-mate terms with God and that He is always there, when outward pressure is at its worst, helping us to carry our burdens over the roughest places on our weary road. . . . When faith wavers, hope disappears, love grows cold, adoration ceases, doubt nags and the whole of life is shrouded like a winter landscape in snow, when hatred and arrogance predominate, life is mortally wounded. That is the time to get into reverse and let the Holy Spirit work from within, building up a new life. . . . The Holy Spirit constantly helps me over my hurdles in the small hours.

Father Alfred Delp was a German Jesuit priest who was arrested for being part of the Nazi Resistance. While in prison in Berlin, he wrote reflections on the holy season of Advent, Christmas, and other spiritual topics. The Gestapo offered him his freedom in return for leaving the Jesuit Order, but he refused to do so. He was executed on February 2, 1945. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered over a sewage field, by order of the Nazis.

On January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this about

devotion to the Blessed Virgin (¶ 971):

"All generations will call me blessed": "The

Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is

intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church

rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with

special devotion. From the most ancient

times the Blessed Virgin has been honored

with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose

protection the faithful fly in all their dangers

and needs. . . . This very special

devotion . . . differs essentially from the

adoration which is given to the incarnate

Word and equally to the Father and the Holy

Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration."

The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother

of God and Marian prayer, such as the

rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel,"

express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.

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Please Note:

Distribution of

Communion will

be in front of

church during the

winter months, not in the back parking lot.

2021 “Daily Dollars” Calendar The Daily Dollars Calendars are here. This year we are adding a special drawing for those who sell more than the

original eight. For each additional eight you sell, you will also receive another [9th] one free, as usual, but you

will get one entry into an “Early Bird Drawing” worth $500.00. This drawing is only if you sell more than the

original eight calendars, and it is one entry for every eight additional calendars sold.

Thank you in advance for your support.

PLEASE NOTE: Return your sold or any unsold tickets/calendars as soon as possible.

Thank You!

Save the Date!

Knights of Columbus to Sponsor Pro-Life

Moments of Contemplation & Prayer at

St. Patrick Church in LaSalle

On Saturday, January 16, the area Knights of Columbus Councils are sponsoring a Pro-Life event in lieu of traveling to Chicago March for Life. This live streamed event will commence in the morning. Full details will be in next week’s parish bulletin.


for the week of...2021/01/03 · saturday, february 6 clare fischer sunday, february 7 teresa...

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