Bulletin Dec 17-18

ST MICHAEL’S 

P.O. Box 610

Keshena, WI 54135

www.stmichaelkeshena.org

Parish Administrator, Fr. Joel Jores - 715-799-3811 - pastor@livingwaterslivingfaith.org

           Associate Priest: Fr. Francis Zurbano-715-799-3811 - pastor@livingwaterslivingfaith.org 

              Deacon Mark Fuller - 715-201-2961 deaconmark@livingwaterslivingfaith.org 

Parish Secretary, Vicki Hermsen  - 715-799-3811 - vicki@livingwaterslivingfaith.org

Religious Education Lois Maczuzak  - 715-851-2947 - maczuzak@frontiernet.net

SATURDAY MASS:  4:00 pm  SUNDAY MASS:  8:30 am

CONFESSION:    Saturday 3:30 - 3:45pm 

CONFESSION:        Sunday 8:00-8:15

ROSARY:  Saturday 3:30 pm     Sunday  8:30 am 

DAILY MASS: Chapel Southside of Church

Tuesday/Thursday   8:00 am  and Wednesday/Friday  10:00 am

KATERI PRAYER CIRCLE:  After 8 am mass on Thursday morning    

ADORATION:  1^st Thursday of the Month from 6-7 pm 

ANNOINTING OF THE SICK: Individual arrangements can be made through the Parish Office

BAPTISM:  Preparation program required. Please contact the Parish Office. 

MARRIAGE:  Make arrangements with the pastor six months prior to desired date.

CONFIRMATION:  Next class 2018.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS: Third Tuesday of the month – 7 pm,

Grand Knight Paul Marroquin 715-799-3765 

              Fr. Francis                                           

My brothers and sisters in Christ…

Another celebration of the church that must be given great importance is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Its origin can be traced in the 7^th century known as the feast of the “Conception of Mary by St. Anne”. In his Bull (or like a declaration) Commissi Nobis, Pope Clement XI established this Solemnity for the entire Church in 1708; patroness of the United States of America, Spain, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.ORDO Until now some are still confuse; who was really the one Immaculately conceived? It is the conception of the Blessed Virgin in the womb of her mother St. Ann, and not Mary’s conception of Jesus. It is also different from the birth itself of the Blessed Virgin. Using our calendar, we can clearly trace our fact about this event; so if the Blessed Virgin was conceived December 8, then we count nine months (the normal period of a woman’s pregnancy until giving birth) so we have September 8 which is the celebration of Mary’s Nativity. Still to make it definite that it isn’t the conception of Jesus by Mary; because if the Emmanuel (Jesus Christ) was born December 25, we count back nine months and that’s March 25, that’s when the Angel Gabriel “announced the Good News” to Mary, “and she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Somehow we figured out some distinctions so that we may be enlightened. When somebody asked us about Immaculate Conception, then we have something basic to say.

Why is Immaculate Conception a Holy Day of Obligation, even if it doesn’t fall usually on Sundays? Honestly I don’t have an exact answer, but we may learn about the very nature of it and perhaps we can find out why. Immaculate Conception is the dawn of our Salvation, even from the very beginning it has been implied with God’s plan of salvation and had it occurred masterfully. God prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of the Son of Man. An analogy may perhaps let us understand this nature more; a flu shot for example is obliged or asked to prevent us from virus, so the Immaculate Conception is like the flu shot that prevented the Blessed Virgin from the “virus” of the Original sin, she was “graced”- kecharitomene in Greek according to the Angel 28, St. Paul used the Greek term echaritasen, to denote that grace transforms us 6-7, and that same grace transforms Mary so much so that sin did not enter in her and that grace will continuously prevent her from sins.in the prayer “Hail Mary” the greeting is “Hail, full of grace”; the tense used is in the progressive form Moreover, in our doctrine, it was declared firmly in the document Ineffabilis Deus by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 that Mary wasn’t stained of the original sin. The Immaculate Conception was a great privilege entrusted by God to the Virgin Mary (she is the only person who received this “gift”) but at the same time is of great effect for us humanity too, we can also be graced, and after all its main purpose is for our salvation.  

May it come into our senses now, even if it’s not declared as an “obligation” we have to take into consideration its high importance, and as believers, we should be grateful to the Lord at the Celebration of the Holy Mass which will make a lucid manifestation of our thanksgiving to Him, which also defines our connection to the Blessed Mary ever Virgin and identifies us to her Son our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind.     

Fr. Francis m.f.

 Financial Blessings

December 10 & 11

Envelopes      $1073.00

  Loose           $ 479.19

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION 

Liturgical Ministers:

Saturday, December 24-4:00 

                                             Lector:  Paula Wilber      Servers: Ella & Claire  Eucharistic Minister:  Deacon Mark

Sunday, December 25 – 8:30 am    

Lector:  Jim & Ellie   Servers: Sasanehseah Shawanokasic  Eucharistic Minister: 

Andre Kakwitch                       

    Saturday, December 31-4:00 

Lector:  Lisa Peters   Servers: Isabella Waupochick  Eucharistic Minister:  Pat Gwidt

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1-8:30               

Lector:  Gryphon Braun   Severs:  Mylee Sanapaw   Eucharistic Minister:  Barb Neubauer

 Andre Kakwitch

CHURCH DECORATING:  

The Worship Committee would like to invite parish members to help decorate the church for Christmas after 8:30am mass (today) Sunday, Dec 18th.   We will take a break to enjoy a pot luck brunch, so please being a dish to share         

 FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS:

Envelopes will be in the pews starting his weekend to collect money for Poinsettia plants for Christmas decorating.  They will be purchased in honor of a loved one.  Envelopes need to be returned to church or parish office by Dec 18^th. Thank you

Ordination Anniversary Celebration

Father Joel’s 22^{nd (12/22/16)} &

Father Francis’10^{th (12/14/16)}

Thursday, December 22, 2016

12pm-1pm

St. Francis Parish Hall

All are welcome to attend.

POTLUCK – Please bring a dish to pass

 2017 CALENDARS 

St. Michael’s 2017 Calendars are available at the entrances to the church.   Please take one per family.

                                                         FUTURE EVENTS

The following Mass schedule has been updated

Christmas  Eve Mass Schedule:

South Branch – 11 am (Community Center)

St. Michael Keshena - 4:00 pm

St. Mary Leopolis - 4:00 pm

St. Anthony Neopit - 6:00 pm

St. Francis Gresham – 8:00 pm

Christmas Day Mass Schedule:

St. Michael Keshena -  8:30 am

St. Francis Gresham – 8:30 am

New Years  Eve Mass Schedule:

St. Michael Keshena - 4:00 pm

St. Mary Leopolis - 4:00 pm

New Years Day Mass Schedule:

St. Michael Keshena -  8:30 am

St. Francis Gresham – 8:30 am

St. Anthony Gresham – 10:30

PARISH OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS

 December 23^rd   8 am. - 11 am

                   December 26^th CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

December 30^th 8 am – 3 pm

      January 2^nd CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY 

FOOD PANTRY:

Food Pantry distribution will be on Tuesday, Dec. 20^th from 1 pm to 3 pm, and Jan. 3^rd from 1 pm to 3 pm.  We are in need of shampoo, bar soap & toothpaste.

THRIFT & GIFT:

Open Tuesday, December 20^th from noon until 3 p.m. and January 3^rd from noon until 3 pm.  Contact Cookie Vigue if you have any questions ☎920-216-9240. If you would like to drop off a donation, please bring it to the Parish Office if no one is at Thrift & Gift.  Office is open 9 am to 2 pm Monday – Friday.

 ThedaCare At Home seeks volunteers for the Hospice & Therapy Dog Program in Shawano and surrounding areas

ThedaCare At Home is seeking hospice volunteers in the Shawano, and surrounding areas to assist in caring for terminally ill patients and their families. Our volunteers visit patients in their homes and at nursing homes. Volunteers provide support and companionship for both patients and their families. Our next volunteer training session will early May 2017. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Angie Krueger at (715) 460-128

0 or angela.krueger@thedacare.org  as soon as possible. 

ThedaCare At Home is currently seeking volunteers for the pet therapy program in the Shawano, and surrounding areas. The pet therapy program provides visits by registered therapy dogs and their handlers to Hospice patients for the purpose of love, support, comfort, and animal companionship. Interested volunteers should have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with many different people. Dogs must be a minimum of one year of age and be calm, gentle, polite, and comfortable interacting with unfamiliar people in unfamiliar settings. Comprehensive therapy dog training and registration is provided at no cost to the handler by Molly Johnson, Owner & Consultant with Canine Comfort, LLC. To learn more about this unique and rewarding volunteer opportunity, please contact Molly Johnson as soon as possible at 920-716-1890 or via email – mjohnson@caninecomfort.us

Thank you for your consideration.  If you have any questions, please contact Angie Krueger at (715) 460-1280.

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