December 9th,

Hello parents and guardians.

Happy Second Sunday of Advent! Here is a neat article that provides ideas of how families may choose to observe Advent in their homes.

https://www.looktohimandberadiant.com/2017/11/advent-traditions-for-anyone-and.html

The Parish has a wide variety of Advent Opportunities; you are invited to grow more deeply into your faith this Advent season! See flier attached

Religious Education will continue for the next several weekends, with our final 2019 session held on December 15^th.

Elementary School:  December 8th: The Elementary School students learned about Mary.  We have lots of Mary celebrations coming up – the Immaculate Conception on December 8  (Mass at 7:30 a.m. on Monday)  and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Thursday, December 12.

High School:  Discipleship will be from noon – 1:30 p.m.

There is a bake sale this Saturday and Sunday after all the masses to support our young adult leadership.  Come get some goodies!

This Coming Sunday, December 15 – A change to the Schedule!  Please note!

This year, instead of having the advent “pageant” during class time, each class will celebrate the third Sunday of Advent in their regular classrooms.   Please ask your child’s catechist if you can bring in snacks if they will be having food.

After class, the kids will participate in a very special Family Mass – they will be in costume (they will get them during class), sing the opening and offertory songs and all the kids in costume will be able to participate during the homily.  Don’t miss this Mass!  If your child has an angel, shepherd, king, sheep or barnyard animal costume, they are encouraged to wear it next Sunday (December 15).

Looking ahead:

·         Sunday, December 15^th at 1:30 p.m. – First Overview Gathering for Steubenville of the Rockies 2020.  Any interested high school youth and their parents/guardians who are interested in learning more about Steubenville of the Rockies are invited to attend an information meeting on Sunday, December 15th at 1:30 p.m. Group will meet in Sister Joan’s Room at 1:30 p.m. (located in Little Flower Formation Building). Steubenville of the Rockies is an annual Catholic Youth Conference attended by thousands of Catholic teens that is hosted in Denver Colorado. Come learn more about this incredible opportunity!

•          All religious formation classes will take a break on December 22 and December 29.  Classes will resume January 5, 2020.

• 2020- Save the Dates

Friday January 17^{th –} Retreat for Middle & High School Youth (10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.)

Sunday February 23^rd – Youth Fest for High School Students (12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Dec. 10th, 6:30 P.M.

Holy Family, December 13th, 5:00 P.M.

St. Mary’s, December 14th, 8:45 A.M.

St. Leander, December 17th, 5:00 P.M.

Our Lady of the Meadows, Dec. 23rd, 7:00 P.M.

As a community of believers, we invite you to spend the coming Advent season actively awaiting the birth of Christ; look for Him in the face of the poor.

Thank you for participating in our annual “Giving Tree” project.

We will be gathering gifts for El Centro del Quinto Sol Recreation Center.

Please return the gift with the tag attached securely to the wrapped gift and place it under the “Giving Tree” by December 8th or bring your gift to the parish office before Wednesday, December 11th.

 Thank you for your generosity and for helping make a child smile this Christmas.

Monday, January 6th at 6:30 p.m.

The Divine Mercy Charismatic Prayer Group usually will meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Little Flower Formation Building (Classroom 6th Grade- use entrance near Sister Joan’s Room). The Prayer Gathering will include praise/worship music, teaching, and prayer. For more details please call Prayer Leader Leila Andrews at 773-931-5465.

Note:  They will not meet on December 16th.

First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2019 – Text

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THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! 190 Ministry Volunteer Sheets were turned in! 328 various ministries were chosen by this Amazing Parish Family during this Ministry call, with 98 new persons signing up for a ministry! WOW!

The compilation has been completed, the training dates are finalized, and the extra steps have begun for the Commissioning of Communion Ministers which will be on the Feast of Christ the King, November 23-24, 2019.

November 23/24, the Feast of Christ the King, we will have the special    Commissioning and  Re-Commissioning of Communion Ministers at each Mass.

The Blessing for Liturgical Ministers will be the weekend of December 14-15.

Training will begin for the Ministries for the Mass starting with:

Ushers and Greeters on Oct. 26-27;

Click here for Usher Guidelines.

Click here for Greeter Guidelines.

Proclaimers on December 7th and December 8th.

Click here for Proclaimer Guidelines.

Communion Ministers (Mass/Homebound/Nursing Home) on Nov. 9-10;

Servers on Nov. 16-17.

The training is for ALL liturgical ministers new and continuing.

Hands-on training for Communion Ministers will be held at a different time. The Blessing for Liturgical Ministers will be scheduled after all trainings are completed.

The Diocese of Pueblo:  OUR COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY AND HEALING

Click here for the an FAQ brief summary of the Independent Review and its published report specific to the Diocese of Pueblo.  The full report and a letter from Bishop Stephen Berg are available at https://healing.dioceseofpueblo.org/

Why not join our parish choir? Share your voice with our parish family; it will bless you and us!  

“Music ministry provides beauty, joy, comfort, inspiration, and musical prayer for our communal liturgies and various parish celebrations.  This is possible because of the generous sharing of time and talent of diverse and committed members.  If you can carry a tune and want to learn, come sing with us!”

CHOIR meets every Wednesday from  6:30p.m. to 8:00p.m in the Music Room in the Little Flower Formation Center.….and sings for mass every other weekend.   

*It is an easy way to make new friends and feel a part of a group
*It is therapeutic; singers can put aside, for awhile at least, the other pressures and concerns of the day
*It provides musical memories that can momentarily remove you from difficult situations by calling to mind beautiful music and poetry
*It gives members a sense of pride and self-worth
*It instills beneficial posture and breathing techniques
*It develops better habits of good enunciation
*It reminds us that there are no short cuts to excellence; careful preparation leads to reaching goals
*It teaches an historical perspective through music and texts written during various periods of history
*It reminds us of the positive impact a dedicated group can make beyond that which is possible for an individual….the value of teamwork
*It conveys that leadership, demeanor and good attitude make a significant contribution to the success of a group
*It adds beauty and aesthetic depth
*It provides a healthy cultural and creatively artistic balance
*It develops poise under pressure
*It is a foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment in music
–excerpts from Michael Kemp

We are looking for more CTK musicians. If you are a vocalist (solo singer/choir singer) or instrumentalist (of any kind), please email me at judkins.lori@yahoo.com or call 719-542-9248 ext. 118— and let’s visit!  Become a “family” with us; you’ll be welcomed with open arms!

Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and bring a friend!

Lori Judkins, Pastoral Associate for Liturgical Music