Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.- Luke 1:42
In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the story of Mary's visit to her relative Elizabeth. Later, Luke emphasizes that all are children of God and children of Adam. Each one of us is a relative of Mary and a relative of Jesus. Today we can reflect on how Mary, our sister and our mother, brings Jesus, our brother and our Lord, to us. Those of us who are full of readiness and anticipation are like St. Elizabeth who was pregnant with John. John represents the law and the prophets and symbolizes all of God's preparation for us to accept him when He comes in the flesh. When we are open to God the proclamation of Jesus will make the truths within us leap for joy in recognition of Christ the Truth. Jesus fulfills everything that our hearts long for and everything to which truth points.
Mary brings Jesus to us. Mary is the first and the primary apostle. Yet she also typifies and represents our mission and apostleship. God wants us to be full not of natural or revealed truths, but of truth itself. We like Mary should walk with Jesus in us and with Jesus pouring forth from us. Our entire life should be as transformed as the life of a pregnant woman. We should be full of life, never far from Jesus, and attuned to his will.
- Christmas decoration after both liturgies on Sunday, December 1.
- Thursday, December 5th 7pm Liturgy for families.
- St. Vincent de Paul Men's shelter Saturday, December 7th at 6:30 pm at 1921 S. Gettysburg. Feeding the hungry.
-Our prayers for the eight parishioners who will make up the new pastoral council. Those eight members are Andrea AbouJaoude, Claire Daoud, Al Faris, Rita Najem, Jacob Pansing, Cindy Simon, Rosie Terzian, and Michelle Choucair. Their service will begin in January. As mentioned last week circumstances did not require an election.
-Family Dedication, renewal, and consecration- November 3 and November 10 we celebrate the Consecration of the Church and the Renewal of the Church, on December 15th Bishop Elias will be dedicating and consecrating our new home, and during Christmas we see Jesus entering the Holy Family. During this period, we should take time to renew, dedicate, and consecrate our families.
-Home Bible Q & A! Do you have questions about faith or the Bible? Host a Home Bible Q & A. 1) Schedule a date and location with Fr. Alex. 2) Invite your friends. 3) Prepare your questions. Note: this is not a Bible study or Bible meditation, which anyone can initiate
-Feast of St. Barbara - December 4th.
-Feast of St. Nicholas- December 6th.
-Church Organizing and cleaning November 9th at 50 Nutt Rd.
-We have had suggestions for a men’s club, for a grief support group, and for a retiree get-together club. Please let Fr. Alex know if you would have any interest in any of these groups.
-Thanksgiving Dinner Sunday, November 24th after the 11 am liturgy. - St. Anthony of Padua
Fall festival is Sunday before Thanksgiving November 24th, 2019 12pm-8pm
-Our prayers are with Mireille Salem and family. Claude Abi Saber, mother of Mireille, passed away in Lebanon last week. May she rest in peace. Liturgy will be offered for Claude Abi Saber and Nasri Chkaiban, father of Mireille, on Sunday November 24 at 11am. A 40 day liturgy will be offered on December 22nd at 11 am.
-Christmas decorations- Sunday, December 1 after both liturgies.
- Annual St. Ignatius of Antioch Banquet Saturday, December 14th with Bishop Elias at Yankee Trace at 7pm with live music planned $65 per person with discounted ticket for kids 12 and under.
-Photo directory- during the banquet and before and after the dedication December 14th and 15th, we will have the opportunity to take free family photos, you will receive a free directory. We want every family to take photos.
-Consecration and dedication: Bishop Elias will consecrate and dedicate our new home on December 15th at 11.
-We will need at least 6 adults to read, 8 adults to dress the altar, and at least 10 youth for the processions for the dedication of our new Church.
- Christmas Novena December 16th - December 24th.
- Initiatives- To what is God calling you? What are your hopes, dreams, and ideas for our parish? What do you want to do? Mission, charity, prayers, work, fundraisers, or maintenance? How can we support you?
-Religious education most Sundays noon-1.
- Our prayers for those who are recently engaged in our parish.
-We need volunteers to read during the liturgy and to bring the gifts. If you would like to do so, please see George Najem for 11 am liturgy or Jim Zaidan for the 9 am Liturgy.
- Our prayers for new births and new parents in our parish.
- Bible Study every Sunday at 10 am.
- Sunday liturgies 9 am and 11 am
- Confessions immediately before and after liturgies or by appointment.
New parish improvement needs
Replacing of water heater Tree Trimming Playground cleaning Framing for two large icons
Asphalt crack repair- should be done before the weather gets cold
Roof repair- should be done asap
- Update on $300,000 no interest loan. We have to pay back $200,000 of our $300,000 loan by the end of December. We have applied for a loan from the Knights of Columbus, but are looking for a donation of $50,000 to bring the loan down to a serviceable amount so that we would only have less monthly payments. Alternatively we would be interested in someone who would be interested in paying all or part of the bill month to month.
-Update on 5915 N Springboro Pike: As you know we have 5.21 acres of property for sale on a major road. Currently there is a 122,000 sq ft Kroger Marketplace being built .5 miles down the road. This implies a high growth potential for the area. Recently we have settled the price of our property from $989,000 to $899,000 a price recommended by the stewardship council and the real estate agency Mark Fornes Realty. Our property could sell as a church, as commercial, as residential, or as a mix. According to the real estate agency the sale of the property could take an additional year as the average listing length is 18 months for commercial property. Every month we hold the property will cost us a few thousand dollars. However, we can calculate that it is worth waiting for the right buyer. (We can calculate using a present value calculation and calculating for risk.)
More information can be found at https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/5915-Springboro-Pike-Dayton-OH/16181289/
Eparchy Capital Campaign
Need to learn more about our campaign? Invest a few minutes to read about it in detail. This is our case statement. It includes the who, what, where, when and why—and more—about the campaign and our plans. We need your support and believe that reading our case will allow you to make an informed decision about your investment in this landmark fundraising event for our Eparchy. Visit our website www.eparchy.org or https://en.calameo.com/read/003509110fbf61f17c217 to view our virtual booklet and learn more about our campaign goals.
St. Ignatius of Antioch Visitation to Mary December 1, 2019