December 11, 2016 - 3rd Sunday of Advent

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CATHOLIC CHURCH

203 EAST MAIN ST., PO BOX 730, TEUTOPOLIS, IL 62467

St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Teutopolis, Illinois page 2

From the Pastor

Mass Intentions

Sister Ann Vincent tells me that there are several people contemplating “retiring” from being a catechist and sharing their faith with our children. Many of these people have been devout and faithful to this ministry for many years, and we are grateful for their service. Parents are the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith, and forming their children and helping them form a good conscience is a serious responsibility. The parish can try to supplement what the parents are doing at home. Teachers or catechists are very important in this faith community endeavor with our children. If you discern that God is calling you to this ministry, please contact Sr. Ann Vincent soon. One day this week I called the diocese to see where we are with the Annual Catholic Services Appeal. We have $42,732.00 pledged and $40,709.00 paid. The “goal” we have to reach is $84,757.00. So far only 262 parishioners have responded. This is out of 1,175 households or families. We obviously need more participation to be successful. Please make your check out to ACSA, and in the memo write: Teutopolis. ACSA stands for Annual Catholic Services Appeal. I am en-couraging you to send your parish contribution to ACSA all year instead of to the parish. This will 1) pay off the ACSA, and 2) lower our ACSA goal for the next year. Any funds over and above the ACSA goal are returned to the parish and are not taxed for the next year – up to $10,000.00. Normally, the church will be opened one half hour before the start of the Mass. Our first weekday Mass is 6:30 usually, so the church will be opened at 6:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings the church will be opened earlier than a half hour before the Mass – Sunday to give more time for the ministers, and Saturday because the Mass is at 8 o’clock. CCW Christmas party is this Monday evening.

Laudato Si: We continue our reflections on peace-making. I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already. Lk 12:49 Luke challenges us to reach for the ultimate of a good fire, the blaze, not just the embers. Through our life we have learned and developed many good fire-building skills and we know persons and communities that will be an asset in building this fire to a blaze. What keeps our fire in the stage of embers, what will be essential for igniting a blaze for peace? We are in a world so thirsting for the light and warmth of the blaze. Building a strong blaze takes cooperation, patience and a hope that it will happen. May the true builder of blazes stir the warm embers within us. (The Sound of the Gentle Breeze, S. Monique Schwirtz, osf)

Monday, December 12, 6:30: Betty Koeberlein-Schottman Monday, December 12, 12:10: Pauline Hardiek Tuesday, December 13, 6:30: Grace J. Runde Tuesday, December 13, 7:55: Da Minh Wednesday, December 14, 6:30: Betty Koeberlein- Schottman Wednesday, December 14, 7:55: IAD Thursday, December 15, 6:30: Leroy Niebrugge Thursday, December 15, 12:10: IAD Friday, December 16, 6:30: Bernard & Betty Koeberlein Friday, December 16, 7:55: Cac Dang Linh Hon Saturday, December 17, 8:00: IAD Saturday, December 17, 4:30: Larry McMahon Sunday, December 18, 6:30: Pro Populo Sunday, December 18, 8:30: JoAnn Schulte Sunday, December 18, 10:30: Lawrence Ruholl

Ministry Sign-ups There are ministry sign-up sheets for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the main entrance of Church. If you are commissioned to be in any of the ministries: Usher, Reader, Gift Bearer, or Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, please consider sharing your ministry this Christmas. Thank you!

Christmas Mass Schedule

December 24 - 4:00, 6:00, 10:30 pm December 25 - 9:00 am

New Year’s Mass Schedule

Feast of Mary, Mother of God December 31 - 4:00 & 5:30 pm January 1 - 8:30 & 10:30 am

Liturgy Schedule 3rd Week of Advent December 12 - 18

Monday, Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass at 6:30 am & 12:10 pm

Tuesday, St. Lucy Mass at 6:30 & 7:55 am

Wednesday, St. John of the Cross Mass at 6:30 & 7:55 am

Thursday, Mass at 6:30 am & 12:10 pm

Friday, Mass at 6:30 & 7:55 am

Saturday, Mass at 8:00 am & 4:30 pm

Sunday, 4th Sunday of Advent Mass at 6:30, 8:30, 10:30 am

Confession Schedule Saturday, December 17 - 3:00-4:00 pm

Liturgy of the Hours with Friars Monday-Friday -- 11:45 am & 4:45 pm

Stewardship of Treasure Sunday Total Fiscal 12/4/2016 Year 279 Adult envelopes $9,095.00 $187,579.00 Other $827.75 $17,832.27 TOTAL $9,922.75 $205,411.27 Assisi for Africa $1,361.00 $13,939.00

December 11, 2016 ♦ 3rd Sunday of Advent page 3

Pray for the Sick

Monday, December 12

Giving Tree delivery CCW Christmas Party, 6:30 pm, Gr. Sch. Aud. Tuesday, December 13

Biblical Walk with Mary, 10:00-11:30 am and 7:00-8:30 pm, St. Clare

Wednesday, December 14

Holy Name mtg., 7:00 pm, Museum Meeting Rm. Youth Choir, 7:00-8:15 pm Jr. High and HS Religion, 7:20 pm Rosary, 8:00 pm, Chapel Thursday, December 15

55+ meets after 12:10 Mass in St. Clare Hall Secular Franciscans meet, 6:00-10:00 pm,

Museum Meeting Rm. Adult Choir 7:00-9:00 pm Friday, December 16

Rosary, 9:30 am, Church and St. Clare Saturday, December 17

Confessions, 3:00-4:00 pm

Parish Calendar

Please remember in your prayers: Jack Hardiek, Lucille Worman, Agnes Kremer, Devin Mette, Harold Hardiek, Margaret Pruemer, Will Niccum, Joe Ruholl, Bill and Rosie Myers, Emily (Heuerman) McCabe, Lorraine Deters, Dolores Kingery, Claude and Geraldine Brumleve, Craig Lindvahl, Scott Repking, Andrea Wernsing, Elizabeth Weidner, Paula Spencer, Martha Wente, Ray Willenborg, Betty Borries, Jody Furlano, Mark Roedl, JoAnn Deters, Elizabeth Waldhoff, Linus Willenborg, Dorothy Gardewine, Cheryl Woodard, Norma Weber, James “Jake” Niemeyer, Pat Posten, Kathryn Wesselman, Betty Runde.

Please Note The Men’s Holy Name Society meeting has been changed to Wednesday, December 14, 7:00 pm, in the Museum Meeting Room.

Planning Marriage Tony Zerrusen and Kendra VanSant

Saturday, December 17, 2016 11:30 am

Sing Along St. Francis Singers and Friends will be singing at Evergreen Nursing Center on Wednesday, De-cember 14th at 10:00 am.

Homebound Ministry Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to the Homebound for Sunday, December 18 are Lenora Drees 857-3583 and Deb Runde 857-6281.

Articles for the bulletin for the next 3 weeks are due earlier. Our bulletin deadline to the publisher is earlier because of Christmas. Phone the office, 857-6404, for the deadline dates.

If you are going to make an “end of the year” gift to the parish, PLEASE help the parish by donating your gift to ACSA. Write ACSA on the check, and in the memo line be sure to write: TEUTOPOLIS, so our parish gets the credit. This will pay off our ACSA, and it will lower our ACSA for next year. You can drop the check in the basket on Sunday or mail it to the diocese.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Teutopolis, Illinois page 4

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND YOUTH NOTES

YOUTH NOTES Teen Center is open THIS Friday, December 16 from 7-10 pm. Chaperons are Greg & Donna Addis, Mark & Chris Probst, Rachel Collins, Chris & Laura Deters & Deb Magee.

GRADE SCHOOL A Great BIG “THANKS” To all the Grade 3 children and families, and all who con-tributed to the Christmas Mission Store during this past week. The total proceeds will be announced in next week’s bulletin. We hope all will be blessed in many ways during this Advent and Christmas season for sharing your gifts with those less fortunate. The recipients will be announced in next week’s bulletin. CATECHISTS AND MASS SUPERVISORS, VIDEO PRESENTERS, BUILDING SUPERVISORS, AND OFFICE HELPERS, SUBSTITUTES, BANK HELP-ERS, please mark your calendars for Wednesday morning, December 21, for a Christmas gathering and “thank you” in the Museum Dining Room from 8:00 to 8:45 or from 8:45 to 9:30. The parish wishes to express their thanks and gratitude for your commitment, dedication, and ser-vice. PRE/KDGN Sunday morning religion classes take place in the Museum Dining Room during the l0:30 Mass. Pre-paring for the Epiphany skit and Christmas songs will be the focus of the class.

JUNIOR HIGH Classes will resume on Wednesday, December 14, with preparation and prayer services for the Sacrament of Rec-onciliation , which takes place on Wednesday, December 21.

Announcement—Parish members staffing the grade school entrances in the early morning from 7:15 to 7:50 ask that “Parents, please do not drop off your child/ren before 7:15.” Doors are open to receive the children start-ing at 7:15. Thanks for your cooperation.

RCIA Congratulations to Lisa Foster, our newest member.

Protecting God’s Children will be held on

Thursday, February 6, 2017 at 6:30 pm at St. Aloysius, Bishop and on

Monday, March 27, 2017 at 6:30 pm at St. Francis, Teutopolis.

Please call 857-6404 to register for one.

Financial Peace University will again be offered at St. Francis. Plans are underway to begin another 9 week session of Dave Ramsey´s FPU course after the first of the year. The facilitators will be Scott & Carrie Copple and Brad & Angie Koester. More information will follow in next week´s bulletin. If you have any questions, feel free to call Carrie at (217)994-3049.

Marriage Preparation Pre-Cana is scheduled for Sunday, January 29, 2017 at St. Francis Parish. Please call 857-6404 to register. Foccus is scheduled for January 7, 2017, 5:30 pm, St. Clare April 1, 2017, 5:30 pm, St. Clare July 1, 2017, 5:30 pm, St. Clare Hall Please call the parish office at 857-6404 to register.

Baptism Prep Upcoming Baptism Prep dates are as follows: Thursday, January 5, 7:00 pm, St. Clare Thursday, February 2, 7:00 pm, St. Rose Call 857-6404 to register.

Scrip Card Business of the Month is Niemerg's Steak House! Come buy scrip cards after masses, at the parish office on Saturday mornings or from Niebrugge Financial during business hours Monday - Friday! Buying scrip cards helps our parish youth & they make GREAT Christmas gifts!

THANKS to all who have been purchasing scrip cards! You are making a difference!! Scrip Cards will be sold after every weekend Mass between now and Christmas! They are also available on Saturday mornings at the parish office or Monday through Friday at Niebrugge Financial! THANKS for supporting our parish youth!

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CCW News - Christmas Party The Officers of St. Francis Council of Catho-lic Women (CCW) wish to extend an invita-tion to all the women of our Parish to our annual CCW Christmas Party on Monday, December 12. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm at TGS Auditorium. Turkey, dressing, noodles, rolls, drinks and table service will be provided for the dinner. Please bring a covered dish. A $3.00 gift exchange is optional - please put your name on gift so that the receiver will know who it is from. Please join us for a delicious dinner, fun, and fellowship. Bill Poss will be providing the entertainment for the even-ing. ***Donations for Catholic Charities Food Pantry will be accepted and warmly appreciated!!

ASSISI FOR AFRICA Pictured is "Junior," whose par-ents abandoned him. They sent him to the mines to work and left him alone. He is now being tak-en care of in Maison Kwetu. Please continue the prayers and donations for the young, aban-doned boys like Junior. As Fa-ther Damien says, “we are taking care of God's children and what-ever we do to help them, we are honoring our Lord who gave them life.”

3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT

"The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised." Jesus has quite a résumé. When asked whether or not he is the long awaited Messiah, Jesus replies with this list of his creden-tials as proof of his position. These signs and wonders speak volumes, to be sure. But perhaps the most interesting line on the list is his concluding one, "the poor have the good news proclaimed to them." Why does he count this among his litany of miracles? What is so remarkable about sharing good news? Perhaps Jesus included this element of his work--the preaching of good news--to remind his followers that the physical healings were not the ultimate goal of his mis-sion. Rather, the spiritual healing that comes from hearing the good news of salvation is what Jesus was really about. The "poor"--which in a sense means all of us sinners, trapped by the poverty of the sins that enslave us--are freed by Jesus' message of a loving God who wants to bring us into his kingdom. Our poverty is erased by his richness. His mercy "undoes" our sin and we are invited to become the children of God who share in the glories of his heavenly abode. Sometimes it's tempting to just want the visible miracles. But the invisible ones--the conversions that take place in the silence of the human heart--are truly the more important works of God. Such interior transformation is what leads us to eternal life; even a physical cure won't last for eternity--death still comes at some point. But the really good news is that this miracle of conversion is available to all of us. And this season of Advent is the perfect time to let God work his miracles in our hearts.

Giving Trees Giving Tree Gifts are due back to the Parish Office by THIS SUNDAY, December 11! We will be sorting them Monday, De-cember 12 beginning between 8:45 and 9 am. Anyone wanting to sort is welcome to come to the church at that time & we'll get sorting! Thanks to all for your generosity and for sharing the Christmas Spirit!

Attention Parishioners! Do you ever see people in church and wonder what their names are? Are you a new member and wish you had something to help you put names with faces? Help is on the way! We are producing a new pictorial directory. You will be able to sign up for your portrait session after the Masses this weekend, or you can visit our website stfrancischurch.com, click on What’s Happening at St. Francis where you will click on a link and follow the in-structions. Photography dates open currently, for schedul-ing are during the weeks of 12/26-12/30, 01/17-01/21, and 01/31-02/04. Additional weeks in February and March will be open for scheduling at a later date. IMPORTANT!! Please remember, only current pa-rishioner portraits will be in the directory. These por-traits will be marked for the directory. Other portraits may also be taken; you may have a generational picture taken (no more than 15 people), children separately, chil-dren with grandparents, etc., but only St./ Francis Parish parishioners in the directory. We are needing volunteers to help with this project. If you are inter-ested in serving as a host/hostess during the photography sessions, contact Lois Meinhart via email, meinhartl@ttown.k12.il.us or call 857-6378.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Teutopolis, Illinois page 6

God Bless Those Serving our Country. Anthony Vahling, Jeremy Deters,

Caleb Hoene, Cody Bushue, Leighton Blankenship, Jared Apke

Parish Office

203 E. Main St., P.O. Box 730, Teutopolis, IL 62467-0730 Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. – 9:00 am-4:30 pm Phone (217) 857-6404 Fax 217) 857-1031 Parish E-mail: ................. stfrancischurch@mchsi.com Parish website:……………….stfrancischurch.com Submit written bulletin notices by noon Monday. Diocesan website: www.dio.org Diocesan Child Abuse Reporting and Investigation Num-ber (217) 321-1155

Area Events “Advent Evensong” will be held at Holy Cross Church, Wendelin today, December 11, 2016, 4:00 pm. A candle-light service with Scripture, Organ, English Carols, and Austrian Christmas music - sung in German, by the Wen-delin Kloepfen Singers. Refreshments afterwards in the Parish Center. All are welcome. The Cross at the Crossroads will host a Christmas Open House today, December 11, 2:00-4:00 pm at the Cross Welcome Center. Join us as we celebrate the birth of Je-sus Christ! Stop in anytime between 2:00-4:00 pm for a variety of family-friendly activities, including: Nativity scenes from around the world Live Christmas music Free refreshments Free “make & take” Christmas craft project Much More! 2nd Annual Shoot and Shout for a cure event, present-ed by the TJHS Boys Basketball Team and Cheerlead-ers. All proceeds going to community cancer patients and survivors through Fear Nothing. Event dates and activi-ties: 1. December 16th - chili supper at TJHS cafeteria 4-8

2. Raffle items at TJHS boys home games 3. Hoop shoot competition /sponsorship 4. Shoot and Shout for a Cure game vs. St. Anthony being held at the high school gym. Due to size of event there will be a special half time performance in honor of those who have been affected by cancer. Please join us to support this wonderful event!

Trivia/Live Auction St. Michael’s Church and School is hosting a Trivia and Live Auction on Saturday, January 14th, 2017 at the Four Parish Center in Sigel. The doors open at 6:00 pm and trivia will start at 6:30 pm. Items will be auctioned off throughout the night. To see auction items please go to our Facebook page Sigel St. Michael’s Trivia Night and Live Auction. There will also be a 50/50 drawing and heads and tails games throughout the night. Food and drink will be available for purchase. All partici-pants must be 21 years old to attend. The cost per team is $160.00 and can have up to 8 team members. To sign up your team call Betty Zumbahlen at 821-7653. Proceeds of the night go to help cover cost of the church and school Sesquicentennial coming in the fall of 2017. HSHS St. Anthony’s Foundation is hosting a “Glow-Inga” on Saturday, January 14, at the Keller Convention Center. Pre-sale tickets are $25 per person. Tickets are limited, so please contact 217-994-3158 or glow-inga2017@hshs.org to get your tickets now.

Coming Soon--Annual Pro Life Breakfast January 15, 2017, 7:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Teutopolis Grade School Auditorium. Featuring all you can eat whole hog sausage, eggs, homemade breads and rolls and drinks. Donation of breads and rolls appreciated; bring to audi-

torium Saturday, January 14th from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm or morning of breakfast.

Volunteers welcome to set up on Saturday, January 14th at 8:00 am.

Workers for the breakfast needed - 2 hour shifts starting at 7:00 am. Call Liz Kremer 217-273-9677 or email liz.kremer1957@hotmail.com

Basket raffle this year. If you would like to donate items (remember the kiddos, grandpa and grandma’s love to buy chances for their grandchildren).

Contact Marisa Schabbing 217-343-2286 or Bernice Schabbing 217-821-2694 with any donations for the raffle.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Mark your calendars for the 55+ Christmas Gathering on December 15! Come over for the noon mass and then stay for meal and games! Karen & Bill Brumleve will be making turkey, dressing, noodles and a dessert! You're welcome to bring a side or a dessert to share! It's going to be a fun time!

Christmas Cookie & Candy sale December 10 & 11 after all Masses! Come enjoy homemade, decorated cookies and candies for just $7 a plate! CHWC families will be providing the cookies, and proceeds will help go towards their trip. Thanks for supporting the youth of our area!

Taste of T-Town Tickets are ON SALE NOW!! Taste of T-Town will be held on January 14 and all CHWC camp-ers have tickets for sale! You can also purchase them at the parish office, Niebrugge Financial or after Masses on week-ends this month! We have a great line up & we can't wait for this awesome event!