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December 12, 2020 | Mass Sign-Up Reminder and Weekly Update

So cool, Father Don is back—So cool, Father Don is back—and he will be celebrating some of the Masses this weekend! Thank you for keeping him in your prayers for a full recovery.

It is Rejoice Sunday or Gaudete Sunday!  Our wait for Jesus, the Christ-child is nearly finished. We pray to see you in-person or tune in at the livestream to rejoice with us; let us be bold and proclaim the greatness of the Lord. His coming is near. May He find us watching in praise, ready to greet Him and receive all the blessings He has in store for us, especially at the Mass.

“What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down … repentance for sin … victory over temptation … holy inspirations which dispositions to shake off tepidity … the grace of final perseverance, upon which depends our salvation … temporal blessings, such as peace, abundance, and health …”  —St. Leonard of Port Maurice

THIS COMING WEEK

Weekend Mass Links and Livestream of the Mass 

• Father James will be preaching this weekend, please sign-in ahead of time online at this link https://bit.ly/3he0WxJ so we can adequately prepare for all who are attending Mass.  (The sign-in is live by Tuesday of each week).
  During the 10AM Mass, for those that are feeling uncomfortable about being inside the Church but would like to receive Holy Communion, you can watch the Mass while in your car in the Parking Lot, and then when it is time to receive Holy Communion, the parking attendants will guide you as to how to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
• In addition to Facebook, we live stream on YouTube as well!  Please consider subscribing to your OLM YouTube Channel here; subscribing helps the livestream efforts out.
• We have a livestream ministry.  It is fun, easy, and fulfilling to take part in.  We are seeking creative individuals who are interested in joining our “Stream Team” to help continue to bring the Masses at Our Lady of Mercy online.  If you are interested or know someone who would enjoy volunteering in this role, please connect with zara@olmercy.com

Christmas Registration Goes Live Monday 12/14th! https://youtu.be/pbNRSB0yxww 

• Can you feel the excitement in the air, Christmas is almost here!  We hope you’ll make plans to join us for Christmas @ OLM with NINE Masses to choose from—4 on Christmas Eve and 5 on Christmas Day.
• Be ready to register this Monday, 12/14th; we are excited to gather together with you and celebrate Christmas @ Our Lady of Mercy! Which Mass time will you sign up for? Start the conversation now.
• We ask if you could please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the precautions being taken for all who wish to join us on Christmas at this link.  Please consider sharing this with those you want to invite to the celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus!
• Stay tuned on any of our communications platforms. You can sign up at this link to stay connected. (Don’t forget to download the myParish App if you haven’t done so already, we will be sending a message through the App first.)

A Christmas Themed MAGNIFY on 12/16th

• Have you had a chance to prepare your heart for Christmas; for Jesus to be born anew in you?  Whether you haven’t or have, one of the most powerful ways we can make the way for Jesus to come back into our lives and to prepare ourselves for Christmas is to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration of praise with Him.  Why?  Because, it is in praise to God that we move away from fixating on the idea of God to the experience of God… it is hymns of praise that move the heart most and help lead us into a personal encounter with Jesus.  Praising God is also one of the most valuable ways that we can deepen our faith and strengthen our hope.
• We hope you can carve out some time in the Presence of our Lord in Adoration, and share that experience with others. Invite them to experience the gift of Jesus Christ; it’s like Christmas every day of the year.  Bring your family and friends.
• As we wait for Jesus in these days of Advent, we want to make a straight path in our lives and in our hearts, consider going to Confession at Magnify.
• Come and join Father James as he leads us in adoring Jesus, accompanied by Josh Goodman. Father James will be hearing Confessions up until sometime before Benediction after he leads us in a scriptural reflection.  Sign-in ahead of time here or at the door.

Simbang Gabi on 12/19th

• The Simbang Gabi Filipino tradition of celebrating devotional Mass in preparation for the coming of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ will be held on Saturday, December 19th @ 6pm.  Registration is on the Mass Sign-Up page or at this link, or please join us at the livestream.
• Join the Filipino community, Simbang Gabi is a welcoming tradition that is celebrated it is a spiritual preparation for Christmas and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.

LOOKING AHEAD

We need your help!  Please sign-up to be an Usher for any of the Nine Christmas Masses

• Spread Christmas Joy on Christmas—come out and help us keep each other safe in a joyous way at one of the Christmas Masses.   We could really use your assistance.  Usher volunteer sign-up located here.

Christmas Flower Offerings

• This Christmas we will decorate the church with poinsettias around the altar. If you wish to make a gift towards the flowers please go to Give page and log into the secure Online Giving site and choose “Flowers:”. If you wish to memorialize your loved ones you can add their names in the Comments section. The recommended donation is $10.00. Thank you for your generosity and for helping to make our church beautiful during the holiday season.

Our Lady of Mercy’s Hispanic Ministry Advent Schedule 

• Join OLM’s Hispanic Ministry at the following events during this Advent season.  Let’s journey together at these beautiful gatherings, in-person or virtual,  discovering how God wants to make this season into a time for us to grow closer to Him and come to know Him better.

Alpha @ OLM registration https://olmercy.com/alpha/

• Prepare those invitations to both In-Person Alpha and Virtual Alpha in January.  
• Are you growing weary of the pandemic life, of the isolation?  Do you have questions?  Are you looking for a place to find an authentic community right now?
• Attend with a friend.  Who will you invite to try Alpha?

Fair Trade Sale Online sponsored by the Peace & Justice Ministry

• Fair-trade is a way of helping farmers and artisans in developing countries by offering them a minimum price for their produce or products and thus insuring them a decent wage.
• Gifts to buy? Homes to spruce?  100% of your purchase will support SERRV International, a nonprofit that employs global artisans living in poverty.  We hope you support this Our Lady of Mercy Serrv and Earn fundraiser today https://www.serrv.org/?a=JusticeandPeaceFTSale
• Please be sure to use the link and check the orange banner at the top of the home page before shopping, to be sure our parish sale is identified.  Thank you!  Any questions call Chris Harvey 631-561-9722 or Jean Rehmer 630-851-3444 x232

Bulletin

• Don’t forget to check out Father Don’s insightful weekly Bulletin article is located here.

Supporting OLM | Parish Sacrificial Giving

• OLM is only able to do any of this because of YOU! Your continued prayers and words of encouragement keep us going and your generosity continues to create more opportunities for OLM to keep our family connected and bring people to Jesus, form them as disciples and send them on mission.
• If you are experiencing hardship during this time, please reach out and let us know how we can help, here is a private link.
• If you are not experiencing hardship at this time, please consider supporting our efforts and support our community through your giving, our Give page is accessed here or text an offering amount to (630)647-8105, follow the rest of the instructions.
• Do you shop on Amazon?  If so, you can help OLM just by shopping for yourself!  Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to charitable organizations. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know and love-same products, same prices, same service. There is no change to your user ID, password, wish lists, registries, or Amazon Prime benefits.  Here is how
  • Every time you shop on Amazon, please type the following web link in your browser from your computer or mobile device: smile.amazon.com then select Our Lady of Mercy Parish, in Aurora, IL as your charitable organization of choice.
  • Please update your bookmark or favorites to use this link every time for every purchase.
  • Only purchases made through smile.amazon.com credit our account, not the main website or the app.

Angel Giving Program 2020

• • Our Angel Tree Giving Program Is Going Virtual!  Due to the pandemic, and in order to minimize contact, this year we have decided that there will not be tree tags available in the Narthex, but rather, all donations for our Angel Giving Program can be made online or by mail!
  • Who Will Benefit From Your Donation? Our Angel Giving Program will benefit Mutual Ground and Breaking Free clients and their families, Our Lady of Mercy parishioners who receive support from St. Vincent de Paul, and the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry.
  • Ways To Donate! Donations for the Angel Giving Program can be donated in one of the following ways:
    1) We encourage you to donate via our Online Giving portal under the “Angel Giving Program” fund. If you already have an Online Giving account set-up, then you can log into your account to make your donation HERE.
    2) You may also write a check made out to Our Lady of Mercy Church with “Angel Giving” in the memo line and mail it to 701 S Eola Road, Aurora, IL 60504 OR after Masses you may place your check in a bin in the Narthex that is labeled “Angel Giving Program.”
    It is important to remember to write “Angel Giving” in the memo of your check so that it goes to the correct fund and can be documented correctly for tax statement purposes.
  • All donations can be made thru December 31, 2020.
  • Thank you for your prayerful consideration to give to those in need who will benefit from your donations!

Thank you for being mindful about keeping each other safe by observing social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing your hands while inside the Church and PLC.  Your cautious way of following the social distancing parameters helps us to stay open and hold the Sacraments.

 

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