Flocknote early this week due to Thanksgiving! Some notes:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING !
HAPPY THANKSGIVING: On behalf of Father Birendra, Father Russ, Deacons Andy, Emmet, and Paul, and the entire St. Mark parish staff, we wish you and your families a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving Day.
I made two boo boos in last week’s Flocknote message and I’m rectifying them front and center:
- The Giving Tree gifts MUST MUST MUST be returned by Sunday, December 11.
- The Santa’s Workshop is being held in the Parish Hall (under the church), not in the Parish Center.
MASS OF THANKSGIVING: Please join us tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. for our Mass of Thanksgiving. It will be wonderful to have a full house! Let us thank God for all our blessings.
OFFICE CLOSURE: The office is closing at 12:00 noon today and will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you all on Monday!
MISSAL HELPERS: A reminder to the volunteers that we are meeting in the church Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. to swap out the Breaking Bread missals from 2022 to 2023. Advent begins the new calendar year in the church, cycle A.
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: This weekend begins the season of Advent. By now you should have all taken a Magnificat booklet home. They are at the entrances of the church.
ONE COLLECTION: There is only one collection this weekend.
ST. JOSEPH MISSALETTES: The missalettes did arrive at the office. They are $5.00 each. Come by next week and pick up a copy.
HOLY MOMENTS: Since its origin, the world has seen great revolutions, such as the Industrial Revolution and the French and American Revolution, just to mention a few. All these resulted in bringing intellectual, social, and technological revolution. Our world is in a mess and we all agree that it is time for another revolution, this time a spiritual revolution. This is what Matthew Kelly, a famous spiritual author and speaker, tries to bring about through his book Holy Moments. This small book is a must-read book which will change your life for good. An anonymous family from church have donated the books to the parish. Copies of the book will be here, hopefully, in time for distribution on the weekend of December 3 and 4. Please take a copy of the book home and be a part of the spiritual revolution beginning in our very own parish. Thank you, Father Birendra.
ACCOUNTABILITY SUNDAY: Bishop Caggiano has designed the first weekend of December as Accountability Sunday. Postings for our financial statements will be in the bulletin weekend December 3 and 4.
WELCOME NEW LPI ADVERTISER: Welcome to St. Catherine of Siena Mausoleum/Fairfield County Catholic Cemeteries, which has started to advertise in our weekly bulletin. Welcome!
ST. MARK LADIES GUILD CHRSTMAS LUNCHEON: St. Mark Ladies Guild invites all women of the parish and their guests to join them on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 12:30 p.m. for the Guild Christmas Luncheon at the new Lodge Restaurant at the Oronoque Golf Club (former Oronoque Country Club). The Plated Custom Lunch will be served which includes: Cheese and Crackers, House Salad, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetable Medley and choice of Chicken Piccata, Sliced Flank Steak, or Baked Cod (w/bread crumbs) and Brownie a la mode and Coffee or Tea. Cost: $35. RSVP Nancy Lou Maco, (203) 522-6359 or Gerri Szabo at (203) 378-2552 by Dec. 6. Please see the attached pdf file!
CRAYON INITIATIVE: If you have unwanted crayons at home, even if they are broken, the St. Mark School kindergarten class is collecting crayons all year long to recycle and to be recreated for use at pediatric hospital units nationwide. Thank you for supporting our school and the children’s efforts to help the community. The “crayon collection box” is in the vestibule of the church.
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AND ST. MARK SCHOOL BAKE SALE:
Hip, Hip, Hooray! It’s that time of year again and on Sunday, December 4 (snow date December 11), Santa will be having breakfast with the children from 9:00 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. Please join us for this wonderful event and support our school. All are welcome for breakfast with Santa, and to stop by to purchase some delicious treats (this writer tells you every year that these are the BEST baked goods ever)! Cost is $8 pp ages three (3) and up. We look forward to seeing you and the children with Santa!!! (Please note there is a price change for the cost of the breakfast since last week.)
ST. MARK SCHOOL COFFEE FUNDRAISER: The school is excited to be selling Giving Bean Coffee and Artisan Teas again this year. The Coffee Fundraiser begins November 14th and runs through November 28th. The school will receive 40% of the proceeds. The order form with details on pricing is attached and we will print copies to place at the entrances of the church for next week as well. Thank you for your support! Any questions, please contact Mike Aloi mikejaloi@gmail.com.
SANTA’S WORKSHOP: Come join the fun! There’s something for “kids” of all ages. Santa, Mrs. Clause, and the elves will be setting up their workshop in the Parish Hall on Saturday, December 3, from 1:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. “Kids” can make their own wood craft projects, crafting and sewing with the elves, gingerbread house decorating, story time, and much more. (Free admission; donations are always welcome.) (Please note change of venue! I typed wrong. The Workshop is in the Parish Hall (under the church) not in the Parish Center.)
ST. MARK GIVING TREE PROGRAM: We are continuing our Giving Tree program. Please consider taking home a tag or two and make someone else’s Christmas special! The trees will be in the front foyer of the church beginning November 19/20, November 26/27, December 3/4, and December 10/11. All presents MUST be returned by Sunday, December 11.
THANK YOU TO OUR NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: Last Friday, November 18, a group of volunteer high-schoolers from Notre Dame came to St. Mark to help the school and the rectory clean out closets, shelves, bookcases, etc. They did all the heavy lifting for us and put it all in a dumpster! We thank them for their generous help. What a wonderful group of students! Again, thank you.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY: Blessed Sacrament and St. Charles Borromeo were absolutely flabbergasted at the generosity of St. Mark School and St. Mark Parish. The donations of turkeys, chickens, and all the fixings are making for many happy households this holiday. Blessed Sacrament alone handed out over 400 Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Both churches sent pictures of the happy faces for those recipients of your generosity. And a huge thank you to Paul DeVitto and Sarah Scalzo who helped organize this event for the school and parish. Our 8th grade students did a fantastic job bagging out goodies and delivering them to the churches.
Best,
Paula (and Joan too)
P.S. I wasn’t supposed to cook for Thanksgiving, but Christian and Kristen and yes, Kaeser, the dog, are coming home for the weekend. Will be great to see the kids. Since it was such late notice though, I’m going with a spiral ham and not roasting a full turkey. Will still work up all the trimmings. I’m heading home today after I close the office to make that brownie pecan pie I told you about last week. Will let you know how it turns out. Looked scrumptious on TV. Joan just sent me her recipe for Dolly Madison Gingerbread Cake. Her traditional Thanksgiving Day dessert item. Might have to give that a try as well if I have all the ingredients in the house.
Michael and I got a jump on decorating for Christmas. We redid the front hall entryway. Bought all new greenery, bows, and lights. A totally different style than years past. If I must say so myself, it looks really festive. The wreaths and lights are in the windows; front door all decked out. Christmas….one of my favorite times of the year. Love to decorate the house and have company. Christmas cards written, closed, and stamped. Going in the mail today!
And keep your fingers crossed for Michael and I. We haven’t put up a Christmas tree in years because the cats love to climb them, knock them down, or destroy the Christmas ornaments by swatting them off the tree. But this year we bought a skinny, Charlie Brown looking Christmas tree and decorated it with our “Santa only” ornaments. So far, no cat climbing. I’ll keep you posted how we progress through the month of December!
For anyone traveling, please be extra safe!
Happy Thanksgiving, and remember, there are no calories for dinners eaten on holidays. No, really, it’s a fact! Google it (hahaha).