St. Michael the Archangel Pastorate
Sacred Heart, Remington
Sts. Peter & Paul, Goodland
St. Augustine, Rensselaer
Friday Flocknote - December 2nd, 2022
Father Joshua Bennett, Missionary Pastor fr.jbennett@dol-in.org
Marie Oliver, Director of Operations marieoliver@parish.dol-in.org
Kris Dobson, Coordinator of Continuing Formation and Evangelization kdobson@parish.dol-in.org
Sarah Hall, Coordinator of Youth Religious Education shall@parish.dol-in.org
Natalia Brady, Administrative Assistant for the Pastorate nbrady@parish.dol-in.org
Nancy Goodwin, Bookkeeper for Sacred Heart & Sts. Peter and Paul ngoodwin@parish.dol-in.org
A Message From Our Pastor
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Mt 3:1-2
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Mt 3:1-2
Advent is often seen as a time of preparation for Christmas, and the time to decorate our homes and buy presents. While these seasonal activities take up much of our attention, the message from John the Baptist in the Gospel today is a great reminder for all of us why we do these things… or you might say “the reason for the season.”
John’s preaching could be summed up in one word “repent.” He was relentless, even to his own death at the hands of Herod, to call people to repentance for their mistakes and to follow the path of the Lord. He was singularly focused on his mission as the forerunner to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” This is a mission that all of us, as Christians, should remain laser focused on today, in not only recognizing our own need for repentance, but preaching this gift to others.
The greatest “crime” in our society is to offend someone. The entire “cancel culture” was developed around people whose feelings were hurt over words they feel are harmful. People fill the airwaves and pages of periodicals bloviating on and on about “hate speech” and “racism” and daily define new “-isms” that daily broaden the ever-evolving sphere of “offensive hate speech”. Often times religion is lumped into this genre of “hate speech” and seen as “toxic” and better off disregarded, because it might offend someone, just as a name or a phrase might likewise offend someone.
John the Baptist, quoting the prophet Isaiah, says “Prepare THE way of the Lord.” He does not mince words; the way of the Lord is singular. Yes, that offends people, especially those who feel they can chart their own way. Yes, it is offensive to people who want to excuse their actions, knowing they have deviated from God’s Law and Commandments. Yes, it is offensive to people who want God to be like them, rather than themselves to be like God.
The only cure to this offense is repentance. Why? Because “THE kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The singular kingdom of God is “at hand” (or here and present), and the singular way to enter is through repentance. This has never been a popular or exciting proposition for Christians. No one has ever said, “I can’t wait to go to confession and tell the priest all the ways I failed God and my neighbor!!! It’s going to be such a great time!” The point of repentance is not the process of repentance, but rather the purpose: the kingdom of heaven. In other words, we don’t repent for the sake of repentance, we repent for the sake of heaven, which is lost without repentance.
People can have a million and one excuses why they feel exempt from repentance. However, my experience is that most people generally want the rewards of repentance – i.e. heaven – just without the hassle of having to actually repent. I have never personally heard anyone say, “I don’t want to go to confession and repent because I’m content with my sins the punishment that I will receive due to them.” In fact, it is usually the opposite: “I don’t want to go to confession and repent, but I know I’ll go to heaven anyway.”
I understand that kneeling before a priest and admitting my sins is not the highlight of my week; but I also know that when I do so, I am offering that humiliation to God so that I might be raised up and glory with Him forever in heaven. Is it fun? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely!
Jesus wants all of us to be with him in heaven, we have to want to be with him, too. Having unrepentant personal mortal sin on our soul is contrary to a desire to be in heaven. No person can at the same time truly and fully want to be in heaven and at the same time be in a state of mortal sin – these are contradictory acts of the will. It is not until we remove the sin, through repentance, that we are able to align our will with God’s Will for us: eternal salvation.
This Advent we have additional times for the Sacrament of Confession as well as Communal Penance Services, as opportunities for people to heed the advice of John the Baptist, to repent and to follow the way of the Lord. Do not let this time pass and not take advantage of the great gift Christ is offering you. Furthermore, don’t be offended at the invitation to repentance, nor should you be afraid of offending anyone by sharing this gift with others and inviting them to share in this outpouring of Christ’s Love found in this amazing gift of the Cross.
This Thursday is the Holy Day of Obligation of the Immaculate Conception. We have Masses Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, and Thursday Evening. Mass attendance is required for all Catholics not otherwise dispensed.
God Bless you and I look forward to seeing you all twice in the next week!
Fr. Bennett
Sacred Heart of Jesus – Have Mercy on Us
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception – Pray for Us
Sts. Michael the Archangel, Joseph, Peter, Paul, Augustine – Pray for Us
Youth Ministry Grades PK-12
December:
4th Sts. Peter & Paul and Sacred Heart K-12 meet @ Fulcher Center 9:45-10:45a ET
4th Sacred Heart CYO meets to make cookies @ 10:45am
7th St. Augustine PK-12 meet for Faith Formation
PITs meet @ 6:30 pm
11th Sts. Peter & Paul and Sacred Heart K-12 meet @ Fulcher Center 9:45-10:45a ET
11th St. Augustine Youth Mass @ 10:00 am CT
14th St. Augustine Youth Dinner begins at 5:30pm CT
Parish Penance Service starts at 6:30pm CT
18th Sts. Peter & Paul and Sacred Heart K-12 meet @ Fulcher Center 9:45-10:45a ET
21st-28th No meetings SA due to Christmas Break
January
4th Peer Ministers only meet @ 6:30pm
11th St. Augustine PK-12 meet for Faith Formation at 6:30pm
Knights of Columbus
Fish Fry
Friday, Dec. 2nd & 9th from 5 to 7pm CT
Serving pollack, bluegill, cod, tilapia, shrimp and chicken strips with choice of potato and choice of coleslaw or apple sauce. Hush puppies have been added to the menu.
Dine in or carry out (866-9938)
In the spirit of this giving season, we present:
“Knightsgiving”
Join us for a Free, Hot Breakfast Meal:
Sunday, December 11th at the Knights of Columbus Hall
8:00-11:30am CT
Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy, and Oatmeal,
Juice, Milk, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate
(Dine in or Carry Out)
Sacred Heart
Christmas Clothesline
Items will need to be returned to church by Dec 11th.
If you would like to purchase
an item please text
Barb Federer @ (219) 863-0594
The Sacred Heart Noodle makers are pleased to report that all noodles have been sold. The net proceeds of the sale of noodles along with donations totaled $636.18. These funds will be donated to the Restore & Growth Campaign. Noodles were also donated to the Turkey Dinner.
Thanks to all who helped make this possible!
Sacred Heart
Homebound Card List
The Sacred Heart Homebound card list has been updated and will be available in the back of the Sts. Peter & Paul church.
Sts. Peter & Paul
Monthly Cleaning
First Tuesday of each month
9am CT/10am ET
Share the Warmth Service Project
St. Augustine School's annual SOCK AND BLANKET DRIVE is here again! If you have gently used blankets or adult socks, please consider bringing them to St. Augustine Catholic School this month. We will donate all collected items to St. John's Garden Door Ministry, where they will be used to support homeless men and women in the Indianapolis area. Thank you in advance from the school and Father Rick Nagel for your support and item donations!
St. Augustine 4th Grade Students Christmas Wishlist
Dear Parishioners,
This year instead of a gift exchange, my 4th grade students would like to collect donations for the Jasper County Animal Shelter. The class will be collecting items until Dec. 16th and items can be dropped off at the St. Augustine School office. Here is a small list of what we would like: monetary donation, dry food, chew bones, treats, sturdy toys, towels, beds, cat litter, shampoo, leashes, collars, brushes and combs. In other words, anything that would help our furry friends.
Thank you!
Mrs. Kimberly Zeilmann
St. Augustine 4th Grade Teacher
2022 St. Michael the Archangel Pastorate Christmas Wishlist
One Year FORMED.ORG Subscription
for Pastorate $1,000
Scholarships for Youth
Retreats and Events $50 each
2022 Sacred Heart Christmas Wishlist
100% Parish Participation in Restore & Grow Campaign
2022 St. Augustine Christmas Wishlist
Please make any donations to "St. Augustine" with "Christmas Wishlist" in the memo.
Blu-ray Disc Player with built-in Wi-Fi for School Classrooms and Religious Education
7 @ $75ea ($525 total)
7 @ $75ea ($525 total)
Thurible for Church
$795 plus shipping
New Server Albs
$81 each, need 30 to replace
($2,430 total)
Bottle Filling Station and
Single ADA Cooler for School
1 @ $1,185
($500 already donated!)
St. Augustine Christmas
Giving Tree
Thank you to everyone who has picked up a tag from the St. Augustine Christmas Giving Tree. There are still 34 tags available. If you are interested in picking up a tag, but aren’t able to get to St. Augustine, contact Chris Scheurich (219) 866-2650 for assistance. Please return wrapped gifts by December 11.
Thank you to all who participate!
Eli Dobson, son of Sid & Kris Dobson, is deployed in Europe with our NATO forces. Christmas is his favorite time of the year. Help Eli celebrate Christmas with a card. Maybe you can share in the card one of your favorite Christmas traditions. Mail takes approximately 14 days to get to him. So, mail cards early. Cards require regular US Postage.
Dobson, Elias
1-26 BN, 2 BCT
Unit 93119
APO, AE 09101-1900
Sending Christmas Cheer
Bill and I would like to again sponsor the “Send Christmas Cheer” Program. For those who are not familiar with the program, this is the 10th year St. Augustine has been “Sending Christmas Cheer” to the community. In these challenging times, we can all think of someone who is struggling either financially or emotionally. This person does not need to be a parish member. We will purchase 60- $25.00 gift cards and will be distributing them at the 4:30pm CT Mass on December 17th and the 10am Mass on December 18th. We ask our Pastorate Parishioners to think of someone in the community that could use some cheer for various reasons. We will have gift cards from Strack and Van Till, Walmart and Ceres Solutions available for you to come forward and receive. Please take the card home and send a Christmas card to your chosen individual. We ask you not to sign your name but to sign the card “Your friends from St. Augustine” (or your chosen parish) and include the gift card. These gift cards are offered at no charge to anyone who would like to send someone cheer.
This has become a very popular outreach to the community. Each year, as time gets closer to Christmas, someone always says to us, "Are you going to do gift cards again this year?” Last week we received money in an envelope with a note saying, “I don’t know if you are doing gift cards this year, but I would like to give you an anonymous donation.” We chuckled and decided it was time to get started with the project. St, Augustine parishioners have always been very generous to help fund this project. We thank you for your past support and enthusiasm. If anyone would like to contribute to this project, please send your donations to 157 W. Emmet, Rensselaer or place your donation in the collection basket marked, ”Send Christmas Cheer.”
If you are not able to attend mass on the weekend of the 17th, please call us at (219) 866-0037 to request a card to be sent to you. We would be happy to have requests from anyone in the Pastorate. In the past, we have been very pleased to have our students come forward to help fellow classmates. Let’s put a smile on 60 faces. We smile just thinking of those opening their Christmas cards. Again, thank you for your generosity and enthusiasm to “Send Christmas Cheer.”
Bill and Dianne Hollerman
Drive-Thru Live Nativity on Sunday, Dec. 4th
from 5:00-7:00pm CT
Bring Items to Donate to the Food Pantry! We will unload your donation for you! Averaging 150 Families Served EVERY Saturday in the community. Hot Chocolate & Cookies! Come and Visit St. Nick! Reflect on the Reason for the Season!
Sorrowful Mother Catholic Church
165 S. Grace Street
Wheatfield
Apples for the Students
Beginning September 1, 2022, Stack & VanTil receipts can begin to be collected. Drop off is available at St. Augustine School, box provided in the front entrance of the church or drop in the collection basket on Saturday or Sunday Masses. Receipts will be collected until March 31, 2023.
Please join us in prayer for the repose of the souls of Bob Sinkus, Mary Cangany, and Ellen Brown and pray for God’s comfort and peace for the families.
May the angels welcome them to paradise.
May the Martyrs greet them on their way.
May they see the face of the Lord this day.
Thank you to the families that joined in
this year’s Advent wreath making!
Visit Dynamic Catholic: Best Advent Ever
for Advent season daily emails & videos
Final Christmas RaiseRight order
will be Dec. 12th.
Mass Intentions
One of the traditions of the Catholic Church is to pray for the deceased. If you are interested in scheduling a mass intention in 2023, please contact Natalia in the pastorate office at (219) 866-5351 or nbrady@parish.dol-in.org
Open Office Hours
Pastorate Office at St. Augustine
318 N McKinley Ave., Rensselaer IN, 47978
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:30-5:30pm CT
Father Bennett & Marie Oliver will be available throughout the week by appointment, please call ahead (219) 866-5351
Sacred Heart Mailing Address P.O. Box 159, Remington, IN 47977
(219) 261-2302 - Remington/Goodland
What do you enjoy about Advent?
Lighting a new candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday. 🕯️
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Preparing for Jesus. 😇
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Counting down to Christmas with CHOCOLATE 😋🍫
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Starting a new Liturgical year. 🗓️
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