Week of November 23, 2003

Quick View of Meetings for the Week

Archive of Weekly Bulletins

Dear Parishioner,

Next weekend begins the season of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. Advent is a time for reflection and renewal. Wednesday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m. we will gather for our Advent Communal Penance Service. This is an important way that we individually and as a community can admit our sinfulness and need to grow and turn to seek God's forgiveness. I invite you to join us for the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.

Join us on Sunday afternoon, November 30, at 12:15 p.m., for an Advent afternoon including lunch, personal reflection and small group discussion. The day will focus on the connection between personal choices and peace in our daily lives and how our ordinary choices affect the level of peace in our lives and in our world. Our pastoral associate, Anthony Camino, will lead us in the day. Lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m. and the day will conclude at 4:00 p.m. A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested to cover the cost of lunch. Please sign up on the kiosk to register or call Marianne Slattery at 440-946-1128, ext 21 if you have any questions.

Our first "daytime retreat" was a great success and enriching opportunity for those who attended. Please consider joining us on Wednesday, December 3 as we prepare a place for Jesus in our hearts and lives during this busy time of the year. The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the small hall, include lunch and end at 2:00 p.m. Fran Armbruster will facilitate this Advent Journey and a suggested donation of $5.00 will help cover the cost of lunch. Please sign up on the kiosk if you plan to attend. If you have any questions, please call the parish office at 440-946-0887.

On Monday, November 24, Linda Schaefer, nationally known speaker, author and photojournalist, will present an inspirational talk including slides showing the impact of Mother Teresa upon our world. Advent is a perfect time to allow the example of other Christians to inspire our own faith. The talk will be at 7:30 p.m. in our large hall.

On Sunday, December 14 we will hold a Parish Advent Celebration at 12:15 p.m. in the large hall. The event will begin with lunch. Adults and children together will assemble dry ingredients for containers of soup to be included in our Christmas boxes to families in need. You may bring a jar to assemble a soup mix for yourself or to serve as a Christmas gift for someone else. The program will conclude with Christmas music around 1:30 p.m.

The weekends of November 29 & 30/December 6 and December 7, high school students from Prime Time will be collecting your donations after Mass to support our Christmas project, which provides food and gifts to 100 area families. If you can sponsor a family or volunteer your time to wrap or deliver gifts or have any questions on how you can help, call Anthony at 440-946-1128 ext 20.

For those of you who are attending our Advent Parish Tea please remember we begin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 7 in the large hall. (Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.)

Copies of At Home With The Word, which contain the Scripture selections used at Mass for the year, are available in the narthex. Rejoice In The Lord Always, are booklets with Advent meditations on Joy and The Word Among us contains daily meditations for Advent. Please pick these up after the liturgy.

As you can see there will be many opportunities for spiritual growth in the upcoming weeks. Please consider participating in one or more of these events to help prepare for the celebration of the Lord's birth.

Fr. George Smiga

FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE UPDATE - This week parishioners who have joined St. Noel over the last year and a half will be receiving a letter concerning a pledge to our building campaign. As you know, the pledges from new parishioners have been a part of our plan from the start of the campaign. We hope that their gifts will offset the pledges of parishioners who have moved out of our parish and help cover the 3% over run of the construction.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS, SACRISTANS, SERVERS, AND LECTORS - A sign-up sheet for The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Monday, December 8) is on the bulletin board by the kitchenette. Please sign up if you can help.

VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED - We are looking for help in the office on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. If you might be interested, please call Carole Lester (440-946-0887) for further details. Thank you.

SACRISTANS - HELP!!! We are in need of sacristans for the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Please call the parish office at 440-946-0887 if you can help, or for answers to any questions you may have.

SOCIAL JUSTICE GEMS - "We also need to try to practice in our own parishes what we preach to others about justice and participation. Too often we are better at talking about justice than demonstrating it, more committed to these values in the abstract then in our everyday ministry" (U.S. Catholic Bishops, Communities of Salt and Light).

SOCIAL CONCERNS/ST. AUGUSTINE - On November 30 our volunteers will be serving the meal at the St. Augustine Hunger Center. There is a sign-up sheet on the kiosk if you are able to lend a hand. After all the Masses on November 29/30, we will be collecting for our Social Concerns fund. Also, if anyone would like to bake cookies please bring the cookies with you when you come to volunteer at the Hunger Center or they can be dropped off at church before the Mass on Saturday. Please place the cookies on the counter in the kitchenette and mark them St. Augustine.

SOCIAL CONCERNS FUND - In October we collected $799.00. Our expenses for October were:

We thank you for your support.

RITE OF ACCEPTANCE - We are pleased to be welcoming the following people into the Catechumenate this Sunday morning at our 11:00 a.m. Mass when we will be celebrating the Rite of Acceptance: Jessica Forguites and Joe Plesmid, our Catechumens will be preparing to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the next Easter Vigil; Greg Danaher, Anna Hackett, Sherie Hale and Harry Schweitzer, who are already baptized Christians, will be preparing to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. We are very grateful for the blessings of faith and love which they bring to our community. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey through the RCIA!

MEN'S PRAYER BREAKFAST - Men of all ages are encouraged to attend this monthly event. The Prayer Breakfast is held at St. Noel on the first Saturday of each month (September-May), from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. It is a morning filled with Fellowship, Faith sharing, Fun and Food. Why not start the month out right? Join us on December 6 to be refreshed and renewed in body, mind and spirit.

THE ST. NOEL WEB SITE - This site (www.stnoel.org) has been up and running for two years. Many volunteers helped with the original design and implementation. We are pleased with the growth of the web site and the many positive comments we have received over the past two years. As we approach our anniversary we are interested in making the stnoel.org as informative and easy to use for all parishioners; so we need your help! We are looking for volunteers that have web site skills that are willing to keep the St. Noel web site up to date and would be able to maintain the site on a consistent basis. Currently we have a core team of 3 people that have been serving over the past two years to maintain the site and a group of 3 or 4 individuals that provide valuable content and pictures for the web site. If you are interested in this new and exciting ministry, please contact the parish office at 440-946-0887 and we will schedule a meeting with those that are interested.

HELP PLANT THE SEEDS OF LITERACY - You can tutor a child who needs assistance with schoolwork or help an adult to earn his or her GED. Volunteers from St. Noel are needed again this year to tutor children and adults at St. Augustine Church's Learning Center in Cleveland. The Learning Center project is part of the on-going partnership between St. Noel and St. Augustine parishes. Training is available if needed, and materials for teaching are on hand. There are morning sessions; however, at this time the need is greater for early evening. Thirteen children are waiting to be helped. If interested, call our parish office, or dial directly to Bob Duda, project leader at St. Augustine. His phone number is 216-781-5330 X 29.

"JOURNEY TO JOY" - a support group for persons being treated for depression and/or family members will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Saturday mornings of the month at 9:00 a.m. in the Visitation Room and the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Visitation Room. (Our next meeting will be Saturday morning, December 6, at 9:00 a.m. For further information call the parish office at 440-946-0887.

TASTE AND SEE TIDBITS - Did you know that members of the parish staff and music ministry conducted mini-workshops on the GIRM for our 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. PSR students?

ST. NOEL FELLOWSHIP - November 27th -Thanksgiving Day we will not be meeting.

PRIME TIME - Hey! We're meeting tonight - see you at 7:30pm.

JUNIOR HIGH YOUTH GROUP - Our next session is Tuesday, December 2nd in the large hall. We start at 7:00pm - Bring your bible.

CLEVELAND FOODBANK - We're volunteering on Monday, December 1st. Please call Anthony if you're interested in serving. We leave the Church at 5:30pm.

NOEL MOVERS - We are in need of all size mattresses and box springs. Please call Anthony if you can help.

CHRISTMAS PROJECT - We are in need of sponsor families. Please call Anthony to learn more about sponsoring a family or to volunteer to help with the project. Also, you can bring in your turkey donations anytime. The project donates a turkey to every family so we need a lot of birds! PRIME TIME will be collecting money next weekend after all Masses. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

ENTERTAINMENT 2004 BOOKS: are available in the church office. Cost of the book is $25.00 until December 1st, after that date cost will be $30. All proceeds benefit mentally handicapped children. Also, Lake Catholic High School students are selling Entertainment Books 2004. The cost is $25.00 per book until December 1st. After that date the cost is $30.00. For more information please call Lake Catholic at 440-951-0077.

THE LAKE GEAUGA DISTRICT PRESENTS - "Wholeness begets Holiness", an evening of reflection, reconciliation, and healing for those who are separated or divorced. Join Deacon Tom Senn for this spiritual experience of sharing, support, healing, and reconciliation on Thursday, December 4th from 7-9:00 p.m. at St. Anselm Church, 12969 Chillicothe Road, Chesterland. To register or for further information, please call Karen Jubeck at 440-352-8282.

THE NEXT BEGINNING EXPERIENCE WEEKEND - (this is a weekend for divorced, separated and widowed men and women of all ages) will be held on February 13,14 & 15 at St. Joseph Christian Life Center in Cleveland, Ohio Call 440-546-9192 or 330-607-1512 for information.

CHRISTMAS IN CHARDON - Craft fair and bake sale will be held Saturday, December 6 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at St. Mary School, 401 North Street, Chardon. Show features 100 vendors, and instant raffle, bakery table, and delicious homemade lunches and desserts.

Ursuline College - On Monday, December 8, the Graduate Program in Ministry at Ursuline College will sponsor a colloquium on "Becoming a Pastoral Care Specialist." The event will be held on the Ursuline College campus from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Mary Beaumont Dining Room. Carol Ann Killoran, D.Min. SSJ-TOSF, LPCC will lead this practical workshop on "Becoming a Pastoral Care Specialist." This event is open to the public. The cost of this dinner program is $8. For more information or registration please contact JoAnn Grillo at 440-646-8195 or jgrillo@ursuline.edu.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES FOR CHRIST, INC. - is a nonprofit organization supplying worldwide Christian Medical Missionaries. We are in great need of medical supplies, including respiratory and diabetic items, hearing aides, home health care provisions, and all medical items. We also accept Depends, Ensure type products, vitamins and minerals, Slimfast products and protein powder drink mixes. Won't you please join us to reach out and help the least of God's people? If you would like additional information, or to have your items picked up, please call 440-975-9028.

ST. NOEL PARISH HALL PRESENTS A HOLIDAY SHOW- featuring Shout & "Legends of Soul" Show Band. It's your last chance this year to hear this amazing band. They will be performing here on Saturday, December 13, from 8:00 until midnight. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. We will be serving assorted gourmet pizzas, a vegetable and cheese display followed by a make-your-own-ice-cream sundae bar. A cash bar will be available. This event would be a great idea for your holiday office party. Tickets are $20.00 per person, and can be purchased by calling the hall office at 440-946-6635.

CATHOLIC UPDATE - entitled "Finding The Heart of Jesus' Life: Looking At Jesus In The Gospels," by Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J., is now available in the kiosk.

Quick View of Meetings for the Week

BACK TO TOP

If you have questions concerning any information contained on the Saint Noel Parish Web site, contact us.

Our staff will answer your questions or forward you to the appropriate individual or group.