Week of October 21, 2007

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Dear Parishioner,

This week we celebrate our patronal feast of St. Noel. As customary we will have special pastries after the masses to mark the event. If you are able please remain afterward to celebrate our life together as a faith community.

Allow me to mention two other events which are very relevant to the celebration of our existence as a parish. First, you will begin to see some young people of our parish wearing a circular badge identifying them as someone preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. These children and their families understand the importance of service and community. During the year, they and their families will be involved in ministries throughout our parish. If you see a young person serving a meal at St. Augustine, or serving coffee and donuts, helping at GIFT, wrapping presents for the Christmas Project, or working the fish fry, please take the time to express your support.

As they prepare for Confirmation and to join us at the Eucharist a personal word from you and the assurance of your prayers for them can be a concrete way of expressing the faith which joins us together. Please take the time to affirm them.

Secondly, Friday, November 2 nd is the Feast of All Souls. At 7:00 p.m. we will celebrate the Eucharist in memory of all the deceased members of our parish and in particular for those who have been buried from St. Noel over the last twelve months. If there is someone who you would like to remember at that liturgy, envelopes are available in the kiosk (it is not necessary to place a monetary offering in the envelope). These names of those you indicated will be carried forward with the bread and wine on November 2 nd .

As we celebrate our patronal feast it is appropriate to remember those who have gone before us in faith and also to affirm the members of our community who will be joining us at the table of the Eucharist for the first time.

Fr. George Smiga

CLUSTERING NEWS: The clustering discussions between our parishes with Divine Word in Kirtland have begun.  Our pastor Father George and Father David Woost, the pastor of Divine Word, along with our four member cluster teams have come together a  total of three times to lay the groundwork for the clustering effort that  will take place over the next twelve months. Our goal is to collaborate with one another for the benefit of both our parish communities and those  whom we serve.  Among the many areas being considered for collaboration are liturgy, sacramental preparation, evangelization, youth ministry and social justice. Please keep both our parishes and our cluster teams in your prayers.

REMINDER – There will be no 6:45 p.m. Liturgy on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Plan to attend the GIFT Program that evening or on Friday, October 26 th .

WORLD MISSION SUNDAY is being celebrated this weekend, October 20 th and 21 st . Our ushers will be in the narthex after masses to accept your donations.

HELP we are in need of ushers at the Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Mass. We welcome men and women, and you would be scheduled once a month. If you might be interested please call the parish office at 440-946-0887 for further details.

COMING SOON!   Plan now to support the Buy-Once-Give-Twice boutique, which will be held after all masses on the weekend of November 10 and 11.  At the same time you may be purchasing Christmas presents for family and friends, you can support fair- trade artisans and farmers.  A special coupon for a free mini bar of fair trade chocolate will soon be appearing in the GIFT box section of the bulletin.  See you at the boutique!

RIDE NEEDED – We have a parishioner who lives in Eastlake near the intersection of Lakeshore and route 91 who occasionally needs a ride to Mass.  If you might be able to provide transportation for her please call Alice at 440-946-0887.

37 MILLION Americans live in poverty in our country. By joining your voice with poor and low-income Americans, and by using that unified voice with elected officials, policy makers and the media, you can help increase awareness of the dimensions of poverty in America and in your local community-and become part of the growing chorus that is calling for its end-forever. Visit http://www.povertyusa.org/ to see what the Catholic Church, through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development , is doing to break the cycle of poverty across our country and how you can be a part of the solution. Support the CCHD Parish Collection – Weekend of November 17 th -18 th .

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS, LECTORS, SACRISTANS, AND SERVERS -Please sign up on the bulletin board by the kitchenette if you are able to help with All Saints on Thursday, November 1 st for Noon and the 7:00 p.m. Liturgies. Also, Eucharistic Ministers and sacristans are needed for the All Souls Liturgy on Friday, November 2 nd .

ADVENT TEA – This year's Advent Tea will be held on Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. in the parish Banquet Center. Prayer, music, conversation and a delicious luncheon will all be a part of the experience. The sign-up for the tea will be only on the weekend of November 17 th and 18 th in the narthex after the 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. Masses and before the 11:00 a.m., Mass. The cost of the Tea is $15.00 and payment must accompany your registration. No registration monies will be taken at the door. Any proceeds will benefit the St. Noel Social Justice Ministry Fund. We are looking forward to this wonderful event and hope that many women from the parish will be able to attend.

PARISH RETREAT – will be held on Wednesday, November 7 th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The retreat theme will be “Hearts on Fire.” The retreat will be facilitated by Fran Armbruster and Kate Strazisar. Sign up on the kiosk. Suggested donation for lunch is $7.00.  For more information call the parish office at 440-946-0887.

HOSPITALITY - We are in need of help at the 5:00 p.m. Saturday evening Mass and the 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. Masses on Sunday to set up and serve coffee and donuts. You will be scheduled once a month. Families as well as individuals are welcome to sign up. We thank you for your help. If you are interested please call the parish office at 440-946-0887.

LET US DO THE WORK! Come to GIFT for dinner this Wednesday, October 24th or Friday, October 26th. Take time to reflect on your own experience of work and learn ways to respect the dignity of workers around the world. Register at the GIFT table in the Narthex, online at www.stnoel.org , or call (440) 946-1128, ext. 18. Give your faith a lift...COME TO GIFT!

GIFT EXCHANGE is an additional way to connect to topics presented at GIFT. Join us next Sunday, October 28th at 10:15 a.m. in the Banquet Center to further explore our relationship to work and to workers around the world. Over 40 people took part in the first GIFT Exchange in September. Come see what it's all about!

SOCIAL JUSTICE/ST. AUGUSTINE- On October 28 th 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 October 27 th and October 28 th , we will be collecting for our Social Justice 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 Mass on Saturday. Please put the cookies in the Nativity Room (formerly the nursery) on the counter and mark them St. Augustine.

SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND – In September we collected $574.00.Our expenses for September were:

We thank you for your support.

CARING FOR CREATION - The first gathering of the St. Noel Creation Caretakers was a rousing success!  We toured the parish grounds, discovering new things about what makes up our little slice of heaven.  After seeing a new way to view the creation story, we heard yet again from St. Francis (convenient since he was in town for last week's GIFT session!).  Then we laid out the plan for future sessions.  The next meeting will be Sunday, October 28th st from 5:30 to 7:30.  The focus for this session will be water.  As always, we begin with a pot-luck supper (please bring your own place settings) and then delve into the concept of living in right relationship with God's wonderful Creation.  There are age-appropriate activities for the children as well.  Stay tuned for more details.

LEAF RAKING – need help with your leaves?  Prime Time, our awesome youth group, can help!  Please call Anthony (946-1128 x20) to learn more.

PRIME TIME - We've got a great group – check it out this weekend at 7:00pm in the Teen Center.  Are you in the 9-12 th grade?  COME TO PRIME TIME!!

JUNIOR HIGH YOUTH GROUP – Great job this past week.  Our next session is November 6 th at 7:00pm in the lower level.  Bring your bibles.

CHRISTMAS PROJECT – We will be again serving families in need at Christmas.  Please consider sponsoring a family – call Anthony for details.  Names of potential families will be collected during the first week of November.  WE NEED SPONSOR FAMILIES.

CLEVELAND FOOD BANK – Our next day to serve is Monday, November 5 th .  Please call/email Anthony if you are interested in serving.

CAST YOUR BALLOT FOR ST. NOEL – Chef Randy has entered St. Noel Banquet Center in the Hotlist Competition being run by TV 8. The purpose of the contest is to pick the best of the best in a number of different categories. We are competing with other caterers to be voted as the best caterer in Cleveland. We encourage you to log on the www.myfoxcleveland.com click the Hotlist link and scroll down to weddings and click on caterers, then find St. Noel Banquet Center and cast your vote. You can even leave a comment if you would like. It would be a great advantage for us to win BEST CATERER IN CLEVELAND . Please vote and ask other family, friends and co-workers to do the same. Thank you for your vote.

ST. NOEL FELLOWSHIP – Activities for October are as follows: October 25 th –Games of your choice and we will celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Also, please remember to bring your food donation for the food pantry to this meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend the Senior Fellowship on Thursdays.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS 2008 are available in the church office or by calling Paula Garbo at 440-942-4884. Cost of the book is $25.00 until December 1 st . After that date, the cost will be $30. All proceeds benefit mentally handicapped children.

DEALING WITH THE HOLIDAYS - For those who are separated or divorced, the holiday season can be a difficult and challenging time. Join Kathy Whan-Marko, PhD, on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 from 7-9:00 p.m. at St. John Vianney Church, 7575 Bellflower Road, Mentor, for a discussion on strategies and ideas for coping with the demands and stresses that are so often present during the holiday season. To register or for more information, please call Karen at 440-352-8282.

COMMEMORATION OF MARTYRS - The I nter R eligious T ask  F orce is sponsoring a commemoration of the martyrs of Central America and Colombia on Sunday November 4 th at Beaumont High School.   The event begins at 4 p.m. with registration, the sale of fair trade products, and an interfaith prayer service.  Dinner is at 6p.m. followed by a speaker, Gail Phares, co-founder of Witness for Peace.  The cost is $25 per person (group and speaker only rates available).  RSVP by calling 216-961-0003 or going to www.irtfcleveland.org .  More details can be found on the Social Justice Ministry section of the kiosk.

ARE YOU IN YOUR 20'S OR 30'S? Do you want to learn more about your Catholic faith through reflection and faith sharing with others your age? Then join our six-week Faith Formation Series beginning Monday, October 22, at St. Noel in Willoughby Hills (East Side) at 6:00 p.m. or St. Charles in Parma (West Side).  For more information, please call Mary Ellen Ewers-Pena at 216.334.1261 x24 or meepena@clevelandcatholiccharities.org

YOUNG ADULTS IN THE CITY (20's & 30”s) Young adults are invited to volunteer ith the Cleveland Foodbank on Saturday, November 3 rd from 8-noon. To register please call (Laura) (216-228-9516) or e-mail to 2006yaic@gmail.com or meepena@clevelandcatholiccharities.org . This event is sponsored by Catholic Charities through the Youth & Young adult Ministry and the CYO Office.

THE INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC STUDIES AT JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY – invites you to a lecture by Gerry Powers, Director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at, University of Notre Dame entitled “Catholic Peacebuilding: Moving Beyond Just War vs. Pacifism,” on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the D.J. Lombardo Student Center Conference Room.

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