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Week
of December 31, 2006
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Dear
Parishioner,
As
all of you know our diocese has been in the process of drawing all
of our 233 parishes into clusters of 2-6 parishes so that the resources
of every community might be more effectively used and the fewer
number of priests might be better distributed. Our Parish Pastoral
Council has worked over the last few years to prepare St. Noel for
this process. This fall we submitted to the Bishop the parishes
with which we saw ourselves most effectively partnering. Divine
Word in Kirtland was our first choice and St. Francis in Gates Mills
our second choice. The original timetable called for the Bishop
to respond by December 1 st with his choice for our cluster partner.
In early December, however, Bishop Lennon informed all the parishes
that he would not be ready to respond until February of 2007. He
assured us that he was fully supportive of the clustering process
but that his newness to the diocese required that he take more time
to reflect upon the proposals that every parish submitted. For the
next few weeks, therefore, we will be awaiting the Bishop's final
approval.
As
we wait allow me to correct a misunderstanding about clustering.
Clustering does not mean merging. Although some parishes in some
clusters might decide to close or merge with other parishes, most
parishes in the diocese will retain their individual status. We
certainly expect this of St. Noel as well as most suburban parishes
which have both the number of parishioners and financial resources
to support a vibrant community. What clustering will mean for St.
Noel is that we will begin to plan with our cluster partner how
our present ministries can be used more effectively. Two parishes
together might see the wisdom in joining two similar ministries
into one larger shared ministry which crosses parish boundaries.
Perhaps a new ministry could be initiated which neither parish could
support on its own. In all of these efforts St. Noel will retain
its own identity and its own financial budget. The goal will be
cooperation, not merging of parishes or financial resources.
Once
we receive the final approval of our cluster proposal from the Bishop,
our Parish Pastoral Council plans to select a weekend in the spring
and provide time after every Mass to answer any questions you may
have about clustering and to listen to your ideas and concerns.
As
pastor I fully support the clustering process of our diocese and
look forward to working with our pastoral council and the leadership
of our eventual clustering partner to assure an even more vibrant
future for St. Noel.
Fr. George Smiga
REMINDER
– January 1 st this
year is not a Holy Day of Obligation. We will have a 10:00 a.m.
Mass on Monday, January 1 st to celebrate the Feast of the Solemnity
of Mary.
REMINDER
– There is no Eucharistic
Adoration on Monday, January 1 st .
SIGNED
LITURGY- On Sunday,
January 7 th 11:00 a.m. Mass will be signed for the hearing impaired.
Reserved seating can be found in the first two rows of chairs by
the Eucharist Chapel.
NEW
YEAR'S DAY – Liturgical
Minister schedules (Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and Sacristans)
are on the bulletin board by the kitchenette. Ministers are asked
to sign up if they are able to help for New Year's Day.
SCHOOL
SUPPLY DRIVE – My name
is Eric Ritossa and I am a student at Kirtland High School. I have
been a St. Noel Parishioner all my life. Recently I was accepted
into a youth leadership program called Leadership Lake County. For
this program we are doing a project to help raise school supplies
for students in Lake County that are unable to afford them. So now
as a member of your church community, I am asking for your help.
I will be holding a school supply drive after each Mass on the weekend
of January 13 th -14 th . I will be collecting any type of school
supplies that you would be able to donate. Monetary donations will
also be accepted. After the collection weekend, I will leave a box
in the narthex for any additional donations. Thank you very much
for your support and helping these school children in need.
A
UTOMATIC
E XTERNAL D EFIBRILLATOR
– Our AED is located in the janitor's closet which is between the
men 's and women's restrooms.
When you open the closet door you will see that
the AED is to the left
at about eye level. It is in a bright red container.
HEALTH
CARE TASK FORCE - The
next meeting of the HCTF will be on Monday, January 15 at 7:00 p.m.
in the Conference Room. We welcome anyone concerned about
the uninsured and underinsured people in our state and country to
join us. Currently we are making plans to include other parishes
in our efforts and hope to expand our St. Noel membership as well.
If you have questions please contact Alice Hinkel at 440-946-0887.
ADULT
CONFIRMATION – Are
you a Catholic Adult who has not received the Sacrament of Confirmation?
An Adult Confirmation Preparation Class will take place on six Tuesday
evenings from 7:30-9:00 p.m. beginning January 2, 2007 at St. John
Vianney Church in the Parish Activity Center. You are invited to
the 7:00 p.m. evening Mass prior to the class. Registration deadline
is December 23, 2006. For more information please call Anthony at
440-946-1128 X 20.
A
NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
- T he Social Justice Ministry
invites you all to share a movie and popcorn on Friday, January
26, at 6:30 p.m. in our Banquet Center. In our ongoing efforts
to help us all become more informed about what is “good for us”
physically in order to be our best spiritually, we will be viewing
the movie “Super Size Me.” The movie is rated “PG”.
This satirical documentary will leave you laughing even if it makes
you cringe. Why is the Church showing this movie? Our bodies
are truly a gift from God and we are called to be good stewards
of them. We look forward to an evening of educating ourselves
as well as having fun. Please mark you calendars – Friday,
January 26 at 6:30 p.m.
ST.
AUGUSTINE RAFFLE CALENDARS
– (365 chances to win) – Calendars are available in the church office,
Monday through Fridays, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays
after Mass.
OFFICE
HELP
- We presently have volunteers in the church office on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. It would be very
helpful to
have another person that could help on these days, so that we have
a back up. If you are able to help on any of these days, please
call Carole in the church
office (440-946-0887) for further details.
HOLY
HOUR FOR PEACE – Our
“Let There Be Peace” prayer and reflection group will be leading
us in a Holy Hour for Peace on Monday, January 1, 2007 from 3:00
to 4:00 p.m. In addition to celebrating the Feast of Mary, the Mother
of God, January 1 st is also the World Day of Peace. Our prayer
will center on the Rosary for Peace. We will gather in the Eucharistic
Chapel behind the main altar. At the beginning of this new year,
please consider joining us for this opportunity to intercede for
our world that “peace on earth and good will to all peoples” may
prevail over violence. There is a box and forms on the table in
the Narthex for you to submit specific prayer requests for peace,
be they in your family, among your friends, in your place of work
or more global in nature. These intentions will be prayed during
our Holy Hour.
CONFIRMATION
–Any students
in the third, fourth or fifth grade are invited to celebrate the
Sacrament of Confirmation in May, 2007. (This is a separate
preparation process from those candidates in second grade; those
preparing for First Communion and Confirmation together do not have
to register again.) Please register by calling Marianne Slattery
(440-946-1128 x 21) no later than Tuesday, January 2, 2007.
Preparation will begin on Sunday, January 14.
"
SUPER BOWL OF LIFE " ~~ Join your fellow
parishioners as part of TEAM LIFE at the January GIFT session. Come donned
in your favorite team's colors and hungry for the pre-game pasta
tailgate party. Cheer for the line-up of God's Most Valuable
Players...true Champions of Life! Break out of the large group huddle
and into position as you follow your age-appropriate game plan.
Celebrate a TEAM LIFE victory at the post-game wrap-up. Festivities
begin Wednesday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m. (tailgate open
at 6:00 p.m.) OR Sunday, January 21st at 12:00 noon (tailgate
open at 12:30 p.m.). It's not too late to register...sign up at the
GIFT "ticket window" in the Narthex. Hurry before the
game is a sell-out. Season ticket holders are guaranteed of
seats and the bleachers are sold out . . . so hurry!
PARISH
POT LUCK AND GAME NIGHT
– Join us following the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, February 3 rd
, for a relaxing evening of food, fellowship, and fun. Bring along
a dish to share and any table or board games you might like to play
(we'll have some, too). After dinner, we will we will set up games
like Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Chronology, chess and checkers,
pinochle, Chutes and Ladders (and many more). All you have to do
is decide what game you want to play and we'll spend the rest of
the evening table hopping from game to game (or stay put if your
luck is holding out)! Make plans now to join us in the Banquet Center/large
hall for this fun evening of food and entertainment. We will provide
pasta and meatballs for the main course, but please sign up on the
kiosk with the number of people from each household attending and
what you think you might bring as a side dish.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please call Marianne Slattery
at 440-946-1128 X 21.
SPIRITUAL
READING GROUP is not reading over the holidays.
Instead, we invite you to join us Tuesday, January 9th at 7:30 in
the Nativity Room to view and discuss Bill Moyer's Faith and Reason
video series. Plan ahead for our Feb. 13th meeting by calling
Kathy at 440-943-1805 regarding obtaining a copy of Sue Monk Kidd's
When the Heart Waits .
POPE'S
PEACE MESSAGE – Once
again Benedict XVI has commemorated the World Day of Peace, January
1, 2007, by writing a letter on peace. This year's document
is entitled, “The Human Person, the Heart of Peace.”
Copies may be found in the Social Justice Section of the kiosk.
ST.
NOEL FELLOWSHIP
– Everyone is invited
to attend the Senior Fellowship on Thursdays at Noon in the Banquet
Center.
PRIME
TIME – Our next meeting
is January 7, 2007!! Get your deposits in for YNIA…
JUNIOR
HIGH YOUTH GROUP – See
you at GIFT in January!!
CLARK
BARS – The bars are here!! Thanks
to all who have helped. To date, St. Noel has raised over $1100
to add to the total for the Clark family. We're selling Clark bars
to support Terry Clark, a junior at Wickliffe and our parishioner,
who is battling Leukemia. Candy bars sell for $1.00. Please place
your donation in the box near the candy bars and please pray for
Terry and his family.
CHRISTMAS
PROJECT – Many thanks
to all who supported the project. We served 100 families again this
year with over $6000 collected and 60 families sponsored – great
job all!!
STEPHEN
MINISTRY – Do you or
someone you know need the caring presence of Christ during a difficult
time? Stephen Ministers are trained, compassionate listeners ready
to spend time with you. Please call Anthony to learn how a Stephen
Minister could benefit you.
CLEVELAND
FOOD BANK – We're serving
at the Food Bank on Monday, January 8 th . Please call Anthony if
you are interested in serving (946-1128 x20).
RETROUVAILLE
– weekend
will be held from Friday, January 12 th (8:00 p.m.) through Sunday,
January 14 th (3:00 p.m.) at the Hilton Hotel, 3663 Park East Drive,
Beachwood, Ohio. Retrouvaille is a peer ministry program to help
couples struggling in their marriages to gain helpful skills in
communication and understanding.
A
registration fee of $50 is requested to confirm a reservation. For
information concerning the program, or to register, contact Al or
Diane Miskinis at 1- 800-470-2230.
A
WEEKEND FOR DIVORCED SEPARATED AND WIDOWED
men and women of all ages are encouraged to attend a weekend designed
for those who wish to let go of the painful past and create a more
peace-filled future. Presented by people who have “been there” and
offer their support. The next BEGINNING EXPERIENCE Weekend will
be held on February 16, 17, & 18 at St. Joseph Christian Life
Center in Cleveland. Call Carol at 330.416.8911 or Frank at 216.289.1497
in the evenings after (8:00 p.m.) for the information on this weekend
of hope and healing.
www.beginningexperience.org.
THE
MINISTRY FOR THE DIVORCED AND SEPARATED
of Lake and Geauga Counties presents: “Forgiveness: A Path to Healing”
on January 24, 2007 at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 460 East 321 st
Street, Willowick, from 7:00-9:00 pm. A painful separation or divorce
can often leave you filled with blame and bitterness. One of the
first steps to healing is forgiveness. Join Francine McNulty, RN,
PCC, LSW, LICDC, and Rev. Mr. Leo McNulty as they explore the powers
of forgiveness and the many ways it leads to healing, allowing you
to move on. To register or for more information, kindly call Karen
at 440-352-8282.
CALLING
THOSE IN THEIR 20's AND 30's
- I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me
drink, a stranger and you welcomed me . . . Did you know that
Catholic Charities welcomes more than 175 families into the greater
Cleveland area every year? We need young adults (19-39) like you
who are gifted and capable of helping these families settle with
the basics of life to have a chance to live the American dream.
Consider joining with young adults who are determined to make a
difference as we welcome strangers into our diocese. Contact Anne
Mengerink at 216-939-3735 or aemengerink@clevelandcatholiccharities.org
to join an adventure that will change your life!
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