The Third Sunday of Advent is often referred to as Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday. The title comes from the beginning of the Latin introit for this Sunday, “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete” (“Rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice,” Philippians 4:4, from the second reading for this Sunday).

  With only one more Sunday before Christmas, the liturgy takes on a more eager and urgent sense of anticipation. The option of rose vestments and a rose candle for the third candle of the Advent wreath help heighten this emphasis. It is not surprising that the verbs “sing” and “rejoice” (synonyms for a musician) are heard over and over in the readings for this Sunday.

 Right from the first reading, we hear this note of rejoicing from the prophet Isaiah. He is rejoicing because God had shielded him in all the ways.

 Paul, in the second reading, begins by telling us what we must do at all times. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). At all times and in all circumstances we must rejoice, pray and give thanks. He adds that this command reflects the will of God for those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ we know that life on earth is not always rosy, but life after death is bliss. Our hope is not in this life only. That is why we are able to rejoice in good times and in bad, as Jesus himself did.

 Paul invites us to be holy. The life of holiness to which Paul invites us this Advent is the life of God in us. It is God in us who makes it happen. Our part is mainly to say yes to God, to surrender totally to Him. It is hard for us to live a life of rejoicing always, but the One who calls us to this life is one who always gives us what He commands. He is faithful, and He will do it in our lives.

Waiting for The Lord.

Fr. Henry

St. Valentine Parish Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Old Business

Selection of New Officers:

Chair/Vice Chair : Mary Anthony and Ron Fron discuss and decided that Ron would be Council Chair and Mary would be Vice. There was no objection

Fund Raising

● Gym was open for the dates discussed in previous meetings (Lisa to send dates)

● Ideas for events

○ Silent Auction (Is this event sustainable every year?)

○ Craft Show (OLL is doing in 2018, St. Valentine will consider in years that OLL are not)

○ Dinner dance (Didn’t raise enough by itself, but was good source of fellowship)

○ Raffle (Action Item: Ron to explore possible arrangement with local dealership)

○ Horse Racing (Action Item: Ron to discuss with Mike Kelly)

Commission Reports

Pastoral Update

· Synod – Father has implored the council to read the Synod letter as it contains a lot of directives that need to be addressed in coming years

http://www.unleashthegospel.org/

● The Parish Mission Statement needs to be addressed in 2019

● Fr. Socorro has selected the 5 people to attend seminar for leadership

● 16 new altar servers have been trained (10 from the school and 6 from Faith Formation)

Finance

● Committee meeting met last month

● We are about 2% to the good on the budget so far this fiscal year

● We have paid down $22,000 from the debt so far this fiscal year

● Total debt is now ~$260,000

● The committee will produce a 1 page summary for the parish in the coming months

● The council agreed that this was a success story that needs to be shared more with parish as a whole

Worship

● Mike asked council members to take advantage of the many activities during Advent

· “Lessons and Carols” service will be held on January 7, 2018 at 7:00 PM.

Rountable

● December meeting will be changed to the second Tuesday due to the school choir concert on the third Tuesday

● Jeff indicated that he was involved in the Confirmation Retreat that our confirmation class attended at St. Kenneth. There were 18 attendees from St. Valentine who along with their teacher (Megan) represented our parish very well. We should be proud of this group.

· Frank wished to thank the school for installing enthusiasm for the Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey. His grandson watched the entire mass with enthusiasm. Great Job to the school for installing this enthusiasm.

Next Meeting is December 12 – 7:30 PM

 As a Parish we owe our thanks to the AOH (Ancient Order of Hibernians) for naming St. Valentine School and the Parish as the beneficiaries of the 54^th Annual Charity Ball, held on October 14, 2017. After Mike and Maureen Kelly were awarded the 2017 Hibernians of the Year award the organizers called Fr. Henry and myself up and handed us the check in the amount of $6500.00. It was a pleasant surprise for all of us and we are so grateful to the organizers for their donations towards St. Valentine.

A number of St. Valentine parishioners, teachers and parents from the school were in attendance besides many others showing their support through advertisements and patrons. Thank you to all.

May God bless all their efforts and the charitable works the AOH does for the surrounding communities.

Rite of Candidacy

As it was mentioned in last weeks bulletin – Robert Calleja from St. Valentine and Joseph Colleran from St. Kenneth will be installed as Lector on Sunday, October 29^th at the Noon Mass – the Mass will be celebrated by Most Rev. Bishop Gerard Battersby. Everyone is welcomed to be part of this celebration. We congratulate Bob and Joe in advance and pray that they may continue to journey with the Lord and serve Him in His vineyard.

Today Is Mission Sunday

Last weekend we heard the gospel account of Jesus speaking the parable of the king who invited his guests to the banquet. “Go out, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” That mandate parallels Jesus’ command to his disciples, “Go to the ends of the earth and preach the gospel message to all peoples.” Mark 16:15.

That is what the Lord is asking us today as we reach out to those servant-missionaries who are giving their lives for the spread of the gospel and the support of the “Young Churches” they have established. They have truly gone to the main roads of the world and have invited so many to the Lord’s banquet.

It takes many hands to make any parish event an Enjoyable, Successful Event.

“I just want—to say—thank you” to all of the amazing people who helped out last Sunday for our Parish Picnic. As with every year, our picnic would not have come together the way it did without all the volunteers who helped on the day of, from the people who setup, cooked and served the food, conducted the games, the many who brought a dish to share, be it food or desserts, helped us take down and clean up — thank you. We are a wonderful Parish because of you. We hope everyone who came, had a great time. A special thank you to our Parish Council members for facilitating the whole event and to our Men’s Club members for supplying the hamburgers, brats, hotdogs, corn, and for being there to cook and feed the many. Thanks to our very own entertainer DJ Evie who volunteered to do music for the picnic and make it upbeat. Again, thank you to everyone who lent a hand and to all those who attended our parish picnic. Bravo! For a job
well done!

Blessings,
Fr. Socorro

Beatification Mass of Father Solanus Casey

If you have registered to take the bus to the Beatification Mass of Fr. Solanus Casey at Ford Field on November 18th, please send in your $15 per person to the Parish Office by September 17th.
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If you haven’t made a bus registration, there may still be spaces on the Our Lady of Loretto bus. Please call 313-534-9000 to secure your reservation.
You may also call our Parish Office at 313-532-4394 to be put on a waiting list for the bus.