Sun. December 12 Third Sunday in Advent
8:00 Eileen Juchcinski
by the Giest Family
11:00 William Parsch
by Melanie & Kevin Fagan

Mon. December 13
8:00 All the members of our Parish Family
by Sr. Lou & Sr. Catherine
Tues. December 14
8:00 All who are sick & their caregivers
Wed December 15
8:00 Families of Sr. Lou & Sr. Catherine
Thur. December 16
8:00 Communion Service
Fri. December 17
8:00 All the Elderly

Sat. December 18
8:00 Purgatorial Society
5:30 Daniel Geist
by Pat Geist

Sun. December 12 Third Sunday in Advent
8:00 William Parsch
by Brian Fagan
11:00 Loraine McLaughlin
by Norm & Rita Cole

THANK YOU
Thank you to all whom contributed to the collection on the weekend of December 4th and December 5th. The amount collected was $1,768.00.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK
Linda Jones
Charlotte Ryan
Rita Schreiber
Lou Grimm
Corine Murphy
Ann Dytrych
Julie Laur
Adeline Deneen
Betty Nemecek
Helen Blaha
Betty Paschal
Ann Mysliwiec
Lottie Fik
Gloria Dompier
Eileen Desidero
Bernadine Smith
Lorraine Jarvis
Joseph Scofield
Eugene Orris
Margaret Lee
Roselee Gacke
Brittany Dubs
Lillian Coughlin
Dorothy Loeffler
Cameron
Campbell
Shaun Deneen
Eleanore
Thielmann
Marge Straub
Ann Knight
Osie Dompier

Anyone who is ill in our parish and would like to receive Holy Communion; call (708) 331-8400. If you can be removed from the sick list at this time, please call the parish office.

DATES TO REMEMBER
December 19 Pancake Breakfast/Bake Sale
December 20 Women's Guild Christmas Party (6 PM)

THE GIVING TREE
Our parish is sponsoring a "Giving Tree". We want to thank everyone who took a tag. We ask that all presents be returned (placed under the tree) no later than December 13th.

HOLY NAME PANCAKE BREAKFAST
St. Gerard's Holy Name Society is hosting the annual Pancake Breakfast. Plan to be there Sunday, December 19th. Further information is available by calling either Norm Cole (708) 331-5188 or Bill O'Connor (708) 388-0210.

GUILD CHRISTMAS PARTY
The Women's Guild Christmas Party will be hosted at "Carlos", Monday December 20th at 6:00 PM. Please contact Joan Sitniewski (708) 333-0755 or Rita Cole (708) 331-5188 for tickets or further information.

CHRISTMAS CHOIR
Rehearsals for St. Gerard Majella's annual Christmas choir will be held each Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM in church. We encourage and invite everyone to join us. We carol before the "midnight Mass" on Christmas Eve and sing during the Mass.
Here is an opportunity for you to participate and be an active part of the Mass. Music is an important form of prayer.

MASS SCHEDULE
We will have a parish reconciliation service on December 21 at 7:00 PM.
The Christmas Eve service will be at 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM with caroling beginning at 9:00 PM. Christmas Day services will be at 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. There will be no Mass at 5:30 on December 25th. On December 26th there will be an 8:00 AM and an 11:00 AM Mass.
There will be an 8:00 AM Mass on December 31st. January 1st we celebrate Mass at 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM. This is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. On January 2nd there will be an 8:00 AM and an 11:00 AM Mass.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CALENDAR
The children in the program will have class on December 12th. They will then have a Christmas break from classes until January 9th. This allows our students to spend time with their families during this busy time of year. The children are expected to attend Mass each week and are encouraged to participate in the reconciliation service if they have made their First Communion.
All children in the parish not attending a Catholic school should be registered for Religious education classes. To register a child, please call Linda in the parish office.

CELEBRATION OF GIVING
Catholic Charities is sponsoring a month-long effort to collect Christmas gifts for thousands of children and families they serve called Celebration of Giving (Unwrap the Spirit).
Sponsor-a-family reaches out to families who are most in need, responding to their basic wishes for items such as clothing, household items, books, or school supplies. To sponsor a family, contact Shannon McClowry at (312) 948-7174.
This is a wonderful way for your entire family to understand the true meaning of Christmas and help a family struggling to make ends meet.

ST. LOUIS UPDATE
A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, Sister Elaine Urbanek, currently ministers as the librarian at St. Albert the Great School in Fairview Heights, Illinois, where she has served since 1993. Sister Elaine began her ministry in education in 1946. She taught primarily 7th through 12th grades in Chicago Heights, Illinois, West Monroe, Louisiana, Sioux City, Iowa, Omaha, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri. Sister served as principal at the following schools: St. Bartholomew School in St. Louis from 1964 to 1970; St. Gerard Majella School in Markham, Illinois, from 1972 to 1979; St. Luke School in Stockton, California, from 1979 to 1981; and Our Lady of the Ridge School in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, from 1985 to 1989.
She is celebrating 60 years as a sister this year. We know several people remember her fondly from the time she served in our parish. How many Sister Elaine stories can you tell?

PRAYERS FOR VOCATIONS
Loving God,
How awesome are your ways!
Through your abundant love
You bless us with gifts
That can make our world holy and just.

Dwell deep in our hearts
That we may know how to share these gifts.
Inspire many to respond generously
To your call to serve in the Church.

May the fire of your love
Direct us on our journey
That we may act justly, love tenderly
And walk humbly with you.

We give you the praise and honor
Now and forever.
Amen.

Do you know someone interested in becoming a priest or a nun? Please have them contact the office for further information in fulfilling their calling from God.

PRO-LIFE MASS
The Archdiocese of Chicago Vicariate VI will celebrate a Pro-life Holy Hour and Mass on Saturday, December 18, 2004 at 4 PM at Our Lady of Peace Church (7851 S. Jeffrey Boulevard, Chicago, IL.). All are welcome to attend. The celebrant and homilist will be Bishop Joseph N. Perry.

THE WOMEN'S CENTER
As we contemplate the baby Jesus in the manger, it is appropriate to also thank God for the more than 1,000 babies who are alive this Christmas because of the prayers and help of so many parishioners.
Plan to attend The Women's Center' 21st Annual Life Banquet on Sunday, February 13th at Crystal Palace in Park Ridge. If you have an item or a service to donate for our silent auction, it would be most appreciated. The keynote speaker will be Jeff Cavins, noted author, bible scholar, TV and radio personality. For more information, phone (773) 794-1313.

A SPECIAL INVITATION
"I place much of my hope for the future in Marriage Encounter." - Pope John Paul II. Our Holy Father invites all married couples to experience the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend, which is a fantastic gift of the Catholic Church. The next weekend dates are February 18-20, April 8-10 or June 10-12.
For reservations or information, please call Jim and Kris at (800) 442-3554 or contact our website at www.wwmechicago-gary.org.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES
Where do children go when home is not the answer? Is your home an option?
Catholic Charities is looking for positive role models willing to provide homes for children of all ages, who have been abused or neglected. Persons of all ethnic, racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds are needed.
You are invited to informational meetings on Foster Parenting Meetings on December 16, 2004 at 7 PM at St. Ailbe's (9038 S. Stony Island Chicago).
For more information please call: (312) 665-7200.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
"Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised...."
Matthew 11:4-5

When Jesus cured the sick we called it a miracle. Yet God has blessed us with many good things - our eyesight, our hearing, our talents, our health and so much more - and we often take it all for granted. The good steward recognizes every blessing in life as a miracle from God and strives to use those gifts for God's honor and glory.