Mon. Dec. 5
8:00 Julius Lo Cicero
by Bill & Mercedes Mayoros
Tues. Dec. 6
8:00 Deceased Members of the Fagan Family
by Melanie & Kevin Fagan
Wed Dec. 7
8:00 Janet Matis
by Joe Matis
Thur. Dec. 8 Immaculate Conception
8:00 People of St. Gerard Majella
7 PM People of St. Gerard Majella
Fri Dec. 9
8:00 Lou Grimm
by St. Gerard Majella Parish
Sat. Dec. 10
8:00 Purgatorial Society
5:30 PalmAlyce Dorja
by Marilyn Manion
Sun. Dec. 11 Third Sunday of Advent
8:00 Special Intentions
by Craig Family
11:00 Julius Lo Cicero
by Deloros Vock

THANK YOU
Thank you to all whom contributed to the collection on the weekend of Nov. 26th and Nov. 27th. The amount collected was $1,457.05.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK
Lauralee Dove
Ann Knight
Rita Schreiber
Len Murphy
Corine Murphy
Ann Dytrych
Bill O'Connor
Adeline Deneen
Betty Nemecek
Helen Blaha
Betty Paschal
Ann Mysliwiec
Linda Jones
Osie Dompier
Eileen Desidero
Bernadine Smith
DoDo Dove
Terry El
Eugene Orris
Margaret Lee
Bunny DuBois
Brittany Dubs
Lillian Coughlin
Dorothy Loeffler
C. Campbell
Marge Straub
Shaun Deneen
E. Thielmann
Della Herrod
Bob Sitniewski
Eddie Bauer
Diane Koscis

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

DATES TO REMEMBER
Dec. 5 Parish Council (6:30 PM)
Dec. 8 Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of
Obligation)
Dec. 11 Pancake Breakfast/Bake Sale (7AM-1PM)
Dec. 12 Parish Reconciliation Service (7 PM)
Dec. 13 Women's Guild Party (6:30 PM)
Dec. 14 SGM Players Christmas Sing-a-long (7PM)

PARISH RECONCILIATION SERVICE
Our parish will celebrate a Reconciliation service on Monday, December 12th at 7:00 PM. We encourage all to attend. This is a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for Advent and the coming of Our Savoir. As Catholics we are obligated to observe the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year. This is truly a special moment between you and God.

CONDOLENCES
The parish would like to express it's condolences to the Drew Roskos family on the passing of his mother, Joan Roskos. Joan was buried from St. Gerard Majella on Saturday, November 26th. Please pray for her and her family.
We also ask that you keep the family of Marge Petraskis in your prayers. Her mother, Sophia Sasso, went to her heavenly home on Monday, November 28th.

GIVING TREE
We are going to try something a little different this year with our Giving Tree. We can not guarantee the deliver of gifts received after Dec. 18th. We would also like to give you a different option this year. If you wish to take a gift tag for child, God bless you. However, if your shopping time is at a premium, you can choose to make a monetary donation to one of several charities. Envelopes for these donations will also be placed on the tree. We will see to it that the charities receive these gifts.
We will also provide a box for a food drive. Canned goods and non-perishable foods would be greatly appreciated. Toiletry items and cleaning supplies are also much needed items.
We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of our parish. Your thoughtful gifts are a blessing to many families.

SECOND COLLECTION
There will be a second collection taken up on Dec. 10th and 11th for Retirement Fund for Religious Appeal. We encourage everyone to be as generous as possible to this fund. The fund helps support those many men and women retired from Religious orders who have faithfully served the Lord and the community for so many years. We are remembered daily in the prayers of grateful retired religious. They ask for God's blessings on each of us and our parish community.

CHRISTMAS CHOIR
In preparation for our Christmas celebration, we would like to invite everyone to join the Christmas choir. Rehearsals will be 7:00 PM Tuesday evenings in the church. We will carol before Mass and then provide the music for the Christmas Eve Mass.
The Christmas season is always special. Come and be a part of the celebration for our Lord's birth.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST
The Holy Name Society will once again be flipping pancakes for our enjoyment. The men will be cooking and serving their delicious all you can eat pancakes and sausage on December 11th from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
To volunteer to help, or for more information call Norm Cole at (708) 333-5188.
The Women's Guild will also have a Holiday Bake Sale and Raffle at the Breakfast. You can contact Rita Cole or Frances Smith for more information.

WINTER COAT DRIVE
Winter is fast approaching. Our church would like to help others by providing useable winter clothing for those less fortunate than ourselves. There will be a collection box provided at the back of church on December 3rd.
The clothing (winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens, etc.) will be donated to Catholic Charities.
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FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
December 8th is the day we celebrate the patronal day of the United States of America, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this Holy Day of Obligation, our church will celebrate two Masses, one at 8:00 AM and the other at 7:00 PM. Mary is a wonderful Advent model for us as we await the coming of the Lord into our lives each day. In the Virgin Mary we have an example of fidelity to God's call. The angel Gabriel told Mary to rejoice. God's gracious gift of eternal life, made present in Christ, will put an end to death. Mary had the courage to welcome the Son of God into her very self. Let us be inspired by her.

WOMEN'S GUILD NEWS
The Women's Guild will be hosting their Annual Christmas Party at Carlo's Restaurant (560 West Lincoln Highway Chicago Heights) at 6:30 PM. The cost is $15.00 per person and reservations must be in by Dec. 2nd. There will an optional grab bag gift of $10.00, if you wish to participate. They will of course be playing the annual "game" with the deck of cards. Please call, Rita Cole at (708) 333-5188 to confirm your reservation.
The Guild would also like to thank everyone who made the Card and Bunco party such a success. A good time was had by all. It was wonderful to see so many of our friends from Markham Lutheran there.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to all our young adults who celebrated their Confirmation on November 20th. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop John Gorman. There were nineteen students from St. Gerard Majella and Ascension / St. Susanna who acknowledge their commitment to the faith.
Congratulations to Jenny Kosiek, Lena Govensky, Stephen Govensky, April Cruz, Jorge Cruz, Dylan Dias, Calvin Grayson, Haley Kelly, Samantha Relyea, and Raphael Thomas.
Thank you to Sr. Catherine for all her hard work in preparing our students for this important event in their lives.

SGM PLAYERS
The SGM Players are hosting a Christmas Sing-a-long on Dec. 14th in the church. Please join us for an evening of Christmas carols, hot chocolate, and doughnuts. Take a few minutes from the busy holiday season and just have some old fashioned fun. This is an event the entire family can enjoy.

WHAT'S YOUR CATHOLIC IQ?
The answers to last weeks questions are: 1. (a); 2. (a)

This week's questions are:
1. The liturgical color of Advent, which represents our penance and preparation is (a) green; (b) white; (c) purple; (d) red.
2. A lighter colored candle (usually pink or white) is lit on the third Sunday of Advent because (a) it represents the joyful anticipation we are beginning to feel as Christmas draws near; (b) pink is the color of love representing our love for Jesus; (c) the pink candle was made from a combination of the left over purple wax and white wax to make sure all the wax was used; (d) the lighter candle was made from wax candle remains of the candles used throughout the church year.
3. The first season of the church year is (a) Lent; (b) Ordinary time; (c) Easter; (d) Advent.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Advent is a joyful time of anticipation of Jesus' birth. John the Baptist summons us this day to prepare the way of the Lord. The voice of John the Baptist, in today's Gospel, is a wonderful reminder about preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus. Just as we decorate our homes for Christmas Eve and Christmas, we need to decorate our hearts for Jesus. John the Baptist tells us to prepare by being sorry for our sins and leading lives of humble service in the name of Jesus.

Forgiving Father,
We are sorry for our sins and we promise to be more caring and loving in the name of your son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.