November 12, 2021 | Weekly Update

 


November 12, 2021 | Weekly Update

Heaven & Earth Will Pass Away


We have a strange fascination with the apocalypse.

Whether it’s movies based on natural disasters, post-nuclear landscapes, or zombie outbreaks, there’s something strange and unnerving about “the End Times.”

The truest biblical understanding of “Apocalypse” though is “Unveiling,” as a bride is unveiled on her wedding day, a moment of revealing (and thus, “Revelation”). “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard,” tells us what our new reality will be, a time when we are reunited with our bodies, and God’s kingdom is finally established without any trace of evil or sin.

In our Gospel this weekend Jesus affirms:

“Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

(Mark 13)

To prepare our hearts before we go to Holy Mass this weekend and to break open that we are dealing with a great mystery here and this is why we are fascinated with the end times, hear Bishop Barron’s thoughts on the reality of Heaven in the video in the Flocknote email.

 

We look forward to seeing you at any of the Holy Mass times this weekend where we will hear from visiting priest from Malawi, Africa Reverend Father Kamia Tambala, who will be preaching this weekend. Don’t forget to stop by to visit Jesus at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel or at daily Mass during the week.

 

“There, goodwill shall be so ordered in us that we shall have no other desire than to remain there eternally.” –St. Augustine

 


LOOKING AHEAD


Have you downloaded our myParish App yet?
  • If you haven’t done so, we encourage you to download the Our Lady of Mercy app available to download for iPhone and Android smartphones.  Or text APP to 88202 to download.
    • Stay connected with our parish throughout the week with instant notifications, an easy-to-access event calendar, and the ability to quickly reply to or share messages via Facebook or Twitter. Also enjoy a bunch of additional features like prayers, daily readings, helpful reminders to silence your phone before Mass or Confession, and much more.

GROW GROUPS | WE CONTINUE TO LAUNCH GROW GROUPS, ONE GROUP AT A TIME
Connect with zara@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org for any questions.

CONSUMING FIRE YOUNG ADULT GROW GROUP

Mission. This group exists to grow a community that inspires and forms the young adult generation to be saints.
WebsiteProceed here for details.
Meets. Tuesdays @ 7pm and twice a month for social gatherings.
Connect.  Reach out to Matt Kubanda and Mary Rysavy rysavyme@gmail.com
See what they have been up to at this video.

VINE & BRANCHES GROW GROUP

Mission.  Vine & Branches is a group at Our Lady of Mercy that offers support and belonging to individuals of any age or faith who are divorced or separated on the way to divorce.
Website.  Proceed here for details
Meets
. Wednesdays @ 7pm with social gatherings.
Connect. The group leaders are looking forward to hearing from you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to them.
Kim Harris kimharris73@yahoo.com
Mary LoGalbo logalbo.marycarol@gmail.com
John Frederick jdfredericj@icloud.com
Jim Marks jimm6351@yahoo.com
Check out the video to find out more about Vine and Branches


GROW YOUR FAITH
FREE ONLINE RESOURCES In this section, you will find free conferences, webinars, and studies that you can freely take part in that can grow your faith.

FORMED.ORG

Diving into the beauty of the Faith has never been easier: at home, on the go, or from any internet-connected device. Discover thousands of books, audio talks, movies, documentaries, and studies… there is something for every member of the family to help them grow closer to Christ and His Church.

  1. Visit http://signup.formed.org/
  2. Enter our parish zip or name
  3. Enter your name and email

EUCHARIST RESOURCES

Check out our “Eucharist Resources” page to help us understand deeply the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives and the great Feast of Corpus Christi.

AMEN – CATHOLIC MEDITATION APP

From Augustine Institute comes this NEW & FREE Catholic prayer app that inspires your daily conversation with God through faithful meditations and nourishing Scripture. There is also Family Content: Enjoy and share family-favorite audio from the series Brother Francis and the Jesus Stories.  Please enjoy this latest offering from the Augustine Institute.

WORD ON FIRE

Did you know that you have complete access to Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire ENGAGE video library!   Check out this linkto watch any of the videos whenever you want without ever having to login.

HEROIC MEN

Looking for authentically Catholic content for men? Look no further than HeroicMen.com—the all-new, 100% FREE Catholic streaming platform for men.

Learn about your faith from today’s best Catholic speakers—and do it all from the convenience of home. Stream-on-demand from your phone or tablet, too, for quality Catholic content on the go.

Get it all—for FREE – at HeroicMen.com

AQUINAS 101 FREE COURSES

Have you wanted to get to know St. Thomas Aquinas and his writings more so as to grow closer to Jesus?
Sign up for any of the short and free courses at Aquinas 101 a project of the Thomistic Institute seeks to promote understanding of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, the eminent 13th-century philosopher, and theologian.
Aquinas is a masterful interpreter of reality. His writings assist us in answering perennial questions on topics like God, man, the natural world, law, and morality, and questions of special relevance to our time like the relationship between modern science and faith or pursuing happiness in the digital era.

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE 

BE EQUIPPED TO DEFEND THE FAITH!
There are no shortages of assaults on the Church today. In a world of increasing challengers to the Faith, we need to know, now more than ever, why we believe what we believe.
This conference is about answering your tough questions on the Catholic Faith and equipping you with the knowledge to withstand the challenges that are sure to come.
Details and registration for this FREE virtual conference are found here.


PASTORAL CARE
If you have physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health concerns or questions about end-of-life issues, funeral planning, journeying through grief, caregiving for a loved one or are homebound, please contact Jolene LeRoy RN Parish Nurse and Director of Pastoral Care for support and resources at jolenel@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org or 331-707-5380.

OPEN HEARTS MINISTRY 

The next scheduled in-person gathering for Open HEARTS Ministry is Monday, November 8 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in Room 218 in the Parish Life Center. The ministry is for anyone who is interested in emotional and mental health and wellness. The ministry has an interest in decreasing the stigma of mental illness and increasing the awareness of support and resources. The topic of discussion will be on MERCY – God’s mercy and how we are called to live a life of mercy in relationship to our faith and mental health and wellness. If you would like to learn more about the ministry, please send an email to Janice Hurtado Aeppli at olmopenhearts@yahoo.com

RESTORE

Do you find yourself struggling in overcoming your battle with pornography?   Restore is a weekly (anonymous) meeting where men lean on each other for support and accountability and share ideas as to how to strengthen our resolve to stay on God’s path of chastity.  All men are welcome, whether you have been free of pornography addiction for many years or struggle with it every single day.

If you are ready to start breaking free from the grips of pornography and want to Restore your life email us at Restore.olm@gmail.com to find out more information on when and where we meet.

Be encouraged; check out this Testimony.