November 6, 2020 | Mass Sign-Up Reminder and Weekly Update

November 6, 2020 | Mass Sign-Up Reminder and Weekly Update

We pray to see you at any of the Mass times this weekend especially on these beautiful fall days we are having.  What a great setting the Lord has for us as we continue to set Sunday apart as a day for prayer and rest striving to live up to His loving commandment to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”

THIS COMING WEEK

Weekend Mass Links is live, these are live on Tuesday of each week

  • Please sign-in ahead of time online at this link https://bit.ly/3he0WxJ so we can adequately prepare for all who are attending Mass.
  • Father Don will be preaching at all the Masses this weekend.
  • Let us know where you are tuning in from, we’d love to acknowledge you.
  • The livestream of the Mass is courtesy of Patricia Leatherwood, son Reggie Dowd, and brother John Pulliam, in loving memory of Parents, John and Myrtle Pulliam, brother Robert Pulliam, sister Chevela Pulliam and grandmother Anna Lee aka Popeye.  Happy birthday in heaven Myrtle aka Nump.
    Thank you so much.
  • If you are interested in sponsoring a Livestream of the Mass, please reach out to frdon@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org.  Cost is $750.
  • Viewing the Mass while in your car in the Parking Lot during the 10AM Mass, please note that we will continue to have this in place.  In other words, this will NOT be discontinued.
  • During the 10AM Mass, for those that are feeling uncomfortable about being inside the Church but would like to receive Holy Communion, you can watch the Mass while in your car in the Parking Lot and then when it is time to receive Holy Communion, the parking attendants will guide you as to how to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

Remembering our Departed Loved Ones Throughout November  

  • In the month of November, the Church has two traditional means of obtaining a plenary indulgence for the souls in Purgatory. (For the full post, proceed to this link https://bit.ly/35OD2DV)
    • The first is to visit a cemetery and pray for the dead during the Octave of All Saints’ Day, which is Nov. 1-8.  This year, the Vatican decreed that this plenary indulgence can be obtained on any day in November.
    • The second plenary indulgence is connected to the Feast of All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 and can be received by those who piously visit a church or oratory on that day and recite the Our Father and the Creed.  The Vatican said that this plenary indulgence has also been extended and is available to Catholics throughout the month of November to reduce crowds.
    • A Catholic who wishes to obtain a plenary indulgence must also fulfill the ordinary conditions of an indulgence, which are sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, and prayer for the intentions of the pope. Sacramental confession and reception of the Eucharist can occur up to about twenty days before or after the indulgenced act.
    • The Vatican also said that, because of the health emergency, the elderly, the sick, and others who cannot leave the house for serious reasons can participate in the indulgence from home by reciting prayers for the deceased before an image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary.  They must also spiritually unite themselves to other Catholics, be completely detached from sin, and have the intention of fulfilling the ordinary conditions as soon as possible.

Email communication platforms – Moving from Constant Contact to Flocknote by 11/7th

  • Please note that after 11/7th we will be using Flocknote for our weekly/parish wide updates. Flocknote is free and through Flocknote you will receive our emails as well as watch any of Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire content.  Sign up to receive this weekly update via Flocknote at this link https://OurLadyofMercyAurora.flocknote.com/everyone




 

St. Vincent de Paul Clothing Drive on 11/7th & 11/8th https://bit.ly/2IARXd3

  • Were you hoping to clean out your closets? The St. Vincent de Paul clothing drive 11/7th & 11/8th is a great incentive to do so! Click here for items they will accept (whether in good or bad condition) https://bit.ly/2IARXd3
  • Your donations go to the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shops where much of your donations are given away free to needy families in the community. Some are sold at reasonable prices at the thrift shops so that needy families can shop with dignity. “Proceeds” from the thrift shops go into a general assistance fund where St. Vincent de Paul Conferences at the churches help families with rent, mortgage or utility assistance.

Mobile Food Pantry on Weds 11/11th https://bit.ly/2DPCaVA

  • Please spread the word on the Mobile Food Pantry this month. Share the attached link. If you have a Facebook account, share the Facebook post from our page, this is an easy way to help someone you may be unaware that is in need of food.

 

LOOKING AHEAD

Catholic Moms Free Online Summit 11/13th & 11/15th

  • Don’t miss this unprecedented FREE event for mothers and grandmothers! The Catholic Moms Summit is FREE, online, and includes some of the most trusted and loved Catholic women experts as they go deep in to the issues mothers and grandmothers face every day.  It will be filled with powerful and practical sessions on everything from parenting, to prayer, work/life balance, health, and much more!  Over 80 presenters; Danielle Bean, Kimberly Hahn, Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Lila Rose, Pam Barnhill, Lisa Hendey, Crystalina Evert, Elizabeth Foss, just to name a few.  To learn more please click here https://bit.ly/3nS9SMx

Brogan Family Coat Drive 11/15th

  • Mike and Carole Brogan were icons at Our Lady of Mercy. Both passed away in 2019. One of the ways they supported our parish was a yearly coat drive. Their family and our church would like to continue this mission by asking for donations of new and gently used coats, hats, boots, and gloves. The donations for women and children will benefit Mutual Ground and the donations for men’s items will benefit Breaking Free.  On Sunday, 11/15th from 9am to 12pm a trailer will be in the OLM parking lot accepting the donations. Please support this mission to carry on this tradition that is near and dear to our hearts.
    Here is an ad you can share https://bit.ly/2Jkjjo7

Magnify on Weds 11/18th https://bit.ly/33ZPv8b

  • A special time for the children, family, friends to adore Jesus, meditate on a scriptural reflection with an opportunity to go to Confession; come out to Magnify. Join Father James as he leads us in adoring Jesus, accompanied by Josh Goodman. Father James will be hearing Confessions up until sometime before Benediction after he leads us in a scriptural reflection.

Mass on Thanksgiving Day 11/26th

  • Join us in giving thanks to the Lord at the Thanksgiving Mass, Thursday 11/26th @ 9am.

Ladies Virtual Advent Tea 11/29th An Advent Season Rooted in Hope by Kate Wicker https://bit.ly/2IcQM3u 

Bible Study – A Biblical Walk With the Blessed Mother  12/2/20 thru 1/27/20 https://study.ascensionpress.com/studies/52878/registrations/new 

  • How exciting;  a 7-week study on Wednesday evenings on the Blessed Virgin Mary!  Sign-up at the link.  Connect with Joe Wiacek at joewiacek@gmail.com or at 630-240-6993 for any questions.  Here are the details
    DATES. December 2 – January 27 (Dec. 23 and 30 are off)
    WHERE. Virtual or in person at the PLC (limited space)
    TIME. 7pm – 8:30pm except night 1 will be 7pm – 9pm

Alpha @ OLM registration https://olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org/alpha/

  • Virtual Alpha registration is open-ended! It’s never too late to sign-up.  Do you have questions?  Are you looking for a place to find authentic community right now?  Try Alpha.

Bulletin

  • Don’t forget to check out Father Don’s insightful weekly Bulletin article is located here.

Supporting OLM | Parish Sacrificial Giving

  • OLM is only able to do any of this because of YOU! Your continued prayers and words of encouragement keep us going and your generosity continues to create more opportunities for OLM to keep our family connected and bring people to Jesus, form them as disciples and send them on mission.
  • If you are experiencing hardship during this time, please reach out and let us know how we can help, here is a private link.
  • If you are not experiencing hardship at this time, please consider supporting our efforts and support our community through your giving, our Give page is accessed here or text an offering amount to (630)647-8105, follow the rest of the instructions.
  • Do you shop on Amazon?  If so, you can help OLM just by shopping for yourself!  Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to charitable organizations. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know and love-same products, same prices, same service. There is no change to your user ID, password, wish lists, registries, or Amazon Prime benefits.  Here is how
    • Every time you shop on Amazon, please type the following web link in your browser from your computer or mobile device: smile.amazon.com then select Our Lady of Mercy Aurora, IL as your charitable organization of choice.
    • Please update your bookmark or favorites to use this link every time for every purchase.
    • Only purchases made through smile.amazon.com credit our account, not the main website or the app.

and one more thing with Father James | Companions of Christ: History

  • Learn about how, on May 1, 2020, the Diocese of Joliet became the third diocese in the world to establish the Companions of Christ. Our very own Fr. James helped to found this new group of diocesan priests who focus on fraternity, mutual support, and accountability within their priesthood.  For more information on the Joliet Companions, check out https://www.companionsofchristjoliet.org/ 

Thank you for being mindful about keeping each other safe by observing social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing your hands while inside the Church and PLC.  Your cautious way of following the social distancing parameters helps us to stay open and hold the Sacraments.

The reflection on the Mass comes from our Lord Jesus.

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting.”

  • The ultimate promise of the Gospel is that we will share in the life of the Holy Trinity. The Fathers of the Church called this participation in the divine life “divinization” (theosis). In this we see that God does not merely send us good things from on high; instead, we are brought up into the inner life of God, the communion among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • St. Augustine informs us that the Catholic people in his Diocese called the Eucharist by the word “Life.” When they were to go to Holy Communion, they would say, “We are going to Life.”
Let us go “to Life” at the Mass this weekend, or join us at the 10am livestream.