God’s Love Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is  patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he  gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that  while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us, For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of god who has loved me and given himself up for me.

1 John 3:1 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Close your eyes and think about your last hospital visit. What comes to mind? For me, hospital visits don’t rank high on my list of “things to do” on the weekend. Admittedly, they conjure up feelings of sadness, loneliness and even feelings of germ-phobia. (Yes, now that’s sad.) Yet, this recent visit was quite different for Mark and me as we visited Mark’s dad, Pete. We realized after this visit, that sometimes, it can take a hardship to see the face of Christ amidst us.Mark and I sat in Racine’s Wheaton Franciscan Hospital all day earlier this week while Pete received stents to help his heart pump a little better. To our surprise, we felt Christ in our midst throughout the entire day. While it was difficult to see Dad recovering in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – not his normal energetic self – we thanked God for the moments of grace this day brought. Let me share with you five instances where God was profoundly present.1) In the hallways. It’s not often we spend time in hospitals. But during this visit, we took special note of all the Catholic symbolisms. The crucifix. The large Rosary hanging over the crucifix in the chapel. The statue of St. Francis. Each hallway had a different scripture from Psalms. As we walked the halls thinking deeply about Dad, his surgery and impending outcome, each of these scripture verses provided timely and much-needed comfort… and hope. Equally wonderful, was the time we spent in solitude in the hospital Chapel. What a beautiful gift of Catholic hospitals: onsite chapels!2) In the hospital care. We give thanks to the wonderful staff at Wheaton Franciscan Center – truly a gifted cardiology team, from the surgeons to the nurse staff. Christ-like in every sense.3) In our mom, Beverly. Bevvy has been struggling increasingly over the years from dementia. She relies on Pete for those day-to-day things that most of us take for granted – making dinner, putting on shoes, getting in the car. Yet, it’s amazing the spirit and life in a person that can return when their loved one is in need of care. The ever-so gentle touches Pete received from Bev as she sat at his bedside were as if Christ was right beside us.4) In Mark’s siblings. The gospels this week have been centered on the role of disciples in spreading the good news of Christ. In some ways, Mark’s sisters – Penny and Mary – were the Mandli disciples this week…acting as the messengers in the family, comforting the sick and giving the family hope in what tomorrow will bring.5) In Dad. Mark and I sat in the Chapel and prayed a scriptural Rosary, meditating on the Sorrowful mysteries. After meditating on these mysteries, it was hard not to see the face of Christ in our Dad. The usual strong-statured man who loves a good game of golf, rested in the ICU with little energy…he just wanted a drink of water.Dad transferred out of ICU, and came home last night. He’s going to be okay. We thank God for the outcome of his surgery, and the countless friends and family who prayed for Dad. And, we are also thankful to God for the wonderful gift of making his son, Jesus, present to us in every encounter at the hospital. This recent visit has helped to erase those old memories of hospital visits and replace them with images of Christ. This day, we found Christ in suffering…a pleasant hospital visit, to be sure.

The following note was distributed via e-mail to all parishioners who have already volunteered to help with the pew move on Saturday.  This invitation is open to all parishioners who wish to help with this move, installation and cleaning process. See details below from Fr. Bob. Although there are start times listed, you may come and help anytime throughout the day, if your schedule permits.

Hi everyone:

We have moved 3 pews already into the church, to see how they look.  The plan is to try to move the rest of them this Saturday (Dec. 15), since we have a wedding at St Anne next Saturday.

Here’s the plan:

8am at St. Casimir –  all able bodied folks who are able to do some lifting of pews, meet at St. Casimir, on the corner of Washington Road and Sheridan Road.  We will load pews and shuttle them to St. Anne until all are unloaded.  We don’t have enough trailers to do all this in one trip.  Several trips will be necessary.

Beginning ca. 9.30am at St. Anne – we will need a team at St Anne to move chairs, clean pews, and help with installation.  If you have furniture friendly cleaning material, please bring what you have, Murphy soap and the like.

THANK YOU to all who volunteered to help.

Advent blessings,

Fr. Bob

During this Advent season, Linda Bevec reflects on the mystery of the ongoing anticipation of Christ’s coming.  Linda is a regular contributor to our series.  She and and her husband Frank reside in Kenosha with their three children, Frankie, Claire and Grace.

Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan whose writings I always admire says that our entire lives, and the life of the church, is one huge “Advent.” Advent is always – until the end of days.

When we think about Advent in this way as being beyond the weeks leading up to Christmas and transcending into our everyday life, it takes on a much deeper and richer meaning. In our secular world there’s always that post-holiday let down. After the presents are opened and the holiday table has been cleared, the Christmas cookies become stale and the Advent candles have burned down to a stub. We pack it all up for next year and turn the calendar to January as we settle back into grey winter days and the routine of everyday life. My children always feel it too, and with a heavy sigh and slight sadness they ask, “What’s the next holiday coming up Mom?” I guess the real joy of Christmas is in the waiting, the anticipation, the hope of what’s to come and there’s a certain disappointment when it’s all over. But isn’t that feeling of Advent what we as Christians should always feel 365 days a year?

When I was little, my mom would hide our Christmas presents until she got them all wrapped and under the tree on Christmas Eve. With five kids in the house, this meant she had to find some really good places to hide them so little hands and eyes wouldn’t go peeking under beds or in closets and ruin the surprise. I remember one year after Christmas we were taking the decorations off the tree and sweeping up the pine needles that had scattered all over the floor. My mom pulled the couch out so we could sweep everything underneath it. And behind the couch was a Christmas present she hid and had forgotten! I don’t know who was more surprised, her or us! It was a present for my brother and I immediately felt a surge of joy and hope in my own heart that there might be one more present hidden somewhere for me. Even after the Christmas tree was long gone I continued to search for it around the house and I think it was March or April before I finally gave up. This memory came to mind today because I have that same childlike feeling of hope and longing for a special “hidden” gift. It’s what I feel now during Advent – and always. Because I know that Christ is the only real joy that can fill my whole heart. He’s the “joy that the world cannot give” (John 14:27) and as faithful Catholics we must all remember the best is yet to come…the gift of all gifts. It’s a feeling of real emptiness at times, especially when the trials, sadness, and suffering of life hits. Yet we have the assurance and trust that the most fulfilling gift of all is coming.

As we continue through these weeks of Advent let’s remember that every day of our lives should be lived with this same feeling of joyful waiting, anticipating, and making our hearts and homes ready to receive Him. Because he will come again and his gift will be far greater than we could ever imagine.

 

On Sunday, October 14, the first Sunday of the Year of Faith, 13 women from St. Anne completed their Marian Consecration at the 10:15 a.m. Mass.

Marian Consecration is a new way of life in Christ for all men and women. Very simply, it’s allowing Mary’s hand to lead you more closely to her Son. Becoming consecrated to Mary has been described by many as a turning point in their spiritual journey.  Click on this link to learn more about this Marian Consecration.

A recommended method for consecration is through a study called, 33 Days of Morning Glory written by Fr. Michael Gaitley. This method is considered an “updated” version of Consecration — with rich studies on various Marian Saints of our time. Read about Linda Bevec’s journey (formerly a Lutheran) as she shares her experience of these 33 days.  https://saint-anne.org/2012/10/33-days-with-mary-by-linda-bevec/

These 13 women studied, prayed and celebrated their consecration. If you’re interested in learning more about the program (they’d like to share with all!), you may contact any of the women listed here. Sheryn Abraham, Linda Bevec, Sheri Clark, Lisa Craft, Esther Ficke, Kathy Hellwig, Maggie Hodge, Kathy Jalensky, Tracie Kenney, Margie Mandli, Anna Nuzzo, Chris Pillizzi or LeAnn Rogan.  (To left: They prayed the Hail Mary after Mass).

 

Celebrating at a luncheon with their families at Ole Madrid in Racine.

Click here to learn more about 33 Days of Morning Glory at the National All Hearts Afire Web site. http://www.allheartsafire.org/