If you do not want to participate in Flocknote ONLY, text STOP FROM FLOCKNOTE or email pastor@ollchapin.org and ask to be REMOVED FROM FLOCKNOTE. (Please specify Texts, Emails, or Both.) If you want to be removed from the Parish Data Base and no longer be a parishioner of Our Lady of the Lake (OLL) text REMOVE or email the pastor and ask to be REMOVED FROM OUR PARISH DATA SYSTEM. The first option will only remove you from Flocknote. The second will remove you as a parishioner from our Parish Data Base and you will no longer be registered with OLL. IF you choose either option, you will be missing out on all the e-NEWS from our parish and on all the gifts of the Holy Spirit at OLL!
Our Parish mailing address is:
195 Amicks Ferry Road, Chapin SC 29036
Please, DO NOT USE the old PO BOX number for mail to the Parish.
Register HERE to bring up the Gifts at Mass
Signup HERE for all Liturgical Ministries
If you need help please contact the parish office at 803.345.3962
or Fr. Dennis Willey at 843.834.5447.
Dear Friends,
This is the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. I am enjoying my vacation in Michigan. I visited the Henry Ford Museum on Monday and Greenfield Village on Tuesday this week. I highly recommend both! The rest of the week I will be with friends in Midland, Michigan. I must say I am enjoying the cooler temperatures here!
This Sunday, 13 and 14 August, the Deacon and I will offer a blessing at the end of Mass for all those returning to school and a special blessing of book bags. Please bring your book bag to Mass on Saturday or Sunday to be blessed. Please stand when invited to do so to receive a blessing. If you have a book bag you may bring it to the altar to be blessed.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15 August is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year. In the United States, when a Holy Day of Obligation falls on a Saturday or a Monday (as the Assumption does in 2022) the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated (temporarily waived). As this is such an important Marian Feast Day, we will have two Masses on 15 August; I will have a Noon Mass in the Ordinary Form and Fr. Morey will have a 6:30PM Mass in the Extraordinary Form (TLM). The 6:30PM Mass will conclude with a Marian Procession. Click HERE for more details on the TLM Mass and Procession.
NOTE: There will NOT be a meal after this Mass. Apologies for any confusion.
On Saturday, 20 August, at 10:00AM I will be at the Piney Woods Elementary School at 814 Amicks Ferry Road to lead school staff, parishioners and others in prayer for the Annual Chapin Schools Prayer Walk. (Our Lady of the Lake has "adopted" Piney Woods as our parish school project.) I will begin with prayer at 10:00AM at the main entrance by the flag pole and then invite all the participants to pray a Rosary as they walk around the school (or remain in the front) praying for a successful school year for all the students, parents, faculty, staff and volunteers. Those attending will return to the main entrance for a final prayer and thank you. There will then be an invitation to go to Chapin High School for 11:00AM with all churches in Chapin to pray there. Please join me on this special day to pray for a safe and successful school year for all!
Parish Neighbors is sponsoring a Social on 1 September at 5:30PM featuring a Q&A session with me as the special guest! Please see their FLYER for more details.
In a Post-Roe America, no woman stands alone. To save lives from abortion, the Church must be ready to serve her and her child. The Respect Life Ministry is hosting a Standing with Her Sunday on 28 August at 8:00PM in St. Andrew Hall.
The Knights of Columbus is having a fundraiser for our Parish Life Teen program. See the Boston Butt Sale Flyer for details.
Have you used Flocknote yet? Please follow this LINK to log into Flocknote.
Our Parish Staff and volunteers continue to be trained in Flocknote. Please keep us in your prayers! It is a steep learning curve so kindly be patient with us.
Look for children's envelope comments printed in the bulletin on a weekly basis! These are often fun for the counters and staff to read and we want to share them with you!
Please pray for peace in the world and for protection from storms and other natural disasters, and for the comfort of all those afflicted by these man-made and natural events, especially the people in Ukraine, Africa and Kentucky who are suffering from wars and floods.
Some brief, but important news and reminders:
We will have the 8:00AM and 10:30AM Hospitality Hours this Weekend! The 10:30 willbe hosted by the Knights of Columbus. My thanks to members of the 8:00AM Hospitality Crew (and Darcy's Delights) for remembering me on my birthday with the delicious, homemade cupcake mini-celebration!
Wedding Coordinator Position. Our current Wedding Coordinator, Jan Bozzo, is retiring. We will miss Jan greatly and are thankful for all the work she did on behalf of engaged couples prior to, and then on, their wedding days. Jan's departure means we are looking for her replacement. This is a unique opportunity in the parish. View the JOB DESCRIPTION and, if interested in applying, please contact Fr. Dennis by email at: pastor@ollchapin.org to request more information.
Given the on-going threat to Catholic Churches and in recognition of our continued exposure to vandalism we have returned to our pre-covid policy of locking the main church except for scheduled Masses and events. The Adoration Chapel will remain available for prayer with an entry code. The entry code is available from the parish office.
Peace and all good,
Fr. Dennis
YOUR BICENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN GIFT IN ACTION! LOOK AT ALL THE PROGRESS TO DATE IN THE FAMILY LIFE CENTER!!!
CLICK HERE FOR RECENT UPDATES.
Bicentennial Campaign Update: The parish is doing well on the redemption phase of the Diocesan Bicentennial Campaign. To date, Our Lady of the Lake parishioners have given $498,609 or 57% of our total pledged of $880,065. This is well ahead of the ideal redemption rate of 40 to 45% for Block IV parishes. Of the monies redeemed so far the parish has received $229,296 for our projects. Many thanks to all who gave to the Bicentennial Campaign and who have fulfilled or are continuing to fulfill their pledge.
PARISH FINANCIAL UPDATES
The weekly financial report is available HERE. This weeks report also includes our monthly debt reduction report. We remain deeply grateful for your generosity.
THANK YOU!!!
Please remember that every gift to the church helps, no matter the amount. We emphasize equal sacrifice not equal giving! We are THANKFUL for your generosity and support!!
If you would like to know more about Online Giving click HERE!
Did you know that you can support the parish through Amazon Smile? When you shop on-line using Amazon Smile, Amazon donates to the parish. Just link your Amazon Smile account to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Chapin, SC. Simple!
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE FROM
THE DIOCESE
Catholic / Christian Therapist Contact List
The Office of Family Life is compiling a list of Catholic and Christian therapists who keep the faith in their practice and would be available to assist those who ask for this specific assistance. If you would like to be considered as a contact, or know of one, please contact Kathy Schmugge at 803-547-5063 or kschmugge@charlestondiocese.org.
Simply Love: A Catholic Marriage Retreat
The Office of Family Life is hosting Simply Love: A Catholic Marriage Retreat on Sept. 24-25 at Heart Ridge Retreat Center in Sunset. Featured speakers include Troy and Kathleen Billings and Allen and Denae Hebert. As part of the retreat, couples have a chance to win a "Vacation for Your Marriage" for a trip for 2 to Cozumel, Mexico with Mike and Alicia Hernon of the Messy Family Project.
Register online HERE. Contact Natalie Burt for information: nburt@charlestondiocese.org or 803-899-4946. Visit us online for more marriage enrichment opportunities: charlestondiocese.org/family-life/marriage-enrichment.
National Eucharistic Revival
The National Eucharistic Revival is the joyful, expectant, grassroots response of the entire Catholic Church in the United States to the divine invitation of re-centering our lives on the Real Presence of the Eucharist. In South Carolina, this movement seeks to ignite fervor for the Most Blessed Sacrament in the hearts of faithful through teaching, practice and evangelization. For more information see the following links:
National Eucharistic Revival Website
Diocese of Charleston
Catholic Night at Segra Park!
Join Catholics from across the midlands to support Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of South Carolina. Here is the basic information:
Date: Tuesday, 23 August, 2022.
Where: Segra Park.
Cost: $15 (includes free hat and $5 of each ticket will go to Catholic Campus Ministry)—also possible at purchase are discount vouchers for food and the kids jump zone.
In addition, it is $2 Tuesday, so all sodas, Miller Lite, hotdogs, and popcorn are $2. Our different parishes and schools will also be dividing up the National Anthem, first pitch, recognition ceremony before the game, etc.
This will be a great way to start the school year and have the parishes and schools of the midlands all out for an evening of fun and fellowship.
See the FLYER for more details!
We were born for this!
The South Carolina Catholic Conference has launched a site dedicated to pro-life, pro-family organizations and ministries in the Palmetto State. Its name, bornforthis.life, takes inspiration from St. Joan of Arc's message, "We were born for a time such as this."
This website is designed to be a resource hub for mobilizing Catholics in the new pro-life era. We were born for this era, and it is time for us to engage. Our mission is to save souls and to care for those around us. We will support all those in need of love and care in our communities, especially those who have been affected by the practice of abortion.
We pledge to stand in the gap to support women, children and families with life-affirming resources. We want every child, every woman and every family to be supported in their dignity as a child of God.
For more information, please visit bornforthis.life.
Dismissal of Class Action Against Bishop England
We are pleased to report that in June 2022, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel dismissed a lawsuit that was filed in February 2021 seeking to pursue a class action against Bishop England High School and the Diocese of Charleston. The plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that windows placed between the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms and staff offices were installed for illicit purposes to watch students undress.
Judge Gergel had ruled in March 2022 that the plaintiffs had not shown that they had suffered any legally recognizable injury and that, in addition to not having standing to sue, they had not met any of the other requirements to proceed as a class action. In his June order, the judge held that the plaintiffs had no claim or cause of action at all against the school or the Diocese, and thus he dismissed the case entirely as a matter of law. The plaintiffs filed an appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals; however, we believe Judge Gergel’s order was thorough and well-reasoned, and that we will prevail.
Bishop England was designed in the mid-1990s by highly reputable architects who were very experienced in the design and construction of schools. The windows inside the locker rooms were consistent with best practices at the time and many high schools in the Charleston area have similarly designed locker rooms. Even if the mini-blinds that were on the windows were opened, there was no view from the coaches’ offices into the shower and bathroom area.
Please continue to pray for all our schools as they begin the new academic year.
Check it out!
VISIT the Catholic Miscellany
For the most up-to-date information from the diocese visit: charlestondiocese.org/events.
Read CARITAS; the Diocesan Monthly E-Newsletter.