Our Parish mailing address is:
195 Amicks Ferry Road, Chapin SC 29036
(We no longer maintain a PO BOX number for mail to the Parish.)
Sign-up HERE to bring up the Gifts at Mass
Sign-up 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,
!!!ALERT ALERT ALERT!!!
This year Christmas Eve falls on the 4th Sunday of Advent. We still need to observe our Sunday Mass Obligation AND our Holy Day Obligation by attending BOTH a 4th Sunday of Advent Mass and a Christmas Mass. There is NO "TWO FOR ONE" MASS OPTION on 24 December!!!
PICK 1: 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
MASS TIMES:
Saturday 23 December @ 4:00PM
Saturday 23 December @ 6:30PM
Sunday 24 December @ 8:00AM
Sunday 24 December @ 10:00AM (Traditional Latin)
Please note that there is NO 5:00PM Vigil Mass on 23 December. There is NO 10:30AM, 1:00PM or 5:00PM Sunday Mass on 24 December!
PICK 1: CHRISTMAS
MASS TIMES:
Sunday 24 December @ 4:00PM
Sunday 24 December @ 7:00PM
Sunday 24 December @ 10:00PM
Monday 25 December @ 10:00AM
Monday 25 December @ 1:00PM (Traditional Latin)
Christmas is an eight day "DAY" in the Catholic Church. Please keep holy this Christmas DAY and keep the Christmas Season a special time in your life as well. The Christmas Season ends with the Baptism of the Lord on 8 January. Read more about Christmas and the Christmas Season on EWTN.
Please see my Christmas Wish List for items that the parish will eventually purchase when monies are made available or that can be purchased through your generosity. If you would like to purchase a specific item on the list just email me to discuss the exact costs and how to make your gift. Thank you in advance to all those who choose to make a gift to the parish at Christmas from this list.
LAST CHANCE TO GO TO CONFESSION BEFORE CHRISTMAS - ADVENT PENANCE SCHEDULE:
Advent Thursday Confessions:
21 December 6:00PM-7:30PM
Advent Saturday Confessions:
23 December 2:00PM-3:30PM
The ADVENT/CHRISTMAS SEASON SCHEDULE is at the end of this letter and can be downloaded HERE!
There will be Daily Masses the week of Christmas, 25-29 December. We will also have a 10:00AM Mass and a 12 Noon Mass (Latin) for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on 1 January. (This is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year.)
For those who may be questioning Pope Francis' declaration Fiducia Supplicans (Providing Trust), Fr. Gregory West, the Pastor of St. Clare of Assisi Church in Daniel Island, SC, has written a succinct clarification of what this declaration means for the faithful. Please read Fr. West's letter to his parish HERE.
Faith Formation Classes, Youth Meetings and Bible Studies are on Christmas Break until 7 January!
The 2024 Parish Calendars are in! Please pick one up as you leave Church this Sunday.
The Parish Neighbors Epiphany Flyer can be viewed at the end of this email.
Pray for peace in the world and for protection from storms and other natural disasters.
Some brief, but important news and reminders:
There is NO 8:00AM or 10:30AM hospitality this weekend due to the Christmas Holiday.
PARISH OFFICES CLOSED: December 25-January 1, 2024. They will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 9:00AM-1:00PM.
Peace and all good,
Fr. Dennis
FOUNTAIN CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Installation of the stonework for the basin of the fountain has begun! Please see the newest PICTURE of our progress to date. As this is a construction site, please be mindful of the barriers and stay out of the construction area for your own safety. Please be watchful of children to protect them from harm. Thank you.
COLUMBARIUM SALES
We have begun to have our first Inurnments in our new Columbarium! Sales of Niches (each niche holds two urns) continues. See the Sales Brochure for details and to arrange a meeting with Donnie Jameson to purchase a niche or niches!!!
PARISH FINANCIAL UPDATES
We are below expected revenues for this year's budget. Please prayerfully review your giving and consider increasing your gift to help support our many parish programs.
It has come to our attention that 50 of our parishioners who have given to the Catholic Appeal of South Carolina (formerly the Bishop's Annual Appeal) in the past did not make a gift this year. It is possible that this was simply an oversight for many. Please check your giving status if you think you might be among these 50 parishioners. Thank you.
The weekly financial report is available HERE. We remain deeply grateful for your generosity.
Please remember that every gift to the church helps, no matter the amount. We emphasize equal sacrifice - NOT equal giving! We ask that all registered households give what they can to support the ministry of the Church. We are always THANKFUL for your generosity and support!
THANK YOU!!!
Do you give online using your credit card? If so, our vendor now allows you the option to add the processing fee to your gift. Please consider making this change and strengthen the power of your gift.
CHILDREN'S ENVELOPE ARTWORK
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE FROM
THE DIOCESE
National Eucharistic Congress tickets reminder
As a reminder, tickets are still available for purchase for the National Eucharistic Conference in Indianapolis on 17-21July 2024. Individual and group tickets can be purchased on the national website; however, the diocese has secured a limited number of tickets at a significant discount for our parishioners. The diocese has also reserved a block of rooms within walking distance of the stadium.
The cost is $200 per person. The diocese will try to accommodate all requests and will prioritize them as they are received. Requests can be submitted here. These requests are for both adult (over 18) and youth group tickets.
Registration for children/youth (3-18) attending with families and not a youth group will be added later when the diocesan code is entered into the individual registration link on the national website. Children up to age 2 will be free but must also be registered at that time.
The diocese will have to give up the block of rooms by February, so please purchase your tickets and make reservations now!
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
Vocations Resources and Upcoming Events
These websites offer good sources of shareable information and resources:
Vianney Vocations - vianneyvocations.com
Vocation Ministry - vocationministry.com
The diocesan site is being redesigned and should be ready by next summer. For now, posters and a prayer card can be downloaded from charlestondiocese.org/vocations.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan 12-14, 2024 — Men’s Discernment Retreat at Camp Gravatt in Aiken (flyer attached)
Feb 2-4, 2024 — Men’s Seminary Come & See (contact Father Dennis if interested)
Feb 24, 2024 — Women’s Day of Discernment in Columbia
May 24, 2024 — Four seminarians are set to be ordained deacons, 6 p.m. at St. Joseph Church in Columbia
June 7, 2024 — Two deacons to be ordained priests, 6 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston
Interest in the priesthood, diaconate and religious life is increasing in our diocese! Please continue fostering the openness to serve God and his people. The most fruitful environments for religious vocations are always in families attending Mass weekly with faithful priests celebrating reverent liturgies with quality music. In addition, let us promote prayer time in front of the Blessed Sacrament and invite young people to take those graces out to serve the people of God through weekly involvement at our Parish Youth Programs Edge and LifeTeen.
Rediscover Your Marriage
Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) simply means 'rediscovery'. The program offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your spouse, and a loving relationship in your marriage. 10’s of 1000's headed for divorce have successfully saved their marriages by attending. Retrouvaille is not a sensitivity group, not a seminar, not a social gathering, but is anchored in Christian reconcilement, communication and healing. For confidential information about, or, to register for the program beginning with a weekend on 19-21 January in Charlotte area, contact Bill and Lyn Folsom at 727-343-6701 or email: 3062ac@helpourmarriage.org or visit the web site at www.HelpOurMarriage.org
Upcoming Marriage Encounter Weekends
“What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Proclaim the good news of a Christian marriage and bring God into your marriage by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter experience 26-28 January 2024, in North Myrtle Beach. Early sign up is recommended. For information visit: SCMarriageMatters.org or contact: applications@scmarriagematters.org or 803-810-9602.
World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life
Each year, the Church celebrates World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on 02 February. This day was established by St. John Paul II in 1997, and it falls on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, traditionally known as Candlemas. In 2024, it will be celebrated in parishes on 03 and 04 February.
To commemorate this day of prayer and the men and women religious serving in our diocese, Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, will celebrate Mass at the Chapel of the Holy Family on 28 January, 2024, at noon with a reception following. An RSVP link will be sent in the coming months, and all are welcome to attend.
Just as Christ was presented to the Father in the temple by Mary and Joseph, our religious who have dedicated themselves to lives of service and sacrifice have been presented to God in the sight of the Church on earth. Let us take this opportunity to unite and pray for all consecrated men and women in our diocese.
Check it out!
VISIT the Catholic Miscellany
For the most up-to-date information from the diocese visit: charlestondiocese.org/events.
Read the December CARITAS; the Diocesan Monthly E-Newsletter.
HEALTH PROTOCOLS at OLL!
If you are feeling unwell we ask that you stay home and watch Mass through our Parish Live Stream. If you are unsure please wear a Mask to spare others from possibly sharing your germs. We are asking that shaking hands, hugging, or kissing be reserved to immediate family members only. Please continue to smile and wave to non-family members around you in the pews rather than extending your hand for the Sign of Peace.
We live stream the Sunday 10:30AM Mass using BOXCAST and FACEBOOK-LIVE. Links are also provided on our parish web site and in the
Weekly Reminder.
Prayer of Spiritual Communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen
NOTE: BOXCAST has the best streaming!
Look for our parish channel on BoxCast Apps
in Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV
for a direct link. You can find us listed as
Our Lady of the Lake, Chapin SC.
MASS RESOURCES
READINGS 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
CHRISTMAS READINGS
WORSHIP AID
REFLECTION
(from St. Paul Center and Dr. Scott Hahn)
Weekly Bulletin, Calendar and Mass Schedule:
Our Parish mailing address is:
195 Amicks Ferry Road, Chapin SC 29036
(We no longer maintain a PO BOX number for mail to the Parish.)
