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,
This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time!
I am enjoying being with my brother priests and our bishop for Annual Priest Convocation this week, 16-19 January, in Myrtle Beach. There will be no Daily Masses 16-19 January. I will be returning to the parish on Saturday morning, 20 January.
I will be offering a Blessing to all married couples at the end of Masses this weekend who are celebrating their Wedding Anniversary during the month of January. Please stand when invited to do so to receive the blessing.
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST: We have established a Sign-Up Genius Link for the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress on April 6, 2024. This event will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
This is an opportunity for the entire diocese to gather around our Lord in the Eucharist. It will feature great speakers including Bishop Joseph Espaillat and Dr. Edward Sri. The event will also include Mass with Most Rev. Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, Bishop of Charleston and a Eucharistic Procession, and opportunities for adoration and confession.
Due to limited capacity, this will be a ticketed event. Our Lady of the Lake will be issued a limited number of tickets. Tickets will be distributed in a "first come, first served" manner based on order of signup.
I strongly urge all parishioners to commit to attending our Eucharistic Parish Mission with Fr. Jewel Aytona of the Fathers of Mercy. The Mission is scheduled for 29 January to 1 February. Fr. Aytona will also give the homily at all the Masses the weekend of 27/28 January. The Mission will begin each night with Confessions and Adoration at 6:00PM followed by a Mission Presentation at 7:00PM and Confessions again at 8:00PM (Except on Thursday - Thursday will end with a Mass). Please set aside these dates and times now in your calendars so that you and your family may fully participate in this mission. See Eucharistic Parish Mission for more details.
I want to share a note from Gary Schmedding on Our Lady of the Lake's generosity to WE CARE:
"In 2022 our generous parishioners donated 11,208lbs of food to the We Care Food Pantry. In 2023, they donated an AMAZING 15,915 lbs of food!!! An increase of 4,707 lbs of much needed food. (Nearly 8 TONS of food!) On behalf of our volunteers and our less fortunate neighbors, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
I would appreciate if this can be communicated to our parishioners thru the bulletin and Father’s communications. And thanks for your help! Without your publicity in church communications this would never have been achieved. It is truly a team effort and we Catholics are being recognized by this community for their extreme generosity."
A very proud and grateful Gary S., WE CARE Board Member.
I want to add my thanks to all who support the efforts of WE CARE to help our neighbors in need here in Chapin and beyond. I also want to thank Gary for his leadership with WE CARE. His leadership is a major reason our parish is being recognized.
Adult Bible Studies on the Acts of the Apostles reconvene this week on Wednesdays at 10:15AM and on Thursdays at 6:30PM in St. Andrew Hall; Deacon John and Phil Clark will be leading the Bible Study until Deacon Malcom recovers his strength from recent health concerns. He is looking forward to returning in the near future. Please keep Deacon Malcolm and his wife Gwen in your prayers!
The St. Valentine's Day Dinner and Dance hosted by the Men's Club is scheduled for Friday, 9 February at 6:30PM in the Family Life Center. See the poster in the Narthex or CLICK HERE for details on how to register. You must register to attend. This is a very popular night and only so many seats are available so register early!
This year's Confirmation Mass with Bishop Guglielmone is scheduled for Saturday, 10 February DURING the 5:00PM Vigil Mass. The Confirmation Class from Corpus Christi will be joining us for the Holy Sacrament. We expect this Vigil Mass to be full and to exceed 90 minutes. Please plan accordingly.
Faith Formation Classes, Youth Meetings and Bible Studies all return this Sunday, 21 January.
Pray for peace in the world and for protection from storms and other natural disasters.
Some brief, but important news and reminders:
There is 8:00AM and 10:30AM hospitality this Sunday. The 8:00 hospitality is hosted weekly by the 8:00AM Bakers of Fellowship. This week's 10:30AM hospitality is hosted by the Men's Club.
Peace and all good,
Fr. Dennis
FOUNTAIN CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
The fountain is nearly completed and the installation of lighting is now complete. We will spend some weeks tweaking the water flow and lighting while avoiding operating the fountain during freezing weather. Please see the VIDEO of the fountain working! FYI, the fountain will be shut down for most of the winter to avoid any damage from freezing temperatures. So, if you don't see the fountain running it is a precautionary measure to prevent damage to the fountain.
As this remains 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.
PARISH FINANCIAL UPDATES
We remain below expected revenues for this year's budget. Please prayerfully review your giving for the New Year and consider increasing your gift to help support our many parish programs.
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
Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF)
In May 2023, Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act (ESTF) into law. This program provides scholarships that cover the costs of education, including private school tuition and fees, homeschool programs, textbooks and supplies, tutors, and many other services and tools approved by the South Carolina Department of Education.
Accepted applicants will be awarded up to $6,000 per child for approved uses. This program provides parents with more freedom to choose the best options for how their children will be educated. It will assist lower-income families with school expenses and can be utilized for Catholic school tuition.
We are called as Catholics to make a quality, truth-centered education available in our communities. ESTFs give families in our state a unique opportunity to access education that brings children to a better knowledge of God and the world around us.
Applications are open from Jan. 15 to March 15. Only 5,000 applications will be funded this first year (and will increase in successive years).
Please share information about this opportunity with those in your parishes and schools now. Flyers in English and Spanish are attached.
To learn about how ESTFs work or to apply, visit charlestondiocese.org/schools/trust.
National Eucharistic Congress tickets reminder
As a reminder, tickets are still available for purchase for the National Eucharistic Congress 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 (Includes tab for the National Eucharistic Congress)
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
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.
Retreats for survivors of abuse
Please consider sharing this information with your parishioners:
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is sponsoring “The Way” retreats for survivors of abuse. Each offers a path forward for survivors of all forms of abuse (physical, emotional, and/or sexual) to reflect on God’s plan for their lives and for healing through prayer and the sacraments.
The men’s retreat will take place Jan. 26-28, and the women’s retreat will be April 26-28. There is no cost for the retreat. For more information, visit adw.org/the-way-retreat.
To register, email Deb McDonald: mcdonald@adw.org. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
Check it out!
VISIT the Catholic Miscellany
For the most up-to-date information from the diocese visit: charlestondiocese.org/events.
Read the January CARITAS; the Diocesan Monthly E-Newsletter.