INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Introduction...….….…….……..

For the Young Ones…....…..…..

PSR……...………..….....…….....

Teen JaM…………………....…..

RCIA…………..…………………

Advent News……………………

Calendar of Events……………...

Thoughts From Three Twelve.….

Editor

Joan Patchin Contributing Writers

Fr. Charlie Diedrick Fr. Tom Hagedorn

Sr. Mary Dorothy Tecca Joan Patchin

Production Angie Pluta

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St. Mary Parish - Elyria

It was Vatican II that insisted the ‘parents are the primary educators of their children in the ways of faith.’ Faith begins in the home. If the family does not pray together and attend Sunday Mass, there is little chance for religious education to have any success. Sending them to the day school or dropping them off for PSR does not fulfill the Vatican II directive.

It is not 100% fool-proof but as I observe family life in the parish, those who pray and share their faith together seem more often than not to have strong family circles that respect and love one another. I do not have a simple solution to this problem of handing on faith to the next generation. I only know that this must be a primary concern for our life as a parish family. Hopefully, this issue of The Bells will inspire us to take a more active part in promoting a life of faith.

It was St. Augustine who argued that there was a dimension of the human spirit that could only satisfied by the infinite. Nothing in this world could satisfy this need. It took the infinite love of God to fill this hole. In a secular age that considers belief in God as naïve, we are witnessing the disintegration of human living. So many people try to fill the emptiness. When the drug euphoria no longer takes the emptiness and ache away, the ultimate resort is to end life itself.

I have a growing fear that the upcoming generation is not grounded in their faith. They are not drawn to the Sunday Eucharist and complain that they get nothing out of it. They don’t know what their faith teaches and the moral obligations that flow from it. In my mind, if you take God out of the picture, I don’t know how you can have any sense of a moral obligation. Quite frankly, that pretty much describes the amoral society we are living in today.

Promoting a Life of Faith

St. Mary Parish In the Heart of the City

Since 1845

St. Mary Parish - Website Go to www.stmaryelyria.org to visit our web site. It is user friendly and helps you access useful information. We hope that you will look to it for updates on future events and programs along with inspirational words throughout the week. If you are not receiving the weekly Bells and would like to, send an email to stmaryelyria@aol.com so we can update our records.

ADVENT 2017

Page 2 THE BELLS OF ST. MARY

Unlike most of the parishioners who have spoken at our Masses over the past few months, I do not have old roots at St. Mary’s. My grandparents came to the U.S. just a bit over 100 years ago. They settled in Cleveland where my parents were born, educated and married. I doubt if my grandparents even heard of Elyria until I moved here. I also grew up in Cleveland, met my husband Dave half way to Elyria in Columbia Station and because of his employment at the old G.M. plant, we settled in Elyria 45 years ago. Our girls were born here and we become parishioners of St. Mary’s “just” 39 years ago. Our daughters, Carrie and Michelle received their sacraments at St. Mary’s, Carrie attended our school and Michelle, Midview schools and our P.S.R. Program. Carrie mar-ried Rob here and I was em-ployed as a parish secretary un-til my retirement almost 2 years ago. In my early years at the parish I served as a Girl Scout

leader and P.T.U. board mem-ber followed by my involvement in the Renewal programs, as a Eucharistic Minister, Couples Club president, Hall Committee secretary, and as the parish’s first female president of the for-mer St. Vincent de Paul Society. Presently I am president of our Altar and Rosary Society, editor of this newsletter and Dave and I serve as the Donut Dude and Diva after the Sunday Masses.

St. Mary Parish is without ques-tion, our second home. I hope you can see that you don’t need to have deep roots at St. Mary’s to grow and blossom here. What you do need is to take ad-vantage of the sunshine and nourishment offered by our pas-tor and fellow parishioners through Mass and Eucharist, our ministries, commissions and events. All will enable you to grow your own roots.

This newsletter is focusing on family and the opportunities for your family to grow at St. Mary’s, no matter the age of your roots and no matter how long you’ve been planted at our parish. We have preschool P.S.R. and Liturgy of the Word for our youngest members, P.S.R. for our grade schoolers who attend public schools and the Teen JaM Program. We have the Cana Club for married cou-ples, the Book Club for readers and the Senior Luncheon pro-gram for those whose roots are a bit deeper.

Please read the articles included in this newsletter that focus on just a few of the parish pro-grams geared to the family and consider taking advantage of what they offer. Check the bul-letin for days and times they gather or call the Parish Office for more information and bloom where you are planted!

I am a Sapling... Joan Patchin, Editor

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The Preschool P.S.R. program was developed to help children ages 3, 4 & 5 grow in their awareness of the presence of God in their everyday lives. Our classes are held in the St. Joseph Building on Sunday mornings during the 11:00 am Mass begin-ning mid-September and contin-uing through the 1st Sunday of May.

Basic Catholic doctrine is taught using religion programs ap-proved by the Diocese of Cleve-land. Approximately 20 minutes of the class is spent on the reli-gion lesson with the remainder of the time devoted to projects,

songs, and stories that relate to the topic of the lesson. Through-out the year the children are in-troduced to structured prayer by participating in monthly prayer services - All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Feast of St. Nich-olas, Epiphany, Easter and the Feasts of St. Valentine, St. Pat-rick, St. Joseph, and Mary. On ‘Grand-Pals’ Day we invite grandparents or a special some-one to join us and participate in class and on Parents Sunday, we ask parents to join us for class and a Prayer Celebration.

We close each year with a ‘Final Celebration’ following the last class.

We strive to build awareness of God’s many gifts and blessings that have been given to us. Our ultimate goal is to help young children nurture a strong and loving relationship with God, our Father and be aware of His unconditional love for them.

Please contact Peggy Russell at (440) 322-3054 - Religious Edu-cation Office if you have any questions or need any additional information.

St. Mary Preschool P.S.R. Program

All of the children were encouraged to participate in the program. “I want to hear what’s in their hearts”, Linda stated.

Each child was asked to share a special intention. Responses ranged from prayers for Mom and Dad or for a sick pet to one small child whose intention was to have a forever home. The intentions were followed with “Hear Us Oh Lord”. They were also asked to share how Jesus helped them during the past week.

As Linda’s time with the children drew to a close, musical instruments which had been placed under each little chair were brought out and when Linda gave the signal it was time for “Rock and Roll for Jesus”. I’m sure He enjoyed the joyous sounds and Alleluias as much as I did.

I recently had the opportunity to sit in on the Children’s Liturgy of the Word Program held during the 9:30 Mass. Linda Minnehan, a Head Start teacher by profession shares the voluntary instructor position with Terri Raneri. At the session I attended, Linda had 13 children in attendance, about half preschool age and about double the number she usually has. No problem for Linda! There to help her were a few grade school girls, among them Violet and Keira who assisted Linda with passing out papers and quieting the fidgety young ones.

The program began with a prayer and readings from a children’s lectionary followed by a lesson geared to their age group. Linda explained that we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ and that praying can be done anywhere, not just in church.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Program I asked Paige why she looks forward to attending the Liturgy of the Word for Children each Sunday and she responded that she likes learning about Jesus. Fiona agreed that attending each Sunday helped her to learn more about God. Linda admitted that although it can be difficult to squeeze so many activities in just the 10 to 12 minutes she has with the children, she feels she is blessed by being able to share the Word of God with them.

If you attend the 9:30 Mass and have a young child who might enjoy spending time with some of our youngest parishioners, encourage them to join the Children’s Liturgy of the Word, a terrific introduction to the Mass and to our Catholic Faith.

~Joan Patchin

The St. Mary P.S.R. Program is for elementary school aged children who are not attending a Catholic Day School. Par-ents are the primary educators of their children in the Catholic Faith. The P.S.R. program exists to assist parents in the task of helping their children foster a deeper understanding of their faith and relationship with God. Our textbooks and classroom resources have been approved by the Diocese of Cleveland and we follow the curriculum mapped out by the Diocese. All of our Catechists are faith-filled and ready to assist the children in learning about and growing in their faith. “It is both an honor and privilege to assist in the formation of young children in the Catholic faith. From the first few classes in the fall, when the children look at this new teacher, not knowing what to expect, to the wonderful classes in the spring when we all have become fast friends. As we welcome the Easter story, we have all bloomed into more re-sponsible, caring individuals, ready to do the work of Christ.” a P.S.R. Catechist recently stated. All students assemble in the cafeteria every Monday evening. Together they pray and sing a song related to the church year. The teachers then take them to their classrooms where lessons are taught. Classes for students in grades 1st through 8th meet on Monday evenings from 6:30 - 7:45 pm from September through April. Classes are held in the St. Joseph and Marian Buildings. If you have children whom you would like to have join this program please contact Sister Mary Dorothy at the parish office.

Page 4 THE BELLS OF ST. MARY

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Teen JaM advisor Randy Ku-la says the group is a place for teens to hang out, drop in or just show up. No mem-bership required, no attend-ance taken.

Teen JaM meets twice a month in the Upper Room at St. Mary Parish in addition to monthly social activities and service projects. The teens have volunteered at St. Mary’s Hot Meals pro-gram with trips to haunted hay-rides, weekend camp-outs, and sports activities among some of their out-ings.

The group has taken part in teen renewals, car-pooled to The Fest and joined teens from the Toledo Diocese at Cedar Point for Youth Day.

“Our next meeting is sched-uled for Sunday, December 10 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Upper Room of St. Mary’s Parish School.” stat-ed Randy, “and all teens are invited.” If you have ques-tions, Randy can be contact-ed at randy@saintjudeparish.org or by calling 216-409-2639.

Calling all 8th through 12th graders, regardless of where you go to school! Wouldn’t it be great to have a safe place to just hang out? A place to share thoughts and opinions with-out being judged, some-where to learn about your faith in a social atmosphere, a place to have some laughs with a group of your peers and an opportunity to make some new friends.

Welcome to Teen JaM, a cluster youth ministry for teens from St. Mary and St. Jude Parishes.

P.S.R. continued

SHEPHERDS AND ANGELS Each year at the 4:00 pm Christmas Eve Mass students from age 4 to 9 are invited to dress as shepherds and angels. During the Liturgy of

the Word the children are seated in the Sanctuary. If you are interested in your child being a special part of this Christmas Eve Mass, please pick up a form from the church entrance, fill it out and return it to the parish office. We ask all who sign up to arrive by 3:40 pm on Sunday evening December 24 to meet in the Weigand Room for costume dis-tribution and instruction.

Do you know of someone who desires to learn about the Catholic Faith, who is interested in receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist? Each year we begin

anew to help individuals in their faith journey.

RCIA is a gradual journey of many steps and stages. It begins with the pre-catechumenate or inquiry period which leads to the Rite of Acceptance, and continues to the catechumenate stage. During this time the focus is on the study of the Scriptures, the candidates also participate in sessions that help them to understand the doctrinal teachings of the Church. This period ends with the Rite of Election. This second major ritual of the RCIA usually occurs on the First Sunday of Lent. It is called the period of purification and enlightenment, a time of reflection and prayer leading to the celebration of the Sac-raments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. The process of initiation continues even after the Easter cele-bration, during the Eastertide period called mystagogia. (The word comes from an ancient Greek word signifying a deepening understanding of the mysteries of our faith.) The Church uses this period of mystagogy to help the newly initiated to understand and live their lives as part of the Body of Christ. Please contact Sister Mary Dorothy if you are or if you know of anyone who is interested in participat-ing in the RCIA journey.

Page 6 THE BELLS OF ST. MARY

Confirmation for Adults

Adults who have received Baptism and Eucharist, who wish to receive the sacrament of

Confirmation and become fully initiated into the Catholic Church are invited to join in the

upcoming preparation sessions. The ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop. We

will be celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation on March 1, 2018 here at St. Mary Church. On May 19,

2018, the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, a confirmation ceremony will take place at St. John Cathedral in

Cleveland. You will have the opportunity to be confirmed at either of these ceremonies. Please contact Sister

Mary Dorothy at the parish office if you are interested in receiving this Sacrament.

ADVENT COMMUNAL RECONCILIATION SERVICE

The Sacrament of Reconciliation has three ele-ments: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God’s unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others. All are encouraged to attend the Advent Communal Reconciliation Service for the Catholic Church of Elyria which will take place at St. Jude Church on Sunday, December 17 at 7:00 pm.

Page 5

BLEST BE ALL WHO WAIT FOR THE LORD.

"Truly, the LORD is waiting to be gracious to you, truly, he shall rise to show you mercy; For the LORD is

a God of justice: happy are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18 Advent is a time of waiting. In this waiting we remember the birth of Jesus, who came to show us God the Father’s love and to free us from sin, so that we could be with him forever. We wait for him to be born again in our hearts, our homes, our parish community, and in the whole world. This time of waiting is especially significant for Mary, the Mother of God. While Mary waited for the birth of Jesus, she worked and prayed. She visited her cousin Elizabeth. She shared the Good News of her pregnancy. She sang the praises of Almighty God. Mary journeyed to Bethlehem to the place where Jesus was to be born. She placed her trust in God and in her spouse, Joseph, who was chosen to accompany her and pro-tect her. This is how Mary spent her waiting time. Mary’s fiat was her “yes” to all that would come to be. She surrendered herself to God’s will that first Advent. Her cooperation with God’s holy design brought her from the comfort and familiarity of her home to a journey into the unknown. She travelled to Bethlehem not know-ing what the future held. All Mary knew was that she had said “yes” to God and that meant she was willing to do all that it entailed. With the hustle and bustle of the season we need to take the time to be aware of what is truly important in our lives. Our advent, this time of waiting, is a preparation period when we are challenged to consider the true meaning of Christmas. For as the Prophet Isaiah proclaims, not only are we to be "happy in our waiting, but God is waiting for you"!

Please join us for our Advent Family Night! This special evening is designed for families to prepare togeth-er to celebrate the season of Advent. In an effort to focus on the meaning of this season we will see a movie, play an Advent/Christmas game and pray together. The evening is meant to be fun as well as educational. Children of all ages are most welcome. Invite grandparents and other family friends to share this experience with you.

A light supper and beverages will be provided. The cost for the evening is $10.00 per family.

Registration deadline is Wednesday, November 29, 2017.

ADVENT FAMILY NIGHT Where: Weigand Room

When: Friday, December 1, 2017 Time: 6:00 -- 8:00 PM

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December 1 Advent Family Night December 2 200 Club Dinner & Dance December 3 Pancake Breakfast January 28 St. Mary School Open House February 2 Family Fun Night February 14 Pierogi Lunches Begin March 10 Reverse Raffle March 18 City Music Cleveland April 1 Easter

Parish Pancake Breakfast Sunday, December 3

9 am - 1 pm

Children can shop for gifts at the Santa Secret Shoppe

St. Nick may show up!

Mass Schedule at St. Mary Church

Christmas Eve Masses:

Sunday, December 24: 4:00 and 6:00 pm Midnight Mass: 12 Midnight [Carols at 11:15 pm]

Christmas Day Masses:

Monday, December 25: 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 am

New Year’s Day Mass:

Monday, January 1, 2018: 9:00 am

Page 11

Many years ago my sister Cathy decided to organize all the memo-rabilia in the house. My dad loved taking pictures so there were hun-dreds of snapshots. Cathy collect-ed them and separated them, one group of pictures for each of the seven of us. She made a scrap-book for each of us, one I enjoy going through with some fre-quency. She also gathered other memorabilia and put an envelope together for each of us. My enve-lope included my kindergarten through eighth grade report cards.

I went to Franklin School for kin-dergarten. At that time it was lo-cated at 5th St. and West Ave., behind the high school. Three of us from the street, Dave Dicken, Mary Ann Finnegan and myself, would walk there. A far cry from what we’d see today. My teacher was Jean Anderson, whom I don’t remember at all.

Looking at my report card as an adult I was surprised at what was being “measured” or “graded.” Instead of finding letter grades

like O or S or U there were short paragraphs about different as-pects of my growing up. There were five groupings of develop-ments: language, social and emo-tional, muscular, music and rhythms, and arts and crafts. An example of a “grade” under lan-guage: “Tommy is a good listener and he also seems to enjoy telling the group of his experiences. He becomes more talkative everyday. Tommy’s voice is nice and clear, although not too loud.”

The other comments or grades are along the same lines. There was more concern for develop-ment than for learning things. I don’t know if this kind of report-ing still exists. Maybe it’s what’s happening in parent-teacher con-ferences. What impressed me about it was that the concern was for the formation of the student, not simply for the handing on of knowledge as important as that is. In our faith we understand the parents to be the first teachers of their children. If we see this in terms of simply handing on knowledge we may be missing the point. Yes, we need to teach our little and not so little ones what we believe. Who is God, who is Jesus, who is the Holy Spir-it?

What is the Trinity, what is the Incarnation, what did Jesus do and teach? What are the sacra-ments, what is the Bible, what are the Church and her leaders?

These issues need to be ad-dressed at home and in class. But we also need to form the next generation of believers in what believing means to their lives. How do we live our belief? How do we choose to follow Jesus in our everyday living? What does God mean to our relationships? How do we make God central to our living? How do we grow in prayer? How do we grow in our love for God and his people and creation?

As parents you might not get too deep into a discussion of the mys-tery of the Blessed Trinity. That might be the way of being first teachers of faith. But you are first teachers in the formation of your children in the ways of faith. Not grading them on their knowledge of faith but showing them how to live that knowledge and make their relationship with God real in their everyday living.

Fr. Tom

“You are the first teachers of faith in the formation of your children

in the ways of faith.”

St. Mary Parish Our Lady of the Assumption

320 Middle Avenue - Elyria, Ohio 44035 Phone: 440-323-5539 - Fax: 440-322-2329

~Parish Mission Statement~

As people of God on the pilgrim journey to the Kingdom, we the people of St. Mary, benefiting from a rich tradition of faith, are a Christ-centered

community blessed by a diversity of talents and gifts.

As a Catholic, Christian Community, we value the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Sacraments of the Church, which call us to live in justice and love.

As people of hope led by the spirit, we continue the mission of building the Kingdom. Through our ministry, service and outreach, we strive to

welcome all into a warm, caring parish family.

Check us out on the Web!

Our website can answer many of your questions.

www.stmaryelyria.org

Daily Devotions Parish Hall Rental Ministries Parish Wellness Who to Pray For

teen JaM Calendar Organizations School Link PTU Sports Committee

JustGive.org Call to Faithful Citizenship Heritage Society Funeral Preparation St. Mary PSR Program

Join us in our Celebration of the Eucharist!

SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE: Saturday Vigil: 4:30 p.m. Sunday: 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 a.m.

WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE: Monday 5:00 p.m. Tuesday 8:30 a.m. Wednesday 5:00 p.m. Thursday 8:30 a.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m.

HOLY DAY MASS SCHEDULE: 8:30 a.m.; 12:15 p.m.; 7:00 p.m.

We are here for you! Come on home!

If you are interested in having someone visit you to talk or to bring Holy Communion, please contact the Parish Office at 440-323-5539.

If you are no longer a member of our parish, please send us an email at stmaryelyria@aol.com or call the Parish Office at 323-5539 and your name will be removed from our roster. Thank you