ADVENT: Season of Hope and Expectation Advent is a season of hope and expectation. God fulfilled that hope and met our expectation with the gift of love in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. God’s precious gift was wrapped in the hope of peace, of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of compassion, of sharing. Jesus invites us to do the same for one another. Hopefully, the giving and receiving will include the giving and receiving of time, time with those who are alone, those who may have lost a loved one during the past year. Hopefully the giving and receiving will include the less fortunate in and around our community At Christmas our churches will be filled like no other time during the year. Included will be many who have not been in a church since last Easter. It is my hope and expectation that they will feel welcomed. A few weeks ago you were given the opportunity to develop an “evangelization plan” for reaching out to your loved ones who are away from the church. It is with great hope and expectation that I pray with you that your invitation will be received with a loving response. Advent is also a time of grace, a special time when the One who came for all people is once again reaching out to those who have been away. He is inviting them to experience the hope, the peace, the joy, the forgiveness, the prayerful support that comes through a caring community of faith, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. Our Hope is in Him who does not disappoint. May Your Advent be filled with this Hope!

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish 3815 South Cedar Street Lansing MI 48910 (517) 393-3030 Sunday, November 27, 2016

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Lansing, MI (517) 393-3030 Page 2

Mass Schedule

The Week Ahead Monday the 28th Reconciliation after 8 am Mass Ananias Project 6:30 pm Parish Office Evangelizing Cell 7 pm Parish Office Financial Peace University 7 pm South School Spirit & Bride Charismatic Prayer 7:30 pm Church

Sunday the 27th: First Sunday of Advent 4:30 pm (Saturday) For the People of the Parish 7:30 am Judy McClain —Carol Johnson 9:30 am Mary Bosheff —Family 11:30 am Larry Baker —Susann Baker Monday the 28th 8 am Patricia Fudge —Deacon Bill Fudge

Tuesday the 29th Reconciliation after 8 am Mass High School Youth Group 6:30 - 8:30pm Youth Center Evangelizing Cell 7 pm Church

Tuesday the 29th 8 am Dean Cullimore and for the Intentions of Elaine Cullimore —by Family

Wednesday the 30th Moms’ Group 9:30 am Parish Office Alpha Dinner 6:30 pm Parish Family Center Evangelizing Cell 7 pm 2230 Delhi NE Holt St. Vincent de Paul 7 pm, South Cedar Street unit Middle School Youth Group 6:30-8:30 pm Youth Center

Wednesday the 30th: Saint Andrew 8 am Rose & Frank Fata —Brian & Cathy Variano Thursday the 1st 9 am Michael Fox —George & Therese Fox Friday the 2nd 8 am Lysle A. Smith, III —by Mom & Erin

Thursday the 1st Evangelizing Cell 7:30 pm Parish Office living room Evangelizing Cell 7 pm, 2614 Woodview Dr. Knights of Columbus 7:30 pm Parish Family Center

Saturday the 3rd 8 am Intentions of Jean Epple —by Susan Epple 4:30 pm Wilma Miller —by Richard Miller Sunday the 4th: Second Sunday of Advent 7:30 am For the People of the Parish 9:30 am Paul & Ruth Reid and Carl & Vedetta Nichols —by Nichols Family 11:30 am Special Intentions for children and grandchildren — by Rita Addison

Readings for next Sunday Second Sunday of Advent: Is 11:1-10, Rom 15:4-9, Mt 3:1-12 (4)

Parish Financial Stewardship Please Note: Collection information for the week of Sunday, November 20 and 27th will be updated in the December 4th bulletin. Building Together with Christ Campaign: (look for update in Dec. 4 bulletin) Campaign Goal: $ 1,774,600.00 Total Pledged: $ 1,201,717.65 (68%) Cash Received: $ 928,027.20 Number of Gifts: 535 (45%) (1,150 families) If you have not made a pledge, please call the parish office for a pledge card. Reminder: “Blue” colored payment envelopes are included in your Sunday bi-monthly packets.

Sunday, November 27, 2016 website: ihmparishlansing.org

Friday the 2nd Bible Study 10 am Parish Office Saturday the 3rd Reconciliation 3 pm - 4 pm Church Rosary Making and Training 9 am Parish Office Bake & Gift Sale! After 4:30 Mass, school hallway Sunday the 4th Coffee & Donuts after 9:30 am Mass Family Faith Formation 11 am Parish Family Center Bake & Gift Sale! After all Masses, school hallway High School Youth Group 5 pm Youth Center

Thank you for making a sacrificial signed commitment from your treasure this year. You can trust in faith that God will bless your sacrifice and your needs with be met as he has promised. —Fr. John

Stewardship: A Way of Life… Our stewardship reminder in today’s reading is simply to remain awake and aware. Do not fall asleep, but stay vigilant. Today is the about the stewardship of awareness. It’s easy to forget. Try sitting up with good posture and discover how quickly you simply forget and fall back into a slump. You cannot change your posture by sitting up straight. You must exercise and develop the right muscles and teach your body to sit up. It is like that. You must pray and learn God’s word and be in relationship with Christ to stay in wait for his coming.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish 517-393-3030 Website: ihmparishlansing.org

Sunday, November 27, 2016 Page 3

Adult Christmas Choir Invitation

Dear IHM Choir Member or Interested Parishioner: Once again, it is time to assemble our voices and prepare for the great celebration of the Nativity of our Lord. Traditionally, our IHM Adult Choir sings Christmas Eve at Midnight Mass (which begins at 11PM with carols at 10:30PM) and also Epiphany Sunday (celebrated on January 8th, 2017) at the 11:30 A.M. liturgy if participation is viable. Rehearsals are as follows: Wednesday, December 7, 2016, at 7:00 pm in the church. Thursday, December 15, 2016, at 7:00 pm in the church. Thursday, December 22, 2016, at 7:00 pm in the church. It is not necessary to RSVP to this invitation, however, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office at 393-3030 (ext. 230). Choir Call Christmas Eve will be 9:45 pm. Attire will be black pants/skirt and white shirts/blouses (ties for men). I hope you will consider singing with us and share in the spirit of our Christmas celebration. Looking forward to another collaborative seasonJ

Dave Wiseman Director of Music & Liturgy

Handing on the (through the Domestic Church) with Jen Brown

FAITH

Where does Scripture come from? You might wonder why I am so intent on explaining why we can trust the Church and her teachings. It is because so many doubt the goodness of what Christ has set up for us through the Church. I get it, I really do because I was one of those doubters. But everything that the Church teaches us is only for our own good. In the Catechism section under “Divine Revelation” that talks about Scripture it says, “In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human wordsJ” (#101) His goodness! It is important to remember this as we step through the Catechism: all of this is for our good! What a good God we have! He loves us. Since I have already talked about how Scripture and Tradition work together, I will talk about God as the author, criteria for interpreting Scripture and the “sense” of Scripture: how we understand it. God is the author of Sacred Scripture and like many other ways, he uses humanity to get his point across. The authors had full use of their faculties—it wasn’t like he just took over their bodies and they had no will or ideas. But the Holy Spirit chose certain men and inspired them to write and write certain things. How do we know that what they wrote was what the Holy Spirit intended? There have been a lot of holy texts written, but not all of them made it into what is called the “Canon of Scripture” that is, the Old and New Testament books. Remember, most of what makes us Scriptural was first oral tradition: much of the New Testament was not written down until long after Pentecost. This harkens back to our discussion on Sacred Tradition and how it weaves into Sacred Scripture. Discerning what was “inspired by the Holy Spirit” took a couple of hundred years. What was written had to agree with what they already knew to be true, and had to agree with other parts of Scripture. The first time a Church council ruled on the list of "inspired" writings allowed to be read in Church was at the Synod of Hippo in 393 AD. No document survived from this council - we only know of this decision because it was referenced at the third Synod of Carthage in 397 AD. It took many years of discernment before what we now call the New Testament came into being. In fact, it wasn’t until the Reformation when Martin Luther challenged the Canon of Scripture that the Church affirmed at the Council of Trent in 1546 that all of the

books in the New Testament were deemed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore to be counted as sacred. There are two major “senses” of Scripture, that is, how we read and take in Scripture. The literal sense “is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture” meaning, what the words mean! Pretty basic. Understand that this too, means what the words were in their original language of Aramaic and Greek. But we also have to read Scripture with a spiritual sense. There are realities that God wants us to understand that lie next to and beneath the literal sense. Within the spiritual sense we might see Scripture allegorically, moral and anagogical or “leading.” Reading a passage allegorically, we might be able to see the crossing of the Red Sea as a sign of Christ’s victory over sin and of Christian Baptism. We can see Mary as the New Eve and Jesus as the New Adam. In the moral sense we can read passages as a means for moral teaching and guidance, as are many of Paul’s writings in the New Testament. The anagogical sense means how we view this Scripture in light of heaven and events in terms of eternal significance, leading us towards Heaven, our true home. For example, the story of Jesus’ birth can be seen as literal: yes there was a baby born in Bethlehem to a Virgin named Mary and he was called Jesus. The spiritual sense leads us to see him as the New Adam, the one who doesn’t bring sin into the world, but actually heals sin and takes it out of the world. This would be the allegorical sense. The moral sense would show us that his arrival as human means he is the man we should all aspire to be like. In watching his actions and listening to his words, we find moral formation in him. And in the anagogical sense, the leading sense, we recognize that this baby became human but was also God and would be our only ticket to heaven. His very existence means that if we love him and follow his teachings (including all that he gives to the Church) we will be with him in heaven. A note about the Old and New Testaments. There are 45 books in the Old Testament (which we got from the Jewish faith) and 27 in the New. The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New. So, many stories about God saving his people is an indication of Who is to come, Jesus Christ, and what eternal salvation looks like. The New Testament takes what is promised in the Old to a whole new level in the person of Jesus Christ and teaches us how to live what Christ has given to us in his gift of himself for our salvation.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish 3815 South Cedar St. Lansing, Michigan 48910

Children's Stewardship Corner (Donations benefit a charity of the children’s choice) Last Sunday: $ 15.00 Total to Date: $ 560.06

Thank you for your good deeds! Please use Children’s envelopes available at no charge in the gathering space (Stewardship section).

Health Ministry News It is now just as likely for middle school students to die from suicide as from traffic accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2014, the suicide rate for children ages 10 to 14 had caught up to their death rate for traffic accidents. The pervasiveness of social networking means that entire schools can witness someone’s feelings of shame on line. However there are many groups that help people with suicidal thoughts. One, Crisis Text Line, is open to people of all ages and provides free assistance to anyone who tests “help” to 741-741. You can also talk with someone on the phone from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Bake & Gift Sale Rosary Makers Christmas Bake & Gift Sale will be held December 3 & 4th in the School hallway after all Masses. Please come & bring your favorite Christmas treats and do some gift shopping. Beautiful specialty rosaries, books, Holy Land gifts, DVD's gifts for kids & more. Lots of Christmas candy & other treats to make your holiday festive. This is our last sale of the year. We thank you all very, very much for your generous support all year.

“Be an Angel” On this first Sunday of Advent, our church begins our preparations for Christmas. For many of us this involves shopping for loved ones, but we’re preparing for our annual “Be an Angel” Holiday Giving Campaign. We encourage everyone to stop by a Holiday Giving Tree in the Lansing Mall, Meridian Mall, or Eastwood Towne Center and take a tag, which lists specific items to be purchased and donated to the children we serve. For more information visit http://stvcc.org/holiday-giving.

517 393-3030

Page 5 FAX 393-0855

Adult Faith Formation/RCIA If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith and what the Church teaches about Jesus, please join us on Wednesday evenings, 7 pm—8:30 pm. Contact Leah Hinman, 393-3030 or [email protected].

Our Giving Tree You are invited to take a tag from our giving tree located in the gathering space of church and purchase the gift listed on the tag. Attach the tag to your wrapped gift (no bags please) and place it under the tree by December 11th. We are providing gifts for disabled persons of Rainbow Homes in Holt and for needy families sponsored by our St. Vincent de Paul.

Focus on Youth IHM Prayer Warriors, Now’s the Time! As preparations for our 2016-2017 Confirmation Retreat are underway, please take a moment to blanket it in prayer along with our youth ministry team:

Lord, thank you for blessing us with the fullness of truth in our Catholic faith. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to continually guide the Church and the hearts and minds of her faithful. Please bless the confirmands, parents, sponsors and leaders of the Confirmation Retreat this year that all may encounter you in a new and personal way. Thank you Jesus. We love you. Amen.

Page 6 Website: ihmparishlansing.org Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish

Sunday, November 27, 2016 3815 South Cedar Street Lansing MI 48910 517-393-3030

Family Faith Formation

IHM-St. Casimir School

Kindergarten—6th Grade, 393-3030

Kindergarten — 8th Grade, 882-6631

Join us for Family Faith Formation — Sunday, December 4 at 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the Parish Family Center. The topic for December is “Prepare the Way of the Lord,” with speaker Jen Brown. All are welcome to attend the adult presentation.

Middle school students present "The Snow White Variety Show" at Lansing Catholic High School on Friday, December 2, 6:30 pm. The students have been working all semester on this show and we promise it will be quite entertaining. Admission is free; donations happily accepted.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word and Little Lambs will not take place Thanksgiving weekend Sunday, November 27. We will resume again the following week Sunday, December 4. Initiation of Children: If you have a child age 7 or above who is interested in joining the Catholic Church or needs to “catch up” on catechesis or Sacraments, please contact Aaron Epkey at 393-3030 (ext. 233).

Faith Formation 7th/8th Grades & High School High School Youth Group –Teens, don’t forget to bring back the health and release forms! Come do homework and hangout on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 pm in the NEW YOUTH CENTER! 2016-2017 Confirmation Candidates- We will not have a session today, Sunday, November 27th in celebration of Thanksgiving. Please pray for our Confirmation group as we gear-up for retreat. You can use your own words or cut-out the prayer offered in this week’s Focus on Youth! Candidates, please submit the weekly sponsor questions and contact Toni at: [email protected] or call 3933030 x221 with questions. 7th/8th Grade Faith Formation- Such a great November session! We’ll see you on December 4th! Please submit past lessons, registration and tuition payment as soon as possible and as always, let us know if you need assistance. Also, come hang out with other 7th and 8th graders from 6:30-8:30 in the youth room every Wednesday! Bring friends, Catholic or not! Contact Toni at: [email protected] or call 393-3030 x221 with questions.

Lansing Catholic High School Application information will be mailed to 8th graders who are currently enrolled at one of our Catholic partner schools in December 2016. If you have an 8th grader who does not attend a Catholic partner school, but would like to receive an application packet, please contact Lansing Catholic’s Admissions Coordinator, Karen Gavin at [email protected] or 517-267-2102 to be added to the mailing list.

A Special Advent Evening: IHM-St. Casimir School invites all children to join us for a special Advent evening on Saturday, December 3, 5:30-7:00 pm on the first floor of the North school building. Rooms of Christmas activities will include stories, crafts, cookie decorating and a chance to talk to Santa and get a picture. The activities are geared for preschool through grade 5, but all are welcome. Invite your family and friends to come to 4:30 pm Mass and then stay for our fun filled evening!

Eucharistic Ministers Needed Lansing Catholic Hospital Ministry is looking for additional Eucharistic Ministers to distribute Communion to Catholic patients at Sparrow Hospital and McLaren Greater Lansing. Each hospital has an application process followed by a general orientation which is provided to every hospital volunteer through their Volunteer Services Department. Once this is completed, a more specific training is provided which focuses on our visits with patients and their families. Time commitment is generally one day per month for 2 to 3 hours at Sparrow or 1 to 1-1/2 hour at McLaren. For further information, please contact Cassian Hardie at 364-2902 or [email protected].

Ministry to Sick and Grieving IHM Prayer Circles pray for those who are sick or grieving. Please contact the parish office, 393-3030. Palmer Bush & Jensen Support Group meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7-8 pm at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 1519 Elmwood, (517) 268-1000. TLC Group: Estes-Leadley Funeral Home - For upcoming events please call 517-482-1651. Remembrance Service: Palmer, Bush & Jensen Family Funeral Homes is providing an opportunity for bereaved persons, their families and friends to gather together for a special Remembrance Service on Sunday, December 4 at 2pm at the Delta Chapel. Please call 323-7890.

Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday: 8:30 - 5 pm, Tuesday/Thursday 8:30—7 pm, Friday: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Saturday: 9 am - noon Website: i h m p a r i s h l a n s i n g . o r g

Save The Date! St. Casimir Parish Mission: “Encounter Jesus, Grow in Christ, Witness to Faith” November 27-29 from 7 pm— 9 pm. Presented by Rev. Dr. William J. Promesso. Call the Parish office for further information, 482-1346. The Lansing Catholic Music Department will present a Lesson and Carols service on November 30 at 7:00 pm. In this service, nine Scripture lessons which recount the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation and the Great Commission to preach the Good News, are read and followed by a song. On December 7 at 7:00 pm the Strings and Concert Band invite the Meridian Community Band to join us in our Christmas Concert. We hope you will come and enjoy the talents of the Lansing Catholic music students! Christmas Bake & Gift Sale: Thank you for your support of IHM’s Rosary Makers, December 3 & 4 after all the Masses in the School hallway. St. Vincent Catholic Charities: In gratitude for your continued support, all are invited to our FREE 34th Annual Community Breakfast. Thank You Open House on Friday, December 2 from 6:30-10:am at the STVCC Children’s Home Gym. No RSVP required. For more information about this event visit: http://stvcc.org/ eventscpt/community-thank-you-open-house. Remembrance Service: Palmer, Bush & Jensen Family Funeral Homes is providing an opportunity for bereaved persons, their families and friends to gather together for a special Remembrance Service on Sunday, December 4 at 2pm at the Delta Chapel. Please call 323-7890 for further information. Retreat: Advent Joy: God is Visiting His People. Saturday, December 10, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm. Includes Mass and lunch. Presenter: Tony Sperendi. Cost is $30. Info and registration at: www.stfrancis.ws or 517-669-8321. A Christmas Festival of Music featuring The Michigan Catholic Choir and The Pebble Creek Chamber Orchestra, Saturday, January 7, 2017, 7 pm at St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Swartz Creek, Michigan. Admission FREE/Ticket required/limited seating. For ticket information, contact Theresa Harsila 810-624-5548 or Kathy Gaspar 810-836-2854.

Simply Give Food Program Now through December 31, when you donate $10 at the Meijer Store on South Pennsylvania, our IHM St. Vincent de Paul will receive $20 worth of food for our pantry. Donation Cards are available in the gathering space of church, the church office, and at the Meijer store near the check-out.

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Parish Staff Contact Information Parish Office/Staff: 517-393-3030 FAX: 393-0855 Rev. John Byers, Pastor [email protected] Rev. George Daisy, In Residence Deacons: Bill Fudge & John Cameron IHM-St. Casimir SchoolJJJJ..JJ...JJ.JJ......882-6631 Angela Johnston, Principal [email protected] Website: ihmparishlansing.org Business Mgr: Barry Marsh [email protected] Bookkeeper: Ann Schadler [email protected] Secretaries: Anita Sandel [email protected] Barb Smith [email protected] Coordinator of Evangelization & DiscipleshipJ...393-3030 Jennifer Brown [email protected] Family Faith Formation Director JJJJJ..J....393-3030 Aaron Epkey [email protected] Faith Formation 7th/8th grades/High School/Young Adults: Jay Jong (Youth Group) [email protected] Toni Watters (7th/8th, Confirm.) [email protected] RCIA for Adults, Leah Hinman [email protected] Adult Faith Formation, Leah HinmanJJJJJ.....393-3030 Liturgy & Music, Dave Wiseman: [email protected] Social Ministry/Health Ministry (Barry Marsh) ........393-3030 Restorative Justice/Change of Heart (Bob Heriford) ...243-8605 St. Vincent de Paul: Don QuillanJ...JJJJ..J....393-3030 Knights of Columbus: Dennis Jenkins, Grand Knight 393-3030 [email protected] website: kofc10542.org ICAP: Counseling Assistance ProgramJJJJ...393-3030 Rosary Makers, Laurene MooreJJJJJ...JJ....393-3030 Adoration Chapel, Jack ChanJJJJJJ..JJJ.668-8113

Divine Life in the Parish Weekend Masses: Weekday Masses:

Saturday: 4:30 pm Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am Monday - Saturday at 8 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturdays 3 - 4 pm, and after 8 am Masses (except for Wednesdays). Also by appointment. Sick and Homebound: Call the parish office to request a hospital visit, sacrament of the sick, communion, or prayers. Infant Baptism: Please arrange through the parish office in advance. Preparation class is required. Sacrament of Marriage: Please make arrangements with the pastor or deacon at least nine months in advance of the proposed wedding date. Welcome New parishioners! Please register by calling or stopping by the Parish Office. We encourage you to be an active member by attending Sunday Mass weekly and supporting your parish in gratitude for what God has given you.

Mission Statement: As a Christ-centered, Spirit-led faith community, fed by Word and Sacrament, we bring the “Good News” of God’s love into all areas of our lives, that we may lead others to Christ.