News - November 2022 RSS Feed

Posadas will be celebrated on Sunday, December 11, beginning at 5:00 PM in the church. We will then continue in procession to various doors on the parish campus as Joseph and Mary seek a place to stay. ​​​​​​​The procession will conclude at Fatima-Gallagher Hall where there will be a piñata for the kids, posole and other refreshments.

From the Gospel of Matthew 24:37-44. We can embrace and relish each moment of our lives as a sacred sacrament or nonchalantly and robotically attend to what life presents. We have our feet in two worlds. One is holy and sacred, and the other is profane and secular. Which one has the greater claim on us? To what do we devote most of our energy? We can easily be consumed with the particular demands and essentials of daily life: family, work, obligations, and the like, that we don’t really notice anything more than what is right before us. We become masters at “doing” and neglect our need to “savor.” Jesus reminds his friends that “as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.”

From the Gospel of Luke 23:35-43. It’s not unreasonable to think that if God wanted to make a statement he could do so in a very dramatic way. After all, he spoke through a burning bush that didn’t actually burn, parted the Red Sea, sent manna to the Israelites from the sky, cured lepers, healed the sick and cast out demons. All of that is pretty dramatic stuff, and they made statements! Now, Jesus hangs dying on a cross. He has been referred to as a king. Considering all of the miracles Jesus did in his short time on earth, isn’t one more in order? If Jesus came down off of the cross, defied death, and parted the waters of suffering and death, onlookers, believers and unbelievers alike, would take notice. It would prove who God is and show us what God wants us to do. Or would it?

The Beneficiary of Our Lady of Fatima’s Giving Tree this year is Birthright. Please help this ministry with diapers and baby clothes sizes 0 to 6 months. ​​​​​​​Gifts can be placed under the tree at the main entrance of the church, or turn into the parish office by December 16, 2022.

Join us on December 19 & 20 beginning at 6:30 PM for the 2022 Advent Mission presented by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR). There is no cost to attend however, donations to the Friary are greatly appreciated. Checks can be made payable to: Community of Franciscan Friars.

View and download the 2022 Advent and Christmas Event Schedule for Our Lady of Fatima.

December 24th-Christmas Eve Masses will be offered at 4:00 PM (with children’s play) and 6:00 PM.
December 25th-Christmas Day Masses will be offered at 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM only. There will not be a 12:00 PM noon Mass
on Christmas Day.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish currently has an opening for a full-time Janitor position . Please call the Parish Office for more information.

Thanksgiving Day Mass, with Blessing of Bread, will be held at 9:00 AM on Thursday, November 24, 2022. The Parish Office and School  will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following  Thanksgiving Day.

Practice will take place after the 12:00 PM Mass on Sunday, December 4, 11 and 18 in the Church All children ages 5 years and up are invited to join us. Participants will have their name placed in a hat and roles will be assigned by lottery. We can never have too many angels and shepherds, so all children who wish to participate will have an opportunity to do so. The Christmas play will be performed at the 4:00 PM Mass on Christmas Eve.

From the Gospel of Luke 21:5-19. Many make it their life’s ambition to determine precisely when the world will end. By reading the signs of the times, consulting scripture, or looking to prophetic predictions that are sometimes centuries old, they claim a certain credibility in being able to do so. Is all that necessary to know? Even when his disciples pointedly ask him this question, Jesus does not directly answer. While the end will inevitably come, Jesus points out that there is a lot we need to do first: remain faithful, face persecution, endure suffering, face wars and insurrections, and give testimony. Human beings tend to focus their energies on the wrong kingdom. Consumed with all of the things we have built and seeking to preserve them, we forget that we belong to a different kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

Read the letter from Fr. Stephen Schultz dated November 3, 2022.

Raffle winners announced! Thank you to all who supported Our Lady of Fatima School by purchasing a 2022 raffle ticket!

From the Gospel of Luke 20:27-38. Facing her 50th birthday and recently diagnosed with Type
2 Diabetes, Rebecca was at a crossroads. Realizing that she had neglected her health and fitness over the years and allowed herself to gain significant weight, she felt poorly about who she had become. While it was easier to give in to temptation and the gratification received from food, her family needed her, and she desired a long life. She had an image of the person she could become. She wanted to be more trim, focused, disciplined, and healthy. She liked what she saw in her mind and set out on a journey to create it. With great effort, she succeeded and accomplished her goals. When we have a goal ahead of us, we are more apt to do whatever is necessary to get it.