Lord, You who live outside of time,
and reside in the imperishable moment,
yet have freely chosen to take on time
through the incarnate Jesus,
Your beloved Son,
we ask Your blessing this day
upon Your gift to us of time.

Bless our clocks and watches,
You who kindly direct us
to observe the passing of minutes and hours.

May they make us aware of the miracle
of each second of life we experience.

May these our ticking servants
help us not to miss that which is important,
while You keep us from machine-like routine.

May we ever be free from being clock watchers
and instead become time lovers.

Bless our calendars,
these ordered lists of days, weeks, and months
of holidays, holy days, fasts, and feasts -
all our special days of remembering.

May these servants, our calendars,
once reserved for the royal few,
for magi and pyramid priests
now grace our homes and lives.

May they remind us of birthdays and other gift-days,
as they teach us the secret
that all life
is meant for celebration
and contemplation.

Bless, Lord, this new year, 2004,
each of its 366 days and nights.

Bless us with new moons and full moons,
Bless us with happy seasons and a long life.

Grant to us, Lord,
the new year's gift
of a year of love. Amen.

Wednesday ��� Athletic Board��� School��� 7:00

All persons who have served in the parish in any capacity throughout the year are cordially invited to attend our Appreciation Dinner on Saturday, January 17, 2004, in St. Pat's gym. Naturally we invite you to bring your spouse or an escort.

Refreshments will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by a Buffet Dinner at 7:00 p.m. Dinner music will also be provided.

Volunteers, please mark your calendars now and call the rectory for your reservation (727-4746).

By wresting the issue of abortion from the people and their elected representatives, the Roe Court undermined the principle of self-government and our constitutional framework of separation of powers. Roe has deeply divided the country, causing three decades of social unrest and loss of respect for the Court and for the law.

We invite all to pray with us, the Rosary, Songs of Praise, and Silent adoration, every Monday in church. Please join us!

The spiritual books in the vestibule book rack are excellent books to help your faith life. Take and read and pass them on to others.

There are Catholic programs all day long on the radio. Tune in and be inspired.

When:
January 30 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
January 31 - 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
February 1 - 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where:
Primary Library Church Building.

Why:
To introduce the store, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its owner, Mr. Tim Seibt; to bring a close to Catholic Schools Week; and to give you the opportunity to purchase items in a convenient setting. Sponsored by Religious Education Program.

Sunny Castillo spent five years of seminary formation in the Philippines prior to teaching at a Jesuit University, working in show business, and earning a master's degree in philosophy. His deep sense of gratitude and missionary heart motivated him to share his God-given gifts with the Church in Joliet. He loves music, liturgy, computers, sports, traveling and visual arts, and is known for his hospitality and freedom of spirit. He is currently serving as a deacon at St. Isidore Parish, in Bloomingdale, and will be ordained this coming June.

For information regarding vocations, visit www.vocations.com or call the Diocesan Vocation Office at 815.834.4004.

To provide support for vocations contact the Serra Club regarding their activities including monthly vocation mass and dinner at [email protected] or call 630.858.4666.

On Thursday, January 15, 2004, the annual auction will be held at Al's Steak House, 1990 West Jefferson Street. The monthly business meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. Luncheon will be served at 12:00 noon, followed by the auction. Rosamond Flynn will be the auctioneer.

Your check of $10.00 is your reservation, Please send before January 8 to:

Please bring items that still have "life" for the auction.

Our mission at Catholic Charities is to translate God's love into professional human services. Your in-kind gift of 10 bags of assorted foods is helping us put that mission into practice.

Offering a free, nutritious noon-time meal to individuals and families who are hungry is very important to us at Catholic Charities. Whether it's a single mother feeding her children, a guest sharing a smile with a volunteer who cooked the meal that day, or an older person warming-up on a cold winter day, Shepherd's Table has touched the lives of many.

Again, thank you for your support of Catholic Charities Shepherd's Table. It is truly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McGowan
Executive Director

Saturday, 1/17/04 Peaceful prayer outside of abortion mill. Access Clinic 1700 75th Street, Downers Grove, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. You may come and go for whatever time you wish. For info or ride sharing, call Stasia/Dave Knox at 741-8295.

Sunday, 1/18/04 Holy Hour for Life with Bishop Kaffer. Rosary, Benediction and Homily, Cathedral of St. Raymond 2:00 p.m. Refreshments to follow.

Thursday, 1/22/04 Pro Life Prayer Service, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 18 Woodlawn, Joliet 7:00 p.m. Let us all come together as a community on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade to pray for an end to abortion.

Once again you have shown your gratitude and appreciation for the ministry of our Retired Religious over the past decades. The Retired Religious collection amounted to $3,542.00. Many thanks and God Bless you. Father Jim

The members of the Young at Heart Club are invited to tour the Joliet Area Historical Museum on January 22. The tour will begin at 1:30 and the cost per person is $3.00 for seniors. Reservations may be made by calling Kathy Wilhelmi at 744-1058. The reservation and payment deadline is January 15. Luncheon plans are still in process.

Our thanks to Ann and Denise DeMattie for their contribution to this fund, given in memory of Janie Van Cloustere.

Our thanks, also, to Sheila Orr Caliban, for her donation given in memory of Jim Orr.

Thanks to Ange and Mary Lou Pellegrini for their donation, given in memory of Thomas Blackburn.

There were several anonymous donors. These donations are used to help pay the tuition of needy students and are very much appreciated.

We wish also to thank Joe and Jodi Adler for their donation to our Flower Fund, given in memory of Anne Foster.

We're getting together at Scrapbook Lane, 3033 Theodore Lane for a night of creative fun! Bring a few pictures or a collage of your family or as a Valentine gift - or just come for conversation and refreshments. A donation of $5.00 per person will be appreciated. This will help offset the cost for paper and supplies. The first five to register with Mary Workman, 726-2303 are free!

Joliet Area Community Hospice is holding "Journey Toward Healing," an ongoing monthly support group for adults who have experienced the death of a loved one. This group meets on the third Thursday of every month except for the months of March and October. The support group will meet from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the new

For more information or directions, call Mary Ann Burns - 740-4104.

Greetings from Prince of Peace! I hope all is well and that you are ready to celebrate Christmas. After a couple of days of snow and ice we are getting in the spirit here in West Liberty!

I am writing to thank you for all that you have done to help us in our missionary outreach work here in Morgan County. Over the years, the gifts you sent really helped us with so many of our programs, especially our county-wide Christmas program. Again, this year, we adopted people in the county who were in need. We have provided food and gifts for them and their families. Each year I hope that there are fewer and fewer families in need, but somehow the number always grows. There are still all too many hardships for many of the people to overcome. Our parish is fortunate to have people like you to help us reach out and provide some sort of joy and comfort to so many people.

It will be a busy Christmas Eve and Day. I will go to both churches for evening and morning services. Also on Christmas Day I will go to the prison for 1:00 services. I hope to spend a couple of hours there as well visiting some of the men in segregation (solitary) and some in the infirmary. After that I hope to get back to the parish in time for our Christmas Dinner. We have invited anyone in town to come to the church for a meal. We did the same on Thanksgiving Day and had quite a good turnout.

This will be my last Christmas here in West Liberty. On January 15 I will leave for a sabbatical in Rome. I will be in Rome for about 3� months. Then I will travel around Europe for about a month. I will be back in Kentucky in June for about 5 days to unpack and then repack. On June 5 I will leave to go to Mexico to attend a language school. I will return on the 5^th of August and go to a new mission. Right now I do not know where my new assignment will be. It will be hard to leave the people of Eastern Kentucky, but at the same time I look forward to serving and being with other people in some other place in the home missions. As things develop I will let you all know what the future holds.

I will end for now. I do so sending my appreciation for all you have helped us accomplish here in West Liberty. Your generosity has made a difference to so many people. I also wish you and your family a great Christmas and countless blessings during the New Year.

Peace,
Fr. Pete R. Richardson

St. Patrick School

110 Willow Avenue
Joliet, IL. 60436
email
St. Patrick's School

If you're interested in sending your child to preschool,
consider St. Patrick's School.

St. Patrick School offers children the chance to learn:
Socialization Skills �� �� Religion �� �� Kindergarten Preparation

There are currently openings available in:
�� 2 day & 3 Day Preschool�� �� A.M. & P.M. classes�� ��

For more information or to enroll your child, please call (815) 726-2924.