St. Laurence Parish Jewett at Standish Streets Elgin, IL 60123 Parish Office: 565 Standish St. 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Monday - Friday P - 847-468-6900 F - 847-468-6904 After Hours - 847-531-6203

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION Saturday - 4:00 PM Sundays - 7:15, 9:00 - Bilingual, 11:00 AM Daily Mass - 8:00 AM Monday - Friday SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00 PM Saturday 3:00 - 3:45 PM Special times upon request. SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE & BAPTISM Check our website for more information. Stlaurencechurchelgin.com/parish-information

Rectory: 226 Orchard St.

PASTORAL STAFF Pastor - Fr. Andrew Mulcahey pastor@stlaurencechurchelgin.com amulcahey@rockforddiocese.org Fr. Robert Camacho - Priest in Residence Secretary - Connie Sajtar office@stlaurencechurchelgin.com Bookkeeper - Agnes Mozdzen accounting@stlaurencechurchelgin.com Director Religious Education - Briana Collins religioused@stlaurencechurchelgin.com Deacon - Robert Plazewski Finance Council - Joe Malas, Chairman Education Commission - Ron Szopa, President SCHOOL http://stlaurenceschool.com Principal - Wendy Kelly wkelly@stlaurenceschool.com

Secretary - Kathy Laudont office@stlaurenceschool.com

P - 847.468.6100 F - 847.468.6104

http://stlaurencechurchelgin.com

December 29 - Vicky Giuliano

Stewardship Collection

For the strengthening in faith of all who are afflicted in body, mind or spirit please pray for: Rev. Robert Balog, Anthony Beuten, Robert Borofsky, Anne Brown, Rev. William Budden, Kathleen Camarena, Isabella Cropsey, John Giuliano, Michael Graffis, Kay Hogan, Cynthia Huyvaert, Tom Kelly, Michael Kmiecik II, Cliff Kramer, Rev. Richard R. Kramer, Gordon Lee, Larry Malsi, Jerry Martinez, Lois Mousel, Vivian O’Donnell, Msgr Philip O’Neil, Betty Pekofske, Bonnie Penera, Sandra Plazewski, Rose Plazyk, Arelene & Joseph Rea, Lisa Rednour, Henry Schultheis, and Mike Shannon.

May God protect our members who serve in the armed forces and return them safely to their families: AIR FORCE: Staff Sgt. Eric Charckon, Major Victoria Cramer, ARMY: 1st. Sgt. Eric Case, Sgt.. Jennifer (Clough) Korfmacher, Sgt. Charles Korfmacher, Pfc. Johnathan Lindquist, 1st. Lt. Thomas Martin, Sgt. Jacob McDonald, Pvt Michael Metz, COAST GUARD: Allison Rychtanek Cadet 1st class , MARINES: Sgt Patrick Metz, Pvt. Ryan Metz, NAVY: Seaman Apprentice Terrance M. Alexander, Seaman Recruit Timothy M. Alexander, CDR Bettina Sauter, Corpsman Nick Toufexis, NATIONAL GUARD: Jarod Metz - PFC

8:00 AM 25th

Lector - Kathy Newcomb Eucharistic Ministers - Vicki Giuliano, Chris Stine, Marlene Gurley Altar Servers - Alejandra Arambula, Alyssa Baugus

10:00 AM

Lector - John Munchmore Euchristic Ministers - Melanie Marcordes, Max Marcordes, Loli Gudino, Natalea Gudino-Leon Altar Servers - Karen Perez, Cameron Carpio

4:00 PM 30th

Lector - Tom Guetschow Eucharistic Ministers - Mitch Esterino, Kay Gotter, Debbie Wever Altar Servers - Ariana Jackson, Kim Aguiree

8:00 AM 31st

Lector - Kay Gotter Eucharistic Ministers - Vicki Giuliano, Marlene Gurley, Loret-ta Revesz, Chris Stine Altar Servers - Morgan Sajtar

10:00 AM

Lector - Belinda Bermea Eucharistic Ministers - Mary Ann Bruneman, William Hejnosz, Joann Smith, Larry Smith Altar Servers - Sam Castillo, Cameron Carpio

4:00 PM

Lector - John Volpe Eucharistic Ministers - Connie Sajtar, Greg Soohov, Kay Gotter, Bob & Kathy Jones Altar Servers - Isabella Montez, Nathalia Aguirre

9:00 AM 1st

Lector - Larry Smith Eucharistic Ministers - Vicki Giuliano, Marlene Gurley, Max Marcordes, Melanie Marcordes Altar Servers - Karen Perez, Kim Aguirre

Dec 16/17

Total giving this week $6,894.55

Weekly Budget Amount Needed $7,900.00

Monday Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14]

Tuesday Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3-4, 6, 8, 16, 17; Mt 10:17-22

Wednesday 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8

Thursday 1 Jn 1:5 -- 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18

Friday 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35

Saturday 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40

Sunday Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps 128: 1-5 or Ps 105:1-6, 8-9; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or Hb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19; Lk 2:22-40 [22, 39-40]

Sunday Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27-29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25]

Readings for the Week

Mass Intentions Dec 25 - Jan 1, 2018

Hospital Minister

Altar Ministry for Dec 25 - Jan 1

Please Pray for:

Monday 8:00 AM Ray Wood by Larry & Joyce Metz

10:00 AM St. Laurence Parish Family

Tuesday 8:00 AM Yesenia Areola Vega by Family

Wednesday 8:00 AM Wendy Toufexis by Annette Rogman

Thursday 8:00 AM Isahi Castellanos Rodriguez by Domitila Martinez and Samuel Castellanos

Friday 8:00 AM Margaret Whiting, Shannon O'Leary, & Adam Clausen by Thomas O'Leary

Saturday 4:00 PM Ran Lossau by Gin Lossau

Sunday 8:00 AM Terry Elliott & St. Laurence Parish Family by Bruneman Family

Sunday 10:00 AM George, Ellie, & Tom Grudnowski by Joe Grewenig

Sunday 4:00 PM Eleanor Bell by the Grudnowski Family

Monday 9:00 AM LeRoy Rogman by Family

We pray for the repose of the souls of: Donna Sardina wife of Peter Eternal Rest, grant to them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Please, bring peace and comfort to the families. Amen.

Bring the family to The Annual Epiphany Party Jan. 7, 2018, 2-4 pm Knights of Columbus Hall, 10 N Villa St., Elgin There will be a telling of the story of the Three Kings plus a magic show for all ages to enjoy. No cost to attend: juice, coffee and treats pro-vided. Donations of diapers, wipes, baby food or clothes for the TLC Pregnancy Center will

be accepted. Please reply by January 2nd to Mike Ochs at 847-401-7169 or threeochs@gmail.com, with number attending and how many of those will be kids, so we have enough treats for everyone!

St. Laurence Church | Jewett & Standish St. | Elgin, IL 60123 | 847-468-6900 | http://stlaurencechurchelgin.com

Christ is the reason for the Season. Is Christ in your marriage? Worldwide Marriage Encounter can help you make your marriage Christ-centered. The next Weekends are Jan. 26-28 in Brookfield, WI; Feb. 16-18 in Geneva, IL or March 16-18 in Madison, WI. Early registration is highly recommended. For more information visit our website at: alifetimeoflove.org or call (888) 574-5653. Para un fin de semana en Espanol por favor llamen a Andres y Maria al 630-229-2600.

St. Vincent de Paul Society meets at St. Thomas More on Tuesday, December 26 at 7:00 p.m. Ladies will be in the back of the church collecting for St. Vincent de Paul after masses this weekend.

The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. --Luke 1:35

Join Bishop Malloy, Fr. Romke, and the Seminarians of the Diocese of Rockford for this opportunity to pray, reflect, and discern the Priest-hood! The event is open to all high school and college aged young men desiring to know if God is calling them to serve Him as a priest. Bishop Malloy begins with Holy Mass, followed by talks, times of prayer, and opportunities to talk with the seminarians.

7:00 PM Wednesday—3:00 PM Thursday Cost - $50 For more information/registration call or email the Vocations Office at:

vocations@rockforddiocese.org or 815-399-4300 Space is limited, so call today!

Want to be of service to St. Laurence? We need a Sacristan to set-up Mass during the week and for funerals as needed. We also need a volunteer to wash and iron the Altar cloths used at all Masses. Interested? Call the office at 857-468-6900

The “God Squad” are playing the seminarians. Aurora Central Catholic HS December 26, 2017 6:30PM Boylan Catholic High School December 27, 2017 3:00 PM Marian Central Catholic HS January 4, 2018 6:00 PM $2 Admission Children under 12 are Free!

NEW Spanish Mass/ MISA En Español VOLUNTEERS NEEDED/Voluntarios Necesitados A partir del 6 de enero de 2018, habrá una nueva misa en español los sábados por la noche a las 6:30 p.m. Estamos buscando voluntarios para participar en estas misas como Servidores de Altar, Ministros de la Eucaristía, Lectores, Recibidores o Acomodador. Si está interesado en ser agregado al calendario, comuníquese con Rosey al (847) 710-4250. Beginning January 6, 2018, there will be a new Spanish mass on Sat-urday evenings at 6:30 p.m. We are looking for volunteers to partici-pate in these masses as Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Greeters, or Ushers. If you are interested in being added to the sched-ule, please contact Rosey at (847) 710-4250.

I pray all families have a joy-filled Christmas! In observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays, we will not have class on the fol-lowing days: K-6th PREP: December 27 and

January 3 Confirmation: December 24 and December 31

- Briana Collins, Religious Education Coordinator

The excitement is building and is evident on the faces of all of our stu-dents! It is a fun time of year to say the least! This week, I watched some of our 12 Days of Christmas presentations and can’t tell you how much I enjoyed them and learned about the meaning behind each day in this traditional song. The students created Pic Collages on the iPads of various pictures that represented the meaning of their day. In addi-tion, STEM learning was evident in our 3rd/4th grade classroom this week through activities related to their dangerous weather unit. They collaborated to build structures that could withstand a hurri-cane. In addition, they created blizzard conditions. It’s always cool to see the level our teach-ers take their lessons to as they are committed to engaging their students in the learning process! Our preschool through 4th graders visited the Elgin Fire House recently and, beyond the fact that they learned a lot, I am proud to report that the firemen commented on their excellent questions and behav-ior! We are always focused on ways to make our students feel valued and, in an effort, to relay the fact that we don’t always know another’s per-spective, but we can ALWAYS choose to be kind, our 5th-8th grades went to see the movie Wonder this week. It was priceless to hear their thoughts afterward. We will also partici-pate in the national Great Kindness Challenge in Janu-ary. On Wednesday, our 7th and 8th graders went Christ-mas Caroling to the Citadel and Oakcrest Nursing Homes. Recently, our 8th graders took their Constitution Test and made history! Each one of them passed this very lengthy test on the first try! So proud of them and Mrs. Turas for giving them the tools to be successful on this test! Last, but certainly not least, our 5th grade boys’ basketball team won their last conference game making them undefeated in their con-

ference. They will have a couple more games after break and then will compete in the Tri County Conference tournament in mid-January! Go Tigers! I would like to wish everyone in our St. Laurence parish family a blessed Christ-mas! - Wendy Kelly, Principal

Kid’s Corner

FORMED.ORG Code QWMQ3D

Religious Education School News

Trifecta Winners December 18 $100 Shelly Valenti $75 Christine Palewski $50 Lauren Aich

Color in only the spaces with an “X” in them to decode the word.>>>>>

Faith Night

Featuring Halftime concert with Colton Dixon

Friday January 19, 2018 at 7PM Cheer on the Windy City Bulls against the Wisconsin Herd with your St. Laurence School & Parish Community. Contact Briana to reserve seats 847-468-6900

Coming January 2018!! What is “right and “wrong”? Is what’s right for you right for me? Is there a right and wrong for everyone, all the time? Join Fr. Andrew & Briana Col-lins for an 8-week series from January 21 through March 11, 2018. Sundays Noon - 1PM at church. For more information contact Briana at 847-468-6900.

SPECIAL RESPECT LIFE MASS Join us at the 4:30pm Mass, Saturday, December 30th at St. Catherine of Sienna in West Dundee --Feast of the Holy Family. We are also remembering the intentions to protect new life for Thursday December 28th- the Feast of the Holy Innocents, first martyrs after the birth of Jesus Christ. The order of an evil king killed babies. RESPECT LIFE ministries will host a short reception immediately following the Mass. Great opportunity for students to connect with their friends from the Parish while home on break and all interested in RESPECT LIFE is-sues and action are cordially invited.

Vocations - Fr. Manny Gomez, Asst. Dir. of Vocations

We encourage our parishioners to support the businesses advertising in our bulletin. This week we highlight:

St. Laurence Church | Jewett & Standish St. | Elgin, IL 60123 | 847-468-6900 | http://stlaurencechurchelgin.com

Ministry Meetings - Dec 24- 30

Support our Local Businesses

Sunday 8:00 AM Men’s Cursillo - Cafeteria

Tuesday

Thursday 7:00 PM Men’s Cursillo - Sacristy

Friday 7:30 AM Men’s Cursillo 8:30 AM Cursillo Women’s - Library 5:30 PM Cursillo Women’s - Sacristy 6:30 PM 9:00 AM Choir Practice - Church

Saturday 5:00 AM Alumni Mix & Mingle—Cafeteria

Monday

Wednesday 5 - 7 PM Confessions

Submission deadline for bulletin entries is Monday at Noon. Send all entries to: office@stlaurencechurchelgin.com for approval.

Laird Funeral Home P.C.

847.741.8800 | 310 S. State St. www.lairdfamilyfuneralservices.com

Offices closed December 25/26, 2017 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

God is love. It looks like a very simple sentence: a subject, a verb, and an adjective. However, it is the deepest reality we may imagine. What is love? How can I know that I love? Why I should love? Saint John says, ‘we know that God is love because he has sent his only begotten son to us, so we may have life in abundance’. From the words of Saint John, we may conclude that love is a gift, freely given. It is a gift that brings life. This perfect love consists not on giving things, but giving himself. Jesus is the manifestation of love. In him we receive God himself. In him we become shares of love to others. We become instruments of love. We read in the gospels that when Jesus saw the people, he was moved with pity because they were like sheep without shep-herd. He wanted to feed not only theirs belly, but also their spirit. That is why he taught them many things. The disciple did not understand Jesus’ love. I imagine them in a bossy voice telling him: ‘dismiss them, so they can go and find something to eat’. Also, I imagine Jesus replaying them ‘you give them some food”. ‘We cannot feed them’. The disciples were right: they were unable to feed the crowd by themselves. They were unable to it because they were so attached to the loaves and fish they have. But once they gave Jesus what they had they were able to feed the people. Sometimes we behave as the disciples of Jesus in this gospel. We try to tell Jesus what and how to do things. But he is asking us to go ourselves and to love others. We discover we cannot do that by ourselves. Even if we have seven talents, and five qualities, it is insufficient for loving others. So, we bring before Jesus our talents and qualities, so we may be able to love and serve others. So, we may be able to give the gift of ourselves to others, then we will be answering God’s call to love him and love others.

All alumni, families, and friends are invited to come, or return, to St. Laurence Church to celebrate our past, and to embrace our future. Contact classmates and friends to kick off our

1st Annual Alumni Mass. For more info, contact Bob Jones 815-509-0023 or email at: robertloujones@sbcglobal.net

Let’s see which class represents the best! Attention: All additions, cancelations, or changes to meetings/events MUST be coordinated through the church office. office@stlaurencechurchelgin.com or 847-468-6900

Thanks to all that attended Father Andrew's 21st Anniversary Party. We had lots of delicious food. Thanks to all those who helped set-up and clean-up. It was a great time! - Erika Gomez