Welcome to Our Parish!

C H U R C H O F T H E

MOST HOLY TRINITY

7321 East State Road 67 · Bryant, IN 47326-9636

1 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

TRINITY, INDIANA

Served by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood

Parish Pastor: Father Kenneth G. Alt, C.PP.S—frkalt78@gmail.com

Parish Secretary: Betsy Minnich—secretary@htcc1861.com

Bookkeeper: Bev Westgerdes

Religious Education: Linda Wellman, Director; Lori Jutte, Assistant Director

Organist: Maria Knapschaefer, Katie Reier, Leah Muhlenkamp

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Mass Schedule: Weekend Masses Saturday, 7:30pm; Sunday, 7:30am, 9:30am Daily Masses Monday—Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday 7:30am (Rosary before am Masses); Wednesday 7:00pm Eucharistic Adoration Thursday, 8:00am-9:00am

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Confessions: Saturday (After Morning Mass & Evening Mass) Anytime by Request

Baptism: Will be set up on an individual basis

Marriage: Please contact Father at least 6 months prior to intended date of wedding

Parish Council Members: Jason Rosenbeck (President), Scott Bruggeman, Dale Evers, Anita Homan, Doug Muhlenkamp, Katie Muhlenkamp, Kent Muhlenkamp, Laurie Muhlenkamp

Bulletin: Please submit items for the bulletin to the Parish Office in writing or email by Monday evening

Missions: On the 1st Sunday of each month, a 2nd

collection is taken up to support needs of the South American Missions in Peru served by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood

Telephone: 260-997-6450 Website: www.churchofthemostholytrinity.com

A Trinity of Persons, One Eternal God:

Praise and Honor to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2 TRIN ITY, INDIANA

2nd Sunday of Advent Saturday December 9 7:30 pm Living & Deceased of Lengerich & Welling Families Sunday December 10 7:30 am Living and Deceased of the Parish 9:30 am Sharon Fifer and Melissa Campofiore Monday December 11 Advent Weekday 7:30 am Special Intentions (C.Z.) Tuesday December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe 7:30 am Clarence Langenkamp Wednesday December 13 Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr 7:00 pm Harold and Luella Homan Thursday December 14 Saint John of the Cross 7:30 am Michelle Bruggeman (Birthday) Friday December 15 Advent Weekday 7:30 am Poor Souls Saturday December 16 Advent Weekday 7:30 am S.I. (I.U.) 3rd Sunday of Advent 7:30 pm Marcel Welling Sunday December 17 7:30 am Living & Deceased of the Parish 9:30 am Delores Muhlenkamp

MASS SCHEDULE 3 DECEMBER 2017

SUNDAY TOTAL …… $ 3,476.00 Envelopes …… $ 3,160.00 Loose …… $ 316.00 Envelope Average (37) …… $ 85.41 Overall Average (160) …… $ 21.73 OTHER Candles …… $ 51.00 South American Missions …… $ 336.00 Christmas Flowers …… $ 10.00 Human Development …… $ 10.00

Recommended weekly contribution is $27.00

PARISH SUPPORT

LITURGICAL APPOINTMENTS 12/16;12/17 Saturday 7:30 pm Sunday 7:30 am Sunday 9:30 am

Servers Faustina/Tim/Regina/Stanley Muhlenkamp Gavin/Kendra Muhlenkamp Ryan Wellman Kayla/Maria/Austin Dirksen

Lectors Crystal Fullenkamp Angela Reinhart Mary Sue Muhlenkamp

Distributors Theresa Baucher Dylan Rose/Agnes Schoch/Gregg Westgerdes

Ushers Kevin/Gerard Muhlenkamp Mitch Leuthold/Ken Homan Bob Dirksen/ Doug Heitkamp

Gifts Dennis Homan Family

Rosary Ed Wellman Family

UP & COMING 20 December (Wednesday) Decorating the Church for Christmas (after 7:00pm Mass) ALL ARE WELCOME! 21 December (Thursday) Final Choir Practice (Adults & Children)—6:00-8:00pm 24 December (Sunday) Christmas Eve Mass (with student participation)—4:30pm Christmas Eve Mass—10:30pm 25 December (Monday) Christmas Day Mass—8:30am

Please take note that on Saturday, December 23rd, there will be no 7:30 morning Mass, due to the back-to-back weekend and Christmas Masses this year.

CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Zack Douglas May, son of Austin and

Kari May, who was baptized here on November 26th.

Holy Trinity Parish— Your cash donations to the rosary makers helps to make our mission possible! As of October 2017, we have sent 104,591 rosaries to the missions.

Thank you! Holy Trinity Rosary Makers

Please check online at our parish website:

www.churchofthemostholytrinity.com

for an updated listing of upcoming parish events

for the month of December and January.

Please note the following correction in the baptism listing below:

Great Adventure Bible Timeline

The second half of the Great Bible Timeline adult education program

will continue in January. If you participated in the first half of this

program last year, please plan to attend weekly sessions beginning

on January 8th. The program is projected to last through March 5th

(with the exception of inclement weather).

Each session will take place on Monday evenings from 7:00-8:30pm in

the School Hall. There will be a synopsis of the completed portion of

the program given at the January 8th session. This session is ex-

pected to last from 7:00-9:00pm.

If you have further questions/detail, please contact Carl Zepeda.

HELP WANTED:

Some ambitious, gifted youth and adults are being sought to help decorate

the church to prepare for Christmas. Decorating will take place following

Mass on Wednesday evening, December 20th. Please mark your calendar

and plan to give us a helping hand.

Our thanks are given to the Brockman-Boeckman Funeral Home in Fort Recovery for the new Catholic Calendars for 2018. The calendars are available in the back of church.

THANK YOU! Much thanks is given to the demo crew that came on Dec. 2nd. They gutted the basement rooms of the hall. Now we can observe what is going on with the moisture issues, etc., and try to discern a good "fix" that will make these rooms more suitable for use with our Religious Program or other activities.

Please feel free to look around and add your wisdom or ideas to our collective effort to resolve the long-term problems the old basement has presented. This

project is not going to drag on forever. The goal is to have the area back in full service (good repair) by August, 2018.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH

Today 8:45-9:15 am Adult Choir Practice 9:30-10:30 am Religion Class (Pre-K/Kindergarten) 10:30-11:30 am Religion Class (Grades 1-8); Grades 5 & 6 attend Confessions during Class

Monday 7:30 pm RCIA class Tuesday 6:30 pm Ladies’ Sodality Christmas Party 7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting (upstairs in hall) Wednesday 7:00 pm Weeknight Mass 8:00 pm High School Religion Class Thursday 6:00-7:00 pm Adult Choir Practice 7:30-8:30 pm Sacrament of Reconciliation Offered Friday Saturday 8:15 am Confessions 8:15 pm Confessions Sunday 8:30-9:15 am Adult’s Christmas Choir Practice 9:30-10:30 am Religion Class (Pre-K/Kindergarten) 10:30-11:30 am Religion Class (Grades 1-8); Grades 7 & 8 attend Confessions during Class 11:00-11:30am Christmas Gospel Practice for students taking part in 4:30pm Christmas Eve Mass 6:30-8:00 pm Sacrament of Reconciliation Offered

10 DECEMBER 2017 3 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

The Musings of Our Pastor

Last week, as we stepped into the Advent Season, I suggested creating an Advent Wreath for your meal table and focusing on a different

word for each week of Advent. As we light the 2nd purple candle on the Advent Wreath, our word for the week might be the word

"peace". We call Jesus the "Prince of Peace". Through his Glorious Resurrection, we have the well-founded hope of enjoying Eternal Peace

in God's Kingdom of Heaven. One of the inscriptions found on Christmas greeting cards, as well as the familiar lyrics of Christmas Carols

proclaims this message: "Peace on earth and goodwill to men!" The multitude of heavenly host and the angel that appeared to the shepherds

in the field at the time of Jesus' Birth praised God by saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor

rests.” On the Monday of the First Week of Advent, the Prophet Isaiah, our spiritual guide in Advent, envisions the Promised Messiah to

bring about what might sound like some pretty far-fetched, but wonderful developments for humanity. Humanity, in the words of Isaiah, is

invited to climb the Lord's mountain to be instructed in his ways and to find the resources needed to walk in the ways of God with faithful-

ness. Through the workings of God within them, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation

shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." By walking in the light of the Lord, by the "advent" or "coming"

of the Promised Messiah into our world, into our lives, true and lasting peace can be fully realized and celebrated as a blessing from God for

humanity. After all, this is what God most desired for humanity before Original Sin threw everything out of kilter! The Promised Messiah's

mission is to help humanity recover the original blessing of paradise, peace with God and peace with all of our brothers and sisters in the hu-

man (global) family. This is the mission of redemption, embraced and carried out by Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.

Are there places in my life or daily routine, where I am not yet in right-relationship with God because of sin, and, as a consequence, lacking

that inner peace for which I long? The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an avenue of grace we might utilize in preparation for the Birth of

Christ, which wonderfully restores peace to the broken-hearted. What about the mix of personal relationships we share with others at home or

elsewhere? We talk about "peace on earth", but this can be pretty far-fetched, indeed, the "impossible dream", unless we become instruments

of peace, as the Prayer of St. Francis would suggest. Am I willing or able to make some adjustments in my attitudes, words, behaviors, and

lifestyle, in order to be a "promoter" of peace, unity, collaboration, and goodwill in my own little corner of the world each day? Sometimes, a

first step in being a "peace-maker" or a "peace-promoter" is to put effective restraints on unacceptable, hurtful, and self-centered behavior. In

making the "Golden Rule" the virtuous standard of behavior, as Jesus suggested, one can go a long way in bringing the spirit of peace to many

situations. Wouldn't this be a wonderful way to prepare for the Birth of Jesus?

O Come, O Come, Emanuel, for you are the True Prince of Peace!

Fr. Ken

Parish Council Minutes from November 2017

On behalf of the Religious Education Committee, Linda Wellman

shared that the second half of the Great Bible Timeline will continue in

January. If you participated in the first half of this adult education

program last year, please see the bulletin for further details pertaining

to meeting dates and times.

Jill Muhlenkamp shared that the Ladies’ Sodality contributed to storm

victims during the month of November. Also, the group has set a goal

of having church directories given out to families by Christmas.

Ryan Wellman shared that the Men’s Sodality has ensured all snow-

clearing equipment is ready. They have also purchased some clean-

ing supplies for the school hall.

Lenny Muhlenkamp shared that the Finance Committee has recently

been informed of Holy Trinity Church being a part of the Helen Well-

man Endowment, which will help in funding the continued upkeep of

the church cemetery and some building repairs. A draft of the possi-

ble 2018 budget was also presented to the council.

On behalf of the Building and Grounds Committee, Brent Muhlen-

kamp shared an itemized proposal of expenditures related to the

handicapped ramp and front entrance upgrades for the church. The

projected total cost estimate is around $100,000 and will take roughly

three weeks to complete in 2018.

In other business: A fireproof filing cabinet to store sacramental rec-

ords was purchased and delivered per request of the Diocese.