vol 26 no 14
December 3, 2017 - First Sunday of Advent
+ Isaiah 63: 16-17, 19; 64: 2-7 + 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 + Mark 13:33-37 +
Masses this Sunday at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm
December 10, 2017 - Second Sunday of Advent
+ Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11 + 2 Peter 3:8-14 + Mark 1:1-8 +
Masses this Sunday at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm
+ Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11 + 2 Peter 3:8-14 + Mark 1:1-8 +
Masses this Sunday at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm
Mass Intentions:
| Sunday | 12.03 | 10:30 am 6:30 pm | For the SAU Community |
| Monday | 12.04 | Noon | + Dr. Thomas Washburn, '52 |
| Tuesday | 12.05 | 4:30 pm | + Fr. Brian Shepley, '88 |
| Wednesday | 12.06 | 9:15 pm | For Student Intentions |
| Thursday | 12.07 | 4:30 pm | + Donald Vaile, '47 |
| Friday | 12.08 | Noon | + Howard Mower, '65 |
| Sunday | 12.10 | 10:30 am 6:30 pm | For the SAU Community |
| Monday | 12.11 | Noon | + Fr. Bill Dawson, '50 |
| Tuesday | 12.12 | 9:00 pm | + Fr. Joe DeFrancisco |
This Week's Activities Include:
Sunday (12/03): Feast of St. Ambrose Reception 11:30 am (Gathering Space); RCIA 7:30 pm (Lower Chapel)
Monday (12/04): C.S. Lewis Prayer Group 7 pm (Gathering Space)
Tuesday: Lectio Prayer 8 pm (Gathering Space); Peer Campus Ministers Meeting 8:30 pm (Lower Chapel); Bridge Bible Fellowship 9 pm (Chapel)
Wednesday: Adoration 8:15 pm (Chapel); 9:15 pm Mass & More + Pencil Blessing 9:15 pm (Chapel)
Thursday: Music Ministry 7 pm (Chapel); Discernment Discussion 8 pm (Gathering Space)
Sunday (12/10): RCIA 7:30 pm (Lower Chapel)
Monday (12/11): Campus Ministry Appreciation Dinner 5 pm (Gathering Space)
Sacrament of Reconciliation Offered Before Every Daily Mass
Monday/Friday - 11:15 am
Tuesday/Thursday - 3:45 pm
Wednesday - 8:30 pm
Campus Ministry Offices - Lower Chapel
333-6132 or ministry@sau.edu
Twitter: @SAUCampusMin
Fr. Thom Hennen, Chaplain
Chris Clow, Director of Music and Liturgy
Kaitlin Depuydt, Director of Service and Social Justice
Tammy Norcross-Reitzler, Director of Faith Formation
Paul Burd, Grad Assistant
Prayer Ministry - send intentions to BeesKnees@sau.edu.
Sign Up for Campus Ministry Events any time during the year! Go to: www.tinyurl.com/campusmin2017.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end
This is the last line of the song “Closing Time” by the band Semisonic, which came out in the spring of 1998. Despite what many think, it is not a song about “last call” at a bar. Rather, it was written by Dan Wilson with his wife in mind, who was pregnant at the time with their first child, so it is really a song about new birth. The last line and the general theme of the song seem particularly fitting as we prepare to close out this calendar year and begin a new one. We have also nearly “turned the corner” on this academic year, as we prepare to conclude this semester and look forward to the next. It is also a season of new beginnings for our students who will graduate this month, as they finish out their time at St. Ambrose and begin new endeavors. We have also just concluded the previous liturgical year and we start a new liturgical year with this first Sunday of Advent. Contrary to popular belief, the word “advent” does not mean “waiting.” It means “arrival.” And so, while we typically say in this season that we “await the birth of Christ” at Christmas, He is already here! He came two-thousand years ago. He comes to us now in word, sacrament, and in the poor. He will come again in glory when all things will be fulfilled. The fact is, we live in the time of the “already, but not yet.” We look to the coming of Christ, even as we believe He is with us now. We pray “thy kingdom come,” even as we believe that the kingdom of God is already within us and in our midst. As we stand at the crossroads this year, it seems truer than ever that “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” May the peace of Christ be with you and all your loved ones in this joyful season. ---Fr. Thom
•Mass Commemorating the Feast of St. Ambrose and the Presentation of the McMullen Awards
The 10:30am mass on Sunday, December 3 - the First Sunday of Advent - will honor our patron saint, St. Ambrose. The Most Rev. Thomas Zinkula, Bishop of Davenport, will be the presider and homilist, and the music will be led by a combined choir of SAU Chamber Singers and Music Ministry. The McMullen Awards will also be presented to Rev. Msgr. Drake Shafer, ‘69, and Daniel Broderick ‘82 and Thomas Mnich. A reception will follow in the Gathering Space.
•Mass Schedule During Winter Break
Noon mass on Monday, December 11, is the last regular daily mass of the semester. The daily mass schedule begins again on Wednesday, January 17 with 9:15pm Mass and More. Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent will be celebrated on Saturday, December 16 at 5:00pm. There are no Sunday masses December 17 - January 7. There is a 10:30am mass on Sunday, January 14, and the 10:30am/6:30pm Sunday schedule returns January 21. A Christmas Eve mass will be celebrated on Sunday, December 24 at 5:00pm for Ambrosians in the area.
•Service on Saturday
Last Service on Saturday for the semester this Saturday, December 2! We will help at a Holiday Gift Swap at the Sisters of Humility. They encourage people to bring new or gently used items to regift, set up a store, and allow people to swap gifts as a way to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Sale is 2-4pm, help is needed 1:30-3pm and/or 3:30-5pm. Let Kaitlin know if you can help at ministry@sau.edu.
•Grad Student Mass and Circle Tap!
Grad students! Join us for one more time for Mass and community this semester. Come to the 4:30pm mass on Tuesday, December 5, then follow us over to Circle Tap for ribs, drinks, and discussion. We’ll see you there!
•Advent Adoration
Join us for a time of Adoration before the last Mass and More on Wednesday, December 6, beginning at 8:15pm in the Chapel. In the midst of a busy week, take some time out for some calm and join in a bit of Scripture, song, and silence before the Blessed Sacrament. Stick around for Mass and More right after!
•Blessing of Pencils (And the Students who Use Them)
We will offer a special blessing of students at 9:15 pm Mass Wednesday, December 6th by blessing their pencils. It’s a way to ask God to help you be more centered as you study for final exams. Bring your own pencil or obtain one available from campus ministry.
•Bring Back Your Gifts to the Giving Tree
Please be sure to bring back your gift of pajamas, wrapped and with your name tag, to the Gathering Space by Wednesday, December 6. The gifts will be delivered to the kids at Project Renewal during Finals Week. Thank you for your generosity!
•Discernment Group
Our Discernment Group is perfect for students who are thinking about life after SAU and what comes next. Join us Thursday, December 7 at 8pm in the Gathering Space. Chris Clow from Campus Ministry will be sharing his experiences in discernment with us.
•Immaculate Conception Holy Day on Friday
Friday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. Masses will be Thursday, December 7 at 4:30pm, and Friday, December 8 at 12 noon.
•Winter Break Service Trip
Sign up for our Winter Break service trip to East St. Louis by Friday, December 1! Service trip is January 10-13, and we will stay at the Hubbard House, serving at an afterschool program, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, a K-8 Catholic school, and a soup kitchen! You can also sign up for Spring Break service trips (March 10-16th) to Chicago, Grafton IL, and Holly Springs MS. More information is available in the Chapel Gathering Space - let Kaitlin know at ministry@sau.edu if you have questions.
•Charlie Brown Christmas Celebration
Join the Peer Campus Ministers for a Late Night Charlie Brown Christmas Party at 9 pm in the Beehive, Friday, December 8th. Hot chocolate, Snoopy chow and Charlie “Brownies” will be served! Wear an ugly Christmas sweater or Charlie Brown apparel and come join the fun.
•Fill the Bowl with the River Bend FoodBank
Help out the River Bend Food Bank at Fill the Bowl: sharing a meal with others in the community, participating in a volunteer event, and learning about how hunger affects over 119,000 in our QC community. Fill the Bowl is Sunday, December 10 from 11am-3pm. Volunteers are also needed to serve food in 10:30am-1pm and 1-3:30pm shifts. Contact Kaitlin at ministry@sau.edu if you’d like to volunteer, or you can go to their website.
•Fill the Stockings with Socks
The peer campus ministers are hosting a sock drive for the Clothing Center at Minnie’s Maison on LeClaire Street. This organization provides clothes (including socks!) and household items free of charge to people who need them. Fill the giant red stockings in the Beehive with socks! We’ll collect socks until Tuesday, Dec. 12th.
•Feeding the Future Bees
A student themed-house is working on a project this coming week: “Feeding the Future Bees.” Donations of healthy snacks like fruit snacks, granola bars, and crackers are being collected to donate to local kids in snack bags. The students are collecting the items until Thursday December 7th. For questions or to donate items, please contact Alex Horton at HortonAlexandriaP@sau.edu.
•Student Candlelight Mass
Mark your calendars for the Student Candlelight Mass: Tuesday, December 12 at 9:00pm. In the Chapel, filled with light from candles held by students, we celebrate the joy and the hope Christ’s birth has brought to our world. Students are invited to sing with Music Ministry for the mass. Email ministry@sau.edu to learn more.
•Faculty/Staff Christmas Mass
SAU faculty and staff are invited to help lead music for the Mass preceding the Christmas party on Saturday, December 16. Rehearsal is at 4pm, Mass is at 5pm. Contact Chris Clow at ministry@sau.edu to help out.
•BelongChicago.org
Graduating in December and moving to the Chicago area? Check out BelongChicago.org. Connect with the young adult Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Chicago, find a parish home, meet new friends, continue to serve others and learn about your faith. Plus, check back weekly for new opportunities and updates on offerings in the area.
•Congratulations Graduates!
Congratulations to all who will graduate from St. Ambrose on Saturday, December 16th. May God grant blessings on all your endeavors and in the best of our SAU tradition, may you be a blessing for the world!
