O Gracious God,

We give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us.

Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat

and especially for this feast today.

Thank you for our home and family and friends,

especially for the presence of those gathered here.

Thank you for our health, our work and our play.

Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick, and suffering war and violence.

Open our hearts to your love.

We ask your blessing through Christ your son.

Amen.

We want to highlight some new recipients of our Giving Tree this year. Our Aging Outreach has talked to residents of Symphony Residences and Little Sisters of the Poor, and asked them for a few ideas that would brighten their Christmas. Please check out the Sign Up Genius on our parish website—scroll all the way to the

bottom!—where you will find some delightful requests,

such as:

You can make a difference in someone’s day! Gifts are due no later than Tuesday, December 6 (please!). Thank you for your generosity!

CLICK HERE to jump right to our website page about the Giving Tree.

We are pleased to offer assisted listening in our church, using your personal earbuds or hearing aid and smartphone or wifi-enabled device. Learn how.

Our Christmas Tree Lot opens in the Community Park tomorrow, Friday, Nov 25. Hours are:

Please join us for Nativity Nights in the church from 7-8pm on

Parishioner Jean Bystedt meets weekly with a refugee family to support their adjustment to life in Chicago. Please take a minute to read about her experience and consider her request to help a family from Syria by donating baby items from this Amazon Wishlist to assist the family. All items will be delivered to St Vincent de Paul Parish for storage until delivery.

Santa will be here at St. Josaphat for Breakfast with Santa on Sunday, Dec 4 from 8:30a-12:30p in the gym!

Representatives of the Catholic Christian Community from Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the Holy Land will be displaying handcrafted olive wood religious figurines and articles for sale in back of church after all Masses on December 3-4. 

Nominate them for our annual Unity Award! Nomination deadline is December 31.

Please let us know before Saturday, Dec 10 if you are interested in joining Fr. Francis for his Italy Pilgrimage.

The Unity Gala needs your help to organize and coordinate the Gala event. Visit the Signup Genius

 Children’s Liturgy of The Word

Liturgy of the Word for Children is for school age children to experience the readings and homily on their level. 

We are seeking 8th Grade and High School students to volunteer to lead the children during the Mass approximately 2 times a month. Contact Mary Jane Sullivan for details.

Do you love to sing? Are you willing to put your talents to work for our parish? Join the adult choir! New singers are always welcome (and we are particularly in need of sopranos). Contact joe@stjosaphatparish.org for info.

Interested in becoming a Lector or Eucharistic Minister? Attend one of our training sessions in the church at 4pm on

Contact Jim Maciejewski with questions.

Need service hours? Being a Greeter is a lot of fun! There’s no commitment, and you can control your own schedule. Email Emily Skafish to set up a quick training.