Immaculate Conception Church
208 7th Avenue West
Hendersonville, NC 28791
Church Office
611 North Church St.
Suite 101
Hendersonville, NC 28792
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We are a joyful Catholic community of disciples of Jesus Christ, moved by love, to seek the lost and the broken and bring them home |
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IC Blessings
July 1, 2021
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Mary Ann Kuhn, wife of Roy Kuhn
Barb Morgan, wife of Tom Morgan
Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Priests make promises at their ordination, one of which is obedience to the Bishop.
Bishop Jugis has asked Fr. Jonathan Torres to serve the Diocese at another parish starting in July. We thank Fr. Torres for all the great work he has done while here at Immaculate Conception, and we wish him well in his new assignment; his last weekend Masses with us will be July 3rd and 4th.
This means we will be receiving a new parochial vicar, starting on July 6th. However, due to specific needs in the Diocese this year we will have to share him with another parish in the area, so we will only have a part-time vicar here at IC. This will bring about some challenges, but we must be thankful to God that we will have a priest to assist me and our parish, even if only part-time.
Beginning on Monday, July 5th our weekday Mass schedule will be as follows: on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, daily Mass will be at 12:10 PM; daily Mass on Wednesday will be at 9:00 AM.
Beginning on Saturday, July 10th, our weekend Mass schedule will be as follows: Saturday Vigil Masses: 4:00 PM (English), 6:00 PM (Spanish); Sunday (all in English): 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 12 Noon.
I will announce the name of the new parochial vicar when that assignment is finalized, and we will all welcome him in July.
Let us be thankful to Almighty God for our priests and take this opportunity to pray for more vocations to the priesthood. If you are traveling this summer, I pray for safe travels for you and your families.
In Christ, through Mary Immaculate,
Fr. Cook
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MEET ONE OF OUR PARISH NEWSLETTER PHOTOGRAPHERS, PEGGY SABOL |
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We’re sure you have noticed the lovely photographs of nature’s beautiful trees, and flowers that appear on the front page of our parish online newsletter. Those lovely photos are thanks to parishioner, Peggy Sabol.
Peggy got interested in photography when she worked for a corporation that had a number of camera shops. “After Tony and I got married and had our two sons, taking pictures of them was my focus,” Peggy says with a smile. “Once we started visiting places like the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, my focus turned to more natural beauty, such as waterfalls, mountain laurel, etc. Now it’s our two adorable grandchildren too!”
Peggy and Tony have lived in Hendersonville for eight years. “The miserable winters in Chicago, and the close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is what brought us here,” she explains. “The first time we vacationed in this wonderful national park was like God telling me that this area was where we belonged.”
As a former accountant working mostly in financial services, it was a natural fit for Peggy to serve on the Parish Finance Council when they joined Immaculate Conception. She currently schedules and participates with the four dedicated teams of collection counters. She is an active member of the Women’s Guild where she was also the treasurer, and she has been in charge of several of the Guild’s Christmas Faires.
Prior to Covid, Peggy was very active in our local Scrabble Club that met at the Whitmire Building. “Once that resumes,” Peggy says, “I will definitely be going back” In the meantime, she has been playing Words with Friends on her phone, but Scrabble remains her favorite! In their free time, Peggy and Tony like to hike “where else?” she asks, “In the Great Smoky Park of course!”
Peggy finds the “friendliness of the people in our parish is truly amazing!” She encourages any new members to the parish to not be shy about getting involved in our parish ministries as they begin again. “You will find a group of people who are friendly and kind, and will welcome you warmly,” she adds.
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What does it take to get Father Cook to dance?? Click this link to find out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZQeOIIFLlU Immaculata Catholic School ended their school year challenging the rest of the schools in the Charlotte Diocese to a virtual dance off! Click the link to see our awesome students and staff showcase our school and share some pretty stellar dance moves.
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The Women’s Guild will be sponsoring a rummage sale on August 27 & 28 from 9 – 4 each day in the St. Francis room at the church. This is a smaller space than usual so we will not be able to accept donations of clothes, furniture, sporting goods, lamps or holiday items. You can bring items you wish to donate to the St Francis room August 23 – 26 from 10 – 3. We’re excited to be able to offer this event to our community and look forward to seeing you there.
For more information please contact:
Mickey Mell: 828-685-8070 or Mickeymell@Bellsouth.net
Mary Lou Varnes: 828-435-1652 or marylou546@att.net
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Immaculate Conception Church has joined forces with Saint Barnabas in hosting Totus Tuus with a week-long exploration of the Virtues and the Joyful Mysteries.
This is open for all kids ages 6 to High School.
Please register below or contact St. Barnabas Catholic Church at (828) 684-6098
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“THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE…” |
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Many of us can remember singing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” in school or religious education classes. We may not have truly understood what it meant to “let our lights shine,” then, but now, following the pandemic is a perfect time to reflect and practice that simple, childhood line of a song.
In the country outside of Geneva, Switzerland, there is a small church built over 300 years ago. When the church was built, its members were very poor and could not afford lanterns or candles for the evening service. This service was well attended as so many of the people were farmers, and worked tending their fields during the day. To solve the problem of not having light in the church, they began the tradition of bringing their own lantern or candle to light the church.
When a recent visitor asked why they didn’t have lights in the church, he was told that the people like the symbolism of everyone bringing their own light to shine among the darkness. If someone is gone, they miss that person’s light. The glow of the sanctuary was lessened because they were not present. Each person in that congregation was “letting their light shine.”
After the darkness of the past year and the pandemic, we are all ready to see “the light at the end of the tunnel,” and get back to normal. We can do this by letting our own unique “little light” shine with smiles of joy at seeing one another again at Mass, and with words of welcome to one another as we enter and leave the church.
As we encourage our friends and family to return to Mass in person rather than on TV, we are letting them see the light of Christ shining through us. By being kind and generous in helping one another return to our celebration of togetherness at Mass, the light within each of us, and within the church, will grow brighter and brighter until it dispels the darkness of isolation and loneliness that so many experienced during this past year.
Let your “little light shine!” Welcome one another back to Mass, and the soon to be activities of Immaculate Conception Parish!!
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Looking for a good summertime read? Check out the selection of ebooks on FORMED that you can download for free. From classics like Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities to recently published Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, by Michael D. O’Brien there is a book for everyone to enjoy.
(To find any of the following, simply enter the title in “Search” on Formed’s home page)
In Father Elijah Michael O’Brien presents a thrilling apocalyptic novel about the condition of the Catholic Church at the end of time. It explores the state of the modern world and the strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary religious scene by taking its central character, Father Elijah Schäfer, a Carmelite priest, on a secret mission for the Vatican, which embroils him in a series of crises and subterfuges affecting the ultimate destiny of the Church.
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If you enjoy Father Elijah, the author has written a sequel, Elijah in Jerusalem, the continuing story of the Catholic priest called to confront a powerful politician who could be the Antichrist foretold in the Bible. Both available on FORMED.
Check out the full selection of ebooks available for you on FORMED.
Don’t have a FORMED subscription? It only takes a minute to open your free subscription. Simply go to https://FORMED.org/signup and enter our zip code – 28791 in the box - it’s easy from there. (Google Chrome works best for signup). Do you use a ROKU box or a ROKU TV? Download the FORMED Roku app and watch seamlessly.
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Most Catholics have a favorite saint that they pray to or try to imitate.
Many of us honor our patron saint, or pray to a special saint to help us with a problem – like St. Anthony when we can’t find something. Among the thousands of “official” saints – men and women who have been canonized as saints by the Church – here are a few remarkable, but lesser known saints!
Saints Crispin and Cripinian – These saints were brothers who had two jobs – one in the daytime, and one at night. By day they would teach and preach and converted many to the Christian faith. At night, they were shoemakers!
They made loving souls, and lovely soles!
Saint Eligius – This saint was a goldsmith known for his beautiful work in making ornate items from precious metals and gems. He was also a very honest man who loved and served God. When King Clotaire II sent gold and precious gens to Eligius to make a throne, he sent too much. Eligius didn’t keep the extras for himself, but instead made 2 thrones which so impressed the King he made Eligius a member of the court. Eligius became known for his generosity to the poor and needy people, and influenced the King to be generous to them also.
Saint Bathildis – Bathildis was born in Britain, but was sold as a slave to the mayor of the court of the King of France. The King noticed how kind and caring Bathildis was to everyone and he fell in love with her, married her, and she became Queen! She and her husband had 3 sons. When her husband died, Bathildis became the ruler of the kingdom for 7 years until her oldest son became old enough to be the King. She ruled with justice and kindness and did many good things for her people. Her other 2 sons also became the King, and Bathildis left the palace, and joined a convent to serve God.
Saint Roch – St. Roch (pronounced “rock”) was a popular saint in France and Italy in the 15th century. When a terrible plague hit Italy, St. Roch nursed and cured many of the sick. When he caught the plague himself, he went out into the woods to die, but a dog found him and brought his owner to Roch and cared for him until he recovered. Roch went back to caring for the sick, and even cured some of their sick cattle. He is the patron saint of people with contagious diseases, and cattle.
Saint Evodius – This saint lived in the same century as Jesus did, and was said to be one of the 70 disciples ordained by the Apostles themselves. He became the Bishop of Antioch and is believed to have been consecrated by St. Peter. He is also said to be the first one to use the word “Christian” when talking about someone who believed in the teachings of Jesus as the Son of God.
(Stories from Saintly Fun Facts by Bernadette McCarver Snyder)
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CUP OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Find a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ (part 1)
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As the Covid19 pandemic begins to wind down, each of us will once again be afforded the opportunity to meet in person with old friends, along with the opportunity meet and make new friends. Since the door of personal contact has re-opened, I have an old -new perspective on fellowship with the Body of Christ, “Find a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” This also includes family members. What could be more important or more meaningful than that?
What will Christ like friendship look like in this day and age? The answer to that question has been demonstrated to me by those friends I meet with those who love Jesus and me.
Actively find a friend(s) invite those you know to enter into your friendship and fellowship as a follower of Christ. Go to them- alongside them where their need is. Demonstrate a loving attitude with reasons as to why they too need Christ’s love for them, as you bring a friend to Christ.
Go the extra mile, in order to be a friend.
Meet and pray regularly for and with your Christ centered friends asking God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit to meet their needs, for the Healing Love of Jesus, His wisdom, and strength to “find a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ”.
Below are scriptures to think about and meditate on concerning friendship.
“What Matters is faith that makes its power felt through Love”. Galatians 5: 6(b)
“There are friends who lead one to ruin, others are closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
“These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. The many miracles and signs worked through the apostles made a deep impression on everyone.” Acts 2: 42-43.
Dave Coe
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Wednesday, June 9th ten Immaculata Catholic School students graduated from our beloved school. After a year that was truly like no other, the graduation ceremony was held at Immaculate Conception. The ICS staff honored the graduates as their family and friends looked on. We wish them well and cannot wait to see all the great things they accomplish in their bright futures.
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Winners of Knights of Columbus Raffle |
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Andrew Ecuhoff - $5,000
Anne Modrow $4,000
Scott Roberts $500.00
Ray Brica $500.00
Sara Mosson – 400.00
Christine Kroutz - $400.00
Enrico Montarino - $200.00
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First social for Knights of Columbus Council 7184 since 2020 |
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The 8th grade students met with their Spiritual Sponsors at a reception held in the St. Francis room. |
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Trish and Lee McGee, who have been caring for our church for over 20 years, retired on May 31st. Parishioners celebrated their retirement at a luncheon at the Elks Lodge. We at Immaculate Conception thank Trish and Lee for their dedicated service. We will miss them.
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Thanks to this crew of parishioners who descended on the church this afternoon to dress up our shrubs and trees. |
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