Praise forever to the King of Kings! 

• Is Jesus just a part of your life, or is he at the CENTER of your life?  
• How can you celebrate joyfully the Kingship of Christ this week?
• Praise our King of Kings, reflect and sing to Him with this song.

• There will be an hour of Eucharistic Adoration during confessions on Tuesday evening 11/30th from 7-8pm to pray for the Supreme Court hearing taking place the next day on the landmark case over the right of states to protect mothers and unborn life.  Be encouraged to observe a day of prayer and fasting on Wednesday 12/1 as the US Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which could please God, hasten the end of Roe v. Wade, and legalized abortion in the United States.
• [Jesus] said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer and fasting." - Mark 9:29
  Please pray for the Supreme Court Justices, that the Holy Spirit will guide the proceedings and that the Court will find that there is no fundamental right to abortion found in the US Constitution. Also, for the unborn to be recognized as Constitutional Persons and for peace and healing.

• The Mass times for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception are 6:30am, 8am, 12pm and 7pm.  We pray to see you at any of the Mass times; let us rejoice with the Immaculate Mother of God, for it is through her intercession that God has bestowed every spiritual blessing upon us.  
• God chose Mary, the Immaculate Conception, to be our “model of holiness” by preserving her entirely from original sin, making her all-pure and all-holy. In doing this God also shows us what is possible for us, too, wounded by sin—the healing and restoration of our whole humanity. The intercession and maternal love of the Immaculate One, given to us as our Mother, is the special way God has chosen to bestow upon us the grace of such a healing. As the Mother of our Savior, Mary shares uniquely in His redemptive sacrifice. We turn to her with confidence, for she is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” Immaculate Mary, pray for us!

• The Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be at 2pm on Sunday 12/12 in Spanish.  We hope to see you at the Mass which commemorates this wondeerful feast day of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Americas who appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531.

• Save the date on Wednesday 12/15th at 6:30pm because we will be showing the movie that is on limited release in the theaters here at Our Lady of Mercy!
• This is the perfect opportunity to bring friends and family, including those who haven't seen The Chosen, those who have not been to Church in a while, and those who don't know Jesus, for a unique Christmas story experience.
• Please register ahead of time here.

• The Simbang Gabi Filipino tradition of celebrating devotional Mass in preparation for the coming of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ will be held on Saturday 12/18 at 6pm with fellowship and light refreshment after Mass.  
• Come and join the Filipino community at the Simbang Gabi Mass which invites all of us to nurture the spirit of Advent not only as individual preparation but to prepare as a community, a family of God united in worship and in prayer. We bring our families and friends to the Eucharist, joining the entire community in waiting, and being strengthened by God’s Spirit in preparing for the birth of Jesus.
• What is Simbang Gabi you may wonder? Find out here.

• May those experiencing grief and loss at Christmas, find hope and peace in this prayer service and comfort in knowing that you are not alone. It is a time to listen, pray and feel the love of God. 
• The Blue Christmas Prayer Service will be in the church on Sunday, 12/19 from 3pm to 4pm.  Please connect with Jolene LeRoy at 331-707-5380 or jolenel@olmercy.com for more details.

• On Saturday 1/22/2022 at 9am is the Robert H. Weaver Knights of Columbus #12005 Free Throw Championship in the gym at the Parish Life Center. Registration begins at 8:45am
• All boys and girls aged 9 to 14, as of 1/1/2022, are invited to participate, please present proof of age during registration with written parental consent. Participants will compete in their respective age divisions, with the winners advancing to the district, region, and state competitions.  All contestants at this local event will be recognized for their participation.  The District competition will take place in February at a to be determined location.  For additional information call (630) 957-7559

• The full details for the Advent Christmas and Reconciliation schedule will be posted in the next weekly update.

• Check out Bishop Hicks' insightful thoughts in his monthly column.  This month is entitled "The Synod on Synodality: A worldwide listening tour"

• The Synod on Synodality is a two-year process of listening and dialogue that began with a solemn opening in Rome in October and will conclude in 2023.
• Let us be in prayer for Bishop Hicks and all the Bishops, for blessings upon the preparation for the Synod of Bishops, and that the dialogue of those participating in the pre-synod process will bear great fruit for the salvation of souls.
• What is a synod you may wonder? Here is an article that explains it.  
  Check this article out as well, which has a four-point consideration to help us better understand what will be on taking place these next two years.
• Here is a link to our Diocesan page where Bishop Hicks and his Diocesan Pastoral Council lay out the framework of the process

• Did you know that you can get a plenary indulgence any day this November? It’s true. The Vatican has decided to grant Catholics who visit a cemetery to pray for the faithful departed on any day in the month of November a plenary indulgence.
  Usually, the Catholic Church only grants this plenary indulgence for the souls in Purgatory to those who pray in a cemetery on November 1-8, which is the week of the Solemnity of All Souls’ Day.
  The specific November 2 plenary indulgence one can obtain for the souls in Purgatory by visiting a church or an oratory and reciting an Our Father and the Creed, can now also be done on any day in November.
• What is a plenary indulgence and for more details, proceed to this link.  

• Every Sunday at the 10am Mass is the beautiful ministry of the Children's Liturgy of the Word.  Do you love children and caring for them while they listen to the Gospel?  Please connect with Mary Jo Trapani maryjot@olmercy.com or Jean Palasz jeanp@olmercy.com to volunteer.

• Thank you for your support of our clothing drive. Your clothing donation, as well as your financial donations throughout the year, allows us to help our parishioners and neighbors in need. In 2020 over 120 people/families were provided assistance.
• The ministry is always looking for volunteers to join our St. Vincent de Paul Society in assisting our neighbors in need. If you would like to volunteer or learn more, send an email at olmsvdp@gmail.com with your name and contact information.

• Thank you so much to those who have pledged!  Once we have reached our goal in paid pledges, 70% of the additional funds received will be returned to our parish.
• Father Don and Bishop Hicks are asking us to join them in pledging to the CMAA to help the poor and vulnerable, form our future shepherds, and spread the faith through our Catholic schools, faith formation programs in parishes, and programs for young adults.
• Donations can be made here https://bit.ly/2MOQHVY  Check out how your gifts to the CMAA help at this link https://bit.ly/3dd154X. Thank you for your consideration.

• Don’t forget to check out Father Don’s insightful weekly Bulletin article located here. 

• Did you get an email or a text message from (a fake) Father Don this past week? Please remember, Father Don and Father James DO NOT send texts or emails asking for money or gift cards.  If you receive a message appearing to be from Father Don or Father James, please discard it and DO NOT SEND ANY ELECTRONIC MONETARY AID.

• Please proceed here for the OLM Hispanic Ministry's upcoming events and resources.
  Continúe aquí para conocer los próximos eventos y recursos del Ministerio Hispano de OLM.
• There will be Stations of the Cross in Spanish every 2nd Wednesday of the month after the 12pm Mass.
  A partir de la próxima semana, habrá Estaciones de la Cruz en español cada segundo miércoles del mes después de la misa de las 12 pm.

• How can we be praying for you today?
  There are times when life is overwhelming when all we have is questions. In those moments, hope can feel far away. The great thing about prayer is that it shifts our perspective toward the One who stands ready to listen. No matter what you’re facing, we’d love to pray with you. Submit your prayer requests at this link
• Prayer Ministry takes place monthly at MAGNIFY and at the last weekend of the month Mass times.  Come forward after Mass by yourself, or with your family, friends, spouse, or in the place of someone you know who needs prayer. Prayer ministry is for all those in need of prayer, be it for spiritual, physical, or emotional need or thankful praise.

• If you haven't done so, we encourage you to download the Our Lady of Mercy app available to download for iPhone and Android smartphones.  Or text APP to 88202 to download.
  • Stay connected with our parish throughout the week with instant notifications, an easy-to-access event calendar, and the ability to quickly reply to or share messages via Facebook or Twitter. Also enjoy a bunch of additional features like prayers, daily readings, helpful reminders to silence your phone before Mass or Confession, and much more.