Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Patronal Feastday of the United States of America and a Holyday of Obligation!)

Vigil Mass will be celebrated on Friday, December 7th at 5:30 PM

Mass on the Holyday will be celebrated on Saturday, December 8th at 9:00 AM

(Please note: Saturday evening Mass at 5:30 PM is for the Sunday Mass obligation and is not considered a celebration of the Holyday.)

From Our Pastor

Happy New Year!  As we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a brand new liturgical year and we shift from focusing on the Gospel of Mark to that of Luke’s. The Gospel of Luke dates from approximately 85 AD and is the longest of all the Gospels. As we go throughout this New Year, pay attention to how many times we will hear about prophecies fulfilled. Luke also stresses action for the poor and needy and his Gospel reaches out to the outcasts of his day. For instance, the message of Christ’s birth was first revealed to the shepherds who were considered to be at the bottom of the social structure in the ancient Middle Eastern culture. We will also hear about the importance of prayer, table fellowship, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. I pray that this new liturgical year will be fruitful for all of us here at Assumption Parish.

Advent Reconciliation: Here are some special times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help prepare for the coming celebration of Christmas:

Friday, December 7^th—6:30 pm after the Holy Day Vigil Mass,

Wednesday, December 12^th—7:00 pm. Several visiting priests will be available this evening.

Friday, December 21^st—10:00 am and 6:00 pm

and as always, every Wednesday at 6:00pm and Saturday at 4:00 pm.

Lift High the Cross: Hopefully you have noticed the new crucifix that graces our refurbished sanctuary here at Assumption. It was found in a used religious goods warehouse in Pennsylvania and was specially chosen for us because it has the same colors, dimensions, as well as being of the same vintage as the statues of Mary, Joseph holding the Christ child and the Sacred Heart that were in the original 1914 Assumption church. These three statues are currently being restored to their original colors in Chicago.  Hopefully they will be returned to us and reinstalled in the church in the next week or two.  As for the cross, sadly, we do not know the exact origin of the crucifix or in what church it originally hung as those records have been lost to history. However, thankfully for us, it has a new home in Belmont. The previous handcrafted sanctuary crucifix from the 1988 church now presides over the baptismal font near the beautiful, arched stained glass window from the original 1914 church. I especially appreciate this location for this cross because every time I celebrate Mass and lift the Body and Blood of Christ, I look directly at these historic pieces both from the original 1914 and from our current 1988 church buildings and feel a deep connection to our enduring Catholic faith.

Hacked: I have become aware that someone has created an email account with my name and is masquerading as me asking for donations.  The only two email addresses I use for church business are the following: frtpelak@grpriests.org for general correspondence and pastor@abvmschool1.org for school communications.  If you receive a fraudulent email, please mark it as suspicious or report it as spam and delete.  Thank You,   ~ Fr. Tony

Pray With Us

Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday, 7:30 AM – Friday, 7:30 AM in the Chapel

Chaplet of Divine Mercy: 3:00 PM every Friday in the Chapel

Rosary: 5:00 PM Saturday, 8:30 AM & 5:00 PM Sunday (recited before Mass)