Author: Francis Li

Mass Intentions
January 1, 2012– The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord,
Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
8:00A.M. + Jeanette Moy by Family
+ Mabel Lee Chan by Darlene & Nicole
9:00A.M. + Gordon Lee by Gertrude Chan
+ Barry Yong by Mom June Moy
+ Benedetta Albanese by daughter Dorothy
+ Leung Yiu Wan & Mou Wah Fan by Amy Tse & Family
MON. Jan. 2nd Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops
and Doctors of the Church
8:00A.M. + Paul Wu by Family
TUE. Jan. 3rd. The Most Holy Name of Jesus
8:00A.M. + Yong Lun Hong by Ming,Mae & Oy
+ Sister Bridget Mattingly by Sister Caritas
WED. Jan. 4th Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
8:00 A.M. + Paul Wu by Family
+ Frank Barbaro by his children
THU. Jan. 5th Saint John Neumann, Bishop
8:00 A.M. Vocation to Priesthood and Religious Life
+ Loretta M. McDevitt by Darlene
FRI. Jan. 6th Saint Andre Bessette, Religious
8:00A.M. In Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
+ Catherine Gurgone by daughter
SAT. Jan. 7th Saint Raymond of Penyafort, Priest
8:00A.M. In Honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
5:00 P.M. Contemporary Mass
+ Christian John Leonard Phelps by Leonard & Elaine Louie

From the Desk of Fr. Francis
Greetings of Christ’s Peace and Joy! Hope you all had a blessed week.

Thank You
Thanks to all who have made a Christmas offering to our parish. A list of the donors is included in this bulletin. It is with profound gratitude and joy that I announce to you that our Christmas collection is up from last year by more than five thousand dollars, making it a record! This truly is a testimony of your care and love for our community. As we move into a new year, I assure you that your donations will be used responsibly for parish operating expenses, repairing of our facilities and for doing ministries and mission. Our administration team is trying our best to be both frugal and transparent. If you haven’t made a special Christmas donation to your parish, you may still do so.
Thanks to Ted Sin for making a new roof for our garden nativity scene. Thanks to Tony Lin and his friend Tom for fixing one of the top parts of the church windows and for putting insulates on the top parts of three widows. This will definitely help to keep the cold air from coming into our church.
Works of Justice and Peace
Our Christmas celebrations were most uplifting and joyful. It was wonderful to see our children play out the story of the birth of Jesus and to have many new faces to worship with us. Christmas day is over, but the spirit of Christmas has to be lived out in our every day lives until we renew that spirit again at the next Christmas. What is the spirit of Christmas? One essential element is works of peace and justice.
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, as well as the New Year. It is the “World Day of Peace.” This year, Pope Benedict XVI entitled his message for the celebration of the world day of peace: Educating Young People in Justice and Peace. The Holy Father would like to remind us all that the young with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world. What a coincidence! The Archdiocese of Chicago has named this year (July 2011-July 2012) the Year of Teens and Young Adults. Our parish has made a lot of efforts to respond to the needs of our young people. One of the concrete events for our young people is our monthly “Contemporary Mass,” which we hope will be more relevant to them.
The Holy Father says that “attentiveness to young people and their concerns, the ability to listen to them and appreciate them, is not merely something expedient; it represents a primary duty for society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace.” Not only our young, we all have responsibilities of learning and doing the works of justice and peace by virtue of our baptism. As parents and people of advanced age, we also have indispensable duties to educate our young, particularly in faith, and to create opportunities for our young to do works of justice and peace. “Peace is not a blessing already attained, but rather a goal to which each and all of us must aspire.”
As we begin this New Year, let us entrust our lives and our young people to the bosoms of our heavenly Mother. Through her intercessions, may we strive to “Renew Our Lives in Christ” throughout the coming year. Through her intercessions, may God bless us all with a peaceful, joyful, and healthy year of 2012!
Happy New Year! Fr. Francis

♪♫ Choir Corner ♫♪
Sunday, January 1, 2012 – Solemnity of Mary
PROCESSIONAL: #790 – IMMACULATE MARY
OFFERTORY: ON THIS DAY, O BEAUTIFUL MOTHER
COMMUNION: # 821 – BREAD OF LIFE, HOPE OF THE WORLD
Meditation Hymn: AVE MARIA by Schubert (soloist: Kimberly Chin)
RECESSIONAL: #784 – HAIL, HOLY QUEEN ENTHRONED ABOVE

Celebrating Christmas Eve Mass with Children’s Pageant
Celebrating Midnight Mass

News and Events

Finance Council Meeting: Monday, January 2, 2012 at 7pm
Cantonese Mass: Next Sunday, January 8th at 9:30am
Lunar New Year Celebration: January 29, 2012 at the 930am Mass, followed by a luncheon. Please reserve the date and join us for the festivities!
2012 Chinese Calendar: If you don’t have a new calendar yet, please pick up a copy of the new Chinese calendar from the table at the entrance of the church. One copy per family, please. 2012 Donation Envelope Boxes are ready to be picked up from the table at the entrance of the church. If you didn’t find a donation box and would like to receive one, please speak to Fr. Francis.
Mandarin RCIA & Bible Study: The new classes will begin on January 8th 2012 from 9 to 10:30am followed by Bible study and sharing in Mandarin from the Gospel of Mark from 11am to 12noon. All are welcome to come to the Bible sharing. If you or somebody you know might be interested in learning more about the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church, please speak to Fr. Francis either before or after mass, or call the parish office at 312-842-6777.
Welcome to our new parishioner, Marisa Alcorn. St. Therese warmly welcomes you and we hope you feel at home here!
Need a Job? A family is looking for a caregiver to their elderly father. Salary is pretty compatible. If you are interested, please contact Shi-Pu at tien_suzhou@hotmail.com or call parish office for more information.

St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church Invites You...

Saturday, January 7th, 2012
5pm
For teens, young adults, and the young at heart!
Please join us for an upbeat Mass followed by dinner and games!
Questions? Contact: Megan.Sherrier@gmail.com

Contemporary Mass

Hospitality Schedule for January 8, 2011
GREETERS: Darlene Chan, Carl DiFranco, Janet Fectau
RECEPTION VOLUNTEERS: Jade, Nancy

A Reflection on the Solemnity of Mary and the New Year

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God and a new year! With the former, we are reminded by the "Entrance Antiphon" that the Holy Mother gave birth to a King who rules heaven and earth forever. And we also realize that “the Lord is born for us … [a] Wondrous God … [whose] reign will be without end” (Cf. Isaiah 9:1, 5; Luke 1:33). Yet with the latter, we spend time reflecting on our own lives: perhaps we reminisce about the past year, thinking of the happy and sad moments that transpired; we think about our families and our futures. But usually, that’s not all! In accordance with cultural trends, we tend to come up with a New Year’s resolution – something we can strive to achieve or an amendment we want to make in our lives. So as we begin 2012, let us continue to hold close to our hearts the mystery of the Nativity of the Lord. Let us pray to our Holy Mother: that she will always intercede on our behalf, and that we may find the strength and courage to "Renew our lives in Christ."
As we leap into the new year, one resolution I pray everyone will make (or at least add to their personal intentions) is to love. The word "love" is used so commonly in our society, and, of course, the term itself is vague. Nonetheless, given the proper context, its meaning can resonate deep within our minds and hearts. So how do we love one another? Let's look at it this way: if we yearn to know Christ, then we must keep His commandments. If we keep His commandments, then the love of God is truly perfected in us (1 John 2:3-11). And if we have the love of God, we are equipped to share and spread that love to others. After all, how can we love others if we do not know and experience love ourselves? In a recent morning mass (Thursday of the Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas), Fr. Francis Li, in his homily, talked about love and made reference to John's letter. St. John says: if one claims to be in the light, yet hates his brother, he is still in darkness. To reiterate the words of St. John, Fr. Francis said, “Whoever loves remains in the Light; there is no darkness in him or her. The kind of love that John is speaking of is what Jesus is challenging us to show: which is to love not only the people we know, but even our enemies.” Therefore, let us find ways to love -- whether it's by prayer, helping a senior citizen, or volunteering at your parish. Often, we try to associate ourselves and spend time with positive role models: people who are holy and loving. May we continue to be influenced by their example and, together, let us walk in the Light with Christ!
Wishing you and your family a Happy and Blessed 2012!
- Christian Shiu

The Memorare - Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Please remember in your prayers those who are
ill, hospitalized, and homebound...
Sarah Phillips Marie Balestri Carmella Scanlon
Natasha Chang Lucille Iasillo Carmen (Rails) Balestri
Baby Dominic Vittori Dominic Barbaro Winnie So
Barbara McElroy Barb Davis Rose Perez
Ramona Zavala Ken Barber Nicholas Tobar
Michael Howley Lauren Mandel Ruth Barone
Bernie Presto YoYo Damico Dolly Roti
Lina Andriacchi Baby Jessa Piotrowski Sister Noel Devine
Su Zhen Liao Fr. Walter Johnson, MM Fr. Anthony Chen
Sister Elizabeth Lee John Galvin Michele Young
Manuel Gore Debbie Thome
If you wish to add a name or remove your name from this list, please call the parish office.
________________________________________________________

Mary, Mother of God
Most families celebrate the birth of a child with great joy. Relatives come to see the new baby. For Mary and Joseph, it was different. They were away from home when Jesus was born. The angel’s message to the shepherds brought the company of shepherds, the neighborhood poor. They left Jesus amazed.
With the birth of the first child, a husband and wife become a mother and father. Forever they are changed. Living or dead, close or far away, old or young, they are always parents. It never changes. People are transformed forever. It is true too of Mary and Joseph, Jesus would be known as the “carpenter’s son.” As each new event happened, Mary pondered these events. It helped her gradually to come to a further and a deeper knowledge of whom Jesus was. Each day, as we celebrate the lives of Jesus and Mary, we reflect on each happening. We too, will grow in knowledge, faith and understanding. It is a good way to begin the New Year and to “Renew our lives in Christ!
~Sister Caritas