Margaret Loveman

From the Pastor’s Desk My Dear People: The latest from the columbarium contractors is that they cannot start on the 1st of December, but requested that they start on the 8th of December. However, this is a holy day of obligation and the first night of the Mission, so we have told them this is not acceptable! The new day to start the threeday excavation is the 15th of December. For these days, committed adorers for the chapel may park in the priests’ garages and general area; however, please do not block the entrance and exit of Fr. Booth’s garage. There has been a great response to studying St. Paul’s Epistles on the sacraments shown by the attendance of Adult Education and Bible study groups. There are still a number of copies of the text in the church office for anyone who has not yet obtained their copy. We bought one for each member of the parish. Every four years, the Pope calls selected bishops from each country for a synod of bishops to discuss a particular issue. Last month, for two weeks, the Pope met with the bishops to discuss the Bible; and because of the nature of the discussion he invited scripture scholars to the meeting. Surprisingly, there were two other guests who made presentations at the meeting. One was a Jewish Rabbi, because most of the Bible is the Old Testament and we read and see the Old Testament looking forward to Christ while the New Testament looks back at Christ. The other guest was the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. These two special guests enhanced the relationship between Christians and Jews as well as the relationship between the Latin Church under the Pope and the Eastern Orthodox. The main conclusion of the meeting was that every family should have a Bible in their homes in a place of reverence and should read the Bible more often. The American bishops meet twice a year to discuss the church in America. They met this past week and while they congratulated our

new president-elect, Barack Osama, on breaking the last racial barrier, they plan to meet with him begging him not to sign the Freedom of Choice Act which would force Catholic hospitals to allow abortions on request. It would do away with parental permission for those in their teens and move the country further away from the pro-life stance of our Catholic faith. We need to pray for our president since his job now is even greater than winning the election. He now is facing a sagging economy, the terrorist threat, the growing Israeli-Palestinian unrest and the threat to divide the country if he signs the Freedom of Choice Act. The American spirit is to unite and to work with the new president irrespective of our political leanings. In a few weeks we will ask you to write letters to the President-elect asking him not to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. My mail this week brought a letter from a delightful 91-year- old lady who told me how much she enjoys the walking track in the FLC; but she wonders why more do not use it. She says I should put in the bulletin that the track is free. She also stated that she hopes that walking at the age of 91 will keep her out of a wheel chair. This could be food for thought. Exercise definitely strengthens the bones and keeps the muscles and joints working. Congratulations to OLS School which received such top ratings from a visiting committee representing the Southern Association Accrediting Agency. Especially noted was the strong sense of Catholicism at the school. When going into the chapel the other day, I witnessed this long line of kindergarten children of Mrs. Westbrook’s class coming out with all of the reverence and genuflections. I knelt before Jesus and said: “That’s Catholic education.” Make Thanksgiving a time of thanking God for His innumberable blessings. Masses are at 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. The chapel is always open. With prayers and blessings, Father Muller

MASS INTENTIONS Monday, Nov. 24

Special Intention Anna LaDart Tuesday, Nov. 25 Ernie Eltz Kitty LaSusa Wednesday, Nov. 26 Special Int. of Rhett & Margaret Loveman Jim Reynolds Thursday, Nov. 27 Ethel Michel Charles Woods Friday, Nov. 28 Father Thomas O’Connor Harold N. Rutter Saturday, Nov. 29 Special Int. of Scott McBrayer Dub Perry Sunday, Nov. 30 People of the Parish Anna LaDart

There will be no PSR or Growing with God classes next Sunday, November 30th, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We hope all of our catechists, students and their families in the Parish School of Religion and Growing with God have a Happy Thanksgiving! Classes will resume on Sunday, December 7th... *PSR parents please be on the lookout for a letter that was mailed concerning our PSR Christmas Projects. We will be collecting donations for the First Light Shelter and for Birthday-Party-forJesus gifts that benefit the Pro- Life Office.

St. Ann's Guild will celebrate our traditional Christmas gathering on Wednesday, December 3, at 10:30 a.m, in the Family Life Center. Cost $10 each for lunch. Bring a gift for Hispanic child ( infant to 12 years) and a gift to exchange with members. Call Dolores 942-8552 or Frances 970-1864 for any questions.

Thanksgiving Day –Masses will be at 7:30 and 10:00 a.m.

Come join your friends and neighbors at VIP on December 2nd at 11:00 a.m. There will be Mass followed by lunch and bingo.

CHRISTMAS ELVES NEEDED JR. HIGH YOUTH GROUP The next meeting for the Jr. High Youth Group is Sunday, Dec. 7th. Steven Lane will be back to sing, so invite your friends for an evening of food, fellowship and fun! We will meet in the FLC from 7:00-8:30 PM. We hope to see you there...

We need help delivering poinsettia plants to OLS parishioners who live in nursing homes. The visit helps these folks to know they are included in our parish family. The plants can be picked up at the church office from December 8th through 13th. If you can help, please call the office at 871-8121.Thanks, Sister Pat

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP will not meet this Wednesday, November 26th, due to the Thanksgiving holidays

Sunday Morning Religious High School Education will not meet nest Sunday, November 30th.

The Bible Study meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center will not meet on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. We will continue our study of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans on December 3rd. All are welcome to join us as we continue together to study the riches we have in God’s inspired word. If you have any questions about

the Bible study please call 423-0092 or email [email protected].

SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PROGRAM We are praying in a special way for unborn children who are at risk of being aborted. We encourage you to spiritually adopt a baby by praying for him/her everyday. Please look for the new cards in the pews this Sunday. They describe the development of your adopted baby for this month. It is not too late to begin to participate in the program if you have not yet done so. Thank you for praying for our unborn children. The annual Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, December 13th, in the OLS cafeteria. Seating times are 8:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. $5 for adults and kids 12 and up, $3 for kids (3 and under free), $0.50 for raffle tickets, and $5 for photo with Santa. Join us for breakfast, arts and crafts, door prizes, pictures with Santa, and fellowship. For more information or to volunteer, contact Rachel Briese, [email protected], 2158455. Registration forms can also be found online at www.olsschool.com. ATTENTION KNITTERS AND CROCHETERS – Please join us on Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Sodality Room for prayer and creative communication. New members are welcome. Patient teachers available.

OLS Art Show was a great success and many thanks to all the talented artists who participated. Each artist brought a unique presentation to the show. Artists who participated were: Kathy Condon, Susan Bell, Deana Solfronk, Barbara Ifollis, Darling Webber, Mike Millican, Elise Priola, Maria Robert, Carla Cottrell, Jeanne Mahan, Leah High, Jan Grant, Floyd Hosmer, Dawn Ross, Jenny Mote, Nancy Foreman, Margo Hamilton, Ann Bruno, Anthony Rosato, Eileen Moore, Lane and Tray Finch, Paula DiChiara, Kathy Bell, Ellen Scalise, Josephine Tortorice, Johna Pitzer, Norma Plano, Mary Ann Culotta, David Bruno, Lori Daniel and Sandra Ross. Thank you to Wendy Spratley for her planning and PR help. Also a big thank you to Ann Bruno, Judy Trant and Wendy Green for set up and take down. Thank you to Vestavia Belles: Elizabeth Ross and Emily Powell for their help, and to Lizzie Verciglio for her help with refreshments all day. God Bless you all –Fran Ross Robertson

CHAPEL OF OUR SAVIOR The Chapel needs permanent Committed Adorers for: Monday at Midnight - 1:00 AM (To Share Hour) Thursday at 10:00 AM Saturday at 8:00 AM Our goal is to have at least 2 people on each hour. Please call Ida Wilker at 933-2281 or Mary Claire Brouillette at 871-2909.

November Bridge Winners PRAY FOR VOCATIONS Tending the needs of others is a gift of service to God as well as those in need. Imagine that you chose to serve God as a deacon, priest, brother, or sister. What do you think/feel about this choice? (Matthew 25:31-46). This ad is sponsored by the Serra Club.

The Daytime Ultreya will not meet in November and December because the 4th Friday in both months is the day after the holiday. The next meeting of the Daytime Ultreya will be on January 23, 2009 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church after the 9:00 a.m. Mass.

1st Place-Bernie Grundhoefer 2nd Place-Jack Walden 3rd Place-Leo Hall Honorable Mention-Jean Holt Will be having our ANNUAL THANKSGIVING ULTREYA on Tuesday, November 25th, at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Church. PLEASE MEET IN THE CHURCH SANCTUARY as we will celebrate Mass with Fr. Jose at 6:30 p.m. sharp. We will then meet downstairs in the Parish Hall for some Christmas Carols, food and fellowship. All Cursillistas are invited. Please bring a Thanksgiving pot-luck dish, or grocery store item to share. For more information please contact Patrick Crabtree at

205-960-3991, or e-mail at: [email protected]. DeColores!