Our Lady of Sorrows Church
There are other
From the Pastor’s Desk
My Dear People:
Maybe there is some turkey leftover today;
certainly there is some leftover sentiments of
thanking God for the countless blessings we
have received this past year and our past
many years. Who of us can thank God
enough for making us to His image and
likeness. This means to live as long as He
lives in perfect happiness? Do we have to
wait till we get to heaven to thank Him for
this? Can’t we thank Him now for His
promise of heaven? His is worthy of our trust
in the fulfillment of His promises.
In the spirit of being thankful to God for
sending us a Savior, we spend time during
Advent reflecting on the goodness of God to
send us His Son to save us from sin. The
four weeks we begin now is a holy season,
which means we are to increase our
connection with God during these four weeks
of Advent.
In our frailty, we live by reminders. There are
signs to remind us to drive slowly, a
Thanksgiving holiday to remind us to be
grateful, and the Church, in the advent
season, reminds us to be grateful for the birth
of the Savior. We need to prepare, we must
prepare. It is the only way we can celebrate
in a half-way worthy way the birth of the
Savior.
In the early days of the Church, Advent was
like Lent: The emphasis was on Penance,
specifically fasting. Today the emphasis is
on prayer and reflection during the holy
season of preparation. Everyone should
have some Advent prayers. These may be
short, but what is important is that they be
daily.
We have placed 500 Advent books in the
vestibule; we have just ordered 200 more.
Call the office if you want one but can’t find
one. Also we have had such a great
response with the groceries brought to the
vestibule, a reminder to bring gifts to Jesus
somehow on His birthday.
books on Advent available in the Ave Marie
Shoppe. During Advent, extra visits to the
Chapel are recommended, but the greatest
reflection of the season is daily Mass with the
Advent scriptural readings and the
celebration of the Lord’s love for us in the
Eucharist.
There is also the reminder of the Advent
wreath in our homes with the lighting of the
candles as Advent progresses and the
prayers with the lighting of the candles.
Again we will have an Advent tree in the
vestibule. This is a reminder to do something
special for Jesus on His birthday. We have
heard from Fr. Seifert and he sends the
parish great thanks for our building the
houses we did in Mexico. I traveled there to
view these for myself. This year we are
working for a school in Archbishop Marino’s
country of Bangladesh. However, I don’t plan
a trip to Bangladesh.
Fr. Seifert writes that he considers
Archbishop Marino’s project most worthwhile.
The school will be in tribal territory and will be
a great source of converting the natives to
the faith. The Muslims are few there and the
schools are the greatest source of bringing
the people into the Catholic faith. In the past
almost a whole school was converted. For
an Advent gift to Jesus, take a “school
envelope” and make the suggested offering.
Return the envelope to the office or drop it in
the collection.
Our leftover thoughts of being grateful to God
on Thanksgiving Day should multiply as we
approach the birth of the Savior of the world.
With prayers and blessings,
Fr. Muller
Our sympathy to Fr. Booth whose father died
suddenly this past week. Providentially,
Father was visiting his parents in Denver at
the time. Fr. Booth is a convert and his
parents are Lutheran; but Fr. Booth’s
spirituality must be a great consolation for his
mother.
 Please join us on
Tuesday, December 1, at
MASS INTENTIONS 11:00 a.m. in the Parish
Hall. There will be Mass,
Monday, November 30 Lenora Katherine Ross Saia followed by lunch and
Mimi Norwood bingo
Theresa Cusimano _______________________________________
Tuesday, December 1 Special Intention
Anita Noto
Donald Taccone
Blood Drive will be held on Sunday,
Wednesday, December 2 Donors to the OLS School December 6, from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in
Foundation the Parish Hall. Breakfast will be served to
Special Intention of Phyllis Ferlisi the donors and their families.
Special Intention of Catherine Martin _______________________________________
Thursday, December 3 Lenora Katherine Ross Saia
Special Intention of Sharon Mc Bride
Thomas Gardner
The annual Breakfast with Santa will be
Friday, December 4 Special Intention held on Saturday, December 12, in the
Kathryn Alfano Family Life Center. Seating times will be at
Rosalie Alesci 8:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. Tickets will be $6.00
Saturday, December 5 Lenora Katherine Ross Saia per adult, $4.00 per child, and kids three and
Bill Stephens & the Intentions of the Blessed Mother
Theresa Cusimano
under are free. Raffle tickets are $0.50. No
Sunday, December 6 People of the Parish pictures will be taken by OLS this year, but
Frank LaRussa, Sr. families can bring their own camera to take
Anna Lee Ferlisi pictures with Santa. Come enjoy food, arts
and crafts, raffle prizes, and fellowship with
the OLS community. If you have questions
PRAY FOR VOCATIONS or are interested in registration, please
Stay awake! The Lord is coming. Be ready! (Matthew contact Rachel Briese by Friday, December
24:37-44). That during this time of Advent we will 4, at 215-8455 or rachelbriese@hotmail.com.
discover the presence of God in many ways.
_______________________________________

First Friday Devotions will be held on

Friday, December 4, at 6:00 a.m.
First Saturday Devotions will be held on
Saturday, December 5, at 7:15 a.m.
_______________________________________

Mass schedule December 7 and

December 8: The Feast of the Immaculate High School Sunday morning PSR and
Conception is: Sunday night youth group will not meet this
6:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Monday) Sunday, November 29. We will resume
6:30 a.m. meeting on Sunday, December 6.
7:30 a.m.
8:30 a.m. Permission forms for the December 12, high
12:00 noon school trip to the Shrine of the Blessed
6:00 p.m. Sacrament in Hanceville are available in the
_______________________________________ vestibule.

Mark your calendars for the Advent
Penance Service. It will be held on
Thursday, December 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the
Church.
The First Annual High School Youth Group
Christmas Semiformal Dance (Yule Ball) will
be held on Sunday evening, December 13,
from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. in the Parish
Hall. All high school students are invited.
Friendly Visitors Needed
We give all of our homebound and nursing
home residents poinsettias for Christmas.
We need help with the deliveries. If you can
help please call the office at 871-8121.
_______________________________________
The Sisters at the Catholic Center of
Concern have a great need for blankets and
coats. We will be holding a drive on Sunday,
December 13. Please bring your blankets
and coats to the Parish Hall.
______________________________________
OLS Annulment Education and Support
would like to invite everyone interested in
learning more about the Declaration of
Nullity, commonly know as Annulments, to
join us Thursday, December 3, at 7:00 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m. in Room 102 of the Family Life
Center. This event is open to everyone who
is interested in learning more about the
Declaration of Nullity. If you are a divorced
Catholic, know a divorced Catholic or just
want to learn more about what the Church
teaches about Annulments, we encourage
you to join us and learn more about the
Declaration of Nullity. Anne Marie Verchot,
RCIA Director at Our Lady of Sorrows and a
Diocesan Trained Advocate, will be leading
the meeting. For additional information,
contact David Asbach at 383-5634 or
daa28@aol.com or Anne Marie Verchot at
482-8627 or verchot@bellsouth.net
_______________________________________
St. Francis Xavier will hold its monthly
activity for Catholic Senior Adults of the
Birmingham area on Thursday, December 3.
The day will begin with Mass in the main
church at 11:00 a.m., followed by a luncheon
and bingo and concluding at 2:00 p.m. A
donation of $6.00 is asked to defray cost.
For reservations please call the Parish Office
at 871-1153 by Wednesday, December 2.
Chapel of Our Savior
The Chapel needs permanent Committed
Adorers for:
Monday at 3:00 p.m. (to share hour)
Tuesday at 3:00 a.m.
Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. (to share hour)
Our goal is to have at least two people on
each hour. These are the hours needed, but
do select an hour that best fits your
schedule. Please call Ida Wilker at 879-7040
or Mary Claire Brouillette at 871-2909.
“The Eucharist is the supreme proof of the
love of Jesus. After this, there is nothing
more but Heaven itself,”- St. Peter Julian
Eymard
____________________________________
The Folk choir will be going caroling to our
shut-ins on Saturday, December 12. We will
meet in front of the Family Life Center at 4:00
p.m. We invite any parishioner of any age to
join us.
____________________________________
The Our Lady of Sorrows Altar Sodality
Fall Luncheon was a tremendous success due
to all the hard work of its wonderful and
dedicated members. Our guest speaker, Terry
Saban (Mrs. Nick) entertained us with her version
of life as a head football coach’s wife and how
her faith helps her deal with life in the spotlight of
Alabama football. A special thank you to all the
guilds as each group had a different
responsibility for this event. A special thank you
to Suzanne Bowness for the table decorations
and to Wendy Green for the ticket sales. The
Altar Sodality would especially like to thank Sela
Joseph Bischoff of Imperial Catering ( and parish
member) for the delicious meal and for the gifts
of many services and items. It was a lovely and
blessed day as we all enjoyed the music, teacup
auction, and the warm fellowship of our
members. Thanks again to all of you for making
this such a blessed day. Fran Ross Robertson
_______________________________________
PSR News – On Sunday, November 22nd, the
6th grade PSR students and their parents were
invited to hear a presentation on the Tabernacle
of the ancient Israelites by Mary Ann Graeve in
the Family Life Center. We very much appreciate
Mary Ann’s willingness to share her knowledge
with us on the Jewish roots of our Faith!