OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH

916 N. LOCUST, PO BOX 214

PITTSBURG, KS 66762
PHONE: 620-231-2135 FAX: 620-231-4804
OURLADYOFLOURDES@OURLADYPITTSBURG.COM

WWW.OURLADYPITTSBURG.ORG
DECEMBER 7, 2008
TODAY’S FOCUS – Second Sunday of
Advent: Today’s readings help us focus
on the reality of our sin that necessitated
the Son of God taking on flesh to redeem
us. As we hear today of John the Baptist,
we are to remember our own need for
repentance and our own mission to make
straight the way for the Son of God to be
known by those around us.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
We need God’s Word each day.
Mon (8) Immaculate Conception:
Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-6,
11-12; Luke 1:26-38
Tue (9) Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18:12-14
Wed (10) Isaiah 40:25-31;
Matthew 11:28-30
Thur (11) Isaiah 41:13-20;
Matthew 11:11-15
Fri (12) Our Lady of Guadalupe: Revelation
11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Luke 1:39-47
Sat (13) Saint Lucy: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11;
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
Sun (14) Third Sunday of Advent:
Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11;
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24;
John 1:6-8, 19-28
WWW.SMCSCHOOLS.ORG
second SUNDAY OF ADVENT
REV. THOMAS J. STROOT, PASTOR
REV. RUBEN ORTIZ MONTELONGO, ASSOCIATE PASTOR
REV. DAVID T. MARSTALL, ASSOCIATE PASTOR &
CHAPLAIN, ST. PIUS X NEWMAN CENTER
WEEKDAY MASSES
6:30 a.m. — Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. — Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
11:30 a.m. — Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
SUNDAY MASSES
Saturday 5:30 p.m.
Sunday 7:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 12:00 Noon
Spanish Mass—2:00 p.m.
En Español: La misa en español, cada domingo a las 2:00 pm, confe
siones a las 1:30 pm antes de la Misa. Se puede llamar al Padre
Ruben Ortiz (620) 231-2135
CONFESSIONS (OR BY APPOINTMENT)
Before the 8:00 a.m. weekday Masses — 7:30-7:50 a.m.
Saturday — 4:00-5:15 p.m.
MARRIAGES-Contact a parish priest at least four months prior to
desired wedding date.
PSR—Parish School of Religion (School Year)
Elementary (K-8) Wednesdays 6:15—7:30 p.m.

ST. PIUS X Missionary Catechists ST. MARY’S COLGAN SCHOOLS

NEWMAN CENTER
Rev. David T. Marstall, Chaplain
301A E. Cleveland,
Pittsburg, KS 66762
PHONE (620) 235-1138
MASS SCHEDULE
(When PSU is in session.)
Sunday: 11:00am & 6:00 pm;
Monday: 8:30pm;
Wednesday & Thursday -Noon
of the Poor Mr. John Kraus, President of Schools/Director of
Administration
Spanish Sisters Email: kraus@smcschools.org
620-235-1732 Mr. Thomas Gorman, 7-12 Principal
E-mail: gorman@smcschools.org
ST. MARY’S GOODWILL
117 E. 10th 235-0564 Mr. Michael Martin, Preschool-6 Principal
Email: martinm@smcschools.org
RELIGIOUS GIFT SHOP
117 E. 10th 235-7448 ELEMENTARY (PRE-SCHOOL - 6) (620)-231-6941
PRAYER LINE JR. HIGH/HIGH SCHOOL (7-12) (620)-231-4690
Elementary: smelementary@smcschools.org
9:00am – 5:00pm 231-6824
5:00pm – 9:00pm 231-8816 SMC: smcolgan@smcschools.org
 Our Lady of Guadalupe
Celebration Dinner
With Bishop Jackels
Make your reservation for the dinner
following mass on Dec. 12th by
placing a token in the basket in the
back of church this weekend. Find
out more about our parish’s festivities
for Our Lady of Guadalupe and Las
Posadas by checking the insert of
today’s bulletin or on
www.ourladypittsburg.org.
ALTAR SOCIETY
CHRISTMAS PARTY
The annual Christmas Party for ALL
ladies of the parish will be this
Sunday, December 7th at 4:00pm at
Parrot Bey, 408 N. Locust. Hope to
se you there!
NO PRACTICES: The Executive
Board of KSHSAA has established a
consecutive five-day period (including
December 25) where there shall be no
school practice of interscholastic
contests or activities. The Executive
Board has set December 23-27, 2008
as the five-day moratorium for this
school year.
Students in grades 7-12 may not be in
member school owned or operated
facilities during the Christmas
Moratorium, for involvement in
activities under the jurisdiction of the
KSHSAA. Weight rooms may not be
open for students in grades 7-
12. Medical rehabilitation in school
athletic training rooms is permissible if
approved by the administration of the
member school. Member schools may
elect to completely close their facilities
to all activities and groups if they so
choose.
The PSU Newman Club thanks
the Knights of Columbus and the
people of our parish for their very
generous response to the benefit
breakfast sponsored by the K of C
several Sundays ago. We
appreciate your show of support.
Your generosity will help us
continue to provide opportunities
to reach out to students on campus.
ST. PIUS X
NEWMAN CENTER
Providing Catholic Ministry
to Pittsburg State University
620-235-1138
WWW.CATHOLICGORILLAS.ORG
REV. DAVID MARSTALL, CHAPLAIN
Office Hours: 1:00-3:00 M, W, Th, F
and other random times
frdavid@catholicgorillas.org
MRS. AMY LOMSHEK, SECRETARY
Office Hours: 9:00-2:00 M-F
walknrain@hotmail.com
MASS SCHEDULE
SUN 11:00am, 6:00pm
Mon 8:30pm
Wed, Thu 12:00pm
RECONCILIATION
30 min. before all Masses
ADORATION Thursday 10:00-3:00
See website for full weekly schedule
UPCOMING EVENTS
Immaculate Conception: Holy
Day of Obligation
Mon. 12/8. Mass 12:00, 8:30.
Party following 8:30 Mass
Wine and Cheese Party
Fri. 12/12 8:00. See website
for important details.
Adopt a Family
Collection to be taken up
following Masses on 12/14.
Finals Week Fun Fun
Study break snack food
provided by PSU faculty each
night during finals week.
KCCSC
Hays, KS, Feb. 13-15. Early
registration deadline is Dec.
15.
Cards for Soldiers
Write a card for a soldier
serving in Iraq or for the
wounded in Washington.
Turn cards in to the office
before break.
Go to catholicgorillas.org for
more information on all events.
St. Mary's Religious Gift Shop
235-7448
Thursday 10:00-3:00
Fridays 9:00-3:00
Saturdays 10:00-1:00
By appointment call:
Denise 232-6955 or
Elizabeth 232-6865
St. Mary’s Altar Society
GOODWILL
STORE HOURS
Thursday—Friday—Saturday
9 a.m.—4 p.m.
235-0564
Please do not leave items
when store is closed
We Need Your Help!
Several parish and school families
have suggested that we must do
"something" in our schools to honor
the years of service by the Sisters of
St. Joseph. These sisters worked in
our schools for many, many years
and were a visible connection to the
religious life. Students in the future
need to know of their service and we
need to publicly recognize their
dedication. If you have ideas or
would be interested in working on
this project, please contact Frances
Mitchelson, fmitchelson@sbcglobal.
net or 620.231.3485. Any and all
suggestions are welcome. The
simplest idea might spark another
idea or be able to be developed by
the committee.
Senior SMC student Paige Holmes
was recognized for showing Panther
Pride and organizing the National
Honor Society’s Salvation Army
Thanksgiving bell ringers. Thank
you Paige and thank you to all of the
members of the honor society for
your stewardship to our community.
PSR SCHEDULE
Wed. (Dec. 10) Regular Classes
Wed. (Dec. 17) Attend Parish Posada
Wed. (Dec. 24 &31) NO CLASSES
Wed. (Jan 7) Regular Classes
 REFLECTIONS ON LIFE
A new book entitled My Child, My
Gift: A Positive Response to a
Serious Prenatal Diagnosis quotes
one mother of a child with Down
Syndrome. “the greatest surprise is
this: Our life together has been
less about my helping him reach
his potential than about him
helping me reach mine.”
Generations music CD’s make
great Christmas gifts! To purchase
a $20 CD filled with music from
each of the choirs Our Lady of
Lourdes, please contact the rectory,
Religious Gift Store or Little Shop
of Flowers. All proceeds go the
youth groups of our parish. Thanks
for your support.
BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS:
Teenagers can have high blood
pressure, too! In fact, people of any
age can develop it. Why not get
yours checked? Even if it’s normal,
it’s good to know what your reading
is. The Health & Wellness Ministry
provides B.P. checks after all the
Masses next weekend (2nd weekend
of the month).
Christmas Call To Sharing
2008
You should all have received an
invitation to consider a gift to the
Christmas Call to Sharing — a
gift of gratitude to support retired
priests and the education of
seminarians. God has blessed us
this year with 46 men in the
seminary and continues to bless
us with so many retired priests
who serve the Church in many
ways. I would ask that you be as
generous as you possible can be
at this most holy time of year.
Please remember to name Our Lady of Lourdes or St. Mary’s Colgan Schools in your will.
May we leave a legacy of faith and education for the generations to come.
Please consider informing Fr. Tom or the parish office of your legacy plans, kraus@smcschools.org
LOOKING AHEAD
Sun (7) Confirmation Class Elementary Commons 10:00—11:50am
Sun (7) Altar Society Christmas Party 4:00pm, Parrot Bey
Mon (8) Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation)
Mon (8) Our Lady’s Prayer Group 6:00pm Chapel
Wed (Dec 10) PSR Classes Elementary School, 6:15-7:30pm
Wed (Dec 10) RCIA Classes Elementary School, 6:30-7:45pm
Thur (Dec. 11) Rosary & Presentation of Apparitions of Mary to Jaun Diego
Church 6:30pm
Fri (Dec. 12) Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass with Bishop Jackels 7:00pm
Wed (Dec17) Parish Posada 6:30 Activity Center
Wed (Dec 17) PSR Classes (Attend Parish Posada) 6:30 pm
Wed (Dec 17) RCIA Classes Elementary School, 6:30-7:45pm
Thur (Dec 18) Parish Penance Service 7:00 pm
Confirmation classes are: December 7, SCHOOL LUNCHES
2008, January 11, 2009, in the elementary Mon — Hamburger, Fries,
commons. February 8, 2009—Retreat (all
Fruit Shape Up
day). Fr. Ruben will lead classes from
9:45-11:50. Candidates are encouraged to
Tues— Lasagna, Salad, Bread,
attend Noon Mass together afterwards. Peaches
Celebration of the Sacrament of Wed— Chili Dog, Tater Tots, Pears,
Confirmation by Bishop Jackels is Cookie
Sunday, February 22, 2009 (12:00 Thur— Chicken & Cheese Crispitos,
noon). Corn, Pineapple Chunks,
Cookie
COLD AND FLU SEASON Friday— Hamburger Pizza, Salad,
This is always a difficult time of the year. Pudding, Fruit Juice
There is no way to eliminate colds and the
flu bug but we can take precautions to
reduce the spread of them. Therefore, at CONFESSIONS:
mass we need to be conscious of the Saturday, Dec. 13 — 3:30-5:15 pm
person next to us. If we have a cold we can
bow and say peace be with you without Penance Service—
shaking hands at the exchange of peace.
Thursday, Dec. 18 —7:00 pm
The celebrant of the mass may choose not
to offer the invitation for the greeting of
peace. Please be careful and respectful of
Saturday, Dec. 20 — 3:00-5:15 pm
*********************
others during the next few months.
CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES
4:00, 5:30 & 7:00pm
BLANKETS-SMC stadium 12:00pm Midnight
blankets have arrived!!!! These
would make a great Christmas CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES
gift. Contact Beth Smith @ 7:00, 9:00, 10:30
Elementary School 231-4691 or & Noon (Spanish)
Lisa Jordan @ 249-7979
Alumni Newsletter
Start a Christmas Tradition with If you would like a copy of the
A Stocking for Jesus available at latest newsletter, mailed to our
the Religious Gift Shop. Copies are
alumni, please pick one up at the
autographed and can be
personalized. All royalties donated church doors, the parish offices,
to the elementary school library. or at either school office.
 STEWARDSHIP OFFERING
Weekly Sunday Offering needed
to sustain Parish Budget: $35,500.00
Sunday Offering Last Week $32,427.77
Surplus or <Deficit> $ <3,072.23>
MASS INTENTIONS
1) Fr. Tom Stroot 2) Fr. Ruben Ortiz
3) Fr. David Marstall
SUNDAY (7)
7:00 (1) Parish Purgatorial Society
9:00 (1) People of the Parish
10:30 (1) For the Sick & Suffering
12:00 (2) Parish Purgatorial Society
2:00 (2 Spanish) Intention of Carlos Rodriguez
5:30 (2) Al Ortolani Sr. +
MONDAY (8) IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
6:30 (1) Sharrene Meyer+
8:00 (1) Steve Allen+
11:15 (2) Donna Smith+
7:00pm (2) Diney DeRuy+
TUESDAY (9)
6:30 (3) Ruth VanBecelaere+
8:00 (2) Intentions of Sisters of St. Joseph
11:30(1)M/M Verdan Butler & M/M Wm Dawdy+
WEDNESDAY (10)
6:30 (2) John Gilmore+
8:00 (1) Margaret Gruder Morgan+
THURSDAY (11)
6:30 (1) Virginia Monahan+
11:30 (2) Yankoviz, Bavuso, Dalrymple, Jackson+
6:00 (2) Our Lady Of Guadalupe Service
FRIDAY (12) Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
6:30 (1) Leona Cashero+
8:00 (2) Jack Mocnik+
11:30 (3) Anna & Angelo Farabi+
7:00pm (4) Our Lady of Guadalupe(Bishop Jackels)
SATURDAY (13)
8:00 (2) Angie Ciardullo+
5:30 (1) Norma Decaire+
SUNDAY (14)
7:00 (2) Parish Purgatorial Society
9:00 (2) People of the Parish
10:30 (1) For the Sick & Suffering
12:00 (1) Parish Purgatorial Society
2:00 (2 Spanish) Intention of Celebrant
NEWMAN CENTER — Fr. David Marstall
Sunday (7) 11:00am Parish Purgatorial Society
6:00pm Int. of Faculty Students & Staff
Monday (8) Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Noon Intention of Mary Giocondo
8:30pm Parish Purgatorial Society
Wed (10) Noon Melvin Madl+
Thur (11) Noon Rose Plumlee+
Sun (14) 11:00am Parish Purgatorial Society
6:00pm Int. of Faculty Students & Staff
STEWARDSHIP REFLECTIONS
John the Baptist’s call to repentance is echoed in the
US bishops’ pastoral letter on stewardship: “Christians
must beg God for the grace of conversion: the grace to
know who they are, to whom they belong, how they
are to live — the grace to repent and change and grow,
the grace to become good disciples and stewards.”
VOCATION PRAYER
Dear God, bless your church with love. Raise up
dedicated and generous leaders to serve as priests,
deacons, sisters, brothers, members of secular
institutes, and lay ministers. Send your Spirit to
strengthen them to serve your people, following the
example of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wesley House and Salvation Army ask for assistance.
Help by donating toys, food items, or cash donations.
Also, Community Christmas Party (Memorial
Auditorium, Mon. Dec. 15th @ 6:30 pm). Volunteers
needed to wrap presents, Set up and help serve dinner,
meet and greet families.
WESLEY HOUSE FOOD PANTRY: Our help is
needed to fill the shelves. A basket is located near the
entrance of our church. Thank you.
SERVERS – DECEMBER 13-14:
5:30pm - Chandler Bishop, Christian Cedeno, Drew Dawson
7:00 – Alex Gilmore, Audrey Whetzell
9:00 – Tucker Hoffman, MacKenzie & Madison Lewis
10:30 – Rachel Martin, Bailey Beykirch, Jacob Drenick
NOON – Tommy Wilson, Marcus Yoakam, Adam Zafuta
OFFERTORY GIFT BEARERS – DECEMBER 13-14:
5:30pm — John Ison Family
7:00am – Volunteers
9:00am – John & Beverly Marin
10:30am – Leroy Castagno Family
NOON – John Patterson Family
EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS – DECEMBER 13-14:
5:30pm– Gary & Fran McGrath, Betty Masterson, Hazel Peak
7:00 – Ann Elrod, Pat Forbes, Bill Gill
9:00 – Mary Askins, Jerry Lomshek, Bob & Peggy Fleming
10:30– John Martel, Jerry & Cathy Stockard, Chris Bettega
NOON – Steve & Nancy Hicks, Bev Pommier, Frances Mitchelson
LECTORS – DECEMBER 13-14:
5:30pm - Tom Gorman & W.W. O’Bryan
7:00am – Joe Hart
9:00am — Cheryl Mayo & Karen McCormick
10:30am – Becky Casey & Dean Cortes
NOON - Ken Burbach & Doug Lee
Parish & Ministry News December 7, 2008

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Mass times for Monday’s Holy Day of Obligation are
Sunday evening at 5:30, and Monday at 6:30am, 8:00am, 11:15am, and 7:00pm.

The Immaculate Conception is
the conception of Mary, the mother
of Jesus without any stain ("macula"
in Latin) of original sin.
The dogma thus says that, from the
first moment of her existence, she
was preserved by God from the lack
of sanctifying grace that afflicts
mankind, and that she was instead
filled with divine grace. It is further
believed that she lived a life
completely free from sin.[1] In the
words of Pope Pius XII in Mystici
Corporis, "she was free from any
personal or hereditary sin" [2] Her
immaculate conception in the
womb of her mother, by normal
sexual intercourse, should not be
confused with the doctrine of the
virginal conception of her son Jesus.
The feast of the Immaculate
Conception, celebrated on
December 8, was established as a
universal feast in 1476 by Pope
Sixtus IV. He did not define the
doctrine as a dogma, thus leaving
Roman Catholics freedom to
believe in it or not without being
accused of heresy; this freedom was
reiterated by the Council of Trent.
The existence of the feast was a strong
indication of the Church's belief in the
Immaculate Conception, even before
its 19th century definition as a dogma.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the
Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception is a Holy Day of
Obligation, except where conferences
of bishops have decided, with the
approval of the Holy See, not to
maintain it as such. It is a public
holiday in some countries where
Roman Catholicism is predominant
e.g. Italy. In the Philippines, although
this is not a public holiday, the
predominance of Catholic Schools
make it almost a holiday.
The Immaculate Conception was
solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope
Pius IX in his constitution Ineffabilis
Deus, on December 8, 1854. The
Roman Catholic Church believes the
dogma is supported by Scripture (e.g.
Mary's being greeted by Angel Gabriel
as "full of grace" or "highly
favoured"), as well as either directly or
indirectly by the writings of many
of the Church Fathers, as well as
sensus fidei, and often calls Mary
the Blessed Virgin (Luke 1:48).
Catholic theology maintains that,
since Jesus became incarnate of the
Virgin Mary, it was fitting that she
be completely free of sin for
expressing her fiat.
For the Roman Catholic Church
the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception gained additional
significance from the apparitions of
Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858. In
Lourdes a 14-year-old girl,
Bernadette Soubirous, claimed a
beautiful lady appeared to her. The
lady said "I am the Immaculate
Conception" and the faithful
believe her to be the Blessed Virgin
Mary. (information from
Wikipedia). A more “pastoral”
explanation of this feast is given by
Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of
Cincinnati at
www.catholiccincinnati.org/
liveletters/immaculateconception.htm

St. Mary's Colgan Drama Department is presenting You're a

Good Man, Charlie Brown Saturday Dec. 6 at 7:30 PM, and
Sunday December 7th at 3:00 PM in the SMC Auditorium.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors..

 Parish & Ministry News
—Our Lady of Guadalupe—
Our Parish Celebration
Join our parish in
welcoming Bishop Jackels
December 12 for the
celebration of the Patron
Saint of the Americas—
Our Lady of Guadalupe!
In celebrating this great
feast, our several parish
families will host rosaries
during the nine-days prior
to December 12. Each
day, parishioners may
come to the host house
for that evening and pray
the rosary. Those unable
to pray at the home are
encouraged to pray the
rosary as a family at 7pm
or sometime that evening.
Days and homes will be
listed in next week’s
bulletin. Some rosaries
during the novena will be
in English, some in
Spanish, and some
bilingual. The rosary our
parish will host will be on
Dec. 8 at 6pm, the feast of
the Immaculate
Account of the Guadalupe Apparitions
According to traditional
Catholic accounts of the
Guadalupan apparitions,
during a walk from his
village to the city on the
early morning of
December 9, 1531, Juan
Diego saw a vision of the
Virgin - a young girl of
fourteen to sixteen,
surrounded by light- at the
Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking
in Nahuatl, the Lady asked
Conception (a holy day of
obligation). Mass will
follow at 7pm. There are
no receptions following
the rosaries Dec. 3-10.
The evening of Dec. 11,
the parish will host a
celebration including a
rosary, a telling of the
story of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, a mariachi
band and dancers and a
brief reception. The
evening will begin with a
rosary at 6:30pm.
Friday, December 12 is
the feast day! We will
begin with a 6pm rosary
on the plaza of the church,
Mass will be at 7pm in the
church. The Mass will be
bilingual; it will include the
9am Mass choir and a
Hispanic choir singing, an
offertory in the Hispanic
custom, decorations for a
traditional Our Lady of
Guadalupe celebration,
for a church to be built at
that site in her honor.
When Juan Diego spoke
to the Spanish bishop,
Fray Juan de Zumárraga,
the bishop asked him for a
miraculous sign to prove
his claim. The Virgin
asked Juan Diego to
gather some flowers at the
top of the hill, even
though it was winter when
no flowers bloomed. He
and our celebrant will be
Bishop Jackels. After
Mass, all are invited to a
meal in the Activity
Center, catered by El
Charo. During the meal, a
mariachi band will play
and cultural dancers will
perform, and a film will
play for those gathered to
learn more about the
custom and feast.
Reservations are made by
“tokens”. During Masses
this weekend you are
invited to pick up a token
(one per person) in the
back of church and place
it in the basket. The
number of tokens will tell
us how many dinners to
prepare for the Dec. 12
meal.
found there Castilian
roses, gathered them, and
the Virgin herself re-
arranged them in his tilma.
When Juan Diego
presented the roses to
Zumárraga, the image of
the Virgin of Guadalupe
miraculously appeared
imprinted on the cloth of
Diego's tilma (source-
Wikipedia)
December 7, 2008
Timeline:
This Weekend
Make reservations for
Dec. 12 feast day by
depositing tokens at
Mass.
Dec. 3-10
Novena for OLG
Rosaries said at homes
at 7:00pm
Dec. 8
Rosary at Parish,
6:00pm, Mass at 7pm
Dec. 11
Celebration in Church
and Parish Hall, begins
at 6:30pm w/ rosary.
Learn about OLG,
mariachi music, Pan de
luce, reception.
Dec. 12,
FEAST DAY
Pre-Mass rosary and
festivity, 6:00pm. Mass
with Bishop, 7:00pm.
Meal will follow in
Activity Center.
Dec. 16-24
Posada Novena in
homes
Dec. 17
Parish Posada begins at
Activity Center at
6:30pm.