Advent

Welcome!

Welcome to Old St. Patrick’s Church. We welcome old friends as well as new friends. We welcome as guests all who have come here for the first time. We are honored by your presence! Please join us for our annual celebration of Advent, our yearly preparations for Christmas, and a new year of grace, hope, and possibilities.

We’re All Invited...to celebrate the mystery, wonder, and expectation of Advent.
Throughout the season, Old St. Patrick’s welcomes you to gather for many special moments of
worship, prayer, reflection, and service. Come, be our guest!

An Adult Appreciation of the Christmas Story

For those of us who are Christian, we may not be able to even remember a time when we did not know the Christmas Story, the story of the birth of Christ. Even before we were able to fully comprehend it, our parents, grandparents, and all those who loved us, told it to us over and over again. Yet it is so much more than a children’s story. It is a story filled with wonder, meaning, and mystery for adults.

Please join us (and feel free to invite a friend!) for a special Sunday in Advent as Fr. John Cusick walks us through the familiar, yet somehow always new, re-telling of the Christmas Story. Employing Gospel texts and the rich tradition of Christmas stories, Fr. Cusick will tease our memory and imagination to discover anew the astounding possibilities of God present among us.

Fr. John Cusick serves as director of The Young Adult Ministry Office for the Archdiocese of Chicago. In addition to his work with young adults throughout the Archdiocese, Fr. Cusick plays an important role in shaping the life of Old St. Patrick’s Church. Those of us who gather at Old St. Patrick's know and appreciate him for his gifts of preaching, leadership, creativity, and compassionate service he so generously shares with us.

Advent Evening of Reflection with Jack Shea

The season itself is a dare.

Advent stands before our measured reason and challenges us to stretch the limits of our imaginations.
Advent dares suggest in the bustle and busyness of a holiday season, we need to risk a moment of stillness.
Advent dares suggest in a season of cold and darkness, we can find warmth and light; in a time of fear and conflict, we can find a way to peace and reconciliation.
Of all the seasons, only Advent is bold enough to suggest the stirring we feel within is God's own love waiting to be born anew.

Please join us for a very special and prayerful reflection on the themes of the season. The evening begins in the church with a Reconciliation Service that includes the opportunity for individual sacramental reconciliation. You are then invited to join us for a festive dinner in the church hall. Following our meal, we are most pleased to welcome renowned author, theologian, and storyteller Jack Shea as he leads us through some new and thought-provoking reflections on the joys and challenges of Christmas.

Contact:
For more information please call Bob Kolatorowicz, 312.831.9379

Outreach Giving Tree

We hope you will join the Old St. Patrick’s Outreach Group in making Christmas merrier for the hundreds of men, women, and children who benefit from the many Outreach programs sponsored by Old St. Patrick’s and staffed by volunteers. Please take an ornament from the Giving Tree and include a person in need on your Christmas list. Unwrapped gifts (with the Giving Tree ornament firmly attached) may be brought to the Giving Tree truck in front of the church on Sundays or to the Fr. Jack Wall Mission Center, 711 W. Monroe St., during the week. We would also appreciate your contributions of wrapping paper and tape. This year, we will accept cash donations if you would like us to shop for you! You are also welcome to join the Community Outreach Group for the Outreach Wrapping Party on Sunday, Dec. 13 in the church hall. The Wrapping Party will commence immediately after the 5 p.m. Mass. What a great way to get in the holiday spirit as you help those in need. Meet new friends while enjoying Christmas cheer and refreshments! If you have any questions about the Giving Tree or the Wrapping Party, please contact Marty Kenahan at 708.447.9902, or mkenahan@gmail.com.

Night Vigil ~In the Quiet of the Season

A Prayer for Advent

God of love and promise,
rooted in the faith of our ancestors,
eyes set on the kingdom to come,
we are your people, an Advent people.

And so we light wreaths of candles against the darkness.
We sing songs of longing and expectation.
We tell ancient stories of hope and mercy.
We pray to see Christ among us.

Bless us, O God, your people,
and keep us watchful in prayer,
welcoming in spirit,
generous to each other,
and trusting in your goodness.
And may the days of this season bring us humbly and joyfully
into the presence of Christ,
birthed once more into our world
and into each human heart.

Amen.

As a defiant act of adventing the birthing of Christ into the world again, we invite you to spend the evening with us in the Old St. Patrick’s Church as we gather simply to wait.

26 Days Till Christmas

So Here it is, Advent.

There’s an old Greek proverb: “Well begun is half done.”

The Church’s calendar begins on the first Sunday of Advent, which means we’re starting a whole new Church year, and we’re also starting to get ready for the feast of Christmas. A good beginning to both of these could go a long way toward a good Christmas and a good year. Christmas seems a bit distant right now, but within a week or so it’ll seem just around the corner. And things will become busy, even hectic.

Advent is meant to help us keep our perspective. The point is to focus on what is important so that we can enjoy the feast of Christmas even more. Advent is not meant to take the fun out of this season. It’s a wonderful time of year, one that is dear to us, rich in memories and customs, with sights, sounds, smells all round, that gladden one’s spirit.

Source: Bishop Kent Untener, The Little Blue Book

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