Individuals of all ages and families are invited to ABIDE, an opportunity for Adoration, reflection, confession and praise, at Mt. St. Francis (101 St. Anthony Dr. / Mt. St. Francis, IN) on December 18 from 7pm-9pm in the Chapel. Childcare will be available on site, courtesy of the New Albany Deanery Youth Ministry. If your family would like to take advantage of childcare, please RSVP to chris@nadyouth.org.

The holidays can be stressful for couples who are struggling. Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vī) is a worldwide program that helps hurting couples rediscover a loving marriage relationship. No matter how bad things may seem, Retrouvaille can help. Indianapolis Retrouvaille begins its next program with a weekend on February 22 - 24 at St. Joseph's Retreat Center in Tipton. No one is turned away for lack of funds. Learn more at www.HelpOurMarriage.com or call (317) 489-6811 for confidential registration information.

All St. Mary parishioners are invited to borrow books from the Lending Library located in the hallway of the Parish Life Center. The shelf located nearest the restrooms feature books that are suitable for children, including easy-readers and pray-me-a-story books. Further down the hall, near room 105, is a book shelf that holds reference books, fiction and non-fiction for adults and youth. Please be sure to return your selections once finished so others may enjoy these great reads!

Regroup, refresh and renew during a Advent day-retreat at Mt. St. Francis (101 St. Anthony Dr / Mt. St. Francis, IN) on December 15 from 9am until 1pm. The day will include prayer, activities for children and adults, Mass and lunch. The cost for the day is $25 per person or $50 per couple/ family. To register, go to www.mountsaintfrancis.org.

Join young adults from the New Albany Deanery for Young Adults on Saturday, December 15. The group will gather at 6:00 pm at the Eichhorn’s home. Check out our Facebook page New Albany Catholic Youth Ministry for event information. Want to get alerts or need an address to the Eichorn’s home? Email Philip@nadyouth.org to get connected or call (812) 923-8355.

The final Give Us This Day prayer book (December) for 2018 may now be found on the front porch of the Parish Office. For those who have ordered a 2019 subscription, the January prayer book is also available. If you missed the opportunity to order a 2019 subscription, please contact the Parish Office immediately. A few extra subscriptions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Word Among Us and Magnificat subscriptions for January have not yet arrived. Those who have placed orders for these periodicals will be contacted as soon as they arrive.

Our Lady of Providence High School will hold its High School Placement Exam on Saturday, December 8, from 8:45 a.m. to noon for prospective freshman students for the 2019-2020 school year. Students should arrive at the Robinson Performing Arts Center (707 Providence Way /Clarksville, IN) by 8:45 a.m. and bring two No. 2 pencils and a check for $15 made payable to Providence High School. Pre-registration is not required. Please call Dave Smith at (812) 945-3350 or email dsmith@providencehigh.net with any questions regarding tuition, CHOICE Scholarships, or financial aid. PHS will work with each family to make Catholic education affordable and accessible.

More and more, our young people need authentic examples of how to imitate Christ in their lives.  Prayerfully consider how you can help mold our youth into imitators of CHRIST, into SAINTS!! Interested volunteers are asked to contact Chris at (812)923-8355 or chris@nadyouth.org for more information. Retreats for 2019 will include: Christian Awakening Retreat (12th grade) -February 21-24 Confirmation Retreat (Middle School) -March 8-9 Confirmation Retreat (High School) -March 9-10 To the Heights Retreat (9-11th grade) - March 29-31 The Jam Retreat (Middle School) -TBA

Are you feeling helpless, frustrated, angry or betrayed? The holidays can be stressful for couples who are struggling. Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vī) is a worldwide program that helps hurting couples rediscover a loving marriage relationship. No matter how bad things may seem, Retrouvaille can help. Indianapolis Retrouvaille begins its next program with a weekend on Feb 22 - 24 at St. Joseph's Retreat Center in Tipton. Follow-up post-weekend sessions will take place at Our Lady Of Fatima in Indianapolis. No one is turned away for lack of funds. Learn more at www.HelpOurMarriage.com, email RetrouIndy@gmail.com or call 317-489-6811 for confidential registration information.

All youth who have received the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist are invited to consider becoming a Altar Server during our weekday and weekend Masses. A training program will be offered for all current and prospective altar servers on Sunday, November 11 during the regularly scheduled Faith Formation classes (9-10:15am). Students will only be permitted to attend if they have been registered through the Parish Office (812-952-2853) or bring a signed permission letter to the training. Parents are welcome, but not required, to attend.

Each year, St. Mary Church benefits from the good work of two seminarians assigned to the parish from St. Meinrad Seminary as interns. We are again offering Supper with a Seminarian for those families and individuals wishing to learn more about our current seminarians, those currently assigned to our parish, Deacon Ross Caniglia and Peyton Plessera for dinner at home or in the community. The remaining dates in the first semester are November 10 and December 5. Please contact Rena Phillips to sign up for a date/time at your convenience (first or second semester dates) at (812) 952-2853 or rphillips@frontier.com.

St. Mary Catholic Church’s pictorial directory, produced by Lifetouch Church Directories, is now available for pick up after Mass on November 4/5 or in the Parish Office, Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 3:00pm. One directory is provided free of cost to all families who had a photograph taken for or submitted to the publication. Additional copies are not available for sale. Contact information in this document is for personal use only and should not be copied or shared with others for sales, campaigning or marketing purposes.

It’s that time of year! Christmas is right around the corner! The Breaking Bread Food Pantry, a ministry of St. Mary Church and Dare to Care, is again taking sign-ups from members in the community wishing to receive a food basket for the upcoming holiday. Each basket will include a turkey or ham and other traditional fixins’ for a Christmas meal. If you or someone you know wish to receive a basket, please ask them to visit the Breaking Bread Food Pantry on regular distribution dates to sign up. In addition, donations of food items are gladly accepted. Most needed for the baskets are cake mixes, brownie mixes, and canned fruits. (Please note: we are no longer taking Thanksgiving baskets sign-ups. Those who have pre-registered for baskets, may pick them up on November 19 & 20.) Over one hundred food baskets will be handed out last year for Thanksgiving & Christmas, so all assistance is greatly appreciated!

Bequests, which are gifts made through a will, are an extremely popular way of providing long-term support for charitable organizations like St. Mary Church that are so important in our lives. There are many reasons donors choose to make charitable bequests: the opportunity to make a statement about personal values, the satisfaction of supporting an important cause to benefit future generations, and the chance to leave a legacy to inspire others to give. Tax planning can also be an important factor in this decision. With some foresight, you can make a charitable bequest in a way that will permit you to realize other objectives for your estate. For more information on estate planning please contact Rena Phillips at (812) 952-2853, or by email at rphillips@frontier.com.

The Second Greatest Story Ever Told is a six week course that shares the prophetic voices of St. John Paul II, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Thrse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, and Faustina Kowalska. Written and narrated by bestselling author Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, The Second Greatest Story Ever Told shares the history and theology of the Divine Mercy devotion and Marian consecration. Led by Kathy Ann Daily, this six week course will include video lessons, discussion questions and faith sharing on Tuesday nights in Room 104 from 7-8:30pm. All are welcome to come and learn more about the mercy of God!

Jeff Cavin’s Bible Timeline is an 8-week DVD series that walks us through the Old Testament along the road that leads to our salvation. Please come and join us for this Great Adventure beginning Monday, October 29, from 7-8:30pm in Room 105 of the Parish Life Center. (Apologies for the error in last week’s bulletin. Please note this date change.) This series will be led by Chuck Lynch. We will finish the week before Christmas and then go on to various other short courses after the New Year, based on the group’s preferences. All are welcome and no year-long commitment is required.

Mt. St. Francis (101 St. Anthony Dr / Mt. St. Francis, IN) is pleased to offer a men’s weekend retreat, titled A Man’s Approach to God on October 19-21. This men’s weekend will include Mass, Reconciliation, presentations, discussions and plenty of free time to enjoy the trails, woods, and lake! The weekend will be led by Rev. Vince Petersen, OFM Conv. For more information, including registration, please contact Karen Krider in the Retreat Center Office (812) 923-8817.

The next scheduled meeting of Widow/Widowers/Senior Singles is for October 21 at 12:00pm and will be a pitch-in lunch and chili will be provided. On November 3, twenty members will be attending Corydon Live. If you are interested in attending please contact Susan Wohlfarth at 502-645-8018. Future events include the Jaycee Dinner at St. John Lutheran Church on November 11, meeting at St. Mary’s on November 18 and a Christmas party on December 16. Watch the bulletin for more details in the upcoming months.

Sarah Tomes and Curt Daniel were wed at St. Mary Church last weekend, September 29. Congratulations to the newly weds who will be making their home in Sellersburg, IN.

Wednesday group focuses on relativism “WHO AM I TO JUDGE?’ Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love will be offered by St. Mary’s Divine Mercy Prayer Group during the fall of 2018. This is an eight-week study program, featuring Dr. Edward Sri, will begin on Wednesday September 26 at 9:30am. Participants will explore the classical view of morality and the kind of life that flows out of that worldview-a life of purpose, loving relationships, and fulfillment. For more information please contact the group’s leader, Yvonne Abell, at (812) 705-0107 or join us on September 26 to find out more about this study program.