Download Report

Our Lady of the Visitation
FR. MARK BURGER,
December, 2014
PASTOR
U n p a c k i n g Yo u r P a t i e n c e
With this month of December, we enter into that great Season of Advent which is sometimes referred to as the
season of patience. I believe that the Church puts this season of patience at the beginning of our liturgical year as a reminder that one
of the key ingredients in being a good person is the ability to be patient. I’ve been thinking a lot about this and it has made me take
some time to consider just how patient I am. I discovered that I’m not always as patient as I think I am. Take a few minutes right now to
think. If you were to stop to consider your own level of patience, how would you rate yourself?
Usually when I try to examine my own life, God sends me some sort of image or story to help me sort of “unpack” what he wants me to
know or realize. As I began to think about patience, it didn’t take God long to get my attention.
People often send me their favorite stories and one of the stories that someone recently sent me is about a teacher who was helping
one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots. He asked for help and she could immediately see why. Even with her pulling
and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on. They worked for a good ten minutes to get the first boot on. Then on to the
second boot and that, too, was a real workout. In fact, by the time the second boot was on, the teacher had worked up a sweat. She
was almost in tears when the little guy said, “Mrs. Smith, I think they’re on the wrong feet.” Mrs. Smith looked down and sure enough,
they were.
She discovered that it wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. To her own amazement, Mrs. Smith managed
to keep her composure as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time they were on the right feet. The little boy then
announced, “These aren’t my boots.”
The teacher bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, “Why didn’t you tell me that?” like she wanted to. And, once
again, she struggled to help him pull the stupid boots off his little feet.
No sooner had they got the boots off and he said, “They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear ’em.”
Poor Mrs. Smith didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up the grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on
his feet again. Helping him into his coat, she asked, “Now, where are your mittens?”
He said, “I stuffed ’em in the toes of my boots so they would fit better.”
According to the story, the teacher’s trial starts next month!
I love that story. The interesting thing is that as I showed it to someone at lunch the other day their reaction to it was not smiles or
laughter, but tears. I was surprised by my friend’s reaction. She explained that the image of that teacher pushing and pulling on those
little boots reminded her of all of the “pushing and pulling” it sometimes takes when you become a care-giver to a family member who is
ill or recovering from some injury. She said, “I recently moved my dad in with us so he didn’t have to go to a nursing home. You start out
with the best of intentions and loads of energy and before long your good intentions, your loads of energy and all of your stored up
patience has run out!” She paused and began to smile and then added, “I always thought I was a patient person, but I found out that my
patience level needs some work!”
I asked her how she is coping with it. She said, “Well it has really been about six or seven weeks since dad moved in. What my family
found out is that not one of us has all of the skills and not one of us has all of the patience it takes to take good care of my dad. We
discovered that if we put all of our efforts together, we do, in fact, as a family, have what we need to take care of him. We discovered
that my patience alone is not enough, but my patience with my other family member’s patience put together is more than enough.”
“So your tears after reading that story were not sad tears, I take it?” I asked.
“No, I guess the story just reminded me that it really is important to me that I can take care of my dad and not have to rely solely on my
own strength.” She replied.
As I was driving home from that luncheon conversation, I began to “unpack” what I think God wanted me to know about patience. No
single one of us has all of the patience a particular situation needs, but when we put our patience to work with other folk’s patience,
well, then there is more than enough to go around!
As the Season of Advent continues, why not take some time to look at your own ability to be patient and remember, you don’t have to
do it alone!
PASTORAL THOUGHTS…
by Ken Meymann
Pastoral Associate of Adult Faith Formation,
Pastoral Care & Liturgy
kmeymann@olvisitation.org
In the course of the work I do here at Visitation, I get into a lot of different resources (i.e. – books, websites, etc.). In the
course of that work I found the following which I thought was fantastic. Fantastic enough that I wanted to share it with you.
I’m not sure who the author was, but, it wasn’t me. With that being said, enjoy.
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WAS NOT LOOKING
Children are watching you and will do as you do, but not always, as you say. Children are the greatest of imitators as they
learn about life from what they see in the world. Let them learn the positive things of life from your actions. The following is
as seen through the eyes of a child – perhaps yours or your grandchild.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator - and I immediately wanted to
paint another one.
When you thought I was not looking I saw you feed a stray cat - and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me - and I learned that the little things could be
the special things in life.
When you thought I was not looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God who I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick - and I learned that we
all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing - and I
learned that those who have something should give to those who do not.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it - and I learned we have to take
care of what we are given.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you did not feel good - and I
learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw tears come from your eyes - and learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's
all right to cry.
When you thought I was not looking, I saw that you cared - and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I was not looking - I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive
person when I grow up.
When you thought I was not looking - I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw you do when you
thought I was not looking."
Each of us - parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend - may influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life
of someone today?
I used to think I was indecisive, but now
I'm not so sure.
-Unknown-
† MEMORIAL FUND
The following persons have been enrolled in the
Memorial Fund. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will
be offered monthly for those loved ones enrolled in
this fund, along with all the faithful who have gone
before us.
Steven Baum
Stanley Magness
The remaining Memorial Mass for 2014:
December 28 9:00 a.m. - The Holy Family
In 2015 the Memorial Mass will be offered on the
following days:
January 1
9:00 a.m. February 18
6:30 a.m. March 25
6:30 a.m. April 29
6:30 a.m. May 24
10:30 a.m. June 29
6:30 a.m. July 22
6:30 a.m. August 6
6:30 a.m. September 15 6:30 a.m. October 7
6:30 a.m. November 2
6:30 a.m. December 8
6:30 a.m. -
Solemnity of Mary
Ash Wednesday
The Annunciation
St. Catharine of Siena
Pentecost
Sts. Peter and Paul
St. Mary Magdalene
Transfiguration of the Lord
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of the Rosary
All Souls Day
Immaculate Conception
Each month in the newsletter, we will publish any
new names of those persons remembered in the
Memorial Fund.
Steve Baum - Husband of Beverly Baum and
Father of Steve and Adam Baum
Jan Fohl - Mother of Mike Fohl
Albert Spickard - Father of Katie Spickard
B APTISMS
Reagan Marie Van Vranken, daughter of Todd & Kristi
Simon Conrad Pohlmeyer, son of Brian & Katherine
Clayton Douglas Newkirk, son of Ryan & Kaitlin
Kate Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Brian & Megan
Bennett Thomas Wendling, son of Justin & Nicole
Elena Rose Sayers, daughter of Carrie
Piper Johanna Savu, daughter of Lisa
Lillian Kathleen Kneflin, daughter of Andrew & Kelly
Jayce Michael Laake, son of David & Jayne
Kaan William Laake, son of David & Jayne
Dominic Daniel Melillo, son of Dominic & Jennifer
Isabella Ann Holbrock, daughter of Gregory & Deanna
Carter James Holbrock, son of Kevin & Alesha
Dominic William Loch, son of Mike & Annie
W EDDINGS
Angela Kersting & Bradley Seymour
Alyssa Kotte & Christopher Clark
Sarah Durso & Daniel Stagge
D EATHS
Betty McKinney
Albert Spickard
Stanley B. Magness
Paul Gorman
N EW P ARISHIONERS
Austin & Megan Meyerrenke
3114 Fiddlers Ridge Dr.
Madelyn, William
Ken & Stephanie Meibers
543 Laurelwood Dr.
Jackson, Makenna
Mike & Sharon Conners
3612 Aston Woods Dr.
Dennis & Karen O’Leary
5060 Tanglewood Pk. Dr.
Carrie Sayers
3132 Ramona Ave. Apt 2
Elena
Lisa Savu
937 Woodbriar Lane
Piper
James & Heather Richmond
6169 Charity Dr.
Joshua, Jacob, Jameson, Jett
Paul & Kristin Feichtner
3376 Markdale Ct.
Gavin, Beckham, Liam
Kevin & Jennifer Waldeck
6804 Southknoll Dr.
Skylar, Blake
Mark & Carol Hester
4163 Rybolt Rd.
Greg & Megan Torbeck
4014 Legendary Ridge Ln.
Leo, Henry
Ann Kathleen Dodd - Sister of Bill Anneken
Vera Elbe - Mother of Don Grace
Stanley Magness - Brother of Karen Lewe and
Uncle of Lesley Childress
Steve Horvath - Husband of Mary Kay Horvath
and Father of Steve Horvath
Paul Gorman, Grandfather of Paula Lonneman
and Rick Hoeting. Father-in-law of Jack Hoeting
Hella Armutat - Mother of Petra Kurzhals
Taking a CRHP retreat
has positively impacted
many lives. If you’ve never
been part of a weekend,
please consider joining us.
To register for a CRHP weekend, contact
Sharon Dreyer, sdreyer@olvisitation.org or
347-2211; or Ken Meymann, kmeymann@
olvisitation.org or 347-2219.
Religious Education Department
By Jeanne Hunt
Pastoral Associate of Catechesis and Evangelization
Religious Education grinds to a stillness that begins mid December as all of us focus on the
holidays and stop creating meetings and parish events. But, the heart of the matter is that we still
need to keep a holy Christmas. It is up to all of you to do that in your homes and in family life. My
best memories of Christmas are family moments when we gathered around the crèche and tree
and told the story of Jesus’ birth and sang the carols. I invite you to make those kind of sacred
memories with your family. Here are some easy ways to keep Christmas a holy event:
Before you open gifts, place the infant Jesus in the manger and read a story book version of His
birth. This simple ritual reminds everyone why we are giving the gifts.
The Sunday after Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family. This is the perfect occasion to gather
the extended family for a meal. Get out the picture albums and tell family stories. End the time with
a blessing prayer for the families gathered.
Visit the live nativity scenes in the community or make a field trip to the Caboni mission center, the
Krone Conservatory to see their nativity displays.
Celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 4th. Tell the legend of the Magi and bless your
house with the ancient inscription above your door that asks for a year of blessing on your house.
Here is the blessing and the inscription:
Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity,
the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to
God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home
and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with holy water.
The initials of the Magi are inscribed upon the doors with the chalk. (The initials, C, M, B, can also
be interpreted as the Latin phrase "Christus mansionem benedicat" which means "Christ bless this
house".)
Finally, don't forget to make time for Visitation this Christmas. Pray with us, attend Mass and make
this a real sacred time of peace and devotion for your family.
TO THE PARENTS OF OUR YOUNG CHILDREN, MAY WE SUGGEST…
Relax! God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel you have to suppress it in God’s house. All are
welcome!
Sit toward the front where it is easier for your little ones to see and hear what’s going on at the altar.
They are tired of seeing the backs of other’s heads.
Quietly explain the parts of the Mass and actions of the priest, altar servers, choir, etc.
Sign the hymns, pray and voice the responses. Children learn liturgical behavior by copying you.
If you have to leave Mass with your child, feel free to do so, but please come back. As Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me.”
Remember that the way we welcome children in church directly affects the way they respond to
Church, to God and to one another. Let them know that they are at home in this house of worship.
TO THE MEMBERS OF OUR PARISH
The presence of children is a gift to the Church and they are a reminder that our parish is growing.
PLEASE WELCOME OUR CHILDREN AND GIVE A SMILE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
TO THEIR PARENTS
FROM THE DESK OF
DIANE WILLIAMS
BUSINESS MANAGER
Cancer Support
Our December meeting will be our annual Christmas party to
be held on Sunday, December 7th. For details please call
Diane Williams. We are always looking for speakers. If you
have a story or are a medical professional, we would love to
have you share with us. Please contact Diane Williams, 3472201 or dwilliams@olvisitation.org.
ESAP
Funding Catholic Education for West Side
Elementary Schools
Our Lady of the Visitation has an opportunity to receive
additional ESAP Matching Funds by participating in the
Matching Fund Program. When ESAP receives donations
for the benefit of your school before December 31, 2014,
ESAP will "match those gifts at a rate of 150% to a
maximum of $15,000.
For example, a gift of $3,000 to ESAP by December 31, 2014
will be matched with a donation of $4500 of which the parish
would receive a check for in January, 2015, for $7500. Since
2005, The Hubert Family and ESAP have donated over
$1,700,000 to West Side Catholic Grade Schools for Tuition
Assistance.
ESAP GIFT - Our Lady of the Visitation School will receive a
gift from ESAP in January, 2015, to be used for financial aid
for the 2015-2016 school year.
ESAP FACTS: 29 schools participated in the 2013 program 14 schools raised between $5,000 and $10,000 - Of those 14,
9 raised at least $10,000 - In January of 2014, ESAP, the
George Hubert Jr Foundation and the Butch and Karen Hubert
Scholarship Programs donated over $350,000.
We are asking that you please consider making a donation to
the foundation for tuition assistance and the money will come
back to us in January. Your check is 100% tax deductible.
Checks must be made payable to:
ESAP c/o The George Hubert Jr. Family
Foundation
P.O. Box 1116
Cincinnati, OH 45201
www.esap.org
Finance
Our staff has been making changes over the past year to be
able to be more effective to the needs of our parishioners. We
will continue to strive to do what is necessary to reach those
that want to be involved.
We are also taking a hard look at our facilities. Our church
holds 650 people where neighboring parishes hold over 1,000.
The shortage of priests has caused neighboring parishes to
reduce their weekend Masses. We presently have 5 weekend
Masses. We are looking at Mass times as advised by the
Archdiocese. We would like to have time between the Masses
to offer ministry.
Finance cont’d……..
We are unable to do that because of the present times of our
Masses. We have no large gathering place after Mass or the
celebration of the sacraments unless we use the Library.
Church Hall is currently used for babysitting. We will continue
to study our needs.
As always, thank you to those who support our parish by
sharing the gifts, talents and treasure that God has given you.
Your continued involvement and finances is vital to our
ministry. We have a wonderful community of parishioners and
want to continue to pass on our faith to our children and
grandchildren, keeping them involved at Our Lady of the
Visitation. With your help and support we will accomplish our
goal.
November 30th was our last fifth Sunday of
the year. This is our only means of income
to help the poor. If you were unable to
donate, it is not too late for Christmas.
This is a hard time of year for many
people but it is even harder for those
unable to feed their family, keep a roof
over their head, keep the heat and utilities on and buy winter
clothes for their children. We need any help that you are able
to give.
Our recent clients included:

Trying to help a single dad of three rewire his house
so he can have heat this winter.

Helped a single mom of one in our neighborhood to
pay her rent. She is a hard worker, but lost her job.
We were able to help get her resume out to different
agencies we are aware of to help her find
employment.
We paid the Duke bill for a single mom of two in
Addyston.
We gave a voucher for bedding and household items
for a single woman who had to move because of bed
bugs.
We gave a clothing/household voucher, to a single
mom of two and grandmother to one all living with
her. We also gave her a large food box.




We are in need of a van that will hold seven people
for a married couple with five children. The
transmission went out in their car and they have no
means for the entire family to travel anywhere
together. Presently the husband takes a bus to work
downtown.
"We are in front of a global scandal of
around one billion - one billion people who
still suffer from hunger today. We cannot
look the other way and pretend this does
not exist. The food available in the world is
enough to feed everyone." (Pope Francis)
Merry Christmas!
School News
By Terry P. Chapman, Principal
High School and Jr. High
Youth Ministry
By Laura Hampel
Pastoral Associate of Youth Ministry
lhampel@olvisitation.org
Recently our 4th through 6th graders were able to
experience “Astounding Astronomy” presented by COSI
(Center of Science and Industry) of Columbus. The
program is designed to enhance students’ knowledge of
the different areas of science. Students took a journey to
the Sun and the other planets of our amazing Solar
System. They explored the incredible variety of planetary
environments and discovered Earth is the only planet
that can support life – or is it?
In November the ACTS (Association of Catholic Teenage
Services) after school service trips started for the 80 8th
grade members. The ACTS members are scheduled
about once a month to visit nursing homes, serve drinks at
a soup kitchen and tutor younger students in Price Hill.
Our PTO Read-a-Thon was a huge success! Students
collected over $10,000 and 4,774 books for the Literacy
Network. Thank you to everyone for supporting such a
great event.
The entire 7th grade class made their annual trip to
Camp Joy right before Thanksgiving break. This is a
three day trip in which students learn about living things
up close, experience the Underground Railroad, learn to
set goals for themselves, build self esteem, work to build
class spirit and much more. Thank you to the teachers
and parent chaperones for making this trip possible.
Our first grade students have been busy with their
Mission project. In November, they collected canned
goods for the Holy Family/St. Vincent de Paul Food
Pantry.
Second grade receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation
on Saturday, December 6th at 10:00 a.m. What a great
way to begin the Advent Season.
Our ACTS Giving Tree is again supporting Roberts
Academy (where we tutor students). This “most wonderful
time of year” can be hard on others. The cold weather, the
pressure of buying gifts when money is tight and trying to
make things nice can add up. So our ACTS members
collect cold weather items and presents for students at
Roberts. It’s so much fun to see the pictures of their faces
when the items are passed out during school. It truly
warms my heart!
Soccer State Champs The 25th Annual Visitation High School Retreat invites
have been mailed out to all 560+ students registered with
the parish and those who’ve attended the retreat before.
The retreat will be held on President's Day weekend,
February 13th-15th, 2015. This weekend features small
groups led by college leaders, the most amazing Mass on
Saturday night (seriously, just ask anybody who's been
there), witnesses, time for personal reflection and more.
The 80 spots for retreatants fill up quickly! Please do not
hesitate to get your registration in or to contact me with
any questions.
Congratula ons to Sidney Huschart, Lilly McSwigan, Maggie Huschart, Kenzie Brogan, Ka e Schu e, Grace Bellissemo, Maggie Simonson, Ella Bollinger, Cameron Bi ermann, Grace Belle , Kamryn Lambers, Emma Boeing, Lourdes Leurck, and coaches Molly Huschart and Dan McSwigan. These girls won the 2014 5th‐
6th grade Soccer State Championship.
Don’t forget! All events are open to all of our 7th-12th
grade parishioners (and friends!) We’d love to have more
of our home school and public school students join us for
our events! Check out our page on the parish website or
Google site for more information: https://sites.google.com/a/
olvisitation.org/youthministry.
Our Lady of the Visitation School registration for the
2015-2016 academic year will begin the end of January/
beginning of February. Look for more information on our
website after the holidays.
The faculty, staff, and students at Our Lady of the
Visitation School wish everyone a joyous and blessed
Holiday Season.
Congratula ons to Kaitlyn Huschart, Vic oria Zappasodi, Ka e Brass, Anna Ve er, Samantha Wi erstae er, Paige Klocke, Rachel Ginn, Lucy Mazza, Lauren Emerson, Olivia Carter, Emily Jansen, Elizabeth Wullenweber, Maddie Withers and coaches Molly Huschart and Joe Zappasodi. The girls won the 2014 3rd‐4th grade Soccer State Championship.
Upcoming Events
Junior High: “Jr. High Nights” will be Wednesday,
December 10th, and Thursday, January 15th, both from 7
-8 p.m. in the Pavilion.
High School: “Sundays @ 7” will be December 7th, 21st
and January 4th at 7 p.m. in the Library.
OUTREACH
By Bill Tonnis
Pastoral Associate for Outreach
btonnis@olvisitation.org
513-347-2218
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed
me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Jesus
We have a lot to be thankful for in regard to our “Covenant Partnership” with St. Leo’s parish. We are seeing such energy and new life
through our relationship. We had quite the party at “Culture-Fest” back in October. Several of our parishioners volunteered to drive
over to St. Leo’s in N. Fairmount to help bring many of their parishioners here for the celebration of our various cultures. We all
enjoyed performances by an Irish dance group, clogging by the group “The Can’t Stop Cloggers” as well as exhilarating performances
by the Burundi women and Guatemalan band from St. Leo’s!
Our next opportunity to celebrate together will be St. Leo’s annual Epiphany Prayer Service on Sunday, January 4th starting at 4:00
p.m. at St. Leo’s. It will be followed by a potluck dinner. Won’t you consider coming out to be a part of our growing relationship
together as brothers and sisters in Christ?
We are excited to see that many of you are getting involved in helping St. Leo’s Food Pantry by bringing non-perishable food items
and toiletries/hygiene products to church each week. We have two plastic storage bins at the entrance to church that are marked “St
Leo’s Food Pantry.” There is such a need! Did you know that over 1300 people were served by the pantry in October? Each Monday
parishioner Jerry Riesz takes the bins to the pantry. He and many others like Steve Deiters and Lea Brinker are volunteering regularly
at the Food Pantry. Others like Cathy Grote, Gina Hautz and Luke Striebich volunteer in the “English As a Second Language” (ESL)
classes each Saturday morning while Kerry Finley continues the tutoring classes she and her son Cole started on Tuesday evenings
at St. Leo’s. I would love to name all the volunteers but I know I’d miss someone! A big “thank you” goes out to VAC for donating a
freezer-full-of-food left over from the football season…as well as the freezer!
Thanks for all that you are doing! If you are interested in getting involved, contact St.
Leo’s at 921-1044 or stleocinti@aol.com or contact me here at the parish.
Thanks to all the families who came out to our annual "Operation Christmas Child" shoe
box packing party on Sunday, November 16th. 145 shoe boxes were packed with
Christmas gifts. 100 will be sent overseas to children in need and 45 will be taken to St.
Leo.
“Giving Tree” gifts to benefit St. Leo, St. Joe in the West End and St. Vincent de Paul will
be collected at the Masses on December 13th and 14th. Looking ahead…our next
“Outreach Ministries” collection on January 17th and 18th will be going entirely to help support St. Leo. If you’d like to take advantage
of the year-end tax benefit, please consider making your donation early. You can make your check out to “Our Lady of the Visitation”
and then on the memo line indicate that you would like your donation to go to the Outreach collection in January for St. Leo.
We are excited about our group of over 30 parishioners who have come out to one or both of our “Joy of the Gospel” workshops. The
first in October was presented by Dr. Gillian Ahlgren of Xavier University and Fr. Dan Hartnett, the Pastor of Bellarmine Chapel. The
follow-up workshop with Dr. Ahlgren happened last month.
Our group is vowing to stay together to work on “fleshing-out” Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel” message in the parish! If you would
like to get involved or if you have any ideas, please contact me!
Our Lady of the Visitation is a member of a collaborative of parishes in the Archdiocese that is calling attention to 3 top issues:
Immigration Reform (which the U-S Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging our lawmakers in congress to pass); Helping “returning
citizens” (those who have served time in prison); and Care for Creation and the Poor. Part of our care for Creation is doing our part to
offset climate change. All across our country, Catholics are taking the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor and
joining the Catholic Climate Covenant. The St. Francis Pledge is a promise and a commitment by Catholic individuals, families,
parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty
who face the harshest impacts of global climate change. To find out more information about joining the Covenant as an individual or
family, check out catholicclimatecovenant.org.
In case you hadn’t heard, we are starting, (with Father Mark Burger’s blessing) a Support Group for Parents, Relatives and Friends of
LGBT People. The first meeting is set for Monday, December 1st. If you would like more information about this, please call or email
me (contact info above) or Mary Keilholz at 941-8676 or marykeilholz@gmail.com. Watch the bulletin for information on upcoming
meetings.
Some Things to Think and Pray About By Deacon Michael Erb Check it out…. To view our Masses, go to our web site and click the StreamSpot logo: This month, view our Masses on your TV with StreamSpot using your Roku Player. What is a Roku Player?
Roku is a revolutionary device that allows viewers to experience streaming video on their television. Think of it as a cable
box for the Internet. Roku players are now used by over 6 million users worldwide accessing over 8 billion streaming
videos. Roku players are very affordable starting at around $49. To purchase your Roku player please go to our web site
and find StreamSpot, look for Roku and just click.
I
B
In preparation for parents to ready themselves for the baptism of their children, classes are held in the odd months of January, March,
May, July, September & November of the year on the second THURSDAY. We encourage all parents to attend before their baby is
born. Our next class will be held: Thursday January 8th in the Reception Room. We start at 7:30 PM. We always start on time and
end on time. If the next class is too far out or not convenient for you to attend, please email me at merb@olvisitation.org
A
P
TheAnnulmentprocessoffershealingandclosure.
For Catholics whose dreams for a good marriage turn into the pain of divorce, the church's annulment process offers healing and a
second chance at marriage in the Catholic Church. When a divorced person seeks an annulment from the church, the Marriage Tribunal
Office researches the case to determine whether a valid sacramental bond existed at the time of marriage.
In ministering to those who are divorced, Our Lady of the Visitation has the opportunity to witness to God’s love and faithfulness to those
experiencing the trauma of marriage breakdown, and also experience God’s healing as it takes place in their lives. You may desire to
learn more about what the Catholic Church teaches about annulments, or you may be interested in beginning the process. To seek
answers and healing, call Mike Erb direct at 347-2235 ext. 2238 or email at merb@olvisitation.org
S
E
C
–
!
Volunteers will no longer need to be fingerprinted. Instead, there will be background checks. If you have been fingerprinted in the past 5
years, there is no need to have a background check. If your fingerprints are 5 years and older, go to the VIRTUS.org web site and
request a background check. OLV will pay for all background checks. Before logging on, email me to get a pre-paid token. If you want to
pay for the check yourself, please do so. If you pay for the background check before requesting a token, OLV will not reimburse our
members. VAC requires all coaches to take the training before coaching a sports team. The cost to our registered members (if you
decided to pay on your own) and the parish is $25.00/each.
All the steps are listed on the VIRTUS web site: www.virtus.org
W
J
B
S
C
Recently, a classmate from my diaconate formation asked if I thought it would be a good idea I told the kids (in a homily at Christmas) the
real story behind Santa. I told him that if I did, I would never see another day. Then he emailed me this story:
Santa lives at the North Pole... JESUS is everywhere.
Santa comes but once a year... JESUS is an ever-present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies... JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited... JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters
your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa... JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?”... JESUS knew
our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our
history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly... JESUS has a heart full of love.
Santa says “You’d better not cry”... JESUS says, “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”
Santa may make you chuckle but... JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree... JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.
It’s obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. We need
to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season. Yes, JESUS is better, He is
even better than Santa Claus. Merry CHRISTmas!
This got me thinking that to have a relationship with someone, we must get to know them. In his homily the Pope reflected on the best
way for us to get to know Jesus, describing it as the most important work in our lives. At the same time he warned that studying or having
ideas was not enough on its own to acquire that knowledge of Jesus. Pope Francis went on to explain that we need to open three doors
in order to know Jesus. The first door is praying to Jesus. You must realize that studying without prayers is no use. We must pray to
Jesus to get to know him better. The second door is celebrating Jesus. Prayer on its own is not enough, we need the joy of celebration.
We must celebrate Jesus through his Sacraments, because these give us life, they give us strength, they nourish us, they comfort us,
they forge an alliance with us, they give us a mission. The third door is imitating Jesus. Take the Gospel, what did he do, how was his life,
what did he tell us, what did he teach us and try to imitate him. This Christmas season, let us think about how these three doors are
positioned in our life and this will be of benefit to everybody.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS MINISTRY
By Deacon Marc Alexander
On November 3rd, we held a meeting, “Beginning of the Next
Life.” Several presentations were made and I would like to
thank all speakers for their time and insight.
I presented a case which illustrated many of the problems
that come up at the end of one’s life, including code status
(whether or not to resuscitate), feeding tubes, and
alternatives for continuing care, including home care,
nursing home care and hospice care.
We then went over the current teaching from the United
Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops on end of life issues:
A person has a moral obligation to use ordinary or
proportionate means that in the judgment of person offers
reasonable hope of benefit and do not impose excessive
burden or expense to the person or community A person may forgo if they do not meet the above criteria
(disproportionate means) There is an obligation to provide food and nutrition to all
who cannot take food orally. It may be morally optional when
this would not prolong life or comfort (thus excessively
burdensome) The free and informed judgment made by a competent
adult concerning the withdrawal of life sustaining measures
should always be respected and adhered to unless it is
counter to Catholic moral teaching Patients should be kept free of pain so that they may die
with dignity at the place they wish to die. Medicines can be
given as long as the intent is to hasten death (See
www.uscbpublishing.org) Jill Mcgrail next spoke about legal issues:
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care - appoint an
agent on your behalf in cases when unable to make health
care decisions on your own. You specify what this agent can
and cannot do for you.
Living Will - define wishes regarding life sustaining support
– nothing to artificially postpone death.
Both documents should be distributed to all parties involved
Kelly Bohan talked about the different levels of care at
nursing homes:
Respite care – to give care givers and the patient a time
away from the home situation
Long term care (custodial/residential)
Short term rehabilitation
Assisted living
Independent living
Marie Cunningham spoke about the concept of hospice and
where this can happen (home, nursing home, or inpatient
hospice units, and also respite care) (hospice focusing on
comfort)
We also introduced the program “Conversations of a
Lifetime,” a program to initiate the conversation with loved
ones about their opinions and wishes about all of the topics
above .
(see www.conversationsofalifetime.com)
Many questions were answered. If you have any questions,
please contact me at the Parish Office, 922-2056.
God Bless,
Deacon Doctor Marc
Electronic Giving Upgrade
Our Lady of the Visitation is in the process of upgrading
our current online giving system (Pledge Connect) to
WeShare. Current users of online giving will be receiving
an email from WeShare explaining this upgrade. No
action is required by you at this time. All recurring
contributions will be securely moved. We are just giving
you notice that when you receive an email from WeShare
it is in fact legitimate. It is not spam. Thank you for your
continued support of Our Lady of the Visitation.
Questions - contact Leslee, 922-2056.
Elizabeth Ministry
Thank you to the several people who
helped with the Memorial Mass and
the reception following it that took place in
October. If we were to try to name each person who
assisted, we are afraid we may inadvertently miss
someone. It is our hope that the Mass gave those who
attended some comfort.
The next Blessing for expectant parents will be after the
10:30 Mass on Sunday, February 22nd, 2015.
May the season of Advent, Christmas and the New Year
be rich with God’s love, peace and joy for you and your
family.
Sincerely, Carolyn Menner and Linda Mayhaus
Free Rosary Repair Do You Need a Rosary Repaired? Please call Petra, 382-5439, and leave a
message with your name and number. Drop off
your rosary and all the parts in a baggie with your
name and phone number in the rosary basket
located in the Parish Office. I will repair your
Gift Card Program
The Kroger Community Rewards program donates money to Our
Lady of the Visitation when a registered Kroger Plus Card is used
at any Kroger store. If your Kroger Plus Card is registered to
Visitation, you will see this at the bottom of your Kroger receipt:
If your receipt does not have this message, then your Kroger Plus
Card is NOT registered to Visitation. To register, go to
www.kroger.com and sign in. Click on My Account (upper right
corner). At the bottom of the Account Summary page, update
your Community Rewards info. Visitation’s organization number
is 80204. For more information, contact Pam Holtmeier at
OLVgiftcards@zoomtown.com or 347-9038.
Our Lady
of Visitation Boy
Scouts
HOLIDAY
FRUIT BASKETS
It’s that time of
year again and the boys of Troop 238 are
offering you the opportunity to purchase quality hand packaged fruit baskets. The baskets make great gifts for your family, friends, coworkers and
business associates & help support the OLV Boy Scouts. Each professionally pack aged, woven reed basket contains delicious fresh apples, oranges, pears and grapefruit, tastefully accented with peppermints and walnuts, then wrapped in cellophane
and topped with a bow. Decorative boxes contain red and golden apples, oranges &
pears accented with peppermints and walnuts.
Please order by Sunday, December 14
Medium Basket - $17.00 Large Basket - $22.00
Decorative Box - $20.00
to Troop 238
Cash or Checks payable
How to Order:
in Troop 238
Contact any Boy Scout
OR
(513-451-0901)
Telephone: K. Buchert
Email: JKCCM1@zoomtown.com (Please Include Order Information Below)
FREE DELIVERY: Available to the following zip codes on Saturday, December 20 :
45211, 45233, 45238, 45248, 45052 and 45002.
th
Visitation’s New Year’s Eve Dance Wednesday, December 31, 2014
8:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
Featuring
Saffire Express Band
www.saffireexpress.com
Receptions West
3302 Westbourne Dr.
Cincinnati, OH 45248
$50.00 per person includes:
Dinner buffet
Beer
Wine
Pop
Champagne Toast
Snacks
1 Mixed Drink Ticket
RESERVATIONS:
www.receptionsinc.com/locations/western-hills
513-922-6777
OUR LADY OF THE VISITATION GIFT CARD PROGRAM ORDER FORM 2014 Name ____________________________ Phone Number ____________________ Email Address _____________________________ Send through school Cash – Amount $__________ Student ___________________________ Check (made payable to OLV GCP) – Amount $__________ Teacher ___________________________ Charge my Credit Card #_______________________________________ Pick up at Parish Oﬃce______ Exp Date __________ Security Code _________ Amount $__________ GCP will call to arrange delivery_____ Address ___________________________________________________ RETAILER RESTAURANTS % Applebee’s Arby’s Aroma’s Java & Gelato Bob Evans Brio Tuscan Grill Buﬀalo Wild Wings Buﬀalo Wild Wings * Busken Bakery Cheesecake Factory Chipotle Mexican Grill City BBQ Cracker Barrel Darden‐Longhorn/Olive Garden/Red Lobster Dewey’s Pizza Dewey’s Pizza Domino’s Pizza Dunkin’ Donuts Friday’s Frisch’s Big Boy Frisch’s Big Boy * Holy Grail Honeybaked Ham Izzy’s Jeﬀ Ruby Restaurants KFC *LaRosa’s Montgomery Inn O’Charley’s Outback/Bonefish/Carrabba’s P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Panera Bread Panera Bread Papa John’s GROCERY/GASOLINE $ QTY 8% 8% $25 $10 $ $ 5% 10% 6% 8% 8% 10% 5% 10% 8% 9% 9% 10% 10% 8% 3% 9% 4% 4% 10% 12% 12% $10 $10 $20 $10 $25 $10 $25 $10 $10 $10 $25 $10 $25 $10 $10 $25 $5 $10 $20 $10 $10 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 20% 8% 8% 7% 13% 8% $50 $5 $20 $25 $25 $25 $ $ $ $ $ $ 8% 9% $25 TOTAL RETAILER * Bridgetown Finer Meats/Produce % $ QTY 5% $10 $ * Bridgetown Finer Meats/Produce 5% $25 $ GFS Marketplace * Humbert’s Marathon Meijer Meijer 4% 5% 3% 3% 3% $25 $10 $25 $25 $50 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $100 Meijer 3% Remke 4% $50 $100 Remke 4% Speedway 4% $25 * Sullivan’s Family Foods 5% $10 DEPARTMENT STORES/SPECIALTY STORES % $ RETAILER Bath & Body Works 13% $10 Bed Bath & Beyond 7% $25 Best Buy 3% $25 CVS 6% $25 Dick’s Spor ng Goods 8% $25 Dillard’s 9% $25 Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic 14% $25 Home Depot 4% $25 Kohl’s NOTE ‐ Kohl’s gi cards 5% $10 Kohl’s purchased from GCP Kohl’s can be used to pay your Kohl’s Kohl’s credit card bill Lands’ End Lowe’s Macy’s Staples Target T.J. Maxx/Marshalls/HomeGoods Toys R Us/Babies R Us Walgreens Walmart/Sam’s Club Walmart/Sam’s Club OTHER 5% 5% 5% 16% 4% 10% 5% 2.5% 7% 1.5% 6% 2.5% 2.5% $25 $50 $100 $25 $20 $25 $25 $25 $25 $20 $25 $10 $25 QTY TOTAL TOTAL $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $5 9% $10 $ 8% $10 $ *Price Hill Chili 10% $10 $ *Ron’s Roost 15% $25 $ * Skyline Chili 5% $10 $ * Skyline Chili 5% $15 $ RETAILER % $ QTY AMC Theatres 8% $25 * Skyline Chili 5% $20 $ Great Clips 8% $25 * Skyline Chili 5% $25 $ *Holscher Hackman Garden Center 15% $25 Starbucks 7% $10 $ iTunes 5% $15 Starbucks 7% $25 $ Scallywag Tag 10% $10 Steak ‘n Shake 8% $10 $ Visita on Spirit Wear Shop Any Subway 3% $10 $ Wendy’s 4% $10 $ Send completed order form to Pam Holtmeier (347‐9038) through School or the Parish Oﬃce or order online at Visispiritwear.weebly.com/gi cards OR e‐mail your order to OLVgi cards@zoomtown.com. Remember to register your Kroger Plus Card at www.krogercommunityrewards.com for Visita on to earn rewards. *Locally Owned Merchants TOTAL $ $ $ $ $ $ Our Lady of the Visitation
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Cincinnati, Ohio
Permit No. 3474
3172 South Road
Cincinnati, Oh 45248-2998
513/922-2056
www.olvisitation.org
e-mail - olvisitation@olvisitation.net
Schedule of Masses
Christmas Season 2014
The Feast of Christmas
Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 24
3:30, 5:30 & 10:30 p.m.
(carols at 10:00)
Christmas Day
Thursday, December 25
7:30 & 10:30 a.m.
The Feast of Mary the Mother of God
New Year’s Eve
Wednesday, December 31
4:00 p.m.
New Year's Day
Thursday, January 1
9 a.m.
NEWSLETTER PRINTED COURTESY OF DIOCESAN PUBLICATIONS®, DUBLIN, OHIO