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LETTER FROM THE PASTOR
Dear Parishioners:
One of the most recent movies that has hit the theaters should be considered as dangerous in regards to the spiritual battle,
especially for our children. The movie “Ouija” has recently come out about the use of a ouija board and can make it a temptation in
particular for curious teenagers to dabble in things that human beings have no control over. I remember growing up and having the
temptation to use one with friends, Christian friends even. I thank God that I always shied away from using it, probably my Guardian
Angel prompting my conscience to steer clear.
The board is one dangerous toy, writes Joel S. Peters, an apologist for Catholic Answers in San Diego, Calif. "The ouija
board is far from harmless, as it is a form of divination (seeking information from supernatural sources)," Peters writes. "The fact of the
matter is, the ouija board really does work, and the only ‘spirits’ that will be contacted through it are evil ones. Just because someone
regards the board as harmless doesn’t mean it is," Peters said. "A disbelief in something does not necessarily mean that something
isn’t real. The ouija board has an objective reality that exists apart from a person’s perception of it. In other words, it’s real even if you
don’t believe it is."
Many years ago the ouija board was made more famous by the movie “The Exorcist”, which revolved around a teenager
from Washington who was possessed after playing with a ouija board. Does this mean that someone using a ouija board would
become possessed? Of course not necessarily. There may be people who have used it that were never affected by it or perhaps
who have never sensed that they were, even if they actually were. Nonetheless it opens a window to that possibility of possession
that a person has no control over and more often leads to oppression from evil, which is far more common than possession. Does
that scare you? Good if it does. We shouldn’t be ruled by fear in our lives, we should be ruled by love for God, but love for God itself
would lead us away from using such things that would put us in that kind of danger. If we begin at a level of not using something evil
out of fear, however, at least we are not using it.
The ouija board falls under the same kinds of things whose use is condemned in the scriptures. Fortune telling, soothsaying,
spiritism, mediums, the occult, and psychics. Horoscopes, tarot cards, astrology, fortune tellers, palm readings, and séances fall into
this category as well. Of course many people use these things without knowing the potential harm, but that doesn’t diminish the harm
done.
The great news! We have the Sacrament of Confession, which slams the door shut that can be opened to evil through those
things. If a person has ever dabbled in any of those things, no matter how innocently they may have been involved, it is important to
run to the Sacrament of Confession. Pope Francis has emphasized that we should take the devil and his power very seriously. He
has spoken about this reality several times already in his young papacy. Exorcists throughout the world have said that there is a
substantial increase in demonic activity across the world. It is no wonder, when sinful things become common place and accepted.
It is sin after all that allows the devil the foothold into our lives and into our world.
Why bring all of this up? Because it is important that we wake up to the fact that the devil is at work in our world and that
we seek to do all we can to meet him in battle, always with Jesus Christ at our side and on our lips! We can not take on the devil by
ourselves, as many saints have noted, but with Christ we can fight the good fight. How? Well, by daily prayer, reading the scriptures,
seeking to do good in our world, fasting at times and spreading God’s love in our world. In short, by living our lives as authentic
Christians whose everyday life is fully influenced and directed by Christ. God, in His great love is able to conquer all, but only in as
much as we cooperate with His love. God ultimately has won the war, our responsibility is to fight the little battles for souls that will
help as many as possible get to heaven!
In the peace of Christ, Fr. Wichert
For our Parishioners – information about your parish school:
Visitation began our Advent season on Monday morning with an all-school prayer service
around our Advent wreath. We have also started our annual sock drive for the poor. Don’t
forget to mark your calendars for our Advent Program on December 18 at 7:00PM. Thank
you for your support of Catholic education here at VCSA! For more information visit our
website: http://www.visitationstemacademy.org/ or our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/VisitationCatholicStemAcademy
Our updated prayer list, effective Dec. 1st, can be found in this
week’s Bulletin and will continue through March 31, 2015. The next
renewed list will appear April 1, 2015. Thank you to all who helped
to verify those who need special prayers. As we continue to keep
our prayer list as current as possible, please contact the Parish Office
or email Kathy at [email protected] with any/all additions or
removals as needed.
St Vincent DePaul wants to thank the Visitation
Stem Academy for the tremendous donation of
food for our food bank. Their efforts will help to
feed many families in need! We also wish to
thank them for the warm fleece neck scarves.
These will be used to keep the homeless we
serve to stay warmer during these frigid nights.
FAITH FORMATION
Advent is here! Let us prepare
our hearts to receive the fullness
of God’s grace.
Youth Group 7-9pm
Dec 10— Heaven, Hell and
Purgatory.
Religious Ed:
Dec 7—Classes resume.
Confirmation May 31, 2015
Classes preparing for the
sacrament of Confirmation will
be Sundays 1-3pm in the Collier
Center beginning Dec 7, 2014.
Registration packets are
available at the back of the
church or the parish office.
Next Baptism Class: Jan 8,
2015 Required for parents and
godparents preparing for their
infant’s baptism. Registration
packets are available at the
Rectory office. Please note that
there will not be a class in Dec.
Mark Shea December Talks:
7pm in the Church
Free-will offerings will benefit
Visitation Catholic STEM
Academy
Dec 9 Our Lady of Sorrows:
Through Suffering to Glory
Dec 16 Where are you with
God?
Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Day of Obligation.
Masses: Dec. 8 at
9am & 7pm
Thank you for all the help,
donations and attendance at
the Thanksgiving Dinner.
We served 140 meals, provided
food to take home and located a
shelter to donate the remainder
of our feast to.
Help support our Mission
beyond your lifetime: Please
remember Visitation in your Will.
Thank you for your support!
November
2
All Souls Day
November
9
November
16
November
23
Thanksgiving Day
November
30
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
5,978.00
1,815.50
6,314.00
5,343.00
5,302.00
1,027.00
6,578.00
Sacrificial Giving
Renewal
Our Parish Stewardship
Renewal is coming to a
close and we give grateful
thanks to all who have
returned their Parish Stewardship
Yearly Commitment Renewal Card.
We've received 184 to date. If you
have not, please take time, to
complete and return your pledge
cards. Without your generous
support, we cannot do all that God is
asking us to do.. Thank You!
Saint Nicholas
March 270AD December 343AD.
Also called Nikolaos
of Myra, was a
historic 4th-century
Christian saint and
Greek Bishop of
Myra (Deme,
part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia.
Because of the many miracles
attributed to his intercession, he is
also known as Nikolaos the
Wonderworker. He had a reputation
for secret gift-giving, such as putting
coins in the shoes of those who left
them out for him, and thus became the
model for Santa Claus, whose modern
name comes from the Dutch
Sinterlaas, itself from a series of
elisions and corruptions of the
transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos".
His feast day is Dec.6.
Respect Life
Please join us for
the National Night
of Prayer for Life
on Monday,
Dec.8th, 8PM to 1AM at Visitation.
The purpose is to unite our prayers
with Catholics throughout the country
in an effort to help bring back the
world to Christ and to bring about an
end to abortion.
Coffee & Donuts hosted
by the Pastoral Council
Week 2 of Advent
December 7, 2014
MONDAY, Dec 8
Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary / Patronal Feast
day of the United States of America
Gn 3:9-15,20 Lk 1:2-38
TUESDAY, Dec 9
Is 40:1-11 Mt 18:12-14
Mass Intention: Lupeter Grant
WEDNESDAY, Dec 10
Is 40:25-31 Mt 11:28-30
Mass Intention: +Genevive Klein
THURSDAY, Dec 11
Is 1:13-20 Mt 11:11-15
Mass Intention: Norm Schaaf
FRIDAY, Dec 12
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Zec 2:14-17 Lk 1:39-47
Mass Intention: +Anna Clements
SATURDAY, Dec 13
Memorial of St Lucy
Sir 481-4,9-11 Mt 17:9a,10-3
Mass Intention: Tristan McGovern
St Vincent dePaul
We need: canned fruit,
vegetables & soup.
Join the Knights!
Dec. 10th Meeting
6PM Rosary
meeting to follow.
Updated list for
Dec 1, 2014 through
Mar 31, 2015.
Please pray for..
Justine Fleck, Dennis Thompson,
Clara Schmidt, Alice Radke. Ruth
Leingang, Helen Matteo, Jeannie
Gatbunton, Martha Gatbunton,
RoseAnn Bridges, Mick Flynn,
Al Ehli, Maxine Campbell, Marta
Palmquist, Rochelle Garcia,
Judy Haser, Tina Kanesta, Peter
Pagano,Margie Rivers, David
Kozicki, Cindy Neureuther, Andy
Kraemer. Bill Bradley, Claudine
Elizaga, Thomas Wodja