Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Newsletter — January 2022

Immaculate CONCEPTION

Contents:

2 Stewardship:

New Year's Resolutions

3 Start 2022 with a Clean Spiritual Slate

4 The Hospitality Committee:

Building a True

Spirit of

Welcome within

Our Parish Walls

and Beyond 6 The Feast of the Epiphany

Celebrating the

Revelation of

God to Mankind 7 The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend: Enriching the Sacramental Bonds of Matrimony

January 2022

Catholic Church

Community Provides Essential Support to Our Brothers and Sisters from Afghanistan

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n August 2021, the team of nine other people United States Armed here at Immaculate Forces withdrew troops Conception and the from Afghanistan. Before donations that have been the withdrawal, there received. Lisa Hayes has were several weeks of worked directly with the chaos as many Afghan family, who remains people tried to leave for anonymous through this the United States. Nearly process.

A support team here at Immaculate 100,000 Afghan people “Each person on the Conception has provided are resettling in the support team has helped support to the Afghan family.

United States. As you in a different way and we can imagine, leaving your home country make sure someone visits the family and everything you know in haste is each day to see if they need anything an extremely stressful situation. Here and if they are okay,” Carmel says. at Immaculate Conception, we are in Thanks to donations from a position to help. We have committed parishioners, the family has been to helping one family with their needs provided with housing, furnishings, through the Catholic Charities Refugee clothing, and more. As time goes on, the Resettlement Office. family will still need financial help Carmel Hanley, Immaculate with rent, utilities, insurance, phone Conception administrative assistant, bills, and groceries, to name a few. has been helping to coordinate a support The father is currently working. continued on back cover

Immaculate CONCEPTION

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he New Year has arrived, and we have all been busy making — and trying to keep — our list of New Year’s resolutions. Many of us choose resolutions geared toward health and fitness. After all, possessing good overall health is critical to our well-being. Others may try to avoid a particularly bad habit. Maybe you need to quit smoking or stop swearing. Still, many of us plan things we have always wanted to do, but never get around to doing.

As the days of January continue onward, however, many of us find the inspiration of keeping our good-intentioned resolutions to be fading fast.

By the end of the month, most of us have given in to our temptations and returned to our old ways. We are only human, right? Discouraged by this yearly failure, many of us don’t even bother making New Year’s resolutions anymore, especially if we feel like we won’t succeed.

Maybe our failures lie in both how we make our resolutions and what resolutions we actually choose.

What we need to understand is the “root” of our resolution. For example, if you resolve to eat less candy to drop those recently added holiday pounds, is the “root” of your resolution a selfish one — wanting to look better since you overindulged? Or, are you genuinely seeking to stop giving in to each “sweet tooth” craving by practicing mortification — giving up of a personal pleasure to glorify God? If the “root” is a selfish one, only to benefit yourself, then it is often difficult to keep in the long

run. However, if we are trying to glorify God, our mission is much more important and worth keeping.

Tying your New Year’s resolutions into the principles of stewardship — giving of your time, talent and treasure back to God — is a great way to ensure that the “root” of your resolution is right on track!

For instance, resolving to pray each evening before going to bed glorifies God, brings you peace before slumber, and allows you to grow in your relationship with Christ. The “root” is pure. Your desire to keep it will be stronger and make it easier for you to keep. In the same way, resolving to return your talents to God by helping others in need is an excellent choice in creating a selfless resolution with the right “root.” Furthermore, resolving to re-evaluate your finances is also extremely important, and the beginning of a new year is a great time to do it. Are you giving back to God out of gratitude for all He has given you? Or are you merely dropping a dollar or two in the collection basket just to feel good about yourself?

If you are not where you would like to be as a good steward — either with sharing your time, talent or treasure — you can resolve to do better. The New Year is a perfect opportunity to start anew and become the good steward that God desires each of us to become. And when we choose selfless things that build His kingdom instead of ours, we are sure to not only stay on track, but to succeed!

A Letter from Our Pastor

Start 2022 with a

Slate

Clean Spiritual Slate Dear Parishioners, any of us were taught in school that the month of January gets its name from Janus, the ancient Roman god of doors and gates. His image was always carved or painted with two faces, one looking forward and the other backward.

This reflected, of course, that you can go either out a door or in through one. From this very specific function, his role was generalized to include all beginnings and new endeavors.

Because of Janus’ place in the Roman pantheon, it seemed natural to the Romans to name the first month of the civil year after him. (The Church year began back with the First Sunday of Advent, you’ll remember.) And although we no longer worship the pagan gods of the ancient Romans, the name has stuck down the centuries.

But we’re not immune to the human instinct that moved the Romans to name the first month after Janus. His double countenance, facing forward and backward, reflects how we approach the coming of each new year.

The last week of the old year finds the newspapers and TV programs giving a glance back

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at the past year (“the 10 best, or worst, movies of…” and such) along with predictions of what the new year will bring. My personal favorite is always “the 10 worst predictions” for the year just ending.

Just like the secular world does — Janus-like — we both look back at our own successes and failures, happy events, and sad ones, during the year just ending, and forward to the new year as we prepare our resolutions.

When we reflect back on the blessings we’ve received, our hearts should be filled with gratitude — and blessings there have been, no matter how difficult the year has been. But for most of us, there have been failures and failings, too. That calls for repentance, and perhaps a trip to the confessional — but God, who makes “all things new” (Rv 21:5), will then give us a clean spiritual slate with which we may begin the new year.

I’d also like to challenge you to include your grateful response to God as you make your resolutions for the new year. You don’t have

to wait until you fill out a commitment card to decide this is the year when you’re actually going to attend Mass once a week in addition to Sunday (or begin worshiping every Sunday if you haven’t been doing so) or to pray the Rosary every week or to begin regular prayers with your family. Include in your resolutions how you are going to get involved in some ministry in the parish or some service to the community, and then do so. Decide to become more faithful in your financial stewardship if your treasure commitment is less than it should be. Look forward to the new year and bring Christ and His Church to the center of your resolutions. Then see what a good year it will be, with God at the center!

Have a happy, and holy, New Year.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. John Wakube Pastor 3

Immaculate CONCEPTION

The Hospitalit

Building a True Spirit of Welcome w

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he next time you arrive at Immaculate Conception for Mass, if you enter the church through the door by the choir room, you will be greeted by a very familiar and friendly face. Bob “Slug” Morris is almost always there waiting with a smile and a helping hand. For Slug, greeting at Mass is more than just an act of service — it is a way to enter into community with his fellow parishioners.

“Volunteering in Hospitality Ministry has given me a chance to really get to know people,” he says.

“A lot of people have come to know me as well. We have created a great community and many relationships along the way. My door is near the handicap parking, so I have some ladies that I go out and help set up their walkers. I make sure they have a Eucharistic Minister come to their pews — they have become my people.”

The Four Pillars of Parish Stewardship are Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, and Service. With Hospitality as the first of these, the Hospitality Committee most certainly plays a vital role in parish life. The committee is comprised of several different ministries including Mass Greeters, Second Sunday Social, Baptism Baskets, and We Care. They also typically host several events through the parish, though they, unfortunately, have been limited since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For new parishioners or those who are new to the Catholic faith, the spirit of welcome within the

walls of the parish can be crucial to their feeling of welcome or even their conversion. We never know exactly what is going on in someone else’s life, so that feeling of being wanted and welcome somewhere is very important and is a very critical part of the mission of the church.

Mass greeters set the tone for those entering the parish. By welcoming all who enter and being able to answer questions that anyone may have, greeters are serving Christ and helping others enter the liturgy.

“People have a tendency to wave but they don’t know each other,” Slug says. “Being a greeter has made me feel more for my fellow person. I have worked at the same door for three years. I get to help them and we have become friends.”

Shyril Savary is the President of the Hospitality Committee. As a convert to the Catholic faith, she knows how important it is to feel welcome in the life of a parish.

“From day one, I was a greeter,” she says. “As a people person, it is a great opportunity to get to know others. I love seeing families greeting at the doors together. It is a great ministry for the whole family. Greeting is also a very flexible ministry because you can choose the Mass that you attend and find a substitute if you are not available that weekend.”

Second Sunday Social is a place for parishioners continued on page 5

“Volunteering in Hospitality Ministry has given me a chance to really get to know people. A lot of people have come to know me as well. We have created a great community and many relationships along the way.” — Bob “Slug” Morris 4

ty Committee:

within Our Parish Walls and Beyond

to come together and get to know one another. God made us for community and this ministry fosters that community within the parish. All are welcome to visit and meet their fellow parishioners while enjoying donuts, juice, and coffee.

The We Care Ministry makes calls to the newcomers in the church. The parish office sends out a welcome packet including a beautiful welcome card. After this initial contact, the We Care Ministry reaches out to call the new parishioners to get to know them and let them know more about what things are going on in the parish. They also find out what kind of needs the new parishioners may have, as well. This reaching out to connect to the new parishioners is key to making the parish a welcoming home for them. Volunteers in this group also call sick and homebound parishioners to keep them connected to the church, even when they are not able to attend Mass or events.

“We Care Ministry calls the sick and homebound on a regular basis to keep them connected to the church,” Shyril says. “We visit with them so they know they are still a part of the community and we are praying for them. We find out if there is

anything the parish can do to help them as well. It really is a beautiful ministry and a very important one for our parishioners.”

Baptism Baskets are another part of the Hospitality Committee. Baskets are assembled to be gifted to the newest members of the church community. These baskets are filled with baby items and children’s prayer books. This welcome shows parents that the church supports them as they raise their children in the Catholic faith, which they are called to do in the Sacrament of Baptism.

“We ask ladies in the parish to crochet these beautiful blankets for the baskets,” Shyril says.

“These handmade blankets have a crocheted cross on them and they are just really special.”

St. Paul said in his letter to the Hebrews, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” Being a part of this committee has a great impact on the life of the church and the community that we are called into through Christ.

“Because of the impact that COVID has had on the community, we are really in need of more volunteers, especially for greeters,” Slug says.

If you would like to learn more about opportunities for hospitality at Immaculate Conception, or to get involved, please contact Shyril Savary at 501-413-1029 or shyril_sav@yahoo.com.

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Immaculate CONCEPTION

The Feast of the Epiphany Celebrating the Revelation of God to Mankind

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hile “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is one of the most popular and widely recorded Christmas carols in America and Europe, its lyrics are rarely recognized as referring to the 12 days that stretch from Christmas Day on Dec. 25 until the glorious Feast of the Epiphany.

For centuries, we as Catholics celebrated this feast as the commemoration of the coming of the Magi on Jan. 6, but the decision was made a number of years ago (at least in the United States) to celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday that falls between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8.

But exactly which “manifestation” of Christ Jesus do we recognize on the Feast of the Epiphany? The Western Church reserves Jan. 6 as the

commemoration of the coming of the Magi. These three men, traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, travel in haste towards the Christ Child and remain an undying testimony to the long pilgrimage of peoples in search of salvation.

On the Feast of the Epiphany in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged that this celebration elucidates not only man’s pilgrimage towards God, but also God’s pilgrimage towards man in the person of Jesus Christ. He spoke of the glorious incarnation with these words: “It was out of love that He made Himself history in our history.”

On the Feast of the Epiphany, therefore, we come to realize that we are all on a pilgrim-

age towards Christ, the source of salvation. This pilgrimage is unique to each and every man, but results in a universal and dynamic experience — a constant “growing closer” between God and man. It is for this opportunity that we rejoice!

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Happy are those who, while possessing the truth, search more earnestly for it in order to renew it, deepen it, and transmit it to others. Happy also are those who, not having found it, are working toward it with a sincere heart. May they seek the light of tomorrow with the light of today until they reach the fullness of light.”

Now when asked: “What occurs on the 12th day of Christmas?” we can respond with joyful certitude: “Epiphany!”

On the Feast of the Epiphany, we come to realize that we are all on a pilgrimage towards Christ, the source of salvation. This pilgrimage is unique to each and every man, but results in a universal and dynamic experience — a constant “growing closer” between God and man. It is for this opportunity that we rejoice!

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The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend:

Enriching the Sacramental Bonds of Matrimony

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t’s not a retreat — rather, it’s an opportunity for married couples in Immaculate Conception Parish to step back from the world and enrich their marriages during the Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), set for Feb. 11-13 at Subiaco Coury House in Subiaco, Ark. Anne and Mike Mancino of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in the Diocese of Little Rock will be taking part as WWME leaders during the session.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a global organization established in 1968 to offer a weekend for married couples, priests, and religious. Participants don’t have to be Catholic, but couples must meet the Church’s definition of a married couple — i.e., a man and a woman.

“The activity during the weekends is a marriage enrichment program,” Mike says. “What takes place during the weekend is that three couples and a priest are the presenting team. They offer talks and share their experiences.”

Participant couples then return to their rooms to engage in dialogue to share their thoughts and feelings.

“One of the things we teach is how to communicate better about your feelings and what is important in marriage,” Mike says. “It is an opportunity to create a dialogue with each other and God to create a better understanding of what it means to be married. You focus on the ups and downs of married life.”

Both Mike and Anne emphasize that the weekends are not group discussions, nor are they marriage counseling sessions. There is no sharing with the other participants.

“You find that your marriage improves,” Anne says.

“You will find a deeper connection with each other, that you’re willing to be more open,” Mike says. “One of the ways is you learn to listen in a new way — you realize things you didn’t before.

You find God’s direction for your marriage. You realize your love is a choice and you have a deeper relationship.”

“We were married 18 years before we did a weekend and it made a big difference,” Anne says. “It got us to talk about things we had ignored — important things. It is a chance to have a weekend away to focus on your marriage. There are no distractions.”

Information about the weekend will be posted in our weekly bulletins. There also is an opportunity to log on to wwme.org for the national website to obtain more information about the experience. The Mancinos also welcome calls at 501-831-0931.

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Immaculate CONCEPTION 7000 John F. Kennedy Blvd.

North Little Rock, AR 72116 Church Office: (501) 835-4323 www.iccnlr.org

Community Provides Essential Support Carmel and Lisa have enjoyed helping the family and getting to know them. As for why we should all support this family, Carmel directs us to the Gospel of Matthew: “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. Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35-40).

continued from front cover

How fitting these words of Jesus are in this situation.

Our brothers and sisters from Afghanistan are in need.

In helping them, we are helping our Lord. We are seeing the face of our Lord in those most in need. Carmel asks that we continue to be generous toward the family.

“Any time you help another person you grow in your faith,” Carmel says. “We are all God’s children. It does not matter where we came from or what religion we are, God loves all of us equally.”

Carmel has enjoyed getting to know the family. The whole sponsor team has been blessed by working with them. Carmel wants to thank everyone for the support they have given this family.

You can donate to this project through online giving at iccnlr.org.

You may also drop your donation in the collection indicating it is for the “Afghan Family.”

LITURGY SCHEDULE

Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. | Sunday Masses: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Daily Mass: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and First Saturday of the Month at 8:15 a.m.

Confessions: Tuesday: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., Thursday: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., Saturday: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

ADORATION

Adoration is now being held in the Adoration Chapel. If you are interested in spending time with the Blessed Sacrament, please contact Ramona Bourdo at 501.831.5040, for an available time slot. **Schedule subject to change due to COVID-19 guidelines**