SERVICES & DEVOTIONS
A Special Disciples of Jesus Mass will be celebrated Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. at St. Margaret Mary Church, 7813 Shelbyville Road. Special needs families and friends are invited to attend the shortened Mass intended for children. An Advent/Christmas party will follow. For more information or to RSVP for the party, contact Tara Mattingly at 690-2851 or tmattingly@stmm.org.
A traditional Filipino Mass, Simbang Gabi, will be celebrated Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 11501 Maple Way. Simbang Gabi, which means “night worship,” is a Filipino tradition composed of nine-days of devotional Masses leading up to Christmas. For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Ministry at 471-2146.
RETREATS & MISSIONS
Family Renewal Project will host an overnight wilderness retreat for Catholic men titled, “Servants of the Secret Fire” on Jan. 10-12. The retreat is for men 18 and over, or 13 and over with an adult. Father of Mercy Ben Cameron will lead the retreat inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” For more information visit bit.ly/secretfire, call/text 502-303-1996 or email info@familyrenewalproject.com
ORGANIZATIONS
The St. Serra Club of Louisville, which promotes religious vocations, will hold its next luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 16 at Golden Corral, 4032 Taylorsville Road.
Father Pat Dolan, chaplain of the club, will give an Advent talk. The cost is $12 for members and $15 for others. For more information, call Chuck Lynch at 442-9302.
SUPPORT GROUPS
St. Athanasius Church, 5915 Outer Loop, will host “From a Hard to a Hopeful Christmas,” a session for adults struggling with the holidays, on Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the parish center. For more information, contact the parish office at 969-3332.
A NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) family support group is offered at St. Albert the Great Church, 1395 Girard Drive, on the third Sunday of the month from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in the Parish Life Center. The group is designed to provide an open and supportive environment for those caring for a person with mental illness, including anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal ideation or other diagnoses. All are welcome.
The Hope and Healing Grief Group for those touched by the loss of a loved one to substance abuse meets at St. Albert the Great Church, 1395 Girard Drive, on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Center. Contact Laura Graven at lgraven@stalbert.org or 425-3940, ext. 169, for more information. All are welcome.
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) meets weekly on Sundays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. John Paul II Church, 3525 Goldsmith Lane.
THE ARTS
Our Lady of Lourdes Church’s Family Ministry will host a Living Nativity on Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. Cookies and hot chocolate will be provided and a petting zoo will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Shelly Cronen at shellyc@ourlourdes.org.
The Loretto Community will host pianists Nancy and Vernon Cherrix and organist Kevin Vest for a Christmas concert Dec. 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the Loretto Motherhouse, 515 Nerinx Road. Contact Mary Swain at maryswain@lorettocommunity.org with questions.
The Priest Variety Show will return to the stage on Jan. 10 in St. Xavier High School’s Brown-Forman Cultural Arts Center, 1609 Poplar Level Road. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. and the talent show will begin at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $40. Proceeds will benefit the Catholic Services Appeal’s Seminarian Education Fund. To buy tickets, visit cur8.com/projects/archlou.
Sponsorships and ads in the program are also available. Contact Melissa Herberger for more information at mherberger2@archlou.org or 272-1634.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Archdiocese of Louisville is looking for experienced high school and college-aged Mass servers to assist the archbishop as “pontifical servers.” The Office of Worship will host a training on Feb. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Holy Family Church, 3938 Poplar Level Road.
After the training, these servers will have the opportunity to serve with Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre at special liturgies throughout the year.
Servers interested in this opportunity should email Dr. Karen Shadle, director of the Office of Worship, at kshadle@archlou.org.
St. Bernadette Church, will host a blood drive Dec. 21 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the St. Mary Academy gym, 11311 St. Mary Lane, Prospect, Ky. Sign up online at redcrossblood.org.
HERE & THERE
A “Don’t Spend Christmas Day Alone Party” will be hosted by St. Athanasius Church on Dec. 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event — open to adults from all parishes — will be in room A of the St. Athanasius Parish Center, 5915 Outer Loop. Participants should bring a snack to share, a $10 wrapped gift to exchange and a board or card game (optional). RSVP to Debbie Minton at 969-3332 or dminton@staparish.com.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 11501 Maple Way, will host a New Year’s Eve dance featuring The Checkmates on Dec. 31. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person or $240 a table. Contact Sharon Breit at 386-3282 for tickets.
St. Francis Xavier Church, 155 Stringer Lane, Mount Washington, Ky., will host a New Year’s Eve dance featuring The Wilson Brothers on Dec. 31 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $25. Call the parish office at 538-4933 for tickets.
