Be sure you are subscribed to our emails and like us on Facebook to get the most up to date information. You may also check our website for updates, and links to online Masses and donations.
The Parish Office is trying to limit the amount of face to face contact so we ask that you please wear a mask when stopping by. We also have labeled boxes in the breezeway between the two sets of double doors for you to drop off anything you need to turn into the Parish Office. We do check these throughout the day. Or please feel free to use the night drop located before the main Parish building entrance on the right. We have been opening up the church everyday usually by 8:00 a.m. for personal visits during the daytime, which is an opportunity for personal prayer or even personal devotions. We are continuing to live-stream daily rosary (M-Th), our weekday daily Masses at NOON (8:15 a.m. on our School Mass days which are typically Thursdays) and also our Saturday evening 5:00 p.m. Mass.
Blessing of the Child in the Womb (Archdiocese of Louisville)
December 14th
Men’s Welcome Team – Online
Boy Scouts
Worship Committee
December 15th
PTO Board
Athletic Association
December 16th
Pax Young Adults
Pack 306 Pack Meeting
December 17th
Parish Office Closed after 12:30 p.m.
KofC Officers & Council Meeting
December 18th
Fish Fry (carry-out / drive-thru)
Stewardship
Click here for a printable Card to mail or drop off to the Parish Office.
The Parish has currently received a total of 484 Stewardship Cards. Thanks to everyone who turned in a Stewardship Intention Card! Cards are still being accepted. Additional cards are available in the Parish Office or online if you need one.
On behalf of the Human Needs & Concerns Committee we want to thank our parish for their participation in The Jesse Tree. As always, we were overwhelmed by your generosity and support. This year, we estimate over 200 parish families donated almost 300 gift cards and a total of $7,825 to five worthy organizations helping to make Christmas a little brighter for those in need. May God bless you with a Christmas filled with love and peace. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Advent Wreath Lighting
We are again inviting families of the parish to join us in lighting the candles on the Advent Wreath. We are still looking for one family per Mass for the remaining two Sundays of Advent. Thank you for signing up and please don’t forget your date & mass time! We ask that you arrive to your chosen Mass 10-15 minutes early to let the presider know your family is there, otherwise they will need to find others to fill in. Click here or the button below to sign up!
Students who wish to attend a Catholic high school next year are required to take the Catholic high school placement test scheduled on Saturday, December 12, 9 AM – 12:30 PM. The placement test is free of charge and helps Catholic secondary schools determine the most appropriate course work and academic path for meeting the needs of each student. Students take the test at the Catholic high school they plan to attend.
This year due to COVID-19, students are asked to preregister on that high school’s website. Links to preregister for the high school placement test can be found here. Students should bring two #2 pencils and a face mask, as each school will adhere to safe and healthy testing guidelines. **If inclement weather cancels the test on December 12, it will be rescheduled for the following Saturday, December 19 at the same time. For more info, call the Catholic School Info Line, 502-634-1315 or comm@archlou.org.
Meijer Double Match Day December 12 & December 19
This means for every $10. Simply Give card purchased on these dates Meijer will contribute an additional $20. bringing the total of each card to $30. in food credit for EACM.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12th
Beginning in 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has named the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe a day of prayer in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. As the patron of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe gives us a model for how we too might reach out to and welcome those who seek better lives here in our land. To learn more, click here.
2020 Retirement Fund for Religious
The collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be held in our parish THIS WEEKEND. Help our elders. In good times and bad, senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have dedicated themselves to service and acts of mercy. Today, they pray for an aching world. Yet years of serving for little or no pay have left their religious communities without enough retirement savings. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps provide medications, nursing care, and other necessities. Please be generous.
Blessing of the Child in the Womb
Sunday, December 13th at 12-Noon Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 South Fifth Street. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz Presiding. All expectant mothers are most welcome! The “Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb” was crafted to support parents awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage parish prayers for — and recognition of — the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society.
Christmas Dinner at the Franciscan Kitchen
The Human Needs & Concerns Ministry is serving our annual Christmas Dinner at the Franciscan Kitchen on Preston Street on December 14th. All meals are carryout. Handwashing & masks are required for everyone.
FOOD DONATIONS DUE:Sunday, Dec. 13th – Deliver donations to SMM Parish Hallway b/w 7:45 a.m. – Noon. HELPERS NEEDED:Sunday, Dec. 13th– collect donations, load into vehicles, & drivers to take to the Kitchen KITCHEN SERVERS NEEDED:Monday, Dec. 14th– Fifteen people needed on-site at Franciscan Kitchen from 10am-1pm
If you are unable to contribute a food item but wish to participate, you can make a monetary donation. Please make the check payable to St. Margaret Mary and put “Christmas Dinner Project” on the memo line. Thank you for supporting this important service project.
Adoration during Advent will be extended on Thursdays from 1-5 p.m. The last Thursday in Advent is December 17. Please consider spending quiet time with Our Lord & listening to what He is saying to you, it is a wonderful opportunity to prepare for Jesus’ birth. Don’t forget to wear your mask and stay 6’ apart.
Fish Fry Carry-Out
Join us in our last “off season” fish fry to support both SMM Athletics & the Parish. WHEN: December 18, 5-8 p.m. *We accept Cash or Card (preferred)* WHERE: SMM Gym, 7813 Shelbyville Rd
HOW TO ORDER:Visit smmfishfry.com, place your order ahead of arrival, or you can order from your car at curbside.
God & Geek – Online Adult Study
God and Geek is a weekly series exploring Spirituality as viewed through popular culture and the media. (Books, Movies, Music/Art, etc. All are invited to join Fr. Jonathan Erdman on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 7:00 p.m. as he hosts this online study (using the Zoom application). Topics will vary. Please contact Fr. Jon at St. Margaret Mary, if you would like to register for this study.
TO JOIN BY COMPUTER: Meeting ID: 732 559 215 | Password: 1PETER1 TO JOIN BY PHONE: Dial: 1 646 558-8656 | Password: 453732 Questions or difficulty joining, contact: 502-791-6444 or librarian@ourladyandstjohn.org
New Payment Processor
St. Margaret Mary is moving to a new payment processor in January 2021 for parishioners using automatic withdrawal from their checking or savings for their donations. As always, our goal of securely processing your generous gifts to the parish is our utmost importance. After an extensive evaluation, we have chosen LPi and their WeShare online giving platform to help. LPi works with more than 2,500 Catholic churches around the country, and 20 churches in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Moving to WeShare will give you more flexibility on donation dates, frequency options, and the ability to manage your own account securely online. WeShare will help the parish staff create more efficiencies, and offers additional security for your financial information.
If you are a current automatic giver, you have nothing to do. Beginning January 1st , all donations will begin processing through WeShare. If you would like to manage your account online, make an increase to your donation, or opt-out, please notify Susan White in the parish office at giving@stmm.org.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the parish office at 426-1588 or email giving@stmm.org. We will be happy to answer any questions or assist you in any way we can.
Stock Transfers
The 2020 stewardship & tax year-end are just around the corner, so we would like to remind everyone that this is a great time of year to make stock transfers to St. Margaret Mary. This is also a wonderful way to ease your tax burden. In most instances, you can deduct the current appreciated value of these securities from your taxes & avoid paying capital gains. As with any financial decision, we recommend that you seek advice from a qualified
professional. The most efficient way to process your stock donation is as follows:
Pick up a “Stock Authorization Form,” from the Parish Office or find it online here. (All stock donations must have this form completed)
Mail, fax, or bring a copy of the “Stock Authorization Form” to the Parish Office. Fax #: 426-1503
Deliver your “Stock Authorization Form” to your broker to handle the transfer or pick one the brokers listed on the form to help you.
*NOTE: It is VERY IMPORTANT you notify the Parish Office if you decide to transfer stock online. This will ensure you receive proper credit for your donation.*
If you’re planning to make a donation of stock before the end of this year, please make the arrangements so the transfer can go through prior to year-end, for you to take the charitable donation in 2020 for tax purposes. *To receive a tax deduction for the calendar year 2020, please make your donations ON or BEFORE Dec. 31*
If you have any questions, please call the Parish Office at 426-1588. Thank you for your continued support of St. Margaret Mary Parish.
Mexican Legend of the Poinsettia
Many years ago, a very humble girl who lived in the state of Guerro, Mexico was looking forward to Christmas. She did not have the money to offer fruits, sweets or toys to the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve Mass. So she was very sad.
When it was time for Mass, she walked to the church with her parents. She was filled with shame because she did not have a gift for baby Jesus and she began to cry. Suddenly, she heard the voice of a child who said, “Don’t cry anymore. Pick up some of those wild plants there and take them to the baby Jesus.” She listened and grabbed a bunch of the wild green plants. Still filled with sorrow, thinking that her gift was simple, she walked slowly into the church. Upon her arrival, the parishioners released an expression of surprise because she was carrying the most beautiful flowers they had ever seen. The plant had miraculously changed color so that its star-shaped leaves glowed a deep red.
“Merry Christmas, Baby Jesus!” said the girl as she placed her wonderful offering in front of the altar. From that day on, the poinsettia flower grew throughout Mexico during the Christmas season. Even today, the poinsettia is prized throughout the world as a symbol of Christmas. Visit youtube.com for Spanish/English versions of this story
Weekend & Daily Masses Online
Click here to find & watch our daily and weekend Masses. Our daily Masses are live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube weekdays at 12:00 p.m., except on All School Mass days (typically Thursdays) our Mass will be livestreamed at 8:15 a.m. Our weekend Masses will now be live-streamed every Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. via Facebook, YouTube and our website.
Please know that you may submit your contributions online, at Mass, mail in or drop off to the Parish Office or in the night drop outside the main entrance.
You are now able to submit your contributions ONLINE. This is a safe & secure way to continue your pledge and support for St. Margaret Mary. You are still welcome to mail in or drop off your donation to the Parish Office or in the locked night drop outside the main entrance to the Parish building. *All current automatic withdrawals are continuing as scheduled. We do encourage parishioners to sign up for the automatic service. The form for that is available online as well. This way of contributing benefits SMM the most because the fees are very minimal.*
Our Parish Office hours have returned back to 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Most employees are working on site. The Parish Office is trying to limit the amount of face to face contact so we ask that you please wear a mask when stopping by. We also have labeled boxes in the breezeway between the two sets of double doors for you to drop off anything you need to turn into the Parish Office. We do check these throughout the day. Or please feel free to use the night drop located before the main Parish building entrance on the right.If you need to speak to a staff member, call us at 426-1588. We remain at your service. Or click here for a list of our employees and their emails. We remain at your service.
Stewardship
Jesse Tree Thanks You!
Advent Wreath Lighting
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
2020 Retirement Fund for Religious
Blessing of the Child in the Womb
Christmas Dinner at the Franciscan Kitchen
Advent Adoration
Fish Fry Carry-Out
Mexican Legend of the Poinsettia
