Grab and Go Lunches

 It is hard to believe, but Fall Semester is coming to a close.  The weather outside is turning toward winter and students are scrambling to finish finals and get out of town before the snow and ice starts.  For those in town this week, Grab n Go lunches are being offered at the Campus Religious Center.  There are sandwich fixings, fruit, chips, desserts, and beverages just waiting for you to pick them up.  There is no cost for the meal.  If you prefer to "dine in", the Fireside Room is available.  Stay as long as you like.  Watch a movie.  Play a game.  Study!  All options are available Monday through Thursday.  Food is served from 12n-1:30p.  Building is open until 8p.

CCW Cookie Walk Christmas Baking

 Each year, the Newman Club supports the Holy Redeemer Council of Catholic Women's annual Cookie Walk.  This year, we had an afternoon of goodie making and baking!  Rolo pretzels, Christmas wreaths, almond bark pretzel rods and cookies were on the agenda.  While we only have pictures, I said we should have had video!  The afternoon was filled with laughter, singing and dancing as our students invested their time and talents in service through baking.  Between our sugar cookie decorating day and the goodie making day, more than 30 dozen goodies were donated to the Cookie Walk!

Our grateful appreciation to the baking/making crew:  Angela, Luci, Olivia, Michaela, Dave D. and Fr. Shawn; our recipe providers:  Abbey, Fr. Shawn, and Olivia; as well as our thanks to the donor of all the ingredients:  Dave J.

Hill Street Place Decorating

 Each year, the Newman Club makes a visit to Hill Street Place.  It is an assisted living facility in Marshall.  We partner with Hill Street Place on a variety of activities throughout the year.  This time of year is always reserved for Christmas decorating!

Our grateful appreciation to Jane, Susie and all the rest for continuing to include us in their preparations!

Catholicism 101: In The Tender Compassion of Our Lord

 Father Tony held his fourth Catholicism 101 of the year this past Sunday.  The topic for this session is the season we are in:  Advent:  In the Tender Compassion of Our God.  

The Gospel according to Luke 1:67 begins with this statement.  Zechariah, his tongue loosed after more than nine months of silence, first words are praising the Lord.  Zachariah is explaining how the birth of his son, John, who will become John the Baptist, is part of God's plan for salvation.  The Lord has compassion for all of His children and is called to meet us where we are, and to bring us to salvation.

During this year's Advent, we are hearing often from the Prophet Isaiah.  Throughout these passages, Isaiah is speaking to a people who have been exiled from their homeland, and see no way to return.  They are losing hope.  He reminds them, in Isaiah 40:3:  "Prepare ye the way of the Lord:  make straight in the desert a path for our God."  They are not the ones that will make the path straight, though.  The Lord will remove the obstacles to allow Him to draw closer to us.

This is what Advent is about.  It is preparing our hearts and removing the obstacles we have created to keep ourselves separately from Jesus.  It is remembering as John the Baptist taught, Jesus is already here, just out of sight, but moving toward us.  He is moving to meet us at His birth, in just a few weeks.  Advent is a pilgrimage toward the God who says, through Him, we have a better life to live.

May your preparations ready your heart to meet your Savior at Christmas.

Cookie Decorating at the CRC

 This past Saturday, we held our annual cookie decorating event.  It is a chance to eat more cookies than are good for us, while decorating sugar cookies for the annual Council of Catholic Women's annual Cookie Walk!  More than 6 dozen cookies were decorated of the almost 17 dozen cookies that were completed for the CCW.  Special thanks to Dave for baking and Natalie, Angela and Daniela for decorating!

If you are in Marshall this coming Saturday, stop at Holy Redeemer Church at 9a.  The Cookie Walk will begin then and go until all of the cookies are gone.  It is $15.00 per bucket if you bring your bucket back from a previous year, or $17.00 per bucket with a new bucket.  Proceeds to go support Holy Redeemer's youth programs including Campus Ministries, Faith Formation and Holy Redeemer School!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The elves have arrived at the Campus Religious Center.  The trees are up, the lights are twinkling, the garland has been hung!  We are so grateful for all of the work that went into turning the building into the beautifully decorated home away from home it has become!