IN THIS EDITION:

• Giving Tuesday Gratitude
• Advent Penance Service this week
• Take Note: Schedule Changes/Updates for the holiday season
• Community Christmas Party – RSVP today!
• Christmas Mass Schedule
• Severe Weather Policy Reminder
• Additional Upcoming Events
• Gift of the Magi collection for our Sister Parish in Haiti

St. Robert community, thank you for your support for Giving Tuesday 2025! Your participation and generosity were truly amazing. Over the days leading up to Dec. 2 and on Giving Tuesday, we raised a total of $12,240, which includes a $200 challenge grant provided through the Catholic Foundation of West Michigan for the “Where two or 3(0) are gathered” giving challenge.

These funds will go directly to our parish’s Samaritan Fund, supporting the corporal works of mercy and helping those most in need. Please know that Father Tony and our staff approach the distribution of these funds with prayer and discernment, always keeping the most vulnerable at heart.

If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Mossner, director of stewardship and operations, LMossner@strobertchurch.org, or Katie Mendenhall, director of pastoral care, KMendenhall@strobertchurch.org, or call (616) 676-9111.

Come and receive God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession Thursday, Dec. 11 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. We’ll begin with a liturgy of the Word in the Sanctuary (about 20 minutes) followed by individual confession throughout our campus. Multiple priests, including Father Tony, will be available to hear confessions (see below). Staff and volunteers will be on hand to welcome and guide parishioners and visitors.

For examinations of conscience and additional resources for making a good confession, visit our website: https://strobertchurch.org/sacraments/reconciliation-penance/. Similar resources will be available onsite on Dec. 11 as well.

Mark your calendar!

Mass Time Change for
Dec. 23:
Mass on Tuesday, Dec. 23 will be at 9:00 a.m. instead of the usual 6:30 p.m.

The reason for this is that the Art & Environment Ministry will be decorating the church for Christmas immediately following the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Dec. 23.

Parishioners are invited to join in bringing beauty to our worship space.

Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4AA8AF2FA5FEC52-60975181-christmas

MASS, CONFESSION & ADORATION DEC. 23-26:

Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Dec. 26 at 9:00 a.m.

NO confession on Wednesday, Dec. 24

NO adoration Dec. 23-26

FAITH FORMATION HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:

Many of our Faith Formation sessions, programs and offerings will pause during the holiday season. Please refer to the bulletin (This Week in Our Parish) and your email for more information.

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS:

Church:
Christmas: Closed Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26.

New Year: Office closing at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and will be closed all day on Thursday, Jan. 1 and Friday, Jan. 2

School:
Christmas & New Year: Half day on Friday, Dec. 19; Closed Monday, Dec. 22 through Friday, Jan. 2.

The cookies are being baked – compliments of our high school youth group! – and other preparations are underway for our Community Christmas Party on Wednesday, Dec. 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Newminster Hall (Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. followed by activities). All are invited for a scrumptious meal, games, singing, prayer and more!

Help us prepare by letting us know you’re coming!
RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/yv8fehr8

Contact Hans Whitmer, HWhitmer@strobertchurch.org, or (616) 676-9111, ext. 117, with questions.

Christmas Eve Masses:
Wednesday, December 24:
4:00 p.m.* (NO INCENSE USED);
6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (INCENSE WILL BE USED)

*Our church neighbor, Ada Congregational Church, also has a 4:00 p.m. Christmas eve service. Traffic along Ada Drive, especially near the intersection of Fox Hollow across Ada Drive from St. Robert, will be congested before and potentially after Mass that evening. Please remain alert and plan your arrival for Mass accordingly.

Christmas Day Mass:
Thursday, December 25: 10:00 a.m. (INCENSE WILL BE USED)

PARKING FOR CHRISTMAS
Construction on our campus is now complete and ample parking is available including on the north side of campus. Enter the church through Doors B, C or D. Handicap parking is available in Lot A (near Doors A and B) as well as adjacent to Door D. Doors B and D are handicap accessible entrances.

NAVIGATING OUR CAMPUS:

• Enter the church through Doors B, C, or D.
• Handicap accessible entrances: Doors B and D.
• Handicap Parking: Lot A and several spots available adjacent to Door D
• The circle drive by Door D is available for one-way, drop-off traffic only. No parking allowed.
• The Sanctuary is equipped with an audio induction loop for hearing aids.

PARKING GUIDES NEEDED FOR DEC. 24 4:00 P.M. MASS

The 4:00 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve is traditionally our most highly attended service, and we want every guest to feel welcome from the moment they arrive. To help make that happen, we’re looking for parking volunteers to help direct drivers, keep emergency lanes clear, and ensure handicap spaces are available for those who need them.

Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4AA8AF2FA5FEC52-59816198-srnparking

For additional details about Advent and Christmas liturgical schedules, seasonal resources and upcoming events, please visit https://strobertchurch.org/about-us/advent-at-srn/.

Winter has arrived and severe weather, like that which we’re experiencing this weekend, is likely over the next several months. VERY RARELY will the celebration of Mass be cancelled due to weather. Because of this, we ask all parishioners and friends to exercise caution and practice prudence when making the decision to travel to Mass when road conditions are hazardous.

Additionally, on weekdays when Forest Hills Public Schools close due to weather, St. Robert Catholic School will also close and parish programming will be cancelled for the day unless otherwise noted.

WHEN CANCELLATIONS OCCUR, those details will be posted as early as possible via email, text message, Facebook, Instagram, our Parish App, and our website.

Step into the spirit of the season during St. Robert Catholic School’s K-7th grade Christmas program, “The First Christmas,” Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Activity Center (enter through Door H). All parishioners are invited!

Our SRN Respect Life Committee invites you to join them after the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Friday, Dec. 12 to pray a rosary for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, the pro-life movement and of the Americas.

SRN’s Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors are gathering for a Holiday Potluck on Friday, Dec. 12 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Life Center. Adults age 55+ are invited to join other senior parishioners for the festivities.

If your last name begins with A through O, please bring a savory

dish to pass. If your last name begins with P through Z, please bring a sweet dish to pass. Beverages will be provided.

In service to community members who are homebound or ill, the O.W.L.S. will be addressing Christmas cards to give to residents of local nursing and veterans homes. Bring along a couple of blank Christmas cards to participate!

Please RSVP to Lu Paletta at lupaletta@gmail.com.

The Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi to bring gifts to baby Jesus. It is celebrated on January 6 (a Tuesday this year) and marks one of the final celebrations of the Christmas season. Several years ago, SRN started the tradition of a “Magi Gift for Haiti” special collection on or around the Epiphany.

With this special collection, we try to emulate Magi gift-giving by making a donation to meet the special needs of Our Lady of Nativity parish in Verrettes. Given the unrest and gang activity in Haiti, along with the impacts of Hurricane Melissa in October, our gift this year will help Fr. Murat support and assist families served by the parish and school. Please prayerfully consider making a donation.

Ways to Give

You can make a cash or check donation at any Mass on Jan. 3 or 4, 2026 or make your donation online using our giving portal. Contact the Parish Office with any questions at ParishMail@StRobertChurch.org or (616) 676-9111.

For more information on how SRN supports Fr. Murat and the needs of Our Lady of Nativity parish, please contact Tom McDonald, chair of our Haiti Committee, at tmcdonald7287@gmail.com.

Remembering Cassie Ellis

We can hardly speak of our parish’s Haiti Ministry without thinking about Cassie Ellis. Cassie went home to our Lord on Nov. 29, 2025. Cassie and her husband, Rod, started the twinning relationship between St. Robert Newminster Parish and Our Lady’s Nativity Parish in Verrettes in 1995. She ran the student sponsorship program for about 25

years as well. Cassie and Rod were parishioners at SRN for 25 years before moving back to East Lansing, though they remained active running the student sponsorship program and attending every Haiti Committee meeting until such time that illness left Cassie unable to travel. During the time she led the Haiti Ministry, Cassie visited Haiti nine times (Rod four times). She was extremely passionate about supporting Haiti and had a strong relationship with Father Murat. She truly loved all the students and always addressed them with a special message (through an interpreter) every time she visited.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. Please hold Cassie, her husband, Rod, and their family in your prayers.

Read more about her life and legacy in her obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/east-lansing-mi/catherine-ellis-12635317

For more details about the following events and other programs, please refer to our weekly bulletin, the parish calendar or our upcoming events page.

• A second collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be taken up at Masses the weekend of Dec. 13/14. Read Bishop Walkowiak’s letter to parishioners in the Dec. 7 bulletin (p. 4).
• Bambinelli Sunday: December 20/21 – Bring your baby Jesus figurine to Mass to be blessed by Father Tony.
• Our Parish Family Photo Album – View recent parish event photos at https://flickr.com/photos/strobertada/albums.

© 2025

St. Robert of Newminster Catholic Church
6477 Ada Drive Southeast, Ada, MI 49301
https://strobertchurch.org
(616) 676-9111