Join us this Advent season as we prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Liturgical Schedule
Daily Mass: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m.
First Saturday Mass: Saturday, December 7 at 9:00 a.m. in the main Sanctuary
Weekend Mass: Saturday at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary*: Monday, December 9 at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
*This year the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred to Monday, December 9 as to not conflict with the second Sunday of Advent. Until now, the practice of the USCCB was to indicate that the obligation to attend Mass does not transfer with the liturgical observance – if transferred to a Monday, the solemnity was not a holy day that year. However, the Dicastery for Legislative Texts recently informed the USCCB that the relevant laws do not support this practice. Noting that, the Immaculate Conception “must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred” (Prot. N. 18329/2024). In light of this correction, December 9, 2024, is now understood to be a holyday of obligation for Catholics in the United States.
Christmas Vigil Masses*: Tuesday, December 24 at 4:00 p.m. (NO INCENSE USED), 6:30 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. Incense will be used at the 6:30 and 10:00 p.m. Masses.
*Ada Christian School has graciously allowed us to use their parking lot for overflow parking during our 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. Masses on Christmas Eve. Shuttles will be running from 3:00 to 8:30 p.m. to transport the Faithful to and from Mass. ALL of Parking Lot A will be reserved for Handicap parking.
Christmas Mass: Wednesday, December 25 at 10:00 a.m. Incense will be used at the 10:00 a.m. Mass
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Tuesday, December 31 at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, January 1 at 10:00 a.m.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Enter the church through Doors B, C, or D.
- Handicap accessible entrances: Doors B and D.
- Handicap Parking: Lot A
- 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.
Reconciliation Times
PLEASE NOTE: The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered in the Reconciliation Rooms off the Eucharistic Chapel. Please enter through Door C. A handicap accessible entrance is located at Door D. The circle drive by Door D is currently open for one-way, drop-off traffic only.
Wednesday, December 4: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 7, 14, and 21: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 11 and 18: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Living the Season
Join the Christmas Choir
Join the Christmas Choir and raise your voice in celebration of His birth! Whether you’re a seasoned singer or enjoy singing casually, join us and fill the Sanctuary with beautifully arranged sacred music. Rehearsals begin Saturday, November 30. For more information and to volunteer, contact Jane VanHouten, Director of Liturgical Music, at (616) 676-9111 ext 120 or email JaneV@StRobertChurch.org.
Christmas Cherub Choir
All little Cherubs in Kindergarten to 2nd grade are invited to join with the St. Cecilia Choir and make a joyful noise at the 4:00 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve. We will rehearse on the following Wednesdays at 4:45 p.m. in the Choir Room: December 4, 11, and 18. To join, contact Jane VanHouten, Director of Liturgical Music, at (616) 676-9111 ext 120 or email JaneV@StRobertChurch.org.
Mom’s Group Prayer Journey
The Flock Mom’s Group will journey together to embrace stillness and silence amid life’s chaos using the Encountering Emmanuel prayer journal. We will meet on each of the four Sunday evenings to pull back from the December hustle and create space for our Savior to come into every area of our lives. If you would like to join, please email strobertsmomsgroup@gmail.com.
Become an Altar Server
Boys and girls in 4th grade or older can assist the priests during the Mass and take a more active role in the liturgy as an Altar Server. Training is provided and you can serve as your schedule allows! Contact Amy Rokos, Altar Server Coordinator, with any questions and to join the ministry at amy.rokos@gmail.com.
School Christmas Program
Saint Robert Catholic School invites you to join them in celebrating “The Light of World” at their Christmas program on Monday, December 2 at 6:00 p.m. Students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will perform curated Christmas music in the Sanctuary. No RSVP required. Contact the School Office with questions at (616) 455-4966 or AJewell@StRobertSchoolAda.org.
Women ALIVE Advent Event
All the ladies of the parish and their friends are invited to join us for “The Little Way of Advent: Discovering Light in the Darkness with Saint Therese” on Tuesday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall. This year’s event features speaker Brooke Taylor and singer/songwriter, Olivia Vargas. RSVP to the Faith Formation Office at (616) 676-9111 ext 114 or email FaithFormation@StRobertChurch.org.
Special Studies
Join us for two one-day studies about the meanings of Advent and Christmas. We’ll dive deeper into the foundations of our faith, the “point” of each season, and why we celebrate the way we do. See the graphic above for specific dates and times. For more information and to RSVP, contact Hans Whitmer at (616) 676-9111 ext 117 or HWhitmer@StRobertChurch.org.
Stations of the Nativity Concert
Ignite your senses and inspire your soul with “Stations of the Nativity”, a multi-sensory concert experience, on Friday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit the event page at https://strobertchurch.org/ministries/stations-of-the-nativity/.
Christmas Party
Save-the-date for our Community Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 18 in Newminster Hall! Experience community and the joy we find in preparing for Christmas while enjoy a delicious, home-cooked dinner. More details forthcoming. To RSVP, contact the Faith Formation Office at (616) 676-9111 ext 114 or email FaithFormation@StRobertChurch.org.
Bambinelli Sunday
Bambinelli Sunday is a Catholic tradition during Advent when children and families bring figures of the Christ Child, or Bambinelli, to St. Peter’s Square to be blessed by the Pope. We invite all the members of our parish to bring their Baby Jesus figures from their Nativity scenes to be blessed by Fr. Tony and Fr. Weber at all Masses the Fourth Weekend of Advent (December 21 and 22).
Calendar
November 30:
Christmas Choir rehearsal
December 1:
First Sunday of Advent
NO Nursery or Sunday School
December 2:
St. Robert Catholic School Christmas Program, 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
December 3:
Women ALIVE Advent Event, 7:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall
December 4:
Cherub Choir Rehearsal, 4:45 p.m. in the Choir Room
December 6:
Feast of St. Nicholas
December 7:
Christmas Choir Rehearsal
December 8:
Second Sunday of Advent
December 9:
Holy Day – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Mass at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
December 11:
Cherub Choir Rehearsal, 4:45 p.m. in the Choir Room
December 12:
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 13:
Feast of St. Lucy
December 13:
Stations of the Nativity, 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
December 14:
First Reconciliation, 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
December 15:
Third Sunday of Advent
December 17:
Preschool 3’s Christmas Program, 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Life Center
December 18:
Preschool 4’s Christmas Program, 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Life Center
December 18:
Cherub Choir Rehearsal, 4:45 p.m. in the Choir Room
December 18:
Community Christmas Party in Newminster Hall
December 20:
CHRISTMAS BREAK BEGINS for St. Robert Catholic School students!
December 21:
Christmas Choir Rehearsal
December 22:
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24:
Parish Office CLOSED; Vigil Masses offered at 4:00, 6:30, and 10:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
December 25:
Parish Office CLOSED; Mass offered at 10:00 a.m.
December 28:
Feast of the Holy Innocents
December 29:
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Sunday
December 31:
Parish Office CLOSED; Vigil Mass offered at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
January 1:
Parish Office CLOSED; Mass offered at 10:00 a.m.
January 5:
The Epiphany of the Lord
January 6:
St. Robert Catholic School Resumes
January 7 – 10:
No Daily Mass or Confessions
January 12:
The Baptism of the Lord
Special Collections
Help beautify our worship space this Christmas season with a donation in memory of a loved one to the Art & Environment fund, which pays for all our campus decorations during our holy seasons. Donations are due no later than Sunday, December 8. Donations received by December 3 will be featured in the Christmas bulletin. Click here to make your donation online. Questions? Contact the Parish Office at (616) 676-9111 or email ParishMail@StRobertChurch.org.
Retirement Fund for Religious
Across the United States, hundreds of religious communities lack financial resources sufficient to meet the retirement and health-care needs of aging members. The Retirement Fund for Religious helps care for these members – today and tomorrow. A special collection will be held in support of this fund the weekend of December 7/8. Give to those who have given a lifetime – support this special collection.
Remember the Babies at Christmas
During the advent season we remember those in need. This year, the SRN Respect Life Committee is holding a collection for mothers and children in need at HELP Pregnancy Aid. You will find a Christmas tree with papers marked with items that are most needed near the cradle in the Narthex. Please take one or more and return the item(s) back to the cradle with the paper attached by December 20th. Please do not wrap items. Thank you for your generosity. Contact Cheryl Heise with any questions at caheise17@gmail.com.
Gift of the Magi Collection
Every year on the Epiphany of the Lord, we take up a special collection to benefit our sister parish in Haiti, Our Lady of Nativity in Verrettes. You can make a cash or check donation at any Mass on January 4 or 5, 2025 or make your donation online using our giving portal. Contact the Parish Office with any questions at ParishMail@StRobertChurch.org or (616) 676-9111.
Special Resources
Prepare your heart to welcome the Prince of Peace.
This pocket-sized Companion (available November 23 in the Gathering Area) follows a practical, page-a-day format and features original meditations on each day’s Gospel by one of twenty gifted authors.
- A variety of beautiful and practical blessings
- An Advent Penance Service
- Specially commissioned poetry
- Advent Stations
- The O Antiphons
Advent is that sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we come to terms with the deepest yearning of our soul—a yearning fulfilled only in Jesus Christ. As we wait in longing for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas, we turn over to him all the false satisfactions—the compromises—of our life. To live Advent is to live in the awareness of a Presence that changes us. Our Advent preparation is marked by vigilance—custody of the heart, in which we keep our soul fixed on the Lord. For what we see incarnate in the infant Jesus we desire for ourselves: purity, innocence, childlikeness restored. In the birth of this Child we know the promise of our own spiritual rebirth.
This rich spiritual companion will accompany you like a beloved friend through the four weeks of Advent with poignant scriptural reflections for each day of the season. You will also find a wealth of meditative prayers, essays, and poetry, an examination of conscience, and a unique feature: the Advent Stations. If you long for the nearness of God in your life, this invaluable little booklet promises to bring you ever closer to the One who promised: I am with you always (Mt 28:20).
Enjoy these Advent resources, available through FORMED®. To access these resources (and other exceptional Catholic content), sign up for your FORMED® account today! Your access is compliments of St. Robert of Newminster Parish. Visit signup.formed.org and enter our zip code (49301) to select our parish. Contact the Faith Formation Office with any questions at FaithFormation@StRobertChurch.org or call (616) 676-9111 ext 114.
REFLECTIONS
ADVENTUS
On behalf of the Augustine Institute, we are offering Adventus: A Spiritual Pilgrimage to everyone this Advent and Christmas Season. In light of the separation we face as communities, this special documentary allows Catholics all around the world to unite and make a spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land to see the places associated with Christ’s Birth.
ADVENT
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” or, at least that’s the assumption based on that familiar holiday song. But what does that look like at your house? Most of us anticipate the great sales at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving, string lights on the outside of our house, and decorating the inside of our homes. But how exactly are we preparing our hearts for the greatest gift we’ve ever been given? Through an exploration of the mystery of the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, and the events surrounding the arrival of Jesus, this Advent study offers an opportunity to experience the joy of the true meaning of Christmas.
THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS WITH DR. MICHAEL BARBER
Do you love Christmas traditions but don’t know where they come from? Tune in for Dr. Michael Patrick Barber’s Advent reflections called “The True Meaning of Christmas” and learn the meaning behind your favorite Christmas pastimes. To go deeper, be sure to get his accompanying book, “The True Meaning of Christmas”, available on Catholic.Market.
ADVENT WITH TIM GRAY (24 Episodes)
This Advent season, walk with Dr. Tim Gray on a journey of renewal to ready your heart for the coming of Christ. Each day of Advent, Dr. Gray will unpack the meaning of this season and its rich traditions, as well as offer practical advice for making this Advent your best yet.
ADVENT THROUGH THE CENTURIES
Watch “Advent Through the Centuries”, a 30-minute presentation featuring Dr. Bronwen McShae, visiting Assistant Professor of History with Augustine Institute.
ADVENT WORD STUDIES
Catholics have long observed the Advent season by meditating on peace, hope, joy, and love. Study these rich biblical words with the Bible Project’s Advent series.
BEHOLD: ADVENT WITH
SR. MIRIAM JAMES HIEDLAND SOLT
Let the Holy Family be your light through Advent as you receive the healing power of Christ. In this beautiful guided video series, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT—author of the bestselling book Restore and co-host of the Abiding Together Podcast — walks with you as you explore familial wounds with the help of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Each week of Behold will focus on a different theme that you can connect to your life in a practical way.
ADORE: ADVENT WITH FR. JOHN BURNS
You have a choice this Advent: Get caught up in the annual rush of shopping, decorating, and parties or slow down and take a few minutes each day to remember who this season is really about—Jesus. In Adore, popular author and speaker Fr. John Burns and illustrator Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie will help you reclaim the sacred sense of longing and joyful hope at the heart of Advent, focusing on a new theme each week—vigilance, preparation, nearness, and Emmanuel—that you can relate to your own life.
IN SEARCH OF A STORY | ADVENT RETREAT
At the outset of the local phase for the Synod on Synodality, Archbishop Aquila is inviting the entire archdiocese of Denver on retreat to encounter the story of Why We Exist. This five-part series will unpack what God has done in history to create us out of love, and rescue us once we were captured by sin and death. The question now is … how will we respond?
FORMED® Resources for Kids & Families
BROTHER FRANCIS: THE DAYS OF ADVENT
Brother Francis leads us on a daily journey in this special seasonal celebration of the coming of the Lord! Featuring meditations, prayers, and suggested activities to keep our focus on Christ this Christmas.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ADVENT TRADITIONS
Professors of the Augustine Institute share some Advent traditions they have in the home to help us all live liturgically this Advent!
HOW TO CHOOSE AN ADVENT TRADITION
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Is it possible to practice our Catholic faith with our families outside of Sunday Mass? Discover a way to celebrate the liturgical season of Advent with your family with these seven traditions from Kendra Tierney, author of Catholic All Year.
DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD
Journey through Advent with the whole family! Join art teacher Ms. Kim as she teaches children to draw different scenes from the Christmas story, including the Annunciation, the shepherds’ visit, the Nativity scene, and more. With compelling storytelling, Ms. Kim points out key details from Scripture and Catholic tradition. As kids follow along and learn new art skills, they also learn to see the connections between the big picture of God’s story and their place within it.
ROOTED: REDISCOVER THE JESSE TREE THIS ADVENT
This new 22-episode series guides Catholics through a daily Advent reflection using the Jesse Tree model traditionally practiced by families. Each seven-minute episode introduces the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shares a Scripture passage, and offers an engaging, practical reflection. Hosted by Dr. Scott Hefelfinger, Rooted helps viewers apply the passage and related teachings to each day of Advent, guided by the Church’s teaching. Episodes begin on December 3, the First Sunday of Advent, and end on December 24, the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Resources on our Parish App
To access these resources (in partnership with Ave Maria Press), please download the SRN Parish App to your smart phone or tablet. Text APP to 55321 or visit myparishapp.com for the link to download. The app is only available for Android and Apple devices.
