Join us this Advent season as we prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Mass Schedule
PLEASE NOTE: All Masses will be celebrated in our main Sanctuary. Please enter through Doors B, C, or D. Handicap accessible entrances are located at Doors B and D. Handicap parking is available in Lot A and by Door D. The Sanctuary is equipped with an audio induction loop for the hearing impaired.
Daily Mass: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m.
First Saturday Mass: Saturday, December 2 at 9:00 a.m. in the main Sanctuary
Weekend Mass: Saturday at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.
Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. (Vigil Mass) and Friday, December 8 at 9:00 a.m.
Christmas Vigil Masses*: Sunday, 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
Christmas Mass*: Monday, December 25 at 10:00 a.m.
*Incense will be used at the 10:00 a.m. Mass
Feast of the Holy Family: Saturday, December 30 at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 31 at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Monday, January 1 at 10:00 a.m.
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. Handicap parking is available by Door D.
Wednesday, December 6: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (one priest available)
Saturday, December 2, 9, and 16: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (one priest available)
Wednesday, December 13 and 20: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (both priests available)
Saturday, December 23: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (both priests available)
Living the Season
It would be ADVENTageous for you to join us for this Advent Family event on Sunday, December 3 at 12:15 p.m. in Newminster Hall. On this First Sunday of Advent, we will begin our JOYFUL JOURNEY with the help of some saints! Enjoy prayer, a delicious meal, games, crafts, and fellowship of the parish family. Kick off this joyful season with FUN while keeping the reason for the journey at the center.
RSVP no later than NOVEMBER 20. Due to the extensive preparation that goes into this event, we cannot accept walk-ins the morning of. RSVP HERE!
All ladies of the parish and their friends are invited to gather for a special evening in celebration of Advent. Women ALIVE Ministry is proud to present “Universal Call to the Feminine” featuring Stacey Sumereau, speaker, singer, and “Called & Caffeinated” podcast host. Join us on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall. Host a table of friends (8 or less), come alone or with just a few friends. We kindly ask you bring an appetizer or dessert to pass. RSVP by Friday, December 1 to the Faith Formation Office at (616) 676-9111 ext 114 or FaithFormation@StRobertChurch.org.
Need some “me” time? Some quiet time away from the hectic and noisy world we live in. Sign up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration and spend that quiet time with Jesus! The men of That Man Is You! (TMIY) are sponsoring 12 hours of Eucharistic Adoration the first three Thursdays in November and December from 8 am to 8 pm. We’re looking for at least two people each hour who will commit to spending time with Jesus in the Eucharistic Chapel. “Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46
Click here to sign up for your holy hour!
The SRN Music Ministry proudly presents “Stations of the Nativity”. Join us for multimedia experience featuring music, visual art, and sacred scripture on Friday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Church. This event is sure to inspire you and prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of our Savior on Christmas. Freewill offering in support of our musicians joining the Choir Tour of Spain and Portugal next year. Please enter through Doors B, C, or D. Handicap accessible entrances are located at Doors B and D. Handicap parking is available by Door A and B. The Sanctuary is equipped with an audio induction loop system.
Don’t miss Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center at St. Robert of Newminster Catholic Church in Ada on Saturday, December 16, 2023! Tickets are $20 per person and are on sale NOW! Handicap accessible entrances are located at Doors A, B, and D. Handicap parking is available at Doors A & D. The Sanctuary is equipped with an Induction Loop System (AFILS) for those with hearing aids.
Do something for your soul this Advent season. Come with your family and G.L.O.W. on Sunday, December 17 immediately following the 6:00 p.m. Mass. We will enjoy an evening of cocoa, cookies, and carols together in the PLC. Join us! Fifteen minutes could change your Advent season.
Calendar
November 16: Cherub Christmas Choir (Kn – 2nd grade) begins rehearsing, 5:30 p.m.
November 29: Christmas Choirs begin rehearsing, 6:30 p.m.
November 30: Cherub Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 5:30 p.m.
December 2: Paradisus Dei FREE Half-Day Retreat for Couples
December 2: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 9:30 a.m.
December 3: First Sunday of Advent
December 3: Christmas Flower Memorial Donations due
December 3: Teen Disciples Advent Retreat
December 3: Joyful Journey Family Advent Event, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. Mass in Newminster Hall
December 5: Women ALIVE: Universal Call to the Feminine, 7:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall
December 6: St. Robert Catholic School Christmas Program for Young 5’s through 5th Grade, 6:00 p.m. in the Main Church
December 6: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
December 7: Vigil Mass for the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 7:00 p.m. in the Main Church
December 7: Eucharistic Adoration from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December 8: HOLY DAY Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 9:00 a.m. in the Main Church
December 8: OWLS Social Gathering, 3:00 p.m. in the PLC
December 9: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 9:30 a.m.
December 9: First Reconciliation, 10:00 a.m. in the Main Church
December 10: Second Sunday of Advent
December 10: Donuts in Newminster Hall following the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Masses, hosted by the Knights of Columbus
December 10: Young Disciples Advent Retreat, 11:00 a.m. in the PLC
December 13: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
December 14: Eucharistic Adoration from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December 14: Cherub Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 5:30 p.m.
December 15: Stations of the Nativity (hosted by the SRN Music Ministry), 7:00 p.m. in the Main Church
December 16: Dr. Scott Hahn, 8:00 a.m. in the Main Church
December 16: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 9:30 a.m.
December 17: Third Sunday of Advent
December 17: G.L.O.W. (God Lights Our World) Family Carol Event, immediately following the 6:00 p.m. Mass in the PLC
December 19: St. Robert Catholic School Preschool 3 Christmas Program, 10:00 a.m. in the PLC
December 20: St. Robert Catholic School Preschool 4 Christmas Program, 10:00a.m. in the PLC
December 20: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
December 21: Eucharistic Adoration from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December 21: Cherub Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 5:30 p.m.
December 22: Christmas Break begins for St. Robert Catholic School at 3:00 p.m.
December 23: Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 9:30 a.m.
December 24: Fourth Sunday of Advent
9:00 a.m. Mass ONLY – Decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas will begin immediately following Mass
December 25: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
December 25 & 26: Parish Office CLOSED for Christmas
December 29 & January 1: Parish Office CLOSED for New Years
January 8: St. Robert Catholic School classes resume
Special Collections
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 9/10. 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 or Jean Stojak at jkseled@aol.com.
Special Resources
SRN is pleased to offer Ascension’s Rejoice! An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture, Year B by Fr. Mark Toups for our parishioners at no cost to you. Experience a more peaceful, more joyful, and more meaningful Advent than ever before. Rejoice! An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture, Year B is a prayer resource that offers daily reflections on the Sunday mass readings that will help you enter more deeply into the season of Advent. Together with the weekly videos, this journal will help you to grow in your understanding and appreciation for the incredible gift of Christ’s Incarnation. As you slow down and meditate on the readings each week, you’ll find your experience of Advent transformed. By contemplating the coming of the Prince of Peace at Christmas, you’ll find your own heart filled by his peace and joy.
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 Teresa Burns with any questions at TBurns@StRobertChurch.org.
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.
ADVENT: RETHINKING THE SEASON (Podcast)
Advent is an odd season. Unlike most other seasons, it’s a season that isn’t about itself, but is instead about preparing for Christmas. But that reality often gets lost in the shuffle and stress of trying to find all the right gifts, decorations, and dinner ingredients. In this Lighthouse Talk audio presentation, Dr. Tim Gray uses storytelling and the readings of the Old Testament to explain that we need to live the ‘pre-season’ of Advent well, so we can be prepared to welcome and receive the greatest gift God the Father wants to give us at Christmas: His Son, Jesus.
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.
