If you have not, as yet, brought in a red ornament for our Family Tree, please do so as soon as possible. The Family Tree will be located in the back of the church and we are asking for one red ornament for each parish family. We also ask that your name be included. There is a basket in the narthex to collect your red ornament. 
An Advent Day of Recollection with Monsignor Scott Friend will be held on Friday, December 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Between 9-10:00 a.m. we will register and share coffee and pastries. Bring your Bible and finger foods to share for lunch. Sign-up sheets and detailed schedule are in the narthex. 
Please mark your calendars for Friday, December 20, at 2:00 p.m. for our Advent Reconciliation Service with priests available for individual reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Some of you may already be present for the day of Recollection with Monsignor Friend. Those who are not, can just come to the service at 2:00 p.m. If you cannot attend at that time, Father Bill will offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, December 21, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. 
AARP Driver Safety Program has been rescheduled to Tuesday, December 17, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Upper Hall. Please sign-up for the one day course at the credenza by the entrance to the A & E hallway. Bring your driver's license and AARP card and a check payable to AARP for $12 for each AARP member and $14 for each non-member. Call Gene Widlowski at 922-5170 with questions. 
The Ladies of the Sacred Heart Christmas Brunch has been rescheduled to Monday, December 16, at 10:00 a.m. The Christmas Brunch will follow daily Mass that will be held at its regularly scheduled time of 9:00 a.m. Guild members, please contact a team captain if you CANNOT attend, by Thursday, December 12. This information is needed to give an accurate count to Home Plate. 
Each Angel on the Angel Tree in the narthex represents a gift for a child in one of the needy families receiving a Christmas Basket. The angel has a child's age, gender, size and a suggested article of clothing. Please select one or more angels from the tree, If you choose to purchase more than one gift, please take additional angels with one gift per angel. Each child has four angels. After the gifts are purchased and wrapped, please tape the angel firmly to the gift and return it to the Angel Tree. Please place the side of the angel with only the age and gender facing up. All gifts must be placed under the tree no later than Tuesday, December 10, 2013 in order for families to receive their gifts before Christmas.Donations can also be made to the Village Outreach Shoe Fund. Each child in the families receiving a Christmas Basket will also receive a certificate for a pair of shoes. Please make checks payable to Sacred Heart Church, with the notation "shoe fund", and place the donation in the box located on the cabinet in the Administration & Education Building hallway. Thank you for your generous support of our Sacred Heart Holiday Basket Program!
Sunday, December 15, the Knights of Columbus would like to invite everyone to their delicious parish breakfast. The menu includes biscuits and gravy with sausage and scrambled eggs, hash browns and juice, coffee or milk. We will be welcoming new parishioners who will be guests of the Knights. Please join us in welcoming them to the Sacred Heart Family. All breakfast proceeds are used to fund the Knights' charitable activities throughout the year. Your support is greatly appreciated. See you there! 
This is the final week-end to place an order for hams and other Petit Jean products through the Knights of Columbus. There are order forms on the credenza in the A & E hallway. If you have any questions, please contact Milt Spaniel at 915-0148 or Mike Welsh at 915-8344. 
Our next parish movie will be shown on Friday, December 13 in the Lower Hall at 6:00 p.m. Join us to see "The Singing Nun". Refreshments will be served. 
The Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Christmas Dinner Dance, Saturday, December 7, 2013 starting at 5:00 p.m. in the Lower Hall. There will be three main courses to choose from: Chateaubriand in a Burgundy Sauce, Pork with Apricot Glaze or Roast Turkey Breast with gravy - all of which will be carved at your table. The Bob Boyd Group will be entertaining with their music. Ticket cost is $25 per person and will go on sale after weekend Masses. If you want to reserve a table or have any questions, contact Bill Welch at 922-6345 or Jack Widlowski at 922-1395. 
Each year Sacred Heart delivers food to needy families in the Fountain Lake, Jessieville and Mountain Pine areas for the holidays. Last year we delivered 54 baskets for Christmas alone. The food in the baskets is purchased with funds donated by parishioners at Sacred Heart. Without these donations, we would not be able to help families-in-need.Thank you to those who donated to the basket fund through the Special Collection the weekend of November 9/10. If you were unable to make a donation but would still like to, please mail your check to Jim Schmidt, 2 Certero Circle, HSV. Please make checks payable to Sacred Heart and on the memo line, please write "basket program".
Due to Thanksgiving occurring later this year, the Angel Tree will be in the narthex the weekend before Thanksgiving. Please take one or more Angels and return the presents no later than December 8. These presents are for the children in the families to which we deliver baskets.
According to the United States Census, approximately 25% of the children in Garland County live in poverty. Thank you for your generous donations in the past. Please continue to help us to help our less-fortunate neighbors!
All people of faith in God are invited to the annual Village Interfaith Council Thanksgiving service this Tuesday, November 26, at 2:00 p.m. at Kirk of the Pines Presbyterian Church on 275 Asturias Drive. Ministers from the local churches (including Father Bill) will take on leadership roles in conducting this service. A reception will follow in the parish hall. 
Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming production of Annie, November 21-24, 2013. There are several Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners that are in the cast or that are working behind the scenes. They are Bill Lamoureux, Tom Gallagher, Carolyn Bodensteiner and Sue Mefford. The cast includes some really talented young people, an adorable dog, and some savvy adults as well. Get your tickets now at www.hsvticketsales.com. 
The Diocese is auditing for compliance to the Protecting God's Children program which all of our volunteer ministers have attended. This is a reminder that some who have taken the Protecting God's Children training are not following up with the continuing education part of the program. To access your status, login in at www.virtus.org with user ID and password, then select "Training" and "Training bulletins for Adults" and read any past due bulletins, answer the questions and submit. By doing this on a timely basis, you will stay current with Virtus continuing education information. For those without computer access, paper copies are available in the library. Use the tracking form provided to print your name and check off the bulletin read to receive credit. Any questions, call Russ Harrison at 922-1767. 
On November 20 at 3:00 p.m. we will celebrate our annual Mass of Remembrance to honor relatives and friends of parishioners who have died over the past year. If you have lost a member of your family, a spouse, a parent, a child, a grandchild, a sibling or a close friend, this is your opportunity to join with your parish family in remembering and rejoicing over the special life and gift that was your loved one.
There are sign-up sheets in the narthex of church. Please take a minute to sign your name and the name of the person you want to remember. You are asked to bring a picture of your loved one to the Church on November 20. If you have already placed a picture on our November Memorial table, please use that picture.
Light rereshments will be served in the Lower Hall immediately following the Mass. Please sign-up and attend this special Mass.
November VIRTUS training session will be offered on Monday evening the 18th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the A & E classroom area. The dates are November 18 or December 16.If you are a new volunteer minister and have not attended a previous training session, you are required to attend to meet the bishop's directive that all volunteer ministers be in compliance with this diocesan program. To register online, go to www.virtus.org, select "registration", then "Little Rock Diocese" and "Sacred Heart of Jesus at Hot Springs Village". Select the date and follow instructions. Any questions, call Russ Harrison at 922-1767.