Thanksgiving:
Thursday, November 23 - St. John’s @ 9:00 am 
No Mass on Friday, November 24 @ St. Patrick’s

Immaculate Conception:
Thursday, December 7 - St. John’s @ 5:30 pm

Friday, December 8-
St. John’s @ 8:30 am
St. Patrick’s @  5:30 pm

Deacon Tim will be leading a men’s group to help us prepare to celebrate the Advent Season more fully. We will be using the booklet, Prepare Your Heart as a resource ($10). We will meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 in the John Paul room in the basement of St. John’s church. Our first meeting will be November 30th. If interested please call St. John’s parish office to sign up at 319-334-7191 or Deacon Tim’s cell at 319-327-1076. Come join us and Prepare Your Heart for the Advent Season.
 

Kathy Post will lead a book study group for the cluster during the season of Advent. The name of the book is Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing and Freedom Through Jesus by Sr. Miriam James Heidland S.O.L.T. 
Miriam was originally full of athletic ambition and goals for a career in sports news.  She was transformed in a very slow but deep way during her undergraduate years, moving from party girl to bride of Christ. In Loved as I Am, Sr. Miriam helps readers learn from her experience of seeking love in the wrong places and instead finding it in Christ. She shares her struggles—learning she was adopted, battling alcoholism, and healing from childhood sexual abuse—as signs of hope that anyone who desires to know Christ can find him and be loved intimately by him in return. By bringing readers into Heidland's healing process, Loved as I Am provides a gentle and subtle template for finding peace and freedom in Jesus.
The group will meet at the home of Kathy and Deacon Post at 6 PM for 4 weeks, starting on Monday, November 27th. Address: 2132 Horseshoe Drive, Independence.
The book can be purchased on Amazon for $11.95 ($10.99 ebook). Call Kathy at 563-608-3151 to register. We will review Chs. 1 and 2 on the first night.

Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox project this year will be online and in person. If you would like to be a part of this, go online to samaritanspurse.org  and Click on Start Building. Follow directions for picking your choices from those shown. When complete, follow through to finish your information. **There will also be shoeboxes in the back of St. Patrick's church in Winthrop and may be filled and brought back to the church. Please put those boxes in sacristy room on the table by Nov. 11th, so we can deliver them before the due date. These boxes are sent to children around the world and is usually the only Christmas gift they receive.
 

Looking for an activity with your family to share the Christmas spirit? St. John’s will have a “Giving Tree” set up starting December 3. Names of homebound and nursing home residents will be posted on the tree along with contact information. A list of suggested items is listed below and is so appreciated this time of year.  Spread the cheer! 
Suggested items:  send a Christmas Card, a visit, flowers/small plant, puzzles, lotions, fuzzy warm socks with grips, puzzle books, snack/cookies/candies, books, 2024 calendar, aftershave, tissues, holiday decorations, stationary supplies (paper, stamps, pens, etc), lip gloss/chap stick, puzzle books, cards/games, small bottles of wine, teas/coffee/cocoa, holiday mug, winter snow globe, basket of goodies and any other item(s) you may feel is appropriate.

The following Mass tImes are effective October 7th:

St. John the Evangelist - Independence:
Saturday: 5:30PM
Sunday: 10:00AM
RECONCILIATION:
Sunday 9:15 - 9:45AM

St. Patrick - Winthrop:
Saturday: 4:00PM
Sunday: 8:00AM
RECONCILIATION
Friday 7:30 - 7:50AM
Saturday: 3:15-3:45PM