Saint Cyprian Catholic Church

Prayer of St. Cyprian

Almighty God, we are reminded through your servant St. Cyprian, of your Spirit always within us and Your continued presence in us, and of our oneness with You and the Church. May we always grow together and profess You in Faith, Unity, and Hope. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we ask this through Christ our Lord
Amen.

From the Pastor’s Desk

May Jesus Christ, Emanuel, who came into the world to bring peace to all God’s people to all God’s people, be with you!

Now that Thanksgiving Day is behind us, we now enter a spiritual season of Advent. Today is the first day of the season of Advent. During this season, we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Although stores and commercials are preparing everyone for gift giving, as Christians we use this time to spiritually get ready for the birth of Jesus Christ. We can prepare ourselves by attending the Sacrament of Confession, pray the rosary, read the Bible, especially the Gospel of Luke, and attend Mass. Remembering to take a moment or two for silent prayer. Use this time of year to deepen your relationship with God.

Our parish begins a new Parish Theme today. From today until next December, we will celebrate our Parish Theme: “Teamwork through compassion and service.” Each month our parish will put this theme into action, spiritually and socially. We encourage everyone to participate in this theme.

We will also have the Advent Giving Tree. Ornaments on the Advent Tree will contain special items for parishioners to obtain. These items will be distributed to the local nursing homes and other institutions. Please participate in this parish activity.

On this first Sunday of Advent, we hear the call of Christ to be on guard, and to be people of prayer. May we take a moment during our busy lives to remember, reflect, and meditate the real reason for the season of Advent.

May we join as a parish family, journeying as one during this season to Christmas.

Peace and Blessings
Msgr. Britto

DEACON’S CORNER

BLACK CATHOLIC HISTORY MONTH
Sister Mary Antona Ebo

On November 11, 2017, the Catholic Church lost a moral titan in the long struggle for racial equality and justice in the United States. The life of Mary Antona Ebo, F.S.M., should be noted and mourned by all Catholic concerned with fighting white supremacy and building more inclusive communities. Although her name may not be as recognizable as those of Servant of God Mary Lange, Venerable Henrietta Delille, Sister Thea Bowman, Sister Mary Ebo, during her years, broke a host of seemingly insurmountable racial barriers within the church. Members of the Sisters of St. Mary (later the Franciscan Sisters of Mary) for 71 years, she was also one of the most visible links between Catholicism and the modern civil rights movement.

Before she was Sister Mary Antona, she was “Betty.” On April 10, 1924, Elizabeth Louise Ebo was born to Daniel and Louise Teal Ebo in Bloomington, Ill. When she was 4 years old, Ebo suffered her first major tragedy when her mother, then just 29 years old, died during pregnancy. Though raised Baptist, Ebo was drawn to Catholicism during two extended hospital stays in her adolescent years, first at St. Joseph Hospital in Bloomington, Ill., administered by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and later the Fairview Sanatorium in Norman, Ill. Intrigued by the spirituality of the kind lay workers at St. Joseph, Ebo requested to receive religious instruction from visiting priest while she was hospitalized with tuberculosis at Fairview. She soon was received into the Catholic Church.

Called to religious life after her conversion, Ebo was first encouraged to enter the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the nation’s first successful order of black nuns, since no white sisterhoods in Illinois or Missouri accepted black candidates. But when Ebo learned that the Sisters of Mary were considering lifting their ban on black members, she held out. In July of 1946, Ebo became one of the first African American women accepted into the historically German order. Her admission, however, did not translate into immediate or sincere acceptance. Like many pioneering black sisters in white orders, Ebo endured unconscionable discrimination from her white counterparts and superiors. The Sisters of Mary built a separate novitiate for its first black candidates to ensure segregation in the dining, training and social interactions of the community. The white superiors also initially barred their black members from the mother-house. On June 9, 1947, Ebo and four other black members of the order professed their first vows in a segregated ceremony at which the archbishop of St. Louis officiated. When scores of black sisters began defecting from religious life in protest enduring discrimination, Ebo vowed to remain in her order and fight the racism deeply embedded in the church. She served as the N.B.S.C. president from 1980 to 1982. In 1989, Ebo won the Harriet Tubman Award for her outstanding service and leadership.

Deacon Nightingale

Coming To Mass, Please Remember:

Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
Wear your mask in church except children 2years old and younger
Do not attend Mass if you are high risk to contract COVID19
Do not attend Mass if you are sick
Use the center doors when entering church.
Please sanitize your hands when you enter church
Missals and hymnals will no longer be in the pews.
Please follow directions on signs when taking your seat.
Members of the same household may sit together.
Sit 6 ft apart if not in the same household
No Sign of Peace at this time
No Precious Blood at this time
Do not hold hands during the “Our Father”
Receive Holy Communion by hand remove your mask before receiving Holy Communion
Do not congregate after Mass, please go directly to your car.
Please leave your mask on as you exit church

We will continue to follow the guidelines from the CDC. The church will be sanitized between each mass and deep cleaned during the week preparing for Sunday Mass.