COMMUNITY LIFE, which includes The Angel Tree, Angie Harris Bowling Tournament, Thanksgiving Baskets and Backpack Ministry, will meet Thursday, February 7th, at 10AM in the Conference Room.

If you are hospitalized, home bound or in a medical nursing/rehab facility and wish to receive the Eucharist, please call the office to request visitation. If you are hospitalized at Erlanger, Asheville or another facility away from our area, please notify admissions that you are requesting a Catholic Priest.I

Volunteers are needed for Special Olympics Bowlers! Bowling begins Thursday on February 7th from 6PM to 7PM at Harrah’s Casino in Murphy. The event will take place for approximately 12 weeks. If you are interested in helping the athletes, please contact Jean Hobbs at 828-835-6428.

SVDP HANDLED 31 client cases in December with distributions helping 93 individuals. SVdP received monies during December from collections at weekend Masses, electronic giving, and donations from parishioners. All funds collected go to help families that are in great need during this cold weather. Thank You for your generous support!

It's this weekend! The annual St. Valentine's Day brunch for the Ladies, sponsored by the Men's Club will be held Sunday, February 17th following the 11AM Mass. We invite everyone to join us for a festive brunch featuring a variety of your favorite menu items. There will be no charge, however, a free will offering from the gentlemen in attendance would be appreciated.

All women of the Diocese of Charlotte are invited to attend the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) Morning Reflection on Monday, February 11th, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte. Mass will be celebrated at 9AM. Coffee and a reflection by Fr. Basile Sede at 10:30 AM in the Assembly Room behind the chapel. RSVP is requested. Click the heading to visit our website for more information and to RSVP.

Please remember to visit the Commons to pick up your envelopes. If you do not find your envelopes, please leave your name, envelope number if you know it, and your mailing address on the missing envelope sheet lying next to the envelopes.

St. Vincent de Paul in conjunction with the St. William Men’s Club is looking for furniture and other home furnishing donations to provide funding for their ongoing mission. In order to market these donations, an arrangement has been made with Leroy’s Used Furniture to provide that service. For more information or to schedule a donation, please contact Bud Sommers at 828-557-7114 or 828-360-4280.

Quarterly reports for the period October, November and December, 2018 are due in the Parish Office no later than January 15th so they can be included in the Pastoral Council packets for their meeting on January 22nd.

A Special Thank You to Joan Taylor for the beautiful presentation on the altar for Christmas. Joanie does a fabulous job for all our special events here at St. William, and as our Sacristan, she works very hard to keep our Sanctuary looking beautiful no matter what the occasion. We are so grateful to her for her hard work.

Start the new year out right by enriching your marriage. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends are March 1-3, 2019 in Hickory, NC and June 21-23, 2019 in Cary, NC. Early sign up is recommended. For more information, click the heading to visit our website or contact us at: applications@NCMarriageDiscovery.org or 704-315-2144.

We would be honored to have you and your children join us for Mass to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord this year! We are asking the children in our Faith Formation program to volunteer for a part in our Live Nativity on Christmas Eve before the start of 9 PM Mass at St. William. We need 8 to 10 children to portray Mary, Joseph, and shepherds, and approach the altar dressed in costumes just prior to the start of Mass. There are no speaking roles to memorize. You may, however, sing along as the choir sings Silent Night as you walk to the altar if you wish! IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE CHRISTMAS EVE PROGRAM, please bring your child to the St. William Church Commons (main building) on Wednesday, December 19 at 6:00pm for costume fitting and rehearsal! We will need all participants to arrive at Church on Christmas Eve by 8:00pm. Our program will start at 8:30pm and Mass will start at 9:00pm. There will be no time to costume fittings or rehearsal on Christmas Eve, so it is imperative that you come on Wednesday! We are looking forward to having your child participate in our program! If you have any questions please feel free to call Dawn Whidden at 828-361-5810 or Theresa Gaffney at 770-653-0803. Thank you! The St. William Catholic Church CFF Teachers

Ladies, January the Ladies Guild will not be meeting in order for all of us to recover from the busy holiday season. Please get your ideas together for our next meeting, February 19th, on how we can make a difference in our Parish and our community.

Bulletin Prayer Lists will be purged on December 31st. The Bulletin prayer list contains the names of Parishioners and immediate family members in need of prayers, and the e-alert system is for friends and extended family members as well as Parishioners. Prayers of the Faithful read during Mass are for the most critically ill members of our Parish family and will remain in the Prayers for one month unless you notify the office. If you wish your family member to be remembered in prayer, please contact the office.

Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will begin at 5PM in Spanish at IHM on Wednesday, December 12th. This will be followed by a home cooked meal prepared by the members of the Mexican community. All are welcome to this feast! Thank you for praying with the members of our Mexican community.

The Angel Tree is up and waiting for you to pick out your special angel. Gifts must be placed under the tree no later than December 16th. Gifts will be distributed on December 17th. For some recipients, this will be the only gift they will receive. Remember, there is a $25.00 gift limit. If you have any questions, please contact Carole Johnson at 837-3316. Please be sure to enter your name by the number of the angel you are taking so we can keep track of our angels. Thank you.

The final drop off for the Marine Corp. Toys for Tots Program is December 10th. Their Toy Box is sitting in the Commons, and your unwrapped new gifts are much appreciated. One of the best ways to make sure these Cherokee County children are remembered is through a check made out to “Toys for Tots”. You can give the check to Bob Schmitt or to Gail Maloof at the church office. Please put your donation in an envelope clearly marked “Toys for Tots” in the weekend collection basket. Your continued generosity is a hallmark of your Christian Love.

A two-part performance will be presented by the Cherokee County Women's Community Choir and a men's barbershop chorus at Little Brasstown Baptist Church at 7 PM on Sunday, December 2nd and again at St. William at 7 PM on Sunday, December 9th. Prelude starts at 6:45 PM. There is no charge to attend this celebration of our Savior's birth.

The IHM Community Choir will perform a Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 15th at 1:30 in the Sanctuary. The choir will perform the cantata "Come to Bethlehem" with orchestra. In addition, there will be special guest musicians performing your holiday favorites. All are welcome!

The Annual Ladies Guild Christmas Luncheon is at Haney's Restaurant in Peachtree. The cost is $15 for a lunch, drink, dessert, tax and tip. There is a signup sheet on the bulletin board in the Commons to make your luncheon selection. All ladies of the Parish are invited to attend this fun event. For more information, please contact Sandy Hoffer at 828-644-0729.