The St. Joseph Mantua Knights of Columbus Council 3766 and the St. Ambrose Garrettsville Council 11801 will be hosting the 2025 Basketball Free Throw Contest for all boys and girls ages 9 through 14 on Saturday, January 11, at the Crestwood Intermediate School gym beginning at 1 p.m. The participant’s age category is determined by his/her age as of January 1st. A parent or guardian’s signature is required for entry. Contestants receive a Certificate of Participation and each age/gender category winner receives a special prize. Winners will progress to the Regional competition that will be held at Garrettsville High School in February. If you have questions or need any additional information, please contact Ed Zwolinski at 440-413-4246 or [email protected] or David Vincent at 234-243-2999 or [email protected].

The Catholic Echo shines a light on local Catholic life through stories in the print magazine, website, and diocesan social media. This evangelical effort reaches 52,000 households, inviting all into closer relationships with Jesus Christ and our local Church. To support this ministry, please give to The Catholic Echo second collection, January 12. This publication is geared toward forming, informing and engaging registered parishioners in all our Catholic parishes, plus additional subscribers and website visitors. If you are not receiving the magazine but want to, please contact the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes to update your registration (330-274-2253) or visit catholicecho.org/subscribe. 

Do you have an hour to help save a life? As a proud Premier Blood Partner with the Red Cross, we know that just that short amount of time donating blood can mean a lifetime to a patient battling illness or injury. Roll up a sleeve and join us in giving back to the community. St. Ambrose Parish will host a Blood Drive on Thursday, January 16 , Noon to 6 p.m. Visit www.redcrossblood.org today to schedule your appointment to give to an upcoming blood drive!

If you would like your 2024 contribution statement for tax purposes, please fill out the form included in the bulletin. Statements will be prepared only for those who request them. You may place the form in the collection basket or bring it to the rectory. Thank you.

The St. Ambrose Knights of Columbus is hosting a charity fundraiser through Cal's Restaurant & Pizza Express in Garrettsville that benefits the K of C Scholarship Fund and Garrettsville-Nelson Food Shelf. Grab your family and friends and enjoy a fabulous meal at Cal’s, present the flyer to your server, and Cal’s will donate 10% of your purchase directly to the St. Ambrose Knights! Download & print a copy of the Cal's flyer (https://www.stambroseonline.com/outreach-service - scroll down to find K of C section) or pick one up in St. Ambrose Church’s vestibule.

The St. Ambrose Knights of Columbus Council 11801 would like to thank the St. Ambrose community. Your efforts this past year bringing food items for the Nelson-Garrettsville Community Cupboard resulted in over 1000 lbs. of food. Because of the donations of the Council and Parish, the Council was able to apply for a "matching gift" from the Supreme Knights of Columbus Council for the amount of $100.00. This amount will go right back to the Food Pantry to assist them in serving our JAG families with needed meals. Thank you again from Council 11801.

As of December 19, the Diocese of Youngstown has received pledges and gifts totaling $4,086,411.00 for the 2024 Annual Diocesan Appeal: One in Hope, One in Mission. Thank you to everyone who has made this year such a great success. At St. Ambrose Parish, we have received gifts and pledges totaling $12,860.00 toward our goal of $16,300.00. That is 78.90% of our goal. Thank you so much for your faithful support. To help our parish move even closer toward our goal over these final weeks of the year, please consider making a gift to the Annual Diocesan Appeal in the coming days. Pledges and gifts will be taken until December 31, 2024, by visiting www.doy.org/appeal. Thank you again, and God bless you all. To make a gift, please visit the www.doy.org/appeal. Thank you again, and God bless you all.

Our Christmas Giving Tree is in the vestibule. Please take a tag and write your name and phone number on the gift tracking form. Please return the UNWRAPPED gift with the tag attached by Sunday, December 15. Thank you for your generosity! Questions??? Please contact Judy Macek @ 330-398-5000.

Join us for the Feast of Saint Ambrose Retreat - Confession “The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation” on Saturday, December 7, 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. at St. Ambrose Parish, 10692 Freedom St., Garrettsville, OH 44231. This FREE event includes lunch, confession and Mass. Speaker Michael C. Hasychak, Author, Musician, and Catholic Radio Host, will guide us as we focus on the importance and significance of the healing Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation to our salvation, what the Catholic Church teaches us about this Sacrament, where it is rooted in the sacred scripture, how to do an examination of conscience, mitigating sin, and the process of confession with a priest. RSVP: [email protected]/ or call Judy at 330-398-5000.

St Ambrose Parish’s Altar and Rosary Society will hold its Annual Christmas Cookie Sale on Sunday, December 8, in the church hall after the 11 a.m. Mass. A delicious assortment of cookie trays and other homemade bakery items for your holiday sweet tooth will be available!   

As co-chairs of the St. Ambrose Christmas Walk Committee, we would like to thank all of those who helped make this event an awesome representation of our parish as well as our St. Ambrose family. We want to thank John Bond for smoking and shredding all of the pork shoulders for our sliders and the “cabbage rollers” who made 800 cabbage rolls! The “cake bakers” for their delicious chocolate & carrot cakes, the kitchen crew for preparing the potatoes, green beans, and cutting all of the cakes. And lastly, but certainly not least, all of those who helped to decorate and then undecorate the church. Thanks to Rich Strainer for keeping the grounds looking amazing. The church and hall were beautiful and we heard many compliments! Our net profit for the event came to $4,289.12. We couldn’t have done it with out our St. Ambrose Family. —John & Sue Wolanin

St. Ambrose will hold our Mass of Remembrance on Monday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. All those wishing to remember their loved ones who have passed away may do so at this special liturgy.

St. Ambrose Church encourages the community to join us on Thursday, November 14. Noon to 6 p.m. in the parish hall to give the gift of life. The donation process only takes about an hour and can make an enormous difference for a patient battling illness or injury. Donors of all blood types are needed. Blood is a perishable product that can only come from volunteer blood donors. For more information, please visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Our giving tree for Thanksgiving meals will be in the vestibule November 3-17. Please take a tag and return it with the food item by Sunday, November 17. Food donations will help St. Ambrose families and The Garrettsville-Nelson Community Food Cupboard. Thank you for your generosity! Questions? Please contact Judy Macek ([email protected]).

We will be cancelling the November 5 Bingo due to Christmas Walk preparations. St. Ambrose’s Bingo program supports parish programs and is usually held the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month (doors open at 5:45 p.m.). Delicious food is available throughout the evening. Come out and have some fun!

St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Warren is planning a celebration for Father Ed Stafford's 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. The event will be held in Covelli Hall at the Blessed Sacrament Church location (3020 Reeves Rd., Warren, OH 44483), on Saturday, November 23, after their 4 p.m. Mass. The event is free but an RSVP is required ([email protected] or 330-393-8721). They are also making him a book that parishioners can donate $25.00 and send a memory that will be put into the keepsake for him. Please forward them to the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes no later than October 27th.

Have you heard about Portage North Life Teen? Several options are available for programs for the four parishes of Portage North. The GOAL is to provide a safe and fun place for high school teens to find a solid Catholic community, get answers to their questions and most importantly, to experience and encounter Jesus in a real and personal way. Check it out!

Every week we send out a parish newsletter through Flocknote. If you are not receiving it via email or text and would like to, please contact the Office of St. Joseph & St. Ambrose Parishes (330-274-2253 or [email protected]) with your email address and/or cell number.

St. Ambrose Parish’s Social Life Committee has been granted permission to stream season 4 of this biblically based series about the life of Christ and His followers. If you have not watched seasons 1-3 yet, you can binge them for free on “The Chosen” app, Prime, or Disney Plus to catch up. We will meet in the parish hall on the third Monday of each month following the 6:30 p.m. Mass through November. Popcorn is provided! All you need to bring is a friend and your drink.

VIRTUS TRAINING & BACKGROUND CHECKS Diocesan Virtus Compliance and background checks are not just for those working with children anymore. Any adult who is an altar server or anyone bringing communion to or visiting the homebound, needs to be virtus compliant. Training is done online at your convenience. Please contact Jennifer Berczik (330-274-2253- T,W,TH) to find out how to get started.