Catch ALO on Facebook!

Hello friends! 
This year we have decided to migrate Alo-related posting to Facebook, since that's the easiest medium for many of us to receive updates.  Please find us at
http://www.facebook.com/alomoms
and at our parish home base at http://www.hfslvt.org/html/alo.html.

Our next meeting will be this coming Thursday, October 16, 6:45-9 pm at the Holy Family Parish Hall in Essex Junction, Vermont.  Our speaker will be Monsignor McDermott, Chancellor of the Diocese of Burlington, addressing "How we can make Christ the center of our families' everyday moments."  Please join us for fellowship and the annual dinner provided by Father Charlie!  As always, childcare is provided, and the sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered at the end of the meeting.  Hope to see you there.

May Meeting This Thursday!

Please join ALO this Thursday, May 8 from 6:45-9 pm for our last meeting of the 2013-2014 season!  Laurie will be our facilitator, and we will meet again in the delightful new Parish Hall.

Theme:  "Experience Renewal:" enjoy a spa night with the other moms of ALO.  Please bring your own towel for the facial and hand and nail care activities.

Food:  We will be offering healthier tasty choices to go with the renewal theme: smoothies, fruit and chocolate.

Donation:  Our charity of the month is the Essex Ecumenical Lunch Bunch.  This program provides food for summer lunches to children who receive free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year.  Items in demand are as follows:
Peanut butter (18 oz. jar) 
Canned peaches or pears (18 oz.) 
Jelly (18 oz. jar) 
Applesauce (24 oz. jars) 
Tuna (5 - 6 oz. can) 
Mayonnaise (no larger than 32 oz. Jar) 
Single-serve pudding snack packs 
Macaroni and cheese (boxes only) 
Microwave popcorn 
Juice boxes - 100% juice only 
Baked beans (no larger than 16 oz. can) 
Single-serve applesauce snack packs

Other details: As usual, child care will be provided.  As a reminder, the new Parish Center is located next to Holy Family Church, which is on Route 2A (Lincoln St.) just north of the Five Corners in Essex Junction.  Coming from the Junction, make the first left on Lincoln Terrace and then an immediate right on School St.  This deadends into the church parking lot and the new Parish Center will be very obvious on your left above the parking lot.  We look forward to seeing you!

Next Meeting April 10 at the New Parish Center!

Please join ALO tomorrow night, Thursday, April 10 from 6:45-9 pm for our next meeting!  Amanda will be our facilitator, and we will have our first ever meeting in the new Parish Hall.

Theme:  Fr. Jon-Daniel Schnobrich, Director of the Catholic Center at the University of Vermont, will speak on "Experience Prayer."

Food:  Expect some more tasty desserts from Jennifer Parent and other moms in the group.

Donation:  Our charity of the month is Joseph's House in Burlington.  They are interested in the following types of items: diapers, wipes, shampoo and conditioner, soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, laundry detergent, dish soap, razors and shaving cream, men/ womens deodorant, and feminine hygiene items.
Please feel free to give as much or as little as you can!  More information about Joseph's House can be found here: http://www.josephshousevt.org/index.php?sid=5&pid=2

Other details: As usual, child care will be provided.  The new Parish Center is located next to Holy Family Church, which is on Route 2A (Lincoln St.) just north of the Five Corners in Essex Junction.  Coming from the Junction, make the first left on Lincoln Terrace and then an immediate right on School St.  This deadends into the church parking lot and the new Parish Center will be very obvious on your left above the parking lot.  We look forward to seeing you!

March Meeting Coming Up: March 13

Please join ALO next Thursday, March 13 from 6:45-9 pm for our next meeting!  Catherine will be our facilitator.  Just think, St. Patrick would want you to spend time in fellowship with other Catholics as we approach the end of winter.  :)

Theme:  Dr. Joseph Nasca, a pediatrician from Georgia, Vermont, will speak to us on the topic "Experience Faith: Raising Kids Catholic in the Contemporary Culture."

Food:  Expect some more tasty desserts from Jennifer Parent and other moms in the group.

Donation:  Our charity of the month is Heavenly Pantry, the interdenominational food bank in Essex Junction.  Donation is optional.  If you wish to bring a donation of cash, check (to "Heavenly Food Pantry, FCCEJ"), or goods on their wish list, we will deliver that to the organization.  They are particularly in need of: canned fruit, sugar, flour, cake mixes, brownie mix, baked beans, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant, as well as all the normal staples you might donate to a food pantry.

Other details: As usual, child care will be provided and we will still be meeting in the St. Edmunds Room in the back of the rectory at St. Lawrence Church, Essex Junction.  (Procedures for using the new parish hall are still being ironed out.)  Directions for new participants can be found below in a blog post from September 8.  We look forward to seeing you!

February Meeting Wrap-up

The cold and snow of a big storm coming in changed our plans a little bit, but we still had a nice, convivial Alo meeting last Thursday night.  Although the speakers were not able to make it, a dozen moms gathered over Judy's creamy chicken and gluten free black bean - quinoa dishes.  We also enjoyed a delightful dessert of strawberries, cream puffs and chocolate.  It was great to see you all!

February 13 Supper Meeting!

Please join us for our next meeting on Thursday, February 13 from 6:45-9 pm.  We'll celebrate Valentine's Day a bit early with a nice supper!  Gena will be our facilitator.

Speaker:  Julia Roberts and Alison Kopreski, Mental Health Clinicians of Vermont Catholic Charities, will speak to us on "Experience Connection."  Welcome, Julia and Alison!

Food:  Enjoy a delicious shared dinner provided by ALO.  Judy is making every effort to accommodate a variety of dietary needs.

Donation:  Our charity of the month is St. Joseph's Residential Home for the elderly.  Donation is optional.  If you wish to bring a donation of cash, check (to "St. Joseph's Residential Home"), or goods on their wish list, we will deliver that to the organization.  They are particularly in need of: unscented lotion, denture toothpaste, soap, and shower soap.

Child care will be provided.  We hope to see you next week!  We are still meeting in the St. Edmund's Room at the St. Lawrence church rectory in Essex Junction.  If you're new to ALO, directions can be found in a post below from September 8th.

January Meeting Wrap-up

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Despite the ice sheets, ALO moms gathered for an enjoyable evening last Thursday.  We collected donations of diapers and other useful items for moms in need who are served by CareNet Burlington, and had a deep and interesting conversation about life inspired by Terri Seward's address to the group.  It was inspiring to hear about different moms' thoughts on how we can open minds to the value of every life, while preserving a Christlike, humble stance that is not confrontational.

During the meeting, Gena Callan mentioned that her son is collecting donations to support a mission trip of Franciscan University of Steubenville to San Diego this spring.  If you wish to help support the trip and the mission work, you can use this online form to donate.  Simply click "San Diego" in the "Designation" drop down box.  Or, learn more about the missions from this (slightly out of date) website, which includes contact information.