Parish Events and Services

St. Mary Parish, Defiance
Tuesdays – December 4th, December 11th and December 18th - 7 to 8pm - Sung Advent Vesper services. Sung seasonal communal prayer w/ reflection & Eucharistic Adoration. 


St. John the Baptist, Payne
Wednesday, December 19 – 7pm St. John School Christmas Program

All Saints, Rossford
Tuesday, December 18 – 7pm - Penance Service
SCHOOLS Check out what some of our schools are doing to celebrate advent and the Christmas season!

Norwalk Catholic Elementary
Students are purchasing a hog and gifting it to the local Salvation Army.  We are calling it Holiday Ham!  We have a picture of the hog cross-section with the different cuts of pork outlined.  As students collect $$$ in their homerooms we color in the sections until we have colored the entire hog.  Then we take to the processor and deliver!  Very similar to the beef project the Toledo schools do.  We will do a beef project in the spring for lent.

St. Joseph, Crestline
We are trying to transfer a beautiful story into a program for our Christmas program presentation.  The story is about a fire in a Chicago orphanage back in the 50's.  Two sisters who became Sisters, ran the place.  A fire broke out, one of the Sr/sisters got pneumonia and died, and the culprit brings a rose to the surviving sister, just the sign the surviving sr. prayed for.  It is an incredible story and we have just received our sign to pursue this task, as a parent walked into our building with a bouquet of 3 roses, 2 of them red.  Wow!  The Holy Spirit is alive and well here.

St. Ursula Academy, Toledo
One of our largest service-based drives is during the Advent season, when 50 ALTA (Arrows Listening to Arrows) groups, consisting of students and faculty, each individually sponsor a child for Christmas. Children’s names come to us from Lucas County Children Services, and each group strives not only to provide the children with needed items but also give them some holiday gifts. “Last year 53 children were sponsored by our students and faculty,” states Kevin Shannon, Director of Campus Ministry. “We are looking to capture the spirit of the season in many ways, for our students, for our staff, for ourselves.  It’s a spirit we carry throughout the year.”  In addition, multiple clubs are also involved in sponsoring families for Christmas.

Three of the ALTA groups are going a step further, becoming involved in the “Love Luggage” program.  In conjunction with other schools, these ALTA groups are individually designing and decorating 18 pieces luggage for people in transition.  From foster children to adults moving to extended care communities, students design and fill luggage with toiletries and ‘comfort items such as teddy bears, blankets, or slippers.

Our students also have multiple opportunities to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Morning and afternoon sessions are available at different times through the weeks of Advent.

One of the highlights each Advent is our celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. The liturgy is sponsored by the Hispanic Club, and features traditional Mexican music, prayers in Spanish, and a re-enactment of the story of Juan Diago.

For more information on any of these events, please feel free to contact Kevin at 419.329.2207 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

St. Mary, Edgerton
Many of the grades at St. Mary School Edgerton have selected an angel from the community Angel Tree to purchase items for someone needy in our community. We also begin Advent with morning prayer around the Nativity scene.  Each day, an additional figurine is added with special prayers and reminders for the students to do something specific each day as they prepare for the birth of baby Jesus.  We also decorate a special tree for the hallway and each class creates special ornaments.  We do an all school blessing of the tree before their ornaments are hung.  In preparation for St.. Nicholas' feast day, the students make paper shoes which are filled by St.. Nick, and staff members also receive a stocking.  On December 18 we will present our annual Christmas program to the church community.  Each class has an advent wreath, and some also create Jesse trees in addition to various Advent religion lessons.

St. Pius X, Toledo
Friday, Dec. 21- St. Pius X School Seventh Graders will present a Living Nativity Service and Christmas Caroling beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the church.