FATHER LEO PATALINGHUG PARTICIPATES IN ADVENT PARISH MISSION AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH IN GOOSE CREEK, SOUTH CAROLINA

Catholic Priest, Renowned Chef and Founder of Grace Before Meals Educates Listeners on How to Find God through Communion of Saints, His Blessed Mother and at the Lord’s Table November 30th – December 3rd

WHO:           Fr. Leo Patalinghug (“Fr. Leo”), Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, celebrated chef, founder of Grace Before Meals and author of cookbook Spicing Up Married Life.

WHAT:         From November 30th – December 3rd, Fr. Leo will visit Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Goose Creek, SC to participate in their Advent Parish Mission, with a lineup of masses, presentations and book-signings. Fr. Leo will discuss finding God through a series of different means, including Communion of Saints, His Blessed Mother and at the Lord’s Table.

WHEN:        

Saturday, November 30th                    
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Mass Celebrated by Fr. Leo

Sunday, December 1st
7:30 a.m.; 9:30 a.m.; 11:30 a.m.; and 5:00 p.m. – Mass Celebrated and preached by Fr. Leo
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Presentation: "Finding God Through the Communion of Saints" 
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Book-signing (Books will be available for purchase on-site)

Monday, December 2nd
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Mass Celebrated by Fr. Leo
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Presentation: "Finding God Through His Blessed Mother"
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Book-signing (Books will be available for purchase on-site)

Tuesday, December 3rd
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Mass Celebrated by Fr. Leo
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Presentation: "Finding God at the Lord's Table" 
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Book-signing (Books will be available for purchase on-site)
 
                  Media must RSVP for access and interviews.

WHERE:      Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (510 St. James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC 29445)

WEBSITE:   For more information on this event, please visit GraceBeforeMeals.com or contact Carol Faretra at cfaretra@comcast.net.

About Fr. Leo and Grace Before Meals:
Grace Before Meals is centered on one fundamental concept: the simple act of creating and sharing a meal can strengthen all kinds of relationships. Founded by Fr. Leo Patalinghug in 2003, Grace Before Meals has grown from a simple idea to a worldwide movement, producing a popular book, Web shows, blog and a pilot for a TV show endorsed by PBS.  Fr. Leo and Grace Before Meals has been profiled by national media outlets including ABC World News, CBS News Sunday Morning, The 700 Club and The Washington Post.  In addition, Fr. Leo has appeared on the Food Network hit show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, in which he defeated the famous chef in a fajita cook-off. For more, visit www.GraceBeforeMeals.com. 

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church:
The idea of a Catholic parish in the Goose Creek area surfaced about 30 years ago when a Chaplain at the MENRIV Naval Weapons Station encouraged his faithful to look into the possibility of forming a civilian parish in the area. Soon a group of interested Catholics was formed and approached the Bishop of Charleston and the Most Reverend Ernest L. Unterkoefler, who in turn asked the priests of Moncks Corner, Father Patrick Shelton and Father David Draim, to meet with the community in Goose Creek. Father Patrick and Father David would say Mass for the community on Saturday evening at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and would establish a catechetical program for the children. While the Catholic Community settled and worshiped at St. Timothy, the Diocese looked for a piece of suitable land where a church could be built. In 1983 the first resident pastor, Reverend Robert Fix, was sent to Goose Creek. The parish continued to grow and to expand under the second resident pastor, Reverend Donald Grady, SJ, who built the present rectory. But, the dream to realize a larger and final church fell to the third resident pastor, Reverend Nicholas Capetola, CRM.  Today, the church seats about 750 people comfortably. In 2006, the All Ministries Center was dedicated through the effort of the then-pastor Rev. Frank Palmierj, CRM. The parish of Immaculate Conception is a multi-ethnic parish with 2,000 families. Fr. Jason Caganap, CRM is the current pastor.