Saint Mary Parish. Saint Paul Parish. Readings for the week...

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1 Saint Mary Parish 4001 Saint Mary s Drive Anacortes, WA v f Saint Paul Parish St. Paul Church and Fr. Twohy Spiritual Center Pioneer Pkwy. La Conner, WA98257 Mail: c/o 4001 Saint Mary s Drive Anacortes, WA March 4, 2018 Third Sunday of Lent God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. Jn 3:16 Liturgy Schedule Saint Mary Parish Celebration of the Eucharist Weekend Saturday Vigil Mass... 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass.. 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Weekday Tuesday...6:00 p.m. Wednesday Saturday.. 9:00 a.m. First Friday Mass :00 a.m. First Saturday Sacrament of Reconciliation....9:00 a.m. Benediction and Mass 10:00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation Half hour before Daily Mass in addition to the following: Saturday.. 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Sunday :30 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. Our Sacred Purpose Our purpose at St. Mary Parish is to live our devotion to Christ in the Eucharist and our compassion for Christ in one another, to build a welcoming community that will love and serve God and neighbor, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Liturgy Schedule Saint Paul Parish September 2017 through May 2018 Celebration of the Eucharist Sunday Mass.. 6:00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation Sunday.... 5:00 p.m. Readings for the week... You can find readings for every day at The Liturgy of the Hours the official daily prayer of the church is at The Vision That Unites Us Build Community Grow Spiritually Passionate Disciples Our Three Pastoral Priorities Welcoming Formation Stewardship The Values That Guide Us Community Prayer Evangelism Commitment

2 Parish Directory St. Mary Parish Office: ; FAX: Saint Mary s Drive Anacortes, WA www. stmaryanacortes.org Parish Office Hours: Monday through Friday Monday through Friday: 10:00 a.m. Noon,1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Parish Pastoral Team Rev. Mel Strazicich, Pastor Ext. 101 Ruth Miller, Parish Administrator Ext. 102 ruth.miller@stmaryanacortes.org PA for Faith Formation (position vacant) Call the Parish Office Ben Maes, PA for Liturgy Ext. 106 liturgy@stmaryanacortes.org Marcia Maes, Receptionist Ext. 100 aa1@stmaryanacortes.org Brandee Theriot, Administrative Assistant Ext. 103 adminast@stmaryanacortes.org Deacon Cary Parnell deaconcary@stmaryanacortes.org Parish Councils Pastoral Council: Cecilia Weldon, Co-Chair, altair27@comcast.net Maggie Thompson, Co-Chair, maggiet30@comcast.net Finance Council: George Kushner, Chair, georgekush@icloud.com St. Paul Parish Office Pioneer Parkway La Conner, WA Mail: c/o 4001 Saint Marys Dr. Anacortes, WA Parish Office Hours Contact Ruth Miller at x102 ruth.miller@stmaryanacortes.org Parish Pastoral Team Rev. Mel Strazicich, Pastor Ruth Miller, Parish Administrator Immaculate Conception Regional School (360) Gwen Rodrigues, Principal 1321 E Division St. Mount Vernon, WA This week at St. Mary and St. Paul Sunday, March 4 7:30 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 8:00 a.m. Mass 9:15 a.m. Children s Choir Rehearsal 9:45 a.m. Religious Education Classes 10:00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 11:00 a.m. Mass 12:30 p.m. Final Confirmation Class St. Paul, Swinomish Reservation 5:00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 6:00 p.m. Mass Monday, March 5 No Mass 7:00 p.m. Joy of the Lord Tuesday, March 6 9:30 a.m. Moms Lenten Bible Study 5:30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 6:00 p.m. Mass 6:45 p.m. Seven Sorrows Rosary Wednesday, March 7 10:00 a.m. Steps in a Journey/40 Weeks 10:30 a.m. Funeral Rosary 11:00 a.m. Funeral Mass for Greta Stone 6:00 p.m. RCIA Thursday, March 8 8:30 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 9:00 a.m. Mass 6:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal Friday, March 9 9:00 a.m. Seven Sorrows Rosary 3:00 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet 5:00 p.m. Soup Supper 6:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross 6:30 p.m. Healing Mass Saturday, March 10 No Morning Mass 9:00 a.m. Rosary 12:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 3:30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 5:00 p.m. Mass Sunday, March 11 Daylight Saving Time Begins 7:30 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 8:00 a.m. Mass 9:15 a.m. Children s Choir 9:45 a.m. Religious Education Classes 10:00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 11:00 a.m. Mass St. Paul, Swinomish Reservation 5:00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 6:00 p.m. Mass Mass Intentions March 6: Maria Plancich, intention March 8: Dick Bergeson + March 9: Brenda Poole, intention

3 Praying for our Military CDR Roger Leech, USN L.CPL. Jobil Anne Robinson, USMC Thomas Mullinaux, USAF Lt. J.G. Scott Cadmus, USN ATCS (AW) Justin Lartigue, USN MM CPO Jon Walsh, USN Johnny C. McDonald, USN 1st Lt. Britta Vivaldo, USMC Lt. Kimberly Dillon, USN Major Alain Martinez, USAF Sgt Patrick Riebel, US Army LCDR Andrew Gibbons, USN MIDN2C Hope Hurtado, USN Lt. Tom Cruz, USN Miguel Boza, USAP Perpetual Adoration St. Peter Julian Eymard Chapel AVAILABLE HOURS SUNDAY: No open hours MONDAY: 4 am TUESDAY: 10 pm WEDNESDAY: 3 am THURSDAY: No open hours FRIDAY : 3 am, 10 am SATURDAY: 9pm, 10pm, 11pm Contact Sally Alliance of the Two Hearts and Communion of Reparation is on the First Friday of every month, with 24-hour Adoration in the Church. Stewardship of Treasure Fiscal year 7/1/2017 6/30/2018 Collection for February 24-25, 2018 Offertory $ 6,973 Online Giving $ 900 Total $ 7,873 Weekly Goal $ 9,200 Year to Date Actual $ 314,113 Year to Date Goal $ 303,600 Annual Goal $ 478,000 Soup Supper and Stations of the Cross Please plan to join your St. Mary Parish family in fellowship and prayer each Friday during Lent for Soup Supper in the Parish Hall at 5:00 p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross in the Church at 6:00 p.m. This Friday, our soup will be prepared by the Croatian Club. Gate of Mercy Healing Mass Friday, March 9 Our next Mass with Healing Service at St. Mary will follow our Soup Supper and Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 9 (about 6:30 p.m.). Mass will be followed by adoration, soaking prayer and healing prayer provided by the Joy of the Lord prayer group, praise and worship, and time for confessions. XLT (exalt) Evening of Praise and Worship Save the date! We invite you to come and spend time with Jesus Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament--the One who is the King of kings and the Lord of life. Join us in St. Mary Church on Friday, March 16 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Now is the perfect time to draw closer to our Lord in this uplifting celebration! ALL ARE WELCOME!! We ll honor God with moving praise and worship music led by Ben Maes, followed by adoration of the Bless ed Sacrament and Benediction. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 Parish News and Events Catholic Relief Services Collection March Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Rev. 3:20 Support The Catholic Relief S e r v i c e s C o l l e c t i o n n e x t weekend, and help Jesus in disguise. With your donations, CRS can: Feed Jesus hunger in suffering refugees through the USCCB Depart ment of Migration and Refugee Services Give water to quench Jesus thirst in the people of Syria and Niger through the humanitarian work of Catholic Relief Services Offer legal assistance to Jesus in struggling immigrants through the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. Reach out to comfort Jesus loneliness in isolated workers through the pastoral work of the USCCB Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. Advocate on behalf of Jesus in the poor and marginalized through the public policy work of the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development. Send aid to Jesus in the victims of natural disasters through the Holy Father s Relief Fund. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. Psalm 19

4 Faith Formation and Liturgy Religious Education News Children s Choir meets each Sunday at 9:15 a.m. in the Father Auer Center. Religious Education classes for grades K - 8 meet at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday. Sunday, March 4 at 12:30-2:00 p.m.: Final Theology of the Body for Teens for our first year Confirmation candidates and all high school students. We are hoping for a BIG youth presence at our XLT Praise and Worship on Friday, March 16 in the Church at 6:30 p.m. Lend us your beautiful voices and lively spirits! This is a wonderful opportunity to draw closer to Jesus during Lent. Rosary Making Please join our Rosary Makers in the Parish Hall on the second Sunday of every month between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Materials are provided! ICRS News Immaculate Conception Regional School is seeking qualified candidates for the following positions. Please see icrsweb.org for more details. Part time school counselor (7 hours a week beginning Spring 2018) Substitute teachers Substitute instructional aide and/or hot lunch server Part time school secretary (20 hours a week beginning August 2018) FORMED Don t forget about your FREE access to our parish subscription to Formed from the Augustine Institute. Formed has a rich content of programs, movies, audio, and books to explore our Catholic Faith. The subscription is available at no cost to you and can be accessed 24/7 from any device. Register at Formed.org using our parish code GH7GC8. 40 Days for Life Skagit County s fifth 40 Days for Life Campaign has begun. Please sign up for hours to stand in prayer outside the Planned Parenthood office in Mount Vernon. Could you donate an hour or more per week? Our prayer campaign is 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week throughout Lent. Sign up or find out more at or contact Cindy Wiedmann at o r robbysmother@gmail.com. The Carmelite Bookstore and Gift Shop th Ave. NW in Stanwood, adjacent to the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality. The store stocks a wide range of books on prayer, Catholicism, and spirituality, as well as many inexpensive used books, including Bibles. Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. For more information, or call (360) Sacramental Information Call St. Mary Office at for more information Infant Baptism Call the Parish Office to schedule a preparation class and baptism. Those wishing to have their baby baptized must be practicing Catholics. Adult or Child Baptism, Confirmation, or Adults Considering Becoming Catholic Call the Faith Formation Office to learn more about the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), or Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC). Weddings Weddings require a 6-month notice and preparation. Sacrament of the Sick (Anointing) Please let us know if someone is seriously ill.

5 Reflections for This Week For the Third Sunday of Lent we read the Ten Commandments and witness Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple. He says, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. John's Gospel tells us the point: Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. In most parishes, there will be one Liturgy for the RCIA candidates, using the Gospel of the Woman at the Well. Jesus challenges the people in his hometown of Nazareth to look at him in a new way - No prophet is accepted in his own native place. In a fury, they drive him out of the temple. Peter asks Jesus the limits of forgiveness. Jesus says that we must forgive again and again. He tells the parable about the servant, who though forgiven himself, does not forgive his fellow servants. Jesus has come to fulfill the law and the words of the prophets, not abolish them. When someone claimed that Jesus must be using Satan's power to heal, Jesus responds Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus names two, thus putting together the necessity of loving God with our entire being and loving our neighbor as our very selves. The week ends as Jesus tells a powerful story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple. I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. From the Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer, the Creighton University s Online Ministries website: Collaborative Ministry/online.html. Used with permission. Daily Prayer This is a pivotal week of Lent. We can solidify the patterns we have begun or we can make a new start, if we haven't been able to get started yet. If we have begun to recognize what needs realigning in our lives and have begun to fast and abstain from some things that get in the way of our relationship with the Lord, then we are engaging in a struggle. We are likely uncovering resistance and experiencing our personal sinfulness faceto-face. This is all preparing us for a deeper conversion, a readiness for reconciliation with God and the graces that will allow us to be a source of reconciliation with others. This is the time when we begin to see and experience how much God loves us at a new and more personal level. These graces prepare us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus in the weeks ahead - to learn from him, to fall in love with him more deeply and to be drawn to imitate him more completely. If we are just getting started with our Lenten journey, renewing our desires for these graces will be all we need to begin with a renewed openness. God does not need a lot of time to convince us of his love for us. This is a week about God's love for us and our call to love others the same way; to keep our daily focus on naming a desire each morning. Pausing to thank the Lord for this day and to ask for the grace to let our mind and heart be renewed in the concrete circumstances, relationships and obligations of our day. Throughout the day, we can then return to those desires in background of our awareness. Our request for the Lord's help is always there and our consciousness of it will help us make the choice we desire to make, to let go of what we need to let go of, to add what we need to add. This will take us deeper and deeper into self-awareness and a sense of our need for a Savior, who is right there to embrace us and give us the graces we ask for. Being a Prophet Whether we are aware of it or not we are surrounded today by agnostics and unbelievers. People who, as individuals or as groups, have ceased to believe what we believe, have never believed it, or don t even know what it is. They are our neighbor. It is their very presence that gives a missionary character to our lives, making us missionaries in situations that we never chose and for which we are not prepared. Our Christian lives have become in actual fact what the Christian life essentially is: apostolic. So far from being ready for the apostolic life, we were brought up in a situation where there seemed no scope for this kind of life. So far from being formed as apostles, we were given a formation that made us less able to meet its challenges But now we have to undergo a transformation because of an obligation which we are unable to refuse since it is an integral part of the Christian calling. This transformation will not take place quickly, painlessly, or without mistakes. There will certainly be mistakes because we are the blundering practitioners of a supernatural art: that mission for which God gave us the faith. Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel (+ 1964) was a French laywoman,

6 From Father Straz Dear Parishioners, Word for Last Sunday: 2 nd Sunday of Lent We thank Deacon Cary Parnell for breaking open the Word for us last weekend. In the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, the Lord gives us a glimpse of His Glory in the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration. We need mountaintop experiences to get us through the valleys of life with our eyes on the end of the story: Jesus wins! Meanwhile, as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we lift our eyes to the mountains to see the presence of God in Nature, in the kindness of those around us and in our prayer. We pray with St. Therese of Lisieux to love God more, even in the people we do not find loving. In Jesus Name, Amen. New for Lent: Forty Weeks-Sacred Story Journey & Whole Life Confession Program Thank you to our witness speakers last week, Iris Perkins and Toni Edmons, for Sacred Story. This week the Wednesday morning Steps in a Journey Group has started the Forty Weeks-Sacred Story Program by Fr. Bill Watson, S.J. Sacred Story is a 40-week prayer program based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Over the last year, a small group met to journey into their own Sacred Story and all participants found it very freeing for their spiritual lives. This program is ideal for those seeking to go deeper into their spiritual life or who feel stuck in their spiritual life. For those intimidated by the 40-week program, there is a shorter four-week program available called the Whole Life Confession. It follows the same principles. The 40-week program requires a 15-minute daily prayer commitment; the four-week program requires a 30-minute daily prayer commitment. The only cost of the program is the cost of the book. There are videos to go with the 40-week program. Both Sacred Story programs do NOT require a group participation component (some prefer to go through the program on their own), but participants report higher program satisfaction and results by de-briefing each week with their peers and sharing the journey together. If there are enough people interested in forming a study group in the evenings or some other time each week for either the 40-week or the four-week Sacred Story programs, please call the parish office so that we can arrange the space for you. There may already be enough people in the Wednesday morning group to split into two classes. Both programs include a Whole Life Confession, which is a variant of the traditional general confession of one s whole life. Because of this piece, which usually takes at least 30 minutes, it is helpful for me as pastor to know who and how many people are involved in the Sacred Story programs so that we can make adequate arrangements ahead of time for this uniquely graced experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I have found Sacred Story to be very beneficial to my ministry by enriching and shoring up my spiritual life. I pray it will be empowering for many of you as well to discover your own Sacred Story in relation to the Sacred Story of our Savior Jesus Christ. Prayers for Fr. Jude Eli, O.P. Friar s Feast Cancelled for I have been in contact with Fr. Jude over the last several months and his health has continued to remain unstable. Last week I received another call from him, again from a hospital, telling me that he has sustained another heart attack, since then his health continues to worsen, and he's been advised to cancel all his engagements for the next 6 months, hopefully to get back on track starting in September. For this reason, I am very sorry to announce that the Friar s Feast is cancelled until further notice. Please keep Fr. Jude and the Western Dominican Province in your prayers. Staffing Update Please welcome Marcia Maes to our Parish Staff as she has accepted the position of Receptionist for our Parish Office. (Marcia s supervisor will be Ruth Miller; while I will remain Ben Maes supervisor.) Marcia will continue to team with Raquel Brinkman to staff the Faith Formation Office on weekends until a new PAFF can be hired. And until someone is found to fill the Facilities Supervisor position, we will need to continue to rely on each other in building our volunteer corps to help care for our beautiful facilities and properties. St. Paul Medicine Rosaries: Please lenoracook823@gmail.com for more info and counting! Goal:1,200! #pray4dano: We are asking everyone to start to pray to Bl. Solanus Casey for Dano s healing. - Fr. Straz

7 Forty Weeks Program Learn how to encounter the Lord of Mercy daily. Learn to fruitfully engage in regular Sacramental Reconciliation. Forty Weeks will help all of our family of faith learn the art of spiritual discernment. Please call the Parish Office at if you are interested in signing up for our Wednesday morning class. Class begins February 28, 2018 If you are interested in an evening class, please call the Parish Office. Forty Weeks will be a life-changing annual program to introduce St. Mary parishioners to a heartfelt personal relationship with Jesus in daily prayer, spiritual discernment and regular and fruitful practice of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All in all, about twenty years worth of reflection, study, testing, feedback, and refinement have gone into this updated version of St. Ignatius powerful Examen prayer. Forty Weeks is a perfect program of solid, classic spirituality updated for the third millennium to promote the new evangelization first described by Pope John Paul II early in his papacy, continued by Pope Benedict XVI and now strongly proclaimed by Pope Francis.

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12 JULY 6-9, 2018 NEW LOCATION! UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND PORTLAND, OREGON IGNITE YOUR TORCH is a high school Catholic youth conference in which on fire religious seek to ignite the faith of teens through engaging talks, small group discussion, workshops as well as personal interaction at recreation, meals and just hanging out. It is an opportunity to make new friendships in Christ, to receive the sacraments, to meet and talk to young priests and religious, and to worship, pray, learn, and recreate together. Attending the Ignite Your Torch Youth Conference will give you opportunities to: Deepen your relationship with Christ through prayer, sacraments, and liturgy. Spend time with other young Catholics, amazing priests, and religious brothers and sisters. Build up a culture of life and your knowledge of the faith. Have the best weekend of your summer! REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED! EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS APRIL 14. Contact the St. Mary Parish Office at if you d like to go!