Our Lady of the Snow Catholic Church 175 Blue Point Avenue Blue Point, New York Telephone:

Transcription

1 Our Lady of the Snow Catholic Church 175 Blue Point Avenue Blue Point, New York Telephone: November 23, 2014 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe I will rescue my scattered sheep (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 12, 15-17) 17) MASS SCHEDULE WEEK DAY MASSES: Monday Friday 8:30AM in Mother Church WEEKEND MASSES: Saturday 5PM in Large Church Sunday 7:30AM in Mother Church 9AM, and 11:00AM in Large Church SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Saturday 4PM 4:30PM in Large Church Monday 6:15PM 7:15PM in Mother Church EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Monday 6PM 8PM in Mother Church MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA & BENEDICTION: Monday 7:30 8PM In Mother Church Visit us online! The universe is a great sacrament. Everything is and should be a stepping-stone to God. The world is just scaffolding up which souls climb to the Kingdom of Heaven. --Fulton Sheen Bishop Fulton Sheen was an enormously popular and influential author, speaker, and Church leader. At one point his television show, Life is Worth Living, was one of the most watched in the nation. Many of his books and tapes are still available and several biographies of him have been written. His cause for canonization has been presented in Rome.

2 The Pastoral Team Clergy Rev. Edward R. D Andrea, Pastor Rev. Msgr. Charles Fink, Parish Administrator Rev. John Amoah, Associate Pastor Deacon Frank Hartmann Deacon Edward Karan Retired Clergy Deacon Robert Gronenthal Parish Staff Mrs. Beth Rivalsi, Director of Faith Formation for Adults Mrs. Patricia Bartoldus, Director of Faith Formation, K-9 Mrs. Diana Mongan, Director of Outreach Mrs. Theresa Martin, Director of Music Parish Office: Fax: Mrs. Lindsay Butler, Parish Asst., ext. 11 Mrs. Loraine Gonzalez, Admin. Asst., ext. 10 Hours: Monday -Thursday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ourladyofthesnowbp@gmail.com Religious Education: Mrs. Eileen Mulry, Secretary, ext. 15 Mrs. Susan Gressler, C.R.E., ext. 14 Office hours: Monday Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. olsbpre@aol.com Faith Formation for Adults: Mrs. Beth Rivalsi, Director of Faith Formation for Adults olsbeth@aol.com Parish Outreach: Mrs. Diana Mongan, Director Mrs. Patricia Fulco, Outreach Assistant Office hours and food pantry, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Monday - Thursday in the cottage Evening Hours Available by Appointment olsoutreach@yahoo.com For full information on all sacraments, sponsor requirements for Godparents/ Confirmation Sponsors, schedules and dates, please consult our website, or call the Parish Office. SACRAMENTAL INFORMATION (631) extension 10 Rite of Christian Initiation (R.C.I.A.) Persons interested in becoming Catholic and adults who have not received Confirmation or First Eucharist, please contact Beth Rivalsi at Marriage: Arrangements must be made at least six to twelve months in advance. It is advisable to call the church prior to arranging the reception. Baptisms: Are celebrated on the second Saturday and fourth Sunday of most m o n t h s. Please visit our website at com for complete information. New parishioners: Please register at the parish or call , ext. 10 for information. Communion for the Homebound: To make arrangements to have Communion brought to the home, please call the parish office at , ext. 10. For emergency sick calls, please call the parish at any time.

3 A Message from Father Charles Fink Page 3 November 23, 2014 My dear parish family, Next weekend will mark the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of our four week preparation for the celebration of Christmas. It will be a particularly busy time for the parish, as I m sure it will be for many of you, and I suspect it will be easy for most of us to lose our focus as we run around shopping, writing Christmas cards, planning for family get-togethers, decorating our homes, and so on. I d like to invite you to join me in doing something very simple, but I think very fitting, this Advent season, something that may help us keep focused on the birth that Christmas is all about. Near the exits of the Church next weekend you will find a colorful, foldable little offering box (flat until it s folded) with pictures of babies all over it. When assembled, it will probably remind you of one of those mite boxes usually associated with Lent. What I m going to do is fill it with change this Advent, then around Dec. 20, write a check for the amount I ve put in the box and, along with whatever other offerings we receive, send the money to the Diocesan Respect Life Office for support of the Diocesan Maternity Residences and Services years ago there was no room for Mary and Joseph and their baby anywhere in Bethlehem except in a stable. Through your Advent gift to our Diocesan Maternity Residences, you ll be seeing to it that this Christmas there will be room at the inn for Jesus little sisters and brothers in need. Think about picking up one of the Advent offering boxes next weekend. Make filling it up one of your family Advent projects. Get it back to us by the weekend of Dec. 21, and we will see that it gets to the Diocese. Or, if you prefer, you may send your offering directly to the Respect Life Office as indicated on the Advent offering box. God bless you all and give you a prayerful, peaceful Advent in preparation for a happy and holy Christmas. With love and prayers Fr. Charles R. Fink

4 Prayers & Intentions Page 4 November 23, 2014 MEMORIALS FOR THE WEEK Sanctuary Candle in Mother Church In Honor of Peter Caputo MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK November 24-30, 2014 Saints and Special Observances also indicated Monday Nov. 24 St. Andrew Dũng-Lac & Companions 8:30AM Richard Dietz Tuesday Nov. 25 St. Catherine of Alexandria 8:30AM Gary Malenovsky Wednesday Nov. 26 8:30AM Eleanor McDonald Thursday Nov. 27 Thanksgiving Day All Offices Closed 9:00AM Antoinette Coluccio Friday Nov. 28 All Offices Closed 8:30AM Linda Slavinski Saturday Nov. 29 5:00PM Thomas & Rosella Vigliotta Henrietta O Connor Sunday Nov. 30 First Sunday of Advent 7:30AM Parishioners 9:00AM Maria Rose Coluccio 11:00AM Filomena Liberatore Mabel Fink Readings for the Week Monday Revelation 14: 1-3, 4b-5; Luke 21: 1-4 Tuesday Revelation 14: 14-19; Luke 21: 5-11 Wednesday Revelation 15: 1-4; Luke 21: Thursday Revelation 18: 1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a; Luke 21: Friday Revelation 20: 1-4, :2; Luke 21: Saturday Revelation 22: 1-7; Luke 21: Sunday Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 Pray for Our Sick We pray for all who are sick, for their healing in both body and spirit. Baby Mia In Sympathy For all who have died this past week, that they rejoice in the heavenly banquet Banns of Marriage Stanley Przedwiecki & Elizabeth Malenovsky Mass intentions for deceased persons are indicated with a It is the policy of Our Lady of the Snow that the intention of each priest who celebrates a parish Mass will be for the intentions listed in the Parish Mass intention book. Lt. Col Christopher Ederle Major Meghan Ederle Capt Kyle Brown 1st Lt. Tara Brown Gomez 1st Lt Thomas Gomez Ensign Sean Brown 3/c Midshipman Shannon Brown Army Specialist Justin Brown

5 Believing with Joy! Stewardship - A Way of Life Advent Sale November 23 and 30 The items available are : Advent wreaths $10.00 Advent Candles $5.00 Advent Calendars $1.00 Family bibles $20. Children Bibles $15. Children Christmas Book: A Child is Born (the author is a parishioner!)$6.00 Beau ful Wooden Crucifixes $10.00 These items help us to prepare us for the holy feast of Christmas. THANKSGIVING DAY MASS REMINDER Our Thanksgiving Day Mass will take place at 9 a.m. in the Mother Church. You are welcome to bring an item from your Thanksgiving meal to be blessed; you will place your item in front of the altar. Rosary of Remembrance Will be on Tuesday, November 24 at 4:45 in the Mother Church. Please join us! We are having a Manger Raffle! We will raffle a beau ful hand carved Olive wood manger from the Holy Land. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.00. Proceeds will go towards our Hospitality Sundays. You can purchase ckets at the Advent Sale table or at the Rectory. The winning cket will be drawn on December 12 at Our Christmas Pageant! Our Next Family Mass and Hospitality Sunday is December 7. A sign up sheet will be on the stage next week for those who wish to sign up to donate baked goods and juice for our hospitality table. Readers your new workbooks are in the sacristy of both Churches. Please take one and please sign for it. STEWARDSHIP FINANCIAL REPORT The returns for the weekend of November Mass Attendance Envelopes $ Loose $ Total 5:00 pm :30 am :00 am :00 am Total

6 KNOWING OUR FAITH The Fifteenth Century: Power and Corruption In secular terms, the fifteenth century is known as the Renaissance, an era of spectacular material progress in many respects. It saw the invention of the printing press, which revolutionized communication. It was the age of exploration, bringing, from a European point of view, the founding of new worlds and far-flung trade. Partly because of the depths to which the Church had sunk in the previous century, intellectuals in particular began to look back to ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration. The popes of this century were great patrons of art and literature. Felix VI founded the Vatican Library. The rebuilding of St. Peter s Basilica in Rome was begun. But churchmen grasped at dignities; bribery for clerical appointments was common; and the Inquisition was out of control, participating in, among other things, the execution of St. Joan of Arc. Although this century saw the writing of Thomas a Kempis Imitation of Christ, one of the all-time spiritual masterpieces, it s striking that it fostered and intensely individualistic spirituality, almost as if to suggest that no one was going to get much spiritual help from a worldly and God-forgetful Church. This was the age of the humanists and of pride in human accomplishments. Man was the focus of man s attention, not God. There were prophetic voices crying out against secularism, materialism, and the spiritual superficiality of the age, but these were fighting against the tide. Deserving of mention are St. Bernadine of Siena and St. John of Capistrano, both powerful and eloquent Franciscan preachers who had throngs of people bringing playing cards, wigs, indecent books and pictures into the town squares to be burned in what were called bonfires of the vanities. With the same zeal, but with a fanatical bent, the Dominican Savanarola, had crowds bursting into tears as he prophesied the disasters to come if the Church and her people didn t reform. He turned out to be an able prophet, but his continual attacks on the Pope and the Curia and his ignoring ecclesiastical authority got him first excommunicated and then hanged in the market place of Florence, Italy. It should be remembered in judging Savanarola that most of what he said about Pope Alexander VI was true, and that even St. John of Capistrano was brought before the Inquisition to face charges of heresy. Happily, he was exonerated. Christ s promise to the Church about her survival, and to Peter about his teaching authority, were no guarantee that the Church would flourish always or that the popes would be moral men above the lure of political intrigue. Alexander was elected pope through bribery, led an immoral life, and made most of his decisions based on family and politics. The miracle is that he never officially taught anything contrary to truth in faith and morals. Christ s promises are very narrowly defined, but they are promises nonetheless.

7 Religious Education Page 7 November 23, 2014 OUR LADY OF THE SNOW RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OFFICE olsbpre@aol.com Office Hours: Mon. to Thurs. 9:30 4:30 or by appointment The ministry of Religious Education strives to bring all into a closer relationship Week of Nov. 23 Liturgy of the Word Sun. Nov. 30 No Children s Liturgy of the Word. Levels 2 6 Nov. 24, 25 & 26 No Classes Levels 7 & 8 Mon. Nov Speaker Night 7:30-8:30 in the Large Church Both sessions attend at 7:30 All students should be accompanied by an adult. Mark Your Calendars Liturgy of the Word Sun. Dec. 7 9am Mass Family Mass Level 2 6 Mon. Tues. Wed. at 4:30 Wed. at 6pm Mother Church Basement Levels 7 & 8 Mon. Dec. 1 6pm and 7:30pm Large Church Reminders Confirmation Retreat The Jan. 24 retreat is closed. Any student who has not signed up for a retreat date will be assigned to the Jan. 31 retreat. Prayer of Thanks Lavish, gift giving God, you have given us so much; You have given us everything, And all with no strings attached. There is no way to say our thanks Except to try to be as gracious And lavish as you are, God. With full hearts we will live our thanks. Amen Parents of 1st Graders Children entering 1st grade (Sept 2014) should be registered in the Religious Education Program. Participation in Level 1 is the first level of the Diocesan mandated 2 year preparation program. Please register as soon as possible. Materials and calendars have already been distributed

8 Parish Outreach & Local Events Page 8 November 23, 2014 Parish Outreach News HELP A LOCAL FAMILY IN NEED On Thanksgiving, for my blessings, I would like to make a monetary donation to Parish Outreach to help those who are struggling in our community. Name: Address: Phone: This is a donation of $ check toward: (Please make checks payable to O.L.S. Parish Outreach) Shelter, rent (mortgage): Warmth (utilities/oil): Transportation (bus tickets, gas): Health Care (co-pays, RX): This donation is in memory of: This donation is in celebration of: Please send a letter to acknowledge this gift to: Giving Trees The parish outreach giving trees will be up and decorated with requests for Christmas presents from parish outreach participants the weekend after Thanksgiving November 29th & 30th. Did you know that nearly 300,000 Long Islanders struggle with hunger everyday? That s 1 out of every 10 residents! Upcoming Events Calling all McGann-Mercy Alumni Flag Football Game Saturday November 29, 2015 All alumni, young and old are welcome. Registra on begins ar 10am in the Sports Stadium, games starts at 10:30 am. For more informa on call ext 334. Advent Silent Retreat Wai ng Not Doing Anything. Nothing in our culture encourages us to wait or to discover what wai ng can reveal to us of ourselves, life, and God. Presenter: Fr. Larry Lewis M.M $220 offering. December The Saint Lawrence Knights of Columbus are accep ng pre-orders for Christmas wreaths and Grave blankets. Orders will be available for pick the Hospitali es on December 7th. Call for more informa on. Pilgrimage to Rome with Papal General Audience June Michael Milano from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel has a Catholic Pilgrimage to Rome. Call for more informa on Save the Date The Diocesan Choir and Music Ensemble under direc on of Michael Wustrow will present a Twel h Night concert for Epiphany at 4:00 pm on Sunday, January 4, 2015 in the beau ful Sacred Heart Chapel on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 1725 Brentwood road, Brentwood. Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest The Knights of Columbus present a poster contest is a easy and fun way to get young people in your community involved in their faith. Call for more informa on. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land January 8-17, 2015 and Shrines of Italy May 12-21, 2015 travel with St. Joseph's College faculty members. For more informa on call or growland@sjeny.edu St. Joseph Renewal Center 11th Step Prayer November 23, pm Free will offering Brentwood Road Brentwood, Building #4 Call ext 123 for further informa on. Grief Center 8 week support groups are now forming for children, families and individuals grieving the loss of a family member to suicide or overdose. Groups will meet Tuesday evenings beginning January 6, 2015 for more informa on call Micelle at

9 Parish Outreach Food Drive For I was hungry and you gave me food...i was a stranger and you welcomed me. -Matthew 25:35 The Parish Social Ministry Outreach Team! Thank you for your continued support, especially in this upcoming season of giving. Christmas food baskets will be distributed on Wednesday, December 17th. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Parish Outreach prepares to distribute bountiful food baskets to our families in need for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We would appreciate these donations as early as possible so that we can be assured that all of our families needs are fulfilled. BASKET ITEMS NEEDED Gravy, Canned Fruit, Vegetables, Yams, Canned or Instant Potatoes, Cranberry, Rice, Stuffing, Canned Milk, Parmalat Milk, Pancake Mix, Maple Syrup, Juices. Cookies, Cake, Jell-O and Pudding Mixes. Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate. Thanksgiving food baskets will be distributed on Sunday, Nov 23rd Please call the Outreach Office at , Monday through Thursday 10AM-1PM with any questions or further inquiries or leave a message and we will get back to you A.S.A.P. The Christmas Dollar Sunday Information regarding the Christmas Giving Tree will appear in the bulletin after Thanksgiving. collection will be taken up after all the Masses on Saturday 12/13 and Sunday 12/14.

10 Page 10 November 23, 2014 Our Lady of the Snow Raffle First Name Last Name Street Address Town Phone Number 1) Fill out the above information. 2) If sharing the ticket, include the other names and information on the extra lines. 3) Include a check for $100 made out to Our Lady of the Snow. 4) Print clearly. 5) Drop the form off at the rectory office or mail it to us. 6) When the Rectory receives all your information and your payment a ticket will be mailed to you. Good Luck!!!! WHAT S YOUR CATHOLIC IQ? A Self-Assessment for Your Fun and Enlightenment! (Permission granted by Joe Paprocki, D.Min., and Catechist Magazine) This educational selfassessment is a fun way to help you see how much you know about your Catholic faith. Answers can be found on the bottom of this page. 1.) Abstinence from meat is practiced on Ash Wednesday, Fridays during Lent, and. (a) Holy Thursday ; (b) Good Friday ; (c) Easter ; (d) Sunday 2.) Lent was introduced by the Israelites when they spend 40 years wandering in the desert. True False 3.) Almsgiving is a work of pleasing to God. (a) patience; (b) courage; (c) justice; (d) art 4.) If a Catholic intentionally eats a hot dog during Lent on a Friday, he or she will go straight to hell at the moment of death. True False 5.) During his days of fasting and prayer in the desert, Jesus was. (a) Writing the gospels; (b) working on his miracles ; (c) thinking up his parables; (d) tempted by the devil Answer key: 1) b; 2)false ; 3) c; 4)false ; 5) d

11 A little humor from Father Fink A teenage girl listened to her biology teacher explain that a whale could never swallow a person because its throat was too small. The girl asked, What about Jonah? The teacher said, No way. The girl said, Well, when I get to heaven, I ll ask Jonah if he was swallowed by a whale. The teacher responded, What if Jonah isn t in heaven? The girl answered, Well, then you can ask him.