17 JANUARY 2016 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Transcription

1 ADMINISTRATION CENTER 1125 Romine Avenue McKeesport, Pennsylvania Telephone: MARK (6275) Fax: Father Rowan Hall: Parish Nurse: x102 Religious Education & Youth Ministry: x105 Mary of Nazareth Catholic School: Victim Assistance Hotline: JANUARY 2016 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME PASTOR Reverend Daniel T. Straughn, S.T.L. Accept God s Love, and Live! Share God s Love, and Thrive! LIBERTY SITE (LB) - Saint Eugene Church 3210 Liberty Way McKeesport, PA MASS SCHEDULE Mon., Wed. & Fri.... 8:30am Sat. Vigil... 6:00pm PORT VUE SITE (PV) - Saint Joseph Church 1125 Romine Avenue McKeesport, PA MASS SCHEDULE Tues., Thurs. & Sat.... 8:30am Sunday... 8:00am Sunday... 11:00am SAINT MARK PARISH MISSION STATEMENT (Promulgated January 2014 by the People of Saint Mark Parish) We are Saint Mark Parish, a family of brothers and sisters alive in Christ. Protected by Saint Mark the Evangelist, we continue to thrive with Strength, Vibrancy, Humility and Sacrifice. The Grace of the Holy Spirit guides us; the Eucharist nurtures us; and we embrace our mission to spread the Gospel message to all. MINISTRY TO THE SICK AND SHUT-INS Our Parish Nurse and Ladies of Charity are available for home visits and distribution of Holy Communion. Please call if you want a visit or need assistance. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION 5:15pm Saturdays at our Liberty site and anytime upon request. SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Engaged couples are to participate in a Marriage Preparation Class. Please contact our Administration Center six months prior to the anticipated wedding date. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Baptisms are the 1 st Sunday and 3 rd Sunday of the month after the 11:00am Mass. Pre-Baptism Class is required. Please contact our Administration Center three months prior to the anticipated birth. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM Classes are held at our Port Vue site for Grades K-8 on Sundays from 9:30am 12 Noon, September thru April. NEW PARISHIONERS We welcome new members at Saint Mark Parish. Those wishing to join are invited to introduce themselves to Father Daniel and contact our Administration Center. OFFICE HOURS: 9:00am to 1:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday BULLETIN DEADLINE: Thursday 12:00 Noon Submit written requests to stmarkparish1101@comcast.net

2 SAINT MARK PARISH SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 17 January 2016 Rosary prior to daily morning Mass MONDAY, 18 January 2016 COMMUNION SERVICE (Intention Fulfilled Privately) 8:30am Private Intention... LB TUESDAY, 19 January :30am Evelyn and Raymond Verba.... PV (William Verba) WEDNESDAY, 20 January :30am Regis and Ethel Fleckenstein... LB (Julie Fleckenstein) THURSDAY, 21 January 2016 COMMUNION SERVICE (Intention Fulfilled Privately) 8:30am Private Intention.... PV FRIDAY, 22 January :30am Margaret, Steve and Steven Durosko... LB (Cathy and Joe Knapton) SATURDAY, 23 January :30am Margaret Rhodes.... PV (Mary Ellen Valentine) 4:00pm 6:00pm The People of Saint Mark Parish... LB Walter Harding... LB (Dolores Harding) SUNDAY, 24 January :00am George T. Legin, Jr..... PV (Tom and Cathy Esack) 11:00am Bob and Donivan Komarnisky.... PV Low Gluten Hosts available - please see Priest before Mass Deepen your relationship with Christ by reading the Scriptures. MCKEESPORT, PA Sanctuary Lamp/ Altar Bread and Wine This week the Sanctuary Lamp at our Liberty Borough site Saint Eugene church burns for the health and wellbeing of Jack Yarborough from Shirley Zirkle. This week the Sanctuary Lamp at our Port Vue site Saint Joseph church burns in memory of George and Ivan Kolic from Ann Luketic. Activity Schedule Monday, 18 January :30-7:30pm, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, LB Tuesday, 19 January pm, Fundraising Group Meeting, PV Meeting Room Wednesday, 20 January am, Miraculous Medal Novena, LB 7:30pm, Traditional Choir Rehearsal, PV Sunday, 24 January :15am, Handbell Choir Rehearsal, PV Baptism Preparation Classes 7 March, 7pm at Corpus Christi 2 May, 7pm at Saint Mary Byzantine Welcome into the Faith With great joy, our Saint Mark Parish Family welcomes Cameron Frank Carlson into the Faith. We pray his family and friends be his best example of Faith. Praise God! Prayer for Unity of the Church Almighty and Merciful God, You willed that the different nations should become one People through your Son. Grant in Your kindness that those, who glory in being known as Christians, may put aside their differences and become one in truth and charity, and that all men, enlightened by the True Faith, may be united in fraternal communion in the One Church, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Readings for the Week of 17 January 2016 Sunday: Is 62:1-5/Ps 96:1-3, 7-10/1 Cor 12:4-11/Jn 2:1-11 Monday: 1 Sm 15:16-23/Ps 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23/Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday: 1 Sm 16:1-13/Ps 89:20-22, 27-28/Mk 2:23-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51/Ps 144:1-2, 9-10/ Mk 3:1-6 Thursday: 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7/Ps 56:2-3, 9-13/Mk 3:7-12 Friday: 1 Sm 24:3-21/Ps 57:2-4, 6, 11/Mk 3:13-19 Saturday: 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27/Ps 80:2-3, 5-7/Mk 3:20-21 Next Sunday: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10/Ps 19:8-10, 15/1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27/Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Eternal Rest For the repose of the souls of Helen Kish, Dorothy Kaminsky, and Irene Kozey. We extend our deepest sympathy to our family and friends.

3 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 17 JANUARY 2016 Saint Mark Parish BINGO Saint Mark Parish, 3210 Liberty Way, Liberty Borough, is hosting a bingo on Saturday, 30 January Doors open at 5:30. Early bird games begin at 6:30 and regular games start at 7:00pm. All paper format. Cost is $ Chinese Auction, 50/50, Instant Bingo, Food and Door Prizes. Tickets are available before and after all Masses and from Lori DiMarco at or Cathy Esack at Baked Goods Needed! We are in need of people to bake for the bake sale at the bingo. Please drop off in Father Rowan Hall on Saturday, 30 January between 2-5pm. Thank you! Raffle Ticket for Penguins Game Raffle tickets are for available for the chance to WIN two tickets to the Monday, 8 February 2016 Penguins vs. Ducks game at 7pm plus $100 cash. Raffle tickets cost $5 and are available before and after all weekend Masses, at the Administration Center, or by calling Elena Plan at The drawing will be held 1 February Saint Mark Parish 50/50 In your offertory packet, there is a special envelope marked 50/50 Drawing--Donation $5.00. At the end of each month, one lucky winner is drawn to win half of the proceeds. Congratulations to Mary Stehle, our December winner! Festival Specialty Baskets Merry Christmas! Although we are just starting off the New Year, the Specialty Basket Team would like you to keep our Festival Baskets in mind as you shop all the after holiday sales, now and as the year unfolds. As always, we take your donations and turn them into beautiful baskets. As always, we appreciate your generous support. Thank you all. Parish Share 2015 To enable us to continue and thrive, we need the support of every parishioner. Please be generous! Total Assessment: $63,391 Total Paid: $56,680 Donations to Parish Share are not assessed as income for the parish. Also, once we meet our assessment, anything above that amount is ours to keep (again, non-assessed income). Please be generous! As stewards of God s many gifts, let us rejoice and share our gifts with others. Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a sinner. MARK YOUR CALENDARS SAINT MARK PARISH FESTIVAL 4,5,6 AUGUST 2016 We are in need of new Festival Team members. If you are interested in being involved with the festival please contact Cathy Esack at or Diocese of Pittsburgh Women Alive! Registration now open for Women Alive! In God's Mercy Conference, Saturday, 16 April 2016, 8am- 2:30pm, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School, Cranberry Township. The day also features Mass with Bishop Zubik and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Cost is $45 and free transportation will be available from 12 locations throughout the Diocese. Register today at womenalivepgh.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit womenalivepgh.org or follow Women Alive! Pittsburgh on social media. The Pittsburgh Catholic News What s happening in the Catholic Schools here and across the country? Be sure to pick up a copy of the Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper the weekend of January to find out. A special supplement in observance of Catholic Schools Week, recognizing Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, will be published in the issue of 22 January. Saint Mark Parish POT PIE DINNER SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY :00-7:00 PM PORT VUE SITE NAME: TELEPHONE # CHICKEN POT PIE DINNER $10 VEGETABLE POT PIE DINNER $9 CHICKEN POT PIE ONLY $8 VEGETABLE POT PIE ONLY $7 ORDERS AND PAYMENT DUE BY 1 FEBRUARY 2016 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Please place this form in offertory basket or return to Administration Center.

4 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 17 JANUARY 2016 Annulment Presentation Mr. Jay Conzemius, JCL, of the Tribunal Office of the Diocese of Pittsburgh will be providing a 45-minute presentation at Saint John the Baptist in Plum on Monday, 18 January The purpose of the talk is to provide information about the nullity process and the new guidelines and help those wanting to begin the process to do so by receiving the initial paperwork. The talk is directed toward those who have a desire for adult education regarding this often misunderstood subject. People involved in RCIA as teachers or directors may have a special interest in attending this talk. Registration is not required, but to plan for chairs and refreshments please let us know that you are coming at tribunal@diopitt.org or call The presentation will begin at 7pm and is free of charge. Rachel s Vineyard Weekend A Rachel s Vineyard weekend retreat for post-abortion healing will be held on January 2016 at the Spiritan Center in Bethel Park. To register or for more information, call Toni Jester at or toniafj1@comcast.net. Fundraising Group Meeting There will be a Fundraising Group meeting on Tuesday, 19 January 2016 at 7pm in the meeting room at our Port Vue Site. All are welcome to attend. Please come and share any ideas that you have to help financially sustain our parish. Mary of Nazareth Catholic School Registration Registration has begun for our parish school, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School. Registration is being accepted for preschool, three and four year old children, as well as for kindergarten through grade 8. Qualifying students in grades 4-8 may take advanced placement classes. For more information please contact the school office at Join us at our Open House on February 2nd from 7:30-9:00pm. Visit our website at or visit our Facebook page at Mary of Nazareth Catholic School. For His MERCY endures forever! Calling all Crocheters! Please join us to make lap blankets for our shut-ins. We will be crocheting borders on fleece blankets. No experience necessary. Please join us for an afternoon of fellowship and fun. Tuesday, 19 January, 1:30-3:30pm in the Coffee House at our Port Vue site (enter through the church). All supplies provided. For more information contact Judy Shriane at $20 Ticket for 14 February Win $1,000 Only 100 tickets sold. $20 donation. Winning number is determined by the last 2 digits of the first 7pm Daily Pick Three drawing on Sunday, 14 February Tickets are available before and after all Masses. Please return your sold ticket stubs and money. If your stubs and monies are not returned and you have the winning number, it will not be honored. Pray for Mercy, Peace, Love and Unity for the New Year Offertory 10 January 2016 Offertory Collection $4, Thank you! "Let not your hand be open to receive and clenched when it is time to give." (Sirach 4:31) Donations Ladies of Charity: Peg Perhats $10.00 Sandra Pomycala $10.00 In memory of Dorothy Rollason: Mary Jane Portner.... $ Contribution Statements Contribution statements are available by request at the Administration Center. Please call at least 24 hours before you plan to pick up your contribution statement. Thank you! THANK YOU to Striffler Family Funeral Home for providing our Epiphany Blessings. Blessings are still available at the Administration Center. Christmas Day Ticket Winner The winning number for the 25 December 2015 $20.00 ticket was 49. Congratulations to our winner!! GriefShare Weekly Grief Support Group For those who have lost loved ones First Evangelical Free Church Thursdays, 7pm 9pm Adjacent to Renzie Park For information call Parish CHRISTMAS Party Huge Success!!! Thanks and Gratitude! THANK YOU to ALL who participated in, planned, prepared, coordinated, provided food, treats, decorations, and entertainment for our party! We all had an awesome evening together. Praise GOD and thank you! If you were involved in any way THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! If you were not able to participate, we MISSED YOU, and you missed a wonderful experience of family, fellowship, food and fun. Thanks again! Keep loving! Keep praying!

5 SAINT MARK PARISH To live our Faith, we need to know our Faith! MCKEESPORT, PA Know that GOD loves you! Accept that love! Live that love! Share that love! Stewardship of Time Time is a uniquely valuable Gift from God. What will YOU do with this personal gift from God, which is unique to you? Think of God first in everything you do with your time and then invest it. Pray often! Thank God for your life, your health, your family. Pray 10 times a day, maybe 100, just say thank you Lord. Talk to Him, He will listen. Give a warm heartfelt greeting to every one you meet; be friendly and kind. Play a game with your children or friends that THEY want to play. Volunteer at church and/or help in a community project. Visit someone who is sick, in the hospital or in a nursing home. Read the Bible, pray over Sacred Scripture. A Stewardship Prayer (From the author: I held the pen ) Dear Lord, I pray that You give me the wisdom to guide me on this faith journey of stewardship. Help me to understand that everything I have is a gift from You. Open up my heart and my mind so that I may use these marvelous gifts to give back to You here on earth. I pray Lord that You welcome me into Your kingdom at the end of my life and that You are pleased with what I have done with all Your gifts. Amen. 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time "Jesus told them, 'Fill the jars with water.' So they filled them to the brim." And then look what happened! The water became wine! And not only that, but it became "the good wine." Jesus transformed plain water into the very best wine served at that wedding feast in Cana. And he can do the same with our lives. Sometimes, we come to Jesus with empty jars. We feel we have nothing to offer, that our efforts have failed and our energy has run dry. It may seem impossible that anything good could come out of our situation. Even our hope has often disappeared in these moments. But today's Gospel should restore our confidence; we don't need to work the miracle. We just need to "do whatever he tells" us. In many cases, this will mean doing something that doesn't make sense on the surface. The servers were probably skeptical that filling their jugs with water would have any benefit. But they did it anyway. And they did it wholeheartedly, filling them up "to the brim." In our moments of emptiness, we too need to do what Jesus asks of us, all the way, without reservation. We need to continue to pray (even when we don't hear an answer). We need to continue to participate in the sacraments (even when they don't seem to help). We need to continue to follow the commandments (even when they strike us as difficult or irrelevant). We need to continue to love our neighbors (even when they don't love us back). All of this is like pouring water into those jars. We simply need to do what Jesus asks of us and then allow him to do the rest. Only when we are willing to follow his directions can he transform our emptiness into an overabundance of joy.