THE SHAMR St. Patrick Parish, Providence March 2012

Transcription

1 THE SHAMR CK St. Patrick Parish, Providence March 2012 Dear Saint Patrick Providence Family, I give praise and thanks to almighty God for the gift of salvation offered to us through our faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God! Happy March!!! Well, I m very glad that we re out of the month of the GROUNDHOG. He can go back to sleeping, eating grubs or whatever those critters do to past time away while waiting for the soy beans and corn to be planted. Good riddance. Well, I know that spring is not far away because during my scenic drives between parishes, I am catching the breathtaking aroma of skunk. Yes, such a delightful odor. Don t worry I m not going to start a war with the skunks as I have with groundhogs, their warning keeps me far away. Besides, I don t want to rile them up and skunk stew doesn t sound too appetizing. Thank you for all the soup and food donated for Souper Bowl Sunday, it was very much appreciated by the Otsego and Liberty Center food pantries. God bless your generous hearts. Our confirmation candidates (freshmen) had their retreat on Saturday February 18 th. It was very moving to watch our young folks entered into the retreat. They were very receptive to the Spirit of God speaking to them. Our young people have a lot to offer our community of faith. May God continue to bless your journey of walking with Jesus. Please keep our students in your prayers as they look forward to celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation on March 10 th at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo. Our confirmation students are: Caroline Battin, Alexandrea Eckler, Michael Ellerbrock, Kasie Feck, Jonathan Frost, David Glenn, Amy Hertzfeld, Baily Hertzfeld, Marisca Kinsey, Samuel Perry, Brittani Potter, Madelyn Ransberger, Eva Scott, Jon Urmetz, Brendan Vigallon, Andrew Wolfram and Andrew Watts. My personal thanks to Kevin Hertzfeld and Christine Nelms for their work with the confirmation class. Thanks to the youth band and singers for sharing their talents at the 11:00a.m. mass on the 4 th Sunday of the month. It enhances our worship, it is truly appreciated. We are off and running with Lent and Easter (April 8 th ) will be here before we know it. I just love lent because it calls us to return to the roots of our faith: prayer, sacrifice, and works of kindness. Lent calls us to simplicity of heart, to return to the Lord with an open heart. Lent invites us to journey into the quiet of the desert and spend time listening to the Lord. It is a time of what am I willing to do to make myself more aware of God in my life. This might entail sacrificing candy and letting the Lord sweeten our lives. This might be to spend a little time in prayer, reading the bible or helping around the house by doing the dishes or picking up my room without being told, it might be to send a note to one of our homebound members or care center parishioner or to those who are sick to let them know we are praying for them. It might be to give up watching some TV show or computer game so I can have more time for

2 prayer. Let us make this lent a success by our prayer, sacrifices and works of kindnesses. Just a reminder that on Fridays in Lent, we asked to abstain from meat totally and this applies to those who have reached their 14 th year. On Good Friday April 6th, we are asked to fast and abstain from meat. Fasting means not to eat between meals and that our two smaller meals must be less than our one main meal. There is a limit of one full meal on these days for all between the ages of 18 and 59 inclusive. This, of course, is excused for medical reasons and another act of sacrifice be substituted. On March 11 th at 2:00a.m. Daylight Saving Time begins; you will need to turn your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed. Happy Feast Day on March 17 th. Come join in a parish potluck following the 4:30p.m. Mass. The parish will furnish chicken, ham and drinks. On March 18 th John Hannewald will be awarded his Eagle Scout award. Congratulations John! And congratulations to Keith and Sue Hannewald for keeping the fire burning under his feet until all the requirements were met. New St. Patrick Parishioners Frank and Lory Rosiak moved to Liberty Center in August form the Pittsburgh, PA area. They moved here to be closer to our only grandchildren, twin girls, who are 6 years old. Frank is a retired steelworker and Lory is a retired registered nurse. They have found St. Patrick s to be a very welcoming parish and are glad to be here. Peace & Prayers, P.S. Happy Saint Patrick s Day to all! May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall softly upon your fields. And until we meet again. May God hold you in the palm of His Hand. Donald Joseph Dine In September 2011 Don moved here from Michigan. He was married to Mary who died Aug. 14, He has 5 children, two sons and 3 daughters. He is a CPA. He currently lives with his son Donald and daughter-in-law Karie in Whitehouse.

3 Update on Drainage Loan: In February, 2010, Saint Patrick Parish- Providence took a loan from the Diocese of Toledo for$140, to finance an ambitious task of improving drainage around the parish buildings. The loan was made for nine years. After two years (24 months) we have the loan paid down to $63, According to the loan amortization schedule we are at the 57 month schedule. We are 2 years plus head of schedule and have not curtailed any expenditures. We are doing very fine. Thank you very much. This is being accomplished by your generous offertory giving. We have not conducted a big fundraiser and are still able to do other small projects. I just want to keep you informed and give you a pat on the back. In a year, I see that we will probably continue and execute plans for the family handicap restroom. A Grateful Pastor Fr. Dave Please pray for the following housebound and sick: Evan Simon Greg Paul Patricia Cook Ed Bump Lucy McCready Max Chamberlain John Wolfram Bob Kingsley Marcy Dick Ruth Hurd Margaret Mockenstrum Tony Biesiot Mary Frazer Steve Hertzfeld Deborah Page Kim Kempf Jason Henderson Debbie Athanitis Larry Hertzfeld Susan Ammon Mary Ann Kowalik Ruth Glick Kaden Michaelis Marguerite Kertesz Rosemary Biesiot Jamee Bernthisel Joe Boyle, Jr. Corey Longenecker Bob Hertzfeld Bryan Kummerer Brent Bogel Kaylee Mae Fish Marie Thomas Karen Ellis Saturnina Banggad Tom Auth David Tillman Whitney Hertzfeld If there is anyone who needs to be removed from this list please call the parish office ( ). NEWS FROM RELIGIOUS EDUCATION As I was doing my own personal preparation for Lent, I ran across a quote from Thomas Merton. He said, We must remember the original meaning of Lent, as the ver sacrum, the Church s holy spring in which the catechumens were prepared for their baptism, and public penitents were made ready by penance for their restoration to the sacramental life in a communion with the rest of the Church. When you think about Lent in that light, our focus becomes one of healing and expectation. I can observe that very focus among our students and teachers, especially among those preparing for the sacraments. To facilitate our children s Lenten experience, all religious education students were given an age appropriate calendar with suggestions for each day of Lent. The fourth and fifth graders are practicing their annual presentation of the Stations of the Cross with Sue Hannewald. This is their gift to the parish, so all are invited. Watch the bulletin for date and time (Hint: it will happen between the Sunday masses at normal religious ed time). After a successful retreat in February, our freshmen are in the final stages of preparation for receiving Confirmation. This is scheduled for March 10 th at noon at the Cathedral. Getting those last service hours can be a challenge, yet nine of our hardiest spent the morning of President s Day (their day off school!) in a cold warehouse at ISOH/Impact in Waterville. Alex Echler, Michael Ellerbrock, Kasie Feck, Jon Frost, Amy Hertzfeld, Baily Hertzfeld, Brittani Potter, Maddie Ransberger and Andrew Watts (plus Nancy Scott and myself) sorted material that will be sent out on medical missions. ISOH responds to disasters and relief agencies all over the world with supplies and needed materials. By the way, a great Lenten activity! If you or your family is interested in volunteering at ISOH, stop and see me for more information on how you can schedule a time of service. A tremendous opportunity for middle school age students is coming up March 24 th. Nancy Scott will lead a group of our youth to Findlay to attend a rally sponsored by the Diocese Youth Ministry. Check out the posters in the church hall or contact Nancy or myself if you are interested in attending. The parish will pick up the cost for any middle school (grades 6 8) that wants to attend. New altar servers were trained at the end of February, it is so gratifying to see our youth want to participate in our mass! Thanks to Jon Frost for an excellent job conducting the training. Coffee with Chris will return on Sunday, March 4 th during the religious education time (approximately 9:30 10:30 am). Any parent who is interested is welcome to join me in the religious ed office downstairs. We will be sharing ideas to involve children in family Lenten activities. Lent can be a beautiful time of renewal and healing. My prayer for all of you is that you find the time this Lent to make this your own holy spring.

4 QUIET PRAYER BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT is available 48 hours each month beginning with the first Friday of the month (12:01 a.m. Friday 11:59 p.m. Saturday). This is an excellent opportunity to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and to listen quietly to God. Many types of prayer aids and other books are available for your use. If you would like to experience this first hand please contact Carl Eby at ( ). Or stop in any time; entrance is by knocking on the south ramp door. It will be Mar2-3. CHRP Weekend Lent 2013 Have you ever made a CHRP weekend retreat? Would you like to be on the team for the 2013 CHRP weekend? This would entail a commitment of meetings to prepare for it. If you are interested please contact Helen Zbierajewski, Operation Rice Bowl This Lent, our faith community will be joining millions of Catholics across the country by participating in CRS Operation Rice Bowl. Your family is invited to pick up a Rice Bowl at the church doors and join in this simple yet powerful Lenten practice. Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl invites us to pray with our families and faith communities, fast in solidarity with those who are hungry, learn about our brothers and sisters around the world, and give sacrificial contributions to help those in need. Lectors, Ministers of Communion and Servers: Please sign up for one of the ministries for Holy Week and Easter liturgies. The sheets are on a table in the hall. Widow/Widowers Luncheons Resume Wed. Mar. 14 (note day change) will be the first luncheon of the year. The location is Dale s Restaurant in Waterville (down from the florist) at noon. Come and enjoy a great lunch and meet other widows and widowers of our parish. Attention Catholic Singles Interested in joining an excellent Catholic singles organization? The Catholic Alumni Club International is looking to expand into the Toledo diocese. We provide a group dedicated to social, cultural, civic and spiritual relationships in a Catholic setting. For more information, please check out the following site or contact Steve at valksr@yahoo.com: St. Richard Parish Mission Mar You are invited to attend Our Hearts at Sunday Mass Parish Mission. Fr. Alan Phillip, C. P. will be the presenter. It will be Mar. 26, 27, & 28 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for your Lenten journey. Reminder: Lenten Regulations for Fast and Abstinence Good Friday is a day of abstinence from meat and also days of fast, that is, limited to a single full meal. With regard to Good Friday the teaching of the Second Vatican Council should be recalled: Let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind. The other Fridays of the season of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. With regard to the obligatory days listed above, however, there is frequent question about the degree of seriousness of the matter. The teaching of the Holy Father may be simply paraphrased: the obligation to do penance is a serious one, the obligation to observe, as a whole or substantially, the penitential days specified by the church is also serious. No one should be scrupulous in this regard; failure to observe individual days of penance is not considered serious; rather it is the failure to observe a substantial number of penitential days, which must be considered serious. People should seek to do more rather than less. Fast and abstinence on the days prescribed would be considered a minimal response to the Lord s call to penance and conversion. The law of abstinence binds all Catholics 14 years of age and older. The law of fasting binds all Catholics from their 18 th birthday until their 59 th birthday. Bible Quest 2lt. Michael Hahn, son of Cheryl and Jerry Hahn, has recently started a Christian non-profit organization named Bible Quest. The goal of the organization is to provide the written word of God freely to any organization or individuals in need of Bibles. If you have any old Bibles laying around your house you can help this organization spread the Word of God. Contact 2LT Michael Hahn at or 2LT.michael.hahn@gmail.com.

5 9 th Grade Confirmation Retreat Snnshine Committee: The Year in Review and a Look Ahead The small but mighty Sunshine Committee has accomplished much this past year. In February we created our statement of purpose, which has guided us. We hosted a pancake breakfast, a card party, a parish picnic and a harvest party, as well as helping with movie night. In May we coordinated a church cleaning day. We initiated a Blessing of Aninals near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. In November we coordianted a veteran s recognition day at the weekend Masses. December found us coordinating the parish bake sale at our craft show, as well as the 2 nd Annual Christmas Caroling for parish shut-ins. We are proud to have initiated a Homebound Ministry program, as well as providing Faith Development thoughts for the weekly bulletin. We d like to thank everyone who helped in any way with our varied activities, as well as those who attended/supported thse events. In the year ahead we d like to build on our accomplishments, as well as initiate some new programs. Ideas being considered include welcoming new parishioners, creating a spotlight on a family article for each month s Shamrock; beginning a postcard ministry ; and more family fun and/or adults only activities. As always, everyone is welcome to join our group. We generally meet once a month, with the date posted in the bulletin.

6 Remember Time change We lose an hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday Mar. 11 as we change our clocks ahead an hour. Youth Group Walleye Game: Faith & Family Night Mar. 18, 4:00 p.m. You are invited to go to the game on Mar. 18 and enjoy an evening of fun. Tickets are $5 for everyone. The parish is co-sponsoring this event. We are looking for chaperones to attend the game. If you are interested in going contact Debbie Hertzfeld, St. Aloysius School Open House We are opening our doors and offering an Open House and Registration on Sunday on March 4 th from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please plan on visiting our updated classrooms, our NEW office, and discussing Catholic Education for your children with our teachers in grades KR-8. St. Augustine Fish Fry s - Every Friday from 5:00-7:00 pm during Lent you can enjoy the delicious Napoleon, St. Augustine Fish Fry. The dinner includes Fried or Baked fish, Mac & Cheese for kids, Green Beans, Cole Slaw, dinner Roll, Desserts, and Juice or Coffee for just $8 (10 and older), kids $4, and children 3 and under, eat for free. PLEASE, PLEASE if you have changed your phone number to a cell phone give the parish a call. Many times the teachers will call and the number is disconnected. This is the only way the parish can keep updated with your information. Thank you Lent Almsgiving: we are unusually blessed, millions are not. Our tradition is one of generosity. Operation Rice Bowl during Lent Weekly Lord s Day offertory Otsego & Liberty Center Food Pantries Our St. Vincent de Paul Society Mar. 4 Catholic Relief Services Mar. 18 The Church in the Holy Land Good Friday Haskins Community Church Pancake Day Mar. 10 Come and enjoy all-you-can-eat great pancakes with sausage, applesauce and beverage. Adults: $7.00, Children 4-10: $2.00, under 3 are free. The address is 209 W. Main St., Haskins. Heartbeat of Toledo Life is a Gift Fundraiser Tues. Mar. 20 from 7:30-8:30 a.m. there will be a breakfast at the Premier Banquet Hall, 4480 Heatherdowns, Toledo. Doors open at 7 a.m. To make a reservation call Heartbeat at or info@heartbeatoftoledo.org..

7 Patronal Feast Not green beer, green hats or green spaghetti are the best way to observe St. Patrick s day for people of our parish. We look to him as a hero, one who walked the talk of Christian discipleship and evangelization. H faith, his love of God, his passion to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ make St. Patrick an excellend model of being a Christian and a worthy patron of our parish. His effective work continues through the centuries. Imagine the faith of our original parishioners who were canal-digging laborers and yet sacrified to build the 1845 part of today s church building. Want to celebrate St. Paddy s Day this year? Try to imitate the faith, evangelization and generosity of Patrick himself and that of our first parishioners over 167 years ago. Join our parish in celebrating St. Patrick s Day, Sat. Mar. 17 after the 4:30 Mass with a parish wide potluck. Our Parish Vision We are a people of God nourished by Sacred Scripture and Sacrament. We believe in and are experiencing the mystery of God s unconditional love for us. Through Jesus Christ and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we work to build God s kingdom on earth. Our efforts within our parish will focus on: our fuller union with God, our strengthened relationships with each other, and our caring service to others.

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11 ST. PATRICK CHURCH U.S. 24 WEST GRAND RAPIDS, OH Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Grand Rapids, Ohio Permit No. 3 Zip Code Address Service Requested