Our Lady of the Snow Catholic Church 175 Blue Point Avenue Blue Point, New York Telephone: 631

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1 Our Lady of the Snow Catholic Church 175 Blue Point Avenue Blue Point, New York Telephone: January 4, 2015 The Epiphany of the Lord Magi from the east arrived, looking for the newborn king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1 2:1--12) MASS SCHEDULE WEEK DAY MASSES: Monday Friday 8:30AM in Mother Church WEEKEND MASSES: The longer you look at this picture, the more you see. 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 longer you look at Jesus, the more you see also.

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 Deacon Robert Gronenthal Faith Formation for Adults: Mrs. Beth Rivalsi, Director of Faith Formation for Adults olsbeth@aol.com Religious Education: Mrs. Patricia Bartoldus, Director of Faith Formation, K-9 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 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 Director of Music Mrs. Theresa Martin 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.-12 p.m. ourladyofthesnowbp@gmail.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 January 4, 2015 My dear parish family, In last week s bulletin letter I suggested a pattern of daily prayer for your consideration, in the course of which, I added that, if you could find the time, fifteen minutes or so of spiritual reading each day would be a very fruitful exercise. There are two books every Catholic ought to be not just familiar with but steeped in: the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism, promulgated in 1994 by Pope John Paul II, was the first universal catechism issued by the Church since the Catechism of the Council of Trent in the mid-sixteenth century. There have been others, like the famed Baltimore Catechism, but these were local, so to speak, issued by the bishops of one country or another. John Paul II wrote of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church that it was given to the Church s pastors and the Christian faithful as a sure and authentic reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine... and for all the faithful who wish to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation. The Catechism is 688 pages long, not counting the index and glossary, which means that if you read just two pages a day, you d complete it in under a year. It s not light reading, but given fifteen minutes a day, you d have time to read the two pages, mull them over, check out the glossary for words you re not sure of, and come to the end of the year with a deeper knowledge of your Catholic faith. Sounds good to me. Reading the Bible in a year would be a bit more challenging. On average, a Catholic Bible is going to be about 1500 pages long, so that you d have to read four to five pages a day to finish it in a year, more if you use a study Bible with lots of footnotes and other explanatory material. Of course, nothing says you have the finish in a year. The real point is to cultivate the habit of reading a little something every day from the Bible, the Catechism, or some other book as a kind of spiritual vitamin pill to offset the destructive effects of the spiritual pollutants we re all subject to. Give it some thought. Then give it a try. God bless your efforts. And a happy and blessed New Year to you all. With love and prayers, Fr. Charles Fink

4 Prayers & Intentions Page 4 January 4, 2015 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK January 5, 2015 Saints and Special Observances also indicated Monday Jan 5, St. John Neumann 8:30AM Rose balabanick Tuesday Jan 6, St. Andre Bessette 8:30AM Francis Patrick Hession Wednesday Jan 7, St. Raymond of Penyafort 8:30AM Francis Patrick Hession Thursday Jan 8 8:30AM John Eccles Friday Jan 9 8:30AM John Eccles Saturday Jan 10 5:00PM Daniel Rate Kathy A. Weaver Sunday Jan 11 7:30AM Parishioners 9:00AM Pauline Staffieri 11:00AM Richard Dietz Theresa Bouquet MEMORIALS FOR THE WEEK Altar Bread in Wine In Memory of the Parishioners Sanctuary Candle in Mother Church In Memory of the Parishioners 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. Moms and More Group Faith * Community * Conversation * Coffee All are Welcome!! Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Babysitters, Guardians Children, too! Coffee/Tea/Water Available Please bring a snack for your child Date: Thursday, January 15, 2014 Time: 9:30am 10:30am Location: Our Lady of the Snow Mother Church Basement For more information call Beth Rivalsi ate (use Woodland Ave side door of the Mother Church Basement) Pray for Our Sick We pray for all who are sick, for their healing in both body and spirit. Baby Mia, Virginia Fontana,Patricia Behrendt Connie Calisi, Terry Gelardi & Ron Schaefer In Sympathy For all who have died this past week, that they rejoice in the heavenly banquet 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 E3/ACAN Connor Rooney USN

5 Believing with Joy! Stewardship - A Way of Life Stewardship and the Feast of the Epiphany On this feast of the Epiphany we hear of the Wise Men offering their gifts of gold, Frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured dangers and hardships on their long journey to find Christ and to offer their treasure to Him. The Magi gives us a beautiful and meaningful example of stewardship. Not doing just what is easy or convenient but what is proper and right. It is right to worship Christ our King, it is proper to bring to Him our gifts, and like the Wise Men it is our mission to find Christ. During this time of year when we reflect on New Year s Resolutions, let us resolve to be like the Magi : To Seek Christ To journey towards Christ To Worship our Creator To offer the best of our gifts to God; our time, our talent and our treasure. The rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For what he gives away remains his forever (St John Chrysostom) New Book Discussion join us as we read and discuss Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 in the Cottage. Books can be reserved by calling Beth at Our first session will be January 7, 2015 Evening of Social Justice Awareness January 22 at 7:30 p.m. for the whole parish Two guest speakers: Deacon Ed Karen and Loic Moussoh Come hear their experiences of faith and mission. Representatives from organizations will present the work they do to bring justice and peace to our world and the opportunity to share in their mission by purchasing products or gathering information. STEWARDSHIP FINANCIAL REPORT For the week of December 21, 2014 Mass Stewardship and CYO Basketball! Our CYO Basketball teams collected over 100 toys and gifts for the victims of Sandy. This was a great way for the young people to share with the less fortunate this Christmas Season! Thank you for your generosity! Family Mass and Hospitality Sunday is next weekend. Please join us for refreshments and fellowship after the Masses. If you would like to donate your time, juice or baked goods, please sign the sheet on the stage. Thank you in advance for your help. Weekly Rosary Schedule Join us in praying the rosary in the Mother Church at 4:45 on these days: January 6,15,21 & 26 Envelopes $ Loose $ Total 5:00 pm :30 am :00 am :00 am Total

6 KNOWING OUR FAITH The Twentieth Century: War and Dissent Pope Leo XIII, who named John Henry Newman a Cardinal in the nineteenth century, is said, as he stood at the altar, to have heard a conversation between God and the devil. Satan: If I had more power and more time, I could destroy your Church. God: How much power? How much time? More people were killed in wars and by dictators in the twentieth century than in all the rest of history, and the Church suffered grievously as a result. In the Spanish Civil War alone, 30,000 priests and nuns were executed. Communism staged an unremitting war against religion for more than seventy years. Along with six million Jews, Hitler killed thousands of priests and religious, while at the end of the century, entire populations of Christians were being exterminated in portions of Africa. Perhaps the greatest religious event of the century occurred when Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s. The Church had produced an outstanding array of superb teachers of the faith in the first half of the century, many of them converts like Chesterton, Knox, and Maritain. In the United States, the Church experienced unprecedented growth thanks to immigration from Europe, and following WWII, Catholic seminaries, convents, monasteries, and parish churches were filled to overflowing. A Catholic bishop, Fulton Sheen, was one of the nation s most revered and popular TV personalities. But the world was rapidly changing, and Pope John XXIII felt that the Church must change, too, if she were to communicate effectively the riches of her tradition to a new generation. Overnight the Church experienced more change in the way she practiced her religion than she had in the previous one thousand years, and, for better or worse, this coincided with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, growing world-wide protests against the Vietnam War, and the so-called Sexual Revolution, all of which overflowed into a generally hostile attitude towards all authority. How different the world and the Church had become may be gauged by looking at one issue. For most of history, with infant mortality high and medicine relatively primitive, people had little desire to limit births. Until 1930, no Christian denomination had ever advocated birth control. Sigmund Freud, an atheist of Jewish background, considered contraception a sexual perversion. But when Pope Paul VI issued Humanae Vitae in 1968, reaffirming the Church s teaching on artificial birth control, a firestorm ensued. The world, and many in the Church, ignored the Pope s encyclical and have rejected her teachings on many other issues. At the end of the twentieth century, Pope John Paul II spoke often of a new spring time of evangelization. Only time will tell whether his was a false hope or a true prophecy.

7 Parish Outreach & Local Events Page 7 January 4, 2015 Parish Outreach News FOOD PANTRY ALERT During the winter months, donations to our food pantry drop drastically. Due to these tough economic times, we are helping an increased number of our neighbors in need. We are currently in need of all food items, but especially: pasta sauce, cookies, crackers, boxed milk, canned meats, tuna, mayonnaise, tea, coffee, all juices, cereal, pancake mix and syrup, paper towels, laundry detergent, baby wipes, chili, stew, chicken, jelly, rice, all toiletries, but especially tissues, shampoo and conditioner. We are also in desperate need of supermarket gift cards in $10 denominations to all area supermarkets, also CVS and Costco gift cards are needed for pharmacy assistance. Food can be dropped off at the outreach office Monday Thursday 10AM 1PM or in the food bin outside the pantry door in the foyer of the large church before or after every Mass. Blood Drive The Saint Lawrence Knights of Columbus will host the Long Island Blood Service for a Blood Drive. Sunday January 25, 2015 from 8:00 am ll 2:00 pm, located in the Bethany Center Main St Sayville. Defensive Driving Course The Saint Lawrence Knights of Columbus is providing a community service offering a defensive driving course in the Bethany parish center. Saturday January 17, 9 am the cost of the class is $35.00 which includes coffee/bagel breakfast & wrap/salad for lunch. Call to register. Come Celebrate Religious Freedom Sunday January 3 pm in the Large Church Our Lady of the Snow, view an inspira onal and thought provoking film God is Not Dead All are invited to his family friendly event. Worldwide Marriage Encounter The fi h annual search for the longest married couple in the United States is under way as announced by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith -based marriage enrichment program in this country. To submit a couple for nomina on call nd Annual March for Life Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 Washington DC Thou Shall Protect the Equal Right to life of Each Innocent Human in Existence at Fertilization. No Exception! No Comprise! Bus reservations $10 per person or $20 per family (scholarships available). Make your check out to OLS Respect Life & call for reservation NOW / Jean If you are unable to join us please pray & fast for the end of the violence and the Respect, Celebration & Thanksgiving of Life from conception through natural death Come Celebrate Religious Freedom Sunday, January 3p.m. In the Large church and view an inspirational and thought provoking film God is Not Dead! All are invited to this family friendly event, refreshments will be served.

8 OUR LADY OF THE SNOW RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OFFICE 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 with Jesus through Word, Worship and Service. Week of Jan. 4 Children s Liturgy of the Word Jan. 4, 2015 at the 9am Mass Level 1 Parent Meeting Thurs. Jan.8, 2015 at 10am or 7pm CLASSES RESUME THIS WEEK Level 2 Mon. Tues. & Wed. 4:30 Wed. 6pm Mother Church Basement Level 3-6 Mon. Tues. Wed. 4:30 5:30 & Wed. 6 7pm Large Church Level 7 & 8 Mon. 6 7 pm & 7:30 8:30pm Large Church 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 Catechist News Catechist Meeting Tues. Jan. 20 in the Large Church at 7:30pm Please bring your favorite website, lesson plan or idea to share. Calendars were ed to catechists and there will be hard copies in your attendance folder when you return to class. Upcoming Events Children s Liturgy of the Word Sun. Jan. 11 Family Mass Level 2 Parent Meeting during class time on Jan. 12 (4:30) Jan. 13 (4:30) Jan 14 (4:30 or 6pm) Level 2 Enrollment Mass Sat. Jan. 24 at 5pm or Sun. Jan. 25 at 9am Level 9 Confirmation next class is Wed. Jan. 14,2015. Confirmation Retreats Jan. 24 is filled. There are still openings for the Jan. 31 retreat. If you have not returned your Confirmation RSVP and fee please do so as soon as possible Calendars will be distributed the first week of classes in January. Home Study calendars will be mailed to the Home Study families.

9 What s Going On At The Church??? If you d like to make an offering for the sanctuary candle burning in the Mother Church or the bread and wine used for all Masses in any given week, just stop by the rectory to make the arrangements: $10 for the sanctuary candle, $20 for the bread and wine. The person or intention for whom you make the offering will be listed in the bulletin. See p. 4 of this bulletin for an example. We re running a raffle: only 500 tickets sold, $100 a ticket; grand prize $10,000; 2 nd prize $5000; 3 rd prize $1000. See page ten of this bulletin for more details and an order form. Go in with friends if you can t afford a ticket on your own. Have you seen the lovely new shrine candles in the Mother Church? They re to the left of the altar under the statues of Mary and Joseph. Check them out, and if you want to light a candle from time to time, know that the Mother Church is usually open. Have you gone to our parish website lately? It s filled with useful information about what s going on in the parish. You can access the parish bulletin from afar. And if you re interested, you can find a selection of Fr. Fink s homilies there. Pass the word: Another site you might be interested in for spiritual nourishment and refreshment is: featuring homilies and conferences of a wise and holy English priest. You can read excerpts from his talks or listen to uncut versions at your leisure. You can make mini-retreats all year long with Fr. Keep. FAITH DIRECT is a way of automatically making your offering to the parish each week, from your account to ours. If this appeals to you pick up an enrollment form from the parish office today or enroll at our church code is NY235 Mark the following upcoming events on your calendar: Sunday, January 11 at 3 pm in the large church; Family Movie Afternoon. More info to follow. Sunday, January, 25, 4-7 pm; annual Chili Cook-off (at which we ll draw the early bird winner in our parish raffle). Unless announced otherwise, each Monday night we have two hours of Eucharistic Adoration, from 6-8 pm. There are confessions from 6:15-7:15, then at 7:30 a Miraculous Medal Novena, followed by Benediction. Come for all or any part. You may find it habit-forming.

10 Our Lady of the Snow Raffle ********** Drawing on May 1, 2015 First Name Page 10 January 4, 2015 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. 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!!!! 1.) Jesus said, As I have loved, so you should love one another. (a) God; (b) bread and wine ; (c) you ; (d) my mother 2.) We celebrate the on August 15. (a) Assumption (b) Visitation (c ) Immaculate conception (d) Birth of Jesus 3.) The first five books in the Old Testament are called the in the Jewish tradition. (a) Epistles; (b) Torah; (c) Letters; (d) Catechism 4.) recognized God s presence in a burning bush and responded to God s invitation to lead his people out of slavery. (a) Elijah (b) Abraham (c ) Melchizedek (d) Moses 5.) Jesus appears to his disciples and said, be with you. (a) Courage; (b) God ; (c) Peace; (d) The truth Answer key: 1) c 2)a 3) b 4) d 5) c

11 A little humor from Father Fink As a husband and wife left Mass on Sunday, the wife took her husband s hand and said, Are you sure you re okay, honey? You hardly slept at all in church today.