The Fifth Sunday of Lent April 07, 2019

Transcription

1 The Fifth Sunday of Lent April 07, 2019

2 We believe Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and the center of our parish life and mission! MONDAY Remember (OLS) 12:10 PM Margaret Arcangelo Ann Zinicola The Family The Lee Family Elaine Wilk Eugene & Jack Kane John Wilk The Family Harry Ackerson Tom Rose Dr. Frank Milani Wife & Sons Richard J. Dempsey Catherine Jaskulski The Family Monica Herron (OLS) 12:10 PM Patricia Govan Thomas Rose Mstr. Divine SPA Karate The Rice Family SATURDAY (CSG) 5:00 PM Gordon, Burns, Harrrington, Morano Famillies The Family TUESDAY (OLS)12:10 PM WEDNESDAY (OLS)12:10 PM THURSDAY (OLS) 12:10 AM FRIDAY March Reflecting on Living the Gospel T oday s story is not in the earliest or best manuscripts of the Gospel of John. In fact, many later manuscripts place this story in the Gospel of Luke, effectively between Luke 21:38 and 22:1, or after the last chapter of the gospel. And other manuscripts have this story not in John 8 (where we find it in the canon) but following John 7:36. Of course, none of this detracts from the story being canonical and inspired Scripture. But it s good to keep in mind the varied history and manuscript difficulties with the story. The notes in the New American Bible explain more. Part of the reason we pay attention to the problematic background of the story is that it gives us an insight into the early church that produced the text. There was a time in church history, a few centuries after Jesus death and resurrection, that some Christians did not believe in forgiveness of sin after one s baptism. As a result, many Christians were delaying baptism. Other Christians were proclaiming a more libertine attitude, namely, that one could be forgiven for sins even after one was baptized. Part of the difficulty was that the Letter to the Hebrews states quite clearly, If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries (Heb 10:26-27; NABRE; cf. Heb 10:26-31). In the face of such church disputes this story of Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery began to appear in early manuscripts. It s as though the church recalled an episode from Jesus life, or told a story about how Jesus might approach the issue. So this story was added late, and in various places (Luke, John). But thankfully it is scripture nonetheless. 2

3 Sacrament of Reconciliation Monsignor Quinn, Father Babu and Father Lapera will hear confessions Monday April 9 and 15. Confessions will be heard from 5:30 until 7:00 PM at Our Lady of the Snows Church. Uniting with our neighboring parishes, communal prayer services with individual confessions are scheduled for your convenience as follows: Sunday, April 7 At 6:00 PM, Nativity of the BVM, Tunkhannock Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 PM, Our Lady of the Abington's, Dalton Individual Confessions on Wednesday April 17 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM at St. Gregory s Church. Come and avail yourself of this incredible source of God s grace, mercy and healing. Pilgrims, Palms, Processions Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, and we will begin inside at all Masses in a different part of our worship space to hear about how Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph before his passion, death and resurrection, then we will bless palm branches branches carried by us as pilgrims, and like the children of Jerusalem we will walk and sing in procession. The gospel that we have been listening to all year long now has been leading us toward this journey to Jerusalem, this procession to the supper table, the cross and the tomb. When we accept the palm branches next week, we promise to live as pilgrims, to move through this life with and to Jesus. Like the Israelites in the desert, we are only passing through. Like Christ himself, we go about carrying good news, even when we walk the way of tears. Come prepared next week to walk and sing together as fellow travelers. We will walk behind our cross to our holy table Jerusalem, in our own neighborhood; and this procession will be practice for an even more awesome journey that we will make in one week the Easter Vigil s procession to the font of baptism that place where we die to sin and rise in love to life everlasting. Our Confirmation Class will take part in the Procession at the 10:00 AM Mass. All students will gather at the rear of the church on both sides of the center aisle. The gifts of Bread and Wine are offered in Memory of Margaret Arcangelo ARE YOU NEW TO THE CHURCH OF SAINT GREGORY? WE RE GLAD YOU RE HERE! The Church of St. Gregory is a diverse and vibrant community of faith that offers many opportunities to enrich your spiritual life, serve those in need, educate your family, and most importantly, to belong. You may fill out an online registration form at Thechurchofstgregory.com or download form and return to our office. 3

4 family and neigh- We recognize God s call to serve our parish bors near and far! Headline Text Holy Thursday April 18 Mass of the Lord s Supper 7:00 pm Good Friday April 19 Passion of Our Lord 7:00 pm Holy Saturday April 20 Easter Vigil 8:00 pm A sense of the season The word Triduum comes from the Latin and means three days. It is commonly pronounced TRIH-doouhm and is usually used in reference to the Easter Triduum, the three most sacred days in the church year. The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord s Supper on Holy Thursday, reaches Ideally, no other parish events are scheduled on these three days; the presence, time and energy of every person in the community are needed for what we do here. its high point at the Easter Vigil and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Often there is confusion about how that block of time can be counted as three days. The traditional Jewish practice of counting days from sunset to sunset is used during the Triduum. Thus, Holy Thursday evening to Good Friday evening is the first day, Good Friday evening to Holy Saturday evening is the second day and Holy Saturday evening to Sunday evening is the third day. Although we talk of the three days, our Triduum prayer is best understood as one liturgy in three interlocking movements. We wash one another s feet, reverence the cross, light fires in the night and proclaim the stories of our salvation with an awed awareness that this is what it means to be baptized. The Easter Vigil then is the premier time to welcome new members into the church through baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. Ideally, no other parish events are scheduled on these three days; the presence, time and energy of every person in the community are needed for what we do here. Yes, this may be inconvenient, but birth and death are rarely convenient! Our forty days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving lead us to the Triduum beyond its history, into its mystery. 4

5 Day of Service Activities LRCA Team Captain John Hambrose Countryside Conservancy John Hambrose South Abington Park John Hambrose Saint Francis Commons Cindy Dick Willowbrook Assisted Living Barbara Braatz (Continued on page 6) John Paul II Fund Meet Rose! She is in her third year of High School at Mandela Secondary School, Masaka Diocese, Uganda. She received a donation of $ for tuition assistance from our parish family. Stewardship Love and generosity start here at home. We are grateful for your faithful stewardship which sustains the life of the parish, supports our outreach and ministries, as well as maintains the level of staffing needed to put our mission into action: welcoming the world with open arms, faithful hearts and hands ready to serve. Thank you for your gift of treasure and commitment to do God s work here at the Church of Saint Gregory offered on the weekend of March 30 & 31, Sunday Offering $15, Building Fund Payments $2, Serving Coffee after Mass in our Temporary Cafe Hands Ready To Serve Canned Fruits/Vegetables Donations this week will be offered to Catholic Social Services. April Donations of pet food will always be received. 5

6 We cherish our relationship with Jesus and strive to make the gospel relevant to our daily lives! First Eucharist Retreat Pastoral Council Michele Musheno, Theresa Robinson, Scott Pettinato, Marjorie Barlow, Joe Hogan, Donald Broderick, Ted Tomaszewski, Mary Ann Morgan, Logan Lombardo, Deacon Bob, Gemma Chuff, Mary Chuff, Matthew Walsh, Theresa Acla, John Zaums, Marian Farrell, Barbara Bratz, Chris Behan, Perry Rose, Fr. John Finance Council Bill Burkavage, John Devine, Paul Gerega, Deacon Bob, Yvonne Cronkey, Ken Paulino, Jim Fleming, Father John. Mission Statement The parish community of Saint Gregory, guided by Christ s gospel message of love and nourished for mission at Eucharist welcomes the world with open arms, faithful hearts and hands ready to serve. Virtus: Protecting God s Children A training session is being offered for all adult employees and volunteers who have direct contact or routine interaction with children. During this session, a facilitator, will teach you the tools and show you the resources to maintain a safe environment for all children, will incorporate techniques in a discussion-format to help you recognize the warning signs of child sexual abuse and how to respond to it appropriately and effectively. The session will be held on Wednesday, April 17 at Keystone College Campus, LaPlume (Capwell Hall room 209). To register please contact Mariel at Easter Egg Hunt Mayor Lawler will hold an Eggstravagant Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 20 from 1:00 until 2:30 PM at the Gazebo Garden (behind the Clarks Green Borough Building). Children ages 4, 5 & 6 are invited to attend. Bring your basket for the Egg Hunt, games, favors, surprises and many treats. Space is limited. To register please call The event will be held rain or shine. Car Wash Chris Beehan Waverly Community House WCH Friends of the Poor Tracy Bannon Easter Egg Hunt Debra J. Book Fair Ruth F. Christen K. Gerrity s The Rigau s 6

7 We believe that our Baptism forms us into a family joined together to love God and one another! Eighth Grade Families All families with Candidates preparing for Confirmation are expected to be part of a special procession at the start of the 10:00 AM Mass on Palm Sunday. Letters have been mailed with reminder. Second Grade Families All families with children preparing for First Eucharist in May are invited to be part of a special procession during the Mass of the Lord s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:00 pm. Letters will be mailed with an invitation. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience. Seventh Grade Families All families with students in seventh grade are invited to be part of a special procession during the celebration of our Lord s Passion on Good Friday at 7:00 pm. Letters will be mailed with an invitation. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience. High School Grade Families All families with students in High School are encouraged to join us for the celebration of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at 8:00 PM. On this night of all nights, the kingdom of God is proclaimed in the most dramatic of ways! Day of Service All Volunteers are Meeting at 9:30 AM at Chinchilla Hose Company on Saturday April 13 7

8 Baptism Angels at the Doorstep Baptisms are normally celebrated on the Third Sunday of every month during or following the 12 noon liturgy. Baptisms may be arranged at other times when necessary. Parent and Godparent preparation may be scheduled by calling the rectory for an appointment. A team of volunteers who provide comfort, a meal or Anointing of the Sick This ministry seeks to raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness of veterans within our local community and serve residents at St. Francis Commons. For more information please bburkavage@gmail.com Please contact the rectory at anytime for the celebration of this sacrament. Coordinating Teams WORSHIP David Hemmler, Marion Eagen, Nina Magnani, Cindy Dick, Debbie Colarossi, Ron Grambo, Donna Nasser, Judy Grambo, Danny Marx. SERVICE Julie Nastasi, Carol Strauch, John Devine, Chrissy Jacoby, Deacon Bob, Meg & John Hambrose, Jane Farr, Judy Burkavage, Susan Scanland, Ken Walsh, Doris Sanner. The Service Team has a complete list of service connected opportunities. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Julie Nastasi at Julie.nastasi@gmail. com. COMMUNITY Tracy Bannon, Saul & Lisa Rigau, Yvonne Cronkey, Bridget Walsh, Bill Durdach, Danelle Hogan, Molly Johnson, Pam Jones, Mary Griffin, Joe Hogan, Judy Walsh Nina Magnani. Parish activities and sign-up sheets may be found on the Welcome Cart. For more information, please contact Tracy Bannon at tracybannon@stjosephscenter. Org WORD Ruth Fried, Bob Barry, Jack Rubano, Connie Sheils, Patti Staples, Fred Mercandante, Dr. Ted Tomaszewski, Carlon Preate, Dan Haggerty, Bob Sheils, III, Cristen Klamp. To learn more about the Word Coordinating Team, please contact Patti Staples at Marriage Arrangements should be made six months prior to the desired wedding date. Please contact Father Lapera. Music Ministry (Both) Spirit Song Ensemble and Voices of Faith Choir: Wed. 7:00 p.m. Genesis Children s Choir: Wed. 4:00 p.m. Art and Environment A team of volunteers who provide appropriate ideas and design for the decoration of our worship space. Ministers of Hospitality Ministers of Hospitality are the welcoming ambassadors of our parish family at liturgy. Please contact our office for more information. Communion Calls A team of Extraordinary Communion Ministers visit our homebound with Communion every month. For more Information please contact Deacon Robert Sheils at rsheils1@comcast.net Rosary Groups Every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM, every Tuesday afternoon at 5:15 PM and every Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM. Hospital Visitation If anyone has a family member, relative or friend in any of the area hospitals and would like them to have a visit, please call the rectory. St. Joseph s Outreach Our parish partners with St. Joseph s School in Uganda. Donations are always welcome in support of student tuition. Heavenly Paws assistance with parishioners and neighbors suffering loss or illness of any kind. Veterans Ministry Refugee Family Ministry This team will encourage parish support for refugees arriving in our community from all over the world in cooperation with CSS of the Diocese of Scranton. Holy Grounds Family, friends and visitors are welcome for coffee after Mass in St. Joe s Café on Wednesday and Sunday mornings. Women s Guild Guild meetings take place the first Thursday of every month from September through May, with the exception of January. Meetings begin at 7:00 PM and are held in the rectory. saintgregoryswomensguild@gmail. com Community Table A social gathering to foster fellowship, friendship and parish family for all parish adults. The community table meets at a different venue monthly. Information will be published in the Green Dialog or you may judywalsh730@gmail.com. Religious Education Our Religious Education program takes place every Sunday Morning at 11:05 AM at Our Lady of Peace School for grades 1-8. Kindergarten Class is held at Our Lady of Peace School. Holy Cross School System Our Lady of Peace School 410 N. Abington Road, Clarks Green, PA Mrs. M. Colleen Jumper, Principal - Holy Cross High School 501 E. Drinker Street, Dunmore, PA Mr. Benjamin D. Tolerico, Principal - R.C.I.A. A pet group that collects food and supplies for the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. For more information please contact Lisa Thomas at lmt01@comcast.net There currently is an R.C.I.A. team ready to welcome anyone interested in becoming a Catholic or to learn more about their Catholic faith. Please Connie at rsheils1@comcast.net Hands Ready To Serve Family Faith Formation Weekly donations may be left in the closet to your left as you come in the new entrance on the OLP side. There is a wagon inside the door for all donations. See page 4 for a list of items we are collecting each week. There are also four large annual collections. Seasonal Faith Formation opportunities for all ages are offered throughout the year. Prayer Shawl Ministry The prayer shawl ministry meets the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM in the rectory. Men s Prayer Group Prayer and Faith Sharing on the Sunday Scripture is scheduled generally on the First Saturday of each month in the Church at 7:30 AM. You may contact the rectory on Friday afternoon for confirmation of monthly date.