HOLY FAMILY PARISH Don Bosco Chapel Fortbaan Schoten

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1 HOLY FAMILY PARISH Don Bosco Chapel Fortbaan Schoten May/June 2013 Year C Sunday Mass 10:30am Fr. Francis Peerlinck, Pastor

2 MESSAGE FROM FATHER: OUR LITURGY FOR MAY AND JUNE Dear Parishioners! To go through the months of May and June, the last months before Holy Family Parish goes on its summer vacation, we see some great liturgical celebrations of the whole Church - and a couple quite special events of our Parish - coming up: - May 5th: At 11:00 a.m. We solemnly celebrate our yearly First Holy Communion Service. This year four of our children will make their First Holy Communion. We congratulate the children and parents, and we thank the parents / teachers for all the catechetic work they have enthusiastically done for the children. - May 9th: Ascension of the Lord. The Universal Church celebrates - forty days after Easter - the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Jesus is glorified by his Father in heaven. No English Mass in our Chapel, but you are invited to find and celebrate this important feast in a Flemish church. - May 19th: Pentecost Sunday: Ten days after Jesus Ascension into heaven the Church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit over the apostles, their preaching in Jerusalem to people from everywhere, becoming the beginning / the birthday of the Church. - June 9th: We solemnly celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation of four of our young people, administered by the Reverend Vicar General Luc De Fleurquin, representing Bishop John Bonny of Antwerp. We congratulate the confirmands for the efforts they made to prepare themselves for this special day. We also thank the parents for their help, and - last but not least - we thank Elizabeth Lieberherr for the quite creative way she led the catechetic lessons of our young people. - June 16th: Our yearly Picnic Sunday. Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. After Mass we take time to enjoy our picnic together. We hope for nice weather, and we thank, once more, the Lieberherr Family for their hospitality. - June 23th: Last English Sunday mass before we leave for our summer vacation. I thank everybody for their regular presence at our weekly Sunday mass, and doing the different jobs in order to keep Holy Family Parish running smoothly. I also thank you for the regular financial contribution, so that most expenses can be paid. My best wishes for a nice vacation to all of you. I will be - with a group - for two weeks on a tour in Columbia / South America, enjoying the beautiful nature, some old archeological Indian sites, and some modern cities. We see us back for the beginning of a new parish year on Sunday August 25th. Father Francis Peerlinck

3 PRAYERS AND SPECIAL INTENTIONS Please pray for Vivianne s friend Hans who has recently had a kidney removed and a tumor from his lungs and has been told that he will now have to have intensive chemo as they have discovered that it has spread. Please let s pray for our children for the coming exam season. We all know that it's not only the kids who have to get through the exams!! The parents and all the family seem to get sucked into the exam mania!! Yes it is stressful for everyone, and maybe with a few wellchosen prayers we can help them along. For all people who are going on vacation. That they may enjoy a nice vacation and come back renewed in mind and heart. For anyone suffering emotional or physical difficulties, that they soon have peace and relief and are able to enjoy the positive and good in their lives. FIRST COMMUNION CELEBRATION This year s First Communion Celebration is held today, May 5 th. Please keep these children and their families in your prayers as they celebrate today and receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our dearly beloved Lord Jesus Christ for the first time. What a wonderful finale to their year of learning and growing. We are honored to celebrate this wonderful day with your families here at Holy Family parish. Chloe Each * Abigail Each Joshua Hickson * Christopher Layman

4 MOTHER S DAY May 12 by Barbara Noels Of course you don t need a special day to tell Mom that you love her, but in most countries there is a special day in the year which is set aside just for her. In the U.S. the second Sunday of May is Mother s Day. One woman, Anna Jarvis, was responsible for its celebration. When her mother died in 1905 Anna wrote to religious and government leaders pleading to have a day set aside for honoring mothers. Her tireless efforts were finally rewarded in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson issued the first Mother s Day proclamation designating the second Sunday in May for the holiday. The idea of honoring mothers didn t begin with Anna Jarvis. The ancient Romans celebrated a spring festival to the mother goddess Cybele. The threeday festival, Hilaria, started on March 15. In the early Christian Church, the fourth Sunday of Lent was Mothering Sunday when Mary, Jesus mother, was honored. It became the custom in England for children who worked away from home to return to their families on that Sunday with gifts and sweets for their mothers. That tradition remains to this day in the U. K. Mother s Day is May 12 this year in Belgium too, except in Antwerp. Because of the city s devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, symbolized in her great cathedral, Antwerp celebrates the holiday every year on August 15, the feast of Our Lady. Many countries including Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark, to name a few, honor their mothers in May. Some, like Norway in February, choose another month, but all convey the same message: Mom, we love you!

5 Happy Mother s Day, Mom M---- O---- T---- H---- E---- R---- She is only for ME ONE of a kind TOO much to name my HERO EXCELLENT RADIANT and sometimes RIGHT! K.N. MONTHLY PRAYER CONNECTION The International Christian Women s Club invites you to the coming prayer connections which will be held on: Tuesday May 7 at the home of Rosie Verrijdt, Statiestraat 18/1, Kalmthout Tuesday June 4 at the home of Sharmini Jacobs, Kasteeldreef 127, Schilde We start at 10 o clock in the morning with coffee, tea and a chat! Please make a note in your diaries. If you need more information or have a prayer request please let one of us know. God bless, Sharmini ( ) Marie-Louise ( )

6 MONTHLY ROSARY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ALAN Our Monthly Rosary Prayer Group will meet again on Thursday, 23 rd May at Rowena s home, Koninging Astridlaan 34, B-2950 Kapellen. June date will be announced at a later time. We extend a very warm welcome to all Parishioners, who are able to, to come along and join us. Rosaries and prayer sheets are provided and the praying of one of the mysteries of The Most Holy Rosary normally takes about 45 minutes. We look forward to seeing you. Please feel free to contact Rowena ( ) or Alan ( ) if you have any queries. (Please note that there will be no meetings during the months of July, August and September. May we wish you all a safe and happy Summer wherever you may be traveling.) ANSWERS GIVEN ON A BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE TEST ~~~~~~~ALAN 1. Noah s wife was Joan of Arc. 2. Lot s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a pillar of fire by night. 3. Moses went to the top of mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments. 4. The seventh commandment was Thou shalt not admit adultery 5. Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol. 6. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption. 7. The people who followed Jesus were called the 12 decibels. 8. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. 9. One of the opossums was St. Matthew. 10. Salome danced the seven veils in front of King Herrod s. 11. Paul preached acrimony, which is another word for matrimony. 12. David fought the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in biblical times. 13. A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony.

7 PARISH PICNIC NEWS Our Annual Picnic and Mass will be held on 16 June. Where: At the Lieberherr home Guyotdreef 97, 2930 Brasschaat Time: 11am, Mass followed by Picnic Cost : Euro 7.50 Adults Euro 5.00 Children ( 2-12 years ) Free for babies under 2 The Parish will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, chicken drumsticks and kebabs. Soft drinks, bread rolls and cups and plates, cutlery and napkins are also provided by the Parish. We ask you to bring along an aperitif, side dish, salad or desert to share. Please bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. If you wish to bring beer or wine to share it is always enjoyed by all! Also, to plan ahead, if you have a BBQ and would be willing to help out by bringing it ahead of time and cooking some meat for us on the day of the picnic, it would be very much appreciated. In order to have a better organized event, if you could let us know you will be attending, it will help to make the shopping easier so please RSVP by May 26 if you plan to attend. Payment can be done by bank transfer to the following account: KBC Account No Please include your name and how many people will be attending in the MEMO or with the slip and cash. The slips can be given to Rowena in Church. Even if you can t stay for the picnic, you are most welcome to come for Mass. Let s pray for beautiful weather

8 WHO S DOING WHAT IN MAY & JUNE Liturgy Readers: 05/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 st Communion 12/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Samuel 19/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Barbara 26/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alan 02/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rowena 09/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Confirmation 16/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rosanne 23/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Graeme Eucharistic Ministers: 05/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 st Communion 12/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brigitte 19/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alan 26/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Barbara 02/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brigitte 09/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Confirmation 16/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alan 23/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kath If you have any questions, please contact Rosanne After Mass Treat Bakers 05/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 st Communion 12/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Renée 19/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rachelle/Rosanne 26/05/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nicola 02/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rachelle 09/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Confirmation 16/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Picnic 23/06/2013: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Renée If you have any questions, please contact Renée

9 SOMETHING I JUST WANTED TO SHARE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ROSANNE Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, I know why. Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live. He said, People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? The Six-year-old continued, Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don t have to stay as long.

10 Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you re happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you re not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY! Author : Unknown

11 STAYING IN TOUCH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ROSANNE For any of the families that will be leaving us this year, if you are interested, be sure to visit our website, to see our monthly bulletin This could be a way of staying informed about what we are doing and what s happening with your Family in Belgium. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR PARISH DIRECTORY ~~~~~~~~~~~~ PAUL Please note the changes for the De Cendra family in your parish directory. If you like you can even just cut out and paste into your directory. I would also ask if anyone else has changed information or would like to update their entry in the directory, please see me after or mass or me with any changes you would like to make. Thank you.

12 PARISH COUNCIL 2012/2013 Pastor... Fr. Francis Peerlinck President... Samuel Villacian Vice President... Graeme Stephan Treasurer Brigitte Preuss Religious E... Graeme Stephan Parish Registration. Paul Van den Bossche Bulletin... Rosanne Pizzella Sunshine..Vivianne Staplehurst Liturgy...Rowena Verhees Advisor... Barbara Noels Music...Eric Wouters & Olga UPCOMING EVENTS: May 5 th First Communion mass to start at 11:00am June August 2 nd Last parish council meeting before summer break 9 th -- Confirmation Mass at 11:00 16 th - Annual Parish Picnic at the Lieberherr home, Guyotdreef Brasschaat 23 rd Last mass at Don Bosco chapel before summer break. 25 th First mass at Don Bosco after the summer break. THIS WILL BE THE LAST BULLETIN UNTIL CHURCH RESUMES IN AUGUST. NEXT BULLETIN WILL BE SEPTEMBER 1 ST. HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!