CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY

Transcription

1 CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY MASSES Monday-Friday Saturday Saturday Vigil Sunday 6:30 & 8:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m. 8:00, 9:30, & 11:00 a.m. 12:30* & 6:00 p.m. (*Spanish) April 16, 2017 Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Monday-Friday Thursdays ROSARY Daily 7:00-8:00 a.m. & 8:30-9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. 7:40 a.m. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. Monsignor Jude O Doherty, Pastor Father Lazarus Govin, Associate Pastor Father Ireneusz Ekiert, in Residence Deacon Don Livingstone Deacon Norman Ruíz-Castañeda Deacon Thomas V. Eagan Deacon Marcos Pérez Deacon Eduardo Smith SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Call the Parish Office two months in advance. SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY Call the Parish Office one year in advance. CHURCH ADDRESS 8235 S.W. 57 Avenue Miami, Florida RECTORY/MAILING ADDRESS 8081 S.W. 54 Court Miami, Florida Telephone: Fax: info@epiphanycatholicchurch.com epiphanycatholicchurch.com MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & PASTORAL SERVICES Mrs. Isabel Prellezo, Director Telephone: MINISTRY OF MUSIC Mr. Thomas Schuster, Organist Mr. Georgi Danchev, Choirmaster Mr. Eddie Valdéz, Cantor Telephone: SCHOOL Sister Margaret Fagan, IHM, Principal Ms. Ana Oliva, Vice Principal 5557 S.W. 84 Street Miami, Florida Telephone: Fax: epiphanycatholicschool.com CONVENT Sister Carmen Teresa, IHM, Superior Telephone:

2 PASTOR S PEN Easter is commonly accepted as a historical fact. We believe that on a Sunday morning two thousand years ago, the crucified Christ rose from the dead, walked out of the tomb, and is alive for evermore. Every year on this special day, we gather to celebrate that historical fact. What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead mean to our world and to our lives? There are, of course, many possible answers to that question, but I would like to propose this one: Easter means that the best is permanent; nothing can destroy it, not even death. Our Gospel reading says of John that "he saw and believed" yet it does not say exactly what he believed. The initial Easter faith of all the disciples was necessarily embryonic and ill-defined. All they knew at first was that they stood in the presence of a profound mystery. And as the days went by, the meaning of this marvelous event began to take shape in their minds. In our reading from Acts, Peter proclaims that it was God who raised Him up. The resurrection was a divine initiative. God Himself had intervened. And in our other reading, Paul reminded the Colossians that they had been "raised up in company with Christ; therefore, he exhorted them to "be intent on things above rather than things of earth." It is those "things above" that we are concerned with, and we are saying that Easter proclaims the permanence of life's higher values, that the resurrection of Christ from the dead guarantees that the best will never be lost. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it like this: "What is excellent, as God lives, is permanent." So, Easter is more than a message about personal immortality, more than a solace for private grief. Easter is a proclamation that the best things will never be lost. The resurrection of Christ from the dead is not simply a comfort for the heart. It's a tonic for the mind. It tells us that this universe in which we live has eternal meaning, that in back of it is something real and rational that will outlast everything. But if Easter is not true, if the best things eventually rot in the ground, then, life has no ultimate meaning. If the Easter message is not true, if the grave ends it all, then God throws away people. He brings them into this world, endows them with glorious possibilities, and allows time for some of those possibilities to come to fruition, but at the end of life, He throws them away; and all that they were, and all that they might have been are gone forever. I cannot believe in that kind of God. The Easter message tells me that the best within us and the best among us will never be lost. God grant such faith to us this Easter. May we go from this place knowing that life has real meaning and that Christ and the things He stands for will abide forever. Today, things are changing so rapidly that one is inclined to wonder what the outcome will be. Those first disciples lived in a similar time and faced the very same question. In the midst of an unstable world, they had put their trust in Christ. Then came Calvary, and even He seemed to be lost forever. But on Sunday morning, God raised Him up, proclaiming to the world that Christ and those things for which He stands are permanent.

3 EASTER The Church, for two thousand years, has celebrated and proclaimed the resurrection of Christ from the dead. I am personally convinced of the truth of that message. But I cannot prove it. If you have come in search of some conclusive evidence, some final argument for the reality of the resurrection, then, you are almost certain to go home disappointed. No one has ever proven it to me, and I can never prove it to anyone else. It is one of those things that lies beyond the realm of proof. Each person must discover the truth of it for himself or herself. I would urge you to do that. If the resurrection of Christ is true, you need to know it; you need to experience His presence and His power in your life. To those of us who accept the Easter message as truth, what meaning does it have for our lives? Well, for one thing, it means that Christ has the final endorsement of God. Our reading from the book of Acts records part of a sermon which Peter preached to a group of Gentiles in the house of Cornelius. It was a simple message, briefly recounting the ministry of Jesus how He went about doing good and how God was obviously pleased with Him. Then, Peter compressed the death and resurrection of Jesus into one powerful statement. He said, They killed Him finally, hanging Him on a tree, only to have God raise Him up on the third day. than another. At the top of the entire system is the Supreme Court of the United States, presided over by the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Those nine people have the power to reverse the decision of any other court in the land. A lower court may find a man guilty and sentence him to death. The Supreme Court, if it hears the case, can overturn that ruling and set the man free. In a sense, that is what happened in the cross and the resurrection. On Good Friday, the court of human will condemned Christ, rejected His way of life, and put Him to death. But on Easter Sunday, God, the Supreme Judge of the Universe, reversed that decision and raised Him up again. The implications of that are significant. It means that Christ is for real. He belongs here. When we give ourselves to Him, when we follow the path of peace and love, we are not playing games. This is real life, the kind of living on which God has placed His stamp of approval. I say to you, Christ is risen. If I cannot prove it, you must make that discovery for yourself. Follow Him, give yourself wholeheartedly to His way of forgiveness and love because this is what life really means. Clearly implied in that sentence is a clash of wills, human will against the divine will. Peter was saying that the cross was man s doing and the resurrection was God s doing. The cross was man s way of saying, We do not agree with this man; we do not like the things that He says; we do not approve of the way that He lives. He does not belong in our world. The resurrection was God s way of saying, The life and teachings of this man have my unqualified approval. He is what life is all about. The future of the world belongs to Him and His way of living. The judicial system of our Nation is composed of various courts with assigned areas of responsibility. All of these are arranged in a hierarchy with one court having greater authority

4 MASS INTENTIONS Date Time Mass Intentions Requested by Saturday Apr. 15 8:00 AM 7:30 PM NO MASS EASTER VIGIL Sunday Apr. 16 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 11:00 AM 12:30 PM 6:00 PM Monday Apr. 17 6:30 AM 8:00 AM Frank Lopez Clemente Vazquez-Bello Piper Ann Pistorino Sergio & Tere Velikopoljski Juan F. Porro Roberto Jimenez Maggie Vazquez-Bello Pistorino Children Torres de Navarra Tuesday Apr. 18 6:30 AM 8:00 AM Eduardo Arango Edmund O Connor Jose Manuel Cubas Miguel A. Maseda, Sr. Mary Teasdale Sotolongo Gallinal Wednesday Apr. 19 Thursday Apr. 20 Friday Apr. 21 Saturday Apr. 22 6:30 AM Silvia de Sosa de Jorge Clemente Vazquez-Bello Sarah Ryan Pistorino 8:00 AM Jose Antonio Costa John Farach 6:30 AM 8:00 AM Christian Heil Joy K. Pistorino Margie Suarez Ruth Guilday Frank L. Rovirosa 6:30 AM John Downey Luly Machado 8:00 AM Carmen Lecompte Sean Meyer Rachel Schwartz 8:00 AM Hugo E. Rams Nicolas Gutierrez Friend Pistorino Maggie Suarez Marianela Perez Pistorino Bunny Bastian Tiernan Marianela Perez Yidi C. Kappler Mary Horton Aleida Gutierrez Saturday Apr. 22 (Sunday Vigil) 5:30 PM Roberto Suero Raul Galliano Beatriz Suero Galliano Sunday Apr. 23 8:00 AM Chuck Wehrle Ulises Valdes-Llanso 9:30 AM Mrs. Beltran Carmen Miguez 11:00 AM 12:30 PM Milene Martin Sylvia Murai Ervesun Penin Shahin Moas

5 MASS SCHEDULES Extraordinary Ministers April 22/23 Lectors Altar Servers Of Holy Communion D Galceran C Mirza Collazo A Gomez 1 Mirza Collazo C Hassan 2 Al Collazo Sat 5:30 PM Debra Menegay E Myrtetus 3 Gloria Garity Msgr. O'Doherty Carolina Tamayo-Ragolta M Ortiz 4 Carl Lowell B Palacio 5 Beatriz Lowell C Paar 6 Rolando Montoya M Roberts 7 Marivi Montoya C Maria Eisenhart 1 Maria Eisenhart Sun 8:00 AM Henry Pujol J Milton 2 Paul Eisenhart Fr. Ekiert Lourdes Boue N Milton 3 Chuck Broyard 4 Mikki Smith 5 Tom Beier C Marisol Collins 1 Marisol Collins A Reed 2 Alex Collins Sun 9:30 AM Mike Herold I Roche 3 Pedro Toro Fr. Ekiert Astrid Isom D Rodriguez 4 Annamaria Sacher D A Rodriguez 5 Richard Sacher 6 Donna Alfano 7 Tom Alfano C Haydee Martinez M Martinez 1 Haydee Martinez E Paredes 2 Diana Rodriguez C Prieto 3 Maria Cristina Sousa Sun 11:00 AM Vivian Lasaga D Ramos 4 Gonzalo Santana Msgr. O'Doherty Manuel Lasaga M Recuset 5 Leticia Santana R Rodriguez 6 Cristi Vonder Haar A Rodriguez 7 Eileen Velikopoljski C Ros 8 Roland Martinez C Frank Varona 1 Aleida Gutierrez 2 Frank Varona Sun 12:30 PM Susana Agurto A Arguello 3 Jose Martinez Elejalde Fr. Govin Adriana Giuffredi N Beltran 4 Pedro Marrero 5 Bernuil Marrero 6 Ana Oyarzun 7 Ramon Oyarzun S Cicarelli C Georgina Angones A Clavijo 1 Georgina Angones Sun 6:00 PM Jorge J. Pérez K Falcon 2 Frank Angones Fr. Govin Maria Iparraguirre P Garcia-Saladrigas 3 Mari Campo M Herrero 4 Mercedes Cardenal G Jimenez 5 Juan Cardenal N Leibkuchler 6 Jorge Diaz-Silveira C Linares 7 Renee Diaz-Silveira

6 ANNOUNCEMENTS Next Sunday, April 23 - We celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday HAPPY EASTER Cardinal Francois Xavier Van Thuan, the former Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, died in He was jailed for thirteen years by the communist regime in his native Vietnam. While in prison, he was tortured in many ways including having his cell brightly lit for weeks, followed by weeks of absolute darkness. While in prison, Cardinal Thuan also formed a cross and chain out of a small piece of wood and some electrical wire. He wore that cross and chain every day of his life till his death. His life and death teaches us that his faith and belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter morning helped him to persevere and never give up hope. All of us in our lifetime will have a cross to bear. Some heavier than others but you will have a cross. Like Cardinal Thuan, if you live your faith and believe that one day you will be with God, you can carry any cross. Happy Easter, and we do not have to be afraid any more. We are blessed, and if we love and serve God during our lifetime, we are promised eternal life and happiness. That s the gift of Easter. The Resurrection of Jesus, not only confirms the Church s faith, but also the real and central mystery that God calls us to eternal life. Most of you will gather with your family on Easter Sunday but there will be many people missing from that table...grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, brother, sister, husband, wife, cousin, and friend. Even though you will miss them, because of the promise of Christ through his Resurrection, you will see them again as well in the Risen Christ That s the Gift of Easter---Eternal Life. Happy Easter. CHAPLET OF THE DIVINE MERCY Everyone is invited to come and pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy every Saturday after the 8:00 a.m. Mass, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 9:00 a.m. Join us! Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of His Mercy, that they shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise on the great Feast of Mercy, Divine Mercy Sunday. WELCOME TO EPIPHANY CHURCH Whether you are visiting or new in the area, we extend to you the hospitality of Christ. If you would like more information about our parish, or wish to join our Faith Community, please call or stop by the Rectory. We also invite you to visit our website and become familiar with the many activities of our parish community. THE SUNDAY PRESCHOOL AND THE HOLY FAMILY CENTER Open during the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Masses. The Holy Center offers tender, loving care for young children from birth to 3 years of age. The Sunday Pre-school is a formal religion program based on the Sunday readings. Avail yourselves of this service to families. Children enjoy our program and you have the opportunity to worship without distractions. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month Keep kids aware of the dangers online Just about everyone in your community has access to the internet, and it can be a valuable tool for learning, communicating and educating. In order to protect young people, one must stay current and re-connect with ever changing technology. For more information log into or

7 ANNOUNCEMENTS Father Martin Kelly Easter Prayer Lord, the resurrection of Your Son has given us new life and renewed hope. Help us to live as new people in pursuit of the Christian ideal. Grant us wisdom to know what we must do, the will to want to do it, the courage to undertake it, the perseverance to continue to do it, and the strength to complete it. The Book of Revelation Ever wondered about the events foretold in the Bible? What is said about the Second Coming of Christ? How and when will the Day of Judgment take place? How to understand the Apocalypse? If you ever asked yourself any of these questions, you will have now an opportunity to find some answers! We grow in our faith through studying the Bible. This spring we continue our Bible Study lead by Fr. Ireneusz Ekiert. The goal of this study is to help each other grow in our ability to read and understand the Bible. On the weekend of April 29 th and 30 th, we will welcome Father Martin Kelly to Epiphany Parish. Most of you already know Father Kelly because he has been coming to our Parish for many years. A classmate of Monsignor O Doherty, Father Kelly has been a missionary in Ecuador for forty years, and most of that time has been assigned to a parish in Puerto Quito. Through the years, he has been able to build many projects for women, children and the handicapped. His dream was to give opportunities and open possibilities to his people to break the cycle of poverty through education and honest work. All this he has achieved through the generosity of the parishioners of Epiphany who have supported his efforts through his annual appeal. Once again, he will be preaching at all the masses on April 29 th and 30 th, and will be asking for your support. It is a worthy cause, and we thank you in advance for your support and generosity. Parish Pilgrim Virgin Ministry During the week of April 16 the Parish Pilgrim Virgin will be in the home of: Carl & Carolina Marrelli Vilma Bailly To schedule your visit, please call Luis & Patricia Siman at We will be meeting on 7 Thursdays for study, questions and conversation. The dates of the sessions are: April 20, 27, May 4, 11 and 18, June 1 and 8. Each session will last from 7:30 PM 9:00 PM. No previous knowledge or familiarity with the Bible is required. Come and experience the Living Bible. Grupo de Biblia en Español Todos los miércoles a las 9:30 de la mañana en el Centro Parroquial. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL: Rosa Maria Alvarez; Graciela Barrancos; Pat Clarke; Jeanette Conner; Rafael Diaz-Gamba; Ana Alicia Fernandez; Stephen Hohauser; Fernando Hubert; Patsy Kamercia; Paige Klekner; Daniel Manichello; Meg Mouzavires; Paulina Tawil; Sandra Albornoz Scharzkopf; Esther Suarez; Teodula Wong; Alice Wood. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED: Pepin Casal; Clara Cols Fernandez; Susan Marie Klock Kairalla; Ramon Maranges; Ana Pinedo; Sylvia South.

8 C O M E J O I N U S F O R T H E 2 N D A N N U A L EPIPHANY FISHING TOURNAMENT Saturday, May 6th, 2017 Shake-a-Leg 2620 Bayshore Drive Coconut Grove, FL $400 per boat entry (4 anglers) from April 17th - May 3rd, 2017 *Includes entry to the Main Event on-site Captain s Meeting to take place May 3rd, 2017 in Epiphany Parish Hall Fish all day & then join us for the Main Event & Awards Ceremony Includes: music, games, rides, food and drinks for all 2:00-7:00pm $20 Adults $15 Children Please go to for boat entry, ticket purchases and further information Or contact: epiphanyfishing@gmail.com