THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SAINT MATTHEW & OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

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1 THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SAINT MATTHEW & OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP The Week of February 19, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 REQUESTED BY: 5:00 pm (A) 5:00 pm (H) Mary Walzer Ann Marie Chinnery SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 8:00 am (H) Sandra Lee Murphy Nancy Maleska & John Galayda 8:30 am (A) Mary Lichtenberg Ardsley Garden Club 10:30 am (A) Carol Ann Kealy Kevin Kealy 12 Noon (H) George Zahurak Sr. His Family MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 8:00 am (A) Katherine Le Blanc Lorraine Easty TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 8:00 am (A) Guy Trepanier Parishioners WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 8:00 am (A) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 8:00 am (A) Katherine Le Blanc Lorraine Easty FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 8:00 am (A) Guy Trepanier Parishioners SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 8:00 am (A) Eric (A) & Catherine Lundgren 5:00 pm (A) Bruno Gulla Patsy & Lina Cilurzo 5:00 pm (H) William Sr., William Jr., Helen, Christine & Mary Walzer Carol Walzer SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 8:00 am (H) Harry Greenfield Nancy Maleska & John Galayda 8:30 am (A) Cilinski Family Lorraine Easty Richard Dosin Sr. Judith & Frank Rotiroti 12 Noon (H) Richard Dosin Sr. Maria Crisafi Key: (A) = Ardsley (H) = Hastings If you would like to bring the gifts up during the offertory procession, please see an Usher before Mass begins.

2 FEBRUARY 19, 2017: SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, The Lord urges Moses to tell the Israelite Community to love their neighbors as themselves. They should bear no grudge or hatred against another. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Paul, once again, reminds the Corinthians that they are the temple of God, and, as such, must avoid internal disputes and wrangling. He tries to make them realize that they belong to Christ and that the Spirit of God dwells within them. Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48 In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorts his followers to do an extraordinary thing to love their enemies and to pray for their oppressors. He reminds them that there is nothing laudatory in loving those who love them for even the pagans do this. He urges them to turn the other cheek and to walk the extra mile. A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THE SUNDAY READINGS HIS WORD TODAY by Rev. William J. Reilly Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 19, 2017 The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the whole Israelite community, and tell them: Be holy, for I the Lord, your God, am holy. You have heard the commandment But I say to you offer no resistance to injury but I say to you love your enemies, pray for your persecutors you must be perfected as your heavenly father is perfect. The letter of the law reads one way, but the spirit of the law as taught by Jesus and which we are to follow demands much more. To turn the other check, and eliminate the word hate from our life and vocabulary is not easy, but it is His command. We have lived the jubilee year of mercy, being reminded constantly to be perfect, to seek mercy and then reflect it to all. All of us are called to be holy, to walk the path of sanctity, although we seem to put it on a back burner. What God said to Moses, what Jesus taught, is the call of the Holy Father to us today. Through prayer, sacrifice and good works, the road we are on will bring us to the perfection we strive for, the holiness to which the Lord invites us. The few words of Jesus but I say to you should make us think.

3 Please keep in your prayers the ill of our parish especially: Peter Rasulo, Christopher Liva, Mary Michna, John Trevor Dabenigno, John Kelly, Kristin Harkin, Susan Sullivan Manuele, Ambrosio Maldonado, Aurea Cabanillas, Rita Stitham Gavin, William Bates, Louis Cillo, Beatrice Smith, Rosemarie Distelhurst, Juliana Ramirez, Gina Linss & Charlotte Bonney. And for those who have died marked by the sign of faith, especially: If you know of any parishioners who are ill and would like to be visited by a priest, please contact the rectory at Names will be left on the sick list for 4 weeks. Please feel free to call the rectory to add names of immediate family members at any time. WEEKLY COLLECTIONS - Thank You! ST. MATTHEW & OLPH Collection: $6677 $7140 Repairs & Maintenance: $1890 $1724 Thank you for your generosity. It is much appreciated! RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS: There are NO Religious Education Classes this week due to the Mid-Winter Recess. Classes will resume on Sunday, February 25; Tuesday February 28 and Wednesday, March 1 We are very grateful to those in the military who have dedicated themselves to protect our liberty and freedom. Please keep our troops in your prayers, especially: Brian Dunne-Navy, Christopher Gaulin-Army, George Moore-Navy, Nicholas Sestito-Marine, Donald Wemer Jr. - Marine, Michael Germain-Navy, Brandon King - Army. Candle Dedications for the Week: Tabernacle Candle at St. Matthew s In Memory of Olga Maletz req. by Phillis Richter Sacred Heart Candles In Memory of Rosina Gaglardi req. by J & V Gaglardi Please Note: If you have a BLUE CANDLE in memory of a loved one at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, please contact the rectory for your 2017 renewal. FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS THANK YOU to everyone who donated food to the FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS food drive last week. We collected over 425lbs of food at both St. Matthew s and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The food was donated to St. Peter s Food Panty and the Hastings Community Center Food Pantry. Prison Ministry - Saturday morning, March 18 th, at 10:30am at St. Matthew s in the downstairs meeting room, Fr. Paul Tolve, I.V. Dei will meet parishioners who are interested in prison ministry. Fr. Tolve is the Director of Pastoral Care for the Westchester County Dept. of Corrections. He will be able to inform us about the needs and how we can support this important ministry CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT: To request the amount of your annual contribution to St. Matthew & Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in 2016, either send an to office@stmolph.com or complete the form below and return it through the collection basket, drop off at the rectory or mail to the rectory at 616 Warburton Avenue, Hastings On Hudson, NY Name: Address: Telephone Number: Envelope Number: We MUST have your envelope number to process your request. The Rectory Office will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20 in observance of the President s Day Holiday. The office will reopen on Tuesday at 9:30am.

4 "Repent and believe in the Good News." (Mark 1:15) Season of Lent: Fast Facts Lent is spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. Both catechumens (those preparing for Baptism) and the faithful prepare for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery at Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday continuing until the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. The practices of Lent involves prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lent originated in the first three centuries A.D. and, over the centuries, developed from a one or two day observance to forty days (recalling the 40 day fasts of Christ, Matthew 4:2; Moses, Exodus 34:28; and Elijah, 1 Kings 19:8). During the Season of Lent, the Church urges all the Faithful to reflect a spirit of penance in their daily life through performing acts of fast and abstinence. Fasting requires that only one full meal be taken per day. Two other smaller meals may be taken during the day to maintain physical strength, but these two meals together should not equal a full meal in quantity. Fasting is an obligation for all those who have reached the age of 18 and continues until age 59. Those not specifically obliged to fast are encouraged to join in the discipline of fasting to the extent that they are able. Abstinence prohibits individuals from eating meat on a particular day. Abstinence is an obligation for all those who have reached the age of 14 and continues throughout their entire life. Those not specifically obliged to abstain from eating meat are encouraged to join in this discipline to the extent that they are able. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence. Some traditional Lenten practices and suggestions: Looking Ahead to ASH WEDNESDAY: March 1, 2017 Ashes will be distributed DURING the Masses at: Fasting and abstinence: donate the money you save to a food pantry Self-denial: use some of your time to help someone out Good deeds/almsgiving: give to a charity or volunteer to be a catechist. Reading the Bible: read a gospel from beginning to end. Prayer and reflection: pray the Rosary or the daily mass readings Church services: attend daily mass or attend stations of the cross services. Our Lady of Perpetual Help: 8:00 am & 7:00 pm St. Matthew: 9:00 am & 7:00 pm St. Matthew & Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish is proud to introduce PARISH GIVING for Electric Funds Transfer for your parish donations. It s Simple to Sign Up: Log on the parish website: and click on the Parish Giving Logo and follow the easy registration instructions. It s Secure: Parish Giving is PCI compliant and uses the strongest SSL encryption technology available. It s Convenient: No more searching for the check book on Sunday morning stops at the ATM machine. You can pick the day of the month for the recurring contributions to be processed. Parish Giving Participants: If you don t want the collection basket to pass you by without putting something in, you can drop in a Parish Giving Participant Voucher. Feel free to print as many as you need from our website. Contact Christine at or by office@stmolph.com if you have any questions or need help signing up.

5 In the bible, Jesus teaches us to act with mercy, compassion and love. Your help plays a vital role that ensures the Cardinal s Appeal continues to serve so many throughout our communities. date 36 families/individuals have made their commitment to the Appeal effort in our parish. Please join them in order for us to meet our goal of $78,500. Let us show our strength in faith, in unity, and in Jesus call to action. Objectives for the 2017 Appeal... The Cardinal s Annual Appeal was established in Prior to 1979, it was known as the Catholic Charities Appeal. The name change signified an increase in the scope of the effort from not only charities, but to what the Appeal is today: the financial support of the pastoral, educational and charitable works of the Archdiocese of New York. In 2010, then Archbishop Timothy Dolan changed the name to the Stewardship Appeal. Stewardship asks that donors demonstrate their thanks to God for their many blessings by making an offering of their time, talent and treasure to the Church. Upon his elevation to the College of Cardinals in 2012, the campaign became the Cardinal s Annual Stewardship Appeal. MAKE AN ONLINE GIFT TODAY! To GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS The Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass for couples married 50 years during 2017 will be celebrated on Sunday, June 11, at St. Patrick s Cathedral at 2 pm. His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan will be the principal celebrant. Pre-registration is required. Each couple registered will receive a ticket good for entry for 3 people (couple plus 1 guest) which is needed for entry. Additional non-ticketed seating is available for families & guests. Please call the rectory to register. Closing date to register is May 12. WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN JOINING A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND? If you have ever thought about a trip to the Holy Land then you might be interested in joining Fr. Backes and St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Pleasant Valley, NY for a pilgrimage in October 2017 (12th through 23rd). For more information please call the St. Stanislaus Parish Secretary ( x 13) for a brochure and to be informed about an informational meeting that will be scheduled sometime around the beginning of Lent. This event is sponsored by the Family Life / Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of New York.

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