St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

Transcription

1 Mass Schedule Saturday 5:00 p.m. SFX 7:00 p.m. (on Jekyll) St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Sunday (SFX) 8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. in Spanish Weekday Masses St. Joseph Chapel Mon. - Noon Tues. Thurs. Fri. 7:00 a.m. Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Reconciliation: Church Saturdays 4:00-4:30 p.m. Sunday 7:45-8:15 a.m. (Or by appointment) St. Joseph Chapel (Please go to the main office for a key) Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. St Joseph Chapel First Friday Adoration 2:00-7:00 p.m. Holy Hour 7:00-8:00 p.m. First Saturday 8:45 a.m. Church Address: 1120 Newcastle Street, Brunswick, GA Phone: (912) Fax: (912) annbuebel@bellsouth.net

2 St. Francis Xavier Staff Rev. Timothy McKeown, Pastor ext. 11 Rev. Chris Ortega Assoc. Pastor ext. 12 Ann Buebel Office Manager ext. 0 Maggie Shafer Director of Finance (Church and School) ext. 16 PERMANENT DEACONS Rev. Mr. Ntungwa Maasha Rev. Mr. Larry Guyer (DRE) ext. 14 CHRISTIAN FORMATION CENTER 1116 Richmond Street Brunswick, GA Juan Perez-Valdes, Hispanic Ministry ext. 11 Marisol Soler, Fam. & Youth Ministry ext. 12 Joe Sechkar Dir of Liturgy/Facilities Maint. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHOLIC SCHOOL 1121 Union Street Brunswick, GA Dr. Terry Mermann Principal Lori Carden, Office Manager Please remember our food baskets for those who are in need over the summer. Pop top cans of meat and tuna fish are great sources of protein as is peanut butter. Baskets are located by all of the entrances. We are very close to our Bishop's Annual Appeal total! We have pledged and/or given 51,000 of our $54,313. total. Let's meet our goal before the start of the school year. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the BAA is our Vocation program - paying for room, board, tuition for our seminarians like Deacon Chris Hassel and Seminarian Robert Phillips. If you need a BAA envelope they are at the end of the pews. Please mark your memo line SFX BAA. Thank you! Did you make your Forward with Faith pledge? If you have not made a pledge please take an envelope from the back of church and do it today! What can you give over the next three years to renew our campus? The SFX Community extends their prayers and condolences to Cornelius Fryar on the passing of his wife Sara and to Rose Silva on the passing of her husband John. May they rest in the peace of Christ.

3 The Weeds and the Wheat An idea that has grown in popularity over the past 20 years is the idea of the "rapture." If you are not familiar with the idea of the rapture, it is the belief that Jesus will return soon and take all of the believers into heaven and leave behind those who are not saved. Those who are not saved will undergo severe tribulations as they await the final coming of Jesus. Today's Gospel (Mathew 13:24-43) gives us an apocalyptic view, but it seems at odds with the theory of rapture. With the rapture the good are taken up into heaven and the unsaved are left behind to languish, perhaps to go on to conversion or damnation. Instead, Jesus gives the parable of the wheat and weeds that grow up together. The slaves ask if the Master wants the weeds pulled up. The Master answers, "Let them grow together until harvest." Doesn t this resonate with our experience? The good and bad grow together. We wonder why God doesn't strike down evil persons in their tracks. God says let the weeds and wheat grow up together. God's patience is always directed toward salvation. Yes, we would like instant justice but God always hopes for our conversion. How many of us would suffer eternally if there had been instant justice? Jesus explains his parable to his disciples. The field is the world. Jesus in the one who sows the good seed. The good seed are the children of the kingdom. The devil also sows his seeds, which are the seeds of temptation. Those who choose sin are children of the devil. The harvest will come at the end of the world. The harvesters will be the angels. Unrepentant sinners will be collected and burned with fire What can we glean from this parable? Let us remember that we are in a spiritual battle. This reminds us of the power of evil. We have an enemy who is out there sowing bad seed. When does the enemy sow? When we are asleep. This is a reminder to keep our guards up. "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). St. Paul warns, " therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober! Sleepers sleep by night and drunkards drink by night. We who live by day must be alert, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet" (I Thess. 5:6-7). We also remember that there will be a Judgment Day. One day we will give an account for all that we have done, whether good or evil. Sometimes we cry out, "Where is justice?" Justice will come on that last day. But we also remember that we serve a God of mercy. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all done things that we are not proud of. Jesus died for all of our sins. The talk of a fiery furnace is scary but we need only remember Calvary where Jesus died so we would not enter that fiery furnace. Where does hell come into play? It is for those who reject the salvation and forgiveness of Christ. Jesus is ready to forgive our sins if only we ask. If we don't bring our sins to Him we cannot be forgiven. This gives us a mission. We should be sharing the message of forgiveness with those we know and love. How easy it is to speak of trivial things with our friends: the latest movie, a good book, my favorite baseball team, but do I speak with them about the things that really matter, things of eternal importance? If we read this Gospel in the right way we will acknowledge there are weeds in our lives. We re constantly growing and in need of conversion. Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed to show that the Church is a work in process, not a finished product (Celebration Magazine). Jesus used a true analogy from farming. In the Middle East there is weed, darnel, that closely resembles wheat. Even experienced farmers have difficulty telling them apart so, for fear of damaging the crop, they would wait until the harvest to separate the good from the bad. We learn from this parable that true judgment only takes place at the end of life. It is too early to judge now. Here the good can go astray and the wicked can still convert. No one is beyond the power of conversion, even the worst of sinners. We pray that we might remove all of the weeds from our lives that we might yield a fruitful harvest for Almighty God. We will all face a Day of Judgment. We will give an account for all of our actions on this earth. Until that day the wheat and weeds will continue to grow together. What is different in life from this parable is the fact that as humans weeds can change to wheat. May we convert our own lives and through our example inspire others to do the same. "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." -Fr. Tim McKeown

4 Apple tree The apple tree donations are starting earlier this year. If you are interested in helping buy supplies for the school please take an apple off one of the boards at the exits of the Church. Please return your apple with your donation and place under the tables at the back of the Church no later than August 6th. Day Retreat Save the Date, August 19th 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., for a day of prayer and praise, listening and learning with Sr. Mary Ann Figlino. Come join her in looking between the lines of familiar Gospels and discover the hidden humor that is sometimes found there. Meet Jesus and the unique way He welcomes the unlikely into his circle of friends. Hopefully, we will also find and enjoy ourselves in His company. Lunch will be provided. Financial News Collections for July 15th & 16th $ 8, Church in Africa $ 1, Baby Bottle (Care Net) $1, Once again, St. Francis Xavier School will be selling car raffle tickets for Davis Love's Friends of the Foundation Challenge. Tickets are $20.00 each and St. Francis Xavier School will receive twenty dollars for every ticket sold! Our goal is to sell 1,500 tickets! There will be other charities selling these tickets throughout the community, but we ask you to support our Catholic school by purchasing your tickets at the church or school office. Thank you for your generous support!

5 July 23, 2017 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Intentions Saturday July 22 5 p.m. t James Powell/Attilio Tozzi 7 p.m. t Kay Crowley (At Jekyll United Methodist Church) Sunday July 23 8:30 a.m. t Vic Lopez (Anniv.) 11 a.m. t Jack & Jeanne O Donnell 6 p.m. t John Silva Monday July 24 Noon t Fr. Mike Smith Tuesday July 25 7 a.m. t Johnny Branch Wednesday July 26 7 p.m. Special Intentions Thursday July 27 7 a.m. t Randy Stephens Friday July 28 7 a.m. t Yvonne Chambers Saturday July 29 5 p.m. t Wes Hogquist (Anniv.) 7 p.m. t Rudy Zocchi (At Jekyll United Methodist Church) Sunday July 30 8:30 a.m. Monique Broz (Intentions) 11 a.m. Our Parish Family 6 p.m. t Linda Cook On the tables at the main entrance of the church we have children's pages for children ages (6-10) focusing on today's Gospel. Anna Hardwick Tilly Johnson Huong Thi Phan Richard Brunegraff David Higbee Gloria Quinones Charlotte Cornelius Vera Borkowski Kathleen Koreski Billie Lou Henjum Michael Mleko Jr. Steven Gentzle Savannah Jones Jim Layman Steve Williams Frances Nohrden Kathy Poliwka Carmen Zuba Michael Rafolski Jane Rafolski William Wilson Jane Allen Andrew Robson, Jr. Sr. Mary A. Curran Judy Wyatt Lewis Dawson Marlana Padovani Jean Davis Peggie Cash Georgia Burgess-Erwin Moira Kaluzienski Gertrude Roberts Maria Zambon Bob Guthrie Byron Bankston Peggy Lee Farrar Judy Perry Majka Benjamin Koreski Leslie Kaufman Buddy Vazquez Bradley Huffman Barbara Elliott Wyatt Kersey Pat Ragsdale Venus Gines Bradley Huffman Maria Borrego Vicky Hancock Jackie Maassen Helen Berry Margaret Young William Wilson Sr. Kathleen J. McMenamin Katharine Thompson Jim Holland Vera D Emilio Kight Betty Jean Murray Our sons and daughters in military service If you would like a name to be put on the prayer list please call the parish office at ext. 0 or annbuebel@bellsouth.net The list will be refreshed at the end of every month. Care Net Banquet October 12, 2017 Jekyll Island Convention Center. Save the date.

6 Sacrament Requirements Baptism: Parishioners wishing to have a child baptized should be registered in the parish and should contact a member of the clergy as early as three months before the birth of their child. First Penance and Eucharist: Normally received in the 2 nd Grade. Parents should contact the Director of Religious Education. Enrollment in Catholic School, qualifying home school, or Parish School of Religion (PSR) is required for at least 2 years leading up to the reception of the sacraments. Confirmation: Normally received in the 8 th Grade. Parents should contact Director of Religious Education. Enrollment in Catholic School, qualifying home school, or Parish School of Religion (PSR) is required for at least 2 years leading up to the reception of the sacrament. RCIA/Adult Confirmation: Adults interested in becoming Catholic or in need of the sacrament of Confirmation should contact a priest or deacon. Matrimony: A minimum of 6 months preparation is required. Contact a priest or deacon to set up an appointment regarding scheduling and preparation. Anointing of the Sick: Please contact the pastor or church office to schedule. How does our parish attract inquirers each year who consider becoming Catholic? The answer is you! Our parish has several inquirers each, and most of these have been invited by a friend, family member or coworker. You can answer Jesus call to share the Divine message of salvation by inviting your family members, your co-workers, your friends and your neighbors. We thank God for our being open to the Holy Spirit. Let us continue to pray that the Lord will give us the grace and courage to offer someone a gentle and, humble welcome to the Catholic faith. Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) The RCIA is a journey toward full initiation into the Catholic faith, and it has alternating periods and steps. The four periods prepare participants for the four subsequent steps into the great tradition of the Catholic Church. I. Period of Inquiry Step 1: Rite of Acceptance II. Period of Breaking Open the Word Step 2: Rite of Election III. Period of Purification and Enlightenment Step 3: Celebration of the Easter Sacraments of Catholic Initiation IV. Period of Mystagogy The RCIA is a journey of invitation and initiation not indoctrination. Throughout the journey, you are encouraged to prayerfully discern if God is calling you to continue. The RCIA is intended for: Those who have never been baptized in a faith tradition Those baptized in a faith tradition other than Catholic Those baptized Catholic as infants who have been inactive since that time and have not received the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation You are welcome to explore the RCIA journey at any time. Our classes of inquiry will begin September 11 th. Come see what we are all about. No pressure is brought to bear. Contact Deacon Larry, X14.

7 Parish Activity Contacts Adult Bible Study, Joe & Linda Kirby Altar and Environmental Care, Diane Lott Bereavement, Ann Buebel CCW, Cate Gooch-Coolidge... Communion Ministers, Ann Buebel Culture of Life, Rose Lodise Greeters, Ginger Dorcas Jekyll Island Catholic Ladies, Eleanor Daniel Knights of Columbus.. P.S.R., Larry Guyer ext. 14 RCIA/Sacramental, Larry Guyer ext. 14 Religious Articles Shop, Rose Lodise St. Monica Society, Peggie Cash St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store Parish Council, RoseMary Jones at Most Rev. Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv. Bishop of Savannah Membership To be a registered member of a Parish is to have a sense of belonging to a family. Newcomers are requested to register at the Church Office soon after arrival, to meet the staff and learn about your new parish. In the time of family sickness, death or special need, parishioners are asked to notify the Church office. If requested, Holy Communion will be brought to anyone desiring to receive the Eucharist but are unable to attend Mass for serious reasons. Please call Ann Buebel at ext. 0., her at annbuebel@bellsouth.net or come by to schedule your masses. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.