Church of the Immaculate Conception. W h i st Eas, n h c i! t" ad$ Lr.

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1 Church of the Immaculate Conception We at Immaculate Conception are a group of people bound together by our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior. When we were baptized, we were called to share in His work. Therefore we pledge ourselves to build a community where all are welcomed, loved, needed and appreciated. Armed with the faith in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we will celebrate the gift of life together in word and sacrament. January 7 & 8, 2017 Church of the Immaculate Conception 1180 State Highway 206, Greene, New York Rev. Msgr. John P. Putano, Administrator Website: iccgreene.wordpress.com immcongreene@syrdio.org Facebook: Church of the Immaculate Conception Parish Office: Tue. thru Thurs. 10:30 am to 4:30 pm Mary Wentlent, Parish Manager Audrée Beach, Admin. Asst Fax Baptism & RCIA ICC Parish Office Youth Ministry: ICC Parish Council: Nancy Amell, Eileen Browning, Kelly Erickson, Robert Hanrahan, Donna Heisler, Joanne Moxley, Francis Feldpausch - President. ICC Trustees: Jackie Henninge ; jackiehenninge@frontier.com Robert Larkin ; robertmlarkin@gmail.com Feel free to contact the Trustees or Council Members with any concerns you have about our parish. Knights of Columbus Council Grand Knight Charles Browning Meetings the 1st Thursday of each month. Gluten free hosts are available. Notify the Sacristy before Mass if you need one. The Epiphany of the Lord W h i st Eas, n h c i! t" ad$ Lr. Weekend Mass Schedule Pastoral Care Area South: Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 pm Immaculate Conception, Greene 5:45 pm St. Joseph, Oxford Sunday: 8:45 am St. Joseph, Oxford 10:15 am Immaculate Conception, Greene 4:00 pm St. Paul, Norwich

2 Mass Schedule SATURDAY 1/7/16 4:00 pm For Parishioners SUNDAY 1/8/17 Epiphany 10:15 am Charlie Coppola by Kristen & Justin Mercurio John Stecyk by M. & A. Beach TUESDAY 1/10/17 8:30 am Communion Service THURSDAY 1/12/17 6:00 pm Communion Service SATURDAY 1/14/17 4:00 pm Martin Delaney by Bunny Delany & Family Richard Mertz by Parish Family SUNDAY 1/15/17 10:15 am For Parishioners Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 2 ICC WEEK AT A GLANCE SUNDAY 1/8/17 The Epiphany of the Lord 9 a Rel. Ed. Classes, Circle Of Care Lesson AC 10:15 am Mass 11:15 a Confirmation Class MONDAY 1/9 6-7 p Cub Scouts AC TUESDAY 1/10 8 a Rosary & Communion Service WEDNESDAY 1/11 THURSDAY 1/12 8 a Rosary & Communion Service 10 a Bible Study 6-7 p Scouts FRIDAY 1/13 SATURDAY 1/14 3:30 pm Confession SUNDAY 1/15 9 a Rel. Ed. Classes AC 11:30 am Confession 4-5 p Confirmation Class L LAY PERSONS SCHEDULE This Week Next Week Saturday 4:00 pm Saturday 4:00 pm January 7, 2017 January 14, 2017 E. M. s: S. Northrup J. Moxley H. Connelly H. Connelly Lector: M. Delaney J. Trepa Servers: Adult Volunteer Adult Volunteer Sunday 10:15 am Sunday 10:15 am January 8, 2017 January 15, 2017 E. M. s: C. Gibbons Z. Urda L. Detweiler E. Browning B. Doughty B. Norton Lector: M. O Keefe L. Detweiler Servers: K. Browning L. Flanagan C. Leonard J. Eroshevich J. Browning C. Flanagan Counters: A. Browning D. Maginsky E. Hadlick T. Mulvey Sacrificial Giving and Expenses for the month of November 2016: Total Income: $ 15, Total Expense: $ 14, Income includes: St. Pauly Shed, votive candles, Garden donations, Lasagna Dinner profit, funeral donation Expense includes: New hymnals, Missionary appeal, monthly Diocese fees, garden tags, plumbing repairs in Rectory, Young family & college age outreach. Remember St. Paul s advice: God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor.9:7) Location Codes: S Sanctuary; H Parish Hall; K Kitchen; CR Cry Room; L Library; P Pavilion; AC All Church; OF-Out Front; OB-Out Back; SJ St. Joseph s, DT Downtown. The Parish Office will be closed for Monday, January 16 in observation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. CC Bible Challenge! Each week a different verse from the Bible. Try to memorize it over the week. Use it as a family contest each week or just as a personal challenge. The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long. Deuteronomy 33:12 Priest Schedule: Jan. 7/8 - Fr. Kris Boretto Jan. 14/15- Father Lupa Jan. 21/22 Fr. Kris Boretto/Fr. Al Bebel Jan. 28/29 Fr. Kris Boretto Christmas Flower Memorials, cont. Aswad s & Norton s by Jim Norton Wilbur Douglas, Jack Maynard, Paul Skubon, Mary Ann Skubon by Catherine Douglas

3 January 8, 2017 Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, NY Page 5 Did you get your free gift? Our parish is giving away another great book by Matthew Kelly called "Resisting Happiness". Pick yours up in the vestibule today! Take one to a friend! The Thursday morning Bible Study will start a new short study on The Women of the Gospels. Join us from am beginning on Thursday, January 5. Super Bowl Pool/March Madness Pool 2017 Starting this weekend you can purchase a chance at this year s sports pool for $25 per chance. We will have both pools available for those early birds who want to be a part of both sporting event fundraisers. There will be a table set up in the hall after both weekend Masses for anyone interested. The payout for each pool will be posted. Feel free to pass this invitation along to family, friends and neighbors! You can stop by the church office during office hours or mail in a check as well. Please designate on your check what it is for. We need an address or cell phone number to send you a copy of the completed pool. Thank you - Let the games begin!! Save the date...knights of Columbus Roast Pork Dinner will be Sunday, January 15, Noon 3...The Catholic Men s Conference is Saturday March 25 from 8-5 pm, in Syracuse. The Annual Parish Bingo/Chili Night will be Saturday January 21, immediately following the 4:00 Mass. Bring your favorite Chili recipe to share. There will be fun prizes and there is no cost to play. This is a fun night to get out with the family and share a laugh or two. Please sign up in the vestibule if you plan to bring Chili to share. We hope everyone enjoyed the lovely Christmas decorations this year. Thank you to Mary Lake for re-painting our Manger Scene statues. She took them home and refinished them to the beautiful set we will enjoy for years to come. Thank you also to Clyde Eckler for creating the stained glass angels that are on display behind the choir. Your creative gift is much appreciated! Volunteer Opportunities Greene Food Pantry - We collect non-perishable foods for our local food pantry. May & November we cover the hours at the Pantry. Meals On Wheels Our volunteers make the deliveries for August & February: Mon, Wed, Fri, 11:15am. Call the Parish Office to join our team! Bottle & Can Drive - drop off your refundable items n the bin next to the Rectory garage. St. Pauly Textile collection shed in our parking lot. Donate your unwanted clothes & fabric items & ICC receives 4 cents per pound collected. Johanna Trepa s Birthday Wish is to raise funds for a local animal shelter, Every Dog s Dream. This no-kill shelter is housed in the Johnson City Petco. The funds raised will help with shelter expenses & also the foster homes that save the animals. They need supplies, toys, and money is always welcome. They are in desperate need of Purina cat & kitten food, litter & cat toys for the fostered cats as well. This is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Johanna has a huge love for animals and would like help raising the funds to fulfill her birthday wish. She has forsaken presents in exchange for donations to this cause. In February she and six friends will celebrate her birthday at the shelter; playing with the animals, grooming them and cleaning the animal s kennels. More details to follow regarding the donation process. Thank you The Greene Central School PTO will be offering a BBQ dinner to the community as a winter fundraiser. This delicious BBQ is from "Smokin Bones BBQ" and will be available for pick- up Sunday, January 22 from 11-2 pm. The PTO has asked to use our church facility and we are happy to welcome them. They will utilize a drive-thru style, using our circle out front, while keeping the food warm in our kitchen. We see this as an opportunity for Evangelization, if just one person starts a discussion in their car about the Blessed Virgin Mary statue out front and who she is in our world! All tickets must be pre-sold and are available in our church office.

4 Continuing Our Tradition of Service Since 1914 NEVILLE LAW OFFICE Chris P. Neville, Esq. Robert M. Larkin, Of Counsel P. O. Box 570 * 36 Genesee St. Greene, New York Molly S. Nolan Licensed R.E. Salesperson Cell Bartles Pharmacy 10 Lafayette Park. Oxford, NY After hours - Brian Bartle KENNEDY FUNERAL HOME, INC. 21 North Chenango St., Greene, NY kennedyfuneral@frontiernet.net kennedyfuneralhome.net Your Ad Here! $ small; $ medium; $ large; for one year. The ad is shared with St. Joseph s bulletin. Call Mimi s Italian Cuisine Genesee Street, Greene, NY Mon-Sat: 11 am - 9 pm, Sun: 12 pm - 8 pm Facebook: MimisItalianCuisine Twi*er: MimisGreene We Deliver! Free within Village of Greene, $1/mile outside ($20 minimum order) Root Funeral Home Greene s Oldest Funeral Home Member New York State Funeral Director Assoc. Serving Greene, Oxford and the surrounding communities. Charles C. Dietrich North Chenango Street Greene, New York Construction Lawn Mowing/Brush Hogging Home Improvement Excavating Gerry Reiss Mike Reiss Oxford, New York St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery Oxford, New York A beautiful, peaceful resting place Double Plot $700 1 casket & 1 urn or 2 urns Name: Address: Parish Registration Form City: State: Zip Code: Phone: I am new to the parish and wish to register. I am previously registered. I want offering envelopes. I am interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith. Mail to: Immaculate Conception Church, 1180 State Hwy. 206, Greene, NY or place in collection basket

5 January 8, 2017 Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 3 Father s Notes Acceptable Abortion Laws? I am much opposed to the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion & am working with a right-to-life organization. A question has arisen about approving legislation allowing an abortion to save the life of the mother after rape or incest. What is the Church s position on this? The position of the church is, as it has been, that deliberate killing of an unborn child is always wrong, even if it is intended to save the life of the mother. However, a Catholic could properly approve & work for legislation along the lines you mention for at least two reasons. First, it is often politically necessary, and moral, to fight for and accept legislation which is a least part of what you would like, when it s clear your entire desired package is just not possible at this time. Accepting laws that would permit abortion after rape or incest does not mean one approves abortions, in those instances. It only accepts that a perfect law is unattainable at the present. One less perfect might still prevent countless abortions, & at least open a door for fuller legal protection of the unborn. Second, in practice, immoral abortions to save the life of the mother are generally not likely to occur. A pregnant mother may be ill with a serious disease that the doctor must treat immediately. The doctor may know that if he does what is needed to heal the mother, she will lose the baby. An obvious illustration is cancer of the uterus. If, in the physician s prudent medical judgment, the uterus must be removed before the baby is viable, or the mother will die (of the cancer will likely spread critically), the uterus may be removed. Naturally, with such surgery the baby will die. Some would incorrectly call this an abortion to save the mother. It is, however, a moral procedure. The baby is not killed, or aborted, in order to save the mother. He dies when the mother is treated as is medically necessary. Other medical procedures may be less clear cut, but could fall into the same category. In practice the problem hardly exists today. In large hospitals & clinics in the country which handle especially difficult cases, it has been years since doctors have faced a decision whether to save the mother or the child, if indeed they have ever done so in modern times. Medical management of pregnancy problems, to serve both the child & mother, has made & is still making progress. From Catholic Q & A by Fr. John J. Dietzen God s Mystery is for Everyone The Christmas story comes to its fullness today in the Epiphany, the manifestation of the mystery of God made human to all of humanity. Like the magi, we are drawn to the star of Bethlehem. We follow the light of the star and find truth God is with us in the person of Jesus Christ. We discover the King of kings, not in opulence, but lying in a manger midst shreds of cloth. We are amazed at the mystery of God in human form. We feel peace drawn to the warmth of Mary and the devotion and protection of Joseph. The Magi, overwhelmed with joy, bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, befitting God s divinity and recognizing his humanity. Our hope for the future lies in the Christ child, who hides himself still with us and brings us peace! John Dorner A New Year s Prayer Jesus, you are Lord of history, and your wonderful redemption comes to us in a cycle of time - year after year. Now another year is beginning,. May this new year hold many good things for me, and may your grace make me a better person: kinder & more willing to help, more thoughtful & more loving. May I fulfill my allotted task in life & come closer to you while looking forward to an eternity with you. Thank you Lord for this expended time that you so graciously allow me on my journey toward you. Amen. Wisdom from our Catholic Tradition Look then on Jesus, the author and preserver of faith; in complete sinlessness he suffered, and at the hands of those who were his own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus, give thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings. St. Raymond of Penafort, Priest ( ); Feast day, January 7 The Sanctuary The word comes from the Latin Sanctuarium, a holy place, a shrine. It is the area in Catholic churches where the Altar Table, Ambo (pulpit) and Celebrant s Chair are found and oftentimes, the Tabernacle and Sanctuary Lamp. In the sanctuary, priests, deacons, and bishops lead the church community in prayer and divine worship. It is here the Word of God, the Sacred Scripture is proclaimed by the Lector and ordained clergy and its explanation and application in the Homily is delivered. Traditionally the sanctuary was divided from the nave of the church by being elevated in some way and sometimes by a railing.

6 Religious Instruction Sundays; 9:00-10:00 am gr :00-5:00 pm Confirmation Class (except 1/8 -class will meet immediately following Mass January 8-Family Blessing Activity; 15, 22, 29 T Go f A Ae Feast of the Epiphany, January 8, 2017 Sunday Readings: Isaiah ; Ephesians 3.2-3, 5-6; Matthew REFLECTION The Gospel for the Feast of the Epiphany tells a story that is very important to all of us. This is the story of the three Magi who come from the East to visit Jesus in Israel. Why are these three Magi important to us? The Magi are the first people to believe in Jesus who aren t Jews. The Magi come from the East, the area where the country of Iran is today. In a sense, Epiphany is the feast of all the Christians of the world. What country did your ancestors come from? (Invite children to respond with the names of countries.) The Magi make a long journey to bring gifts to the new king. Today we who come from many nations make our journey to the crib in church and to our classes where we learn more about Jesus. (Lead a procession to the crib from all the nations the children represent.) Question from Life: What strangers does your parish welcome? Question from the Gospel: Who today are seekers from afar like the Magi of the Epiphany Gospel? Parents and Grandparents, try using this information as a basis for discussion at home. Join other Young Adults in their 20s and 30s in standing up for Life during our pilgrimage to Washington DC for the annual March for Life! Date: January This trip will leave Thursday evening and return Friday night. There will be pickups in Utica, Syracuse, and Binghamton. The $25 registration covers transportation, a Diocesan scarf, and some meals. We will participate in Mass at the National Basilica, celebrated by Bishop Cunningham, followed by the March. Space is limited! yamarch4life2017.eventbrite.com "Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is." Irenaeus Bishop of Ligdunum, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Greene, New York Page 4 Dear friends, Did you have children home for Christmas? Did you find yourself having any deep conversations about life? If so, I d love to talk with you sometime and hear how that went! When our kids were younger it was easy to talk about God. They would listen and ask some Why questions, but mostly they trusted we were telling them the truth; things that were good for them. However, as kids grow up they experience the world with the good and the bad, don t they? I d like to share a conversation with one of my adult daughters. She told me about a friend who had gotten a job in a children s cancer center. The friend shared her frustration with the belief in a God who would allow this to happen to innocent children. This friend loved her job however, and felt she was making a difference in the world by helping, smiling, and trying to lift the spirits of her patients. I listened to the story and felt my daughter also was frustrated. (Listening without interrupting with an opinion, is a parenting skill I am still mastering!!) When she finished with her own spiel on life as she sees it so far, I silently asked God for wisdom as I formulated my reply. I told her, God gives each person free will; the ability to make our own decisions. With free will, people end up making good and bad choices, and the hard part is dealing with each other s good and bad choices. This means that good things will happen to bad people and, also, bad things will happen to good people. The silver-lining however, is that God can help us through the tough times in life, and walk with us (sometimes carry us) each day! The Bible is life s guidebook and is full of advice, encouragement and comfort! I hope my response will just simmer-on-the-back-burner of my daughter s mind. My daily devotional said, The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long. (Deuteronomy 33:12) This doesn t mean that no harm will ever happen. But we were created by an almighty God. We are his beloved, secure in his arms, with the promise of eternal safety. No one can take his love away. Peace! ~ Mary Wentlent Let us never give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day. Do not give in to pessimism and discouragement. We have the firm certainty that the Holy Spirit gives the Church with His mighty breath, the courage to persevere and also to seek new methods of evangelization, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Pope Francis