READINGS FOR JANUARY 22 Isaiah 8:23-9:3 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23

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1 ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO January 15, 2017 READINGS FOR JANUARY 22 Isaiah 8:23-9:3 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23 ALL THAT REMAINED OF OUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS MONDAY MORNING... With heartfelt thanks for your STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE January 7 & 8 Adults $13, Children $3.00 IN THE MILITARY Please pray for those serving in the military. Lord, protect our military as they sacrifice for us; bless them and their families for their continuing selflessness. We are so thankful for the beauty of the flowers and, most importantly, of the Christmas season. Now, in grace, we move into eight weeks of Ordinary Time before we head into Lent. Thank you to all who helped with the transition! A MOST SINCERE TO ALL WHO DONATED TOILETRIES FOR THE AiA WOMEN S PRISON MINISTRY AT THE DAYTON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTE They will be delighted by your kindness and thoughtfulness! YOUR CAN BE PLACED IN ONE OF THE TWO LARGE BASKETS IN THE SANCTUARY THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT. E-GIVING WITH FAITH DIRECT This month we are introducing a new and exciting way for you to support our parish offertory and second collections: Faith Direct. Faith Direct enables parishioners to make your Church contributions through either direct debit from your checking/ savings account or through your credit/debit card. No more writing checks or searching for envelopes on the way out the door. Now you can apply the convenience of direct debit to your parish offerings in much the same way as you may now use it to make your mortgage, car, or tuition payments. Faith Direct also offers you personalized offertory cards to replace your envelopes for the collection basket. Please review the mailing you will receive next week or visit to enroll securely online. Our parish code is OH790.

2 SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATIONS SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 8:00 a.m. Zoraya Camacho (Luz Lievano) 10:30 a.m. Stefanie Moran (Family) MONDAY, JANUARY 16 8:15 a.m. Mary Adducchio (The Whitneys) TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 8:15 a.m. Susan Abaya (Marsh Family) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 8:15 a.m. Santina Tarlano (Son) THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 8:15 a.m. Bill Potts (Ray Koester & Family) FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 8:15 Regional Mass at Immaculate Conception SATURDAY, JANAURY 21 5:00 p.m. George Bauer Remembrance (Marilyn Bauer) SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 8:00 a.m. Pat Forsthoefel (Linda Forsthoefel- Kenney) 10:30 a.m. Jeanette Tartell (Elaine Monell) IT MISSA EST PRESENTS WHY I BECAME CATHOLIC Join us at Immaculate Conception Church, Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. as we discuss Why I Became Catholic. We will meet in the lower level of the church. CALENDAR OF EVENTS MONDAY, JANUARY 16 Novena-CH 9:00 a.m. TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 Rosary-BSC 9:00 a.m. Bible Study-SJN 9:00 a.m. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 Centering Prayer-SJN 3:15 p.m. SVDP Meeting-SJN 6:45 p.m. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 First Reconciliation Parent Meeting-SJN 7:00 p.m. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 Regional Mass at Immaculate Conception Church SATURDAY, JANAURY 21 5:00 p.m. Mass-Fr. Anthony Geraci SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 8:00 a.m. Mass-Fr. Jerry Bensman 10:30 a.m. Fr. Jerry Bensman CH-Church HR-Helen Room SB-Smith Building GYM-School Gym SJN-St Julie Meeting Rm-1st fl. SJB-St Julie Meeting Rm-2nd fl. SJA-St Julie Dining Rm-1st fl. BSC-Blessed Sacrament Chapel THANK YOU We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for the parishioners of St. Helen Parish. The many prayers, cards, and well-wishes we ve received have been much appreciated. John & Marcia Indalecio THE CHURCH OF MERCY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Part 3, Listening to the Spirit Where will we be led if we have the courage to let the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truth? (John 16:13) How does Pope Francis explain the difference betwee Spirit-led diversity and human-imposed uniformity? What does Pope Francis mean when he writes, In God s great plan, every detail is important? According to Pope Francis, what does Being with Christ mean? In what specific ways is Pope Francis calling us to be lights of hope? How does Pope Francis describe the role of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in revitalizing our ministry? Part 4, Proclamation and Testimony What does Pope Francis tell us is the meaning of living Holy Week? What advice does Pope Francis give to newlyweds to grow in healthy relationships? According to Pope Francis, what are the results of accepting the joy of Jesus in our lives?

3 ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO January 15, 2017 ST. HELEN BOOSTER CLUB FISH FRY The 2017 St. Helen Booster Club Fish Fry will be held in the school gym on Saturday January 28 from 6:00 to 11:00 pm. Carryout will also be available from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Fish, chicken, sausage & side items like home made hushpuppies will be served. Pre-sale tickets are $15.00 and tickets at the door are $ Pre sale tickets are now available at: The Barber Pole, The St. Helen Rectory, the School office or by contacting Jack Newton Must be 21 to attend. The Booster Club is also looking for volunteers, donations for the raffle, door prizes, and raffle prizes. If you have items to donate please call the following: Jack Newton for additional information. The St. Helen Trojan Booster Club is an organization that is beneficial to the youth of St. Helen s community. We complement the educational process by creating an environment that will allow our youth to develop spiritually, mentally, and physically. Through our programs we try to help our youth develop positive personal attributes, such as integrity, enthusiasm, good sportsmanship, friendships, and self-confidence. The St. Helen Trojan Booster Club is run entirely by volunteers and donations. Many people are needed to operate and maintain these programs that help your children and your community. MUSIC NOTES- A NEW REGULAR FEATURE ON THE MINISTRY OF MUSIC With the Christmas season barely behind us, the Church settles into the first short stretch of Ordinary Time. Coming out of Advent and Christmas, you may have noticed some differences in the instruments and music selections over the last six weeks. In a 2007 document called Sing to the Lord, the bishops of the United States articulated, officially, a practice that has been in play for many years in church music: the idea of progressive solemnity. This principle guides the idea that there is a continuum of both what is sung during a mass (songs, dialogues, the Our Father, even the readings and gospels), and to what degree it is festive based on the choices of instruments, rituals (incense, additional candles and processions, etc.), and songs. Advent and Christmas are more solemn seasons than Ordinary Time. In Advent, we used mostly music exclusive to the Advent season, used the organ with restrained sound (more on how the organ works in an upcoming column), and added the singing of the Kyrie. At Christmas, we pulled out all the stops with full organ and piano, additional instruments, many singers, and lots of congregational singing. As we return to Ordinary Time, expect that we ll return to a slightly more informal feel: More piano and less organ, more contemporary and less traditional music, a simpler Gloria, shorter processions, and no incense. The decorations in the church will have more restraint to them, too. These decisions are made so that we notice a different feel as we get to Lent, and eventually to Easter. Do you have a question about music? or call Ellen it may turn into a future column! Our dear Cassie is off to Trinidad! She left this past Tuesday to begin her new life as a religious with the Living Water community in Trinidad. May her bright face, big heart, and strong faith sustain her on this new journey. Pray for her and her family as they deal with the pains of letting go even as they are supportive!

4 YOUTH IN GRADES 7-12: SKIING, SNOWBOARDING & TUBING Perfect North Slopes, Lawrenceburg, IN Sunday, January 22, 2017 Meet at St. Helen at 9 am; return around 7:30 pm Cost: $52 includes lift ticket, one hour ski lesson, all equipment rental for unlimited skiing, snowboarding or tubing, and a required helmet. A MANDATORY informational parent meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 18 at 6:30 pm in the Religious Education office (basement of the church). All payment and forms will be required at this time. Save time! Download the three forms in advance: Chaperones & Drivers needed! Contact Amy if you can help! Thanks! Bring additional money for lunch/concessions. Snacks (granola bars, cheese sticks, and water) will be provided. Reserve Your Spot: Call Amy in the Rectory Office at or go to UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS: BE ONE: HIGH SCHOOL WINTER RETREAT: FEB Grades 9-12: Get away for a weekend of prayer, fun, and friendship with youth from Ascension and St. Luke parishes. You are uniquely created by God, and you can change the world. Come find out how. FOOD FAST: MARCH 3-4 Grades 7-10: What s your relationship with food? With youth from Immaculate Conception and across the country, go hungry for one night and learn how you can take a stand against global poverty. (Juniors and Seniors: Help lead this event! Contact Amy for details!) First Reconciliation Parent Meeting: Thurs. January pm St. Julie Center At least one parent should attend. Contact Amy at Amy.McEntee@sthelenparish.org if you are unable to attend.

5 ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO January 15, 2017 CREATION CARE TEAM 10 Things in Your Home Linked to Climate Change. #2: COFFEE. Coffee leaf rust is affecting the livelihood of farmers and their families in Central and South America. Coffee leaf rust is a fungus that destroys the coffee leaf plant. Once the rust starts, the plant cannot be saved. In 2012 some farmers in Guatemala lost up to 85% of their plants. The fungus thrives in warmer temperatures, and as temperatures keep rising, coffee farmers have to look to new ways to produce their coffee or get out of the business entirely. Learn about how your contributions to Catholic Relief Services through CRS Rice Bowl and the annual CRS Collection help farmers face their challenges at ELIZABETH NEW LIFE CENTER Elizabeth s New Life Center is in need of medical professionals to volunteer in our Women s Centers. If you are an M.D., D.O.,LPN, RN, Nurse practitioner, Physician s Assistant or RDMS please consider giving a few hours of your time weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to work with the underserved women our community who may be at risk for abortion. Please tmiller@elizabethnewlifecenter.org or call to talk about the possibilities! CREDIT UNION NEWS If your Fall season involves new car shopping, then start your quest at the St. Helen Federal Credit Union. We have new car rates that start as low as 2.49% APR for 36 months. And late model used cars start at 2.99% APR. Don t go through the run around with dealer finances, get pre-approval through us for your shopping ease. We also offer Debt Consolidation to help get finances back in order and a Quick Cash for Cleanup---up to $7000 for those short-term needs. Applications for all our loans are available at the Credit Union or on-line at ST. HELEN EXTENDED CARE Positions available to care for students of St. Helen before and/or after school. Substitute A.M. Associate, as needed Monday-Friday, 6:35 a.m. 7:35 a.m. Substitute P.M. Associate, as needed Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Extended Care P.M. Associate, Monday-Wednesday-Thursday, 2:30p.m.-6:00 p.m. Please contact Julie Hunt at jhunt@sthelenschl.org or , ext. 143 if interested. REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING MEMORIAL MARCH Area Catholics are joining together to walk in solidarity in the Rev. Martin Luther King Memorial March on Monday, January 16, at 10 a.m. If you can t walk the route from near the Drew Health Center, 1323 W. Third St., Dayton, to the Convention Center, you can still participate by riding in a car. A rally follows at the Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., at 11 a.m. Please consider joining Weavers of Justice and the Archdiocese s Catholic Social Action Office in the march. Pam Long, Regional Director of the Catholic Social Action Office, at plong@catholiccincinnati.org so we can connect and walk together. The MLK Celebration Banquet with the theme Still Standing will feature keynote speaker Rev. Joan Brown Campbell at the Convention Center at 6 p.m. The first clergywoman to lead the National Council of Churches and to direct the U.S. office of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Campbell has given national and international leadership to both ecumenical and interfaith work. Tables are $600 and individual reservations are $75. Please call Ivy Young, Treasurer for the MLK Dayton Committee, at or to make reservations.

6 Dearly beloved parishioners, I pray that the New Year has brought blessings to you and your loved ones. By the time this letter appears in the bulletin, I will be on vacation in India with my family. I hope that this letter finds you well. It has been six months since Fr. Dave Brinkmoeller retired and I assumed the role of pastor. Much has transpired during this time. Please consider this letter to be a State of the Parish address to all of you. 1. Coordinator for Adult Evangelization: Mike Ingram, who recently introduced himself as the Coordinator of Adult Evangelization, informed me recently that professional extenuating circumstances have led him away from St. Helen. Obviously, I am very saddened by this development since the search committee and I had put much time and effort into interviews and in ultimately selecting Mike. I am also sad because Mike is a really good man, and I believe that had he continued in this position, we would have gained much from his presence and talents. On behalf of the parish I wish him the very best. At this point, I have decided to entrust some the responsibilities of this position to very generous volunteers within the parish. For example, Shawn Kalis will spearhead the RCIA program, and Jon and Deb Danner will lead baptism preparation classes to families who approach the parish seeking this sacrament for their children. I am grateful to them and others who have generously offered their time and gifts for the service of the community. At this time, I have decided to wait until spring to take the next steps. Perhaps there is room for some creativity and the possibility of reconfiguring staff positions at the parish. Let us pray that God s wisdom will lead us in this process. 2. Facilities and Grounds Survey: Close to the time of Fr. Dave s retirement, there was much research done into the facilities and building needs of the parish. Two projects gained much attention: the need for a cafeteria at the school and the need for renovating the parish offices. A feasibility study done in June 2016 revealed that the cost of both these projects would wipe out our entire financial reserves. As a result, I, along with Don Reimer, our Business Manager, the parish staff, the Building and Grounds Committee, and the Finance Commission decided to conduct a survey of ministry leaders to assess the overall facilities needs of the parish. Building & Grounds, Finance, PPC, and staff will be working on a comprehensive facilities plan to be presented by the end of fiscal year. The question we are trying to address is this: How can we continue to develop our facilities so that we can provide ministries with optimum effectiveness yet maintain a reasonable and healthy financial reserve? The survey has been helpful in making a few important decisions. For one, items have come to the top of the priority list for facilities. These include air-conditioning the school classrooms, making the parish office building handicap accessible, furnishing the parish offices for collaborative work and maximum efficiency, equipping the church with a state-ofthe-art sound system, and constructing a gathering-space/cafeteria for the parish/school. Except for the last item, most of these projects will be completed in the calendar year. 3. Formation of Risk Management Committee. One of my main goals has been to develop policies for risk management. We live in a time where litigation is the name of the game. Religious organizations like St. Helen are not immune from such risks. There are three areas in which a parish is most vulnerable: the use of our grounds and facilities, the sale and use of alcohol at parish events (fish fry, festival, parish picnic, festival volunteer party) and games that include gambling. While such events continue to be integral to the life of the parish, thus far there has been no cohesive and consistent policy that addresses the liability we risk in holding such events. State laws regarding gambling, and especially the use of alcohol have radically changed. Moreover, the Archdiocese suggests best practices that may be contrary to the many of the practices that we have carried forward from the time these events were originally founded. I believe that our church has an obligation to protect our patrons, our volunteers, and our parish from harm.

7 Thus, in October last year we invited the Office of Risk Management of the Archdiocese Cincinnati to update our fish fry and festival committees and booth chairs about State laws and best practices regarding gambling, alcohol, and facilities use. It was suggested that the parish establish a committee to develop risk management policies that are in line with the latest laws and best practices. We have formed a Risk Management Committee to develop sound policies for our parish. I am very grateful to Jeremy McWilliams for agreeing to be the chairperson of this committee. This committee is meeting and working hard toward developing risk management policies. These policies will function as the guideline for future events. I believe that this will enhance the way in which we conduct parish events. 4. Introducing E-Giving. Over the last few years, an ad hoc committee of parishioners led by Mary Heider has done extensive research about electronic giving. The data highlights the multiple advantages of electronic giving including convenience and consistent giving, the latter of which will assist the parish in annual financial planning. Moreover, more and more people, especially the millennial and younger generations, rarely use checks. They have consistently requested e-giving options in the parish. In response, our parish has employed the services of Faith Direct to introduce and set up e-giving in our parish. E-giving will be launched in our parish on January Please know that those who would like to use the regular envelopes can continue to do so. E-giving is only for those who voluntarily sign up for it. May I please request you to actively participate in this program and make it a success. 5. Success for SH School. Our school continues to do very well under the leadership of our principal, Chrissy Buschur. Not only is the enrollment growing, but the school has become an important evangelizing ministry. This Easter, 9 students will be baptized (with a total of 10 coming into the church) as they embrace Catholicism. My heartfelt congratulations to every one of these students. I deeply appreciate our principal, teachers, and school volunteers for their admirable commitment and diligence. 6. Impact of Priests Shortage. The shortage of priests is a tragic but growing crisis within the church. We all hoped that the impact of this crisis would not be imminent or that it would not affect our parish. However, it is affecting us in the here and now. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati s Futures Plan called for a creation of regions that would comprise two or more parishes under one pastor. This plan was partly implemented when Fr. Dave became the Pastor of Region 6. This region includes St. Helen and Immaculate Conception parishes. I have reason to believe that the days of having two full-time priests between our two parishes are behind us. Increasingly, newly ordained priests are being appointed full-time pastors of pastoral regions more quickly than in the past. This makes it impossible to have long term associate pastors as we have had in the past. While the full implication of this development is not fully clear to us at St. Helen, I am requesting that we be aware that the shortage of priests and its impact will be an issue we must be prepared to embrace. I am very grateful to the retired and other generous priests who have offered their services to us in the last few months. We are a people of faith. Often, when we are compelled to embrace change, fear can dominate our conversations and actions. I believe that the Church founded by Jesus Christ is in His hands. Let us give and do our best for the Church because when we do so, we serve God and our brothers and sisters. Meanwhile, I remain committed to ensuring that St. Helen Parish and School remain vibrant communities of faith today and for generations to come. Sincerely, Fr. Satish Joseph

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