BLESSED SACRAMENT. We talk about it! H O L L I S T E R A V E N U E M A D I S O N, W I

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1 BLESSED SACRAMENT H O L L I S T E R A V E N U E M A D I S O N, W I st Sunday of Ordinary Time Fall 2016 ALPHA Course TUESDAYs from 6:00-8:00 PM Sept. 6th to Nov. 29th No class Sept. 20 & Nov. 22 DINNER VIDEO FRIENDSHIP Open to EVERYONE! Childcare provided! Sign-up today It s FREE! We talk about it! Are you curious? Check out ALPHA at Ask Fr. Simon Felix for more details. ALPHA is GOOD...you know you should! Parish Vision Statement To be a flourishing faith community, with all parishioners engaged in transforming lives through evangelization and discipleship. Weekly Mass Times Monday and Friday: only Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 7:00 & Saturday: ; 5:00 PM Vigil Sunday: 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 AM Parish Mission Statement Blessed Sacrament Parish forms and nurtures active disciples of Christ, who love God and neighbor, through the Dominican pillars of Community, Study, Prayer, and Ministry. Sacrament of Reconciliation Sundays 7:00 to 7:30 AM; 10:15 to 10:45 AM Saturdays 9:00 to 10:00 AM; 4:15 to 4:45 PM And by appointment with a priest.

2 Pastor Fr. Andy McAlpin, OP Come Lord Jesus! 21st Week of Ordinary Time There was a recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal regarding a woman in California with Lou Gehrig's disease who threw her own personal end-of-life party. Her family and friends attended and then she consumed the lethal cocktail of doctor prescribed meds so she could complete her assisted suicide. If you ve ever believed in the idea of a slippery slope, now is the time. Has life become only valuable if we are pain-free or not a burden on society or our family? Does suffering have no meaning? What is next? We know what is next. It is happening in other countries. People are being euthanized because they are suffering or have no apparent quality of life. Advocates for the disabled are deeply concerned at this sad fact. But who decides who lives and who dies? How do we respond to these sad developments in so-called developed nations? As Catholics, we hold that life is sacred and to be protected from conception to natural death. It is a profoundly inhuman act to assist someone in suicide for any reason at all, but what we are facing right now is frightening. Our response is simply, no. We will not help you die. We will help you live...eternally! Life is a precious gift from God that very often includes much suffering. But suffering often has no meaning in modern culture because people have turned away from the suffering Jesus on the Cross. That is where our suffering is united to the suffering of our loving God who died so that we all might live eternally. May we never grow tired of proclaiming the saving truths of Jesus suffering on the Cross for our salvation. And may we make known the truth that the end of this life is just the beginning of our real life...eternally with our Loving and Living God! May God Bless you this week! The Catholic Question Box If I go to the school Mass during the week or attend a wedding on Saturday, does that count for Sunday Mass attendance? I have heard this question many times over the years. The simple answer is always the same: no. Just the asking of the question betrays the truth most of us in the priesthood and Church leadership have known for a very long time now: the basic teachings of the Church were not presented to whole generations of Catholics, or they were ignored when the opportunity to teach them came around. How shall we seek to remedy this situation? We must become lifelong learners. Sunday, every Sunday, is a Holy Day of Obligation for all professed Catholics. It is the day of our salvation in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and from the earliest days of the Church was called The Lord s Day. It was the day the believers gathered to encounter the Living God in the readings of the Word and in the celebration of the Eucharist, calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection and the glory of the Lord Jesus (CCC ) Jesus Christ is our Savior. We only get to heaven because of what He did for us in the Paschal Mystery, which is His life, death and resurrection. Assisting at Mass on Sunday can be viewed as an obligation in justice. That being giving due reverence to the God who made us and saved us, but it is better to understand it as a privilege and an honor to thank God for the gift of life and the gift of eternal joy that He won for us on the Cross. It is the most perfect expression of our sharing in the common priesthood of Jesus that we received in baptism. This is why we come together as a community to worship our God. Send your questions to Fr. Andy at fr.andy@blsacrament.org and we will try to answer them in this column.

3 Join us for our opening school Mass on August 29 at! Explore our newly designed website today! Call our office for information about openings in our multi-aged classrooms It is never too late to enroll for the school year. All volunteers working with children in the parish and school must be certified through a 3-step Parish Safe Environment program prior to service. The upcoming training session for Protecting God s Children is on Thursday, September 1st at at Blessed Sacrament Parish & School Friary. Also, the DOM Office of Safe Environment (OSE) is pleased to announce a special session of Protecting God s Children for Parents! This session will be held Tuesday, September 20, 2016 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Bishop O Connor Center Auditorium Conference Room. Register for either session today at Confirmation Registration is now open! All 8th Graders through High School may join us! Go to our website for more information and to sign up! Beginning this year, Confirmation Preparation is a two year process starting in the 8th grade. The earliest a teen can be confirmed is in the Spring of the 9th grade. Those entering 9th grade this year will be grandfathered into the old Diocesan Confirmation Directives and expectations. Any 9th graders (or other high school teens who have not been confirmed yet) may enter Year 2 now and be confirmed THIS year. If you know of any high school students who have not been confirmed yet, this is the time to do it! For more information, please call our Youth Minister, J Gregory Curran, at (608) , ext wwwblessedsacramentteens.org Blessed Sacrament Community SUNDAY September 11, :00 to 3:00 PM At Hoyt Park! Bring a side dish or dessert to share and head over to Hoyt Park after Mass. We will grill the brats and make the lemonade! Let s celebrate our Dominican heritage and welcome Fr. Andy and our new staff members! Please RSVP with the number attending at or complete a form available in the back of church. Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary Join the Lay Dominicans Tuesday, August 22nd on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary at 7:30 to 8:30 PM for the first monthly meeting. This first meeting on will offer more details about the Confraternity, and then praying of the Most Holy Rosary with short meditations before each mystery. Future monthly meetings will be held on the 4th Monday of each month in the church from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. For more information please contact Blessed Sacrament Lay Dominicans at confraternityblsaclayop@gmail.com or go to: opcentral.org/confraternity of the holy rosary. Have you ever asked the following questions to yourself? - Are you nervous about the word evangelization? - Do you wonder how it is done? - Why is it so important?...then please join us on Monday or Wednesday and find the answers to these questions and more! Fr. Andy and I need your help in fulfilling our mission in Madison. We all have a part to play! Discipleship Training is NOW offered on Mondays AND Wednesday at 7:00 to-8:30 PM in the Parish Center Check it out this week!

4 21st Week of Ordinary Time Mass Intentions + indicates the person is deceased Saturday, August 20, 2016 Living & Deceased members of Schroeckenthaler & Schaff Families 5:00 pm Helena Reale Sunday, 7:30 AM Our Parish Family 9:00 AM + Robert Helmer 11:00 AM Living & Deceased members of the Frawley & Douville Families Monday, August 22, 2016 Tuesday, August 23, :00 AM +John Wall Wednesday, August 24, :00 AM Geraldine Victor Thursday, August 25, :00 AM + Sion Rogers Friday, August 26, 2016 Edward Burns Saturday, August 27, :00 pm Donald Yellen Sunday, August 28, :30 AM Our Parish Family 9:00 AM + Sharon Ecker 11:00 AM + Edward O Keefe Blessed Sacrament Staff Fr. Andy McAlpin, OP. Pastor (Fr.Andy@blsacrament.org) ext. 117 Fr. Simon-Felix Michalski, O.P. Associate Pastor ext. 127 Br. Ed van Merrienboer, O.P. Director of Faith Formation ext. 119 Maryann Slater School Principal ext. 115 J. Gregory Curran Director of Youth Ministries ext. 134 Peggie Hansen Director of Religious Ed (1st 6th) ext. 106 Andrew Henter Director of Buildings & Grounds ext. 145 Diane Jones Bookkeeper ext. 120 Jan McNally Communications Manager ext. 116 Matt Regner Director of Music & Liturgical Ministry ext. 138 Caroline Robinson Office Coordinator ext. 110 How to reach the BSP Staff Parish Office... (608) Parish Fax... (608) School... (608) Priory... (608) Sacramental Emergencies (608) Parish Website: School Website: Youth Ministry Website: Parish (firstname)@blsacrament.org ; add Fr to the beginning for a Priest Parish Information... info@blsacrament.org Parish Events Week of Sunday, 7:00-7:30 AM CONFESSIONS Church 10:15-10:45 AM CONFESSIONS Church Monday, August 22, :00-9:00 PM Confraternity of the Holy Rosary ~ Church 7:10-8:30 PM Monday Night Bible Study ~ Rose of Lima RM 7:10-8:30 PM Discipleship Training Group ~ Assembly Hall Tuesday, August 23, 2016 Wednesday, August 24, :00 AM Rosary - Church 7:00-9:00 PM Regent Soccer Team Meeting ~ Friary 7:10-8:30 PM Discipleship Training Group ~ PC Dining Room Thursday, August 25, :00 AM Rosary Church 3:30-6:30 PM Youth Ministry to SVdP Food Pantry 6:30-9:00 PM Called & Gifted ~ St. Dominic Room Friday, August 26, :00 AM Chaplet of Divine Mercy ~Church 6:00-7:00 PM Brooks/Duffy Wedding Rehearsal ~ Church Saturday, August 27, :00 10:00AM Confessions/Holy Hour of Adoration 2:30 4:00 PM Brooks/Duffy Wedding Lois Ruth Baggot October 2, August 14, 2016 Please pray for all those who are ill, especially: Alexander Kotoloski, Marlene Favicchio, Shirley Dan, Tom Murphy, and Julie Pitot NOTE: Please let us know if one of our parishioners is ill, so that we can offer our prayers and support. Blessings to Jonathan Buerger & Sheena Jacobi who were united in marriage on Friday, August 19, 2016 ~~~ Gregory Potts & Lorrin Pekarske who were united in marriage on Saturday, August 20, 2016 ~Wedding Banns~ III. Chris Brooks & Melissa Duffy I. Daniel Zawacki & Elizabeth Habib

5 Community Outreach Opportunities Postpone to January! CATHOLICISM: THE PIVOTAL PLAYERS COMING in January 2017 The first part of Bishop Robert Barron s new series on some of the most influential people in the Catholic Church has been moved to January due to a delay in materials for the course. Help young mothers by donating packages of diapers for the Pregnancy Helpline. Pick up a packages of diapers in any size and drop them in the basket in the back of the church on your way to Mass! All sizes are appreciated. Let s fill it to the brim each week! Thanks for your help! Bags, Egg Cartons, and Food Donations Wanted! St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry would appreciate your extra shopping bags (plastic, paper, & reusable) and egg cartons (6, 12, & 18 packs). As always, your donations of non-perishable foods are appreciated, too! Please put bags and cartons in the plastic bin inside of the wooden box for pantry donations, located at the back of church. If you have a large bundle, please bring them to the parish center weekdays between 9:00 and 4:00 PM. Thank you! We are scheduled to assist Temple Beth El with hosting 4-5 homeless families on August New volunteers are welcome! These shifts are excellent service opportunities for high school students looking for service hours. The set up and take down shifts are a great introduction to what we do and are only an hour on Sunday. Please go to this link for shift details and to sign up If you have questions please call or Julie Maiers at jdmaiers@tds.net. For more information about the Road Home Interfaith Hospitality Network, visit: Study of the Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is know as the gospel of fulfillment, the most Jewish Gospel, the handbook for discipleship. To achieve his purpose, Matthew structures his gospel in five large blocks of speech material. Written after 70 AD, it contains material not found in Mark. Each Thursday, starting September 22 and continuing for six weeks, Brother Edward will explore the message and spirituality of this Gospel at 10:00AM and 7:00PM in the Saint Dominic Room of the Parish Center. There is no registration or charge for the class. Join us for a conversation about Matthew Kelly s book, SUNDAYS Sept. 18th to Oct. 23rd 6:30 to 7:30 PM. The guide is on line at Fr. Simon with questions. The Monday Night Gospel Bible Study will nd resume on August 22 from 7:10-8:30 PM. We will prepare to hear the Gospel reading on Sunday through prayer, discussion, and faith sharing in Parish Center. Bible Study Fall 2016 & Winter 2017 Readings for the Week of August 14, 2016 Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Next Sunday: IS 66:18-21/ PS 117:1,2/ HE 12:5-7,11-13/ Luke 13: Thes 1:1-15, 11-12/ PS 96:1-2a,2 b-3, 4-5/ Mt 23: Thes 2:1-3a,14-17/ PS 96:10, 11-13/ Mt 23:23-26 Rev 21:9b-14/ PS 145:10-13,17-18/ John 1: Cor 1:1-9/ PS 145:2-7/ Mt 24: Cor 1:17-25/ PS 33:1-2,4-5,10-11/ Mt 25:1-13 1Cor 1:26-31/ PS 33:12-13,18-19,20-21/ Mt 25:14-30 Sirach 3:17-18,20,28-29/ PS 68:4-7,10-11/ Luke 14:1,7-14 Mark your calendar Parish Picnic Sunday -September 11, 2016 We all love a good story, but the parables of Jesus are even better than that! When the familiar takes an unexpected twist, we find our secret thoughts exposed to the healing light of Jesus. This Bible study introduces twelve of the greatest stories ever told; how might they change your thoughts and actions? Parables: The Greatest Stories Ever Told will meet beginning October 11 on Tuesdays from 1:30 to 2:45 in the Parish Center. The first six week session will conclude on November 22nd. The second six week session will begin in early January. Each week participants will read passages from Scripture and come prepared to answer and discuss questions from a study guide. The fee for the course is $7. Contact Don and Jan Haasl at parables@blsacrament.org with any questions or by September 18 to register.