February 3rd 2013 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time WEEKLY SERVICES & INTENTIONS St. Joseph Church 02/02 Sat 4:00 pm + Harold Plourde 02/03 Sun 8:00 am Mass for the People 02/04 Mon 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 02/05 Tue 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 02/06 Wed 7:30 am Int. Erin Ford 02/07 Thu 7:30 am Eucharistic Service 02/08 Fri 7:30 am +Eden Smith 02/09 Sat 4:00 pm +Ricardo Roman St. Joseph Hospital 02/05 Tue 11:30 am +Catherine Rountree 02/07 Thu 11:30 am +Mary Leonard St. Bernard Church 02/03 Sun 10:00 am +John Knott 02/04 Mon 1215 pm Eucharistic Service 02/05 Tue 12:15 pm +Maffia Family 02/06 Wed 12:15 pm +Chelsea Lane 02/07 Thu 12:15 pm Eucharistic Service 02/08 Fri 12:15 pm +Martin Casanova Finance Corner Last weekend the plate collection was $3,646. Stewardship Corner Jeremiah declares that the Lord knew him before he was born and dedicated and appointed him to his role as prophet even before he drew breath. We, too, are known and sent by the Lord. What deeds of love and service are mine to perform? Leave a Legacy We can t always see into the future. It is possible we may outlive those we intend to provide for. You can make an additional contingency gift to the parish by stating in your will, In the event that [name of beneficiary] does not survive, I give, devise and bequeath the deceased beneficiary s gift to St. Bernard Church, Eureka, CA. Contact your lawyer on how to make this part of your will. Contributions Thank you for putting your parishioner number on all your contribution checks. THANK YOU ST. JUDE This Week s Meeting & Events 02/05 Tue 7:00 pm Knights of Columbus 02/07 Thu 7:00 pm RCIA/Rectory 02/09 Sat 10:00 am Choir Practice It's baby bottle time again! Please take a baby bottle and help the Pregnancy Care Center and J. Rophe Medical (ultra sound center, Buhne & Harrison). Bottles will be collected at the end of February. Thank you. Have you noticed how quietly the pews of St. Bernard move up and down? A huge Thank You to the Squires of the Knights of Columbus for making St. Bernard a quieter place to pray. ~Fr. Eric Do you like having real flowers to decorate our church? Then please be generous as possible in the Altar Society envelopes, this is the only money we have to work with. Thank you, The Altar Society PRAYERS FOR THE SICK: Evelyn Avila, James Avila, Patricia Ayers, Teresa Blake, Dennis Cahill, Donna Clemons, Mary Davey, Tia Dimmick, Kathy Ferris, Tara Gadsby, Elsie Godinho, Erick Gonzalez, Therese & Paul Grella, Marian Griffin, Trish Harvey, Jackie Hill, Jim Hill, Joseph, Arcelia Martinez, Cathy McCormack, Riley Moran, Margaret Murdock, Donna Nunes, John G. Perrone, Dolores Ralls, Joanne Hebert Ray, Robert Resor, Donna Selsor, John Silva, Josephine Silva, George Smith, Nancy Smith, Francesco Stagnoli, Jan Sundquist, William Taylor, Greg Weigel, Jeff Wickizer, Seth Woolf, and all our brothers and sisters in need of prayer and healing. The gift of hope and healing. If you or someone you love is hurting after abortion, hope and healing are available through a Rachel's Vineyard Retreat. Our upcoming retreat is February 8-10, 707) 967-1101 www.rachelsvinyard.org (877) HOPE 4 ME Seeking one Adorer to commit to the 4-5 pm hour for weekly Wednesday Adoration for the months of March, April & May of the Blessed Sacrament. If interested, call Lee @ 443-2054. Check out our Website at: www.saintbernards.org
February 3rd 2013 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time PRAYER LINE "In fervent prayer you will receive the light, strength and grace that you need to sustain you, and to share with others." ~ Sister Lucia dos Santos re: message of Our Lady of Fatima. If you have a special need of any sort, we have a prayer team who will pray on your behalf. Your prayer intentions this week may be called in to Toni. You can reach her 24/7 at 445-3616. Now held at St. Bernard Parish Hall! Fr. Eric s Wednesday Night Study Sessions are every week except the last Wednesday of the month. They are held at St. Bernard Parish Hall, 7:30 pm. This session is on the Historical Survey of Christianity. Call 442-6466 for questions. All Are Welcome Join the choir. Rehearsals are at 10 am on Saturdays at St. Bernard's Church. Please contact Issa @ 707-840-9514 with any questions. We have heard voices calling for a chance to discuss in a group our book Rediscover Catholicism. If you would like to participate, please call Cathy or Illeen at the office and let us know. We will set a date and time for this discussion as soon as we know how many would like to attend. ~Fr. Eric Freed Pancake Breakfast benefiting St. Bernard s Maintenance Fund will be today, Sunday Feb. 3rd from 9:00 am until 11:30 am at St. Bernard Parish Hall. Menu is pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham or sausage, applesauce, coffee and orange juice. Adults are $6 and children under 12 are $3. The Women's Club will be hosting our St. Valentine Coffee Hour after the 10:00am mass, February 10. Please join us. Donations of sweets, fruit and small sandwiches will be greatly appreciated. Please deliver food Sunday before the 10:00 am mass. Do you like to Dust? We are desperately in need of volunteers who could give us a couple of hours on a Friday morning to dust the pews. God will bless you for keeping His house clean. For more info call Joan @ 442-4724 Please join us at Christ the King Catholic Church in McKinleyville for our annual Sweetheart Family Dinner. This will be Saturday February 16th at 5:00pm in the Parish Hall. The menu is: tri tip of beef, roasted tri-potatoes, fresh vegetables, crudité with dip, breads and dessert. Tickets are $12.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Children ages 5 to 12. Tickets are available in the church offices of Christ the King, St. Mary's, St. Bernard and Sacred Heart. This event will also have door prizes, a silent auction and a variety of beverages. Come join us for an evening of delicious food, lively conversation and fun with Fr. Mike! DAY OF RECOLLECTION The Secular Discalced Carmelites invite you to join us for a Day of Recollection on Saturday, February 23 at Assumption Parish in Ferndale. Fr. David Costello, OCD, will be the retreat master. Bring a brown bag lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided. In the Carmelite tradition, we will spend the day in silence beginning at 9:30 am with Morning Prayer. The retreat will end at 4:30 pm with Evening Prayer. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available and Mass will be at Assumption at 5:00 pm. Come spend some quiet time with God. Questions? Call Alan or Ginny Fox 725-6930. Tickets Available Now! Sacred Heart Church A Parish Fiesta to Renew & Restore Redwood Acres Main Building Friday, Feb. 22, 6 pm Doors Open & 7 pm Dinner Live & Silent Auction & Door Prizes $10.00 per person Sponsored by: "In this year of faith, may our own faith be measured by our capacity for joy in community."
Discovering hope and joy in the Catholic faith. February 2013 Humboldt County Catholic Churches February s saint The Year of Faith saint for February is St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. Born in Grenoble, France, she joined the Visitation nuns at age 19 but suffered when convents were closed during the French Revolution. At its end, she became a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart and came to the Louisiana Territory as a missionary in 1818. She opened the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi river, and the first Catholic school for Native Americans. Advice from Brother Lawrence Have you ever wondered if your desires were in harmony with God s will? Brother Lawrence said to be sure they are, simply develop an attitude of faith, hope, and love. Then you won t want anything else. (Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence) The Cross "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). Lent leads us back to God For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment (Joel 2:12). Lent may be a penitential season, but it is also a wonderful reminder that no matter how we let sin interfere in our relationship with God, he always wants us back. Gracious and merciful is he. Return to me with your whole heart. Throughout the year, sin creeps into our daily lives almost without our noticing. A bad habit such as becoming preoccupied with material goods or gossiping can keep us from loving God fully. Lent is a time to examine our lives and sweep aside whatever keeps us from giving God our whole heart. Rend your hearts, not your Holy days of obligation complete the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts which honor the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2043) Different countries can have garments. God doesn t just want outward acts of repentance because they can be performed without real sorrow. Our Father wants a change of heart. Start with Confession and then determine to practice virtues such as prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Gather the people, notify the congregation. Help spread God s love to his people. Make a point of inviting someone to attend Mass with you who may not attend regularly or become more active in your parish to build it up. Lent is also the time to attend Mass more often than just once a week and join in the prayers of Christ s Church. What are Holy Days of Obligation? different holy days. In the United States we have six: the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1), the Ascension (40 days after Easter), the Assumption (August 15), All Saints (November 1), the Immaculate Conception (December 8), and Christmas (December 25). Copyright 2013 Success Publishing & Media, LLC
February 2013 Page 2 The keys to holiness To many of us, prayer means using a Bible or a Rosary and committing exclusive time to God. Yet St. Paul exhorts us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How can we do that and still function during the day? Do God s will. It can be tempting to reserve God only for prayer time or Mass time and go it alone the rest of the time. However, if we also determine to do God s will throughout the day, all that we do becomes a prayer and we pray without ceasing. Think Godly thoughts. God is always with us. We can speak directly to him whenever we want, especially when we need help or advice, or just want to talk. Of course, this continuous conversation should include praising and thanking him and saying, I love you. But this means rejecting thoughts that won t lead to God resentments, grudges, or sinful thoughts. Eventually we will find that we are praying without ceasing and our prayers will be fruitful beyond our imaginings. The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the most spectacular events in Scripture. Jesus took Peter, John and James up a mountain to pray. While there, Jesus was transformed and became dazzling. Elijah and Moses appeared and the three discussed Jesus travel to Jerusalem and what awaited him there: his death and resurrection. A cloud came over them and the Apostles heard a heavenly voice say, This is my chosen Son, listen to him. This Gospel shows that Jesus was a man of prayer. In fact, Lent begins this month, and it is devoted to the Passion of Our Lord. One form of observance is to pray before the Stations of the Cross in church and meditate on Jesus walk to Calvary. February 10 - St. Scholastica (543?). Twin sister to St. Benedict, St. Scholastica established a community of religious women about five miles south of her brother's monastery. February 13 Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent. Ashes from the burnt palms of the previous Passion Sunday are blessed and placed Luke 9:28-36, Transfiguration of the Lord one interpretation is that this was a glimpse into Jesus prayer. He was girding himself for the final trip to Jerusalem and what awaited him and drew prayerful comfort from the great prophets. Often we turn to prayer only in times of trouble or danger but, by example, Jesus showed us that prayer is something for us to learn and to do regularly. When we do so, our prayer reaches a higher level and a greater meaning. By listening, we learn to hear God s voice in us. on the forehead as a sign of penance. Lent is our chance to amend our ways and become new at Easter. February 23 St. Polycarp (156). Bishop of Smyrna, Asia-Minor, Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle St. John and a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. Before being martyred, he faithfully cared for his flock despite being surrounded by pagans and a government opposed to his religion. How do we know Mary was conceived without sin? This is called the Immaculate Conception. Contrary to what many think, it refers to the conception of Mary, not of Jesus (that s the Annunciation). When the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, he greeted her with, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you (Luke 1:28). Full of grace is the key to the Immaculate Conception. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they committed the first (Original) sin and their descendants (us) were all born with the stain of Original Sin. We also have personal sins we commit. We are not full of grace until we are baptized. Of course after baptism we still commit sin. At that point we need the Sacrament of Penance to get back to a state of grace. For Gabriel to say Mary was full of grace means that she was without sin, even Original Sin. God granted Mary this gift since she was to be the mother of the Savior. She was a pure vessel for carrying Christ in her womb. To provide practical ideas that promote faithful Catholic living. Success Publishing & Media, LLC Publishers of Growing in Faith and Partners in Faith (540)662-7844 (540)662-7847 fax http://www.growinginfaith.com (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible) Copyright 2013 Success Publishing & Media, LLC