ST. THOMAS AQUINAS Roman Catholic Church 8320 Old C.R. #54 New Port Richey, FL 34653 Phone 727-372-8600 Web Page: www.stanpr.org Pastor: Rev. Michael Lydon Associate Pastor: Rev. George P. Varkey Deacon: Rev. Mr. Melvin Dunphy STA Early Childhood Center: 376-2330; Bishop Larkin Catholic School (K-8): 862-6981; Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School: 857-2600 The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 5, 2017 NEXT WEEK S GOSPEL MATTHEW 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37 Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Y ou shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with brother will be liable to judgment. "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." Learning, Living and Sharing the Good News
Mass and Devotions Schedule Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (Contemporary) and 5:00 p.m. (LifeTeen ) Daily Mass: 8:00 a.m. Monday-Friday Healing Mass: 7:00 p.m. Monday (September - June) Holy Rosary after 8:00 a.m. Mass, Mon-Fri, in Blessed Sacrament Chapel Marian Novena after 8:00 a.m. Mass on Tuesdays Benediction & Adoration: 1st Fridays 8:30 10:00 a.m. (September May) Reconciliation: Saturday 2:30-3:30 p.m. or by appt. Parish Information Office hours 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Monday-Friday, Sunday mornings. Call for information. Phone: (727) 372-8600 Fax: (727) 372-5712 Website: www.stanpr.org Emergency Number for Anointing of the Sick: Nights & Weekends (727) 836-3211 Prayer Line Marilyn Clausen (727) 376-1740 Administration Business Office Fax: (727) 376-7204 Pastoral Ministries Coordinator: Mary Miller Ext 111 Parish Bookkeeper: Cherise Amundson Ext. 115 Bulletin Editor: Kate Ext. 113 Parish Ministry Faith Formation Team Leader Sue Sferra Ext. 132 Faith Formation Assistant Denise Santos Ext. 112 Middle School (Edge) Sue Sferra Ext. 132 High School (Life Teen) - Beth DeBella and Cliff Stodden Ext. 131 RCIA Sue Sferra Ext. 132 Music - Dan O Hara Ext. 128 Parish Nurse, Ministry to the Sick & Homebound Betty West Ext. 116 Sacristan - JoAnn McVeigh Ext. 129 Stewardship Mary Ellen Taylor Ext. 144 St. Vincent de Paul Society Ext. 142 STA Early Childhood Center Alicia Mumma, Director (727) 376-2330 www.staecc.org Food Pantry: Monday & Thursday 9:30-11:00am & 1:30-3:30pm Gift Store: Open before/after weekend Masses Parish Library: Open during office hours and during Coffee & Donuts fellowship hours Sept. - May After 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses Readings for the Week of Feb. 5, 2017 Sunday: Is 58:7-10/Ps 112:4-9/1 Cor 2:1-5/Mt 5:13-16 Monday: Gal 2:19-20/Ps 126:5/Mt 28:16-20 Tuesday: Gn 1:20--2:4a/Ps 8:2ab/Mk 7:1-13 Wednesday: Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17/Ps 104:1a/Mk 7:14-23 Thursday: Gn 2:18-25/Ps 128:1a/Mk 7:24-30 Friday: Song of Songs 8:6-7/Ps 148:12a and 13a/ Luke 10:38-42 Saturday: Gn 3:9-24/Ps 90:1/Mk 8:1-10 Next Sunday: Sir 15:15-20/Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34/1 Cor 2:6-10/Mt 5:17-37 Weekend Readings are at (727) 372-8600 Mass Intentions Monday 8:00 a.m. Mary Bonilla Tuesday 8:00 a.m. Stephen Powers Wednesday 8:00 a.m. Vocations Thursday 8:00 a.m. Rosa Varkey Friday 8:00 a.m. Marilyn Kieber Saturday 4:00 p.m. Gil Lehman 6:00 p.m. David Roux Sunday 7:00 a.m. William Wilson 8:30 a.m. Parish Family 10:30 a.m. Anna Maria Abesevewa 5:00 p.m. Margaret Whittemore LIVING THE FAITH 7th ANNUAL TAMPA BAY MEN S CONFERENCE Saturday, February 18th, 2017 Christmas is the time of Hope. Hope born in a manger, destined to be our Savior and bring man closer in union with God. Give the gift that has the same promise to bring your men closer to God. Please plan on joining us on this day. This year's conference features Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Bill Casey & Artie Boyle. For tickets or more information visit www.suncoastcatholicministries.com or e-mail info@suncoastcatholicministries.com.
Mon.2/06 Tues. 2/07 Wed. 2/08 Thurs. 2/09 Fri. 2/10 Sat. 2/11 Sun. 2/12 Parish Calendar 7PM Cub Scouts; 7PM Life In the Spirit: Topic Baptism in the Holy Spirit 9AM Ladies Guild Rosary Makers; 10AM Bereavement; 11AM Bereavement; 6PM Girl Scouts; 6:30PM Lifeteen Core Team; 7PM Cont. Choir 9AM Legion of Mary; 2PM Women s Bible Study; 4:45PM K-5; 6:15PM K-5/Edge; 7PM Choir 4PM Girl Scouts; 7PM Bible Study 8PM AA-Al-Anon 4PM K of C Pasta Night 9AM K-5; 9:30AM Coffee & Donuts; 5PM Mass Lifeteen Offertory Jan. 28th & 29th $15,832.19 + 1,000.00 Online Giving $16,832.19 Total MASS COUNTS: Jan. 28th & 29th 4 pm 416 6 pm 219 7 am 182 8:30 am 290 10:30 am 484 5:00 pm 304 TOTAL 1,895 Thank you all for being here! Flowers this week are in memory of Richard Besida From his Wife and Son Mass and Anointing For Nursing Home Residents Brookdale-February 21st @ 10 a.m. Lifecare-February 28th @ 10 a.m. Anointing: Villas-February 10th @ 10 a.m. My Dear Parishioners, Have you ever seen a recipe that calls for just a grain of salt? A single grain on its own isn t going to accomplish much in flavoring anything but a teaspoon, a tablespoon what a difference! In today s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples and us as his disciples of today, that we are the salt of the earth. He s telling us it s so important to work together as a community. That s why we gather as a parish family to celebrate mass every week we support one another on our faith journey, we listen to God s word together and we process up to receive Eucharist as a community of faith, nourished to then go out and bring God s light to the world. Many thanks to Bob and Marie George, our music director Dan O Hara and all who worked so hard to make our Free Wheelchair Mission concert such a success. At the time I m writing this, they ve raised enough money to purchase 98 wheelchairs. Talk about salt and light! As we kick off our 2017 Annual Pastoral Appeal, our goal is to get every parishioner involved, because in one way or another, every parishioner benefits from the assistance our diocese provides us, be it training for liturgical ministers, marriage preparation, support for our seminarians, resources for our faith formation programs, insurance and building advice just to name a few. Again, one grain of salt doesn t do much but the more participation we have, the more our goal will be accomplished. God bless you. Father Mike Pastor s Letter
2017 Annual Pastoral Appeal Our 2017 Annual Pastoral Appeal, Rejoice in Hope, kick-off starts this weekend. An invitation from Father Mike for your participation will soon arrive at your homes. This Diocesan appeal invites every St. Thomas Aquinas family to prayerfully participate and financially support the ministries, programs and services at our parish. FATHER OF ALL, You have entrusted your world to us as a gift. Awaken our praise and thankfulness for all that you have made. Give us the grace to nourish our relationships with You, ourselves, one another and all of creation. Help us to imitate your love for the human family by recognizing that we are all connected. Inspire us to protect all life and to prepare for a future filled with justice, peace, beauty and love. Lord, You breathe life into us. Guide us to live according to your vision. Stir us into action, that we will be a source of hope and life for the people of our generation and those who will follow. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we lift up this prayer to you, our Father, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord. Amen. The 10:30 Praise Band of Saint Thomas Aquinas is in great need of a competent bass guitarist. If you are such a person, please prayerfully consider joining us in leading worship on Sundays. Contact Dan O Hara at 727-372-8600, ext. 128. There will be a blood drive on Sunday, February 5, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION United Way, the IRS and AARP sponsor free income tax preparation for elderly, low and moderate-income taxpayers from the end of January through April 17 th. Volunteers who are comfortable using a computer are needed to help prepare simple returns. Training provided. For more info or to volunteer, call 727-835- 2023 or send an email to taxvol@earthlink.net. For an appointment to have your taxes prepared, please call 1-877- 828-8929 after Jan. 17 th. STA Ladies Guild Valentine Celebration Tuesday, February 14th Members and Guests are Welcome to Join us for our Valentine Party Which Follows The Rosary & General Meeting at 1:00 PM Sharing Friendship & Love!
BLESSED IN OUR IMPERFECTIONS 4th Annual St. Paul s Women s Celebration of Faith at St. Paul s Friday evening, February 10 and Saturday, February 11, 2017 Embracing our imperfections knowing God built us in His image and likeness, this celebration will be filled with prayer, storytelling, dancing, singing, abundant spiritual enrichment, fun, food and sisterhood. This year s event features ValLimar Jansen, a highly regarded singer, composer and recording artist. Val is also an experienced college professor, leader of worship and prayer, and a workshop presenter at conferences across the US and abroad. For more information visit this link: http://www.stpaulstpete.com/. Registration flyer: http://www.stpaulstpete.com/images/phocadownload/ COF_registration_form_2017.pdf THANK YOU ST. THOMAS AQUINAS A small but very generous crowd enjoyed an outstanding musical and comedy show last Sunday to raise funds for Free Wheelchair Mission. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to lift 98 people off the ground and place them in their own wheelchair. This was our third annual concert and to date our community has provided more than 321 wheelchairs. This ministry is our own outreach to the missions as mandated by our church and our faith. Plans are already underway for our next event so stand by. Bob George 727-244-6480 bgeorge4898@gmail.com REMINDER The monthly collection for the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be following every Mass next weekend, February 11 th and 12th, 2017 During the month of January, 6,174 pounds of food fed 190 families and 545 people. THANK YOU for your continued kindness and generosity! Please join us on February 25, 2017 Registration begins @ 9 am For more information or to register online: http://www.bmchs.com/news/2017/01/06/category-5k-fun-run-family-event/ Exciting Activities Planned: Concession Stand Ribbon Cutting BMCHS Art Show Display STREAM Club Presentation Show Choir Performance Putt Putt Golf Dunk Tank and Corn Hole Food and More Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School (727-857-2600) Athletic Fields 18651 Hays Road, Spring Hill FL 34610
Knight s Korner Knights of Columbus Monthly Activities Feb. 4/5 Ticket Sales for Pasta Dinner Night Feb. 11 Pasta Night Feb. 16 Social/1st Degree Feb. 19 Breakfast Mar. 3 Fish Fry Catholic Social Teaching calls us to lead lives of holiness amidst the challenges of society. The Call to Family, Community, and Participation summons us to seek the wellbeing of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. Young people at Gulf Middle School could benefit from your caring service. Soon more will be shared about ways to give of yourself for the good of community. We all have the duty to do good. -- Pope Francis
February 5, 2017 www.stanpr.org bulletin@stanpr.org Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Faith Formation For All! Formation Ahead: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. From Isaiah 58 Jesus used the Beatitudes last week this week, we hear metaphors of salt and light to describe the life of discipleship. We take salt and light for granted, but these were far more precious in ancient cultures - and even today, in other parts of our world. Salt (both in Jesus time and today) is used for flavoring, as a preservative, and as a healing agent. And think about electricity our widespread & convenient use in the modern world makes us less aware of the value and importance of light in our lives. It wasn t so convenient in Jesus time and it certainly isn t as readily available in other parts of the world today, as it is for us. Today s Gospel from Matthew (5:13-16) is about far more than actual salt and light. As a family read "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Jesus calls US to be salt for the earth and light for the world. How? By boldly living out the mission we began at Baptism. What was that mission? We can find a great guide below: Corporal Works of Mercy are kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their material and physical needs. feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, bury the dead, give alms to the poor Spiritual Works of Mercy are acts of compassion, ALL sessions are on campus this week! THIS Week = Family Faith for Sunday morning 2/5 and both Wednesday 2/8 sessions. At least once adult remains with students for special enrichment session in parish hall. NEXT Week = Regular Classroom Sessions Sun 2/12 and Wed 2/15 THE Week of February 19th = Regular Student Classroom Sessions PLUS Adult Formation (while students are in class) Next Baptism Preparation Session = 2/12 FOLLOWING 10:30AM Mass in Parish Hall Adult Confirmation Session I = Wednesday 2/15 console, comfort, forgive, bear wrongs patiently 6:30PM in Parish When we do these things for others, we truly represent the Church, we are truly are a city set on a mountain that cannot Hall by which we help our neighbors with their emotional and spiritual needs. instruct, advise, be hidden!