Church of St. Patrick in Armonk P.O. Box 6, 29 Cox Avenue, Armonk, N.Y. 10504 (914) 273-9724 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SEPTEMBER 9, 2018
MASSES: SEPTEMBER 8 SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 Sat 9/8 9:00 5:30 Carmela & Joseph Fontanella (D) John E. Walsh, Jr. (D) Sun 9/9 8:30 People of the Parish 10:30 12:00 Mon 9/10 8:30 Caroline Pizzorusso (D) Anthony Gizzo (D) 16th Anniversary Tue 9/11 8:30 Armand Sottile (D) Wed 9/12 8:30 Jay Friedman (D) Thu 9/13 8:30 Fri 9/14 8:30 Sat 9/15 9:00 5:30 Anthony R. Marano (D) Sun 9/16 8:30 John E. Walsh, Jr. (D) 10:30 12:00 Carlo J. Longo (D) People of the Parish Mass requests for 2019 are now being accepted. Calendar: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9nd TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME FOOD FIRST Each Sunday the food collected goes to support a local food pantry Mon, September 10 Weekday Tue, September 11 Patriot Day Wed, September 12 The Most Holy Name of Mary Thu, September 13 St. John Chrysostom Fri, September 14 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Contemplative Prayer Group: 12:30-1:30 Sat, September 15 Our Lady of Sorrows SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - CATECHETICAL SUNDAY FOOD FIRST Each Sunday the food collected goes to support a local food pantry. COLLECTION September 1/2: Not available at this printing WeShare August 2018: Regular Collection $8,403.55 Please consider using WeShare Thank you for your generosity
AN ATTACK AGAINST THE SACRED: ADDRESSING THE SCANDAL OF SEXUAL ABUSE (continued) In the effort to clean up this mess we must be very careful not to be over zealous that we pull up the good wheat along with the weeds or crush the bruised reed and quench the smoldering wick. We have a right to demand that our priests be holy. Most don t start that way. There are many good priests who are weak and sinful. I put good in quotes because who is good? Only God is good. However, in human terms we have many good priests. If every sin of every priests was made know, who would stand? Let us look at the example of the 12 apostles: There was bickering, ambition, jealousy, doubt, denseness of thought, immodesty, harshness, and prejudice, hypocrisy, theft, disbelief, denial, lies, cursing, disloyalty, betrayal. Not all are implicated in each of these sins but all were guilty of something. Some of these sins were even after the Resurrection. Judas betrayed Jesus, all the others ran away, Peter denies our Lord with lies and cursing, only John returns to be with our Lord at the cross. Other than Judas, the Apostles ended their life in holiness, sanctity and martyrdom for Christ. Priest and Bishops who sin are not beyond the mercy of Christ nor His grace to make them into saints. How do we distinguish? We must first distinguish the shepherds from the wolves. Priest who conduct themselves in a predatory manner are wolves. These are the priest who have preyed on minors and even adults in their care. Nor should we diminish this to simply sex abuse or misuse of position with those under their care (i.e. with consenting adults). Our concern must be for the rights and the good of all, not just the psychological harm done but the spiritual harm as well. In fact if the spiritual harm is most egregious, and it is, then priest and bishops who promote heresy and undermine the teaching authority of the Church on any and all issues but especially regarding sexual morality, and teach others to do the same, are also wolves and prey on the innocence of people s faith and morals. The shepherd, on the other hand, is the priest, while sinful and even at times gravely sinful, confesses his sins and repents of them, strives for holiness (even if unsuccessful), upholds and teaches the teachings of the Church on faith and morals, and does not prey on his sheep. I know of cases where a priest, while counseling a women, with all the best intentions, eventually ends up in a relationship with her. He did not single her out, did not use his office and position to gain access to her, he had every intention of remaining chaste, but let his guard down, did not follow proper protocol, mutual attractions began to develop, and before long they have crossed the boundary of chastity. I would not say that this priest is a wolf. If he confesses and repents, I don t believe he should automatically forfeit his active ministry as a priest. Some would disagree but so be it. The bishop would certainly be in his right to bring canonical penalties against him, even reducing him to the lay state, but I don t believe it should be automatic. In the end that is up to the pope and bishops to decide. I am not saying that wolves are irredeemable, they too must confess, do penance, and make amends, but not in the priesthood, but as laymen. If their repentance is sufficient they may make it to purgatory and avoid hell, if their repentance is extraordinary they may even skip purgatory and go directly to Heaven. In the end that is up to our Lord to decide. My point here is simple, we must not let the emotions of these scandals cloud our judgment, act rashly, and pull up everything and anything we think to be a weed. We must distinguish what is predatory behavior and that of weakness. Wolves must not have access to the sheep. True shepherds, even if weak and sinful, should be evaluated on a case by case basis and not lumped in with the wolves. In Jesus and Mary,
Religious Education Register for 2018-19 Classes To register, go to St. Patrick in Armonk website. Click on the Religious Ed page and then the Registration Packet. Read through the Packet for details and then download and print out the Registration form. Return to the Religious Education office or the Rectory office with your payment enclosed. Classes start September 23rd The Good Shepherd Program KINDERGARTEN MONTESSORI-BASED CLASSES Monday or Wednesday at 3:45-4:45 The Level 1 Good Shepherd Program encourages children to develop their relationship with God. They encounter Jesus, the Good Shepherd who loves them, cares for them, and knows them by name. Catechesis includes Scripture, Mass gestures, prayers, artwork, and music. Level 1 allows for children to learn through a hands-on approach using materials, such as a child-sized altar, chalice, vestments. The Good Shepherd program is rooted in the educational principles of Maria Montessori, and was founded by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi in Rome. It is the joyful, peaceful response of the children themselves that inspired and determined the content of this unique program. Thank you Bulletin Ad Sponsors! Space still available! We would like to thank all of the advertisers who have generously committed to the Bulletin for this year! We still have space available and humbly ask that you consider advertising your business in our weekly bulletin. Please let us know if you can help. Sponsors of our bulletin recognize the tremendous value of connecting with our Church family, who in turn respond by supporting our sponsors! If you would like to advertise in the weekly bulletin, please contact Lisa at 646-552-3786, or via e-mail to lpetrucco@4lpi.com Thank you! Ministry Volunteers Needed 1. Seeds Program Coordinator The SEEDS program has provided age-appropriate lessons and activities related to the weekly Gospel Reading for children 6 and under. Gwen Torre is looking for a parishioner with children in this age range to take over organizing this ministry. The children and families benefit from this, so please contact Gwen for information if you would like to see this program continue. Email: gtorrenmw@verizon.net 2. Grade Mass Coordinator From September - June scheduled 10:30 Masses are hosted by CCD grades. The children are an essential part of each Mass. They greet parishioners, collect for the Food Pantry, read the announcements and Prayers of the Faithful, bring up gifts and assist with the collection. After the Mass a reception follows in Wallace Hall. A volunteer is needed to coordinate the ministry. Grade level scheduling is managed by grade parents. If you can help or have questions please email churchofstpat@optonline.net
Barbara A. Jon Adam Enza Dattero Jane Dean Teresa D Onofrio Barbara Grasso Mario & Gloria Guiliano Robert Kalian Katerinna MacNeil Danny McManus Please keep the following in your PRAYERS FOOD FIRST Please help with donations of Jeannie Morris John Puttre Amanda Ross Perinna Ruggerio Fran Samit John Scrocca Francis Roy Sedore Eileen Sullivan Patricia Tkach Nathaniel Valcich CEREAL or any dry or canned food item Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others. St. Augustine Life s Transition Support Group A monthly support group, facilitated by Victoria Assumma LCSW-R, ACSW, will be held at the parish on the third Friday of each month starting September 21st from 7-8:30 pm. The goals are to share and support one another through life s challenges. Anyone who is struggling is welcome to attend. If you are experiencing a divorce, loss of a loved one, health issues, or other concerns, please join us. Outside the Parish Family Day Making Everyday Special Family Day is the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse s initiative to promote simple, everyday things parents can do to build a strong, healthy relationship with their kids that prevents future drug use. Family Day will be celebrated nationwide on Monday, September 24, 2018. To learn more about Family Day visit www.casafamilyday.org. You can also find Family Day on Facebook and Twitter. Annual Red Mass October 3, 2018 For the Judiciary, Attorneys, and Members of Law Enforcement and their families The Most Reverend Gerald T. Walsh, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, will celebrate the Mass at 6:00 p.m.at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 92 South Lexington Avenue, White Plains. The Mass is sponsored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Archdiocese of New York and is a solemn religious ceremony asking God to guide the legal profession toward the administration of justice. The public is invited to attend. Archways The Fall 2018 edition of Archways, the quarterly magazine of the Archdiocese of New York, is out. The publication keeps you informed about the programs and services available to you and all Catholics in our 10 counties. The focus of the fall edition is stresses of modern life Archways is published four times per year: online at www.archny.org/archways.g/archways. To register and learn more: Contact Victoria at 914-714-2008 or email: Victoria.assumma@live.com