March 3, 2019 Eighth day in Ordinary Time ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC CHURCH Stewardship Reflection on Readings SIR 27: 4-7; PS 92: 2-3, 13-16; 1 COR 15: 54-58; LK 6: 39-45 Today s readings exhort us Christian disciples to form ourselves mind and heart in imitation of Christ so we can better reflect His goodness in our daily lives. The first reading from Sirach offers timeless counsel: the fruit of a tree shows the care it has had: so too does one s speech disclose the bent of one s mind. Praise no one before he speaks. Jesus uses the very same analogy in today s Gospel reading from Luke: A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. Everything we have is a gift from God to be used for His honor and glory. This includes the gift of speech and, even more broadly, all forms of modern-day communication email, text, Twitter, Facebook and the rest. What comes forth from our mouths, or keyboard, or phone, is a reflection of what is in our minds and hearts. Our ability to communicate with each other is itself a gift which we must steward well. In the same Gospel passage, Jesus reminds us, No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. The more time we spend with Jesus, our teacher, through regular prayer and a strong sacramental life, the more we will become like Him. Then all that we do and say (and tweet and post) will bring others to closer to Him. This is the life s work of the Christian steward. It is privileged work indeed. PARISH OFFICE 8755 Scarborough Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920 www.saintgabriel.net Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm Phone: (719) 528-8407 Fax: (719) 598-1696 Email: office@saintgabriel.net PARISH CLERGY Pastor, Fr. Kirk Slattery frkslattery@saintgabriel.net Father Don Billiard, OFM dcbofm@gmail.com Deacon Mike McGrady mmcgrady@saintgabriel.net Deacon Dave Geislinger dgeislinger@diocs.org MASS SCHEDULE Weekend: Saturday 5:00 pm; day 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm (Spanish) & 4:30 pm Weekdays: Tuesday-Friday 12:15 pm SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Tuesday-Friday: 11:50 am-12:10 pm, Saturday: 2:30-3:30 pm. First Friday: 10am to noon. Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 10 am to 7 pm.
ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE Ash Wednesday is March 6. Masses with distribution of ashes will be at 7am, 12:15pm, and 6:30pm (Combined Mass). Adoration will end at 5pm with simple reposition. LENTEN FISH FRY The Knights of Columbus will be hosting 3 Friday fish fry's scheduled during lent. They are to be held on March 8, March 22 and April 12 immediately following Stations of the Cross. The price for these dinners is $10.00 per adult, $5.00 per child 3-12 years of age, and children under 3 are free. Dinner includes fish, cole slaw, baked potato, salad, roll, dessert, and drink. There will also be grilled cheese sandwiches available. MARIAN HOUSE Did you know St. Gabriel sponsors a volunteer work group the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Marian House? We provide assistance in the daily meal preparation, service and cleanup and we would love for you to join us. We are in need of additional help! There are two shifts available, either 7:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The minimum age to participate is 16, however if you are younger you may be able to with a parent volunteer present. Our next scheduled day is Thursday March 14. Contact Kitty Dalechek, at dalecksr@hotmail.com or 719-344-5560 if interested. BELOVED: MYSTERY & MEANING OF MARRIAGE More than a union based on romantic love or mutual fulfillment, marriage goes back to the very essence of what it is to be human and reflects a design placed in our hearts by God himself. BELOVED explores the spiritual and eternal reality behind "I Do. BELOVED speaks to the very heart of every husband and wife, bringing sacramental truth and God-infused love into the everyday challenges of married life. Beloved: Mystery & Meaning of Marriage includes six inspiring and informative sessions. First session will be Thursday, March 7 and run for 6 consecutive Thursday. The time for each session is 6:30 8:30pm and will be held in the Vianney/Nicholas rooms. Deacon Andy Dunnam will be the instructor for this series. Please call the office (719-528-8407) for more information or to register. BETHLEHEM HANDICRAFTS Bethlehem Handicrafts will be in the narthex this weekend presenting Holy figurines from Christian hands thousands of miles away to your hands, so that a piece of the Holy Land may bring joy and love to your homes. The Bannoura family, some of whom are the artists in Bethlehem, have been blessed to be able to present the work of those 1 percent Christians to our Parish. This art is considered the bread and butter to hundreds of Christian families in the Holy Land, a bracket of society who have weathered the storm to remain as the guardians and pillars of the Holy sites. For more information and to view available products, please visit: www.bethlehemhandicrafts.com. SAFE HAVEN SUNDAY The family home is to be a safe haven. But the inappropriate use of technology in the home deprives it of this role and is the greatest threat to the sanctity of marriages and families today. Pornography and other on-line threats are often one click away, and parents can feel overwhelmed not knowing how to best protect their children in our fast-paced digital world. Next weekend, March 9th and 10th, the Diocese of Colorado Springs and St. Gabriel s are taking a bold step to help families by celebrating Safe Haven day. This awareness day will provide access to practical resources that caring adults can use to protect themselves and our young people from on-line risks. Please join us with your prayers and presence as we prepare for this unique event. To learn more, please contact Deacon Mike McGrady at mmcgrady@saintgabriel.net. ST. GABRIEL S EVENTS CALENDAR Do you know that you can check the dates and times of St. Gabriel s events at the on-line Events Calendar on our website? Visit saintgabriel.net and click on Events Calendar on the horizontal menu just below the purple banner on the main page of the website. St. Gabriel the Archangel 2 Colorado Springs, CO
THIS WEEKEND Sat- Sat- CALENDAR Fair Trade Coffee and Chocolate for sale after Masses. Olive Wood Sales after Masses. YSF 9:45-11:15am RCIC 9:45-11:15am RCIA 9:45-11:15am YDisciples 5:45-7:15pm. UPCOMING Mon, Mar 4 Biblical School 6:30pm. Mon, Mar 4 Health & Safety Team Meeting 7pm. All are welcome. Mob, Mar 4 Walk Toward Eternity Bible Study 7pm. Tues, Mar 5 English as a Second Language Class 9am. Tues, Mar 5 SoulCore 9-10am. Tues, Mar 5 Respect Life Meeting 6pm. Tues, Mar 5 Outreach Committee Meeting 7pm. Tues, Mar 5 EPIC: A Journey through Church History Bible Study 9:30am. Wed, Mar 6 Ash Wednesday. Masses with distribution of ashes at 7am, 12:15pm, and 6:30pm (Combined Mass). Wed, Mar 6 Eucharistic Adoration 10am-5pm with a simple reposition. Thurs, Mar 7 English as a Second Language Class 9am. Fri, Mar 8 First Friday Adoration 10am-noon. Fri, Mar 8 Stations of the Cross followed by Knights of Columbus Fish Fry. Sat, Mar 9 Women s Breakfast 8:30-10:30am. Sat, Mar 9 Faith Formation Kid Zone day and Monday Grades K-5 9-11:30am. Sat/, Sign-up for Spring Summer CPR classes, after Mar 9/10 all Masses BULLETIN DEADLINE The bulletin deadline for the March 10th bulletin is Monday, March 4th by 10am. Please send all announcements to office@saintgabriel.net. 2019 RETURNING GOD S GIFTS All of today s readings remind us that our works reflect what is in our hearts. Do my words and actions reveal a heart that is grateful for - and generous in sharing- the abundance God has poured into my life? 2019 RETURNING GODS GIFTS UPDATE 2019 Parish Goal: $119,764 FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY Looking for a spiritual AND practical Lenten focus? Financial Peace University is returning to St. Gabriel! Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace University, a 9- week class, will teach you God s and Grandma s way to manage money, and will give you the steps to pull your financial life into order, making your money work for you. Class will be offered 6:00-8:00 pm, on day evenings, March 17 through May 26 (we ll skip Easter day and Mother s Day). Materials are $109 (works for an individual or a couple). Register at www.fpu.com/1087521. Questions? Contact Kathy and Jeff Thomas at 459-6186, or hithomasfamily@gmail.com. This Lent, become a better steward of your money! ASH WEDNESDAY SECOND COLLECTION This week our special collection supports the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. The fall of communism occurred over 25 years ago, but the Church in former communist countries continues to struggle to rebuild after years of oppressive rule. Many churches in this region were confiscated or destroyed, leaving the faithful without a place to worship or to find pastoral support. Your support of this collection helps rebuild churches, supports seminary programs, promotes ministries and education for children and families, and renews community life around the region. Please be generous, and prayerfully consider how you can support this collection today. SECOND COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND Next weekend there will be a Second Collection for Black and Indian Missions. The National Black and Indian Mission Collection exists to help Bishops and diocese to build the church in African American, Native American and Alaska Native American Communities. Funding from the collection helps diocese form lay ministers and catechists to spread the Gospel in their own communities. It also encourages your African Americans and Native Americans to give their lives to the Lord as priests, brothers or sisters. Thank you for your generosity. St. Gabriel the Archangel 3 Colorado Springs, CO
St. Gabriel the Archangel 4 Colorado Springs, CO
HEALTH & SAFETY TEAM Parallel parking on both sides of Scarborough Drive between Liberty High School and Saint Gabriel s is allowed on weekends and school days after 3 pm. Some parishioners may find parking on Scarborough a better option than our dirt field for this week s 6:30 pm Ash Wednesday Service. Please leave the red-cushioned chairs inside the Nave in their original location. St. Gabriel the Archangel 5 Colorado Springs, CO
ADORATION OF OUR LORD Jesus loves us so much that He Chose to remain with us in His glorified human body veiled in the Holy Eucharist. How do we repay this love? By simply visiting Him. For more information contact: Kathy Thomas at 528-8407 or kthomas@saintgabriel.net. ENCOUNTER LENT - COMPANIONS ON THE JOURNEY Join our faith community and nearly 14,000 Catholic communities across the United States in a life-changing Lenten journey of encounter with CRS Rice Bowl. This program has a different focus than our annual tithe to Catholic Relief Services. CRS Rice Bowl provides direct services for impoverished communities, with 25% of contributions received staying in our Diocese to support local programs. Videos, written resources as well as recipes for simple meatless meals are available to support your Lenten journey. Don t forget to download the Rice Bowl app to receive daily reflections and inspirational messages! Visit crsricebowl.org to get started. A supply of rice bowl kits will be included in the Narthex display beginning the weekends of Mar 2nd to Mar 24th. May these 40 days better prepare us to encounter ourselves, our neighbors and our God. PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE Lord, in this world of so many messages, I feel overwhelmed, Sometimes I barely hear your voice amid the clamor of today s discouraging news. In what can seem unrelenting darkness, I strain to see your light. Help me each day to pay attention: To notice which words, pictures, and attitudes are forming me. Give me the grace to use my ears to hear you, my eyes to see you. Grant me the courage to challenge falsehood, to distinguish honesty from hypocrisy, to see goodness where it lives, and to overcome world-weariness and despair. Amen. INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY Snow season is here! For office hours and possible Confession and Mass cancellation, please call 528-8407, for recorded information which will be updated by 9am. For specific ministry event cancellations, look for information from the ministry coordinator. Please be safe during these winter months. ST. PATRICK S DAY CELTIC MASS This year s St. Patrick s Day Parade in Colorado Springs on Saturday, March 16th will kick off with a Celtic Mass at St. Mary s Cathedral, 22 West Kiowa. The Mass will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will have bagpipes and drums, as well as a procession of Irish flags presented by the students of St. Mary s High School. CALLING ALL CRAFTERS Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 3122 Poinsetta Dr., Colorado Springs, will be hosting a Spring Craft Fair on Saturday/day, March 30/31. If you would like to reserve a table for $45, please return the vendor agreement. The deadline for application and fees is March 15, 2019. Agreement is available at www.holytrinitycos.org. PARISH E-MAIL LIST Keep abreast of all that is happening at St. Gabriel by signing up for the parish e-mail list. You can do this by going to the parish website at www.saintgabriel.net and clicking on Parish Info and selecting E-mail List Subscriptions and then filling out your e-mail address under Parish News. MERCY S GATE Saint Gabriel s delivered 1539 pounds of food to Mercy s Gate from your donations last weekend, in addition to a $30 cash donation. Thank you for your generosity. St. Gabriel the Archangel 6 Colorado Springs, CO
ASHES PAUL TURNER You ve got dirt on your forehead. We re likely to hear those words from thoughtful friends who display their intimate concern as well as their religious absent-mindedness when we go out in public after Mass on Ash Wednesday. The distribution of ashes after the homily replaces the penitential act at the beginning of Mass. Instead of merely calling to mind our sins, we receive a very public reminder of our sinfulness. Repent and believe in the Gospel, we hear. Or, Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. But it wasn t always that way. In the early church, only public sinners wore ashes. These sinners convened regularly to prepare for their reconciliation at a parish service and they formed well, what we now call support groups. As penitents, they used to wear ashes on their heads or in their clothes. Symbols of human mortality, ashes represented their complete dependence on the mercy of God. In the middle ages, the support groups dwindled but sinners remained strong in numbers. So Pope Urban II ordered up the first Ash Wednesday in 1091. Ashes were for everybody, and we ve been rubbing dirt on our foreheads ever since. Dirt is something we re constantly washing off children and ourselves. Only in church do we deliberately put dirt on the most public part of our bodies, our foreheads. Ashes are what's left in the now-cold fireplace. Ashes heat the barbecue. Ashes are all that remains of the home after the tragic fire. Ashes enrich the compost heap. Ashes of the faithful departed fill commemorative urns. Ashes represent destruction, refuse, and waste, but they hint at new life. Long before recycling became popular, the church got into the act on Ash Wednesday. Ever wonder what happens to those palm branches left over from last Holy Week? They ve been burned into ash, stuffed into bags and now await the chance to dirty your forehead on Ash Wednesday this year. The symbol of Christ s glory has become the symbol of our sin. On Ash Wednesday, you re not just another dirty face. No, you ve tossed yourself into the recycling bin of Lent, ready for renewal this Easter. READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 3 Monday: Sir 17:20-24/Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 [11a]/ Mk 10:17-27 Tuesday: Sir 35:1-12/Ps 50:5-6, 7-8, 14 and 23 [23b]/ Mk 10:28-31 Wednesday: Jl 2:12-18/Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17 [cf. 3a]/2 Cor 5:20-6:2/Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday: Dt 30:15-20/Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 [40:5a]/ Lk 9:22-25 Friday: Is 58:1-9a/Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19 [19b]/ Saturday: Mt 9:14-15 Is 58:9b-14/Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 [11ab]/ Lk 5:27-32 day: Dt 26:4-10/Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 [cf. 15b]/Rom 10:8-13/Lk 4:1-13 Mar 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 PRAY FOR VOCATIONS Rob Rysavy II, Candidate Bob Seydel, Candidate Fr. Don Billiard,OFM Mark Thuli, Candidate Ed Wilmes, Candidate Pope Francis Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI TITHING RECIPIENT Today s Tithe is for Chin Up Youth and Family Services. This organization provides support for families and children on the Front Range that are in need specialized services. Please pray for the people supported by them. ALTAR FLOWERS Altar Flowers this weekend are donated by Nancy Mercado in memory of Gregrio Pizarro. PRAYER CHAIN If you have a request for needed prayers, strength, hope, courage or thanksgiving for yourself, family or friends, please email ncbelanger54@gmail.com. Sat Mar 2 5:00pm for: Aurora Martinez (SI Birthday) Mar 3 8:30am Pro Populo Mar 3 10:30am for: Eric Garcia (+) and Ignacio Maes (+) Mar 3 12:30pm for: Jose Ramirez (+) Mar 3 4:30pm for: Rose Gabriel (+) Mon Mar 4 12:15pm NO MASS Tues Mar 5 12:15pm for: Bill & Dolores Zoelle (+) Wed Mar 6 7:00am for: Kent Dunnam (+) Wed Mar 6 12:15pm for: Marge Scofield (+) Wed Mar 6 6:30pm for: Frank and Edna DeJohn (+) Thur Mar 7 12:15pm for: Gerald Elmer Gueldner (+) Fri Mar 8 12:15pm for: Joseph Graff Sr (+) Sat Mar 9 5:00pm for: Doris Hall (SI 92nd Birthday) Mar 10 8:30am Pro Populo Mar 10 10:30am for: Albert Solano (+) Mar 10 12:30pm for: Christopher Popolano (SI Birthday) Mar 10 4:30pm for: Joseph Graff Sr (+) St. Gabriel the Archangel 7 Colorado Springs, CO