April 15, 2018 Third Sunday of Easter Take and eat. Do this in memory of me. You are the Body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it. When one member of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. What you do to my least brothers and sisters, you do to me. CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH 6300 McKenna Drive, Mobile, Alabama 36608 Email: Church@CorpusChristiParish.com! Website: www.corpuschristiparish.com TELEPHONE NUMBERS Parish Office: 342-1852 Fax 342-6313 School Office: 342-5474, ext. 1 Fax 380-0325 Rel. Ed. Office: 342-5474, ext. 7 Fax 380-0325 Full-Day Care: 342-2424 Fax 343-3119 Youth Ministry: 342-1852 Fax 342-6313 PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PASTORAL STAFF Very Reverend James F. Zoghby, V.F. Reverend John S. Boudreaux Deacon Arthur W. Robbins Mrs. Kristy F. Martin, School Principal Mrs. Diane M. Stoyka, Parish Catechetical Leader Mrs. Judi B. Ankiewicz, R.C.I.A. Coordinator Mr. Peter J. Stoyka, Youth Ministry Director TO REGISTER AS A MEMBER OF THE PARISH Please fill out a Census Form. Census Forms are available in the church vestibule and parish office. COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS & SERVICES For rental information and kitchen services, please call the parish office at 342-1852 or 342-1420. SUNDAY MASSES Vigil: 5:30 p.m. Saturday Morning: 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. WEEKDAY MASSES 6:30 a.m.: Monday through Friday 8:15 a.m.: Monday through Saturday SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday: 5:00 p.m. and by request, particularly after the 6:30 & 8:15 a.m. weekday Masses. BAPTISM, MARRIAGE, ANOINTING OF SICK Please call the parish office (342-1852) for information and scheduling baptism, marriage, anointing of sick. ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (R.C.I.A.) Please see published schedule for specific dates and times, or call the parish office (342-1852). SUNDAY SCHOOL (C.C.D.) Grades K 12, Sundays during school year, 10:05-10:55 a.m. in school bldgs. SCHOOL, SACS-accredited for Grades PreK3 through 8. To register, or to obtain further information, or to arrange for a personal tour of our school, please call the school office, 342-5474, ext. 1, or send an email to kmartin@corpuschristiparish.com.
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER This Sunday April 15 rd 3 Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass Celebrated by Fr. Mark Mossa, SJ of Spring Hill College During the school year (Sept. to May), we have an extra Sunday Mass the 3rd Sunday of each month. High School students serve. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Butts, Burgers & Bingo for Bleachers Proceeds go to the School Bleachers Project! This coming Saturday, April 21, at 5:30 p.m. Corpus Christi Banquet Hall Smoked Pulled Pork, Burgers, and Hot Dogs for kids Plates $8 Adults / Kids hotdog plates $5. Bingo! Pre-orders for Smoked Butts, whole or by the pound! Orders can be placed at table in the atrium after Mass or by email to koc13125@gmail.com CHILDREN S FIRST EUCHARIST Today, Sunday, April 15, at 1 p.m. Children meet in designated classrooms at 12:30 p.m. Wedding Anniversary Celebration KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Next Meeting: 4th Mon., April 23, 7 p.m., The Parish House. Info: Chad Pugh, Grand Knight, 232-0648 or chad.pugh34@gmail.com. Wednesday Night Dinner Saturday, May 19, at the 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall $9.25 for Adults! $4.25 for Children (Age 12 & under) Forms are in the vestibule for couples who, during this year of 2018, have or will have been married for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 or 51, 52, 53, etc. years. Those who wish to participate must complete the form. Their names will be included in the program. They will be called to the altar area for the renewal of their wedding vows. Visitors, friends & parishioners are invited to join all of the anniversary couples at the reception in the banquet hall. April 18: Roast Beef & Gravy, Chicken Marsala, Egg Noodles, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Seasoned Corn, Garden Fresh Salad, Rolls, Breadstick, Red Velvet Cake. Iced Tea, Lemonade, Coffee. (Kids Option: Chicken Tenders/Fries) Must RSVP no later than TUESDAY EVENING Return an RSVP Card, or call 342-1852 or email WedNightDinner@CorpusChristiParish.com Forms will be due by Monday, May 14. Widowed Persons Support Group Do you have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? Contact Fr. Victor Ingalls, Director of Vocations at 251-415-3871 or vingalls@mobarch.org. or 400 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602. Fr. Victor Ingalls will visit Corpus Christi Tuesday April 17, and will celebrate the 8:15 a.m. School Mass. For information call parishioner Glen Porter at 666-8977. Tuesday Night Bible Study Meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Parish House. Info: Dave Burchette, 251-367-6660 or davebur1955@gmail.com. Tuesday Women s Bible Study SUNDAY SCHOOL Classes resume today. Sunday School participants at 9 a.m. Mass are dismissed with the final blessing Info: at dianestoyka@yahoo.com or 342-5474, ext. 7. Jazz Brunch in the Banquet Hall With Jazz Musicians Performing Live! 2nd Sunday of the Month (Every month except June, July, August) Buffet Served from 12 Noon to 1:30 p.m. $10.25 for Adults! $4.25 for Children (Age 12 & under) 10:00-1130 a.m., Room 3 (2nd Flr, Community Center). Info: Judi Ankiewicz, 251-344-0321: Leave name & no. Thursday Women s Bible Study 9:15-10:45 a.m..,com Ctr Conference Rm. Info:Joanne Donaghey, 251-554-6753 or joannekd@alo.com. Nursery is available. Society of St. Vincent de Paul Poor Box, Food, Clothing donations and In-Need Drop Box at the SVDP table in the vestibule. Join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by attending a meeting on the 1st & 3rd Mon. of the month, 6:30 p.m.,parish House. To seek help, call 251-510-8166.
CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH, MOBILE, ALABAMA APRIL 15, 2018 Please support the advertisers on the back of the bulletin Their ads enable us to have our bulletins printed at no cost to the parish. Ads are purchased through Diocesan Publications. For info contact them at 1-800-292-9111 or www.diocesan.com. AA Alanon OA CODA AA: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Cougar Den. Alanon: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. OA: Sat., 9 a.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. CODA: Tues., 6:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. BAPTIZED IN CHRIST Joy Temperance Beeler (daughter of Nicholas Paul Beeler & Vanessa Betty Ubaldi Beeler) Scarlett Mai Ku ulei Castanares (daughter of Lawrence Scott Kekoa Castanares & Cecilia Phuong Tran) Gwyneth Maron Edmondson (daughter of Rami Ferris Edmondson & Heidi Rebecca Federspiel Edmondson) Jackson Ward Huntzinger (son of Brad Ward Huntzinger & Sheila Kathleen Barter Huntzinger) Samantha Alyse Thompson (daughter of Benjamin Noah Thompson & Elizabeth Ashley Brown Thompson) REST IN PEACE Richard Inge Finch Around the Archdiocese: Our Lady of Lourdes Annual Lawn Party, April 29, Noon until 4 p.m. Food Court, Prizes Plant Sale, Split-the-Pot, Kids World, Vintage Car Show, Ring Toss, Book Store, Tub of Cheer, Handmade Crafts, etc. 1621 Boykin Blvd. FIRST COLLECTION TODAY: Tithing Offerings. SECOND COLLECTION TODAY: Corpus Christi Building Fund. CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE AND AFRICA: $1,872.79 HOLY LAND & ONLINE COLLECTION: $1,607.21 EASTER FLOWERS COLLECTION FINAL: $1,756.80 APR. 1 ST BUILDING FUND ONLINE & COLLECTION: $2,360.90 APR. 1 ST TITHING ONLINE & COLLECTION: $38,8845.00 Thank You and God Bless You God bless all for tithing, contributions, bequests, remembrances in wills in support of God s work here at Corpus Christi Parish. To make a donation of stock, ask your financial manager, or call Selena Hemphill at Morgan Stanley at 470-1084 or 800-624-7814. Receive a detail list of your contributions by mail, email or fax. Call 342-1852 or email Church@CorpusChristiParish.com To receive Offering Envelopes: Please contact the parish office at 342-1852 or at Church@CorpusChristiParish.com. To set up Online Giving: Please go to www.corpuschristiparish.com; click Church ; then click the green Online Giving icon on the left side of the church s homepage. Follow the instructions to contribute to tithing or building fund or school annual fund or other special collections. For assistance, call 1-800- 348-2886, ext 1, or the parish office, 342-1852. Receiving Communion In The Hand Take this and eat. Communion was received in the hand in the earliest days of the Church. It was only in the late Middle Ages, generally around the 12 th -13th centuries, that the change in the Latin (Western) Rite was made to receive Communion on the tongue. By this time, people rarely received Communion. Instead of taking and eating, new Eucharistic devotions (adoration, benediction, processions) began and became the norm. So much so, that the Council of Trent (1545-1563) found it necessary to decree, The Eucharist was instituted to be eaten, and established The Easter Duty, which required all of the faithful to receive Communion at least once a year. But reception of the Eucharist by anyone but the priest had become so rare that missals of the period didn t even mention Communion for lay people. The various customs that had developed emphasized the separation and distance between God (Jesus) and ourselves. The 2 nd Vatican Council (1962-1965) directed that the Mass be restored to the ancient usage of the holy Fathers. After following that directive, our Mass had more similarities to the original Mass of the early Christians than any other format the Mass has enjoyed. Communion in the hand is a return to the earlier tradition which was common in the Church for at least 1,000 years as shown by the directives of the early Church Fathers. Our present ritual for receiving in the hand is patterned after that prescribed in the Jerusalem Catecheses around 400 A.D. Not everyone has the same feelings about this, of course; thus, the Church today provides the option to receive on the tongue or in the hand. The Conference of Bishops in each country determines the way Communion is to be received. According to our U.S. Conference of Bishops, Communion should be received standing, and a bow of the head is the act of reverence to be made by those receiving. They recognized the Lord in the breaking of bread. Luke 24:35
CORPUS CHRISTI If you want to understand the body of Christ, listen to what the apostle Paul says to the faithful: You are Christ s own body, his members. Thus, it is your own mystery which is placed on the Lord s table. It is your own mystery that you receive. At communion, the priest [or minister] says: The Body of Christ, and you reply Amen. When you say Amen, you are saying yes to what you are. The Body of Christ The Body of Christ. Amen. St. Augustine (354-430) When the host is offered to us with the words, The Body of Christ, and we open our hand to receive it and say, Amen, we are saying yes not only to receiving Christ s Body but to being Christ s Body. We are saying, in effect, Amen, yes, I believe that this is the Body of Christ, and that this is the Body I am called to be. I receive him to become him, to be Eucharist for others. St. John Chrysostom (349-407)
The Eucharist has a personal and social character: Christ unites himself with me but also with those beside me, and so unites himself equally with my neighbor. We are all one bread, one body. And this is communion. Without solidarity with others, the Eucharist is abused. It is important to be ever mindful that communion with Christ is deeply tied to communion with our brothers and sisters. The Eucharistic gathering is an experience of brotherhood. The sign of peace is a gesture manifesting the commitment to mutual love which is made in sharing the one bread. Pope Benedict XVI St. John Paul II He is Risen! Alleluia!
The Body of Christ ~ Corpus Christi Is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. St. Paul, 1 Cor 10:16-17 You, then, are the body of Christ. Everyone of you is a member of it. St. Paul, 1 Cor 12:27 St. Augustine tells those who are to receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist: Be what you see, and receive what you are (Sermon 272). In another sermon he says, If you receive worthily, you are what you have received (Sermon 227). U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops For Augustine, Christ s body is both on the table and gathered around it. Impact Homilies Do you wish to honor the Body of Christ? Do not ignore Him when he is naked. Do not pay Him homage in the temple clad in silk only then to neglect Him outside where He suffers cold and nakedness. He who said: This is my body is the same one who said, You saw Me hungry and you gave Me no food and Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did also for Me. What good is it if the Eucharistic Table is overloaded with golden chalices, when he is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger, and then, with what is left, you may adorn the altar as well. St. John Chrysostom The temple of our afflicted neighbor s body is more holy than the altar of stone on which you celebrate the holy sacrifice. You are able to contemplate this altar everywhere, in the street and in the open squares. St. John Chrysostom Respect that Table in which we all participate. After participating in such a Table, and communing such Food, why take up arms against one another? Not only arrows and javelins cause wounds. Certain words inflict more profound wounds. A word pronounced against your brother is poison shot from your mouth. If your neighbor harmed you, ask God to show mercy to him. He is your brother, a member of Christ s body. He is called to one and the same Table with you. St. John Chrysostom The Eucharist does not just unite us to God as individuals who are isolated from one another. Rather, we are united to Christ together with all the other members of the Mystical Body. The celebration of the Eucharist should thus increase our love for one another and remind us of our responsibilities toward one another. Furthermore, as members of the Mystical Body, we have a duty to represent Christ and to bring Christ to the world. We have a responsibility to work against all the forces in our world that oppose the Gospel (the Good News), including all forms of injustice. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The most Blessed Sacrament is Christ made visible. The poor sick person is Christ again made visible. St. Gerard Majella
The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren. (#1397) The Catechism of The Catholic Church The bread and wine are transformed in order to transform us so that we can transform the world. St. Francis regularly received the Lord and was changed. Then, he was able to change the world by his life and love. He was able to perceive Christ s presence in everyone, and people, in turn, could see Christ s presence in him. Bishop Paul A. Zipfel [In our celebration of the Eucharist] we cannot communicate with the Lord if we do not communicate among ourselves. If we want to present ourselves to Him, we also must go out to meet each other. The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Unity. St. John Paul II We must not deceive ourselves: it s by our reciprocal love and, in particular, by the concern we have for those in need that we will be recognized as true disciples of Christ (Jn 13:55; Mt 24:31-46). This is the criterion on the basis of which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations will be confirmed. St. John Paul II In sacramental communion I become one with the Lord, l i k e a l l t h e o t h e r communicants. As Saint Paul says, Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:17). Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. We become one body, completely joined in a single existence. Love of God and love of neighbor are now truly united: God incarnate draws us all to himself. Pope Benedict XVI The celebration of the Mass, gathering everyone around the one table, is a reminder that all the faithful have been united into the body of Christ despite all their differences. Unity is the truth and strength of the Christian revolution. Around the Eucharistic table people diverse on account of age, sex, social condition (and) political ideology gather and become one. The Eucharist can never be a private act, reserved to people who have been chosen for their affinity or out of friendship. The Eucharist is (an act of) public worship, which has nothing esoteric (for the select few) or exclusive. Catholics must always be vigilant to ensure that at every celebration of the Eucharist all Catholics are welcome, no matter their differences of nationality, profession, social class or political ideas. Pope Benedict XVI Make your left hand a throne for your right, make a hollow of your palm and receive the body of Christ, saying: Amen! St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 AD) Jesus, the bread come down from heaven and the bread of life, makes himself visible every day... where people are served and fed, without distinction of race, religion or culture. Every human, without distinction of race, culture, or religion, is created in the image and likeness of God. Every person is filled with the same dignity. Pope Benedict XVI Some say that they are not worthy to take communion often. We take communion not because we are holy, but in order to become so... Union with Jesus in communion makes us able to share in his holiness. St. John Baptiste de la Salle Our Lord does not come down from heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him the heaven of our souls. St. Theresa of Lisieux God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 1 John 4:16b The Body of Christ. Amen!