Second Sunday of Lent March 17, 2019
Remembering February 4 9 MONDAY (CSG) 7:00 AM Patrick McArdle The Family (OLS) 12:10 PM Joseph Zielinski Gary & Mary Solomon TUESDAY (CSG) 7:00 AM John Flannery Wife (OLS)12:10 PM Joseph T. Ware Wife, Sally WEDNESDAY (CSG) 7:00 AM Joseph V. Scott The Family (OLS)12:10 PM Dr. Joseph T. Guzek The Family THURSDAY (CSG) 7:00 AM Margaret Charnogursky Son, Michael (OLS) 12:10 AM Robert Donovan Wife, Nancy FRIDAY (CSG) 7:00 AM Ronald & Janice Cronkey The Family (OLS) 12:10 PM Kelly & Grassi Families Dennis & Estelle Kelly SATURDAY (CSG) 5:00 PM Matthew Pisanchyn Angel Turrigiano We believe Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and the center of our parish life and mission! Reflecting on Living the Gospel F or the Second Sunday of Lent the church gives us the reading of the transfiguration of Jesus, a story found in the Synoptics but not in the Gospel of John. Luke tells 2 the story in a way similar to that of Mark, from whom he received it. Any differences are slight. The presence of Elijah and Moses indicates Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophets (Elijah) and the law (Moses). Only the three disciples are there to witness this terrific encounter, and they, too, are enveloped in the cloud, which itself is another image from the Old Testament. Suffice it to say there are many instances in the Old Testament where the presence of the Lord is indicated by a cloud, and that is the sense intended here by Luke as well. The cloud represents the Lord s glory; this is not a story about what happened one foggy day. Moreover, a voice from the cloud speaks, echoing the message heard at Jesus baptism, This is my chosen Son; listen to him. More symbolism is present in the face of Jesus changing in appearance and his clothing becoming dazzling white. There is so much that is symbolic and representative of Jesus glory in this gospel reading that some scholars of Scripture refer to it as a displaced resurrection account. In other words, this was originally a story of a resurrection appearance or a story about the risen Jesus that was transposed into the narrative of his earthly ministry by Mark (Matthew and Luke simply followed suit). Whether it is a displaced resurrection story or not, its Christology is profound, demonstrating that Jesus shares the glory of the Lord and fulfills the prophets and the law. He is on par with Elijah and Moses: He is called God s son, to whom we should listen.
Parish Partners Our Lady of the Snows The Church of Saint Gregory Mission Statement The parish community of Saint Gregory, guided by Christ s gospel message of love and nourished for mission at Eucharist welcomes the world with open arms, faithful hearts and hands ready to serve. March 31, April 1 & 2 OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS CHURCH AT 6:00 PM Sunday, For Starters: Let Peace Begin with Me! Monday, Moving Forward: Forgiveness in Peace. Tuesday, Onward: Go in Peace. Lent 2019:Finding Peace in Christ ARE YOU NEW TO ST. Gregory s? WE RE GLAD YOU RE HERE! The Church of St. Gregory is a diverse Lenten Discipline and Prayer Prayer Booklet offers many opportunities to enrich your spiritual life, serve those in Living Lent as Living Stones is a special prayer resource for the Church of Saint Gregory family and friends written by members of our parish community. Day of Service need, educate your family, and most importantly, to belong. You may fill out an online registration form at Thechurchofstgregory.com or download form and return to our The parish Community of Saint Gregory s will be invited to participate in a Day of Service on Saturday, April 13. Come prepared to sign up next weekend. Pivotal Players and vibrant community of faith that office. Mar 21 St. Benedict Bishop Barron presents Mar 28 St. Catherine of Siena CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Apr 4 St. Francis of Assisi Players a multi-part film series that illumines a handful of saints, artists, mystics and scholars who not only shaped the life of the Church but changed the course of civilization. This video and discussion series continues March 21 in the OLS Gathering Room from 6:30 until 8:00 PM. The Light is On For You It will take place again this year at Our Lady of the Snows. Monsignor Quinn, Father Babu and Father Lapera will hear confessions every Monday in Lent through Monday of the last full week of Lent, April 8. Confessions will be heard from 5:30 until 7:00 PM. Come and avail yourself of this incredible source of God s grace, mercy and healing. 3
Stewardship Love and generosity start here at home. We are grateful for your faithful stewardship which sustains the life of the parish, supports our outreach and ministries, as well as maintains the level of staffing needed to put our mission into action: welcoming the world with open arms, faithful hearts and hands ready to serve. Thank you for your gift of treasure and commitment to do God s work here at the Church of Saint Gregory offered on the weekend of March 9 & 10, 2019. Sunday Offering $11,101.00 Building Fund Payments April 13 Sign Up Weekend, March 23 24 $2,851.10 Weekly Schedule DAILY MASS MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 7:00 AM (CSG) AND 12:10 PM (OLS) Hands Ready To Serve Cereal/Breakfast Food STATIONS OF THE CROSS FRIDAYS OF LENT, 12:40 PM AND 5:30 PM, AT OUR Happy St. Patrick s Day LADY OF THE SNOWS CHURCH ONLY! Lenten Food Drive Peanut Butter and Jelly Pasta and Pasta Sauce Canned Fruit and Vegetables Soups and Rice Canned Tuna Breakfast Foods Baby Cereal Baby Food Baby Juice Drop off near Library tables in back of Church! Donations this week will be offered to Leahy Center. Donations of pet food will always be received. 4 The Easter Triduum, April 18, 19 and 20
St. Gregory s Odyssey of the Mind St. Gregory s Church had three teams entered into this year s Odyssey of the Mind regional competition, which had 700 students from 37 schools. There was a 4th, 5th and 6th grade team. And for the second year in a row, we have a team going to states!!!!! The 4th grade team, coached by Ellen Keller Moore, had the highest score in their competition division. 6th grade team Bridget Walsh (coach) Matt Millett Will and Chris Ramey Ashlyn Moore Ryan Walsh Elizabeth Schneider 5th grade team Nicole Millett (Coach) Anna Millett Lucy Abrahamsen Emma and Josh Cuck Ben Walsh Jason Casper Aiden Straw The gifts of Bread and Wine are offered in Memory of 4th grade team: Ellen Moore (Coach) Nolan Moore Packy Abrahamsen Abby Schneider Will Kane Julia Zwick Sophie Boland Kathleen Kelly We recognize God s call to serve our parish family and neighbors near and far! Valet Circus Performance Medieval Leonardo Divinci Chrism Mass All the faithful of the Diocese are invited to attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton, on Tuesday, April 16 at 4:00 PM. During this Mass priests from throughout the Diocese will renew their priestly promises before the Bishop, and the oils to be used for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick and Holy Orders will be blessed. The Chrism Mass is a beautiful way to pray for and support the priests of the Diocese. For reserved seating, please call Diane Franklin in the Office for Parish Life at 570.207.2213, ext.1103. Our Community extends a special note of thanks to Monsignor Quinn and the OLS parish family for hosting The Light Is On For You, Lent 2019: Finding Peace in Christ, Stations of the Cross and Pivotal Players at Our Lady of the Snows Church during construction of the Ministry Center. Your cooperation and support is deeply appreciated! For anyone who needs assistance when attending mass while we are under construction, help is here! We ask you to please pull your car up to the sidewalk entrance on the OLP side of the rear parking lot at the rear of the rectory. One of our hospitality ministers will meet you to assist your passenger into church while you park your car. You may call in advance during the week and request help for a particular Mass. 5
Fresh brewed coffee in St. Joe s Café every Sunday from 8:00 am to Noon and Wednesday mornings after Mass. Prayer to End Infanticide The U.S. Senate recently failed to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act-legislation that prohibits infanticide by ensuring that a child born alive following an attempted abortion would receive the same degree of care to preserve her or his life and health as would be given to any other child born alive at the same gestational age. Please join us in prayer for an end to infanticide: Jesus, Lord of Life, transform the hearts of all elected leaders to recognize that infanticide is wrong and must not be tolerated. Open our hearts and minds to recognize and defend the precious gift of every human life. We cherish our relationship with Jesus and strive to make the gospel relevant to our daily lives! Leadership Teams Pastoral Council Michele Musheno, Theresa Robinson, Scott Pettinato, Marjorie Barlow, Joe Hogan, Donald Broderick, Ted Tomaszewski, Mary Ann Morgan, Logan Lombardo, Deacon Bob, Gemma Chuff, Mary Chuff, Matthew Walsh, Theresa Acla, John Zaums, Marian Farrell, Barbara Bratz, Chris Behan, Perry Rose, Fr. John Finance Council Bill Burkavage, John Devine, Paul Gerega, Deacon Bob, Yvonne Cronkey, Ken Paulino, Jim Fleming, Father John. 6 Better, Worse, or about the Same? For those who have gone to eye doctors and had your eyes evaluated for potential glasses, you know the procedure for the patient is to look through a contraption held up to your face with a wide array of lenses. As the doctor continues to adjust the various lenses by their intensity and you re asked to read the letters on the wall as the doctor keeps asking the question: Is it Better? Worse? Or about the Same? What a great question to be asking ourselves throughout these 40 days: Is it Better, Worse, or about the Same? To put it another way with respect to our lives of Faith: Are things clearer? Fuzzier? Or about the same? Will we follow the doctor s orders, if you will, and look to live differently, healthier, engaged, committed and more intentional? Can we be honest with where we find ourselves on this journey of faith? Were the ashes an authentic mark of being serious this year about Lent or just a smudge on the forehead and nothing more? When we get to Easter this year, will things in our spiritual lives be Better, Worse, or about the Same?
Meeting of the Protection of Minors The Holy Father convened a special meeting in Rome concerning the Protection of Minors in the Church. This meeting set the direction of the entire global Church on the question of child safety. Nine talks over three days were given by presenters approved by the Holy father. Each of the speakers pointed out the failures of bishops to act responsibly and described the damage done by their lack of accountability. The all-out effort for which the pope has called will continue to build over time and will be marked by a commitment to ongoing learning and improving, particularly by listening to victims/survivors of abuse. Four concrete steps were announced at the end of the meeting. The imminent publication of a motu proprio by the pope, providing rules and regulations to safeguard minors and vulnerable adults within the Vatican City State; The distribution of a vademecum (or rulebook) We believe that our Baptism forms us into a family joined together to love God and one another! to bishops around the world, standardizing guidelines so church leaders everywhere take on this task in a united way and explaining their juridical and pastoral duties and responsibilities regarding protecting children; Recognizing that the global Church is marked by great culture diversity and unique regional challenges, task forces of competent experts that are culturally sensitive and regionally representative will be organized to assist bishops conferences that may lack the necessary resources or expertise to fully address the issue of safeguarding minors and dealing with abuse; The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is responsible for approving the norms of each bishops conference. With this note, I invite you to view the major talks, prayer services with testimonies of victims/ survivors, the penitential ceremony and Mass, all of which were streamed live so the entire world could follow this event. The videos and talks are posted on the Vatican s dedicated website at pbc2019.org. Father John WHETHER YOU RE INTERESTED IN SERVING, CONNECTING WITH OTHERS, WORSHIPPING, GIVING, OR GROWING SPIRITUALLY, WE OFFER MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS OF ALL AGES AND YOUTH TO CHOOSE FROM. THIS BULLETIN ALONG WITH OUR WEBSITE IS THE BEST SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THOSE WANTING TO ENGAGE. Men's Retreat: Holy Redeemer High School, Wilkes-Barre Saturday, April 27, from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM 7
Baptism Angels at the Doorstep Baptisms are normally celebrated on the Third Sunday of every month during or following the 12 noon liturgy. Baptisms may be arranged at other times when necessary. Parent and Godparent preparation may be scheduled by calling the rectory for an appointment. A team of volunteers who provide comfort, a meal or assis- Anointing of the Sick Please contact the rectory at anytime for the celebration of this sacrament. This ministry seeks to raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness of veterans within our local community and serve residents at St. Francis Commons. For more information please email: bburkavage@gmail.com Marriage Refugee Family Ministry Arrangements should be made six months prior to the desired wedding date. Please contact Father Lapera. This team will encourage parish support for refugees arriving in our community from all over the world in cooperation with CSS of the Diocese of Scranton. Music Ministry Rehearsals (Both) Spirit Song Ensemble and Voices of Faith Choir: Wed. 7:00 p.m. Genesis Children s Choir: Wed. 4:00 p.m. Art and Environment A team of volunteers who provide appropriate ideas and design for the decoration of our worship space. Ministers of Hospitality Ministers of Hospitality are the welcoming ambassadors of our parish family at liturgy. Please contact our office for more information. Communion Calls A team of Extraordinary Communion Ministers visit our homebound with Communion every month. For more Information please contact Deacon Robert Sheils at rsheils1@comcast.net Rosary Groups Every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM, every Tuesday afternoon at 5:15 PM and every Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM. Hospital Visitation If anyone has a family member, relative or friend in any of the area hospitals and would like them to have a visit, please call the rectory. St. Joseph s Outreach Our parish partners with St. Joseph s School in Uganda. Donations are always welcome in support of student tuition. Heavenly Paws A pet group that collects food and supplies for the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. For more information please contact Lisa Thomas at lmt01@comcast.net Hands Ready To Serve Weekly donations may be left in the closet to your left as you come in the new entrance on the OLP side. There is a wagon inside the door for all donations. See page 4 for a list of items we are collecting each week. There are also four large annual collections. Prayer Shawl Ministry The prayer shawl ministry meets the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM in the rectory. tance with parishioners and neighbors suffering loss or illness of any kind. Veterans Ministry Holy Grounds Family, friends and visitors are welcome for coffee after Mass in St. Joe s Café on Wednesday and Sunday mornings. Women s Guild Guild meetings take place the first Thursday of every month from September through May, with the exception of January. Meetings begin at 7:00 PM and are held in the rectory. saintgregoryswomensguild@gmail. com Community Table A social gathering to foster fellowship, friendship and parish family for all parish adults. The community table meets at a different venue monthly. Information will be published in the Green Dialog or you may email: judywalsh730@gmail.com. Religious Education Our Religious Education program takes place every Sunday Morning at 11:05 AM at Our Lady of Peace School for grades 1-8. Kindergarten Class is held at Our Lady of Peace School. Holy Cross School System Our Lady of Peace School 410 N. Abington Road, Clarks Green, PA 570.587.4152 Mrs. M. Colleen Jumper, Principal - www.olpclarkssummit.com Holy Cross High School 501 E. Drinker Street, Dunmore, PA 570.346.7541 Mr. Benjamin D. Tolerico, Principal - www.holycrosshsdioceseofscranton.org R.C.I.A. There currently is an R.C.I.A. team ready to welcome anyone interested in becoming a Catholic or to learn more about their Catholic faith. Please email Connie at rsheils1@comcast.net Family Faith Formation Seasonal Faith Formation opportunities for all ages are offered throughout the year. Men s Prayer Group Prayer and Faith Sharing on the Sunday Scripture is scheduled generally on the First Saturday of each month in the Church at 7:30 AM. You may contact the rectory on Friday afternoon for confirmation of monthly date. Coordinating Teams WORSHIP David Hemmler, Marion Eagen, Nina Magnani, Cindy Dick, Debbie Colarossi, Ron Grambo, Donna Nasser, Judy Grambo, Danny Marx. SERVICE Julie Nastasi, Carol Strauch, John Devine, Chrissy Jacoby, Deacon Bob, Meg & John Hambrose, Jane Farr, Judy Burkavage, Susan Scanland, Ken Walsh, Doris Sanner. The Service Team has a complete list of service connected opportunities. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Julie Nastasi at Julie.nastasi@gmail. com. COMMUNITY Tracy Bannon, Saul & Lisa Rigau, Yvonne Cronkey, Bridget Walsh, Bill Durdach, Danelle Hogan, Molly Johnson, Pam Jones, Mary Griffin, Joe Hogan, Judy Walsh Nina Magnani. Parish activities and sign-up sheets may be found on the Welcome Cart. For more information, please contact Tracy Bannon at tracybannon@stjosephscenter. Org WORD Ruth Fried, Bob Barry, Jack Rubano, Connie Sheils, Patti Staples, Fred Mercandante, Dr. Ted Tomaszewski, Carlon Preate, Dan Haggerty, Bob Sheils, III, Cristen Klamp. To learn more about the Word Coordinating Team, please contact Patti Staples at thstapes@comcast.net.