ft Çà c{ Ä Ñ ctü á{ 50 West Crafton Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15205 Parish Office: 412-922-6300 Fax: 412-920-7310 E-mail: parishoffice@saintphilipchurch.org Church Website: www.saintphilipchurch.org PASTORAL STAFF Rev. John B. Gizler, III, Administrator jgizler@diopitt.org Rev. Frederick W. Gruber, Parochial Vicar fgruber@diopitt.org Sr. Geri Marr, S.C., School Principal 412-928-2742 ext.# 4 gmarr@spsangelway.org Walter Schulte, Coordinator of Religious Education 412-922-6300 ext. #6 stphilipreled@gmail.com Tim Ignatz, Director of Music 412-973-4543 timignatz@gmail.com Dorothy Kraemer, Parish Secretary parishoffice@saintphilipchurch.org School Website: www.spsangelway.org Saturday Vigil: Sunday: March 13, 2016 Fifth Sunday of Lent Mass Schedule 4:00 P.M. 7:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M. 12:00 Noon St. Vincent de Paul Society 412-735-0985 Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday between 12:30-1:00 P.M. and after the Saturday evening anticipated Mass. Appointments can be made for private reconciliation by calling the Parish Office. Devotions Daily: 9:00 A.M. Rosary, Prayers and Chaplet Tuesday: 8:25 A.M. Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Novena Daily Mass: Holy Days: 8:30 A.M. Vigil, 4:00 P.M. 8:30 A.M., 12:00 Noon 7:00 P.M. (except Christmas and New Year s Day) Mission Statement Both as a community of the Body of Christ and as individuals who are attempting to follow and obey Him, we do so by reflecting the Light of Christ through the prism and life of our beloved Apostle Saint Philip. Like him, we, too, are working to bring others to Christ as did he, saying, come and see Jesus of Nazareth along with us (John 1:43 ff). We also are present and at work in our community ministering as did Saint Philip who helped to feed the hungry multitudes (John 6:5ff). And most important of all, we gather for worship, prayer, and celebration of the Eucharist as did Saint Philip when he met with the risen Christ and his disciples in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:13ff).
Fr. John s Forum March 13, 2016 Fifth Sunday of Lent God is able whenever He wills to forgive us our sins, even those which we think cannot be forgiven. (St. Ambrose) Casting Stones Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Perhaps giving people time to think is Jesus motivation in today s Gospel (John 8:1-11). Hostile men confront Him about what to do with a women who has been caught in adultery. But Jesus does not respond to them right away. Instead, He quietly sits on the ground, head bowed down, tracing His fingers in the dirt. Why does Jesus take so long to speak? Why the hesitation? It could be said that Jesus is trying to teach them, and us, that we need to take the time to think before we impulsively cast a stone at another. We need to allow time for our emotions to cool so that our fear, anger, or prejudices don t get the best of us. We need time to consider all the variables and circumstances involved and recall our own mistakes, shortcomings, and sins. Most of all, we need time to recall the abundant mercy God has shown us and asks that we show toward others. (Fr. Scott Hurd) A Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Lent God, wake me. Merciful Lord, shake me. Father, show me the depths of what you have done on the Cross. Create in me not only gratitude, but also a new resolve to lay aside every choking burden and festering sin, that I might follow Christ through the Way of the Cross, to a purer, higher humanity in Him. Amen. Lenten Action Is there a sin that you consider the worst you have ever committed? Thinking of how much God loves you and wants you to be in communion with Him, acknowledge your sin and ask God s help in overcoming the wound this sin has caused. Receive God s Healing Love The Church calls each of us to continued conversion and renewal, especially in the Lenten Season. It desires that the baptized who have sinned should acknowledge their sins and have felt repentance for them. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available on Monday, March 14 at Saint Philip Church at 7:00PM for our annual Lenten Cluster Penance Service. Five priests will be available to hear confessions and grant you God s love and forgiveness. Prepare your hearts for Easter by making a good confession to the Lord. Celebrating Reconciliation While reconciliation is what God does, receiving it and celebrating it are what we do. For Catholics, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the most natural way to celebrate God s reconciliation. It is God who forgives sins. God forgives us the very moment we realize we need forgiveness, which itself comes from God s grace. When we experience God s forgiveness and love, we are touched deeply. Experiencing compassion, patience, understanding and forgiveness is itself transforming. We need to celebrate the reconciliation we have received. In this sacrament, our personal journey is joined with the mystery of God s saving love, as seen in the Scriptures and God s desire to save us all. May our Lord grant us all the gift of reconciliation, and may we all receive it and celebrate it well in the holy days ahead. Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross will be celebrated this Friday, March 18 at 7:00PM. The Sacred Triduum Please consider joining us for the solemn celebration of the Sacred Triduum at St. Philip Parish! March 24 Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord s Supper at 7:00PM (Adoration until 11:00pm) March 25 Good Friday Outdoor Stations at 12:00PM / Passion of our Lord at 1:30PM March 26 Holy Saturday - Blessing of Easter Baskets at 12:00PM / Easter Vigil Mass at 8:00PM Easter Sunday Masses Easter is March 27. Masses will be celebrated at the following times: 7:00AM 10:00AM 12:00PM Questions About Holy Week Q: Dear Fr. John, is it possible to celebrate a Funeral Mass during the Triduum? A: A Funeral Mass is not to be celebrated on Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday as per the Congregation for Divine Worship. Only a Blessing Service at the funeral home or cemetery chapel may be celebrated. On Holy Thursday, a simple Liturgy of the Word may be celebrated in the early morning. There would not be any distribution of Holy Communion at either of these liturgies. Bridal Coordinator Ministry In larger parishes of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a Bridal Coordinator Ministry is in place to assist the many couples planning to have their wedding in the church. A Bridal Coordinator is a trained volunteer from the parish community who assists the engaged couple and the priest-celebrant during the rehearsal and at the Wedding Mass or Ceremony. There is no stipend for this ministry and it is an excellent way to evangelize and welcome new members to the Church as well as offer a kind welcome to those who may have been away from the Church. With nearly twenty weddings scheduled this year, it is very important that this ministry be in place. Trained Bridal Coordinators from the West End Catholic Community (Ascension/Guardian Angels/ Holy Innocents) will be assisting with weddings at St. Philip until our new coordinators have been trained. If you would like more information about this ministry or think that you may be interested in assisting our wedding couples and clergy, please contact Fr. John today at 412-922-6300 or at jgizler@diopitt.org. We are seeking six to eight Bridal Coordinators for St. Philip Parish. Sincerely in Christ Jesus, Fr. John Gizler jgizler@diopitt.org
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS WALTER SCHULTE, COORDINATOR Altar Server Refresher Attention all altar servers! There will be a required refresher training session for all altar servers who were not trained this past fall; please note that if you were trained this past fall and would like to come, you are welcome to come and join us. Regardless of how long you have served, it is expected that you will make every effort to attend this very important meeting. At this meeting, we will spend some reflecting on your ministry as an altar server as well as take some time to review some changes that have taken place since Father John arrived in October. If you are not able to be at this meeting, please contact Walter Schulte in the Religious Education Office. Catholicism Series It is still not too late to join us for the Bishop Robert Barron s Catholicism series that is being held in Father Kelty Hall from 7:00-8:30 P.M. We are having some good discussions and hope that you will consider joining us. First Penance This past Saturday, March 12, the second grade students from our elementary school and CCD program made their First Penance. As you see in the sanctuary, there is a table with a statue of Jesus the Good Shepherd and the lambs that the students made during their First Penance Family Session. The lambs represent the students, and it is a celebration of this very important moment in these children s lives: the lambs have been found and have returned to Jesus the Good Shepherd. If it has been a while since you went to Confession, may the celebration of our four parish second grade children inspire you to do so for a gift to Jesus for Easter. Technology and Faith (Part IV) This Lent I am taking sometime to point out ways where faith and technology can intersect. Previous weeks apps included the Laudate App, the Pope App, the Ignatius Press Catholic Bible Study App and the Catholic Daily Reflection. This weeks App is the ibreviary App. The Breviary is also known as the Liturgy of the Hours; it is the book of psalms arranged over a four week cycle with canticles, and this type of prayer is required of all deacons, priests, and religious. The laity are also encouraged to pray this prayer as well, Under Breviary are the different hours (this is prayed at different hours throughout the day). There is also a section for the daily Mass readings. Sat./Sun., Mar. 12/Mar. 13: Fifth Sunday in Lent 4:00 P.M. James R. Reilly (wife, Marge ) 7:00 A.M Michael Surma (family) 10:00 A.M. Joseph Balzer (Susan Budovich) 12:00 Noon David Servick (McDevitt family) Monday, Mar. 14: Lenten Weekday 8:30 A.M. Special Intention Tuesday, March 15: Lenten Weekday 8:30 A.M. Pat Hipkiss (M/M Charles Jessop) Wednesday, March 16: Lenten Wednesday 8:30 A.M. Arlene Ramolt (Sharon Handerlon) Thursday, March 17: Lenten Weekday 8:30 A.M. Mary Olszewski (Karen Beitler) Friday, March 18 : Lenten Weekday 8:30 A.M. Bob Gable (family) 7:00 P.M. Shadow Stations of the Cross Saturday, March 19: Lenten Weekday 8:30 A.M. Mildred Gerlowski (Janet Barekzai) Sat./Sun., Mar. 19/Mar. 20: Sixth Sunday in Lent 4:00 P.M. Bill & Genevive Kennedy (Veri family) 7:00 A.M Al Plouy (Joan & Ed Goyke) 10:00 A.M. Mary & Chrisopher Sprowls (Kubiak family) 12:00 Noon Frank Markovich (Marirose & Tom Grayson) Sanctuary Light Burns this week for: Michael Surma Requested by: Wife, Josie
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THANK YOU The St. Philip Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul thanks the Student Council of St. Philip School for sponsoring a coat drive and thanks the families that donated the coats. These coats will be taken to West Virginia to be given to children in need. 2016 PARISH FESTIVAL NEWS! June 15,16,17. This year our festival will have a new layout, a bigger raffle prize, bingo, entertainment, and the return of the dunking booth along with familiar favorites. The Festival Committee needs your help to make the festival a success. You already help by buying raffle tickets, donating baked and flea market goods, and volunteering and attending the festival itself. Would you consider sitting on the festival committee as chair of 2 new committees, the Raffle and the Parking committees? Could you help organize the festival food committee? The volunteer coordinators will staff these booths, but we need leaders, could you and another member of the parish co-chair one of these committees? Please come to our next meeting, March 15 (Wednesday) at 7:00 P.M. in Kelty Hall. SENIOR DINNER Senior Dinners return this month at the Crafton Community Center next to the Crafton Boro Building. This month's theme is Pot O' Gold Dinner featuring meatloaf and mashed potatoes, as well as all the sides and dessert plus live entertainment for only $7 on March 19th. Doors open 5PM and dinner is served at 5:30. Please RSVP by March 15 to 412 921-0752 x10. The next dinner will be April 16. All are welcome and encouraged to invite a friend! We are in need of donations of candy to fill the Easter Eggs for our Parish Easter Egg Hunt. If you would like to donate individually wrapped candy, small toys or money, please drop it off at the parish office by Tuesday, March 22. Thank you!!. CLEANING OF THE CHURCH Are you looking for another way to fulfill your Lenten obligation? The Altar Society is planning to clean the church in preparation for Easter between March 14th and March 23rd. There will be opportunities to clean in the morning and afternoon, depending on the church availability. Please call Patrick at 412-937-1877 if you are interested. Sunday Collection $ 7,163 Parish Share $10,915 Thanks for your generous donation. PARISH EVENTS THIS WEEK Monday, Mar. 14: 7:00 P.M Catholicism Series (Kelty Hall) Tuesday, March 15: 6:45 P.M. St. Vincent de Paul Society (Kelty Hall) 7:00 P.M. Legion of Mary (Hope House) Wednesday, March 16: 7:00 P.M. Men s Fellowship (Parish Center) Friday, March 18: 4:30 7:00 P.M. Fish Fry (school cafeteria) 7:00 P.M. Stations of the Cross ST. PHILIP LITURGICAL MINISTRY SCHEDULE Sat. March 19/Sun. March 20 Altar Servers 4:00 P.M Ryan, Jake & Katelyn Gamble 7:00 A.M. Adult Server 10:00 A.M. Finn & Nevan Crossey, Joshua Aldridge 12:00 Noon Corrine, Matthew & Rachel McDevitt Lectors 4:00 P.M. Art Bannon, Jeff Gamble 7:00 A.M. Frank Allen, Leon Bonds 10:00 A.M B.J. Gamble, Evelyn Hoff 12:00 Noon Tom Hipkiss, Andrew McDevitt Eucharistic Ministers 4:00 P.M. Rosemary Mullkerrin, Mary Jane Roth, Caren Surlow 7:00 A.M. Geri Allen, Cheryl Bonds, Karen Rozeck 10:00 A.M Joe Allen, Kathy Hayes, Rosemary Anderson, Mary Gerlowski, Eleanor Vistein 12:00 Noon Kathy Kanavy, Dave Patterson, Tom & Dorothy Koger, Lenore Pope