Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill...whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW 5:17-20 WINDOWS LOCATED IN SOUTH BAY 1 Facebook @cathedralofmary @schoolofthecathedral Mass Times Weekdays 7:00am 8:15am 5:30pm Saturday 8:15am Confessions 4:00pm 5:00pm Sunday 8:00am 9:30am 11:00am Clergy Most Rev. William E. Lori Archbishop of Baltimore Msgr. Richard W. Woy Rector Fr. Andrew T. DeFusco Associate Pastor Msgr. Robert Armstrong Rector Emeritus Twitter @cathedralofmary @SCMOQ @CMOQyouthmin Instagram @cathedralofmary @schoolofthecathedral @CMOQyouthmin www.cathedralofmary.org 5200 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21210 410-464-4000 www.schoolofthecathedral.org
Dear Friends, 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 11 / 12, 2017 This is commitment weekend in the 2017 Archbishop s Annual Appeal (AAA). As I mentioned last weekend at Mass, the AAA assists Archbishop Lori in his ministry by providing the resources that allows him to respond to the pastoral and charitable needs of so many people across the nine counties of the Archdiocese and the City of Baltimore. At the same time, the rebate the parish receives from your contribution will help us purchase new hymnals and install the equipment for webcasting in the church. This weekend is commitment weekend where we will all have a chance to make a pledge to this year s AAA. Last year, Cathedral parishioners graciously contributed $261,000 to the AAA. THANK YOU! Twice last week someone asked if I had known that a certain person had been in the hospital. My response both times was No, I did not know X had been in the hospital. Fr. Andrew and I are more than willing to visit the sick, whether in the hospital or at home, but we rely on family and friends to inform us when someone is in need of pastoral care. Privacy laws preclude medical providers or institutions from informing a parish that an individual is being treated. Ministry to the sick is an important part of the Church s ministry. Please help us by informing us when someone might benefit from a pastoral visit. I mentioned last Sunday in my homily the formation of a music committee to advise Glenn Osborne on our music program and ministry. I see this group as Glenn s eyes and ears into the parish community that he might learn and respond to the concerns of the parish and also be a resource in planning future events. I am grateful for those who have agreed to be this resource for Glenn: Nathan Cicero, Betsy Close, Margie Counselman, Lisa Diver, Kerry Heemann, Jenny Keller, Cathy Lobo, Sandra O Neill, and Bo Smolka. Speaking of music, mark your calendars for Saturday evening, March 11, when the Westminster Choir College will present a concert in the Cathedral at 7pm. You will find complete details on our parish website. We need volunteers to host the choir members for an overnight following the concert. There is a sign-up genius form on the website. Pregnancy Center North sent a thank you recently for the $1,574.23 collected from 66 bottles in last fall s Baby Bottle fundraiser. Please remember in your prayers the repose of the soul of Ms. Suzanne Fallon Dunseath, a long-time former parishioner, whose Mass of Christian Burial was offered this past Wednesday morning. Have a good week! Msgr. Woy Photo courtesy of John J. Coyle, Jr. (bottom). PS: Don t forget Ash Wednesday (March 1) and the beginning of Lent is just 2 ½ weeks away. It s time to start thinking about Lent.
Last week Offertory $20,440.38 Poor Box $444.50 Food Program $72.00 Attendance 1,225 Faith Direct Faith Direct is a convenient way to support the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen using direct debit for your offertory giving. Register: www.faithdirect.net CMOQ Code: MD500 Thank you to our parishioners who already use Faith Direct! This week, Catholics across the Archdiocese are being asked to make a commitment to support the 2017 Archbishop s Annual Appeal. Ministries supported by the Appeal have a direct impact on the administration and evangelization efforts at The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen as well as at the other parishes in our Archdiocese. Your generous support and participation is critical to the success of the 2017 Archbishop s Annual Appeal at The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and helps move us forward in hope as we seek to better embody the Gospel message in our lives. Please complete a pledge form or pledge online at www.archbalt.org/appeal. Thank you for your prayers and support for a successful Archbishop s Annual Appeal. FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS: The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and the Archdiocese of Baltimore have a commitment to maintaining the trust of the faithful by providing our children and youth with safe environments characterized by healthy relationships. All parishes and Archdiocesan schools use Shield the Vulnerable for any volunteer/employee who works with minors to facilitate compliance with archdiocesan child protection requirements. Please visit our website (www.cathedralofmary.org) for details and instructions for compliance. When music was identified as an area of focus for the next three years, I was asked to formulate goals for music ministry. For me, the best goals are SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relative, and time bound. Music is usually more about emotions and impressions, so as I pondered the feedback from the town hall and questionnaire, I looked for ways to focus the wide range of information that had come to me. The three words that appear on the Cathedral logo (Faith, Service, Community) provided a lens. How does music relate to faith? Music ministry is a service, but how can that be measured? What role does music have in the community? The songs we sing express our faith. Everyone should know songs of praise, thanksgiving, and comfort. Whether you prefer more contemporary or traditional music, there should be a core repertoire of songs that everyone here at the Cathedral knows as expressions of their faith. These selections should be in the hymnals that we have in the pews. The first musical goal then is to select and introduce a new hymnal. This is the easiest of the SMART music goals. The most challenging SMART music goal is in service. How do you measure the service provided by music ministry? Count the people involved! I d like to see 10% of the families have at least one member active in music ministry. Combining the School Choir, Cathedral Choir and Contemporary Group, we currently have about 5% participation. There are many avenues to grow here. New members are welcome in the Sunday ensembles, and we can also grow through expanding the age range and type of musical groups that we have. Community offers a large umbrella of options for goals, so I will tackle that area next week. Music is a touchy-feely gray area. By choosing to look at music through three words that are already important to the Cathedral community, I hope you will be able to remember and participate in our path to success.
Sunday, February 12 Living* 8:00am For the parish 9:30am John F. O Neill 11:00am Marquerite C. Lauterbach Monday, February 13 7:00am Maureen Sharp 8:15am David Watson 5:30pm Bernie Geiman, Sr. Tuesday, February 14 7:00am Josephine Rubera 8:15am Glenn Page* 5:30pm John and Patricia Evans Wednesday, February 15 7:00am John Richard Stewart 8:15am Mary Jo Pons 5:30pm Eduardo Refugia, Sr. Thursday, February 16 7:00am Marty Barthelme* 8:15am Mary Kidd Gamewell 5:30pm Elvira Elvie Dureza Friday, February 17 7:00am Bernard and Ella Peter 8:15am Donna M. Lehane 5:30pm Donald N. Travis Saturday, February 18 8:15am Alice Pallace 5:00pm James P. Burke Laws are important for any society. They give us a structure for living as a community. We have courts, judges, police forces and law makers all to help our law making and keeping. In Jesus time, the Jews had additional religious laws that impacted their everyday lives. These religious laws flowed from the Ten Commandments and are the foundation of what was known as the Law of Moses, spelled out in the Bible s first five books, the Torah. They created the context for Jewish life. So stubborn were the Jews about the laws regarding their life and worship, that they had an exemption from the Roman authorities for the typical Emperor Worship and temple tax. The Pharisees were focused on keeping the law, because it both defined and protected the Jews. Despite this fact, Jesus often challenged the Jewish law, the application of it. But in today s Gospel, Jesus says Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill (5: 17). Because Jesus was so often at odds with the Pharisees over the law, making allowances in it for the sake of particular individuals and situations, this statement seems out of character for Jesus. How do we square this statement with the other examples of Jesus as a challenger of the law, and one who says, Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28)? In this Gospel Jesus extends the law beyond external actions to intentions of the heart. It is our heart which must be right with God and with others. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (5: 23-4). As His disciples, we must examine our hearts and consider our own intentions. Are we clean of heart as outlined in the Beatitudes? We must seek reconciliation with God and others so that we may be faithful to God s greatest laws; love God and our neighbors as ourselves. It is through our actions that God s law is revealed to the world. How might we embody God s law love and mercy in our world this week? We wish to congratulate and welcome Janice Elizabeth Gowen Connelly on celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism. Our next Baptism Prep Class will be held Sunday, March 5, at 1 2 : 3 0 p m i n t h e Cathedral. For more info about the Sacrament of Baptism, please contact Lori Ryan at lryan@cmoq.org or 410-464-4006. If you will be celebrating a wedding anniversary during the month of March, please join Msgr. Woy and Fr. Andrew in the Lady Chapel March 4 or 5 after all weekend Masses to renew your marriage vows. The Parish Center will be closed on Monday, February 20 for President s Day. All Masses will be on the n o r m a l w e e k d a y schedule (7am, 8:15am, and 5:30pm). We keep in prayer those who have recently departed, especially Mrs. S u z a n n e F a l l o n Dunseath, as we ask for the repose of their souls. May she rest in peace.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL: Did you know that the land that comprises the Cathedral campus was purchased over a period of a quarter century? The initial purchase from the Roland Park Engineering Company was almost 16 acres in 1925. Another 5 acres were purchased 22 year later, in 1947, and the find 4 acres in 1949. Nothing got built, though, until ground was broken in 1955, so the dream of a new Cathedral was a long time coming! Learn more about this fascinating building by joining a Cathedral Docent for a short talk/tour after every Mass. Just look for the Docent (wearing a name tag) by the pulpit at the front of the church. HOUSING NEEDED! The Schola Cantorum from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ will offer a concert here at the Cathedral during their spring tour on March 11. We will need to house the 80+ students in the choir for one night after the concert. If you are able to house 2 or more students on March 11, please contact our Music Director Glenn Osborne to let him know. SUNDAY SOCIAL: Please join us after the 9:30am Mass this Sunday, February 12, for donuts and coffee in the Undercroft. All are welcome bring a friend! Hope to see you there! SPAGHETTI DINNER: Save the date for a spaghetti dinner, hosted by the Men s Club, on Saturday, February 25! The event will be from 6pm to 10pm in the school cafeteria, and all CMOQ / SCMOQ families are invited. The cost is $12 per person, or $30 per family, and more information is available online. See you there!
MIDDLE SCHOOL SKI TRIP: Ski Trip 2017 is coming up on President's Day, February 20. Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot online today! Questions? Contact Siobhan Cooney at scooney@cmoq.org. DINNER FOR EIGHT: Dinner for Eight is an opportunity for parishioners to become better acquainted over a monthly meal together in someone s home. Stay tuned as sign ups for our second season will be posted from February 12 to February 28. For more information about the program, visit our Adult Formation link on our website, or contact Chris McCullough at 410-464-4014 or cmccullough@cmoq.org. MARDI GRAS EVENTS: On February 24, families are invited to Kids Night Out (an opportunity for K-5th graders to watch a movie, complete a craft, and hang out with their friends) and a Middle School Mixer. Register online today! CATHOLICS IN ANNAPOLIS AND THE MARYLAND CATHOLIC CONFERENCE: Catholics in Annapolis is an opportunity for Maryland constituents to meet with their State legislators and share the Catholic viewpoint on issues before the General Assembly. The event is on February 15 more info at www.archbalt.org. For the third consecutive year, Maryland lawmakers will consider legislation that would legalize the dangerous practice of physician-assisted suicide. We encourage you to sign-up for coalition alerts during the 90-day General Assembly at http://stopassistedsuicidemd.org. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Save the date for Vacation Bible School at Cathedral! We have two options available June 26 to 29 and August 7 to 10. See you this summer! Here are some highlights from last week s Day of Discovery. Be sure to check out our photos on Facebook for the complete story!