February 24, 2019 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) Page 1 ST. JOAN OF ARC CATHOLIC CHURCH 13485 Spring Hill Drive Spring Hill Florida 34609 ~ Telephone: (352) 688-0663 Fax: (352) 686-7937 Pastoral Team Rev. Patrick Rebel, Pastor Assisting: Rev. Jerry Murphy, Rev. Edward Reiter, Rev. Michael Kouts, Rev. Paul Coughlin, Rev. Dennis Kaelin, Msgr. Joe Sobiesiak Deacons: Deacon Fred LaPiana and Deacon José Cruz Business Manager/Secretary Anne Cofone Faith Formation and Youth Ministry (352) 686-7864 Faith Formation Director:Mary Jo Waggoner StJoanRelEd@gmail.com Youth Ministry: Nancy Lovelock, Youth Minister SJOA-Youth@Tampabay.rr.com Director of Music: Joyce Thorpe sjoaorganist@gmail.com OFFICE EMAIL: jchrchca@tampabay.rr.com Website: www.stjoanofarcfl.com Emergencies Only: (352) 666-3156 or (352) 683-0755 Website: www.ndcsfl.org Ministers of the Eucharist: Please notify the Parish Office if you, or someone you know is sick, in the hospital, homebound or shut-in. RCIA/RCIC: Rite of Initiation into the Catholic faith. Eucharistic Liturgies Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 pm (Spanish) Weekdays: Monday Saturday 9:00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. & by appointment Baptism for Children: Parent preparation. Matrimony: If you are contemplating marriage at St. Joan of Arc Church, please be mindful that there is a six month prior notice request required. In His Footsteps Soup & Sandwich Lunch Served on the second Thursday of each month from Noon - 2:00 p.m. in our Parish Hall and on the fourth Thursday of each month for the homebound only. Mary & Martha s Gift Shop: Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Saturday: 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Closed during all Masses St. Vincent de Paul Society (352) 556-3670 Parish Office Hours Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday: 9:00 a.m. - Noon Closed daily 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Phone: (352) 688-0663 Notre Dame Catholic School Phone: 352-683-0755 Website: www.ndcsfl.org
Page 2 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) Notes from the Pastor Our Faith Teaches: Welcoming the Refugee and Migrant Fear of the stranger and a desire to protect our family and community from the unknown is only natural. On the other hand there is also the desire to extend hospitality and protection to those who are displaced, homeless or in great need. The Catholic Church is consistent and forthright in supporting the needs of migrants and refugees. The Church calls the faithful to welcome and protect those from a foreign land. This support is not the result of a political agenda or ideology. At the same time the Church affirms the right of a country to protect its borders. The traditions and teachings of Judaism and Christianity encourage us to overcome our fears. We are called to aid the poor, the homeless and the stranger. What Scripture Teaches In Genesis, God commands Abraham to leave his home and migrate to a new land. Later, Jacob and the Israelites follow Joseph to Egypt. They escape a famine in their homeland. In the Book of Exodus, the tribes of Israel escape Egypt and wander in the desert for 40 years. These Israelites become refugees in the search of the Promise Land. This early history of migration of the Israelites had a profound impact on them. Hospitality was a prized virtue. In the Book of Leviticus the people were told that they must love the alien in their midst: When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently that the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19:33-34). We also see this theme in the Nativity story. The Holy Family become refugees. They flee to Egypt to escape Herold s killing of the innocent. In Matthew (8:20) Jesus describes Himself as one without a home who has nowhere to rest His head. Adapted by Catholic News Services February 24, 2019 Notes from Deacon Fred A Heart of Mercy Jesus challenges us to have a heart of mercy. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. The gift of mercy comes from a good, compassionate heart. There is a long list of theory s concerning what is wrong with our society today, which seems all to easy to judge, to shame, to be intolerant and to be self righteous. Perhaps our society would benefit from old fashioned values of mercy, understanding that we all are human in nature striving to enter into that divine relationship with our God. We are quick to bring suit to right a wrong, to punish the guilty to seek justice at all costs. Is this the way we should live? The kingdom of heaven can be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. One who had much debt and could not pay it begged his king to be merciful, and out of compassion the king forgave his debt. That servant which was forgiven his debt had a fellow servant that owed him much and yet he demanded payment in full and exacted justice through his court system. The king having heard this punished the unmerciful servant until his debt was fully paid. Jesus tells us that So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgive his brother from his heart. David shows us his wisdom in his choosing not to vanquish his enemy King Saul when he had the opportunity. He recognized that King Saul was anointed by God and it was not his place to take Saul s life and so he showed mercy in choosing not to take his life. We are all children of God. We are all growing and learning and making mistakes along the way. Perhaps as a society we need to convert our hearts to hearts of mercy and not judgment. Perhaps in doing so we transcend our human condition and encounter the divine in the sacrifices we make to be merciful. After all, Jesus did the same for us. We owe him a debt we can never repay nor does he expect us to He just asks us to extend a little of the divine to our human brethren and in return he will smile upon us and count us as His friend. What if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you re near. What if trials of this life, are Your mercies in disguise. Beautiful lyrics written by Laura Story in a song entitled Blessings. This song paints a rainbow of compassion. On You Tube. God Bless!
February 24, 2019 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) Page 3 T M S. J A P J,,,. DO NO HARM We listen quite a while before we get to the punch line of the first reading today: even though it would be an easy thing to do, David will not harm the anointed one of the Lord. We, of course, know that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God, but the Bible uses this term for many different people. It is scripture s way of indicating who has been chosen by God for a special place and mission in salvation history. In today s Gospel, Jesus presents a greatly enlarged list of those who, as children of God, we should not harm, but love instead: our enemies, those who curse us or do us harm, those who owe us money, the ungrateful, the wicked. The point of Jesus teaching is not to encourage these kinds of behaviors in others, but rather to form us in the image of our heavenly Father by increasing our opportunities to love unconditionally, expecting no return; to be merciful and forgiving, even when it would be easier not to. TODAY S READINGS First Reading David found Saul in a deep sleep, but would not harm him (1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23). Psalm The Lord is kind and merciful (Psalm 103). Second Reading We shall bear the image of the heavenly Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Gospel Give to everyone who asks of you. Lend expecting nothing back (Luke 6:27-38). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Sir 1:1-10; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Mk 9:14-29 Tuesday: Sir 2:1-11; Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Mk 9:30-37 Wednesday: Sir 4:11-19; Ps 119:165, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175; Mk 9:38-40 Thursday: Sir 5:1-8; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Mk 9:41-50 Friday: Sir 6:5-17; Ps 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35; Mk 10:1-12 Saturday: Sir 17:1-15; Ps 103:13-18; Mk 10:13-16 Sunday: Sir:27:4-7; Ps 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 Cor 15:54-58; Lk 6:39-45 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Friday: World Day of Prayer; First Friday Saturday: Blessed Virgin Mary; First Saturday TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION When the Roman Empire turned a favorable eye toward the once-persecuted Christians, among the effects was a population explosion in the baptismal font, as Christian sympathizers stepped from the shadows. With more and more people becoming Christians, laws were passed to protect Sunday as a work-free day. Soon, it became possible to celebrate Mass later in the morning, rather than the older custom of gathering before dawn to celebrate Eucharist. Amazingly, despite the increasing numbers of Christians, there was great resistance to adding to the number of worship events; the Eucharist that began as a few friends around a table soon was transformed into a more formal event with throngs crowding a large hall. All the Christians in a city or town would gather around the bishop for the one Sunday Eucharist, and only when the crowds became unmanageable was there an impulse to divide the assembly by splitting off a new bishop and flock. Now, sixteen hundred years later, many parishes see a need to trim or combine Mass schedules. This is often seen as tough surgery. Yet our forebears in the faith would see it as a gain: a filling up of the Eucharist with a large and vigorous assembly, a fullness of ministry, an opportunity to make the Church more fully visible and stronger for service. James Field DESTROYING ONE S ENEMIES Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? Abraham Lincoln RECIPROCITY If God loved us as much as we love God, where would we all be? Anonymous Altar flowers.. are given in memory of a loved one or in honor of a special day. Each week the Altar Flower Memorial is announced in our Parish Bulletin. To request your flowers, please come to the Parish Office during the week. Donation is $30.
Page 4 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) February 24, 2019 Notitas del Diácono José SATURDAY February 23 9:00 a.m. For the unborn 4:00 p.m. Irene C. Costa (D) req by Husband Joe SUNDAY February 24 7:30 a.m Parish Community 9:00 a.m. María Isabel Rodríquez Santana (D) Req by Columbiettes 11:00 a.m. Christopher Carrasquillo (D) req by Theresa Carrasquillo 1:00 p.m María Isabel Rodríquez Santana (D) Req by Mari Santos MONDAY February 25 9:00 a.m. Dorothea Graca (D) req by Loving Husband TUESDAY February 26 9:00 a.m. Logan Benti (D) req by Family WEDNESDAY February 27 9:00 a.m. Charles Fortier (D) req by Knights of Columbus - THURSDAY February 28 9:00 a.m. Deirdre Gernavage (D) req by Connie Parisi FRIDAY March 1 9:00 a.m Shirley Wilcox (D) req by Peggy SATURDAY March 2 9:00 a.m. In Honor of Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Association 4:00 p.m. Alfred Stewart (D) req by Mary and George Basso SUNDAY March 3 7:30 a.m For our Parish Community 9:00 a.m. Dedro Garcia req by Family 11:00 a.m. Maria Isabel Rodiquez Santana (D) req by CCW 1:00 p.m Jose Rodrigues (D) req by Maria & Fabinan Jesús nos manda a actuar con misericordia para con aquellos que nos han hecho daño. Sean misericordiosos, como su Padre es misericordioso (Lucas 6, 36). Debemos ser misericordiosos no sólo porque es lo correcto, sino porque Dios es misericordioso. Pero hay otra implicación. Puesto que hemos sido creados a imagen y semejanza de Dios, y Dios es misericordioso, eso quiere decir que hemos sido creados para ser misericordiosos. Ésta no es una distinción adicional que Jesús desea que sus discípulos adquieran. Esto es parte de nuestra constitución, de nuestra humanidad. No es algo accidental que la palabra humano se use a menudo como sinónimo de misericordioso. Ser humano es ser misericordioso. Más tarde Jesús ofrecería el ejemplo más extremo de misericordia cuando muere en la cruz. El pasaje del Evangelio de hoy no se considera como una predicción de su pasión, pero bien podría serlo. Todo lo que él le dijo a sus discípulos en esta ocasión, al comienzo de su ministerio, le sucedió el Viernes Santo: lo odiaron, lo maldijeron, lo maltrataron, le pegaron en su mejilla y lo despojaron de su túnica. Jesús los perdonó a todos y dijo desde la cruz: Padre, perdónalos, porque no saben lo que hacen (Lucas 23, 34). San Pablo compara a Adán con Jesús. Se remonta a los comienzos de la creación cuando Dios sopló su aliento sobre Adán y así Adán fue el primer destinatario del espíritu vivificador de Dios. Después de su resurrección Jesús sopló sobre sus discípulos y así les dio el Espíritu Santo. Dios, al pie de la letra, sopla la vida y el Espíritu a la humanidad. Pregunta de la Semana Cómo muestro mi misericordia y mi humanidad a otras personas? Doy testimonio del Espíritu vivificador de Dios en mí? You cannot out-do the generosity of God. Stewardship Report for January 27, 2019 Attendance: 893 Envelopes : $ 7171.00 Offertory Cash $ 1754.00 2nd Collection $ 10.00 Total: $ 9535.00
February 24, 2019 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) Page 5 Coming soon THE CHINESE AUCTION offered by the Knights of Columbus. SAVE THE DATE March 30th, 2019. The Rosary is prayed in the sanctuary every First Saturday of the month immediately after the 9AM Mass. Come join in and learn about the many graces promised by Our Lady of Fatima to those who embrace this devotion for 5 consecutive First Saturdays. Please join us on March 2nd. Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is always First Thursday of the month from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. Please join us on March 7th MILITARY MARRIED COUPLES Active Duty and Retired. You are invited to a special enrichment day at MacDill AFB Chapel, Lady of the Bay Catholic Parish. The MARRIED AND IN LOVE MOST OF THE TIME Enrichment is scheduled on February 9 th, from 10 am to 4:30 pm with Childcare available for those who may need it. This one-day enrichment is presented by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, and the North American Military Services Outreach (NAMSO) as an opportunity for military couples to discover strategies for creating and nurturing strong, healthy relationships while rising to the unique challenges of the military lifestyle. To register, call or email Cecilia Baxter, Parish Coordinator at the base chapel. 813-929-5323 or maria.baxter.ctr@us.af.mil Thank you to our Columbiettes for their very generous $1,500 donation to go towards our APA. They presented the check to Fr. Pat. The 9th Annual Tampa Bay Men s Conference Saturday, March 2nd Men: Time and tickets are quickly running out! This conference is a don t miss opportunity to deepen your faith! Fathers, encourage your sons to go. Sons, encourage your dads to go and take you with them. The Conference promises to be challenging, soul-searching, and uplifting a day that will help you find the peace, order and direction so often missing in life. This 9th Annual Tampa Bay Men s Conference, Courageously Living the Gospel is featuring: Jesse Romero, Gus Lloyd, Justin Fatica and Bishop Gregory Parkes Saturday, March 2nd Higgins Hall at St Lawrence Catholic Church, Tampa Tickets include lunch and free parking Cost is $40 per person with Father/Son combo tickets at two for $40. For tickets or more information visit SuncoastCatholicMinistries.com.
Page 6 (View this bulletin on-line at www.stjoanofarcfl.com) February 24, 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat G - Garden H - Hall L - Library N - Nazareth NU - Nursery O - Orleans S-Sanctuary calendar 1 Widow s Group mtg. 9 am (L) 2Mass 9 am 3Masses- Sac Prep 9:30(L) 4 Spanish Bible Study 5 Bible Study (L) 6 Ash Wednesday Masses 9 am & 4:30 7 pm 8 pm Choir reh. 7CCW Board 9:30 am (L) Benediction 6 pm (S) Adult Ed. 6:30 pm (L) KC mtg. 8 9Mass 9 am Confirmation Retreat 9am 5 pm 10Masses- Sac Prep 9:30(L) 11 SVdP Mtg. 9:30 (L) Spanish Bible Study West Hernando Coin Club Mtg. 6:30 pm 12 Travel Club mtg. 10 am (L) Bible Study (L) 13Rel. Ed. Classes 5:45pm (Nu, L,H) Youth Group 7:30 pm (L) Choir Reh. 6:30 14 CCW Gen l mtg. 9:30 am (L) Soup Sandwich lunch Noon Parish Council Mtg. 2 pm (L) 15 16Mass 9 am Craft Fair 9 am- 3 pm 17Masses- Sac Prep 9:30(L) 18 Lenten Mission 7 PM 19 Lenten Mission 7 PM 20 Lenten Mission 7 PM Choir Reh. 8:00 21 Adult Ed. 22 23Mass 9 am Coin Club Show 9 am-3 pm 24Masses- Sac Prep 9:30(L) Confirmation 25 Spanish Bible Study 26 Bible Study (L) 27Rel. Ed. Classes 5:45pm (Nu, L,H) Youth Group 7:30 pm (L) Choir Reh. 6:30 28 Adult Ed. 29 30Mass 9 am KC Auction 5 pm 31Masses- Sac Prep 9:30 (L) RCIA 10