HOLY TRINITY PARISH Hudson and Germantown, New York 429 E. Allen St. P. O. Box 323 Hudson, NY 12534 March 24, 2019 PHONE: (518) 828-1334 WEBSITE: www.holytrinityhudson.org E-MAIL: holytrinityhudson@gmail.com VERY REV. ANTHONY BARRATT, E.V. Pastor DEACON RICHARD WASHBURN Deacon REV. WINSTON BATH Pastor Emeritus
THE THIRD LENT SUNDAY YEAR C: CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE FRUITFUL I am not sure how you feel, but this Lent seems to be flying by very quickly. We have already thought about Jesus temptations in the desert (the first Sunday in Lent) and last week we encountered the transfigured Jesus on Mount Tabor. This week we can pause and take a breath for a moment as the Lord invites us to reflect about two, intimately related things that are at the very heart of our faith. We are asked to think about our ongoing journey of conversion; that is how our whole life is a project of growing in our relationship with God. However, we can also realize afresh how that relationship with God should lead us to being what we might call, spiritually fruitful. This is a big subject, but luckily (and, as usual!) our readings can help us. Our first reading is an account of an amazing encounter between Moses and God: an encounter that changes Moses life forever and also will change the whole destiny of God s chosen people. Notice how Moses is just going about his daily business of tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. He then notices something unusual: a bush on fire and yet it is not consumed by flames. Moses curiosity is pricked and so he goes to investigate further. God calls Moses by his name from the burning bush. Moses answers the call; then he listens to God s words and obeys what God asks of him. Notice too that Moses does have some questions or worries and so he enters into a conversation or dialogue with God. Towards the end of this conversation, something amazing happens: God even tells Moses His name. Two things are very important here. The first is that Moses conversation with God is also part of his conversion to accepting God and then doing God s will. (Not for nothing are our two words conversation and conversion closely related!) And when God reveals His Divine Name, He is also entering into a deep relationship with Moses. Just as with us in our own time, in the time of Moses, knowing a person s name was not just a simple thing or just about words; it meant that the person had revealed something more intimate about themselves that invites a close relationship with them. like the fig tree that Jesus refers to in the Gospel, Moses was truly fruitful. Moses, like any human being, is created by God to be true to his human nature. And what is that human nature? It is quite simple really: it is to love and to serve God and neighbor; to know what God wants of us and then to do it and to be it. This call to be fruitful is often a very personal one. Like the conversation, it is not just a general thing, but is close and personal. Moses had his special calling and job to do; that is how God asked him to be fruitful. The same, of course, is true for us. So, in our readings today, we have a pattern or an example of conversion and of being fruitful. This is very important for us as we continue our journey of Lent. Lent is very much a season about getting back to basics and to look at our faith with fresh eyes. Our readings this weekend invite us to renew our ongoing journey of conversion; especially if that journey has become a bit stale, or if it seems to have lost its way. Like Moses, we can still go about our daily business, but let us also be attentive and curious about what God want us to do and to be. Like Moses, God does call us personally, by name. Let us listen to God s call and enter into a conversation or dialogue with Him (through prayer, for example). We can talk about our worries and concerns in that conversation. Let us then accept what God asks of us in all the various concrete situations that we meet each day and so be fruitful in those concrete and personal circumstances. Let us also remember that this call to be fruitful is often very personal and particular to us: it is actually how we are to be God s co-workers, just as Moses was. One last thought. This ongoing conversion and conversation and of bearing fruit is the history of our parish. Our Reigniting Our Faith Campaign is to make sure that this conversion, conversation and fruitfulness will continue well into the future. Fr. Anthony As we know, Moses went on to be a true leader and an instrument of God s will. Moses also grew in that special, close relationship with God. Not only this:
THE WEEK AHEAD T U E S D A Y, M a r c h 2 6 St. Anthony Novena Prayer - following morning Mass THURSDAY, March 28 Bible Study - St. Mary s Academy 7:00 pm FRIDAY, March 22 Stations of the Cross - St. Mary s Church 6:30 pm Do You Have Some Time To Help Others? St. Mary s Care Team is down to four active members and there are many local families in need of assistance. What is a Care Team? A Care Team consists of 4 to 10 volunteers who provide non-medical support to both the caregiver as well as companionship to individuals with Alzheimer s Disease or related dementias. A Care Team member assists a family for a few hours each week free of charge. Our next meeting will be at St. Mary s Church Sacristy at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26th. For further information, contact SusanBeth Olsen, Volunteer Coordinator, at 518-238-4162 or SusanBeth.Olsen@sphp.com The receptacles for your Operation Rice Bowl contributions are now in the Church vestibules. Your gifts should be placed in them during the Lenten season. BISHOP'S OFFICE PASTORAL CENTER 40 NORTH MAIN AVENUE, ALBANY, NEW YORK 12203 FAX (518) 453-6795 TELEPHONE (518) 453-6611 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Next weekend our diocese will be taking up The Catholic Relief Services Collection. This collection funds six Catholic agencies that work to serve Jesus in the disguise of our suffering brothers and sisters around the world. These agencies provide a broad range of services, including advocating for immigrants, providing humanitarian aid in the wake of natural disasters, resettling displaced individuals, and working for increased peace in our world. Your support of this collection is an opportunity to help Jesus in disguise. In 2005, in war-torn Afghanistan, Aazar and Ali lost their family due to their father s political affiliations. The boys, ten and eight years old, fled to Pakistan, looking for safety amid the many threats to their lives. Shortly after they arrived in Quetta, Pakistan, they were separated, and despite days of searching, Aazar could not find his younger brother. Continuing to receive threats, Aazar was forced to keep moving, making his way to an orphanage in Turkey, where he was granted refugee status. In 2012, he received a referral to be placed in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program, bringing him to the United States. Once here in the United States, Aazar reached out to a nightly radio program broadcast in the Middle East for help in finding Ali. Within one week, his brother was found alive in Pakistan, where he had been residing as a domestic helper, and so did not attend school, nor did he have any friends. The USCCB s Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) program began working with the United Nations to reunite the brothers, and ultimately, after nine years of separation, the brothers were once again reunited and could begin to resettle and reconnect as family. MRS is one of the six worldwide Catholic relief agencies funded by The Catholic Relief Services Collection. These agencies work to provide food, water, disaster relief, and other vital assistance to Jesus in the disguise of suffering people each day. Please be generous in The Catholic Relief Services Collection. Your support truly makes a difference. Faithfully yours in Christ, Edward B. Scharfenberger Bishop of Albany For more information on The Catholic Relief Services Collection and the organizations it supports, please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief.
RE-IGNITING OUR FAITH We need to keep our Church fresh, vibrant and welcoming. Our campaign therefore gives thanks for the past, celebrates the present and provides for the future. The campaign in Holy Trinity Parish is underway and we are ready to begin the second phase. We have received a wonderful response so far and look forward to the continued generosity of our parishioners. The following Eucharistic Moment has been shared by the perpetual Adoration Committee to promote Eucharistic adoration: Sunday, March 24 " God no longer simply stands before us as the One who is totally Other. He is within us, and we are in him. His dynamic enters into us and then seeks to spread outwards to others until it fills the world, so that his love can truly become the dominant measure of the world." Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Palm Crosses Our Christian Service Committee will be at St. Mary's Academy on Sunday, April 7 th, 10:00 a.m. (following 9:00 a.m. Mass), to teach the art of making Palm Crosses. Come and learn and help our parishioners make more than 500 crosses needed to distribute to all the nursing homes in our area. We need your help. It's fun to learn! 60th Jubilee! On March 19th. Sister Maureen Murphy, celebrated her 60th Jubilee as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Growing up, Sister Maureen was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Mary s Academy in Hudson and years later she returned to Hudson where she served the community at Columbia County Family Services.. Today Sister is in residence at St. Joseph s Provincial House, 385 Watervliet Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110. May God richly bless you, Sister Maureen, for your many years of loving service. When Did I See You Lord? Our Parish-Wide Lenten Service Project will involve a weekly collection of specific toiletry items. Our youth group will assemble 'care bags' for the Soup Kitchen to hand out to people in need. Please help if you can! Here is the schedule: March 30th & 31st Razor & Shaving Cream April 6th & 7th Q-tips & Band-Aids April 13th & 14th Toilet paper & Kleenex STATIONS OF THE CROSS MYSTERY PLAY MONDAY, APRIL 15 7:30 P.M. ST. MARY S CHURCH Lent calls to mind many ancient traditions in the Catholic Church, one being the Stations of the Cross. The Immaculate Heart Central High School Mystery Players from Watertown, NY, present, in a very creative way, the centuries old Stations. Meditation and contemplation on the death and resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery in the prayer life of the Catholic Church. The Mystery Plays of the Middle Ages focused on the presentation of this central mystery. Connected to ancient Mystery Plays, the IHC Mystery Players bring the Stations to the modern level through the use of special lighting, music, pantomime, and paraliturgical readings. Using the sanctuary of the church as a stage, the Paschal Mystery is recreated in a moving, dramatic presentation. Please be advised that small children may be frightened due to the nature of the play. Please refrain from taking pictures during the actual event. Sacrificial Giving HUDSON Regular Offertory Last Weekend (March 17). $ 8,073.00 Black, Native American & Latin American Msns. 115.00 Utilities.. 410.00 Seminarian Support.. 482.00 GERMANTOWN Regular Offertory Last Weekend (March 17)...... $ 2,006.00 Seminarian Support... 40.00 Black, Native American & Latin American Msns. 3.00 Easter Flowers.. 170.00
READINGS AND HYMNS (HUDSON) Reading: Sat. p. 86 Opening Hymn: # 192 Closing: # 496 Sun. p.88 The sacraments are wonderful gifts from God to us. Through outward, visible signs, the sacraments are channels of God s love and mercy and so they draw us into the life of the Trinity. They therefore also continue the saving mission and ministry of Jesus Christ in and through His body, the Church. BAPTISM: Congratulations! If you would like to arrange preparations and a date for Baptism, please contact the Parish Office. RCIA: For those enquiring about the Catholic Faith or wishing to complete their sacraments: welcome! Please contact the Parish Office and we will be very glad to help you further. RECONCILIATION: Celebrated on Saturdays 2.30-3.45 pm in Hudson, before and after Masses in Germantown, or at anytime by appointment. (Note: it is best to call ahead first to check on the availability of a priest) ANOINTING OF THE SICK: Priests regularly visit the hospitals, nursing homes and the homebound. Please do contact the Parish Office if you or someone you know is in need of the anointing of sick. MARRIAGE: Congratulations! So that proper arrangements (paperwork, preparations etc.) can be made, please contact the Parish Office or Fr. Anthony at least six months before the desired date. VOCATIONS: If you are considering a vocation to the priesthood, diaconate or religious life, please contact Fr. Anthony to share thoughts and prayers further. Readings for the Week of March 24 Sunday: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15/Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 [8a] /1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12/Lk 13:1-9 Monday: Is 7:10-14; 8:10/Ps 40:7-8, 8b-9, 10, 11 [8a, 9a] /Heb 10:4-10/Lk 1:26-38 Tuesday: Dn 3:25, 34-43/Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 [6a] /Mt 18:21-35 Wednesday: Dt 4:1, 5-9/Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 [12a]/Mt 5:17-19 Thursday: Jer 7:23-28/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 [8]/Lk 11:14-23 Friday: Hos 14:2-10/Ps 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17 [cf. 11 and 9a]/Mk 12:28-34 Saturday: Hos 6:1-6/Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab [cf. Hos 6:6] /Lk 18:9-14 Next Sunday: Jos 5:9a, 10-12/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 [9a]/2 Cor 5:17- MASSES FOR THIS WEEK MONDAY: The Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) 7:15 AM Mary & Al Warakomski - Dave Warakomski, Son Dec d. Members of Marotta Family - Dee Marotta Sophie Holodook - Robert Donahue Cecelia Nabozny - Mike & Kathy Nabozny TUESDAY: Weekday (March 26) 7:15 AM Marilyn Donahue - Dolly & Lee VanDeCarr Kathleen Jornov - Ira & Beverly Ginsberg Bruce Hotaling - Sally & Bill Hotaling Cecelia Nabozny - Kathy & Matt Clark WEDNESDAY: Weekday (March 27) 7:15 AM Patricia Smegoski - Pat Nobes & Vicki Wilder-Goodrich Regina DeLuca - Thomas Haefelin & Esperanza Hansen Julie Grossman - Carol Maddison Nathan Nicholson - Sharon & Kevin McHale THURSDAY: Weekday (March 28) 7:15 AM Frances Soule - Barbara Othote Marilyn Donahue - Mark & Cathy French Nathan Nicholson - Kevin & Michelle Bowes Roger Marvin - The Walker Family FRIDAY: Weekday (March 29) 7:15 AM Frances Soule - Husband, Harry Marilyn Donahue - Florence Osswald Roger Marvin - Greenport Historical Society 9:00 AM Al Molinari - Mary Jurkowski (G TWN) FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT SATURDAY VIGIL MASS: (March 30) 4:00 PM Harry Teegarden - Teegarden Family Edward Nitsky, - Wife, Wanda Bill Colwell (Anniversary of Death) -Wife Frances Soule - Maryann & Steve Makas 5:30 PM Carmela & Philip Manuli - Phyllis Manuli (G TWN.) Marty Fingar - Jackie, Rich, Richelle Caragine SUNDAY MORNING MASS: (March 31) 9:00 AM Nancy Nobes - Dick & Pat Nobes (HUD) Howard Montague - Wife, Verna Marilyn Donahue - Ralph & Nancy Del Pozzo Shanna Estes - Arieonna 11:00 AM Delfino Bertolini - Franca Cooper (G TWN) For the Living and Deceased of our Parish