St. Jude Newsletter A bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to nurturing the growth and community of St. Jude Parish April June 2016 Mercy in OUR City JOIN US TUESDAY, MAY 12 TH FROM 7:00 PM TIL 8:30 PM Fort Wayne has a reputation for having a big heart for those in need. Time prevents us from having them all represented, but here you will get a small idea of all the good works going on in our city. Further information on panelists and their areas of expertise will be found in the Bulletin. By Liz Sanders Continuing the Adult Education focus on Mercy this Spring, we ll be having a panel of Fort Wayne Guest Speakers letting us know how their organizations demonstrate some of the Corporal Works of Mercy. In collaboration with the Social Action Committee, the Adult Education Committee is inviting four panelists, involved in local organizations, to tell of their work, and show us how we might be able to help. The panelists are: Rev /Elisha Harris--Jail Chaplaincy, a founder of Jubilee House Gloria Whitcraft, CEO Catholic Charities Carla Kilgore -Just Neighbors Jeff Perlich, Director Business Development/ Visiting Nurse/Hospice Home This event will be held in the St. Jude Parish Hall from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm on Thurs, May 12 th. Each of our four panelists will give a brief presentation about their work, followed by a question and answer period. In addition, each is being invited to bring information about their organization for your further information. Fort Wayne has a reputation for having a big heart
Stations of Service Lenten Project 2016 By Sheila McGarry Once again, the Social Action Committee planned a series of Lenten activities known as Stations of Service to raise awareness of, as well as implement, the Corporal Works of Mercy. This project represents the culmination of our attempt over the past several years to highlight a Corporal Work per year. A different opportunity for service in community with other parishioners was offered every week of Lent. A banner was hung next to the altar at the beginning of every week, signaling the Work of Mercy that would be that week s focus. The first event, or Station of Service, satisfied the first two Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the Hungry and Give Drink to the Thirsty. With money from our Parish Tithe, the Franciscan Center purchased the food and supplies needed to make 750 sack lunches. We made sandwiches and packed the lunches in the St. Jude Church basement the evening of February 12. Seventyfive people participated and we finished in less than an hour! The next Work of Mercy, Shelter the Homeless, was recognized by means of St. Jude Night at the Rescue Mission on Saturday February 20. Parishioners donated main dishes, vegetables, salads, desserts and drinks. Parishioners also served as greeters, beverage servers, and people working the food line. Altogether, 185 dinners were served that evening. On Saturday February 27, the Speed Sort at the Franciscan Center Thrift Store satisfied another Work of Mercy, Clothe the Naked. Each volunteer brought an item of used clothing to donate. The task was to clean and organize the store. In order to Ransom the Captive, on March 5 we took a trip to Blue Jacket, an agency that helps former offenders acquire job skills and find jobs. Our volunteers tried to put the Blue Jacket Clothing Company in better order. The Clothing Company helps finance the programs that Blue Jacket offers. St. Jude made a money contribution from the Parish Tithe to help with these programs. On March 12, we focused on the Work of Mercy Visit the Sick by engaging in No Sew Blanket Making at Project Linus. Thirty-six parishioners made 65 blankets. The fleece that was used was purchased with funds from the Parish Tithe. Concurrent with Project Linus and also qualifying as a way to Visit the Sick, several parishioners, a small but mighty crew, participated in a Mini-Paint-a-Thon at Matthew 25. A large conference room was painted with left-over paint St. Jude had contributed during last year s Station of Service there. Sort it-pack it Saturday on March 19 at the Associated Churches Warehouse was our final Station of Service for Lent 2016. It brought us back full circle to where we began: Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty. That day volunteers presented Associated Churches with the results of our annual Lenten Fishes and Loaves Collection. Stations of Service Cards were made available that outlined ways to satisfy each of the Works of Mercy during Lent, whether it was by participating in a scheduled group service opportunity or by choosing another option. Parishioners could use them to personally keep track of their service. On Palm Sunday the Service Cards were collected at each Mass, and the basket containing the cards was made part of the Offertory procession. Parishioners who had been faithful to the Stations of Service group service opportunities were selected to carry the basket up at each Mass. This symbolic gesture, culminating the Lenten Project as Holy Week began, demonstrated powerfully that at the heart of all service is the Eucharist. This Lent our parish helped others carry their crosses in a very real way by participating in the Stations of Service Lenten Project 2016. 2
St. Jude Night at the Rescue Mission Making Sack Lunches for the Franciscan Center Project Linus No Sew Blanket Making Speed Sort at the Franciscan Center 3
Pentecost The 50th Day May 15, 2016 Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, And you will renew the face of the earth. The Greek word Pentecost means the 50 th day, referring to one of the pilgrim festivals of the Old Covenant, celebrating the wheat harvest 50 days after Passover. On this day early Christians remembered the Ascension of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit. Only in the fourth century were they divided into the two separate feasts we celebrate today. By the time of Jesus, much of Palestinian Judaism considered Pentecost more than an agricultural festival. It was widely seen as the commemoration of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. Early Christians saw this as a prefiguring of the new Pentecost of the Holy Spirit. Just as the old covenant, ratified in the Exodus out of Egypt, found its completion on Mount Sinai, so the new covenant, ratified in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus suffering, death, burial, and resurrection, found its completion when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles. Saints Augustine and Leo the Great made much of this in their writings, and this new Pentecost of the Holy Spirit was seen as the birthday of the church as the New Israel of God. The 4 th century pilgrim Egreria described the observance of Pentecost in the Jerusalem of her day. At 9:00 a.m., the people gathered at the church on Mount Zion, the traditional site of the Pentecost event, for a service that included the reading of the scripture passage concerning the descent of the Holy Spirit. Just after midday, there was another service at the traditional site of the Ascension, the Gospel and Acts descriptions of the Ascension were read. After sunset there was a great candlelight procession back to the city in the darkness, and people returned to their homes about midnight. It was only later that the two observances were separated. The Great 50 Days, beginning with Easter Sunday and ending with Pentecost Sunday, is a time of joy and triumph. In the early church, kneeling in prayer and fasting were forbidden during this period, a custom still observed in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It is a time of alleluias and the sprinkling of water, a time of baptism and confirmation and Eucharist. We bring this period to a close with a bang! On Pentecost, red vestments are worn to commemorate the fire of the Holy Spirit. Why not wear red to church that day, and throughout the day? On Pentecost, we ll sing songs of the Holy Spirit, and songs of discipleship. On this day, before we hear the Gospel, we sing The Golden Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus ( Come, Holy Spirit ) a hymn invoking the Holy Spirit that has been sung on Pentecost for nearly 1,000 years. It was first seen in our Mass books around 1200. There are various stories about the who the author may have been, but it was most likely Cardinal Stephen Langton (1128), Archbishop of Canterbury. It is called golden because of the richness of the text. Each verse is a prayer. This is the day the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, and they went out into the world to preach the Gospel. We are called to do the same, as disciples of Jesus Christ. Let s keep in mind our parish mission statement: We, the Catholic Church of Saint Jude, called by Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, nourished by Word and Eucharist, commit our time, talent, and treasure to the growth of God s Reign in our world. 4
The Golden Sequence Holy Spirit, Lord divine, Come, from heights of heav n and shine, Come, with blessed radiance bright! Come, O Father of the poor, Come, whose treasured gifts endure, Come, our heart s unfailing light! Of consolers, wisest, best, And our souls most welcome guest, Sweet refreshment, sweet repose. In our labor rest most sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, Consolation in our woes. Light most blessed shine with grace In our heart s most secret place, Fill your faithful through and through! Left without your presence here, Life itself would disappear, Nothing thrives apart from you! Cleanse our soiled hearts of sin, Arid souls refresh within, Wounded lives to health restore! Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill, Guide the wayward home once more! On the faithful who are true And profess their faith in you, In your sev n-fold gift descend! Give us virtue s sure reward, Give us your salvation Lord, Give us joys that never end! 5
Discover Mercy Vacation Bible School 2016 June 21, 22, 23 9am noon By Sue Sherburne Mark your calendars for June 21-23 if you have children age 4 and up. The theme of VBS is DISCOVER MERCY in this year that Pope Francis declared as the Year of Mercy. Students will learn about the papacy and Vatican through Saint Peter, our first pope, and Pope Francis. We will also look into the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Crafts, story-telling, games, songs and snacks will help the message come alive for the young people. We need many adults to say YES to an active part of this ministry, too. Watch the bulletin and website for registration in late May. If you can join in this exciting adventure by assisting in some way, please contact Sue Sherburne at 484-6609 or ssherburne@stjudefw.org. Sacraments Live Giving Grace By Sue Sherburne Easter is a time of rebirth and of celebrating life. Therefore it is appropriate to celebrate sacraments, our gifts of grace, during this season. On April 24, sixty-one of our eighth graders were confirmed in the Spirit by Bishop Rhoades. The youth stepped forward to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them for the faith journey. Fifty-nine young boys and girls from our parish will receive Jesus Body and Blood in Holy Communion for the first time in May. These students gather for a day of reflection before their special day for a tour of church, Eucharist crafts, practice, a shared meal and re-enactment of the Last Supper. Please pray for our parish youth and their families that we may all be filled with wonder and awe as we share in the sacraments. 6
Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest The St. Jude Knights of Columbus Council 16065 held their first annual Free Throw Contest at the St. Jude gym on January 23rd. The Free Throw contest is a national event for the Knights of Columbus started in 1972. The St. Jude winners advanced to a district competition at St. Vincent here in Fort Wayne. The State competition was held in Noblesville. Two St. Jude students advanced from the district competition to state. They were Isabelle Hogan and Andy Filler. Isabelle took first in her competition. Congratulations to everyone who competed! We are looking forward to next years competition! CONGRATULATIONS to the Following St. Jude students for qualifying to compete internationally at the Destination Imagination Global Competition in Knoxville, Tennessee May 22nd -26th. Winners of the St. Jude Knight of Columbus Free Throw Contest Hope N. Alexa P. Natalee V. Paige W. Mia A. Tucker A. Aaron B. First Communion Saturday, May 7 11am May Crowning Friday, May 13 2pm 8th Grade Graduation Thursday, May 26 7pm 8th Grade Confirmation Sunday, April 24 3pm Student Appreciation & Honors Assembly Friday, May 20 1pm Last Day of School Wednesday, May 25 1:45 Dismissal 7
E-mail address: hcisz@comcast.net Web site: www.stjudefw.org Heather Cisz Editor Liz Sanders The deadline for the next issue is June 10th, 2015 Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend St. Jude Parish The Grapevine 2130 Pemberton Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Eaglemania 2016 Friday, June 3 The St. Jude Parish Eaglemania Festival is fun for all ages, a great chance to enjoy the change in weather & our parish community. We need many volunteers to make Eaglemania a success. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Tiffany Smith at lots2bhopeful4@aol.com Or call the St Jude Parish Office (260) 484-6609. Or simply go on the St Jude Parish website and fill out volunteer section online under Ministries/ Operations/ Parish Festival (Eaglemania) http://www.stjudefw.org/church/operations/ Thanks and we will see you at the festival!