March 11, 2018 Holy Family Church 129 Winthrop Street, Watertown, NY 13601 Phone: 315-782-2468 E-Mail: hfchurch@twcny.rr.com Website: www.holyfamilywatertown.org PASTOR: IN RESIDENCE: DEACONS: TRUSTEES: SCHOOL BOARD: PARISH STAFF Pastoral Associates: Rev. Steven M. Murray Rev. Leo A. Wiley Rev. Msgr. Paul E. Whitmore Deacon Edward R. Miller Deacon Michael J. Allan Mrs. Maureen Van Wormer Mr. John Eisenhauer Mr. Michael Ledoux Sr. Angelica Rebello, SCC Patrick Bates Christian Formation Director: Sr. Angelica Rebello, SCC 782-6750 R.C.I.A. Director: Kathy Allan 315-785-8576 Business Administrator: Carol Brown 315-408-6301 Secretary: Organist: Judy Geng Edward Kemp IMMACULATE HEART CENTRAL SCHOOL School Pastor: Rev. Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin 315-782-1190 School Principal: Mrs. Lynise Lassiter 315-788-4670 Vice Principal:(7-12): Mr. Geoffrey Andrews 788-4670 Vice Principal (4-6): Mrs. Annette Connolly 788-3935 Vice Principal (K-3): Mrs. Kari Conklin 788-7011 BAPTISM: Baptisms are generally scheduled on Sunday. Parents must attend a class held on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 PM. WEDDINGS: Arrangements should be made six months In advance by calling for an appointment with a priest or deacon. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Confession/Penance - Saturday 4-5 P.M. SACRAMENT OF THE SICK: Upon Request - Please call Fr. Murray if you are planning on having any surgery and he will be happy to anoint you. Holy Family Church Welcomes Everyone No matter what your present status is in the Catholic Church; no matter your family or marital status; no matter where you are in the practice of faith; no matter what your self image may be; you are invited, welcomed and loved at Holy Family Church.
RECTORY OFFICE HOURS Monday, 12:30PM- 4:00PM; Tuesday Thursday, 9:00AM-4:00PM, closed for lunch noon-12:30pm; Friday, 9:00AM-1:00PM. Sunday March 11, 2018 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT 9:00 Mary Doreen Meylor by The Meylor Family 11:00 9th Anniversary Fr. Tim Soucy by His Family 5:15 Carol Anne Reno by Her Family Monday March 12, 2018 Lenten Weekday 9:00 Michael Godinho by Bill and Florence Heldt Tuesday March 13, 2018 Lenten Weekday 9:00 Mary Soares by Lucy, Patty, Ann Marie and Joseph 10:00 All Souls (at the Summit) Wednesday March 14, 2018...Lenten Weekday 9:00 Robert Dyer Jr. by His Family Thursday March 15, 2018...Lenten Weekday 9:00 Alfred E. Fergerson by P. Fanning and C. Park and Family Friday March 16, 2018...Lenten Weekday 9:00 Dorris Powers by Her Family Saturday March 17, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Lent 5:15 9th Anniversary Charlotte Burns by Her Daughters Linda and Mary Sunday March 18, 2018...FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT 9:00 Margaret and Patrick Phillips 11:00 Joseph DeYear by Mom, Mike, Gram and Family 5:15 Michael Godinho by Mike and Judy Geng ALTAR SERVER SCHEDULE MARCH 17th & 18th 5:15 Daniel Smith 9:00 Claire and Jillian Draper, Bennett Pistner 11:00 Christopher, Nolan and Sarah Hennessey 5:15 Fourth Sunday of Lent -- March 11, 2018 God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Are you being invited to share the mission of Jesus as a priest, deacon or in the consecrated life? If God is calling you, talk to Fr. Steven Murray at 315-782-2468 or Fr. Doug Lucia at 315 386-2543/ dlucia@rcdony.org or Cathy Russell, the Diocesan Vocation Coordinator at 315-393-2920, ext. 1450/crussell@rcdony.org. See us also on Facebook or at www.myvocation.net. BAPTISMAL PREPARATION CLASS The next class will be Monday, March 12th, at 7PM in McGivney Hall. Please call the Rectory at 315-782-2468 during business hours to sign up if you are planning on attending this required class. Thank you. THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH Sunday: March 11th Second Collection: Works of the Holy Father/Catholic Relief Services 10:00AM Religious Education (Greystone Building) 10:00AM Coffee Hour (Gathering Area) 11:00AM Confirmation Year I Greystone Building) Monday: March 12th 7:00PM Baptismal Preparation Class (McGivney Hall) Tuesday: March 13th 10:00AM Mass (Samaritan Summit Village) Wednesday: March 14th 10:00AM Legion of Mary (McGivney Hall) 5:30PM Soup Supper (Greystone Building) 6:30PM Stations of the Cross (Church) Thursday: March 15th 10:00AM Legion of Mary Curia (McGivney Hall) Friday: March 16th 9:30AM Regular Meeting of the Altar and Rosary Society (McGivney Hall) No meeting if bad weather or schools are delayed or closed. Saturday: March 17th 3:30PM-5:00PM IMPACT Youth Group (Greystone Building) INQUIRY If you are interested in the Catholic Faith or know of someone who is, please contact Kathy Allan at 315-785-8576 for an appointment. NEXT SUNDAY S READINGS Jeremiah 31: 31-34 Psalm 51: 3-4, 12-15 Hebrews 5: 7-9 John 12: 20-33 The grain of wheat must die to produce fruit (3). Such dying must be cultivated by obedience (2) and by our covenant with God, rooted in love and forgiveness (1, Ps).
ACTIVITIES AHEAD IN OUR PARISH CONFIRMATION YEAR II is Sunday, March 18th. Class is at 11:00AM-2:00PM in the Greystone Building. PENNIES FROM HEAVEN The Knights of Columbus will be at the doors of the Church after Masses the weekend of March 17th and 18th collecting for our Seminarians. Thank you in advance for your support! CITY WIDE MISSION March 19-22 The schedule for the Mission is: Monday, March 19th at St. Anthony s Church Tuesday, March 20th at Holy Family Church Wednesday, March 21st at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church Thursday, March 22nd at St. Patrick s Church The Mission begins each evening at 7:00PM. Each night following the Mission, there will be an opportunity for questions and discussions with light refreshments. THE ST. JOSEPH CUPERTINO FRATERNITY OF THE 3RD ORDER OF SECULAR FRANCISCANS meeting is scheduled for Sunday, March 25th, 1:30PM at McCarthy Hall. THE LIGHT IS ON Confessions will be heard at all four Catholic Churches Monday March 26th at 7:00PM. THE WATERTOWN YOUTH GROUP is collecting recyclable cans and bottles to raise funds to attend a youth conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville this summer. Cans and bottles may be left in the garage behind Holy Family s Rectory. You can contact Sarah Buskey at wwwimpactwatertown@gmail.com or 315-783-9631 for alternative drop off/pick up options. All funds raised before April 1st will help fund the conference. Any funds raised after April 1st will be used for future Youth Group activities. Thank you very much for your support. March 11: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT Readings:2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23/Eph 2:4-10/Jn 3:14-21 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Isn't it amazing how much God loves us! He desires our salvation. He desires that we may have eternal life. Sometimes we forget how much he loves us, but sometimes we also forget that this love requires a response. St. Augustine said that God created us without us, but he will not save us without us. We are free to accept or reject his salvation. Let us respond in love by loving him in return and loving others as he has first loved us. Bonnie J. Bearup ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OUR PARISH VOCATIONS RETREAT All 5-8 th graders throughout the diocese are invited to a Vocations Retreat on Sat., April 7 th 9:00-11:00AM. Join us for a vocations related activity and a panel discussion with a single person, married couple, sister, and a priest. The retreat is free and will be held at Msgr. Sechi Hall. All participants will leave with a goody bag. To RSVP contact Kathi at watertownvocations@catholicwatertown.org or 315-783-2230 by Friday, March 23 rd. ST. ANTHONY S SPAGHETTI SUPPER Thursday, March 22nd, 4:30PM-7:00PM in Msgr. Sechi Hall. Adults, $8.00; children $4.00; children under 3 eat for free. Take outs begin at 4PM. Please bring your own containers. Extra sauce may be purchased for $5.00 per quart and meatballs are $.75 each. MARRIAGE: GOD CALLS, WE RESPOND: Saturday, April 14, 2018, 8:30AM-3:00PM at Trinity Catholic School and Sacred Heart Church in Massena, NY COST: $20 per person (includes lunch) The Department of Family Life, in conjunction with the Offices of Vocations and Evangelization, will present daylong workshop on Marriage and Family Life. Our Keynote speakers will be Dr. Gregory and Lisa Popcak. This conference aims to build up marriage and family life in the North Country and help married couples and those thinking of marriage understand the importance of the vocation of marriage as a path to holiness for themselves, their spouse and their children. The family is the basic building block of society, and as such, strengthening family life through strong and resilient marriages, helps build up a culture of love and stability. INTENDED AUDIENCE: Anyone interested in better understanding and/or promoting the Catholic view of Marriage, especially Commissioned Lay Ministers, those working with engaged couples, marriage counseling, struggling marriages as well as; Married Couples, whether longtime married or newlyweds who want a deeper insight into married life and how to live it better; and Young Adults considering Marriage and Older Teens, mature enough to hear what the sacrament of Matrimony is all about. For more information and to register (on line registration is now open), please go to www.rcdony.org/marriage or email rgrizzuto@rcdony.org A benefit dinner for Pat Jank and family will be held on Saturday, March 24th, from 4-7pm, at the Glen Park Fire Hall. Adults $10; $5 children 12 and under. Donations of desserts and/or raffle items would be greatly appreciated. Those may be dropped off at St. Patrick s Church anytime before the benefit.
The Pope s Message Pope Francis at Audience: Preparation of gifts at Mass also an opportunity to offer ourselves. During his catechesis on the Mass at the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis transitioned from the Liturgy of the Word to the Eucharist. As the rite begins with the preparation of the gifts, the pope says this invites us to also present our own lives as an offering. By offering ourselves completely to the Lord, Pope Francis says we are also asking for the grace to live out our vocation to the fullest. SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS Dear brothers and sisters, In our catechesis on the Mass, we now turn from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Following the Lord s command at the Last Supper to do this in memory of me, the Church at every Mass makes sacramentally present the sacrifice of the New Covenant sealed by Jesus on the altar of the cross. The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Preparation of the Gifts of bread and wine which will then be consecrated in the Eucharistic Prayer and received by the faithful in Holy Communion. The rite of the Preparation of the Gifts invites us to present our own lives as a spiritual offering together with the gifts we bring to the altar. The Prayer which concludes this rite voices our confidence that the Church s offering will be transformed by the Holy Spirit and become a sacrifice pleasing to the Father, in union with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. At every Mass, may we experience the Preparation of the Gifts as an invitation to offer our lives completely to the Lord, in order to receive from him the grace to live ever more fully our vocation to grow in holiness and to serve the coming of his Kingdom. I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today s Audience, particularly those from England, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Slovakia and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that this Lent will be a time of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you! PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES-FATIMA- BARCELONA: Join Fr. Chris Looby on a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrines of Fatima & Lourdes including a stay in Barcelona April 28-May 7, 2019! A presentation for those interested will be held March 27, 2018 at St. Mary's Parish Center in Evans Mills, NY 6:30 PM. To RSVP or for more information contact Mary McIntosh at 315-558-6372. OUR TITHING PARISH THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT This Year $ 9,825.00 Last Year $ 11,179.00 Youth $ 22.00 Electronic Giving (February) $ 2,740.00 Thank you for your continued generosity. Note From the Pastor, So how is the prayer, fasting and almsgiving going for you this Lent? If you re like me, we start out with the best of intentions and before you know it everything goes sideways and we become discouraged. The secret of the Christian life is Hope. When we fall or fail we can always start over again. So if you aren t praying or reading the Bible as you had planned, revise your plan and try again. If you gave up soda and you slipped and forgot, just try to remember in the future. And if your almsgiving has been non existent, start doing something. Great ideas for almsgiving could be: 1) the Poor Box, 2) donating food for the Urban Missions Food Pantry, 3) Rice Bowls (which by the way I have forgotten to put out even though I have had them for months), 4) Donating personal hygiene items which cannot be purchased with food stamps such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, razors etcetera, you get the point. Remember in the end, we all want to be on the right hand side with the sheep, not on the left with the goats. Take it from the old goat himself. Fr. Steve 1. Go to: Formed.org 2. Scroll down FORMED page and where it says Enter Parish Access Code Here, enter 21a561 3. Create your Personal Profile: Name, Address, email, Personal Password 4. You are now up and running on FORMED. You have access to Feature Films, Sacramental instruction, programs for various age groups, videos, books and audios on all aspects of the Catholic Faith! A PRAYER FOR LENT Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need your strength. You are my life and without you I am without fervor. You are my light and without you I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love you and always be in your company. Stay with me, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need you. Amen St. Padre Pio
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ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP WHY FAST? This Lenten tradition of fasting invites us to eat less and enjoy it more. It can provide us more time to think about the elements of sun, rain, soil from which it came, and the hands of so many people who were involved in bringing our food from the fields to our table. Taking only what I need can be a way of reverencing my physical body, while being attentive to the needs of others and the preservation of the planet we dwell upon. The RCIA Seekers are preparing for the Easter Vigil on Saturday March 31 at 8:00pm where they will be received into our Catholic faith, and receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist! They have been studying, praying and discussing what this faith means to them. In preparation for Confirmation they have chosen a saint whose way of life they can use as a guide as a way to a closer union with Jesus. This week we feature Tar Clark s choice. Martha of Bethany s story would be very different if instead of demanding to know why Mary was not being made to help her, she had simply gone to Jesus with her need. Imagine if her words to Christ had been, Rabbi, how can I serve your people? There are a lot of people here and feeding them all is a large task, how can I best serve Your Will in this situation? Instead of a gentle rebuke from Christ, she may well have been given a miracle similar to that of the loaves and fishes. The reason I have selected her as my confirmation Saint is because I am inspired by how she responds to that rebuke. The next time we see Martha, she is in mourning for her brother, a far more grave situation than the previous one. But where as in that first scene she complains to Christ, in this moment she turns to Him in complete faith. She has been changed by Jesus. She offers this hopeless situation to Him and receives a miracle that far exceeds the loaves and fishes. In my journey with Christ I want to accept His rebukes with the same humility as Martha, to allow them to change my heart, I want to serve others as she did, and I want to trust in Jesus just as deeply as she came to trust Him.