March 18, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Lent CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH 6300 McKenna Drive, Mobile, Alabama 36608 Email: Church@CorpusChristiParish.com! Website: www.corpuschristiparish.com TELEPHONE NUMBERS Parish Office: 342-1852 Fax 342-6313 School Office: 342-5474, ext. 1 Fax 380-0325 Rel. Ed. Office: 342-5474, ext. 7 Fax 380-0325 Full-Day Care: 342-2424 Fax 343-3119 Youth Ministry: 342-1852 Fax 342-6313 PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PASTORAL STAFF Very Reverend James F. Zoghby, V.F. Reverend John S. Boudreaux Deacon Arthur W. Robbins Mrs. Kristy F. Martin, School Principal Mrs. Diane M. Stoyka, Parish Catechetical Leader Mrs. Judi B. Ankiewicz, R.C.I.A. Coordinator Mr. Peter J. Stoyka, Youth Ministry Director TO REGISTER AS A MEMBER OF THE PARISH Please fill out a Census Form. Census Forms are available in the church vestibule and parish office. COMMUNITY CENTER RENTALS & SERVICES For rental information and kitchen services, please call the parish office at 342-1852 or 342-1420. SUNDAY MASSES Vigil: 5:30 p.m. Saturday Morning: 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. WEEKDAY MASSES 6:30 a.m.: Monday through Friday 8:15 a.m.: Monday through Saturday SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday: 5:00 p.m. and by request, particularly after the 6:30 & 8:15 a.m. weekday Masses. BAPTISM, MARRIAGE, ANOINTING OF SICK Please call the parish office (342-1852) or information and scheduling baptism, marriage, anointing of sick. ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (R.C.I.A.) Please see published schedule for specific dates and times, or call the parish office (342-1852). SUNDAY SCHOOL (C.C.D.) Grades K 12, Sundays during school year, 10:05-10:55 a.m. in school bldgs. SCHOOL, SACS-accredited for Grades PreK3 through 8. To register, or to obtain further information or to arrange for a personal tour of our school, please call the school office, 342-5474, ext. 1, or send an email to kmartin@corpuschristiparish.com.
This Sunday 3 rd Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass Celebrated by Father Mark Mossa, S.J. During the school year (Sept. to May), we have an extra Sunday Mass the 3 rd Sunday of each month. High School students serve. FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT UNDERSTANDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH ADULT SERIES OF 2 MORE CLASSES for Catholic and Non-Catholic Adults Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Through March 28 Adult Ed. Room in the Community Center For information, please contact one of the priests at 342-1852 or Church@CorpusChristiParish.com. Lent Friday Stations of the Cross 6:30 p.m. Friday Evening Mass 7:00 p.m. Through March 23 Communal Reconciliation Service Monday, March 26, 7 p.m. Jazz Brunch in the Banquet Hall With Jazz Musicians Performing Live! 2 nd Sunday of the Month (Every month except June, July, August) Buffet Served from 12 Noon to 1:30 p.m. $10.25 for Adults! $4.25 for Children (Age 12 & under) Wednesday Night Dinner 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall $9.25 for Adults! $4.25 for Children (Age 12 & under) March 21: Fried Chicken, Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli & Rice Casserole, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Garden Salad, Roll, Oreo Delight. Iced Tea, Lemonade, Coffee. (Option: Chicken Tenders/Fries) Must RSVP no later than TUESDAY EVENING Return an RSVP Card, or call 342-1852 or email WedNightDinner@CorpusChristiParish.com Tuesday Night Bible Study Meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Parish House. The Bible Timeline, a Catholic study with a series of 24 videos. Info: Dave Burchette, 251-367-6660 or davebur1955@gmail.com. Tuesday Women s Bible Study 10:00-1130 a.m., Room 3 (2 nd Flr, Com. Ctr). The book of Exodus: Moses, Joshua, the Migration to the Promised Land. Please bring your Bible. Info: Judi Ankiewicz, 251-344-0321: Leave name & no. Thursday Women s Bible Study 9:15-10:45 a.m..,com Ctr Conference Rm. The Letters of John and the book of Revelation. Ignatius Catholic Bible Study. Info:Joanne Donaghey, 251-554-6753 or joannekd@alo.com. Nursery is available. Women of Mary Wednesdays, 7 to 8 p.m. Room 3 (2 nd Floor, Community Center) All women are welcome to meet for prayer, reading the Gospel, and discussion. Info: Sr. Deborah Kennedy, R.S.M., 753-4872. Men of St. Joseph Tuesdays, 7 to 8 a.m. in the Family Room Also Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m. in the Parish House All men are welcome to meet for prayer, reading the Gospel, and discussion. Info: Damian Bell, 639-2522 or 367-4486 or Damian@rockbwm.com. Wed Evening Info: Walter Bracewell, 599-1650 or walter.bracewell@gmail.com Widowed Persons Support Group For information call parishioner Glen Porter at 666-8977.
CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH, MOBILE, ALABAMA MARCH 18, 2018 Fish Fry Fridays Through March 23 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Corpus Christi Community Center Banquet Hall Volunteers needed: 10 volunteers for Thursday Prep, 1:30-3:00 p.m. 10 volunteers for Friday Set-up, 1:30-3:00 p.m. 40 volunteers for Friday Fish Fry, 4:30-8:30 p.m. To volunteer, contact Tracey Netto at tbn1105@ hotmail.com For further info, please contact Melissa Overstreet at 648-8378 or at melissaoverstreet@gmail.com. Fish Fry Bake-Sale Fundraisers Mar. 23 Bake Sale for Booster Club SCRIP is also available for purchase! Fish Fry Meals Fish Fry Meals include fish, two sides and a drink. Regular Plate: $7.00 Hungry Man: $8.00 Child s Plate: $5.00 Extra Side: $1.00 Gumbo: $4.00 Pizza: $1.00 Nachos: $3.00 Soft Drinks: $1.00 Special Seating The Atrium will be reserved for Adults Only Seating, and the Family Room will be reserved for Adults Quiet Seating. Volunteers will direct guests to the seating they desire. For child safety, children are to remain in the banquet hall, and if they are outside or in other areas of the community center, they must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. Parents and guardians must take care that their children are not running through the parking lots outside, or inside the community center. AA Alanon OA CODA AA: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Cougar Den. Alanon: Sun., 7 p.m., and Wed., 7 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. OA: Sat., 9 a.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. CODA: Tues., 6:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences Bldg. Who wants to be an Altar Server? Notify the parish office at 342-1852 or email Church@CorpusChristiParish.com. You may also contact Mike Martin, Director of Altar Servers at 251-391-8666. Do you have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? Pray and ask for God s guidance. Contact Fr. Victor Ingalls, Director of Vocations at 251-415-3871 or vingalls@mobarch.org. or 400 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602. Society of St. Vincent de Paul Poor Box, Food, Clothing donations and In-Need Drop Box at the SVDP table in the vestibule. Join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by attending a meeting on the 1 st & 3 rd Mon. of the month, 6:30 p.m.,parish House. To seek help, call 243-4061; leave name & phone no. BLISTERS FOR SISTERS 5K & Fun Run Saturday, April 21, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sacred Heart Residence, 1655 McGill Ave. Info: 476-6335. 40 DAYS FOR LIFE Join fellow parishioners in prayer on the sidewalk at the Planned Parenthood site on Wednesdays, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. To sign up, go to www.40daysforlife.com/mobile, or contact Corpus Christi s 40 DFL Coordinator, Steve Pierre, ahoalton322@gmail.com, 251-458-6188. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Next Meeting: 4 th Mon., March 26, 7 p.m., The Parish House. Info: Chad Pugh, Grand Knight, 232-0648 or chad.pugh34@gmail.com. Welcome New Parishioners Terra Cockrell and her daughter, Molly Mavrakos Brad & Sheila Huntzinger and their son, Jackson Nick & Heather Risner BAPTIZED IN CHRIST Sarah Caroline Lerch (daughter of Kevin Shea Lerch & Melissa Davis Lerch) MARRIED IN CHRIST Charles Sandys Zalopany & Michelena Mackenzie D Alonzo Around the Archdiocese: Our Savior Catholic Preschool/ MDO: All past/present teachers, students, parents, grandparents are invited to a celebration/reunion April 8. 1-5 p.m., Jennings Hall. Share memories! Rice Bowls for Lent Rice Bowls and instructions are in the vestibule. Visit CRSricebowl.org for more info Please return your Rice Bowl by Tuesday, March 27, in or at the giant Rice Bowl in the church vestibule. SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND: Aid to the Church in Central & Eastern Europe and Aid to the Church in Africa. FIRST COLLECTION TODAY: Tithing Offerings. SECOND COLLECTION TODAY: Easter Flowers. MAR. 4 TH BUILDING FUND ONLINE & COLLECTION: $3,162.05 MAR. 4 TH TITHING ONLINE & COLLECTION: $36,693.64 Thank You and God Bless You God bless all for tithing, contributions, bequests, remembrances in wills in support of God s work here at Corpus Christi Parish. To make a donation of stock, ask your financial manager, or call Selena Hemphill at Morgan Stanley at 470-1084 or 800-624-7814. To receive Offering Envelopes please notify the parish office at 342-1852 or at Church@CorpusChristiParish.com. To set up Online Giving, please go to the church website, www.corpuschristiparish.com/church, click the green Online Giving icon on the left side of the homepage, and follow the instructions For help, call 1-800-348-2886, ext 1, or the parish office, 342-1852.
The Gospels and the Jews When we hear or read the Gospel of John, we have to keep in mind that the Gospel of John was written about the year 100, almost 70 years after the time of Jesus. By that time, a great deal of hostility existed between the Jews who followed the new way of Jesus and those who continued in the faith and practice of Judaism. The other three Gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke, were written much closer to the time of Jesus and much earlier than John s Gospel. Thus, when the earlier Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke speak of the enemies of Jesus, Jesus enemies are specified as Scribes and Pharisees, Sadducees or chief priests religious leaders in Judaism. But John s Gospel doesn t always make that distinction: John s Gospel refers to Jesus enemies simply as the Jews. And this is very misleading: Rabbi, the Jews were trying to stone you (Jn. 11:8). The reason why the Jews were even more determined to kill him... (Jn 5:18). Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him (Jn 7:1). The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. (Jn 10:31). Jesus himself was a Jew. His mother, Mary, was a Jew. St. Joseph was a Jew. Jesus apostles and his first followers were Jews. And some of his first followers were among the religious leaders. They ALL belonged to the faith of Judaism. They were ALL Jews, and none of THEM were enemies of Jesus. The earlier Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke show that, while Jesus was popular among many of the people (his fellow Jews), it was religious leaders who condemned him and turned him over to the Roman authorities to be executed because only the civil authorities could legally carry out capital punishment. Sadly and tragically, as Christianity grew, Christian leaders and people down through the centuries have disdained and persecuted the people and faith community of Judaism. Statements, laws, practices and actions within the Church and societies against the Jewish people are scandalous and painful to read and learn about. In 1199, Pope Innocent III, in his Letter on the Jews, found it necessary to state: No Christian shall do the Jews any personal injury or deprive them of their possessions... During the celebration of their festivals, no one shall disturb them by beating them with clubs or by throwing stones at them. And to prevent the baseness and avarice of wicked men, we forbid anyone to deface or damage their cemeteries, or to extort money from them by threatening to exhume the bodies of their dead... Pope John XXIII was one of the few cardinals of his time who was a great historian. During the first year of his papacy, 1958-1959, Pope John XXIII publicly interrupted the Good Friday liturgy when one of the celebrants, reading aloud from the Roman Missal, read a part that said, the perfidious Jews. Perfidious is a word that means faithless or traitorous. After interrupting the prayer, Pope John XXIII told the reader to read the prayer again but without the offending word against the Jews. Pope John XXIII then had that offending word against Jews universally removed from the official prayer for the conversion of the Jews. In 1962, after several years of preparation, Pope John XXIII convened the 2 nd Vatican Council in the early 60's, and in its 1965 Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions ( Nostra Aetate In Our Time ), the Church sought to correct past evils and injustices against the people of Judaism and other religions, as well as the division among Christians. Pope John Paul II, during his papacy, issued about 100 apologies for various wrong-doings in the Church s history, including anti-semitism toward Jews. He apologized for the inactivity and silence of many in the Church during the Nazi Holocaust, and for the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti- Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at all times and places.
2015 marked the 50 th anniversary of the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council s Declaration on the Church with Non-Christian Religions on October 28, 1965 by Pope Paul VI. Nostra Aetate ~ In Our Time Declaration On the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions The Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in non-christian religions. Regarding non-christian religions, the Council states: The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in these religions. She looks with sincere respect upon those ways of conduct and of life, those rules and teachings which, though differing in many particulars from what she holds and sets forth, nevertheless often reflect rays of the Truth which enlightens all men. Furthermore, the document states: The Church rejects, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion. It was the particular wish of Pope John XXIII that the Council discuss the relationship of the Church with the Jews, and he asked Cardinal Bea to prepare a draft document. That draft, Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, was presented on November 19, 1963, during the Second Session. Cardinal Bea introduced the decree to the Council Fathers, emphasizing the deep concern of Pope John XXIII for the Jewish people, and establishing the basis for a strong and respectful relationship with the Jewish people through the scriptures, especially St. Paul s statement that the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Cardinal Bea pointed out that anti-semitism had led in the recent decades to the holocaust, and that the Third Reich had been able to draw on Catholic and other Christian sources to support its campaign against Jews. This, he urged, must never happen again, and the Church must take a clear stand against anti-semitism, and acknowledge the sins of the past. On March 12, 2000, Pope John Paul II presided at the Day of Pardon in the Great Jubilee Year 2000. It was the first formal apology of the Church for the sins her members committed against the People of the Covenant. Our own archbishop, Archbishop Rodi, having been invited to speak at Mobile s Springhill Avenue Temple, made Nostra Aetate, the subject of his talk. In the course of his presentation, Archbishop Rodi pointed out four key teachings of Nostra Aetate: First, the Jewish people are not responsible for the death of Jesus not at the time of Jesus and certainly not now. The concept of collective guilt whereby all Jews of all times are blamed for killing Christ is to be understood as wrong and represents a misreading of the Gospels. Second, God s covenant with the Jews remains a valid and efficacious one, never revoked by God, nor annulled through the death of Jesus. Third, Jews are not to be considered abandoned, forsaken or punished by God for supposedly being Christ Killers. Last, the Council teaches clearly that there is no room at all in Christian life for anti-judaism or anti-semitism.
St. John Paul II As bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love, and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place. The Church rejects racism in any form as a denial of the image of the Creator inherent in every human being. In this place of solemn remembrance, I fervently pray that our sorrow for the tragedy which the Jewish people suffered in the 20 th century will lead to a new relationship between Christians and Jews. Let us build a new future in which there will be no more anti- Jewish feeling among Christians or anti-christian feeling among Jews, but rather the mutual respect required of those who adore the one Creator and Lord, and look to Abraham as our common father in faith. The world must heed the warning that comes to us from the victims of the Holocaust, and from the testimony of the survivors. Here at Yad Vashem the memory lives on, and burns itself onto our souls. It makes us cry out: I hear the whispering of many terror on every side but I trust in you, O Lord: I say, You are my God. (Psalm 31:13-15) Pope John Paul II at Yad Vashem, March 23, 2000 The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that Jesus was a Jew, that he valued the Torah positively (423/577), that God s covenant in Judaism is irrevocable (121.839), that the Jews are not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus (597).(1096)., and the Catechism shows appreciation for the Jewish people s faith and religious life as professed and lived. St. John XXIII During World War II, Archbishop Roncalli risked his position and security to help rescue Jews from the horror of Nazism, saving them from being sent to the concentration camps. He had heard reports of Hungarian nuns distributing fake baptismal certificates to Jews which Nazi officials recognized as legitimate, thus allowing Jews to leave Hungary unharmed. Roncalli decided to reinforce and expand the operation regardless of whether Jews were actually baptized. He used diplomatic couriers, papal representatives and the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion to transport and issue to Hungarian Jews fake baptismal certificates, and also immigration certificates and visas many of them forged. Operation Baptism was so effective that when the Soviets captured Budapest in February 1945, at least 20,000 Jews had been spared. During the first year of his papacy, Pope John XXIII interrupted a Good Friday liturgy when the celebrant who was proclaiming the prayers came to the word perfidious (faithless or traitorous) to describe the Jews. John interrupted and had the prayer repeated with the offending word omitted, and he had it universally removed before the next Good Friday, and it was eventually completely revised as shown below: Prior to the Council, the Good Friday prayer for the Jewish people read: Let us pray for the faithless Jews, that our God and Lord would withdraw the veil from their hearts that they may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ. By 1985, it read: Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the Word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant.