YOUR STEWARDSHIP IS THE SOURCE OF OUR GROWTH April 28-29, 2018: $11,093.50 Thank you for your support and generosity. The statement printed above expresses the gratitude felt in response to the generosity of the people of Assumption parish. For it is your weekly contributions that make much of what is done here possible. Thanks are extended to those who use envelopes and those who contribute through our Online Giving. PARISH CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK Monday, May 7, 2018 10:00 a.m. Bible Study Finnegan Room 12:00 p.m. Sewing Sisters Finnegan Room 6:30 p.m. Bible Study Finnegan Room 7:00 p.m. Prayer Shawl Group Fritz Room 7:30 p.m. Contemporary Ensm. Church Tuesday, May 8, 2018 9:00 a.m. Women s Bible Study Jubilee Center Wednesday, May 9, 2018 10:00 a.m. Bible Study Finnegan Room 7:00 p.m. RCIA Finnegan Room 7:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal Church Thursday, May 10, 2018 6:00 p.m. Women s Bible Study Jubilee Center 6:30 p.m. Rosary Church 7:30 p.m. CODA meeting Fritz Room 8:00 p.m. Co-ed Adult Volleybl Hanlon Center Friday, May 11, 2018 6:00 a.m. Top Gun Men s Group Finnegan Rm 6:00 p.m. Wedding Rehearsal Church Saturday, May 12, 2018 2:00 p.m. Wedding: DaSilva/Birkle 4:00 p.m. Confessions Church Sunday, May 13, 2018 8:30 a.m. Adult Ed. Series Finnegan Room The Feast of the Ascension Masses will be held this Wednesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, May 10 at 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The Parish May Crowning will be held next Sunday, May 13 after the 10:00 a.m. Mass. Representing our parish and crowning the Blessed Mother in Our Lady s Garden is Mrs. Lois Daday, a long-time dedicated parishioner, assisted by the First Eucharist Class. Mother s Day Mass Intentions Mass Intentions are offered for your Mother s Day Spiritual Bouquet envelopes at the 7:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 6, the 5:00 p.m. Mass on May 12, all Masses on Sunday, May 13, the 11:30 a.m. Mass on May 20, the 5:00 p.m. Mass on May 26, the 7:30 a.m. Mass on May 27 and the 5:00 p.m. Mass on June 2. Assumption Garden Ministry: Saturday, May 19 at 9:00 a.m. Roll up your sleeves, put on your gloves and knee pads and go to work in our Lord s gardens. Bring your garden tools and your love for the earth and the beauty it produces. Join us we need you! We have a lot of ground to cover! Contact the parish office if you can help, or need volunteer hours (610-867- 7424 or abvmrect@ptd.net). All are welcome. Call the office if you can weed and care for one of our flower beds now and throughout the summer. Mission Statement The Church of the Assumption B.V.M. is dedicated to becoming a community of disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples we make Jesus Christ a living reality in the lives of the members of our parish family. By guiding and encouraging our people to discipleship through a heightened awareness of our Lord s presence in their lives, the parish community becomes a visible and active expression of the living Christ in our world today.
Assumption Parish Staff Parish Office: 610-867-7424 - ext. 10 Rev. Msgr. Nevin Klinger J.C.L., M.A., Pastor Deacon Don Elliott - ext 18, Deacon Stu Herman - ext. 19 Saint Michael the Archangel School: 610-867-8422 Mrs. Colleen Weiss, Principal; Mrs. Erin Faust, Vice Principal Assumption Preschool, Mrs. Andrea Powell, Director: powellandrea725@gmail.com Christina Durback, DRE: Parish & St. Michael Middle School: 610-814-0712 Dr. Dennis Varley: Director of Music: dennis.varley@desales.edu Mary Williams/Parish Office x10, Email: abvmrect@ptd.net Kate Varley Room Scheduling/Bulletin x11, Email: abvmkate@ptd.net RAGTIME, the musical Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Wednesday, June 20-8:00 p.m. DeSales University Labuda Theatre Our parish group will enjoy wine and cheese on The Green prior to the show! All for $43. each. Call Carol at 610-967-5053 or email spaeth@ptd.net to reserve your ticket. Drop check to ABVM in envelope marked "Theatre Trip", in collection basket. Please include email and phone number. Limited number of tickets are available so act now! We are grateful to our parishioners who have made a pledge to the Bishop s Annual Appeal. Making a six-month pledge to the Appeal allows you to maximize the amount that you may give by making monthly payments. For example, a $300 gift to the Appeal may be setup with six $50 installments. Your sacrifice and generosity to those who are less fortunate will allow the ministries of our diocese to offer services to those who need our assistance. You can make your gift online at FaithHopeCharityGives.org, pick up a pledge form on the windowsills in church, or call the Appeal office at 800-831-4443. Our parish thanks Mrs. Pat Herbst for helping to coordinate the theatre trips to DeSales University for over 20 years. Pat is passing the baton to Mrs. Carol Spaeth. Special thanks to Carol Spaeth for taking over and volunteering her time for the theatre lovers at Assumption parish. ABVM Night at the Iron Pigs Friday, June 15 is the date for the 10th annual Parish Night at the Iron Pigs game. Call Dennis Eddinger at 610-791-1758 or email him at dfe60@msn.com as soon as possible. We need your reservation by MAY 15! Tickets are on $11. each and it s a nice night out at the ballpark! All Altar Servers will receive a FREE ticket (must be reserved)! ABVM Vacation Bible School Rockin with the Rock Adventures with Jesus and Peter June 25 28, 2018, 9 a.m. - noon Registration and Volunteer Applications available at www.assumptionbethlehen.com, in the Religious Education Office, and in the Parish Office. Register early for a discount; space is limited! Volunteer application deadline: April 30 Participant registration deadline: May 31 There will be a Bake Sale at our parish on Sunday, May 20 after weekend Masses. Proceeds from the bake sale will go towards the Sassy Massy foundation, helping kids with cancer.
www.st-mikes.com Mrs. Colleen Weiss, Principal Mrs. Erin Faust, Assistant Principal Nurturing Students. Challenging Minds. Inspiring Faith-Filled Leaders. How often have you had the opportunity to choose how your state tax dollars are spent? The Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC) are a way for businesses to direct their tax dollars to help educate deserving students. Apply by submitting an on-line application to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) at www.newpa.com or the Office of Education at the Diocese of Allentown will submit your application for you! Apply for EITC/OSTC tax credits: New applications will be accepted by July 2 Applications for Year 2 of 2 or renewals will be accepted by May 15 This funding provides much needed scholarship money for our St. Michael School Students. Contact the Advancement office with any questions at 610-867-8422. *St. Michael s will be offering an information session on Thursday, May 31 at 7pm in the Coll room. RSVP to St. Mike s Advancement office at 610-867-8422. FALL 2018 REGISTRATION: St. Michael the Archangel School welcomes each child into our school family and stress a love of learning rooted in our Catholic faith. Make the best investment in your child s life by enrolling today! Limited spaces remain in all grades for our fall 2018 classes. Please contact our Advancement Office at 610-867-8422 x17 for information or to arrange a tour. ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL ANNUAL FUND: Our appeal will be ending on June 30, 2018. If you have given in support of our efforts, thank you! If you have not donated to date, we ask you to prayerfully consider helping us toward our lofty goal this year! CALLING ALL ALUMNI If you are an Alumni, we encourage you to LIKE our St. Michael the Archangel Alumni Page FACEBOOK page, visit our school webpage and our table at the St. Joseph s Summer Festival! Encourage others to do so as well. Parish Religious Education Program - PREP Registration for the 2018-2019 season began April 15. To obtain your registration form, please visit the parish website or stop in at the parish office or Religious Education Office Mon. Thurs., 9 a.m. 4 p.m. You can also request a form from Anne at the Religious Education Office. Call 610-814-0712 or e-mail her at prepregcoord@gmail.com. This year s registration deadline is June 30. It is never too early to hear God s call to be a catechist! If you think God may be calling you to serve as a catechist or aide in Assumption PREP starting this September (Parish Religious Education Program) for children and youth in grades K 8, contact Christina Durback at 610-814-0712 or durback@ptd.net for more information. No commitment is necessary; this is simply an invitation to explore! As we complete another blessed PREP season, we offer prayers in thanksgiving to God for the dedicated, loving service our catechists and aides give in sharing the Good News with our children. May God bless these adult parishioners for their offering of time and talents in assisting parents in the Catholic faith formation of their children: Leslie Cherry, Kim Heitzer, Jackie Russ-Harford, Lainie Smith, Nicole King, Barb Paluszek, Tracy Chaffier, Donna Weston, Rich Kolecki, Tammy Napolitano, Caren Richards, Kelly Spradin, Lori Bufanio, Krista Verdi, Lauren Tillstrom, Barb Rouland, Rose Perrelli, Kris Corcoran, Penelope Tervalon, Peggy Brock, Melissa Gurdineer, Lindsay Albert, Kyle Gangewere, Michele Woodruff, Bill Woodruff, Bethany Hojnowski, Isabel Fernandez, Noelle Cybulski, Lisa Niescier and Nancy O Keefe. We are equally grateful for our teens who assist faithfully as PREP aides: Zach, Luke, Audrey, Grace, Cora, Julia, Chris, Claire, Allison, Valerie, Michael, and Jerry. Thanks to Anne Chadwell-Slutz, our PREP assistant and to office helpers Renee Mulhall, and Kathleen Ascani, Alex and Conor. They are fine witnesses of Christian service to our children. God bless you all!
Monday, May 7: Easter Weekday 8:15 a.m. Angelina Bisco Tuesday, May 8: Easter Weekday 8:15 a.m. Pilar Ziegenfuss Wednesday, May 9: Easter Weekday 8:15 a.m. Bert Daday 6:30 p.m. Audrey Rafferty Thursday, May 10: Ascension of the Lord 9:00 a.m. Thomas Williams 6:30 p.m. Mary Hollshwandner Friday, May 11: Easter Weekday 8:15 a.m. Robert Cozzolino Saturday, May 12: SS. Nereus and Achilleus No Morning Mass 2:00 p.m. Wedding: DaSilva/Birkle Vigil 5:00pm Mother s Day Intentions Sunday, May 13: 7th Sunday of Easter 7:30 a.m. Mother s Day Intentions 10:00 a.m. Mother s Day Intentions 11:30 a.m. Mother s Day Intentions READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 16:11-15; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b; Jn 15:26 16:4a Tuesday: Acts 16:22-34; Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8; Jn 16:5-11 Wednesday: Acts 17:15, 22 18:1; Ps 148:1-2, Thursday: 11-14; Jn 16:12-15 Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph 1:17-23 or Eph 4:1-13 [1-7, 11-13]; Mk 16:15-20 (for Ascension) Friday: Acts 18:9-18; Ps 47:2-7; Jn 16:20-23 Saturday: Acts 18:23-28; Ps 47:2-3, 8-10; Jn 16:23b-28 Sunday: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26; Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20; 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 17:11b-19; The altar flowers for this weekend were given in loving memory of: Joseph & Rose Ciccone and Helen & William Moscovic by Robert & Harriett Ciccone. We sell Gifts Cards in the parish office during weekly office hours and after the 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Masses on weekends. Remember, this program does not cost you anything. We receive 5% of every dollar sold. Try it, it s easy! Cards in stock: GIANT, FRESH MARKET, WEIS, VALLEY FARM MARKET, J.C. PENNEY, MACY S, COPPERHEAD GRILLE, RED ROBIN and BELL HALL RESTAURANT. Weekly Sales: April 16-22: $1,875. Do you shop at AMAZON? Friends of St. Mike's please bookmark this link so all your eligible shopping will benefit St Michael the Archangel School. http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-2042774 LOVE ONE ANOTHER In the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday of Easter we are met with an extraordinary challenge: Jesus commands us to love one another as I love you (John 15:12). The letter from John echoes this command. Of course, we are to love those in our family, those we work with, those we like. But the scriptures make clear that we are also to love those we never notice, those we purposely avoid, and even those we are tempted to despise. In this Sunday s selection from the Acts of the Apostles Peter shows us how far God s love extends, and how far our love should extend in response. Peter realizes that God no longer shows partiality to the Jews, sharing divine love exclusively with them. Christ has revealed that God s love extends to all people, and so should ours. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.
Ascension of the Lord Holy Day of Opportunity Depending on which diocese we live in the United States, today could be Ascension Thursday. As such, it is a holy day of obligation, wherein the church leaders ask the faithful to honor this day as a solemnity and attend Mass. The notion of obligation fascinates here, for in some measure it suggests being commanded, or even forced, to do something. The expression We have to go to Mass comes to mind. St. Francis de Sales wrote that the disciple is to do all through love, nothing through force. Thus, in this context, our love of God, desire to connect with our church community to mark a great feast, such as the Ascension, Christmas, All Saints, Assumption, etc., and our willingness to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in word and blessed sacrament, are opportunities to grow and develop our faith life and experience of church in our parish or school. If we reframed our obligations as opportunities, perhaps they could be less burdensome in some way. Realizing that putting a meal on the table again tonight, going to work just like yesterday, and in yesteryears, reluctantly attending a family party are truly obligations, one would be foolish or Pollyanna to suggest that merely using a different word for these tasks will make them a quick delight. However, if we see the elements of our days as opportunities for honest work, fun, beauty, relaxation, prayer, growth in a relationship or knowledge, could we claim a newly found openness to grace that we did not have previously? All through love and nothing through force is a fine spiritual maxim, yet it calls forth a spiritual perspective that eschews obligation and celebrates opportunity. Yes, we are made to complete an obligation, and we are invited to an opportunity. Our gentle God is always inviting us to grow closer to him and his people. Regardless, Thursday or Sunday - everyday is a holy day of opportunity. Fr. Kevin Nadolski, OSFS The Feast of the Ascension Masses will be held this Wednesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, May 10 at 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Bible Study Groups at our church focus on The Old Testament and the Prophets. These Bible Study Groups meet at the following times: Monday mornings, 10:00-11:30 a.m. in the Finnegan Room Monday evenings, 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Finnegan Room Wednesday mornings, 10:00-11:30 a.m. in the Finnegan Room Join anytime. If you are interested or have any questions, contact Larry Durback at 610-867-7424 x12 or email ldurback@gmail.com. Summer Care & Camp Choose weekly options from: June 11 August 6 Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. Noon $105. 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. $190. Contact Catherine Beck at cmbeck24@gmail.com for more information. What is a Novena? The word novena is taken from novem, the Latin word for nine. A novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. Novenas are often used to ask specific saints to pray for us. The Saint Jude Novena, for example, is prayed to ask Saint Jude to intercede on behalf of a request that seems especially dire. Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Jesus told His disciples to pray together after His ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Acts 1:14) and joined constantly in prayer for nine days. These nine days of constant prayer by the Apostles at the direction of Jesus led up to Pentecost. This is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of 9 days of prayer is the basis the novenas we pray today. Thus, the novena is an imitation of the Lord s command to the Apostles when they prayed for 9 days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit. For more information about Novenas, visit: PrayMoreNovenas.com NEW PARISHIONERS Welcome! Our parish family invites all of its members to participate fully in our spiritual and social life. Please contact the parish office to register. BAPTISMS Baptisms are scheduled on the first, second AND third Sunday of each month immediately following the 11:30 a.m. Mass. Contact the parish office at 610-867-7424 x10 at least six weeks in advance. Parents must attend a Baptismal Preparation Class. WEDDINGS Couples must contact the pastor at least 6 months prior to the wedding. BULLETIN All copy must be received in writing two Fridays prior to the intended Sunday publication. We reserve the right to edit all copy. All inserts must be received at least two weeks in advance. PRAYER CHAIN Call Carol Herman at 610-838-1048 or email her at prayer@ealvinc.com and give her your name and intention. She will contact other parishioners participating in our Prayer Chain on your behalf. PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL The Council welcomes any comments or suggestions by parishioners. Please contact Jeanine Faust at faust2@epix.net this month. PARISH MEMORIALS Following the death of a relative or friend, offerings may be made to the Church in loving memory of the deceased. The offerings may specify a particular request or placed in the Parish Memorial Endowment, The Parish Education Endowment, or the Health Ministry Endowment. Our website: www.assumptionbethlehem.com