The Parish of the Holy Cross 95 Nichols Road + Nesconset, NY 11767+ 631.265.2200 + www.pothc88.org The Parish of the Holy Cross Photograph by Susan Ribeiro LET ALL WHO ENTER BE WELCOMED AS CHRIST Photographs by Patricia Colombraro 25th Anniversary Celebration Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 27, 2013 WE CELEBRATE EUCHARIST Monday Thursday: 9:00 A.M. (Chapel) Saturday: 5:00 P.M. Sunday: 8:00 A.M. + 9:30 A.M. + 11:30 A.M. + 5:00 P.M. (except holiday weekends) WE CELEBRATE RECONCILIATION Saturday: After 5:00 P.M. Mass Mondays: 6:30-7:30 P.M. or call for an appointment. WE CELEBRATE BAPTISM Baptisms are celebrated on the second and last Sunday of each month at 1 P.M. Please contact the Parish Office for more information. WE CELEBRATE WEDDINGS Couples should contact the Parish Office at least six months in advance of the proposed wedding date.
We are here for you! OUR PASTORAL TEAM AND PARISH STAFF 631.265.2200 + Fax 631.265.2229 + pothc@optonline.net Parish Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (closed for lunch: 12:15-1:00 PM) Rev. James M. McNamara, Pastor Mrs. Connie Calabro, Co-Coordinator of Parish Outreach Ms. Denise Cortegiano, Youth Minister Deacon Owen E. Farley, Jr., Parish Deacon Ms. Ellen Fox, Director of Religious Education Mrs. Mary Anne McCulloch, Co-Coordinator of Parish Outreach Mr. James McManus, Director of Maintenance Mrs. Judith Pickel, Pastoral Associate Mr. Brian Reich, Director of Music Mrs. Elizabeth Shea, Religious Education Secretary (hcreled@optonline.net) Deacon Gerard K. Steffens, Parish Deacon Mrs. Loretta Tarter, Business Manager Mrs. Jane Wirth, Parish Secretary (pothc@optonline.net) More pictures from our 25th Anniversary Mass celebration will appear in next week s bulletin! Mass Intentions Schedule Week of January 27th, 9 AM Mass Mon. Karen McKeon Tue. Neal & Concetta Romano Wed. Liliana Donlon (living) & Astrid Lopez (living) Thu. Maron Brady Saturday, February 2nd, 5PM Mass Patrick Keena, Peter Olynik, Gerilyn Ferlise New Life in Christ Sunday, Feb. 3rd, Fourth Sun. Ordinary Time 8:00 AM Helen Dalamango 9:30 AM Harold Luebs 11:30 AM Karen McKeon, Nicholas Tzanetos 5:00 PM People of the Parish Scripture Readings for February 2nd/3rd + Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19 + 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 + Luke 4:21-30 Banns of Marriage First Time Melanie Arnold & Sean Ruane The Bread and Wine for the week January 27th - February 2nd, have been donated in loving memory of Mary Carroll by the Bigotti family Celebrants for Next Weekend s Masses February 2nd/3rd 5:00 PM Fr. Jim 8:00 AM Fr. Bob 9:30 AM Fr. Bob 11:30 AM Fr. Jim 5:00 PM Fr. Jim
With Great Gratitude Our celebration of our twenty-fifth anniversary was truly a wonderful event especially with the presence of Bishop Murphy at the 11:30 Mass. He gave a very spirited homily where he recounted the history of our parish and captured the spirit of our welcoming community. Father Joe Schlafer and Msgr. Bill Breslawski were most warmly received at the Mass with a long standing ovation, and they were still greeting people in the Atrium two hours later. It was great to have them here and to recall the spirit of enthusiasm they generated from the very beginning. Father John Sureau added to the celebration by his presence so that we could enjoy again the memory of his time with us last year. Msgr. Bob Thelen was unable to be with us due to the flu. I am especially grateful to our Pastoral Team who worked so hard to prepare for this event. I was away in Texas for two weeks where I gave two retreats - one to seminarians at St. Mary s Seminary in Houston and one to the priests of Fort Worth. I came back to find everything ready to go. Jane Wirth and Liz Shea teamed up to pull everything together and to make the many decisions that needed to be made so that this celebration could come off smoothly. They had several meetings with Jude Pickel, Ellen Fox, Loretta Tarter, Connie Calabro and Mary Anne McCulloch. This beautiful event would not have run so well without the able leadership of our Pastoral Team. As a pastor it is reassuring to go away, knowing that the parish will be served well by such a competent group of people. Mary Inghilterra along with Steve Shipman, who is volunteering on weekends, did a terrific job with all the Mass arrangements, especially at the 11:30 Mass that was so crowded you would think it was Christmas Eve. And, as usual, our hospitality Committee under the able guidance of Nick and Diane Lombardo served refreshments after Mass. Most of the goodies were baked by Catechists, parents and students from our Religious Education Program. Many thanks to all who did such a great job from preparation for this big day to cleanup! John Hanley, Tom Crocitto, Paul Calabro and Bob Meadows managed the traffic in the parking lot which was quite full. This was a great help to us all. Our twenty-fifth anniversary committee is getting started to plan the parish picnic on the Library grounds on Smithtown Blvd. that is scheduled for Sunday, June 2 nd. The co-chairs will be holding their first meeting soon. There are many details to be attended to. If you wish to assist with one of the subcommittees, please fill out the form below and put it in the collection basket or drop it off at the Parish Office. Thanks to all who made last Sunday such a spirited and memorable event! May the Lord give you peace. Father Jim 25th Anniversary Planning Committee Name: Phone: Address: Email:
CHILDREN S MEMORIAL GARDEN Exciting News!! In the spring, with your support, you will notice a new addition to our beautiful Parish of the Holy Cross. Plans are in the works for The Children's Memorial Garden to be located on the grounds opposite the Stations of the Cross. Sadly, there has been much loss and grief in our parish family. The committee has prayed together and with some expert help has designed a space that can encourage healing. However, as in every endeavor, it takes a community. We are trying to get much of the material donated. Please show your support with your prayers and if possible financial donations. Your contributions can be placed in the collection basket or given to the office. Please put "Children's Memorial" in the memo of your check and outside of the envelope. Thank you. We know this beautiful, wooded, secluded area will stimulate reflection, comfort, peace and conversation. LIFE TEEN NEWS A special note to our Parish! We are asking for donations of NEW gloves, hats and scarves for our Mitten Tree to help those who are less fortunate. The Mitten Tree will be in the corner of the Atrium. We will be bringing them as donations for our sandwich drive event. Help those who are cold this winter! 1/27/13 - Life Teen resumes! 5pm Mass followed by a Life Night. Teens don t forget to bring a friend!! Also note: On 2/3/13 following all Masses, all teens and core members of Life Teen will be out with our pots asking for donations for our annual event: Souper Bowl of Caring. All proceeds will be donated to our local church pantry and a local soup kitchen. THANK YOU! A BIG Thank You to the Religious Education Classes and their families who hosted Hospitality for the parish's 25th Anniversary Mass on Sunday, January 20th. We appreciated all the baked goods, donations, set up, and clean up from Josephine Matula's Level 5 students and families, Kate Tully's Level 5 students and families and Kelly Phaneuf's Level 6 students and families. Also, thanks to Nick and Diane Lombardo and the Hospitality Committee for their guidance and service in this celebration.
PARISH OUTREACH YOU CAN HELP PARISH OUTREACH MAKE A CONNECTION WITH OUR ISOLATED NEIGHBORS Do you have a family member or neighbor in our Parish who is unable to get out due to illness, age or disability? Perhaps they no longer drive and are finding it difficult to get to Mass or to socialize with friends. Please help us locate these individuals and bring them into contact with our Holy Cross community. Parish Outreach volunteers get in touch with these parishioners on a monthly basis. By establishing this caring relationship we ensure that those who may be unable to be with us on the weekend are never far from our thoughts. We remind them that they are an important part of our Parish life in the following ways: children in our Religious Education program send seasonal cards, birthday and holiday cards are sent from the Parish, and volunteers visit them during the Advent and Easter seasons. If you are aware of someone who would benefit from these efforts, you might mention to them our wish to include them more fully in the life of our parish. They (or you) can contact the Parish Outreach office at 265-2200 ext. 13. Thank you for caring by helping us reach out and welcome these vital members of our parish community. WOMEN S PRAYER Saturday, February 9th from 9:30-11:00 Women at Prayer February! Valentine s Day! A day set aside to think of Love! How about thinking of God s Love! We missed YOU in January so mark your calendar! On Saturday, Feb. 9th, the Women at Prayer will meet again to explore Sunday s Gospel and perhaps find in that exploration how deeply God loves YOU! Come be a part of this special time set aside to listen to Our God. Take a Saturday morning to listen to what is spoken in your heart. Jesus told us Whenever two or more are gathered in my name I am there. We welcome you to be the more with us. No obligations only Love. For more information please call Helen at 631-656-6115 or Elizabeth at 631-979-6356.
SCOUT SUNDAY The Boy Scouts of America organization annually celebrates its founding. The Scout Sunday tradition was started to bring awareness of scouting to parishioners in houses of worship. The Scout Law says that a Scout is reverent, and scouts of all ages pledge each week to do their Duty to God. These values strengthen youth character in their families, communities and faiths. We celebrate Scouting s Anniversary here at Holy Cross on Sunday, February 10th at the 9:30 AM Mass. Scouts are asked to arrive 15 minutes early and to wear their A level uniforms. All faiths are invited. If you are attending or you have questions, please email Kim and Andy at AKJLB23@optonline.net. CASH CALENDAR
MEETINGS THIS WEEK Saturday, January 26th LEVEL 2 BLESSING Sunday, January 27th LEVEL 2 BLESSING BAPTISMS LIFE TEEN MASS Monday, January 28th ONE-TO-ONE CONFESSION ADORATION BLESSED SACRAMENT KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Tuesday, January 29th MAKING MUSIC PRAYING TWICE 5:00 PM Worship Area All Masses Worship Area 1:00 PM Worship Area 5:00 PM Worship Area 4:30-5:30 PM FJ,A,WA,S,C,CR 6:30-7:30PM Deacons Office Chapel 7:15-8:30PM 10:30 AM COMMUNITY GARDEN MTG. 7:00 PM LEV. 7 PAR./CANDIDATE PRAYER 7:30PM Wor. Area Wednesday, January 30th LEVEL 2 PENANCE Thursday, January 31st RCIA Friday, February 1st FAITH & LIGHT Saturday, February 2nd MEN S FELLOWSHIP WOMEN S ENRICHMENT LEVEL 2 PENANCE Sunday, February 3rd HOSPITALITY MEETING RCIA DISMISSAL LIFE TEEN MASS 7:00 PM Wor.Ar./Atr. 7:00 PM 7:00 PM Fr. Joe Rm./Ch. 9:00 AM 10:00AM Sacristy FAITH & LIGHT 11:00AM Wor.Ar./Atr. 10:30 AM 11:30AM Worship Area 5:00PM Worship Area Friday, February 1st, 7:00 p.m. Parish of the Holy Cross Faith and Light is an international faithsharing organization for people with developmental challenges and their families and care-givers. PARISH OUTREACH FOOD PANTRY Next Saturday and Sunday, February 2nd/3rd will be our monthly Food Drive for our Parish Outreach Pantry. The following items would be most helpful: Brown Paper Bags with Handles Boxed Rice, Boxed Potatoes Juice Drinks Pancake Mix & Syrup Snacks, Cookies, Crackers Canned Fruit Macaroni & Cheese Coffee (1 lb. can or smaller) Bar Soap Please check expiration dates! It will greatly assist the volunteers who stack the pantry with your donated goods. Thank you! CATHOLIC MINISTRIES APPEAL Congratulations Holy Cross! Due to the generosity of our parishioners, we have gone over our goal in pledges for the 2012 Catholic Ministries Appeal. If we receive payment on those pledges by January 31st, Holy Cross will receive a 20% rebate on our goal, and 80% rebate on the amount over goal. So, don t forget to follow through on your pledges! Catholic Ministries Appeal helps your community and your parish. Thank you so much for your support!