SAINT PAUL ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD August 6, 2017 3005 Country Club Road New Bern, NC 28562 www.spccnb.org (252) 638-1984 Office: M-F 8:30-4:00pm Saint Paul Catholic School (252) 633-0100 Saint Peter the Fisherman Mission Parish in Oriental (252) 249-3687 MASS SCHEDULE Saturday...................... 5:00 pm Daily life in the rectory meant a balance of spirituality, work, socializing, Sunday.............. 8:00 am, 11:00 am and especially important to me, exercise. There were mes when there 1:00 pm (Misa en Español) would be a funeral one day and a wedding the next. There were days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday...... 8:00 am when I would be red from the gym but also had to pray without falling Wednesday....................6:00 pm asleep. There were days when I wanted to be alone, but knew God Friday............ 8:00 am at Old St Paul wanted me to be with His people. And then there is today, when I say First Saturday.................. 8:00 am goodbye but I don t want to! Holy Days of Obligation per announcements WELCOME VISITORS & GUESTS! Welcome, New Parishioners! Please register with the parish office During a quick visit to my parents place in Robbins, my Mom asked me, Te están dando de comer? I replied, Yes! They feed me, Ma. I believe she is worried that I won t come home since I am well taken care of here in New Bern. This of course is not true. Sharing a meal with each other is not only a fundamental of human rela ons, but of family. That s what I am grateful for here today and always. Family. Father Tully and Father Schuetz see the parish as family and they don t want to forget about anyone. As part of the Seminarian Project this summer, John and I were given the task to reach out to over two hundred parishioners and become available to them. This meant some mes driving over a hundred miles visi ng homes and countless phones calls. We were able to speak to roughly thirty percent of them, though most of them had moved out of New Bern. This assignment taught us to be understanding and accessible to not only you, who come to Church every Sunday, but also everyone else. Like parents concerned with their children s growth, I have learned that in order to be a good Priest, I too must be concerned with everyone within the parish, not just those ac ve. Whether I was working on the project and invi ng people back to the Church or conversing with you in the Parish or during a meal, I learned that I had to put aside what I wanted, in order to make room for what Christ wanted. Perhaps John and I were able to help the Parish grow with our summer project as much as YOU helped us grow in our voca on. St. Paul, New Bern has become a warm beau ful place where I know there is family. Oh! And to my fellow Knights of Columbus, thank you for le ng us play Bingo on Mondays! Noe Ramirez de Paz Almighty and eternal God, In your unfailing love you provide ministers for your Church. We pray for Noe Ramirez de Paz, whom you call to serve the Church. Inspire in him a generous response. Grant him the courage and vision to serve your people. May his life and service call your people to respond to the presence of your Sprirt among us that, faithful to the Gospel and hope of Jesus the Christ, we may announce glad tiding to the poor proclaim liberty to captives, set prisoners free and renew the faith of the earth. Amen
TODAY S READINGS First Reading I saw one like a Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14). Psalm The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth (Psalm 97). Second Reading Be a en ve to the prophe c message, as to a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:16-19). Gospel Jesus was transfigured, and his clothes became white as light (Ma hew 17:1-9). READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Nm 11:4b-15; Ps 81:12-17; Mt 14:13-21 Tuesday: Nm 12:1-13; Ps 51:3-13; Mt 14:22-36 Wednesday: Nm 13:1-25 -14:1-35; Ps 106:6-23; Mt 15:21-28 Thursday: 2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 112:1-9; Jn 12:24-26 Friday: Dt 4:32-40; Ps 77:12-21; Mt 16:24-28 Saturday: Dt 6:4-13; Ps 18:2-51; Mt 17:14-20 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: The Transfigura on of the Lord Monday: St. Sixtus II and Companions; St. Cajetan Tuesday: St. Dominic Wednesday: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) Thursday: St. Lawrence Friday: St. Clare Saturday: St. Jane Frances de Chantal; Blessed Virgin Mary WELCOME! We extend a warm welcome to all who a end our church. We hope that you will find our parish community a place where your life of faith will be nourished. We also hope that you will share your special gi s within the community. Your prayers, your presence, and your talents are most welcome. Please introduce yourself a er Mass. SACRAMENT SCHEDULE Reconcilia on: Thursdays 10:45-11:45am; Saturday 3:30-4:30pm or by appointment Bap sm Classes: First me parents must a end Bap smal Prepara on Classes. Registra on is mandatory. Contact the church office to register. First Communion/Confirma on: Please call 633-3030 Marriages: Contact Parish Office - 6 month advance no ce is required Anoin ng of the Sick: Contact the Office at 638-1984 Funerals: Call 638-4436 or e-mail funeral@spccnb.org THIS WEEK S PARISH ACTIVITIES Sunday 8/6 9:00AM Olive Branch Gi Store Open ll 1:00PM 8:00AM Mass +Bernard Fitzpatrick 9:30AM Chancel Choir Prac ce 10:30AM Chaplet of the Divine Mercy - SJC 11:00AM Mass Saint Paul Parish Family 1:00PM Mass (Sp) +Pascacio Avila Oliver 3:00PM Hispanic Prayer Group FLC3 Monday 8/7 8:00AM Mass +Jack Buchler 11:00AM Hand and Foot Games - FLC 6:30PM CDA Mee ng School Library 6:30PM Safe Environment Team - Conf Rm Tuesday 8/8 8:00AM Mass +Eleanor Mastronardo 12:00PM One in the Spirit Prayer Group SJC 1:00PM Prayer Shawl Ministry FLC3 Wednesday 8/9 9:00AM Olive Branch Gi Store Open ll Noon 3:30PM Tobit Ministry Mee ng Conf Rm 5:00PM Medjugorje Prayer Group SJC 6:00PM Mass 7:00PM Hispanic Choir Prac ce 7:00PM SPRAA Men s Open Gym Basketball Thursday 8/10 8:00AM Mass For All Our Deacons 8:35AM Adora on Church 9:00AM Child Safety Class FLC2 10:45AM Reconcilia on 11:45AM Benedic on Church 12:00PM August 20 th Bulle n Items Due 7:30PM Folk Choir Prac ce - Church Friday 8/11 8:00AM Mass (OSP) +Chris na Adam Cramer Saturday 8/12 2:00PM Alvernia Matrimonial FLC 2 3:30PM Reconcilia on Church 5:00PM Mass +Gwen Luke UPCOMING PARISH ACTIVITIES 8/14 6:30PM School Open House 8/15 FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION 8/16 First Day of School!! 8/25 5:00PM Catholic Scavenger Hunt Post Confirma on Youth Old Saint Paul 8/26 10:00AM Alvernia Matrimonial FLC2 EME / LECTOR SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEKEND Aug. 12th: 5PM - Team #1(3) & Aug. 13th: 8AM - Team #3 Aug. 13th: 11AM - Team #2 FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION Masses for Tuesday, August 15th, the Feast of the Assump on are at 8am, 12 noon and 6pm KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BINGO Every Monday Night at the K of C Hall - 1125 Pine Tree Drive Early Bird Games 6:30 PM Regular Games 7:00 PM $2500.00 in cash prizes Smoke Free
PASTOR S CORNER August 6, 2017 Dear Friends at Saint Paul: Russian diploma c retalia on for United States sanc ons is not the newspaper headline I thought I would read again. I remember the first me I met someone who spoke Russian by choice and not by culture: a college classmate who was majoring in history. His nickname, of course, was Spy. I wonder where he actually ended up... Peacemaking is not a finished business but a heart-stopping process: we know this from family life. The daily irritants and the irreformable habits can some mes seem inevitably to lead to conflict. It seems that pa ence and forgiveness are not moral excellence but daily survival tools. The same is true of our own conscience, if we are paying a en on. Don't we some mes say: We are our own worst enemies? We believe that un l the heart of every human person is centered in God, there will be wars and rumors of wars like we have in our own hearts and minds when we are tortured by addic ons, or anxiety or the collapse of our expecta ons of ourselves or of others. The effect of our o en mixed and conflic ng mo ves is a lack of spiritual and moral peace. When God is at the center of our hopes and dreams, with a good humility and a gratefulness for mercy added in, then there is a basis for peace within and a hope for peace without. A great part of our insecurity in life springs from the convic on that we ought to be doing be er but we aren't. This leads to a feeling that we are not able to control our des ny. We desire but can not obtain. The delusion is that we ARE able to control our des ny... but God is alone in that department. When there is a healthy and humble surrender of the heart to the ability of God to rule the world and us then we begin to have the freedom to act for the sake of be erment and a very limited kind of self-determina on. It is the only real freedom that we have: to choose to love. When Jesus instructed us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors was he offering the horribly undeserving some overly roman c approval? Did enemies suddenly become nonenemies? No! I'm afraid enemies and persecutors some mes love their enmity and persecu on too much! Jesus was, at least in part, telling us how our own happiness might be achieved. Loving our enemies might selfishly be the only way we ever get to be happy, or peaceful or hopeful. When God is the ruler of me, then loving my enemies becomes a possibility. My persecutors (whether they be in my mind or in my house or live next door or in D.C. or at the Kremlin) aren't going to stop if I don't pray for them. They aren't going to change un l God makes them change. I must beg God to release me from them and them from me. When I can, loving my enemies redeems me from that hatred, fear and powerlessness which is my real enemy. Loving your enemies is what the Cross is about the atonement; the Resurrec on is about overcoming enmity itself the triumph! Hey, God is in charge of love and peace, and us and our enemies! Dasvidaniya! Peace,
The Saint Paul Catholic School Family Fall Fes val and 4 th Annual Stew, Brew, and Chili too! October 20, 2017 at 4:00PM When you think of fall, what comes to mind? Crisp October nights, outdoor fes vals, hay rides, chili contests? The Saint Paul Catholic School Family Fall Fes val, scheduled for October 20, 2017 will offer all of this and more. Your family will be able to enjoy a hay ride around the campus while sipping apple cider, try your luck at corn hole, or try to win a tasty dessert at the cake walk. You may also chip in to have a Parish celebrity get wet in the dunk tank. Each class is sponsoring a booth such as Go Fish, Donut on a String, or Pumpkin Bowling to test your skill and imagina on. Kids will also enjoy ac vi es such as face pain ng and bounce houses. You may purchase snacks and beverages at the various food booths outside. The 4 th Annual Stew, Brew, and Chili too! will be taking place in the Family Life Center. This year s contestants will have four opportuni es to win. A panel of judges from area restaurants will select First, Second and Third place winners. In addi on, a Crowd Favorite will be voted on by those who purchase dinner ckets. Guidelines for entering will be published soon. Music will be provided by Limited Engagement. Raffle ckets for cash prizes totaling $5,000 are now available on-line at h ps://www.schoolspeak.com/public/onlineorder. Tickets are $25 each and will also be sold by the students star ng in mid-august. Soon, you will also be able to purchase wristbands for the Fes val ac vi es and the Chili cook-off on SchoolSpeak. Our Family Life Center was filled with cots and ma resses during the week of Paint Your Heart Out New Bern. We hosted 155 youths from various states and church groups. Please pray for those who are sick, shut-in, or recovering from surgery, and their caregivers Pictured are CJ Brooker, John de Guzman, and Father Michel Schuetz at the dedica on of the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh. GRIEVING GROUP Know that we are praying with you as you grieve the loss of your loved one. We are here for you and invite you to our Autumn Grieving Group. September 12th through October 17th. (6 Sessions on Tuesdays) Saint Joseph Chapel 10:00 to 11:30AM If anyone is seeking individual sessions, we can make that possible. To register call Irene Swanteson (Third Order Dominican) 252-638-9306. Facilitator: Sister Monique Dissen, I.H.M. Pastoral Associate / Adjunct Chaplain At The Pearly Gates
TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD Today, the Feast of the Transfigura on of the Lord, is a day of eyewitness accounts. The first, a vision reported by the prophet Daniel, was well known to Jesus and his apostles. The vision account was wri en in quite mys cal and figura ve language. It is a vision of heaven, powerful and memorable. There are flames of fire, burning wheels, the Ancient One, and a Son of Man. Clearly, Daniel saw something. But was it a dream? Was it real? Was it merely a clever myth? Peter wants no such confusion about his vision! We are told in Ma hew s Gospel what he and his friends James and John saw when they went up on the mountain with Jesus one day. Jesus warned the three witnesses to tell no one un l the Son of Man has been raised from the dead (Ma hew 17:9). Jesus said: This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased, and he assures us that the message is altogether reliable (2 Peter 1:17, 19). SAINT OF THE WEEK ~ SAINT LAWRENCE Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecu on broke out, Pope Saint Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execu on, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope. "in three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor all his money and sold expensive vessels to have more to give away. The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then, he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!" In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was ed over a slow fire that roasted his flesh li le by li le, but Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flames. In fact, God gave him so much strength and joy that he even joked. "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm done on this side!" And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic Faith might spread all over the world. A er that, he went to receive the martyr's reward. Saint Lawrence's feast day is August 10th. Due to his conspiring to hide and protect the wri en documents of the Church, Saint Lawrence is known as the patron saint of archivists and librarians. h p://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=366 Do you have someone away at college? Campus Ministers at the universi es served by the Diocese are preparing for the arrival of new Catholic undergraduate students. Research, and our own pastoral experience, shows that if we can connect a student with campus ministry as they are making other first connec ons in their university, that person is more likely to par cipate in the life of the Catholic faith community at their university. This is where you can help. The Campus Ministry office at the Diocese has prepared a simple online form that collects a student s name, email address, university name, and home parish. The form can be accessed using this link: h ps:// nyurl.com/raleighcampusministry We will try to reach out to your college student! Please let us know. Also, remember the Young Adult survey for the Bishops Synod coming up: English: h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/raleighcatholic Spanish: h ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/raleighcatolico As a sign of caring for one another, the Church has responded to the needs of those who are glutenintolerant: low gluten hosts are available at every Mass upon request. Please let an usher or the sacristan know before Mass that there is need for the low gluten host. (This must be done every me as we do not reserve consecrated low-gluten hosts in the Tabernacle. A specifically-designated pyx (communion box) is held by the Priest Presider with only low gluten hosts. The communicant needs to be in the Presider's line. The communicant iden fies himself or herself to the Priest Presider as they approach for communion asking for a low gluten host. Of course, should arrangements not be able to be made before Mass, or if low gluten hosts can not be tolerated, then it is perfectly acceptable for the gluten intolerant to receive communion under the form of the Precious Blood at any me it is offered. (Wine does not contain gluten.) Please be aware that care and precau on are taken but the danger of wheat gluten to the gluten-intolerant can not be prevented completely. Please also note that "100% gluten free" hosts are not possible and are not used.
OLIVE BRANCH STORE & LENDING LIBRARY Did you know? We have a large sec on of books in our Lending Library of great religious-themed novels and books about the lives of our great saints. Check one out today for something different to read! Remember, there is no me limit on borrowing so you can take your me! Know someone heading off to a dorm room? We have small crucifixes and Saint Christopher medals that make lovely gi s. WE NEED YOU - PLEASE VOLUNTEER WITH US! We especially need volunteers for Wednesday morning. Open Sun. 9 1 & Wed. 9 12 in the Family Life Center. All proceeds benefit St. Paul Catholic Church. GOD S WORD FOR KIDS - Transfigura on of the Lord - Word Scramble When Jesus took three of his disciples to the top of a high mountain, something very special happened. PRAYER FOR COLLEGEE STUDENTS Lord, we pray for the protec on of those entering college. We ask that You would guard their heart and their mind in Christ Jesus. That You would wrap them up in Your love, And deliver them from all evil. Lord, we pray that You would give these students great enthusiasm for their studies. That you would inspire their direc on and gently lead them into their des ny. May they come to know Your goodness and love, to walk in Your freedom and grace all the days of their life. Amen PARISH STAFF DIRECTORY NIGHT EMERGENCY CALL: 252-638-4436 PASTORAL STAFF Father Thomas S Tully, Pastor: 638-1984 pastor@spccnb.org Father Michael Schuetz, Parochial Vicar: 638-1984 frschuetz@spccnb.org Deacon Rick Fisher: 229-1644 Deacon Mike Mahoney, ObISB: 571-1597 Sister Monique Dissen, IHM, Hospital: 675-0333 Admin Assistant, DeLesa Conway: 638-1984 dconway@spccnb.org Bookkeeper, Donna Simon: 638-1984 dsimon@spccnb.org Bulle n: bulle n@spccnb.org Cemetery: Danny Gennantonio 637-2322 Director Opera ons: Deacon David Kierski 633-0100 dkierski@spccnb.org Faith Forma on: Joy Harsen 229-2394 Funeral Arrangements: 638-4436 funeral@spccnb.org Music Ministry: Megan Johnson 633-0100 mjohnson@stpaulcs.org RCIA Coordinator: Marcelene McLure 633-2539 Catholic Chari es: 638-2188 Catholic Daughters: Belinda Swager 617-0849 Extraordinary Ministers of Eucharist: Mary Spano: 633-4768 Eucharis c Ministers (Home / Sick): Dennis Colbert: 638-1555 Finance Council: Bob Nenni: 635-6716 Knights Third Degree: Phil Nassef 229-9799 Knights Fourth Degree: Patrick Rocco 514-0405 Pastoral Council: pcouncil@spccnb.org Religious Community Services: 633-2767 Rectory: 638-4436 Sacrament Arrangements: 638-1984 Saint Paul School Administrator: Deacon Kierski: 633-0100