June 11, 2017 The Most Holy Trinity 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 Mr. Thomas C. McKee, Gym Manager 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.
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY Special Independence Day Mass Tuesday, July 4: 8:15 a.m. College Students in Mobile area for the summer Join fellow college students at the Catholic Student Center at the University of South Alabama (6051 Old Shell Road) for some food and fellowship. Every Monday night (beginning June 5), we will have Confessions (5:30-5:50pm), 6 p.m. Mass, followed by dinner and some fun activity! Questions? Please call Fr. Dean, (251) 343-3662. The Corpus Christi Women s Club The CCWC will host an Ice Cream social for the children at St. Mary's home, 4350 Moffett Rd. tomorrow, Monday, June 12, at 6:30 p.m. The Women s Club will caravan/carpool from Corpus Christi s central parking lot at 6:00 p.m. Contact/Info: Lois Gafford, 251-209-2163. Special Monday Night Dinner Monday, July 3 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Banquet Hall $6.00 for Adults! $3.00 for Children (Age 12 & under) Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Fresh Fruit (watermelon, etc.), Cake, Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water. [Soft Drinks and Ice Cream may be purchased separately.] RSVP: Return an RSVP Card, or call 342-1852, or email WedNightDinner@CorpusChristiParish.com. VBS 2017 Grades K-8 Maker Fun Factory Created by God, made for a purpose! Monday-Friday, June 19-23, 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon Late registrations will be accepted. (The deadline was June 1 st.) Registration instructions are available at the VBS table in the atrium. The registration fee is $35 per child and includes supplies, snacks and take-home crafts. Info: Diane Stoyka or Peter Stoyka dianestoyka@yahoo.com or pstoyka@corpuschristiparish.com. The Archdiocese of Mobile One Faith One Family Conference August 18-19 at the Daphne Civic Center Tickets on sale now. Visit mobarchconferences.org for info, or speak with Sean & Cynthia Wentworth or Vinnie & DeeDee Picicci. Tickets include supper on Friday evening, and are $75 for a family or $45 for individuals, with a $5 discount for early-bird registrations. 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 Wed., 6:30 p.m., Community Ctr.. Conf. Rm. To seek help, call 243-4061; leave name & phone no. Widowed Persons Support Group For information call parishioner Glen Porter at 666-8977. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Next K of C Meeting: 2 nd Tues., June 13, 7 p.m., Parish House Contact: Grand Knight, Cosmo Comiskey, 508-0547. 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 Tuesday Night Bible Study Meetings are at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Parish House except on the 2 nd Tuesday of each month, the meeting is in the school library. The Bible Timeline, a Catholic study with a series of 24 videos. Info: Dave Burchette, 251-367-6660 or davebur1955@gmail.com. Welcome New Parishioners Garrett & Katie Zoghby and their daughter, Mary Hyland MARRIED IN CHRIST Jeffrey James Harvison & Meredith Michelle Donald SCRIP will be for sale in the atrium after the 9:00 a.m. Mass. SCRIP gift cards provided by our parish school include grocery stores, department stores, restaurants, gas stations and many more retailers. Cards are available in $5, $10, $15, $20, and larger amounts. For more detailed information, please contact our SCRIP office at 342-5474, ext. 1204 or SCRIP@CorpusChristiParish.com. SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND: Seminarians. FIRST COLLECTION TODAY: Tithing Offerings. SECOND COLLECTION TODAY: Corpus Christi Building Fund. MAY 28 TH BUILDING FUND ONLINE & COLLECTION: $2,019.50 MAY 28 TH TITHING ONLINE & COLLECTION: $23,955.88 Thank You and God Bless You 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 4, or the parish office, 342-1852.
Trinity Sunday ~ Celebrating Three Persons in One God The Trinity is the manner in which we believe God is revealed to the world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of the Christian life. (CCC, #261) God is mystery, meaning that we just can t pin God down we re unable to know everything there is to know about God. Nevertheless, God has communicated to us just who He is. The Church expresses this as God s being revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three expressions or persons of one divine essence. The Trinity is One. We do not believe in three Gods but rather one God in a unity of three persons with one divine nature. One analogy is to think of the different states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Ice can become water, and water can become steam. All of these are the same essence and contain equal amounts of hydrogen and oxygen, but they appear in different forms. God the Father The first person of the Trinity is the Father the Creator from which everything flows and has its being. While the Son and the Holy Spirit are not lesser gods, they do proceed from the Father as God s own self-gift to humanity. In the Father, we experience God as Abba, Papa our loving and merciful Father. God the Son The second person of the Trinity is the Son Jesus himself, the God become man. We believe that God freely chose to come into human history in the person of Jesus. God became like us and died our human death for us. But because Jesus is God, He cannot be held by death, and rises to new life. In Jesus, we experience God as Savior, Friend, Shepherd, Brother. God the Holy Spirit The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son. Jesus announces that his Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with and in the disciples, to teach and guide them. The Spirit is God s real presence living within all of us. In the Holy Spirit, we experience God as Counselor, Consoler, Advocate, Guide.
Three Persons Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier One in Perfect Love GOD Love could not be better commended to you than by the fact that it is called GOD. St. Augustine God is love. On this solid rock the entire faith of the Church is based. Pope Benedict XVI Father, we joyfully proclaim our faith in the mystery of your Godhead. You have revealed your glory as the glory also of your Son and of the Holy Spirit: three persons equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, yet one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your everlasting glory. Preface for Trinity Sunday You must as a community do all in your power to be formed in the image of God. And what do we find in God? We see equality of persons and unity of essence. What should that teach you if not that you should all be one and equal? St. Vincent de Paul God does not exist in solitude, but in perfect communion. Therefore, the human person, made in the image of God, fulfills himself or herself in love. Three persons are one God because the Father is love, the Son is love and the Holy Spirit is love. The greatest proof that we are all made in the image of the Trinity is that only love makes us happy, because we live to love and to be loved. Pope Benedict XVI The vocation to love makes the human person an authentic image of God: Man and woman come to resemble God to the extent that they become loving people. Pope Benedict XVI Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and but one light, and I will explain to you the mode of divine existence. John Wesley God hugs you. You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God. Hildegarde of Bingen To examine the fact of the Trinity closely is rashness, to believe it is piety, to know it is life, and life eternal. St. Bernard In speaking of the Trinity we must face the misery of language. St. Thomas Aquinas Our efforts to speak of the Trinity is comparable to the efforts of a drunken man shuffling along the street and trying to speak lucidly. If we imagine that we are able to get to grips with mystery, we are making a fool of ourselves. St. Gregory of Nyssa Trinity
St. Philip Neri ~ The Joyful Saint Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy in 1515 into a prosperous family. He bypassed a business career to become a priest, but after pursuing his studies for awhile, he abandoned them. For the next thirteen years, he went his own unique way, deepening his spirituality while living a life of poverty among the poor. Doing this, Philip became street wise, growing in his understanding of this way of life, and gaining a deeper appreciation of the people who lived it. Part of his efforts, during this time, went toward organizing leaders to assist the poor. Philip invited poor young people to join him in church services, picnics, musical events, and gala processions to visit various churches in Rome. He also got them to volunteer in the hospitals of Rome to care for patients. Convinced by a friend that he could better lead this work as a priest, he was ordained at age 36. activities. They maintained that religion must be solemn, serious and somber. All of this fun was out of place. And so, they reported Philip to the pope, Paul IV, who was a severe reformer who was ruthlessly sweeping away abuse in the Church. Many clergy criticized Philip. They thought his activities were more like carnivals than religious services. They maintained that religion must be solemn, serious, and somber. All of this fun was out of place. They reported Philip to the pope, Paul IV, who was a severe reformer, and Pope Paul IV ordered Philip to discontinue his work. But less than a year later, a more moderate pope, Pope Pius IV, was elected, and this new pope lifted the ban and blessed Philip s work. Some of his followers became priests and lived together in community. This was the beginning of the Oratory, the religious institute he founded. They preached and evangelized throughout Rome. A feature of their life was a daily afternoon service of four informal talks, with hymns and prayers in the vernacular rather than Latin. Giovanni Palestrina was one of Philip s followers, and composed music for the services. The Oratory was finally approved after suffering through a period of accusation of being an assembly of heretics, where lay persons preached and sang vernacular hymns! Some in Rome were shocked by Philip s friendliness, informality, and sense of humor. He once said, A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one. He liked to dress in comical outfits, assume outlandish disguises, go about with only one side of his face shaved, wear his cassock backwards, and indulge in elaborate practical jokes. When he was appointed a cardinal, he used his cardinal s hat as a frisbee. All of this was part of a deliberate campaign to keep people from putting him on a pedestal. Many clergy thought it was all too undignified too much merriment and silliness. They thought that Philip s activities were more like carnivals than religious Philip was called to the Vatican to defend himself. Here, a pompous cardinal rebuked Philip for introducing novelty into religion and accused him of being ambitious. The pope ordered Philip to refrain from many of his activities and to discontinue his work among young people. This broke Philip s heart everything he had worked for seemed doomed. But he obeyed and prayed. Fortunately, his prayers were answered. When a more moderate pope, Pius IV, was elected less than a year after Philip s denouncement, this new pope, Pius IV, not only lifted the ban but blessed Philip s work. Many came to visit Philip to receive spiritual direction from him, and later became great leaders and canonized saints, including St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis de Sales, etc. A general spiritual renewal in Rome came about largely from the efforts of Philip Neri. His humility, his joyfulness, and his devotion to Jesus brought many back to the faith. He is often described as the Second Apostle of Rome, after St. Peter. On May 25, 1595, before retiring for the night, he simply said, Last of all, we must die. He died that night at age 80, on the Feast of Corpus Christi.
It is not fitting, when one is in God s service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look. St. Francis of Assisi God protect me from gloomy saints! From somber devotions and sourfaced saints, good Lord, deliver us! St. Teresa of Avila Somewhere along the line, piety became linked with gloominess, with a view that there s something noble about being dour, and dangerous about being joyful. Joy, humor and laughter show one s faith in God. For Christians, an essentially hopeful outlook shows that you believe in the resurrection, in the power of life over death, and in the power of love over hatred. Humor shows your trust in God, who will ultimately make all things well. Joy reveals faith. Fr. James Martin, S.J. from his book, Between Heaven And Mirth Out of gratitude and love for God, we should desire to be reckoned fools. Laugh and grow strong. St. Ignatius of Loyola For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 Genuine Christian joy is not a perpetual state of ecstatic hilarity. By no means! True joy is that interior peace and happiness which comes from our awareness that God loves us just as we are. It comes also from the knowledge that we are striving in our own human way to respond to his infinite love. Fr. David E. Rosage Please don t say that some great sorrow drove me into the convent. That s nonsense. I am, and have always been, one of the happiest women in the world. St. Katharine Drexel There is nothing Christian in gloom. Any repentance unsweetened by faith and cheerfulness is unacceptable. We must live in sunshine even when we are sorrowful. We must live in God s presence. We must not shut ourselves up in our own hearts, even when we are feeling sorry about our past sins. St. John Henry Newman Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a life-time. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever! This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:1, 24