ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO JULY 3, 2016 The summer rectory office hours will be MONDAY-THURSDAY 8 a.m. 5 p.m. We will be closed the following Fridays: July 8, 15, 22, 29 PLEASE WELCOME AMY MCENTEE TO OUR PARISH STAFF As of July 1 st Amy McEntee will be joining the St. Helen staff as Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Youth Ministry. Amy, who holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from the University of Dayton, brings over 10 years of experience in religious education and youth ministry at both the parish and Archdiocesan levels. Amy, and her husband Pat, have been parishioner s of St Helen Parish since 2009. Please join us in welcoming Amy to this important position on our parish staff. FESTIVAL SELLER AWARDS Top Sellers 1. Tootie Maloney $3400.00 2. Arlene Hatcher $1125.00 3. Coletta Franks $650.00 3. DeDe Moran $650.00 Centurion Club ($100.00 Each) 1. Tootie Maloney 2. DeDe Moran 750 Club ($50 Each) 1. Coletta Franks 2. Helen Hischak 3. Charles & Marion Timm 4. Tootie Maloney 5. Arlene Hatcher 6. Anne Bereda 7. Mary Adducchio 8. Doris Issenmann 9. Arlene Hatcher 10. Tootie Maloney READINGS FOR JULY 10 Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Colossians 19:8, 9, 10, 11 Luke 10:25-37 With heartfelt thanks for your STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE JUNE 25 & 26 Adults $16,660.05 Children $3.00 IN THE MILITARY Please pray for those serving in the military. Lord, protect our military as they sacrifice for us; bless them and their families for their continuing selflessness. WE REMEMBER OUR DECEASED In your prayers please remember our former deacon, Deacon Roy Deardorff who passed away and whose funeral was held last week. Please also remember his family and all who mourn his death. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. FOURTH OF JULY: BEGIN YOUR CELEBRATION WITH MASS! With all that is going on in our country today and what lies ahead of us, join us in prayer for our nation and celebration of its gifts and responsibilities! Just as St. Helen hosted the Memorial Day Mass, our neighbors down the street at Ascension will host the 4th of July Mass on Monday, July 4, at 9:00 a.m. Mass will again be followed by a reception. Ascension is just down Woodman Drive from us, at 2025! Have a safe and happy holiday! What do Sts. Cyril and Methodius have to do with a Sea Breeze? See page 5 of the bulletin and come find out!
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATIONS SUNDAY, JULY 3 8:00 a.m. Joan Woodall (Family) 10:30 a.m. Evelyn Hirsch (Carolyn Henry) MONDAY, JULY 4 9:00 a.m. Independence Day Mass at Ascension TUESDAY, JULY 5 8:15 Clarence J. Knapke (Knapke Family) WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 8:15 a.m. Kay Koester (Potts Family) THURSDAY, JULY 7 8:15 a.m. William Paul (Daughter) FRIDAY, JULY 8 Regional Mass at Immaculate Conception Church SATURDAY, JULY 9 5:00 p.m. Carmel Rocco (Lucille Lynch) SUNDAY, JULY 10 8:00 a.m. Jean Knapke (Knapke Family) 10:30 a.m. Maureen Hunt (Bill Hemmert & Family) FR. DAVE S NEW ADDRESS If you would like to stay in contact with Fr. Dave, please send correspondence to his new address: Fr. David Brinkmoeller 3505 Calumet Road Ludlow Falls OH 45339 davidebrinkmoeller@gmail.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS SUNDAY, JULY 3 8:00 a.m. Mass (Rosary at 7:30 a.m.) Coffee and Conversation- HR 9:00-10:15 a.m. RCIA Inquiry-SJN 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Mass MONDAY, JULY 4 Legion of Mary-SJA 2:00 p.m. TUESDAY, JULY 5 Rosary-BSC 9:00 a.m. WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 Centering Prayer-SJN 3:15 p.m. SVDP Meeting-SB 6:45 p.m. THURSDAY, JULY 7 Drinking with The Saints-On the Hill 6:30 p.m. FRIDAY, JULY 8 Regional Mass at Immaculate Conception Church PARISH OFFICE CLOSED SATURDAY, JULY 9 Men s Group-SJN 7:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Mass CREATION CARE TEAM Care for the environment is a fundamental principle within Catholic Social Teaching. We, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio, applaud efforts already underway in many Catholic homes and institutions that help conserve energy, protect the environment, and advance greater understanding of faithful stewardship. We hope Catholic families and institutions around the state will continue in such efforts. PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP OUR PASTORS AND ALL OF OUR PARISHIONERS IN YOUR PRAYERS AS WE MOVE INTO A NEW ERA! Change is always difficult, and it can create fear and a feeling of unsettledness. The challenges of hello can be just as hard as the challenges of goodbye are painful. But as a wise person once said, Ah, such is the stuff of life that makes us grow! As a Christian people, we are a people of hope... and we must be a people of vigilant prayer. Ellen and Mary attended a symposium on liturgy and the new evangelization at Notre Dame two weeks ago. One small exercise they did was a fist bumping with someone they did not know, with both parties saying to the other at the point of contact, You matter. It was not a trivial moment because the presenter of that particular talk emphasized that the point of connection, while powerful, was not the essential part...the essential movement took place as both parties bridged the gap necessary to make the bump in the first place. We are hosting several potluck getting acquainted dinners with Frs. Satish and Vincent, and we hope as many of you as possible will be able to participate as we bridge gaps and bump fists as the precious and valuable community of St. Helen! See the flier on page 4 for info!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Fr. Dave s Retirement Open House! There was not an open seat or dry eye in the house! THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED! THANK YOU, LIN GEISEL, FOR YOUR TALENT AND CREATIVITY!
ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO JULY 3, 2016 In case of inclement weather we will meet in the St. Julie Center SAVE THE DATE!!! The Parish Picnic will be held Sunday,August14th 12-5 p.m. Mark your calendars now! WE ARE UPDATING OUR MEMBERSHIP RECORDS. MAKE SURE YOUR INFORMATION IS ACCURATE FOR THE NEW MINI DIRECTORY Here is your chance to update YOUR record for our annual Guide Book & Directory (if you haven t already done so). It is time for us to update our database with any changes, additions, or deletions that may have occurred in YOUR family over the past year. Have you changed your phone number? To a cell phone? Have you moved? Are you preparing to move soon? Do you want your record published? If you have not already informed the Church Office about changes to your record, please let us know now so that the information in the Guide Book & Directory is correct. The Church Office number is 254-6233. MERCY CORNER Our featured Corporal Work of Mercy for June is Give drink to the thirsty Consider: Donate Infant Formula to The Glen at St. Joseph or Elizabeth New Life Center. Our featured Spiritual Work of Mercy for June is Comfort the sorrowful. Consider: Work on listening more than you speak.
ST. HELEN CHURCH RIVERSIDE, OHIO JULY 3, 2016 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT ASCENSION PARISH/SCHOOL Ascension Parish in Kettering Ohio is seeking a PT Bookkeeper to work 3 days a week. Prior bookkeeping experienced preferred, along with proficiency in MS Word, Excel and Publisher. Duties include but not limited to: A/P, payroll recording, filing, record keeping, data entry, tracking deposits. May also include formatting the weekly bulletin. Must have good organizational skills and be able to work on their own. Interested parties may submit a resume, including pay history and references to: cshanklin@ascensionkettering.org. Ascension School is seeking a warm and welcoming candidate to be our school secretary. This would be a Part-Time, 25 hour a week job at a rate of $12 an hour. Personal days and sick days will be included. The candidate should be able to work in an environment that is bustling! Persons seeking this position should be computer knowledgeable with Word, Excel, and willing to learn school related software such as Option C. Contact: Susan DiGiorgio sdigiorgio@ascensionkettering.org CARROLL WOMEN'S SOCCER 2016 PATRIOT 5k RUN Introducing...THE LITTLE PAT'S LAP. Please join our events on Saturday, July 30th @ Carroll High School's Patriot Stadium. The Little Pat's Lap starts @ 8:40 am and is for 7 years and under - $6 Patriot 5k starts @ 9 am with Early Bird Registration before July 8th: Adults - $21, Students - $16, Children 13 and under - $12. Late Bird Registration after July 8th: Adults - $26, Students - $21, Children 13 and under - $16. RACE DAY REGISTRATION OPENS at 8 am! Register online at www.alliancerunning.com/raceentry.php?id=83 Online registration closes on July 28th @ Midnight. Additional information at www.carrollhs.org 2016 GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS Bishop Joseph R. Binzer will be the principal celebrant at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception for the 2016 Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass. Please make plans to attend Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. Watch for invitations to be mailed. THE ATHENAEUM OF OHIO ANNOUNCES LAY TUITION REDUCTION FOR 2016-17 ACADEMIC YEAR. The Athenaeum, the Archdiocesan seminary and school of theology, announces a 50% lay tuition reduction as part of our One Faith, One Hope Capital Campaign commitment. The Lay Pastoral Ministry Program Certificate Option will meet in Dayton at the Pilarczyk Center in 2016-17, and moves to the northern part of the Archdiocese in 2017-18. Graduate programs are available at the main campus in Cincinnati. All options are designed for busy adults with an outstanding faculty, supportive staff and flexible components. There will never be a better time to come and see how lay Catholic studies through the Athenaeum can transform your life. For information about Dayton classes, call Deacon Hal Belcher, 419-305- 5486. For Cincinnati options, call Dr. Susan McGurgan, 513-231-1200. ELIZABETH NEW LIFE CENTER Elizabeth s New Life Center is in need of medical professionals to volunteer in our Women s Centers. If you are an M.D., D.O.,LPN, RN, Nurse practitioner, Physician s Assistant or RDMS please consider giving a few hours of your time weekly, biweekly or monthly to work with the underserved women our community who may be at risk for abortion. Please email tmiller@elizabethnewlifecenter.org or call 937-226-7414 to talk about the possibilities! NAIM The Naim July 11th meeting is a carry in brunch featuring the Christmas in July gift delivery to St. Vincent de Paul. For more about this social and religious organization for the widowed contact Sunny Hickey 937-433- 1437 or Bob Zimmer 937-439-2665.
St. Helen Parish: Gratitude for the Past, Hope for the Future It is with immense gratitude to God, to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and to the parishioners of St. Helen and Immaculate Conception parishes, that today I assume the awesome responsibility of Pastor of both these parishes. As I do so, I ask God for two graces: humility and wisdom humility to know that pastorship means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, the Good Shepherd; and wisdom to view each person and situation through God s eyes. And even though Fr. Vincent is new to our communities, I consider him integral to my ministry at both the parishes. I believe that God has put him in partnership with us for a reason. Please allow me to share how I understand the role of a pastor and his relationship to a parish. While this is not a comprehensive statement, it will give you an insight into my thinking, my spirituality, my leadership and my ministry. As usual, God speaks to me in three points. Parish with A Vision: St Helen s Parish - A Kingdom People Jesus was a man with a vision. He began his ministry with the words, The Kingdom of God is at hand. On the one hand, Jesus life was at the service of the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, he himself was the fullness of the Kingdom. In today s gospel reading, he sends his disciples out, asking them to preach the very message he himself preached, The Kingdom of God is at hand for you (Luke 10:9). I am of the firm conviction that parishes find life, meaning, and purpose when they align themselves with the vision of Jesus. In November 2015, when Fr. Dave was still pastor, he invited me to lead the parish staff for a day, reflecting on this one question: What is St. Helen s parish all about? We reflected extensively on the life, ministry and message of Jesus. We also reflected on our own relationship with Christ and the parish. As a result of our prayer and reflection, we discovered that St. Helen parish can find renewed meaning and purpose by focusing on the very theme that Jesus preached: the Kingdom of God. Fr. Dave himself was very excited about the prospects of focusing on this theme. Following up on that eventful day, the staff and I shared this vision with the Parish Pastoral Council. Most people on the Council found the possibility of our identity, vision, and mission around the theme of the Kingdom of God to be very exciting. As we continue the mission of Jesus Christ and the legacy of Fr. Dave, I am committed to St. Helen parish being a parish with a vision. In the coming months and year, I will continue the work I began with the staff and the Parish Pastoral Council to conduct extensive consultation and sharing to develop this vision further. On July 12, the parish staff and I will go for another retreat to reflect on this theme and to begin the process of long-term and short-term planning for the parish. To be a parish with vision means that we are a parish with intentionality. I am committed to St. Helen s parish being an intentional community a parish with a vision. Christ-centered Parishes / Gospel-centered Parishes When Pope Francis became the Pope, he spoke about his vision for the church. According to Francis, the church faces three temptations: the temptation to turn the Gospel message into an ideology; the temptation to run the church like a business; and the temptation of clericalism. I, too, am aware of the temptations for a parish temptation to maintain the status-quo, to be a maintenance parish, to yearn for financial security at the cost of mission, to be elitist, exclusive, and businesslike for the sake of efficiency. To avoid falling into these temptations, I think of parishes as Gospel-centered communities. As St. Helen parish we must be like the disciples who gathered around Jesus Christ. It was from Him that the disciples learned what it means to be Church. It was from Him they learned love, mercy, compassion, faith, peace, kindness, self-sacrifice, radical trust in God, and developed a passion for God and people. I passionately believe in a Christ-centered parish and not a Churchcentered parish. As Pope Francis says, The center is Jesus Christ, who calls us and sends us forth. If the church makes herself the center, she becomes merely functional, and slowly but surely turns into a
kind of NGO. In other words, our liturgies cannot be liturgy-centered liturgies; they must be Christ-centered liturgies. Our ministries cannot be ministry-centered ministries; they must be Christcentered ministries. Our music, our preaching, our service are not for their own sake. They must be rooted in and find their purpose in Christ and service to his people. In an interview in September 2013, Pope Francis spoke about the mission of the Church in these words: I can clearly see that what the Church needs today is the ability to heal wounds and warm the hearts of faithful; it needs to be by their side. I see the Church as a field hospital after a battle. It s pointless to ask a seriously injured patient whether his cholesterol or blood sugar levels are high! It s his wounds that need to be healed. The rest we can talk about later. Similarly, I imagine our parishes to be Christ- and Gospel-centered communities. In other words, when people come to our parishes, in some way they must feel that they have encountered Christ. Our goal must be to intentionally be a community that gives people an experience of the love, the mercy, the forgiveness, the goodness, and the power of Jesus Christ. We do this as a people of faith, as a people called by Christ, and as a people who stand for what Christ and the Gospel teach us. Pastoring as Nurturing When I think about the word pastor, my mind immediately goes to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Jesus had said of himself, I am the Good Shepherd. The criterion for separating the good shepherd from the bad comes down to one quality: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I interpret Jesus words as radical nurturing. I understand the role of the pastor as nurturing the people that God has entrusted to his care. You are not my people nor is this parish my parish. You and I together are God s people. I see this parish as God s parish. This means that I genuinely love, care, serve, and accompany the people who belong to God. I see my main role as nurturing the people, the staff, the ministries and the mission of this parish. This can take many shapes. First of all, this means that I ensure that our worship is life-giving. My priority is not to provide the shortest masses in town or to deliver entertaining homilies or to create a social gathering place. I must ensure that people who come to our worship first and foremost encounter Christ; that they find Christ in one another; that they find inspiration for another week; that they find life and faith coming together in our worship. I must also ensure that the rest of the parish life our social and charitable ministries, our finances, our presence in the neighborhood, our parish organizations flow from our communal worship and life. I see my role as accompanying people through the journey of life through personal care and involvement in their daily lives; in helping discover God who is already in every heart. I must know each one of you by name. You can expect me to love, respect, honor, and nurture you most sincerely. All this does not mean that there will not be disagreements, differences of opinions, or sometimes the possibility of parting of ways. Built into the role of the pastor are all these possibilities. Pope Francis and even Jesus were not immune to this. I welcome disagreements and differences of opinion. My only hope is that we can do this with humility, with respect for one another, never compromising Christian charity, dialoguing with one another, always keeping the greater good in mind, and most of all, instead of our personal gain, constantly furthering the mission of Jesus Christ and his church. In this way, as Pastor, I hope to walk in the footsteps of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Towards this vision of a parish, Fr. Vincent and I humbly seek your blessing. As Fr. Vincent and I hope to nurture these two communities, we ask you to nurture us. Please get to know us better as we try to get to know you better. Please help us to find rest, peace, love and acceptance as we try to serve you. Together, let us be a community of disciples. Fr. Satish