St. Jude Newsletter A bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to nurturing the growth and community of St. Jude Parish Oct. Dec. 2014 By Sally Niedermeyer Sent by Christ. How beautifully that describes what we are and what we are called to be. Like a tree, our faith must have roots. We are rooted in our faith through Baptism. To survive the winds and storms of life, a tree must be nurtured and supported; and so must we. We receive our nurturing and support through the sacraments. Finally, trees propagate by sending out seeds in a variety of ways. Similarly, we are Sent by Christ to plant seeds of faith, spread the good news, and evangelize also in a variety of ways. Please join us at 6:30pm each evening of the Parish Mission Sunday, October 26, through Tuesday, October 28. We will to explore the theme of being rooted in faith and Sent by Christ. On Sunday, Fr. Andrew Budzinski will join us to talk about our roots in Baptism. Msgr. Bill Schooler (formerly known as Fr. Bill), will join us on Monday, October 27, to lead us in an evening of reflection. On Tuesday, October 28, the Feast of St. Jude, Bishop Rhodes will round out the mission by presiding at Mass and preach about being sent out and discipleship. ach night a reception will follow in the church basement. We are planning for participants of all ages. Childcare will be provided for children age 4 and under all three evenings. In addition, a Children s Program will be offered. On Sunday and Monday, children age 5 through fourth grade should go to church with their parents. After the opening prayer, they will be dismissed with the teachers to go the Parish Hall for age appropriate activities. The children will return to the family pew before the closing prayer. On Tuesday, children age 5 through second grade are invited to come directly to the Parish Hall North for story, activity and song. Children will be released to parents when they come for refreshments. Children grade 3 and up are asked to attend Mass so they can share in the ucharist. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer. From child care, to publicity, to telephoning and more, there are many ways you can help make the Mission a success. Call the church office 484-6609 for information. Please join us as we celebrate our patron saint, our parish and our faith.
O C T O B R October Senior Activity: Please call Mary Pohlman at the Parish Office (484-6609) for reservations and final details. What a great time of year to see the beauty of the changing season as we head to Blue Gate Theater in Shipshewana on Thursday, Oct 23 for a 1:00pm musical and meal. The musical, Josiah for President is getting great comments from people who have seen it. When a former Congressman drops his presidential campaign and returns home he meets Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania. The Congressman learns more from Josiah in a few hours than in his many years in office and comes to the conclusion that someone with a little old-fashioned common sense like Josiah should be running the country. Without Josiah s consent or knowledge, he becomes a write-in candidate for the Presidency. Let s see how that plays out. Tickets for the play and meal will be between $41 to $46 depending on our numbers. November Senior Activity: Please call the Parish Office (484-6609) for reservations for this event. On Wednesday, November 19 we ll meet at Triangle Park at 12:30pm for lunch. Grief workshop and Mass of Remembrance Saturday, Nov. 1 8:15am Mass Workshop from 9am noon November Adult ducation veryone is welcome to join us for the 6pm Mass on Thursday, November 13, followed a potluck dinner at 6:30pm. At 7pm, Deacon Jim Tighe will give a presentation on the Communion of Saints. We'll pray Night Prayer together at 7:45. You are welcome to participate in any part of all of this evening. Dog & Suds Sat., November 8 6pm Parish Hall All Welcome! N O V M B R 4
The Giving Tree By Bernie & Lois Jozwiak Although it is October, work on the Christmas Giving Tree project is already beginning. The parish is identifying parishioners in nursing facilities and the facilities are being contacted for gift ideas. Home bound parishioners are also being identified and their ucharist Ministers are being contacted for their gift ideas. As the project shifts into high gear, other groups in the parish will become involved. Christmas cards will be purchased and written for each parishioner in the Nursing facilities and homebound. The parish families will complete the necessary paper work and their gift requests will be identified. The giving tree tags will be copied, cut and whole punched and given to Mrs. Stange s class for stringing. The Giving Tree Committee will then complete the tags by writing the requested Continued on pg. 7 December Senior Activity: Please call Mary Pohlman at the Parish Office (484-6609) for reservations and final details of this event. On Sunday, December 7, we ll travel to Wagon Wheel Playhouse for a 1:00pm showing of A Christmas Story, the Musical. We all remember the Christmas story of Ralphie Parker who wants only one thing for Christmas: An Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle. This musical is the hilarious account of Ralphie s desperate quest to ensure that this most perfect of gifts ends up under his tree this Christmas. Tickets will be $20 (if we have a group of more than 15 people). Transportation plans will depend on the number interested. St. Jude Advent Reconciliation Service Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:00 p.m. Parents Day Out Saturday, Dec. 13 Junior High Youth Group will be providing a FR babysitting service for the parents of children ages 0-5th grade. There will be games, crafts, movies, coloring, story-telling and a pizza lunch. The day will begin at 10:00 am and run until 4:00 pm. D C M B R 3
A D V N T A N D C H R I S T M A S A T S T. J U D * First Sunday of Advent Mass Nov. 29 5:00 pm Nov. 30 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Food Collection, all Masses Anointing of Sick 12:30 pm --Begin Year B of the Sunday Lectionary, the year of St. Mark * First Reconciliation Dec. 4 6:45 pm Dec. 6, St. Nicholas, bishop * Second Sunday of Advent Mass Dec. 6 5:00 pm Dec. 7 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Return Giving Tree Gifts, all Masses *Immaculate Conception Mass Dec. 8 7:00, 8:15, 10:00 am 6:30 pm Holy Day of Obligation * Parish Reconciliation Service Dec. 11 7:00 pm Dec. 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of the Americas and of Mexico Dec. 13, St. Lucy, virgin, martyr * Third Sunday of Advent Mass Dec. 13 5:00 pm Dec. 14 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am * Fourth Sunday of Advent Mass Dec. 20 5:00 pm Dec. 21 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Set up manger scene Noon * Vigil Mass of Christmas Dec. 24 5:00 pm Children sing Contemporary ensemble Come early for a seat * Christmas Midnight Mass Dec. 24 10:00 pm Doors open 9:00 pm Music begins 9:15 pm Lessons and Carols 9:30 pm Mass 10 pm Adult choir, children, organ, piano, instruments * Christmas Mass During the Day Dec. 25 10:00 am Dec. 26, St. Stephen, first martyr Dec. 27, St. John the vangelist * Feast of the Holy Family Mass Dec. 27 5:00 pm Dec. 28 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Food Collection, all Masses * Mary, Mother of God & World Day of Prayer for Peace Mass Dec. 31 5:00 pm Jan. 1 10:00 am Holy Day of Obligation * piphany of the Lord Mass Jan. 3 5:00 pm Jan. 4 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Blessing of Chalk, all Masses * Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, end of the Christmas season Mass Jan. 10 5:00 pm Jan. 11 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 am Immaculate Conception, Christmas, New Year and every Sunday are holy days of obligation. 4
Close, But Not Quite There by John Offerle As we look over the financials from last year, one of the items that sticks out the most is that for the first time in a few years our Offertory Income actually increased from the year before. Part of that had to do with having an extra week s worth of collections because of the way the calendar fell this year. But even taking that into account, our Offertory Income went up about $12,350 over the previous year. Most of that can be attributed to our new Sacrificial Giving program introduced in January. But we still had a loss for the year so we hope that those who pledged through that program will be able to follow through with those pledges since it could mean a potential increase of over $75,000 in Offertory Income for this year. Our School Income rose even though our student population stayed about the same. Much of that had to do with the Choice Scholarship (voucher) program allowing some additional non-parishioners to attend our school this past year. Turning to our expenses, our Church Personnel was higher due to hiring a part time Administrative Assistant. There was another increase in health insurance premiums, normal salary increases and paying all of Fr. Bob s salary. The Diocese use to pay all of his salary as a chaplain at Parkview Hospital. Our Church Maintenance went up mostly because of the many repairs we had to our HVAC system in the church. And like everyone else, our Church Utilities were a lot higher because of the cold winter and cool spring. Our School Personnel increased due to adding another teacher (we still have the smallest number of students per classroom of any other comparable size school in our diocese). We added a part time maintenance person, health insurance premiums increased, and we had the normal salary increases. The School Utilities were up mostly due to the weather issues as noted above. Finally our School Other rose because we increased what we spent on books, desks, and computer software. So, the bottom line is that we definitely showed an improvement from the year before, and we hope that will continue. On our end we promise to keep an eye on expenses and keep them down as best we can. On your end we look forward to a continuation of the time and talent (or just prayers) that you are able to offer the parish. We ask you to prayerfully look at what you can give financially to the parish to keep it strong and active now and into the future. Actual Actual July 1, 2013- July 1, 2012- June 30, 2014 June 30, 2013 Church Income: Offertory 1,370,456 1,339,342 Bequests/Donations 98,969 87,389 Other 80,172 77,535 Sub-total 1,549,597 1,504,266 School Income: Tuition/fees/etc. 1,603,636 1,491,812 Total Income 3,153,233 2,996,078 Church xpenses: Personnel 503,675 476,066 Maintenance 62,695 47,505 Utilities 51,002 44,014 Other 281,190 280,151 Sub-total 898,562 847,736 School xpenses: Personnel 1,887,427 1,839,626 Maintenance 95,990 99,470 Utilities 66,733 55,257 Other 218,288 192,765 Sub-total 2,268,438 2,187,118 Total xpenses 3,167,000 3,034,854 Building/Property Improvements 98,583 32,140 Total xpenditures 3,265,583 3,066,994 65
There's Always More To The Story by Fr. Jake Runyon As people who are pro-life, we are always against abortion. Human life is sacred and precious. It is our responsibility to create a world that loves and welcomes God's precious gift of life. I want to thank Chuck Leuenberger for passing on some statistics about the harmful physical side effects that abortion has on the women involved. You can find more information on our website www.stjudefw.org. We hope and pray that many people will have a change of heart concerning abortion. Let's pray that rather than choosing abortion, which leads to spiritual, physical, and emotional harm, everyone will choose life. Let us pray that they see the light of the gospel of life. Please mark your calendars and plan to participate in the following Respect Life events: Sept. 24-Nov.2: 40 Days for Life at a new location of 3914 W. Jefferson, Fort Wayne. October 5, 2014 at 2:00pm: The Annual Memorial for the Unborn at the Catholic Cemetery. Oct 6 10: St. Jude School and Religious ducation Students in grades 1 8 will be asked to perform and log an act of kindness done for someone each day and at the end of the week discuss what they learned about respect for life from this October 13, 2014: Uniting Our City for Life Annual Banquet for at the Grand Wayne Center. Saturday, January 17, 2015 at noon at the University of St. Francis Performing Arts Bldg. (formerly the Scottish Rite): The Allen County March for Life Thursday, January 22, 2015 in Washington, DC: The National March For Life What is Canon Law and what do you do with a Canon Law degree? by Fr. Jake Runyon Simply, Canon Law is the law of the Roman Catholic church. All law works to organize a society. The same is true for the Church, which is a visible society. Canon law has developed over the centuries to respond to the issues and circumstances the Church has had to face. Our modern Code of Canon Law has synthesized the life experience of the Church (over 2000 years), but with a special emphasis on the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. St. John Paul II said that our Code of Canon Law was an attempt to put the teachings of the Council into legal language. The main goal of canon law is the same goal as that of the Church, namely the salvation of souls. The Code helps to guide us all in keeping with the traditions and structures of the Church. In my studies, I have taken classes on all the various parts of the Code, which include things like the structure of the diocesan church, the organization of religious orders, hierarchical recourse and the defense of rights, and right now I am taking a class on temporal goods (money and property). Once I complete this degree, I will be considered an expert in canon law. An expert in canon law can serve as an advisor for the bishop and others in all areas of the law. But, the majority of my time will be spent as a judge in the diocesan tribunal. The tribunal spends most of its time looking at marriage cases. Persons petition the tribunal seeking to have their marriages ruled as null (oftentimes called an annulment). The judge in the case has to evaluate the evidence and make a decision. In an upcoming talk, I am planning on spending some time explaining what an annulment is and what an annulment is not. So, canon law is the law of the Church that hopefully guides us all to salvation. A canon lawyer is an expert in all aspects of the law, but I will probably be spending most of my time as a canon lawyer as a judge in marriage cases. This will not mean that I will depart the parish. Rather, I will continue to have two jobs: one in the parish and one in the tribunal. 6
News from the Home & School Association Giving Tree continued item and separating them evenly for each Mass so each Mass has an equal amount of Nursing Home, homebound, Family items, utilities, gas and grocery The St. Jude Home and School Association, HASA, items. is helping bridge home, school and parish life. We do The weekend prior to Thanksgiving, the Art and many things that help both our school and our parish. nvironment committee will place the tree in the back Did you know that every parent in our school is a of church and we will place the tags on the tree. After member of our home and school association? Did you Masses on that weekend, parishioners will select a tag know that every parishioner is also a member of the from the Giving Tree and purchase the requested item home and school association? It doesn t matter if you (s) to be returned the first weekend in December. have children in the school or not you are a member On the first Sunday of December following the and we welcome you to every meeting and every event. 11:00 A.M. Mass, parishioners will assist in the moving and sorting of the gifts and in delivery of gifts to The HASA officers have been hard at work filling various volunteer openings. We would like to welcome: the home bound or the nursing homes. Julie Lassus as our new spirit wear coordinator, Gina Unfortunately, every year some of the gifts are not Schatzman as our new Skating party coordinator, Bethany Bessesen as our new teacher representative and be identified and parishioners will purchase the de- returned. In the following days, gifts not returned will Kelly Sickafoose as our Coke Rewards/Box Tops/ sired item. Campbell soup coordinator. We are still in need of a The Giving Tree started back in 1992 and every chairman for Trivia night, and we will now need someone to chair the annual HASA Auction. Both are es- families needing the support of their parish. In 1993 year since the parish has provided Christmas gifts for sential to the work of HASA. we added gifts for the parishioners in Nursing Homes, If you have never attended a HASA Meeting, we Assisted Living facilities and home bound. In 2006, encourage you to join us. We meet the first Monday of we added tags for utility assistance, gasoline and groceries. The utility assistance gifts will be distributed every month. Our next meeting will be Nov. 3 at 7 pm in the parish center. We hope you will join us. To through our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society to those give you an idea of some of the decisions that are made in need. The gasoline cards and grocery gift cards are at a HASA meeting: in the month of September, we distributed by the parish staff to needy parishioners approved almost $1500 in teacher requests We purchased a new Keyboard for the music room, bibles for The gifts are many times the only gift the nursing thru the calendar year. 3 rd grade and junior high, pencil sharpeners, storage home and home bound parishioners receive. very units, rugs for kindergarten and much more. These year the parish receives thank you notes from the recipients after Christmas. Some of the notes are written might all seem like small items, but they all help to make our school better. Come be a part of the decision by the children thanking for the toys they wanted so making and see how much HASA can do. badly and received! Some notes are from adults We are always looking for more volunteers. thankful that their families were provided for at a time Whether you can give One Hour a year or One Hour a when they were struggling. Other notes are written by month we need your help. We have many opportunities to volunteer. Our goal for volunteerism is to get just thankful for being remembered by the parish. parishioners who are confined to their homes and are every family to give at least 5 hours a year back to our Time and time again we have had families that school. If everyone does a little no one person has to were early recipients now they are able to give to other do a lot. What can you commit? fellow parishioners and vice versa some have given If you would like to share your time and talents with gifts for years and now they are recipients. Please HASA please contact Christine Nix at 493-4798 or help us provide a gift for a fellow parishioner by selecting a tag, purchasing the desired gift, wrapping it, cjnix4@frontier.com or Amy Delaney at 420-1399 or dadelaney@frontier.com and returning it on or before the date on the tag. We are Committed to Christ and Living in Gratitude. We have many loyal, dedicated volunteers who return year after year to assist with the project for whom HASA is helping to bridge home, school and parish. It is in giving that we receive and it is in being good we are extremely grateful; however, we are always in stewards of what God has blessed us with that we grow need of volunteers to help sort the gifts or to deliver in our faith. the gifts to a homebound or nursing home parishioner. Sincerely, Please consider volunteering. If you are interested, HASA Officers: Amy Simmons-Pres., Christine Nix- VP please contact the parish office. (484-6609). 7 Amy Delaney- Treasurer, Susan Shaikh- Secretary
-mail address: hcisz@comcast.net Web site: www.stjudefw.org Heather Cisz ditor Liz Sanders The deadline for the next issue is Dec.10th, 2014 Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend St. Jude Parish The Grapevine 2130 Pemberton Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 You Don t Want To Miss This by John Offerle In the next several weeks and months you may see a number of changes in our church. The biggest one for many will be that our steeple will finally be repaired and the other three sides touched up. Most of that cost will come from our insurance company though a small portion of it will be taken care of by a few generous bequests we have had or will be receiving this year. Those bequests will also allow us to finally paint our ceiling and other paintable areas during the early part of 2015. We are also looking at upgrading our lighting in church at the same time. Another improvement will be a new sound system for the church that should be installed and working by Advent. Finally, a not so visible one will be a new set of HVAC controls which should allow us to control and keep track of the system online as well as help it to be more responsive to the changing weather. Because of generous bequests we are able to accomplish all of these improvement. So as you are making out a will or rethinking your present one, know that donating part of your estate to the church can have lasting benefits for the parish.