Church Restoration Project Comments Catholic Foundation Bishop lage School Nos Knights of Columbus Spletual Life ons Family Lie Committe Music Ministy ‘St Vincent de Paul Notes om the Office Holy Week Ceremonies ae xe St. Mary Parish Newsletter ‘SPRING 2017 Fr. Lawrence L. Hummer Obviously, much has changed in this country since last November. Among the many things of concern is the tepid attitude many in the US have taken toward the problem of refugees. Bishop Vasquez of Austin Texas, who Is the US Bishops’ Chair on the Committee on Migration says the latest ban on immigrants “still leaves many innocent lives at risk...We have the ability to continue to assist the most vulnerable among us without sacrificing our values as Americans or the safety and security of our nation.” One of the most troubling situations of all is the fact that we have been deeply in- volved in the various trouble spots of the Middle East, because of either military engage- ‘ment or diplomacy, that has caused many of the affected peoples to migrate and now we want nothing to do with the same people our bombs have made homeless Most of our relatives came here as immigrants, but our memories so quickly fade. The bishops and the Pope have urged as to do more for immigrants, but we are settling for a policy which bans the strangers (ones we don’t like) from even entering. We will never escape the words of Jesus: “For | was hungry and you gave me no food, | was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison and you did not care for me.” And when those on the left objected, Lord when did we fail to do all that for you? And the Lord said: “Amen I say to you, what you failed to do for one of these least ones, you failed to do it to me.” And these shall go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (see Matthew 25:35-46) Lent is supposed to be about adjusting our attitudes to conform to Christ. Living here or somewhere else does not allow us to dodge that responsibility. One of the themes of the recent election campaign said “Make America great again.” That begs the question of where greatness is to be found. If greatness is to be found by sending millions of guests in this country south, or building a fence to keep others out, ‘want no part of it. If it means removing health care from the poorest and neediest in our society, then | want none of it. Revision is one thing, but removing anyone from coverage should be unthinkable. | heard one member of the House rant about why men must pay for prenatal care for wom- en! Apparently he doesn’t know that if not for men, the women would not need prenatal care, Insurance, which in the case of health care, should be a right for which we all should ay, and not a privilege for a few who can afford it. We need to pray for those who have been elected to lead us that they remember that we are all in this together. The greatness of a nation comes when we accept our mutual obligation to care for each other. To think that we live in some kind of Shangri-La isolation from the other three hundred plus million citizens who occupy this space with us, is silly. It is also wrong We lost Shangri-La when we were forced out of the garden after the snake talked us into a bite. We are joined at the hip ever since. It was not good for the man to be alone, the Lord God discovered. When we try that we violate God's own conclusion against seclusion. The earth is a tiny place when looking into the vastness of space. We do much better when we work together than when we are apart. People have gotten to the point where they cannot conduct a civil discussion anymore. We've got to change that somehow. ‘AS we begin to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ, let us turn to Christ for mercy and ask Christ to give us the precious gift of peace that remains so elusive; a peace that descends upon us and radiates the love which Christ had for all humanity. May his love infiltrate our very bones and help us to live this life as the gift it truly is. Fr. HummerSt Mary Pash Page2 CHURCH RESTORATION PROJECT i by Mike Haller Hard to believe that at this time last year we were holding Mass in the Family Life Center (hoping to celebrate Easter in the church). Three years ago this month, the SALVAGE DAWGS were salvaging the old rectory. Five years ago this month, | wrote Bishop Campbell requesting a meeting to explain our project. We sure have come a long way. ‘Thank God for his gifts, the intercession of Mary, and you for your support!!! We are down to the last few items on the list outlined 10 years ago by the Building and Grounds Committee To Do List; also hard to believe. As the weather breaks, we can expect the Rectory Roof to be completed, as well as some dressing up of the interior of the Academy/Marian House/Office. We will also be ordering a plaque to commemorate the work, and those who contributed either time, talent or treasure. If you would like a loved one remembered, in place of your name on the plaque, please submit your request to the office. Because we had such overwhelming support of the project, we must limit memorials to the name of the ual only. There will be a heading: IN MEMORY OF, and a list of names below. We are unable to list additional wording for individuals. The plaque will hang in the Family Life Center, next to the one commemorating the construc- tion of that building. Both will be on the Northeast wall of the FLC. If you haven't had a chance to contribute to the project, there is still time. Please send your contribution to the office marked RESTORATION FUND, and we will make sure your name is included. Thank you for continuing to make your pledge payments. Once the final work is complete, we will have a summary of the project available for everyone to review. THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION Foundation has grown since its inception in the late 1980's. The Catholic Foundation’s goal is to help Catholic families support their favorite Catholic charity. We, The Catholic as parishioners of St. Mary, benefit from three en- dowment funds, the William Nolan Endowment, the St. Mary Endowment, and the Schilder Endowment. Over the ast several years, St. Mary Church has benefited in excess of $2.4 million in endowment interest and grants from the foundation. The contributions to these endowments will live long into the future. In 2007 the Catholic Foundation distributed less than 600 grants. In 2016 the foundation distributed almost 1500 grants to charities. In 2009, funds donated to the Catholic Foundation totaled less than $5 million. Last year, the Catholic Foundation received in excess of $20 million in funds. The foundation now manages around $170 funds for families just like yours. ‘Those may sound like huge numbers, and they are. However, the average gift to the foundation is only $3500. If you would like to support St. Mary Parish or Bishop Flaget School, please consider a contribution to the Catholic Foundation, You can rest assured that the investments the foundation makes are in morally sound companies. If you have a question about the Catholic Foundation, please contact Dick Wagner or Mike Haller and we would be happy to share information about the foundation.St Mary Pariah [ree | ‘ Pai ey BISHOP FLAGET SCHOOL REPORT J %, a by Laura Corcoran hed, SSH00” Distinguished Alumni_Award Presented Bishop Flaget School presented SifSQJ the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award to Larry and Lisa a = White. Larry and Lisa (Stanton) White are 1976 and 1977 gradu- = SESE ates of Bishop Flaget High s School. Larry and Lisa were rec- > ognized for all of the time and talent that they have given to Bishop Flaget School and St. Mary's Church over the Sem) years. Larry and Lisa were instru- mental in getting bingo started and going strong at Bishop Flaget School and are often referred to as the Bingo King and Queen. Larry currently serves on the finance committee at St. Mary's Parish. They are pictured with their family members (I. to 1}: Tom Stanton, Megan Lyons, Lisa White, Cohen Sagraves, Larry it White, Mark White, Michaela a NI White, Marisa Sagraves, Julie Poole, Matthew Sagraves. N cf — Avery Brown wins National Catholic Education Association Vision, Valor, and Virtues Award Congratulations to Avery Brown, daughter of Andy and Wendy Brown. Avery is one of the recipients of the inaugural National Catholic Education Association Youth Virtues, Valor, and Vision Award. Avery is being recognized at the All School Mass during Catholic Schools Week by representatives from the National Catholic Education Association and Cross Catholic Outreach for her service work, includ- ing her "Pink Pumpkin Project" that she has organized for several years for Southern Ohio Survivors. We are so very proud of Avery!!!Page 4 BISHOP FLAGET SCHOOL REPORT (CONT.) by Laura Corcoran i Ce: = The current enrollment stands at 200 students in preschool through 8th grade. This is our largest enrollment since 2004! We are so proud of the growth of our school community, and we owe a debt of gratitude to our parish- ¢s for their support through some very tough times. Here's to another 12 years of positive growth!!! ‘The Mardi Gras Reverse Raffle raised over $13,000 for the school! Thank you so much for your support of this fundraiser. Our next fundraiser will be the spring flower sale. Bishop Flaget will continue to sell gift cards at coffee and donuts each month and from the school office. Bishop Flaget is able to purchase these gift cards at a dis- count and sell them to you at face value. That is how we are able to make money on this fundraiser. We keep the cards in the school office, so if you need anything, feel free to pop up to the office. If you are needing a large num- ber of cards, please call the office and we can do special orders. We can get gift cards for just about every chain business in town. Call the school and ask for Becky for more information. The junior high will travel to New York City after Easter for their class trip this year. Through funding from the fish fry, donations, and other fundraisers, the students will be visiting the 9/11 Memorial, a theatrical presenta- tion, going to the top of the Empire State Building, visiting The Today Show, touring the American Museum of Natu- ral History, and attending Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. We are excited about this opportunity and thank all who have supported us through the fish fry and other fundraisers. Registration is currently open for all grades for the upcoming school year, particularly the primary grades and preschool. Kindergarten screening will be held on April 11th. Registration forms are available online, and all incoming kindergarten students who are not already attending Bishop Flaget need to schedule an appointment to be screened. In addition, we are currently in the application window for the EdChoice Expansion Scholarship which is a full tuition scholarship for students of families whose household income falls below 200% of the poverty level. Ap- plication forms are available online. The Peterson Scholarship window is also open. This scholarship can help with tuition of students who are identified as a student with a disability and have a current ETR and IEP. For more infor- mation, please contact Mrs. Corcoran at 740-253-0433 or Icorcora@cdeducation.org. The application window for the state scholarships closes on April 30th. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS REPORT by Grand Knight Pete Pennington We have been working at Bishop Flaget School to help clean and repair things at the school. We replaced the old trophy case with a new and larger one. Stop by and see it. {In January, the Knights helped cook the pancake and sausage breakfast for the kick-off of St Mary's 150th Anni- versary of laying the church cornerstone year of celebrations. Other events: St. Patrick's Day meal March 18th after the Saturday Evening Mass was a success! Thank you to all who came ‘out to enjoy a good Irish meal, Easter Dinner to be announced. Reds Baseball Trip-June 18th against the Dodgers. Tickets are $45.00 each. Thit tact Greg Davis 740773 5492. is a family welcome trip. Con- ‘We have our business meetings on the first Monday of the month @ 7:00. The Men's Outreach is held once a ‘month. See the bulletin for the dates and time for it changes each month.St. Mary Parish [see] Hip by Katie Boesch Growings Ba ok in Faith Religious Educati Itis hard to believe that we are near the end of another year, and what a year it has been! RELIGIOUS EDUCATION & SPIRITUAL LIFE REPORT Our children be receiving First Communion on April 8, 2017 at 11am Mass. Rehearsal will be on April 7" at 6:00pm in the church. The children are to bring a can of food, and their completed banners. Due to the St. Mary History Celebration going on that weekend, there will not be a reception following Mass on the 8", Please keep the following children in your prayers: Roman Berry, Zoey Daniel, Noah Flores, Lyric Graves, Francis Hirsch, Payne Huggins, Katelyn Johnson, Mark Laughlin, William Legg, Isaac Rouleau, David Rourke, Agatha Search, Brayden Smith, Grace Tomlinson, Natalie Dudley, Samantha Clark, Addison Souther- land, Ava Hickman. senses The journey for four wonderful people seeking full communion in the Catholic Church (RCIA) is al- ‘most at an end. Yet, it is only the beginning! Please remember them in your prayers: Melissa Kibler, Paula Borland, Ann Jones, Jill Haller. They will be received on Holy Saturday, April 15, 2017. Please come and welcome them that evening, a small reception will follow in the Family Life Center. wenenees Our Baccalaureate Mass for graduating seniors will be celebrated on Sunday, May 14, 2017 (Mother's Day) at the 11am Mass. Information has been sent regarding the particulars. If your student attended Bishop Flaget School there is a scholarship application available....please call the school to acquire. The following students will be graduating this year: Hayden Johnson, Victoria Bettendorf, Nina Williams, Hunter Coffland, David Weaver, Jera Copley, Cassidy Corcoran, Amanda Dicken, Nick Haller, Emma Lanning, Emily Preston, Josephine Whalen, Gabriella Lapurga, John Schafer. If your son or daughter is not on this list please contact the office as soon as possible. Confirmation students will be receiving the sacrament on Sunday June 11, 2017 at St. Peter’s Church 11:30am Mass. Preparations have already begun. The following students will be receiving the sacrament: Jayden Berry. Danielle Fleurima, Jonah Haim, Catherine Hirsch. Jacob Littler, Stephanie Hirsch, Jericho Rohn, Madelyn Schafer, Gretchen Search, Joseph Underwood, Dillon Vollmar, Jacob Coffland, Chris Guerrero, Christian Henson, Walker Zapata. Keep them in prayer as they prepare for this final sacrament of initiation.w WW af 4 WwW WM Page 6 ssT10g FAMILY LIFE COMMITTEE REPORT The ose sf Salis ee FAMILY Sm fedtzecaccereact FAMILY TOGETHET Mother Daughter Luncheon was held on January 28th, 2017. This year's theme was" The Giff of Simplicity”. Jill Haller did an amazing job planning this special day. We had women coming together for a great girls day out....from the organizing, selecting guest speakers, entertainment, decorating, raf- fle table, making the delicious food we eat, it one of the favorite events of the year! Our speaker was Theresa Manchester. She has spent much of the last twelve years with her fam- ily in Kenya where her husband, Dr. Stephen Manchester is a family physician in a rural, mission hospi- fal, They serve with World Gospel Mission. She brings knowledge from her background as wife, mother, teacher, missionary and balancing a life between two cultures on two different continents. We are blessed to have the opportunity to listen & interact with Theresa, as she shared with us her thoughts and wisdom on “The Gif of Simplicity” .... Teresa living in Kenya has lived that very simply life of no dishwasher, no movies no going out to dinner. And asked us all to think about I, Is it really that important in our lives? She used a great visual to demonstrate all the things we put in our jars to fill up all the busy stuff in our lives. She filled that con- tainer with golf balls (representing the Important things) and asked if the bowl was full. She then added sand and small gravel—the sand trickled down between the golf balls. She also added gravel to that container, which finally made the bow! full and overflowing, This represented the other stuff in your life which fills up our time — the extra stuff we carry but may not be needed. She encouraged us to look at our priorities. That my friend is truly the gift of simplicity. Thank you Theresa for spending a few hours with us, and we pray for safe travels as you plan to return to Africa summer 2017. Thank you to Victoria Schafer Photography for generously donating her time and talents for us that morning, Victoria does a wonderful job and | know these pictures will be the best ones everlll We had a few soloists and an ensemble group from the CHS choir performs for us, which includ- ed some of our very own talented parishioners, Hallie Anders, and Emily & John Schafer. They were amazing! Thank you all for being a part of this special day and sharing your talents with us. We recognized and honored Melanie Kennedy as our| 2017 Woman of the Yearlll! This wonderful woman is a wife, mother of three sons, and grandmother. She has always felt that service to God, to her family, and to her community is her way of using God's gifts to the fullest potential. A lifelong member, she is active here at S!. Mary's as a lector, extraordinary Eucharistic minister, visits the homebound, a member of the renovation and Lazarus committees, past member of the Pastoral Council, and is always the first to offer her assistance to anyone who needs it. She and her late husband were particularly active in veteran's service and various community organizations, including Muscu- lar Dystrophy Association, iney Foundation, UNICEF, and March of Dimes. She has currently developed and manages a Senior Outreach program for St. Mary's. Congrats Melanie we love you!PORT (CONT.) Pago 7 ‘St. Mary Parish The committee will be holding several receptions in the coming months. Our Holy Week receptions will be on Tuesday, April 11th, and Wednesday, April 12, The Family Life committee wishes you all a blessed Easter. Our committee would like to welcome anyone Interested in helping us serve God, find fellowship and meet the needs of our parish. Please contact Karen Leeth 740-703-8582 to get involved today! Lazarus Committee The Lazarus committee is always in need of volunteers to help maintain the standards that been in place for over 35 years. The luncheons have proven to be a valuable source of comfort in times of grief. We welcome any dish you can provide. Whether or not you are able fo work at the luncheons, or just want to bring food, any help is appreciated. A very special thank you to the Lazarus committee for your continued help and support of making our gatherings so enjoyable. It is wonderful way to perform one of the corporal works of mercy. Any interested parishioners may call or email saintmary@roadrunner.com, or call Pat Reed at 740-773-4547 or email Pat Reed at pattyreed44@gmail.com. 150th Anniversary of Laying the Church Cornerstone Committee Report We kicked off the celebration on Sunday, January 8th with a Pancake & Sausage breakfast which was a huge success. Thanks fo the Knights for preparing a wonderful breakfast for us. Everyone really en- Joyed the pancake bar. February 4th and 5th was our Parish History celebration. Historical pieces were brought in by many of the families. Joan D'Antoni had everything beautifully displayed for all of us to view. Everyone enjoyed their stroll down memory lane. While enjoying light refreshments. This past weekend, March 18, we celebrated our Irish heritage with an Irish dinner and movie en- fertainment. The Knights of Columbus cooked some corned beef and other Irish themed dishes and co- ordinated the dinner. Parishioners brought their favorite Irish dish to share. The food was delicious! Mar- lene Holman, Ned Boggs and Sharon Wagner along with other members of the 150th celebration commit- tee did an outstanding job decorating the Family Life Center. Photos from our celebrations so far this year are published on the last page of this newsletter. Check them out! The weekend of April 8—9th, we will have another St. Mary's Parish History celebration which will Incorporate some of our school memorabilia, You may drop off any photos, memorabilia prior to this event at the parish office during regular office hours or when we set-up for this event Saturday morning April 8th from 10:00 am to Noon. Don't miss viewing these wonderful displays. These displays are a repre- sentation of who we are! May 7" will be our Rosary Walk. On June 4% we will host an Alumni Mass, and on July 2% every registered and active parish family will receive a gift of remembrance. We will end our year of activities ‘on August 19% with our final celebration! Bishop Campbell will be here with us to celebrate. There will be @ Hog Roast, games, live music and more. Mark your calendar now as you will not want to miss if! Watch the bulletin in regards to the distribution of our church directory, it is almost ready!SPR PRRRRP OGRE RRR RRA TOE Page 8 3 NOTES FROM THE LOFT 3 Q by Delma Rouleau g BanannnnannannanmananTd Silent preludes announce a season of penitential mystery; Inviting us to explore reflective contemplation; Listening to the Lord’s ideas and plan for us; Eucharist fortifies and heals our brokenness; Newness slowly emerges from a Crypt full of crushed bones and flagged flesh. Easter appears in the silence of an early dawn, Hope is victorious! Purposeful silence is in itself an opportunity to experience moment of God's grace. Please plan to join us and participate in our unique Lenten liturgies. ; : ———S} + $Vincent de Paul ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY NEWS OD by Dave Lanning | a nagnos pops rogtooe The Society has received a $500 grant from the Junior Civic League of Chillicothe in support of the general assis tance which we provide those we serve in the form of food, clothing, utilities etc. In our effort to effect systemic change in the lives of those we serve, we work at keeping them informed of ass tance that is available for them by posting it on a poster board in the front of the waiting room. This contains information regarding time and place of soup kitchens and produce distribution points. It contains information concerning employment opportunities, where to obtain assistance to quit smoking and assistance with tax preparation. There is such a large amount of information that itis difficult to bring it to their attention. The individuals who interview and work directly with our clientele do not have the time to do that. We also would like to survey our clients about what would make their life better. Something like a change in the Chillicothe Transit System routes or hours, For these reasons we would like to have someone who would be dedicated to navigating the clients through the information available and assist in obtaining infor mation on what would make life better for them. The working hours would be either Mondays or Thursdays from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Anyone interested in helping us may call David Lanning at 740-775-8857. In the last issue we mentioned that we were surveying our clients to see if there was a need in our community for microloans, We found that there was a need and are now discussing with the CHIVAHO Credit Union establishing a partner- ship to make microloans available. The loans are generally $500 or less. We will keep you informed as we make progress on this. Who do we serve? Recently we had two couples who were living on the river by the river bend west of IHOP. One couple had a makeshift tent that they had created. We provided them with a tent and a cook stove and other sup- plies. They said they needed pots and pans. One of our members had some extra ones and donated them. When | called them the next day to see where | could meet them to give them the pans they said they had been taken to by some friends to their house 15 miles out the night before and the friend’s car would not start. They had no way to get back to town. | called another member to go with me. We went out and brought them back to town. He is a painter by trade currently walting for the weather to break. We noticed that the sole on the toe of his boot was flapping to the extent it could trip hhim. We told him to come in Monday to get new boots. The second couple had previously been given two coats that con- vert into a sleeping bag. They were still very thankful for them. The wife had an appointment with a medical specialist that day. She said her car had four cylinders but was running on two. She needed gasoline. We gave her the gasoline and sent her off with some prayers. We have not heard from her since. The amazing thing is that their spirits are not low.st Mary Pre AAAAAAARARRAAARARLAARK Page o \ NOTES FROM THE OFFICE \ ANAAAARARRAARRARAAR Collection Envelopes and Online Giving Information Most parishioners have already picked up their collection envelopes. If you didn't receive a box, and would like to Tecelve envelopes, please contact the parish office at 740-772-2061. There are about 2 dozen boxes of assigned collection ‘envelopes not picked up by parishioners, They are now in the parish office. You can pick them up there. Please discontinue using any envelopes from previous years. The envelope numbers do not match your current year's numbers. We would hate to apply your offering to someone else! Also, please help the Collection Counters do thelt Job quicker. Please write the amount of your offering on the front of the envelope. If you feel private about what you are Gonating, simply turn the envelope upside down when you drop it in the collection basket. Collection Counters are volun. teers whom we are so thankful for! Let's make their job easier! You've probably read in the bulletin Online Giving is now operational for our parish. It is a really easy process! If you currently set up accounts online (through @ newspaper, retail store, etc.), you will not have a problem setting up your ‘online giving account. So easy!! Think about it: You can sit down and assign your weekly offering from the comfort of your own home, any time of the day or night! You can set up @ one-time offering, or set up several months of offering, or even the entire year’ This way you won't have to deal with forgetting your offertory envelopes for Mass. Who hasn't done that once or twice? Go to St. Mary's website: www.stmarychilicothe.com .On the left side of the screen, toward the bottom, you will see a green button marked “Online Giving." Click the link and it will take you to the sign-up page of our Online Giving, Click the green button, lower right, marked "Create a New Account. Follow the prompts to set up your account. Then you are ‘ready to contribute your offertory online, You will see each fund available. You need to select "Recurring’ or “One Tae” for gach offering you enter. You will also see all of the special collections we have throughout the year. You may set up your account to draw your donation direct from your checking or bank account, or use your Master Card, VISA. or Discover Card to pay your offering, We ate charged about a 3% fee for the use of credit cards. It would be really helpful if you would give an extra dollar, for your creditcard offering, to help offset those fees. If you have any questions, please call the parish office ‘at 740-772-2081. We will be happy to help youl MASS REQUESTS ‘Most of the Mass Requests we have at this time are from Estate Bequests. If you would like to have a Mass said for Someone, just put $10 per Mass, in an envelope. Mark it "Mass Request’, who the Mass is for and what possible Gates you Would Tike, We would suggest putting your name and phone number on the envelope, in case we need to contact you. Simply drop the envelope into the Offertory Basket during Mass. Multiple Masses can be requested at one time. The Mass stipend is customarily $10 per Mass. The envelope will be forwarded to church staff for processing, Or, if you are out and about, you can drop off your Mass request at the church office, and get the Mass scheduled right away’ Generally Masses are scheduled out a month in advance. Ifit is @ weekend Mass you are requesting, those are the Masses most requested. They are sometimes scheduled out two months in advance. CHANGE OF STATUS IN YOUR LIFE? Hfyou have moved, gotten rid of your land tine phone, added cnilren to your family... Congratulations! Can you e-mail us at saintmary@roadrunner.com with your updated information? We often find parishioners have changed thelr address. and forgotten to let us know. This results in an added expense for the church, for returned mail. Also when we try to contact p>- tishioners, we are sometimes unable to contact you, because you've changed your phone number. Whether its going to all ell phones and not using a land line any longer, or just a change of phone number. If you've had a change in status in your family due to a birth of a child, marriage, divorce, ete. we don’t know those changes until you tell us. We don‘ rely on gos, Sip oF second-hand information to update your family information NEW PHONE SYSTEM ast Fall we installed a new phone system in the Parish Office. Our old phone system was on its last legs! Much like other phone systems in other offices, we have set up a menu system to make the phone system more efficient. We have the fol lowing options: 2 For those seeking information and assistance from our St. Vincent de Paul Society 3 ~ Special Service times and information 5 ~ Katie Boesch 6 Betsy DeLong 0-to be answered to parish staff ‘Once the recording starts, you may press any of these options. Messages for Joan D'Antoni just leave with Katle or Betsy.stm HOLY WEEK CEREMONIES f AT # ST. MARY’S ee ing with Palm Sunday, we enter into the holiest week of the Christian year. As members of the Roman Begi Catholic Church we celebrate in various ways the sacred confusion of salvation. Our celebration often, but not always, coincides with the Jewish feast of Passover, which commemorates God's great act of delivering the descendants of Abraham from slavery in Egypt. In this year, 2017, Passover begins on April 10. However, when Jews celebrate Passover itis not simply a remembering of that long past event. There is a present ‘element, the expression of hope that even now God continues this deliverance, if not from slavery at the hands of Pharaoh, then from whatever might separate us from the love of God. We call that sin. Every member of the parish is encouraged to participate as fully as possible in the drama, the liturgy and the ritual of these holy days. We spend this week in prayer and reflection on the mystery of our salvation. TUESDAY Evening at 7:00 PM the parish will celebrate the power of God's healing of the physical, emotional and spiritual illness in our lives. All who are sick are encouraged to acknowledge and receive this gift of the Lord’s healing in this Mass of Anointing during which participants will have the opportunity of being sacramentally anointed. This Mass places the emphasis on this sacrament and the Eucharist as a sure sign of God’s healing love. Sacraments are for the living, who rejoice in the living God. WEDNESDAY Evening at 7:00 PM we will celebrate Tenebrae. We will come together to admit our incomplete- ‘ness and our sinfulness. Together we will chant some psalms of penitence and acknowledge our hope in the for- giveness of sin in our celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “Tenebrae” isa Latin word meaning “darkness” and by means of a gradual extinction of the lights and candles in the church we symbolize the darkness of sin in the world, but we also focus on the light of God’s grace. Since we'll be in the Family Life Center the darkness will likely be replaced by light. The Psalms and the Sacrament are more important anyway. “Lent comes to an end at sundown of Thursday in Holy Week. As twilight turns to night, the Church around the world enters into the holiest time of the year. It is the Passover of the Lord. During the three days that follow, it can no long- er be business as usual for the Christian ... All energy and attention are now directed to keeping the feast through sa- cred services, some of which are the oldest ceremonies in the Church’s tradition. Each Christian must now enter into the saving mystery of the Lord's Passover. It is the Passover of each believer from death to life. It is the Passover of each ... from darkness to light ... from the decay of sin to the rebirth in new life.” Christ Has Conquered, Glory Fil You, by Bishop James Griffin HOLY THURSDAY Evening at 7:30 PM we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. All parishioners will be asked to renew their own commitment to a life of service, symbolized in the washing of hands of all parishioners. Or- dained clergy renew the promises and commitments made at ordination to a life of service to God’s people. Even as the Lord took bread and wine on the night before he died and gave it to his disciples and told them to eat and drink, so we do likewise in memory of Him. Additionally, at the conclusion of Mass there will be a procession to the place of reposition in the parish office building. The ceremony will conclude when the altar is stripped of all ornaments. Parishioners may “keep watch’ the place of reposition of the Blessed Sacrament until 10:00 PM.Leen] GOOD FRIDAY, a day on which we continue our meditation on the death of the Lord. During the actual Good Friday Liturgy we read the Passion, pray for all humanity, venerate the cross and receive Communion. We will cele- brate the Liturgy of Good Friday at 12:00 Noon, HOLY SATURDAY AT 8:30 PM we celebrate the Easter Vigil. Beginning in darkness outside, priest and people gather outside to light and bless the Easter Fire. From the fire is lit the Paschal Candle, symbol of Christ, light of the world who is risen from the dead. We enter the Family Life Center for the singing of the Exultet, an ancient hymn of joy for this night when the Crucified One is raised. We then reflect on the history of salvation with the reading of various passages of Scripture, Water Is blessed and baptismal promises are renewed. After this any candidates for the Sacra- ‘ment of Baptism are brought forth. There are also some adults received into the Church and Confirmed. We continue with the Easter Eucharist. EASTER SUNDAY morning at 8:45 AM and 11:00 AM we will celebrate the Lord’s resurrection on Easter. ‘These ceremonies have been scattered and scheduled for maximum participation. We celebrate this great week of prayer as a family of faith. Please remember that this week is different from all other weeks of the year. Your Participation is a benefit to us all. Please keep this sheet and read it and then come and celebrate the presence of Christ among us. HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE SATURDAY, April 8 5:00 PM Palm Sunday Liturgy SUNDAY, April 9 8:45 AM Palm Sunday Liturgy 11:00 AM Palm Sunday Liturgy MONDAY, April 10 No Services TUESDAY, April 12 ‘2:00 PM Mass of Anointing WEDNESDAY, April 12 7:00 PM Tenebrae/Penance Service THURSDAY, April 13 7:30 PM Mass of the Lords Supper (Please bring Rice Bowls to Mass) FRIDAY, April 14 12:00 Noon Liturgy of Good Friday SATURDAY, April 15, 8:30 PM Easter Vigil No Confessions Saturday SUNDAY, April 16 8:45 AM Mass of Easter SundayLari [ 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAYING OF THE CHURCH ConNERstone.ceLEBeations | LP#22 ]