Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday. This Sunday is noted as different in our liturgical celebration of lent in a few ways. First, and most obvious, is the color of vestments that the clergy wear. While some will continue wearing violet, the recommended color is rose. This lighter color reminds us of the joy that is coming at Easter. Second, in the liturgical norms of the day, the entrance antiphon starts with the word “Laetare!” which is Latin for “Rejoice!” We are now at the midpoint of our Lenten journey, and our focus today is a reminder to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Heb 12:1b) With Easter just around the corner, let us now spend these last days of Lent focused on the sacrifice of the Lord, especially as we journey toward Holy Thursday and Good Friday where we journey with the Lord toward His death and receive Him in the Eucharist.
Our Deanery Penance Services are upon us. Today, Sunday March 19, Our Lady of Fatima’s Penance Service is at 1:00pm. Saint Bartholomew is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday March 20 at 6:30pm. Good Shepherd is on Wednesday March 22 at 6:30pm. Saint Joseph is on Thursday, March 23 at 6:30pm. Our Parish service is next Sunday, March 26 at 2:00pm, and the final service will be at Beloved Disciple on Sunday, March 26 at 5:00pm. As a reminder, confessions are available every Friday of Lent from 6-7pm as well as every Saturday from 4-5pm. If these times do not work for your schedule, call me at the office and we can schedule a time that works for our schedules.
Mark your calendars! On Holy Saturday, April 8, at 9am we will decorate Church for Easter! Many hands make light work, so any help that you might be able to give would be greatly appreciated!
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: Don’t wait for the right time; make the time right now. Life is short; time is fast: since there is no rewind or instant replay, enjoy each moment as it comes.
Congratulations to all of our Confirmation Candidates who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at a special mass on Monday March 6 at Beloved Disciple Church. The mass was a wonderful time for our young adults to be with our Bishop, Lawrence Persico, and other young adults from our Diocese. In this weekend’s bulletin, there are the biographies of each student from our Confirmation Cohort. Again, a very special thank you goes out to Cindy Wilpula and Katlyn Gable for their dedication to our Faith Formation program and to our students.
This week is our Saint Patrick Day Bingo and Bake Sale! Doors open at 6 and Bingo begins at 7! Thank you in advanced to all those who have helped, either by your volunteering at the event, or making all the wonderful baked goods! All baked goods can be dropped off at Gallagher Hall by noon on Friday, March 17.
If you’re looking for a fun way to shed those extra few pounds, try joining the Zumba group! Zumba meets in Gallagher Hall on Tuesdays at 5:30pm, the second and fourth Thursdays at 5:30pm, and Saturday Mornings at 8am. If you have any questions, contact Heather Corvino at (724) 813-3594.
The Easter Basket Raffle is coming up quickly! We currently have 73 lottery tickets, and we are hoping to have 100 tickets total, 50 per basket. If you are able to give a few tickets to help us meet our goal, feel free to place them in the collection basket at mass, mail them to the office, or drop them off at the office Monday through Thursday, 9:00am-3:00pm.
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: Staying positive and faith filled does not mean that you have to be happy all the time. It just means that even on hard days, you know that better days are coming. When everything seems to be going against you, remember that airplanes take off against the wind. The best views in life come after the hardest climbs.
To purchase a lily in memory of a loved one to be placed in the Sanctuary, please fill out the form in the bulletin. Please return the form no later than Sunday, March 21 with payment. Lilies for the sanctuary are $13 a piece.
We are still in need of lottery tickets for our baskets for the Easter Basket raffle. You can drop them in the collection basket, mail them to the office, or drop them off at the office Monday through Thursday 9a-3p. Thank you again for your support and help!
Mentioning the Easter Basket raffle, don’t forget to turn in your tickets! There is still time, but, as we all know, time moves fast! The drawing for the baskets will be on Palm Sunday after the 11a mass. There is only one bucket that we pull from, so you have a chance to enter in for all the baskets at once!
Our neighbors at Saint Anthony’s Church are having their Easter Bread Sale. Options are Plain Bread: $7, Raisin Bread: $8, Plain Pogach: $5. To place an order, call either Launa: 724-342-2489 or Linda: 724-866-7488. Pickup is Tuesday, April 4. Please help support our neighbors, and enjoy some great Easter Bread!
Please do your best to help us reach our Catholic Services Goals for this year. You should have received a letter and response card from me asking for your support. Please prayerfully consider helping to whatever degree you are able. All gifts, no matter the size, count and will be greatly appreciated.
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: Life does not need to be perfect to be wonderful. Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. The finest souls are those who gulped pain and avoided making others taste it. Remember, your direction is more important than your speed. If you see someone without a smile today, give him yours. It is how you deal with failure that will determine how you will achieve success. It takes just as much energy to wish as it does to plan. Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t just settle for them.
Lent is one of the five seasons of the Catholic liturgical calendar, along with Advent, Christmas, Easter, and Ordinary Time. It precedes Easter and is a solemn period centered on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. While Lent is often associated with the Catholic faith, many Christians–including Protestant and Orthodox–observe it. There is no better time to reconnect with or deepen one’s faith than Lent. During this time, we can draw closer to God as we prepare for the joyous celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter.
Where does Lent come from? Lent draws its inspiration from the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. The Gospels tell us that after his baptism, Jesus fasted in the desert and then was tempted by the devil. He resisted these temptations and then went to Galilee to begin his public ministry.
Lenten sacrifices can be valuable if they help increase our reliance on Jesus and if the void we create by giving something up opens up space in our hearts for God to fill. As much as we consider something to abstain from during Lent, we ought to consider what we can commit to as well. What outside actions can we take to better ignite the flame of our faith within us?
In just little over a week, our students in tenth and eleventh grade will be confirmed by Bishop Persico at a special mass on Monday, March 6, at Beloved Disciple Church at 7:00 pm. A special thank you to Cindy Wilpula and Katlyn Gable for teaching our confirmation classes this year. While Confirmation classes will be done for the year (including ninth grade), the rest of our students will continue their formation.
Please note a change for our Faith Formation schedule. On Sunday, March 12, we will have At Home Faith Formation instead of a Family Day.
Please do your best to help us reach our Catholic Services Goals for this year. By now, you should have received a letter and response card from me asking for your support. Please prayerfully consider helping to whatever degree you are able. All gifts, no matter the size, count and will be greatly appreciated.
Here are a couple of thoughts for the week ahead. We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are. Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient, and the best things come to those who do not give up.
Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent this week. Our Mass Schedule for Ash Wednesday is 8am and 6pm. Lenten regulations and reminders about fasting and abstinence are in this weekend’s bulletin. A reminder that beginning this week Adoration will be on Fridays from 6-7pm with Stations and Benediction beginning at 7pm.
From left to right: Melanie, Joseph, and Greg
I am very excited to announce that we have a new Faith Formation Director. Mr. Greg Cummings has agreed and is now the Faith Formation Director for our parish. Officially, his work will begin with the fall semester, but he has already begun work to prepare for the fall.
Greg is a native of Grove City, where he currently lives with his wife Melanie and his son Joseph. He was raised as a Protestant, but entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass in 2013 where he was baptized, confirmed, and received his first Holy Communion. He has a B.A. in philosophy and English literature from Grove City College and is currently finishing his Master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. In his free time, Greg enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, and spending time with his family. If you run into Greg, please make sure to thank him for his yes to God and to our parish. Please make him feel at home!
The Catholic Services Appeal Commitment Sunday is upon us. Along with funding all of the different departments and services that the Diocese of Erie is able to provide for us, any overages that we collect will be used in our parish to help continue our mission. This collection is essentially a tax that we must pay the diocese. Even if we do not meet our goal, we will still have to pay this sum of money. This year, any overages will be used to repair the window wells and the outdoor stairs in the Parish Office building. These window wells and stairs are collapsing and need immediate attention. I truly appreciate your continued support in our parish.
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: It takes the same amount of energy to worry as it does to be positive and faith filled. Use your energy to be faith filled and positive things will happen. Don’t stumble over something that is already behind you. Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy
Our Mardi Gras Party is just a week away! Time is always moving forward. With Mardi Gras in our view, that means Lent is just around the corner. Masses for Ash Wednesday are 8am and 6pm.
As mentioned last week, our parish Lenten Schedule is included in this weekend’s bulletin. Events listed are either parish events, or things the Diocese of Erie asked for us to advertise. I encourage everyone to participate in the different activities and events throughout the season of Lent.
Last week at the end of Mass, I announced that we had had issues with heat in church February 1-3. On Friday, February 3, we called in the HVAC repair crew as the heat in church would not get above 58F. Originally, the thought was that one or two circulation pumps were not working and would need to be replaced. In reality, the pumps were working fine, but one of the two boilers was not turning on. The technician informed us that the one boiler was having issues igniting. After repairs to the system, it is now working again. The technician also informed us that the one boiler has not been working since October. I asked if this means we need to prepare to replace the boiler, but no answer was able to be given. The boilers in church are 16 years old, as they were replaced in 2007. Let us pray that they last us a bit longer!
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: You can’t be right by doing wrong; you can’t be wrong doing right. Be the person who makes others feel special so that you are known for your kindness, acceptance, and faith.
In the coming weeks, we will have a Lenten Schedule posted in our bulletin as well as in our church of all the events and dates of Lenten activities happening in our parish, or events that our Diocese has asked us to post in the parish. One item to keep on your radar for Lent is a special scriptural study entitled “A Virtual Pilgrimage to Israel.” For three Thursdays, we will gather as we walk through the life of Christ in the land that He actually lived in through pictures and videos of my two trips to Israel. We will gather on Thursdays, March 16, 23, and 30 at 6pm in the Parish Office Conference Room. I highly encourage you to come and join us for a Lenten spiritual refreshment.
Another activity/change to our normal schedule will be for our weekly adoration. During the Fridays of Lent (excluding Good Friday), we will have adoration from 6-7pm. We will not be having adoration on Wednesdays during Lent. Also during that time on Fridays, I will be hearing confessions from 6-7pm. At 7pm we will have Stations of the Cross, concluding with Benediction at the end of stations. This is another great weekly meditation to help us enter into the spirit of Lent.
On Palm Sunday, Immaculate Heart will be once again be raffling off 2 Easter Lottery Baskets and 7 additional baskets. We are asking for donations of lottery tickets for the two lottery baskets. All scratch off tickets can be placed in the collection basket, brought in to the parish office Monday—Thursday 9a-3p, or mailed to the parish office.
On another note of maintenance to our physical plant: one of the toilets in the ladies restroom in Gallagher Hall will need to be replaced. On Tuesday, January 31, we noticed that the toilet was leaking and is cracked. With that crack, we have been leaking a lot of water, causing our water bill to be extremely high. We have been looking for the leak in our building, and have (we hope) found the culprit. Thank you for your continued support on these surprise matters that need to be addressed. As you know, home-ownership comes with many ups and downs, and tons of work.
Here’s a few thoughts for your week: Never give up on anyone; miracles happen every day. It is not hard to make a decision once you know what your Christian values are. The biggest mistake we can make is being afraid to make one. With God’s help, turn your can’ts into cans and your dreams into plans.
