St. Patricks Church at 157 Bridge St, Catskill, NY 12414 US - Newsletter

Way of the Cross In Latin, known as Via Crucis, refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition exists to celebrate this devotion during Lent, on Friday evenings, and especially on Good Friday. The stations can be prayed individually at any time, or join us with a leader each Friday of Lent at 7 p.m. in our Church. Loving and compassionate God, help us to stay open to your guidance and to trust that you want what is best for our parish. May the new pastor who is to come continue to empower the members of our parish and may we, the parishioners, be generous and supportive as we begin this new journey. Let us trust, 0 God, that all things do work together for the good of us, your people. Amen. Catskill, New York March 2007 Opportunity to serve in ministry… Music Ministry & Song Leaders Music is an integral part of all liturgies. Parishioners of all ages are encouraged to join any of our groups to lead the assembled in song. Adult rehearsals are on Wednesday’s or Thursday’s. Youth rehearsal schedules are given twice a year. We lead song at our monthly youth masses, and other times of the year. We always look for extra voices for Christmas and Easter if you can not commit to a yearly schedule. For more information, contact Matt Luvera, director of liturgy and music at 506-7323 or mattluvera@yahoo.com. To become the Body of Christ by worshipping God and serving others. - vision statement of the Church of Saint Patrick Upcoming Family Events • March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30—7:00 p.m.—Stations of the Cross • March 3—10:00 a.m.—First Reconciliation Gr. 2 • March 7, 14, 21—7 p.m.—Cluster Parishes Lenten Spirituality Night—St. Patrick Church, Athens • March 11—10:30 a.m.—Youth Family Mass • March 17—9:00 a.m.—Morning Prayer, Feast of St. Patrick • March 28—7:00 p.m.—Communal Penance Service • April 1—10:30 a.m.—Palm Sunday Youth Family Mass with Procession Altar Servers Needed!!! St. Patrick Church is looking for altar servers. We are especially in need of servers for the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass and the Sunday 8:30 AM Mass. This is done on a rotating basis and you will not need to serve every week. If you are interested, please contact Wendy Casalino at 943-0554 or e-mail at Casalino@mhcable.com. CALLED TO BE CHURCH The power of prayer is well known to Christians. Prayer is an ntegral part of the "Called to BE Church" process. It is our fervent communication with God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians offers us a good place to begin: God of the journey, We have come here trusting in you, believing that you dwell within us, counting on you to be our companion as we move through our lives. Remind us often that you are with us…Keep us mindful of your presence…Be our strength; grant us guidance as we continue on our journey…sometimes choosing a new path…help us often to remember that truly your power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Amen S u n d a y M a s s S c r i p t u r e R e a d i n g The Eucharistic life begins on the way to church. Go to church with a heart made ready for the mystery. Go to church with hunger and desire; you will not be sent away empty...for God will fill you with good things (cf. Luke 1:53). Our readers take time to prepare their Scripture reading to you. Try to put the book down and listen to the Word...let it come alive in you! March 4 Gn 15:5-12, 17-18, Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14, Phil 3:17—4:1, Lk 9:28b-36 March 11 Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15, Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11, 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12, Lk 13:1-9 March 18 Jos 5:9a, 10-12, Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 2 Cor 5:17-21, Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 March 25 Is 43:16-21, Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6, Phil 3:8-14, Jn 8:1-11 Contact Information Parish Office Mon.—Fri. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mary Caccavale, Administrative Assistant 943-3150 Liturgy Committee (Prayer/Worship) 2nd Tuesday of the Month - 6:30 p.m. Matt Luvera, Director of Liturgy & Music 506-7323 Pastoral Council 1st Tuesday of the Month - 7 p.m. Mary Ann Kordich, chairperson 943-3150 Finance Council 3rd Monday of the Month - 6:30 p.m. Sid Castle, chairperson 943-3150 Stewardship Committee Lissa Jilek 943-5438 Faith Formation Committee 3rd Wednesday of the Month - 7 p.m. Anita Emery, Interim Coordinator 943-3150 Buildings & Grounds Committee Martin Wallace, chairperson 943-3150 Knights of Columbus 2nd & 4th Mon. of the Month - 7:30 p.m. Pete Gustas, Grand Knight 943-5138 St. Patrick Rosary-Altar Society 1st Sun. of the Month - 11:30 a.m. Terri Hafale, chairperson 943-7404 Collection Counters J. C. Berzal, chairperson 943-3150 St. Patrick Academy School Board 943-2952 Please update your records or join our parish by filling out a parish census form located in the literature racks. Would like to become Catholic… Were you baptized, but did not receive other sacraments… The Catholic community of St. Patrick Church welcomes you with open arms and claims you for Christ! Receive your sacraments at our Easter Vigil Mass. For more information, contact the parish office. Communal Penance Services are held in most parishes to prepare for Christmas and Easter. This is the second form of the Rite of Reconciliation. The people gather in Church to prepare for the sacrament by listening to the Word of God, reciting or singing penitential psalms and hymns and participating in community prayer. The priests will help those present to examine their conscience, the penitents will then approach one of the priests. Each penitent individually confesses his or her sins. This would include all mortal sins and any others he or she wishes to confess. You then accept a penance from the priest and receive absolution. After everyone has gone to confession, we rejoin again for community prayer in thanksgiving for the reconciliation. Join us for our celebration on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. Glory to God The Gloria is an ancient hymn sung by the congregation on Sunday’s outside of Advent and Lent, and on solemnities and feasts (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 31). This “angelic hymn” is taken from the song the angels sang at Jesus’ birth. The text of the Gloria beautifully blends praise, petition, and the centrality of the Trinity. In time, after singing it each week, we will learn the words together and raise our voices to all of the angels in heaven. Sacred Silence Silence is of great importance so that we can hear and reflect on God’s message of love. The liturgy calls for intentional silence at various times in the liturgy, including between readings, and after the homily during the liturgy of the word. Take time to reflect on the Scripture you just heard proclaimed. Another time for sacred silence is after the communion hymn. The music ministers and presider will reflect with you before beginning the next part of the Mass. Liturgical Ministry of Cantor The cantor as song leader has been with us since the 1950’s. Then, in the late 60’s began the rebirth of the cantor as psalmist during the time of the Second Vatican Council. As the cantor serves the assembly, he or she also serves the Word, helping to bring about a bonding of the two. The cantor is a partner with the lectors in the proclamation of the Word. The lector, presider, cantor, choir, and the assembly have the task of “enlivening” the worship, not to perform, but to pray this giant prayer we call the Mass together. Our parish family is in need of cantors. Please pray about this ministry and be open to God’s call to join us. Contact Matt Luvera, director of music and liturgy for more information. Vocations Chairperson Fr. Jim Walsh, vocations director for the Albany Diocese has asked all parishes in the diocese to have a vocation contact person. Our parish needs a chairperson to help promote vocations in our own ommunity. If you are able to serve, please contact the parish office. The Characteristics of Faith Christian faith is the human person’s response to God’s loving invitation to believe in him. Faith means giving yourself completely – heart, mind, and will – to a loving relationship with God. Faith also means believing in and being part of the Church, which is the Body of Christ here on earth. The Catholic Church also teaches some other things about faith: Faith is a grace, a supernatural gift of God. This is a fancy way of saying that we don’t initiate our lationships with God, that he is the one who initiates it. In fact, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t be able to recognize God’s invitation or respond to it. Faith is certain. God is trustworthy, and everything he reveals is trustworthy, even when it does not make complete sense to our human reason. The teachings of our faith are more trustworthy than any human knowledge. Faith seeks understanding. True faith means having a passion for always wanting a deeper and clearer understanding of God. It is an ongoing process: the more we understand God, the deeper our faith will be. And as our faith deepens, we become more committed followers of Jesus Christ. Faith is not opposed to science. God created both physical reality and spiritual reality, and the two can never truly conflict. The humble and honest seeker will see the hand of God in both the world of science and the world of religion. Faith is necessary for salvation. By definition, salvation means having our relationship with God restored to what he intended it to be from the beginning. But as was said earlier, faith in God is a necessary part of having a truly loving relationship with him. Thus, without faith, we have cut ourselves off from God, and that means no salvation. Without faith in God, even if a person had all the exterior signs of good and upright life, she or he will not be saved. (Just remember that God is always there to take us back!) Faith is the beginning of eternal life. Through faith we deepen our relationship with God. Through faith we experience the joy and love that comes with being part of a community of believers. Through faith we get a preview of what heaven is like. Let the Children Come Unto Me “What children experience in church will shape their attitudes toward religion and God for their entire lives. It’s not so very important that the children get everything right, but it is extremely important that they are treated with dignity, respect, gentleness, kindness, mercy, and compassion. After all, our relationship with God mirrors our relationship with others, and how we treat the least and the last and the lowly is how we treat God. And how our children experience us will be how we experience our heavenly Father” (Rev. Paul Boudreau, Today’s Parish Magazine: Ideas and Inspirations for Pastors, Parish Musicians, and Leaders). Welcome our young people! Tell them you are glad they are with us! MEMORIALS Our parish community is committed to continue to make offerings in memory of a loved one who, marked with the sign of faith, has gone before us to eternal life. Sanctuary Lamp The candle that remains lit near the tabernacle is a $10 offering, and the name of the deceased and the person making the offering will be listed in the bulletin for that week. Please call the parish office, as you would in requesting Masses to be said, to sign up for a particular week or write the name of the deceased and the person making the offering on an envelope into the regular collection and we will place the memorial on the next available week. Only one name/family is allotted per week. Flowers Many people have expressed interest in having flowers in our sanctuary every week, besides just Christmas and Easter. The only liturgical season that the church asks us not to have flowers is during Lent. The offering is $40 for an arrangement of flowers. Please drop an envelope in the regular collection with the name of the deceased and the person making the offering, both will be listed in the bulletin for that week. Liturgy Memorials Like our organ and ambry (holy oil case), many still would like to make an offering for items used during the Mass, including liturgical books, vestments, etc. Names of deceased members of our community will be added to our parish memorial book. IF JESUS HAD AN OBITUARY Jesus ben Joseph, known by many as the Christ, 33, of Nazareth, died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Betrayed by the apostle Judas, Jesus was crucified by the Romans, by order of the local Roman Ruler Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were crucifixtion, extreme exhaustion, shock, dehydration, severe torture, loss of blood and a broken heart. Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, was a member of the House of David. He was the Son of the late Joseph, a construction worker of Nazareth, and Mary, His devoted Mother. Jesus was born in a stable in the City of Bethlehem, Judea. He is survived by His mother Mary, His faithful Apostles, numerous disciples, and many other followers. Jesus was self educated and spent most of His adult life working as a carpenter and, more recently as a Teacher. He worked for about fifteen years on the Upper Galilee governmental buildings in Sepphoris, a few miles from Nazareth. Jesus also occasionally worked as a Medical Doctor and it is reported that he healed many patients. Up until the time of His death, Jesus was teaching and sharing the Good News, healing the sick, embracing the lonely and disenfranchised, lifting up the downtrodden, feeding the hungry, and helping the poor. Jesus was most noted for telling parables about His Father’s Kingdom and performing wonders, such as feeding over 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. This occurred on the hillside shore between Magdala and Capernaum, and healing a man who was born blind. He had a particular regard for the lepers and cured many of them on the Sabbath. On the evening before His death, He held a Last Supper celebrating the Passover Feast, at which He foretold His death. He told the people with Him that they were to commemorate His death always by having a supper of bread and win which priests, the first He made that night, could effect a change into His Body and Blood. The body was quickly buried in a stone grave, which was donated by Joseph of Arimathea, a loyal friend of the family who, because he was a member of the temple elite, was a secret follower of Jesus. By order of Pontius Pilate, a boulder was rolled in front of the tomb. Roman soldiers were put on guard. The usual anointing of the body and other rituals were to follow at the end of the Sabbath; Saturday evening of Sunday morning. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that everyone try to live as Jesus did. Donations may be sent to anyone in need. - thanks to Deacon Paul for sharing

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