PENTECOST SUNDAY
JUNE 4, 2006
(M - Memorial, A - Anniversary)
6:45 THE WENZEL FAMILY
9:00 MURIEL BOYD--A
req. by Alice & Henry Malgrande
TUESDAY,
JUNE 6
NORBERT,
bishop
6:45 FRANK and JULIA SANTOLIQUIDO--M
req. by Ralph Santoliquido
9:00 MARY SPINNER--M
req. by Dr. & Mrs. James V. O’Connor
6:45 THE
BECKER FAMILY
req. by Becker & McKnight Families
9:00 FREDERIC B. POWERS--M
reg. by his Godson, Robert Power Juergens
THURSDAY,
JUNE 8
6:45 A. VICTOR PISANI--M
req.
by the Clergy & the People of
Sts. John & Paul Parish
9:00 MILDRED and VINCENT BONNANZIO--M
req. by Anita & Vincent Bonnanzio
6:45 WILLIAM
HODGE ENNIS--M
req. by the Clemens Family
9:00 THE BLESSED MOTHER
req. by Frank Giuliano
9:00 THE
J. WOODS SWEENEY FAMILY
req.
by Robert J. Sweeney
5:30 FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
7:30 GLORIA
CAGNINA--M
req. by Geof & Maria Csenge
9:00 GUIDO GULLA--M
req.
by the Gulla Family
10:30 VERONICA J. MC PEAK--M
req. by the McPeak Family
12:00 BARBARA HORNIG--M
req.
by Kathleen & Peter Marcon
5:00 ANN
and EDWARD EGAN--M
req. by Missy & Tom Wey
PRAYERFUL REMEMBRANCES
Your prayers are requested for the sick at home,
and in the hospitals, especially: Dana Infelice, Madison Tamagna, Ann Whelan,
Patrice McAuliffe, Francis “Charlie” Abrahamsen, Dorothy Blaney, Jimmy
Bairaktaris, Lisa Scholl, Frank Diaz-Balart, Alice Nasta, Mildred Traub,
Catherine Ann Brennan, Mary & Tony Fraioli, Hank Lawlor, William Matthews,
Sarah Butler, Mimi Cosgrove, Kristen Long, Patrick Lamont, Elizabeth Kim,
Eloise Selby, Thomas M. Lamb, for our service men and women at home and abroad;
for the for the faithful departed, and
those who have no one to pray for them; and for the honored dead of the Armed
Services.
SUNDAY
COLLECTION
Last week’s collection (05 --29 -- 06): $11,536
Attendance: 855
The parish of Sts. John and Paul thanks you for your support. We are grateful to our parishioners who use our envelope system. If you wish to receive Church support envelopes, please call the Rectory at 834-5458.
PENTECOST
SUNDAY
JUNE
4, 2006
The confused and fear-filled apostles were totally changed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as they became powerful and dynamic proclaimers of their faith in Jesus Christ. God calls priests and religious to serve Him and to serve others, especially by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in today’s Church. If you feel God may be calling you to this ministry, please call Fr. Charles Szivos at 968-1340 (priesthood), Sr. Deanna Sabetta at 212-371-1000 ext. 2803 (religious), and Deacon Anthony Cassaneto at 968-6200 ext. 8269 (dIaconate).
BANNS
of MARRIAGE
II – Patrick Lonieski – Sheila Kelly
BAPTISM PREPARATION for PARENTS of INFANTS
To arrange for a Baptism, please call the rectory and you will be given an appointment with one of the parish priests.
Water in the Word
Baptismal Preparation Session Schedule
All sessions are offered on the following Saturday mornings from 10 AM – 11:30 AM. Please call the rectory to attend. We will begin new sessions in 2006. The dates for the class are as follows: July 1st, Aug. 5th, Sept. 2nd, Oct 7th, Nov. 4th and Dec. 2nd.
10:30 AM MASS MUSIC NOTES
“Hear My prayer”, a sacred cantata by Felix Mendelssohn, is the Anthem selected for Pentecost Sunday. A beautiful crescendo builds as the choir sings “O for the wings, for the wings of a dove”.
CALENDAR of EVENTS for the WEEK of JUNE 4th:
SUNDAY, JUNE 4th:
7:00 AM: Breakfast Run
10:30 AM CHURCH: 25TH & 50TH Wedding Anniversary
6:00 PM RMR: Youth Officers’ Planning Meeting
MONDAY, JUNE 5TH:
7:30 PM CHURCH: Confirmation rehearsal
TUESDAY, JUNE 6th:
9:00 PM RMR: PSPA End of Year Mass & Reception
6:00 PM RMR: Cub Scouts
8:00 PM RMR: K of C Meeting
8:00 PM GYM: Basketball
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7th:
11:00 AM SARAH NEUMANN:
Mass
12:45 PM RMR: Daisies
THURSDAY, JUNE 8th:
7:30 PM CHUCH:
Confirmation rehearsal
FRIDAY, JUNE 9th:
10:30 AM AUD: Kindergarten
graduation
SATURDAY, JUNE 10th:
11:00 AM & 2:00
PM CHURCH: Confirmation
BICENTENNIAL
CAMPAIGN at STS. JOHN and PAUL
We are off to a great start with the campaign at Sts. John and Paul! There has been amazing response thus far and we have some great news to announce. To date we have raised $580,000 or 43% of our $1,348,506 goal! Every parish family has received a letter from Fr. Brian regarding this campaign.
In order to reach this goal, we will need the help of every family. We ask that you prayerfully consider your pledge.
EARLY
BIRD CAR RAFFLE SPECIAL
Raffle tickets went on pre-sale Monday, May 1st, for the ticket holder’s choice of a Brand New 2007 automobile or $30,000 CA$H that will be won at this year’s Halloweekend Family Festival. Do you have a favorite number or numbers that you like? How about your birthday, your anniversary, or the month and day your child was born? If so, send a $100.00 check made out to Sts. John & Paul, with your lucky numbers that you want on your raffle ticket(s) on the memo line of your check and return it to the rectory. Don’t wait too long or your numbers may be gone. Number requests will not be honored after June 23, 2006. Only numbers from 0001-1000 please.
Please send these requests ATTN: Car Raffle. Thank you.
CONFIRMATION
Eighty-five young Catholics from our parish will receive the Sacrament of confirmation on Saturday, June 10th, at 11am (Wednesday Religious Ed. Classes) and at 2:00pm (both Sunday Religious Ed. Classes, parish school, and private school students).
- The rehearsal for the 11:00am ceremony will be on THURSDAY, JUNE 8th, from 7:30 – 8:45pm
- The 2:00pm ceremony will rehearse on MONDAY, JUNE 5th, at the same time.
Please meet in the gym with your sponsor. (If your sponsor cannot attend, a parent should come to the rehearsal.)
UPCOMING
FAMILY MASSES
Sunday, June 4th, the theme for the Family Mass will be “The Spirit comes to Us…But Differently.” The final Family Mass of the year will be on Sunday, June 18th, and the theme will be “Son’s day Mass”. The 12 Noon Mass that day which is the feast of Corpus Christi will conclude with a procession.
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION NEWS…
REGISTER
NOW!!!
On Sunday, June 4th, after the morning masses we will be accepting reregistrations and new registrations for the 2006/07 year. Please enroll NOW to ensure placement for your child in September.
SPECIAL
SPEAKER
THE WEEKEND
OF JUNE 17th & 18th
The Rev. Richard M. Nahman, O.S.A. will speak at all the Masses the weekend of June 17th and 18th about a ministry that provides direct relief to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Please be as generous as possible.
COMMITMENT
WEEKEND
Next weekend, June 10th and 11th, is Commitment Weekend here in our parish. Each family will have an opportunity to make a pledge to the Bicentennial Campaign. We are pleased to announce that we are over half way to our goal. Your support in this campaign is very much appreciated.
CELEBRATIONS
for the FEAST of SAINTS JOHN and PAUL
On Saturday, June 24th, our parish will celebrate the patronal feast day of Saints John and Paul. Our celebration will begin with a Parish Picnic in Flint Park which will run from 12:30 to 4:30 PM. We’ll have hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, salads, and corn. Plan on bringing your entire family – and a dessert! The cost is $25.00 per family or $30.00, the day of the picnic. The cost for a single individual is $15.00. The celebration will continue at the 5:30 PM Mass and then a Family Movie will be held in the auditorium at 6:30 PM (Courtesy of the Knights of Columbus).
Please RSVP by Monday, June 19th. You can use the tear off below and return it in an envelope marked “Parish Picnic” to the Rectory or drop it in a basket marked “Picnic” in the rear of the Church.
NAME:____________________________________________
# in family_________________ Phone #:________________
Dessert:__________________________________________
Please make checks payable to Sts. John and Paul.
PASTOR’S
COLUMN
The feast of Pentecost marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the first disciples gathered in prayer in the Upper Room. Once the site of the Last Supper and Christ’s promise to send the Advocate, it becomes the birthplace of the church. Though present throughout its history, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is the least understood element of the Divinity. This is true for many reasons. Meaningful imagery is difficult. Attempts such as burning tongues, appearances as a dove, and wisps of wind cannot come near to encapsulating the power and significance of this sacred presence. Prior to Vatican II, the Holy Ghost (prior title) was usually only spoken of in terms of the beginning of the school year, convening of ecclesial convocations, and the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Though since the Council and the advent of the Catholic Charismatic Movement, His role is more accentuated, there is still much ignorance about it. For instance, our liturgical committee was somewhat taken back when it discovered the text being utilized to plan the Family Mass not only did not correctly identify the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit but included some realities that were neither. It is, therefore, appropriate on this feast to enumerate and explicate the authentic signs of divine activity.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are first mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet. Wisdom inspires us to act in a way which goes beyond reason. It permits us to move beyond the momentary towards the enduring. Too often, we human beings look for the facile solution to a problem. God gives to the servant open to His prompting the vision necessary to make a righteous decision. Counsel places before the believer the advice to lead a more fruitful existence. The young student contemplating college study and eventual career would do well to invoke the graces of Confirmation received a few or many years ago. Knowledge opens us up to the created world and the absolutes that rule its past, present, and future. It is this gift our Holy Father challenges us to use in the face the “tyranny of relativism.” Understanding, unfortunately, in our contemporary society is in short supply. Advantage is too often sought over compassion. We should strive not only to utilize personal introspection and this precious divine gift to examine our life and its direction but also to extend to others space for diversity and moral progress. Piety opens our minds and hearts to the presence of God in our lives. Modern man commits the error, too often, of thinking that autonomy is the path to happiness. Like the Hound of Heaven of Francis Thompson, he flees from the supernatural. This gift leads us to the recognition that we are never more filled with potential than when we are in relationships with the Divine. When we distant ourselves from he Supreme Being, we draw ourselves closer to misapprehension of the dignity of life, our place in nature, and concepts of rights, responsibilities, and freedom. Fear of the Lord gains us an appreciation that in the world in which we live we must never take any aspect of it for granted. Let us realize the miraculous quality of our being, the intricate quality of complexity in nature. All forces in our perception have their origin and continued existence in the Trinity to be adored. Fortitude, while it might be considered simply as one of the seven gifts, can in some sense be considered a keystone to a Catholic’s existence. The authentic believer must through this gift become a courageous witness to the Lord. The world’s standards must be confronted with gospel values lived in faithfulness.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “the fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory.” (1832) Charity is the outgrowth of our acceptance of grace. Knowing what we have received as well as the just requirements of others we respond generously. When we are in synch with the Triune God, there is true joy for we know that all earthly realities will cease one day while heavenly treasure is not subject to rust or rot. Jesus, at the Last Supper, promised a “peace which the world cannot give.” This fruit we realize in our daily existence when we receive each of the sacraments, extend ourselves to fulfill the needs of another, and enter into a consistent practice of prayer. Patience comes to us upon the realization of the divine attitude which has been visited upon us. Time and time again we are cognizant of the sins we have committed that test the Lord. And yet, He has withheld His wrath. We are challenged to do the same. We must not be collectors of injustices. God’s kindness has been mirrored to us by many friends and relatives. In minor and major ways, we must overcome with the help of this fruit moral inertia. Sins of omission can be as serious as those of commission. It might be well said that there might be less time to offend God and neighbor if we become involved in random acts of kindness. When we experience the outpouring of grace, goodness is the obvious response. Generosity is a fruit which is understood in a limited way by all but its depth is not fully appreciated by many. Its display is not merely in the writing of a check but also in the spending of hours with a neighbor who is ill, with a student who needs assistance, and with a friend who requires a sounding board. It is said that it is not enough to be right. Gentleness must accompany the decisions we might make as supervisors, teachers or parents. Being willing to explain where we stand as well as being willing to listen to the point of view of another results not only in dialogue but true peace. In many fields of endeavor truth has been compromised of late by efforts to be inordinately tolerant and politically correct. The fruit of faithfulness is necessary that we do not lose our moral compass as we negotiate the shoals of crises. When we hear the word “modesty” we think that it is a term restricted to dress. It is, however, of greater significance for it includes our speech which should be etched by humility, our expectations which should not put undo pressure on us or others, and our possessions which should not be so extravagant that they diminish our abilities to be a dynamic believer. To assist us in this, the fruits of chastity and self-control certainly are central.
Pray this week for our candidates for reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Pray for Father Peter Pomposello as he enters a new phase of his priestly ministry. Pray for the Church that it might continue to be a beacon of divine grace.
Jesus vivat,
Fr. Brian