NATIVITY
of JOHN the BAPTIST
JUNE
24, 2007
(M -
Memorial, A - Anniversary)
6:45 KAILEY MURPHY—M
req. By Jane & Ken Padgett
9:00 ALICE and WARREN BROOKS--M
req.
by the Family
TUESDAY, JUNE 26
6:45 MARTU SAAVEDRA--M
req. by Victoria Nunez
& Family
9:00 GEORGE O’HAIRE--M
req. by Toni & Irv
Cherashore
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27
CYRIL of
ALEXANDRIA, bishop, doctor
6:45 CARL A. LAMBIASI--M
req. by Mr. & Mrs. V. Ciardullo
9:00 VINCENT FIORITO--M
reg. by Grace D’Alessio
THURSDAY, JUNE 28
IRENEAUS,
bishop, martyr
6:45 THE FONTANA FAMILY
9:00 MARGARET
MAGUIRE--M
req. by Toni & Irv Cherashore
PETER and PAUL, apostles
6:45 ELAINE KIAME--M
req. by Betty McMillan
9:00 REV.
JOHN HALPIN--M
req. by Alice Mulderrig
PROTOMARTYRS of ROME
9:00 TIMOTHY J. MARA--M
req. by Maura &
Richard Concannon
5:30 MARGARET
MAGUIRE--M
req. by Mr. & Mrs.
Fred DiCicco
SUNDAY,
JULY 1
7:30 AGNES
DORAN--M
9:00 FOR
THJE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
10:30 MARY
JANE INFELICE--M
req. by Linda & John A. Infelice, Jr.
12:00 PEGGY
DYER--M
req. by Phyllis Rodriguez & Family
5:00 REGINA
BYRNE--A
req. by the Family
PRAYERFUL
REMEMBRANCES
Your prayers are requested for
the sick at home, and in the hospitals, especially: Anthony Apostolides, Grace
Welch, Florence Leight, Joseph
Maiorama, Jessy Mackey, Charlotte Neuman, Daniel Patrick Duker, Joan Porrazzo,
Lewis B. Merrifield, III, Kayla Estelle
Kelsh, John Bave, Betty Berrigan, Skylar
Bahrenburg, F. Peter O’Hara, Taylor
Shea, Ben Pariea, James Curtin, Carmella Musumeci, Msgr. Joseph J. Boyd,
Ramona Murill, Patricia Kuhr, Theresa
Astorino, Joseph Mileti, Dotty Doherty, Caroline Weldon, Lenny Cavalieri, Jenna
Mussolini, Teresa Civetta, Frank Maiola, Aileen O’Brien, Ed Lenard, Pam Hissey, Alice Nasta, Mildred Traub, Catherine Ann
Brennan, Sarah Butler, Mimi Cosgrove, Kristen Long, Patrick Lamont, Elizabeth
Kim, for our service men and women at
home and abroad; for the faithful departed, ALBERT WASSELL, DEACON GEORGE J. MC
GOWAN and REV. LAURENCE H. GIBNEY , 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 (06—17—07)
$9,061
Attendance:
1,000
The parish of Saints 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.
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.
Classes during the
summer will be on July 7th and August 5th.
FOOD BANK
NEEDS
Please remember to
bring a non-perishable food item with you when you come to Mass. Cereal,
coffee, tea, canned vegetable and fruits are just some of the foods that are
always a good choice to donate.
CALENDAR of EVENTS for the WEEK OFJUNE 24th:
SUNDAY, JUNE 24th:
6:00 PM RECTORY: Youth Group Barbeque
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20th:
11:00 AM SARAH NEUMAN: Mass
THURSDAY, UNE 29th:
8:00 PM RMR: K of C Social Night
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION REGISTRTION
Classes are currently
being formed for the 2007/08 school year. Please register NOW to ensure prompt
placement. We would like them BEFORE JULY 1, 2007.
SAINTS
JOHN and PAUL SCHOOL GRADUATION AWARDS
The following awards
and honors were presented at graduation last Saturday.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE: Brigitte Azzi
GRADUATION with HONORS: Brigitte Azzi,
Peter
Brobbery
Alexandra
Chevalier
Erica
Grippi
Stephanie
Lamb
Grace Manos
Anthony
O’Malley
Jennifer
Pisano
Evan Willianson
EXCELLENCE IN RELIGION: Brigitte Azzi
EXCELLENCE/LANGUAGE
ARTS: Grace Manos
EXCELLENCE/COMPOSITION: Evan Willianson
EXCELLENCE/SCIENCE: Peter Brobbery
EXCELLENCE/LITERATURE: Grace Manos
EXCELLENCE/SOCIAL
STUDIES: Alexandra Chevalier
EXCELLENCE/MATH : Jennifer Rutugliano
EXCELLENCE/HONORS MATH: Peter
Brobbery
PRINCIPAL’S AWARD: Jennifer Pisano
Evan Williamson
ANNE MARIE REILLY AWARD: Danielle
Blaney
JOHN MCWEENEY AWARD: Ryan Murphy
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of
UNIVERSITY WOMEN AWARD: Brigitte Azzi
Grace Manos
Jennifer Rutigliano
TRIPLE C AWARD (CHARACTER,
COURAGE and COMMITMENT): Jennifer Pisano
NEW YORK STATE
COMPTROLLER AWARD: Erica Grippi
Anthony O’Malley
Alexandra Chevalier
AMERICAN CITIZENS AWARD: Brigitte Azzi
Danielle Blaney
Peter Brobbery
Alexandra Chevalier
Erica Grippi
Stephanie Lamb
Amanda Magnoli
Grace Manos
Henry
Millette
Ryan Murphy
Anthony O’Malley
Jennifer Pisano
Jennifer Rutigliano
Evan Willamson
ALTAR SERVERS AWARD: Erica Grippi
Grace Manos
Ryan Murphy
Jennifer Rutigliano
MICHAEL PATRICK COORDS/
PSPA SCHOLARSHIP: Stephanie Lamb
Jennifer Rutigliano
LARCHMONT KNIGHTS OF
COLUMBUS SCHOLARSHIP: Amanda Magnoli
Evan Williamson
PRESIDENT’S AWARD for
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE: Brigitte Azzi
Peter Brobbery
Alexandra Chevalier
Erica Grippi
Stephanie Lamb
Grace Manos
Anthony O’Malley
Jennifer Pisano
Evan Williamson
OUTSTANDING EDUCATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT: Danielle
Blaney
Amanda Magnoli
Henry Millette
Ryan Murphy
Jennifer Rutigliano
MONSIGNOR KENNETH O’CONNELL
MEMORIAL SERVICE AWARD: Anthony O’Malley
END of the
YEAR YOUTH GROUP BAR-BE-QUE
Next Sunday, June 24th,
the Youth Group will hold its annual end of the year Bar-Be-Que after the 5:00
PM Mass. As usual the event will take place in the rear of the rectory. All
eighth grades are most cordially welcomed to attend and learn about this
exciting group. There will be plenty of refreshments.
OPERATION
RICE BOWL
Once again, the
children of the Religious Education Program and the school received mite boxes
from Catholic Relief Services during Lent this year. For forty days, families
prayed for families from countries around the world profiled in the ORB
calendar while they deposited change in their boxes. The last of the money was
turned in last week, and Sts. John and Paul has a new record: a check for
$705.44 was sent to the CRS offices in Baltimore lat week!
One of the third grade religious education
classes on Sunday morning decided to make a $100 goal – which they surpassed.
Thank you to all the
families who contributed to this very worthy cause.
THE
CATHOLIC WIDOWS and WIDOWERS
The group invites all
widows and widowers to attend the monthly Mass at 7 PM for deceased spouses
followed by the monthly meeting on Monday, June 25th, at St. Pius
Parish Hall in Scarsdale. For more information, please call 948-4682.
KNIGHTS of
COLUMBUS
Reserve your foursome.
Our Annual Golf outing will be held on Monday, September 24th, at
the Pelham Bay Golf Club, check-in & lunch 11:00 – 12:00, shot gun start
12:30pm, dinner at the Davenport, 6:30pm. Golf, cart, lunch, beverages, prizes,
cocktail hour, buffet dinner w/open bar, all for only $175. Bring a foursome if
you can or come alone or with a friend and we will make the foursome. Call
Craig Skolnick to reserve your spot 212-319-0871 or 914-235-2264.
We need your support
so we can continue the good work of our Council; sponsor a golf hole at our
golf outing for only $125.00. You can also show your support by sponsoring the
golf carts, cocktail hour, or golf prize. This is a great way to give to our
council or to advertise your business; contact Craig Skolnick to reserve your
hole sponsorship or for more information; 212-319-0871 or 914-235-2264.
BEREAVEMENT
Coxe & Graziano Funeral
Home will once again hold its bereavement program entitled, “Time to Talk”. The
program, lead by Certified Counselor, Teri Agliardo, will begin its next
session on Saturday, June 30th, 1 pm in the stained glass chapel in
the funeral home. There is no cost to attend and light refreshments will be
served. Please extend this invitation to anyone you know of who may benefit
from this program. For more information or to reserve a space, please contact
Jennifer Graziano at 698-5968.
THE
PASTOR’S COLUMN
I am
always gratified when parishioners pose questions to be answered in a pastor’s
column. This week I broach the topic of scrupulosity. There are a number of
contexts in which this can arise. The first is in the celebration of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. But it also can be experienced in prayer.
Monsignor David Bohr is his Catholic Moral Tradition defines this difficulty as
“a neurotic fixation, be it an anxiety neurosis or a manifestation of a
compulsive neurosis. A scrupulous person is governed by fear rather than by
reason.” (181) It is most painful to hear the burdens of a penitent who suffers
with this ailment. So many times they have confessed the sins of younger days
without realizing and accepting the mercy of God. While the genesis of their
problem might be uncertain in some cases, it is not uncommon that they
experienced cruelty of a physical or psychological nature which was internally
translated into their relationship with God. His love is not perceived but He
is seen as a severe judge waiting to condemn or an evil prankster waiting for
His creature to trip. The individual’s focus is on their total unworthiness of
divine affection and their ultimate condemnation. When the opportunity for
sacramental absolution comes to the floor, relief is not in the offering. As
the papal theologian, Wojciech Giertych O.P. writes in the monograph Crises
of Conscience in his article: “Feelings of doubt in the over scrupulous
person are caused by an excessive fear that had overtaken the function of
reason. This fear has become for him a primary rule of action thereby
prohibiting reason from directing activity.” (68) We see this plainly exhibited
in the person who dwells on a past event which any reasonable person would say
was not their fault but for which they have embraced total responsibility.
Father Giertych writes further: (I)t is extremely important to reflect upon the
way in which moral law is received. Moral law is fundamentally sapiential…Even
though it can lead to obedience to the precepts out of love for the Law-giver,
a voluntaristic theory of moral law more often than not leads to an emotional
receptivity of moral norms in which either the emotion of fear or the emotion
of energy flowing from the resolute feeling of obligation replaces the rational
receptivity of moral norms. Such an approach does not lead to inner spiritual
liberty.” (69) We must recognize this reality in order to live fruitful
existences as Christians. When we fail to follow the mandates of revelation and
church teaching, we must repair to the arms of the forgiving Lord and trust in
His unconditional love.
The scrupulous person also has a distorted
image of prayer. It possesses magical qualities which can easily degenerate
into superstition. “If I say the right prayer at proper times in a certain
quantity, I will receive what I request.” The opposite would be true as well:
any deviation from the pattern would frustrate the desired end. This type of
thinking is often extended to other circumstances. ”Since I have had some
misfortunes in my life, God must be mad at me.” Or, “If I am perfect, I will
receive great favors.” We need only to examine the life of the Blessed Virgin
Mary to see the false bases of these propositions. Scrupulosity requires much
faith, prayer, and therapy to be overcome.
One of our parishioners received materials
which concerned her a great deal. Though the return address and accompanying
letter stated that it was from a “Catholic monastery”, the declaration on a DVD
spoke of the “heresies” of Benedict XVI. First of all, it must be stated that
though the Church has criteria for what might be seen as “Catholic”, it does
not possess any civil means of limiting the use of the term. Therefore, all of
us must be wary of any contacts through the mail, internet, or telephone. It
cannot be assumed that when the word is used its purpose is spiritually and
juridically valid. It is best to restrict one’s self to known religious media
outlets sponsored by the Vatican, the American Bishops, and various dioceses
and organizations such as Origins, Zenit.com, America, and St. Anthony’s
Messenger. The Daughters of Saint Paul is a good source for religious
educational materials for all age groups. Vigilance should be the by-word as
well when financial contributions are being sought for religious works.
Related to this issue is the question of
apparitions and miracles which are frequently claimed in such mailings. Public
revelation is biblically oriented. It is seen to be fully experienced in
Christ. Private revelations come to individuals, evaluated by the Church, and
then can be accepted by the faithful or not. Many claims have been made; very
few have been seen as authentic by the Magesterium. For instance, while Lourdes
and Fatima are seen as legitimate place of devotion, other locations such as
the World’s Fair Grounds have been rejected. Anyone can public what they wish
which does not automatictically give it validity.
In the past every holy card, prayer books,
or religious publication had to have a nihil obstat and imprimatur. These
approvals gave confidence to the Catholic that what was contained in that
particular item was of no danger to one’s faith nor opposed to any Church
teaching. Today because of the explosion of knowledge, the increased hunger for
faith and religious truth, and the curiosity of the world in general, it is
impossible for the diocesan bishop or his censor liborem to examine each text.
Therefore, the Code of Canon Law limited the matters that had to be examined
before publication. Can. 825: “Books of Sacred Scripture cannot be published
unless the Apostolic See or the conference of bishops has approved.” Can. 826:3
“Books of prayer for the public or private use of the faithful are not to be
published without the permission of the local ordinary.” Canon 827: “To be
published, catechisms and other writings pertaining to catechetical
instruction…require the approval of the local ordinary…Books which regard
questions pertaining to sacred scriptures, theology, canon law, ecclesiastical
history, and religious or moral disciplines cannot be used as texts…unless they
have been published with the approval of competent ecclesiastical authority…”
Therefore, buyer beware! The lack of Church sanctioning does not necessarily
mean something is amiss but one must reflect on that possibility.
I will be answering more of these inquiries
during the summer.
Jesus Vivat,
Fr. Brian
Dear Clarice,
The cover this weekend
should be our 8th grade graduates picture that I sent you last week.
Thank you.
End of bulletin.
charlotte