SIXTEENTH
SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME
JULY
22, 2007
(M -
Memorial, A - Anniversary)
BRIDGET of SWEDEN, religious
6:45 MEMBERS
of the LEONE FAMILY
9:00 NICHOLAS CONDRO--M
req. by Conrad & Lottie
Harris
TUESDAY, JULY 24
SHARBEL MAKLUF, priest
6:45 MARY DONAHUE--M
req. by the Clergy &
the People of Sts. John and Paul Parish
9:00 CHARLOTTE and MALACHY CONCANNON--M
req. by Maura &
Richard Concannon
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
JAMES.
apostle
6:45 SPECIAL
INTENTION for the LIVING: JOEY MILETI
req. by Maria D. Markey
9:00 VIRGINIA
HALEY--M
reg. by the Judge Family
THURSDAY, JULY 26
JOACHIM
and ANNE, parents of MARY
6:45 THE FONTANA
FAMILY
9:00 JAMES
MC CAFFREY--M
req. by the Paul Family
6:45 AGNES DORAN--M
9:00 MARIA COLELLA--M
req. by Angelo Colella
9:00 NICHOLAS CONDRO--M
req. by Jean Marie & Tom LaSorsa
5:30 FOR
THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
SUNDAY,
JULY 29
7:30 ALBERT
WASSELL--M
req. by the American Legion
9:00 RICHARD
PACE, SR.--M
req. by Ted & Jean Haley
10:30 JOHN
A. INFELICE, SR.--M
req. by Linda & John
A. Infelice, Jr.
12:00 RICHARD
JOSEPH PACE--M
req. by the Clergy &
the People of Sts. John & Paul Parish
5:00 ROBERT
KREBBS--M
req. by Peg & Bob
Boeri
PRAYERFUL
REMEMBRANCES
Your prayers are requested for
the sick at home, and in the hospitals, especially: Maria Leal, David Escadales,
Richardson Carrett, Marina Christopher, Ashley M., Terry & Amy Tucker, Grace Welch, Florence Leight, Joseph Maiorama, Jessy Mackey, Charlotte Neuman, Daniel
Patrick Duker, Joan Porrazzo, Kayla
Estelle Kelsh, Betty Berrigan, Skylar
Bahrenburg, F. Peter O’Hara, James Curtin, Carmella Musumeci, Patricia
Kuhr, Theresa Astorino, Joseph Mileti, Dotty
Doherty, 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, MATTHEW RADER, ROSE BIALON and OTTO
MILLER, 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 (07—15—07)
$6,333
Attendance: 829
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.
There will be a class
on August 5th.
FOOD BANK
NEEDS
Now that summer is
here, please do not forget to bring non-perishable food items when you come to
Mass.
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION REGISTRTION
Classes are currently
being formed for the 2007/08 school year. Please register NOW to ensure prompt
placement.
CALENDAR
of EVENTS for the WEEK of JULY 22nd
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25th:
10:30 AM SARAH NEUMAN: Service and Mass
THURSDAY, JULY 26th:
8:00 PM RMR: K of C Social Night
NIGHTS 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.
MARIA
REGINA HIGH SCHOOL
50th
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Calling all Maria
Regina High School alumnae! Please join us as we celebrate 50 golden years as
the first archdiocesan Catholic high school for girls in Westchester County.
The event will be held on Friday, September 21, 2007, from 6:00 – 10:00 pm at
the Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown, NY. Tickets are $110.00 per person. For
further information, please contact N. Mitrione, Director of Development, at
761-3300, x-217 or nmitrione@mariaregina.or.
The website is: www.mariareginea.org.
SUMMERTIME
BEBNEFIT and SCHOLARSHIP to HONOR
MARGARET
MAGUIRE
On Friday evening,
August 17, 2007, Desda’s Grate will launch a new Scholarship Fund to honor the
life of Margaret Maguire and to reflect on her service to others. Please join
with friends at a cocktail hour plus dinner at the Davenport Club in New
Rochelle.
Desda’s Grate is a
home for women with children in need in our neighboring parish of Holy Family
in New Rochelle. This fund raising dinner will seed a work scholarship fund and
continue an existing campaign to build a second home named after Joan Pierce.
The dinner will be
held at the Davenport Club at 7:30 P.M. on Friday, August 17th.
Tickets are $100.00 in advance. Please call ann or Gene Doherty at 636-6099 or
email at genedoh56@aol.com to reserve a
seat or send a check to Desda’s Grate and mail it to 70 Paine Avenue, New
Rochelle, NY 10804
Please reserve now to
help with the seating plans.
THE
CATHOLIC WIDOWS and WIDOWERS
Cordially invite all
Widows and Widowers
To attend the
Monthly Mass at 7 P.M. for
Deceased spouses
Followed by the monthly meeting
Monday, July 23, 2007
St. Pius Parish Hall
Scarsdale, New York
Support, Spiritual and
Social
Information: 948-4682
PART TIME
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
The award-winning Parent-Child
Home Program of WJCS is currently recruiting paid,, part-time home visitors
for their current 2007-2008 year (October – May)
The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) serves low income families in
White Plains, Port Chester, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Greenburgh and Mt. Vernon. The PCHP is designed to support
parents as their first teaches and promote school readiness for their toddler
aged children. In the comfort of the family’s home, parent, child and home
visitor participate in fun and stimulating activities using specially selected
books and toys.
This meaningful and exciting work requires a minimum commitment of 9
hours per week. Although home visitor’s hours are flexible, attendance is required
at weekly staff/training meetings held on Wednesday mornings.
For further information, please call Patrice Cuddy, Director of PCHP at
949-7699 ext.324.
Parent-Child Home Program
141 North Central Avenue
Hartsdale, New York 10530
Phone: 949-7699 ext. 324
Fax: 949-3224
THE
PASTOR’S COLUMN
In the wonderful dramatic musical Fiddler
on the Roof, the lead character, Tevye, dreams of being a rich man and sees
that one of the virtues of that state for him would be: “I’d have the time I
lack to sit in the synagogue and pray. And maybe have a seat by the Eastern
wall. And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every
day. That would be the sweetest thing of all.” As one who loves to read, I can
identify with these sentiments. Even during this summer respite, there is an
awareness of the number of literary efforts of merit there are and yet the
dearth of opportunities to enjoy them. One, therefore, stands in awe of the
Holy Father who not only exhibits a tremendous familiarity with recent works of
theological, philosophical, and historical importance but amidst his universal
burdens produces a study of great significance: Jesus of Nazareth. I
will not pretend the ability to cull every insight from this papal opus but in
the next few weeks would hope to present some salient reflections.
There is no doubt that this book is needed.
It is very timely for an era in which the Gnostic cast-offs are receiving
greater attention than the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Additionally, we are aware of the works of so many whose analyses of the
scripture has informed some and confused others. From the sublime to the
ridiculous, the Word of God has been subjected to many assertions as to litany
form, historically, and authorship. Though Benedict XVI writes: “this book is
in no way an exercise of the magisterium but is solely an expression of my
personal search ‘for the face of the Lord’ (cf. Ps 27:8) Everyone is free,
then, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial
goodwill without which there can be no understanding.” (xxiii-v) The humble
author will not be confronted by yours truly for the scholarship displayed is
of greater quality than can be produced here.
In contrasting his contribution to
scriptural exegesis with other modern writers such as Rudolf Schnackenburg, the
Pope states: “There have been significant new methodological discoveries – both
in terms of strictly historical work and in terms of the interplay between
theology and historical method in scriptural interpretation.” (xiv) Carefully
the Holy Father wants to establish the groundwork for his meditation. He
desires neither to be a collaborator with the liberal school of the 19th
and 20th century nor with the reactionary school of fundamentalism.
“Virtues in media” is seen as he makes us grasp certain principles of
approaching the inspired writings. “The first point is that the
historical-critical method – specifically because of the intrinsic nature of
theology and faith – is and remains an indispensable dimension of exegetical
work. For it is of the very essence of biblical faith to be about real
historical events. It does not tell stories symbolizing superahistorical
truths, but is based on history, history that took place here on this earth.
The factum historicum (historical fact) is not an interchangeable symbolic
cipher for biblical faith, but the foundation on which it stands: Et incarnates
est – when we say these words we acknowledge God’s actual entry into real
history. If we push this history aside, Christian faith as such disappears and
is recast as some other religion. So if history, if facticity in this sense, is
an essential dimension of Christian faith, then faith must expose itself to the
historical method – indeed, faith itself demands this.” (xv) These assertions
are most relevant in the face of some modern theologians who deny many of the
miraculous events recorded in the Scripture while others look upon the
Resurrection as merely “ a spiritual moment.” Let us not forget the recent
efforts of a film maker and associates who claimed to have found the ossuary
which contained the bones of the crucified one. And let us nt forget the
controversies that swirled around a novel call the Da Vinci Code. For those of
us of a certain age, we remember the “Passover Plot” which caused similar
arguments to arise among believers and non-believers.
Benedict XVI is quick to add that one
cannot use or accept the historical-critical method without some reservations.
“For someone who considers himself directly addressed by the Bible today, the
method’s first limit is that by its very nature it has to leave the biblical
word in the past. It is a historical method, and that means that is
investigates the then – current context of events in which the texts
originated. It attempts to identify and to understand the past – as it was
itself – with the greatest possible precision, in order then to find out what
the author could have said and intended to say in the context of the mentality
and events of the time. To the extent that it remains true to itself, the
historical method not only has to let it remain in the past. It can glimpse points
of contact with the present and it can only try to apply the biblical word to
the present; the one thing it cannot do to make it into something present today
– that would be overstepping it bounds. Its very precious in interpreting the
reality of the past in both its strength and its limit.” (xvi) It is the hubris
of modern man to judge every age in terms of our own. That which the Pope is
warning against is true not only in biblical circles but in secular history as
well. For example, the Founding Fathers are perceived as wanting according to
the day’s standards of equal justice and protections. Their philosophical
stances are revised according to the constitutional approaches of the
present-day academia. This made of thinking forgets that Saint Paul was a first
century Jewish person and discounts him as merely a male chauvinist. Current church-state
debates pick and choose verses of the Scripture without attention to context to
support the stands taken. As Benedict XVI concludes: “We have to keep in mind
the limit of all efforts to know the past: We can never go beyond the domain of
hypothesis, because we simply cannot bring the past into the present.” (xvii)
Next week, we will enter into the heart of
this book on the Lord. Perhaps, you might pick up a copy this week.
Have a blessed week.
Jesus Vivat,
Fr. Brian