TWENTY-FOURTH
SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER
16, 2007
(M -
Memorial, A - Anniversary)
ROBERT BELLARMINE, bishop, doctor
6:45 THE FONTANA FAMILY
9:00 GRACE M. FEENEY--M
req. by Matthew Feeney
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
6:45 BERNARD BROOKS--M
req. by the Family
9:00 VERONICA MC PEAK--M
req. by the McPeak Family
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
JANUARIUS,
bishop, martyr
6:45 DANIEL WYLIE--M
req. by Albert & Kathleen Wassell
9:00 FRANK ABBATE--M
reg. by the Judge Family
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
ANDREW KIM
TAEGON, PAUL CHONG HASANG and
Companions,
martyrs
6:45 MARIE and
BENEDETTO DI GIROLAMO--M
req.
by the Family
9:00 AUGUSTIN
S. HARDART, JR.--M
req. by Nancy Hardart
MATTHEW, apostle, evangelist
6:45 THOMAS M.
LAMB--M
req.
by the Clergy & the People of Sts.
John & Paul Parish
9:00 HELEN MARA NUGENT and JOSEPH NUGENT--M
req.
by Maura & Richard Concannon
9:00 FRANK ABBATE--M
req. by Mr. Mrs. Joseph Adelfio
5:30 VIRGINAI HALEY--M
req. by the Flink Family
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER
23
7:30 VIOLET
FRASCELLA--A
Req. by the Hermanto Family
9:00 FOR
THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH
10:30 JOSEPH
TRAPANESE--M
req. by the Trapanese
Family
12:00 VIOLET
FRASCELLA--A
req. by Alice & Henry
Malgrande
5:00 BABY REGINA
req. by the Blaney Family
PRAYERFUL
REMEMBRANCES
Your prayers are requested for
the sick at home, and in the hospitals, especially: Beth Hersh, Rita Clarke, Judy
Kelly, Tom Miller, Maria Leal, Charles Donovan, Msgr. Joseph Boyd, Joey Mileti,
Patricia Kuhr, Theresa Astorino, Joseph
Mileti, Dotty Doherty, Joan Porrazzo, Lenny
Cavalieri, Jenna Mussolini, Teresa Civetta, Frank Maiola, Aileen O’Brien, Ed
Lenard, Pam Hissey, Tricia Eigo, Skylar
Bahrenburg, F. Peter O’Hara, Alice
Nasta, Mildred Traub, Mary & Tony
Fraioli, Hank Lawlor, Sarah Butler, Mimi Cosgrove, Kristen Long, Patrick
Lamont, Elizabeth Kim, for our service
men and women at home and abroad; 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 (09—09—07)
$12,046
Attendance: 792
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. The dates for the upcoming classes are as follows: October 6th, November 3rd,
and December 1st.
CALENDAR
of EVENTS for the WEEK
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th:
9:00 AM CH: Catechetical Sunday
10:10 AM: Religious Education classes begin
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 17h:
3:00 PM & 8:00 PM AUD: Choir practice
6:00 PM AUD: Pack Meeting
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th:
10:30 AM SARAH NEUMAN: Service followed by Mass
2:50 & 7:30 PM: Religious Education classes
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st:
9:00 AM CH: SJP School, Mass of the Holy Spirit
9:30 AM AUD: PSPA Meeting
10:30 AM
MASS MUSIC NOTES
In
the Gospel reading, we hear the words of Jesus: “Rejoice with me because I have
found my lost sheep.” Today’s anthem is a beautiful contemporary piece by
Thomas Matthews: “The Lord is MY Shepherd”.
ST.
JOSEPH’S SEMINARY ANNUAL APPEAL
Next
weekend the annual appeal for St. Joseph’s Seminary will be held in all the
parishes of the archdiocese. Brother Charles-Benoit Reche will speak at all Masses
regarding this very important collection. Please be as generous as possible.
Thank you.
WOMEN’S
GUILD NEWS…
All
women of the parish are cordially invited to a Communion Coffee/Reception to be
held in the auditorium after the 9:00 AM Mass on Sunday, September 30th.
This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet fellow women
parishioners and hear about the upcoming Women’s Guild events.
COOK
NEEEDED
There
is a need for a cook in Sts. John and Paul’s Rectory. The job will be 16 hours
a week. If you are interested, please call the rectory and ask for Nancy.
RELGIOUS
EDUCATION NEWS…
CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAM
The registration forms for this test (now called “TACHS”) are available
for public school students in the office of the Religious Education Program.
These forms must be sent in no later than October 10th. The exam
will be given on Friday, November 9, 2007. (We also have info about a prep
course at Mark Murphy Schools – 718-229-9292.
ATTENTION
ALL ALTAR SERVERS!!!
Please send Mrs. Ronan
your email address so that she can more easily reach you. Her email is: rsronan@earthlink.net.
Also parents, if your child
no longer wishes to serve, please let Mrs. Ronan know so that she can make
plans accordingly.
Thank you!
TWENTY-FOURTH
SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME
To
be inside the car in a car wash as the water and brushes wipe away the dirt and
grime is an awesome place for a youngster. What an even better place to be with
an individual who God is restoring at that very moment to that human beauty of
a Child of God, and then to realize that God is working through your hands in
the Sacrament! If you are a young man interested in the priesthood, please
contact Father Luke Sweeney or Father Luis Saldana at the Vocation Office in
the Archdiocese of New York at 968-1340, vocations@archny.org,
or visit our website at www.archnyvocations.org.
CYO
CHEERLEADING
CYO has reorganized its cheerleading program to provide for more age
level and experienced level competitions. This is an ideal time for Saints John
& Paul to revive its cheerleading program and return it to its long time
championship level. Anyone able to assist with our cheerleading program as
coach, assistant coach or moderator is asked to contact John Hannaway at
948-2540 or hannawayjj@aol.com.
BASKETBALL
Registration for the coming season for all players grades three through
high school (boys and girls) will be held in the gym on
SATURDAY – SEPTEMBER 22 from 5:00 to 5:30 and after Mass
SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 23 from 4:30 to 5:00 and after the 9:00 AM and 5:00
PM Masses
Questions? – Please contact John Hannaway at 948-2540 or hannawayjj@aol.com
CATHOLIC
FAMILY NETWORK
Came
and learn about the Catholic Family Network on Sunday, September 30th,
after all of the masses at St. Augustine’s and Sts. John and Paul. Take a
moment to fill out our survey. Information will be available about all types of
programs and events we offer!
KNIGHTS of
COLUMBUS
Reserve
your foursome. Our Annual Golf outing will be held on Monday, September 24th,
at then Pelham Bay Golf Club, check-in & lunch 11:00 – 12:00, shot gun
start 12:30pm, dinner at the Davenport Club, 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 a
foursome. Call Craig Skolnick to reserve your spot 212-319-0871 or
914-235-2264.
We
need you support so we can continue the good work of our Council; sponsor a
golf hole at out 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 you hole sponsorship or for more information; 212-319-0871 or
914-235-2264.
PADRE PIO
FEAST DAY MASS
Thursday, September 27th
Church of St. Vito
Confession & Holy Hour at 7:00 p.m.
Mass at 7:30 p.m.
THE
PASTOR’S COLUMN
Next week, a seminarian will speak at all
the Masses soliciting our prayers and financial support for our archdiocesan
center of priestly formation: St. Joseph’s at Dunwoodie. This occasion presents
us with the opportunity to reflect on the vocation of a priest and the part
that the seminary plays in his formation. The late Holy Father, John Paul II,
in an address in the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul to New York’s future
priests imparted great wisdom. “If you are to become a priest, it will be for
the purpose – above all other purposes – of proclaiming the word of God and
feeding God’s people with the Body and Blood of Christ. If you do this
faithfully, teaching the wisdom that comes from above, you will often be
ignored as Christ was ignored, and even rejected as Christ was rejected…(I)n
Christ we are friends…and friends can talk about serious matters. If there is
one challenge facing the Church and her priest today, it is he challenge of
transmitting the Christian message whole and entire, without letting it be
emptied of its substance. The gospel cannot be reduced to mere human wisdom.
Salvation lies not in clever human words or schemes, but in the Cross and
Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The wisdom of the Cross is at the heart
of the life and ministry of every priests…Over the magnificent doors of this
chapel, I am able to read words that have a very special meaning for me:
‘Aperite portas Redemptori’. These were my words to the people of the world at
the very beginning of my Pontificate: ‘Help the Pope, I said,’ and all those who
wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the
whole of mankind. Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ’!.. Do not
be afraid, I say, because great courage is required if we are to open the doors
to Christ, if we are to let Christ enter into our hearts so fully that we can
say with Saint Paul, ’The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in
me’, (Gal. 2:20). Conquering fear is the first and indispensable step for the
priest if he is to open the doors, first of his own heart, then of the hearts
of the people he serves, to Christ the Redeemer. You need courage to follow
Christ, especially when you recognized that so much of our dominant culture is
a culture of flight from God, a culture which displays a not-so-hidden contempt
for human life, beginning with he lives of the unborn, and extending to
contempt for the frail and the elderly.”
No matter what age a Catholic man might be,
he might be receiving a call to be an”alter Christua”. Years ago the norm was for
those who were still in adolescence to contemplate entering the seminary. For
instance, in 1961, I went to Cathedral College High school with one hundred and
nineteen classmates. Today, the program for this age group is now housed in
local high school and supervised by a faculty member at Dunwoodie. The present
student body at Saint Joseph’s is comprised of older men who have been educated
in fields other than philosophy and theology and pursued various careers in the
private and public sectors. For instance, we just suffered the loss of one of
our Westchester priests who succumbed to cancer. A veteran of World War II, he
had been a successful practicing attorney before hearing the call to serve the
Lord. Many men who were once teachers, advertising executives, police officers,
and medical personnel are now placing their talents and experiences at the
disposal of the People of God. (It might be noted at this point that the
Archbishops of New York noting this trend developed the Neumann Residence for
college students and those graduates who lack the necessary academic background
for theological studies.)
As the Holy Father stated the priest must
be above all things, a man of prayer willing to draw closer to Christ through
self-examination and reformation. Through daily meditation, spiritual reading,
and sacramental participation, he readies himself for the task of shepherding
the faith community. As the adage goes, “One cannot give what one does not
have.” Effective preaching and teaching comes from the within the soul of the
convicted sinner who has been anointed to bring forgiveness and conversion o
the community assaulted by values of materialism and secularity. The pope
concludes his Vespers homily: “(Y)ou must not be afraid to confront the ‘wisdom
of this world’ with the certainty of the teachings of Christ in which you are
grounded, but above all with the love of Christ, with the compassion and the
mercy of Christ, who – like the Father – desires everyone to be saved and to
come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. Mt 10:24). You will not become priests
to be served, or to lord it over others, but to serve others (cf. Mt 20:28)
especially the poorest of the poor, the materially poor and the spiritually
poor. Open the doors of your hearts in order that Christ may enter and bring
you his joy. The Church needs joyful priest, capable of bringing true joy to
God’s people, which is the Good News in all its truth and transforming
power…Why are you here as seminarians? Why are you here, members of the
priesthood? Is it not to ‘know the mind of the Lord’? If you answer ‘yes’, then
the great work of the Seminary is to help you to put off, ‘the natural man’, to
leave behind ‘the old man’, that is, the unspiritual man who used to be, in
order to experience the action of the Holy Spirit and to understand the things
of the spirit of God. You must enter into an intimate relationship with the
Holy Spirit and with all his gifts, in order that the Lord’s intentions for you
may become clear. This is another way of expressing the need for wisdom.
Indeed, the Seminary must be a school of wisdom. Here you must live with your
patron, Saint Joseph, and with Mary, the Mother of Jesus; and in the silence of
this intimacy you will learn that wisdom of which Saint Luke speaks: ‘Jesus for
his part progressed steadily in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.”
(Lk 2:52). It helps us remember the countless souls, redeemed by the Blood of
Christ, who have been helped toward salvation by the thousands of priests
trained in this Seminary. You will join them in continuing the work of
salvation, which will never end until, as Jesus prayed, all will become one in
Him as he is one with the Father (cf Jn 17:21 – 23).
May the prophetic words of John Paul II be
heeded and may we support all priestly vocations with material and spiritual
gifts.
Jesus vivat,
Fr. Brian