Bulletin for January 29, 2017 ~ Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Live The Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
In today’s competitive world, many people do not see justice and humility as virtues to acquire. Yet Jesus makes a big point of giving us the beatitudes as the blueprint to follow for our lives. Being poor in spirit, meek, thirsting and hungering for righteousness, being merciful, clean of heart, and peacemakers are all hallmarks of the true disciple and a child of God. After doing all these things, however, the true disciple must be prepared for persecution. Are you really ready to become a true disciple?

Catholic Quotes—Words to Inspire the Faithful:
“Everything and everyone is won by the sweetness of our words and works.” ~St. John Bosco

Upcoming Events:

• RCIA Classes: Sundays, 12:00 noon, at St. James the Apostle Pine Room. All are welcome.
• Scripture study classes of the Gospel: on Tuesdays after the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. James the Apostle church.
• AA Meetings: St. Francis Church, on Tuesday, at 8:00 p.m.
• Food Pantries: Ovid Federated Church on Mondays, 10:00 a.m. The food truck is available to everyone every other Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. (February 7 and 21). The food pantry is at the Interlaken Reformed Church on Fridays, 3:00 p.m. The Trumansburg food pantry is at the Methodist Church every other Monday 1:00–2:00 p.m. and 5:30–6:00 p.m. (January 30 and February 13).
• Usher meetings after Masses: 8:15 a.m. on January 29 at St. Francis Solanus, and 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass on January 29 at St. James the Apostle
  Parish Choir Rehearsal: The next rehearsal date is Tuesday, January 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the Parish Center.
• Souper Bowl of Caring 2017: Our parish will be participating in this event by collecting donations of non-perishable food items beginning on the weekend of January 28 and 29 and collecting monetary offerings on February 5 for the local food pantries.
• Presentation of the Lord, February 2: This feast day, also known as Candlemas Day, will have a blessing of candles at St. James the Apostle at the 9:00 a.m. Mass.
• Immaculate Conception School Open House: on February 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and February 4, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• St. Blaise Day and the Blessing of Throats: on February 3 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Cross and at the St. James the Apostle Mass at 9:00 a.m.
• Public Policy Weekend: February 4 and 5, 2017.
  
• Weekend Backpack Program Project: collection dates will be from the weekend of February 12 through February 26.
• Planning for Your Legacy: Two free seminars, one on March 13 at St. Francis DeSales Parish Center, 130 Exchange Street, Geneva; and second at St. Mary’s of the Lake Parish Center, 905 N. Decatur St. Watkins Glen. Both seminars will be at 7:00–8:30 p.m.

Catholics Invite Catholics:
“Come to Mass in the Lord’s house on the Lord’s day.” A way to remind people of a way to be faithful to the third commandment: Keep holy the Lord’s Day..

Prayers:
Please keep the following parishioners in prayer:
• James Clair, 90, died January 1, funeral service in Ovid on January 7.
• Harold Miles, 71, died January 12, funeral service in Ovid on January 17
• William (Bill) White, 82, died January 16, funeral Mass in Trumansburg on January 28.

Visiting Priest:
Fr. John Mellitt, OFM Cap. will be visiting the parish and helping out while Fr. Bernard is away from February 8–28. Please welcome Fr. John Mellitt.

RCIA Classes:
RCIA classes are held on Sundays, at 12:00 noon, in the St. James the Apostle Pine Room. Classes are open to all.

Donations/Contributions Made by Check:
When making donations to the church, please make checks out to: the Parish of Mary, Mother of Mercy. On the memo line of the check you may name of the church be it St. James the Apostle, St. Francis Solanus, or Holy Cross.

Parish Mailing Address:
When mailing items to one of the three churches, please use the Parish of Mary, Mother of Mercy’s address: P.O. Box 403, Interlaken, NY 14847 (as on the front cover of the bulletin). The U.S. post office is continuously encouraging that we remind parishioners to use only the new address and not the names and addresses of the individual churches.

Ushers (Greeters of Hospitality):
It is the diocesan policy that an annual meeting be held in the month of January for ushers to review the policies and procedures related to taking up and securing the collections. The schedule for usher meetings after Mass is as follows:
• 8:15 a.m. Sunday Mass on January 29 at St. Francis Solanus
• 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass on January 29 at St. James the Apostle

Parish Choir Rehearsal:
All parishioners are welcome to be part of the parish choir. The next rehearsal date is Tuesday, January 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the Parish Center, Interlaken, in preparation for the liturgical services of Lent and the Easter Triduum.

Love to Sing?:
Join the Trumansburg Community Chorus on Monday evenings, starting January 30, 7:00–9:00 p.m. at the Jacksonville Community Church, Trumansburg Rd, Jacksonville. All are welcome. Get details at tburgchorus.com. “Life is short. Sing!”

The Presentation of the Lord, February 2:
This feast day, forty days after Christmas, is also known as Candlemas Day because at the beginning of Mass the candles that will be used for liturgical services are blessed followed by a procession into the church with lighted candles. The blessed candles will be available at the following weekend Masses for parishioners to take for use in their own home. This celebration will take place at St. James the Apostle at the 9:00 a.m. Mass. All are welcome to participate.

St. Blaise Day and the Blessing of Throats on February 3:
This feast day is February 3 and as is the tradition, throats are blessed with blessed candles with a prayer for the general good health of the person. The celebration will take place at Mass at 8:30 a.m. at Holy Cross and at St. James at 9:00 a.m.

Nationwide Souper Bowl of Caring 2017:
Sunday, February 5, is Super Bowl Sunday and across this nation it is also Souper Bowl of Caring. Our parish will be participating in this one-day event by collecting donations of non-perishable food items beginning on the weekend of January 28 and 29. Our parish’s second year Confirmation students, as part of their community service project, will be present at the doors of the churches on February 5 to collect monetary offerings for the local food pantries as part of the national Souper Bowl of Caring Program.

2016-2017 Catholic Ministries Appeal:
Thank you to everyone who has responded with a gift or pledge. We need all parishioners to help reach our parish given goal of $29,855. A report issued on January 10 stated that our parish has pledged $24,385. We are a distance from our goal. Pledge envelopes are located in the vestibules of the church. Please respond as soon as possible.

Weekend Backpack Program Project:
Parishioners are invited to help support this program which is funded by the community. Currently over fifty children in the South Seneca School District benefit from the project. If you wish to write a check, write it to Weekend Backpack Program. You can put the check in the donation jar located in the church or mail it to Ovid Federated Church, PO Box 340, Ovid, NY 14521. Food items donated must be single serving size: cereal, canned milk or juice, canned fruit, microwaveable individual meals and popcorn are some examples. The collection dates will be from the weekend of February 12 through February 26.

Fatal Flaws in Assisted Suicide Bill:
The proposal to legalize doctor-assisted suicide in New York State contains fatal flaws. It allows patients to fill a physician’s prescription for a lethal dose of medication, and then ingest those pills at home, with no oversight by a doctor or nurse, no safeguards, and no accountability. What if a child got their hands on those pills first? Or what if the patient later changed their mind and decided not to take the pills? Who would know if someone else decided to trick or coerce the patient into taking the pills? Check out www.dor.org, click on Public Policy (lower left sidebar) for more info. Sign a letter or petition to you legislators opposing assisted suicide on Public Policy Weekend February 4–5.

Open House:
Immaculate Conception School will be hosting Enrollment Open Houses for the 2017–2018 school year on February 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and February 4 from 5:00 p.m. –6:30 p.m. Don’t miss your opportunity to experience the difference our Catholic school will make for your child’s education. Immaculate Conception School continuously accepts registrations for all of our academic programs, Pre-K through sixth grade. Tuition assistance and parish subsidy are available. Call the school at 273-2707 or visit icsithaca.org for more information and visit https://www.facebook.com/ICSIthaca.

Before the Flood:
On Monday, January 30, there will be a potluck dinner at 6:00 p.m. (please bring a dish to pass if you’d like to join in) before the film screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary on climate change, Before the Flood. The film will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Ithaca, 309 North Cayuga Street, DeWitt Park, Ithaca. This event is sponsored by ICAN (the Interfaith Climate Action Network).

Assisting those Who have Been Wounded by Abortion:
Are you experiencing shame, sleepless nights, guilt, or other negative emotions after abortion? You are not alone. Any woman or man who has had abortions touch their life personally is invited to contact Project Rachel, a post-abortion healing ministry. Trained, nonjudgmental staff can refer you to those who can help All contacts are confidential. Take courage or call or email us. Call Project Rachel for a confidential referral to those who can help: 585-328-3210 or email: Deacon David Snyder, [email protected] or Suzanne Stack, [email protected].

Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester:
The sisters have a prayer ministry and throughout 2017, Sister Dolores Bachman and Sister Anne Marie Burns will be praying for our parish and parishioners. Let us keep the sisters in our prayers as an expression of gratitude. Sisters of St. Joseph website: www.ssjrochester.org.

Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes:
Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes, located at 551 Exchange St. in Geneva, is offering a “Forgiven and Set Free” post abortive ten-week session beginning October 4 until December 13. There is no cost involved. “If you regret your abortion, you are not alone. Let us help you learn to forgive yourself. Pleased join us for this healing ministry program.” For more information phone 315 789 0708.

Toiletries and Hygiene Products:
There is a basket in the vestibule of St. James church for donations of toiletries. The request comes from Catholic Charities which is in need of items like shampoo, toothpaste, diapers etc. The items will be transferred to the Catholic Charities office in Ithaca.

Cancer Services Program (Cortland and Tompkins Counties):
This a program that provides free cancer screenings (breast, cervical, and colorectal) to women from ages 40–64 and men ages 50–64, who are uninsured or have health insurance that does not cover these screenings and who meet income eligibility requirements. These services are provided in local health centers, doctor’s offices, and hospitals. For more information call 1-866 442 2262.

Ministry Schedules for St. James

Schedule for January 28 and 29, 2017 (fifth Sunday):

5:00 p.m. Mass
Lectors: Barbara Willers and Kathleen Rourke
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Traci Bump, Carol Kuklo, Robin Hamula

11:00 a.m. Mass
Lectors: Tim Davis and Lynne Stager
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Mark Scibilia-Carver, Susan Stafford, Mary Szymanski

Schedule for February 4 and 5, 2017 (first Sunday):

5:00 p.m. Mass
Lectors: Scott Hamula and Amy Panek
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Barbara Willers, Robin Hamula, Kathleen Rourke

11:00 a.m. Mass
Lectors: Lynne Stager and Maria Connell
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Mark Scibilia-Carver, Glenn Stamps, Mary Szymanski

Ministry schedule for Holy Cross
January 2017

Ministry Schedules for St. Francis Solanus Church

Lector Schedule

January through March 2017

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

January through March 2017

REMEMBER: to take Communion to Richard Suchocki before giving to congregation.

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