Holy Year of Mercy: December 8, 2015–November 20, 2016:
“A time to heal, to help, to forgive.”
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.
Upcoming Events:
• Scripture study classes: Tuesdays after the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. James the Apostle Church
• Fr. Bernard’s vacation: June 25 to July 1 and from July 4 to 11.
• Summer Retreat: “Bread and Water, Food for our Spiritual Journey,” by Sr. Kathleen Murphy, OFS, Tuesday, July 19, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Center
• Summer Retreat: “Mother of Mercy, Son of God,” by Fr. Brendan P. Buckley, OFM Cap. Friday, August 5, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Center
• Capuchin Franciscan Candidate Discernment Weekend: August 12–14, 2016, at the San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch, NJ.
• Summer Retreat: “Finding God in Difficult Times,” by Ann Kern, Saturday, August 20, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Center
• Diocese of Rochester Catholic Men’s Conference: Saturday, October 1, at St. Jude the Apostle Parish 4100 Lyell Road Rochester
• Pilgrimage to Fatima: November 14-20, 2016.
Emerging Churches:
Next week, we will take up the collection for the church in Central and Eastern Europe. This collection supports Catholic organizations that provide affordable shelter and training for seminarians in a region that still struggles from the effects of Soviet rule. By providing pastoral care, catechesis, and funding for building renovations, your donations help restore the church and build the future in the region. Please give generously to the collection next week. Visit www.usccb.org/ccee.
Merging of St. James the Apostle, St. Francis Solanus, and Holy Cross:
According to a decree issued by Bishop R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, the merging of the three churches officially took place Friday, July 1, 2016. On that date the three churches, while maintaining their name, is now known as the parish of Mary, Mother of Mercy. The title Mother of Mercy is thought to have been first given to Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Odo (d.942), Abbot of Cluny. It is a fitting title of Our Lady both because she brought forth for us Jesus, the Christ, the visible manifestation of the mercy of the invisible God, and because she is the spiritual mother of the faithful, full of grace and mercy. The title is also reflected in the prayer Salve Regina – “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope” and later in the prayer, “…turn, then, your eyes of mercy towards us, …”
On Friday, July 1, 2016, the churches of St. James the Apostle, St. Francis Solanus, and Holy Cross were united as one parish. In the eyes of the Church they are united but in the eyes of the civil authorities they are not united and therefore, they continue to be separate identities until the individual churches’ corporations have been dissolved and a new church corporation has been formed under the title of Mary, Mother of Mercy. This may take several months. In the meantime, parishioners who make contributions to the church by check are to continue to make the checks out in the name of the church not in the name of the newly formed parish. With the new weekend Mass schedule, parishioners may use their offertory envelopes in any of the three merged churches. The offertory envelopes will be transferred to where the envelopes originated
On Wednesday, June 22, the three parishes’ planning team met for the last time and concluded that the parish office will be located at St. Francis Solanus, Interlaken. The primary consideration focused on the extraordinary reconstruction cost of $30,000 to $45,000 if the parish office were to be located at St. James the Apostle or Holy Cross. The St. Francis Solanus location would entail only the cost of setting up an office without major construction costs. A second consideration was that St. Francis Solanus is centrally located between Holy Cross and St. James the Apostle. It is estimated that the moving of the two present parish offices into one new location can be completed by the end of August.
Cemeteries at St. James the Apostle and Holy Cross:
As of July 1, 2016, after comparative studies of other cemeteries, the cost of a burial plot (for body burial or cremains) is $650. The opening and closing of a grave for the coming year will be $650 for a body burial and $400 for cremains. St. James the Apostle Cemetery has a green burial section and the cost for the burial plot in that section is $950.
Pre-Cana Couples:
Pre-Cana was held at St. James the Apostle on May 28. Three engaged couples were present: Nicholas Stam and Kathryn Latanshyn, Kyle Leubner and Jenna Fronce, and Dwight Herforth and Sara Wood. The Pre-Cana team has requested the parish to keep them in prayer in preparation for their October weddings. The parish is in debt to Dave and Ellen Moore (HC church) who have been part of the Pre-Cana team for more than 10 years and who are retiring from this ministry. We pray that God bless Dave and Ellen and reward them many times over for their generosity and the valuable help given to engaged couples preparing to celebrate the sacrament of marriage.
St James the Apostle Church Parking Lot:
The Building and Grounds Committee at St. James is studying the repair of the parking lot. At this time it would be advantageous to know a person who is familiar with parking lot design. If you know of such a person please phone the parish office. Thank you.
The Papal Flag and the American Flag:
At St. James, the parish has had in its possession both of these flags, no doubt to be placed in the church, which is customary and traditional for Catholic churches to display them. The flags have been moved into the church. It will take time to establish the permanent location for these flags. Don’t be surprised to see them moved periodically.
“Thank You” to Holy Cross and St. Francis:
A note from Ms Nancy Canniff, South Seneca Ecumenical Food: “Dear Church Family, Thank you for all of your support to the South Seneca Food Pantry. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.”
Summer Retreats 2016 – Located On Seneca Lake:
Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Center (www.branchescenter.org) will offer the following summer retreats:
- “Bread and Water, Food for our Spiritual Journey,” Sr. Kathleen Murphy, OFS, Tuesday, July 19
- “Mother of Mercy, Son of God,” Brendan P. Buckley, OFM Cap. Friday, August 5
- “Finding God in Difficult Times,” Ann Kern, Saturday, August 20
The retreats run from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and a donation of $30 includes a light breakfast and lunch. Registration: contact Donna Wieand, 716-901-4313, email: [email protected].
Capuchin Franciscan Candidate Discernment Weekend:
The discernment weekend will be held August 12–14, 2016, at the San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch, NJ. For more information please contact: Bro. Tim at 845 642 1025/ [email protected]
Trumansburg Robotics:
The Middle School Robotics League is looking for coaches and mentors. For more information please contact [email protected], or 315 889 1784 or Tracy Kirkman at [email protected].
Hundredth Anniversary of the Apparitions at Fatima:
Catholic Tour is sponsoring a seven day pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal, from 3 Airline Gateways of Newark, NJ; New York JFK; and Boston, MA. The price is $1,599 and they can assist in securing air from your home city to one of the 3 gateways. The pilgrimage will also be leaving from Miami. The travel will be November 14-20, 2016. Brochures and reservation forms are available. Phone 1 877 627 4268 or email [email protected].
Helpers Needed at St. James:
St. James church is in need of help in two areas that do not take a lot of time and have flexible schedules:
• Offertory Collection Counters – We currently have three counting teams that perform their counting activity either on Sunday (after the 10:30 a.m. Mass) or on Monday. The counting activity takes about one and a half hours depending on the size of the collection(s). We would like to increase the number of teams so that each team counts only once a month. Each team would consist of a minimum of two non-related individuals and would attend a training class to review the Diocesan/St. James counting procedures which takes about one hour.
• Parish Soft Data Base Entry – This activity consists of the computer data entry of all parish donations into a Diocesan mandated data base tool. This activity takes less than an hour and can be performed any time Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning. The diocese provides a user id and password along with a training class that takes about 45 minutes.
If you have any question or are interested in signing up for either of these activities please do not hesitate to phone the parish office at 607-387-6781 or email us at [email protected] .
Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy:
The origin of the Christian Jubilee goes back to Old Testament times. The Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people to make restitution for wrongs committed, to forgive debts owed, and set slaves free. In the Roman Catholic tradition, a Holy Year or Jubilee is a great religious event, for the forgiveness of sins and the punishment due to sin. A Jubilee is a year of reconciliation between adversaries. It is a time of solidarity, hope, justice and commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. The guiding principle of the year: “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.”
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Prayers:
Sister Susan Schantz, SSJ, continues to pray for St. James the Apostle church in Trumansburg. Let us keep Sr. Susan and the Sisters of St. Joseph in our prayers.
Toiletries and Hygiene Products:
There is a basket in the vestibule of the 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 the this weekend, July 2 and 3 (first Sunday):
5:00 p.m. Mass
Lectors: Scott Hamula and Amy Panek
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Barbara Willers, Robin Hamula, Carol Kuklo (for 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
Schedule for the following weekend, July 9 and 10 (second Sunday):
5:00 p.m. Mass
Lectors: Kathleen Rourke and Scott Hamula
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Barbara Willers, Carol Kuklo, Robin Hamula
11:00 a.m. Mass
Lectors: Rich and Hilary Wong
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Lynne Stager, Glenn Stamps, Susan Stafford