Bulletin for March 26, 2017 ~ Fourth Sunday of Lent

First Reading:
But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Sm. 16:7)

Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. (Ps. 23)

Second Reading:
Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Eph. 5:8)

Gospel:
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. (Jn 9:35-38)

Live the Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
Today is Laetare Sunday, or Rejoicing Sunday, a time of rejoicing at the midpoint of our Lenten observances. In the midst of our season of penance, today provides an opportunity to express our joy as we journey along to Easter.

Catholic Quotes—Words to Inspire the Faithful:
“If your eye is simple all of your body will be too.” ~St. Francis de Sales

©Liturgical Publications Inc.

Upcoming Events:

• RCIA Program, Convert Classes: Sundays, 12:00 noon, at St. James the Apostle Pine Room. Classes are open to all.
• 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. (April 4 and 18). 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. (April 10 and 24).
• Stations of the Cross during Lent: Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Francis Solanus Church
• Day of Penance in the Diocese: On March 28 the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available at the Parish Center in Interlaken from12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m.
• Parish Soft Synchronization Explained: Wednesday, March 29, at 10:00 a.m. at the Parish Center with Dan Pohorance from the Diocese as the facilitator.
• Spring Enrollment Open House: Thursday, March 30, at 9:00 a.m. at Immaculate Conception School, Ithaca
• Retrouvaille / Recovery for Married Couples: retreat weekend at Notre Dame Retreat House on April 7–9
• Sacrament of Reconciliation with private confession: Monday of Holy Week, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis Solanus.
• Doug’s Fish Fry event to support Covert Bicentennial: on April 12 with a request for donations for the desert table
• Parish Choir Rehearsal: Tuesday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Holy Cross (Ovid).

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.

Annual Catholic Relief Services Collection:
This weekend our parish will join the Catholic parishes across the country to take up the annual Catholic Relief Services Collection. This special national collection helps to support the U.S. Catholic community’s international social ministry carried out in our name by the U.S. Catholic agencies, including Catholic Migration and Refugee Services, United States Bishops’ Justice, Peace and Human Development Ministry, and the Holy Father’s Relief Fund. These Catholic agencies touch the lives of more than 100 million people all over the world annually…giving hope for refugees, immigrants, the impoverished, victims of war and natural disasters. Please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief to learn how you are making a difference.

Diocesan Day of Penance and Mercy:
Throughout the Diocese of Rochester, priests will be available at their parishes for confession this Tuesday, March 28, from 12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m. For our parish, a priest will be available at the Parish Center in St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken.

Maintenance Fund Collection:
The second collection next weekend will be the monthly maintenance fund collection. This collection helps in the support of the parish buildings and grounds maintenance. Your help is appreciated greatly. Thank you.

Sunday Collection Counters:
Churches are encouraged to have at least four counting teams on a rotating basis. Parishioners who are trustworthy and like to count money, we need you! St. James the Apostle church is in special need. Regarding the commitment, the goal is that a team would count once a month and the time would be about two hours. Could you give your church two hours a month in service? If interested please contact the Parish Office to volunteer. Thanks for your kind consideration of this request.

Parish Soft:
This is a computer program that synchronizes parish census information and eliminates duplicate data entries. The churches (including our parish) have been using the program for many years and have found it most helpful. In February the parish census information of the three churches were merged into one. To understand how the merger has affected this synchronization, a training session has been scheduled for this Wednesday, March 29, at 10:00 a.m. at the Parish Center in St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken. Dan Pohorance from the diocese will be the facilitator. The more people who know about the Parish Soft program and the many benefits it offers will be a blessing to the parish. Parishioners who have used the Parish Soft program in the past are most encouraged to attend the training. If interested in attending the training, please phone the parish office.

2016-2017 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA):
Thank you to everyone who has responded with a gift or pledge to the CMA. We need all parishioners to help reach our parish given goal of $29,855. A report issued on March 14 stated that our parish has pledged $24,685. We are presently $5,170 shy of our given goal. If you have not made a pledge, please do so as soon as possible. If our parish does not reach our given goal, the difference will be billed to the parish. Pledge envelopes are located in the vestibules of the church. Please respond as soon as possible.

Stations of the Cross:
This Lenten season devotion is held this year on the Thursdays of Lent at 7:00 p.m. with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the Parish Center, St. Francis Solanus Church.

Parish Choir Rehearsal:
All parishioners are welcome to be part of the parish choir. The next rehearsal date is Tuesday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Holy Cross (Ovid).

Communal Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
In preparation for the celebration of Easter, all are invited to celebrate with prayerful music, the Communal Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Private Confession. This parish event will take place on the Monday of Holy Week, April 10, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken.

Holy Thursday—Foot Washing Rite:
Within the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, celebrated at Holy Cross Church, Ovid at 7:00 p.m. on April 13, there is the “Washing of Feet” ceremony. The rite comprises of twelve people having a foot ceremonially washed. We are in need of twelve volunteers to have a foot ceremonially washed during the Liturgy. Please consider being a participant. If interested and willing please volunteer by adding your name to the sign-up sheet in the vestibule of the churches.

Good Friday—Altar Servers:
We are in need of four altar servers for the Good Friday liturgy, which will be celebrated at St. Francis Solanus Church at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday, April 14. If you are interested and willing to serve, please volunteer by adding your name to the sign-up sheet located in the vestibule of the churches. Training will be provided.

Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil Altar Servers:
We are in need of six altar servers for the Easter Vigil that will be celebrated at St. James the Apostle Church at 8:00 p.m. on April 15. If you are interested and willing to serve, please volunteer by adding your name to the sign-up sheet located in the vestibule of the churches. Training will be provided.

Rice Bowls:
This is a Lenten program sponsored by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to help support the hungry and neglected throughout the world. Everyone is invited to pick up the CRS Rice Bowl located in the vestibules of the churches. Throughout Lent place the bowl in a prominent place in the home where family members can all coins saved from a self-indulgent sacrifice. At the end of Lent the money accumulated will go to Catholic Relief Services to help the hungry of the world. Learn more at crsricebowl.org/families.

Retrouvaille / Recovery for Couples:
Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi = recovery) is a program is for married couples who feel disillusioned, frustrated, or angry in their marriage. It is a worldwide Catholic program that has helped tens of thousands of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. For confidential information about or to register for the Spring program beginning with a weekend at Notre Dame Retreat Center, Canandaigua on April 7–9, please phone 585 293 1552 or visit the web site at www.HelpOurMarriage.com

Town of Covert 1817–2017:
The Town of Covert has planned events in celebration of their bicentennial. For a listing of the events please watch the newspaper and TOC2017 Facebook page for details. The planning committee is asking for volunteers to help with the April 12 Doug’s Fish Fry event —they are requesting donations for the desert table.

Notre Dame High School’s Open Enrollment:
The school is currently accepting applications for the 2017–2018 academic year for grades 7–12. An application may be found on the home page of the school’s web site. To download an application please visit: www.notredamehighschool.com. All applications are date stamped upon receipt and considered in the order in which they are received. If you would like to schedule a tour and/or shadowing experience or if you have questions regarding the application process, please contact Michelle Barkley at 607 734 2267 ext. 326. The school is located at 1400 Maple Ave, Elmira, NY 14904.