August 20, 2017 ~ Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year of the Eucharist June 18, 2017 – June 3, 2018

First Reading:
Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. (Is. 56:1)

Psalm:
O God, let all the nations praise you! (Ps. 67)

Second Reading:
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. (Rom. 11:29)

Gospel:
“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour. (Mt. 15:26b-28)

Live the Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
Our relationships often need reconciling and healing. While it is easy to say, it is often difficult to achieve. Sometimes, reconciling requires that we take down the barriers that are sources of division, remove our prejudices, look beyond differences, and see the “sameness” that connects us one to another. Of course, each party has to be willing to do this in order for healing to occur. Our Gospel shows us the healing that can occur when both parties are willing participants.

Words to Inspire the Faithful:
“Nothing is far from God.” ~St. Monica

© Liturgical Publications Inc.

Upcoming Events:

• 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. (August 22 and September 5). The food pantry is at the Interlaken Reformed Church on Fridays, 3:00–6:00 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. (August 28 and September 11).
• Music Ministers Meeting: Thursday, August 24, 6:30 p.m. at St. Francis Solanus.
• Parish Choir: Rehearsals begin on Tuesday, August 29, at Holy Cross Church, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
• A Retreat on “Eucharistic Living:” presented by Deacon Dan Callan (St. Charles Borromeo Parish) on September 5 at Notre Dame Retreat House, Canandaigua
• Sacrament of Reconciliation change: beginning September 8 confessions will be heard at the Parish Center (St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken) from 6:30–7:00 p.m. Confessions will not be heard at St. James the Apostle church.
• Parish Celebration: Sunday, September 10, at the St. Fidelis Friary Boathouse
• Sesquicentennial Mass: Friday, September 22, at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
• Solanus Casey, OFM Cap., Beatification: November 18 in Detroit, MI.

Year of the Eucharist
“Our 150^th anniversary celebration provides the ideal opportunity to renew our participation in and the fidelity to the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice as a community and as individual participants. ‘The Most Holy Eucharist is the most august Sacrament, in which Christ the Lord Himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the centuries, is the summit and source of all Christian worship and life; it signifies and effects the unity of the people of God and achieves the building up of the Body of Christ.’ (Code of Canon Law, canon 897)” The above was taken from Bishop Salvatore R. Matano’s pastoral letter announcing a Year of the Eucharist in celebration of the 150 (Sesquicentennial) anniversary of the diocese. The full pastoral letter is available on the diocesan website.

Liturgical Posture:
One of the items in Bishop Matano’s pastoral letter announcing a year of the Eucharist states the liturgical norm of the Roman Catholic Church that at Mass, after the Lamb of God, the assembly is to kneel. He expresses that in our churches we are to follow the rubric thereby keeping in union with the universal church. Our parish will eventually, and soon, adopt this norm and a date will be set for its implementation. For uniformity sake please continue to stand after the Lamb of God until the date is announced for the change. This announcement is in preparation for the eventual change.

Society of the Propagation of the Faith
This weekend we will host a visiting missionary from India. His name is Fr. Eugene Savarimuthu. Fr. Eugene will preach at all the Masses and a collection will be taken up for the support of his missionary work in India. The insert in this Sunday’s bulletin provides helpful information regarding Fr. Eugene and the missionary activities in the Diocese of Kumbakonam. Envelopes for this purpose are available in the church.

Parish Feast Day Celebration:
Save the date: Sunday, September 10, at the St. Fidelis Friary Boathouse for the celebration of our feast day for Mary, Mother of Mercy. A Mass at 1:00 p.m. on the friary grounds is planned. The annual parish picnic will follow the Mass.

Parish Choir:
Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, August 29, at Holy Cross Church, 6:30–8:00 p.m. The choir will be rehearsing for Advent, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. All parishioners are welcome to join the parish choir. We are especially in need of altos, tenors, and instrumentalist of all kinds. For more information please contact Jessica Portillo at [email protected] or 210 268 7662.

Music Ministers Meeting:
The next music ministers meeting will take place on Thursday, August 24, 6:30 p.m., at St. Francis Solanus. Music ministers meet twice a year to discuss current and upcoming events, needs of music ministry, special masses, etc. All current music ministers and all interested in joining music ministry are encouraged to attend.

Place and Schedule Change for Confessions:
Beginning September 8, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be heard at the Parish Center (St. Francis Solanus Church, Interlaken) from 6:30–7:00 p.m. Confessions will not be heard at St. James the Apostle on Saturday afternoons. The Sacrament of Reconciliation may always be celebrated at any time by appointment with one of the priests.

Extra Vegetables and Fruit:
Don’t let your veggies grow up to be compost! Donate extra produce (vegetables, fruit, and eggs) from your garden or CSA share at 94 West Main Street Trumansburg every Monday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. until October 1. It will be distributed to a local family the next day. No donation is too small. For more information visit http://friendshipdonations.org/hubs/

Seneca County Veterans Service Agency:
The deputy director of the Seneca County Veterans Service Agency, will be meeting with clients every first and third Thursday of the month, regarding benefits. These meetings will be held at the Romulus Municipal Building, 1435 Prospect Street in Willard between 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Clients will be seen by appointment only. Please phone 315 651 0430.

Call for Prayer and Unity:
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Frank Dewane, chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, are calling on all people of goodwill to join in prayer and unity in response to the violent protest and deadly attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. “As we learn more about the horrible events of yesterday, our prayer turns today, on the Lord’s Day, to the people of Charlottesville who offered a counter example to the hate marching in the streets. Let us unite ourselves in the spirit of hope offered by the clergy, people of faith, and all people of good will who peacefully defended their city and country. We stand against the evil of racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazism. We stand with our sisters and brothers united in the sacrifice of Jesus, by which love’s victory over every form of evil is assured. At Mass, let us offer a special prayer of gratitude for the brave souls who sought to protect us from the violent ideology displayed yesterday. Let us especially remember those who lost their lives. Let us join their witness and stand against every form of oppression.”

Summer Program:
There were over twenty-five students who participated in the summer religion education/formation program from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day, August 7–11, at the St. Fidelis Friary Boat House We are most grateful to the organizers and teachers: Andrew Morpurgo, Jeannie Wiggins, Jennifer Sharp, Michelle Tinque, Helen Arco, Tanya Grove, and Fawn Updike. Thanks to the parents for registering their children and getting them to and from the boat house. It was a great experience for all.

Pro-Life:
“For thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb” Psalm 139:13. Which is an accurate description: “Pro-life” or “Pro-Choice”? “Pro-life” is an accurate description because proponents of this position wish to preserve all life, including the life of the most defenseless in our society—the unborn baby. “Pro-choice” is misleading because proponents of this position never offer a choice to the unborn baby and frequently never consult the baby’s father. It may be the “choice” of the mother who in many instances is feeling desperate and not properly informed. It may also be the business “choice” of the for-profit abortion clinic and the fee-for-service abortionist. However, “pro-death” would be a more accurate description for the “pro-choice” position because an abortion always results in the death of an unborn baby. In an attempt to make abortion more palatable and acceptable, abortion proponents speak of and defend what they refer to as “reproductive rights.” Again, such terminology is deliberately misleading because an abortion has nothing to do with reproduction. Furthermore, the unborn baby is stripped of all “rights,” so again the description is blatantly inappropriate.