Bulletin for May 1, 2016 ~ Sixth Sunday of Easter

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
• Between the Lakes Planning Team Meeting: Wednesday, May 4, 7:00 at St. Francis
• Seminar on Building A Vibrant Parish: Wednesday, May 4, at St. Mary’s of the Lake, Skaneateles, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Ascension Thursday: May 5
• 2016 Diocesan Social Ministry Conference, “Caring for Each Other and Our Common Home in the Year of Mercy”: Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Retreat House, Canandaigua, NY
• Celebrating Spring—May Fest: Notre Dame High School in Elmira on Saturday, May 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• First Holy Communion (Eucharist): Sunday, May 15, 2016, 10:30 a.m. Mass.
• Selection of new parish council members: Sunday, May 15. Nominations are accepted up through May 8.
• Theology on Tap/Stump the Priest: Wednesday, May 18, from 7:00–8:00 p.m. at St. Fidelis Friary Boathouse
• Women’s Guild/T’burg Garage sale: weekend of May 22
• New Mass schedule begins: weekend of June 4 & 5
• Drawing for Capuchin Franciscans Raffle on June 17: Tickets available after Masses or at the parish office.

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord:
Ascension Thursday is this week, May 5, and is a holy day of obligation. The times and places of the Masses are:

St. James the Apostle at 9:00 a.m.
St. Francis Solanus at 12:00 noon
Holy Cross at 6:00 p.m.
St. James the Apostle at 7:00

New Weekend Mass Schedule:
The new weekend Mass schedule will go into effect the weekend of June 4-5: The times and locations are:

Saturday 5:00 p.m. at St. James the Apostle, Trumansburg
Sunday 8:15 a.m. at St. Francis Solanus, Interlaken
Sunday 9:30 a.m. at Holy Cross, Ovid
Sunday 11:00 a.m. at St. James the Apostle, Trumansburg

Between the Lakes Planning Team Meeting:
The committee is meeting this Wednesday May 4, at 7:00 p.m at St. Francis Solanus.

Planning Team Update for the Merging of Holy Cross, St. Francis Solanus and St. James the Apostle:
• The unified Pastoral Council had its first meeting on Wednesday, April 13. For the rest of this spring the chairs of the three former councils will rotate leading meetings. Guidelines for the new council were reviewed and are available on the website.
• The three finance councils met on Tuesday, April 19. Regional finance director David Zellinger reviewed each parish’s financials for the previous nine months. Members also had a preliminary discussion about the 2016/17 budgeting process and upcoming buildings and grounds projects at the three churches.
• Minutes from the April 14 team meeting are available on the website: http://marymotherofmercy.com/parish-merge/.
• We continue communication about the new weekend Mass schedule which begins June 4-5. Please help by alerting your friends who might be returning to our area in the next month or so.
• Please continue to use the “Prayer of Unity” during your daily prayer this Easter season.

Seminar on Building a Vibrant Parish:
This seminar is available at no cost and is being held Wednesday, May 4, at St. Mary’s of the Lake, Skaneateles from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Parishioners in parish ministry roles are encouraged to attend. Please notify Fr. Bernard if you wish to join him and he will handle your registration or you can also register by contacting the website, www.4LPi.com/seminars.

Buildings and Grounds Committee Members:
The diocese is sponsoring a seminar, which is mandatory for facilities staff, on Thursday, May 12, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, Auburn, NY or one may attend on Wednesday, May 18,  from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. at Christ the Redeemer, Elmira, NY. Registration for the seminar is due this Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Please inform Fr. Bernard if you can attend either of the seminars and he will notify the Diocese. Fr. Bernard will be attending the seminar in Auburn.

Theology on Tap:
In other areas it is referred to as “Stump the Priest.” Young parents and young adults are invited to a soda, beer, wine, cheese, gathering at the St. Fidelis Friary Boat House (7790 County Road 153, Interlaken) on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 7:00–8:00 PM. In order to plan the event please inform Mr. Russ Wedemeyer ([email protected]) or one of the priests if you plan to attend.

Parish Council:
As part of the merging of the three parishes of St. James the Apostle, St. Francis Solanus, and Holy Cross, one parish council is being formed that will represent all the combined parishes. Now is a good time for interested parishioners to join the council and assist in the development of this forthcoming parish.

The council meets anywhere from 4–8 times a year. The new council will comprise of 15 members—five parishioners from each of the churches. Nominations to the new parish council are being accepted until May 8 with the selection of council members on May 15. Parishioners are encouraged to nominate themselves as well as others. When nominating yourself or another please notify the parish offices or one of the priests. The new parish council will meet in June together with the members of the present members of the three Parish Councils.

Religious Education:
First Holy Communion (Eucharist), will be Sunday, May 15, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass.

Women’s Guild Garage Sale in Conjunction with the T’burg Village Garage Sale:
The Women’s Guild garage sale will be on the May 22 weekend. Please donate clean and unbroken items. They may be dropped off at the rectory garage. We cannot accept curtain rods, T.V.’s, computers, clothes, or books.

2015-2016 Catholic Ministries Appeal Report:
Every family’s help is needed. Envelopes for making a pledge are in the pews and in the vestibule of the Church. You may also contribute online.

Report as of April 29:
Parish goal: $19,696        Pledged: $16,950        # of Donors: 98
% of goal: 85.83%

Scripture Studies—The Gospel of Matthew:
A study of the Gospel of Matthew is available on Tuesdays after the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. James. For more information phone or text Camille Taranto 607 793 7753.

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.”

Capuchin Franciscans Raffle:
A raffle for the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Franciscans will offer the following prizes: 1^st $3,500, 2^nd $1,000, 3^rd $500. The drawing will take place on June 17, 2016. Proceeds will benefit the friars and their apostolic work at home and abroad. Ticket price: $10 each or 6 for $50. Raffle tickets may be purchased after the weekend Masses or at the Parish Office.

Celebrating Spring, May Fest:
There were be a May Fest at Notre Dame HS, 1400 Maple Ave., Elmira on Saturday, May 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Activities include bake sale, chicken BBQ, children’s games, craft vendors, face painting, etc.

Helpers Needed:
The parish 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] .

Project Rachel Training in the Year of Mercy:
Do you have a heart for those who are struggling after an abortion? While very helpful for every area of the Diocese, we are especially in need of trained volunteers in the Southern Tier. Project Rachel Training, Thursday, April 28, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry with video conferencing available at St Casimir in Elmira, St Margaret Mary in Appalachin, and Sacred Heart in Auburn. No fee, plus morning hospitality and lunch is included! Register at stbernards.edu (click on Project Rachel Training in left hand column/Calendar). For more information, please contact Suzanne Stack, Life Issues Coordinator ([email protected]; 585-328-3210 x1304

2016 Diocesan Social Ministry Conference :
The conference on “Caring for Each Other and Our Common Home in the Year of Mercy” will be held on Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Retreat House, 5151 Foster Road, Canandaigua, NY. The $15 registration fee, includes lunch and materials and the registration deadline is Tuesday, May 3. To register, contact Laurie Konwinski: 607 272 5062 ext. 12 or [email protected].

Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Prayers:
Sister Susan Schantz, SSJ, continues to pray for St. James the Apostle Parish 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.