Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ November 18, 2018

First reading:
“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.” (Dn. 12:2)

Psalm:
You are my inheritance, O Lord. (Ps. 16)

Second reading:
This one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God. (Heb. 10:12)

Gospel:
“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” (Mk. 13:26)

Live the Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” None of us knows when the world will end. All we know is that it will end. All things do. Many people choose to live a somewhat carefree life by living as if life will never end. They go from one day to the next, never giving a thought to the fact that today may be their last. If you knew exactly when your life will end, what would you do differently? As Christians, we are called to be people of beginnings and endings. God is in all of life even when we think that life cannot get any worse than it is. Creating life out of death is what God does best. We are asked to live vigilantly, seeing God in all things and being ever prepared to meet him, whenever that time comes.

Catholic Quotes—Words to Inspire the Faithful:

© Liturgical Publications Inc.

Upcoming Events:

• AA Meetings: St. Francis Solanus church, Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m.
• Food Pantries: There is a food pantry at the Ovid Federated church on Mondays at 10:00 a.m. The food truck is available to everyone every other Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. (November 27). A 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. (November 19).
• Robotics: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 6:00–8:00 p.m. in the church hall (basement) of St. James the Apostle
• The Friday evening time for confessions or meeting with Fr. Bernard will resume at a later date
• Lectors’ Meeting: All lector meetings will be rescheduled at a later date
• RICA Classes: at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays in St. James the Apostle are postponed for now
• Pick Up Pies: after Mass on November 17 and November 18 at the church where they were ordered
• Risking Prison for Peace: Presentation by Clare Grady on at 10:15 a.m., November 18, in St. Catherine of Siena’s parish hall
• Ecumenical Service: at the Interlaken Reformed Church at 3:00 p.m. on November 18.
• TAC Advent Concert: December 2 at 4:00 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, Trumansburg

Share the Warmth in T’burg:
The Trumansburg Rotary Club has placed a collection bin in the St. James parking lot for their “Share the Warmth” campaign. They are collecting winter coats, boots, blankets, and other warm items for distribution through Catholic Charities in Ithaca. This season’s campaign will end December 9. The Rotary Club will gather donations as they arrive, then remove the bin at the end of the campaign.

Enjoy Your Pies:
People who purchased pies to help raise money for the annual Trumansburg area Christmas Bureau can pick up their pies at the church where they were ordered. They will be available after Mass on November 17 and November 18. Thank you and God bless you!

Ecumenical Service:
There will be an ecumenical Thanksgiving service at the Interlaken Reformed Church at 3:00 p.m. on November 18. The parish choir of Mary, Mother of Mercy, will be participating, led by Joan Gelatt and featuring Ronnie Fairclough on guitar and Beth Bevers on violin. They will be joined by the Hector Presbyterian Church choir with Mark Brown as director; the Ovid Federated Church Bell Choir with Marcia Klue, director; and the Interlaken Reformed Church Choir directed by Beverly Feindt.

Lectors’ Meeting:
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal has items related to the ministry of lector. Those items will be shared together with a review of ministry procedures so all three churches in the parish will be in sync with one another. The meetings will be brief and will be held after the each weekend Mass at a date yet to be determined.

Average Mass Attendance in October:
On average in October, 69 people attended Mass at 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays at St. Francis Solanus. The average in October for the Sunday Masses were 98 parishioners at the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. James and 94 at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Cross. Our numbers are dropping! Please invite a friend to join you at Mass.

Catholic Ministries Appeal Update:
As of November 9, seventy people in our parish have responded with a gift or pledge amounting to $12,287, which is 41% of our goal of $29,979. If you have not yet responded, please consider your financial participation as the CMA provides funding for important programs, services, and ministries that strengthen our whole Church. CMA has produced an extraordinary video in connection with this year’s appeal. It is posted to the diocesan website (www.dor.org). For those who have already contributed, thank you and please continue to pray for the success of our efforts.

On-line Giving:
Parishioners can sign up to support the parish financially online with a few easy steps:

1. visit marymotherofmercy.com
2. click “Giving”
3. click the OnLine Giving We Share logo, toward the bottom of the page
4. click Offertory “Make a Donation”
5. click “Recurring donations”
6. next will appear a page titled “Create a new repeating donation for Offertory”
7. respond to the sections on that page requesting information to set up your account.

Once you have added your account information, donations will automatically deduct from your account. If you have any questions, please contact the parish office at 607 294 0064.

Advent Concert:
The Trumansburg Area Churches (TAC) have scheduled the annual TAC Advent Concert for Sunday, December 2, at 4:00 p.m. in the Presbyterian church. In preparation for our parish participation, the parish guitar group will be practicing on Sundays after the 9:00 a.m. Mass. Those unable to make the Sunday practices are invited to practice on Tuesday, November 20 and 27, at 7:00 p.m. in St. James the Apostle church. Anyone interested is asked to please attend the Sunday or Tuesday rehearsals. All are welcome.

How Being Catholic Makes Me Risk Prison for Peace:
Local Catholic Clare Grady will give a presentation on why her faith motivates her to risk prison time to call attention to the immorality of nuclear weapons. Clare will be going on trial soon for protesting at a nuclear submarine base in Georgia. Her talk will take place on Sunday, November 18, at 10:15 a.m. in St. Catherine of Siena’s parish hall, (309 Siena Drive). Come learn about Catholic Church teaching on nuclear weapons and why Clare believes that the Gospel calls her to disarm them. This event is sponsored by Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga.

Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester:
The sisters have a prayer ministry and throughout 2018 Sister Anne Marie Burns will be praying for our parish and parishioners. Such an act of love offers us the opportunity to keep Sr. Anne Marie and the Sisters of St. Joseph in our prayers.

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.

Cancer Services Program (CSP):
Cortland and Tompkins Counties offer free cancer screenings to those who are uninsured or have health insurance that does not cover these screenings. The screening services are provided in local health centers, doctors’ offices, and hospitals. For more information, contact CSP at 866 442 2262.

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.

Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m.

November 17, 2018 (third weekend):
Lectors: Scott Hamula, Ann Buddle
EMs: Robin Hamula, Kathleen Rourke, Cathy DelSignore

November 24, 2018 (fourth weekend):
Lectors: Gerry and Millie Messmer
EMs: Cathy DelSignore, Mary Davidson, Marie Roloson

Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m.

November 18 (third Sunday):
Lectors: Donna Ryan and Nancy Olszewski
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Beth and Tom Duff, Debbie Short

November 25  (fourth Sunday):
Lectors: Beth Duff and Tim Davis
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Tom Duff, Joan Hogan, Tim O’Boyle