1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

May 3, 2015
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
It is with great joy that I congratulate our 52 youth/Confirmandi who received the Holy Spirit and
the sacrament of Confirmation with the imposition of hands by a special guest to our Church on
Tuesday: Archbishop Harry Flynn! The good (retired) Archbishop is the former bishop of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and is also a former rector many years ago of my own alma mater, Mount St.
Mary’s Seminary! Archbishop Flynn, a friend of Archbishop William Lori and of the Mount, has
been generously helping some of our parishes this month with the sacrament of Confirmation in
the absence of a “Western Vicar” for our archdiocese (Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, now in Connecticut, was our former auxiliary bishop here.) We are grateful to have him come to our parish!
Actually, many years ago while he was serving at the Mount, he would come occasionally to
serve at St. Augustine’s in Williamsport and (I believe) also St. Michael’s as well! So he has a
past connection here. Thanks to him, and also to our seminarians, Mark Ruhl (Lincoln, NE, who
served with us this year) and to Tyler Kline from the Archdiocese of Baltimore for assisting us
with the wonderful liturgy on Tuesday!
I also, in advance, would like to offer congratulations to our 35 children who are receiving their
First Holy Communion this weekend here at St. Mary, and to the 8 who will receive theirs in two
weeks at St. Michael! We need the potent grace of the sacraments to live - and to be the persons
God has created and destined us to be. I pray that our parents, families and sponsors for all of the
aforementioned will be both faithful examples and fervent encouragers in the faith to their children/loved ones. As we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, may God continue to “rise” in each one of us, giving us His victory and His peace-
Peace, in the Risen and Eucharistic Lord JesusFr. Collin
Spring Has Sprung!
Do you have a green thumb?
Would you like to help with nurturing our gardens and flower pots to
beautify St. Mary’s property?
Please call Alice, Business Manager,
301-739-0390, for more details.
Thank you!
First Communion
Eucharist Celebration for the First Communion class will be held on Sunday, May 3, at 1:00 PM in the church. There will be 39 St. Mary Parish children celebrating First Communion. Please keep them in your prayers.
St. Michael First Communion
Eucharist Celebration for the First Communion class will be held on Sunday, May 17, during the 10:30 Mass in the church. There will be 8 St. Michael Parish children celebrating First Communion. Please keep them in
your prayers.
Liturgical Ministry
ALL LITURGICAL MINISTERS: Please send your availability for the months of June through August
(including 8:30 weekday Masses) to Trevor Rowland no later than Monday, May 11th. Contact [email protected] or 301-739-0390 x119. I will plan to have the schedule sent the following
week.
The 13th of the Month Fatima Prayer Group meets at 12 noon in the
church for prayer. It does not meet when the 13 falls on Sunday.
th
All are welcome please join us!.
Divine Mercy: “When I entered my solitude, I heard these words, ‘At the
hour of their death, I defend as My Own Glory every soul that will say this
[Divine Mercy] Chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon
is the same. When this Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person,
God’s Anger is placated, Unfathomable Mercy envelops the soul, and the
Very Depths of My Tender Mercy are moved for the Sake of the Sorrowful
Passion of My Son.’ ” (St. Faustina’s Diary: 811)
Inspirational Quote: Inspiration Quote: “Listening to Christ and worshipping Him leads us to
make courageous choices, to take what are sometimes heroic decisions. Jesus is demanding because He wishes our genuine happiness.” – St. John Paul II
Have you made a visit to the St. Mary Religious Article Store lately? We have beautiful gifts
for those receiving First Communion and Confirmation as well numerous statues, rosaries, metals, Holy Cards, etc. Stop in Sunday, 9-12 or call or stop by the office during the week to have a
staff person take you in.
Join us in prayer and procession with Our Lady of Fatima on First Saturday of the Month, May 2nd
Before Mass starting at 8 AM, fulfill the obligation to recite five decades of the Rosary.
Join us for Mass and receive Holy Communion. Confessions on First Saturday are immediately after Mass.
We are led in prayer followed by the Three Hail Mary Devotion what are now known as the First Saturday
Devotions to make reparation for blasphemies and offenses against her Immaculate Heart and for world peace.
This devotion has four parts – all four should be made in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy and ingratitude
and for peace in the world: First, one should go to confession, generally eight days before or after the First
Saturday of the month. Second, one should receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of the month.
Third, recite five decades of the Rosary and fourth, meditate for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the
Holy Rosary. http://www.ewtn.com/wings/2013/may2/wings0502Feature.htm
May Crowning of Our Lady: Sunday, May 3, 2015, 1PM—Mt. St. Mary’s University—National
Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Dubois-Seton Garden (following Noon Mass at the St. Mary’s
Chapel). For more info call 301-447-5318.
Spring Fling Daddy-Daughter Dance for all girls ages 6-18 and their Dad (or
other significant adult male, i.e. grandfathers or uncles). Saturday, May 16, 6:30-8:30,
Riggie Hall, St. Joseph’s Church. Dress in your Sunday best. Snacks and drinks will
be provided. There is no fee, but if you wish, you may bring an item to donate to the
SPCA. Please pre-register by May 10. Call of text Julie Becker at 240-818-5192 with
girls’ names and ages and your contact information, or email [email protected].
Sponsored by the Washington County Chapter of the Junior Catholic Daughters of the
Americas.
Congratulations
& Welcome
Emily Abe –St. Genevieve
Lexi Adams – St. Veronica
John Anderson – Blessed Pier Giorgio
Frassati
Emily Baillargeon – St. Cecilia
Thomas Baillargeon – Pope St. Gregory
the Great
Olivia Brooks – Our Lady of Guadalupe
Benjamin Byers – St. Padre Pio
Edith Colliflower – St. Clare of Assisi
Emily Concovia – St. Felicity
Harrison Ewing – St. Sebastian
Frederick Farah – St. Francis Xavier
Conor Faron – St. Michael
Molly Faron – St. Maria Goretti
Elizabeth Fisher – St. Rose of Lima
Joseph Jacques – St. Joseph
Ellen Judge – Bl. Teresa of Calcutta
Krehl Kasayan – St. Jude
Tyler Kenny – St. Timothy
Erin Kirk – St. Veronica
Daniel Lacey – St. Matthew
Charlotte Larkin – St. Joan of Arc
Kristopher Lynott – St. Christopher
David Mastrouni – St. Nicholas
Adam Mathias – St. Sebastian
Brandon McMullen – St. Michael
Anna Mele – St. Clare of Assisi
Hannah Mose – St. Clare of Assisi
Matthew Mose – St. Dominic
Emma Ortiz – St. Cecilia
Dahlia Nogales – St. Catherine of
Alexandria
Piper Partlow – St. Frances of Rome
Magdalen Pixler –St. Victoria of Tivoli
Shelbi Robinette – St. Sebastian
Sarah Sardina – St. Rosalia
Emily Saylor – St. Lucy
Meghan Scott – St. Clare of Assisi
Carsyn Shipway – St. Agatha
Aria Smith – St. Francis of Assisi
Ryan Socks – St. Paul
James Sungenis – St. John Bosco
Amanda Thomas – St. Kateri Tekawitha
Kathleen Thompson – St. Therese of
Lisuex
Zachary Towns – St. Thomas Aquinas
Cole Trippett – St. Sebastian
Clair Volkening – St. Clare of Assisi
Colette Waldron – Sts. Perpetua & Felicity
Cole Weaver – St. Sebastian
Ethan Weaver – St. Michael
Ryan Weaver – St. George
Grace Weber – St. Maria Goretti
Joe Werder – St. Sebastian
Sonia White – St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Sofia Alexander
Patrick O’Brien
Maria Benjamin
Clair O’Connor
Diego Cabezas
Katelyn Rafferty
Margaret Carroll
Ryan Reilly
Chloe Dellaposta
Madelyn Renken
Samuel Hall
Keira Ritch
John Holter
Kiera Robinson
Lucas Holter
Elijah Schleigh
Roman Holter
Erilyn Schleigh
Zachary Hudson
Jonathan Shultz
Liam Johnson
Mia Tiznado
Adam Kershner
Lauren Stine
Jacob Kijowski
Quency Swett
Quency Swett
Madelyn Kreps
Mia Tiznado
Louis Maciulla
Hailey Valiquette
Ava Mathias
Rose Waldron
Kami McCoy
Halle Walker
Madeline Mercurio-Vitulli
Jasmyn Williams
Cara Morgan
Storm Wolford
Congratulations!
Consecration to Jesus through Mary
Montfort Consecration
May 31, 2015
Prayer liturgy, consecration prayers, and
tribute will follow the regular 12:00 pm Mass
in St. Mary’s Chapel
Preparation for consecration begins on April 28th and consists of following a daily exercise of
readings, meditations and prayers in the privacy of one’s own home. Suggested books for preparation are 33 Days to Morning Glory, Michael E. Gaitley or Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus
Christ through Mary, Hugh Gillespie, S.M.M.
For more information call (301) 447-5318 or visit www.MSMGrotto.org
Ask the Priest
Father,
Is Ascension Thursday a Holy Day of Obligation or not?
The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord celebrates Jesus’ return to the Father forty
day after His Resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. Forty days after Easter falls on a
Thursday. After the Second Vatican Council, Bishops of the Church were given greater authority over the liturgy in their particular region of the world. Many bishops in the United States noticed that attendance at Mass on Ascension Thursday was dwindling. For various reasons, one of
which was the decline in the number of priests, some bishops in the U.S. asked the Vatican if the
obligation to attend Mass for the Ascension of the Lord could be moved to a Sunday so that more
of the faithful could hear the message of this beautiful message of our faith. The Vatican agreed
to let each ecclesiastical province (i.e. an archdiocese and the dioceses associated with it) decide
whether to move the obligation or not. The ecclesiastical provinces of Philadelphia, Newark,
New York, Hartford, Boston, and Omaha decided to retain the obligation to attend Mass on
Thursday. The rest of the United States ecclesiastical provinces decided to move the obligation
to the 7th Sunday of Easter. Your canonical obligations are determined by where you live not
where you choose to go to Mass. Therefore, if you live in Pennsylvania (the ecclesiastical province of Philadelphia) you are obligated to attend Mass on Ascension Thursday. If you live in
Maryland or West Virginia, your obligation to attend Mass for the Solemnity of the Ascension of
Our Lord has been moved to the 7 th Sunday of Easter. While this may seem confusing, remember what our Lord said to St. Peter, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever
you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.” (Matt. 16:19)
Ask The Priest” is a continuing feature of the Bulletin. If you have a question regarding the Catholic
faith, please place your question in the box on the back table.
Pro – Life Quote: “I have a dogmatic certainty: God is in every person’s
life. God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is has been destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else—God is
in this person’s life. You can, you must try to seek God in every human life.
Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.” –
Pope Francis
Maryland Right to Life’s World famous pediatric neurologist and author Dr. Ben Carson will be the
keynote speaker at Maryland Right to Life’s fifth annual banquet on Thursday May 7 th at Martin’s West
near Baltimore. Banquet also features delicious buffet dinner, huge silent auction, and live music. Tickets are $65 and reservations are still available. Please call (410) 269-6397 or visit our website http://
www.mdrtl.org/banquet2015.html .
4/26/2015
GOODNESS
Attendance
Regular Coll.
Online Giving
Help transform the world around you by giving the
best of yourself.
Teach others the value of faith and prayer and
goodness.
Total
Scripture: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with goodness. Romans 12:21
Prayer: Holy and beloved God, from childhood I
have been taught to “be good.” I know now that
goodness is much more than following rules; it is a
way of life that demands giving the best of myself in
spite of the evil that tries to overcome me. Help me
rather to “overcome evil with goodness,” and to do
this with all those in my circle of life: family members, coworkers, neighbors, and all those in my faith
community. Amen.
Practice: Today I will try to be conscious of God’s
goodness within me and offer it in some small way
to a person I tend to avoid or disparage.
Sunday 8/3
Acts 9:26-31
1st John 3:18-24
John 15:1-8
Monday 5/4
Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26
Tuesday 5/5
Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a
Wednesday 5/6
Acts 15:1-6
John 15:1-8
Thursday 5/7
Acts 15:7-21
John 15:9-11
Friday 5/8
Acts 15:22-31
John 15:12-17
Saturday 5/9
Acts 16:1-10
John 15:18-21
Sunday 5/10
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
1st John 4:7-10
John 15:9-17
St. Michael
857
$9,923.53
1,790.25
73
$397.00
$11,713.78
$397.00
EOM
$153.56
*School Support
35.00
*Poor Box
179.81
Other
40.00
Total
$408.37
Amount Needed**
$15,239
5.00
$5.00
$749
**This is the amount of weekly collection that would allow
St. Mary/St. Michael to break even for fiscal year 2015
*Not used for St. Mary/St. Michael operating expenses
GREAT NEWS ABOUT ONLINE GIVING!
We now accept Visa and MasterCard credit cards! Safe,
secure giving that isn’t tied into your checking account.
Call the office to inquire, 301-739-0390.
May 4—10, 2015
Readings for
May 3—10, 2015
St. Mary
Day Date Mass
Mass Intentions
Mass Intention
Mon.
5/4
6:30
8:30
Special Intentions for Gene Eakle
Francis & Ann McDermott
Tues.
5/5
6:30
8:30
Luise Ott
Connie Susi
Wed.
5/6
6:30
8:30
Jenine Julliussen
Special Intentions for Suzanna Kankam
Thurs. 5/7
6:30
8:30
Anton Ott
Special Intentions for Pauline Allison
Fri.
5/8
6:30
8:30
Special Intentions for Gary Smith & Family
The Sappington Family
Sat.
5/9
8:30
5:15
Helen Clark
Ginny Wagner
Sun.
5/10
8:00
9:30
11:00
Special Intentions for Rebecca Johnson
Special Intentions for Jim Smith
Dorothy Jones
12:50
Special Intentions for Pauline Allison
Latin Mass
Sun.
5/10 St. Michael 10:30
Parish Members & Benefactors
SCHOOL NEWS
St. Mary Catholic School is currently accepting applications for the 2015-2016 school year. Don’t delay because there is limited space available for grades Pre-K through seventh grade. Please contact Rachel O’Connor at the front desk at 301-733-1184 or by email at [email protected] for more information.
Apologies to the following families that were omitted from the St. Mary School Honor Roll of Donors:
Pastor’s Circle—Mr. Raymond Niner
Saints—Mr. & Mrs. Michael McDermott
On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, the following St. Mary Catholic Students were inducted into the Reverend
George A. Limmer Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Congratulations to:
James McKane in 8th grade
Bridget Nooney in 7th grade
and the following 6th graders:
Lauren Aguila
Olivia Craver
Havilah Mangalapati
Jackson Pentony
Annie Balog
Caroline Dillard
Morgan McMahon
Stephen Reiter
Emma Beal
Emma Flint
Owen O’Connor
Tyler Tran
Lauren Beck
Nicholas Kornilow
Madelyn Ortiz
St. Michael Catholic Church Tuition Assistance Program
Beginning in the 2015-16 School Year St. Michael Parish will provide tuition assistance in the
amount of $750 per child to any child of a St. Michael Parishioner attending St. Mary Catholic
School. This is in addition to the reduced tuition rate ($1,000 per child) which the children of
St. Michael already enjoy as a mission church of St. Mary Catholic Church.
For complete details, contact Alice Martin, Business Manager, 301-739-0390 x114
Knights of Columbus Corner
New council website for keeping informed of council news: www.kofc1365.org
Brotherhood Council Meetings 2nd & 4th Thursdays at 8pm in the Council Hall. Our Worthy Grand
Knight for 2014-2015 is Cel Shannon. For information, please contact Cel Shannon at [email protected].
Bingo Bingo Bingo. Every Tuesday at the Knights of Columbus Hall (20340 Leitersburg Pike, Hagerstown,
MD 21742) Starting at 6:45 pm we conduct 34 bingo games for the public. Please join us and have fun.
Nominations for next year's officers are coming up. Elections will be held at the May 14th meeting. Please
speak with Deputy GK John Danko about officer positions in the council.
Corpus Christi Committee
Corpus Christi Sunday will be on Sunday, June 7, 2015.
Watch the bulletin for more information!