COVER SHEET CHURCH NAME: Holy Cross 511602 626 County Route 22 Middletown, NY 10940 PHONE: 845-355-4439 CONTACT PERSON: Doreen Whitbeck EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] SOFTWARE: Microsoft Publisher Adobe PRINTER: Canon JPB 660 TRANSMISSION TIME: Tuesday 11 AM SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION: March 17, 2013 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT: 1 through 6 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: REVISED ADMINISTRATOR Rev. Michael G. Cedro DEACONS Robert Buckner Donald Prendergast RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR Lena Ventre RCIA/ADULT FAITH FORMATION Nancy Mazany Holy Cross Church South Centerville, N.Y. Mailing Address 626 County Route 22 Middletown, N.Y. 10940 845-355-4439 Fax: 845-355-4709 March 17, 2013 MASS SCHEDULE HOLY CROSS Saturday: 5:30 PM Sunday: 7:45, 10:45 AM Daily: Tuesday: 7:30 AM Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 AM OUR LADY OF THE SCAPULAR Sunday: 9:15 AM BAPTISMS Baptisms are celebrated at Holy Cross on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 12:00 noon, unless otherwise announced, except during Advent and Lent. Parents are required to attend an instructional meeting which is held on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 PM at Holy Cross. Please call the office to register. HOLY DAYS: As announced EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Monday: 4-9 PM Friday: 6-11AM RECONCILIATION Saturday: 4:30 - 5:15 PM at Holy Cross or by appointment HEALTH MINISTRY/PRAYER CHAIN For information or help call 726-3222 Our Lady of the Scapular Unionville, N.Y. MARRIAGES Please contact the office at least 6 months in advance to make arrangements. SACRAMENT OF THE SICK Please contact the office for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and Communion for the homebound. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 355-6255 Religious Education classes are held on Tuesday and Wednesday as follows: Grades K-4: 4:00 - 5:30 PM Grades 5-8: 7:00 - 8:30 PM OFFICE HOURS Monday - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Tuesday - 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM Wednesday - 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM Thursday - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Friday - 9:00 to 12:00 Noon Other times by appointment Fifth Sunday of Lent March 17, 2013 I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. — Philippians 3:8 Saturday, Holy Cross Sunday, Holy Cross March 16 5:30 PM March 17 7:45 AM 10:45 AM O. L. Scapular 9:15 AM Monday, March 18 Holy Cross 9:00 AM Marie Albert Lombardi Leon Paffenroth Mark Travers Sr Catherine Massari St. Cyril of Jerusalem For The People of Holy Cross & Our Lady of The Scapular Tuesday, March 19 St. Joseph Holy Cross 7:30 AM Jill Coghalan (Living) Wednesday, March 20 Holy Cross 9:00 AM Helen Rella (Living) Thursday, March 21 Holy Cross 9:00 AM Msgr. Gerardo Colacicco (Living) Saturday, March 23 St. Turibius of Mogrovejo 5:30 PM Helen Glynn Sunday, March 24 Holy Cross 7:45 AM James Dembeck 11:15 AM John Behler O. L. Scapular 9:30 AM STATIONS OF THE CROSS During the Season of Lent we will pray the Stations of the Cross at 7pm as follows: March 22nd at O.L. of the Scapular March 29th at Holy Cross PARENTING GROUP March 20th, Easter Party. The group meets Wednesday’s 9:30-11am in the parish center. The group is for parents with young children. There are speakers/group discussions. WE BELIEVE As the Year of Faith continues, Catholics are called to go back to the documents that teach the faith. We are especially encouraged to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father himself is perfect (Lumen Gentium, “the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,” 11). YEAR OF FAITH FAMILY FOCUS Place your family’s crucifix in the center of your table. Ask each family member to write the name of someone they would like to pray for on a slip of paper and place it at the foot of Jesus. Talk about the power of prayer and how we pray not for “stuff” but to nourish our relationship with God. PRAYER LIST Pray for those who are ill or in need of prayers: Florence Henderson, Robin Schmick, Susan Schmick, Brendan Loughrey, Jeannette Ehrenborg, Carolyn Behler, Morgan Wilson, Rosemary Joy, Edwin Murphy, William Mautner, Gracie Sarraco, Robert Turse. PRAYERS FOR THOSE FIGHTING THE WAR Let us pray for all those fighting in the war, and their families. The candle by the tabernacle reminds us that these brave people continue to fight for our freedom & safety. Please remember especially: Sean, Daniel & Peter Fitzgerald, Dan Hall, Ralph Cocco “LaMarca”. And let us pray for peace. TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — See, I am doing something new! (Isaiah 43:1621) or Ezekiel 37:12-14. Psalm — The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy (Psalm 126) or Psalm 130. Second Reading — I have been taken possession of by Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8-14) or Romans 8:8-11. Gospel — Go, and from now on do not sin any more (John 8:1-11) or John 11:1-45 [3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45]. FOOD PANTRY Food Pantry is in need of the following items: peanut butter, jelly, cereal, toiletries, baby wipes, spaghetti sauce, Shoprite Cards or anything else that is on sale. Thanks for your donation. CALLING ALL FASHIONISTAS The Ladies Confraternity will sponsor a Fashion Show and Luncheon on Saturday, April 6th at the Parish Center from 1-4pm. All proceeds will benefit the Ladies Confraternity Holy Cross Parish High School Scholarship Award. There will be a door prize and raffles. Tickets are $20 which includes, Quiche, salad, dessert and beverages. Bring your friends for a nice afternoon out. Tickets will be sold after all Masses or call Joan 7263832 or Jeanne 726-3569. No tickets will be sold at the door. HOSPICE OF ORANGE AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES SPRING 2013 VOLUNTEER TRAINING The Primary role of our volunteer is to provide companionship and/or caregiver relief. We also offer other areas of volunteering within our organization. Once the prospective volunteer has graduated from the training they could provide support in the geographic location in which they reside. Where: 90 Crystal Run Road, Middletown, Wednesday 10am-5:30pm. April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, May 1st & 8th. On the afternoon of May 8th a tour of the Kaplan Family Residence will be conducted. Interested persons can contact Debra Epstein 565-4849. CAMP VERITAS 2013 Camp Veritas is a one-week play-and pray sleep away summer camp for teens going into 7th to 12th grades. It will be held at two locations this summer; July 14th-20th at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, and August 11th-17th at Camp Lakota in Wurtsboro. The objective of the camp is to inspire and form young Catholic leaders. Activities include go-cart, swimming, volleyball, basketball, Mass, Adoration, catechesis, and inspiring testimonies. More details and enrollment applications can be found at www.campveritas.com. A VIEW FROM BEHIND THE ALTAR Why do we punish wrongdoers? At a primitive level we no doubt want to get even. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is a much-quoted phrase to support this desire. This is a step up from wanting to annihilate anyone who hurts us, but it is only one step up. Then there is the idea of punishment as correction. By punishing people we hope to make them aware of their crimes so they will avoid them in the future. A more advanced version of this approach is that of reeducation or rehabilitation. We use the time of punishment to help criminals not just to understand their misdemeanour but to discover a new way of looking at the world and their way of living in it. The hope is that they move from a destructive attitude to a positive one, seeing how they can change and aim to do good rather than evil. In practice, for this to be achieved, much depends on a person being offered the right help at the right time. It is a window of opportunity, through which the criminal sees his or her behaviour in a different light, finds a new vision and the belief that this vision can be achieved. To have this approach, rather than a relentlessly punitive one, we have to trust that each of us has a core of goodness that can be redeemed. It’s also necessary to offer a surrounding community that supports the new decision. Too often criminals return to their ways because the world around them does not permit their new vision to flourish or even survive. A lot of ink is spent today on the question of sexuality and relationships. In the Gospels Jesus refers to such matters rarely, and it is usually in the context of adultery or divorce. In the Old Testament, adultery was a common image for apostasy, the breaking away from the faith community. In both cases there was seen to be a breaking of the bond, an example of destroying the covenant relationship, between man and woman, between God and his people. The punishment of stoning reflects the seriousness with which this breach was perceived. Jesus approaches the issue from a different angle. He does not question the seriousness or the violation of the law. He does not question the punishment. He questions the integrity of his questioners. Each of us has broken the covenant in our own way. Some of us will have been punished, others escaped punishment. We can only have the right to inflict such a punishment if we are free from guilt ourselves. Jesus, who is free from guilt, wishes to heal rather than condemn, to reconcile rather than reproach. The story ends with his admonition to the woman to go and sin no more. We are left hoping that this is the window of opportunity for her, and that she enters a new way of living that more truly reflects the covenant of God’s love. The one who is free from sin is allowed to condemn, yet Jesus, who is free from sin, does not condemn. Very much the opposite. The hidden teaching of the story is that the more we condemn others, the more likely we are to be weighed down by our own sinfulness. With the clarity of vision that comes from true integrity, we have neither the need nor the desire to condemn others. Rather we seek ways in which they can be forgiven and reconciled. At times this can be more than challenging, especially if we or those we love have been the direct recipients of destructive or malicious actions. Yet it remains true that the desire to find the good in each other and the search to find ways of allowing that good to emerge and grow are at the heart of the Christian endeavour. As we find the good in one another, we are called to help that person see the good in themselves and allow that god to shine to others. I have said it so often but it merits repeating, I see, all too often and gratefully so, the love of Christ in each of you. Whether it be in service to the Parish, service to other members of our Parish family or in service to those beyond our boundaries ; that it is abundantly clear that you have heard the call of the Gospel and have responded generously. God Bless you for being who you are! Father Michael 40 DAYS OF LIFE Through March 24th you are invited to join other Christians for 40 Days For Life; 40 Days of prayer and fasting to end abortion. You are also invited to stand and peacefully protest during a 40 day vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood in Goshen. Holy Cross will be taking the hours between 11am and 1pm on all of the Mondays in Lent. If you would like to volunteer or if you would like more info. call Amy Borek 726-0888. CATHOLIC CHARITIES COMMUNITY SERVICES OF ORANGE COUNTY 7TH ANNUAL CARITAS ADWARD Celebration of Charity Dinner, April 4th, Anthony’s Pier 9, $100 per ticket. This years Honorees: Eva Fini Fund, Fr. Jeffrey Maurer-St. Mary’s, Washingtonville, Mr. Scott BatulisCEO & President of Orange Reg. Med. Ctr, Cardinal Timothy Dolan will be in attendance. 100% of proceeds go directly to the poor in Orange County. Questions contact Sheila Toohey 294-5124 x308 or [email protected]. JOIN US FOR FR. ROBERT BARRON’S CATHOLICISM SERIES Catholicism invites you to learn what Catholics believe and why, while being immersed in the art, architecture, literature, beliefs and practices of the Catholic tradition. The “Catholicism” series will be shown on the following Sunday’s from 2:00-4:00pm in the parish center. A light lunch will be served. April 7, 28, May 19, 26, June 2, 9. Each session will begin with a video presentation and will be followed by a light lunch and discussion. This program is free, and is open to everyone. Please encourage family and friends to attend. To register sign the sheet at the back of the Church or call Nancy Mazany ext. 13 in the parish office. FORGIVEN Today’s liturgy continues the message of forgiveness and reconciliation that we heard last week. The Church seems to be doing its utmost to deliver one simple message: “Your sins are forgiven!” What good news this is! Isaiah declares that God’s saving action on our behalf is not something trapped in the past, but here and now. Paul urges us to recognize that true life is not “won” by following laws, however strictly, but is a free gift of God. Thus, our focus must be on the future, not on past misdeeds. Our eyes must be on the prize of life forever with God. In the Gospel, Jesus is challenged to demonstrate that he is a lawkeeper, but he knows that this is a trap. If he counsels mercy, he will be declared an opponent of the law. If he follows the law and condones its punishment, he will be denounced as an inciter to murder. Jesus decides to do neither. Instead, he turns the tables and invites the crowd to forgo “legality” for the sake of forgiveness and reconciliation. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.