Page 1 November 9, 2014 WEEKLY CALENDAR SUN. NOVEMBER 9, 2014 Stewardship of Treasure Education Sunday 8 AM Mass 9 AM - Noon Hospitality Hour 10 AM Mass & CLOW 11:30 AM Confirmation Prep 7 PM Mass MON. NOVEMBER 10, 2014 8:30 AM Rosary 9 AM Communion Service at Benedict House TUES. NOVEMBER 11, 2014 9 AM Veteran’s Day Mass St. Benedict Church WED. NOVEMBER 12, 2014 9 AM Mass at Benedict House 7 PM Worship and Spiritual Life Commission Parish Center, St. Martha Room THURS. NOVEMBER 13, 2014 9 AM Mass School attends 2nd Grade hosts St. Benedict Church 9:30 AM Peaceful Crafters Parish Center, St. Teresa of Calcutta Room 7 PM Choir Practice St. Benedict Church FRI. NOVEMBER 14, 2014 9 AM Mass at Benedict House SAT. NOVEMBER 15, 2014 10 AM Saturday Morning Prayer Group Parish Center, Lower level 5 PM Rite of Reconciliation SUN. NOVEMBER 16, 2014 Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Sunday 8 AM Mass 8:45 AM First Reconciliation Session 9 AM - Noon Hospitality Hour 10 AM Mass & CLOW 7 PM Mass LITURGIES SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014 THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12 Ps 46:2-3,5-6,8-9 1 Cor 3:9c-11,16-17 Jn 2:13-22 8 AM Mass All Souls Novena 10 AM Mass (INT) For the Parishioners of St Benedict 7 PM Mass (RIP) Nancy Hebestreit MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014 St. Leo the Great, pop, doctor of the Church Ti 1:1-9 Ps 24:1b-4b,5-6 Lk 17:1-6 8:30 AM Rosary 9 AM Communion Service TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2014 St. Martin of Tours, bishop Ti 2:1-8,11-14 Ps 37:3-4,18,23,29 Lk 17:7-10 9 AM Mass All Souls Novena WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2014 St. Josaphat, bishop, martyr Ti 3:1-7 Ps 23:1b-6 Lk 17:11-19 9 AM Mass All Souls Novena THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin Phlm 7-20 Ps 146:7-10 Lk 17:20-25 9 AM Mass All Souls Novena FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014 2 Jn 4-9 Ps 119:1-2,10-11,17-18 Lk 17:26-37 9 AM Mass (RIP) Nancy Hebestreit SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014 St. Albert the Great, bishop, doctor of the Church 3 Jn 5-8 Ps 112:1-6 Lk 18:1-8 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014 THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Prv 31:10-13,19-20,30-31 Ps 128:1-5 1 Thes 5:1-6 Mt 25:14-30 8 AM Mass (INT) Helen Gemora by Lili & Isabella Sundy 10 AM Mass (RIP) Nancy Hebestreit 7 PM Mass (INT) For the Parishioners of St Benedict Page 2 November 9, 2014 From deacon Roy’s desk HOMILY FOR STEWARDSHIP EDUCATION SUNDAY Deacon Roy Harrington 11/9/2014 Over the past several weeks, as each class in the school has prepared for its turn to host the Thursday school Mass, I have asked the students: “What does the word “church” mean to you?” Most of the time the answers have focused on the building itself but two weeks ago, the 3rd grade students immediately got the right answer when they said things like: “Church is the people of God.” “Church is where we come to pray together.” “In the Church we come to be blessed by Jesus and to love him.” Clearly, the 3rd graders understand that our Church is a relational place—a space where we encounter God and where we enter into relationship with one another. And that is what we are celebrating today on the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It seems odd that we are celebrating the building of just one old Roman church, but it is truly historic and special. This is the first church of the Roman Catholic Church….it is the first church built after the year 313 when the Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity as the religion of the empire and the persecution of Christians ended in Roman history. Dedicated in 324, the Lateran Basilica is Pope Francis’ church—his cathedral because it precedes St. Peter’s historically. We are celebrating that the Lateran Basilica represents our privilege to gather freely as Church and worship as the Body of Christ. St. Paul clearly describes the Christian community in Corinth this way today in our 2 nd reading when he says: “You are God’s building”…and later, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” We are the temple of God, as his spiritual building, and just like the Lateran Basilica, we are what the 3 rd graders were describing two weeks ago! But the real question before us today on Stewardship Sunday is how is God calling each of us to build up the Church, this community, with our time, talent and treasure? Today we will focus on the gift of treasure—how we give back financially to God for all that he has given to us. My take on this is a bit different because most of my life I sat where you are sitting. And I heard the priests of our parish asking for financial support and Liz and I were never quite sure we were giving enough to the Church or giving to the right charities. Now, knowing more about the Church and how it operates, my thoughts on this are clearer. For some time now, Liz and I have given to four Catholic organizations: We give monthly to our local parishes, both OLL and St. Benedict’s; we annually give to the Archdiocese through the Annual Catholic Appeal; we give in every pay check to Catholic Community Services through United Way, and we give monthly through a credit card payment to Catholic Relief Services. Let’s look at each of these, from a global perspective right down to the parish level. Catholic Relief Services is the international outreach arm of the US bishops and these funds do amazing things in many poor countries or in areas when major disaster strikes. I encourage you all to give to CRS at their website, www.crs.org. More locally here in Western Washington, Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services, provide critical social services and housing to more than 108,000 people each year. They operate 175 programs and services in Western Washington, assistance that the state and counties just can’t provide. I also encourage you to give to CCS and CHS at www.ccsww.org. For the more than 700,000 Catholics in Western Washington, the Archdiocese needs our support to pay for things like training future priests, nuns, and deacons; subsidizing Catholic schools in need; providing faith formation services to parishes, and providing essential administrative and legal support to parishes. This is why the Annual Catholic Appeal is so important. We’ll hear more about that later in the year. Finally, St. Benedict Parish and School need your support on a weekly or monthly basis. Your generosity to the parish makes this Mass possible; keeps the lights and heat on in the school and church; pays for our staff salaries; and has made the Body of Christ, this relational Church, present here in Wallingford for 110 years. Thank you for all the support so many of you have given for many years. So here’s the key question that only you can answer: how much to give to these charities and to the parish? I can’t answer that for you. Only you know your financial situation and what you are able to give. I prayerfully ask you to consider what I’ve presented to you today. If you can give in all four ways I’ve mentioned, you are supporting the work of the Church here and around the whole world. If you haven’t been able to give at all but now you can, that’s great. If you’ve been giving, thank you so much, and if you can give just a bit more to the Church, that would be awesome. This week in the mail at home, you will receive your annual stewardship pledge card along with the Parish Annual Report. This is a great summary of where we stand now and where we are heading for the future. Please read and review the annual report carefully. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me or our administrator, Jim Martz, and we’ll answer your questions promptly. Finally, please fill out your pledge card for the coming year and bring it back to Mass next Sunday. We really need your pledge so that we can plan and budget for the coming year. Just like in our personal finances, we all have to balance the checkbook each month and make sure we have enough to pay those bills. continued on next page . . . . Page 3 November 9, 2014 From deacon Roy’s desk (continued) I know that Fr. Bill and I have been serving you for just four months, but already we see great things happening here at St. Benedict. People are returning to the Church and seeking confirmation, parents are bringing children for baptism and the first sacraments, young couples are committing to each other in sacramental marriages, and the school is growing and thriving. Your commitments of time, talent and treasure make all this possible. As this Mass continues and we prepare to become what we eat as the Body of Christ, let’s pray that we always strive to be the kind of Church that the 3rd graders can be proud to be part of. May God bless St. Benedict Catholic Church always. Worship and spiritual life VETERAN’S DAY MASS Tuesday at 9:00 AM, we celebrate a special Mass in the Church for all veterans. All veterans, especially members of our Community, are invited to attend. We also take this opportunity to thank each veteran for their service to our us and our proud nation. ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI Frances was the first American citizen to be canonized. Born in Italy, she studied to be a teacher and wanted to join a religious community but was rejected because of ill health. When the orphanage she managed closed in 1880, Frances and six others took religious vows and founded the institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her work brought her to the attention of Leo XIII, who sent her to New York in 1889 to minister to Italian immigrants. St. Frances founded institutions all over the United States of America, as well as in South America and Europe. She died in Chicago in 1917. Visit her shrine Chicago: www.cabrinishrine.chicago.com (2014 Sourcebook pg. 315) ST. LEO THE GREAT (+461) As pope and Doctor of the Church, St. Leo strongly supported the teachings of the Council of Chalcedon, especially of the humanity and divinity of Christ. He advocated papal authority by moving from the traditional approach that the pope is a successor to St. Peter’s chair to the pope as St. Peter’s heir. Under his leadership, uniformity of pastoral practice was encouraged, liturgical and clerical abuses were corrected and priests were sent on a mission to extinguish Priscillianism, a heresy that claimed the human body was evil. St. Leo is recognized as a “protector of the people” because he persuaded Attila the Hun to not invade the city of Rome and later prevented the Vandals (East German invaders) from torching the city of Rome and massacring its people. (2014 Sourcebook pg. 313- 314) ALL SAINT’S/SOUL’S DAY CHURCH ARTWORK Thank you Margaret Vance for providing the artwork in the church for these very special celebrations. This beautiful artwork was carefully crafted by our fellow parishioner Kurt Vance who passed away last year and through his love and commitment was a powerful force in our community and to our parishioners. ST. MARTIN OF TOURS (316 - 397) Martin was forced by his father, a pagan officer in the Roman army, to join the military. While serving in the military, he had a life-changing event in which he cut his cloak in half to clothe a freezing beggar. Following this encounter he had a vision of Christ wrapped in the cloak. As a result of this experience, St. Martin chose to be baptized and declared himself a soldier of peace for Christ, refusing to participate in any act of violence. He took up the life of a hermit, thereby introducing monasticism into Gaul. Following his election as bishop of Tours he continued living as a monk, but made numerous trips to visit his people and establish new nonasteries. The people of Gaul converted to Christianity due to his example. (2014 Sourcebook pg.314) JOIN FR. STEVE SALLIS AND DEACON ROY IN THE HOLY LAND FOR LENT! IMAGINE walking where Jesus walked and experiencing FIRST HAND the Bible sites you’ve read about your entire life. IMAGINE praying at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and spending several days on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus taught his disciples. IMAGINE walking through Jerusalem along the Via Dolorosa – the Stations of the Cross and praying in the Garden of Gethsemani. Our former pastor, Fr. Steve Sallis, now at Sacred Heart Parish in Bellevue, is leading a Lent 2015 (February 1625) Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Deacon Roy Harrington will be joining the group along with several other St. Benedict’s parishioners. There are still openings! On the homepage of www.myfaithjourneys.com, click on Catholic pilgrimages, then Holy Land. The Sacred Heart Parish Group ID is 15017. Click on Log In and enter the group code. Travel Notes and Credit Card authorization forms are also included. If you have more questions, please contact Deacon Roy at [email protected] or 206-9202241. THANK YOU FOR HELPING We want to thank those of you who came over to help with the Giving Tree Ornament Making Party. In less that two hours we produced close to 600 ornaments for the various organizations St. Benedict Parish supports. The tree will go up on November 22nd in time for parishioners to pick out their choices and have the unwrapped gift back to the church by December 14th. We will highlight the organizations in the November 23rd bulletin so that you will know who and how you are supporting. Page 4 November 9, 2014 stewardship ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE RENEWAL Today, Deacon Roy shared his insights on this year’s annual stewardship of treasure renewal and the importance of each household’s financial support of our parish. Early this week, each household in the Parish will receive Deacon Roy’s personal invitation to renew their financial commitment to the Parish. Included with his invitation is a copy of our annual report and a stewardship of treasure pledge card. Each household is asked to prayerfully discern how they from a heart of gratitude, plan to return a just portion of everything God has given us to Him. For the 100+ households using EFT (electronic funds transfer) to fulfill their pledge, it is imperative that you complete a pledge card and provide your EFT information, even if you are not making a change. Thank you for your prayerful discernment and your continued support of St. Benedict Parish. Your efforts and response to this year’s renewal are a visible sign of your efforts to make stewardship our way of life. STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE for November 2nd Last Sunday Offerings: $4,640 Budgeted Amount: $5,478 Total Year-to-Date Offerings: $135,182 Year-to-Date Budget: $139,875 Shortfall: $4,693 Like the sensible bridesmaids in today’s parable, good stewards make sure that they, and whatever gifts are theirs to share, are ready to serve when the Master calls. HOSPITALITY HOUR Join our Coffee Hour Hosts: 8 AM Len & Judy Andrews 10 AM Sadrina Dorn & Rocio Flores If you are interested in hosting a Sunday morning Hospitality Hour sign up in the school cafeteria or call the Parish office at 206.632.0843 Human concerns social justice HELP THE HUNGRY DURING THE HOLIDAYS? The Human Concerns and Social Justice (HCSJ) Commission at St. Benedict is sponsoring four hunger initiatives this holiday season. Please participate in one or all of these activities and help our local families in need: Drop off non-perishable food items at Mass. Give money to purchase Thanksgiving Dinners. Help deliver a prepared dinners to a local families. . Help sort food at Northwest Harvest on Saturday, from 1 PM to 3 PM, December 20th. For more information on any of these opportunities, contact Chris Wrenn [email protected] or Len Kannapell ([email protected]). FIGHTING HUNGER IN WALLINGFORD As of October 26th, our donations to the 2,000 FamilyWorks Food Bank total 1,779 1,500 pounds and $325. Since the program be1,000 gan in April, we have attained almost 89% 500 of our goal to donate 2,000 pounds by the end of 2014. Thank you for your generosity and for prayerfully discerning how you can help to feed the hungry in our neighborhood. ADVENT CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER RETREAT November 22nd from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Presentations on the History of Contemplative Prayer in Christianity here at St. Benedict Parish Center. Join us! Faith formation FIRST RECONCILIATION AND FIRST EUCHARIST The next session of “First Sacraments” Class is November 16th at 8:45 AM in the school auditorium preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on December 13th at 11 AM. If you want more information on this and other classes, contact Renee at the Parish Office. ARE YOU OR YOUR CHILD WANTING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH Whether your children attend our Parish School or not, all families that may have someone ages 7 and up, interested in Sacrament preparation, are urged to contact Renee Lindstrom as soon as possible at: [email protected]. What else is happening CUB SCOUTS PACK 152 Boys in the 1st through 4th grade and their parents are invited to an information night this Tuesday, Nov. 11 th, at 7 PM in the School Auditorium. Deacon Roy will lead a brief meeting to introduce our young men to the Scouting Program with an interest in revitalizing Pack 152. NORTHWEST CATHOLIC MAGAZINE SURVEY The survey is available online and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Take a few minutes to respond what you like and may want to see in future magazines by Nov. 10th. Participation will enter you in a drawing for a Kindle Fire. Take the survey at: www.bit.ly/surveyNWC
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