7 Saint Mary Magdalen Parish Oakville, CT. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mass Intention SATURDAY, February 7, 2015 11:00 a.m. First Reconciliation Vigil Mass Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Vincenzo Zappone requested by his wife SUNDAY, February 8, 2015 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:30 a.m. Bernice Giordano requested by her daughter 10:30 a.m. Gabriel & Anna Marie and Miguel & Filomena Rosa requested by Joe & Teresa Distasti Scout Sunday MONDAY, February 9 2015 Weekday 8:00 a.m. TUESDAY, February 10, 2015 Saint Scholastica 8:00 a.m. Joyce Forgue WEDNESDAY, February 11, 2015 Our Lady of Lourdes 8:00 a.m. THURSDAY, February 12, 2015 Weekday 8:00 a.m. Parish Community FRIDAY, February 13, 2015 Weekday NO MORNING MASS SATURDAY, February 14, 2015 Vigil Mass Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 p.m. Deceased members of the Mazzola & Ciminea Families requested by their families SUNDAY, February 15, 2015 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:30 a.m. Kathleen & Joe Sotnik requested by their family 10:30 a.m. Mary Schroeder requested by her daughter Gerry Kaiser Sanctuary Lamp Intentions Activities & Meetings February 8 - 14, 2015 SUNDAY 10:30a.m. “Wee Celebrate” Religious Ed Program for 3-5 year olds, Church Hall Scout Sunday, Church Hall MONDAY 6:45p.m. 7:00p.m. 7:00p.m. REACH, Youth Group, Church Hall SMMS Board/Parish Council, School Catholic Women’s Mtg., Rectory Mtg. Rm. TUESDAY 6:30p.m. 7:00p.m. Cub Scouts, Church Hall Nifty Fifty Mtg., Rectory WEDNESDAY 7:00p.m. HomeFront Volunteer Mtg., Rectory Mtg. Rm. THURSDAY 6:30p.m. Boy Scouts, Church Hall SATURDAY 3:00- 3:30p.m. Confessions, Church Saint Mary Magdalen School www.smmsoakville.org Stewardship of Treasure Our parishioners need to give $5,500 every week to our spiritual home in order to maintain it financially. The weekly stewardship offering January 31 & February 1 weekend totaled $4725.00 and Online giving totaled $495.00. Totaling $5220.00. Our goal was not met this week, fell short by $280.00. Sign up for Online Giving by visiting our parish website at: www.stmmagdalen-oakville.org. The Church: The Chapel: Vocations: Healing, reconciling, and proclaiming good news: the tasks of Jesus, the tasks of the church. Does God call you to be a healer, reconciler, proclaimer of good news as a priest or religious? Call Fr. Jim at the parish office, 860-2749273. He would like to speak to you. February 18th Ash Wednesday Schedule 9:30 a.m. Mass with ashes 12:10 p.m. Prayer Service with ashes 6:00 p.m. Mass with ashes New Parishioners: Welcome to our parish. Please introduce yourself to Fr. Jim Gregory after Mass. We want to know and serve you. Please register by stopping in or calling the parish office during the week Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. We encourage you to use our offertory envelope system and to share your time, talent, and treasure for our parish community. You are a blessing to our parish family and we’re glad you’re here! ___________________________________________________________ Baptisms First Sunday of the month at Noon or during one of the weekend Masses. Prior to Baptism parents and sponsors are to attend a prebaptismal session. Please contact the Rectory. Weddings Plans have to be made at least 6 months prior to the wedding date. Please contact the Rectory before making further arrangements. Sponsor Certificates Town residence or parish registration alone are not enough to be considered a practicing Catholic. Individuals seeking sponsor certificates must worship and utilize the parish stewardship envelopes on a regular basis as a sign that they are practicing Catholics. February 08, 2015 www.stmmagdalen-oakville.org. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ATTENTION THIS SUNDAY AT 11:30A.M. All members of ministries ( Parish Council, Finance, Money Counters, Ushers, Scouts, REACH Liturgy, Catholic Women’s Ministers of Communion, Lectors, Altar Servers, Small Christian Communities Music, School Board) THIS Sunday, February 8th at 11:30 a.m., all members are requested to gather in the Church for group shots for our parish pictorial/directory. This is the ONLY TIME that these photos will take place. We encourage all members to attend. Thank you! Any questions, give a call to the rectory 860-2749273. Catholic Women’s Organization C.W.O. will meet Monday, February 9th at 7:00 p.m. in the rectory meeting room. Prior to the business meeting meet in the Chapel for Rosary. All women are invited and welcome to attend our meetings. NIFTY FIFTY CELEBRATION Dear Friends: Saint Mary Magdalen Church is publishing a parish pictorial/directory and a special commemorative Nifty-Fifty birthday card for Father Jim Gregory in preparation for a dinner/dance on May 9th at the Grand Oak Villa. More info to come in next weeks’ bulletin, but mark your calendars to hold the date, Saturday, May 9th. We are seeking your support. We are offering a business card size ad to appear in both the pictorial/directory and the Nifty-Fifty Birthday card for $50. In addition, you may want to sign Father Jim’s commemorative birthday card with a patron listing for a $15. All ads are due with full payment by February 6, 2015. Checks are to be made out to Saint Mary Magdalen Church. Please submit your payment with your business card and/or the completed patron listing form below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Return this part form with your request no later than Friday, February 9, 2015. Drop off, put in the offertory basket, or mail to: St. Mary Magdalen Rectory 145 Buckingham St. Oakville, CT 06779 Name Listing: ____________________________________________ Name: _____________________________________ Telephone Number: ____________________ Address: ___________________________________ Shepherd’s Desk By Father Jim Gregory I attended the first Faith and Astronomy Workshop put on by the Vatican Observatory for parish priests and those who work with them. The week involved talks from working astronomers, field trips to astronomical sites around Tucson, and evening telescope observing. One of the profound insights of the workshop was coming to know again the Catholic image of God as Creator of heaven and earth maker of all things visible and invisible. This insight is profound because it is not the image held by many people, especially some scientists whose beliefs are that discoveries of science make no room for God. Because one of the creation accounts in Genesis opens with the words, “In the beginning” (Gn. 1:1), one cannot help but to imagine God initiating the universe by flipping a switch, lighting a fuse, or snapping a finger. However, this kind of image of God makes God out to be a nature god, that is, some kind of divine mechanic who causes something in nature to happen. For example, one sees lightning because the lightning god caused it. The danger in believing in this type of nature god is if someone figures out how lighting really works in nature, there no longer is a need for a lightning god. A crisis of faith will surely follow. It is this kind of nature god, a god who causes the Big Bang like a god who causes lightning, which scientists debunk. If an astrophysicist can describe what really caused the initial expansion of the universe, then there is no need for a Big Bang nature god. What is more, they would be right. Catholics never believed in nature gods. The Almighty who is Creator of heaven and earth and maker of all things visible and invisible does not light a fuse. Catholics believe in God who is beyond nature, that is, supernatural. How then does nature get created by God who is beyond nature? If we look to the same Genesis account of creation that begins, “In the beginning,” we also see God saying many times, “Let there be.” Basically, by God speaking, things came to be. More specifically, by God speaking words through the Word who is the Christ of God, all things came into existence. In other words, creation is an expressive act of God from beyond nature, not a causal result of an act in nature. Catholics believe all of creation is an expression of limitless love of God (super or beyond nature) in limited form (nature). Catholics also believe that God continues to express and sustain as creation continues to become. The nature gods that continually disappear by the advances of scientific understanding do not pose a threat to our faith. We don’t believe in them either. This is an important distinction that has become apparent to me as a result of my discussions at the Faith and Astronomy Workshop. The Anointed Ones As “Christ” means “anointed,” we call ourselves “Christians” because we are the anointed ones, the “oiled people,” so to speak. The sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist initiate us into the “oiled” community, the community anointed to continue the vocation of the Messiah, the Christ. from Catholic Update Guide to Confirmation