Saint Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church 33 New Hyde Park Road, Franklin Square, New York 11010-3692 Parish Social Ministry Interim Coordinator Maureen Miedreich Pastor Rev. Msgr. Richard M. Figliozzi Faith Formation Coordinator Debbie Hurley Associate Pastors Rev. Allan Arneaud Rev. Johnny Mendonca Rev. Charles N. Srion Music Director Jennifer Wells Priest in Residence Rev. Jose Luis Tenas Trustees Dennis Canese Marion G. Dreyfus Deacons Joseph Benincasa Frank Gonzalez Parish office: (516) 352-0146 Parish FAX: (516) 326-7427 Faith Formation: (516) 354-4554 Social / Outreach: (516) 775-0840 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.stcatherineofsienna.org Sunday Masses Parish Membership Saturday: Saint Catherine Chapel-Sienna Center 5:00PM Sunday: Saint Catherine Chapel, Sienna Center 7:30AM, 9:30AM, 11:00AM, 1:00PM & 5:00PM (Spanish) ALL are welcome to join our parish family; please REGISTER on the First Sunday of the Month at the Pastoral Table after Mass or anytime at the Parish Office. We invite you to be part of our Parish Ministry through various groups and activities. Weekday Masses Adoration: Saint Catherine Chapel, Sienna Center Every Friday after 8:00AM Mass to 9:00PM and 24 Hour Exposition every First Friday Miraculous Medal Novena: Mondays after 8:00AM Mass Monday through Saturday: 8:00AM Parish Office Hours (990 Holzheimer St.) Monday to Thursday: 9:00AM—8:00PM Friday: 9:00AM—7:00PM Saturday: 9:00AM—4:00PM Sunday: 10:00AM—1:00PM Parish Social Ministry Outreach Hours (995 Lutz Street) Monday through Friday, 11:00AM-1:00PM Thursday, 4:00PM - 6:00PM Additional hours by appointment only. Anointing of the Sick Communal Anointing of the Sick on Thursdays during the 8:00AM Mass. Please notify priest if family member is sick at home. Emergency Sick Calls: Call 352-0146 Celebrate Baptism We welcome Children & Adults to Catholicism through Baptism. Call the Parish Office to make arrangements. Children: Baptism Celebrated First & Third Saturdays of each month at 12:30PM. Baptism Preparation Class: 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM (pre-registration is required). Adults: Adults to be Baptized (or Confirmed) are invited to call the Parish Office for assistance. Celebrate Marriage Please make an appointment with a priest or deacon before making your social arrangements. Reconciliation (Confession/Penance) Every Saturday: 4:00PM-5:00PM Parish Prayer Life Parishioners with Special Needs The Church, Saint Catherine Chapel and Sienna Center are accessible through doors on right side of the Church where buildings meet. The Sienna Center is also accessible through its front doors and has an elevator at ground level for upper and lower levels (left side of staircase) allowing access to Church as well. Assisted Listening Devices are available for the hearing impaired. Please ask an usher if you need one. Special Needs Advocacy: Dr. Priscilla O’Connell may be reached by calling the Parish Social Ministry Office at 775-0840; contact if you have other needs to be addressed. Mass For Those with Special Needs is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 3:00PM in Saint Catherine Chapel-Sienna Center. Professional Therapy & Counseling Family, marriage, and individual therapies, provided by New York licensed therapists, are available to our parish. Call Dr. Giuliani, Catholic Counseling Ctr., 631-243-2503. 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 8, 2015 - MASS SCHEDULE INTENTIONS SAT. 5:00 PM SUN. Sienna Ctr. 7:30 AM 9:30 AM Feb. 7 Legion Of Mary/Pilgrim Statue Gloria Didyk - Dennis Rogan John & Jennie Giordano - Sal Abate Michael Castle th Feb. 8 — 5 Sunday in Ordinary Time 11:00 AM 1:00 PM 5:00 PM For The People of the Parish Rosa, Nicoletta & Nicola Molignano Irene Caputo Andrew Lang Frank Garrish - Isabella Lovece Mass in Spanish MON. 8:00 AM Feb. 9 Marcella & Len Kaiser TUES. 8:00 AM Feb. 10– St. Scholastica Bernadette Vadnais WED. 8:00 AM Feb. 11– Our Lady of Lourdes John Colombo, Jr. THURS. 8:00 AM Feb. 12 Robert Herman with love & prayers from: the Entire Caputo Family BREAD AND WINE will be used at all Masses In Memory of our dear friend Rev. William O’Rourke with prayers of: Chris & Rosemarie McTigue OUTREACH Work We Do To Help Others This Week Is For the Priest of the Parish with prayers of: Friends PARISH ‘IN HOME’ PRAYER PROGRAM Host Family/Individual: PILGRIM STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA Ronald Tucker CUP OF PRAYER Feb. 13 Josephine D'urso SAT. 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Feb. 14– Ss. Cyril and Methodius Josephine Calabrese For the Intention of Arthur & Gladys Claps Olympia, Ralph, & Harry Mirando Teresa Intranuovo -Joan GerminaroCarl Rouzier 1:00 PM 5:00 PM will burn For Irene Caputo The CUP OF PRAYER FRI. 8:00 AM SUN. Sienna Ctr. 7:30 AM 9:30 AM 11:00 AM During Week of February 8 SANCTUARY LAMP The Brugellis Family PRAY for those serving in MILITARY U.S.ARMY USMC Maj. Thomas Babbitt Sgt. Patrick Brady Feb. 15 — 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Maj. Catherine Babbitt PFC Erik Jacobsen Capt. Shaun R. Cullen A.N.G. LCpl. Michael P. Kelly For The People of the Parish M. Sgt. Peter Jacobsen Cpl. Thomas R. Kroez, Jr. Lt. Col. Christopher Congalise Rosa Zeppieri - Santa & Pasquale Armocida Sgt. Michael Salemi Lt. Col. Andrew Phillips Ronald Siletti & Marie Corrado Cpl. Christopher Montes Kathleen Tator U.S.NAVY Cpl. Joseph Blaikie Rose Triolo Esn. Anthony Patrick Huskisson Robert Vitale Mass in Spanish ET3 Peter J. King USAF E3 Thomas Mannle A1C Phil Gautiere Lt. John Debonis Chaplain Col. Msgr. Mark Rowan PRAY for the SICK: Joseph Peciora - Pat Young Noreen & Paul Lobato Cynthia Cacioppo Millie Volpaggie PRAY for DECEASED and their Families: Ramon Chaslon Jr., Michele DeFiore, Cristina Schmidt, Lucrezia Minneci, Charles Brienza, Rita Brassell, Filomena Pallotta, Denise Rehm - Mott, Guiseppina Calabrese MAY THEY REST IN PEACE OUR PARISH MISSION STATEMENT As members of Saint Catherine of Sienna Roman Catholic Parish, we are committed by our Baptism to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ by living our faith in loving service to all people. Inspired by the Holy Spirit and through worship and prayer, we use our time, talent and treasure, to nourish the soul, care for the needy, minister to the alienated, nurture the children and WELCOME all people into our community of faith. Scriptural Reflection for the Week “…,they brought to [Jesus] all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole crowd was gathered at the door…. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” (see Mark 1:29-39) How evident it must have been to the people of Jesus’ time and place that something new was happening through Him. The people cared much for those who were suffering. They wanted to see them cured and well again. This is normal, isn’t it? But is it the same for us today? Do we want to bring to Jesus those who may be suffering spiritually and emotionally, as well as physically? It’s quite easy and common today to remain indifferent to this aspect of human suffering. We sort of allow ourselves to become immune when we see it before us. We may feel it’s not our place to speak words of witness and faith to a suffering person, even a relative. If that’s the case, how we have missed the point of being called a Christian. Sharing the Christ in your heart with another may be the best gift you can offer someone. How might we come to have this conviction? Jesus Himself gives us the answer. He prayed. Prayer has the power to melt away the indifference and the sense of being overwhelmed by human suffering. Prayer helps us to have a heart like Jesus’ Heart - meek and humble; reaching out to the person I am with to comfort them by bringing them Jesus in my words and actions. The Season of Lent This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 18th and Holy Week begins on March 29th with Palm Sunday and Easter is on April 5th. Eucharistic Adoration Every Friday from 8:30am to 9:00pm (or beginning after the last Funeral Mass to be scheduled on a Friday morning). Visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are one of the most effective powerful and consoling ways to develop your spiritual life. Consistent, meditative prayer leads one to live a more charitable and Christ like life. Confession Times Every Saturday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm ( and 7:30pm to 8:00pm from April to December). During the time the Church is not available, confessions are heard in the Sienna Center. Another option is to call the Office and arrange a convenient time with one of the priests. One Final Thought “We must be like Jesus, God’s gift, who came into the world because the Father loved the world. Each of us in his own way must be the Father’s love and compassion toward the world.” Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Stewardship….. Reflection Like St. Paul in the second reading, the good steward can say, “I do all that I do for the sake of the gospel in the hope of having a share in its blessings.” Living Stewardship We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who use their gifts of healing and forgiveness to help repair relationships in families beset with divorce. SACRIFICING FOR ONE ANOTHER or “speaking about Parish funding & finance”... We demonstrate being good stewards of our Parish by sharing our blessings through our weekly offertory gift, and as donors of special funding for others in need. Mass AVERAGE Sat. 5:00PM SC Sun. 7:30AM SC 9:30AM SC (Family) 11:00AM SC 1:00PM SC 5:00PM SC (Spanish) Received by Mail Received thru Faith Direct 480 180 520 358 327 91 Gift TOTAL 2,431 1,761 2,051 2,713 2,500 224 450 1,250 Last Week’s Offertory Last Week’s Collection Total: $13,380 Average Weekly Parish Expenditures: $32,000 THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SACRIFICE & SUPPORT OF OUR PARISH. lit · ur · gy n. a form of public worship; a collection of formularies for public worship; the celebration of the Eucharist Saint Catherine of Sienna Parish LITURGICAL CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS February 2015 (Month of Passion of Our Lord) 15 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 15 Family Mass - Level 3 (9:30AM St. Catherine Chapel-Sienna Center) 18 Ash Wednesday (see Mass Schedule in bulletin) 21 Mass for Those with Special Needs (3:00PM St. Catherine Chapel-Sienna Center) 22 First Sunday of Lent 22 Family Mass - Level 4 (9:30AM St. Catherine Chapel-Sienna Center) Scripture Readings for the NEXT SUNDAY. . . The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2.15.15 Many who try to follow Jesus do not believe this, as we Catholics do. This fact should not surprise us. Jesus had the same problem with some of His own disciples. When Jesus first told His own followers that He would give His body and blood as food and drink as spiritual nourishment for the soul, many of His followers – His disciples – would not accept that. They could not believe Him, so they left Him. Jesus did not try to call them back. He didn't say, "Now, wait a minute! You misunderstood me! I was only talking symbolically". No! He let them go. If they could not believe Him, they could not be His disciples. It was that simple. Then Jesus asked His apostles if they wanted to leave Him too. He was ready to let His apostles go also. We know that Peter, speaking for the group said, "Lord, to whom should we go? We know that you only, have the words of eternal life". The apostles took Jesus at His word, and we do too. This sacrament of the Holy Eucharist comes to us through the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass. This is evident because the Mass is the renewal of Jesus' death on the cross. In this sacrifice He gave up His human life, His physical body and blood, for our salvation. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the sacrament and sacrifice. It was the night before He died. Jesus knew that He soon had to leave His friends. Friends He loved so much. He wanted to leave them a connection to remember Him by, but He did much better than that, He left Himself. At the Last Supper, Jesus was looking ahead to the next day when He would die on the cross. This is why He said, "This is my body, which will be given up for you. This is my blood, which will be shed for you". Then He commanded "Do this in memory of me". We fulfill that command every day. As Jesus at the Last Supper was looking ahead to Calvary, so we in the sacrifice of the Mass, look back to Calvary. Reading I - Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46 Reading II - 1 Corinthians 10: 31 - 11: 1 Gospel Mark 1: 40-45 This is why St. Paul could say: "When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord". It's the same sacrifice on the cross and in the Mass – the same sacrifice. Jesus chose this very speFor weekday readings visit our diocesan website at cial way to remain here with us. It was not just an empty promise when www.drvc.org and go to THE DAILY READINGS Jesus said, "I will be with you all days, even to the end of the world". He meant that! Jesus remains here with us today in the Mass as our Savior, Why is Eucharistic Adoration Important ? in Holy Communion, as our spiritual food and in our tabernacle as our Part 2 friend. Jesus died on the cross to give us this sacrament of His presence By Rev. Johnny R. Mendonca among us. This is the sacrament of Jesus' love for us. As Catholics we believe that Jesus gave us His own body and blood in the special sacrament we call the Holy Eucharist. We Catholics actually believe that Jesus is really present in this sacrament! For us Catholics, the Holy Eucharist is not just a symbol. It is not just a memory. It is not just a promise. It is really Jesus Christ. The Holy Eucharist is not some ‘thing’. It is some ‘one’. It is Jesus, our Lord and our God. This is what we mean by the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This is why we call the Holy Eucharist "the Blessed Sacrament". All the sacraments are blessed! All the sacraments give us the grace of Jesus but this sacrament gives us Jesus himself. This is what we Catholics believe. Why do we believe this? Not because some theologians say so, not even because the Church says so. We believe this for only one reason, because Jesus Christ says so, and we believe Him. Cont.► I like the way Blessed Mother Teresa put it. She said, "When we look at the cross, we know how much Jesus loved us. When we look at the tabernacle, we know how much Jesus loves us now". Some Catholics think, that we can share in the Eucharist and gain grace from the Eucharist only in the Mass by receiving Holy Communion. This idea limits the power and the love of Jesus too much. Certainly participation in the sacrifice of the Mass and receiving Holy Communion is the most powerful source of grace for us, but it is not the only source of Eucharistic grace. After the sacrifice is completed, the sacrament continues on. Jesus, in His sacramental body and blood remains here with us as our friend, just as He promised. This is why Eucharistic Adoration is so important. This is why we should visit our Lord, our friend, Jesus, in the Blessed Sacrament, to return His love for us and to draw spiritual strength and nourishment and encouragement from that love. ( To be Continued ) First Year Confirmation students Grade 7 Chosen Retreat Thank you to our parents for their faithfulness; in spite of the snow, slush and cold they brought their children on Saturday January 24 and Saturday January 31- days of prayer and faith-filled fun at St. Vincent de Paul Church. We learned about: “Why we are here”; “The depth of God’s love” and Reconciliation and Forgiveness”. The day ended with Mass. Special thanks to Saverio Grosso, Pam O’Boyle, Lynette Fernandez, Caterina Viti, Maria Valone, Patricia Johnson, Anna Ruperto and Giuseppina Ubaldini. Faith Formation News Level 3 Mass All third grade students and their families are invited to attend Mass on: Sunday, February 15, 2015 9:30 am Sienna Center Scriptures Study The Thursday Morning Scripture Group will now be meeting in the Lower Level of the Sienna Center on Thursday, Morning at 9:00 am, until further notice. ALL ARE WELCOME Reconciliation This is an opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as part of your Lenten observance: Levels 3 & 4 - Saturday, February 28th Levels 5 & 6- March 7th 12:30 pm in the Sienna Center Level 7 - Thursday, March 19th Level 8 - Thursday, March 12th 7:00 pm Saint Catherine Chapel - Sienna Center There are no Faith Formation classes scheduled for the week of February 16th. Classes resume the week of February 23rd. Ash Wednesday is February 18th. ANNUAL DIOCESAN MENS 2015 VOCATIONS RETREAT with Bishop William Murphy “Veni, sequere me”. Come, follow me. Ages: High School & Up Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington NY February 13 — February 15, 2015 More Info: [email protected] @516-678-5800 X214 MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 23rd WORLD DAY OF THE SICK 2015 Sapientia Cordis “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15) Dear Brothers and Sisters, On this, the twenty-third World Day of the Sick, begun by Saint John Paul II, I turn to all of you who are burdened by illness and are united in various ways to the flesh of the suffering Christ, as well as to you, professionals and volunteers in the field of health care. This year’s theme invites us to reflect on a phrase from the Book of Job: “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15). I would like to consider this phrase from the perspective of “ sapientia cordis” – the wisdom of the heart. 1. This “wisdom” is no theoretical, abstract knowledge, the product of reasoning. Rather, it is, as Saint James describes it in his Letter, “pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity” (3:17). It is a way of seeing things infused by the Holy Spirit in the minds and the hearts of those who are sensitive to the sufferings of their brothers and sisters and who can see in them the image of God. So let us take up the prayer of the Psalmist: “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12). This “sapientia cordis”, which is a gift of God, is a compendium of the fruits of the World Day of the Sick. 2. Wisdom of the heart means serving our brothers and sisters. Job’s words: “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame”, point to the service which this just man, who enjoyed a certain authority and a position of importance amongst the elders of his city, offered to those in need. His moral grandeur found expression in the help he gave to the poor who sought his help and in his care for orphans and widows (Job 29:12-13). Today too, how many Christians show, not by their words but by lives rooted in a genuine faith, that they are “eyes to the blind” and “feet to the lame”! They are close to the sick in need of constant care and help in washing, dressing and eating. This service, especially when it is protracted, can become tiring and burdensome. It is relatively easy to help someone for a few days but it is difficult to look after a person for months or even years, in some cases when he or she is no longer capable of expressing gratitude. And yet, what a great path of sanctification this is! In those difficult moments we can rely in a special way on the closeness of the Lord, and we become a special means of support for the Church’s mission. 3. Wisdom of the heart means being with our brothers and sisters . Time spent with the sick is holy time. It is a way of praising God who conforms us to the image of his Son, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). Jesus himself said: “I am among you as one who serves” (Lk 22:27). With lively faith let us ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace to appreciate the value of our often unspoken willingness to spend time with these sisters and brothers who, thanks to our closeness and affection, feel more loved and comforted. How great a lie, on the other hand, lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the importance of “quality of life” that they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living! 4. Wisdom of the heart means going forth from ourselves towards our brothers and sisters . Occasionally our world forgets the special value of time spent at the bedside of the sick, since we are in such a rush; caught up as we are in a frenzy of doing, of producing, we forget about giving ourselves freely, taking care of others, being responsible for others. Behind this attitude there is often a lukewarm faith which has forgotten the Lord’s words: “You did it unto me’ (Mt 25:40). For this reason, I would like once again to stress “the absolute priority of ‘going forth from ourselves toward our brothers and sisters’ as one of the two great commandments which ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign for discerning spiritual growth in response to God’s completely free gift” ( Evangelii Gaudium, 179). The missionary nature of the Church is the wellspring of an “effective charity and a compassion which understands, assists and promotes” (ibid). Continue on next page…. Continued from previous page…. MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 23rd WORLD DAY OF THE SICK 2015 5. Wisdom of the heart means showing solidarity with our brothers and sisters while not judging them. Charity takes time. Time to care for the sick and time to visit them. Time to be at their side like Job’s friends: “And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great” (Job 2:13). Yet Job’s friends harboured a judgement against him: they thought that Job’s misfortune was a punishment from God for his sins. True charity is a sharing which does not judge, which does not demand the conversion of others; it is free of that false humility which, deep down, seeks praise and is self-satisfied about whatever good it does. Job’s experience of suffering finds its genuine response only in the cross of Jesus, the supreme act of God’s solidarity with us, completely free and abounding in mercy. This response of love to the drama of human pain, especially innocent suffering, remains for ever impressed on the body of the risen Christ; his glorious wounds are a scandal for faith but also the proof of faith (cf. Homily for the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, 27 April 2014). Even when illness, loneliness and inability make it hard for us to reach out to others, the experience of suffering can become a privileged means of transmitting grace and a source for gaining and growing in sapientia cordis. We come to understand how Job, at the end of his experience, could say to God: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (42:5). People immersed in the mystery of suffering and pain, when they accept these in faith, can themselves become living witnesses of a faith capable of embracing suffering, even without being able to understand its full meaning. 6. I entrust this World Day of the Sick to the maternal protection of Mary, who conceived and gave birth to Wisdom incarnate: Jesus Christ, our Lord. O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, intercede as our Mother for all the sick and for those who care for them! Grant that, through our service of our suffering neighbours, and through the experience of suffering itself, we may receive and cultivate true wisdom of heart! With this prayer for all of you, I impart my Apostolic Blessing. From the Vatican, 3 December 2014 Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier FRANCISCUS FEBRUARY 18, 2015 (Ashes will be distributed at all Masses and services.) Schedule 8:00 AM - Mass 12:00 NOON - Mass 4:00 PM - Liturgy of the Word 7:00 PM - Mass All Masses and services are being held in the Saint Catherine Chapel - Sienna Center Faith Formation Students, please take this page to class Name_________________________ Grade Level___________ February 8, 2015 Solve the problems to complete the code and then find the missing letters! Unscramble the letters. When you are hurt, don’t hide go to God and he will heal your broken heart#GodIsLove Use the code cracker to see! Let me know… When you are sick, what kind off things do you do so you can get better? ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ What was different from this mass, than all the other masses you attended before this week? ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ 990 Holtzheimer Street Franklin Square, NY 11010 Children: 7-10 yrs Kids: 3-6 yrs Teens: 11-14 yrs SUMMER FUN for Everyone! “At Camp Sienna we recognize that each child is a unique gift from God. We create a safe, supportive, and fun summer environment where every child can make memories and build lasting friendships.” June 29th—August 7th (Closed July 3rd in observance of Independence Day) CAMP HOURS: Regular Day:9:00am-3:00pm Extended Day: 9:00am-6:00pm (DON’T MISS OUT!!! We’re filling up fast!) Summer is a time to enjoy … have fun, experience something new, make new friends in a faith based atmosphere! Come for the entire season of 6 weeks OR select the weeks that work for you OR join us for the day. Rates: Special All Season, Weekly, Daily For information regarding Camp Sienna’s prices, enrollment and deposit policy please call: Phone (516) 352-0146 ext. 403 Email: [email protected] Game Truck Bouncy House Laser Tag Camp Sienna is inspected by the Nassau County Department of Health twice yearly. Inspection reports concerning such camps are filed at 200 County Seat Drive, Mineola, NY. Pope Francis: Christians' two parameters: memory and hope. (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis warned that lukewarm Christians who’ve lost the memory and enthusiasm of their first encounter with Christ are in grave danger of letting the devil into their homes. Christians, he explained, must always retain that memory of their first meeting with Christ and their hope in Him to help them go forward with the courage of their faith. The Pope’s words came at his morning Mass on Friday (January 30th) celebrated at the Santa Marta residence. Listen to this report by Susy Hodges: Taking the inspiration for his reflections from the Letter to the Hebrews, Pope Francis said somebody who no longer remembers his or her first meeting with Jesus is an empty and spiritually inert person, as only lukewarm people can be. The day of that first encounter with Christ, he stressed, must never be forgotten. Lukewarm Christians in grave danger “Our memory is so important for recalling the grace received because if we chase away that enthusiasm which comes from the memory of that first love, this enthusiasm coming from that first love, then a huge danger arrives for Christians: a lukewarm (faith). Lukewarm Christians. They’re there, immobile and yes, they’re Christians, but they’ve lost the memory of that first love. And they’ve also lost their enthusiasm. In addition, they’ve lost their patience, to tolerate life’s problems with the spirit of Jesus’ love, to tolerate, and to bear on their shoulders the difficulties…. Lukewarm Christians, poor things, they’re in grave danger.” Pope Francis said when he thinks about lukewarm Christians he is struck by two distasteful images, the one described by Peter who talks of the dog that returns to its own vomit and the other described by Jesus of people who chase away the devil and decide to follow the gospel but when the devil later returns with reinforcements they open their doors of their house to him. The Pope said this is like returning to the vomit of that evil that was earlier rejected and vice-versa. “A Christian has these two parameters, memory and hope. We must evoke our memory so as not to lose the beautiful experience of that first love which feeds our hope. Many times that hope is in darkness but (a Christian) still goes ahead. He or she believes and goes forward because they know that hope never disappoints us, in finding Jesus. These two parameters are the very frames within which we can safeguard the salvation of the good people which comes from the Lord.” Memory and hope equal faith The Pope said this salvation must be protected in order that the tiny mustard seed will grow and bear fruit. “It’s painful and heart-breaking to see so many Christians - so many Christians! – half-way along the road, so many Christians who’ve failed along this road towards a meeting with Jesus, going away from this encounter with Jesus. This road where they’ve lost the memory of that first love and no longer have any hope.” TAX TIME If you wish for us to send you a statement of your contributions to Saint Catherine’s Parish for 2014, please email your request to [email protected] or call Our Welcome Desk at 516-352-0146 ext. 400. Kindly have your envelope number ready when you call. 9 COME SEE FR. TONY, FR. JASON, DEACON DARRELL AND THE SPIRIT PLAYERS IN MARK YOUR CALENDAR! OUR PARISH Saint Catherine of Sienna During Lent Beginning Thursday 2/19/15 There will be daily evening Mass 7:00PM DATE/TIME PLACE TICKETS SAT. Feb. 28th 7:30 PM SUN. Mar. 1st 2:00 PM Cook Auditorium 101 Maple Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 $13 Adults, $8 Seniors/Childr en under 13 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: Diane Buono (516) 502-6050 ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE ST. BRIGID’S OUTREACH PROGRAM Worldwide Marriage Encounter Married Couples! Are you looking for the perfect Valentine’s Gift? A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend Just might be what you are looking for. The original and still the best communication weekend for married couples. The next weekend on Long Island is scheduled for February 13-15, 2015 at the Montfort Spiritual Center in Bay Shore, NY. Space is limited. For more information about the weekends or to apply, call 1-877-697-9963 or visit our website at http://www.wwme.org. The Knights of Columbus Empire Safety Driving Course on March 7th 2015 from 9:00AM-3:00 pm at St Anne’s Parish, 34 Dartmouth Street, Garden City, New York 11530. $45.00 per person. Empire Safety Driving Course saves you 10% on insurance and points on the license. For more information Call 516-352-5904 March 3, 2015 Saint Catherine of Sienna Parish Evening of Reflection An evening of Lenten Prayer See more details in next week’s bulletin DIOCESE & COMMUNITY February 10, 2015 Marian Healing 7:00 PM St. Anastasia’s Church 45-14 –245th Street, Douglaston Little Neck, NY 11362 For more details call 718-631-4454 February 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25, 2015 “Dancing on the Head of a Pin: The Angelic Doctor on Angelic Natures.” A Workshop on Angels 6:30pm—9:00pm The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception 440 West Neck Road, Huntington For more details call 516-352-0146 ext. 147 March 1- 3, 2015 2015 Lenten Mission Topic: Fighting the Wrong Enemies! Presenter: Fr. Dwight Lewis Sunday: 5:30pm Monday: 9:00am & 7:00pm Tuesday: 9:00am & 7:30pm For more details call 516-623-1400
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