St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church 1500 DePaul Street Elmont, N.Y. 11003 “A Parish with Heart” Pastoral Staff Rev. Msgr. Richard M. Figliozzi Administrator (516) 352-2127 Parish Social Ministry Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (516) 354-4976 Fifth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2015 Scriptural Reflection for the Week “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” (see John 12:20-33) As we approach Holy Week and Easter, the Lord Jesus issues us another invitation to be with Him. This invitation should cause us to really stop and think. Am I willing to be where my Lord would go to serve His people? Where may the Lord Jesus be found? We have only the Gospels to answer this question. And, of course, what do they reveal? That Jesus is found among the sinners, the outcasts, the poor, the lonely, the physically and emotionally ill, the forgotten one. Let’s now take a look at our own lives. Are we with Jesus among these, His people, His chosen ones, those dearest His heart? We should realize by now, at this point in Lent, that these may not be far from us at all! To follow Jesus may mean we are called to serve Him in our next door neighbor, in our co-worker, in our enemy! But do we only want to serve Jesus where we are comfortable serving Him? Do we fear leaving our comfort zones in order to see Him where He really is? We may prefer the comfort of the quiet, incense, and protective walls of the Church. But Jesus calls you to see Him and serve Him in the suffering one. Are you faithful enough to follow Him? Does your love for Jesus include love for those He Himself went out of His way to demonstrate love? Lenten Examination of Conscience ♦ Where is my life really leading me? Is the hope of eternal life my inspiration? Have I tried to grow in the life of the Spirit through prayer, reading the Word of God and meditating on it, receiving the Sacraments, self - denial? ♦ Have I been attentive to control my vices, my bad inclinations? Have I been proud and boastful thinking myself better in the sight of God and despising others? Have I sought to impose my will and my way on others? Must I always get what I want? Do I respect the feelings of others? ♦ What use have I made of my time, my talents, my money—of the gifts God has given me to be used for the building up of His Church? Have I been lazy and self– absorbed, too much given to leisure? An Act of Contrition “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” March 30th: Day of Reconciliation Monday of Holy Week, March 30th, confessions will be held from 4pm to 5pm in our Church. At St. Catherine’s, confessions will be held from 3pm to 9pm. Soup Supper @St. Catherine This Thursday, March 26th, at 6pm. Join with us as we share a simple meal. All donations collected go to the serve the poor and needy. Last Weekend’s Collection and Attendance Parish: $4,198.00 Attendance: 4:00pm—367 8:30am—144 12:30pm —132 Total: 643 Thank you for your support. One Final Thought “All of us must cling to God through prayers and sacrifice. Only then will we be able to see Christ in the needs of our neighbors.” Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am 12:30 pm March 21 Bernard DeMatteis ; For the Living Intentions of Stephanie Casseus March 22 Rossi Celso Jack Martinez SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fifth Sunday of Lent; Third Scrutiny Monday: St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Wednesday: The Annunciation of the Lord Friday: Abstinence Monday 8:30 am Tuesday 8:30 am Wednesday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Friday 8:30 am Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am 12:30 pm March 23 Evelyn Zanca March 24 Deceased Members of The Tomaskovic Family March 25 Frank Spivey March 26 For the People of the Parish March 27 ——— March 28 Joseph Conter; Bruno & Nicola Varano March 29 Rosa Cassara Pasquale Correale; Encarnacion Matute BREAD & WINE For the week of March 22 thru March 28 Is in Loving Memory of Mary Ramsden As requested by Tom Cusack Jr. Stewardship….. Reflection “If anyone would serve Me,” says Jesus in today’s Gospel, “let him follow Me; where I am, there will My servant be.” In what ways is Jesus inviting me to follow Him? What service is He asking of me? Living Stewardship The Mass Intentions Book is opened for 2015. There are still many current dates available for Altar Candles as well as the Wine and Host. Please consider this special way to honor a loved one, living or deceased. We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who embrace every aspect of their lives as “gift” by surrendering to Christ their very selves through service to the parish and the wider community. MISSION STATEMENT As members of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Parish, we are committed to assisting our members in both the spiritual and temporal needs of life. We are a parish with heart who are committed to “Let all things be done with Charity” and show we are disciples of Christ by our love for one another. PREPARING FOR HOLY WEEK By Rev. Johnny R. Mendonca Holy Week is most definitely a very sacred time of the year, for it is during these days that we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. These are the days leading up to the great Easter Feast. The Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial is about to come to an end, but this coming week is extremely important for all Christians. The greatest focus of the week is the Passion, suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events that led up to it. Historical documents tell us that as early as the fourth century the Church celebrated this "Great Week" with a feeling of profound sanctity. It begins with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The central feature of the service proper to this day, as it was in the earliest times, is the procession of palms. The palms are blessed and are then borne in procession to the church, where an entry is made with a certain amount of ceremony, after which the Mass is celebrated. The other notable and very ancient feature of the present Palm Sunday service is the reading of the Gospel of the Passion. Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum. This is the three days just before Easter. On Holy Thursday, we relive the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night before he died. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. Jesus is washing their feet, and showing that the mark of a true leader is whether they can serve others. It's Jesus still loving those disciples even though he knew that, at best, they would abandon him, and at worst, they would betray him. And it's Jesus in the garden, alone, heart-broken, and struggling between what he wanted to do and what he knew he had to do. On Good Friday, it continues. The world turns against him, and the ones who cheered his entry in Jerusalem instead cheer his death. He suffers. He calls out to a God who does not seem to answer. He feels pain, and loss, and grief. And in the end he loses the life he knew. On this day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we have the veneration of the Cross. A service is held at three o'clock in the afternoon. There is no consecration of the Eucharist on this day, and the Communion we receive will be from the night before, which has been reserved in the tabernacle. Holy Saturday is a vigil. We keep watch for the expectant rising of Our Savior. This was the day He went down into the netherworld in order to bring back up with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam. Jesus changed all that. By paying the price for our sins on the Cross, He gained for us our eternal salvation, and heaven was opened once more. Also on this night, persons who have spent months of preparation will be received through Baptism and Confirmation into the Catholic Church for the first time. It is a joyous occasion. However, when many of our parishioners leave Church on Sunday, they step into a different world. And we must remember, if we just come to church on Palm Sunday and Easter, we might not experience the power and Grace of the Paschal Mystery; but if we come between Sundays, we will find faith to know what that is like. More than that, we will find a God who knows what suffering, pain and struggle is like. To me, the most comforting part of Holy Week is not the waving of triumphal palms on one Sunday morning, or the flowers and joyous hymns on the next. It's what happens in between. Those who engage themselves wholeheartedly in living the entire paschal cycle -Lent, Triduum and Easter's Fifty Days - discover that it can change them forever. This is especially so of the Triduum, which stands at the heart of the Easter season, is an intense immersion in the fundamental mystery of what it is to be a Christian. During these days, we suffer with Christ so that we might rise with Him at His glorious Resurrection. Holy Week is a time to clear our schedules of unnecessary activities. Our minds and hearts should be fixed on Jesus and what He did for us. We have the capacity to be a people who journey with Jesus. We have it because Christ has called us to be those people. All we have to do is be willing to make the journey with him, not just on Sundays, but on the days in between. The world has plenty of Sunday morning Christians. It needs a few more of the Holy Weekday ones. ‘IN HOME’ PARISH PRAYER PROGRAMS ENCOURAGING FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO PRAY DAILY IN THE HOME Our CUP OF PRAYER program reminds us of the importance of daily prayer for vocations, priests and our family. It has traveled throughout our parish community weekly to families and individuals. It was initiated in 2010 by a group on a pilgrimage that visited Ars, the home of Saint John Marie Vianney, the Patron of Parish Priests. The parish was presented the CUP by the group to encourage increased daily prayer in the home. Through the program, intentions are presented for much needed vocations to the priesthood, our parish priests and their intentions, our own parish family, and also family and individual intentions. OUR LADY OF FATIMA PILGRIM VIRGIN STATUE program promotes the daily praying of the Rosary and has been a parish prayer program for 26 years. Initiated here due to the deep devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and praying of the Rosary, it has since touched the lives of hundreds of families and individuals over the years. A ‘pilgrim’ statue of Our Lady of Fatima travels to a home, delivered by a member of the parish, and displayed to inspire praying the Rosary DAILY. THE WEEKLY HOST FAMILY OF EACH PROGRAM IS LISTED IN THE BULLETIN RESERVE YOUR WEEK SIGN UP FOR EITHER PROGRAM AFTER ALL MASSES THIS WEEKEND OR CALL THE PARISH OFFICE AT 516-352-0146 (SCOS) Please Pray for our Sick relatives and Friends: Rev. Msgr. Thomas Hartman Matthew Haygood ; Anthony Gangemella Madelyn Kushner; Maria Scuccimarra; Pat DeRosa Linda Rome; Charlotte Orlando; Bob Soveign; Maria Gloe Helen Strohm; Maria Rossi Pashayen; Ann Parazelli Patricia DeRosa; Kaelyn Judith Donlon Ann Mitarotonda; Margaret McCabe; Mary Hicks Arlindo Marcelino; Jack Musolino Janet Falco; Diane Drescher; Ralph Wilson Diane Wilson; Brittany Wilson; Raul Matos; Mary Italo Penny Wyckoff; Matthew Noah; Karen Hoffmeyer Tommy Lannan; Vincente Mejias; William Ross George McAuliffe; Michael O’Malley; Ann Donahue Thomas McCreight; Jean Henry; Dominick Consolazio Anna Marie Orlando; Theresa Chevalier; Frank Saccone Eugenia Lane; Barbara Ostipwko; Dorie Harbin Carlos Mackey; Shane Harbin; Veronica Dixon Florence Kobel; Bill Gilbert; Madeline Corrigan Karen Carlucci; Tom Camberiarti; Howard Wirth Albert Bartlett; Dorothy Mink Honald St. Vincent de Paul Parish Office – (516) 352-2127 Hours: Monday thru Thursday - 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday - 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Friday and Sunday – Closed Fax – (516) 305-5474 Email: [email protected] Web: www.stvincentdepaulparish.org For Emergency relating to death or dying after 2 pm call St. Catherine of Sienna - (516) 352-0146 We Celebrate the Eucharist Saturday Vigil – 4:00 pm Sunday – 8:30 am & 12:30 pm Weekdays: Monday thru Friday 8:30 am Holy Day Mass Schedules will be announced in the Bulletin on the prior Sunday. We Celebrate the Sacraments Sacrament of ReconciliaƟon – Saturdays immediately after celebration of the Vigil Mass, or by calling the Parish Office for an appointment with a Priest. Sacrament of BapƟsm – call the Parish Office to arrange for an interview. This should be done while awaiting the birth of your child. Sacrament of Marriage – call the Parish Office to make an appointment with a priest before making social arrangements. Visitation of the Sick and Homebound call the Parish Office to arrange for a visit by a Priest to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and also to receive Holy Communion. Holy Hour – on the first Friday of the month after the 8:30 am Mass with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and concluding with Benediction. Devotions Kindly inform the Parish Office when names need to be taken off the list @ 352-2127. Please Pray for our Men & Women in the U.S. Armed Forces: Diane Rosemary Patrick Aaron J. Shattuck; Thomas Bradshaw; Arlindo Almida; Thomas Lainis; Peter Dilos Frankie Umile; Rev. David Kruse (Chaplain) Joseph Giordano ; John Marco Militano Joseph A. Galante; Jimmy Bustamante Latasha Coward; Nicholas Russo Max Haerter; James E. Allen Brian Kevin Corrigan Michael Borg; Christopher Messano Carlos Felix; Michael Arana The Rosary – is recited daily before the 8:30 am Weekday Masses. Miraculous Medal Novena and Special Prayers to St. Anthony are said on Thursdays after the 8:30 am Mass. The Clergy from St. Catherine of Sienna who serve us here at St. Vincent de Paul are as follows: Pastor/Administrator Rev. Msgr. Richard M. Figliozzi Associate Pastors Rev. Allan Arneaud Rev. Johnny Mendonca Rev. Charles N. Srion Deacons Joseph Benincasa Frank Gonzalez St. Louis appearance by Medjugorje 'seer' cancelled at Vatican request Catholic World News - March 13, 2015 A scheduled appearance in St. Louis, Missouri, by one of the “seers” of Medjugorje has been cancelled, at the request of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Ivan Dragicevic, one of several people who claim to have experienced visions of the Virgin Mary for years at Medjugorje, was scheduled to speak in St. Louis on March 18. But the event was cancelled without explanation by the sponsors. Now Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis has released a statement, saying: I have received a request from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to remind everyone that they are not to participate in events that promote the so-called visionries of Medjugorje and in particular Mr. Ivan Dragicevic. Please make this information available to the Lay Faithful. Controversy over the authenticity of the claimed apparitions at Medjugorje has continued for years. In 2013, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a directive that discouraged events or activities that would assume the apparitions were taking place. A special Vatican commission investigating the Medjugorje phenomenon has reportedly completed its work, but its conclusions have not been made public. We will be decorating for Palm Sunday on Saturday March 28. We will be meeting in the lower church at 9:30AM. If you have an hour or two free, please come help us. The Easter decorating will start at 9:30AM on April 4. We will meet in the lower church. There is much to do to prepare the church for the Easter Celebration. Please join us, help is needed. The more hands we have the better. We would like to Thank Tulip Bakery for the kind contribution to our St. Patrick’s Day Hospitality. Please remember to support the local vendors who generously support our Parish. Lit - ur- gy n. a form of public worship; a collection of formularies for public the celebration of the Eucharist Sharing faith through the eyes of our Catechists: I grew up attending Mass every Sunday with my family. My parents taught us to treat others as we would want to be treated, as well as, to help others when they were in need. They also encouraged us to pray for those who we could not help. My mother was, as I called her, “an angel on Earth”. She always had a way of fixing any problem, whether it was a broken item or a broken heart. She was a wonderful woman who gave her time to all who needed it, even if she didn’t have the physical time to give. My mother passed away 5 years ago and she finally received ‘those wings’ she earned. My mother is the reason I became a catechist. I wanted to continue her passion of instilling God’s Love on the world. This is the fourth year I am teaching a Level 1 Faith Formation class. My experience as an elementary school teacher, in addition to having the Catholic Faith devotion my parents taught me, made me feel that I was qualified for this position. Teaching these young children each week about the stories of God, Jesus, the apostles and the saints makes being a catechist an important job. Watching their eyes fill up with wonder during the telling of Jesus’s birth, and listening to so many questions about his death, make me feel fulfilled. Adding my excitement and enthusiasm to each lesson allows the children to show their own curiosity about the life of Jesus. Teaching a Faith Formation class is not easy. It takes dedication to the program, an understanding of one’s beliefs and of course, a love of children. I believe my mother is very proud of me for teaching children a faith in which she and her family so fondly believed. This is an experience I would not trade for anything! If you would like to share your love of the Lord, please consider becoming a catechist in our parish. Jessica Labianca 1st grade Catechist Faith Formation News Level 1 Mass All first grade students and their families are invited to attend Mass on: Sunday, March 29, 2015 9:30 am Sienna Center at St. Catherine’s Let Us Pray For Our Confirmation Candidates For our young people preparing for Confirmation, that they may be open to receiving the fullness of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. God, our loving Father, these young people come before you open to receiving the fullness of the Gifts of your Spirit. Send your gifts in abundance that they may be instrument in realizing the fullness of your Kingdom. Amen St. Vincent de Paul Society & Parish Social Ministry (Outreach) We have reached the fifth Sunday of Lent. Jesus said that the Father will honor those who serve him. During Lent we especially try to reach out in compassion. Our parishioners do this each week by contributing to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. This week the pantry is in need of: ♦ tomato sauce ♦ tea ♦ canned vegetables especially, carrots & potatoes ♦ Pork & beans ♦ Any non-perishable food items Thank you for your continuing generosity. Pope Francis Hospitality Center We have started this center for seniors, veterans, those in need and for anyone wishing to share a simple meal. It is open on Saturdays from 9:30am to 1:00pm. The Center meets in the former school cafeteria (entrance off de Paul street) ♦ ♦ Referrals clothing PARISH ‘IN HOME’ PRAYER PROGRAM Host Family/Individual: PILGRIM STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA Jim Licato CUP OF PRAYER The Licato Family UPCOMING EVENTS & NEWS Update from Maintenance Department NECESSARY FUTURE PROJECTS FOR APRIL • • • Remove old warped floor in the DeVita Room (Church) Drywell north side of parking lot is caved in and danger for pedestrians and cars Steeple leak needs fixing & damaged choir ceiling GOLDEN WEDDING JUBILEE This Spring, couples that have been married fifty years or more will be honored at liturgies on Sunday, April 19 at the Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr in Sayville & Sunday April 26 at the Church of Maria Regina in Seaford. Both liturgies will begin at 2:30pm. Registration forms and complete instructions can be obtained at the rectory or by church doors. Registration must be received by the Office of Worship by April 6th or April 13th respectively. If you have any questions you may call 516-678-5800— ext. 207 “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 Sienna Hiring: (16 & over) 33 New Hyde Park Rd. Franklin Square, NY 11010 Attn: Human Resources CAMP HOURS: Regular Day: 9:00am-3:00pm Extended Day: 9:00am-6:00pm Camper Registration Starts SOON! If you have any further questions: Phone (516) 352-0146. Email: [email protected]
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