Next Week Sunday Morning Masses February 2, 2020 Celebrant: Fr. Tharp
REMINDER: No Confessions on Tuesday, February 4 at Sacred Heart! I will be at Confirmation at St. Ann.
Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA)
Next Sunday, February 2 is Commitment Sunday for St. Ann. The parish target requested of us by the Archdiocese is $21,976. The Archdiocese relies on each parish to do its “fair share” so we can fund facilities like the Mt. St. Mary Seminary, Catholic Social Services and Catholic Charities, St. Rita School for the Deaf, Campus Ministries at Public Universities, Catholic Chaplains at public (non-Catholic) hospitals, Prison Ministries, New Evangelization, and retirement for Archdiocesan priests; purposes we could never achieve as individual parishes, but only when we work together as an Archdiocese. When I was newly ordained, we called this annual appeal the Archbishop’s Annual Fund Drive; but when it was revised in the early part of this millennium, we began to call it the Catholic Ministries Appeal to clarify its mission and purpose. By helping fund ministerial needs that exceed the capacity of any individual parish, we empower our Archdiocese as an important part of the Mystical Body of Christ (the Catholic Church) which extends throughout the world.
Old Rectory / New Parish Office (Soon?)
We are still working out the logistics of new electrical service to the old rectory as well as the movement of some very heavy office items. We hope to have HVAC in place so we can expedite the move as soon as possible with the least interruption of services. Thank you for your patience as we seek to complete the move and continue the project.
Information for Federal Income Tax
We will soon be mailing the “statement of donations for 2019.” We hope to mail them by the end of January and thus they should be arriving in the mail during the first week of February. If you have a filing date earlier than April 15, and need this information sooner, please call the parish office and we will seek to expedite your statement. We realize that with the new standard deduction amounts, there may be fewer donors who will meet the threshold for Schedule A itemized deductions. Nevertheless, we want any donor who wants one to have the record of his/her/their donations made through the Sunday envelope system. I am deeply grateful to all our consistent benefactors.
Upcoming Confirmations
The Administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation will take place at St. Ann on Tuesday, February 4. There will be no confessions at Sacred Heart on Tuesday, February 4. Confirmation for Sacred Heart will take place on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
Reflection on Scripture
“Sunday of the Word of God”
Today used to be known as the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. On September 30, 2019, Pope Francis issued a Motu Proprio declaring this to be “Sunday of the Word of God.” The following excerpt explains:
Consequently, I hereby declare that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God. This Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity.
The configuration of our more recently built church sanctuaries place the ambo and the altar in the sanctuary with equal emphasis. Obviously the first half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, lifts up Sacred Scripture; but the prayers throughout the entire Mass have their origin in Sacred Scripture. The apostolic foundation of our church is rooted in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Since the Bible is our book, we need to study it, pray it, and read it with faith.
Next Weekend: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Candlemas Day Υπαπαντη
Mal 3:1-4
Heb 2:14-18
Lk 2:22-40
Theme: Christ is the Light of the World