Next Sunday: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Celebrant : Fr. Tharp
CMA
Next Saturday and Sunday are called Commitment Weekend for the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Today and hereafter, we will have envelopes with pledge cards available at the doors of church. If you have not received yours in the mail, please consider taking one today and filling it out with a pledge or gift. You can put a stamp on the envelope and mail it if you wish, but I recommend simply bringing your completed envelope to Mass and dropping it in the collection basket.
If you are filling out the informational part of the card, please be certain to include on the last line titled “parish” either St. Ann Parish Hamilton # 906 or Sacred Heart Parish Fairfield # 746. Including the number assures us that any rebate from donation will be directed to our parishes and not to some other parish of the same name. There are multiple parishes in our Archdiocese named Sacred Heart as well as St. Ann.
Please make your donation on Commitment Sunday or as soon as possible thereafter. In anticipation of the new “Family of St. Ann and Sacred Heart” which will be inaugurated on July 1, 2022, let’s distinguish ourselves before the Archdiocese, so that all will respect our Family (formed from two very generous congregations) as a leader Family among the newly formed families.
St. Blasé Blessing of Throats
The Feast of St. Blasé takes place on Thursday, February 3. I will make the blessing available at both the 6:30 a.m. at St. Ann and the 7:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart that day. Unless things change by then, I will administer the (individual) blessing with my facemask on, not just to shield you from my unpleasant appearance, but so I am less likely to spread any germ I might have (and not know about) to you.
I will also make the blessing available in globo (meaning: as a group, not individual blessing) on the following weekend at all precept Masses.
Beacons of Light
We are told to expect the formal public announcement of “assignment of priests to newly formed Families” around the middle of February. If someone tells you they have special knowledge and know for sure, remind them that anything and everything can change before the official announcement.
DO NOT FALL FOR SCAMS!!!!
(You may be wondering why I keep running this same warning week after week? The reason is that I continue to get calls from parishioners concerned that I may have been arrested in a foreign country without money, or need you to buy cash cards for someone who is dying, or some other deception or fabrication. The scammers have even found a way to harvest my voice from the YOUTUBE Masses, and mimic me over the telephone. The “scammers” are indeed immoral and destined for the fires of Hell; but they always seem to exhibit sinister creativity. Please remember the following:)
Remember I NEVER solicit funds, donations, favors, or any request of any kind over the telephone, text, email, carrier pigeon, drone, etc. NEVER! Do not allow yourself to be taken in by scammers. Even if they have my recorded voice, it is computer generated! It is not me!!!
Considering a “Men’s Retreat Program?”
Over the next month, we will be posting information about a rather challenging ascetic retreat option for adult men from St. Ann and Sacred Heart Pastoral Region, soon to be a Family of Parishes. The program is called Exodus 90. Here are the personal comments of one of our parishioners who has some experience with the program:
The goal of Exodus 90 is spiritual freedom. We are all attached and/or addicted to sins or material things that are holding us back from being the men God created us to be. Going back to the roots of the Christian Faith through the ancient traditions of the Church of prayer, penance, and community helps us to free ourselves so that we can be the husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and leaders that we are meant to be.
The outline of the program is simple and built on 3 pillars: prayer, fraternity,and asceticism. In short it requires commitment to one hour of prayer a day. Weekly meetings with a small group and fasting from foods on certain days, and giving up certain luxuries like sweets, a sedentary life, warm showers and a commitment to exercise. It’s difficult. But today in our culture maybe we need something a little difficult.
Please keep an eye out for more information and feel free to email any questions in anticipation of an informative meeting which we plan on having a few weeks before Lent. You know how the TV stations post a teaser announcement to gage interest. Well, that is what this is!
Synod 2021-2023
Although the meeting at Queen of Peace in Millville took place last week, you are invited to attend any of the meetings held in other deaneries throughout the Archdiocese. Information about these meetings is available at “catholicaoc.org.”
Reminder for volunteers who work with or around children
If you are a volunteer classroom parent in the school, a coach, drama club volunteer, scout volunteer, etc. please note that you should have been moved to the Safe Parish program. Fulfillment of this requirement is mandatory for anyone working with children. Please contact your parish safe environment coordination if you are uncertain whether you are registered or approved.
Please be aware that failure to register with and complete the requirements of Safe Parish will result in your inability to continue to work with or around children in any parish and/or school setting. We have been informed by the Archdiocese that there can be NO EXCEPTIONS.
Live Streaming a precept Mass from St. Ann and Sacred Heart each week
Since I live stream both the 4:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart and the 5:15 p.m. at St. Ann; I usually manage to live stream both, but on rare occasions the internet is out at one or the other location. If this happens, be assured that I will make every effort to correct the malfunction before the next weekend.
Please remember to access the Sacred Heart / St. Ann Pastoral Region You Tube site by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLLqbEY5hKWinwz069MVcg
Reflection on Scripture:
Jesus tells the people in the synagogue who he really is. Jesus causes a stir, just by being truthful. Sometimes the truth hurts the ears of those listening. Sometimes the hurt feelings of the listeners burst forth in violence against the speaker. In the minds of the listeners, Jesus had the people hanging on his every word until he was foolish enough to reveal his divine origin; in other words to “Tell the Truth.”
Sometimes the revelation of who we are in Christ will result in similar negative reactions. The reason we celebrate most of the feasts of martyrs is that, faced with threat of death, they refused to compromise the truth. The truth is Jesus Christ. Faithless violent oppressors usually try to intimidate the faithful with fearful threats. Just by being people of faith in Jesus, some will choose to hate us. This is precisely when we entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit. No power of evil anywhere can intimidate the Holy Spirit.
NEXT WEEK (The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Is 6:1-2,a, 3-8
1 Cor 15:1-11
Lk 5:1-`11
Theme: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”