Special Collection This week there will be a special collections for Black & Indian Missions. The revenue from this collection is dis-tributed as grants to dioceses throughout the United States, supporting and strengthening evangelization programs which otherwise would cease. Thank you for your gener-osity.

Annual Catholic Appeal 2021

The work and services made possible through your dona-tion to the Annual Catholic Appeal help people in Brook-lyn and Queens in ways that no one parish can alone. Let us pray that the 2021 Annual Catholic Appeal will be successful in both allowing us to reach out in love to those in need in, as well as uniting us together in Christ as one Church. I hope you will join me and (name of Parish) in “proclaiming the gospel of God” by participating in the 2021 Annual Catholic Appeal.

Lenten Programs…

A Lenten Journey

Tuesdays ~ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

We are told what God requires of us ~ only this:

to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8) During the six weeks of Lent we will gather virtually via Zoom for a time of prayer, reflection and chal-lenge.

Lent is a special time in the heart of the believer. Renewing our relationship with the God who created us, who loves us and who challenges us to live as believers will prepare us to celebrate Easter with a full awareness of the grace of the Resurrection.

Presenters:

• Mar. 2 - Bob Biegen-Undertaking Life’s Journey Together~LGBTQS Ministry

• Mar. 9 - Fr. William Smith - To love tenderly

• Mar. 16 - Jim O’Callahan - The Haiti Support Group

• Mar. 23 - Dr. Frank Greene - To walk humbly with our God

• Mar. 30 - Sr. Ave Clark, OP - The Light of Love

Please visit our website at www.sasfx.org OR call the parish office for more information on how you can join us!

Daily Reflection Booklets:

Daily reflection booklets for your personal use are availa-

ble at the back of the church or at the Parish Office.

Small Faith Sharing Groups: Due to the pandemic, we cannot hold these groups in per-son, but we can run them via Zoom. There are now four groups scheduled: Wednesday evening, Thursday even-ing, Saturday morning at 10AM, and Sunday afternoon at 2PM. If you are attending Mass this weekend, you will find papers to sign up for a group in the back of the church - just fill one out and drop it in the basket provided. We ask that you indicate your first and second choices on the sheet. If you are not currently attending Mass in person, you can call or email S. Helene to let her know of your interest in participating. She can be reached by email at hacreled@aol.com or by phone at (718) 857-2903.

Saturday, February 27th (Requested by)

5:00 +Krieger & Hippert Families (John Krieger)

5:00 +Mrs. Nora Konkel (Jim Konkel)

Sunday, February 28th

9:30 +Francis W. Craig (The Rios Family)

12:00 +Michael & Rose Barrett

Monday, March 1st

9:00 +Sr. Kathleen Sullivan

Wednesday, March 3rd

9:00 +Thomas McGovern (Joyce McGovern)

Saturday, March 6th

5:00 +Jami Schnupel (Michael Miranda)

Sunday, March 7th

9:30 +Eileen O’Driscoll Dempsey (Murphy Family)

12:00 +Phonyin Tim (Nancy Tim)

IN OUR PRAYERS

May God strengthen and give peace to all of our sick

parishioners, relatives and friends, especially for:

Robert Schlegel, Daniel Joseph, Matt Speicher,

Edna Fialo, Al Campisi, Mary McLoughlin, Aloyse

Chong, Tara Lindis-Corbell, David Harrison, Rev.

Msgr. John H. O’Brian , Benny Pagan & Maritza

Arroyo.

May the hope of the Resurrection dawn on our

deceased relatives and friends. We lift them up to our

heavenly Father who heals all ills and gives new life.

LET US CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ALL WHO

ARE SICK, FOR MEDICAL PERSONNEL, FOR

ALL PEOPLE AS WE CONFRONT THE COVID-

19 VIRUS.

Mass Schedule

Daily Mass

Monday & Wednesdays: 9:00 AM – St. Francis Xavier

Sunday Mass:

5:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass at St. Francis Xavier

9:30 AM Mass at St. Francis Xavier (this Mass will

also be live streamed and shown on our parishes’ web-

site and Facebook pages)

12:00 Noon Mass at St. Augustine

A Message to the Parish Families of

St. Augustine - St. Francis Xavier

A MESSAGE FROM FR. JOHN

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One saint who has played a significant role throughout my adult life has been St. Francis DeSales. DeSales was the bishop of Geneva in the early 1600s and played a substantial role in articulating Catholic teaching during the time of the Reformation. His extensive publications have earned him the role of patron saint of journalists, while his most popular work, Introduction to the Devout Life, show-cased his ability to make the spiritual life accessible to the laity—something that was well ahead of its time. I was introduced to the spirituality of Francis DeSales while I was an undergraduate at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. More recently, my work with DeSales Media here in the Diocese of Brooklyn has heightened my appreciation of this remarkable and gentle man. One of my mentors at DeSales University, Oblate Father Thomas Dailey, has written many books and articles on Salesian spirituality. I have always found this section in his book Live Today Well to be extremely helpful and so in line with Francis DeSales’s “practical spirituality.” “The words we use and the actions we perform (e.g., making the Sign of the Cross when seeing a crucifix) constitute rituals. When that routine or ritual becomes a habit—as is intended by the exercise suggested here—it creates a comfort zone in which to steady ourselves before we take on the duties of the day. Hence, even the next step in the morning routine can be made sacred:

As we begin to dress, we will make the Sign of the Cross and say: Cover me, Lord, with the cloak of innocence and the robe of love. My God, do not let me appear before you stripped of good works.

Here the practicality of Salesian spirituality becomes obvious. Everyone gets dressed! Everyone does so automatically, without even thinking much about it (except to decide what to wear). And everyone does it every day, even when the attire is casual. Why not, then, take this daily routine and turn it into a daily prayer?” If you’re having a hard time sticking to your Lenten discipline—or if you’re still looking for one—why not try out Fr. Dailey’s suggestion? You will be making St. Fran-cis DeSales smile!

Peace and blessings, Fr. John Gribowich

Administrator, St. Augustine – St. Francis Xavier

P.S. - Feel free to reach me at: jgribowich@sasfx.org or (718) 517-3123 (direct office line)

Zoom Memorial for Fr. Agnelo Pinto Please join us for a Memorial Ceremony to pay tribute to and commemorate the wonderful life of Fr. Agnelo Pinto. The Memorial Ceremony will take place via Zoom meeting on this Sunday, Feb-ruary 28, at 4:00 PM.

Access to the ceremony can be obtained with the following Zoom credentials:

• The Meeting ID is: 945 6825 6553 and the Passcode is: 932003

• To join by phone, call 646 558 8656 and, when prompted, enter the Meeting ID: 945 6825 6553 fol-lowed by the # sign.

Please email Marge Miller margemillr@aol.com or Bill Schroeder schroederw@sullcrom.com with any questions.

Remembering a Loved One:

To request a mass and learn about other ways to honor a loved one, call the parish office at 718-638-1880.

**See something you are interested in, but don't have

access to the Internet or computer? Please call the

Parish Office (718) 638-1880.**

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul at SASFX

Your almsgiving in the St. Vincent de Paul poor box will help those in need, celebrate the grace of God’s love this Easter.

• Food Pantry walk-in hours are Wednesdays, from 1-3PM. You can enter through the gate on Carroll Street at the back of the church building. You can also call the Parish Office at (718) 638-1880.

• We are in need of Spanish speaking volunteers, if you would like to help, please contact the Parish Office at (718) 638-1880. Thank you!

St. Augustine - St. Francis Xavier

Website: WWW.SASFX.ORG

Facebook: @STAUGUSTINERCPARKSLOPE & @STFXBROOKLYN

***Face masks MUST be worn at all times! Seating in designated areas only.***

AUTOMATED GIVING

Give Central

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP YET?

It benefits you and our parish! Enrollment is

friendly and trouble-free.

USE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO MAKE

YOUR WEEKLY CONTRIBUTION SIMPLY

VISIT

WWW.SASFX.ORG

SASFX STAFF

ADMINISTRATOR

Rev. John Gribowich

PAROCHIAL VICAR

Rev. Richard Bretone

BUSINESS MANAGER

Deacon Dean Dobbins

PASTORAL ASSOCIATE / DIRECTOR

OF FAITH FORMATION

Sr. Helene Conway, C.S.J.

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES

Dr. Michael Kaminski

PARISH SECRETARY

Mrs. Mary Kazmierczuk

PARISH SECRETARY

Ms. Vanessa Peña

RETIRED PARISH DEACON

Deacon Joseph Bichotte

St. Augustine

Address: 116 6th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11217

Mass Schedule:

Sunday 12 Noon

St. Francis Xavier

Address: 225 6th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Mass Schedule: Wednesday - 9:00 a.m.

Saturday - 5:00p.m.

Sunday - 9:30a.m.

PARISH OFFICE

225 6TH AVENUE

BROOKLYN, NY 11215

PHONE: (718) 638-1880

FAX: (332) 334-4642

EMAIL: INFO@SASFX.ORG

ST. AUGUSTINE - ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

OFFICE HOURS

MONDAY - FRIDAY: 9:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

WEBSITE: WWW.SASFX.ORG

Monthly Financial Snapshot

Each month we will provide you with an income and expense report of the previous month. We will compare that month to the same month for the last two years to provide an historical perspective. This will allow all of us to have a better grasp of the financial history and health of each parish and how monetary matters should be handled moving forward as a combined par-ish. We hope that you find this chart helpful. A few notes to help clarify the statement below and those going forward:

• To begin, we are comparing January 2021 to Janu-ary 2019 and January 2020.

• While we continue to keep records of income and expenses separated until an official merger takes place, salary expenses are incurred across parishes since we have combined business, clerical, pastoral and office operations.

Please note:

• Numbers in parentheses are negative numbers.

• “Other income” primarily refers to rental in-come. (For instance, the Board of Education cur-rently pays rent to St. Francis Xavier for the use of the former school.)

Questions of the Week

Sunday, February 28, 2021

2nd Sunday of Lent 26

The Assurance of Faith

The Testing of Abraham - Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-

13, 15- 18

Psalm 116:10+15, 16-17, 18-19

God's Love for Humanity - Romans 8:31b-34

Jesus Transfigured - Mark 9:2-10

Key Passage: Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is

good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Eli-

jah." (Mark 9:5)

Adult Question: How deeply do you believe that

since God is for you, no one can destroy you?

Child Question: What would you like to ask God to

do for you and your family?