Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

February 26, 2017

1488 NORTH COUNTRY ROAD

WADING RIVER, NY 11792

631-929-4339 Fax: 631-929-6961

www.stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday, 9:00-5:00

Pastor: Father Frank Schneider, ext. 16 pastor@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Deacon: Fred Finter, ext 17 deaconfred@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Deacon: Vincent Pozzolano, ext. 45

Faith Formation Coordinator: Mrs. Jane Oliva, ext. 12 reled@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Outreach Director: Deborah O’Hare, ext. 22 stjohnsparishoutreach@gmail.com

Associate Coordinator: Michael D’Onofrio

Music Director: Mrs. Elizabeth McNeill (631) 495-8913 emcneill@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Preschool Director: Mrs. Gayle Mercurio, ext. 14 preschool@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Continuing Care : Barbara Tubito-Megara, ext. 18 continuingcare@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Pastoral Assistant: Barbara Johnston, ext. 13

Bookkeeper: Lindsay Finter office@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Preschool Secretary/Front Desk: Susan Plattner preschool@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

Maintenance: Servio Ortiz

Contact us by email: office@stjohnthebaptistchurch.org

SACRAMENTS

Celebration of the Eucharist

Saturday 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30, 9:15 and 11:15

Daily Mass Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m.

Holyday of Obligation: 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Eucharistic Adoration Wednesday - 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) Saturday, 4:00pm to 4:45pm.

Please feel free to call Fr. Frank and make an appointment to celebrate the sacrament.

Baptism

We suggest that you contact us before your child is born! Call or email the Parish Center.

Baptisms are scheduled monthly on the first Sunday at 1:00 pm. In the spring and summer

we also celebrate baptisms on the third Sunday.

Marriage Contact the Parish Center so that we can arrange the marriage interview and set your date.

Anointing of the Sick Call the Parish Center.

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ASH WEDNESDAY

MARCH 1, 2017

Ashes are distributed either during Mass or

during the Ash Wednesday Prayer Service.

8:30 Mass

12:00 Service

4:30 Service, especially for families

7:30 Service

SOME PEOPLE ARE

WONDERING…

Do Catholics have to go to mass

on Ash Wednesday? Isn't it a

Holy Day of Obligation?

We are obliged to spend all of Ash Wednesday as a Day of Penance, including not eating meat

and fasting (having only one full meal.) We are obliged to participate in Mass on Sundays.

We are not obliged to participate in mass on Ash Wednesday and it is not a Holy Day of

Obligation.

THE DISCIPLINE OF FASTING During Lent, we join the Church throughout the world in

1. abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent (at least from age

fourteen).

2. We have one full meal (we fast) on the two central days of penance during Lent: Ash

Wednesday and Good Friday (at least from age fourteen until age fifty-nine).

Everyone is encouraged to participate in these disciplines, even those who do not fall in the

age categories. Those with medical conditions, of course, are not bound by the Church’s

obligation of fast and abstinence. Those with a serious reason are also excused from the

obligation.

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1305 meals served

THE HOLY SEASON OF LENT

2017

FOR FORTY DAYS WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY,

THE DYING AND RISING OF CHRIST.

Some Lent opportunities at our parish:

Sunday Mass: The Eucharist in the center of our parish and our lives, and

gives us the strength each week to live the challenges which face us.

Daily Mass (8:30 a.m.). The readings at daily mass invite us to focus on the

reality of dying and rising in our daily lives. Why not come a few minutes

earlier for quiet prayer?

Stations of the Cross (Fridays, 9:00 a.m.)

Confession (Saturdays at 4:00 and during Holy Week)

Ecumenical Services (to listed in next week’s bulletin)

Abstaining from meat: On all the Fridays of Lent we join our whole Church

by this simple penitential practice.

Almsgiving: We make an extra effort to be generous to the poor, perhaps

through Outreach and other charities.

The Sacred Triduum: These three days are the most sacred of our Church

Year. Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper (8:00 p.m.). Good Friday,

Service of the Lord’s Passion (3:00 p.m.) and the Solemn Easter Vigil (8:00

p.m. Holy Saturday).

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Lent 2017

Lent 2017 is a time for us to pray for dramatic missionary growth in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Part of that dramatic missionary growth is stimulated by our willingness to invite our inactive Catholic friends

back to Mass.

I put it this way in my Installation Mass homily on January 31: I appeal on this day of my Installation as the

fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre to every inactive Catholic in the Diocese to come back to the

power of the Word of God, the power of the Sacrament of Penance, and the power of the Catholic Mass.

I am so very sorry if you have been hurt or disappointed by the Church in any way and we stand here today to

support you, to love you and to listen to you.

In turn, I am asking every active Catholic of every age in the Diocese of Rockville Centre between January

31st and Ash Wednesday (which is March 1, 2017) to invite one inactive Catholic friend or family to come

with you to Mass and to gently, humbly, compassionately, non-judgmentally witness to the beauty of your

intimacy with Christ and your love for the mission of the Catholic Church and how it has enriched and

inspired your life.

The power of these gentle and compassionate invitations is enormous. They always plant a seed of grace. And

now's the time to make these invitations. Let's all do it together and realize that it is the kindest thing any of

us could do for anyone.

For those who have made those invitations since January 31st, thank you! For those of us who need an

extension, let's give ourselves till Easter Sunday, April16, 2017 to make that compassionate invitation to our

friends. And let's open ourselves to making these invitations more frequently and consistently.

When we die, we will all look lovingly into the merciful eyes of Jesus and review our life with him. The

people whom we have helped to invite back to Mass and their Catholic faith will be standing around us with

radiant smiles. And we want a big crowd!

We connect our Lenten 2017 prayer, fasting and almsgiving together to this intention and to our constant

intention to pray for our brothers and sisters who are poor, hungry, suffering from war, violence or persecution

in our world.

You and your families are all daily in my prayers and Masses. Thank you for your witness of "holiness and

mission" to the world.

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Parish Weekly Calendar

Special Meeting of All Altar Servers

This Tuesday, February 28th

6:45—7:15 p.m. in Church Father Frank and Mrs. Johnston will be going over

new instructions and the Season of Lent and Holy Week.

Pizza following in the Downstairs Hall.

Please RSVP to Mrs. Cassidy or Fr. Frank

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TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

St. Patrick’s Gala – Saturday, March 11.

Dinner: Michael’s Corned Beef and Shepherd’s Pie

Wine, Beer, Soda

Entertainment

Irish Singer and the Irish Band

Fiddler’s Green

Step Dancers from the

Inish free School of Irish Dance

$35/person. No tickets available at the door. All Proceeds Benefit Peggy’s Pantry

Anyone wishing to donate prizes for the raffles should call us at 929-4339 ext. 22.

We also need people to solicit prizes from our local merchants.

If you have a group of eight, we’ll reserve a table in your name.

Peggy’s Pantry

Please bring one or more items from our needs list to help us prevent shortages for

the families we serve. Thanks to all of you for making our ministry possible!!!

.mustard mayonnaise jelly shelf stable milk dish soap

Summary of the Finance Committee meeting

February 16, 2017 Last November members of the parish finance committee pre-sented to the parishioners a summary of our financial situation. During the past five years, we had been operating in the red and our deficit last year was $119,000. In 2017, our deficit projection was $95,000. Our goal was to increase revenue and cut expenses by about 20% to balance our budget .

Based on the first six months of our new fiscal year, we believe that our projected year-end deficit will now be about $40,000. As a parish family we have increased our efforts to make St John the Baptist more vibrant and we are starting to see the results of all our efforts. We have made progress in many areas:

- Mass attendance and our collections have increased. - There are more volunteers for a number of parish programs. - The Pastoral Council is working on how we can respond to the Listening

Session in the areas of youth ministry and liturgy. Please continue to encourage people to return to the parish and to Sunday Mass. If you have not yet looked at your own giving to see if there is some way in which you can make an increase, please do so. If you cannot make it to mass on a weekly basis, consider Faith Direct so you can contribute to the parish on a weekly basis.

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Today’s Readings The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 49:14-15 Psalm 62:2-3,6-9

I Corinthians 4:1-5 Matthew 6:24-34

This Weekend’s Presiders

Saturday, February 25, 5pm

Fr. Frank Schneider

Sunday, February 26, 7:30 am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Sunday, February 26, 9:15 am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Sunday, February 26, 11:15am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Next Weekend’s Presiders

Saturday, March 4, 5pm

Fr. Ted Howard

Sunday, March 5, 7:30 am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Sunday, March 5, 9:15 am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Sunday, March 5, 11:15am

Fr. Frank Schneider

Monday, February 27, 8:30 am

The Parishioners of St. John the Baptist

Tuesday, February 28, 8:30 am

Michael Bellino (Joann Woods & Lorella

Yorascheck & Family)

Wednesday, March 1, 8:30 am

Anthony Barra (John Aqueli)

Thursday, March 2, 8:30 am

Chris & Sam O’Sullivan (Michael O’Sullivan)

Saturday, March 4, 5pm

Ruth & Edmond Hendrickson (Susan Grover)

Sunday, March 5

7:30 am

For the Parishioners of St. John the Baptist

9:15 am

Elizabeth Callas (Kathy & Larry Cascio)

11:15 am

Bill Beattie (Gail & Steven Kellner)

Thank you to our Good Stewards! Faith Direct $ 2,189.88

February 19th, 2017 $ 6,712.50

Total $ 8,902.38

2016 YEAR END SUMMARY

$48,800.00 Goal

$30,591.00 Payments

$32,391.00 Pledges ($16,409.00 under goal)

114 Donors, 66.38% of goal

We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who are steadfast and

consistent in their commitment to share their talents and gifts with

others.

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St. John’s Preschool Registration Now Open for

2017-2018!! For 18 Months to 5 Year Olds Flexible schedules available!

Call us anytime to arrange for a tour! We will be happy to answer your questions!

631-929-3220

Reminders:

Classes resume this Monday, 2/27.

FF office open Sunday, 2/26 from 9-12

March 1st Ash Wednesday: All our invited to 8:30 mass, 12:00 service,

Family Lenten Prayer service 4:30 pm in church, and 7:30 pm service.

The Season of Lent is our yearly opportunity to get “back on track”

and participate in Sunday mass!

Prayers for the Sick

Peter Meechan, Joan Lambert, George

Sroczynski, Zach Abrucci, Lorian McGrory,

John Alles, Julia Coleman, Jeff Coletto, Joseph

DeMauro, Joyce DeMauro, Laura LoBianco,

Jocelyn Feggins, Devin Rizopoulos, George

Fox, Maxwell Tester, Jack Celentano, Liam

McGuire, Givanni Bernaudo, Fiona Mooney,

Jane Eyring, Marie Donovan, Sister Betty

Maschka, Florence Carnesi, Susan Novak,

Richard Quit, Joe Columbo, Lin Richburg,

Patricia Slewinski, Rosemary DeMonte, Jillian

Brown, TJ Christian, Rita Mandracchio, Dennis

McWilliams, Grace Smith, Dottie Simone,

James Pearson, Kara Worth, Andrew J. Munch,

Hannah Galinski

We are happy to pray for your loved ones

who are ill and will include their names for

about 6 weeks, unless you let us know

otherwise. May the healing touch of Jesus

be with them!

Prayers for the Military Michael Brennan, Carl Kendrick Jr., Patrick Hanley,

Jeffrey L. Beilman Jr.,Ryan Santiro, Thomas G.

Verbeeck, Michelle Verbeeck, Joseph DeMonte IV,

Nicholas Altman, Michael Anderson,Devin Henry,

Marielle Verbeeck, Cassidy Vail

Visit our Parish Facebook page, St. John the Baptist, Wading River!!

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All invited to the recitation of the Holy Rosary: After daily mass (8:30 a.m.) Tuesday evenings, 7:30 p.m.

Please pray for the recently deceased:

Joan Lyons Bryan Kelly

Lenten Stations of the Cross begin this Friday, March 3rd at 9:00 a.m. in church.

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Around our Area and our Diocese

The Life Center of Long Island: volunteers needed to assist in our new

ground floor center in Riverhead. We could help you learn and train on how to

interact with moms in crisis, assist in fulfilling their needs, assist a well trained

staff in fielding calls, donations, fund raising and networking with local re-

sources. Bi-Lingual volunteers are also needed. Please call Lisa or Franci at

631-591-9017 Monday –Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.

Bereavement Conference 2017: Journeying Together in Times of Pain and

Loss. Keynote Address – The Health Effects of Bereavement, Dr. Kerrianne

Page MD HMDC, Chief Medical Officer for Hospice, Palliative Care, &

Home Care Services and Senior Vice President of Clinical Effectiveness for

Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Saturday, March 25, 2017 at St. Jo-

seph’s Parish in Babylon from 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM. The Conference is spon-

sored by the DRVC-Office of Faith Formation and Catholic Cemeteries. 516-

678-5800.

Interfaith Prayer Service for Unity of America: Sunday, February 26th, 7:00

p.m., B’nai Israel Reform Temple, Bay Shore.

Lectio Divina/Centering Prayer Group: Community Growth Center at 9:00

a.m. on the 9AM 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at the Hope House Min-

istries in Port Jefferson. Contact information about the group: Michael Hoffner

631-240-3471