111 First Street, Elkland, Pa 16920 111 First Street, Elkland, Pa 16920

God is one and yet three – a Trinity of pure love. Today’s feast is a celebration of God’s self-revelation to us through the mystery of the Incarnation. For it is in Christ that we come to now that within the Godhead there is a Trinity of three divine persons to whom belong all glory, praise and honor and from whom all life flows.

Liturgy of the Word

On Mount Sinai, Moses encounters the God of Israel as a God of compassion and kindness. Saint Paul urges the

Corinthians to live in fellowship

and peace as brothers and sisters, children of

the one God. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that his mission is grounded in the total love of the Father for all of creation.

(THE SANCTUARY LIGHT AT ST. CATHERINE CHURCH IS LIT FOR THE GRADUATING CLASSES OF 2020.) (THE SANCTUARY LIGHT AT ST. THOMAS CHURCH IS LIT IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE SAMUEL, PAULINE, DOMINICK, FRED & TERESA FORTO, BY CARMEN FORTO BLEND.)

Saturday, June 13 (7PM)ST KENNETH M. CADY & FAMILY

by Zink Family Sunday, June 14

(10:30AM)ST VIRGINIA BARBANO by Paula Howe Monday, June 15

(9:00AM)ST ROBERT McDONOUGH by Julie & Wayne Crawford

Serving the Northern Catholic Communities of: Academy Corners, Cowanesque, Elkland, Harrison Valley, Knoxville, Lawrenceville, Little Marsh, Millerton,

Nelson, Osceola, Sabinsville and Westfield.

PASTOR: Rev. David Bechtel

PASTOR: Rev. David Bechtel

SECRETARY: Louise J. Wheaton Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. TELEPHONE: Rectory: 814-258-5121 Rectory Fax: 814-258-5122 E-MAIL: ststhomascatherine@stny.rr.com WEEKEND MASS Schedule: Saturday: 7 p.m. at St. Catherine Sunday: 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Holy Day Masses: Saint Thomas 7:00 (Eve)

Christmas: 7:00 (Eve) 8:30AM (Day) at St. Thomas

Mission Church: St. Catherine of Siena 146 Lincoln Street, Westfield, Pa 16950

The Most Holy Trinity June 7, 2020

Please join us for a live stream of the Mass every Saturday at 5:00pm until we are able to celebrate together. You can watch on our Facebook page, St. Peter’s Church Wellsboro PA, from your personal Facebook page or through the link on our

website,www.stpeterswellsboro.org.

DID YOU KNOW ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH

HAS A WEB SITE???

http://stthomaselklandpa.com/index. Log in and check us out!!! If you have any questions or concerns, call Tom at 814-258-7386.

COLLECTION ENVELOPES

Your continued support of the parish during this time of shutdown is greatly appreciated. Weekly contribution envelopes or other donations can be mailed to 111 First Street, Elkland, PA 16920. For

on line giving, please contact the rectory.

Contact information ~ Father Dave Bechtel: Rectory: 570-724-3371 Emergency: 570-329-5762 (Pager) Saint Peter's email: Stpch@ptd.net Father Bechtel: Dbechtel00@yahoo.com

PRAY

For those who need special

prayers: For those serving

our country: Lord, hold our

troops in your loving

hands. Protect them as

they protect us. Bless them and their

families in our time of need. We ask this in

the name of Jesus our Lord and Saver.

Amen. For those who need special prayers:

Mike Asiello, Martin Beach, Martin Blaskowitz,

Chloe Button, Stephanie Rose Calicchia,

Carmen Blend, Payton Blend, Don Blovhic, Ava

Campbell, Lucas Charles & family, Joseph

Cochran, Kim Cochran & family, Daisy Casbeer,

Fran Davis, Jerome Derr, Elizabeta Erway, Mike

& Diane Fanean, Carol Fasick, Bentley Fish,

Kathy Gillbert, Mary Gilmour, Betty Howe, June

Kerrick, Linda Kitcline; Tom Labosky, Jr., Joe

Lewis, Taylor MacKenzie, Kathleen McKnight,

John Mosley, Craig Owlett, John Porter,

Waverly Emma Roney, Jacob Hunter Roney,

Cindy Sereno, Pat Siciliano, Sara Stanley, Penny

Succowich, Mary Ann Thomas, Roberta

Volante, Elbert Whalen, Esther Whalen, Robert

Whalen, Kathlyn Whitcomb. Special prayer for

healing for Dawn.

For those in Nursing Homes: Renee Kennedy,

Mary T. Miller, Colleen Pell, Shirley Porter, Kitty

Gaintomasi, Virginia Wynick.

Please call the office to add names of those who are in need of prayer due to sudden illness, upcoming surgery, hospital stay or those who are experiencing a hardship. PLEASE, let me know if someone needs to be taken off the list. 814-258-5121.

Office hours will be

back to normal

starting June 1st ~

Monday thru Friday,

8 am to 2 pm. St.

Thomas Church will

remain open 8 am to

7 pm daily.

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH June 7, 2020

St. Thomas Church, Elkland Starting weekend of June 13 & 14

Saturday ~ 7:00 PM ~ Sunday ~ 10:30 AM A 50 person limit

St. Thomas Church ~ Open Daily 8 am – 7 pm St. Catherine’s Church

Open Saturdays 6 pm – 8 pm

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

First Reading ~~~ Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9 Moses pleads for God’s mercy on Mt. Sinai.

Responsorial Psalm ~~~ Daniel 3:52-56 We praise God who is exalted above all forever.

Second Reading ~~~ 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Paul urges the Corinthians to live in peace with one another and with God.

Gospel Reading ~~~ John 3:16-18 God sent his Son into the world to save the world.

Background on the Gospel Reading

This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. This Sunday and next, however, are designated as solemnities—special days that call our attention to central mysteries of our faith. Today on Trinity Sunday we celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, one God in three persons.

Today’s Gospel is from the beginning of John’s Gospel. The passage we read follows Jesus’ conversation with a Pharisee, Nicodemus, about what it means to be born of both water and the spirit. Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night and acknowledges Jesus as a teacher from God. Jesus tells him that only those who are born from above will see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus misunderstands and questions how a person can be born more than once. Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. Jesus is essentially explaining Baptism, which we celebrate as a sacrament today. Yet Nicodemus, we are told, still does not understand what Jesus is saying. Jesus continues by testifying to the need to be born from above so that one might have eternal life.

After the dialogue with Nicodemus, the author of the Gospel offers his own explanation of Jesus’ words. This is what we read in today’s Gospel, John 3:16-18.

In the context of today’s focus on the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the reading calls our attention to the action of God, who reveals himself in three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father, out of love for the world, sent his Son into the world in order to save it. Through the death and resurrection of the Son, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. As three persons, God acts always as a God of love; he does not condemn the world but acts to save it.

The Gospel also calls attention to the response that is required of us. God’s love for us calls us to respond in faith by professing our belief in God’s son, Jesus, and the salvation that he has won for us. This profession of faith is a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Most Holy Trinity June 7, 2020

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH June 7, 2020

Dear Parishioners,

Public Mass in the parishes of Saint Thomas and Saint Peter's will resume with plenteous restrictions on Corpus Christi weekend, June 13th and 14th. The Mass schedules for the parishes remains the same. Saint Peter's, Saturday Mass at 5PM, Sunday Mass at 8:30AM. All Masses for the parish of Saint Thomas will be held in the parish church of Saint Thomas in Elkland until further notice. Saturday Mass will be at 7:00PM, Sunday Mass at 10:30AM. There will be no Masses at Saint Catherine's while the pandemic lasts.

There is information in the bulletin from the diocese about the restrictions. At Saint Peter's, due to the restrictions we can only accommodate 75 worshipers at each Mass. Please note that I am considering opening the parish hall to accommodate another 25-50 worshipers. I want to proceed slowly however. This is the first time we are doing something like this. Because of this, I need to see how things are going to work. Once Masses have resumed and we all have our bearings, then I will open the hall to accommodate more worshipers.

Mass at Saint Peter's will be on a reservation basis. If you would like to make a reservation please call the rectory. At Saint Thomas, presently, I do not anticipate the need for a reservation system. Depending on how things play out at Saint Thomas I will implement such a system if it becomes necessary. It is highly, highly, highly recommended that those who are considered to be in a high risk category avoid attending Mass while this pandemic lasts. Those in high risk categories are those 65 and older and or have an underlying medical condition. Those in high risk categories who, despite the risks, wish to attend Mass, I will not stop from doing so. You should not understand my not stopping you from attending Mass as my encouragement for you to attend Mass while this pandemic lasts. For people in high risk categories who despite the risks are going to attend Mass, I would recommend that you do so during the week and avoid the weekend. This is because I expect less people at the weekday Masses and thus, at least in theory, it should be safer for you to attend Mass then. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Saint Peter's resumes on Tuesday June 16th. When you come to adore, you must wear a mask and sit in the areas marked out. Weekday Masses at Saint Peter's and Saint Thomas resumes the week of June 15th starting with Monday Mass at Saint Thomas at 9:00AM.

For all who come to Mass, masks will be required. Masks will be provided if you do not have a mask. When you come into the church, you will see that the pews have been taped with yellow tape and marked for appropriate social distancing. Those who come to Mass who live in the same household do not have to social distance; they may sit together. Hand sanitizer will be provided; when you enter the church, you need to sanitize your hands. At Saint Peter's, those who come to Mass will enter through the front, center doors and exit through the side door. At Saint Thomas, in addition to the normal pews, there are pews available in the choir loft that I have also marked off for worshipers to accommodate more people.

All who attend Mass at either Saint Thomas or Saint Peter's should understand that during this pandemic, weekend Mass will be celebrated in a similar manner to weekday Mass. This means there will be no singing, responses will be recited, the homily will be brief. You will find that the missals and hymn books are removed from the pews. Reception of communion on the tongue is highly, highly, highly discouraged during the time this pandemic lasts. I know that people who receive communion on the tongue believe that such a manner of reception is superior to communion on the hand. I respect such a belief. During this pandemic my personal belief is that theological theory should give way to the virtue of prudence. Notwithstanding my personal views, I do not have the authority to ban communion on the tongue. For those who are going to disregard my recommendation and receive communion on the tongue anyway, they are to go to the back of the communion line and receive last so as to minimize

The Most Holy Trinity June 7, 2020

any health concerns. Communion will be distributed after Mass and once people receive they must exit the church. They may not remain. People who have their offerings may drop them in the basket at the back of the church. There will be no ushers to take the offering.

For those at Saint Peter's who reserve a space for Mass and we cannot accommodate that reservation, we will let you know and put you on the list for the following week. As I said in my letter last week, I expect that every parishioner who wants to attend weekend Mass at Saint Peter's should at least be able to rotate through every four weeks. When we open the hall, there will be less of a wait. If I have to go to a reservation system at Saint Thomas, I expect each parishioner would be able to rotate through every two weeks. I will not know whether I have to do this at Saint Thomas until the first weekend.

Mass will continue to be celebrated virtually for those who cannot attend Mass. We are not permitted to hand out bulletins. The bulletin will be available on the website to view at Saint Peter's. At Saint Thomas we will continue to mail bulletins to the parishioners. For those without access to the internet at Saint Peter's, please call the rectory and we will mail you a hard copy of the bulletin. Saint Peter's and Saint Thomas will be back to normal office hours beginning Monday June 15th. Saint Peter's office hours are Monday-Thursday 8AM-2PM. Saint Thomas, Monday-Friday, 8AM-2PM.

If you have any questions, please call the parish offices or send me an email. I thank you for your patience during this pandemic. Some have pointed out that that the restrictions imposed on businesses do not apply to the churches--which means there is no limit to the number of people who can attend Mass. To this, I feel the need to point out---that just because something is legal in theory does not entail it is prudent or appropriate. The law, in theory, may allow pastors and religious leaders to throw caution to the wind and ignore the advice of medical experts as to safe practices during this pandemic. This does not entail that Bishop Bambera or I are about to do so. While this pandemic lasts we will continue to follow the advice of medical experts whether we are legally required to do so or not. Quite frankly----I don't see how any parishioner would expect anything less of us; even those parishioners who think the virus poses little threat. Why should any pastor play dice with the health and well being of their people?

That's the way it is!

The Reverend David W. Bechtel Pastor

A PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRY

Let us ask God for the things our country desperately needs: wisdom, leadership, healing, safety, and

unity. ▪ We pray for our government leaders. Over the last two months, local, state, and federal

officials have had to make difficult decisions related to public health and safety. ▪ We pray for healthcare workers. Doctors, nurses, and EMTs have worked long shifts and

braved dangerous environments to care for those suffering from the virus. We pray for their safety and the safety of their families. Also, pray for those working to develop cures and vaccines.

▪ We pray for our church leaders. As churches begin reopening, pastors will need wisdom to ensure that their churches are safe and ready for public gatherings.

▪ We pray for journalists, that they report with honesty and integrity, and seek to convey the latest information and news accurately, as the nation reopens.

▪ We pray that those who have become infected in the course of fighting the virus will be healed and that the country will be safe to reopen soon.

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH June 7, 2020

Following Bishop Bambera’s Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, May 28, 2020, a number of questions have been

raised regarding congregational singing and distributing Holy Communion on the tongue. These clarifications

and recommendations are offered to parishes to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus:

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING AT MASS

Congregational singing at Mass is discouraged at this time so as to minimize the spread of breath droplets. Since

music is still integral to the liturgy and enhances the experience of livestream Masses, the following directives are

offered to parishes:

• Parishes may still utilize a cantor and organist for Mass as long as they are at least 10 feet away from each other, the assembly, and any ministers in the sanctuary.

• Cantors should serve more as soloists rather than encouraging congregational singing. • Advise the assembly that singing is not recommended at this point, even with a mask. • Choirs are not permitted at this point since vigorous singing in close proximity with others

increases the risk of viral spread.

Specific Recommendations for Parish Music Ministry Directors:

• Hymns and acclamations sung by the cantor at Mass should be brief so as not to prolong the liturgy: decreased Mass time equals a decreased risk of contamination.

• Consider having the cantor only sing the antiphon, a refrain, or one verse of a hymn for the Entrance, Preparation of the Gifts, and Communion.

• Acclamations sung by the cantor should have very few, if any, repeated phrases (example—using a gospel acclamation setting with three ‘Alleluias’ as opposed to one that has five or six).

• Try having the cantor introduce some hymns or acclamations that the assembly is not familiar with to minimize any congregational singing.

• Instrumental selections are also encouraged at this time, especially at the Preparation of Gifts and the Reception of Holy Communion after Mass.

HOLY COMMUNION ON THE TONGUE

Although it is strongly discouraged, anyone who still wishes to receive Holy Communion on the tongue can be

instructed to wait until the end of the Communion distribution after everyone else has received. This will

minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others, as well as allow time for the priest to sanitize his hands

properly after each person who receives on the tongue.

My Jesus, I believe that You Are in the Blessed Sacrament.

I love You above all things, And I long for You in my soul.

Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least

spiritually into my heart. As though You have already

come, I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You: never permit me to be

separated from You. Amen.

Act of Spiritual Communion

The office will be

CLOSED

on Wednesday,

June 17.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Meeting this Monday, June 15 at 6 pm

in the rectory. .

The Most Holy Trinity June 7, 2020