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.

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

We each receive gifts from the Holy Spirit to share with others, for the greater good. Today, as we celebrate the birthday of the Church with the coming of the Holy Spirit, we also reflect on the gifts that the Spirit gives to each of us. Let us pray to be able to recognize them, and ask for the grace to use them for the sake of the Kingdom. Liturgy of the Word

In the first reading recounts the dramatic coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples –

and their resulting ability to speak in different tongues. In his Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul writes there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, there is but the same Spirit, and the same God. In the Gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples in a locked room, gives them the Holy Spirit, and grants them the authority to forgive sins.

(THE SANCTUARY LIGHT AT ST. CATHERINE IS LIT IN HONOR OF JOHN LABOSKY.)

(THE SANCTUARY LIGHT AT ST. THOMAS CHURCH IS LIT FOR ALL LVING AND DECEASED PARISHIONERS.)

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

Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020

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. 814-258-5121.

Thanks to all our sponsors

who make our bulletin possible.

We would like to thank:

BUCHANAN BROTHER PHARMACY ~ OSCEOLA BIG M

KENYON FUNERAL HOME, INC.

VALLEY VEHICLES LLC ~ KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS For advertising in our bulletin.

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH May 31, 2020

St. Thomas Church, Elkland Open Daily 8 am – 7 pm

At Saint Thomas there are some devotional materials from Saint Peter's that are free for the taking.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

St. Catherine’s Church, Westfield Open Saturdays 6 pm – 8 pm

Pentecost Sunday

First Reading ~~~ Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles gathered in Jerusalem.

Responsorial Psalm ~~~ Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34 God’s Spirit renews the earth.

Second Reading ~~~ 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7,12-13 We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading ~~~ John 20:19-23 Jesus appears to his disciples and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Background on the Gospel Reading

The Season of Easter concludes with today’s celebration, the Feast of Pentecost. On Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem; this event marks the beginning of the Church. The story of Pentecost is found in the Acts of the Apostles, today’s first reading. The account in today’s Gospel, John 20:19-23, also recounts how Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Yet the event in John’s Gospel takes place on Easter Sunday. There is no need to try to reconcile these two accounts. It is enough that we know that after his death, Jesus fulfilled his promise to send to his disciples a helper, an advocate, who would enable them to be his witnesses throughout the world.

We already heard today’s Gospel proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Easter this year (Lectionary Cycle A). That Gospel passage, however, also included the description of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas. In that context, we were led reflect on belief and unbelief.

In the context of the Feast of Pentecost, John 20:19-23 reminds us about the integral connection between the gifts of peace and forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit. Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace. Jesus then commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and sends them to continue his work of reconciliation through the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ act of breathing the Holy Spirit mirrors God’s act of breathing life into Adam at the time of Creation. In fact, both the Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” can also be translated as “breath.”

This Gospel reminds us that the Church is called to be a reconciling presence in the world. The reconciling presence of Christ is celebrated in the Church’s sacramental life. In the Sacrament of Baptism, we are cleansed of sin and become a new creation in Christ. In the Sacrament of Penance, the Church celebrates the mercy of God through the forgiving of sins. This reconciling presence is also to be a way of life for Christians. In situations of conflict, we are to be agents of peace and harmony among people.

Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH May 31, 2020

Dear Parishioners,

Governor Wolf has put our Tioga County in the Green as of Friday May 29. The calls have already started pouring into the rectory. "So are we having Mass this weekend since we are in Green?" Let me say this:

everyone needs to step back, take a deep breath, slow down and relax. Unfortunately, being in the Green does not mean what you think it

means. Being in stage Green is more like being in Yellow but with a littleless restrictions. I don't know why the authorities came up with the color scheme they did, because being in stage Green is very misleading.

You would think it means "All clear" "All systems go" "Back to normal." It means anything but that. There are still a lot of restrictions churches and business must follow. This is why I

say "Step back, take a deep breath, slow down and relax." Life, in short, is not returning to normal anytime soon. What we are going through now is normal for the foreseeable future. This is something everyone needs to understand.

Everyone also needs to understand that Bishop Bambera and I are taking this virus and the threat it poses seriously. There are some who believe that the virus is a conspiracy and is not much of a threat. This is fine for those people who want to believe that. Actually--I want to

believe that too. But I cannot afford as your pastor to believe that. I am not playing dice. I am not entertaining conspiracy theories. As long as the experts are saying that this virus poses a

threat, I am going to take that seriously and I am going to follow their recommendations. Our lives, in short, are going to continue to be inconvenienced as long as the experts are saying that this virus poses a threat. We just need to accept this. This is the way it is and the way it

is going to be for the foreseeable future. So, what about Mass? According to the new restrictions, I am permitted to have 25% of the

seating capacity of the churches. Saint Peter's has a 300 seating capacity. This means that at weekend Mass I can accommodate up to 75 people per Mass. I am operating out of the

assumption that Saint Thomas church can seat 200. This means I can accommodate up to 50 people for each Mass. While this virus poses a threat, all Masses for the parish of Saint Thomas will be at Saint Thomas. It is the bigger Church and allows for social distancing.

My goal is to resume the celebration of weekend Mass on the weekend of June 13-14th. This

is the Feast of Corpus Christi. Also, weekday Mass and adoration will resume that week as well. The weekly attendance at Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish is around 100 people. This means that I should be able to accommodate everyone with the Mass schedule. For Saint

Thomas we are on the summer Mass schedule. Saturday Mass will be at 7:00PM as usual. Sunday Mass at 10:30AM. Monday daily Mass will also resume at 9:00AM. At Saint Peter's, we have at minimum about 400 people a weekend. This means that everyone who would

want to attend Mass would not be able to attend each weekend. We would have to go on a reservation system. I know people do not like this, and I don't like it either, but I see no other

way if we are going to resume public Mass. If I want to get back to having public Mass, and I do, and if you want to get back to public Mass, and I know you do, we have to follow and live with the restrictions while this virus poses a threat. Saint Peter's will be able to

accommodate 150 worshipers a weekend. Assuming a weekend participation of 400, this means each parishioner would be able to attend Sunday Mass about once every three weeks

or so. At daily Mass, we never get more than say, 25, so I am not anticipating any issues with daily Mass or adoration even if more people than usual attend.

Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020

As of the writing of this letter I cannot get more specific. I am waiting on more information

from the diocese. Next week, I expect I will be able to be more specific as to how things are going to work. For now, expect that we will be resuming the celebration of public Mass on Corpus Christi weekend, Mary 13th and 14th but with restrictions. Expect that for the

weekend Masses at Saint Peter's, there will be some kind of a reservation system. What about parish events, meetings, etc? I expect we will be able to slowly resume parish events

and meetings, but, again with certain restrictions. Next week I expect to be more specific. For now, I have just given a general snapshot of what I expect to happen. Virtual Mass will continue even when we resume the celebration of public Mass.

I am asking everyone to cooperate and understand that whatever restrictions there are, they

exist for your safety. Whether you think the virus is a conspiracy or not, whether you think the experts are overreacting or not, as your pastor, I must take the threat this virus poses seriously and I must listen to the experts. I cannot afford to play into conspiracy theories.

Not listening to the experts and throwing caution to the wind is not an option for me. You have every right to take chances and risks with your life. But I do not have the right to take chances and risks with your life. For that reason I will continue to follow the

recommendations of the CDC and any restrictions that are imposed by either the state or bishop. The bishop and I hate this as much as you do. The bishop and I wish life as we knew

it returned. Well, life as we know it is not returning anytime soon. There is the way things ought to be, then there is the way things are, and that's the way it is! More information next week!

The Reverend David W. Bechtel Pastor

COVID-19: A PRAYER OF SOLIDARITY

For all who have contracted coronavirus, We pray for care and healing. For those who are particularly vulnerable, We pray for safety and protection. For all who experience fear or anxiety, We pray for peace of mind and spirit. For affected families who are facing difficult decisions between food on the table or public safety, We pray for policies that recognize their plight. For those who do not have adequate health insurance, We pray that no family will face financial burdens alone. For those who are afraid to access care due to immigration status, We pray for recognition of the God-given dignity of all. For our brothers and sisters around the world, We pray for shared solidarity. For public officials and decision makers, We pray for wisdom and guidance. Father, during this time may your Church be a sign of hope, comfort and love to all. Grant peace. Grant comfort. Grant healing. Be with us, Lord. Amen.

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE PARISH May 31, 2020

Office hours will be back to

normal starting June 1st ~

Monday thru Friday, 8 am

to 2 pm. The Church will

be open the same hours

that I am in the office.

USED CANS &/OR BOTTLES

Parish fundraiser to turn those water bottles or aluminum cans of soda (with a deposit on them) into cash.

Please drop them off when you come to church or bring them to the rectory/hall. They have asked us not to crush the water bottles.

Act of Spiritual Communion

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.

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.

Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020

June 1 –

Sandy Marzo

June 2 –

Adam Vayansky

June 3 –

Stephen Heck Sr

June 6 –

Roselyn St.Peter

June 7 –

Michael Gillignap

June 11 –

Carol Harkenrider

Marie Pautz

Rebecca Wegner

June 12 –

Rorick Kennedy

June 13 –

Andrew St.Peter

Tim Socha

Dot Marcinik Walter

Jo Wolstenholme

Diana McCullough

June 15 –

Mikey Kohut

June 18 –

Tom Kohut

Michael Lewis

June 22 –

Ann Leisure

June 24 –

Roger McCullen

June 25 –

Ed Learn

June 27 -

Daisy Casbeer

June 28 –

Sal Regalbuto

June 30 –

Benjie McCullough

June 7 –

Dave & Bonnie

Hargarther

June 8 –

Wayne & Julie

Crawford

June 12 –

Fred & Cathie

Cerchie

June 13 –

James & Marie

Pautz

June 16 –

Bill & Jess

Sherman