www.ladyofhopemaine.org

OUR LADY OF HOPE and ST. BRIGID SCHOOL A Jesuit Ministry

February 16 / 17, 2019 www.ladyofhopemaine.org

www.ladyofhopemaine.org

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Pastoral Staff Finance Council Rev. Paul Sullivan, S.J.- Pastor Bill Green, Charlie Noyes, Barbara Willey,

Rev. John d ’Anjou, S.J.- Parochial Vicar Ann Campbell Rev. Vincent Curtin, S.J. Senior Priest

Rev. Mr. John McAuliffe, Deacon Pastoral Council

Bill Slavick, Mary Ellen White,

Parish Musicians David Reese, Sue & John Mullen, Elizabeth Tarasevich Lori Arsenault Nancy Curran Michael Luna , Andy Litcher

Tom Luna Joan Dube pastoral.council@ladyofhopemaine.org

Office Staff Sacrament of Baptism Mary Cafazzo Parish Business Administrator Please call the Pastoral Office at 207-797-7026 to register

for pre-baptism class. Linda McCormack Parish Administrative Assistant Jean Ingalls Office Assistant

Melodye Deberadinis School Bookkeeper Sacrament of Marriage Andrew Litcher IT and Maintenance Couples should contact the Pastoral Office at least six

Christopher Landry Maintenance months in advance.

Faith Formation Sacrament of Reconciliation

ourlady.religioused@gmail.com Saturday - St. Joseph Church 2:30 to 3:00 PM Sandra Litcher-Director of Religious Education Saturday - St. Pius X Church 3:30 to 4:00 PM

Saturday - St. Peter Church 2:30 to 3:30 PM

R.C.I.A. Or By Appointment Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Coordinator

Weekend Masses

Daily Masses Saturday - St. Joseph 4:00 PM St. Pius X - 4:30 PM

Monday - Friday St. Pius X 9:00 AM Sunday - St. Pius X 7:00 & 9:00 AM

Saturday - St. Pius X 8:00 AM Sunday - St. Joseph 8:00 & 10:00 AM 5:00 PM

Additional Weekly Masses with our Jesuit Community:

St. Brigid School - 8:00 AM - Monday (School Days) Cheverus HS -7:15 AM Monday thru Friday (School Days)

Pastoral Office, 673 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103-2540 207-797-7026 email: Linda.McCormack@portlanddiocese.org Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

The office is closed on Fridays except by appointment (including phone calls). Phone messages left at any time are returned as soon as possible on the next regular work day.

Five Tips for Beating Loneliness from St. Ignatius Rebecca Ruiz

ignatianspirituality.com/27406/five-tips-for-beating-loneliness-from-st-ignatius A recent study revealed an epidemic of loneliness in America. Loneliness and social isolation isn’t limited to America, though; it’s a global scourge that Pope Francis has addressed: There are no longer close personal relationships. Today’s culture seems to encourage people not to bond with anything or anyone, not to trust…At the root of so many contemporary situations is a kind of impoverishment born of a widespread and radical sense of loneli-ness. Running after the latest fad, accumulating “friends” on one of the social networks, we get caught up in what contemporary socie-ty has to offer. Loneliness with fear of commitment in a limitless effort to feel recognized. (Address to Bishops at the World Meeting of Families, September 27, 2015) St. Ignatius Loyola knew from his experience of extreme penitence at Manresa that isolation is not healthy. By turning inward and fo-cusing only on his own thoughts and the parts of himself that he despised, he neglected to recognize God’s love for him. Years later, when he founded the Society of Jesus, he ensured that his brothers would always remain in community so as to avoid this pitfall. What wisdom might Ignatius share with us today as we contend with this epidemic of loneliness?

1. Know your worth. St. Ignatius opens the Spiritual Exercises by inviting the retreatant to reflect upon self-worth in light of God’s unconditional love for us. Jesuit Fr. Mark Thibodeaux elaborates upon this mediation most beautifully: “Reflect on the staggering, almost unbelievable notion that all the things of the earth were created with my benefit in mind—that God, billions of years before my birth, considered my per-sonal needs and my unique desires while creating the universe.” (God’s Voice Within, 140) Recognize that God created you out of love for you and has placed you on earth at this time and place for a particular purpose. You are important. You are necessary.

(Continued on Page VII)

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(screenshot of St. Pius X Church “Live Streaming”)

St. Pius X Church Masses and Adoration are streamed live to our website

Scripture for the week of February 17, 2019 17 Sunday Jer 17:5-8/1 Cor 15:12, 16-20/Lk 6:17, 20-26 18 Monday Gn 4:1-15, 25/Mk 8:11-13 19 Tuesday Gn 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10/Mk 8:14-21 20 Wednesday Gn 8:6-13, 20-22/Mk 8:22-26 21 Thursday Gn 9:1-13/Mk 8:27-33 22 Friday 1 Pt 5:1-4/Mt 16:13-19 23 Saturday Heb 11:1-7/Mk 9:2-13 24 Sunday 1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23/1 Cor 15:45-49/ Lk 6:27-38

Observances for the Week of February 17, 2019 17 Sunday 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 18 Monday Presidents Day, Family Day (Canada) 19 Tuesday Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday 20 Wednesday 21 Thursday St. Peter Damian 22 Friday The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, George Washington’s Birthday 23 Saturday St. Polycarp 24 Sunday 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

SATURDAY: February 16, 2019 8:00 AM - St. Pius X Doris Murphy by Maureen Bambrick 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 PM - St. Joseph Jimmy & Kay Nappi by Robert & Linda (Fr. Vince) 4:30 PM - St. Pius X Kerree Colello Twombly by Donna & Anthony (Fr. Paul) SUNDAY: February 17, 2019 - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7:00 AM - St. Pius X Gilbert Donatelli by Michael & Jacki Caiola (Fr. Jack) 8:00 AM - St. Joseph Mr. & Mrs. Louis A. Donahue by Family (Fr. Paul) 9:00 AM - St. Pius X For The People of the Parish (Fr. Jack) 10:00 AM - St. Joseph Richard Carter, Sr. by Pat Olore (Fr. Vince) 5:00 PM - St. Joseph Iola Pasquine by Pauline & Don Hontz (Fr. Paul) MONDAY: February 18, 2019 8:00 AM - St. Joseph (No School Mass) 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Joseph McDonough by Sharon Robbins TUESDAY: February 19, 2019 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Christopher Foley by Jim & Mary Regan WEDNESDAY: February 20, 2019 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Ernest Balladur by his wife Eileen THURSDAY: February 21, 2019 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Philomena "Honey" Frenzilli by Sharon Kelly Robbins FRIDAY: February 22, 2019 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Living Intentions for Laura Balladur by her Family SATURDAY: February 23, 2019 8:00 AM - St. Pius X Michael Arthur by Pete & Jo DeSarno 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 PM - St. Joseph Mr. & Mrs. Patrick J. Delaney by Family (Fr. Jack) 4:30 PM - St. Pius X Donald Harkins, Sr. by Ken & Mary (Fr. Vince) SUNDAY: February 24, 2019 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7:00 AM - St. Pius X Barbara A. Foley by Jeanne A. Letourneau (Fr. Vince) 8:00 AM - St. Joseph William Zurey by Larry & Edna Flaherty (Fr. Jack) 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Zita Paul by Frank Paul (Fr. Vince) 10:00 AM - St. Joseph For The People of the Parish (Fr. Jack) 5:00 PM - St. Joseph John E. Haverty by the Family (Fr. Vince)

The Sanctuary Candle burns this week at

St. Joseph Church Richard Dalbeck

St. Pius X Church

02/17/19 to 02/23/19

Upcoming Events

February 18 - President’s Day (Parish Office Closed) February 22 - George Washington’s Birthday

March 6 - Ash Wednesday March 16 - Corned Beef and Ca March 20 - First Day of Spring

Welcome BC

A warm welcome to members and friends of the Boston College Maine Alumni/ae Association, joining us for 4:30 Mass this Saturday. “Our call is to live lives of conviction, service, and faith, to stand out like Gasson Hall's tower at night—a light to the world.” WILLIAM P. LEAHY, S.J., UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT May the light of BC shine brightly.

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Lenten Service Opportunities

Can you help your fellow parishioners experience the blessings of the Lenten Season?

Lenten Friday Supper - OLH parish is looking for families or ministry groups in the parish or collections of friends who could prepare a simple meal of (meatless) soup and bread to be served at the Parish Hall at St. Pius prior to the Lenten Friday evening Stations of the Cross. Costs for the meal will be covered. If you are interested, please contact the Parish Office o r Fr. Paul asap

Scripture Faith-sharing groups - We would like to build on the small but successful effort we had last fall when some members of the parish gathered weekly for 6 weeks to share their thoughts, questions and responses to the Sunday Scripture readings. We are now seeking people who can “host” a gathering, either in your home or here in parish space. If you are interested or want to find out more, please contact the Parish Office – soon! We need to know what groups we will be able to have.

Fr. Paul’s contact info: paul.sullivan@portlanddiocese.org or 207-358-7574

Lenten Fridays

For a number of years Bill Welch and others have led our parish family in praying the Stations of the Cross on the Friday evenings of the Lenten Season (march-April this year). We would like to bring back a custom of the parish and have a simple meal prior to the Sta-tions. Simple meaning bread and some kind of (non-meat) soup. Right now we are looking for families or parish ministry groups who might be interested in doing the meal for one week during the season. Advice on what is best to do, how many to expect etc, is availa-ble here. If you could help make this happen again, please contact the Parish Office – asap so we can plan.

We meet new friends and we want to get to know them better. How do we do it? We share our stories. We tell them about our child-hood, how we met our spouse or how our great-grandparents moved here.

We live in a rational, left brain world with global technology at our fingertips. Yet as human beings, our soul is still fired by color and imagination. Our minds are storehouses of images and memories and through them God works in our hearts. Praying with our imagina-tions can create a deeper and more personal intimacy with Jesus, Mary, the disciples and others written about in scripture. We can take the familiar stories we know and let them flow through our own imagination and see where the Lord guides it.

Using the imagination in prayer has been a treasured tradition in prayer for centuries. It prompted St. Francis of Assisi to encourage people to create nativity scenes at Christmas, to imagine the Holy Family as people like we are. Four hundred years later, St. Ignatius of Loyola used imaginative prayer as a key part of his life-transforming Spiritual Exercises.

How do we start? First we get settled in a comfortable chair and in a quiet place where we won’t be distracted. Our first gesture might be to open our hands on our lap, and to ask God to open our hearts and imaginations.

Then pick a story out of scripture. Read through it once slowly and put it down. Now we begin to imagine the scene as if we are stand-ing right there. What is around me? Who else is there? What do I hear in the scene? If I am in a house, what noises are in the house or in the street outside? What are the smells I can pick up?

Now we begin to imagine the scene we read about. Who is in it? What conversation takes place? What is the mood – tense? joyful? confused? angry?

Feel free to paint this picture in any way your imagination takes you. If we worry about historical accuracy, it can be a distraction that takes us away from prayer. This isn’t scripture – this is letting God take our imaginations and reveal to us something of the intimate life of Jesus or others. If, in our prayer, Mary pulls the toddler Jesus onto her lap to tie his shoes or zip his coat, we can let it happen that way. We don’t want to fret about the historically accurate kinds of food served at a dinner or what kind of carpenter tools Joseph might have really had in his workshop. Here is an experience of prayer that lets our imaginations free themselves from anything that limits them. This is God revealing himself to us.

It helps if we imagine Jesus and his disciples as the real people they were who walked the earth. St. Ignatius imagined that the first per-son Jesus appeared to after the Resurrection was his mother and he encourages us to picture Jesus appearing at home to Mary, watch-ing the joy and emotion in the scene.

How Do We Pray With Our Imagination?

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time The college football team has a strict dress code and a strict code of behavior. Student athletes must dress well, sit in front of all classes, maintain a B average, attend mandated study hall and do community service hours each month. It’s a matter of pride and in-tegrity to be a member of the team, and each player supports the others in the effort to be his best.

Jesus had just chosen the Apostles, the 12 men who would be His closest companions and the first preachers of the Gospel. At the very beginning of their time together, Jesus outlines what is expected of those who would preach and live the Kingdom. Their attitude, treatment of others, dependence on God and the quest for holiness will mark the life of a believer.

It’s easy to become complacent with religion. People fall into the good habits of going to church, supporting their parish and volunteer-ing from time to time. But the mission is not to sustain the way things are, but to shake things up, to be signs of the Kingdom that announces a new way of life, justice, peace and mercy. Be more than a pew warmer. Carry the message with passion and urgency. Live the Beatitudes and you’ll live the life of the Kingdom of God.

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Weekly Offertory Report Your Gifts of Stewardship

for the Weekend of February 2 / 3, 2019

Our Lady of Hope Parish 1st Collection was $ 9,348.34

envelopes were used 290 Weshare: (1st Collection) $ 1,875.90

Weshare Transactions 67

TOTAL Parish Offertory was $ 11,224.24 (In order to meet our budget for this year, our First collection needs to average $13,500.00 per week.

Thank you for your generosity—God Bless

Finance and Administration

December Parish Poor Box Collection $ 58.01

Wayside Soup Kitchen Poor Box for February - St. Vincent dePaul Soup Kitchen

Date: beginning bal. payment principal 01/19/2019 $69,886.47 $1,093.45 $843.84 01/28/2019 $69,042.63 $5000.00 $5000.00 interest ending bal. $249.61 $69,042.63 $000.00 $64,042.63

With our extra payments to date we have cut our monthly pay-ments from the original 120 payments to 67 payments. To date we have raised $71,878.14 toward our total paving loan of $108,000.00. If you plan to support the parish with a one-time donation or a regular continuing donation towards the paving fund please be sure to mark your envelope or check memo area with “parking lot”.

Thank you for your generosity!!!

Paving Project

Upcoming 2nd Collections 02-16/17-2019 — Snow Removal and Grounds Care 02-23/24-2019 — Fuel and Energy Fund 03-02/03-2019 — Easter Flowers

03-06-2019 — Eastern Europe / Solidarity Fund If you have any questions regarding your

envelopes, please contact Linda at 207-797-7026 Thank you for your continued support and generous donations.

Bulletin Items for the bulletin are due 10 days prior to publication. Please submit information to

andrew.litcher@portlanddiocese.org.Thank You

BAPTISMS & FUNERALS

BAPTISMS 01/06/2019 - Anthony Michael Lawson 01/13/2019 - Serenity Faith Dennison FUNERALS 01/12/2019 - Girardini Greaney 01/25/2019 - Robert (Bob) Cash 02/05/2019 - Ruth Noyes

Fundraiser Elsmere BBQ Feb. 27, 4:00 -9:00 P.M. 476 Stevens Ave., Portland. Fundraiser for Christ the King School (K-6) in Morne Rouge, Haiti. Merci!

November Checkbook

Parish Financial Activity for November 2018

Offertory- $46,932.78 General Expenses - $66,716.75 Total ($19,783.97)

No extraordinary expenses in November.

Buildings and Grounds - The New Look

You may have noticed the tarp affixed to the bay window at the Par-ish Office/St. Joseph Rectory on the St. Joseph Street side. We had a significant leak in a recent rainstorm. The diagnosis is that the wall over the windows in that bay section needs to be rebuilt. It is splitting apart due to water and ice damage over the years. This repair needs to be done this spring. Estimated cost is $14,000. We have been told there is other damage in the longer sections of the wall as well. All this will be included in the facilities assessment we are planning for you to see. That report will be available this spring.

Volunteer Corner

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

How can we practice this Beatitude in our parish? The Bereave-ment Ministry, for the past year and a half, has been offering a Spiritual Bouquet to families of the deceased whose funeral Mass is at St. Joseph's or St. Pius X. Though the Bereavement Ministry is small in numbers one of us attends the wake and /or the Mass. We would like to expand this ministry, and welcome new volunteers. For more information please e-mail Paulette at pstidd101@gmail.com or call the parish office.

Your Generosity Counts

We have received another Thank You from Project Feed for the food recently delivered to them from you. Thank you for these gifts of food, for the items put in the Catholic Charities bins and for your contributions to “The Poor Box” in each church. You are helping meet basic needs of some of our neighbors, exactly what Jesus asks his disciples to do. Every gift matters. Thanks also to the good folks who are arranging to take the food and clothing items to the places where they can be used.

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Winter Weather Cancellations Weekday Mass Cancellations - when the Portland schools are cancelled or have a de-layed opening beyond 9:00 AM, weekday Mass will be cancelled. This is to ensure everyone's safety on the roads and also to allow our grounds people time to plow parking lots and clear walks and steps around the church-es. The Parish Offices will follow this same policy. St. Brigid's School will make its own school cancellation/delay notices. Weekend Masses are almost never cancelled, but each person should use good judgement about whether it is safe to travel.

Food Pantry Needs for the Winter Months Our local food pantries have suggested the following items for those of you wondering what is best to donate to them this time of year: Healthy cereals and oatmeal, Kids’ snack items (juice boxes, individual applesauce, etc.),toilet paper, diapers and wipes, jars and pouches of baby food, personal hygiene products includ-ing items like sanitary pads, toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, sham-poo, deodorant, lip balm, dry pasta, Jars of pasta sauce, canned fish and meat (salmon, tuna, ham, turkey—pop-top cans are best), canned vegetables and fruit, canned or pow-dered milk, peanut butter, canned beans, canned and dry soups, baking mixes that require only water and spices.

Email Safety in the Diocese of Portland

Phishing email scams are happening on a regular basis in the Diocese of Portland. On occasion, emails claiming to come from the bishop, priests, or other staff members are received but are not actually from them. Their email has not been hacked, howev-er, scammers have created email accounts with fraudulent information, so that it ap-pears to be coming from a known recipient. Typically, these are coming from @gmail.com addresses. These phishing emails are attempts by scammers to trick you into giving out personal information such as your bank account numbers, passwords, credit card numbers, or to purchase gift cards.

Never follow links, open attachments, or reply to suspicious or unsolicited messag-es. To learn the signs that can help you identify phishing scams, view instructions on what to do, and read recommendations from the Federal Trade Commission, visit www.portlanddiocese.org/sites/default/files/files/EmailSafetyPortland.pdf.

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love and send cards and gifts as expressions of affection and devotion. It is a popular day for engagements, for new beginnings and renewal of long time relationships. It is a day of hope and a day of remembrance. It is a sentimental look at all that is good about love.

God loves us and our Valentine begins on Ash Wednesday. It is a time for us to reflect on our relationship with Him, to ponder the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and to re-commit ourselves to a life of holiness and faith. He offers us a share in His life, prom-ising forgiveness, redemption, and new life. It is a Valentine that is more than a senti-mental gesture; it is God’s creative power that restores us to grace.

Every year people struggle to find a Lenten sacrifice to make. Giving up something

does not always help us grow spiritually or help us live a better life. This year, make

Lent a time of love. Focus on building bridges with others, reaching out to those from

whom you are distant. Forgive faults and failings and start anew. Find ways to share

the blessings of God with those who have lost hope. Love the unloving. Make the

sacrifices necessary to be a channel of God’s love.

Reflections on the Super Bowl People who know me know that I am not much of a sports fan, particularly of professional sports. I can’t help but thinking of all the good that might be done with the vast amounts of money surrounding this industry. I am happy when our local/regional teams win. This year, as the Red Sox and Patriots have achieved success, expected in the case of the Sox, maybe not so much for the Patriots (?), I see and appreciate an important set of values among these young and not-so-young men and those men and women working with them: a willingness to work hard, a desire to improve their skills, and a belief in themselves, that they can win. That is a powerful com-bination, not only for athletics but for life. Here in the church and in parish life in most places we have been facing challenging times in many ways. Some think our “team” is “done.” Yet there is a great good here in our faith and in our life as a local community of faith. You are people with many gifts, talents, and skills. We have a great and urgently needed message to offer ourselves and others: that life is essentially good, a gift from God, that each person matters, that the path to deepest happiness lies in service and generosity and not selfishness and competition, that having “stuff” is not the most important goal in life. The challenge is to believe in ourselves, believe in the possibility that we can achieve success, right here, that we are willing to use and develop our skills. Like the Supper Bowl this year, life might not be “pretty” or easy. But, I am convinced that If we believe, show up and use the skills and opportunities given us, be willing to work together, then “victory is ours” here at Our Lady of Hope. Fr Paul SJ

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Faith Formation Religious Education

207-358-7678

Classes Pre-K - 5 RCIA - Right of Christian Initiation of Adults

Our Lady of Hope Sebastian Rasle, SJ Prayer Circle February 2019 Prayer Intentions

We now start the third year of urging parishioners and friends to pray for our parish and other world needs and for one another through these prayer intentions and the idea of a Parish Prayer Circle. I hope that these intentions and the commitment to pray have been a source of grace and blessing to you and to our parish, school, and world. 1. For the spiritual health, vitality, and financial support of Our Lady of Hope Parish and St. Brigid School.

2. Pope’s Prayer intention for February -- Human Trafficking For a generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence. 3. For those among us who have been hurt by harsh words and rejection by family members, members of the church or others in our past. That the grace of the Holy Spirit and the words and actions of our parishioners and neighbors may bring healing.

Adorations Tuesday Evenings 7:00 to 8:00 PM St. Joseph Church

Fridays 9:30 AM to 12 Noon St. Pius X Church

Candles The Sanctuary candle at St. Pius X and St. Joseph which burn for a whole week, may be sponsored in memory of loved ones or in honor of those living. The requested donation is $20. To arrange for this, either contact the Parish Office or place your gift and a note in an envelope and put it in the collection basket. We also have vigil candles at St. Joseph Church which can be lit.

Rosary Devotion Monday through Thursday following 9:00 AM Mass

St. Pius X Church

Liturgy of the Word Sundays 10:00 AM Mass

St. Joseph Church

March 3rd March 17th

April 7th May 5th

May 19th

Five Tips for Beating Loneliness from St. Ignatius Rebecca Ruiz (Continued from Page II) 2. Discern your mission. Pope Francis tells us, “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing.” (Evangelii Gaudium 273) In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius offers effective methods to help us discern our personal mission in life, which will lead to us living with more joy and encountering others with similar missions as we work together.

3. Maintain a support network. “It is absolutely crucial that I have a strong support network following close behind me, cheering me on, booing the false spirit, whis-pering tips in my ear, and passing me Gatorade. I will need good mentors, good companions, and a strong link to the church.” (God’s Voice Within, 73) We all need a trusted circle of friends and mentors who will keep us on track. And we need to keep our network strong by investing time in these relationships.

4. Build bridges. Wherever he went and wherever he sent his brother Jesuits, Ignatius sought to build bridges. Pope Francis continues this tradition to-day when he speaks of his desire to build a “culture of encounter.” There indeed we find true healing, since the way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbor, of finding God in every human being…and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does…Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! (EG 92) When we come into dialogue with a mutual respect for the other, listening deeply, we build bridges of trust and make our lives fuller and our communities stronger.

5. Live generously. Ignatius missioned his fellow Jesuits to be men of service to others. Pope Francis continues to extend this call to serve today. We serve, he says, because “God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God’s glory. Every human being is the ob-ject of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives.” (EG 274) When we serve others, it helps us to gain perspec-tive, inspires gratitude, and nourishes both giver and receiver, bringing us closer together. As people of hope, we can turn the tide on loneliness. We might start by asking: What gifts do I have that God is calling me to share with others? In what way is God calling me to participate in God’s work by answering the prayers of another? Together, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can infuse joy into our communities and banish the suffering of loneliness.

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Fr. Sebastian Rasle (Rale), S.J. Eternal Father, grant that Sebastian Rale, martyr of the faith among the Abenakis of Maine, will be raised to the altar of the blessed. Through his intercession, we pray that your divine favor will be manifest among us so that we may return praise to your eternal glory. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. Amen.

Knights of Columbus Council 101 – meets the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Msgr.P.J. Flanagan Parish Center at St. Pius X. Grand Knight - William Green

Knights of Columbus Council 11257 – meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Parish Business Office at St. Joseph’s in the Basement Meeting Room. Grand Knight - Justin Russell

Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Assembly – meets the 2nd Monday of the month 7:00 PM in the Msgr. P.J. Flanagan Parish Center at St. Pius X. Faithful Navigator - John Land

Welcome to the Knights of Columbus

St. Patrick’s Day Charity Raffle The Knights of Columbus Council 101 is once again selling $100 raffle tickets to benefit local charities. First prize is $5,000, second prize is $1,500 and third prize is $1,000. Only 200 tickets are sold. In the past 14 years we have given away $86,250. 100 percent is given to charity. Some of the recipients are Mercy Hospital, Salvation Army, St. Brigid’s School, Boys and Girls Club of Portland, Preble Street Re-

sources, Maine Vitae, St. Vincent de Paul, Camp Sunshine, Maine Right to Life, Special Olympics and Presence Radio. If you can, please help us support these local charities. If you need tickets, please call Paul Leblond at 253-9856.

The Knights of Columbus will be selling vouchers for Port-

land Sea Dogs tickets for the 2019 season. A book of 4 vouchers for general admission seats costs $20, half the regular game day price. The vouchers can be used for any regular season home game except the July 3rd

fireworks game. If you would like to purchase tickets please contact Steve Capriola at 233-3565 or any member of the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of Hope Parish.

Are you looking to work for a few hours a month and help people in need? Catholic Charities Maine is looking for an On-Call Recep-tionist at their Central Office located at the Cathedral in Portland. The hours are flexible including morning, afternoon and all day shifts based upon the need for any given day. Available dates are made known months in advance for easy planning and are always during business days and business hours. For more information and to apply please go to www.ccmaine.org/employment.

Hospice Volunteer Training Do you want to find fulfillment in life by doing something truly worthwhile? Are you compassionate, caring, reliable and flexible?

Consider becoming a Hospice of Southern Maine Volunteer! Volunteers needed for our upcoming class. April 12, 13, 19, 20 & 26

Companionship and emotional support Caregiver relief and running errands Grief support Veteran support For additional information or to register, please call: Lynn 207.289.3689

Pilgrimage to St. Anne de Beaupre The Sodality of St. Anne, in Westbrook, will be sponsoring a Pilgrimage to St. Anne de Beaupre on June 21, 22, and 23, with a side trip to Quebec City. Please come and join us with your family and friends on a Pilgrimage which promises to be both spiritual and fun. Passports will be Required. For More Infor-mation contact Marilyn Foster at 207-854-1199.

Trip cost per person: Single $379.00, Double $244.00, Triple $207.00, Quad $189.00

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When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. Psalm 138:3

Dear Parishioners,

When I read scripture it is so easy to see God as the loving parent and me as the child with so much to learn. The words from the psalm remind me of things that my students and staff experience each day at St. Brigid School. I learn something or gain a new insight every single day. The days at the school are full of questions and answers. Some questions are quite easy to answer while are others make us think deeply within ourselves.

As a school community we learn to build strength within our-selves and each other. Most of the time we succeed in creating a loving and supportive environment by striving to live the gospel message, but there are times when we learn from less than positive experiences and interactions that make their way into our lives and school community. As a parent and educator, I refer to all of these things as learning expe-riences that shape and strengthen the character and faith of God’s cre-ation. If we look in the right direction, seek the advice and wisdom of a trusted peer, a parent, teacher, or God a path is usually revealed to us. We just need to take the first step, call out for help, and then listen to our “inner God self” speaking in words and signs showing us the way.

Sincerely, Bill Burke Principal

Admission season for the 2019-2020 academic year is in full

swing and I invite you to visit the school for an admissions interview

and learn how St. Brigid School is building strength in each of the stu-

dents who are seeking a faith and values based education. We truly

show young people the way. Join us on the journey.

Daily Prayer This Week We can feel the tension in this week's readings. Jesus is trying to warn his disciples - and us - about the rebellious style of the Pharisees, about hypocrisy. And, he is trying to heal the blindness of his disciples - and us - about what his mission is all about. He has come to free us from sin and the captivity we have to all kinds of self-centered patterns.

So when we stay reflective this week, we can become more conscious of how we rebel from the path of Jesus, from joining him in be-coming less selfish. When we begin our days this week, we can ask, "Lord, help me see the ways I'm too self-centered this week. Help me notice the needs of those you place in my life. Stretch my heart to love more today." It is simple, but it begins to change our focus.

As we go through the week, we can pay closer attention to our resistance, the places we catch ourselves holding back. We can open our eyes to see the patterns in our lives that we might not have paid attention to before. It doesn't have to be serious evil we are choosing. It might just be ways in which we are avoiding losing our lives for him. Once we focus, start paying attention to the daily choices we make, our day becomes a day of prayer. We can be in communion with the Lord throughout the day because it becomes a day of dia-logue, in the midst of all the busyness. "Lord, as I put on this sweater, I'm aware how I just spoke to Helen. I'm sorry. That was all about my fear, wasn't it? I cut her off because I was just afraid of what she was asking of me. I became more aware of the cost to me than anything else. Please help me to continue to see how I respond to people. Please calm my fears." We can get in the habit of doing this kind of prayer every day, right where we are, in very brief moments. Finding intimacy with God in the midst of our daily lives is the goal of this kind of prayer.

All of this is reinforced by our prayer of gratitude each night. if we are liking this kind of communion with our Lord each day, and thank-ing God for it each night, there is no question that we will be developing a new pattern in our life. We tend to continue to do what we enjoy. And gratitude feeds even more openness and generosity.

Taken from the "Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer" on the Creighton University's Online Ministries web site: http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html Used with permission.