pastor’s column · 2/18/2018 · 5. it’s about dying to yourself. the more serious side of...
TRANSCRIPT
Daily Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M
Rectory Office Father John Reiker
Pastor ext. 102 [email protected]
Deacon Richard L. Stevens
Deacon Jim G’Sell [email protected]
314-484-2055
Mrs. Rusalyne Ahlemeyer Business Manager, ext. 104
Mrs. Jackie Dostal Secretary, ext. 100 [email protected]
Cafeteria Ext. 212
Religious Instruction Parish School of Religion
Phone (636) 677-4868 ext 118 Grades (pre-K through 8)
Mrs. Kathy Joslin [email protected]
Adults - RCIA Please contact:
The Rectory Office 636-677-4868 ext. 100
Sacramental Preparation Baptism Preparation Meeting: Infant Baptisms require parental attendance at a meeting prior to baptism. Meetings will be held with the Pastor in the rectory. Call rectory office for information 636-677-4868, ext. 100. Baptisms: After 10:15 AM Mass on a Sunday of mutual arrangement. Call rectory office to schedule 636-677-4868, ext. 100.
Bulletin Deadline Monday 9:00 a.m. the week you need it to be published in the bulletin. Notices must be submitted in writing: email text to [email protected].
Marriages: Make arrangements with Priest or Deacon of your choice no less than six months prior to proposed wedding date.
Parish Help Line: St. Vincent de Paul Society, 1-877-238-3228, ext. 3329
New Parishioners: Welcome! Please register by contacting the rectory during business hours @ 677-4868 ext. 100
Change of Address or Telephone: Please call the rectory during business hours. 677-4868 ext. 100
Archdiocese of St .Louis Website: www.archstl.org
Catholic Elementary School: All of our parish children who wish to attend a catholic elementary school may do so at the school of their choice and still remain parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua. Call rectory for details.
First Sunday of Lent - Year B February 18, 2018
Mass Schedule
Confessions Saturday 4:15-4:45 P.M.
By appointment anytime
Holy Days 8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
RECTORY CLOSED ON ALL HOLY DAYS
Sunday Saturday 5:00 P.M.
Sunday 8:30 A.M., 10:15 A.M.
St. Anthony of Padua 3009 High Ridge Blvd. High Ridge, MO 63049
Business Hours Monday - Friday
7:30 A.M. - 2:30 P.M. Phone (636) 677-4868
Fax (636) 677-2781 Website www.stanthonyhr.org
Pastor Father John Reiker
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to be on fire with the love of Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, to celebrate our com-munity of faith in the Eucharist and to share God's love and mercy with our neighbors through our ministries and evangelization."
Pastor’s Column
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Joke of the Week
When my wife said that she was going to purchase a lottery ticket for the upcoming $200 million draw-ing, I sarcastically responded, “Yeah, let me know when you win.”
With a side glance, she replied, “Oh, I’ll leave you a note.”
Q: What do you call a crayfish with a messy room?
A: A slobster
Spread the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus and His St. Anthony Family. A Holy Community through Holy Communion! Your brother in Jesus,
Prayer of the Week Prayer for Racial Healing
God of justice, In your wisdom you create all people in your im-age, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being. Open our minds to understand that all your chil-dren are brothers and sisters in the same hu-man family. Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, be-haviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial discrimination, and their pas-sionate appeals for change. Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be for-given, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Saint of the Week St. Marianne Cope
Servant of the Lepers (1838-1918) Barbara Koob, who was born in Germany, immi-grated with her family to the United States, where their name became Cope. In 1862 she entered the Third Order Regular of Franciscans and received her religious name. Her early years were spent teaching in her order’s schools and later serving as administrator of a hospital. In 1883, now the superior general of her congregation, she received a request from King Kalakaua in Hawaii for help in caring for leprosy patients. Though fifty other congregations had already declined the king’s plea, Mother Marianne responded at once: “I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen Ones, whose privilege it will be, to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders.” That year she and six sisters sailed for Hawaii and immediately set to work establishing a hospital in Maui. In light of the fear of contagion and the social stigma attached to those suffering from Hansen’s disease, the sisters’ dedication to their patients won wide respect. Eventually Mother Marianne con-sented to move to the island of Molokai, where the most serious cases were confined. There, one of her first tasks was to care for Fr. Damien de Veuster, the famous “Apostle to the Lepers,” who had suc-cumbed to the disease during his long years of work. Sr. Marianne died of natural causes on August 9, 1918. She was canonized in 2012. “Let us make best use of the fleeting moments. They will not return.” St. Marianne Cope
February 18, 2018
JOURNEY TO THE FOOT OF THE CROSS - 10 THINGS TO
REMEMBER FOR LENT
1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: 10 Commandments, 7 sacraments, 3 persons in the Trinity. For Lent, the Church gives us al-most a slogan—Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving—as the three things we need to work on during the season.
2. It’s a time of prayer. Lent is essentially an act of prayer spread out over 40 days. As we pray, we go on a journey, one that hopefully brings us closer to Jesus Christ and leaves us changed by the encounter with him.
3. It’s a time to fast. With the fasts of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meatless Fridays, and our personal disciplines interspersed, Lent is the only time many Catholics these days actually fast. And maybe that’s why it gets all the attention. “What are you giving up for Lent? Hotdogs? Beer? Jelly beans?” It’s almost a game for some of us, but fasting is actually a form of penance, which helps us turn away from sin and toward Jesus Christ.
4. It’s a time to work on discipline. The 40 days of Lent are also a good, set time to work on personal disci-pline in general. Instead of giving something up, it can be doing something positive. “I’m going to exercise more. I’m going to pray more. I’m going to be nicer to my family, friends and coworkers.”
5. It’s about dying to yourself. The more serious side of Lenten discipline is that it’s about more than self-control – it’s about finding aspects of yourself that are less than Christ-like and letting them die. The suffering and death of Christ are foremost on our minds during Lent, and we join in these mysteries by suffering, dying with Jesus Christ and being resurrected in a purified form.
6. Don’t do too much. It’s tempting to make Lent some ambitious period of personal reinvention, but it’s best to keep it simple and focused. There’s a reason the Church works on these mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer to God. Don’t try to cram it all in one Lent. That’s a recipe for failure.
7. Lent reminds us of our weakness. Of course, even when we set simple goals for ourselves during Lent, we still have trouble keeping them. When we fast, we realize we’re all just one meal away from hunger. In both cases, Lent shows us our weakness. This can be painful, but recognizing how helpless we are makes us seek God’s help with renewed urgency and sincerity.
8. Be patient with yourself. When we’re confronted with our own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and frustrated. “What a bad person I am!” But that’s the wrong lesson. God is calling us to be pa-tient and to see ourselves as he does, with unconditional love.
9. Reach out in charity. As we experience weakness and suffering during Lent, we should be renewed in our compassion for those who are hungry, suffering or otherwise in need. The third part of the Lenten formula is almsgiving. It’s about more than throwing a few extra dollars in the collection plate; it’s about reaching out to others and helping them without question as a way of sharing the experience of God’s unconditional love.
10. Learn to love like Jesus. Giving of ourselves in the midst of our suffering and self-denial brings us closer to loving like Jesus Christ, who suffered and poured himself out unconditionally on cross for all of us. Lent is a journey through the desert to the foot of the cross on Good Friday, as we seek him out, ask his help, join in his suffering, and learn to love like him.
Lent Lent is a 40-day journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As companions on this journey, we are invited to reach out to our neighbor in need, no matter where they live. This Lent, CRS Rice Bowl invites you, and your family and community to journey alongside the Good Samaritan. Reflect on how an encounter with our neighbor can be transformative. Together, our prayers, fasting and almsgiving support migrants, refugees and others around the world who are seeking safety and opportunity. Visit crsricebowl.org to find more resources for education and reflection for your family and community.
Use Your Rice Bowl & Calendar to Help Guide Your Lenten Journey.
Here’s what you can do: • Read the Story of Hope as a family each Sunday. • Set aside 5 minutes a day with the reflections on Jesus’ life and example. • Prepare– and serve– simple meatless meals on Fridays. • Put your Lenten sacrifices into your CRS Rice Bowl.
“Jesus teaches us a different path. Do not classify others in order to see who is a neighbor and who is not. You can become neighbor to whomever you meet in need, and you will do so if you have com-passion in your heart. That is to say, if you have that capacity to suffer with someone else. You must become a Samaritan.” —Pope Francis
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St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Journey to Iraq
Catholic Social Teaching Focus LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN
PERSON We were made in God’s image and likeness. That means that every human being has special value and a purpose. We need to care for each other so we can be the people God calls us to be. ENCOUNTER MAJD Eight-year-old Majd thought his family was going on a picnic. His mother, Lamya, said they would be back home in a week. But when ISIS attacked their home in northern Iraq, the family fled for good. “What worried me the most were the kids,” Lamya says. “Our life was stable and we were doing well, we had a very big house. Our children had every-thing they needed. But when we fled, I was not able to bring anything for them - not even food.” Fortunately, the family found an apartment to rent with other displaced families. It is much smaller than the home they had, but it’s safer. The children enrolled in a CRS-sponsored school, where the routine provides hope, stability and a sense of be-longing. “Education is very important,” says La-mya, especially in Iraqi culture. Lamya received training from CRS and became a teacher at the school. Now she has hope for the future. “I really love children, so when I go to class I feel like I am with my family,” she says. Her son, Majd, also loves going to school. “Majd is so motivated to go to school. He just wants it to be morning so he can go,” Lamya says. “He is re-laxed, having fun and more confident.” For Majd, school means a normal life - now and in the future.
SHARE THE JOURNEY Safety and security are essential to living a dignified life-what migrant families are seek-ing. FACTS TO CONSIDER: Iraq Population: 37,056,169 SIZE: 438,317 square miles; about three times the size of New York state • Since January 2014, an estimated 3 mil-
lion Iraqis have been forced from their homes. Many families describe leaving at a moment’s notice.
• Besides displaced Iraqis, the country is
hosting about 235,000 refugees from Syria. And families in desperate need continue to arrive.
• CRS provides household items and helps
people get food, safe shelter, water and sanitation. CRS also provides child sup-port centers that offer education, recrea-tion and counseling.
For downloadable photos, visit crsricebowl.org/photos and watch a video about Majd at crsricebowl.org/stories.
February 18, 2018
Welcome To all our Guests, Fr. John Reiker, Deacon Dick and Deacon Jim and All at St. Anthony’s Parish Family welcome you and hope that your time with us may be a moment of spiritual experience. You are always welcome here and if you would like to become a member of this parish or are thinking to become a Catholic, contact the Rectory office. Our phone is 636-677-4868 ext. 100.
Jan Wilson Jaden Nash
Braeden Connie Derbak
Jane Hogg Ray Panus
Leslie Badami Patrick Lee
Peggy Hoekstra Joe Greubel
James Lehrmann Richard Seper
Virginia Leighton Ron Davies
Stu McVicker Don Schuler
Michael Buchheit Nathan Davis
Marian Werner Adnan Husidic Alice Borner Rick Byerly
Theresa Chapman John McCarthy
Terry Hunt Joaquin Vigil Phyllis Smith
Jayne Donovan Richard Siebert Hazel McCarthy
Tom Fischer Robert Mecey
Rose Hill Jenni Dillon
Edmund Bailey Sally Klohr
Margaret Hook MaryAnne Dundon
Dave Siemons Mike Kern
Paul Dischert Giovanna Donato
Charles Corley Janet Parker Judy Koebel
Toni Ahlemeyer Dorothy Hartung
Lynn Peters Vasilius Kolios Betty Moleski Ryan Heard
Cathy O’Brien Ken Loretta Kathy Ryals Dave Riley
Mason Korn Mark Korn
Justin Schnieders Dick Bardon
Please Pray for the Sick
Names of the sick will remain on the list above for a month. You may contact the office to have a name added to the list for an additional month at a time. New additions will appear at the top of the list as they are re-ceived.
NOTE: Due to privacy laws, hospitals no longer notify us when parishioners are patients. If you wish a visit from the parish staff please notify the office. Thank you.
This Week with our St. Anthony Parish Family
Please Pray for Our Beloved Who Have Passed On
Rita Jo (Block) Slezak cousin of Jackie (Block) Dostal Bill Ritter brother of Mary Sloan
Monday, Feb. 19 Holiday: President’s Day 9:00 A.M. Debbie Finder Tuesday, Feb. 20 Lenten Weekday 8:00 A.M. August & Adalaide Engemann Wednesday, Feb. 21 St. Peter Damian 8:00 A.M. Special Intention (E. Wohldmann) Thursday, Feb. 22 The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle 8:00 A.M. Ted & Joan Joslin Friday, Feb. 23 St. Polycarp 8:00 A.M. James Engemann Saturday, Feb. 24 Lenten Weekday 5:00 PM Geraldine Carroll Sunday, Feb. 25 Second Sunday of Lent 8:30 A.M. Parishioners of St. Anthony 10:15 A.M. Knights of Columbus
Mass Intentions
Patriotic Rosary
Picture Stations of the Cross All Invited!
During Lent we will be doing Stations of the Cross at 6:30 PM followed by the Patriotic Ro-sary. Please join us.
Readings for the Week
Weekly on Monday evening 7:00 PM In Church First Monday of each Month: Divine Mercy Chaplet 7:00 PM, Patriotic Rosary following
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday: 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4-6; Mt 16:13-19 Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26 Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48 Sunday: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 116:10, 15-19; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10
We clean Church every Friday after the 8:00 AM Mass. Our Heavenly Dusters are in need of help! If you can offer any time, it would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!
Join us for our meetings on Wednesdays from 6:15 to 8 p.m.. We meet in the youth room in the back of the school (red doors). All high school-ers and 8th graders are invited! Come engage more with your faith and have fun with friends. We hope to see you there! Questions? Call or text Kelly at 314-363-9047.
February 18, 2018 - February 25, 2018 SUNDAY - February 18 Children’s Liturgy of the Word 10:15 AM Mass PSR 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Welcome Comm. Hospitality Breakfast after 8:30 and 10:15 Masses (café) Bible Study 5:30 PM (café) MONDAY - February 19 President’s Day - Holiday - Mass at 9:00 AM Rectory Office Closed Stations of the Cross 6:30 PM Patriotic Rosary 7:00 PM TUESDAY - February 20 Quilters 9:00 AM Choir 7:00 PM Practice - All new members welcome; Teens, adults and any 7th or 8th graders Cub Scouts 6:30 PM (aud.) Women’s Small Faith Sharing Group 7:00 PM (7th gr) WEDNESDAY - February 21 Youth Group 6:15 PM Men’s Faith Group 6:30 PM (7th grade) 4th Degree Knights of Columbus 7:00 PM (aud) THURSDAY - February 22 Liturgy Committee Mtg. 7:00PM (Rectory) FRIDAY - February 23 Clean Church after 8:00 AM Mass FISH FRY 4:00 - 7:00 PM SATURDAY - February 24 Scouts Blue & Gold Banquet (café) SUNDAY - February 25 Children’s Liturgy of the Word 10:15 AM Mass PSR 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Family Faith Group 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM Bible Study 5:30 PM (café)
Activities This Week
Upcoming Parish Events Fish Fries on All Fridays during Lent 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM EXCEPT Good Friday Please note that desserts are needed every week. So please check those recipes and bring up your favorites. Help is needed in many positions - serving, cutting cakes, dish washing and so on. Please consider vol-unteering. Many hands make light work! Stations of the Cross All Mondays of Lent at 6:30 PM before the Patriotic Rosary at 7:00 PM
February 18, 2018
Sincere Gratitude
Dear Fr. John, Deacons, and fellow parishion-ers of St. Anthony, My family and I would like to express our thanks to each and every one of you for your kind thoughts and prayers for my cousin, Rita Jo, during her recent hospitalization and death. We are blessed to have you all in our lives. Thank you again, Jackie Dostal and family
Eucharistic Adoration Eucharistic Adoration will be on First Friday, March 2, from 2pm to 7pm. There is a sign-up sheet in the back of Church. Two names are needed for each hour. Benediction and Rosary at 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to spend some quiet time in prayer with Jesus and to tell Him how much you love Him. Dean Stegmann 636/671/0565
Adult Shrimp Dinner (10 Shrimp) 2 sides, dessert Adult Fish Dinner (8 oz Fish) 2 sides, dessert Shrimp & Fish Combo (5 Shrimp & 4 oz. Fish) 2 sides, dessert Child Shrimp Dinner (5 Shrimp) 1 side, dessert Child Fish Dinner (4 oz. Fish) 1 side, dessert
Side Orders Slaw, Spaghetti, Green Beans, French Fries 1 lb. Side order: Slaw, Spaghetti, Green Beans, French Fries Side order of Shrimp (3 pc.) Fish Sandwich 1 piece Fish 1 lb. Fish Delicious Dessert 1 lb. Shrimp
$10.50 $10.00 $10.50 $ 6.50 $ 6.00
$ 2.50 $ 6.50 $ 4.00 $ 5.50 $ 3.50 $14.00 $ 1.50 $17.00
Serving: 4:00PM - 7:00 PM Every Friday in Lent and Ash Wednesday
EXCEPT GOOD FRIDAY To place an order call: 636-677-4868 ext 212
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
We are looking for lots of volunteers. Our first fish fry will be Ash Wednesday, Feb 14th--then every Friday thru March 23rd. Volunteering at our fish frys is a great way to meet new people around the parish. If you are in PSR and needing service hours, please sign up to come help. We also need those yummy dessert donations every week. If you can bake a cake, pie, brownies or cookies--we would appreciate it. They can be dropped off anytime on Fridays. Signup sheets are in the back of church. If you have any questions, you can contact Tina Hartung [email protected] or 636-541-1435. Also, for desserts, you may call Tina or the Church Rec-tory (636-677-4868) for more information.
White House Retreat All men of the parish are invited to join us on our annual retreat at White House. This will be a silent, guided retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It’s a peaceful break from the chaos and confusion of everyday life. It’s like a 3 day vacation with Christ on their beautiful 80—acre cam-pus high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. All meals and private lodging are provided. Our retreat begins the evening of Thursday, March 1, 2018 and concludes Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 2:00 PM. There is no set fee to attend a retreat at White House! White House operates on a free will offering basis, asking those in attendance to simply give what they feel they can at the conclu-sion of the retreat. To register call: bob Hook 636-677-2262 or Matt Frank 636-677-0552 or visit www.whretreat.org to find additional dates.
St. Vincent de Paul Donation Bin
There is a St. Vincent de Paul donation bin in front of the school building. They take new or gently used clothing, shoes, belts, and purses, preferably in bags. Proceeds from the sale of these items at St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores go to help our needy clients with utilities and other ex-penses. Thanks for your donations! Note: furniture and other items can be taken di-rectly to our Fenton St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store at 625 Gravois Road (across from Fenton Plaza near Gold’s Gym and Sky Zone).
Choir Tuesdays - Choir 7:00 PM for practice All new members welcome: Teens, adults and any 7th or 8th graders Questions/concerns: Nancy: [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook Saint Anthony of Padua
High Ridge
February 18, 2018
First Saturday Prayer Breakfast - Saturday, March 3rd LENTEN Prayer Service - Wednesday, March 7th
On Saturday, March 3, Donna Cori Gibson is going to grace St. Anthony’s Prayer Breakfast with Judy Haw-kins who is making a presentation on Forgiveness. Donna will sing an appropriate song or two appropriate to the presentation. On Wednesday, March 7, 7:00 p.m. Donna Cori Gibson will come to St. Anthony for Prayer Service lending seasonal music. She had previously came to St. Anthony for a presentation of her music years ago. We are so blessed to have her come again
Once a professional singer/songwriter in NY's secular market, now a Carmelite Secular, Donna can be seen on Catholic TV programs and heard on stations around the world singing music that includes word for word prayers from the Bible (singing helps memorization), the Saints, and well-known prayers of the Church all done in radio friendly style. Heard on EWTN and Catholic radio/TV, Donna travels throughout the continent and internationally sharing the Catholic Faith with music, scripture, teaching, stories, video and prayer. Her amazing, beautiful and powerful voice is sure to captivate you and draw you in to prayer and praise. Her music "is a conductor that God uses to touch my soul."-C. Neisen. Get free music downloads, more info., hear samples and view videos at www.DonnaCoriGibson.com. We hope that you will join us for both of these prayer services to help enrich your Lenten Season.
For more information, please visit our website: www.stanthonyhr.org
Collections for February 2018: Weekly Contributions (general fund)
Building Fund Eastern Europe
Black & Indian Missions
Parish Financial Report
Thank You for Your Gifts to God & Your Parish Family
COLLECTION February 11, 2018
Contribution Collection 3,099.15 Online Giving 1,135.00 Loose 76.56 Building Fund 52.00 Total for Parish 4,362.71
God bless you for your generous contributions.
We all appreciate your sacrifices and love of our St. Anthony Family!
Blood Donors Needed – Please HELP Final Blood Drive on Sunday, March 4th from 8 am to 12 noon in Blood Mobile in front of school. We would like at least 20 donors. Please help save a LIFE by giving blood. During the winter season blood is urgently needed because of surgeries due to diseases such as, cancer, heart, and many oth-ers. One pint of blood will save up to 4 lives. Many lives will be saved with your donation. I surely would appreciate all you can do to help. Contact Clarence R Surmeier at 314-303-7415 or email me at [email protected] if you can donate. If you are low on iron please eat some raisins or grapes the night before to bring up your iron level. And all donors drink some fluid in the morning. Please note scheduled appointments will be taken first. Donors needed after all the Masses on Sun-day. If you attend Saturday night Mass please come early on Sunday morning if possible. Thank you!
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
First Saturday Prayer Breakfast Sat. March 3, 2018
Yet another month has gone by and it’s almost time for our third breakfast of the new year. Please join your friends and neighbors from St. Anthony’s for a nice hot meal, and a presentation from Judy Haw-kins on Forgiveness. The Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting and we look forward to seeing you at 9am on the 3rd of March.
Ministry Schedule
Tony Kattelman
February 18, 2018
St. Anthony PSR News
For information contact Kathy Joslin at [email protected] or call 636-677-4868 ext. 118 or 636-677-1567. Our PSR Handbook can be found on the parish website at www.stanthonyhr.org under the Education tab.
February Prayers & Lists 1st grade – Glory Be 2nd grade – Our Father 3rd grade – Seven Sacraments placed in Categories, Great Commandment 4th grade – Ten Commandments 5th grade – Seven Sacraments placed in Categories, Confiteor (from Roman Missal) 6th grade – Act of Love, Sorrowful Mysteries, Corporal Works of Mercy 7th grade – Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Cardinal Virtues 8th grade – Saint Michael Prayer, Spiritual & Corporal Works of Mercy **Please encourage your children to practice their prayers and lists at home February 18
February 25 Family Faith Group meets 11:30-12:45 in the cafeteria
The questions on the class quizzes (grades 1-6) are taken directly from the online quiz. To review for an upcoming quiz or to make up a quiz online, go to www.bemydisciples.com, scroll down to “Chapter Review”, choose the grade level, choose the chapter, click GO. Submit quiz scores from make-up quizzes.
First Semester Progress Reports for grades 1-8 – sign and return to PSR PSR Mass involvement – 5th grade Feb. 25th
“How happy I am to see myself imperfect and be in need of God’s mercy.” St. Therese of the Child Jesus
1st grad
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2nd grade
3rd grad
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4th grad
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8th grade
Quiz chs. 15 & 16
Quiz ch. 18
Quiz ch. 12
Quiz ch. 16
Take-home quiz
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Activity on the Mass
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God’s Mys-tery
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God’s Own Mak-
ing
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Quiz ch. 15
Quiz ch. 12
Quiz ch. 15
Quiz ch. 14
Take-home quiz
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Blessed First Com.
prep
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God’s Mys-tery
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God’s Own Mak-
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First Sunday of Lent February 18, 2018
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths.
-- Psalm 25:4
GOD'S POWER We are not in our power, but in the power of God.
--St. Perpetua
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR LENT 2018
“Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt 24:12)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Once again, the Pasch of the Lord draws near! In our preparation for Easter, God in his
providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a “sacramental sign of our conversion”.[1] Lent summons us, and
enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and in every aspect of our life.
With this message, I would like again this year to help the entire Church experience this time of grace anew, with joy
and in truth. I will take my cue from the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: “Because of the increase of iniq-
uity, the love of many will grow cold” (24:12).
These words appear in Christ’s preaching about the end of time. They were spoken in Jerusalem, on the Mount of Ol-
ives, where the Lord’s passion would begin. In reply to a question of the disciples, Jesus foretells a great tribulation and
describes a situation in which the community of believers might well find itself: amid great trials, false prophets would
lead people astray and the love that is the core of the Gospel would grow cold in the hearts of many. A cold heart
In his description of hell, Dante Alighieri pictures the devil seated on a throne of ice,[2] in frozen
and loveless isolation. We might well ask ourselves how it happens that charity can turn cold within us. What are
the signs that indicate that our love is beginning to cool?
More than anything else, what destroys charity is greed for money, “the root of all evil” (1 Tim
6:10). The rejection of God and his peace soon follows; we prefer our own desolation rather than the comfort found in
his word and the sacraments.[3] All this leads to violence against anyone we think is a threat to our own “certainties”:
the unborn child, the elderly and infirm, the migrant, the alien among us, or our neighbour who does not live up to our
expectations.
Creation itself becomes a silent witness to this cooling of charity. The earth is poisoned by refuse, discarded out of
carelessness or for self-interest. The seas, themselves polluted, engulf the remains of countless shipwrecked victims
of forced migration. The heavens, which in God’s plan, were created to sing his praises, are rent by engines raining
down implements of death.
Love can also grow cold in our own communities. In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium,
I sought to describe the most evident signs of this lack of love: selfishness and spiritual sloth, sterile pessimism, the
temptation to self-absorption, constant warring among ourselves, and the worldly mentality that makes us concerned
only for appearances, and thus lessens our missionary zeal.[4]
continued next page...
What are we to do?
Perhaps we see, deep within ourselves and all about us, the signs I have just described. But the Church, our Mother and Teacher,
along with the often bitter medicine of the truth, offers us in the Lenten season the soothing remedy of prayer, almsgiving and fasting.
By devoting more time to prayer, we enable our hearts to root out our secret lies and forms of self-deception,[5] and then to find the
consolation God offers. He is our Father and he wants us to live life well.
Almsgiving sets us free from greed and helps us to regard our neighbour as a brother or sister.
What I possess is never mine alone. How I would like almsgiving to become a genuine style of life for each of us! How I would like
us, as Christians, to follow the example of the Apostles and see in the sharing of our possessions a tangible witness of the commun-
ion that is ours in the Church! For this reason, I echo Saint Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians to take up a collection for the com-
munity of Jerusalem as something from which they themselves would benefit (cf. 2 Cor 8:10). This is all the more fitting during the
Lenten season, when many groups take up collections to assist Churches and peoples in need. Yet I would also hope that, even in
our daily encounters with those who beg for our assistance, we would see such requests as coming from God himself.
When we give alms, we share in God’s providential care for each of his children. If through me God helps someone today, will he
not tomorrow provide for my own needs? For no one is more generous than God.[6]
Fasting weakens our tendency to violence; it disarms us and becomes an important opportunity for growth. On the one hand, it allows
us to experience what the destitute and the starving have to endure. On the other hand, it expresses our own spiritual hunger and
thirst for life in God. Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbour. It revives our desire to obey God,
who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger.
I would also like my invitation to extend beyond the bounds of the Catholic Church, and to reach all of you, men and women of
good will, who are open to hearing God’s voice. Perhaps, like ourselves, you are disturbed by the spread of iniquity in the world,
you are concerned about the chill that paralyzes hearts and actions, and you see a weakening in our sense of being members of
the one human family. Join us, then, in raising our plea to God, in fasting, and in offering whatever you can to our brothers and
sisters in need! The fire of Easter
Above all, I urge the members of the Church to take up the Lenten journey with enthusiasm, sustained by almsgiving, fasting and
prayer. If, at times, the flame of charity seems to die in our own hearts, know that this is never the case in the heart of God! He con-
stantly gives us a chance to begin loving anew.
One such moment of grace will be, again this year, the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative, which
invites the entire Church community to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation in the context of Eucharistic adoration. In 2018,
inspired by the words of Psalm 130:4, “With you is forgiveness”, this will take place from Friday, 9 March to Saturday, 10 March. In
each diocese, at least one church will remain open for twenty-four consecutive hours, offering an opportunity for both Eucharistic
adoration and sacramental confession.
During the Easter Vigil, we will celebrate once more the moving rite of the lighting of the Easter candle. Drawn from the “new fire”, this
light will slowly overcome the darkness and illuminate the liturgical assembly. “May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the dark-
ness of our hearts and minds”,[7] and enable all of us to relive the experience of the disciples on the way to Emmaus. By listening to
God’s word and drawing nourishment from the table of the Eucharist, may our hearts be ever more ardent in faith, hope and love.
With affection and the promise of my prayers for all of you, I send you my blessing. Please do not forget to pray for me.
February 18, 2018