ST. MARY’S CHURCH PARIS, IL www.stmaryschurchparis.org APRIL 29, 2018 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER TIME

Altar Society Meeting Wednesday, May 2 at Tuscany’s. Social time at 6:00pm, meeting will start at 6:30pm Please join us for fellowship and show support to our new officers as they will be installed: Co-Presidents: Kim Step and Ruth Ann Sheehy Vice President: Mary Jiron Secretary: Becky Kraemer Treasurer: Bonnie Stevens See you there!

Community Soup Kitchen St. Mary’s is in charge of the desserts for the Soup Kitchen on Monday, May 7th.

Protecting God’s Children Class in Charleston, May 9, Noon to 3:00pm and in Effingham, May 17, 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Please call our church office for more information. Remember, anyone 18 and older must have taken this class in order to volunteer with or near children younger than 18.

Faith In Action of Edgar County Are you getting bored with Life? FIA volunteers provide Free rides to residents who need medical care in Paris as well as out of town. Many of our “care receivers” have no relatives available so they depend on FIA Volunteers to get them to and from their appointments. You can choose where and when you drive, even if you are only available one day a month. If you would like to join FIAEC, call 466-6388. Other ways to support FIA: May 7 - “McEvent” eat at McDonald’s 4pm-7pm May 23 - Hot Dog Lunch at First Farmer’s Bank,

11am –2pm

CRS Rice Bowl Grant for St. Mary’s! Not only do our yearly donations (75%) help feed people around the world, but they also help feed people right here in our own community (25%)! St. Mary’s Food Pantry received a grant of $750, which helps stock our Parish Food Pantry for one year (in addition to your generous donation!). We appreciate the generosity of Catholic Relief Services and the Diocese of Springfield for this award!

May is the Month We Honor Our Blessed Mother, Mary

Mary is Mother – your mother, my mother, every-one’s mother – and because she cares for all of us day-in-and-day-out without fail, interceding for us in even the tiniest matters, she deserves an entire month in her honor. Can you “Adopt A Week” and make sure that we have roses on the statues of Mary? In the Gathering Space, typically one single rose is placed by her statue. On Mary’s altar in the church, a single rose or even a small bouquet is placed by her statue. If you would like to volunteer to replace her roses weekly, please contact the office. If you have a statue of the Blessed Mother at your home, why not put some flowers at her feet? It’s a sweet way to honor Our Lady and let her know you are thinking of her.

The Weather is Warming Up - Time to Do Some Springtime Projects

Around Our Church! Hopefully you have noticed, if you are not in too big of a hurry to get to Mass, that our church has some beautiful landscapes! Our parishioners volunteer their time and often their own funds to beautify our church, both inside and out! Juliana Koutsoumpas has a project and needs help from some of our men to place bricks in the circle drive at St. Mary’s back entrance. Some bricks are being donated, but more may be needed as well. Please call Juliana to volunteer.

I AM Dear Friends in Christ, “I AM” is revealed to Moses as the name of God when the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush. I AM is translated from the Hebrew word “Yahweh.” Until the time of Moses, God had not revealed His name. Abraham, our Father of Faith, was chosen by God because of his gift of wisdom in which he returned to the true faith that had been given by God to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This gift of wisdom that he had received is the truth that there is only one God. In the midst of a pagan world, he left his father and land behind in order to establish a people that would be called into a relationship with the one true God. In time, God made a covenant with Abraham and, as the Lord had promised, he became the Father of the Chosen People. The Chosen People were called Chosen because they were the race set apart from a world filled with idolatry. It would be through their reverence and obedience to the one true God that the Lord would manifest through as the Messiah. In this preparation, Abraham’s descendants went through many trying times, including the slavery in Egypt. It was during this time that Moses, the greatest prophet, was called forth to bring them into a right relationship with the Lord through His law and His fatherly protection. It was at this time that Moses received God’s name revealed, I AM. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, and Incarnate Word, in the fullness of time, came into this world to save us by His life, cross, death and resurrection. He reminded His followers that, “Today’s scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” and also Jesus declared, “Those of the past long to see what you see and long to hear what you hear now.” During His ministry, Jesus declared that He was the Great I Am in many ways and under many titles: I am the Resurrection and the Life, I am the Bread of Life, I am the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end), I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and before Moses was, I AM. In His great and merciful love, Jesus desires for us to know Him in a personal, loving relationship. He wants us to remember the life He lived as a gift for us, to be reconciled back to His Heavenly Father. His mission on this earth was to reveal who God was by becoming a man and living with us. By experiencing His self-emptying love of the cross, and His might and power in the resurrection, we could now have the grace to remain in His love. This is His commandment, when he says, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, because without Me you can do nothing.” Jesus further on makes this remarkable promise, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, as for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (Read John 15:1-8) Many people find this promise to ask for anything and receive it as unbelievable. However, to receive this promise, we must remain in His love, and that involves faithfulness to the commandments and complete trust in His will. For the disciples of Christ, the early Church interpreted this Word as uniting their wills so closely to that of Jesus’ that by being guided by the Holy Spirit, they would know what Jesus wanted them to ask for. Dear friends in Christ, as we continue to glorify the Risen Christ, let us pray and give thanks for the gift of remaining united to Christ the Vine. May we bear the fruit as Christian witnesses and show ourselves as the pleasing children of our Heavenly Father through Christ our Lord. May God give you peace,

ST. MARY’S CHURCH PARIS, IL www.stmaryschurchparis.org APRIL 29, 2018 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER TIME

24 HOUR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION St. Mary’s Church

Every Tuesday starting at 3pm and ending on Wednesday at 3pm.

Everyone is invited to spend some quiet time with the Lord anytime during these 24 hours.

St. Mary’s School News

Fifth Sunday of Easter Time Still bearing fruit. Who is the vine, who are the branches, who is the grower? We know this story and the answers by heart. It draws us into the second reading (1 John 3:18-24) about the behaviors of beloved children. We are Easter children who believe and love, who think and act. What needs pruning in my life? What Word of God, what truth do I need to

hear? How will I “love one another just as he

commands us”?

Nursing Home Mass & Visits to the Sick Schedule Fr. Ronald will be visiting the sick to administer Communion and the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Anointing on Fridays. 1st Friday - Mass at Paris Healthcare & Visits 2nd Friday - Mass at Brookstone & Visits 3rd Friday - Mass at Pleasant Meadows &Visits 4th Friday - Mass at Paris Hospital & Visits If you know of someone who is sick at home or in the nursing home and would like to have Fr. Ronald visit, please contact the office and leave the name, phone number and address.

St. Mary’s School

Pork Burger Drive Thru

Thank you for your support!

TOTUS TUUS June 10 - 15 Another exciting summer of Totus Tuus is coming to St. Mary’s church! Totus Tuus for the summer of 2018 will focus on the Apostle's Creed along with the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. Totus Tuus (which means “totally yours” in Latin) is a week-long Catholic summer "parish mission" program for youth in 1st - 12th grade that is dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through Catechetical Instruction, Christian Witness, Voca-tional Discernment, Marian Devotion, and Eucharistic Worship. Permission slips have been sent home with PSR and SMS students, but extra copies are available in the Gathering Space. Please fill these out and return to the office as soon as possible! Invite your friends! Are you a college student want to be a part of the Totus Tuus Team? Positions are still available: http://www.dio.org/youthministry/staff-information.html Ways to Volunteer*: Be a Host Family for two college aged women or men. Invite the Team for supper with your family one night

during the week. Provide a good lunch to the Team one day during the

week. Jr. High and High School students: volunteer as an as-

sistant to the Team one day or more during the week for the day program.

See the bulletin board for details or call the office 466-3355 for more information.

*Volunteers 18 and older must have taken the Protecting God’s Children class. Call the office for more info.

1st Communion Class of 2018: Carter Doughan, Eli Shaughnessy, Kelsey Johnson and Alexis Walton

Mrs. Biebel’s 2nd Grade class visited with Fr. Ron on Thursday. He showed them where he keeps his vestments and explained what each piece means.

Mm-mm!

St. Mary’s School’s First Holy Communion Class of 2018

ST. MARY’S CHURCH PARIS, IL www.stmaryschurchparis.org APRIL 29, 2018 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER TIME

First Communion will be celebrated on May 6 at the 8:30 Mass. This year’s students are:

The Week ahead

Sunday

29

7:00 am 8:30 am 9:45 am

11:15 am

Mass – St. Aloysius Mass – St. Mary’s PSR Mass - St. Mary’s

Monday 30

8:15 am Mass – St. Mary’s

Tuesday 1

3:00 pm 5:30 pm 7:00 pm

24 Hour Adoration Begins Mass - St. Mary’s KC Meeting

Wednesday 2

8:30 am 2:00 pm 3:00 pm 6:00 pm

School Mass – St. Mary’s Holy Hour /Benediction 24 Hour Adoration Ends Choir Practice Altar Society Meeting at Tuscany

Thursday 3

8:15 am 10:00 am

4:30 pm 7:00 pm

Mass – St. Mary’s Mass at Paris Healthcare & Visits to Homebound

Wedding Rehearsal Liturgy Committee Meeting

Friday 4

8:15 am NO Mass & Adoration - St. Mary’s

Saturday

5

8:15 am 10:00 am

1:00 pm

5:30 pm

Mass - St. Mary’s 1st Communion Practice & Pizza Party in Gym afterward Wedding Parish Meeting Room Rented Mass - St. Mary’s

Sunday

6

7:00 am 8:30 am 9:45 am

11:15 am

Mass – St. Aloysius Mass – St. Mary’s First Communion PSR Mass - St. Mary’s

May 2 Leighsa Cornwell

May 3

Jeff Arp

May 4 Mike McFatridge

May 5

Joe Keys Collin Sherer Alan Zuber

May 7 Carter Doughan

May 8

Mary Frisz Mary Jiron

Sandy Shanks Anna Sullivan

~ ALTAR SCHEDULE ~

MAY 5 & 6

Daily Mass Intentions

Monday, April 30 8:15 am - Cyril Waller & Family

Tuesday, May 1 5:30 pm -Nana Mattingly & Pearman Family

Wednesday, May 2 8:30 am - Homer Murphy & Family

Thursday, May 3 8:15 am - Pat Harrington

Friday, May 4 8:15 am - No Mass

Saturday, May 5 8:15 am - Pat Harrington 5:30 pm - Harold Waller

Sunday, May 6 7:00 am - Marguerite Lenderman 8:30 am - First Communion Students 11:15 am - For the People

LAST WEEK’S COLLECTION

ST. MARY’S

SUNDAY OFFERING $ 5566.67

DEBT $ 760.00

SCHOOL $ 0

ACSA $ 105.00

CLOTHING MINISTRY $ 80.00

SANTA ANA $ 25.00

ST. ALOYSIUS

SUNDAY OFFERING $ 765.00

PRAYER LIST:

Pat Catanzariti, Anne Toensing,

Becky Westerfield, Steve Osborne,

Mark Tinsman, Mark David,

Karen Stark, Mahala Bee, Lavera Bryan,

Bruce Ogle, Shirley Spillman, William Hewitt,

Brenda & Donnie Mullenix, Rita Lo, Mike Miller,

Christina MacReynolds, Joel Rivera,

June Deffenbaugh, Pat Sweeney,

Fr. Barry Harmon, Pauline Anderson, Jim Ayers,

Alan Russell, Betty Englum, Anne Johnson,

Rhett Smitley, Roger Braun, Vic Lynch,

Jim Spencer, Mike David, Darrel Pitman,

Fr. Savoree, Fr. Zimmerman

and all relatives & friends who are ill or experiencing difficulties in their lives – that they may know the healing of God.

Our Expectant Mothers: Archer (Davis) Dudley

Coady (Magers) Rapp, Bethany Keys

Leigh (Sullivan) Jones, Hannah (Warren) Abry

We pray that God will bless and protect them during this time of waiting.

Our Military: Simon Holzer, Heath Goodwin, Joe Jenness,

Alexandria Farrington, Richard Scott,

Justin Vice, Joe Kachmar, and Joshua Provo.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.

Email stmaryschurchparis@gmail.com for any changes or additions

In case of emergency, call Fr. Ron 217-690-5423

Saturday 5:30pm

Lector Jim Moore

Cantor Ellen Litteral

Altar Servers Cate & Claire Kirby

EMC’s Kit Kirby & Vicki Ballard

Gifts Step Family

Greeters John & Connie McNary

Sunday 8:30am

Lector First Communion Students

Cantor Choir

Altar Servers Caleb Lawson & Nick Fomera

EMC’s Mary Liz Wright &

Matt Sullivan

Gifts First Communion Students

Greeters Greg & Mary Ann Sullivan

Collection Counters Barb Felgenhauer, Jim & Lois Moore

Parish Office Hours Starting April 6, our office will only be open in the mornings and closed after noon, until Pat

returns to work: Tuesday - Friday 8:00am to Noon

Closed on Mondays

The month of May is full of celebrations for the young people of our parish: First Communion, Graduation, some are preparing for marriage, and some are moving away from home for the first time. Let us lift them up in prayer as they continue their faith journey.

Prayer for Young People O God, we pray and beseech you to guide and protect young people from the dangers that are ever present in our world today. Be with them, as they experience both sickness and health, sorrow and joy, loneliness and friendship, success and failure. Gracious God, give to them the courage and strength to make the right decisions as they journey through life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may they come to know and experience your loving care. We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

High School Graduation Mass & Brunch Mass on Sunday, May 20, 8:30 am Brunch immediately after in the Parish Meeting Room for the graduates and their families. If you have a graduating senior, please let Jo Ellen know so we don’t miss anyone (251-4722).

Need a First Communion, Mother’s Day and/or

Graduation Gift? Shop Local! Check out the items for Sale in

the Glass Case at St. Mary’s

We can help you order something if you don’t find it in our case. Remember, the case is ALWAYS available throughout the year! Check in the office for assistance and to make purchases.

Jordan Joseph Dowden Carter Edward Doughan Kelsey Marie Johnson Paedyn Michelle Keys William Andrew Kirby

Wyatt William McClain Eli Patrick Shaughnessy Ruth Olivia Sullivan Alexis Abigail Walton