Ministry Schedule March 10/11
Third Sunday of Lent Saturday Vigil, March 3, 2018 4:00 p.m. P Dominic Savona (Pat, Joan, Jean, Joe & Tom) Sunday, March 4, 2018 8:00 a.m. P Pro Populo 9:30 a.m. C Carol Vlasich (Joyce Epley) 11:00 a.m. P Yolanda Kovach (Little sister, Mary) Monday, March 5, 2018 7:30 a.m. P Pearl Teper (Gina Maczko) Tuesday, March 6, 2018 7:30 a.m. P Happy 90th Birthday Billie Winwood (Megan & Sarah Sawka) Wednesday, March 7, 2018 8:00 a.m. C Florence Jeter (Anna Maleta) 7:00 p.m. C Stations of the Cross Thursday, March 8, 2018 7:30 a.m. P Month’s Mind & Birthday Remembrance Francis Smith (Parish family) Friday, March 9, 2018 7:30 a.m. P Frank Horka Jr. (Family) 7:00 p.m. P Stations of the Cross Saturday, March 10, 2018 8:00 a.m. C Rob Gibson (Millie Shinsky)
Fourth Sunday of Lent Saturday Vigil, March 10, 2018 4:00 p.m. P Albert, Patricia & Lynn Zidek (Sons, daughter-in-law & grandchildren) Sunday, March 11, 2018 8:00 a.m. P Margaret Geisel (John & Arlene Ball) 9:30 a.m. C Mark Magazine (Joe, Babette Medlock) 11:00 a.m. P Pro Populo
Updating Partner Parishes Prayer List
We are updating our Partner Parishes Prayer List, so please call the church office if you have any additions or deletions you would like to make to the list. The updated Prayer List will appear in the March 17-18, 2018, issue of the Partner Parishes weekly church bulletin.
EM: Server: Lector:
Saturday, March 10 — 4:00 p.m. St. Peter C-John Peters C-Patty Galway H-Mark Galway Jolena Quarzo Cole Lincoski Ron Barry Cantor: Bernadette Behary
EM: Server: Lector:
Sunday, March 11 — 8:00 a.m. St. Peter C-Kim Gaydos C-Mark Moncheck H-Bill Johns Carmella & Gina DiFlippo David Ziglear Joe Gaydos Cantor: Samantha Ziglear
EM: Server: Lector:
Sunday, March 11 — 9:30 a.m. St. Cecilia Nancy Sebeck Carl DellaPenna Jr. Carl DellaPenna Anthony DellaPenna Caleb DellaPenna Mark Konter
EM: Server: Lector:
Sunday, March 11 — 11:00 a.m. St. Peter C-Larry Franks III C-Nancy Ritz H-Kathy Miller Sarah Sawka Dylan & Madison Stowe Chuck Bogorae Cantor: Nicole Dainty
Collection Report St. Peter Church 2/25/18 ADULT ENVELOPES (220) .................... ….. ...$4196.00 STUDENT (13) ......................... …………….. ....... $18.00 MONTHLY (11)…………………………… ........... $265.00 LOOSE…………………………………….. ........... $387.00 CANDLES………………………………................ $178.25 CATHOLIC HOME MISSIONS ............................. $60.00
St. Cecilia Church 2/25/18 ADULT ENVELOPES (84) ................................$2363.00 STUDENT (4) ....................................................... $14.00 LOOSE................................................................ $102.00 CANDLES ............................................................. $21.00 UTILITY................................................................... $8.00 EASTER FLOWERS ............................................. $15.00 BLESSED CANDLES ........................................... $10.00
Penance Service This Week in Brownsville Tuesday, March 6, 2018, 7:00 p.m. at The Historic Church of St. Peter BAMA Lenten Series 2018 — Week 4 March 8, 2018, 7:00 p.m. at Fort Burd United Presbyterian Church 200 Thornton Road, Brownsville Speaker: Rev. Laura Blank of Smock’s Pleasant View Presbyterian Church
Attention Confirmation Parents!
Please turn in your child’s paperwork ASAP to the church office. Thank you!
BMCC Easter Cantata Set for March 11
The Bentworth Ministerium Community Choir (BMCC) will present its Easter Cantata, Come to the Cross, next Sunday, March 11, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Church, 305 Church St., Brownsville, PA. BMCC invites the public to attend this free and meaningful uplifting concert. All are welcome. Please join us!
From John’s Gospel Passage today we can develop a mistaken impression. Jesus was not intent, per se, on driving the sheep, oxen, their owners or the money changers out of the temple. The practice of their being there had existed from the time of Solomon, who built the temple. Jews were called to offer sacrifice. Jesus was in the temple for the celebration of Passover, which is one of the three High Holy Days. Faithful Jews were commanded to go to Jerusalem to worship in the temple on those days. Jews from Egypt and Syria, even some from Rome,
would travel to Jerusalem. These pilgrims weren't able to bring oxen and sheep with them to offer in sacrifice. They would purchase them in the temple area. Their nation’s coinage was different, such as Roman denarii. Foreign coins couldn't be used to make a purchase of a sacrificial offering in the temple. Therefore, the money changers were needed for the Jewish coins, i.e., shekels. Abuses had developed because, unfortunately, some charged exorbitant prices for the sheep or oxen, or unfair exchange rates for the coinage. However, that's not the important lesson from the reading. Jesus was cleansing the entire structure of the Jewish Faith. “The Law” (the commandments) that had been established as the Mosaic Code was intended to ensure that God was loved above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. There was to be care for the widow, the orphan and those who were dispossessed. Such was the true spirit of the law. However, Jewish leadership had interpreted it in such a way that it was all about the ritualistic approach to offering sacrifice. They demanded nonsensical actions such as cleansing of bowls and cups, as well as the dietary laws. When John the Baptist was baptizing at the Jordan, the Sanhedrin became concerned. They saw the Jewish faithful, the common people, even tax collectors and the sinners, going out to John at the Jordan. The leaders sent Pharisees and scribes out to spy on what was happening. John recognized their purpose and said, "You brood of vipers! Who told you to hide from the coming wrath?" He knew who they were. He knew why they were there. They didn't come to receive a baptism of repentance or to ask God for forgiveness. They came to take the measure of John, whom they saw as competition because, indeed, John was inspiring the people. He was asking people to live the true spirit of the law. Jewish leaders saw him as a threat to maintaining their status quo, so they took his life. Jesus would then become a very radical threat to the Sanhedrin, so his death was planned. Moses had described Jesus 1400 years earlier; prophets such as Isaiah, as far back as 800 B.C., prophesied Jesus’ coming. Those prophets spoke of Jesus healing the people, restoring sight to the blind, enabling those who were lame to walk again, setting free those who were imprisoned or unfairly yoked. The Sanhedrin didn't want Jesus to inspire the people to change. They wanted to maintain what they had established. The threat to them was Jesus and his radical teachings which became the Christian, the Catholic, philosophy of caring for those who were in need and loving God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus’ cleansing of those violating God’s law not only occurred in the temple but, ultimately, the temple would be destroyed; even until today it has not been rebuilt. John's Gospel was written in between 90-100 A.D., 60 to 70 years after Jesus' death. In 70 A.D., the Romans responded to the rebellion of the Jewish people by demolishing the temple as they leveled all of Jerusalem. Jesus and his Gospel are the temple of the new covenant of love, eternally established by him. To date, it has remained these 2,000 years as the Catholic Church. We all become members of that Church when we are anointed in the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. As members of the family of God, we receive Christ’s life and are temples of his Holy Spirit. Our membership in the Church requires active participation. We should encounter the Lord each day in prayer and gather on Sunday to participate in the Mass. Our First Reading in Exodus today challenges us and the very active life we live in contrast to the Lord’s commandments. Our priorities must be to live in relationship with God, not to be solely focused on this passing world. It is so easy to be caught up in pursuing the bright, shiny objects of the world. The Church asks us to come to Mass every Sunday to fulfill God’s commandment. His commands are just that: commandments. They're not recommendations. He said, "Keep holy the Sabbath." Before Jesus' public ministry was over, he gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. He said, "What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The Church teaches: we will attend Mass each Sunday. That is an obligation. There are reasons why we can't occasionally. Perhaps we're ill or a member of the family of advanced age requires our care. Sometimes the weather is so horrific that we can't venture out. But we know in this area, there are options that range from 4:00 p.m. Masses on Saturday until 5:30 p.m. on Sunday evening. With limited exception, we can make it to Mass for our Sunday obligation, if we're serious about it. A parishioner gave me this article, and I think it makes a good point. It's about church and whether we attend or not. It has an important message about our Lenten commitments on Sunday or even for daily Mass. Don't stay away from church because you're poor. There's no admission charge. Don't stay away from church because it's raining. You go to school and to work in the rain. Don't stay away because it's too hot. So is the beach. Don't stay away because it's too cold. It's warm inside the church. Don't stay away because nobody invited you. Did the theater manager call you on the phone and ask you to come the last time you went to a movie? Don't stay away because you're too tired. That doesn't normally stop you from doing what you really want to do. Don't stay away because the church is full of hypocrites. Don't worry about it. You associate with hypocrites all the time in different places. Don't stay away because you have company this weekend. Invite them to come with you, or tell them to sleep in until you return. Don't stay away because you don't have good clothes. We're not running a fashion show, and neither is God. Don't stay away because the parish standards are too high. If you think we're tough, read the Bible. Don't stay away because the Church wants your money. So does the grocery store. The point is: there's always an excuse, but those excuses can be overcome when we recognize that the true priority in our life is our relationship with God. There's a whole array of priorities that we develop in our life that are different from building a lifelong, deep relationship with the Lord. However, that's what he wants with each of us. We know what Lent is all about: re-committing to our faith, recognizing we have habitual sins that come to possess us, etc. We must work on those issues we know separate us from one another and from God. He'll help us. We just need to ask; we must focus our effort and energy on Jesus. Perhaps we should consider this as our spring cleaning to enable our relationship with the Lord to remain strong and vibrant.
Laetare Sunday
1st Scrutiny
3rd Sunday of Lent
12 Bible Study 6p Crosskeys
5 Bible Study 6p Crosskeys
MON
25
Bible Study 6p Crosskeys
26 Holy Week
Solemnity of St. Joseph
19 Bible Study 3rd Scrutiny 6p Crosskeys
5th Sunday of Lent
April 1st– Easter Sunday 8a St. Peter 9:30a St. Cecilia 11a St. Peter
18
2nd Scrutiny
Spaghetti Dinner 11a-5p St. Cecilia Hall
11
4
SUN
6
Choir Practice 6p Office
27 Holy Week
20 Choir Practice 6p Office
13 Choir Practice 6p Office
Choir Practice 6p Office
Penance Service 7p St. Peter
TUE First Friday Ex-
23 24 Stations of the Cross 7p St. Peter
16 17 Stations of the Cross Pro-life Depart 7p St. Peter 7a St. Peter
Stations of the Cross 7p St. Peter 9 10 Stations of the Cross 7p St. Peter
Peter
Adora on ll Midnight at 8p Tenebrae Service St. Solemn Easter Vigil 8:30p St. Peter & St. Cecilia both Churches
12p St. Peter
31 NO AM MASS 30 NO AM MASS 29 NO AM MASS Holy Saturday Holy Thursday Good Friday Liturgies Blessing of Baskets Chrism Mass 10(Grbg) 12p St. Cecilia 11:30a St. Cecilia 5p Last Supper St. Cecilia 3p St. Peter
22 Meals on the Blvd 4:45p St. Peter
15
8 Meals on the Blvd 4:45p St. Peter
7p at St. Cecilia
SAT
3 Pro-life Depart tion 8a-9p St. Peter 7a St. Peter
2
FRI
BAMA-Lenten Service position & Benedic-
1
THU
Stations of the Cross 7p St. Cecilia 7p Last Supper St. Peter
Bereavement Grp 6p Off.
28 Holy Week
Bereavement Grp 6p Off. Stations of the Cross 7p St. Cecilia 40 days for Life Depart 10a
21 Food Bank
Stations of the Cross 7p St. Cecilia
Bereavement Grp 6p Off.
Christian Mothers 5:45p St. Cecilia Hall
14
7 Stations of the Cross 7p St. Cecilia SCW Meeting 6pm (CK) KofC Meeting 7p Uniontown Bereavement Grp 6p Off. 40 days for Life Depart 10a
WED
The Historic Church of St. Peter & St. Cecilia
Partner Parishes of
Fr. Tim is planning group trips to the days. Contact Fr. Tim, 724-785-7781, if you Planned Parenthood Clinic in Pittsburgh for in- have additional questions. terested Partner Parishes members during 40 Date Time Days for Life, Lent 2018. Please see the schedWednesday, Mar. 7, 2018 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ule at right for the actual times we’ll be at the clinic. Departure time from the parking lot at Saturday, Mar. 17, 2018 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. The Historic Church of St. Peter will be at 7:00 Wednesday, Mar. 21, 2018 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. a.m. on Saturdays and 10:00 a.m. on Wednes-
Holy Name Society Sausage Sale Going on NOW! Frank Gigliotti’s recipe — Sweet, Hot and Hot-Hot 2 lb. minimum per item — $4.50/lb. All orders must be in by March 12. To order, please call the office: 724-785-7781. Delivery will be March 22.
Volunteers Needed for St. Cecilia Spaghetti Dinner The St. Cecilia Spaghetti Dinner is scheduled for March 11, 2018.
Volunteers are needed on the following days to help with the preparations listed below. Please come to the church social hall any time you can help! 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Mar. 6 — Prepare Seasonings 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 7 — Meatballs 9:00 a.m. Thursday, Mar. 8 — Make Sauce 9:00 a.m. Friday, Mar. 9 — Pre-Cook Pasta 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Mar. 10 — Set Up for Sunday
Thank you for any amount of time you can give!
St. Cecilia DLA 2018 – $1,385 and Counting!
Historic Church of St. Peter Social Hall Making Visible Progress
The last two bulle ns have included the informa on that we are working with Bishop Malesic and Diocesan staff to obtain final approval for a capital campaign to begin construc on on our new facility, St. Mary’s Hall. We’ve been wai ng for final cost es mates that will help to determine the scope of our project and the needs of our future campaign. Bishop Malesic has given us permission to combine the 2018 Diocesan Lenten Appeal (DLA) into our Capital Campaign when it begins. For this reason, and for this year only, you will not receive any DLA mailings from the Bishop. We hope to begin the campaign some me in March or shortly therea er. I would like to provide an update concerning our progress. We met with our engineering firm/architect, K2 Engineering, Inc., and the Greensburg Diocesan Engineer this week. We reviewed proposed budget figures and drawings provided by K2. This informa on is now being discussed with the Director of Finance for the Diocese. We hope to have a response within the next two weeks.
At right and below, vehicles are shown exiting and entering our new driveway, which opened recently and provides access to the church office parking lot from the Market Street Ramp. This portion of our St. Mary’s Hall project now makes it easier to drop off and pick up our Religious Education students.
On the good news front, our driveway, which enables us to access the office parking lot from the Market Street Ramp, is now open. This por on of the project was ini ated to make student pickup and drop off for Religious Educa on students easier. Addi onally, it is part of our traffic flow and parking scheme for the new building. It will help ensure there is no conges on. Thank you for your con nued support and prayers during this exci ng me for The Historic Church of St. Peter’s parish family. — Fr. Tim
We Continue Our Partner Parishes Lenten Journey With the hustle and bustle of everyday living, I've neglected my daily prayers, so I'm taking 1/2 hour out of my busy day to meditate, pray and thank God for the good he has done for my family and me! — Tracy Eadie
As I enter into this Lenten season, my heart is filled with love and the desire to be closer to God. I intend to pray more deeply and to thank God for the gifts and all the blessings he has given me. Sacrificing my favorite snack, repenting and fasting are just a few simple ways for me to return love to our loving Father. — Cece Tiberi
Our Lenten Journey continues as we strive to fulfill the commitments we made to the Lord concerning our abstinence, fasting and increased prayer during this Holy Season. We all have moments when we don’t respond to what the Lord requests of us. We fail to live up to the Gospel, the Good News that asks us to love sacrificially, act with justice, restrain our unhealthy appetites, and show mercy. However, each time we fall, we begin again, persevering in our Lenten discipline and preparation to celebrate the paschal festivities of Holy Week and Easter. — Fr. Tim
Lent is a time that allows me to practice acts of selfdiscipline, charity and devotion. It is an opportunity to grow closer to God and be helpful to my neighbor. Specifically I decided to make changes in my daily diet by limiting the amount of processed carbohydrates. I began participating in the Meals on the Boulevard program as a way to practice charity and as a way to give back to the community. Finally, to show my devotion to God, I began reading “The Little Black Book” of daily devotions. — Karen Sheranek My Lenten journey is one of more prayer. Between my morning and night prayers, I find time after supper for more prayer and reflection. I start with the reading of the day found in “The Little Black Book,” made available to us for the Lenten season, which consists of stories about lives of good people, some saints, and how they have contributed to Christianity and humanity through their holiness and deeds. On the following page, a passage from a gospel appears along with an explanation and how it should or could affect us. Then we are asked to “spend some quiet time with the Lord,” when I reflect on my life. One of the prayers I pray says, “Thank you for all the favors you have bestowed upon me. Your goodness has preserved me until now.” This is true. I reflect on the 67 years of life he has so generously given me. I think of my family and friends. Each weekday, I recite one decade of a Sorrowful Mystery of the rosary and concentrate on that particular mystery, whether it be the Agony in the Garden or Jesus’ Death on the Cross. This reminds me that it is because of our sinfulness that he had to go through this agony, suffering, and death. On Wednesday evenings, my wife Marlene and I can be found attending the Stations of the Cross at St. Cecelia Church. The Stations are a powerful reminder for me of what Lent is really all about. I also attend one or more of the BAMA Lenten services and the Triduum services during Holy Week. Oh yeah, I also give up beer. — Michael Klamerus
Partner Parishes of Historic Church of Saint Peter 300 Shaffner Avenue St. Peter Brownsville, Pennsylvania 118 Church Street & Brownsville, PA 15417 Saint Cecilia Church 1571 Grindstone Road O: 724-785-7781 Grindstone, Pennsylvania
#770350
H: 724-785-7604 Parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg C: 724-984-6983*** “Pennsylvania Charitable Trusts”
Contact: Shannon Sealy MESSAGES:
Mailing Address: Partner Parishes of St. Peter & St. Cecilia 118 Church Street Brownsville, PA 15417 Phone: 724-785-7781 Fax: 724-785-0844
Pastor: Rev. Micah E. Kozoil; Sr. Priest Active: Rev. James Petrovsky Office Manager: Mrs. Virginia Galway: Music Ministry: St. Peter: Daniel Kovacic; St. Cecilia: Eric Blanda Religious Education Coordinator: Mrs. Anita LaMendola: Youth Ministry: Patty Columbia Mass Schedule: Saturday Vigil 4:00 P.M. (EST); 5:00 P.M. (DST) (St. Peter) Sunday Morning 8:00 A.M. (St. Peter); 9:30 A.M. (St. Cecilia); 11:30 A.M. (St. Peter) Reconciliation: Noon to 12:30 p.m. St. Peter: 1st & 3rd Saturday St. Cecilia: 2nd & 4th Saturday Sacrament of Baptism Contact the parish as soon as you know that you are expecting a child. Sacrament of Matrimony Those entering into Marriage must contact the pastor at least one full year in advance of the wedding Sponsor Certificates You must be registered and active in the parish at least 4 months to receive a certificate. Please don’t come at the last minute! Sexual Child Abuse If you have a concern about sexual abuse of a child or young person by anyone in a parish or diocesan position — clergy, volunteer or paid staff — please contact Bishop Brandt’s delegate for matters of sexual misconduct. He may be reached at 724-837-0901 Ext. 221