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St. Patrick Catholic Church |
Weekly Bulletin
SUNDAY MASS May 24, 2009
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Father in heaven,
our minds were prepared for the coming
of your kingdom
when you took Christ beyond our sight
so that we might seek him in his glory.
May we follow where he has led
and find our hope in his glory.
Amen
MEMORIAL DAY MASS
On Monday, May 25 at 9:00am, we will celebrate Mass for Memorial Day at St. Patrick Cemetery. In case of rain, Mass will be celebrated in the Gymnasium of the Parish Center. Our cemetery is located on New Era Rd right off 99E.
HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS
The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, May 25 for memorial Day. Have a safe weekend.
PART TIME COORDINATOR FOR JR/SR HIGH RE SEARCH HAS BEGUN
We are currently advertising for a part-time coordinator to oversee the Jr/Sr High RE programming which includes Youth Group and Confirmation. We are hoping to find a suitable candidate to begin the duties by July 1.
BACCALAUREATE MASS
Baccalaureate Mass for graduating Seniors of 2009 will be Sunday, June 7 at the 11:00am Mass. All seniors are invited to the special blessing. Please bring your cap and gown and meet in the vestibule at 10:45am to line up to process into church.
SUMMER BULLETIN
Starting Sunday, June 7, our Sunday bulletin for the summer months [June~July~August] will be published every two weeks. PLEASE REMEMBER THE SAME INFORMATION WILL APPEAR EVERY TWO WEEKS. This of course means that if you would like to have an announcement in the bulletin during the summer months, you will need to plan ahead. You can email your items to dnewbury@canby.com.
BAPTISMAL PREPARATION
The second Baptismal Preparation Class will be Thursday, May 28 at 7pm. Please contact the Parish Office for more information.
Reflecting the Gospel
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Most parents hope their children will walk in their footsteps. When it comes to the family and religious values that parents try to instill in their children, we see this as a good and worthy desire. Sometimes one or both of the parents push their children to fulfill their personal expectations, often with respect to career. A youngster might be forced into a family business, for example, and be very loyal to the parents, but the individual’s heart just isn’t there. Something is missing: the commitment, the love, the desire to excel out of personal devotion. Jesus expects his disciples to walk in this footsteps. The difference between Jesus and parents pushing youngsters into the wrong profession is that Jesus always invites us to share in his ministry, never forces us. Jesus invites us through our belief-nothing less than our own expression of our commitment, love, and personal devotion to Jesus. The ascension marks the completion of Jesus’ historical ministry and the beginning of our own commission to proclaim the Gospel. We are not forced to proclaim, nor do we do this on our own authority. We undertake our mission “through the Holy Spirit and manifest the Holy Spirit through our mission. But always the mission is Christ’s. At first this might seem an impossible commission: how can we expect to fill Jesus footsteps?
On our own authority we cannot preach the Gospel nor bear fruit by this preaching. We can fill Jesus’ footsteps when we hear the “instructions given through the Spirit”. Jesus invites us to be disciples and commissions us to preach the Gospel, and then gives us all we need to fulfill our mission. Jesus also makes clear, however, that gifts are given us not for our own sake but for “building up the body of Christ”. The mission is always Christ’s. What an awesome honor it is to be disciples of Christ - we fill his footsteps! What meaning this accords the ascension-by returning to his rightful place at the hand of God, Jesus entrusts his mission to us. Our mission is to proclaim the Good News of salvation. In this work the Lord is present in us and in the mission we undertake.
Parish Community News
OUR PRIVILEGE, OUR RIGHT, AND OUR DUTY
As it is written ‘Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.’ (Is 49:15):
We in the Catholic Church in the Community of St. Patrick
remember, hold in our memory, and pray for the men and
women who serve in the Armed Forces especially: Ryan Thomas Blackwood, Ryan Bridges, Lonnie Brown, Nathan Brown, Douglas Bower Jr., Adamm
Creel, Isaiah Creel, David Davis,
Brad Dunn, Brian Dykeman, Bill
Ellis, Adam Ferrell, Andrew Gibby,
David Hannon, April Kennedy,
Mike Krzmarzick, Jessica
Krzmarzick (wife of Michael Krzmarzick) Johnny Lugo, Alex
Martin, Jordan Morelli, John Nguyen, Robert Selner, Tarl
Spencer, John Suchanek, Leah Sundquist, Kenneth Thorpe,
CJ Trillo, Jonathan Tuner, William Walsh, Erik Wiesehan,
Ivan Wilson and John Zagyva, may they be servants of Christ
through service to those in need, and may they be kept safe
from all harm.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
May 26-29
Tuesday, May 26
+Kate Stafford by Chris Stafford
Wednesday, May 27
+Douglas Dunn by Maria Dunn
Thursday, May 28
+Joanne Battilega by BP & MK Lally
Friday, May 29
+John Pauly by Jerry & Kathy Usher
GOSPEL LIVING
Charity
We all have gifts and resources no matter what our status in society may be. As Christians, we know that it is important to share what we have - we donate to our Church, charitable organizations, and perhaps even volunteer to do some good deed. At the same time, we often feel that our money and time should only be spent on the “worthy” people or projects. We resent the fact that some people abuse the system and get things they don’t “deserve.” We work hard to buy a house, get a new car, or the latest technical gadget and therefore we “deserve” what we have. Is this really a Gospel attitude? Where in the Gospel does it say we should only give to the “worthy” or those who can prove their need and assure us that what they receive will be used as we see fit? Where does it say that donating money is all the charity requires?
Our parishes have Social Action committees that do a lot of good things but are they really the best things for the community? Is the goal to provide food and clothing for the poor (after seeing their tax return to be sure they really are poor)? Perhaps, we need to change our perspective. What are we doing to enable others to use their gifts? How are we helping people to earn a better living, acquire education, provide for their own needs and be able to share their resources with others? What is the goal for ourselves and our parish organizations? Is it good enough to say we provided a meal for 500 people last Tuesday or should we look at how many people we have helped to provide food for themselves? When we visit shut-ins, do we just bring them something or do we talk with them and find out their interests and abilities and look for ways they can contribute to the community? The question we need to focus on is not how much we can afford to give; but, how can we enable others to grow and be all they can be.
Religious Education
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Seventh Sunday of Easter
Feast of the Ascension
What’s Up?
As we all know, Luke wrote about the Ascension of Jesus long before we realized the earth is but a tiny planet adrift in a universe made up of missions of stars and galaxies, so that, cosmically speaking, there is no up or down anymore - as the inhabitants of a flat earth once thought. So how could Jesus have “ascended” anywhere? The best you could say is he “went out” from the surface of the earth like a rocket ship. But where to? Some smart-aleck popularizer of astrophysics (whom I shall not name out of respect for the dead) once said if Jesus were intending to “ascend” beyond the boundaries of the universe as we now know it and were traveling at the speed of light, at this point in time he’d still be within the limits of our own galaxy, with missions more to traverse before he reached the bosom of this father.
But the Ascension of Jesus was a theological insight held by early Christians well before Luke decided to stage it as an overture to the Acts of the Apostles. The letter to the Hebrews often speaks of Christ’s taking his seat at the right hand of God. First Timothy quotes an early Christian hymn in which Jesus is “glorified in high heaven.” In other words, the early Church (regardless of our scientific quibbling about the validity of terms like up and down) thought of Jesus as somehow elevated to a vantage point from which he might rain down on the world the fire of his own Spirit-and thereby elevate all humanity to a new level of being, endow us all with an upward mobility more sublime than anything merely economic or astronautic. That’s what the doctrine of the Ascension is essentially about. But while Luke describes Jesus as taking off to disappear behind a cloud, he doesn’t mean to say Jesus will henceforth be absent from this planet. If you read the Acts of the Apostles closely, you’ll see Jesus quite present in the behavior of his followers. Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is simply an extension of his Gospel in which people like Peter, Stephen, Philip, and Paul mime the behavior of Jesus.
For example, look at that once timid Saint Peter! Just like
Christ he’s now preaching bravely in Jerusalem, and just like
Jesus he now reaches down to a lame man by the Temple gate “
so that he sprang up, stood on his feet and started to walk.”
Indeed Peter’s healing power is so similar to that of Jesus that
even people who fall within his passing shadow are cured! And
then again, we find him filling that vacancy left by Jesus in the
courtrooms of Annas and Herod, who must have thought, “didn’t
we dispose of this man?”
Or consider Saint Stephen, who not only preaches like Jesus but dies uttering words similar to those Jesus uttered on the cross: “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit; hold not this sin against them.” And then there’s Paul, echoing Jesus in his own inimitable way, healing people far beyond the limits of the Holy Land, raising a dead boy to life, casting out demons, standing before judges in Jerusalem and elsewhere, replicating the career of Jesus with even greater potency. And while Luke offers no account of a Peter or Paul leaving behind an empty tomb, he does tell delightful stories of their leaving behind an empty tomb, he does tell delightful stories of their leaving behind empty prisons symbolic of humanity’s victory over death.
So, according to Luke, the Ascension of Jesus by no means leaves us bereft of his presence. He’s with us still in everyone who has inhaled his Spirit. Indeed, Luke seems to have left the Acts of the Apostles as a book without an ending. It leaves the reader up in the air, suggesting that it’s a book that’s still being written-in which you may include your own life as one more extension, evidence of Christ’s presence in the world.
From: Living the Lectionary - Geoff Wood - Year B
God mounts his throne to
shouts of joy;
a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
WHAT HAPPENING
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EVENTS AROUND THE AREA
A FREE WORKSHOP - TAKING CARE OF ME
Sponsored by Catholic Charities committee to the Elderly
Presented by Mt. Hood Hospice Dennis Alger - Hospice Chaplainand Emilie Cartoun - Bereavement Coordinator.
This workshop will cover the following topics:
What is Hospice Care and What Do they Do
How Care Ministers can interface wth Hospice
What can I Bring to the visited person
Bereavement for Self
When: Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Time: 10:00am to 12:00Noon
Where: St. Joseph the Worker Parish - 2310 SE 148th Ave, Portland, OR 97233
Questions contact Becky Fletcher at 503-761-8710 or Mari Spring at 503-665-9129.
FRANCISCAN SPIRITUAL CENTER - MILWAUKIE:
IMAGING GOD AS A FRIEND
Imagery of the Divine has taken many shapes and forms over history, changing as the needs of humanity evolve. The way we imagine God profoundly influences our relationship with God. Join us for a day of reflection exploring this image of God as Divine Friend - calling us to maturity, responsibility and wholeness. Bring a sack lunch.
When: June 13 Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
Facilitator: Sean Orschln Cost: $35.00
6902 SE Lake Road, Suite 300, Milwaukie. For more information call: 503-794-8542 or email:info@francisspctr.com or visit the website at www.francisspctr.com.
MOUNT ANGEL ABBEY 3RD ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND WINE: A Fund raising event for the Abbey Library.
Saturday, June 20, 2009 from 2-5pm at Mount Angel Abbey (St. Benedict, Oregon). Highlights-Northwest wines, 15th century Books of Hours exhibit, art exhibition of William Henry Price paintings, tours of the celebrated Abbey Library, special hors d=oeuvres provided by local restaurants and Abbey chef Hans d=Alessio and an Auction. General Admission $50/each. Patron Admission $125/each ($75 tax-deductible). Tickets may be purchased by email, phone or online. Email: FAWT@mtangel.edu. Telephone: 800-845-8272 or 503-845-3066. Web: www.mountangelabbey.org/festival-arts-wine.htm.
LIVING THE PASCHAL MYSTERY
Before we even celebrate Pentecost we are already hearing about our taking up the mission of Christ. This mission describes our Christian living-preaching the Gospel. Ascension is a call to all the baptized, reminding us that baptism is far more than having original sin taken away; it is a receiving of the Spirit by which we are grafted onto the Body of Christ. Baptism is our Pentecost and it includes a mission. The gospel reminds us that the bearers of the Good News-those who continue Jesus saving mission today-are ordinary people. This would seem to be an overwhelming and impossible task. How can we represent God and continue the divine saving work? We can't, on our own. But Jesus assured us that he would work with us. Always, the mission is Christ's and we accomplish it by the strength and life of the Spirit who dwells in the baptized. It is the Spirit who works in us. This is why ordinary people can with enthusiasm, commitment, and love take up Jesus' mission.
What's Happening in the week...
May 24-30, 2009
May God grant you a |
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