Author: admin_deb

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SCHEDULE

Posted on by admin_deb

Palm Sunday: Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday,

April 1, and at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 2. Children will process in with palms.

Reconciliation Monday: Confessions will be heard from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. April 3 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Middletown, NOT here.

Holy Thursday: Service will begin at 7 p.m. April 6 and will include foot washing. There will be signup sheets on the bulletin board.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows in the hall and continues until 11 p.m.

Good Friday: The Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion will begin at 3 p.m. April 7 and include Veneration of the Cross. There will be no Stations of the Cross nor evening service.

Blessing of Easter Food: In the tradition of many Eastern European nations, Deacon Carl will bless baskets of Easter food at noon on Holy Saturday,

April 8, in Deacon John Hall.

Easter Vigil: The Vigil Mass will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

Easter Sunday: Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m.

 

ONLINE MEDITATIONS FOR LENT

Posted on by admin_deb

The season of Lent offers the prospect to clear away the ashes of what has been to make room for new growth to emerge. Contemplative wisdom invites everyone to embrace this time of silence and sparsity as an opportunity to reveal hidden truths.

Since its founding in 1987 by Fr. Richard Rohr, the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) has begun each day with a 20-minute period of contemplative prayer that he calls the “Daily Sit.” He teaches that the contemplative mind can ignite the kind of spiritual wisdom that supports inner and outer transformation.

A series of free Virtual Daily Sit Meditations will be broadcast on YouTube from 1-1:30 p.m. each Friday of Lent. Led by CAC faculty and staff, these Virtual Sit Meditations offer the global CAC community a time of shared reflection, stillness and insight. Transformed people can help to transform the world and become a catalyzing force for change of consciousness.

To access the meditations, visit https://cac.org.

FINANCE MEETING RECAP

Posted on by admin_deb

The recent Parish Meeting to primarily discuss the Financial Statement (which can still be accessed on our website) was very well-attended. About 70 people learned about the suggestions made by our Finance Committee to address our deficit position. They also had the opportunity to air concerns and ask questions in an open, transparent forum.

The primary recommendation from the Finance Committee is two-pronged: Increase the number of parishioners who contribute using WeShare from the approximately 134 now, and secondly, for those who are able, to increase weekly contributions by 25 percent. For example, can a $10-per-week donation become $12.50?

As an incentive with an element of fun, anonymous parishioners will be donating gift cards in varying amounts to be raffled on Sunday, April 2, if certain benchmarks are reached. Should the number of WeShare users increase from 134 to 150 by March 31, then three $100 gift cards will be raffled among all WeShare participants. If the number hits 175, then it’s three $200 gift cards. At 200 WeShare users, the drawing jumps to three $300 gift cards instead. If the donor number reaches 200 AND average contributions increase by 25 percent (total contributions for the month of March must be at least $32,400), then there could be as many as 12 $300 gift cards.

Assistance with WeShare signup will be available. And when contributions are made, donors have the option to cover the 2.5% processing fee charged.

Many churches are facing the same challenges as St. Paul’s: Insufficient income, declining number of younger families and a limited number of volunteers chief among them. While none of these will be solved overnight, the turnout at last week’s meeting is a strong sign of hope for the future.