|
Scroll down to find...
Second Sunday of Easter | VBS | The Diary of St. Faustina
| |
|
From our Pastor
We celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter. We glow in the news of Jesus Risen from the dead. I think that we all know that we would not be here as Catholics if Jesus did not rise from the dead. The Gospels would not have been written. The early Church community would not have formed. The followers of Jesus would have mourned His death but then it would all be over. However, Jesus did rise from the dead. Faithful members of the Jesus’ disciples continued to gather in homes and celebrated what Jesus meant to them and broke bread together and shared in what we now call Eucharist. Jesus did not establish the church. His followers gathered together and eventually formalized what we recognize as the early church with leaders that became bishops and priests, with rituals that became sacraments, and the Gospels that began as an early record of the life of Jesus. Eventually more and more of the life of the People of God became officially recognized as the Church. I know that this understanding might be new to some of you. However, there is a history of these many factors that eventually became what we now celebrate as the Catholic Church. It was the Faith of these early followers of Jesus and the leadership of the Apostles and Evangelists that enabled us to celebrate today who we are as the Catholic Church.
In the Peace of Jesus,
-Fr. Dick
| |
|
|
Calendar of the week of April 8 - April 14
Monday, April 8th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
School Clubs, Unity Place 3:00 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
OCIA, Parish Hall 7:00 PM
Tuesday, April 9th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
School Clubs, Parish Hall & UP1 3:00 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Finance Council, Parish Hall 7:00 PM
Scouts, UP1,2 7:00 PM
Wednesday, April 10th
Bible Study Early Session, UP2 12:30 PM
School Clubs, Parish Hall & UP2 2:15 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Scouts, UP1 5:00 PM
Choir, Church 6:00 PM
Adult Basketball, Family Center 7:00 PM
Bible Study, UP2 7:00 PM
Thursday, April 11th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
St. Joseph’s Circle, UP3 10:00 AM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Music Theory, Parish Hall 5:30 PM
Pastoral Council, Parish Hall 7:00PM
Friday, April 12th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Saturday, April 13th
Faith Formation, UP2,3 3:30 PM
Confession, Church 4:00 PM
Mass, Church 5:00 PM– live streamed
Sunday, April 14th
Mass, Church 8:00 AM
OCIC, UP, 2 9:00 PM
Mass, Church 10:00 AM
Coffee and Donuts, UP2 11:00 AM
| |
We appreciate the support of the fine members of the business community whose ads appear on the back of the printed bulletin and at the bottom of this emailed bulletin. With their generosity we are able to have a printed weekly bulletin at no cost to us from LPi. | |
|
St Francis of Assisi,
St. Vincent de Paul Conference
Helping Neighbors in Need.
Your help is needed in this ministry.
There are various ways to help out.
For more information, please contact Conference President: Pat Pomeroy at 206-280-6115
We collect after Masses the 1st weekend of the month with the exceptions of holiday weekends. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry through your prayers and financial donations.
| |
|
|
CATECHISM NOTES
Catherine Szeibert| cszeibert@stfoa-parish.org
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, a wonderful feast declared by Pope John Paul II, celebrating the mercy and love God has for the world. St. Faustina, a Polish nun, received visions from Jesus with instructions to have an image of him painted with red and blue rays coming from his heart. These illustrate the blood and water that poured from his side, representing an ocean of mercy for us all.
| |
|
|
My favorite quotes from her book, "The Diary of St. Faustina" are below:
“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory,” Jesus said to her.
“When I look into the future, I am frightened, but why plunge into the future? Only the present moment is precious to me, as the future may never enter my soul at all. It is no longer in my power, to change, correct or add to the past; For neither sages nor prophets could do that. And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God. O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire. I desire to use you as best I can. And although I am weak and small, You grant me the grace of Your omnipotence. And so, trusting in Your mercy, I walk through life like a little child, offering You each day this heart burning with love for Your greater glory. King of Mercy, guide my soul.”
― Faustina Kowalska,
The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul
The message is full of hope! The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere to the end and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ" (CCC 1821). Jesus, we trust in you! Thank you for trusting us to continue the good work you started.
| |
|
Faith Formation
Cheryl Brooten | cbrooten@stfoa-parish.org
How many times have you said or heard said, “I just wish God would write it on the wall!” _We want to believe, we want to know what we should do, but our faith is weak, and the signs ambiguous. The disciples of Jesus were no different! Thomas lived and traveled with Jesus for three years as one of his intimate companions. Yet, when challenged by the news of Jesus’ resurrection, he is initially unconvinced by the testimony of others and refuses to accept what his rational self cannot understand. He wants proof, incontrovertible evidence that cannot be denied. He wants God to ‘write it on the wall!’ And that is exactly what Jesus gives him. When he appears in the locked room with a physical body bearing the scars of his crucifixion, Jesus gives Thomas the evidence he needs to believe.
| |
|
|
Many of us can relate to Thomas. Wouldn’t some sort of concrete proof of Jesus’ existence and presence be a boost to our faith? How many of us think that we would be far more serious about prayer and sacraments if we had evidence of God’s nearness? People do see apparitions of Mary, angels, or Jesus, even if they are not the norm; but, being generally skeptical of the supernatural, their witness is not often believed by us. We also hear about miracles of healing or aid. Yet again, our skepticism impedes our faith. Perhaps the problem is not a failure by God to reveal his love and mercy but a reluctance on our part to see.
Like Thomas, we want that proof, yet we choose to ignore or discount what God provides. In our day, the ‘proof’ lies primarily in the witness of the Christian community, others who, like Thomas, have been blessed with incontrovertible evidence of Jesus’ power and presence, whose lives have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. These are the ones who were lost but now are found, who were ill but are now well, who were despairing but now enjoy joy and peace. Their stories, your stories, of redemption and healing are the source of hope and faith for a disbelieving world. Ultimately, believing is a choice. Thomas chose to stay with his crazy friends who were claiming to have seen Jesus, even though he did not yet believe. That choice, to stay in the community with hope and expectation, resulted in the gift of his own faith. May you too encounter the evidence you need through the lives of faithful witnesses. May you be, in turn, be a faithful witness to the truth that indeed, Jesus is alive!
| |
|
What is the Octave of Easter?
The Octave of Easter is the eight day period, or octave, that begins on Easter Sunday, and ends with the second Sunday after Easter. It marks the beginning of Eastertide. The first seven days of the octave are also known as Easter week.
A greeting of Happy Easter is always nice to share with family and friends during this time . Easter is one of the two solemnities with octaves, the other is Christmas. The days of the octave are given the second highest rank in our church calendar. Secondary to the Paschal Triduum, and, Easter itself.
So, you might ask, what is Eastertide? Good question. Eastertide is celebrated in different ways throughout the world, based on culture, geographic location and traditions. Let me give you an example: our Hispanic cultures often decorate the cross with flowers.
Eastertide would be something nice for us to think about perhaps for next years Eastertide. It’s common in America for ladies and gents to wear Easter hats or bonnets.
| |
|
|
I’m interested to hear what Easter tide would look like from your home origin and culture . It would be fun to include it for next year‘s events. Please email me your thoughts and ideas. I’d love to see them.
Easter Sunday I saw lots of ladies in their beautiful Easter Bonnets. Many of our gentlemen had on suits . Everyone looked dapper and beautiful. It was a sacred day, yet festive and fun with Easter dresses. The children so adorable and sweet. Some were carrying the Easter stuffies and baskets. You all warmed my heart in a big way.
-Kathi
| |
|
In loving memory
Mr. John McMahon -
Joan McMahon, Mary McMahon, Brett Busch
Mr. Lis Mefi & Mrs. Sonja Eneliko -
Lualima Eneliko & Anthony Rude
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Balsinger -
Mr. & Mrs. Gary Bolma -
Katherine & Edward Wilkowski
Mrs. Ruth Rossi -
Raymond & Hillary Rossi
Mr.& Mrs. Ramon Gomez -
Tonita & Valente Dominguez, Ramon & Trini Go Ez Flores
| |
|
|
Ms. Linda Shaughnessy -
Mrs. Consuelo Coluccio -
Vittorio Coluccio & AlexViteri
Mr. & Mrs. Tony Romano -
Mrs. Rosa Stroh -
Mrs. Faye Roerick -
Joseph, Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Grandparents & Friends
Julie Atwood -
Wayne & Glenna Atwood, Thelma Atwood
Thelma Campion - Maxine & David Campion, Kevin Kiser
Nenita O’Rourke - John C. O’Rourke
Thank you for your most generous donations.
Your loved ones will be remembered in prayer.
| |
|
Appreciation and gratitude
Sacred celebrations, such as Easter, come with a wide and momentous amount of work that happens behind the scenes.
My heartfelt gratitude simply cannot be expressed in words. I hope that each of you, however, can feel my love, appreciation, and thankfulness for each of you.
Father Dick -
Thank you Father, for a most holy, and sacred Holy Week. You are an inspiration, and faithful good Shepherd, to all of us . On behalf of your parish, and parishioners, we are more than thankful for “you,” your years of ministry, and your amazing humble heart.
Environmental Liturgical Designers– The ladies and gentlemen, who supported us during Lent, The Supper of the Lord, Good Friday and Easter Vigil were truly nothing short of miraculous!
The liturgical displays that were created during Holy Week needed to be displayed one day, and then replaced, sometimes within a period of 24 hours.
The volunteers ironed and steamed linens and banners, put up and changed out banners, removed liturgical colors, moved rocks, benches , received flowers from the warehouse, watered and arranged them, etc., etc.
God created the world, and these dear souls created the Environmental Liturgy for our Parish. I thank the Lord for each one of you!
Lectors– Those who proclaim the word of God.
These ladies and gentlemen are such a gift from God, and a blessing to our Parish. We met on a Saturday to discuss the readings, and to also talk about who was going to read what during holy week.
They coordinated together with their team members, and collectively came up with the proclamation of God‘s word for holy week. They practiced individually, we prayed together, they prayed individually, and, the outcome was manifest as you heard during holy week. It was glorious to be sure.
Thank you all so very much. When you were reading last week, the church was absolutely silent, and God’s spirit was everywhere, and palpable. Beautiful!
Altar Servers - The intricacies, and idiosyncrasies of serving the altar during holy week are enormous and immense, and beautiful.
We met as a group to go over each day, during holy week, and the expectations for the altar servers on that given day. Father was in attendance, as he needed to provide, guidance, and direction, as only he could do.
We met again the following weekend to walk-through in the church, what the activities of holy week would look like. We also problem solved any areas that needed to be discussed. And, there was even changes which were occurring the night of the Vigil.
When do we ring the Sanctus bells get rung during communion, when do they get rung during the Gloria, when do the candles get lit, when do the holy water fonts get filled, do we have the baptismal candles? And oh my goodness the Paschal Candle!
| |
The Printed Version of the Bulletin
Download and read our printed bulletin in PDF HERE. This one is what you will pickup after Mass when you come to church. It is a bit different than this emailed version which often has last minute updates.
These links go to the LPi St. Francis' page so you can see some of the ads and visit them and remark how nice they are for supporting our bulletins.
| |
|
 | |
LITURGICAL MINISTRY SCHEDULING LINKS & NOTES
April
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45AAAC2CA5F5C34-47086223-april
May
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45AAAC2CA5F5C34-48006902-mayall
June
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45AAAC2CA5F5C34-48843442-june#/
All signups on our Parish web site:
https://www.stfoa.org/signup
Notes:
- There are a lot of ads throughout the app. They come in various shapes and sizes - keep scrolling.
- Be sure to create an account with signup Genius. either from a login link at the top or going to the "plain ole Signup Genius link at the bottom of this text. It will make it easy for them to remember you.
- Please signup with the same email that has been used in the past. Signup Genius will match emails and you will see other calendars to sign up to.
- At the sign-on page, be sure to click on the little "remember me" box. It might even "remember you" the next time you show up.
- Be sure to bookmark or add this to the home screen of this page. Then you will be able to go back to it at any time.
- When you signup for a time, you can signup for one or more, just keep scrolling beyond the ads to the next time you want to serve. There will be a button at the bottom that says "Submit & Sign Up". That is the first button, then you will go to a page with all the signups listed so you can be sure you didn't miss any. Sign in then click on the "Sign Up Now!" button and you are done.
-
There are two icons/buttons at the upper-right, above the entries. The first one is to show the signups in a list view. The second is to show the signups in a calendar view. Both make it easier to see the signups.
If you have any questions please reach out to Kathi Swan at
kswan@stfoa-parish.org or 206-242-4575 x29
For Technical issues please email Rick Fleehart at
rfleehart@stfoa-parish.org
"Plain ole" Signup Genius to register or login: www.signupgenius.com/register
Any questions, Rick can help. I can be at any of the Masses with some forewarning. Be sure to bring your smartphone or laptop because we can get it setup on your device, and we can create a bookmark/shortcut for it.
If you only use a desktop computer, do not bring it to Mass to get help - Ha ha. We can create your username/account and send you an email link for the bookmark from my laptop.
-Rick
rfleehart@stfoa-parish.org
| |
|
STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE
Year to Date Report
July 1 through March 24, 2024
Sunday Goal: $742,950
Sunday Actual: $740,654 ($2,296)
March Goal: $79,052
March Actual: $71,670 ($7,382)
Thank you for your continuous and generous support of St. Francis of Assisi Parish!
God bless you!
| |
|
|
Administration
Easter and Spring Break: From all the parish administrative staff, we hope last week’s Easter Celebration renewed your faith and that “spring break” refreshed your lives. Thank you for your generous support of St. Francis of Assisi – your gifts of treasure, talents,
and time!
Fix Church Roof Leak Update: It’s a bit more complicated. The leak(s) is not just around the roof drain, it seems to be in other parts of the roof as well. This week, we hope we will get answers.
New Church Management Program: Over 25 years, parishes throughout the archdiocese managed parishioners’ information in PDS (Parish Data System). PDS was developed by a Catholic priest.
With the rise of social media, the Web, and use of the mobile phone, PDS has outlined its usefulness. The parish is now using Church Managing System (ChMS) for managing parishioners’ information, record of sacraments, emails, and financial giving. This company that developed and supports this web-based program is in Redmond, WA.
This church management software is particularly suited for parish family groups. With ChMS, we can see all the parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
We identify St. Francis of Assisi among all the parishes by its ID number: 122.
In the future, when we invite you to sign up to ChMS you will see your parish ID number, and attached to it, you will see the parish Id number, 122. Example Parishioner ID: 7865 – 122.
| |
|
Making Sunday Giving Easier: For fast access use the QR code. Point your smartphone camera to the QR code and say yes or OK.
https://www.stfoa.org/giving
| |
|
Life, Peace, and Justice
Linda Stryker | stfoa.ljp@gmail.com
CLIMATE ANXIETY – Climate anxiety means a state of extreme worry about the damage being done to the planet by humans. The emotional symptoms include a sense of being overwhelmed and worry and rumination about the future.
With environmental anxieties, there is often a lot of blame toward ourselves for not doing enough in the past or toward politicians, government entities and others for not doing more.
Tips to calm climate anxiety –
Stay informed, do research and set limits. Don’t take in so much news and research that you feel paralyzed, overwhelmed or counterproductive.
Take Action: Find ways to get involved in a safe and productive manor. Start small and focus solely on the things you can do each day to reduce your carbon footprint and your impact on the world around you.
Connect with others who have similar concerns. Connecting with others who share the same values can help you feel like you’re making a bigger impact than what you might feel doing it on your own.
Cultivate other interests – We want to ensure we are taking time for other aspects of our lives and other hobbies to balance out how we are feeling.
Practice Mindfulness – Use grounding techniques, yoga, or meditation.
Build emotional resilience – learning to recognize your symptoms of anxiety, identifying when they are becoming unmanageable, and utilizing positive coping strategies will build your resilience over time.
Connect with nature – take a walk, sit by the water, watch the sunset. Being in a space you want to protect and keep safe can also help you feel better about the future.
When to seek help – If you feel it is unmanageable, and if you are wondering if you should talk to a therapist, that is a sign that you probably should.
Sources for further information:
Good Grief Network – process your climate emotions in a supportive group format
Climate Café – facilitated group gathering for people with climate emotions.
AllWeCanSave.Earth – more impactful resources on dealing with climate anxiety
How to Save a Planet – podcast
Source: Time.Com, Cleveland Clinic Newsletter 7/5/23, Readers Digest 10/8/23, John’s Hopkins University.
| |
|
Life, Justice and Peace meetings:
We meet the 4th or last Monday of the month 7 pm via Zoom.
Email us your thoughts and comments at stfoa.ljp@gmail.com
| |
|
Technology Outreach
Rick Fleehart | rfleehart@stfoa-parish.org
"Well, that's never happened Before"!
The Worship aid was printed and ready, the 84 caption slides were ready and loaded into the computer, the Lectionary book was ready on cycle B… then the Lector picked cycle A instead of cycle B. A simple thing to do. If you could have watched us up in the choir loft when the wrong Gospel was read… maybe you shouldn't have! After Mass, we assembled and figured out what went wrong. You can guess that the Sunday 8am and 10am Gospels were correct. Unfortunately, we were not live streaming either of those morning Masses, so we didn't get to use our 84 caption slides.
| |
|
|
I was in the Family Center video recording of the Palm Sunday Procession of the palms. The device I use to stabilize the iPhone video seemed to be misbehaving, it is called a gimbal. It wanted to keep the horizon not horizontal. It was very odd and frustrating. The gimbal is what should help the iPhone stay horizontal, it has motors and a gyroscope in it to assure even if the operator is swaying around the horizon will stay in the same place. It is a useful tool when you need to carry an iPhone somewhere and can't use a tripod. It does seem to have its own idea on things. There are two buttons on the back that when pushed should lock the iPhone in either the vertical or horizontal positions. One of those buttons seems to not work as well as it used to. Probably due to my pushing it will all my might while live streaming (no panicking allowed). I ran a test on the gimbal, and you first must balance the iPhone perfectly level/horizontal before you turn it on. When it turns on, it then thinks whatever orientation is starts with is true horizontal. That is what my problem was during Palm Sunday, I did not look to see if my starting horizontal was horizontal or not. The instructions did mention this, but who reads instructions?
At the beginning of Easter vigil Mass, we had a bon fire (called a "Bond" fire in some bulletins). I was walking around the fire with the iPhone attached to the gimbal. The iPhone was set to broadcast the video & audio up to the choir loft where it will be integrated into the live stream that night. Up in front of the piano, we had a computer, projector, and a large screen. We were logged into the live stream so you could watch the bond fire and see the new candle up close while still sitting comfortably in the pews and not inhaling the smoke. Since there isn't a lot of room outside, it made sense for just a few folks to be out there and everyone else inside watching Intently. The video worked most of the time, it stuttered only a few times and just at the beginning. The audio was a problem inside the church but OK for the live stream as the audio was coming from my iPhone since we could not get any microphones to work. The wireless microphones do not go outside and the wired ones from the choir loft no longer work. We will work on a solution for next year.
| |
DID YOU KNOW?
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a Formed Subscriber, which means all parishioners can stream the videos and programming available for free! Follow the instructions below and use our ZIP code, 98062, to find our parish. Sign up and start watching great Catholic videos and programs for adults and kids.
| |
|
PRAYER WORKS
In times of joy and sorrow we find ourselves reaching out to God. Sometimes we feel the need of a little extra prayer support. Our Prayer Ministry is designed to give anyone who desires the opportunity for others to pray for their needs. The process is simple. Use the request button below to submit your prayer request. Your intention will remain within the privacy and confidentiality of the prayer team ministers unless you request otherwise.
| |
|
Please support our Little Free Pantry
The Little Food Pantry is located on the west side of the church near the sidewalk. This little pantry has been such a blessing for so many, as we have noticed it being utilized more and more. If you feel so inclined to donate a few items to support our local community in their need, please consider items that don't require cooking such as pop top meals in a can, tuna fish, peanut butter, protein shakes, granola bars, fruit in a pop top can, etc.
Feel free to add the items yourself or drop them off in the parish office. Thank you so much for showing your support and generosity to our neighbors.
| | | | |
