Jesus Appeared to His Apostles During a Lockdown By: Philip Kosloski

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60 YEARS COURAGEOUSLY Living the Gospel May 3, 2020 WEEKEND MAGAZINE 4th Sunday of Easter Jesus appeared to his apostles during a lockdown By: Philip Kosloski

The apostles were afraid and alone, isolating themselves from the world, but Jesus appeared to them anyway.

fter Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, most of his apostles scattered, afraid of suffering the same fate. Peter went so far as to deny he knew Jesus in order to avoid being A captured. They were afraid, uncertain about the future and having doubts about Jesus as the messiah. Instead of resuming their normal lives, they distanced themselves from normal social gatherings and chose to go on “lockdown.” During their anxiety, Jesus appeared to them and offered them peace. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

Continued page 2 Fourth Sunday of Easter Page 2

Continued from front page Even after this first encounter with the Risen Jesus, the apostles continued their “lockdown” until Jesus appeared a second time. Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:26) Whenever we feel alone and isolated, maybe even on “lockdown” or quarantine, we should read again this passage from the Gospels and place ourselves in the scene. PASTOR Rev. Wayne C. Genereux Imagine, for a few minutes, yourself in this locked room the apostles are in. They are all expressing feelings of worry and anxiety, stressed- DEACONS out by the events that just took place. Deacon Bill Lovelace In the midst of all this anxiety, Jesus walks through their locked doors Deacon John Schaefer and enters into the room. His first words, before any type of greeting, are “Peace be with you.” PASTOR EMERITUS Msgr. Anton Dechering Jesus brings peace to those in lockdown, he wants to calm our hearts Retired and ease our worries. He knows we are afraid and offers to us his peace.

CLERGY ASSISTANCE All we need to do is accept His gift of peace into our closed and locked hearts. That is one thing we need to open during times of isolation. Our Fr. Jack McDowell, OFM hearts need to open wide to His love and peace, allowing Jesus to dwell Fr. Tom Kirchhoefer, within it, reassuring us that he is in control, no matter what is happen- ing outside in the world. VA Chaplain Reprinted with permission from aleteia.org Fr. Victor Bartolotta

MASS SCHEDULE, HOLY DAYS, & RECONCILIATION The church is open for private prayer Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM - 12 Noon The Sunday Mass is pre-recorded at Blessed Trinity and weekdays Catholic Church and is put on our website at btsp.org on 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM. time for Sunday morning. You will see a box on the Check the Diocesan website opening page with the date of the most recent recording. for live streaming of Click on the words in red CLICK TO START VIDEO the Mass at dosp.org within the box for the current Sunday’s Mass to see and No Confession offered at this time. hear Fr. Wayne, Aimee Holley, and Vincent Sclafani celebrate the entire Mass. You will experience feeling 1600 54TH AVE S. like you are at your church home as you see the familiar ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33712 setting, hear the readings, listen to Fr. Wayne’s homily, and worship with Vincent’s music and singing. PHONE (727) 867-3663

FAX (727) 864-2679

WEB SITE http://btsp.org Let us continue to pray... Page 3

ARE YOU NEW? What to Expect at Blessed Trinity

Welcoming

Our parishioners love meeting new people and sharing their lives with others. You’ll also be greeted by some of the most welcoming people you’ve ever met at a Church - and we’re not just talking about the Hos- pitality team.

Family Focused

If you have children, they are AL- Loving and Generous God, WAYS welcome to celebrate Mass it is You who call us by name with the community! Our Family Faith Formation program invites the and ask us to follow You. whole family to participate in learning Help us to grow in the Love about the faith.

and Service of our Church Dynamic Worship as we experience it today. Throughout the Mass, you’ll be en- Give us the energy and courage couraged and invigorated by the com- of Your Spirit munity’s full, conscious, and active participation in the Liturgy. Our to shape its future Community loves to SING! From traditional hymns to contemporary Grant us faith-filled leaders worship music, the word of God is proclaimed in a dynamic fashion. The who will embrace Christ's Mission homilies are geared towards challeng- of love and justice. ing our parishioners to become better Christians.

Bless the Diocese of St. Petersburg A Church Unlike Any Other by raising up dedicated and generous leaders from our families and friends There’s so much more to talk about! Our Parish is a wonderful, dynamic who will serve Your people as Sisters, community and we welcome you to Priests, Brothers, Deacons and Lay Ministers. celebrate liturgy with us this weekend!

Inspire us to know You better It doesn’t matter if this is your first and open our hearts time, 50th time, or first time in 50 years - know that you always have a to hear Your call. place to worship, and a community to belong to at Blessed Trinity Catholic We ask this through our Lord. Church.

To learn more, visit WWW.BTSP.ORG This Week in Worship Page 4

Are You Looking to Mass Intentions Receive One of the Seven Sacraments With Saturday, May 2 Us? 4:00 p.m. James Lawler (Dec) and Lindsey Stallard (Dec) Matrimony Sunday, May 3, Fourth Sunday of Easter Congratulations on your engage- 8:00 a.m. Joseph Karibo (Dec) ment! Every Diocese in Florida 9:30 a.m. For Parishioners requires at least six months prep- 11:30 a.m. Elly McManus (Dec) aration before marriage. Please call our Pastor, Fr. Wayne Gene- Monday, May 4 reux, at the Parish Office for an 8:00 a.m. Bernard Azarewicz (Dec) appointment before setting a date. Jean Bird (Dec)

Baptism Tuesday, May 5 We are honored that you would 8:00 a.m. Ankerberg Family (Dec) like to choose Blessed Trinity Catholic Church for the Baptism Wednesday, May 6 of your child! We ask that you 8:00 a.m. For Vocations please call our Pastor, Fr. Wayne Genereux, at the Parish Office for Thursday, May 7 information regarding the Pre- 8:00 a.m. A. Frederick Susi (Dec) Baptism Class before scheduling a Baptism. Friday, May 8 8:00 a.m. Tom Maloney (Liv) NEW Office Hours Mon., Tues., Thurs. Fri. Saturday, May 9 9am - 4 pm (Closed Wed) 8:00 a.m. Jeanne Johnson (Dec) Closed for Lunch Noon to 1 pm 4:00 p.m. Bill Maslar (Dec)

Sunday, May 10, Fifth Sunday of Easter 8:00 a.m. Dr. Malcomb Jones & Staff (Liv) 9:30 a.m. For Parishioners Receive Encouragement 11:30 a.m. Janis Haeberk (Dec) Each Day During this time of no public Masses, the requested Mass Intentions are offered in a You are invited to sign up to private Mass celebrated daily by Fr. Wayne. receive daily Scripture reflections on Courageously Living Bulletins can be accessed on our website or the Gospel that will provide are available for you to pick up in the church. suggestions and prayers for more boldly living your faith. Reflection writers include local Catholic leaders such as Bishop Gregory Parkes. You can choose to receive the reflections via email or text. Sign up to be courageous, visit www.dosp.org/reflection. Thank You/Offertory Page 5

In this present quarantine time we are living in I have never been so excited to receive the mail at Thank you! the office. Sometimes I stay later at the office until the mail arrives be- cause each day we get envelopes from parishioners with their financial support for the church. A few people come by the office with their offering and I am so glad to see them. It is like getting a “vote” of “I stand with you!” It is a feeling that is hard to put into words, but I’ll try. We absolutely recognize Offertory Report that you are remembering to keep your parish equipped and func- Offertory: $5,396 tioning. I believe you want us to stay operational and be ready and Easter: $518 able for the day we can open our doors to welcome you back to cel- Building Fund: $162 ebrate the mass, enjoy parish community and ministry. Did you Easter Flowers: $25 know you can endorphins from mail? Thank you for your generosity. Some envelopes also have little notes of encouragement or prayer. Fr. Wayne saves all those notes. He is, we are, keenly en- Also, St. Vincent de Paul couraged and filled with renewed hope. thanks you for your support: $255 Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Want to try Online Giving? Go to our website at btsp.org Submitted by and click the online giving Eileen Plasse button.

Prayer to St. Corona in a Time of Epidemic

Lord Jesus Christ, You came into this world for our salvation.

Look kindly on us now, we pray, that we, and all those who serve You, might be kept safe from this epidemic.

Heal those who are sick, comfort the suffering, bring back those who have gone astray, and above all, increase our faith, O Lord.

Give us the grace to follow You and, like the martyr St. Corona, who gave her life for love of You, to take up our crosses daily without fear or hesitation.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

St. Corona, patroness of epidemic victims, pray for us. Third Sunday of Easter Page 6

Share Images from Faith at Home This Week at Blessed Trinity Take a selfie of how you are celebrat- ing faith at home during the corona- All events have been postponed or canceled. virus. Use the hashtag Please keep checking in with us! #DOSPFaithAtHome or email pics to [email protected]. Are you viewing the Mass online, praying a rosary, reading about the saints, do- Never Miss A Video! ing Catholic crafts? Show us how you are living #DOSPFaithAtHome. Please note that we must have release forms signed and on file with the Diocese or No need to wait to discover the latest videos school for any photos of minors. from Bishop Gregory Parkes and the Diocese of St. Petersburg. When you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you can check a box in the Fraudulent Social Media Activity subscription form that allows YouTube to send you email updates each time we upload It has come to the attention of the Diocese of St. Petersburg that parishioners have been re- a new video. Also, if we have 1,000 subscrib- ceiving text messages asking for money and gift ers we will be able to livestream on mobile cards from people pretending to be our priests. and can reach more people with Good News Our priests and staff do not contact individuals via and inspiring faith stories. Help us reach our text message or social media to ask for money or goal! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! personal information. Also, we have become Visit YouTube.com/user/DioceseofStPete. aware that at least one person was contacted by someone using Facebook Messenger pretending to be Bishop Gregory Parkes. Bishop Parkes does Here’s How: not contact individuals on social media using Fa- • Sign in to YouTube or create an account. cebook Messenger. Please report any suspicious • Visit: www.youtube.com/user/ activity to Facebook and do not respond. dioceseofstpete • Tap the red Subscribe button. Do not reply to such text, email or social media messages and call your parish, school or the Diocese to verify its legitimacy if it appears suspicious.

When internet fraudsters mimic a legitimate individual, organization or business to trick con- sumers into giving out personal information or money, it is called phishing. When fraudsters do this via text messaging, it is called smishing. If you lost money to a scam that started with an email, please report it at ftc.gov/complaint. Also, here is a great resource from the Federal Trade Commission: How to Recognize and Report Scam Text Messaging. In light of those who cannot attend Mass due to health issues and the corona virus, please Ignore suspicious text messages, social check visit EWTN on media messages, and emails from someone who Frontier: channel 285 and Spectrum: channel claims to need your personal information or visit www.faithandsafety.org to learn about protecting 1340 or 78. your family online. You can visit https://www.ewtn.com/tv/ schedule for a full schedule of Masses. Please Pray for Our Sick and Homebound Page 7

Adkins, Chantale DeLucca, Rosemary Hildebrand, Bud Maitland, Steve Robinson, Agnes Albertson, Michelle Detore, Alice Huff, Walt & Carole Mark, Jacqueline Romani, Angelo & Antczak, Harriet Deuel, Fred Iglesias, Olivia Marois, Mary Marlene Arnold, Barbara Devyn & Donna Infant Ursa McGarry, Jean Rosa, Joe & Nina Attard, Stephanie DeZarn, Vickie Kantowicz, Jan Membreno, Mary & Gus Sanders, Kimberly Banks, Cathy Doiron, Gary Keithly, Claire Merchant, Geraldine Sanders, Marilyn Barry, Marian Feehan, Joe Kincaid, Kevin & Tammie Merchant, Rhoda Schaefer, Jake Beekman, Connie Feltes, Chuck & Lauren King, Ada Mesick, Phil & Nancy Schneider, Mary Jo Bennett, Elizabeth Ferero, Antoinette Kleinberger, Donovan Meyer, Patricia Sclafani, Francesco Blondheim, Carmen Fiedler, Meghan Kline, Irene Monahan, Sheila Sharp, Jennett Brown, Bob & Beverly Forbes, Monica & Tom Krieger, Mary Murdock, Cheryl & Evan Shelby, Ron & Montez Brown, Buck Forbes, Rahim Kwesell, Eugene Neumann, Janet Sheridan, Samantha Brown, Dorothy Forbes, Tina May Lanigan, John Nichols, Robert Simpson, Rose Brown III, George Fr. Jim Klima Lashley, Diana Nicholson, Maria Smith, Anita Brown, Shaquita Fraser, Sue Chapman Lawler, Annette Noguez, Armida St. Pierre, Rick Browning, Rea Freda, Eileen Lawrence, Sandy Nuñez, Marleny Stankiewicz, Cy Bruce, Phil Garcia, Jose M. Leath, Bill Palumbo, Al Storey, Barbara Buckwald, Diane Gaskin, Douglas Lee, Donald Pezzulo, Irene Thompson, Bill Carfora, Palma Genereux, Carol LeVan, George Phillips, James Thompson, Susan Ceci, Shirley Graeme, Mary Lindsay, Jane Pope, Stoney Thore, Isabelle Chavez, John Gregg, Joan Logue, Mike Privitera, Sandy Vishnisky, Wayne Chris, David Griffin, Lynda Butler Lovelace, Melayna Ray, Terry Watson, Doug & Claire Christ, Kathryn Grimberg, Carol Lowery, Judith Reardon, Kevin Whalen, Dorothy Cline, Wayne Hamilton, Tom Lucas, Laura Reardon, Kara Wood, Jena Cohn, Joan Hawkins, Ashlyn Lyons, Laura Reed, Edward, Jr. Youngman, Ruth Congiu, Rita Hawkins, Barbara Mack, Jackson Rivera, Joel Dawson, Anthony Peter Heylan, Edward H. Maharne, Cecile Reyes, Nila Deacon Lionel Roberts Hepp, Loren Mahoney, Colleen