St. Therese of the Child Jesus and School 1260 N.E. 132nd Ave., Portland, OR 97230 503-256-5850

Lord, in your great love, answer me. “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-42) Sacraments of the Eucharist Parish Office Information

Saturday Vigil Mass ...... 5:00 pm Office Hours ...... Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Sunday Mass ...... 9:00 am and 11:30 am Address ...... 1260 N.E. 132nd Ave.

Important: Portland, OR 97230 Phone...... (503) 256-5850 You need to call the Office to sign up for Website ...... www.stthereseor.org Masses. Walk-ins will not be allowed. Staff Members Reconciliation Pastor ...... Rev. Stephen Michael Geer By Appointment Business Manager ...... Mrs. Penny Montani School Principal ...... Mrs. Rosemarie El Youssef School Office Information Faith Formation and Liturgy Mrs. Stella Armstrong Phone ...... (503) 253-9400 Facilities Manager ...... Mr. Matthew Shelton Website . . . . www.stthereseschool.org Receptionist ...... Mrs. Angie Barnett Office Assistant ...... Ms. Jenn Kirkpatrick June 28, 2020, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Please Pray For Living: Vilma Anker, Antoinette Barker, Mary Basaraba, Maria Rosa Brekke, Bobbi Brown, Patty Burtner, Fr. Rob Bustamante, Arlene Cabal-lero, Marie Carter, Jenni Clark, Mary Cox, Melanie Davantes, Joanne Gargano, Julie Ho, William Keller, Gregorio Manalo, Ar- den Manning, Margie Nelson, Edna Orello, Liz Parker, Fred Pelzer, Jim and Ava Riopelle, Margaret Routledge, Call Shasta Hatter for more information or to volunteer. Frances Ryland, Rosa Santos, Karen Saso, Joanne Scab- 503-253-7566. ery, Vera Saxton, Anne Schmidt, Kiersten and Elsa Schneider, Thelma Striplin, Marcie Farlow Taylor, Joe WEEKLY DEADLINE FOR BULLETIN ENTRIES IS EVERY Van Buren, Bernadine West, Fr. Dave Wilkins, Rose MONDAY AT 1:00 PM. EMAIL [email protected]. Zenge, Becky

Food Box Distribution Location at St. Henry in Gresham

Thank you, Volunteer Ministers! Please remember to thank our volunteer Ministers who make it possible for our weekend Masses to be offered. Although our attendance is still restricted to 25 people, our ministers commit 100% of their efforts and dedication in maintaining our standard of safety protocol so that everyone who attends Mass will be safe and protected. Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 pm Sunday Mass at 9:00 am Sunday Mass at 11:30 am Angie Jauregui Janice Levesque John Crouch Barb Wilwers Sue Buhr Pam LaFerte Thang Nguyen Greg Buhr Mary Haney Sue Anker Tom Byington Hazel Philbrook Barb Miller Titay Schommer Margaret Oliphant Kathy Hobbs Steve Schommer Ken Oliphant Joan Galles School Transitions Beginnings: let’s welcome our St. Therese School principal, Mrs. Rosemarie El Youssef (bottom pho- to), and joyfully send off our eight graders as they transition to high school. Prayers and our good wishes to Principal El Youssef and eighth graders! Photo below shows all eight graders as they attended the June 11th Blessing with Fr. Steve at 10:30 am in church.

Prayer to Mary by Pope Francis

O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Our Principal’s First Email to St. Therese Community

Dear St. Therese staff and families,

It is with tremendous excitement that I send this email to you on my first official day as the principal of St. Therese School. I can’t tell you how proud I am to serve you, and how grateful I am for the opportunity to pour my heart into our beloved school.

I begin my career at St. Therese following 19 years in public education; 8 years at the high school level, and the past 11 years at H.B. Lee Middle School, just five minutes east of our school. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English from Portland State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the , and most recently I earned a certificate in Education Leadership and Policy from Portland State University. I am licensed to teach Eng- lish Language Arts K-12, multiple subjects at the middle level, and expect my administrator’s license to arrive in the mail any day now. I’ve taught language arts grades 6-11, Student Council / Leadership, and AVID. My passion as an educator is growing lifelong learners who are servant leaders, as well as creating a culture of care, collabo- ration, and community in school.

While my work was in public school, my children were receiving a Catholic education at St. Therese and La Salle. Those of you that know me already, know that I believe in our school, our community, and our kids. This belief is more important than ever, as we navigate this strange new world of education in the time of COVID-19. We all experienced distance learning this past spring, and I fully acknowledge that distance learning looked and felt different to each family. Our staff didn’t miss a beat as the school building closed, working hard to continue their work with students - I can't tell you how much this meant to my family. I know all too well the struggle of teach- ing students from behind a screen, and the limitations we experienced in teaching and learning. I also know the strain that this placed on families – you all hung in there with St. Therese through the first closure, please know that we are going to take good care of you and your family during this next phase. I am reviewing the parent commitments to see where we can alleviate the additional requirements, because there are so many unknowns ahead. Some of these decisions need to be made in conjunction with the Parent’s Club, so they will not be imme- diate, but I want you to know that this is on my mind and in my heart.

This summer, we will be busily measuring classrooms, ordering sanitation supplies, and crafting safety plans as recommended by the Department of Education. These plans will look different in each school building, as each building and community is unique. Our first priority is getting our students and staff back in the building for in-person school full time. We will also be drafting plans for improved distance learning, and a hybrid model (both distance and in-person), as ODE requirements change regularly based on current research and data. As an educa- tor and a parent myself, I understand the stress of not knowing; my commitment to you is weekly communication via email, our website, and social media. You may call the school at any time with questions or concerns, and I will be more than happy to address them. We are partners in this work!

While there are many unknowns, there is one thing that is certain: I am here for you, and we will get through this time together. We are the mighty Eagles– through the good and the bad, we soar.

God’s blessings on you all today and always,

Rosemarie El Youssef Principal, St. Therese School Fr. Steve’s Weekly Homily

To Welcome A Prophet; June 28, 2020

A wealthy woman of Shunem receives a prophet and because she has done so, she is also rich with the grace of God. Her reception of Elisha becomes more committed still when she builds for him a room within her own house. In this way does she indicate that she is always ready to receive the blessings of God, for to welcome a prophet is to receive the fullness of the Lord whom he represents.

This is the case for her when Elisha speaks a word with God on her behalf asking the Lord to answer her deepest prayers. The response of God is to gift her with a son.

As the Prophets of the Son, Christ’s Apostles don’t just mediate with the Lord on the people’s behalf, they actually share the Word of God himself. The house the disciple is asked to make ready is one’s heart, granting access into the inner recesses of the soul wherein the Lord can come to dwell in his Spirit. Such a baptism is a conformance with Christ and so we are brought thereby into the very pattern of his life and death. Yet much must die within us before we can be divinized as ‘other

Christ’s’.

For the woman, this death is of her son, for he dies a young boy in her arms. Yet her faith is in the God of Life and she sends again for Elisha, the man of God. Coming to her house, he lies prostrate upon the body of the child and through the power of the God he makes Present, the boy is raised up.

This same power lies latent in the souls of each of the elect, for our own death too will not ultimately triumph over us, rather will our hope be rewarded by resurrection unto eternal life. PASTOR’S CORNER

Plague Journal

From week to week, as the Spirit moves me, I will share with you certain theological reflections concerning the liturgy and its relation to the times we’re in.

As we move back into Ordinary Time this week, I would like to ask you all to pray the following prayer each night before you retire. It comes from the of Mount Angel Abbey and is sung each night at the conclusion of Compline (Night Prayer). It is called the Stella Caeli (Star of Heaven) and was originally composed and sung during the 14th Century as a response to the Black Death (the Bubonic Plague). Covid 19 is not nearly as dangerous (thank God) as the Plague of that time; nonetheless people are fear ridden and over 108,000 have died in our country of the current pestilence:

Star of Heaven, who nourished the Lord and uprooted the plague of death which our first parents planted:

May that star now deign to hold in check the constellations whose strife causes in people the sores of a terrible death.

O glorious star of the sea, save us from infections.

Hear us: for your Son, who honors you, denies you nothing.

Jesus, save us, for whom the Virgin Mother prays to you.

Amen. The beautiful lay-out of our church makes it easy to observe more than 6 feet of distance be- Safety protocol tween individuals who are attending Mass. All pews are completely wiped down with a water updates and bleach solution after each Mass.

Our first weekend Masses opened to (limited) assembly was held on June 20 and 21. Please continue to let others know about our Mass schedule and encourage them to call the Parish Office to sign up for Masses. The dispensation from our Archbishop continues to apply, but for those who are ready to attend Mass, please be assured that the Mass Ministers are committed to doing their best to keep the Church environment safe and sanitized so we can all focus and be immersed in the Holy Eucharist. ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE!

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