November 27, 2019 Winter Saturday
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48 SOUTH PEARL STREET • NORTH EAST, PENNSYLVANIA 16428 PARISH OFFICE: 136 W. MAIN ST. • NORTH EAST, PA 16428 Parish Office Phone: 814-725-9691 • Fax: 814-725-1225 Website: www.stgregoryparish.info • Email: [email protected] School Phone: 814-725-4571 • Cemetery Phone: 814-725-9691 OFFICE HOURS: Monday−Thursday: 9AM−3PM; Friday: 9AM−Noon MASS SCHEDULE November 27, 2019 Winter Saturday .............................................. 5:00 PM Sunday .............. 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM and Noon Summer Saturday .............................................. 5:00 PM Sunday ....... 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM (First Sunday in May thru Labor Day) Weekday Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday...8:00 AM at St. Gregory Church Thursday....11:30 AM at St. Gregory Church Our Mother of Perpetual Help Devotion following the 8:00 AM Mass on Wednesday STAFF Pastor, Rev. Thomas Brooks Permanent Deacon, Rev. Mr. Richard Winschel, Pastoral Minister, Cindy Riefstahl Faith Formation Leader, Jennifer Humes Administrative Assistant, Patti Prindle Director of Sacred Music, Corey Spacht School Principal, Nancy Pierce St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, Wonder-Worker, inspire us to a more lively faith, hope and charity through prayer, love for God and generous service to God’s people. Amen! ST. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS CHURCH NORTH EAST, PA A Welcoming Family Of Faith Celebrating Our 143rd Anniversary In The Heart Of As A Parish Family And The North East, Pennsylvania 93rd Anniversary Of Our Church SACRAMENT INFORMATION PARISHIONER INFORMATION Baptism – A baptism preparation session is required of all parents We are a welcoming Family of Faith who rejoice in God’s many wishing to have their child(ren) baptized. Parents must pre-register blessings! All members of the Parish receive envelopes and parish for the session. Baptisms are celebrated during Mass, following the mailings. St. Gregory Parish is a Sacrificial Giving Parish, commit- last Mass on Sunday, or by special arrangement. Please schedule by ted to serving the Lord through use of God-given time, talent and calling the Parish Office. treasure. Please use the membership form in the bulletin or visit the Parish Office to register. First Reconciliation/Eucharist – Children entering the 2nd & 3rd grades and who are active in the Faith Formation process (including CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD St. Gregory Parish School children) are eligible to enter the sacra- Children ages 4-10 are invited to participate in a special Liturgy mental preparation sessions. Sacraments are celebrated in late winter of the Word during the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass. and spring. Confirmation – High School youth who are entering the 11th grade BULLETIN INFORMATION and who are active in the Faith Formation process or attend a Catho- Groups or individuals wishing to have information published in the lic High School are eligible to enter the Confirmation preparation bulletin are asked to submit the information in writing, by e-mail or program. Sessions begin in the fall and Confirmation is celebrated in by phone call by Monday at 1:00 PM. the spring. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) Matrimony – Call the Parish Office at least 6 months prior to the Interested in the Catholic Faith? Desire to receive the Sacraments anticipated wedding date. Church date and arrangements should pre- you missed like Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation? The cede all other wedding plans. R.C.I.A. process is meant for you! Please call the Parish Office for more information. Anointing of the Sick – The Sacrament is available to all those who are seriously ill or advanced in age. Please call the Parish Office to PRAYER LINE request a visit by the priest. Add your request for prayer by calling Rosemary Repko at 814- 602-6271 Reconciliation – The sacrament is celebrated weekly on Saturday from 4:00 – 4:30 PM, or by request. There are two multi-parish cel- THE DIOCESE OF ERIE ebrations during Advent and Lent. Including the office for The Protection Of Children and Youth http://www.eriercd.org/protectyouth.htm Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus Parish At A Glance... St. Gregory Parish Office St. Gregory Church and Our Mother of St. Gregory Parish School 48 South Pearl St. 814-725-9691 Perpetual Help Chapel Pastor, Rev. Thomas Brooks 140 W. Main St. 136 W. Main St. 814-725-4571 St. Gregory Cemetery 814-725-9691 Fax 814-725-4572 Permanent Deacon, West Main St. & Brickyard Rd Fax 814-725-1225 [email protected] 814-725-9691 Rev. Mr. Richard Winschel www.stgregoryparish.info www.stgregs.net [email protected] Dear Members and Friends of the St. Gregory Parish Family, More new Saints! That's right, friends, just in time for this year's recent celebration of All Saints Day, the Holy Father has canonized five new Saints to inspire and encourage us. They are: St. John Henry Newman who was a convert to Catholicism. He has been referred to by many as “the most out- standing theologian of modern times.” St. Marguerite Bays who was a mystic from Switzerland. A seamstress by talent and trade, she often referred to the poor as “God's favorites.” She had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist and often asked, “What can we do to love God more?” St. Dulce Lopes Pontes who dedicated her ministry to the less fortunate and has been referred to as “Brazil's Mother Teresa.” She abandoned the wealth of her family at an early age and eventually moved on to religious life founding Brazil's largest charitable organization. St. Giuseppina Vannini lost both of her parents and grew up in an orphanage run by the Daughters of Charity. A victim of poor health, and rejected by a religious order because of her frailty, she went on to found the Daugh- ters of St. Camillus. St. Mariam Thresia founded the Congregation of the Holy Family. Through her work with the sick and lepers she was able to closely identify with the sufferings of Jesus and received the stigmata as a sign of that union. Every one of these new Saints deserves a lot more attention than I can possibly offer in my weekly letter and I don't want to underestimate the tremendous contribution each has made to the worldwide church! They have all generously dedicated themselves to the service of the Lord and I hope you can find some time to read more about them. Probably the most well-known among these newest additions to the great “Litany of Saints” is St. John Hen- ry Newman. In fact, our Bishop is welcoming us to a special “Mass of Thanksgiving” in honor of St. John Hen- ry Newman on Wednesday, November 6th, at St. Peter Cathedral. “Why,” you may ask, “is this particular Saint, from England, so important to us?” John Henry Newman was the first of six children and was baptized into the Anglican Church. When he was sixteen years old he began his studies at Ox- ford and was eventually ordained an Anglican priest. Always searching for au- thenticity, he became involved in what is known as the “Oxford Movement.” This was an attempt to restore many of the elements of Catholicism to the An- glican Communion based on the early life and tradition of Christianity. In this quest for the truth, John Henry Newman became a Catholic and devoted the re- maining forty years of his life in service to the church. Pope Leo XIII elevated him to the rank of Cardinal and Pope Benedict XVI presided at his beatification in 2010. Part of John Henry Newman's legacy can be found in the thousands of pages St. John Henry Newman of his sermons, meditations, prayers, poems and books. Works like “An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine” continue to reveal an amazing mind with a quest to keep us in touch with our origins while ministering in the world today. In fact, friends, some 2000 “Newman Centers” at cam- puses across the United States are dedicated to this great man. He always encouraged societies for Catholic stu- dents that would “call people to the deepest level of discipleship.” Edinboro University and Penn State Univer- sity are just two of many campuses that have Newman Centers that provide familiar religious services. My favorite quote from this newly canonized Saint reminds us all of our common call to service. St. John Henry Newman writes: “God has created me to do some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission; I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.” This weekend, friends, we celebrate the “enrollment” of our young people hoping to be confirmed in early 2020. They are a wonderful group of Juniors, many of whom are already involved in a number of parish minis- tries and activities. We congratulate them on their decision for Christ and pray for them now and as they con- tinue their preparation. As the process continues, each candidate for Confirmation will be considering a “Confirmation name.” This is each one's special opportunity to select the name of a canonized Saint that they feel inspires them to greater friendship with Christ and the “service” that St. John Henry Newman speaks about. I join you in encouraging them to be diligent in their research, reviewing the lives of many Saints, challenging them to pick the very best inspiration they can find to be companion and guide for the future.