A memo from the office of liturgy
Special series on preparing for Lent – part 2 of 3
Are there extra rules we have to follow during Lent, and if so, what are they?
In my memo to you last week I talked about how giving things up for Lent is less about giving yourself more rules to follow and more about training your will to be more like Christ’s will. You can read it on the parish website if you didn’t get a chance to see it last weekend. But while we make this extra effort to make ourselves more Christ-like on our own, there are also extra regulations given to us by the church for Lent that give us a chance to try to be more Christ-like together. You can look on the diocese’s website (www.crookston.org) in the policy manual to see exactly what the Lenten regulations are (page 64), but the language there is technical, so I’ll translate some of the highlights for you here.
Fast Fasting is the first of two things we do together during Lent. But what is fasting? In this internet age, everyone seems to have an opinion on everything including what words mean, and the church has not been spared. If you look online at tips for fasting, you’ll find any number of suggestions that you should be fasting from media or long hours at work or buying new things. And these may be excellent suggestions for you. But they aren’t what the church specifically has in mind when we are called to partake in days of fasting. When the church talks about fasting, we are talking about food. All healthy Catholics between the ages of 16 and 60 are required to fast. (Really – once you turn 60 you are no longer required to keep the fasts!) The church defines a day of fast as one on which only one full meal is eaten, and if need, two smaller meals that together would not constitute a second full meal. There are two days of fasting: Ash Wednesday (March 5) and Good Friday (April 18), and if possible the Good Friday fast should continue through Saturday until the Easter Vigil.
Abstain Abstinence is the second thing we do together for Lent. Abstinence is quite similar to fasting in that it has come to mean any number of things in our culture – depending on who you talk to, we should abstain from video games, from sex, from trans-fats, and so on. But again, as a Lenten regulation, when the church talks about abstaining, we are talking about food – in particular, we’re talking about meat (but not fish). As a Lenten regulation, abstinence means not eating meat. Every healthy person from 14 on up is required to abstain. (There’s no upper age limit on this one – sorry.) Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all of the Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence.
Do your best to set a good example The section of the diocese’s policy book on Lenten regulations concludes by trying to measure how serious it is when a person fails to observe these forms of penance – fasting and abstinence – that we are supposed to share with each other. It tells us that missing a day here and there is not that big of a deal, but that persistently failing to share in these penances with everyone else is a problem. What I take from this is that there is a difference between the things we give up individually and the things we give up together. When we fail to do what we set out to do individually, we are just not there yet in terms of making our will like Christ’s will. But when we all try to give something up together, then we are setting an example for those around us. The people who walk this road with us might rely in part on seeing our success in order to bolster their own will. This is not to say that we have more reason to beat ourselves up over failures when we have them, but that we have even more reason to get back up and to try harder. Brothers and sisters, this is the example we are called upon to give our neighbors: not that we never fail, but that when we do we get back up. Try to remember that this Lent.
Do you have questions for the parish liturgist? Email me, Lee Richards, at [email protected].
St. Philip’s Church
218-444-4262 FAX 218-444-1381 www.stphilipsbemidji.org
Parish Staff
Pastor: Fr. Don Braukmann ext. 102
Parochial Vicar: Fr. Adam Hamness ext. 106 Mass Times Marian Devotions Deacon: Sunday Mass: Tuesday: 7:30 PM & Deacon Kermit Erickson ext. 103 Saturday: 5:30 PM Saturday: 8:10AM Parish Administrator: Sunday: 7:30, 9:00 & 11:00 AM Terry Jones ext. 108 School Council Members: Weekday Masses Bill Maki, Chair Bookkeeper: Monday, Friday & Saturday: 8:30 AM Deacon Kermit Erickson ext. 103 Jaclyn Bergerson Tuesday: 12:10 PM Director of Music & Liturgy: Roben Beyer Lee Richards ext. 104 Wednesday: 8:40 AM Debra Carlson-Doom (at 8:30 AM June, July & August) Director of Preschool & Elementary Faith Tiffany Fankhanel Formation/Safe Environment Coordinator: Thursday: 7:00 AM Kris Jensen 444-5849 Shannon Seibel Thursday Care Center Masses Director of RCIA, Liturgical Ministries & Parish Council Members: Special Projects: 10:30 AM st rd Wanda Baumgartner Robb Naylor ext. 118 Havenwood: 1 & 3 Thursday nd th Barry Cervenka Director of Youth Ministry/Middle & High Neilson Place: 2 & 5 Thursday School Faith Formation: th Clark Chambers Goldpine: 4 Thursday Paula DeClusin ext. 107 1h Kevin Erpelding Baker Park: 5 Monday at 2:00 PM Events Coordinator: Gary Gregg Susan Lucas ext. 105 Adoration Mike Headlee Secretaries: Monday: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Scott Herr Rose Johnson ext. 100 Tuesday: 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM Brent Rud Facility Maintenance: Thursday: 12 Noon to 9:00 PM Theresa Wilander Supervisor: Larry Mack Friday: 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM Maintenance Support Staff: Finance Council Members: Greg Allen Reconciliation Saturday: 4:30 PM Jim Shaw Nick Berg Sunday Mornings: between all Masses, Eileen Bretschneider St. Philip’s School Staff or by appointment Claude Sand
Principal: Rosary for Peace Shannon Schmitt Carol Rettinger 444-4938 Sunday: 8:35 AM Trustees: School Secretaries: Sunday: 10:15 AM Jon Hunt Suzy Bormann Heidi Fladeboe Joann Gardner Denise Kern
Sister Parishes
St. Charles Pennington Saturday at 4:00 PM Stewardship of Financial (Fishing opener to Labor Day)
Holy Spirit Newman Center Resources: BSU/NWTC Sunday at 7:00 PM, Tuesday at 5:30 PM 1701 Birch Lane NE
218-444-4762
Fiscal Year July 1, 2013- Fiscal Year to Date (Week #33): Diocese of Crookston June 30, 2014 Amount Contributed Victim Assistance Coordinator: Louann McGlynn Envelopes $ 505,428.71 218-281-7895 Week #33 contributions [email protected] (received the weekend of 2/16/2014) Loose Plate $ 30,838.91 Children’s $ 1,589.47 St. Philip’s Clothing Envelopes $ 11,182.95 Total $ 537,857.09 EFT $ 3,459.83 (95.92% of budget) Depot Loose Plate $ 748.11 218-444-3835 Tuesday through Saturday Children’s $ 43.74 Stewardship: A Habit 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM Total $ 15,434.63 of the Heart. Manager: Norma Himmelright MASS INTENTIONS for February 24 to March 2
Monday, February 24: 8:30 AM Mass: Communion Service THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH Tuesday, February 25: 12:10 Mass: +Steve Brink Monday, February 24: 5:00 PM Mass (Newman):+John Schuiling 8:30 AM Communion Service: Wednesday, February 26: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Adoration (Chapel) 8:40 AM Mass (School): +Jane Senger 6:30 PM RCIA (Gregory the Great) Thursday, February 27: 7:00 PM Nightlights (Kateri) 7:00 AM Mass: +Evelyn Schuiling 10:30 AM Mass (Goldpine): +Ernie Schulke Tuesday, February 25: Friday, February 28: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Adoration (Chapel) 8:30 AM Mass: +Noel Vanasse 12:10 PM Mass Saturday, March 1: 5:00 PM Mass (Newman) 6:00 PM Musicians Meeting: (Social Hall ) 8:30 AM Mass: +Lenore Aschauer 5:30 PM Mass: +Jane Senger Wednesday, February 26: Sunday, March 2: 8:40 AM Mass (School) 7:30 AM Mass: +Pete Hofland 6:30 PM Faith Formation: Grades 1-11
9:00 AM Mass: For the People Thursday, February 27: 11:00 AM Mass: +Jeffrey Shouts 7:00 AM Mass 7:00 PM Mass (Newman): Victims of Abortion 10:30 AM Mass (Goldpine) 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM Adoration (Chapel) Monday, March 3: 6:30 PM Natural Family Planning Info Session (Social 8:30 AM Communion Service: Hall) Tuesday, March 4: 7:00 PM Prayer & Praise (Chapel) 12:10 Mass: Deceased Members of Savard, Passeri & Friday, February 28: Rinflesch Families 8:30 Mass 5:00 PM Mass (Newman): Special Intentions for Fr. Don 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM Adoration (Chapel) Wednesday, March 5: 8:40 AM Mass (School): +Lenore Aschauer Saturday, March 1: Thursday, March 6: 8:30 AM Mass 7:00 AM Mass: +Tillie Theroux 4:30 PM Reconciliation (Chapel) 10:30 AM Mass (Havenwood): +John Schuiling 5:30 PM Mass
Friday, March 7: Sunday, March 2: 8:30 AM Mass: +Pete Hofland 7:30 AM Mass Saturday, March 8: 8:35 AM Rosary (Chapel) 8:30 AM Mass: +Jerry Shea 9:00 AM Mass 5:30 PM Mass: +Mary Johnson /+Ellouise Dahlgren 9:00 AM Children’s Liturgy of the Word Sunday, March 9: (Gregory the Great) 7:30 AM Mass: +Sally Mintken 10:15 AM Rosary (Chapel) 9:00 AM Mass: For the People 11:00 AM Mass (Life Teen) 11:00 AM Mass: Special Intentions for Grace Snyder 6:00 PM Choir Practice 7:00 PM Mass (Newman): +Ellouise Dahlgren 7:00 PM Mass (Newman) INFORMATION & ACTIVITIES
BAPTISM PREPARATION CLASS
Parents or prospective parents “Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a who wish to present a child for violation of the right to live which God has bestowed Baptism are asked to attend a baptism on this innocent life. To raise the question whether preparation class. we are here concerned already with a human being The next session will be on March 9. Please or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact call the parish office at 444-4262 to register, is that God certainly intended to create a human or for more information. being and that this human being has been deliberately deprived of his life.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Lutheran theologian and pastor who died in a
This year the World Day of Prayer Committee of concentration camp after resisting the Nazis Egypt invite us into a time of prayer with the words Ethics (USCCB January 2014 Word of Life) of the prophet Isaiah: “I am making a way into the wilderness and streams in the desert”. WITH SYMPATHY First Lutheran Church St. Philip’s extends Friday, March 7, at 1:30 PM condolences to the family of Joseph Neumann. May he find rest and peace with our Nightlights, a support group for anyone who has a Lord, Jesus Christ and may his family find comfort in loved one with mental illness with hold its monthly God’s love. meeting at 7:00-i:30 p.m., Monday, February 24, 2014, in the Kateri Room. Mark Papke Larson will speak on “Prayer, Presence and Self Compassion”. He invites everyone to bring a **SAVE THE meaningful quote, reading or piece of poetry that DATE** speaks to them. Please call 218 444 4262 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL WILL BE HELD RETURN YOUR AUGUST 4 – 8, 9:00 – 12:00 PALMS It’s time to start bringing your palms to the church In response to many requests, here so we can burn them for again is Fr. Don’s address: Ash Wednesday ashes. The burning of palms will take place on February 26, 2014. Please return your old palms to the church Fr. Don Braukmann before then. You can bring them in to the Inpatient Care parish office any time the office is open, or St. John Vianney Center bring them with you to church on Sunday 151 Woodbine Rd. and place them in the basket in the narthex. Downington, PA 19335 Thank you! Bible Readings for the Week February 22/23 of February 24 ~ March 2