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Home , Francis of Assisi, Peter Damian

Welcome to our February 17, 2019 St. Francis of Family Sharing the love of in the north Georgia mountains, and beyond…….

Archdiocese of Atlanta Mass Times: Sat: 4:30 pm Father Gaurav Shroff, Parish Administrator Sun: 8:30 am, 11:00 am & Email: [email protected] 1:00 pm (Spanish)

Deacon Larry Casey Paul Dietz Weekday Mass: Mon – Thurs: 9:00 am Deacon J.P. McGuire Deacon John Barone Communion Svc: Fri: 9:00 am ______Pastoral Assistant Mary Smith Sacrament of Reconciliation: Office Manager Saturday: 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm (or by appt.) Jim Gioia : Finance Assistant Mon. – Fri: 9:45 am – 12:00 noon Joan Furst ______Dir. of Religious Education Office Phone: (706) 745-6400 Joe Kwiatkowski Adult Faith Formation Church & Office Location: Colleen Orchanian 3717 Highway 515 E. Music Director Blairsville, GA. 30512 Marianne Engelmann Office Hours: Mon – Thurs: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.stfrancisblairsville.com

Sixth in Ordinary Time February 17, 2019 Mass Intentions 2/16 – 2/21 Readings for the Week 2/17-2/23 Sat 4:30: + Paul Giles Sunday by Larry & Rita Casey Jer 17:5-8 1Cor 15:12,16-20 Lk 6:17,20-26 Sun 8:30 People of SFA Monday: Gen 4:1-15,25 Mk 8:11-13 Sun 11:00 +James William Doonan Tuesday by Rick & Elaine Grenon Gen 6:5-8,7:1-5,10 Mk 8:14-21 ======Wednesday Mon + Johann Gruensteidl Gen 8:6-13,20-22 Mk 8:22-26 by The Grizio Family Thursday Tue Charlotte O’Rourke Gen 9:1-13 Mk 8:27-37 St. by Frank & Elizabeth Uhle Friday Wed + William Porter 1 Pt 5:1-4 Mt 16:13-19 The Chair of St. Peter by Jean & Mike Borowski Saturday Thu + Jimi Bailey Heb 11:1-7 Mk 9:2-13 St. by Colleen Orchanian

WEEKLY CALENDAR Sunday 9:00 am Knights of Columbus Breakfast 9:45 am Catechism Marian Hall Lower Rm 9:45am Bible Chat Room 11 12:15 pm R.C.I.A. Conference Room 6:00 pm Youth Group Marian Hall – upper

Monday 12 pm Prison Ministry Room 6

Tuesday 10:00 am Mom’s Group Room 6 Chair of St. Peter, in 10:00 am Light Weigh Room 11 1:00 pm Bible Timeline Conf. Room Prayer Requests 2:00 pm Women’s Guild Marian Hall Shumway Jean Hiler Wednesday Fr. Gary Burkart Barbara Lewis 10:00 am Prayer Group Room 11 Betty Mendenhall Fr. G’s mom 6:00 pm Young Adults Room 7 Bruce Miller John Grenier 6:30 pm R.C.I.A. Conf. Room Pam Terranova Jay Carbonaro 7:00 pm Sp. Prayer Group Church Mary Ann Fitkin Ken Voss Names will be removed after 30 days unless requested to remain. Thursday 10:00 am Marian Consecration Conf. Room 4:00 pm Choir practice Church Prayer for Healing 6:30 pm Marian Consecration Conf. Room Almighty and merciful Father, by the power of your Saturday command, drive away from them all forms of sickness 6:00 pm Trivia Knight Marian Hall and disease. Restore strength to their bodies and joy to Offertory: February 9 & 10 their spirit, so that in renewed health, they may bless First Collection: $8,481.00 and serve you, now and forevermore. Second Collection: N/A

WHO WILL SERVE? We are putting out a call to all of our young adults, between the ages of 10-17 to consider serving the Lord by becoming an altar server. There is a need for altar servers to assist with the Mass, and also to help at other events, such as during Lent, which is fast approaching. If God has placed the desire in your heart to help serve the Church at St. Francis in this way, please contact Glenn Harahan, either by calling him at (352) 650- 3117, or by e-mail, at [email protected]

“The closer you are to the altar the more you will remember to speak with Jesus in daily prayer; the more you will be nourished by the word and the body of the Lord, the better able you will be to go out to others, bringing them the gift that you have received, giving in turn with enthusiasm the joy you have received.” Francis– Speaking to Altar Servers

33 Days to Morning Glory Join us for a 33 Day Retreat with Mary! As we prepare to con- secrate ourselves to Jesus, through Mary. Also known as Marian Consecration.

St. John Paul II on Marian The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did Consecration in his life: He plead but for an Hour of companionship. - Further, the Holy Father said that reading St. Louis ( Fulton Sheen) de Montfort’s “True Devotion to the Blessed Mary” marked a turning point in his life. Blessed O Come Let us Adore Him…..in John Paul II talked about this in an Oct. 2000 *EUCHARISTIC ADORATION* address to the 8th International Mariological Mon – Fri * 10am – 12 noon Colloquium in Rome. MINISTRIES AT ST. FRANCIS Blessed John Paul II noted that he had read and BIBLE STUDIES reread de Montfort’s . “Then I understood Sunday Bible Chat * Light Weigh * Bible Timeline SMALL FAITH GROUPS that I could not exclude the Lord’s Mother from my Book Club * Catholic Mom’s Group life without neglecting the will of God-,” he Fire of the Spirit Prayer Group * Spanish Prayer Group said, “who willed to begin and fulfill the great Bereavement Breakfast * Young Adults Catechism mysteries of the history of with the Sisters in Faith * Catholic Dinner Circles responsible and faithful collaboration of the San Damiano Men’s Group * Vocation Prayer Team SPIRITUAL FORMATION humble handmaid of Nazareth.” Divine Mercy Cenacle * R.C.I.A. – Faith Journey Discipleship Group * When: February 21st – March 28th (THURSDAY) Marian Consecration – 33 Days to Morning Glory Morning -10am, & Evening -6pm sessions. Disciples of Jesus and Mary MINISTRY OF SERVICE Consecration: March 25th –Feast of the Annunciation Women’s Guild * Knights of Columbus * St. Vincent de Paul * Pro-Life Ministry * Prison Ministry Cost: $25 (scholarships available) LITURGICAL MINISTRY Sign up: Call the office to register – (706) 745-6400 Altar servers * Sacristans * Lectors Eucharistic Ministers * Choir/Music Ministry ARTS AND ENVIRONMENT IN NEED OF A GOOD STEWARD…..or TWO!!

______After 16 years of dedicated service to the ministry Women’s Guild will meet Tuesday, February 19th, at Mary Mike is looking to retire as head of Arts and 2:00 in Marian Hall for a movie and popcorn. The DVD Environment. She will work with those who accept we will be showing is St. : Sign the ministry to see that they are fully familiar with of Contradiction. All women of the parish are invited to the tasks at hand and assist them as needed. join us as we learn more about our Patron !

The needs within the ministry can be handled in “St. Francis of Assisi is known as a lover of total, or divided among several individuals. The peace and of nature, and this is true. But he also went ministry is tasked with: against all social norms. All that the world said would lead to happiness, he abandoned for something else, -Covering the statues for Lent, (Which involves something more. It wasn’t until he encountered Christ covering the statues and removing the covers once that darkness and confusion were replaced with light a year.) and peace. Sign of Contradiction is about a sinner and a - Decorating for - and removing the saint who was on a lifelong journey animated by grace. decorations. (It takes about 1-2 hours to put them St. Francis was a real person with real struggles, up with the aid of volunteers.) temptations, and doubts. His life was marked by an unwavering openness to the Holy Spirit and a deep call -Preparing weekly floral arrangements to place to live . before the altar. Our hope is that those who watch the film will If you are interested or just have questions call be inspired by the life of St. Francis and desire to live for Mary Mike at (706) 896-1899. God as he did, as a sign of contradiction.”

St. Peter In his Sept. 9, 2009 general audience on Damian the saint, Pope Benedict XVI described Feast Day February St. Peter Damian as "one of the most 21, Cardinal and significant figures of the 11th century ... a . lover of solitude and at the same time a An original leader and fearless man of the Church, committed a forceful figure in the personally to the task of reform."

movement, whose personal example and St. Peter Damian……PRAY FOR US!!! many writings exercised great influence on religious life in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Have you checked out the new St. Francis of Assisi Website yet?

You don’t need to dig deeper than just visiting www.stfrancisblairsville.com to find a treasure trove on the Home page. The daily Mass readings and monthly calendar are there, along with GREAT articles about our Catholic faith, as well videos on the cloud of witnesses…….the , that we honor throughout the year.

If you’re not already registered with the parish, you can do that under the New Parishoner tab, under the ABOUT heading. And that’s also where you’ll find the “Giving Online” tab as well. And all of our bulletins may be found as well, under the obvious BULLETIN heading.

You’ll have to pardon the dust, as we continue to rebuild other clicks and links, but we’re hoping for your patience……..in building a better site to help our giving worship and glory to God.

ST. POLYCARP – FATHER OF THE CHURCH______Imagine being able to sit at the feet of the apostles and hear their stories of life with Jesus from their own lips. That was what Polycarp was able to do as a of Saint . With the apostles gone, heresies sprang up, pretending to be true teaching. Persecution was strong, and controversies arose over how to celebrate liturgy that Jesus never laid down rules for. Polycarp fought against the heresies that sprang up. He also faced persecution the way Christ did. When facing death, he was asked to swear by Caesar to save himself, Polycarp answered, "If you imagine that I will swear by Caesar, you do not know who I am. Let me tell you plainly, I am a Christian." When he was reminded that he would be thrown to the wild animals unless he changed his mind. Polycarp answered, "Change of mind from better to worse is not a change allowed to us." ST POLYCARP…….PRAY FOR US!!!! KNIGHTS NOTES

In Service to One, In Service to All – The Knights of Columbus CONGRATULATIONS KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS….

For achieving Star Council status for the fiscal year 2017-2018. The Star Council Award February means it is time for a Knights parish recognizes outstanding breakfast. Join us on Sunday, Feb. 17, from 9:00 am achievement in membership, until 1:00 pm in Marian Hall. It really IS the best insurance and service program activities. In order to breakfast in town and the cost remains the same at earn the Star Council Award, $5 per person and $15 per family. Join us for great a council must qualify for the Father McGivney, food and fellowship. Founder’s, and Columbian Awards. ______Exemplifying outstanding service to parish and community, we are proud of our Knights for all February also of their efforts on behalf of our parish, and means it is time for community. Congratulations! Trivia Knight and Speaking of Service.. Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Feb 23. One of the projects that our council is actively involved This year our event with is the raising of funds to is special. Our help purchase an ultra-sound Council is raising funds for procurement of an machine to be placed at a ultrasound machine to be placed in a women’s women’s clinic locally. These pregnancy center. Your attendance at this event machines are invaluable in the fight for life, and to date will help us raise the funds to achieve our goal. we’ve raised $4,000. The So, are you smarter than a fifth grader? Form a machines cost is $36,000, but team and test your wits as DJ Dan leads us in if we can raise half that amount ($18,000), the friendly trivia competition. We begin the evening Knights Supreme Council will provide matching in Marian Hall at 6:00 pm with a variety of delicious funds. Any help is greatly appreciated. And homemade chili. Cost is $10 per person, but if you attending our events helps this effort as well. bring a pot of homemade chili to share there is no CALL TO ARMS! cost to you. The winner of the cook-off as Are you a Catholic gentleman over 18 years of determined by our expert judges wins a prize! age? And not yet a member of the Knights? Why not help us in our efforts. Find out how by calling Oh yes…….Bring a dessert!! our Grand Knight, Ron Chmiel, at (352) 328-9240 RICH IN ………… ’s Reflection The blessings and woes we hear in today’s mark Las bendiciones y los males que escuchamos en el the perfection of all the wisdom of the Old Testament. Evangelio de hoy marcan la perfección de toda la That wisdom is summed up with marvelous symmetry sabiduría del Antiguo Testamento. Esa sabiduría se in today’s First Reading and Psalm: Each declares that resume con maravillosa simetría en la primera lectura y the righteous—those who hope in the Lord and delight el salmo de hoy: Cada uno declara que los justos, in His Law—will prosper like a tree planted near living aquellos que esperan en el Señor y se deleitan en Su Ley, waters. The wicked, who put their “trust in human prosperarán como un árbol plantado cerca de aguas vivas. Los malvados, que ponen su "confianza en los beings,” are cursed to wither and die. seres humanos", son maldecidos a marchitarse y morir.

Jesus is saying the same thing in the Gospel. The rich Jesús está diciendo lo mismo en el evangelio. Los ricos y and poor are, for Him, more than members of literal los pobres son, para Él, más que miembros de clases economic classes. Their material symbolizes their económicas literales. Su estado material simboliza su spiritual state. The rich are “the insolent” of today’s estado espiritual. Los ricos son "los insolentes" del Psalm, boasting of their self-sufficiency, the strength of Salmo de hoy, alardeando de su autosuficiencia, la their flesh, as says in the First Reading. The fuerza de su carne, como dice Jeremías en la Primera poor are the humble, who put all their hope and trust in Lectura. Los pobres son los humildes, que ponen toda su the Lord. esperanza y confianza en el Señor.

We’ve already seen today’s dramatic imagery of Ya hemos visto la dramática imagen de reversión de hoy reversal in Mary’s “.” There, too, the rich are en el "Magnificat" de María. También allí, los ricos son cast down while the hungry are filled and the lowly derribados mientras los hambrientos se llenan y los exalted (see Luke 1:45–55 also 16:19–31). humildes son exaltados (vea Lucas 1: 45–55 también 16: That’s the upside-down world of the Gospel: in poverty 19–31). Ese es el mundo al revés del Evangelio: en la pobreza we gain spiritual treasure unimaginable; in suffering and ganamos un tesoro espiritual inimaginable; al sufrir e even dying “on account of the Son of Man,” we find incluso morir "a causa del Hijo del Hombre", everlasting life. encontramos vida eterna.

The promises of the Old Testament were promises of Las promesas del Antiguo Testamento eran promesas de power and prosperity—in the here and now. The poder y prosperidad, aquí y ahora. La promesa del promise of the New Covenant is joy and true freedom Nuevo Pacto es alegría y verdadera libertad incluso en even amid the misery and toil of this life. But not only medio de la miseria y el trabajo de esta vida. Pero no that. As Paul says in today’s Epistle, we’re to be pitied if solo eso. Como dice Paul en la Epístola de hoy, debemos our hope is “for this life only.” sentirnos compadecidos si nuestra esperanza es "solo para esta vida". The blessings of God mean that we’ll laugh with the thanksgiving of captives released from exile (see Psalm Las bendiciones de Dios significan que nos reiremos con 126:1–2), feast at the heavenly table of the Lord (see la acción de gracias de los cautivos liberados del exilio Psalm 107:3–9), “leap for joy” as leapt (vea el Salmo 126: 1–2), festínese en la mesa celestial in his mother’s womb (see Luke 6:23; 1:41, 44), and rise del Señor (vea el Salmo 107: 3–9), “salte de alegría "Como Juan el Bautista saltó en el vientre de su madre with Christ, “the firstfruits of those who have fallen (vea Lucas 6:23; 1:41, 44), y se levanta con Cristo," las asleep.” primicias de los que se han dormido ".

PRAYER OF ST. POLYCARP: hour, I bless you because I may have a part, along When faced with challenges to your Christian life, with the martyrs, in the of your Christ, to try a version of Polycarp's prayer of martyrdom: resurrection in eternal life, resurrection both of soul and body in the incorruptibility of the Holy "Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and Spirit. For this and for all benefits I praise you, I blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal and received knowledge of you, God of angels and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, powers, of the whole creation and of the whole through whom be to you with him and the Holy race of the righteous who live in your sight, I bless Spirit glory, now and for all the ages to come. you, for having made me worthy of this day and Amen." OUR PASTORAL ASSISTANT RETIRING

Mary Smith, Pastoral Assistant for our last four pastors, is stepping away from parish ministry, effective February 15th. Mary plans to spend more time with her family and to enjoy retirement with her husband Stephen. A recent health scare made the decision to retire easier to make. We wish Mary many years of active retirement and thank her for her love for this parish. That, we are sure, will continue!

Did St. Peter really sit in this chair The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle – February 22nd

In the early 20th century, the stated:

We conclude, therefore, that there is no reason for doubting the genuineness of the preserved at the Vatican, and known as the Cathedra Petri.

However, since that time the fields of history and archaeology have advanced considerably, and, when Pope Benedict addressed the subject in 2006 and 2012, he spoke in a more reserved way, saying:

Dear brothers and sisters, in the apse of St Peter's Basilica, as you know, is the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, a mature work of Bernini. It is in the form of a great bronze throne supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church: two from the West, St Augustine and St , and two from the East: St and St Athanasius [General Audience, Feb. 22, 2006].

The Chair of St Peter, represented in the apse of the Vatican Basilica is a monumental sculpture by Bernini. It is a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity [, Feb. 19, 2012].

He thus placed less emphasis on the archaeological authenticity of the chair than on its spiritual significance. The cathedra is lofted on splayed scrolling bars that appear to be effortlessly supported by four over-lifesize bronze Doctors of the Church, and appears to hover over the altar in the basilica's apse, lit by a central tinted window through which light streams, illuminating the gilded glory of sunrays and sculpted clouds that surrounds the window.

Serving over 1,000,000 Catholics, the mission of the Archdiocese of Atlanta is to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord, and grow all of North Georgia in faith, hope, love, and service to others. Together, we are God’s hands and feet, sharing God’s compassion and mercy. This year the theme of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is “Go, therefore, and make disciples.”

While much of the Church’s ministry takes place in our parishes, we also come together as an archdiocesan Church to carry out critical services and ministries that have impact beyond any one parish. Your support for the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal helps bring the spiritual and corporal works of mercy to life. Through your generous gifts we can continue the work we were called to do as Christians: educate our seminarians, support our retired priests, provide catechesis to our children and protect the rights of the unborn.

Your gift to the 2019 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal helps makes it possible by supporting the ministerial, outreach, education, formation and discipleship work of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Please give prayerful consideration to your level of support to help fund the essential ministries and services supported by the Appeal. Next weekend, we will hear a message about the Appeal and everyone who has not yet make a gift to the Appeal will have the opportunity during our in-pew process.

To learn more about the appeal, and to donate online, visit appeal.archatl.com. A video of Archbishop Gregory’s Appeal message is also available online.

Please be advised that our pastor, Father Gaurav, is once again the target of an email scam. An email address very close in appearance to his valid email address may be making the rounds. If you receive a request for money or gift cards, know that Father Gaurav will never make such a request. THE PHONY EMAIL IS [email protected]