Ss. Cosmas and Damian Church Twinsburg, Ohio February 21, 2021

Mass Schedule & Intentions For The Week Dear Parishioners, Having a difficult time All Masses will be livestreamed on the coming up with a personal Lenten parish’s Facebook page. Sacrifice? Here are some creative

suggestions: Monday, February 22—Weekday Mass 8:30am Deacon Bob Esposito • Daily Rosary Tuesday, February 23—Weekday Mass • Go to Mass one day during the week. 8:30am Martha Kamer • Give up or limit social media. Wednesday, February 24 —Weekday Mass • Read instead of watching television. 8:30am The Souls of All Parishioners • Thursday, February 25 —Weekday Mass Join one of the parish studies. 8:30am Carmen Vitale • Help at Center. Friday, February 26—Weekday Mass • Write to a homebound person. • Spend an hour in prayer every day. 8:30am Millie Ovnik Saturday, February 27—Second Sunday of Lent (Vigil) • Do not hit the snooze button. 4:00pm Robert Princic • Give up coffee (a penance for all of us). Sunday, February 28—Second Sunday of Lent • Only listen to Christian Music. 9:00am In Thanksgiving For Bill & Colleen Vrabel • Give up web surfing. 11:00am June Pfeifer & Paul Lindquist • Support Catholic Relief Service or Catholic Charities with contributions and prayers. • Pray for the Souls in Purgatory. Does 8:30am Daily Mass not work with • Read a Bible or story to your children as your schedule? their bedtime story. • Call a family member and LISTEN more than Parish in Macedonia has Mass during the speak. week at Noon on Tuesdays on Thursdays. • If you are watching Mass online, dress up for Mass and prepare a nice worship space. Scripture Readings February 22—February 28 • Ask people for special intentions and then pray

Monday Feast of the Chair of , Apostle for them. 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6, R. v.1; Mt 16:13-19 • Learn about a Saint each week. Tuesday Saint , bishop and martyr • Consciously stop and pray at work. Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19, R. v.18b; Mt 6:7-15 • Do a daily examination of conscience and go to Wednesday Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Confession. Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19, R. v.19b; Lk 11:29-32 • Thursday Thursday of the First Week of Lent Memorize a new prayer. Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8, R. v.3a; • Write a new prayer. Mt 7:7-12 • Read a chapter of the Bible each day (in any Friday Friday of the First Week of Lent order). Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-2. 3-4. 5-7a. 7bc-8. R. v.3; Mt 5:20-26 • Make an amend for a past mistake. Saturday Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and • Give up alcohol, sugar, or something Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8, R. v.1b; Mt 5:43-48 superfluous. Sunday Second Sunday of Lent Gen 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; • Pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19, R. 116:9; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10 These were just some of my ideas. Maybe you have a better idea. Whatever it is, do not complain or make a big deal out of it. Offer it up as a private gift to the Lord, reminding Jesus that “you seek my return to you, but do not grow there is nothing more important than Him. Give weary. You run after me in my obstinacy, but do your will power some exercise. We all could use a not give up. You rush after me in my sloth and are little more self-mastery. not stopped. In the face of my darkness, you are light. In the face of my mortality, you are life.” In Christ,

-St. Gregory of Narek (Feast Day 2/27) Father Michael J. Stalla First Sunday of Lent

Offertory (includes EFT): February 13 & 14 $ 7,698.00 The Loaves and Fishes Prayer Teams will Capital Campaign: not be praying with people after Mass at Capital Campaign Pledges: $ 1,502,310.00 this time. If you would like to pray over Capital Campaign Money Received: $ 1,170,135.00 the phone with someone please call Capital Projects: Michele Poletti at (330)524-3931 Mortgage Balance $ 469,061.37 Ss. Cosmas and Damian Church Twinsburg, Ohio February 21, 2021 Franciscan Sisters, TOR Lenten Retreat The Franciscan Sisters, TOR are excited to invite you to our annual Lenten Retreat, held virtually on Saturday, March 27th. Our theme is Into Your Hands, Father, focusing on trust and abandonment to our Heavenly Father, seen in the life of Jesus and our own lives! The retreat will offer talks, testimonies, music, , and optional small groups led by a sister. Parish Mission Our sisters will also share short video reflections during Lent, leading up to the retreat, on our Our Parish Mission will be taking place on Facebook page and YouTube channel, and offer the evenings of March 11, 12, & 13, at weekly small groups. If you’d like to participate Our presenter will be Jim Hogan. in our weekly small groups, register on our 7:00pm. website by Sunday, February 14. The theme for the three nights is “God is More information about the Lenten Retreat can be Love”. With the specific topics for each found on our webpage under Events. Registration night being as follows: for both the small groups and the retreat itself will also be found at that link. There is no fee to March 11 — “God is Real” register, but registration is required by Wednesday, March 24th for the retreat itself. March 12 — “The Trinity: God is Love” If you are a part of a parish group, Bible study March 13 — “Jesus: God’s Love Incarnate” group, or prayer group, and would like your group to participate, see our Events page or contact All three nights will be livestreamed through Sr. Anna Rose at (740) 544-5542 x135. Individuals our Facebook page as well. We hope you’ll and groups of family and friends are also welcome! join us for all three nights!

New Parish Photo Directory!

You are now able to schedule your time to get your family’s picture taken online! Go to our website sscosmas-damian.org for the instructions on how to do that. Please, be advised that the online scheduling is only available during the week between Monday and Friday. It is not available on the weekend to accommodate for in person registrations that take place at that time. You can sign up in person at church after Mass on the weekends. If you have any questions you can contact Rachel at (330)425-8141 or [email protected]. First Sunday of Lent

Eucharistic Adoration/Time with Jesus! “Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the Our Faith Formation children and families will get to crowd and their false teachings and turn back to spend some very special time with Jesus during the word delivered to us from the beginning.” special “Holy Hours” in the Church. During this time, -St. Polycarp (Feast Day 2/23) they will encounter Jesus himself in the Blessed Sacrament, discover what to do at Holy Hour, and learn to pray in Jesus’ presence. Please pray for our Caron Soltis Paul Studer children and families as many will be experiencing Linda Braun Fran Carroll this beautiful gift for the very first time! John Pfeifer Sr. Jennifer Hunt Jonathan Sedor Taylor Prebel You, too, can enjoy some special time with Jesus in Maxine Barr Pearl Rubino the open church on Tuesday evenings, 8:30-9:30pm Bill Rabatin Rochelle Menezes Ralph Sickle Michael Menta as we have Benediction with Jesus. This hour of Mark Magda Victoria Pang prayer with Jesus is open to everyone. It is a great Laura Ercolino Jim Halliday opportunity to spend more time in prayer especially Barbara Lukas Frank Drago during the Lenten season. Come for a few minutes or Sally Raymont Don Swallow the whole hour! Jane Smejkal Theodore Gerycz John Virgili We Pray to the Lord...

The SS Cosmas & Damian Emergency Assistance Ministry is so thankful for the generosity of our parish family. With your generous monetary and grocery donations we have been able to help many families in need. The Giving Tree gifts were a beautiful and benevolent example of how we care for others. Our families who received gifts for their children were touched that we helped make a Christmas for their children, one that they were not be able to provide this year. When we lift the face of a person in need we see Christ. Your generous hearts have done this a hundredfold. God Bless you! Adoration is open 24/7 to those scheduled except from 9am to 8pm on Saturdays

ADORATION OPENINGS We are in need of a few more people to fill Adoration hours. Can you make the sacrifice and sign up for one of these hours CRS Lenten Rice Bowl Project weekly or twice a month? No long-term commitment is necessary. It’s that time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving! Sign up to try an hour for just 30 days! Catholic Relief Services is the “official

Mondays 3am humanitarian agency of the .” CRS Tuesdays 1am serves people all over the world, who suffer the Wednesdays 3am, 6pm (alt weeks), 11pm effects of poverty, war and natural disasters. CRS Thursdays 12am offers us this special opportunity during Lent, to Fridays 2am, 3am think of others first, to learn about our brothers and Saturdays 10pm (alt weeks) Sundays 1am sisters throughout the world, and to give what we can in order to make a difference where it matters. Please contact Carol Twigger at 330-425-7688 Rice Bowl boxes can be found near the bulletins as you enter/exit the main church area. Please take one, read the material that comes with it, and decide as a family or individual what you will do this Lenten Join us for a Taize Prayer Service on season to give. Rice Bowls should be returned to Sunday the 21st at 6pm in the church. the parish office the week following Easter. Ss. Cosmas & Damian—First Sunday of Lent; February 21, 2021 All prayers and responses will be RECITED Responsorial Psalm

When he calls on me, I will answer him; Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who I will deliver him and give him glory, keep your covenant. I will grant him length of days.

Entrance Antiphon Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;

Glory to God in the highest, teach me your paths, and on earth peace to people of good will. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior. We praise you, we bless you, Remember that your compassion, O Lord, we adore you, and your love are from of old. we glorify you, In your kindness remember me, we give you thanks for your great glory, because of your goodness, O Lord. Lord God, heavenly King,

O God, almighty Father. Good and upright is the Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, thus he shows sinners the way. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, He guides the humble to justice, you take away the sins of the world, and he teaches the humble his way. have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who receive our prayer; keep your covenant. you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, Second Reading 1 Peter 3:18-22 you alone are the Lord, Beloved: you alone are the Most High, Christ suffered for sins once, Jesus Christ, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, with the Holy Spirit, that he might lead you to God. in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Put to death in the flesh, First Reading Genesis 9:8-15 he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, God said to and to his sons with him: who had once been disobedient “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you while God patiently waited in the days of Noah and your descendants after you during the building of the ark, and with every living creature that was with you: in which a few persons, eight in all, all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals were saved through water. that were with you can came out of the ark. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. I will establish my covenant with you, It is not a removal of dirt from the body that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, by the waters of a flood; through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.” who has gone into heaven God added: and is at the right hand of God, “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: The Word of the Lord I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign All Reply: Thanks be to God of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.”

The Word of the Lord All Reply: Thanks be to God Gospel Mark 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” The Gospel of the Lord All Reply: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ The Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our he came down from heaven, (At the words that follow, up to and including, ‘and became man’, all bow.) And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with Altar Flowers the Father and the Son is adored and Altar Flowers are on hold glorified, who has spoken through the prophets for the Lenten Season. They I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. will resume again during I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I the Easter Season. look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the To find out more about and get life of the world to come. Amen your request on the schedule, Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of please call Elizabeth Innocenzi at this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. 216-533-0515 For sanitary purposes please take May the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace. this bulletin home Rundo with you. Richard Helser