BLESSED SACRAMENT STEWARDSHIP OF TIME AND TALENT

Dear Parishioners,

“What return can I make to the Lord for all he has given me?” The Stewardship process helps us to answer this question posed in Psalm 116. This insert presents the various activities that make up the ministries of Blessed Sacrament Parish. More than ever, we need your participation to make the a living, breathing reality.

I ask you to consider what is a precious commodity—your time. Time is the one thing over which we actually have some control. Please take the time to sit down with your family and discuss how you can more fully participate in our parish life. Our Father has endowed each of us with special talents. Review your own treasury of resources and decide how they can best serve God.

Some of our ministries are fully functional; others need leadership. No matter how small you may think your contributions are, any committee would be eager to have your help.

Along with my thanks for your life with us, I add the prayer that your giving will always be generous and your joy in serving will always be great and full.

Pax, Fr. Joe

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

WORSHIP

Eucharistic Ministers (Sick & Homebound) We go to the hospitals, nursing homes and visit the homebound. Eucharistic Ministers carry the Body of Christ to parishioners and nursing home residents who cannot attend . The time of the weekly visits is flexible.

Altar Flowers The flower guild enhances the beauty of our church with its weekly flower arrangements and continual upkeep of flowers and plants in the church and social hall. We also decorate the church for sacred holy days and seasonal occasions.

Altar Server The Altar Servers assist the priest at Mass by carrying the cross in the entrance/exit procession, holding the book and bringing and removing wine and water, and to the Altar at the appropriate times. The commitment is usually 1 hour, twice a month. Students in grades 4 through 12 are eligible.

Eucharistic Minister at Mass The Eucharistic Ministers set up before each Mass, distribute the Body and at , and wash the vessels used during Mass. This requires 10-15 minutes before and after Mass, on an average of once a month.

Lector The Lector proclaims the Word of God during Saturday evening/ Sunday morning Mass and other liturgical services and carries the lectionary in the entrance procession. This commitment is one hour monthly, plus preparation time.

Nursery For the convenience of our parishioners, a nursery is offered for children (newborn to 4 years old) during the 10:30 am Mass (September – May). Our nursery volunteers supervise small children during Mass, attending to their physical needs and keeping them entertained. Those who use the nursery are asked to volunteer, please contact Ted Bohl, [email protected], for more detailed information.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

WORSHIP

Usher This ministry is one of hospitality. The ushers welcome the community as members gather for worship and assist people in the church. They take up the collection and distribute bulletins after Mass.

Music Ministry Do you sing? Play an instrument? Would you like to give of your time and talent to your parish and have fun with some great musicians? Think about joining the Adult , the Youth Choir or the Young Musicians. Please see Gregg Marino, Director of Music Ministries, after Mass, call him, 423-8305, or email him at [email protected].

Adult Choir The Adult Choir rehearses Thursdays at 7:00 pm and sings during the 10:30 am Sunday Mass. Cantors are also needed to cover the 5:00 pm and the 8:00 am Masses—there is something for everyone: those who like to sing alone and those who like to sing in a group.

Youth Choir The Youth Choir rehearses on alternating Sundays from 4:30 pm —5:30 pm and sings two to three times each season. Children from reading age through high school are welcome.

Young Musicians Group—Instrumentalists The Young Musicians Group rehearses on alternating Sundays from 4:30 pm — 5:30 pm and accompanies Mass two to three times each season. School age children with at least one year of study on their instrument are welcome.

PARISH SOCIAL MINISTRIES

Parish Community Life Parish receptions, refreshments after Mass, yard sales, Ice Cream Social, Mardis Gras, Spaghetti Dinners, funeral receptions, etc. are hosted by this group. Some events are worked in conjunction with the Youth Group. If you have any questions, please email the office, [email protected].

50 & Better Club (formerly Senior Group) Meetings are on the first Wednesday each month at 11:00 am. Activities range from invited speakers, field trips and creative activities. Our meetings are followed by a potluck luncheon. Spend this time with us for creativity, sharing, learning and just plain fun.

St. Martha’s Circle—Altar Guild We meet on the second Wednesday each month at 10:00 am followed by a “bring a sandwich” luncheon. We assist by washing and ironing altar linens, taking care of the candles and dusting in the church.

Health Team Ministry Members of the health profession provide an opportunity for parishioners to obtain information through our monthly parish bulletin information series. We offer monthly blood pressure screenings, valuable assistance during the NEST program, and offer health screenings throughout the year. Holistic health is our aim. (Flu shots will be administered next Sunday, 21 September at 11:30 am. Please bring your insurance card. If paying cash, the fee is $ 30.00).

In conjunction with our Justice & Peace ministry, the Red Cross will be holding a blood drive on Thursday, 18 December from 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Please take this time to sign up during our Ministries Fair.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Catechist (Grades K— 5) Assist Lisa Diaz, [email protected] in planning and implementing Religious Education for children. Classes meet weekly September through May on Sunday, from 9:00 am —10:10 am. Classroom aides are a welcome addition.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word (Grades PreK4—3) Each Sunday during the 10:30 am Mass from September through May, our children are dismissed to hear and understand the Scripture Readings. Parents or others interested in volunteering are always needed. We now have two age groups: Group 1 is PreK4 & Kindergarten; Group 2 is Grades 1 – 3.

Edge & LifeTeen (Grades 6—12) Edge and LifeTeen are the dynamic programs for our middle school and high school students. The programs aim to reach the students on their level by walking with them along their journey of faith, empowering them with the message by teaching in ways which they can relate. We utilize interactive and engaging activities to help our youth discover the beauty of the Catholic faith. A Core Team (volunteer team) of passionate and dedicated adult volunteers makes these programs possible for our parish. The Edge program (grades 6-8) meets Sundays from 9:00 am-10:10 am in the Social Hall while LifeTeen (grades 9-12) meets Sunday from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm in the Social Hall.

Blessed Sacrament Youth Ministry Blessed Sacrament Youth Ministry (BSYM) seeks to help our young people discover the fullness of joy living a life with Christ. We employ talks, games, small groups, retreats and social outings; BSYM aims to enrich the lives of the youth by leading them to encounter the person of Christ through fellowship, service, and the grace of the sacraments. We are always looking for adult volunteers to help plan, facilitate and run our programs. Most importantly, we are looking for those who are passionate about sharing the Gospel message with youth. The diocesan requirements for volunteers include completing a VIRTUS (child protection and safety) training class and a background check. At Blessed Sacrament Youth Ministry, we are committed to exploring our faith life beyond the sense of cultural practice.

What’s Good Wednesday (Grades 9-12) High school students are invited to drop by Blessed Sacrament every Wednesday from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm for an afternoon of snacks, games, and fellowship. This is a great way for students to unwind from school in a stress-free environment. Do you enjoy Frisbee, football, and video games? We are in need of adult volunteers in order for this program to continue!

Adult Religious Education Each Sunday from 9:00 am – 10:10 am, adults are welcome to join in the reading and discussion of current topics of interest to Catholics.

Peanut Butter & with Sr. Regina This lunch time group meets on Tuesdays, 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm. We discuss scripture in the light of our own faith journeys. All are welcome.

RCIA-Do You Know Someone Who... Is an unbaptized adult who wants to join the Catholic Church? Or is a Baptized non-Catholic who wants to be Catholic? Or is a Baptized adult Catholic who has not received Communion or ? A spouse? Son or Daughter? Son-in-law or daughter-in-law? A friend, neighbor, yourself? Then, discover RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), a process whereby adults become members of the Catholic Faith. Please register now by calling Sr. Regina, 423-8305, (Monday—Wednesday).

RCIA—Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults We meet on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm from September to May. The RCIA is not only for those who would like to become a member of the Catholic faith, but also for Catholics who would like to learn more about the faith. Team members provide hospitality. Childcare is provided.

Women of Faith Scripture Study Participants meet for an hour twice monthly, generally on the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm. Come join us and share in our fellowship as we learn about Faith in our Lord. Child care is provided.

JUSTICE AND PEACE

SMILES—Our Parish Outreach We sponsor an ongoing parish casserole program for St. Mary’s Food Pantry, NEST (we feed and house the homeless a week, 3—10 December 2014), food drives, diaper drive, Christmas Angel Tree, Lenten Projects, book drives (Leap Into Literacy), refugee resettlement, school supplies drive, and other community service projects. Mary’s Joy Bread Box We bake fresh breads/muffins, and donate grocery and kitchen staples to our local Catholic Worker House and sister parishes with food pantries or soup kitchens. If you have any questions, please email Kathryn Forrester-Thro, Obl. S.B., at [email protected].

Mary’s Joy Shoebox Parishioners “adopt” and fill an empty shoebox with attached wish lists and return it to the Church. These much-needed items are given locally to Samaritan House, Barrett Home, Catholic Charities and sister parishes in the United States. If you have any questions, please email Kathryn Forrester-Thro, Obl. S.B., [email protected].

NEST Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team (NEST) is the sponsor for our Homeless Program. Our week is 3—10 December 2014 during which time we provide supper, shelter, and breakfast. Our Health Team provides a volunteer each night to assist. We have a movie night and Christmas carol sing-a-long for our guests. We need your help with dinner preparation, bus duty, hospitality, overnight duty, and breakfast preparation.

God dwells within you, as you. Liz Gilbert

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless people now. St. Teresa of Avila

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Buildings and Grounds This “hands on” committee is responsible for the maintenance/repair of the parish’s physical plant: rectory, church, new addition, and parking lot.

PARISH FINANCE COUNCIL

The council performs consultative services to the Pastor on a broad range of accounting and financial areas. They render advisory services relating to parish investments as well as prepare and monitor operating budgets for parish operations. Members are appointed by the Pastor.

PASTORAL COUNCIL

The council provides vision and direction for the parish and sets priorities. It is the structure through which parish members can participate in the decisions which affect the parish. The discernment process takes place in May.

5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR PARISH A BETTER PLACE

THINK of yourself as a part of your parish family. Family members don’t always agree, but they do feel a strong commitment to the family.

USE your gifts and talents for the good of the parish. If you’re a singer, public speaker, musician or just a friendly, helpful person, get involved as a lector, usher, and greeter, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion or part of the parish music ministry.

ATTEND parish events. Whether it’s a mission, a lecture or a lawn fete, it’s important to support the spiritual, educational and social parts of parish life. Invite family members and friends to join you!

SUPPORT your parish financially. Parishes need your help with operational expenses, energy costs, supplies and maintenance. Be generous.

PRAY. Keep your pastor, the parish staff and the parishioners in your daily prayers. Pray also for the return of Catholics who have strayed from practice of their faith.

By Lorene Hanley Duquin

REFLECTIONS ON EXCELLENCE

These reflections are written for the persons I am privileged to coach in ministry and for some friends and colleagues who may enjoy my ramblings and have something to add to my thinking. These are often random thoughts around a given subject and, as always, “take them for what they are worth.”

“A sower went out to sow his seed.” ( Luke 8: 4-15 )

This is a true story that took place in a Roman Catholic parish and reported in its diocesan paper in New Brunswick, Canada.

Harry is his name. He ushered every Sunday at the 10:00 am Mass. He never considered his work a “ministry” like the lectors or those lay people trained to administer the sacrament. “Me? I am just trying to help out the pastor by taking up the collection and making people feel comfortable when they walk into church.”

One day the parish received a letter addressed simply to ‘Harry, the Usher.” The letter read,

Dear Harry,

I’m sorry, I don’t know your last name, but you know mine. I’m Gert who comes to the 10:00 am Mass. I am writing to ask you a favor. I don’t know the priests too well, but somehow I feel close to you. I don’t know how you know my first name, but every Sunday morning you smile and greet me by name and we exchange a few words….How bad the weather was, how much you liked my hat, and how I was late on a particular Sunday. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time for remembering an old lady, for smiles, for your consideration, for your thoughtfulness.

Now, the favor. I am dying, Harry. My husband has been dead for 16 years and the children are scattered. It is very important to me that when they bring me to church for the last time that you will be standing at the entrance. It would not seem right if you weren’t there to say, “Hello, Gert. Good to see you.” If you are there, Harry, I will feel assured that your warm hospitality will be duplicated in my new home in heaven.”

With love and gratitude,

GERT

Harry was at the door that day to greet Gert and, as a result of her letter, he most certainly better understood the world “minister.”

Like the sower scattering seed on both fertile ground and on rocky terrain, we don’ t always realize that good is being done by even the simplest acts of kindness. But, as Harry the usher discovers, even the smallest “seed” of kindness can yield a wonderful harvest and something as seemingly mundane and insignificant as being an usher or greeter can add greatly to the building of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

And, upon reflection, I am ever more convinced that what is communicated in the first few minutes of entering a church may make all the difference in terms of a stranger choosing to return to that place. I once had an usher like Harry, his name was Fred. Again upon reflection, I am convinced that one very important aspect of “:old timers” returning every week was the fact that Fred was there to offer what a great greeter or usher can offer:

- A warm handshake - A smile - A willingness to make casual inquiry and then to listen - The remembering of a name - Eye contact - An appropriate touch

Again, in retrospect, I so wish that in the course of my parish ministry I had done a better job of communicating all of this to the lovely women and men who so willingly stood at the doors of those parish churches in which I was graced to serve. This is not to say I didn’t try. I did. I just wish I had tried harder, been more deliberate. I wish I had better elevated the importance of this ministry. I regret that I did not spend more time training and, thus, granting permission to those persons to strongly engage this form of ministry. And, most important, I wish I had done more to simply say “thank you” to the “Freds” in my life. I hope all who take time to read this will benefit from my example.

You see, when we become at our we become partners with God in welcoming every person into a relationship with God as revealed in Jesus Christ. How easy it is to lose sight in each instant that we are “sowers” and Chris is the “seed.” Impart this message to your ushers and greeters and thank them for what they do.

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church 2014-2015 Concert Series

16 November 2014 Old Dominion University Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir Performing The Mozart

14 December, 2014 The Strolling Silver Strings

18 January 2015 A Little Bit of Swing

8 February 2015 The Boys Choir of Hampton Roads

No concerts during the season of Ash Wednesday, 18 February – Easter, 5 April 2015

19 April 2015 The Maury High School Chamber Orchestra

For information on these concerts and other upcoming events, visit our parish website: www.blessed-sacrament.com.

PLEASE INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU AT MASS; FURTHERMORE, PLEASE INVITE THOSE YOU KNOW WHO LEFT THE CHURCH. THEY ARE WELCOME TO COME HOME.