St. Peter's Church

ST. PETER’S CHURCH 262 N. Main Street

Liberty, NY 12754

Parish Website: www.stpetersliberty.com Facebook: St. Peter’s Church, Liberty

October 3, 2021 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time The Year of Saint Joseph LIVING OUR FAITH

We hear in today’s gospel, Jesus admonish his disciples who are intent on discouraging parents from bringing their children to him, saying, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” This comes as no shock to us, for we know Jesus was constantly lifting up the poor, vulnerable and weak as important members of his community. But today Jesus does more. After affirming children’s place in the kingdom of God, Jesus lifts them up as a spiritual model for adults. In particular Jesus points to a child’s ability to receive the kingdom of God as a necessary attribute for anyone wishing to enter this kingdom. And so, let us consider how a young child receives. Upon being given a gift, a child often responds with delight and eagerness. Once the gift is opened, the child’s joy grows in wishing to use the gift right away. At times, as adults, we might receive gifts this way. But oftentimes other feelings creep in beyond eagerness, delight, and joy. We might be concerned whether we “deserve” the gift we have been given, or perhaps we worry about what we will give in return to make the relationship “even” between us and the gift giver. This is not the way one receives a gift such as the kingdom of heaven. There is nothing we can do to deserve such a gift and nothing we could give in return that would “equal out” our relationship with God. This week, maybe we could ponder how we might receive the gift of God’s kingdom with childlike wonder, awe, and joyful thanksgiving that prompts us to eagerly live each day as kingdom people. Page 1 of 10

Questions for the week: Jesus says “Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will not enter it.” What aspects of childhood do you think Jesus is referring to that adults are meant to emulate?

COVID PROTOCOL As you have probably already heard, Sullivan County is an area of substantial Covid-19 transmission. The CDC recommends that all in these areas, vaccinated or unvaccinated, should resume wearing masks indoors. That being the case, I am asking and urging that all of us resume wearing masks until this current threat passes. Thank you for your cooperation as we live through this together.

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This Sunday’s Hymns (10AM Mass)

# 246 In Remembrance of You # 323 Here I Am, Lord # 219 Stewards of Earth # 245 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

Readings for this Weekend (October 3rd) Genesis 2:18-24 Hebrews 2:9-11 Mark 10:2-16

Readings for next Weekend (October 10th) Wisdom 7:7-11 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30

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Our Parish Family extends our warmest congratulates and best wishes to James Buck! James was received into the Roman Catholic Church at last Sunday evening’s liturgy. James, we are so happy to have you as part of our Parish Family here at St. Peter’s!

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK AND THOSE IN NEED If you would like to add a name to our prayer list for the sick, please contact the Parish office. We kindly ask that you do not request a name to be included without the express consent of the person for whom you are requesting prayer. While the request may be very well-intentioned, we want to respect people’s right to privacy. We ask for prayer for Charles Thomas and his ministry, and Betty and Robert Friedland.

PRAYERS FOR THE DEARLY DEPARTED We ask our good and gracious God to welcome our dearly departed into his Kingdom, and to bestow his peace and consolation on the family and friends who mourn their passing. We lovingly remember in prayer Steve Nicoli and Nubia Quintero-Edwards.

WEEKLY OFFERING (September 26th) Sunday Collection: $ 1,370.00 We Share Online Giving: $ 104.16 Total: $ 1,474.16

Thank you!

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM NEWS

Due to circumstances and family obligations, Laure Valentine has stepped down as Coordinator of our Religious Education Program here at St. Peter's Church. Let's keep Laure and her family in our prayers at this time.

We will continue to keep our Religious Education Program going. Moving forward, please direct all questions and/concerns regarding the Program to either Father Bader or Christy at the Parish office. We can be reached at 845-292-4525 or at [email protected]. If you phone and do not reach us, please feel free to leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We appreciate your understanding as we move through this transition.

The number of registrations for the program this year are down considerably. We understand that there are a number of possible reasons for this, and we welcome any thoughts, concerns or questions you may have.

Due to the lag in registrations, we have decided to extend our registration deadline for this year through October 17th. Once we have a clearer idea of the number of children in the Program, we will finalize our plans and inform our families of our start date. We ask that if you plan on having your child/children participate this year, that you submit your registration paperwork as soon as possible, so we can plan accordingly.

As always, please feel free to contact either of us with any concerns you may have.

Thank you and we look forward to a great year!

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BLESSED FEAST! St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day: October 4th Patron Saint of: Animals and the Environment

CALLING ALL FURRY FRIENDS (and their humans)! In celebration of the Feast Day of St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals, Father Bader will be available to bless your furry friends on Sunday, October 3rd from 1-3pm and Monday, October 4th from 1-3pm at the Rectory.

Page 6 of 10 2021 SULLIVAN COUNTY LIFE CHAIN

STANDING TOGETHER FOR LIFE AND AN END TO ABORTION AND ALL ISSUES AGAINST LIFE…

THIS IS A NATIONAL MOVEMENT… A PEACEFUL PROTEST… YOU ARE INVITED TO BE PART OF THIS.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2021 *Rain or Shine*

BROADWAY, MONTICELLO 2pm - 3:30pm In front of Church of St. Peter

*Bring lawn chairs as needed… Clergy most welcome! for info call: Jane at (845) 292-4647

MASS OF THANKSGIVING Tuesday, October 12, 2021 6:00 pm Church of St. Peter Monticello, New York

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Page 8 of 10 ATTENTION TEENS OF THE PARISH! This year is the 10th anniversary of PTAF! To celebrate, they will be hosting an anniversary kickoff event called "Looking Over the Decade: A PTAF Family since 2011”. The event will take place on November 6th from 12:30-6:30PM at the Vincent Pallotti Center in Monroe. There will be food and games and Mass will be celebrated. The day will end with the sharing of a meal of thanks. This event is going to be so much fun! Please save this date and keep your eyes out for a flyer coming out soon!

EMERGENCY BLOOD SHORTAGE APPEAL: DONOR NEEDED! The American Red Cross is asking healthy individuals to ensure blood is on the shelves this fall by donating in October.

The Red Cross National Blood Inventory is the lowest it’s been at this time of year since 2015, with less than a day’s supply of certain blood types in recent weeks.

An Immediate Blood Shortage means that patients are counting on the kindness and generosity of volunteer blood donors this fall. Donated blood remains essential to meet the needs of patients in hospitals across the U.S.

We are partnering with Zaxby’s to offer donors who come to give Oct. 1-31, 2021, a free Zaxby’s Signature Sandwich reward. * Or for donors who don’t live near a Zaxby’s or would prefer a different offer, a $5 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice.**

Want to help? Visit www.redcrossblood.org to find a nearby blood drive and make an appointment to donate this Fall!

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Saturday evenings at 7 PM: Mass in Spanish Sunday mornings at 10 AM: Mass in English ** Sunday evenings at 5:30 PM: Mass in English Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30 AM Mass in English **We will continue to livestream our Sunday morning Mass on Facebook Live (Communion will be available after Mass for those who wish to come to the Church tor receive the Eucharist.)

SUNDAY EVENING MASS REMINDER Our Sunday evening Mass is celebrated at 5:30PM. This Mass tends to be less crowded and therefore may be a good choice for those wanting to attend Mass with fewer people.

WEEKDAY MASS Mass will be celebrated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30am.

PARISH CHILDREN’S SHOP Our Parish Children’s Shop has reopened! Our Summer Hours are: Wednesdays and Saturdays 9AM -12PM We are also accepting donations of new or gently used items!

PARISH CLOTHES CLOSET AND FOOD PANTRY Just a reminder we are OPEN every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 9:00am - 12:00pm.

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