St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church 820 Hickory Street Sebring, FL 33870 Parish Office/Mailing 882 Bay St., Sebring, FL 33870 Tel: (863)385-0049 Fax: (863)385-5169 Tel: (863)385-6762 (Spanish) www.stcathe.org www.facebook/stcathe [email protected] Monday—Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM CLERGY Pastor Very Reverend José González, V.F. [email protected] Parochial Vicar Reverend Pawel Kawalec (863)385-3993 MASS SCHEDULE Weekend Saturday: 4:00 PM & 6:00 PM (Spanish) Sunday—8:00, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM & 12:00 Noon (Spanish) DAILY MASS Monday—Friday 8:00 AM Saturday: 9:00 AM Mass Celebrations Available in our YouTube channels SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday 3:00—3:45 PM (in the Chapel) ST CATHERINE SCHOOL Principal: Dr. Christine Higgins ST. JOSEPH [email protected] FRIDAY, MARCH 19 2835 Kenilworth Blvd. Pre-School 747 S. Franklin St. ANOINTING Sebring, FL 33870 OF THE SICK Tel: (863)385-7300 Fax: (863)385-7310 AFTER Office Hours: 8:00 AM —3:00 PM 8:00 AM MASS www.stcatheschool.org March 14, 2021 St. Catherine Parish Page 2 WHAT IS LAETARE SUNDAY? A little light breaks into Lent this Sunday The Fourth Sunday of Lent (March 14th) is called Laetare Sunday, when the Church takes a bit of breather from Lenten practice and opens Mass with the Entrance Antiphon, “Rejoice, Jerusalem … Be joyful, all who were in mourning!” – taken from Isaiah chapter 66. The day’s theme comes from the entrance antiphon reflecting on Isaiah 66:10-11: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exalt and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” Laetare is the first word — meaning “rejoice” — in the Latin text. On Laetare Sunday (as similarly with the Third Sunday of Advent’s Gaudete Sunday) the Church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten fasts and penances. Call it pink — or, more fittingly, rose — this change in color indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter into the somber days of Passiontide. Laetare Sunday is the Church’s way of giving us a “shot in the arm” as we approach the darkness and horror of the days through Good Friday and Holy Saturday. It’s an opportunity to savor and keep in the back of our minds what awaits us on Easter Sunday — the reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and that our hearts will always be filled with joy! Being aware of traditions and customs assists us in celebrating the beauty of our faith. As you can see, there is much associated with even a nondescript day like the Fourth Sunday of Lent — not to mention the rest of the season, or the 50 days of Easter and beyond. Take advantage of the richness of our Catholic traditions. St. Joseph, March 19 Pray Year of Saint Joseph Joseph, we bring all the fears On the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, March 19, 2020 Bishop and anxieties that weigh us down. Frank J. Dewane, in the context of the Coronavirus, conse- crated the Diocese of Venice to the care and protection of This pandemic has attacked God’s people, Saint Joseph, and announced a "Year of Saint Joseph". bringing much illness, sorrow and death. Pope Francis recently dedicated a “Year of St. Joseph” We ask you, dearest St. Joseph, to be our guide therefore, the Diocesan celebration will continue through December 8, 2021. Saint Joseph, often referred to as the along this very dark path, for you are the Protector, can be our protector during this time of the Pan- model of faith, courage and fidelity that we need so desperately. demic. Why did the Pope declare a year of St. Joseph? May the Lord send forth the purifying fire of In making his declaration, Pope Francis noted that this the Holy Spirit, to end this outbreak of disease year marks the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclama- and renew the hearts of the faithful. tion as patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX on Guide us to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, December 8, 1870. your beloved bride, and to the Sacred Heart Pope Francis said the coronavirus pandemic has heightened of Jesus, the hope of all humanity. his desire to reflect on St. Joseph, as so many people during O St. Joseph, pray ceaselessly for us during this the pandemic have made hidden sacrifices to protect others, time of suffering, fear and great mourning. just as St. Joseph quietly protected and cared for Mary and Jesus. May this current pain inflict upon humankind be transformed by the power of Christ’s cross “Each of us can discover in Joseph -- the man who goes un- and lead to a new springtime of noticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence -- an interces- hope and devotion. sor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” the pope wrote. Amen. —Pedro de la Cruz He also said he wanted to highlight St. Joseph’s role as a father who served his family with charity and humility, adding, “Our world today needs fathers.” March 14, 2021 St. Catherine Parish Page 3 ST. CATHERINE CATHOLIC SCHOOL Dear St. Catherine Families and Friends, School News On March 10th, Bishop Dewane announced the partnership between the Diocese of Venice and F.I.R.S.T. Robotics! The Bishop has provided the resources for all schools in the Diocese to begin incorporating STREAM and robotics at every grade level, from Pre-Kindergarten thru 8th grade. Thank you, Bishop Dewane! St. Catherine teachers will be participating in professional development on March 12th and 15th to begin exploring the STREAM and robotics curriculum. Quarter 3 ends on March 11th! Report cards will go home with students on March 17th. Parent -Teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday, March 18th. If you know of any child entering Kindergarten, we are having a “Kindergarten Round Up” on March 16th. Parents and children can come to our Kindergarten classroom, meet our Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Mo- ye, hear about our curriculum, and tour the Pre-School Building. We will also have Financial Aid and Schol- arship information available. We are offering parents two opportunities on March 16th, 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., to learn more about our Kindergarten program! Enrollment is now open to ALL families. Please contact Mrs. Mendez at [email protected] or call (863) 385-7300 for information. Our Car Raffle tickets are available at the Parish Office or call Claudia Spradlin at (863)385-0049, (863)991-3271 or (419)236-7924 Your support will help us: • Purchase new desks for our 1st grade classroom • Purchase new tables for our middle-school science classroom for STREAM projects • Upgrade our classrooms with new whiteboards On behalf of our children, teachers, and myself – Thank you! Blessings, Dr. Higgins Principal ST. CATHERINE SCHOOL AUCTION FEBRUARY 26 THROUGH MARCH 26 We love our school so show your support by bidding on great items during the On line St. Catherine Catholic School Auction. Over 70 great gifts and certificates will be offered including bike, quilts, dinner certificates, artwork and much more. All proceeds will go to St. Catherine’s Catholic School. Bidding rules, descriptions of the gifts and more details are posted on the Facebook Auction site. Scroll through the items listed and put your bid in a comment under the item you want. Bid high, bid often, and get some great deals. If you are on Facebook, just search for St. Catherine Catholic School Auction or put the following link into our browser: https://www.facebook.com/St-Catherine-Catholic-School-Auction-100673125346752. For question or more information please contact Linda Sherman (317)582-1190. "(Lent) is a period of spiritual 'combat' which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism. —Pope Benedict XVI March 14, 2021 St. Catherine Parish Page 4 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Religious Education Classes Wednesday from 6:00 —7:30 PM and Sunday from 10:00—11:45 AM in the Parish Hall. For more information please call Rebecca Lazo. (863)991-3346 or [email protected]. YOUTH GROUP Meetings will be on Wednesdays at 806 Hickory St. from 6:30—8:00 PM. For questions or more information please contact Doroteo Rodríguez at (305)726-1089 or [email protected]. RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS These classes will be on Thursdays at 7:00 PM in the Parish Hall and will continue every Thursday at same time until Easter. For questions or more information please call Juana Nava at (863)385-0049. SAFE HAVEN SUNDAY THANK YOU! Our Safe Haven Sunday was a big success! The Diocesis of Venice ex- tends a tremendous “Thank You!” to all who made Safe Haven Sunday possible and to all parishioners for their support of the education and awareness on the issues of por- nography at our Sunday celebration. Again, thanks to our parish community for your openness to the topics of internet safety and the dignity of the human person in light of the pornographic culture. Just because Safe Haven Sunday is over for this year, it doesn’t mean our efforts to make our homes safe havens is over. Stay informed. For more information please call Carrie Harkey, Diocesan Coordinator of Family Life at [email protected] and learn more about how to protect and guide your family and friends.