St. Francis deSales St. Stephen http://www.ourladyofpeacegeneva.org San Francisco de Sales 3157890930 San Esteban 130 Exchange St., FACEBOOK: Our Lady of Peace Parish, 48 Pulteney St., Geneva, New York 14456 Geneva, NY Geneva, New York 14456 August 2, 2020 MULLING THINGS OVER Ruth Page. Many people know Ruth Page. She served as a member of the staff at St. Stephen’s Parish and then on Our Lady of Peace Parish Staff. She served our community as a pastoral Associate with Msgr. Krieg and with Father Kiggins. Ruth was a very organized and detailed oriented person. After retiring, she continued to volunteer in the parish as sacristan at St. Stephen’s Church. In this role, she oversaw the cleaning of the Church each week, took care of the vestments, altar linens and guided the sacristans and liturgical ministers. During Advent and Lent, she was in Church almost every day of the week and in the days leading up to Christmas and during Holy Week, she was in Church almost every hour of every day. Her love for the Church and loyalty to our parish was never questioned. St. Stephen’s always looked clean, beautiful and appropriately decorated. Only in the last few weeks did she step away from those responsibilities. Ruth died on Friday, July 17, 2020. She was at her home with her brother and sisterinlaw gently caring for her. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May. The cancer had already spread and there was little treatment that could be offered to her. In her own organized way, she fought to live as long as she could, but she also began her final arrangements so that everything would be in order when God called her home. All was in order and even in death, she had everything taken care of. Ruth had a simple transcendent faith in God and that faith is what gave her strength to embrace death as her entrance into eternal life. She gave me the privilege of sharing Holy Communion with her and offering her the Anointing of the Sick. Surrounded by family and friends who shared her faith, she was lifted up to her God as if the angels lifted her there themselves. Now, she is in peace. Ruth was a home economics teacher in Greece, New York when I first met her. She was very active in Cursillo and a great apostle through that renewal group. She served as a witness on the retreats and was willing to perform any task necessary. She soon moved from her teaching work to pastoral ministry serving as a Religious Education Director at Holy Name Parish in Rochester. This was in the mid’1970’s and many activities were taking place in the Vatican II Diocesan Church that Bishop Hogan was leading at the time. Ruth became one of those leaders. In my time, working for the Liturgy Office of the Diocese, Ruth was a consultant and would help offer education and workshops for liturgical ministers when early formation was underway. Ruth’s final assignment was in Parish Ministry in Geneva, New York. She served as Pastoral Assistant and worked in a variety of areas including visitation, education, liturgical ministry, liturgy and supporting the developing faith of the people. If you worked with Ruth, you learned to be organized and also came to know her love for people. Father Bob Kennedy came to Our Lady of Peace to preside and preach at Ruth’s Funeral. He was a longtime friend and Spiritual Director to Ruth. He is a very talented priest who was a part of the renewal activities of the 70’s working in our diocese and teaching in our seminary. In her wisdom Ruth asked him not only to speak of her in his funeral homily but also to open the wonders and the hope of the Scriptures referring to the Resurrection and new life we believe Ruth enjoys. Ruth told me she wanted her funeral not so much about her but as a testimony to value of faith and power of God’s grace that works in us always M even in the time of our death! “Have them walk away from my funeral renewed and full of Christian joy,” she told me. I want to publicly thank Ruth for her loyalty to our parish. I never had a doubt when I came to Church that everything would be set up and in order. There is something freeing when you can concentrate on your real duties knowing all the practical needs have been taken care of. I want to thank Ruth for the love she gave our Church building. She saw it as beautiful and a testimony of our ancestors’ faith M something that we need to use and, then, preserve for future generations. She always wanted to enhance its beauty with fresh flowers, beautiful candles and fresh, clean linens. “Everything that accentuates the liturgy should be worthy of God,” she used to say. I want to thank her on your behalf for being a loyal member of this parish’s Pastoral Staff and for sharing her love with God’s Holy People here in Geneva. I also want to thank her for the witness of faith she gave us as she embraced her death and looked expectantly to her own eternal life. We accept you as one of us, Ruth, know you will always be a part of this family. There are many roles that now have to be filled M roles that Ruth filled so faithfully and beautifully. None of us will do them “like Ruth,” but all of us can be called to use our gifts and talents to the honor and glory of God. May our dear Ruth rest in God’s holy peace, may her good works follow her to the Judgement Seat of God, and may we continue to live our faith and serve our God as she taught us. God bless all of you as we begin a new month of August! Page Two Our Lady of Peace Parish This Week Mission Statement We profess our belief that Christ sent His Spirit to SS = St. Stephen M SF = St. Francis bestow gifts on His followers according to their part in car- Sunday, August 2 rying out His mission. We are committed to be visible signs Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SS): 24/7 to each other, and to our community, of Christ’s Presence Second Collection N SFSS School among us: proclaiming and evangelizing the Gospel, 10:30 A.M. Livestream Mass witnessing to God’s love according to the Roman Catholic 12:00 P.M. (SF) Primera Comunión Church’s teaching; ministering to the needs of all; and, Monday, August 3 fostering the spiritual life and growth among parishioners. 12:10 P.M. Livestream Mass Tuesday, August 4 7:00 A.M. Livestream Mass Banns of Marriage 1st Week Megan Garofalo & Steven 5:00 P.M. Livestream Rosary Abbey Wednesday, August 5 Please keep them in your prayers. 12:10 P.M. Livestream Mass Thursday, August 6 7:00 A.M. Livestream Mass FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 5:00 P.M. Livestream Eucharistic Adoration We will be celebrating First Holy Communion next Friday, August 7 Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Church. We will observe all the protocols for COVID 19, 12:10 P.M. Livestream Mass please wear face masks. Families may sit together and Saturday, August 8 will receive Holy Communion as a group. We will not 3:304:15 P.M. (SF) Confessions have any processions. Pictures may be taken after Mass 4:30 P.M. Livestream Mass but only in family groups M no group First Communion Sunday, August 9 pictures will be allowed. Congratulations to our 2020 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SS): 24/7 First Communicants and their families. Thank you, No Second Collection parents, for your patience with us as we have scheduled, 10:30 A.M. Livestream Mass rescheduled, and rescheduled this celebration. Your 1:00 P.M. (SS) First Communion participation in the Children’s preparation is very much appreciated. PARISH PICNIC CANCELLED The Parish Picnic, which was scheduled for next FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF Sunday, August 9th, has been cancelled due to the coro- MARY navirus. We thank all who helped to prepare for it and The Feast of the Assumption of Mary which falls on look forward to a Parish Picnic in August of 2021. August 15th is normally a Holy Day of Obligation. When it falls on a Saturday or Monday, and it falls on a Satur- MASS AT ST. JOHN’S CHAPEL day this year, the obligation is suspended. We will cele- Our college Masses will resume on Sunday, August brate two Masses this year for the feast M 8:00 a.m. and 23, 2020 at St. John’s Chapel on the campus of Hobart 12:10 p.m. M in the Parish’s airconditioned Chapel. You and William Smith College. This year, this Mass will are not obligated to attend, but it is a major feast of our begin at 4:00 p.m. We are planning, as in past years, to Church and you are welcome to join us at Mass that day. celebrate Mass each Sunday through the last Sunday of The Saturday 4:30 p.m. Mass will be for the Twentieth May 2021. If, however, there is a spike in the COVID Sunday in Ordinary Time numbers, and we may have to quarantine and so Masses will be cancelled.