St. Francis of Assisi CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 4300 Meeks Drive, Orange TX 77632 Office: 409-883-9153 Fax: 409-883-9154 Web: www.stfrancisorangetx.orgOffice Email:[email protected] Facebook.com/St.Francis.Church.Orange Parish Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-3pm Religious Education Office Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-3pm Wednesday 3-7pm during RE PASTOR: Rev. Sinclair K. Oubre, J.C.L. [email protected] Deacon Hector Maldonado [email protected] Deacon Tommy Ewing [email protected] Deacon Keith Hebert [email protected] MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 5pm Sunday: 8am Bilingual 10:30am DAILY MASS Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8:30am Wednesday: 6:30pm SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Please call the Pastor to make arrangements for Infant Baptisms. Baptism class is held the third Thursday of each month at 6:00pm. This can be done at least seven (7) months before the birth in order to make proper sacramental preparations. SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Diocesan policy requires a minimum of six (6) months of sacramental preparations for marriage. Engaged couples are invited to call the Pastor for an appointment. HOLY COMMUNION OR ANOINTING OF THE SICK Please call the Pastor if you or any family members are ill or plan to be hospitalized to arrange the reception of the Sacraments. RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS - Catechumenate Those interested in becoming a Catholic or in completing their initiation are invited to contact Myrna Stimac (409-883-5771) to learn more about the Catechumenate Process. PARISH MEMBERSHIP Welcome to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community! Please register by obtaining a census form from the Parish Office or at one of the two front entrances to the Church. Please return the census form to the Parish Office or drop in the collection basket. You may also register online and www.stfrancisorangetx.org. From the home page, click on the registration form. We look forward to the opportunity to know and serve you and it is our prayer that you will bless St. Francis Catholic Community with your time, talent, and treasure. 3rd Sunday of Lent March 4, 2018 KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH There’s no better way to deepen our Lenten practice than to review the Ten Commandments. The first three, having to do with our right relationship to God, get the most ink. The one we busy people probably have the most problem with is keeping holy the Sabbath. If we take this commandment literally, babies will go undiapered and dishes will stay on the table, or perhaps meals will not be served. The sick will go unattended and nothing that has anything to do with physical labor will be done. Is mental labor really work? How about changing that dirty diaper (poor baby!)? We need to depend on God to discern how to observe real Sabbath time in our lives. The point of this commandment is that God has given us a great gift: one whole day per week when we are free to rest, worship God, sing, feast, love, and rejoice. As Psalm 19 proclaims: “The law of the L is perfect, / refreshing the soul” (19:8). Our Sabbath rest is a great gift, to be received from God with joy, not with nitpicking. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION If your parish is reading from Year B of the Lectionary today, and not Year A, as is normally done when there are elect present for the scrutinies and preparing for Easter baptism, you hear about Jesus driving the money-changers from the temple. If you wished to get as close as possible to this site today, you would in fact be at a Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock, built on the ruins of Herod’s temple. Archeologists believe that this striking, gold-domed crown of a shrine is set precisely where the Holy of Holies once was. Jews believe that the rock is the exact spot where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Isaac. It is not a mosque, as some think, but a shrine, the oldest one in the Muslim world. For them, the rock is the place from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended on a visit to heaven. The Crusaders mistook the shrine for the actual Temple of Solomon, and the infamous Knights Templar used it as their headquarters and model for their churches elsewhere. The geometric perfection of the shrine is a mathematician’s dream. The inscriptions are not exactly hospitable though, since they encourage Christians to “depart from error” and declare that “Jesus son of Mary was only a messenger of God.” In ancient times, those who prayed here after walking around the rock were given a certificate entitling the bearer to admission to paradise. The ticket had to be buried with them. —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. The scrutinies are rites belonging to the period of purification and enlightenment. The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then Altar Server Training strengthen all that is upright, strong and good. Sunday March 4 After 10:30 mass Because the elect are asking for the 3 sacraments of initiation, they must have the intention of achieving Altar Server training for anyone who is currently an an intimate knowledge of altar server, who used to be, or anyone in 3rd grade or Christ and his Church, and they are expected above who would like to be! particularly to progress in genuine self-knowledge through serious examination of their Lunch will be provided lives and true repentance. St. Francis of Assisi Stewardship of Treasure February 24/25 Saturday March 3 5:00 p.m. Doug Oldani & family (L) $8,130.66 Sunday March 4 Online giving 8:00 a.m. $2,875.00 10:30 a.m. Monday March 5 Thank you all for your generosity! No Mass Online Giving is an excellent way to fulfill your Tuesday March 6 obligation to support St. Francis parish. 8:30 a.m. Andrew & Irene Sedlak (D) Go to: stfrancisorangetx.org and click the Online giving link. Wednesday March 7 6:30 p.m. Darren Trace LeBlanc (L) Thursday March 8 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 8:30 a.m. Bishop James Quinn (D) Friday March 9 Will be Tuesday 8:30 a.m. Stephen & Mary Sedlak (D) March 6, 2018 Saturday March 10 5:00 p.m. Jeanette Adkins (D) Sign-Ups will be at the Entrances of the Church Sunday March 11 8:00 a.m. Please sign up to spend an hour with our Lord. 10:30 a.m. The Easter Duty The Easter Duty is the obligation to receive Holy Communion. It is required by canon 920:1. After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive Holy Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year. Canon 989 requires that one go to confession once a year. It is very appropriate to access the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for fulfilling one’s Easter’s Duty for those who can legitimately receive Communion. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 1978-2018 40th Anniversary Women’s Conference-September 21 & 22 Featuring Lisa Cotter Lisa cotter, a nationally sought after speaker on the topics of relationship, femininity, and living life with excellence. She is a graduate of Benedictine College. She is married to her husband Kevin and they have 3 children. She is the founder of Made to Magnify, a ministry with a mission to help people become saints— because it’s worth it! She has been a speaker at FOCUS’ SEEK conferences, Steubenville youth conferences, EWTN’s Life on the Rock, and more. SAVE THE DATE! For all women age 13 and up June 1, 1978 St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church was established May 31, 1980 Groundbreaking for the church building April 19, 1981 Dedication of our new church building The goal is to remember the great Catholic spirit that built St. Francis parish and renew that Catholic identity among today’s Catholic faithful so that St. Francis will continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ for another 40 years. Throughout 2018, we are scheduling events that will highlight our history, honor our founders, and deepen our Catholic faith and identity. Events: 1. Men’s Conference, July 20 2. Fr. Joe Chinnici’s presentation on St. Francis & St. Clare, September 14 3. Women’s Conference, September 21-22 4. Royal Caribbean Catholic Cruise, September 23 5. Solemn Evening prayer with parish banquet honoring our founding parish members, October 4 5. Anniversary Mass and Parish Picnic, October 7 6. Advent Parish Mission, Fr. Roger Keeler, December 8 Schedule for March 10/11, 2018 In Our Parish Eucharistic Lector Altar Servers Sunday, March 4 Minister 8:00 a.m. Bilingual Mass 5:00 p.m. Lloyd & Joyce Pat Belcher Audrey Bonnette 10:30 a.m Mass Blanchette Norma Franklin Kiera Howington 11:30 a.m. Altar Server Training 4:00 p.m. La Nueva Evangelización 7:00 p.m. Rosary for Religious Freedom 8:00 a.m. Irene Pachuca Spanish Lectors Anna Higginbotham Marshall Stone Jenna McCorvy Monday, March 5 No Mass Tuesday, March 6 10:30 Mary Ruth Erb Erb 1 & 2 5:45 a.m. Men’s Faith Sharing a.m. Montgomery Lanston Fall Charles Trahan 6:15 a.m. Women’s Faith Sharing 8:30 a.m. Mass 9-6:00 p.m.