blessed sacrament parish community

BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH COMMUNITY
518 W. State St., Grand Island, NE 68801
308-384-0532 Website: blsachurch.net
E-Mail: [email protected]
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus
announcing the reality of His
ministry: "The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because He has
anointed me to bring good news
to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to
set the oppressed free, and to
proclaim a year acceptable to the
Lord. Today this Scripture
passage is fulfilled in your
hearing."
we also consume His ministry.
The Spirit of the Lord comes upon
us. Every Mass is a renewal of
our vocation to bring good news
to the poor, to proclaim liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to
the blind, to set the oppressed
free, and to proclaim what is
acceptable to God.
Did this ministry come to an end
when He ascended to heaven
and disappeared off the face of
the earth? As the reading from Corinthians points
out, we are now the Body of Christ on earth.
We are all—every one of us—important parts of this
body! Do not underestimate yourself. God created
you and brought you into the Church because you
can make a significant difference. No one else can
do what you can do, the way you can do it, in the
plans that He has for making this world a better place
through you.
We Christians are, as a community of believers, the
Body of Christ on earth. Every time we receive the
Body of Christ in Holy Communion, we receive what
we are, and thus we're renewed in the continuation
of Christ's ministry. His mission is our mission.
By receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, we consume not
only Jesus in His full humanity and His full divinity,
Whenever the prayers of others
are not answered, whenever evil
is allowed to prevail, whenever
souls suffer because they have
not heard the good news of
salvation in Jesus, it's because
the parts of Christ's earthly body
that can do something about it are not doing it. God
provides everything that's needed on earth through
us! Jesus continues His ministry on earth through us!
Reflect & Discuss:
1. How does it feel to know that you're called to
continue Christ's ministry? Reflect on how important
you are to the Body of Christ and His mission.
2. What are you good at? What do you feel
passionate about? What particular evils disturb you
most? This is where you can make a difference!
3. Name ways that ordinary people can bring good
news to the poor, or free captives, or help the blind
see, or set the oppressed free, or proclaim what is
acceptable to the Lord.
4. What are your experiences doing this?
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Sun., Jan. 24
Nehemiah 8:2-6, 810
Ps 19:8-10, 15
1 Cor 12:4-11
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Mon, Jan. 25
Conversion of
Paul
Acts 22:3-6
or Acts 9:1-22
Ps 117:1bc, 2
Mark 16:15-18
Tues., Jan. 26
Sts. Timothy &
Titus
2 Tim 1:1-8
or Titus 1:1-5
Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a,
10
Mark 3:31-35
Wed., Jan. 27
2 Sam 7:4-17
Ps 89:4-5, 27-30
Mark 4:1-20
Thurs., Jan. 28
St. Thomas
Aquinas
2 Sam 7:18-19,
24-29
Ps 132:1-5,
11-14
Mark 4:21-25
Fri., Jan. 29
2 Sam 11:1-4a, 510a, 13-17
Ps 51:3-4, 7,
10-11
Mark 4:26-34
Sat., Jan. 30
2 Sam 12:1-7a,
10-17
Ps 51:12-17
Mark 4:35-41
Hello Church!! Spring can
seem to be a long ways away
with all the cold and snow of
January. Often when it seems
the darkest, new life is waiting
to spring forth. The readings
these days are wonderful. The Gospel today shows
Jesus reading from Isaiah in the temple. Jesus
unfolds, through His proclamation, a message of
comfort and empowerment. May the word of God
be fulfilled in your hearing.
If you make our Parish “go,” I hope you will join
us next week for our Parish Adult Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner. In these times of football
payoffs we are having a different menu this year.
We’ll have some tailgate, game day type of food. It
should be fun and it should be good.
Thanks for your help with the Feasibility Study
when Joe Akers was with us. We’ll now be able to
make some decisions and move forward as we take
care of our Parish and continue to thrive as a
community of faith.
Have a good week. I appreciate you!
Fr. Todd
.
Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday – 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.
Weekday Mass Schedule
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday – 12:05 p.m.
Friday – 7:00 a.m.
Reconciliation
Wednesday – 11:30 a.m.-Noon
Saturday – 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
We pray for the following
parishioners, who are
currently serving in the
military:
Bryan Hulit Jeff Bellamy
Alex Witmer Chad Brown Heather Rempe
Riley Allen Shawn Ruzicka
Kevin Donovan John G. Frankenberg
Contribution Statements: Contribution statements
were mailed out to all parishioners on January 10.
Please review your statement, and if you have any
corrections, please contact the Parish Office no later
than January 29. Thank you!
OUR GIFTS OF TREASURE
January 16/17, 2016
Adult Envelopes
Plate
Children’s
$ 6,205.00
338.52
38.40
Please remember the following
individuals in your prayers,
who are experiencing serious
health problems/issues:
Lena Gappa Anna Blake
Larry Palacz Pat Myers
Elizabeth Webster Jane Medbery Lori Walz
Bernardine Ferguson Scott Miller Dean Gentry
Andy Buhrmann Michael A. Lopez
Cari Cobler Merlin Yosten John Pedrosa, Sr.
Don Jarzynka Marion Schutte Rosetta Reimers
Kristine Bussinger Kalyn Rodriguez
Ruth Noziska Joyce Stobbe Hannah Bonner
Glorene Harders Sharon Koperski
Rose Ann Anderson Blanche Janulewicz
Terri Waskowiak Rosalie Shriner
Cookie Gilroy Earleen Moroney
Let us know if you, or an immediate family
member, are experiencing a serious health issue and
wish to be included on this list.
Our Deepest Sympathy
to the Families of:
TED GRABOWSKI
& BARBARA SCHLEICHER
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE!
WEEKDAY MASS
& INTENTIONS SCHEDULE
Tuesday, January 26, 12:05 p.m. –
Sylvia Kaplan
Wednesday, January 27, 12:05 p.m. –
Francis Vander May
Thursday, January 28, 12:05 p.m. –
Parents & Grandparents of
Darrell & Mary Dey
Friday, January 29, 7:00 a.m. – Alvin Reimers
Saturday, January 30, 5:30 p.m. –
Bessie Rubaha
Sunday, January 31, 8:00 a.m. – Parish Family
Sunday, January 31, 10:00 a.m. –
Jerry Brandt
WEEK’S ACTIVITIES
Sunday, 1/24
Latin America Collection
9:00 a.m. - Children’s Choir
Practice
10:00 a.m. - Rite of Enrollment for
Confirmation Candidates
10:00 a.m. - Children’s Celebration
10:00 a.m. - Children’s Choir Sings
Monday, 1/25
5:30 p.m. - Yoga
7:00 p.m. - Women’s Open AA
Step Meeting
Tuesday, 1/26
6:30 a.m. - Men’s Early Morning
Tuesday Group
1:00 p.m. - Quilting
6:15-7:45 p.m. - Catholicism
7:00 p.m. - AA & Alanon Meetings
7:30 p.m. - Charismatic Group
7:30 p.m. - Knights of Columbus
Meeting
Wednesday, 1/27
10:30 a.m. - Scripture Study
7:00 p.m. - RCIA
7:00 p.m. - Adult Choir
7:00 p.m. - Religious Formation
Teachers’ Meeting
Thursday, 1/28
1:00 p.m. - Quilting
5:30 p.m. - RCIA Adapted for
Children
Saturday, 1/30
10:00 a.m. - Alanon Meeting
Sunday, 1/31
Catholic Schools Week
Parish Outreach Collection
5:00 p.m. - Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
New Liturgical Minister Training:
Sunday,
January 24. Sign-up in the Gathering Area if you
would like to serve your parish and receive training
to be a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Hospitality
Minister or Sound Minister.
Catholicism Group: You are invited to the group
on “Catholicism” on Tuesday, January 25, 6:15-7:45
p.m., in the South Breakout Room. The topic is: “A
Vast Company of Witnesses—The Communion of
Saints.” This is a DVD by Fr. Robert Barron (now
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles). Discussion will
follow. Even if you have not attended in the past,
you can attend this and not be behind.
RELIGIOUS FORMATION NEWS
 Confirmation Rite of Enrollment, January 24,
10:00 a.m. Mass.
 No Classes on January 27 so that our catechists
can attend a Teachers’ Meeting that evening.
 Religious Formation Teachers’ Meeting, January
27, 7:00 p.m., Jubilee Center. Bishop Joseph
Hanefeldt is the guest speaker.
 Edgar Barge Memorial Scholarships: Blessed
Sacrament will award scholarships in the amount
of $1,000 and $500 to two seniors, who are going
on to college. All applications must be completed
on-line at www.gicf.org and click on the
scholarship tab. Completed application must be
electronically submitted on or before February 19.
No faxes, emails, or paper applications will be
permitted.
 Young Neighbors in Action for students in grades
9-12. Blessed Sacrament high school youth will
once again be participating in Young Neighbors in
Action. We will be going to the Omaha Winnebago
Indian Reservation the week of July 24-30, 2016.
This is the most popular Young Neighbors in
Action site across the nation. We have reserved
ten spaces for high school students who would like
to attend. A $50.00 nonrefundable deposit is
required, along with the registration form, to
reserve your space. Reservations will be accepted
on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more
information, and to register, please contact Deb
Wetzel at 395-8521. Young Neighbors in Action is
a week-long, service-learning experience designed
to help teams of high school youth and adults learn
about social justice, serve those in need, and make
a difference in the world. This is a wonderful
opportunity for young people, and it’s also a lot of
fun. Young Neighbors in Action is a national
program sponsored by the Center for Ministry
Development.
Please consider making this
mission trip a part of your summer plans. Check
out their website at www.youngneighbors.org.
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Preschool Open
House/Registration for New Students: January
25, 5:00-7:00 p.m. For more information, please call
384-2086.
PARISH THRIFT STORE - 4th & Eddy Streets
Gross Sales, 1/16/16 - $1,041.61
If you are interested in helping at the Thrift Store,
please call Connie at 384-5508,
or the Thrift Store at 398-3443.
WE GIVE THANKS . . . We are called
to share our time, talent and treasure, but
we are also called to celebrate and be
thankful. The word Eucharist literally
means thanksgiving.
Our main
gathering as a community of faith is a time when we
give thanks. Let’s celebrate the contributions so
many adults make to our Parish . . . from catechists
to lawn mowers, from bulletin stuffers to funeral
dinner helpers . . . consider yourself invited to our:
ADULT VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DINNER
January 31, 2016 - 5:00 p.m.
Thank you, God, for Parish Volunteers!! If you
help make Blessed Sacrament Parish “GO,” you (and
your spouse or significant other) are invited to attend
our Adult Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January
31, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Jubilee Center.
If you would like to attend, sign-up sheets can be
found in the Gathering Area. All reservations must
be made by Monday, January 25, at Noon.
Promise Fulfilled: Jesus stood up in His hometown
synagogue and read aloud the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah, a description of the Messiah. He startled
listeners by saying, “Today this prophecy is being
fulfilled in your hearing!” This is sensational news
handed on to us in the Gospel of Luke. Even better
is the news that the Messiah’s work is handed on to
all of us, parts of His body. In so many ways, we
receive the teaching handed on to us and hand it on,
in turn, to family members, neighbors, friends, and
strangers!
Fr. David Korth, Native American Flute Artist and
Director of the St. Augustine Indian Mission on the
Winnebago Indian Reservation, will be with us on
Saturday evening, February 13. He will preside at the
5:30 p.m. Mass, and, immediately following, he will do
an hour long presentation around the topic of praying
through our grief. A quote from the Vigil Service of
the Christian Order of Funerals states that, “We
believe that all the ties of friendship and affection
which knit us together as one throughout our lives do
not unravel with death.” This sentence was the
inspiration for the song titles on his new album,
“Praying our Goodbyes.” Each of us has to say
goodbye to many people and to many things
throughout our lifetime. This concert is for you.
Refreshments will be served.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Every once in a while I take inventory of my
body. Let's see. I've been coloring my hair since I was
twenty-five. I've needed glasses since college. Let's
just stop there. The rest is where it starts to get ugly.
How about you? What assessments would you
make about the history of your body? Does that old
football injury still kick up when it rains? Has your
appendix scar just sort of blended in with all your
other battle scars? St. Paul's letter today inspires me
to review my physical body, and to marvel at how
brilliant the whole messed up thing is.
But of course he's using the body as a metaphor
for the Body of believers, that perfect organism
whose blood supply is Love. So let's take a quick
inventory of how the Body is functioning in our time.
Where there is loneliness, are we there? Where
there are refugees, are we mobilizing? Where there
is ignorance and intolerance, are we courageous and
outspoken? Where there are people bound to their
homes through illness and disability, are we
organized to bring them comfort, meals, rides to
doctor appointments?
Where there are young families with newborns,
are we supporting them with meals, and our time, so
they can catch up on sleep? For that matter, where
there are small children at Mass, are we providing
child care so their exhausted parents can pray and be
renewed?
Are we honoring the elders who built our parishes
and schools and who now need our help? I can
proudly say that, in many ways, we are. But, just like
that nagging arthritic knee, the broken places still cry
out for healing.
In what ways are you helping to build up the Body?
www.thestoryandyou.com
Kathy McGovern ©2016
Food Pantry: Thanks to all of you who have helped
with the Food Pantry.
Due to the large volume of food going out, we are
in need of: peanut butter, jelly, tuna, canned chicken,
tuna and chicken helpers, cereal, pasta, pasta sauce,
canned milk and powdered milk. If you can once
again help, we would greatly appreciate it.
Prayer Group: Monday, February 1, 6:30-7:30
p.m., Family Room—beginning of the learning of
the practice of “Centering Practice.”
EVENTS HAPPENING ELSEWHERE
GriefShare Support Group: Beginning Tuesday,
January 26, 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran
Church, 212 W. 12th St., Grand Island. This is a 13-week
seminar support group for people grieving the death of
someone close. For more information, please call 308382-0753.
Nebraska Walk for Life: January 30, 10:00 a.m., State
Capitol (north side), 14th & K Streets, Lincoln. All are
welcome.
ABIDE Adoration: Sunday, January 31, 7:00 p.m., St.
Leo’s Catholic Church. This is an hour of Eucharistic
Adoration with praise and worship music, a teaching from
Fr. Don Buhrman, and time for personal prayer. Let us
come and open ourselves to God’s graces which flow
from the Eucharist.
St. Mary’s Cathedral Ladies’ Lasagna Dinner:
Saturday, February 6, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Cathedral Square.
Menu: lasagna, salad, garlic bread, dessert and drinks.
Freewill offering requested.
Listen, Be Attentive Retreat for Men: January 29-31,
Saint Benedict Center, Schuyler. Program cost: $60.00.
Speakers: Brother Damian Cayetano, Teresa Monaghen,
Fr. Thomas Leitner, and a team of consecrated life
members. This retreat for men offers many useful “tools
for attentiveness,” explained and practiced during the
weekend, along with time for prayer and spiritual
direction. It will assist you, whatever your stage in life,
to learn the fine art of listening and responding deeply to
God’s call. For more information, please call 402-3528819.
12th Annual Valentine Supper: Saturday,
February 13, St. Libory’s Catholic Church
Parish Hall, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Enjoy a
friendly, social evening complete with
steak dinner and dessert provided by
Whitefoot Catering. Cost: $30.00/person. Limited to
adults 21 years and over. Advance payment and
reservations are required by February 8, 2016. For more
information, or to make a reservation, please call Donna
or Dennis Placke at 308-687-6057.
Retrouvaille—The Post Session Phase: The postweekend phase of Retrouvaille is as crucial to the healing
of a troubled marriage as the initial weekend experience.
During the post-weekend sessions, the weekend
technique is further developed and combined with
additional tools to explore other areas of the marriage
relationship. For confidential information about, or to
register for, the program beginning February 26-28, 2016,
please
call
1-888-317-5654
or
go
to
www.retrouvaille.org.
Catholics Encounter Christ (CEC):
Women’s
Weekend – February 26-28; Men’s Weekend – April 810, Camp Comeca, south of Cozad. CEC is offering a
weekend experience for men and women to help them
grow in their faith and revitalize their spiritual life. The
CEC experience is a structured three day weekend,
beginning on Friday evening and concluding on Sunday
evening. For more information, please contact: Greg
Viergutz at 308-930-0109 ([email protected]);
Kathy Boroff at 308-227-6295 ([email protected]);
Fr. Louis Nollette at 308-750-1205 ([email protected]); or
Fr.
Antony
Thekkekara
at
308-660-4171
([email protected]).
For a brochure and
registration form, go to http://bit/ly/cecne2016.
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Central Catholic News
New Student/Parent Information Night: Thursday,
February 4, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Childcare and dinner is
provided. If you know of a family that is interested
in sending their kids to GICC next year (6-12th grade),
please make sure they attend!
Honor Roll: GICC Middle/High School is pleased to
announce the honor roll students for the second
quarter and first semester of the 2015-2016 school
year. Students are recognized for outstanding
academic achievement. To see the list, please visit
gicentralcatholic.org.
Did you know that you can promote your business at
GICC? Promote your business or post a special
message to a captive audience! Hundreds of people
view our electronic board in the new gym every
month. The board is also available to parents and
students. You can say “Happy Birthday, “Happy
Anniversary,” or promote an event. For more
information and pricing, please call Ginger Jelinek in
the Foundation Office at 382-5499.
Driver Education Classes: GICC will host a spring
driver education class offered through the Nebraska
Safety Center/Kearney. See their brochure online on
GICC’s webpage for more information and to
register. Brochures are also available at the school.
The NSC will process student registration. A
mandatory student and parent orientation will be held
during the first hour of the first class session. The
Spring 2016 classes are: Saturdays, February 6, 13,
20 & 27, and March 19 from 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Range and simulation will be in Kearney on Saturday,
March 5, from 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Scheduling for
on-street driving and testing will be at the mutual
convenience of the student and instructor and will be
in the local school area.
Mobile Friendly Website: GICC’s website is now
mobile friendly! Use it to easily access information
from your smart phone or tablet.
Good Luck Crusaders: Good luck to all our student
athletes and coaches as they begin the winter season.
Go Crusaders!