Marianite for April 2011

the marianite
Mary
Saint
April 2011
Vol. 10 Issue 4
on the hill
catholic church
News and Notes from Fr. Jerry
April Celebrations
Dear Parishioners,
H
in this issue
Mass Schedule
Sunday, 7:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m.,
12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Monday, 7:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
Tuesday, 7:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
Wednesday, 7:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, 7:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
Friday, 7:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
Saturday, 9:15 a.m.,
5:00 p.m. (Sunday Vigil)
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
and by appointment
Perpetual Adoration Chapel
Chapel is located at the corner of
Monte Sano and Bellevue.
monthly publication
ere in Augusta, our focus in April
always turns to that very special
golf tournament that over the years has
become such a wonderful event for our
community. That’s right, I’m thinking
about the 19th Annual Msgr. P. James
Costigan St. Mary on the Hill Golf
Tournament. Oh, you were thinking of
another tournament? Well, as much as
I love any opportunity to get out to the
Augusta National in early April, one of
my very favorite moments every year is
getting out to that other Augusta course
where it all began for Bobby Jones –
Forest Hills – at the end of April.
Really, there are few things sweeter
than the gathering of so many of our
families at the 19th hole reception at
the end of what is usually a gorgeous
spring day. It is one of our very best parish events every year. Unfortunately, I
will be in Philly for this year’s tournament. The Ragan Clan will be celebrating my Mom’s 89th birthday (April 30),
my nephew Patrick’s First Communion
(April 30), my 40th high school reunion
(April 30), and my grandniece Katie’s
Baptism (whenever we can fit it in). But
I hope many of you will sign up to be
part of the fun on April 29. It is a great
way to support Catholic Education in
our parish.
The absolute best parish celebration of our faith community also takes
place in April this year, to be specific,
April 23. On that day Logan Prince,
Scott Rountree, and the other members
of this year’s RCIA program will begin
their new lives as fully initiated Catholics. Holy Saturday is the “Mother of all
Vigils” in the Church and is the epitome and culmination of Initiation in the
continued on page 7
Mary
Saint
on the hill
Golden Harvest Food Bank
Many Opportunities to Fight Hunger
P
op quiz! Can you name the seven Corporal Works of
Mercy? And no cheating, parents; your children can’t
help you with the answer.
They are: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty,
clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless, visiting
the sick, visiting those in prison and burying those who
have died.
The Church calls us to practice these works of mercy
throughout our lives. And, here in the Augusta community,
there are several ministries and organizations that help us
in carrying out this responsibility.
For nearly 30 years, the Golden Harvest Food Bank has
labored to fulfill the first work of mercy: feeding the hungry. The organization provides food for the hungry of Richmond County and over 30 neighboring counties.
Believe it or not, hunger is a big problem in America.
A recent report by the Department of Agriculture showed
that one in six Americans has trouble feeding his or her
family. The food bank hopes to significantly improve this
statistic for the Augusta area. And many at St. Mary’s are
doing their part to help!
Each month, a group of parishioners serves with a
number of programs and outreach initiatives, organized
by the food bank. Whether it’s at the “Faith Food Factory,”
helping out in the food bank’s warehouse, or even cooking and serving food downtown at the Master’s Table Soup
Kitchen, St. Mary’s parishioners are lending a hand in a variety of ways. St. Mary’s School students have even done
their part to help, participating in the “Extreme Dream: Everyone Eats!” campaign this past fall.
But there’s always room to do more. And the first step
toward more involvement is to get the word out about the
needs of the community.
“Part of our mission is educating the public about the
vast number of people in our community who are in need,
and there are so many opportunities to serve,” says Tammy
Jackson, Volunteer Coordinator for the Golden Harvest
Food Bank.
And with so many opportunities to serve, Tammy says
there’s something that will work for just about anyone. Interested in helping out behind-the-scenes? Consider assisting
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at the warehouse. Does food inspection pique your interest?
Sign up to help out at the Faith Food Factory, where donated
items are sorted and inspected. How about hands-on service
to the poor and hungry? Then Master’s Table Soup Kitchen
has your name written all over it.
As one of the more popular ways to fight hunger, Master’s Table serves the poor 365 days a year, with over 300
regular clients. Tammy says the facility is the perfect place
to for families to serve together. Volunteer tasks include
greeting people as they walk through the door, cooking,
cleaning – even playing music while people eat!
Currently, St. Mary’s sends four eighth-graders to serve
at the Master’s Table every other week. For student Alexis
Wagner, this opportunity has been a special one.
“Going to the soup kitchen to serve made me realize
how many gifts I have been given,” she says. “It opened my
eyes to see that God put us in this world to serve others.”
For those unable to serve in any of the before-mentioned capacities, Golden Harvest is always open to finding
new opportunities for service. Other ideas include delivering food, stocking the shelves at the food pantry, or even
collecting goods at home for donation.
The Golden Harvest Food Bank offers our parish a
wonderful opportunity to live out the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel: “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I
was thirsty and you gave me drink” (Mt 25:35).
For more information about how you can help, contact
Tammy Jackson at 706-736-1199, ext. 207.
the marianite
Join Us for the 19th Annual
Msgr. P. James Costigan
St. Mary on the Hill Catholic School Golf Tournament
S
how your support for Msgr. Costigan and our parish
school by participating in the 19th Annual Msgr. P.
James Costigan St. Mary on the Hill Catholic School Golf
Tournament. Monsignor, an avid lover of golf, started the
tournament and our school’s endowment fund. The endowment is very important to the school, providing much needed funds each year and meeting some of its financial needs.
Over the years, these funds have been used to purchase
computers for the school’s computer labs, and have helped
to provide continuing education to faculty members.
This year’s golf tournament takes place Friday, April 29
at Forest Hills Golf Club. Lunch and dinner are provided for
all players, and the shotgun start is at 1 p.m. All golfers are invited to step up to the greens and spend the day in fellowship
and fun, while supporting a worthy cause.
The entry fee is $100 per person, which includes lunch,
dinner, green fees, a golf cart, and two mulligans per player.
Hole sponsors are needed, and the cost for a hole sponsorship sign is $125.
“This is a great event for school families, parishioners,
and friends to gather for a day of golf and fun,” says Mary
Davis, Director of Development. “Not to mention that the
money raised goes to such a great cause. We are so grateful to
all of our tournament sponsors, hole sponsors, players, and
volunteers who make this tournament better each year!”
To register or support the tournament through a sponsorship, please fill out the form below. For more information, please call Mary Davis at 706-733-6627.
Thanks so much for your support!
Thanks to our tournament sponsors!
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, St. Francis Animal Hospital, Rhodes Financial Services, and Pollock Company
Please complete the form below.
If you have already arranged for a foursome, please list all your players.
Singles will be paired with other participants, unless otherwise noted.
Please note: A new tournament scoring format will be used to make it more
competitive.
Name___________________________
Name_____________________________
Address_________________________
Address___________________________
City/St/Zip_______________________
City/St/Zip_________________________
Phone: (H)_______________________
Phone: (H)_________________________
(Cell)_______________________
(Cell)_________________________
True Handicap:____ Club: _________
True Handicap:_____ Club: __________
ST. MARY ON THE HILL SCHOOL
HOLE SPONSORSHIP
St. Mary on the Hill
School
Every year we seek “hole” sponsors to help underwrite
the expenses associated with the St. Mary School Golf
Tournament, to benefit the endowment fund.
Golf Tournament
Hole sponsorships can be purchased for $125.00 per
hole. Last year the tournament raised over $12,000
for the school’s endowment fund. Patron signs will
be provided to thank you for your generous sponsorship of this event. Your support of this worthy event
is greatly appreciated.
*SPONSOR’S NAME AS IT SHOULD APPEAR ON THE SIGN:
Name___________________________
Name_____________________________
Address_________________________
Address___________________________
City/St/Zip_______________________
City/St/Zip _________________________
Phone: (H)_______________________
Phone: (H)_________________________
(Cell)_______________________
(Cell)_________________________
True Handicap:____ Club: _________
True Handicap:_____ Club: __________
Entry Fee: $100.00 per person
(includes lunch, dinner, green fees, golf cart and 2 mulligans per player)
I do not play golf but would like to make a contribution
to the St. Mary School Endowment Fund in the amount of $_____________
Make checks payable to
St. Mary on the Hill School
Please mail this form to:
St. Mary on the Hill Golf Tournament
Attn: Mary Davis
1420 Monte Sano Avenue
Augusta, GA 30904
*_____________________________________________________________________
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________ Hole $125.00 - Total $_____________
Guests Invited To Reception
Friday, April 29, 2011
Forest Hills Golf Club
Schedule of Events
12:00 noon - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - Shotgun Start
5:30 pm - 19th Hole Reception
All participants, their family members,
guests and sponsors are invited to join
us at Forest Hills Golf Club after the
tournament for the 19th hole reception
(dinner will be provided) and awards
presentation. This is a wonderful way
to wrap up the Annual Golf Tournament
to benefit St. Mary on the Hill School
Endowment Fund. Please make plans
to attend.
Total Amount Enclosed: $______________
3
Mary
Saint
on the hill
Eas
For RCIA Students, the E
W
(above and below) Candidates and catechumens participate in a recent
RCIA class.
ith Lent hastening on toward Holy Week, the
RCIA class is finishing a life-changing eightmonth journey of preparation.
This year, the RCIA team has overseen the catechesis of 12 candidates, eight catechumens and five confirmandi preparing to receive Baptism, Confirmation
and first Eucharist. Each of them comes from a unique
background: some have been around the Catholic
Church for years, some have been active in Protestant
denominations, and some have had little religious experience whatsoever. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit has
worked in each of them, prompting questions and nurturing desires and ultimately pointing the way to the
Church for fulfillment.
The following is a brief introduction to a few members of this year’s program.
Scott Rountree, Candidate
For Scott Rountree, coming into the Catholic
Church has been a fairly smooth transition.
Scott grew up in a traditional Lutheran church, and
has quickly come to feel comfortable with the Catholic
Church’s liturgy and teachings. Nevertheless, Scott’s
journey to conversion took some time.
“After high school, I wasn’t really involved in a particular church,” he says. “While going to college I drifted away, unfortunately, like so many kids in college
do. After college, though, I started looking for something; I tried a few churches, Lutheran and Methodist,
but there was nothing speaking to me at the services.
Around that time, I started dating my [now] fiancée,
Michaelann Grady, who is a Catholic. The more I attended Mass with Michaelann and her family, the more
I felt connected to God and wanted to make a home in
the Catholic Church. Finally, when we started talking
about marriage I decided that it’d be best to share the
same faith, so I joined the RCIA class last fall.”
Scott didn’t have to spend much time searching for
a sponsor.
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the marianite
ster
End and the Beginning
“Michaelann is my sponsor; she grew up Catholic,
and went to Catholic schools, so the class has all been a
refresher for her,” Scott says. “She’s been extremely supportive and faithful in coming with me. Her family has
been really supportive, too. They are a great influence on
me, demonstrating how to live a positive Christian life.”
Scott says he has enjoyed the RCIA process as he prepares to receive Confirmation and first Eucharist.
“I found a lot of the classes really interesting, especially when we got into the reasons behind the Church’s
teachings about the Eucharist and other things,” he says.
“I’m really excited about receiving the Eucharist; that,
and being able to share the Eucharist at our wedding –
that will be really special, too.”
Logan Prince, Catechumen
Logan Prince, a first-year student at Augusta State
University, encountered the Catholic Church for the
first time last year and instantly knew it was where he
wanted to be.
Logan grew up in a nominally Southern Baptist
home, but began searching on his own for a new spirituality at an early age.
“I started going on my own to a few different nondenominational churches when I was pretty young,”
Logan says. “Then, when I was invited to attend St.
Mary’s one weekend last July, I immediately loved it.
Later, during the summer, I noticed that there was an
RCIA program for those interested in learning about
the Faith, so I signed up and have enjoyed it all the
way through. From the beginning, I’ve known that I
wanted to go all the way through the course.”
Logan has greatly enjoyed learning about the foundations of the Faith, from Apostolic Succession, to the
Eucharistic teaching of transubstantiation.
“People are always asking if there are any teachings
that I’m struggling with, but I really haven’t experienced
that,” Logan says. “When you hear the truth, sometimes
it just resonates with you – it just makes sense.”
Throughout the year of preparations, Logan has
grown to yearn for the Eucharist more and more.
“I remember the Rite of Acceptance; I started crying, I tried to keep it in but then they started doing the
Sign of the Cross on my eyes, lips, ears, hands and feet
and it was really emotional for me,” he says. “I was
overwhelmed.
“I’m very excited to receive the Sacraments,” he
continues. “I go to Mass every Sunday, of course, but
also try to get to daily Mass a few times a week, too. I
always go up to receive the blessing – but I am so excited to finally receive the Eucharist!”
Logan feels blessed to have a wonderful sponsor in
Barbie Schneider, whose daughter, Terri, first invited
him to St. Mary’s last summer.
Please keep Scott, Logan and the other members of
the class in your prayers as they conclude their preparations and begin their new lives as fully initiated Catholics.
Please keep Scott, Logan and
the other members of the class
in your prayers as they conclude
their preparation and begin
their new lives as fully initiated
Catholics.
5
Mary
Saint
m
ily Corn
er
Fa
on the hill
I Surrender!
by Katie Conner
T
hings have not exactly been running smoothly
around here lately. We have had one illness after
another since Christmas, some causing multiple trips
to the doctor’s office and many, many waits in line at
the Target pharmacy. So much so that I began doing
“menu planning” based on what is available in the frozen food section at said
Target. We’ve had lots
of little bumps in the
road at school this year
– nothing major, but it
seems that some years
go smoothly and others, like this one, are
just bumpy – enough to
make me carsick really.
Steve has been holding
up under the pressure
of an incredibly stressful job for an incredibly long time, and that
takes its toll on him and the whole family. In peaceful
moments, I am able to see how blessed we are. Those
illnesses that seemed never-ending – they let up for now
and we are getting better. The eventful school year – my
kids are in a school where the teachers care for them,
and their struggles will hopefully make them better
people in the long run. My husband’s stressful job – it
allows us to go to the doctor and the pharmacy to get
the medicines that cured those illnesses and bought the
frozen foods that fed our family.
But what about the real moments of anxiety and
turmoil that strike when illness comes, job stress takes
its toll, our kids struggle (insert your own trials here).
Frankly, I have at times found these moments of crisis –
the roller coaster of emotions, the decisions to make, the
details to attend to – more than I can handle. Weakened
and vulnerable, I find myself reaching out like a little
66
child for the Lord. I cry “uncle!” (Or rather “Abba!”) and
He never fails to come to me bringing His strength, His
wisdom, His peace that surpasses all understanding.
I used to think that one day, farther along the path of
holiness, I’d be so serene I’d no longer experience angst
or frustration or worry. But that’s not really human. Our
emotions are God-given and
the Gospels depict our Lord as
having a full and deep range
of human emotions. In the
midst of Lent, I’ve been thinking about His agony in the
garden. Jesus agonized – to
the point of sweating blood.
That is powerful emotion.
It’s not the emotions that are
wrong. Perhaps the lesson to
be learned is the folly in ever
trying to “handle” them, or
anything else for that matter,
without reaching out for the
powerful arms of our Savior first. Perhaps He doesn’t
need me strong after all, but “weak” instead, relying on
Him moment by moment for little needs and big crises
and everything in-between. Spiritually-speaking, for me
weak is the new strong.
Each year on Easter Sunday morning, I find it a little
jarring to shift gears so quickly from the depths of sadness of Good Friday to the heights of rejoicing as we
celebrate the resurrection. But I suppose that is exactly
what happens in our hearts when we cry out to our Lord
in the midst of our own “agony in the garden,” whatever it may be. When He comes, and He always does, Easter begins instantly in our hearts because our Savior has
arrived at the exact moment we call out to Him. In the
pharmacy line, in the principal’s office, cleaning your
sick kids’ linens again, wherever you are, wherever you
need Him, surrender to Him – and let your Easter begin.
the marianite
April Celebrations continued from front cover
Church. Though the vigil is lengthy, Easter comes alive
with the symbols ritually celebrated for the Rite of Initiation at the Vigil. Once experienced, Easter and New Life
are never the same.
In the beginning of the Vigil, after
the lighting of the New Fire, we process into the darkened church with the Elect, bringing the Light of Christ
from the darkness of the world to the Light of the new
day. At the Easter Vigil, the elect are brought before the
family of the Lord, baptized in the font of salvation, and
then they confirm the conversion process, which they
experienced all year by receiving the oil of salvation in
the Sacred Chrism. After celebrating the sacraments of
Baptism and Confirmation, we invite our newest family
members to come to the Table of the Lord to receive the
Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Here they eat
and drink with us and we encounter the fullness of the
Eucharist as the One Body of Christ.
Every Mass is an awesome experience for me, but
the Easter Vigil is the most awesome of all. What a joyful celebration that takes place on this night, ‘the Night
of all Nights, the night when Earth is wed to Heaven’!
Come and participate in this celebration, which is unlike
anything in this world. Come and be on God’s time and
in God’s place. It will be an Easter to remember – it is the
reality of the Paschal Mystery in the lived experienced of
the transformation of God’s people.
God bless you,
Fr. Jerry
Ad
Placement
7
Mary
Saint
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Augusta, GA
Permit No. 475
on the hill
1420 Monte Sano Avenue
Augusta, GA 30904
Phone 706-733-6627
www.stmaryonthehill.org
Recent Gifts to
St. Mary on the Hill
St. Mary on the Hill Church
Charles John Kain,
son of John and Dale
In memory of Marian Jackson
Mike Rucker
Gabriella Makenzie Logan,
daughter of Joshua and Cassie
In memory of Sister Rose Margaret Schweers
Mike Rucker
Julianne Rose Nordmann,
daughter of Michael and Leslie
In memory of Henry Sieron
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
Local 827
Colon and Rectal Surgery Associates
Paul and Nancy Kozakiewicz
Margaret Williams
Emma Williams
President Park Fire Company
In memory of Emily Rinker
Mike Rucker
In honor of the St. Mary Church Apron Ministry
Donna Casella, John Rinker, and Elaine Cadle
In honor of the St. Mary Church Consolation Ministry
Jean Sieron
St. Mary Church Adoration Chapel
Anonymous Donor
St. Mary on the Hill School Endowment
In memory of John Kuchinski
Jean Kearns
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Baptisms
Abigail Victoria Brudjar,
daughter of Nathan and Jessica
Kalina Thanh Truc Le,
daughter of Khai and Sandy
Mary McLaughlin Hood
daughter of Scott and Angela
Holy Week 2011
April 17, Palm Sunday
Regular Mass Schedule
April 23, Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil Mass, 8 p.m.
April 21, Holy Thursday
Mass of the Lord’s
Supper, 7 p.m.
April 24, Easter Sunday
Masses, 7:30 a.m.,
9 a.m., 10:45 a.m.,
12:30 p.m.
April 22, Good Friday
Stations, 12 p.m.
Good Friday Service, 7 p.m.