Sunday Bulletin - St. Mary Magdalen

7
February 1, 2015
www.stmmagdalen-oakville.org.
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Mass Intention
SATURDAY, January 31, 2015
Vigil Mass Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 p.m. Pasquale Palomba
requested by his loving wife and family
SUNDAY, February 1, 2015 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30 a.m. Nicolina Mucciacciaro
requested by her husband & family
10:30 a.m. Deceased members of the Petraroia family
requested by Mr. & Mrs. Cosimo Petraroia
MONDAY, February 2, 2015 The Presentation of the Lord
8:00 a.m.
TUESDAY, February 3, 2015 Weekday
8:00 a.m.
WEDNESDAY, February 4, 2015 Weekday
8:00 a.m. Joe Sotnik
THURSDAY, February 5, 2015 Saint Agatha
8:00 a.m. Alice Stemm
FRIDAY, February 6, 2015 Saint Paul Miki & Companions
NO MORNING MASS
SATURDAY, February 7, 2015
11:00 a.m. First Reconciliation
Vigil Mass Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 p.m. Vincenzo Zappone
requested by his wife
SUNDAY, February 8, 2015 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:30 a.m. Bernice Giordano
requested by her daughter
10:30 a.m. Gabriel & Anna Marie and Miguel & Filomena Rosa
requested by Joe & Teresa Distasti
Sanctuary Lamp Intentions
The Church: Giocondina & Annuntiata Guerrera and
Michelangelo & Anna Perugini reserved by their family
Attention…
All members of ministries ( Parish Council, Finance, Money
Counters, Ushers, Scouts, REACH Liturgy, Catholic Women’s
Ministers of Communion, Lectors, Altar Servers, Small
Christian Communities Music, School Board)
On Sunday, February 8th at 11:30 a.m., all members are
requested to gather in the Church for group shots for our
parish pictorial/directory. This is the ONLY TIME that these
photos will take place. We encourage all members to attend.
Thank you! Any questions, give a call to the rectory 860-2749273.
Vocations: People were spellbound by the
teachings of Jesus. The church needs bold
teachers and preachers today.
Consider a
vocation to priesthood or religious life. Call Fr.
Jim at the parish office, 860-274-9273. He would like to
speak to you.
Activities & Meetings
February 1 - 7, 2015
SUNDAY
8:30a.m.
10:30a.m.
Confirmation II, Church Hall
“Wee Celebrate” Religious Ed Program for 3-5
year olds, Church Hall
MONDAY
6:45p.m.
REACH, Youth Group, Church Hall
TUESDAY
3:45-5:15p.m.
Religious Ed grades 1-6, SMMS
6:30p.m.
Cub Scouts, Church Hall
WEDNESDAY
3:45-5:15p.m.
Religious Ed grades 1-6, SMMS
5:00-7:00p,m.
Ziti Dinner sponsored by REACH, Church Hall
6:00-7:30p.m. Religious Ed grades 7 & 8 SMMS
THURSDAY
6:30p.m.
Boy Scouts, Church Hall
SATURDAY
3:00- 3:30p.m.
Confessions, Church
Saint Mary Magdalen School
www.smmsoakville.org
Stewardship of Treasure
Our parishioners need to give $5,500 every week to our
spiritual home in order to maintain it financially. The weekly
stewardship offering January 24 & 25 weekend totaled
$2,810.00 and Online giving totaled $490.00. Totaling
$3,300.00. Our goal was not met this week, fell short by
$2,200.00
Sign up for Online Giving by visiting our parish website at:
www.stmmagdalen-oakville.org.
2014 Contribution Statement
Statements of your stewardship of treasure contributions for
2014 are now available upon request. Please fill in the
following information and drop it into the collection basket.
Your statement will be mailed to you within two weeks.
Please print clearly your information. Thank you.
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Name:_____________________________ Envelope #________
Home Address:________________________________________
Home Phone:_________________________________________
www.stmmagdalen-oakville.org.
February 1, 2015
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Ziti Dinner
On Wednesday, February 4th, REACH will
hold its annual Ziti Dinner in the Church
Hall. The event starts at 5 PM and ends at 7:30 PM. Curbside pickup will be available. Dinner includes salad, bread,
ziti, meatballs, beverage and dessert. Advance tickets will be
sold after the Masses on Jan 24th and 25th (snow date Jan 31st
and Feb 1st). Tickets are $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6
for children under 12. Proceeds will be used to cover the
costs associated with many of the REACH service functions
and events. Please support this worthy cause. We look
forward to serving you a tasty dinner!
Catholic Women’s Organization
C.W.O. will meet Monday, February 9th at 7:00 p.m. in the
rectory meeting room. Prior to the business meeting meet in
the Chapel for Rosary. All women are invited and welcome
to attend our meetings.
Rachael's Vineyard
Retreat Weekend in Litchfield, CT
A Retreat for spiritual and emotional healing after abortion
This confidential, supportive retreat is for anyone (Woman or
man) hurting inside after abortion. For more information
Please call Marie Laffin at 203-631-9030 or email at
[email protected]
NIFTY FIFTY CELEBRATION
Dear Friends:
Saint Mary Magdalen Church is publishing a
parish pictorial/directory and a special
commemorative Nifty-Fifty birthday card for
Father Jim Gregory in preparation for a
dinner/dance on May 9th at the Grand Oak
Villa. More info to come in next weeks’ bulletin, but mark
your calendars to hold the date, Saturday, May 9th.
We are seeking your support. We are offering a business card
size ad to appear in both the pictorial/directory and the
Nifty-Fifty Birthday card for $50.
In addition, you may want to sign Father Jim’s
commemorative birthday card with a patron listing for a $15.
All ads are due with full payment by February 6, 2015.
Checks are to be made out to Saint Mary Magdalen Church.
Please submit your payment with your business card and/or
the completed patron listing form below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Return this part form with your request no later than Friday,
February 6, 2015. Drop off or mail to:
St. Mary Magdalen Rectory
145 Buckingham St.Oakville, CT 06779
Name Listing:____________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________
Telephone Number:____________________
Address: ___________________________________
Shepherd’s Desk
By Fr. Jim Gregory
I recently returned from Tucson, AZ after attending the first
ever Faith and Astronomy Workshop put on by the Vatican
Observatory for parish priests and those who work with them. The
week involved talks from working astronomers, field trips to
astronomical sites around Tucson, and evening telescope observing.
One of the highlights of the workshop was our group’s visit to the
Planetary Science Institute. This is because it showed us that people
of science are not much different from people of faith.
The PSI provides a positive institutional setting for its
scientists to study the origins of the solar system and to share that
knowledge with other scientists and the public. PSI relies totally on
grants and donations, much like our parish or ministries such as
Carolyn’s Place. Government or archdiocesan funding is not a
source of income for either.
When our group arrived, we were greeted with hospitality.
There was a sign that welcomed us outside the entrance and a
spread of inexpensive wine, bottled water, and Costco cookies on a
folding table. That’s not too different from a social function at the
Magdalen. Granted, there was no coffee, but perhaps church coffee
is better than lab coffee.
We learned that scientists are involved in more than just
science. The member scientists of the PSI share their other interests
with one another. Parishioners bring all of their varied interests and
talents to the parish community and share them in order to build up
the community.
One such example is Bill Hartmann with whom we met
and chatted. Bill is the astronomer who formulated the most
accepted hypothesis describing the formation of the Moon. He
spoke to us about art and science for he is also a space artist. He said
the purpose of a science artist was to synthesize what the different
scientists see of a particular subject and visualize it.
Dr. Hartmann showed us some examples of his space art
hanging in the corridor and took us into his office where his walls
are covered with paintings he made of more terrestrial scenes. These
scenes of nature were painted by Bill on his various travels all
around the world. He said for him painting is a way back to earth
from all the planetary science he does. He paints by acrylic and not
by any digital applications because he also needs to get away from
sitting in front of computers.
Bill’s art speaks nicely of prayer. Although he never said
this, perhaps his art is his prayer. It showed me that like doing art,
prayer enables us to remove ourselves from all the things we do in
order to get a fuller view of our reality. Prayer also leads us do
better those things we are removed from whether we like doing
them or not.
Among the many paintings in Bill’s office hangs a painting
by a space artist from a previous era, Chesley Bonestell. The painting
depicts the formation of the Earth and Moon as two orange orbs,
one larger than the other, both with grayish white halos on a black
background. In Bonestell’s era, the Earth and Moon were thought to
have formed by cooling down together. Today, thanks to Dr.
Hartmann, we know that the Moon was formed by a planet-sized
object colliding with the Earth and that the debris that was torn off
the Earth coalesced into the Moon in Earth’s orbit. This shows us
that like faith, science does not have a perfect grasp of reality, that
reality is far more complex than either one to completely describe. It
also shows us that both faith and science changes and grows.