June 3, 2007

The Most Holy Trinity

Brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit gathers us together in this holy place to give praise and honor to the most holy Trinity: three persons in one God. We lift up our hearts and voices in praise and gratitude for the gifts of creation, redemption, and sanctification that come to us through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

MASS SCHEDULE

June 02 4:30PM Lou & Helen Contompasis………..Marie Walsh

Joseph & Yolanda DiCocco (65^th Wed. Anniv)..By Children

June 03 10:00AM Silvio Tremante……………..…….Mary Pidgeon

The Valentino Family…………By Daughters

June 07 12:15PM Novena to the Miraculous Medal

June 09 4:30PM Amadeo Volpe……………………...By Wife

June 10 10:00AM John & Raffaela DeMatteo………By Family

Eleanor Steven……………….…The Bright Family

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

06/02:   E. Feuerstein & A. Lotano & T. Lotano 06/03:   D. Alvarado, D. Duggan & D. Lessard

06/09:   S. Abeel & B. Abeel & A. Lotano 06/10:   C. Rogowicz, C. Rogowicz & C. Greene

COMMENTATOR & LECTOR

06/02:  C. Kiszkiel & M. Burger  06/03:   D. Holodak & W. Chura

06/09:  E. Feuerstein & B. Nicolella  06/10:   Youth

ACOLYTES

06/03: Catherine Hadcock & Cecilia Holodak 06/10: Courtney Schaeffer & Mikayla Thomas

WE DID IT! –WE HAVE RAISED THE ROOF! We have reached our goal of $20,000 for the roof!!! Thanks! Great job!

PETITION BOX- There is a box in the vestibule of the church with slips of paper beside it on which the faithful, YOU, can write intentions to be considered for the Prayers of the Faithful at Masses in the coming weeks.  The Prayers of the Faithful traditionally include prayers for the Church, for our civil community (local, national, (international) for the sick and suffering, as well as for our own personal and family needs.  Your petitions may concern any of these.  HOWEVER, keep them brief, simple (no details necessary) and write legibly.  Though not all prayers may be able to be offered aloud at Mass, all intentions placed in the Prayers of the Faithful box will be collectively, if not individually, offered in the prayers at Mass.  You may also send prayers by e-mail or post to the rectory or by e-mail to me.  Walt Chura, s.f.o. V.P. for Prayer, Worship and Adult Faith Formation. wwchura@yahoo.com.

Rummage & Bake SALE, Saturday, June 16, 2007.  - Start cleaning out your attics and cellars – Our rummage sale will be here before you know it.  Please be sure your rummage is in good condition, clean, if electronic – in working order etc…  Label your boxes whenever possible. You can drop off Rummage Sale items anytime Mon-Thurs. 8:30 to 2:30.  For larger items that need to be picked up, call and leave a message at the rectory 374-9148 anytime.  Sign up to sort, bake, and work the day of the sale!  Sign up sheets are located in the church.  Be sure to get involved and have some fun!  Food & Money Donations for the Rummage Sale may be brought in to the Rectory anytime. If you want to donate money to buy food for the sale, please put it in an envelope marked “Rummage Sale”.  Thank you all in advance.  Any questions, please call Donna Lessard @ 346-2290. Donna Lessard & Fred Simone

NEWSLETTER – The deadline for our June (Feast of St. John the Baptist) newsletter is Monday June 4^th. Please have all submissions to Eileen in the parish center no later than June 4^th. Submissions may be emailed to: sjb@albany.net.

Relay for LIFE – at the Scotia/Glenville High School track on June 15^th and 16^th. The evening begins at 7PM with the cancer survivor walk, Luminaries are lit (in honor of those who have survived or lost their lives to cancer) at 9:30PM and the Relay continues until 7AM. We encourage all parishioners to stop by even if only for a short while. Our team is still taking donations – canisters are located in the front entrance of the church.

NEED HELP TO HEAR??? - Two wireless hearing aids are now available from the Ushers. We hope you will make use of them.

CUSTODIAN WANTED - St. Anthony’s Early Childhood Center (formerly St. Anthony’s School) is in need of a full time maintenance person. If interested, please call Fr. Medwid at 374-4591.

NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH FEST – Sat. June 23^rd from 10AM to 1PM at St. Clare’s Hospital Campus. Free health screenings, wellness and prevention info, entertainment and much more. For more information contact St. Clare’s @ 347-5608.

MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA AND PRO-LIFE ROSARY – with Adoration, will take place at St. John the Evangelist Church on Monday June 18 @ 7:30PM. Call Patty (372-3381 x 113) for more information.

MEETING DATES

THURSDAY June 7th Bible Study 11:00 AM in the Parish Center

MONDAY June 11th Parish Council 6:45PM in the Parish Center

OFFERTORY COLLECTION: The offertory collection for the weekend of 5/27/07 was $1,285.00. Needed to meet weekly expenses is $2,000.00 "And the crowds asked him, 'What than shall we do?' In reply he said to them, 'Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.' “Luke 3:10-11

MEDITATION:  ORDINARY TIME, SUMMER

Speaking Out for the "Inside"

Resting: Some Arresting Thoughts

"There are times, then, when in order to keep ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing  And for [those] who ha[ve] let [themselves] be drawn completely out of [themselves] by [their] activity, nothing is more difficult than to sit still and rest, dong nothing at all.  The very act of resting is the hardest and most courageous act [one] can perform:  and often it is quite beyond [one’s] power."

(Thomas Merton, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND,  page 123)

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Schenectady’s Historic Church

Over 175 Years of Worship and Service

Rev. Michael T. Schmitt – Sacramental Minister

Administrative Assistant –Eileen Mazur

Parish Office Hours 8:30AM-2:30PM Monday through Thursday 374-9148 Closed Friday

Parish Center Email: sjb@albany.net Web Site: www.albany.net/~sjb/

Saturday Mass taped for Channel 16 – Shown: Sunday 2 PM & Monday 2 PM

St. John the Baptist Mission Statement

Dedicated to Celebrating Christ’s Love in

Worship, Works of Charity and Fellowship

MEDITATION:  PENTECOST SUNDAY

and

THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS

Do you remember when you were given your first set of ice skates?  First skateboard? First cell phone?  Great gifts, but you had to learn to use them.  Then, practice, practice, practice!  Do you remember being told that you would receive the Gifts of the Spirit when you were Confirmed?  Do you remember the Gifts of the Spirit?  There are seven (the "perfect" number!) according to the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (11:2-3).  [St. Paul has his own list in 1 Cor. 12:8-10, but the Church traditionally speaks of Isaiah's 7]:  WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, COUNSEL (meaning good judgment), FORTITUDE (sticking with the right thing, even when it's hard), KNOWLEDGE (being able to understand the truths of Faith), PIETY (NOT being proudly holy, but having a deep reverence for God, other people and all of God's Creation, and FEAR OF THE LORD (NOT scared of God, more like a sense of the greatness--the awesomeness--of God, who is nearer to you than you are to yourself.)  Ordinary Time after Pentecost is a time to "unpack" these Gifts of the Spirit, to practice, practice, practice the Holy Spirit--that is "the Spirit of Holiness"--which Christ has sent to us. 

BISHOP’S APPEAL REPORT

May 27^th 2007

5-6-07 44 Families $10,976

5-13-07 11 Families $ 2,011

5-20-07 2 Families 505

Total 57 Families $13,492

We still hope to hear from the rest of you. Envelopes will be in the pews through the month of May.

Again – thank you.

Lynn Lucas