6, 7April 2013 *New Sunday
St. Joseph Maronite
Catholic Church
3 Appleton Street, Waterville, ME 04901-6630
Office:Phone: 207-872-8515
E-Mail:
Pastor: The Rev. Larry Jensen
Deacon: Rev. Mr. Peter P. Joseph 872-2225 Subdeacon: Steve Crate 872-9257
NEW Web Site Address
“The Eastern Rites are the Treasure of the Catholic Church” Pope John XXIII
Liturgies:Saturday 4:00 p.m., * Sunday 10:00 a.m. * Tuesday - Friday 9:00 a.m. in the St. Jude Chapel
The Miraculous Medal and the St Jude Novenas are on Tuesday following the 9 a.m. Liturgy
Sick Calls:To receive the Eucharist and/or the Anointing of the Sick, Please call Fr. Larry.
Confessions:A Half-hour before all scheduled Liturgies, emergencies, and by appointment.
Baptisms:Call the Office
Marriage:Call the Office 6 months before you finalize a date for your wedding and book your reception.
*Suggested donation for the Sanctuary Candles, St. Jude Chapel $20, St Joseph Church $20, for the Altar Bread, $25, and the Wine, $25.
Suggested offering for Liturgies: $10 for weekdays - $15 for weekends.
Choir Director:FefaDeebSacristans: Yvonne Nemer, Theresa Nemer& Laurie Nale
Teachers DRE:3-5thLenore Boles K-1stRosanna Joseph2nd Jane Lee
Parish Council: David Elias, Frank Griffin, David Lee, Gerald Joseph, Rosanna Joseph, Kevin Michaud,
Susan Mitchell, Katrina Plourde, & Aaron Rowden.
Ex-officio: Deacon Peter Joseph, Subdeacon Steve Crate, Lenore Boles DRE, & Paula Mitchell. Rosary Sodality
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
John 20:24-31
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Conclusion: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Dear Parishioners and Friends:
Faith is a gift. When everything is going our way and we feel content, we can be deluded into thinking we have a deep faith. It is when we are deeply troubled, or struggling with conflict and doubt that we actually discover whether we have a strong faith. Faith is when we do what we know is the right thing to do and do it even when this is not what we feel like doing. Faith is letting compassion and love for God win over self-centered wants.
Thomas wanted proof that Jesus was alive.He knew what people were saying. If they heard Jesus was alive, then He faked His death. If they were sure he died, then they were faking His resurrection. Since he himself wasn’t at the crucifixion, he was not an eyewitness of the death of Jesus, nor so far- a witness to his resurrection.
With Thomas touching the death causing wounds of Jesus, he was able to witness that indeed Jesus actually died. Seeing Jesus and touching Him, Thomas knew literally Jesus was raised from the dead. His sincere doubts providethe faith foundation to travel as far as India to spread the Gospel because He knew it to be true and not because a story was “made up” to convince others to follow “their religion”.
Every religion has had some leaders at times willing to fabricate and exaggerate to convince others to follow them. This might be to feed their personal ego, status, and power. Usually they play on the fears, prejudices, and ignorance of those they want to manipulate and control. In the story of Thomas, it shows he would not make up a story just to “save face” or use a lie to convince someone to believe in Jesus. To fake a healing to get people to believe in healing sooner or later always proves destructive.
What if Jesus didn’t respond with understanding, toward Thomas? What if He got mad and said, “forget you!” God doesn’t forget us. He is always aware of us, and what we need. Of course, we are not always aware of Him. When we do not foster the habit of living by faith, we should not be surprised that we look for him in the wrong places and have an insufficient knowledge of His will and teachings to follow Him faithfully.
There is a belief that hell is being in the presence of God (heaven), except for one difference: He or she will hate seeing people there that he or she hated, rejected, or didn’t forgive in their earthly life. Worse yet, they see the intensity of the love God has and their soul, by their choices, is no longer capable of experiencing compassionate and forgiving love. They can see all their decisions in which they chose to empty their soul of God’s image and the times they rejected the grace and mercy to unite their humanity with His Divinity.
Truth can be rejected even when it is right in front of us by doing nothing to enlighten our conscious with the Light of Christ. Jesus lets us use our free will even if that means we choose to betray Him, make disastrous decisions, and be hateful. Our humanity is humiliated by failures of every sort. Yet, the Holy Spirit provides us with the power to reach out and be touched by His mercy and grace to find salvation in Him. Faith is a changing transforming power.
The faith we practice as Maronite Catholics is the faith that was brought to us by those who believed that Thomas saw a man wounded to the point of dying, and raised up in Glory, a glory that we can inherit through following the path as sons and daughters of the Heavenly King. There are many kingdoms, but this Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom where all that is good and becomes good is protected from all that is evil and harmful to our health, soul, and spirit. This place, is a place of joy and peace. Aboona
Liturgy Helps:
Be sure your cell phone is off or silenced
2ndCollection– 4/14 Catholic School Subsidy, 4/28 Catholic Home Missions.
Liturgy will beginon page 387,Creed p 748Pre-Anaphora p-749,
Anaphora of St John p 815.
Liturgy Intentions
Sat64:00 p.m.
†Billy Joseph
By Nicole Harmon
Sun710:00 a.m.
†Phil Joseph
By Michelle Cothran
When the servers go to the side altar, those who will be carrying the gifts may go at this time.
Mon8Father’s day off
Tue99:00 a.m.
Intention Available
Wed109:00 a.m.
Intention Available
Thu119:00 a.m.
Intention Available
Fri129:00 a.m.
†Caroline Nale
By Mark & Laurie Nale
Sat134:00 p.m.
†John Nimon
By Geraldine Nimon
Sun1410:00 a.m.
†Jibryne & Jeanette Karter
By the Family
PRAY FOR THE SICK OF THE PARISH
Heal Your servants, who are sick,
O Lord, and send them help
And comfort from Your holy place.
Those who seek our prayers: Theresa Clark, Dianne Fjeldheim, Herb Jabar, Albert Joseph, Theresa Lee, Kendra Maroon, Hope Murphy, Tala Poulin, and Virginia Poulin.
Be sure to let Aboona know if you would like a name added or removed.
Twenty-FifthAnniversary DVD
The 25th Anniversary Liturgy was recorded and put on DVD. If you would like to order one, you can take one of the DVD Order Forms to fill out that is made available in the entrances of the Church. You can contact Kevin Michaud for more information.
April Devotions
Sanctuary Candles
St. Joseph 14 days Sanctuary Candle
No Intentions Received
St. Jude 7-Day Sanctuary Candle
No Intentions Received
Altar Bread:
For Subdeacon Deeb Ferris
By the Family
Altar Wine:
For Sam & Lottie & Abraham Deeb
By Marie Deeb
Last Week’s Collection
Regular Collection$2,193.00
Fuel Collection
Not only is our parish warm in its welcome to others, we also want to keep the church at a warm comfortable temperature throughout the winter.
2012-2013 Budget for Fuel$15,000.00
Fuel Collection to date$7,036.00
God bless you for your generosity
If you are not receiving envelopes and would like to start, please let the office know.
Gone a lot? Please consider electronic giving. You can contact your bank to schedule your contribution to be sent to St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Chuch.
Thank You Choir
Thank you Fefa and choir members who gave that extra time to make sure that the music for Holy Week and Easter were exceptionally inspiring.
Altar Care
Thank you Theresa, Yvonne, and Laurie for making sure the altar area was prepared for the special services during Holy Week.
Thank You Servers at the Alter
Thank you Servers and Readers who by your presence and help made the special Liturgies inspiring.
Talk not of wasted affection;
affection never was wasted.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The 2012 Financial Report can be found at the church entrances.
READERS SCHEDULE
New Sunday – Divine Mercy Sunday
2 Corinthians 5:11-21John 20:26-31
4 p.m. April 6Lila Hallowell
10 a.m. 7Subdeacon Steve
Third Sunday of the Resurrection
2 Timothy 2:8-13Luke 24:13-35
4 p.m. April13Lenore Boles
10 a.m. 140
EVENTS FOR APRIL
Sun7Religious Education & MYO
Sun14Rosary Sodality
Sun28Lebanese Supper
Coffee Schedule
4/7Mary NaderRosanne Joseph
4/14Sharon CrowePam Casavant
4/21Laya JosephMaureen Lee
4/28Jane LeeNancy Elias
Hafli - 10/5
Dust off your Hafli jar; ink in this date for a great time.
The Funds from this Hafli will be used toward the new roof for the Rectory.
Hafli Jar
If you start now putting in 23 cents a day or a $1.61 a week in your Hafli jar, you will have the amount for the Hafli ticket.
Thank you!
Thank you for the Easter Cards, and gifts. They are most appreciated. May the Spirit of Easter remain in your heart and the hope in the Resurrection sustain you throughout your life.
Fr. Larry – Deacon Peter – Subdeacon Steve
Thank you Knights!
Thank you for all the hard work you did in preparing the delicious St. Patrick’s Corn Beef and Ham, and Cabbage Dinner for my 25th Anniversary to the Priesthood, you made a wonderful celebration much more easier for all of us. The Hall looked terrific and the meal was delicious. Again, thank you.
And for all those who a part of the procession; it was awesome, to have so many be a part of the Divine Liturgy. It was, as some were saying, “spectacular”.
We must accept finite disappointment,
but we must never lose infinite hope.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Birthdays in April
Anniversaries for April
Let Aboona know if you would like your name added to the Birthday and/or Anniversary list.
New Liturgical Books
You might have to take a Liturgical Book from another pew if there is not one for you to use. In time, they will be distributed according to where people usually sit.
We will need patience and time to adjust to the rewording of many of the prayers.
Please handle them carefully and respectfully. If you have a child that might mishandle them, be sure to provide another item for them to be entertained with.
Food Pantry - April
MayonnaiseCanned ravioli
BisquickFruit Juice (Plastic Bottles)
Thank you for caring!
Warm Weather is on the Way.
LITURGY is a Sacred Assembly of Sacred worship. The priest wears sacred vestments, and the rest of the Assembly should reflect this sacredness by their behavior and the clothes they wear. I encourage attire that reflects the sacredness of Sunday Worship. Aboona
Hall Metal Chairs for Sale
The blue padded chairs in the hall, that the Knights have provided, have made sitting much more comfortable. We would like to sell some of our metal chairs for $5.00 each to help purchase additional padded chairs.Let me know if you would like to purchase some.
“The Catholic Church, East and West, breaths as two lungs in the same body”
Blessed John Paul II
LEBANESE CUISINE
34 Temple Street * Waterville, ME 04901
207-873-7813
Waterville Florist
Thank you for your weekly flower donations
287 Upper Main Street
Tel: 207-872-7422 also 888-616-48880
GALLANT FUNERAL HOME INC.
John O. Gallant, CFSP, Owner/Director
10 Elm Street * Waterville, ME 04901
Tel 873-3393 Fax 877-7106 * Website: gallantfh.com
GHM Insurance Agency
Auto * Home* Business * Life * Benefits
51 Main Street – Downtown Waterville
Tel: 207-873-5101
GRONDIN’S CERTIFIED DRY CLEANERS
259 Main Street - Waterville, ME 04901
207-872-8132
Century 21 – Surette Real Estate
Pam Casavant - Partner/ Associate Broker
Tel: 207-873-5634 Ext 219
e-mail:
web:
JOKAS’ Discount Beverage
52 Front Street - Tel: 207-873-6228
Central Maine’s Complete Package Store
Joseph’s Market
74 Front Street * Tel: 207-873-3364
E-mail:
Web:
SII Investments, Inc.
One Silver Street - Tel: 207-872-8689
Lawrence D. Griffin, MBA
Church Etiquette
Refrain from long and loud conversations, no food or drinks in church, no leaving of pews during the reading of the Gospel and the Consecration of the Bread and Wine. Check to see if your cell phone is off. Modest clothing is expected and appreciated.
Anything done for another is done for oneself.
~ Pope John Paul II