Parish Weekly Bulletin

2007-2008

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

Chairperson Gerald Shannon 791-9313

Vice-Chairperson Barry Auer 984-1041

Member-at-Large Bill Mountel 793-7634

Member-at-Large Mary Kay Lynch 731-7155

Member-at-Large Peg Halpin 631-7301

Member-at-Large Conrad Neuman 793-3165

Athletics Rick Sanz 791-0545

Building & Finance Ray Bauman 984-4239

School Comm. Denis McGrath 733-9264

Worship Debbie Kamp 891-4168

Development Comm. Tom Kronenberger 792-0109

Community Life Sandie Wubbolding 561-1911

Social Justice Comm. Chris Homan 745-9958

Festival Comm. Patti Lowe 793-1112

Communication & Volunteer Recruitment Comm.

Gerald Shannon 791-9313

Communion Visits to the Homebound -Members of this ministry take Holy Communion and visit with parishioners who are unable to attend Mass. This service is available for short and long term convalescence. Please call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Driving Ministry– For parishioners needing transportation to weekend Mass, for health related appointments and grocery shopping. Please call Donna Piening (791-7449) or the Parish Office (791-9030).

Prayer Chain – To request prayers for a special intention call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

We have seen a great light: Jesus, the Messiah, who heals us of our sin and who is our unity and peace.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Sunday, January 27, 2008

In the mail you will be receiving St. Vincent Ferrer’s Promise 2008 materials with regard to your financial commitment to the parish for this calendar year. It is important to attend Sunday Mass on January 26/27 to listen to Fr. George’s address and consider a financial pledge to St. Vincent Ferrer Parish.

The season of Lent is just about a month away. In order to use those forty days as a time of prayer and fasting to prepare for the celebration of the Easter sacraments with our Catechumens and Candidates, we do not plan to schedule any baptisms during Lent (February 6 thru March 22^nd) except in cases of an emergency or pastoral necessity. We are looking forward to celebrating the living waters of baptism with the new members of our faith community throughout the Easter season.

Sunday, January 20^th is “Sanctity of Life Sunday”. We ask that you remember the Lord’s little ones on this special day. St. Vincent Ferrer has prepared a special pink envelope marked Respect Life on January 20 for your support of the ministry done at Pregnancy Center East. All monies collected will be sent directly to Pregnancy Center East. The pink envelope is with your regular Sunday collection envelopes. This Center offers women alternatives to abortion. They offer free confidential pregnancy tests, counseling, adoption information, infant clothes and diapers – and a variety of other services. The Center has a 24-hour help line (321-3100) and is located in the Hyde Park Medical Arts Building, Suite 11 at 2752 Erie Avenue. Thanks for your financial and spiritual support on January 20.

Can you believe that Lent is only weeks away? We invite you to bring to Church next Sunday the palm you received last Palm Sunday (baskets will be at the main entrance of the Church). These palms will be burned and their ashes used this year on Ash Wednesday February 6^th. The cycle continues as we remember year after year the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.

Sunday, February 3^rd, is the feast of St. Blaise, who was a bishop in the fourth century. According to an ancient legend, he blessed a young boy who was chocking on a fish bone. The youth recovered and after Bishop Blaise died, he was proclaimed patron of those suffering from diseases of the throat. We will give a general blessing of throats during all Sunday Masses on February 2 & 3.

By the grace of God, John the Baptist sees who Jesus is and proclaims him to be the Lamb the prophets had foretold – the innocent and sinless One who gave his life to save the world. By the grace of God, we, too, grow in knowledge of the Lord, to see Jesus more clearly and know him with ever-greater love. In prayer and in close attention to the Word of God, we see, as did John, who Jesus is. He is with us in all things and we are not afraid or embarrassed to proclaim this in faith. Jesus is the Savior who takes away the sin of the world.

Prayer Moment: May my prophetic sight grow clearer, Lord Jesus, so that my words proclaim your saving presence.

Braden Tyler Gaerke will celebrate the Sacrament of baptism at the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, January 26.

The baptism preparation class is for parents who are having their first child baptized. The next class will be offered on Sunday, March 9 at

1:15 p.m. in the Community Building Chapel. You must call the parish office 791-9030, to register.

Reminder: Baptisms will not be scheduled during Lent. The first Sunday of Lent is February 10, 2008.

There is a wedding between God and us: “to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse.” God is faithful and true. Let us do the same.

Please keep in your prayers all the men and women who are currently in the military serving our country.

STEWARDSHIP OF OFFERING

Sunday January 13, 2008

Weekly Offertory

Sunday Collection $10,879

Other Offertory Donations $150

Weekly Donation Total $11,029

Fiscal Year Offertory

Offertory Budget to Date $571,758

Offertory Received to Date $484,581

Offertory Budget Deficit to Date -$87,177

Finance Fact: Utility costs at your parish for July – December 2007 were $67,680. This was about $7,000 less than the same months in 2006. We are doing our part to conserve, but we need your Sunday basket donations to operate the parish.

ST. VINCENT FOR THE POOR

Our next-door collection for our St. Vincent for the Poor Society will take place the weekend of January 26 & 27. The baskets will be in the back of Church. Your generosity is appreciated.

Tax Letters for Donations in 2007

Please call the parish office at 791-9030 if you want a letter from the parish stating your church donations for 2007 taxes. There is also a sign up list in church after Mass. This is a change from previous years, when the letters were sent automatically. The office will mail the letter to your home, or you can pick it up, but a letter will only be sent to those who request it. This new procedure will save your parish hundreds of dollars in postage. (Note: If you gave $250 or more to the church in 2007, and you plan to itemize your deductions, you will need this letter.)

$16,455 Earned through December…

Thanks to all the families who faithfully used their FOCAS 50 at Kroger through the holiday season! That holiday lift helps the FOCAS 50 totals every year. From the start of our fiscal year July 1 through December 22, we have received 7 checks from Kroger totaling $16,455, which represents 4% of all money loaded onto the cards. We are well on our way to another year of over $30,000 of revenue from Kroger. Since we started this fundraiser in June 2004, we have earned a total of $112,345 in “free” money, i.e. money our parishioners were spending at Kroger anyway that Kroger has generously donated back to us.

This money is absolutely critical to our budget and we are very grateful to those families who shop at Kroger and use their FOCAS 50 card. It costs you nothing but a moment of your time to load money on the card before you checkout (via cash, check or credit card) and then use the card to purchase groceries, prescriptions, and even gasoline. If you need a new card call or stop by the parish office and help us in Funding Our Church And School.

So that as a parish we can keep in our prayers those in our community who are ill, St. Vincent Ferrer Parish would like to publish the names of those parishioners and their families who are in the hospital, recovering from an illness or going through treatments. We ask that you contact the Parish Office at 791-9030.

Florence Bailey, Glorianne Barbacane, Gerry Brinker, Robert Churchill, Joe Crachiolo, Bob Ford, James Grever, Mary Heinlen, John Hill, John Hoover, Virginia Howd, Mary Langemeier, Bonnie McLaughlin, Les Meldon, Marilyn Naehring, Richard Nurre, Clara Stites, Mary Ellen Tressler, Phyllis Villari.

must participate in a Child Protection Workshop and be Fingerprinted prior to volunteering

New parish volunteers who will be working with children this school year, or those who have not yet had a chance to be fingerprinted or take the workshop will have the opportunity to participate in them at neighboring parishes.

Additional Child Protection Orientation Workshop and Fingerprinting dates and times can be found at www.catholiccincinnati.org , the Archdiocesan website. Click on “Fingerprinting Information”, then onto “Sites” and “Calendar.”

For further information please call Marc Greenberg in the Parish Office at 791-9030.

Parents preparing children to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist are reminded of the Parent & Child Eucharist Meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, January 29^th at 7:00 PM. Both you and your child are expected to attend. Please bring the children to the cafeteria. Parents will meet in Hamilton Hall. The evening will include a church tour for the children and a meeting for parents that will give details about the celebration of First Eucharist at S.V.F. and information and materials for remaining projects and activities that are part of your child’s preparation. For more information, please refer to our recent mailing.

Consider taking one of our spiritually renewing companions for a leisurely break on a quiet evening or afternoon. Stop by the ushers’ room located near the main entrance of the church to browse the wide selection of reading material in the bookcase.

The next SVF Social Justice and Outreach Commission meeting will be held on January 23 at 7:00 pm in Room 124 of the SVF school building. (Enter school building using the double doors facing the soccer fields). All are invited to attend. During the meetings we discuss and select Social Justice and Outreach activities to sponsor/promote. Meeting time is also spent planning events that will raise awareness of social action concerns supported by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Catholic Relief Services. If you have any questions about the SJO Commission or upcoming meeting, please call Chris Homan at 607-5996

APPALACHIAN MISSION TRIP Dates have now been set for a mission trip to Auxier, Kentucky through Hand in Hand Ministries. The trip is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7-Saturday, May 10. For more information about joining a group of SVF parishioners on this outreach, call Connie Dunn at 791-7506.

We wish to thank all of the SVF parishioners, staff, faculty and students who support the recycling program throughout the year by collecting their paper trash and taking it to the recycling bin. Bring your paper trash to the green and yellow recycling bin on the SVF parking lot near the community building. This has been a terrific way to save trees while earning money for SVF! Remember, only paper, magazines, and newspapers are accepted. NO PLASTIC BAGS, CARDBOARD or PHONE BOOKS. Thank you!

St. Vincent Ferrer Parish recycles empty aluminum beverage cans. The can recycling container is in its newer location next to the paper-recycling bin. We only accept beverage cans (soda, beer, juice) - no soup cans, sauce cans or other types of cans please. Please make sure your cans are rinsed and completely empty before putting them in our container. And remember – break off your "pop tops" and turn them into the school for their fundraiser. Thanks for helping your parish and the environment!

Thursday, January 24, 2008 - Happy Wanderers Steering Committee-room B at 10:00 a.m.

Yearly membership dues of $10.00 are now being accepted. Make checks payable to SVF and mail or drop off at the Parish Office (Mark envelope H.W.)

We continue to hear how well our eighth graders have done on the High School Entrance Exam. Molly Frost was honored last week at St. Ursula with their "Admission with Distinction" award. Ryan Danko, Nathan Duderstadt, Jack Johnson, and Jake Sambrookes received the "Award of Distinction" from Moeller High School!

Over 25% of our students have been honored by our parochial high schools! Congratulations to all!!

Our annual "Open House" will be on Sunday, January 27, after the 10:30 Mass. Please join us from 11:30am until 12:30pm and see the great things that happen everyday here at SVF!

Kindergarten Registration for the 2008/2009 school year will be on Wednesday evening, January 30, 2008 at 7:00pm. We will meet in our library. Parents should bring a copy of their child's birth certificate, immunization record, and baptismal record.

Thanks to all who have been collecting Pop-Tabs for us. Our 6th Graders continue their drive to collect One Million Tabs. Please continue sending your tabs to Mrs. Frost and our Sixth Grade Class.

Purchase your advance tickets to the SVF Spaghetti dinner this weekend after all Masses. Cash or checks accepted made out to the SVF PTO. The dinner will be held in the Community Building Cafeteria on Friday, January 25, from 5:30-9 p.m. The dinner includes LaRosa's spaghetti and salad, soft drinks and fresh Ferrari's bread for only $6 per person or $24 for your whole family. Families attending this year will not need to bring a dessert to share. Dessert will be provided in Hamilton Hall at the Confections and Connections event sponsored by the Communications Commission. Check today's bulletin insert for more details and thanks for supporting this important PTO fundraiser!

MANY THANKS to all the families who participated in the magazine drive. Your participation has helped us earn $6,620 to support our school. If you find you have a need for magazine subscriptions later in the year, go online to www.qsp.com to place your order using Account #: 425005521. This will help save you money and continue to support our school.

St. Vincent Ferrer Athletic Commission will be hosting a Monte Carlo/ Texas Holdem Social

A fun evening for sure! This is a SOCIAL event and gambling is not required. Join us for Corn Hole Tournament /Euchre & more. Adults only. $5.00 entry fee per person. This is a great informal way to meet fellow parishioners and find out more about Athletics. It was great to see new parishioners at our event last year and we would love to have even more this year. Please join us - Bring a group of friends or meet some new ones there!

Happy New Year!!! It might be wet and cold outside, but in 6 months it will be summer and hot and… Festival Time. Dates for the festival are June 27, 28 & 29. The festival committee has been hard at work coming up with new and exciting venues that will be sure to please all age groups. A big thank you to Colleen Heidel who has been able to get our entertainment for the weekend. Saturday night headliner “The Rusty Griswolds”… more information on the entertainment for Friday and Sunday coming later. BOOTH CAPTAINS: It is very important to let us know if you plan on being captain for your booth this year. Please e-mail Patti at pdlflorida@hotmail.com If you will not be a captain this year and have yet to find a replacement we need to know as soon as possible. Booth captains are currently needed for the following: Bid-n-Buy, Golf Booth, Big Card Poker and the Party Booth. All it takes is a group of friends to organize these booths. Call Patti Lowe at 910-0668.

The monthly SVF Men’s Club meeting will be Wednesday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. in the Community Building. New members are welcome. The activity for the night will be “cards” and games. There will be a light lunch served with Montgomery Inn Ribs and beer. FREE PARKING!!! Upcoming event: “Father-Son Breakfast” in February.

This year’s event will take place immediately following the 9:00 AM mass on Sunday, March 9th, and will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blue Ash at the I-71 / Pfeiffer Road Exit. A full service breakfast buffet will be provided. As always, this uplifting event is open to every male member of the parish, and extended family and guests are invited to attend. To better accommodate the hotel catering staff, please RSVP to John V. Mock by February 29th @ 513.504.6972 or preferably via email to: jvmock@fuse.net. Be sure to indicate the number of adults and children under 12 that will be attending. Make checks payable to St. Vincent Ferrer Church and send to John Mock at 6730 Michael Drive, 45243-2022. The cost is $10 per adult and $5 for children under 12. There is a family rate of $20.

About the speaker: Steve Specht will be the featured speaker at the annual SVF Father-Son Communion Breakfast. Mr. Specht is the Head Varsity Football Coach at St. Xavier High School. His teams have won the Division I State Championship twice in the last three years, been ranked atop the Associated Press state poll all year and rated anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5 all season in various national polls. Coach Specht has been personally recognized as Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. The topic of his talk will focus on the importance of a faith based vision in life with an emphasis on how he has applied it in the game of football

MARDI GRAS 2008

Invitations have been mailed out for Mardi Gras 2008. The date is February 9^th. Send in your reservations as soon as possible because space is limited. This year there will be the Reverse Jester Raffle (split the pot). The last Jester laughing will split the winnings with St. Vincent Ferrer. There will be the Queen’s Key Club; one winner will hold the key to open the Crown Jewel. There are other surprises all through the night, so do not delay, mail in your reservation today. Any questions, please call Patti Lowe at 910-0668.

The Golden Wedding Jubilee Anniversary Mass, for couples celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary, will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains. Please call the Parish Office, 791-9030 if you are celebrating your 50^th Anniversary so that your name can be given to the Archdiocese and an invitation to the Mass issued. All couples celebrating their 25^th, 50^th, 60^th, 70^th or 75^th Anniversary should also call the parish office and will be mailed a scroll. The deadline to call the parish office is March 2.

The upcoming Cincinnati Catholic Men’s Conference is Saturday, March 1, 2008. We are planning to have all St. Vincent Ferrer attendees sit together; therefore we need to know your interest by February 1^st. For more information call Mark Wellinghoff at 891-3511. Conference speakers include: University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly, TV’s The Apprentice finalist, Tarek Saab, Pastor of St. John’s in West Chester and Father Mark Burger. Tickets are $40 and include lunch.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m.; instants are sold at 1:00 p.m.; first Bingo game begins at 1:30 p.m.; Bingo will end by 5:00 p.m. Bingo questions call 324-3788.

You are responsible for finding your own substitute if you are unable to work on your assigned date. There will be a list in the parish office in the Bingo mailbox listing names & numbers.

We need to receive all articles in writing by Monday at 3:00 p.m. You should indicate the dates you would like your bulletin article to appear. Unless otherwise indicated, all articles will run for 2 weeks.

Please call the parish office to get your bulletin insert on the calendar. All inserts must be put on the insert calendar as soon as possible. (The number of inserts are limited to 2 per week) and the copies need to be in the Parish office by Wednesday morning. This will allow the bulletin stuffers ample time to adjust their calendar for volunteer time. A special thanks to our volunteer bulletin stuffers, we appreciate your help!

Don’t forget to notify the parish office of your new address and phone number when moving.

FRIENDS OF JESUS is a group for adults with developmental disabilities (18 years of age or older). This group’s focus is primarily for support, prayer and socializing. The parishes of All Saints, St. Columban, Good Shepherd, St. Margaret of York and St. Philip the Apostle would like to extend an invitation to our neighboring parishes who would like to join us for our Winter Gathering on Saturday, January 26, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Parish, 8815 E. Kemper Rd. (Use the Community Room entrance on the right and come to Room 15, first room on the right.) We will be enjoying music performed by the Moeller Jazz Band as part of our program. We come together in prayer, have entertainment, do some craft making and enjoy refreshments. New members are always welcome but need to register first with Jane Callan prior to attending. Also, please RSVP to Jane Callan at 793-3546.

Communion Visits to the Homebound -Members of this ministry take Holy Communion and visit with parishioners who are unable to attend Mass. This service is available for short and long term convalescence. Please call the Parish Office (791-9030).

Driving Ministry– For parishioners needing transportation to weekend Mass, for health related appointments and grocery shopping. Please call Donna Piening (791-7449) or the Parish Office (791-9030).

Mass Intentions & Readings

for the Week

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Calendar for the Week

Monday, January 21, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Sunday, January 27, 2008

ST. VINCENT FOR THE POOR

Tax Letters for Donations in 2007

$16,455 Earned through December…

PARISH LIBRARY

HAPPY WANDERERS

MARDI GRAS 2008

AROUND TOWN