Parish Weekly Bulletin

March 11, 2007

NETWORK OF CARE

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 Tom Sweeney (791-3939) or Judy Verny (791-6321).

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).

St. Vincent for the Poor – (791-9030)

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

or Ellen Brinker (791-7184).

Web site: www.svfchurch.org

Monday, March 12, 2007

2 Kgs 5:1-15b  Lk 4:24-30

8:30 AM            Altar Society    

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Dn 3:25,34-43  Mt 18:21-35

8:30 AM            Julianne Long   

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Dt 4:1,5-9  Mt 5:17-19

8:30 AM            Thomas Kail MD

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Jer 7:23-28  Lk 11:14-23

8:30 AM            Judy Morand & family    

Friday, March 16, 2007

Hos 14:2-10  Mk 12:28-34

8:30 AM            John Overbeck              

Saturday, March 17, 2007

St. Patrick

Hos 6:1-6  Lk 18:9-14

5:00 PM            Ron Speed

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Jos 5:9a,10-12  Lk 15:1-3,11-32

9:00 AM            Jack Crable

10:30 AM          Amelia Palermo

12:00 Noon        The members of St. Vincent Parish

Monday, March 12, 2007

6:30 AM                        Communion Service – Chapel

8:30 AM                        Mass-Church

9:15 AM                        Solemn Exposition- Chapel 

(Stop in for 15 minutes)

9:15AM                         Altar Society - B

7:00-8:30 PM                 Lenten Mission–SVF Church (reception to follow)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

6:30 AM                        Communion Service – Chapel

8:30 AM                        Mass – Church

9:15-10:00 AM               Lenten Morning Session-SVF Aud

7:00 PM                        Lenten Mission-All Saints

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

6:30 AM                        Communion Service – Chapel

8:30 AM                        Mass –Church

9:15-10:00 AM               Lenten Morning Session-All Saints

7:00 PM                        Lenten Concert – SVF Church

7:30-8:30 PM                 Lenten Mission – SVF Church

Thursday, March 15, 2007

6:30 AM                        Communion Service

8:30 AM                        Mass–Church

9:00-10:00 AM               Lenten Morning Session– SVF Aud

11:30 AM                      Fun Lunch Bunch-B

7:00-8:30 PM                 Lenten Mission- All Saints

Friday, March 16, 2007

6:30 AM                        Communion Service

8:30AM                         Mass – Church

9:30 AM                        Bible Study – A

5:00-7:00 PM                 Fish Fry - Aud

7:00 PM                        Stations of the Cross-Church

Saturday, March 17, 2007

3:30-4:30 PM                 Confessions-Church

5:00 PM                        Mass  –Church

Sunday, March 18, 2007

9:00 AM                        Mass – Church

9:00 AM                        PREP

10:00 AM                      Men’s Club Communion Breakfast-Aud

10:30 AM                      Mass (2nd Scrutiny) - Church

10:30 AM                      EC

12:00 PM                      Mass –Church

1:15 PM                        Baptismal Prep-Chapel

7:00-9:00 PM                 Prep Confirmation Mtg-HH

7:30 PM                        Bible Study-A

8:00 PM                        AA - Room B

St. Vincent for the Poor Collection

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

In the world today, we can connect with our family and friends, prepare our meals, pay bills, and get our favorite entertainment within seconds and with little effort.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that needs more time, more care, to bear fruit.  Faith, too, needs time.  We cannot click a mouse or push a button or flip a switch and have strong faith.  Rather, our faith needs the hand of the gardener, Jesus, to make it strong and fruitful.  This is a great image for us to meditate on these days of Lent.

Living the Word: Finish this thought: “The fruit of my faith is….”

SVF/ALL SAINTS MISSION SCHEDULED

  St. Vincent Ferrer and All Saints 

parishes will jointly host a Mission

March 12-15, featuring speakers Jeanne Hunt, Director of Faith Formation, Sacred Heart Church in Fairfield, and Al Cucchetti, Retreat Coordinator, Jesuit Spiritual Center in Milford.  Both are powerful speakers in their own right, and together, most inspiring.

  The Monday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 14 sessions will be held at St. Vincent; the Tuesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 15 sessions will be at All Saints.  All evening sessions will begin at 7:00 p.m.

  On March 13, Reconciliation will be offered at All Saints; on March 14 choirs from both parishes will present a Lenten concert at St. Vincent.

  For those finding it difficult to attend an evening session, morning sessions will follow the 8:30 a.m. Mass on March 13 and 15 at St. Vincent’s and a morning session will follow the 8:30 a.m. Mass on March 14 at All Saints.  Each will be about an hour in length.

PARISH LENTEN RECONCILIATION SERVICE

The Parish Lenten Reconciliation Service will be celebrated at All Saints Church (As part of our Inter-Parish Mission) on Tuesday March 13 at 7:00 p.m.  There will be five priest confessors.

LENTEN EVENSONG AND STATIONS

  A reminder that we will be celebrating Lenten Evensong on Wednesday March 21st and March 28th at 7:00 p.m.

  Another opportunity for prayer during Lent is the Stations of the Cross which will be prayed in the Church each Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. 

ARCHDIOCESAN FUND DRIVE

The Season of Lent has always been a time for the Church to give alms.  Your support of the Archdiocesan Annual Fund is one way for you to participate in this important action of the Lenten Season.  Please be as generous as you can in order to help us reach both the parish goal and our wider Archdiocesan needs.  Every gift helps, and no gift is too small.  We ask that everyone in our parish participate with a gift of any amount.

                -Fr. George Kunkel

IN MEMORIAM

Your prayers are requested for the soul of Edna Herbers whose Mass of Christian Burial was held March 8.

USHERS are needed for the Sunday 12:00 noon Mass.  Please call Ed Degregorio @ 791-1160.

VOCATION VIEW

Moses heard God’s call from a burning bush.  What is your passion, your burning bush?  Take time to know what God is sending you to do and be. (Exodus: 3:18, 13-15)

WELCOME

Please welcome the following parishioner who recently joined St. Vincent Ferrer Parish.

Mary Perez

We trust that our parish will extend friendship and support to them.

BAPTISMAL PREPARATION PROGRAM

Parents are expected to attend the program prior to the baptism of their first child.  Godparents are welcome.  The program is offered quarterly.  The next program will be offered Sunday, March 18^th at 1:15 p.m. in the Chapel.  Please call the Parish Office to register.

Sunday Offering Information

Offering for 2/25/07 =                  $  18,409

Offerings Year-to-date = $676,506

Offerings Budget To-date =         $679,403

Current Total Parish Financial Information

Parish Revenue To-date =           $1,237,802

(including tuition and other)

Parish Expenses To-date =         $1,267,985

Parish Deficit Year-to-date =       $     30,183

Projected Fiscal Year-end Results

(Fiscal year ending June 30)

Revenue for the Fiscal Year =     $1,783,324

(Excludes debt reduction gifts)

Expenses for the Fiscal Year =   $1,894,803       

(Excludes debt payments)

Fiscal Year-end Deficit =            $   111,479

Report of Parish Debt

Current Parish Debt =                 $1,380,000

Total Debt Reduction Gifts =       $     27,559

Projected Debt at Year-end =      $1,352,411

FOCAS 50 Update: Keep the Good News Coming!

Good news: January was a strong month for our FOCAS 50 program!  The latest check (for the 4-week period ended January 20) was the biggest one yet for this fiscal year -- $2,860, versus a year-to-date average of $2,400.  This is great momentum for this important program that has generated $33,000 each of the last two years for our church and school.  Please continue to support this program each and every time you shop at Kroger!

Latest period (4 weeks ending 1/20/07): $2,860

Year-to-date Total Receipts (29 weeks ending 1/20/06):  $18,000

Cumulative Total since program started in July 2004:  $84,100

ST. VINCENT FOR THE POOR

Our next-door collection for our St. Vincent for the Poor Society will take place March 17 & 18.  The baskets will be in the back of Church.  Your generosity is appreciated.

 

 

 

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

In The Hospital or Recovering at Home:

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, Rosemary Carey, Jean Funch-Conrad, Jean Cornett, Joe Crachiolo, Anne Durkin, Ginny Farrell, Ferd Forney, Audrey Hanley, Virginia Howd, Sarah Kuczaj, Mary Langemeier, Shirley Milostan, Mary Lou Runge, Tom Sweeney, Phyllis Villari.

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LENT ~ RECONCILE WITH GOD, SHARE HIS COMPASSION  On Ash Wednesday we began our annual pilgrimage of prayer and reflection in preparation for Easter.  This year in our liturgies and prayer services we will be highlighting the theme, “Reconciliation with God  ~ Share His Compassion.”  This is the season when the whole Christian community is called to repentance and a change of heart.  It is also the time when the members of the GIFT Program (R.C.I.A.) make their final preparation for the Easter sacraments.  As a parish, let’s accompany them on their faith journey and renew in our lives a true sense of conversion and commitment to the gospel of Jesus.

To help set a prayerful tone for these forty days, a Lenten booklet, which we prepared, was inserted in a previous bulletin.  The format has suggestions for Lenten practices and prayers such as an examination of conscience and different ways of fasting.  A calendar of the Lenten liturgies and services here at St. Vincent Ferrer is also part of its content.  In addition, each week, inserted in the bulletin, you will find daily scripture reflections, prayer suggestions and activities.  The daily reflections can also be accessed on the parish website, www.svfchurch.org.  Click on “Church” and then the Lenten Reflection link.

For your convenience we will have additional copies of the booklet and each week’s reflection in the back of church. 

We hope that this new format will be prayerful and easy to use.  The pastoral staff would appreciate your comments!

Please join us for our Lenten Evensongs on March 21^st, and 28^th at 7:00 PM in Church.

Evensongs are the evening prayer of the church that includes prayer, songs, scripture, psalms, and a time of reflection.

This year we have invited a parishioner to share his or her reflections for each evening on one of the Lenten scripture readings.

Evensong lasts about 45 minutes.

THE SCRUTINIES

The Scrutinies are an integral part of the Lenten purification period for our Elect and Candidates who will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.  They are celebrated on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent.  The Scrutinies are prayers of protection and healing for the Elect and Candidates.  They raise up whatever keeps us from the transforming love of God, and they also raise up those dimensions of life that welcome the loving presence of God.

We celebrate the 2^nd Scrutiny Rite next Sunday at the 10:30 Mass.  Please pray for our Elect and Candidates.  You’ll find their pictures in the vestibule of the main entrance to Church.

Tues., March 27 – Lunch with Fr. George

at the Seasons – See flyer for details.

Wed., March 28 – Steering Committee Meeting – 10:15 AM - Rm. A

Fri., March 30 – Monthly Meeting –w/Coffee & Donuts after 8:30 AM Mass

INTER-PARISH LENTEN MISSION

Plan to make the Parish Mission part of your Lenten Journey.  The Mission sponsored by St. Vincent Ferrer and All Saints Churches will be presented this week on March 12, 13, 14 and 15^th by Al Cucchetti, Retreat Coordinator at the Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford and Jeanne Hunt, Director of Faith Formation, at Sacred Heart Church in Fairfield, Ohio.  These will be both morning and evening sessions held alternately between the two parish sites.  Watch for further upcoming information.

BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHT

How to Forgive

A Step-by-Step Guide

Written by:  John Monbourquette

Library Code:  Personal Growth

We all have trouble in our relationships at times.  We all have experienced misunderstandings, confrontations, and breakdowns in communication with the people around us.  There are times when it is so hard to forgive when someone has hurt us.  Times like this are difficult and painful.  In How to Forgive, the author and psychotherapist exposes the false understandings we have of forgiveness and offers an approach that allows for healing and growth.  Whether the person who has hurt you is a family member, friend, colleague or stranger, whether that person is alive or dead, this book will help you forgive.  Through practical exercises and a twelve-step process, you are invited to look within yourself to finally be able to say:  “I forgive you.”

UPCOMING EVENTS ON IMMIGRATION:   

Historic, Social Economic Perspectives: Immigration at Home

Monday, March 12, 2007

7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Wise Center

8329 Ridge Road, Amberly

Information: pac@wisetemple.org

Panelists include Seane Arthurs, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati; Dan Hurley, Cincinnati Museum Center; and Fr. William Jansen, Archdiocese Hispanic Ministries

Study Program on Immigration  

On Saturday, March 24; 12:30 -4:30 pm, the Sisters of Charity Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation will sponsor a “Study Program on Immigration”.  It will take place at the Cedars Room, Motherhouse of Mt. St. Joseph.  The cost is $10. The day will include “lived experiences” from immigrants and those who are helping secure their human dignity.  It will also include social analysis, theological reflection, and an opportunity for action with our elected officials.  The registration deadline is March 16.  For more information and to register, please contact the Sisters of Charity at 513-451-9444 or akerslou@aol.com  

URBAN MISSIONARIES         St. Vincent Ferrer Social Justice Commission is once again sponsoring a dinner for Over-the-Rhine residents at Nash Trinity United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 11th, from 3:00-6:00 p.m.  Help is needed in advance to prepare casseroles, bake cakes or to make cash donations to cover expenses.  Serving help is also needed for the dinner.  Please contact Julie Morency at 793-3031with questions. Donations may be directed to the Parish Office, Attention: Urban Missionaries.  Thank you in advance for your assistance.