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Saint
James Parish Goal
To deepen our own faith in Jesus Christ in order to
bring it to and share it with others. |
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PGC WORKSHOP |
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The
Diocese of Pittsburgh is committed to the prevention of child
abuse. As part of the Safe Environment Policy, a workshop entitled
Protecting God's Children is offered periodically in various
locations. The PGC workshop helps all adults recognize the warning
signs of child abuse and offers specific directives to follow if
abuse is suspected. It is very informative and would be of great
interest to any parents, grandparents, etc. PGC is required
for all adult parishioners who volunteer in any ministry in
the parish, e.g., VBS, ushers, choir, eucharistic ministers,
catechists, lectors, breakfast and dinner workers, GIFT, etc.
Please call or email Sr. Zoe Ann if you are able to attend this
upcoming PGC.
Facilitator: Edna Hill
Where:
St. Vincent de Paul Parish, New Castle
When: Sunday, February 28 at 1:30-4:30 PM |
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RITE OF SENDING and RITE OF ELECTION
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The RCIA candidates have now
entered the next phase of the initiation process, the Period of
Purification and Enlightenment. This period which occurs during
Lent will be spent in prayer and reflection as they make their final
preparations for celebrating the Easter sacraments of Confirmation
and Eucharist. The community at St. James celebrated the Rite of
Sending recently and ritually sent them to the Bishop in
Pittsburgh to celebrate the Rite of Election with hundreds of
other catechumens and candidates throughout the diocese. Please
pray for our two candidates, Dawn Gagliano and Emily
McAnallen, as they make the final preparations for their full
initiation into the Catholic Church. Below is an appropriate prayer
which we might choose to offer frequently for them.
Holy God, with arms
stretched wide on the cross, Jesus embraces in boundless love all
who seek you. Guide and protect those now called to prepare for the
Easter sacraments. When these days of Lent are finished, bring all
catechumens through death in the waters of Baptism, and so to life
in Christ. Strengthen our candidates as they prepare to be sealed
with your Spirit and joined in communion with us at your welcome
table. Make all of us together fruitful branches of that cross, the
victory of your servant Jesus who is Lord forever and ever. Amen. |
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PRAYDREAMING |
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 Do
you find yourself daydreaming sometimes? Did you ever consider that
God may be speaking to you in those daydreams? How do you discern
God’s will for you? The February issue of the Catholic Update
entitled “PrayDreaming: Key to Discernment” and written by Fr. Mark
Thibodeaux, SJ offers suggestions for pondering your dreams and
desires and discerning how God is speaking to you in them. Pick up
a free copy of the CU each month from the table in the
narthex. Read it and see what you think! |
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HAITI and SR. JUDY |
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Please
continue to pray for Sr. Judy Dohner, one of the Humility of Mary
Sisters from the Villa, who has been ministering in Haiti for eight
years, as well as all the people who are suffering from the recent
earthquake. Although Sr. Judy suffered a concussion and a broken
rib, she is one of the fortunate people there and is able to help
care for victims more seriously wounded. Sr. Judy, a registered
nurse,
worked with the Sisters of St. Antoine at an orphanage and clinic in
the rural village of Fondwa,
helping
pregnant women and their babies.
She has now left Fondwa as the clinic there was totally destroyed
and made her way to Tabarre which is near the airport in
Port-au-Prince where she is working at St. Damien Hospital in the
operating room. Your generosity and prayerful support is very much
appreciated. |
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BODY OF CHRIST |
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You may
have noticed the large cardboard outline of Jesus standing against
the wall in the narthex. We are inviting all parishioners to
bring in their pictures and add it to the drawing. This is a
graphic way to illustrate that each of us at St. James Parish is an
important member of the Body of Christ. Together we make up the
Church and continue to do what Jesus did when he walked this earth.
Directions for adding your picture are posted by the drawing, along
with two-sided tape, scissors and all that you will need. Hopefully
we will eventually have a picture of every parishioner included in
the collage. So, don’t forget to add your own sweet, smiling face
soon! |
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| Victim’s
Assistance Hot-line Diocese of Pittsburgh |
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If you
are a person who has been hurt by abuse from clergy or others
associated with the Church, the Diocese offers assistance with
counseling, spiritual direction and referrals to other supportive
services. For information on any of these services, we invite you to
contact the Diocesan Assistance Coordinator toll free at
1.888.808.1235.
If you feel you are a victim of sexual abuse by any personnel in the
Pittsburgh Diocese,
call the Diocesan Victims Assistance Hotline
1-888-808-1235. |
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GRATITUDE |
 Thank you
to the many parishioners who brought in presents and shared the
Christmas spirit with families needing a little extra love. Special
thanks to Connie McGinnis and her Giving Tree team who
organized this special outreach project. We also appreciate all
who donated paper products and food items for our Christmas baskets
for those in need. God bless you all. |
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ALL VOLUNTEERS
IN THE PARISH |
 As
part of the plan to create a safe environment for children in our
church, all parishioners who volunteer in any
capacity in the parish – Committee/Council/Team Members, CWO, Men’s
Group, Catechists, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Music Ministers,
Ushers, Kitchen Workers, etc. – are asked by the Diocese of Pittsburgh
to fulfill four basic requirements which are described below.
For more information about the requirements, contact Susan Dexter or Sr.
Zoe Ann at 724-964-8276.
1)
The first requirement is
to register online with the Diocese of Pittsburgh Database. This is a
relatively simple process of entering your name, address, and basic
information about yourself. To begin the application process go online
to the diocesan website
www.diopitt.org and click on
the box for database application on the left side of the screen or call
the parish office for directions on how to apply.
2) The second requirement is
to sign the Code of Pastoral Conduct. This is a document stating the
expected behavioral standards for all Church volunteers within the
diocese. Your signature on the Acknowledgement Form signifies that you
agree to act in accord with Catholic values. Call the parish office to
obtain a copy of the Code.
3) The third
requirement is to participate in a Protecting God’s Children workshop.
It is an excellent program that truly equips adults to create safer
environments for children. For a list of all PGC workshops in our
area, go to the diocesan website
www.diopitt.org and scroll
down toward the bottom to the section on Current Issues and click on the
line Protecting God’s Children Workshops.
4) The fourth
requirement is to apply for the Dept of Public Welfare (DPW) Child Abuse
History Clearance. After you complete the first requirement of
registering online with the diocesan database, a PA State Police
Criminal Record Check (CRC) will automatically be submitted
electronically for you. A copy of that report will be sent to the
parish. The parish will then provide you with a copy of that CRC report
and a DPW form to complete. The CRC report must be attached to the
completed DPW form before it is submitted it to the state. |
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BOOK CLUB |
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 Interested
in joining a monthly Book Club to review current books of fiction from
the New York Times’ best sellers list? Meet the second Wednesday of
each month from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Mother Madelaine Room at the
Villa. Books may be purchased at a discount at the Villa Shoppe.
Refreshments will be served, no fee, but registration is necessary. For
more information contact Sr. Barbara Lenarcic at 724-964-8920 ext.
3223. |
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BIBLE DONATION
 Recently
a generous parishioner made a monetary donation
to St. James Parish in memory of Mary Phillian
asking that we buy various translations of the
Bible and make them available to the
parishioners. Mary was involved in the
prayer and Bible study group that meets on
Friday mornings. In honor of Mary who
loved the Scriptures, 6 books were purchased.
One of the new books is a comparative Bible
which gives each passage of Scripture laid out
on a page with four different translations side
by side for easy comparison. You may be
interested in reviewing some of the books which
are housed for the time being in a specially
marked box in the narthex or in the Social Hall. |
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Hi St. James
Parishioners, |
As
you probably know from the
bulletin articles, there is
a Food Cupboard at St.
Joseph Parish in New Castle
that is supported by the
parishes in Lawrence Co.
So now when people come to
us at St. James with
requests, we can send them
to St. Joe's for food.
Anyone from our area who is
in need of food can go there
for help.
We are grateful that St.
Joe's is willing and able to
provide this wonderful
ministry, and we want to
support them so that this
can continue. Thus, we
send monetary and food
contributions to the Food
Cupboard.
Each month we at St. James
are collecting a specific
food item to donate.
This month it is
CANNED VEGETABLES.
So when you are shopping
this week or see a good
sale, remember to throw a
few extra cans into your
grocery cart for the Food
Cupboard.
Then when you come to Mass
this weekend, remember to
bring your cans and put them
in the containers in the
narthex. Thank you
for reaching out to others
in this way and helping to
feed Christ present among us
today!
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MARRIAGE MINISTRY |
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Following are some contacts for marriage
ministries sponsored by the Diocese of
Pittsburgh. For more information on any of
them, call the number listed or contact Sr. Zoe
Ann.
Engaged Encounter
Marriage Preparation Weekend for engaged
couples Contact Brian & Nancy Stevens at
412-861-0262
Marriage Encounter (Inspirational Weekend
Experience for Married Couples) Contact Mary &
Lou Locante at 412-635-7775
Retrouvaille (Help for Troubled Marriages)
weekend experience: private time &
confidentiality.
Contact Eric & Vicki John at
1-800-470-2230
Natural Family Planning Contact numbers
for information on NFP include the following:
Jacki Pleska 724-747-2470; Dolores Shipe
412-732-0502; Micha Peters 412-766-4053 |
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VILLA SHOPPE |
 There
is a gift shop at the Villa which is now open to
the public each day from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
each day except for
Monday, Wednesday & Sunday when it's closed. The shop features
traditional items, e.g., sweatshirts, cards,
jewelry, crosses, rosaries, books, CDs, as well
as many unique gifts, e.g., prayer bowls,
handheld labyrinths, fair trade coffees and soup
mixes, original art prints, holiday baskets and
the Villa Cook Book. Call ahead for
evening hours. 724-964-8920 ext. 3279. |
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NEW ADULT CATECHISM |
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Many of you are probably aware that there is a
new United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.
There have been articles about it in the
newspapers and in the Pittsburgh Catholic.
Based on the universal catechism, the book was
developed by the U.S. Conference of Bishops.
It is written with a very reader-friendly format
including lots of stories, sidebars, and summary
boxes. Copies of the new catechism are
available at St. James for purchase at the
discounted price of $16 rather than the list
price of $25. Anyone interested in
purchasing a catechism should contact Sr. Zoe
Ann or sign up on the sheet in the narthex.
Checks can be made payable to St. James.
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BIBLES FOR SALE |
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$10 for paperback copy. The New
American Catholic Bible. Contact Sr. Zoe Ann or
The Religious Education Committee |
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NEW RCIA GROUP |
| We are presently forming a new
inquiry group for the RCIA process. If you know
of someone who may be interested in learning
more about the Catholic Church and is discerning
the possibility of becoming Catholic, please
contact Sister Zoe Ann by calling the parish
office at 724-964-8276. |
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HOSPITAL & NURSING HOME
STAYS |
 A
recently enacted law has affected the
longstanding practice of hospitals and nursing
facilities of providing information to parishes
about parishioners who are patients or
residents. Because of the new law, the priests
and the staff of the parish may not promptly
learn or may not learn at all, that a member of
the parish has been admitted to the hospital or
nursing home. If you, or a member of your family
are hospitalized or enter a long-term care
facility or assisted, independent living
residential facility and you want the parish
office to know, please personally or through a
family member contact the church office
promptly. We will do our best to obtain
information about our parishioners, but we are
limited in the information we can obtain. Thank
you for your attention to this important
matter. |
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