1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Saint
Mary
Church
A PENNSYLVANIA CHARITABLE TRUST
Established in 1854
“Built on Living Stones”
444 Glenfield Road
Sewickley, PA 15143
February 22, 2015
First Sunday of Lent
~~
www.saintmaryaleppo.org
PARISH STAFF
Father David J. Jastrab, Pastor ................... 412.741.6460
Fax……….. 412.749.9271
Barbara Venturella,
Coordinator for Religious Education............... 412.741.3959
b_venturella@saintmaryaleppo.org
Richard Gruber,
Business Manager, Director of Music Ministry..412.741.6501
rgruber@saintmaryaleppo.org
Barbara Cox, Office Manager, Safe Environment
Coordinator, Wedding Coordinator…………...412.741.6460
bcox@saintmaryaleppo.org
Finance Council, FinanceCouncil@saintmaryaleppo.org
MASS SCHEDULE
Saturday Vigil Mass
5:00 p.m.
Sunday Mass
8:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m.
Mass at Masonic Village at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
When Traveling: www.masstimes.org or 1.858.207.6277
Eucharistic Adoration—3-5 p.m., Sundays
An Automated External Defibrillator or AED is located in
the Church vestibule near the front door.
Diocesan Victim Assistance Hotline: 1.888.808.1235
Childline (Abuse) Protective Services: 1.800.932.0313
BULLETIN DEADLINE: Monday at noon
www.saintmaryaleppo.org
SACRAMENTS
RECONCILIATION: every Saturday from 4—4:30 p.m.
or by appointment.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:
CCD - Grades Kdg - 5: 9-10:15 a.m. Sundays (weekly)
Confirmation Class (8th Grade) 9-10:15 a.m. Sundays (wkly)
CCD - Grades 6 - 7:
6:00-8:00 p.m. Sundays (bi-weekly)
BAPTISM: By appointment - 412.741.6460
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY: Diocesan directives require that arrangements for a marriage be made at least six months
prior to the anticipated wedding date. All couples are required to
attend a Pre-Marriage Preparation Program. Please call the rectory
for information or to schedule a meeting 412.741.6460.
RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: This program is for
those inquiring about becoming Catholic or those who have not
received all of the Initiation Sacraments. Those who would like to
know more about their faith, please call the rectory office for more
information 412.741.6460.
PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK/SHUT-INS: Please
notify the rectory when a family member is ill or hospitalized.
Ministers of the Eucharist are available to bring communion
to those ill and homebound.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Send an email to Carolyn Oblak at
oblak@comcast.net or call 412.576.9707.
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
St. Mary Church welcomes all who seek to enhance their own personal, family and community relationships with God Almighty.
Ours is a varied congregation open to the talents of all. Our common goal is to continue the efforts of our ancestors to provide a legacy of Faith for future generations.
Page Two
February 22, 2015
First Sunday of Lent—the Forty Days of Lent are deeply spiritual for many Catholics and for many
Christians.
Baptism—there are many individuals who are preparing to be Baptized into the Catholic Church and
others who are joining the Catholic Church from other Christian groups. Each comes to the Catholic
Church with a sponsor, a family member or a friend who has guided the person in search of being a part
of our Faith Community. At the Great Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday night, they will be Baptized or make
a Profession of Faith in the Catholic Church. Pray for these new members and pray that you have the
good fortune of sponsoring someone for membership in the Holy Catholic Church. For the rest of us who are already Baptized, make these Forty Days of Holy Lent spiritually rewarding.
Many Lenten Practices—are summed up in the three traditional ways of keeping Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Doing
Good. The Way of the Cross is prayed in our Parish Church every Friday evening at seven. Please come if you can. We
could use you joining us to fill up the Church and that would make me very happy. Many Catholics attend daily Holy Mass
either here or at a neighboring Parish or near to your place of employment.
Confessions—are heard every Saturday at 4 p.m. or anytime by simply calling the Parish Office. I have often mentioned
the daily Prayers of our Church are to be found on the internet: UNIVERSALIS.com. Try Morning or Evening Prayer.
Adult Confirmation—if you are an adult desiring to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, please let us know.
Father Bruney—I mentioned last Sunday that Fr. Larry Bruney, our former Pastor, is undergoing treatment for cancer.
Please keep him in prayers and if you wish to drop him a note, his address is: St. Cyril Church, 3854 Brighton Rd., Pittsburgh, PA., 15212. May Fr. Bruney receive complete healing with our Prayers and love.
Better Weather—this is the last week of February and we are all looking forward to better weather. I thank you for coming to Sunday Mass despite the poor and cold weather. Have a peaceful week and you are in my prayers. Love, Fr. Dave
As Girl Scout Troop 50121 comes to an
end this year, we would like to thank St.
Mary Church for their support the past 12
years!
We were able to do many service projects
with the use of the Meenan Center, donations from the Women's Guild and support
during Girl Scout cookie time. In the past four years, we
have made hundreds of loaves of banana/pumpkin bread and
550 dozen Christmas cookies for the Light of Life Mission,
also many other donations to the Red Door and Pleasant Valley Men's Shelter. We have also sent over 60 cases of Girl
Scout cookies overseas to the military.
Once again the girls, moms and I thank you—it has been a
memorable 12 years here!—Dina Donovan and Troop 50121
Lenten Nullity Presentations—the purpose of the talk is to
provide information about the nullity process and help those
wanting to begin the process to do so by receiving the initial
paperwork. The talk is directed toward those who have a desire for adult education regarding this often misunderstood
subject. People involved in RCIA as teachers or directors
may have a special interest in attending this talk. Registration
is not required, but to plan for chairs and refreshments please
let us know that you are coming at tribunal@diopitt.org or
call 412.456.3033. Other presentations are: Feb. 26, St.
Margaret Mary, Moon Twp.; Mar. 2, St. Benedict the Abbot,
Peters Twp.; Mar. 3, St. John Fisher, Churchill; Mar. 10, St.
Camillus, New Castle; Mar. 11, Sts. John and Paul, Franklin
Park; Mar. 19, St. Ann, Waynesburg; and Mar. 23, St. Sebastian, Ross Twp. All presentations begin at 7 p.m. & are free.
Lent – An Invitation
Lent is the time we turn from sin and be more faithful to the Gospel.
This holy time of grace is characterized by:
• Prayer (visit these two websites: universalis.com and praying lent 2015)
• Sunday Eucharist, Daily Mass and Communion
• Selecting a good spiritual book
• Making a good confession
• Fasting is a great aid to feel God’s presence and grow in our relationship with our divine Lord. We “give foods or other
pleasures up” so that we have more “room” in our souls for the Lord.
• Good Works: donations for the poor, visiting someone in a nursing home, volunteering at a soup kitchen, helping a
friend or neighbor in need during our economic downturn, ministering to someone who is ill/undergoing medical treatment, being there for someone who has suffered the loss of a loved one.
Lenten Schedule
First Friday—March 6, Mass and Anointing of the Sick, 9 a.m.
Daily Mass—Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.
Eucharistic Adoration—Sundays from 3-5 p.m.
Stations of the Cross and Benediction—Fridays, 7 p.m.
Confessions— Saturdays, 4 p.m. or by appointment
First Sunday of Lent
—Rummage Sale at Aloysius Church, 3616
Mt. Troy Rd., Reserve Twp., Sat., Mar. 7, from
8 a.m.—2:30 p.m., Sun., Mar. 8, from 12:30—
3:30 p.m. Huge 18 rooms of treasures! We
have delicious hot foods and desserts. 412.821.3610.
—Women of Grace One-Day Conference with Johnette Benkovic on Mar. 7 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at St. Thomas More Parish,
126 Fort Couch Rd., Pgh., PA 15214. To register call
1.800.558.5452, visit www.pgh.womenofgrace.com, womenofgrace@stmpgh.org or 412.833.0031, ext 447.
—Ask the Attorney sessions for low-income families—free
legal consultation is available for families in need at North
Hills Community Outreach locations the second Wed. of each
month at 7 p.m. Upcoming sessions are: NHCO Bellevue
Mar. 11; NHCO Allison Park Apr. 8. Pre-register at
hzgibbs@nhco.org or call Harriet at 412.408.3830.
—Hope & Healing 2-Day Retreat with Immaculée Ilibagiza—at St. Ferdinand Church, 2535 Rochester Rd., Cranberry Twp. with Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the
Rwandan genocide of 1994, Mar. 20 & 21 (Fri. 4-9 p.m.,
Sat. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) Registration is required at
www.immaculee.com, click event/retreat or contact Bonnie at
724.776-9177, ext. 313.
—Divorced, Widowed, or Separated?—the loss of a spouse
through separation, divorce, or death is a traumatic experience. The Beginning Experience weekend is intended to help
widowed, divorced, or separated people who would like to
pass through the grief and begin to move forward with their
lives. Mar. 20-22 at the Gilmary Retreat Ctr. in Moon Twp.,
PA. Payment arrangements and possible financial assistance
are available. Visit www.BeginningExperience.org or make a
confidential call to Mary at 412.523.2405 or Steve at
412.367.4948.
Women of Spirit Meeting—Women of the parish please join
us on Mon., Mar. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Meenan Center. We will be
making final arrangements for a Lenten project to be scheduled in the middle of March. Anyone unable to make it to the
meeting and is interested in the Lenten project, please call
Barb Miller 412.366.7050. We will also be making plans for
a Women’s Luncheon in May.
Parish Poor Box—If you are aware of a parish family, or are
a parishioner, in need of financial help, call the Office.
Flower Dedications—to remember a special occasion with
a flower dedication call Sue Scioscia at 412.370.2897.
Please Pray for our Sick & Shut-ins
Betty Adams, Baby Jaryd Boyer, Alissa Boyle,
Rev. James L. Bruney, Mary Catterall, David
Coyle, Mary Ann Donahue, Patrick Donahue, Marlene Frey, Doris
Funderwhite, Alessandra Busatta Gruelle, Lynn Huston Holmes,
Sally Houser, Verna Jackson, Davey Jones, Keitel Family, Baby Lily
Lauffer, Clarence Lewis, Charles Liffert, Mary Louise Lorey,
Patricia G. Lorey, Frank McClaine, Janet McGervey, Joe Miketic,
Diana Mohr, Joanne & Frank Reich, Pat Rothe, Marlene Smiley,
Jerry Snyder, Ann Stroyne, Dorothy Weber, Evelyn Wiley and Bill
Wintermantel
Page Three
We extend our prayerful congratulations to the
following families. Through the waters of Baptism, these children will be born into the life of
God. Please remember these families in your
prayers as they begin their faith journey:
•
Woods family on the baptism of their daughters:
Ellia Ann Woods and Nora Mae Woods
•
Rodgers family on the baptism of their daughter:
Shelby Savannah Rodgers
•
McKeegan family on the baptism of their son:
Owen James McKeegan
St. Mary’s Girl Scout Troop 50121 Cookie Sale
the weekend of Feb. 28/Mar. 1 and will continue
the next 3 weekends. We will try to be at most of
the Masses. Cookies are still $4/box or $48/case.
You can also drop a check in the offertory, payable to Troop
50121 & designate “cookie donation.” We will again be
sending cookies overseas to the Troops. Call Dina Donovan
at 412.741.3314 or Barbara Cox in the Office with any questions or requests. Thank you.
Have a Heart—the Cluster Health Ministry is collecting personal items in the vestibule for Catholic Charities
from February 14— March 1. Thank you.
Items needed: paper towels, bath tissue,
toothbrushes, soap, feminine products, laundry detergent, dish soap, socks, can openers, tea towels, dishcloths,
twin and full size sheets and blankets, and fire extinguishers.
Congratulations to the following students from Central Catholic High School, who are our parishioners,
on achieving Honor Roll status:
Ryan McNelis—High Honors
William Garrison—Honors
Jacob Guest—Honors
Please remember in your prayers, the departed soul of
our Matthew Troha, father of our parishioner Betty
(Rich) Grantz, who returned home to Almighty God
on February 13. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Lectors/Commentators Needed for the 8 a.m. Mass
Lectors proclaim the two readings at Mass. Commentators
read the opening/focus just before Mass begins as well as read
the Prayers of the Faithful. Person must be a baptized Catholic, may be of any age, as long as he or she has the necessary
skills and sufficient maturity to serve the liturgical assembly
in a clear voice and thoughtful proclamation of the Word. If
interested, please call Marlene Frey at 412.366.9680.
A Family Perspective...by Bud Ozar
Jesus went into the desert to put his life in perspective. This
Lent, take a fresh look at a difficult relationship in your life.
Concentrate on the positive things that person does, not just
the negatives. Try to understand why their behaviors ‘bug’
you. Can you honestly share your feelings with them without
attacking them? Make Lent a time to MEND and FORGIVE!
FEBRUARY
21
-Baptisms of E. Woods, N. Woods & S. Rodgers—noon
22
-Baptism of Owen McKeegan at 10:30 a.m. Mass
-Eucharistic Adoration—3-5 p.m.
-Children’s Choir Practice—6-7 p.m.
23
-Bell Choir Practice—5:45-7 p.m.
-Exercise Class—6-7 p.m.
24
Quilters—9:30 a.m.—3 p.m.—Meenan Center
Business/Music Corner:
Well, the frigid weather continues. A quick up-date
on what is happening from a business standpoint: I
had to order a new light for Fr. Dave’s podium. The
lens (light diffuser) was partially melted and the bulb had
actually melted a hole through the plastic. The newer bulb is
halogen, high intensity but only 5 watts and is dimmable. I
knew everyone would get excited about that and the fact that
the new lamp, while looking identical to the old one, actually
mounts onto the podium as opposed to being clamped-on. I
ordered replacement bulbs and a set of replacement lenses
that contain a red and a blue filter. Maybe the color of the
filter will indicate the ‘mood’ for Fr. Dave’s homily. Anyway, so much for the exciting news and onto financial matters – The Finance committee is to meet on Ash Wednesday
after the mass so that should already have transpired. We still
need to make an official response to the Diocesan Auditor’s
findings. I thought it was noteworthy that in the past ten years
we have not had a discrepancy between the initial/second
money counts and amount deposited, which represents almost
2,100 deposits since each mass is counted separately and
represents one deposit. Now I know that doesn’t appear to be
exciting news but think of the alternative?
The 2014 Parish Share fund-year comes to an end on February 28th. Any PSP contributions received after that date will
be automatically recorded into the 2015 PSP fund. The new
PSP pledge cards should be mailed from the vendor this
week. The Church Alive Campaign continues for the next
four years and we are still replenishing our savings account
since we pre-paid our campaign assessment of $165,000
which was 60% of the total goal set at $275,000. And I need
to tip-toe over these next words but you should be aware that
even if you had decided not to contribute or participate in the
Church Alive campaign for whatever reason, the monies have
already been paid for those special projects, retirement funds
and I will use an all-encompassing word – evangelization –
that the diocese had proposed. Therefore, 100% of all donations marked as Church Alive stay here at St. Mary Parish,
will not be assessed as gross offertory income and we can
continue to do that until the 5 year campaign is over or we
reach a total of $275,00, whichever comes first, sort-of-like
the way it reads in your new car warranty. Stay tuned!
Collections: Offertory: $1,637.75; PSP: $3,710;
Votive: 21; Energy Needs: $10; Our Church Alive: $375;
Bulletins: $10;
Church Alive: Pledged: $161,475. Collected: $57,690.
Dick Gruber, Business Manager/Dir. of Music Ministries
SAT.
SUN.
5 p.m.
8 a.m.
ILA MAE MESSIER
(Lutz Family)
Lector —Vicki Werner; Commentator—Pat Kriger
Server/s—Aidan Osekowski/Erik Studebaker
Eucharistic Ministers—Mary Lou Coyle/Sandy Rock/
Bill Jackson
Ushers—Howard Schmid/Ed Weixel/Paul Taiclet/
Eric Studebaker
NANCY TOOTHMAN
(Husband and Family)
Lector —Rich Joyce; Commentator—Sue Weiss
Server/s—Savannah Graber/Taylor Graber
Eucharistic Ministers—Kathy Leonard/Carolyn Oblak/
Rebecca Schwartz
Ushers—Bud Schubel/Patrick Fairley/Tom McCluhan
10:30 a.m.MICHAEL AND CINDY DONAHUE
MON.
9 a.m.
TUES.
9 a.m.
WED.
9 a.m.
(Jeri Donahue)
Lector—Grade 4 ; Commentator—Grade 4
Server/s—Riley Farrar/Caroline Sweeney
Eucharistic Ministers—Ben Barcaskey/
Doreen Carraway/Dina Donovan
Ushers—David Peace/Valerie Graber/Todd Diedrick
21st BIRTHDAY OF NICHOLAS BLANCK
(Marlene Frey)
IN MEMORY OF
JACQUELINE CLIFFORD
(David and Mindy Fuchs)
WELL-BEING OF EVELYN UNGER
(St. Mary Women’s Guild)
1:30 p.m. MASS AT MASONIC VILLAGE
THURS. 9 a.m. WELL-BEING OF
MARGIE ZIERENBERG
(St. Mary Women’s Guild)
FRI.
9 a.m. WELL-BEING OF KEN ROCK
SAT.
5 p.m.
SUN.
8 a.m.
(St. Mary Women’s Guild)
MARGIE LARKIN
(Family)
Lector —Kathy Rufer; Commentator—Kathy Andrews
Server/s—Jack Reed/Joe Reed
Eucharistic Ministers—Sandy Rock/Dorie Hartman/
Bill Jackson
Ushers—Rick Kelly/Jim Behr/Ed Weixel
IN MEMORY OF
JACQUELINE CLIFFORD
(David and Mindy Fuchs)
Lector —Sue Weiss; Commentator—Sally Scherling
Server/s—Matthew Von Kaenel/Shannon Von Kaenel
Eucharistic Ministers—Carolyn Oblak/Rosemary Traill/
Susie Von Kaenel
Ushers—Mark Rodgers/Tom McCluhan
10:30 a.m.REVEREND JAMES L. BRUNEY
(Dorie Hartman)
Lector—Matt Houser;
Commentator—Aidan Sommers
Server/s—Julia Marn/Madison Miller
Eucharistic Ministers—Ben Barcaskey/Marge Natoli/
Annette Cammarata
Ushers—David Peace/Valerie Graber/Todd Diedrick
FEBRUARY
22
9-10:15 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
6-8 p.m.
MARCH
1
9-10:15 a.m.
15
9-10:15 a.m.
6-8 p.m.
Grades K-5 & 8
Youth Mass Grade 4
Grades 6 & 7
Grades K-5 & 8
Grades K-5 & 8 (Confessions during
Class)
Grades 6 & 7 (Confessions during
Class)