1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

St. Nicholas Catholic Church
www.stnicholasgigharbor.org
March 8, 2015
The Third Sunday of Lent
Mission Statement
We the members of St. Nicholas Catholic Church, guided by the
Holy Spirit, are called to build a diverse Christian Family, united in
vibrant worship and dedicated to the Gospel through service,
evangelization and celebration of the Sacraments. We strive to
create an environment that helps us realize we are each a unique
child of God and we are committed to making our parish church a
vital part of our people, our community and our world.
Parish Staff
Pastor: Father Mark Guzman
(253) 851-8850
Deacon: Dale Fickes
(253) 851-5035
School Principal: Amy Unruh
(253) 858-7632
fr.mark@stnicholasgigharbor.org
deacon.dale@stnicholasgigharbor.org
aunruh@sncsgh.org
Pastoral Assistants
Parish Faith Formation Programs: Kurt Lawrence
kurt.lawrence@stnicholasgigharbor.org
(253) 851-6121
ADULT FORMATION: RCIA, Returning Catholics
Don Evans pa@stnicholasgigharbor.org
(253) 851-8391
Faith Formation 6-12: Deacon Dale Fickes (253) 851-5035
deacon.dale@stnicholasgigharbor.org
Marriage Arrangements
(253) 851-8850
Music Ministry: Ann Wopat
(253) 858-7632
Stephen Ministry
Arnie Sposato
Pat Taylor
(253) 853-2688
(253) 514-0669
Administration: Don Evans
pa@stnicholasgigharbor.org
(253) 851-8391
Knights of Columbus
Dutch Dolney
Phil Harry
Parish Secretary: Dianne DeLapp
(253) 851-8850
(253) 851-3298
(253) 514-8465
(253) 851-0554
Bookkeeper: Carlene Cook
(253) 851-8659
Bulletin Editor: Dianne DeLapp
(253) 851-8850
Youth Minister: Pat Taylor
Youthminister@stnicholasgigharbor.org
musicdirector@stnicholasgigharbor.org
parishoffice@stnicholasgigharbor.org
bkeeper@stnicholasgigharbor.org
parishoffice@stnicholasgigharbor.org
(253) 851-9040
3510 Rosedale Street, Gig Harbor, WA 98335
(253) 851-8850 Fax (253) 851-8823
www.stnicholasgigharbor.org
Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday 5:30 PM
Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 AM
Weekday Mass Wednesday through Friday 9:00 a.m.
Reconciliation
Thursday's 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Saturday's 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm and by Appointment
The Pastor must be notified at least 6 months prior to intended wedding date.
St. Vincent de Paul
Peninsula Fish Food Bank
(253) 851-8800
Counseling (CCS)
(253) 502-2696
Project Gabriel
(888) 926-angel
Marriage Encounter
Jim and Lois Brown
(253) 851-6798
Infant Baptism
Annulment Ministry
Deacon Dale Fickes
Deacon Dale Fickes
(253) 851-5035
(253) 851-5035
Sacramental Emergency Message Line After Office Hours and Weekends
Please Call:
(253) 549-1954
Bulletin Announcements
Dianne DeLapp
(253) 851-8850
parishoffice@stnicholasgigharbor.org
New Parishioners
Welcome to St. Nicholas Parish. Please call or visit our
Parish Office or fill out a registration card located in the
Narthex and return it to the Parish Office.
Stewardship Reflection for Third Sunday of
Lent JN 2:13-25
The Ten Commandments, as presented to us in
the first reading from Exodus, represent God’s
direct teaching to us as to how we need to live and
structure our lives. That is essentially what Lent is all about — a
time for us to review those teachings and that structure, and how
we are doing living it out. Traditionally, the Ten Commandments
can be divided into two groups — the first four address our relationship to God, and the final six speak to our relationships with
one another. God makes it quite clear to us that He does not just
wish to be part of our lives; he wishes to be at the foundation of
our lives, the absolute focal point around which we do everything.
Leading a God-centered life is at the core of a life of stewardship.
Our bond and liaison with the Lord should be central to our entire
lives; it is this correlation with God which should be the driving
force in our Lenten efforts. In his letter to the Corinthians St. Paul
preaches, “We proclaim Christ crucified.” This statement is necessary for us to truly understand our faith and our connection to
Christ. A legend is told of a church that placed this statement on
an arch leading into the church. However, over time, weeds began
to grow over the arch so that the saying could only be seen as
“We proclaim Christ.” Without the crucifixion of Christ and the salvation it brought to us, it is never enough just to be loyal to Christ.
More time passed and the only thing that could be seen was “We
proclaim.” Clearly without Christ and the Cross, simply
“proclaiming” is not adequate. It becomes empty words. Finally, all
was blotted out by the weeds except for “We.” Is that where we
are? Is that where our church is? We must be more than a social
gathering place. Lent is not about us; it is about Christ crucified.
Our Gospel from John relates Jesus driving the money changers
and others from the Temple. This was not a sudden fit of anger on
the Lord’s part. Note how He made a whip of cords, something
which required time. He had carefully thought out what He was
going to do. In John’s Gospel, St. John first speaks of Jesus’ conversion of water to wine. This is an important, although subtle,
beginning. Jesus first converts, then He cleanses. This is the
same process through which each of us must go; first we must
seek conversion, then we seek cleansing. That, too, is perhaps
the secret to our Lenten journeys. John goes on to say that “Jesus
would not trust himself to them (the admiring crowds) because he
knew them all.” The Lord knows each of us; He understands each
of us. Yet He loves us unconditionally. Jesus wants more than our
admiration. Our goal during this Lent should be to acknowledge
His love; accept His trust; but make an effort within ourselves to
earn and deserve that trust. It is ours either way. That is the joy of
God’s love; we receive it whether we deserve it or not.
Catholic Stewardship, Inc.
St. Anthony Hospital...has openings for volunteers in the
Pastoral Care department. One of the responsibilities is to
bring Holy Communion to Catholic patients. I you have had
prior training as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and would like to know more about volunteering, please
contact Chaplain Kristen “Jo” Nivling at 253-630-2142.
St. Nicholas A Week Ahead!
SUNDAY, March 8
8:30 AM Mass — Parishioners of St. Nicholas
9:45 AM Religious Ed Classes—K-5
K of C Breakfast after Masses
Blood Drive— 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM
11:00 AM Mass — John & Geraldine Connallon 
12:30 PM Confirmation Class
5:00 PM Youth Ministry
MONDAY, March 9
9:00 AM Communion Service
9:30 AM Women’s Bible Study
TUESDAY, March 10
9:00 AM Communion Service
9:30 AM Prayer and Share
10:00 AM Spirituality Book Club
6:00 PM Men’s Prayer & Share
WEDNESDAY, March 11
9:00 AM Mass — Betty Arnce 
4:30 PM Religious Ed Classes—K-8
5:30 PM Choir Practice
6:00 PM Men’s Bible Study
6:30 PM RCIA
THURSDAY March 12
9:00 AM Mass — Milciades Murillo 
9:30 AM Adoration until 6:25 PM/ Benediction
5:00-6:00 PM Confessions
5:30 PM Unicycle Club
7:00 PM Prayer Group
FRIDAY, March 13
9:00 AM Mass — Carmen Guerra 
5:00 PM Confessions
5:30 PM Stations of the Cross
Soup & Bread Follows
SATURDAY, March 14
3:00—4:30 PM Confessions
5:30 PM Mass — Parishioners of St. Nicholas
SUNDAY, March 15
8:30 AM Mass — Emelia Marie Wollcat 
9:45 AM Religious Ed Classes—K-5
9:30 AM St. Vincent de Paul Meeting
11:00 AM Mass — Raymond Shanahan  
12:30 Confirmation Class
5:00 PM Youth Ministry
PARISH FINANCE NEWS
Budget
Contributions
Year to Date Needed
Actual Year to Date
Plus
$15,246.31
$16,707.00
$518,373,00
$587,387.00
$ 69,005.00
St. Vincent de Paul....
The pantry is starting to fill up, but the demand
is great. The following food items are needed:
pasta roni, hamburger helper, ravioli, mac &
cheese, peanut butter, canned peas & canned chicken.
God Bless you all for your continued support. We are all
serving God to help our less fortunate families.
The Knight’s Corner:
If you’re interested in helping those in need,
serving your parish, growing in your faith or
having exclusive access to top rated insurance
protection for your family; the Knights of
Columbus is the organization for you. Please
consider joining us, the St. Nicholas Council 9238. For
more information call:
John Oldham – Membership Director, 253-858-1700 or
Phil Harry – Grand Knight, 253-514-8465.



Save the Date: Tuesday, July 7th- Saturday, July 11th
VBS is going to Nazareth. All are welcomed to join.
Daily departures 10:30 am and Return Trip 1:30 pm
We’re taking a journey back to Bible times… without leaving our
church! Step back in time at Hometown Nazareth, exploring
what it was like to live in the town where Jesus grew up. Kids
and adults will explore the Nazareth marketplace, and visit
Jesus’ mom, Mary. Plus whole lot more!
Cost:
Adults and Middle & High School Volunteers are free
Young People ages 4-10: $25
Free childcare is available for children under 4 while you are in
Hometown Nazareth please call for more details.
For more VBS information contact:
Eleanor Ficca at 253-254-6273
Soup & Bread
March 13 ————— Taco Soup (Steve & Cindy Barry)
March 20 —————Clam Chowder (Hombach Family)
March 27—————–———-Minestrone (Dick Puryear)
Next weekend will be our St. Vincent de Paul Semi-Annual Appeal
for the St. Nicholas Conference.
Please put cash or checks payable to SVdP into a SVdP envelope
that will be in the pews and put it
in the collection basket during Mass. Thank you
in advance for your kind generosity.
Reminder . . .
St. Vincent de Paul Conference collects
used books (hard cover & paper back) to sell
in their 3 stores in Tacoma. They use the
money to help the needy. Please leave your
books in the box in the parish center.
Come join the Knights
of Columbus for our
breakfast on March 8th
from 9:30 am to 1:30
pm. The menu will be:
Blueberry Pancakes,
Sausage, Scrambled
Eggs, and Fruit Bowl. We ask for a goodwill
donation. If you donate blood at the blood
drive, you will get a free breakfast.
The Counseling Center at Catholic Community Services offers
professional and confidential counseling services for people of
all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Our therapists are
Licensed and have Master’s degrees.
We accept all major insurances and/or sliding scale fees. Call
us at: 253-502-2696 to set up an initial session.
Visit us on the web:
www.ccsww.org/thecounselingcenter
All bulletin notices & inserts are due on the Friday before the next week’s publication.
Please follow these guidelines so that your notice will be included.
Hey St. Nicholas Calling All
Cursillistas!
It has been said that Cursillo has a
strong base at St. Nicholas. It is
time to reconnect!
If you would like to rekindle the Cursillo
sisterhood and brotherhood…step forward and
be counted!
If you feel the call please contact Kurt Lawrence
in the Faith Formation Office
(253) 851-6121 or
kurt.lawrence@stnicholasgigharbor.org
So what is
NCYC?
National Catholic Youth Conference!
This event is held every two years. It
is a time to bring together in one place teens from the ages of 14
to 18, or college young adults 19 to 23.
St. Nicholas is planning a Pilgrimage to the upcoming Conference
in Nov. 2015 which is hosted by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
If you are interested and need more information please contact
Pat Taylor in the Youth Ministry Office: (253) 851-9040 or
youthminister@stnicholasgigharbor.org
March 15th
Teens ages 13 to 18
You are Wanted!
Youth Ministry will be
having a session on March 15th at
5:00pm in the Main Parish Hall.
Topic: Bible History
Where, When, How, and Why
Bring A Friend!
Thank you to all of our school families and parishioners that joined us last night for our Denim and
Diamonds Benefit Dinner and Auction! Your
support shows the community and children of St.
Nicholas Catholic School the importance of
education in the Catholic tradition
Serra Club of Tacoma-Pierce County…
will meet at St. Patrick’s Parish on WEDNESDAY, March
18th. Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 pm followed by a
dinner with a guest speaker. The Serra Club promotes
vocations to the Priesthood and religious life. If you wish
to attend this event in order to learn more about Serra
Club or would like more information about Serra, please
contact: Win and Marjorie Fuchs at 253-851-5431, email
winandmarj@comcast. Net or Florence and Jim Reardon,
253-851-2934, email fjreard@gmail.com
ANNUAL SPRING CLEAN
UP AND MAINTENANCE
DAY SATURDAY, 3/28/15,
8:00 AM TO 12:00 NOON!
Come join us to clean up the
grounds for Holy Week. Light maintenance and yard work
will be done on and around the parish campus. Please
call Mark Macleod if you have any questions and to sign
up. 253-851-9407.
Then he said to His Disciples, “THE HARVEST IS
PLENTIFUL, BUT THE LABORERS ARE FEW”
Child care is
available in the Nursery in
the Parish Hall during the
8:30 & 11:00 AM Mass on
Sunday!
Please suppor t these adver tisers who make this bulletin possible
Liz McConnell
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