AUGUST 29th, 2010

Please remember in your prayers JoAnn Klarenbeck, who died this past week.  May God grant her the peace of Heaven and consolation to her family.

OFFERTORY FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15, 2010:

Envelope Offerings (577)$16,207.45
Loose Check Offerings (25) 669.00
Loose Offerings       575.44
Total $17,451.89

May God reward you with His blessings for your continued support of your parish.

MONEY COUNTERS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5TH –  Susan Baney, Mary Alice Baney, Sandy James, Kris Sergio.

Our Lady School News

Mon., August 30 - Curriculum Night  6:30   Gr. K-1-2; parent meeting for Athletic Association    8:00PM

Weds., September 1 - Curriculum Night  6:30   Gr. 6-7-8

Thurs., September 2 - Opening School Mass  ~  Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Our Lady School  8:30AM

Mon., September 6 - Labor Day – No school

Tuesday, September 7    Tuition Due

RCIA begins in 2 weeks!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 9, from 7-9 pm in the Parish Life Center.  The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is for anyone interested in learning about the Catholic Faith, being Baptized in the Catholic Faith, or coming into full Communion in the Catholic Faith (baptized in another Christian denomination).  Please spread the word that RCIA at Our Lady is a true treasure.  Please call 875-9345 to register or with questions.

Parish School of Religion
The PSR Open House/Orientation/ Registration will be Sunday, September 12, from 10:45-11:45 in the school.  Parents should come with their students to meet teachers and become acquainted with the new PSR year. Registration forms  and calendars are available in the Gathering Space or on-line at the Parish Web Site.

All 1st and 7th grade public school students must be enrolled and participate in PSR this year to be eligible for receiving Sacraments of Initiation next year.

PSR Staff Needed!
5th grade: Aide
6th grade: Assistant & Aide
7th grade: Assistant & Aide

Our Lady’s Preschool is currently registering children for the up-coming school year.  The Preschool offers a 2-morning class, a 3-morning class, or a 5-afternoon Pre-Kindergarten class.  The Preschool is state licensed with low ratios in a child-centered, developmentally-appropriate setting.  Call 875-3322, ext. 22, for information or to arrange a visit.

---

Behold The Mystery!
Life Teen's September Kickoffs:

Sept. 4, 5pm:    The Life Teen Mass with Fr. Joshua Wagner!  Family Potluck & Cookout & Kickball game!  We supply the burgers,  dogs, buns, and paper products.  You bring the sides, drinks, and be prepared to play Kickball.

Sept. 12, 6-8pm in the Gym:  The Lee Roessler Band (from Covington, Ky.)  8th graders are invited!

Sept. 19, 6-8pm, Life Center:  Behold the Mystery, the Life Night.

Sept. 26, 6-8pm  Basement:  Mystery Guest!  Our first in a series.  Come and check this out!

Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help School win $500,000!!!
In celebration of Kohl's Cares 10th Anniversary, they are sponsoring a contest through Facebook in which they are giving away $500,000 to 20 schools.  So far, our school has 2 entries and 33 votes.  You can enter your votes by going to to www.facebook.com/kohls.   Then, enter your Facebook password, type in "Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Grove City) and VOTE!!!!!!. Each person is allowed 20 votes at different times.  The contest ends on September 3, 2010.  Details are on the website.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School is currently in 2nd place in the Oriental Trading Company's $10,000 "Celebrate Your School" contest.  Go to www.celebrateyourschool.com and vote every day until the contest ends on September 23rd.

Coffee, Donuts, Bagels……..…
Will be offered again on Sundays following the 8:00 and 9:30 Masses, beginning next weekend, September 5, in the Parish Life Center.  BINGO workers will be the hosts this first Sunday. 

Our Lady's Children, the latchkey program at Our Lady, is accepting applications for employment for the 2010/2011 school year. Interested applicants may contact Angela Filichia at 875-7079 or 875-6779 for more information. 

---

Calling all singers!
It’s time for choir to begin!  We will have our first rehearsals the week after Labor Day, which is Wednesday, September 8, for the 9:30 choir, and Sunday, September 12, for the 12:00 noon choir.  All singers are welcome to be a part of this ministry!  The first Sunday to sing will be September 12th.  Call Jody Porreca with any questions : 875-8387.  Hope to see you soon!

Annual Our Lady Athletics Parent Meeting
The last Our Lady Athletics Parent Meeting  is scheduled for Monday, August 30, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in the school gym.   At least one parent from each family having a child entering Kindergarten through 8th grade who might participate in a sport at Our Lady during the 2010-2011 school year must be present at one of the meetings.  Please contact Scott Lindsey (sflindsey@yahoo.com) with any questions.  The Our Lady Athletics programs are open to all children of the parish.  Information on the parent meetings is available on the Athletics website: olphsaints.org/school/sport/sport.html

K-3 Fall Sports Sign-Up Form
Sign-up forms for boys and girls in grades K through 3 are now available.   All Our Lady school and PSR students are encouraged to participate.  The deadline is Tuesday, September 7, 2010.  Practices will begin the week of September 13th.  Forms can be picked up in the school office, the Gathering Space, or downloaded from the school website (www.olphsaints.org).   Contact Joe Dimel with any questions. 614-519-7684 or jdimel1@columbus.rr.com.

EPIC: A Journey Through Church History – This ongoing series continues this Sunday evening, August 29.  This week we learn about the period called The Catholic Reformation Part II, 1600-1799AD.  We meet in the Parish Life Center from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  All are welcome; need not have attended the other sessions to attend this one.

NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, IS THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH.  We invite you to participate in the 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which will be exposed for all to pray and visit from 9:00 a.m. on Friday until 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.  In the Gathering Area, there is a sign-in sheet, made out in half-hour increments, where you can sign for as much time as you wish.  The purpose of this sheet is to make sure that the Blessed Sacrament is never unattended.  The substitute list is for those who are willing to come when no one has signed for that time. Please avail yourself to the wonderful blessings and graces given those who choose to spend time with the Lord.

The 3rd annual Labor Day Parade sponsored by the Columbus Metropolitan Area Knights of Columbus Assemblies will step off from the 500 block of East Rich St. at 9:30 a.m. on Labor Day, which is Monday, September 6th. The parade route will take us to Holy Cross Church where Bishop Frederick Campbell will be the principal celebrant at the 10:00 a.m Mass. “Work Worth Doing” is the theme for this year’s celebration. Following Mass, we will continue our fellowship with brunch at the Maennerchor located at 966 S. High St. Tickets for the brunch are $15.00. Contact Steve Skinner 491-2751 with questions and to purchase tickets.

The Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference in collaboration with the St. Andrew’s Women’s Club is proud to announce the first Columbus Catholic Women’s Breakfast, September 25, 2010, at St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Rd, Upper Arlington. Mass begins at 9:00 am and a catered breakfast will follow in Nugent Hall.  Speaker Rachel Muha of the Brian Muha Foundation will share her story of forgiveness and her work with inner city children at the Run the Race Center.  Cost is 10.00.  For more information and to register online, visit www.columbuscatholicwomen.com

Mothers of Saint Charles Preparatory School Alumni, you are cordially invited to the Kathleen A. Cavello Mothers of Saint Charles Alumni Mass and Luncheon at 11 a.m. Sunday, October 24, at St. Charles Preparatory School. The guest speaker will be Rachel Muha, mother of Chris '97 and Brian '98. The cost of $25 per person, and reservations can be made by contacting Marilyn at marilyn_wehr@bobevans.com

Fr. John L. Swickard

   -In the grand scheme of things, as only God is able to see them, 50 years seems like a small amount of time.  When this number is used to describe the history of a couple living the Sacrament of Marriage, it is seen as a milestone that causes wonder, thanksgiving, and overall rejoicing.  And when it is put into service to mark an anniversary for the existence and work of a Catholic grade school, it indicates a special triumph of generosity and grace.  This school year we mark the 50th anniversary of Our Lady School.  It is not possible to count the number of people who have contributed and sacrificed for this to happen.  Many of these have supported the school in such humble and effective ways that their contributions are now known only to God.  Others, over the years, have been more visible in their work for the school.  It seems clear that a good portion of the family of saints has supported and continues to support the work of the school both from places on earth and places in heaven.  All this has been done to help parents in their mission of raising their children in the knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith.  This coming Thursday will see the first all-school Mass of this school year be offered.  The theme of thanksgiving for 50 years completed will be introduced, and this theme will be part of the school atmosphere for the entire year.  Sadly, over the years, for the sake of convenience, many have spoken of the school by the initials OLPH.  To make matters less attractive, this abbreviation has even been pronounced as a word.  Our Lady is made to sound like the word “oaf,” listed in the dictionary as a simpleton, dolt, blockhead, or idiot.  Nonetheless, Our Lady continues to stand by us and support us with her presence and her prayers.  How nice it would be if, as we enter the next 50 years of service and growth toward Christ, Our Lady would be recognized and celebrated as the patron of our great school.  The theme of the Mass for this coming Thursday will be “50 for the 50,” and this will refer to the importance of the rosary (five decades of 10 beads each, thus 50) for the first 50 years and the continuing importance of this great prayer for the success of the next 50.  All are invited and welcome to attend this Mass.  It begins at 8:30 in Church.  The children have a new song for the year, “Jesus You Are There for Us,” that will be introduced at that time.  Please pray that the New Year will be especially blessed and that the next 50 will produce many saints for the good of the church and of the world.  Perpetual thanks are offered to all those who continue to make this effort possible, especially the parents who sacrifice much for the good of their children. 

   -We have all had the wonderful experience of living under the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II.  This man with energy provided by his prayerful and constant union with the Lord Jesus produced books, teaching, and letters for the church, helped to stabilize and clarify the work of the Second Vatican Council, proved instrumental in the collapse of Communism, traveled throughout the world urging all to come to Christ without fear, championed the basic truths of humanity and defended them in the face of great opposition, paid heartfelt and special attention to the poor, and toward the end of his own life gave us a humble example of the grace involved in suffering as suffering is joined to the suffering of Christ.  This short summary does little justice to the immense good he accomplished for the Lord and His Church.  For this he has been called John Paul the Great.  On Friday of this week, the church celebrates the feast of St. Gregory the Great.  In his day (he died in 604) he, too, accomplished many phenomenal things.  He reformed the church, working to make holiness a necessary quality for the clergy.  He put order and beauty in the celebration of the sacraments (the liturgy), and he put church music on a plane of grace and elegance that has been the standard for all times since.  He worked to stabilize the society of his time that was in terrible shape because of bad and corrupt government.  He put order in the farming and public works of Italy for the good of the people.  He sent Christianity to England with much success.  He defined the position of the Pope as the” Servant of the Servants of God.”  He taught, preached, and encouraged many throughout the world.  For reasons of dire necessity, he joined the Church with the matters of politics (a situation that did not produce good when practiced by one who had little interest in being a saint as sadly many were who followed Gregory).  He championed the good of monasticism.  He protected the Jews from unjust treatment and he championed work on behalf of the poor.  For all of these things and many more, he was called “the Great” at the time of his death.  He was canonized by acclamation immediately after his death.  (This practice is no longer allowed.  Many will remember the chant that broke out during the funeral ceremonies for Pope John Paul, “Santo Subito,” meaning sainthood now.)  It is always good to humbly and joyfully acknowledge what a great debt we owe to people such as Gregory for the good they managed to instill in the world.  We belong to the human family and as we learn to think in this way, we, too, will be moved from selfish concerns to activities that help as many others as possible.  May this great Saint inspire us along the lines of unselfishness and charity toward others.  The Mass in his honor begins in church at 8:30.  All are welcome.

   -This Friday is the first Friday of September and opens for us another special period of prayer in the 24 hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  The more we appreciate the presence of the Lord Jesus with us in the gift of the Eucharist, the more this type of prayer becomes desirable.  St. Therese of Lisieux used to refer to Jesus as the prisoner of the Tabernacle, referring to His humble presence in the midst of Catholic Churches under the sanctuary light inside the special box called the tabernacle.  The lovely Monstrance that Our Lady Parish has displays a large consecrated host for adoration of those who realize and recognize the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  In adoring Christ in this way, we show our love and do a little to make up for the abuse the Lord suffers at the hands of so many members of the human family.  It is a joy to be with Him at all times.  Adoration makes this joy possible in a special way for the parish family.  In the evening and during the night, the church door closest to the Sacristy Chapel is open for people to stop by and pray.  Please feel free (and moved) to make a stop this Friday and offer your heart to the Lord for the good that He calls each of us to accomplish in His name.

   -First Friday also marks the celebration of Mass at the parish nursing home of Monterey.  The folks at the home who attend this Mass are happy to do so, and they remember the rest of the parish family in their prayers.  It is always good to remind one another that we are to pray with and for them as well.  The Mass begins at 10:30 and is open to residents and visitors.  Often feasts of the Blessed Mother are celebrated (sometimes anticipated a few days or weeks before they happen).  Thanks of the parish family go to those who offer their time in stewardship to help assemble the folks for this Mass and help with the singing and overall participation.  May special graces abound for all!