JUNE 28th, 2009

Please remember in your prayers Rita Foerst, who died and was buried this past week.  May God grant her the peace of Heaven and consolation to her family.  We also extend our sympathy to Mark Pizzurro on the death of his brother, Anthony Pizzurro.  May he rest in the peace of the Lord.

OFFERTORY FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 14, 2009:

Envelopes (640) $16,688.12
Loose Checks (18) 664.00
Loose Donations        612.24
Total $17,964.36

We thank all those who are sacrificing for the work of the Lord.

MONEY COUNTERS FOR THE WEEK OF  JULY 5TH -
Ella Bauer, Mary Cox, Matt Mountain, Megan Mountain.

The playground fund is growing, thanks to the generosity of our parishioners.  We have received $2,600 in donations over the past few weeks.  These funds, combined with the $15,000 that the Saints Night Out raised, is moving us toward the improvements we need to update our playground.  We will be safer and offer some new options.  Please see the display in the Gathering Area.  There are envelopes provided if you would like to contribute.

Adjacent to our existing playground will be a preschool area.  This age-appropriate equipment is designated especially for children ages 5 and under.  It will be used by our preschoolers during the week, and is available for all preschoolers at other times.  It will give our youngest parishioners fun tailored just for them!

Some of these new pieces should be in place by the beginning of school in August. We will be working on the main playground in phases, as it is an expensive undertaking.  Thank you for your help with this project that all of our children can enjoy. 

PSR and Sunday Preschool Registration
Registration will continue throughout the summer for Sunday Religious Education programs, but the early tuition rate expires this Sunday, June 28.  Forms are available in the Gathering Space and can be turned into the offertory, mailed, or dropped off at the Parish Office from 8am-3pm M-F.  Reminder to all incoming 7th graders, to be eligible for confirmation, students must have religious education instruction in the 7th grade.

NEXT FRIDAY, JULY 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.

Get Control of Your Finances!  Financial Peace University provides the tools to change your life!  Classes begin September 8, 2009 from 7 - 9 p.m.  Contact Kevin and Kathi Lowry at klowry@rrohio.com or 875-1166 to register.  

Change the Way You Think
This 13-week program by Dave Ramsey deals with a different topic each week that will change the way you think about personal finance. Dave teaches about how to save money, live on a budget, communicate about money, eliminate debt, find bargains, and experience the joy of giving.

Proven Success
Over 650,000 families have completed FPU with amazing success. On average, they pay off $5,300 in debt and save $2,700 in just 13 weeks. That's an $8,000 change in position in just 91 days!

Here are some quotes from past participants at OLPH:  "This program saved our marriage!" and  "We have paid off over $10,000 of debt."   This program is a great program for singles, couples, college students, engaged couples...everyone!    

Volleyball Camp for Grades 4-9
The 2009 State Champion St. Charles Volleyball Team is hosting a volleyball camp for boys and girls entering grades 4-9. Camp dates are June 13, 14, 15 from 6-8pm. Cost is $45. For more information, please visit our website at scvball.googlepages.com or email at scvball@gmail.com

The annual Youth Choir Garage Sale will be on Thursday, August 6, and Friday, August 7.  Furniture, appliances, toys, and any other miscellaneous items will be gladly accepted in the school Music Room. Call Kim Nocero (871-3219) with any questions.

Attention potential altar servers......
      we have a change to the summer training schedule.  The new dates for the server training are August 10th - 13th.  The time remains the same 9am - 11am.  Please contact the Parish Office (875-3322) if you are interested.  We strongly encourage the new 4th and 5th grade students to attend the training so they are ready to participate in their scheduled school Mass at the start of the new school year.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Summer Food Collection
It’s time for our summer collection for Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry.  Please be as generous as you are able; poor families of the West Side are deeply grateful for your help.  Grocery bags with a list of needed items attached are available in the Gathering Space; filled bags may be placed in the Life Center.  Our donations will be gathered by Catholic Social Services and OLG workers during the last week of July.  If you would like to make a financial donation to the food pantry, please make your check payable to Catholic Social Services w/Our Lady of Guadalupe Center in the memo section.  You may place your check in the regular offering or mail it directly to Our Lady of Guadalupe Center, 441 Industry Dr., Columbus, OH 43204.  Questions?  Call Jim or Rosie Harrison 871-5758.   This is an outreach ministry of the OLPH St. Vincent de Paul Conference. 

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for the Annual Catholic Woman/Young Catholic Woman of the Year 2009 Awards Banquet to be held on Sunday, August 23, at Berwick Manor Restaurant & Party House, 3250 Refugee Road, Columbus, at 5 PM.  Nomination forms for the Catholic Woman of the Year or Young Catholic Woman of the Year (ages 16-30) are available in your parish office or online at www.dccw.colsdioc.org.  These nominations are for special women who, out of love for God and all His people, give unselfishly to family, parish, and community.  Be sure to follow the directions found on the nomination form completely when writing a nomination.  Your remarks should be as descriptive as possible, using a maximum of 500 words. If there is someone in the parish that you would like to nominate, please submit a nomination form and letter to the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women,197 East Gay Street, Columbus, OH 43215.  For more information, contact the DCCW Office at 228-8601.  NOMINATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN JULY 28, 2009.

Fr. John L. Swickard

   -Monday, June 29, the church celebrates the feast of the great Sts. Peter and Paul.  It is hard to over estimate the good these two continue to accomplish for the church, a good made possible by virtue of their total love for the Lord Jesus and their willingness to do God’s will regardless of the cost.  For Peter this involves the growth from a strong stubborn heart to a heart that is happy to be forgiven (“Lord then wash my hands and face as well” he speaks to the Lord at the Last Supper after first refusing to have his feet washed by the Master.) and strives to be true to the new way of life that he leads in the mystery of the Church.  For Paul this calls forth a total change of heart (he considers all that he prized before Christ to be as so much rubbish) and a wonderful union of his heart with the heart of the Risen Christ that produces some of the most beautiful writing ever produced in the human family (in his letters in the New Testament) and leads him to be the champion of the Gentiles, thus opening the church to receive the entire human family.  It is a mistake to think of these men as characters of a distant past who are diminished by time and remembered in a shadowy fashion.  Because of the total vitality of the Risen Christ which He shares with each of the saints, these two men are more vibrant today than they were at the beginning and more invested in the health and holiness of the Body of Christ with each passing age.  They continue to be supports and guides for all hearts interested in truth and rejoice when any human heart responds to the call of Christ (as they did) and begins the new life that lasts forever. They intercede for us all daily and are strong patrons to keep us fresh and growing in the ways of Christ.  With the celebration of this feast, the church brings to a close the year that was especially dedicated to the person of St. Paul.  In participation with this theme, the parish experienced the presence of a reproduction of a famous painting depicting the moment of conversion of St. Paul, numerous pamphlets and prayers directed to or about this great saint, and a few opportunities to study some of his thought found in the New Testament.  Lest anyone think that the end of this year means a good bye to St. Paul for a while, all one needs to do is notice how many of the scripture readings that present us with the word of God each weekend were penned by Paul (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit motivated by an all-consuming love for Jesus and the members of the Church) and offer us inexhaustible riches for growing more deeply into the mystery of the love of God in Jesus Christ.  In some countries, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is a Holy Day of Obligation.  In the United States it is not so observed (no obligation to attend Mass), but remains a special feast, and those who make Mass attendance a part of their activities of this day will benefit greatly, celebrating these two men.  The Mass at Our Lady will begin at 8:30.  All are welcome.

   -Beginning with the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated a few weeks ago, a new and special theme for the year has begun.  Pope Benedict has asked that the year be a time of special focus on the priesthood, calling the time set aside the Year of the Priest.  The priesthood, the center of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, has been sorely tried in modern times.  As the world becomes more electronic and less personal, the priest is expected to accomplish all manner of personalizing activities for the church and the human family.  The range of services that some expect (and even demand) of the priest is vast.  The priest’s ability to do all things for all people is quite limited.  The fact that the priestly life is to be a celibate one (chastity of a special kind that amazes some being required) has had the effect of “turning many off” and causing great wonder how such a life could possibly be fulfilling.  The priest is ordained to be a special provider of access to the mystery of Christ, especially through the teaching of the faith (good sermons, etc.) and the humble administration of the sacraments.  As this work is done well and faithfully, the love of Jesus begins to captivate hearts and the light of the Gospel begins to shine well in the gloom of this world.  Jesus chooses those He wants for this special life and always invites in such a way that the man is free to refuse the offer.  Doing what God asks is the only real way to enter happiness (so many seem to be unhappy, perhaps because they pay so little attention to God’s will) so if God asks one to pursue priesthood, there is great joy in accepting the request.  One of the most outstanding examples of the joy, hard work, love, and holiness of the priesthood can be found in the life of St. John Vianney, the humble pastor of the Parish of Ars in France.  His mission and his goodness, his extraordinary gifts, came from God and he used them for the good of all.  He is the only Diocesan priest to be a canonized saint, and the Pope has chosen him to be the special patron of the Year of the Priest.  Among the many gifts the pastor has received as he has traveled through life are the little statue of St. John Vianney that will be in place in the sanctuary of the church for this special year and the first class relic of this great man (found in the little round reliquary just below the statue).  Prayers for all priests are especially requested during this year, and prayerful reconsideration of this mission for and in the church.  As mothers and fathers realize that the love of God takes many forms (all of them chaste if they be truly the love of God, even in marriage) and the beauty of the life of the ordained priest in his service to the church, there will be more encouragement for the children who may have both the gifts and the call for this state in life.  Hopefully, the year for priests will open many hearts to receive the graces of understanding and support for those called to the priesthood and will bring renewed zest and charity to the hearts of all those who are living out the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  As the year progresses, more will be offered as helps and reminders of the theme of this special year.  The Holy Father continues to be several steps ahead of most of the rest of us as he leads the church into the heart of Christ.  May he continue to shine brightly in the love of Christ.

   -Friday, July 3, the church celebrates the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle.  In every age Thomas stands as the saint who had firm doubts against belief in the resurrection of the body of Jesus.  His honesty and his integrity in these doubts open the door for the Lord Jesus Himself to face Thomas and offer him the consolation He demands.  As this encounter unfolds, the heart of Thomas is moved toward humble adoration of the Lord Jesus (Risen) and he falls to his knees before Him.  Jesus tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”  Our age has gone from doubt about the Resurrection, to disinterest, to scorn and total disbelief.  The narrow vision of our time has caused severe narrowing of hearts and minds, masking all manner of selfish behavior and renaming such as liberation, growth, and freedom.  St. Thomas is a great patron for our age.  Following his example and responding to his inspiration, we will not be seduced into denying the love of the Lord that brings the fullness of life, but we, too, will speak our concerns to the Lord in His church and encounter the same loving Lord leading us to stronger faith and more humble love.  The doubt of Thomas can lead us to conviction and joy as we experience and celebrate our union with Christ in the Eucharist and our union with the family of saints Christ makes possible for all ages.  The Mass in celebration of St. Thomas begins at 8:30 in church.  Everyone welcome, especially doubters.

   -Next weekend a Spiritan Missionary will be with us, speaking at each Mass and informing us of some of the work that his religious order accomplishes.  He seeks the support of our prayers and the help of our dollars in the mission work of the church.  It enlarges hearts to receive a missionary and listen carefully to his words.  St. Paul experienced the reception of parish churches as he carried the word of Christ to the Gentiles.  He speaks in his letters in the New Testament of the support one church offers to another and the joy that such support brings.  May our support be joyful and heartfelt and generous.  It is never good to take for granted those who brought the faith to us and also important for us to support those who carry the faith to others.  Please continue to pray for all those who do the special missionary work of the church.  They represent Christ and they depend on us.