from the pastor…Fr. McHugh

Sixth Sunday of Lent

Theme: Love One Another As I Have Loved You – The first letter of John stresses the primacy of love. He emphasizes that God has first loved us, and we should love God in return. Sending His Son, Jesus, to us is a clear indicator that God does love us. In the Gospel of John, Jesus professes His love for His disciples. He loves them as God the Father loves Him. By observing the commandments and living out Jesus’ teaching, we show our love for Him. We are truly friends of Jesus if we do what he commands. Jesus states that we should be willing to make the supreme sacrifice of laying down one’s life for one’s friends. Our first reading from The Acts of the Apostles relates how the Holy Spirit suddenly descended upon the household of Cornelius, leading Peter to conclude that the household of the Gentile Cornelius should be baptized.

First Holy Communion

We congratulate our First Holy Communion class who received the Eucharist for the first time this Saturday, May 12th at a special 10:00 AM Mass. Ken Mackey was the class teacher and Ann Marie Yatsko, who prepared the May Crowning, was his assistant. Joan Mackey helped with First Penance and First Holy Communion practices. Members of the class are:

Amelia Bredbenner Matthew Brielmeier
Rebecca Brielmeier Tyler DeJohn
Selena DeMatt Meaghan Drennan
Kaitlynne Drennan Marissa Hoffman
Lindsay Horvat Emma Kamionka
Ryan Kovalick Jillian Kringe
Kyra Makara Thomas Mayernik
Leann Moyer Ty Palmieri
Ainsley Segedy Lyndsey Seltzer
Isabelle Seratch Ashley Shpock
Carly Sotack Kristyn Stanek
Gabriela Terracino Andrew Wenner
Madelaine Wolk Jared Wolk

San Damiano Cross

Many thanks to Fr. Peter O’Rourke who offered the attractive San Damiano Processional Cross to me for use at Good Shepherd. The cross has hardly been used since it was purchased just a few years before St. Francis of Assisi, West Hazleton, closed.

Confirmation 2013

Confirmation in 2013 will be held in the spring at Good Shepherd. Classes entering the 7th and 8th grades will constitute the Confirmation class. We will have a few summer sessions as an introduction to the Confirmation program. We will provide students with information about service projects and give them materials for study. At present, Confirmation will be every two years at Good Shepherd.

In Sympathy

In your prayers, kindly remember Deacon Louis Smolinsky who served much of his diaconate at the now-closed Parish of Holy Trinity Slovak and recently was associated with M.P.B.

Fr. McHugh on Internet Radio

Fr. McHugh will make another appearance on www.catholicmedia.fm radio to discuss the resurrection narratives. Times for the hour-long presentations will be in next week’s bulletin.

Baptisms

If we have any Baptisms in May, they will be held on the fourth Sunday, May 27th due to the Golf and Tennis Tournaments being held on May 20th. The June Baptisms will take place on June 10th since the Car Raffle will take place on Sunday, June 17th following the 10:00 AM Mass.

Tennis Forms

These are available from Fr. McHugh. Whether you are an advanced player (4.0 or better), an intermediate one (3.0 – 3.5), or a novice (under 3.0), you can participate in our tennis event in conjunction with the Golf Tournament on May 20th at Sand Springs. Ideally, a group should register as a foursome, but if you have trouble getting a group together, perhaps we can assist you. Cost is $40 for a group of 4 or $10 per person. Those participating will be eligible for prize drawings. Timeframes are: 12:00 to 1:30, 1:30 to 3:00, 3:00 to 4:30, and 4:40 to 6:00. Two courts are available for each timeframe.

Fr. Connell's Trivia

  1. Who was the first African-American to play in the NFL?
  2. Who was the first woman basketball player to have basketball shoes named after her? Hint – she was a college and WNBA star.

Last Week’s Answers:

  1. My personal pick, pitcher Ed Walsh, finished fourth, although he owns the best ERA in Major League history. Charlie Trippi, former Georgia University All-American and Chicago Cardinal Hall of Fame football player. (Question: A few years back, the Citizen’s Voice, which selected the top 100 athletes in the Wyoming Valley, chose this football player as number one. Can you name him?)
  2. Christy Mathewson, the great Hall of Fame baseball pitcher from Factoryville, was chosen by the Scranton Times-Tribune as the all-time Scranton-area athlete. (Question: A while back, the Scranton Tribune also published a list of the best 100 athletes from the Greater Scranton area. Can you name their number one pick? I concur with their choice.)