Holy Week 2007 Schedule

PALM SUNDAY - April 1, 2007 - 8:30 a.m.

NO WEDNEDAY MASS - April 4, 2007

HOLY THURSDAY - April 5, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY - April 6, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.

EASTER VIGIL - April 7, 2007 - 8:00 p.m.

EASTER SUNDAY - APRIL 8, 2007 - 8:30 a.m.

New Date for the Mass of Thanksgiving

Barbara Vaughan sent this update concerning the upcoming Mass of Thanksgiving.

"Please change the date to celebrate to Saturday April 28th. BishopDiLorenzo will be available to do the Mass at 5:00PM..."


It will be a day to celebrate our return to our sanctuary and to thank God for the generosity of those who aided us in whatever way to complete the renovation of our beloved St. E's!

Adult Faith Formation: Focus on Haiti

Sunday's Adult Faith Formation was led by parishioner Patrice Schwermer, who also happens to work for the Diocesan Office of Justice and Peace. The focus of the discussion centered on whether there might be interest among St. E's parishioners toward an outreach twinning relationship with a parish or group in Haiti. The Richmond Diocese has had a longstanding twinning relationship with the Diocese of Hinche in Haiti and a number of parishes have already been paired with like parishes or groups in Haiti.

Patrice explained what twinning would mean to us. Our relationship with God is shown in our actions. Catholic social teaching emphasizes an option for the poor and a solidarity with others. We are brothers and sisters to each other. Lent gives us an opportunity to reflect and to act on these social teachings.

Haiti itself is probably the poorest country in our hemisphere. It is only a 2 hour flight from the richest country, the United States. The difference between Haiti and the USA is readily seen when one notes the huge gap between the rich and poor. Many Haitians eat only one meal a day. The yearly income in the cities is about $400; in the rural areas, $100. As you can see, the typical Haitian is materially deprived; but Haitian faith in God and the spirituality of the people is abundant.

Patrice describes the commitment needed before a twinning relationship could be set up. It is important to realize that twinning would be a long term commitment. It would also need the support of the parish leadership. Indeed, the leadership would need to approve the parish's participation. A small committee would be set up to focus on the twinning itself. That committee would also energize the rest of the parish by providing information about the twinning partner and what was needed as far as goods or funds were concerned.

But Patrice emphasized that the most important part of the twinning arrangement was the relationship between the parishes or groups. She mentioned email as a means of communication and an important aid to learning about each other. Asked about the language barrier, Patrice noted that translations could occur at either end. English-speaking Haitians or American translators would make sure that each partner would be understood by the other.

The program was very interesting to everyone and there were a number of questions asked, as we explored the idea of twinning. More will be known at a later date as more information is given to us. A signup sheet was passed around to those who indicated further interest. At that point, I had to leave, but I believe I have captured most of what the discussion was about. If there are any additions, please place it in a comment to this article.

**************************************************************************************************************

My own thoughts are centered on our church renovations and how God has blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined. I also know that St. E's has a long history of helping those less fortunate than ourselves. We need only to recall the many Ethiopian and Vietnamese refugees we helped resettle. I think the parish will soon feel a real need to find a means of passing our blessings on to others. Whether it will be twinning in Haiti or something else, only time will tell.

Twelve Apostles Are Selected at St. Elizabeth's!

In preparation for Holy Thursday's Footwashing, twelve parishioners were selected this morning at Mass to represent the Twelve Apostles, whose feet Jesus washed. These parishioners will not only be participating in various ways during Holy Week, but will also have roles to play during the year.

Fifteen or sixteen parish members had signed up as willing candidates for this honor. During Mass, Fr. Andrew called upon Isreal Murray to make the selections by reaching into the baskets to pull out the names of the candidates. Twelve times, names were pulled and matched with an apostle. What a surprise for Isreal when he also became one of those selected!

Here are the names of the candidates selected as the Twelve Apostles:

Amy Williford ~ St. Andrew
Betty Alexis ~ St. Jude
Trevan Carter ~ St. Thomas
Stanley White ~ St. John
Joyce Coy ~ St. Philip
Margaret Pittman ~ St. Peter
Isreal Murray ~ St. Simon the Zealot
Vivian Sullivan ~ St. Matthew
Stacy Wright ~ St. Bartholomew
Phyllis Booth ~ St. James the Great
Katrinia Murray ~ St. James the Less
Larry Williford ~ St. Matthias

We congratulate our new St. Elizabeth's Apostles as we prepare for our Palm Sunday, and our Holy Week and Easter celebrations. I know we will all be very supportive of these special people as they fulfill the roles they will be given in helping to make our worship experience during these holy days even more rewarding.

An Amazing Grace!

Yesterday morning as Mass began, Fr. Andrew told us he had just opened a letter from St. Edward Church. Inside was a check that was the result of the church's recent pancake supper, plus a special collection St. Edward's had taken to help us with our renovations. The check was for $16,000!!!

I want to tell you, we were all in shock! Not $1600; but $16,000! We simply couldn't comprehend that such a gift would be given to us! All I can say, is that "God is good... God is good... God is good... ALL the time!"

As we say THANK YOU! to all our friends at St. Edward's, I am certain our hearts are full. We pray God will shower many blessings on the people of St. Edward's for their generosity to us.

Good News From the Renovation Committee

Mary Walker announced yesterday that St. E's has now received $91,379 and some cents through pledges, grants, insurance and donations. Our church sanctuary will be whole again in the not-too-distant future. Who would ever have thought in those dark days after the ceiling fell, that God would make a way for us. The fears that our parish would close are gone. Our membership is going up; there will be Baptisms and 1st Communions celebrated this Easter. God is good.

Fr. Andrew invited parishioners to go upstairs and see what has been done so far. Most of the scaffolding is gone, the ceiling has been completely renovated and now the painters are doing their job. Hopefully, we will be able to celebrate the Risen Lord in our own sanctuary on Easter.

There are plans to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on April 21, 2007, at 5 p.m. There will be more information concerning that celebration later. Just put the date on your calendar.

Pledges will be taken until June. If you want to make up some donations or are now able to to contribute, please do so.

Adult Faith Formation ~ Sundays After Mass During Lent

Cathy asked me to post this...

*************************************************

You are invited to Come on a Faith Journey

When: Sunday Morning during the Lenten Season

Time: After 8:30 am liturgy

Where: St. Elizabeth Parish hall

No RSVP required

Come as you are -- willing to be in community with others

This year, we are reading the gospel of Matthew. The session format is framed in discussion based on honest reflections of the readings, listening to various points of view, willingness to share one's thoughts, questions and offer practical responses that may assist the faith journeys of the group.

The goal is to strengthen our relationship with God using the pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Remember, faith is our way of understanding God and is a gift from God.

-------------------------------
Save the Dates
St. Elizabeth Summer Adult Faith Formation
June 18--21, 2007

Press Release: 22nd Annual Irish Festival in Church Hill

Join us for the 22nd Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival on March 24 and 25 in historic Church Hill. The festival will begin Saturday at 10:00 a.m. with a parade and include traditional Irish music and dancing. The celebration will continue with a street festival in front of St. Patrick’s Church on North 25th Street between Broad and Grace Streets and will run from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The event will cover four city blocks.

Traditional Irish musicians, bagpipers and dancers will perform throughout the weekend on three live stages. This year’s lineup includes Uisce Beatha, Tinkers Damn, Susan Greenbaum, Billy Ray Hatley and the Show Dogs, Union Pacific Band, The Janet Martin Band, Gary Gerloff, Andy & Cindy, Bart Chucker Band, St. Andrews Legion, Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums, Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon, Floating Folk Festival, The Atkinson’s, Jonathan Austin and many other local favorites.

In addition to great entertainment, there will be plenty of family fun, including childrens’ games, face painting and Irish-themed crafts. Food and refreshments will also be available. This year’s event is sponsored by Loveland Distributing, Guinness Beer and Style Weekly.

Proceeds will benefit the preservation of St. Patrick’s Church, "a little church with a big heart." Built in 1859 by Irish immigrants, the church has required several major maintenance projects in recent years. Money collected will also help sustain community outreach programs at St. Patrick’s, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Conner’s Heroes, Richmond Hill, ASK and many other local charities.

We kindly ask that you leave all pets at home. For more information, please check our website at www.saintpatrickchurchhill.org. $2 donation at the door. Free parking and shuttle at 18th and East Broad by McDonald’s.

Contacts:
Stokes McCune, Festival Coordinator (804) 356-1093
Marion Kelly, Asst. Festival Coordinator (804) 737-8974

How to Become a Eucharistic Minister

Someone has asked the question about how to become a Eucharistic Minister and what the duties of the Eucharistic Minister are. Here is a short explanation:

The Eucharistic Minister assists the priest during Holy Communion. There are always three ministers scheduled. Two of them are Cup bearers and the third distributes the consecrated Hosts along with the priest.

The Eucharistic Minister also has several duties to attend to before and after Mass. The E. Ministers are expected to be at church 15 minutes before Mass. They have the responsibility of making sure that the hosts, wine, purificators, cups, etc. are in their proper places. They see that the candles are lit before Mass and put out after Mass. They are responsible for washing the plates and cups used during Mass and putting them away.

Frances Pope is the person to see if you would like to be part of this ministry. She wants you to know that you will receive training to do this ministry. In fact, after we have gotten back into our sanctuary, there will be classes set up for all the ministries. There are some new guidelines for the various ministries to follow.

Being a Eucharistic Minister is a very very rewarding experience. Many years ago, I was a Eucharistic Minister and I remember well, how honored and humble I felt to be able to offer the Host or the Cup to my fellow parishioners. If you want to be a part of this experience, please let Frances know so that you can be added to the training classes when they are ready to begin.

Holy Thursday: Footwashing and Discipleship

Here is a grand opportunity to serve the church during Holy Week. Twelve volunteers are needed for the footwashing rite on Holy Thursday. This year these volunteers will actually represent the twelve Apostles whose feet Jesus washed. Each volunteer will be given the name and a card describing the attributes of one of the Apostles and will be considered our role models for the next year. Judas is not included but will be replaced by Matthias, who was elected to take the place of Judas after the Resurrection.

The role of the volunteers will not end with the footwashing. This year they will have several other duties to perform during the Holy Week services. For instance, someone will be assigned to carry the Paschal Candle; someone can assist with baptisms; one or more will help fill and distribute the holy water bottles; others will help with the oils; someone will wipe the crucifix on Good Friday, and more.

A volunteer can be any parish member from teenage to adult to older parishioner. Fr. Andrew and the Liturgy Committee are asking that we not be shy in volunteering for this service to the church. Each "apostle" will be instructed in exactly what their duties will be and how their participation will enhance our Holy Week experience. If you have any questions, they will be addressed.

Please step up to the plate and add your name to the signup sheet and become one of the Twelve Apostles of St. E's!