ALTAR SERVERS TRAINING DAY - FEBRUARY 21; 3:30-4:30 PM

ALTAR SERVERS TRAINING DAY: FEBRUARY 21

Altar Servers also perform a great deed of service; they have the important role of assisting the priest at most liturgical celebrations of the parish especially at the Celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday.

This ministry helps to develop a sense of participation in parish life and a love for the Church’s liturgical life, while growing closer to God in one’s own life. It also offers an opportunity to understand the rewards of service toward others and their community.

Being an Altar Server means serving God and his people at Mass. Serving at Mass is worth doing, and worth doing well.

We would like to invite all current Altar Servers for a Training Day on Saturday, February 21, 2:30-4:30 PM at the church.

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Confirmation Candidates to Collect Dollars for our Parish Food Pantry

The Pittsburgh Steelers know all about the Super Bowl, having made six previous appearances and won five titles. The Arizona Cardinals are new to the big stage, but they've won three playoff games in decisive fashion to reach Tampa.

As these football teams play each other in Tampa Bay, Florida, our candidates for Confirmation will try to score a touchdown for our Parish Food Pantry on Super Bowl XLIII, February 1, 2009.

"The Souper Bowl of Caring" is an annual parish event and is a great opportunity to help the needy. Our young parishioners will use that weekend, transforming the days of parties and celebrations into a day of caring for the hungry and hurting.

Armed with soup pots, they will be at the doors of the church, collecting $1 from each person walking by in all Masses next Sunday.

From PALMS to ASHES - Rite of Burning of Palms for Ash Wednesday - February 22, 7PM

Palms to Ashes
-the Rite of Burning of Palms for Ash Wednesday

To reinforce the origin and symbolism of the ashes used on Ash Wednesday we would like to invite all of our parishioners to bring their palm fronds from Palm Sunday 2008 on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 7:00 PM, the Sunday before Lent starts so we can burn them prior to Ash Wednesday.

Palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned and the resulting ashes imposed on the foreheads of worshippers on Ash Wednesday, February 25, on which Lent begins.

We encourage all of you to gather the old palm from pictures and crucifixes. Carefully — because it is a sacramental — we burn it as a lesson on the "dust" we are and to which we must return. It means so much to all of us Christians if we can burn our own piece of palm as an expression and confirmation of a Lenten resolution we made. However let us take care that these resolutions are not just negative "give-ups," and "do-aways," but positive "build-ups," overflowing from a new abundant charity and love requiring outward expression. So is fasting only one factor of Lent, needing the compensation of prayer and good deeds.

Our Candidates for the Reception of Confirmation will lead the Rites of Burning of Palms.