Liturgical Schedule Baptisms

1 MASS Monday through Friday 6:25 am (Upper Church) 8:30 am (Upper Church) Saturday 8:30 am (Upper Church) - weekday Mass 4:30 pm (Upper Church and HFC) - vigil Sunday 7:30 am (Upper Church) 9:00 am (Upper Church) 10:30 am (Upper Church and HFC) 12:00 pm (Upper Church) Please note: There will be no HFC Masses on Saturday, February 19th (@ 4:30 pm) and Sunday, February 20th (@10:30 am) MONDAY EVENINGS OF PRAYER (including Adora on, Vespers, confession, Benedic on) Monday evenings from 5:30 7:30 pm CONFESSION Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 8:15 am (Upper Church) Monday only 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm (Upper Church) Saturday 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (Upper Church) FUNERALS Monday through Saturday Morning WEDDINGS Friday and Saturday Baptisms Sunday MONDAY: Jas 3:13-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15; Mk 9:14-29 TUESDAY: 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4-6; Mt 16:13-19 WEDNESDAY: Jas 4:13-17; Ps 49:2-3, 6-11; Mk 9:38-40 THURSDAY: Jas 5:1-6; Ps 49:14-20; Mk 9:41-50 FRIDAY: Jas 5:9-12; Ps 103:1-4, 8-9, 11-12; Mk 10:1-12 SATURDAY: Jas 5:13-20; Ps 141:1-3, 8; Mk 10:13-16 SUNDAY: Sir 27:4-7; Ps 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 Cor 15:54-58.

2 Lk 6:39-45 Page 2 II ADAM TUSSING and CHRISTY CAPPELLETTI I NATHAN ARPIN and LISA KOHLNDORFER JOSEPH ALFONSO D'AVANZO son of Ma hew P. D'Avanzo and Lucy Ann Orzechowski STELLA GRACE EGGE daughter of Jus n Andrew Egge and Susan Patricia Cheely HENRY JOSEPH COMMONS son of James Commons and Katherine McCabe SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME FEBRUARY 20, 2022 Merciful and gracious is the lord , slow to anger and abounding in kindness Psalm 103:8 Liturgical Schedule WEEKLY OFFERING Week of February 6th February 12th Envelopes $13, Loose (includes one gi of $50,000) $53, Electronic Giving (includes monthly ACH giving) $16, Total Weekly Offering $84, Fiscal YTD Total (through February 12th) $1,107, Fiscal YTD vs.

3 Budget July 1, 2021 through January 31, 2021 +$58, Church La n America Second Collec on (through February 12th) $2, Readings for the Week Stewardship Baptisms Wedding Banns NO HFC MASSES FEBRUARY 19/20 Please note: There will be no HFC Masses on Saturday, February 19th (@ 4:30 pm) and Sunday, February 20th (@10:30 am) due to the need to be in our Upper Church for the Annual Catholic Appeal Commitment Weekend. + Dear Parishioners, Being an avid reader of military history my ears always perk up when I read about a military engagement in the Old Testament. The "first" Jewish civil war is the topic of our first reading. David will defeat Saul in this war. David will then go on to defeat Absalom, his son, in the second civil war.

4 David has a chance to end this first war early. Saul is delivered into his grasp. But it will mean the ruin of David's principles, of his soul, if he takes the "gi " and kills Saul. It does not ma er, for David, that Saul has become corrupt and evil. Saul is s ll the lord 's anointed. He cannot be touched. If David is to win the war, it will not be by David's own hand, but by the lord 's design. And, sure enough, God will provide for this when Saul is killed in a later ba le. Yes, David would have to wait a few more months to win the war and take the crown, but be er than having it on his conscience for his en re 40-year reign that he killed the lord 's anointed. Short-cuts are not always of God's design in the spiritual or moral life.

5 Say, for instance, we want to overcome a par cular sin. If we think just doing this one prayer or novena, or going to Confession just that one me, will do the trick, almost like it's magic, then we are to be disappointed. We need to do our spiritual work, with God's grace, to win our moral ba le: constant prayer, regular confession, regular par cipa on at Mass, daily sacrifices, conversa on with a spiritual director, and so forth. Or helping a family member or friend love Christ the way you love Christ: you won't "win" them over with one argument or the perfect explana on. It will take a long process of you praying silently for the person, you con nuing to witness to your own faith, and then wai ng for them to ask you ques ons.

6 We don't win by dropping the atomic bomb. We win by trus ng in the lord . This weekend at all the Masses is the Annual Catholic Appeal "Commitment Weekend." We will listen to the Cardinal and then conduct the in-pew solicita on. Please note, all the Masses this weekend will be in the UC (there will be no HFC Saturday 4:30pm or Sunday 10:30am). Thank you to all who have contributed already online or through the mailing. Our parish's collec on is very significant for the Archdiocese. Our funding allows the Archdiocese to support parishes and schools who are struggling financially, especially in poorer parts of the city. Your dona on goes a long way. And, as always, anything we collect over our goal of $123,960 stays here in the parish.

7 Thank you so much for your pa ence, your generosity, and your commitment to our local church. I am pleased to welcome Mr. Nick Testa to our parish staff as our new "Parish Evangeliza on and Business Manager." Nick will be assis ng me in the evangeliza on efforts of our parish, and assis ng Sandy Labouvie, our Director of Opera ons, in management of the day-to-day business of the office. Nick brings a wealth of experience from his career with a desire to pray and share the love of God with you all. You can read more about him in the bulle n. Please keep Nick in your prayers as he transi ons to working here at the parish and for the Kingdom of God. On Tuesday the school board will meet. On Saturday at 9:30am and 1:30pm we welcome Bishop Bartosic to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirma on for our school and catechesis 8th graders.

8 Congratula ons, confirmandi and sponsors. Lent is just around the corner. Here is the Schedule for Masses on Ash Wednesday (all in the UC): 6:25am, 8:30am, 10am (school), 12:05pm, 4pm (no Mass, prayer service & ash distribu on only), and 7:30pm. During Lent we will s ll have the Monday Evening of Prayer with Eucharis c Adora on, Confession, and a talk on prayer. We will also have Sta ons of the Cross every Friday at 7:30pm in the UC. I'm always hesitant to include COVID updates in my bulle n le er, as the policies can change rapidly and become outdated from when we are required to submit the bulle n in advance for publica on. As I'm sure you have heard masks are op onal both in church and school. Yours in Christ, Letter from a Pastor to his People Page 3 Reflections from our Seminarians and Staff AUTHENTIC LOVE DEMANDS MERCY This Sunday s readings draw our a en on to the theme of mercy.

9 David refuses to kill King Saul who has been unjustly persecu ng him and trying to kill him. He says to his servant, Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the lord s anointed and remain unpunished? His reverence for God overcomes his understandable desire for revenge. This restraint an cipates Jesus command to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Jesus shows us that authen c love is not par al and so demands sacrifice. These passages pose an important ques on to us: What do we really worship? This ques on ma ers because what we worship literally, what is of the greatest worth for us influences our percep on of truth and value which then shapes the way we act.

10 If, as disciples of Jesus, we worship impar al self-sacrificing love then we re called to sacrifice anything that gets in the way of willing the good of our neighbor. Unfortunately, our society tends to idolize poli cs which results in many people sacrificing their rela onships with one another for the sake of their poli cal views. But our lord is calling us to do just the opposite. Like David, He shows us that truly loving as God loves requires a death to self which expresses itself in mercy. Have a great week! God bless, Mar n Nyberg, Second Year Seminarian Gree ngs from our St. Paul of the Cross Rectory. I am blessed to be part of this welcoming, vibrant, and faithful community. I always look forward to the opportunity of mee ng new families.