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ARCHDIOCESAN - WIDE FOOD CAMPAIGN
This year, Blessed Sacrament Parish is participating in Feeding Our Neighbors, an Archdiocesan - Wide Drive to replenish dwindling Food Pantries in our community. From January 23 through January 31, you can Feed Our Neighbors by replenishing the Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry, our sister pantry at the Kennedy Center on West 134 Street and pantries across the Archdiocese. It only takes one small action to feed the hungry. Together we can change lives.
Three simple ways to participate are: (1) Bring non-perishable foods to Saturday and Sunday Masses between January 23rd and 31st (2) Support by donating money during a Mass collection, make an on-line donation at www.catholiccharitiesny.org/feedingourneighbors or make a quick $10 donation by texting “CCHOPE” to 85944 and (3) Volunteer at a Food Pantry near you.
Members of the Social Action Committee and others will be collecting your donated food in the BIG WHITE BOXES at the Church entrance. Pick up a flyer for a food list and more information
COLLECTION
Thank you so very much for your generous response to the needs of the parish. Our collection last Sunday was $7,689.00. $4,205.00 was received in ParishPay for a total of $11,894.00. $2302.00 was collected for the Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign.
COMMITTEE FOR PASTORAL PLANNING:We hope you will consider giving your time and talent to Blessed Sacrament Parish in this way. Stop by the Pastoral Planning table at the church entrance after Mass for more information and opportunities to sign up.
Make a difference in our future, join the Committee for Pastoral Planning, a newly formed group that seeks to clarify our mission as a parish and then find ways to implement and fulfill it. The Pastoral Plan is a commitment made by the Pastor and parishioners to further the mission of the parish, the reason the parish exists.
Today we are asking for twenty-five volunteers who can share their talents. We are looking for people with skills to join sub-committees of data gathering, survey design, analytics, communications and meeting planning and facilitation. Please join us on March 5th from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM for our first Committee for Pastoral Planning assembly.
The planning process began in mid-January and should be complete by Thanksgiving. In order for our Pastoral Plan to be inclusive and collaborative, the process will require frequent communication with the various parish ministries, groups, individual parishioners, parish staff, Parish Council and the Pastor. Planning committee members will be seeking input from as many parishioners as possible. Data gathering will begin very soon and a parish Town Hall will be held. We will provide ongoing communication as the plan unfolds.
CRS Rice Bowl:Remember, what you give up for Lent changes lives.
Join our parish community — and nearly 14,000 Catholic communities across the United States — in a life-changing Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. Next weekend at all Masses, a prayer will be said over the Rice Bowls and they will be distributed after Mass.
Sunday School Volunteers Needed
With the growing number of students in our Sunday School program the need for volunteers is also growing. Catechists, assistants, and substitutes are needed. All volunteers who work with children will need to complete a background check form and an abuse awareness and prevention class as provided by the Archdiocese. Please call Tina Silvestro at 212-877-3111.
COFFEE HOUR:
We are resuming our Coffee Hour on the 7th of February, 2016. Please join us following every mass.
CONVERSATIONS WITH “RECYCLED” CATHOLICS
Many people--Catholics, those of other religions and of no religion-- have been struck by the words and actions of Pope Francis. Included among them are former Catholics who have long felt alienated from many of the church’s positions and practices, but now may be considering giving Catholicism a second look. This series is designed for such people— not for people who are comfortable in their faith and looking for spiritual enrichment. It is for people in transition, hence the term “recycled,” moving from a style of religion that was found to be unsatisfying to one that is both personally fulfilling and authentically Catholic. In a series of six non-judgmental, open yet focused discussions, Fr. Kevin Madigan will help participants reflect on their lived experience of Catholicism, its positive and negative aspects, in the hope of discovering possible directions for the future. The general approach could be described as a “therapy of the imagination,” an attempt to discover how familiar doctrines, metaphors, and images might be mined for new insights and meaning.
The series will take place in two locations: St. Thomas More Rectory, 65 East 89 th St., on Wednesday evenings, beginning January 6 th, at 7:00 p.m., and Blessed Sacrament Rectory, 152 West 71 st St., on Thursday evenings, beginning January 7 th, at 7:00 p.m. To register, please call 212-876-7718. There is no charge and refreshments will be served. The topics for discussion:
2/3, 2/4 I would describe myself as “spiritual, but not religious.”
2/10, 2/11 Fast-food Catholicism may be dangerous to your health.
34th ANNUAL PAX CHRISTI NY WAY OF THE CROSSFor further information about our work, please contact us at 371 Sixth Ave., New York, NY, 10014; 212-420-0250;
Join several hundred people in one of the largest public Christian peace witnesses in New York City. For over thirty years Pax Christi Metro New York has walked The Good Friday Way of the Cross as a modern-day enactment of the Stations of the Cross, praying for peace and justice on the streets of our city. Pope Francis has declared 2016 as the year of Mercy, join with us as we reflect on Living Lives of Mercy with Care and Compassion.
The Walk will take place from 8:30am to 12:00 noon on Good Friday, March 25th.
We begin at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th and First Avenue) and proceed along 42nd street between Eight and Ninth Avenues. PLEASE WEAR OR CARRY A CROSS.
info@nypaxchristi.org or www.nypaxchristi.org
TOURING TUESDAYS
The best investment in your child’s future is in a Catholic School Today.- More than 98% of Catholic school grads pursue post-secondary education
- Moral development and self-discipline are emphasized
- Community survey is always part of the curriculum
- More than 7500 scholarships are available for eligible students
February 2 & 23, March 8, April 12 from 9:00 – 11:00 am.
Reservations are required. To RSVP, call 646-794-2885 or visit www.buildboldfutures.org
TREAT THE PATIENT, HEAL THE PERSON:
Embracing Spiritual and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Health Practices.
Tuesday, March 8 th,2016 from 8:30am – 5:45pm
Fordham University, E. Gerald Corrigan Conference Center,
12 th Floor Lounge
113 West 60 th Street, NYC
Join us for a daylong gathering of leading practitioners and scholars who represent diverse approaches to medicine, culture, and spirituality. We will examine cross-cultural perspectives in well-being, explore best practices, and propose innovative approaches to healthcare delivery.
FREE ADMISSION – RSVP: crcprogram@fordham.edu
THINKING AND PRAYING WITH POPE FRANCIS
Our next Thinking and Praying with Pope Francis workshop will take place on Thurs. Feb 18th, at St Francis Xavier Church - St Mary's Chapel (enter at 55 W. 15th St. btw. 5th and 6th).
We will be addressing part 2 of Integral Ecology (chapter 4 of Laudato Si) and will be focusing on Cultural Ecology, Ecology of Daily Life, Human Ecology and Common Good.
Doors will open at 6:30pm for an “Encountering coffee”. Workshop will begin at 7pm.
Come, encounter and get the dialogue going…
Participation in previous workshops not necessary
Necessary reading: Laudato Si Chapter 4
DOWNEY SIDE ADOPTION AGENCY:
MISSION FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
at Blessed Sacrament Convent on 70 th STREET is looking for a volunteer bookkeeper or retired accountant for 4 hours a week (small stipend).
Please contact Fr. Paul Engel OFM.CAP at 212-714-2200
- More than 98% of Catholic school grads pursue post-secondary education