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This weekend at all Masses, a prayer will be said over the Rice Bowls and they will be distributed after Mass. Please pick up a Rice Bowl with a Lenten calendar and a flyer for more information. What you give up for Lent changes lives.
COFFEE HOUR:
We are resuming our Coffee Hour this weekend, 7th of February, 2016. Please join us following every mass.
CRS RICE BOWL
Join our parish community — and nearly 14,000 Catholic communities across the United States — in a life-changing Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. CRS Rice Bowl is a faith-in-action Lenten program for families, individuals and faith communities with family activities, meatless meals, prayers and reflections. Rice Bowl invites Catholics to live in solidarity with our most vulnerable brothers and sisters through the Lenten pillars of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.
COLLECTION
Thank you so very much for your generous response to the needs of the parish. Our collection last Sunday was $11,338.00. $4,205.00 was received in ParishPay for a total of $15,543. $2681.00 was collected for the Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign.
This weekend we will have a second collection to support Peter’s Pence.
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.
SCHOOL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
School of the Blessed Sacrament is a pre-k through eighth grade Catholic elementary school in the heart of the upper west side. Our well-rounded curriculum incorporates love of God, self, and others. We integrate technology, the arts, music, and physical education to provide a liberal arts education for the whole child. We seek to develop saints and scholars through innovative, personal learning experiences. Accepting applications now, with financial aid opportunities for qualified families, contact us today at 212-724-7561 or www.sblsnyc.org
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.
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:
2/10, 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
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.
LENTEN VESPERS
Sundays at 4:00pm – The Mercy of God
February 14, 2016
Preacher: Rev. Perry Azah
Diocese of Ho, Ghana
The Choir of Corpus Christi Church
Louise Basbas, Director of Music and Organist
Be the Change: Climate Commitments for LentTo be involved in the parish’s Care for Creation efforts, contact Luke Mayville at 208-610-1783.
“Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
- Pope Francis, Laudato Si’
Lent is an opportune time to evaluate our lifestyles and make conscious decisions that contribute to a happy, healthy planet. Together, we can follow Pope Francis’ lead to choose what is good by adapting our behavior and being better stewards of the earth and her resources. Each week through Easter, we will be providing advice and tips on how to decrease your carbon footprint this Lent. You can begin to incorporate these actions and changes in your daily life, creating a sustainable and more earth-friendly lifestyle.
First Week: February 7
No-meat Fridays! While this is a traditional Catholic Lent practice, reducing your intake of meat not only helps save water (it takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef!), but also reduces your carbon footprint since meat production is one of the largest contributors of methane and CO2 gas globally.
ABC’s of catholic relief services:
CRS/Haiti: 10 million people live in Haiti, a country a little larger than Massachusetts. 80% of them exist on less than $2 per day. Over 3 million of them are reached by American Catholics via CRS. Nearly one in three Haitians are helped by CRS. Health, education, agriculture, and water and sanitation programs are among the priorities. Last week - CRS/Guatemala. Next week - CRS/Iraq. For more info visit: www.crs.org.
LENTEN SIMPLE SUPPERS
Please join us during any or all of the Wednesdays of Lent: 2/17, 2/24, 3/2, 3/9, and 3/16 for our Lenten Simple Suppers. Prayers and meditation begin at 7PM in the rectory, followed by a meal of soup and salad…and fellowship. The suppers are a wonderful way to not only deepen one’s Lenten experience, but also to be able to reflect in a very comfortable and quiet setting with fellow parishioners. For more information, please call John Gasdaska at 646-345-7350. We look forward to seeing you then.
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