GOOD FRIDAY WAY OF THE CROSS 

Pax Christi Metro New York invites you to its 33rd consecutive Good Friday Way of the Cross as a way to shine God’s light on a sometimes dark and sinful city and world. Commemorating Jesus’suffering in His own life and in the lives of people throughout the world today, hundreds process together, praying for changes in ourselves and in society. Concluding with a 15th station, we are reminded that we are a Resurrection people in a Good Friday world. The walk begins at 8:30am on April 3rd at 47th Street between First and Second Avenues, proceeds along 42nd Street and ends on 42nd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues around noon. For more information, please contact Pax Christi Metro NY at 212-420-0250 or info@nypaxchristi.org. 

Fr. Jim Martin, S.J., author of “The Jesuit Guide to (almost) Everything” will speak this Thursday night, March 26th at 7:00pm in the Church. Please join us. 

CRS RICE BOWL—LENT 2015 

This season of Lent, Blessed Sacrament parish is participating in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl as a way of enhancing our Lenten journey. It is also a way for us to live out Pope Francis’ call to end world hunger. CRS Rice Bowl invites Catholics to live in solidarity with our poorest and most vulnerable brothers and sisters through the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 870 million people suffer from hunger. Of this 98% live in the developing world. 

If you don’t have a Rice Bowl pick one up at the back of the church and take a flyer for more information. 

What you give up for Lent changes lives. 
 

ANOINTING OF THE SICK 

On Saturday, March 28th, we will have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick at the 12:10pm Mass. All who feel the need for God’s healing power in their lives are invited to take part. 

STATIONS OF THE CROSS 

Each Friday in Lent we have Stations of the Cross after the 12:10pm and 5:30pm Masses 

LENTEN SIMPLE SUPPERS 

The Spirit Sunday and Young Adults groups are pleased to co-sponsor this year’s Lenten Simple Suppers. Please join us on Wednesday 3/25, for prayer , meditation, and a supper of soup, salad, and bread. 7PM-8:15PM in the rectory dining room. This is a wonderful way to enrich your Lenten experience. For all questions, please call John Gasdaska at 646-345-7350. We hope to see you there. 

COLLECTION 

Our collection for March 15th was $6,715 .– And through ParishPay: $1,891 .– for a total of $8,606 .– We also received $2,977.– for the Catholic Relief Services. We are grateful for your support. 

VISITING FRIENDS PROGRAM 

Our new Visiting Friends Program is up and running with great success. Volunteers are visiting homebound people in the neighborhood, bringing the comfort of companionship and social interaction. Flyers are available in the back of the church with information on the program. If you know of someone (friend, relative or neighbor) who might benefit from and welcome a visitor, please email us at joyj.blessed.sacrament@aol.com.–be sure to put “Visiting Friends Program” in the subject box. You can also leave the information at the Rectory. 

JOYJ INITIATIVE—Easter Egg Lenten Project 

JoyJ is once again sponsoring an Easter Egg Lenten Project. On March 28th a basket of eggs will be placed on the Blessed Mother’s altar on the right side of the church. Inside each egg are requests for t-shirts, toothpaste, McDonald’s or Subway gift cards, socks, wipes, protein fruit bars, etc. We ask that gift cards not exceed $10.00 per card. Donations will be collected on Saturday, April 11th and Sunday, April 12th. Many thanks for your continued generosity. 

PATH TO THE STILL CENTER 

Come join us every Thursday at 5:30pm in the Rectory. We are following the teachings of Dom John Main, OSB and Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB, Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation. The meeting includes a short taped talk, a silent meditation of 30 minutes and a time for questions or another short reading. It ends at 7:00pm. 

FATIMA 

PLEASE JOIN US! Every Friday at 6:00pm or immediately after the 5:30pm Mass our parish has a Fatima Blue Army Cell prayer group in the rectory. The Rosary is the heart of our meeting. We also recite the special Fatima prayers and we pray for each other’s petitions. During Lent we will meet immediately after the Stations of the Cross.. In 1917, our Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima, Portugal to three little children to inform them of God’s displeasure with the sins of the world. She predicted the destruction of cities and countries and the countless loss of souls, and urged that everyone should do penance and pray the Rosary for peace in the world and for the salvation of mankind. Please come and bring a friend. 

BOOK CLUB 

“The Last Monk of Tibhirine”, a True Story of Martyrdom, Faith and Survival by Freddy Derwahl. An account of Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher, the last survivor of the seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine who were massacred in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. The popular movie “Of Gods and Men”: was based on the monks’s deaths 

Join us on March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the rectory for a discussion of this great work