THE PRAYER CORNER For the sick: Lilia Ramirez, Peggy Godsil, Christine Banuelos, Lukas Arriaga

& Socorro Garcia, Sam Serrano, Elio Chicca

For the dead: Fr. Terry Fulton, Manny Gomez, Jose Rios, Joyce Terry, Carmelita Andrews, Ernest Martinez, Jr., Clarita Felix, Steven Iannone, Jim Welsh, David Mullins, Ed Cain, Gloria Concepcion, Gemma Moore, Mamerta Serrano, Maria Klein, Cathy O’Neil, Floyd Davis, Jayson Morelos, Beth Giraud, Jimmy Wong, Helen VanRuiten, Jerry Dill

For the military: Jonas Abad, Jr., Robert Harter, & Lester Paclibar

MAKE YOUR DONATION ONLINE When you give online, your gift will be transferred conveniently and securely from your bank or credit card account directly to the church. Access your account any time you like - you’re in complete control. Also, when you have set up your donation online, even when you’re on vacation, your weekly donation to the parish is taken care of. Call Al Llenos at (916) 647-4538 if you need help setting up your online ac-count OR go to our parish website www.smgcc.net. Thank you. LENTEN FISH FRIDAYS Join us this Friday, March 31st, and every Friday during Lent for a fish dinner. This week's menu includes salmon, rice pilaf, green beans, dessert and a drink for only $6 per person. Dinner will be served from 5:00 pm until 6:30 pm with Stations of the Cross at 6:15 pm followed by Mass at 7:00 pm. Dinners "to-go" are available if you cannot stay.

'CATHOLIC'S DIVORCE SURVIVAL GUIDE' MINISTRY OF-FERED IN SIX-WEEK COURSE FOR THOSE DIVORCED OR FACING DIVORCE Is divorce or separation an issue in your life? Join Teresa Greenman and Patrick Cummings, parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish in El Do-rado Hills, for “The Catholic’s Divorce Survival Guide” ministry (for those divorced or facing divorce). Teresa and Pat will facilitate this six-week class at Holy Trinity Parish, located at 3111 Tierra de Dios Dr., beginning on Wednesday, April 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. and will continue every Wednesday for six weeks. There is no cost to attend; suggested donation is $20. The workshop is co-sponsored by the diocese's De-partment of Evangelization and Catechesis. RSVP to Teresa Greenman at (916) 833-9460 or email teresa.ann123@gmail.com.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY PEDIATRICS PEDIATRIC MEDICAL CENTER OF SACRAMENTO

7501 Hospital Drive, Suite 203 9291 Laguna Springs Drive, Suite A Sacramento, CA 95823 Elk Grove, CA 95758

Tel. (916) 681-1130 Tel. (916) 714-9777

www.sacramentovalleypediatric.com

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CORNER

GOLF TOURNAMENT On April 29th The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Golf Tournament Fundraiser to benefit cancer victims. Please contact Brother Sam Cole at (916)956-7777 or email at samcole3@msn.com if you would like to help participate in planning and organizing. You do not have to be a Knight to be part of this event.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MEETINGS Officers planning meetings are on the 1st Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm. Business meetings are on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm. 4th degree Assembly meeting is 4th Monday of each month 7:00 pm at St Paul’s Church.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE Your Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a scholarship up to $1,000 to be awarded to a graduating high school senior who is a member of St. Maria Goretti Parish. The scholarship awarded may be used to offset the cost of either a certified vocational or trade school or a private or public two-year or four-year academic institution. Require-

ments and applications are available in the Narthex. Contact is Sal Lira at (916) 895-1153.

Phone: (916) 714-1155 Fax: (916) 405-3434 Email: audrey@cchhs.net www.CUSTOMCAREHHS.com

HANDYMAN SERVICES

Gabino Salazar Lic. # 122087

Home & Business Services

Specializing in Painting, Tile,

Crownmolding, etc., Free Estimates. Satisfaction Guaranteed

Telephone # 916-683-5982 Cell Phone # 916-224-8259

VALLEY ARBOR

CARE, INC. Tree trimming, removal, stump

grinding, planting, etc.

Mauricio: 916-685-0840 valleytreesvc@aol.com

CERTIFIED ARBORIST WE-6555A CONT#794178

8430 Elk Grove Florin Road Elk Grove, CA 95624-9450

Tel: (916) 689-0467

Fax: (916) 689-1147 Philhouse (916) 689-0930

GINELLE’S BAKERY

A Filipino-American Bakery Mon.-Sat. : 6 am—8 pm

Sunday: 6 am—6 pm 9015 Bruceville Rd. Suite 120

Elk Grove, CA 95758 (916) 627-2993 (916) 583-7376 Fax

www.ginellesbakery.com

Phone: (916) 714-1155 Fax: (916) 405-3434 Email: audrey@cchhs.net www.CUSTOMCAREHHS.com

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the

heart.” 1 SAMUEL 16:7

How often do we invest our time, talent and treasure in creating an appearance that does not matter at all to God? We strive to impress with our clothing, home, career, possessions, car and other marks of distinction. But none of these illusions of greatness will impress God. Instead, He will look into our hearts to see how much we loved Him, how much we loved others and how we showed that love by the way we used our time, talents and treasure here on earth.

This week’s Mass Collection: $ 7,262.32 Online Giving: $ 555.00

God bless you super abundantly for your generosity!

8700 Bradshaw Road Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 647-4538 Tel (916) 647-4539 Fax

www.smgcc.net

Pastor: Fr. Mervin P. Concepcion Email: pastor@smgcc.net Pastor’s emergency ext. 208

Administration: Al Llenos - Business Manager admin@smgcc.net Religious Education: Sr. Concepcion Cambaya cff@smgcc.net Parish Pastoral Council: John Nguyen & Linda Dublin council-chair@smgcc.net Finance Council: Bill Klaproth finance-chair@smgcc.net

Liturgy: Pat & Ann Hanna liturgy@smgcc.net Stewardship: Erwin Jordan stewardship@smgcc.net Capital Campaign: Gil Albiani capital@smgcc.net

Parish Center & Office

"We, the People of St. Maria Goretti Parish are called by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God through prayer, praise, sacraments and education in order to build the church and share the message of love, justice, and forgiveness in service to all."

MISSION STATEMENT

Weekend Masses: Saturday 5:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Weekday Masses: Monday & Tuesday 7:00 a.m. Wednesday & Friday 7:00 p.m.

(First Friday of the month, Holy Hour

& Benediction after 7:00pm Mass)

SACRAMENTS:

Reconciliation - Saturday at 3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Sunday by appointment only.

Baptism - Please call the office at (916) 647-4538 to obtain information, preparation of necessary documents before the date of baptism can be scheduled.

Marriage - Engaged couples must contact the office to setup an appointment with the pastor to begin preparation of necessary documents at least 6 months prior to the wedding date.

Anointing of the Sick/Communion

to the Sick & Homebound - Please call the office at (916) 647-4538 to receive the above sacraments.

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE

STEWARDSHIP PRAYER

Praised are you, O God, our loving creator

and giver of all good gifts. Bless our par-

ish, strengthen our faith, and grant us

the spirit of Christian stewardship so

that we may give generously of our time,

talent, and treasure in worship and

prayer, and in spreading Your kingdom

here in our Church and throughout the

world. This we ask through Jesus Christ,

Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit, one God

now and forever. Amen.

FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - MARCH 26, 2017

PARISH REGISTRATION AND CHANGE IN CONTACT INFO

We welcome new families to our Parish. Upon receipt of this form, we will mail you the parish registra-tion form to complete. You may place it in the offertory basket or mail to:

St. Maria Goretti Parish Center 8700 Bradshaw Road Elk Grove, CA 95624

Or you may fax it to

(916) 647-4539

03/26/2017

New to St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church Community Recently moved or changed phone number / email

Name: ____________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

City: _________________________________ Zip: ______________

Phone: ___________________ Email: ___________________________

Fill out and deposit in the Offertory Basket. Thank You!

FOURTH WEEK IN LENT March 26, 2017

" Jesus frees us from spiritual blindness and sin"

Sometimes I tell skittish Catholics how wonderful it feels to be honest with God in the sacrament. The old argument against confession that you can always tell God your sins is a good one. Of course you can. But often you don’t. Moreover, it helps to verbalize your sins with another person. And hearing the words of absolution, viva voce, is a lot more powerful than intuiting them in prayer. At least for me.

My comfort level may also stem from experiences with confes-sion from the other side. When hearing confessions, and offer-ing absolution, I can see how people feel unburdened. They exhale. They relax. They smile. And I can feel how grateful they are to be forgiven for something they thought was unfor-givable. All that makes confession precious to me.

But mainly I like the way I feel afterward, as if God had given me another chance—which, of course, God has. And no matter if I’m hearing confessions or going to confession, I always think of what my theology professor, Peter Fink, S.J., told our class, “Confession isn’t about how bad you are, but how good God is.”

I wish I could invite everyone who has stayed away to come back. And for returnees, I hope you hear some form of what I say to people who haven’t been to confession for years: “Welcome back.”

- taken from: Rev. James Martin, S.J., “Hate confession?

Here’s why you should reconsider”, America Magazine, March

6, 2017 issue. LENTEN COMMUNAL PENANCE SERVICE Our parish will be having a Lenten Communal Penance Service on Tuesday, March 28th at 7:00pm. This is a unique and beautiful aspect of our faith that we as a community together can walk with Christ on his dying and rising again to new life.

— Scripture: John 9:1-41 Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind

Vincentian Meditation: Before a Vincentian can be a sign of God’s love, a sign of God’s generosity, a sign of God’s service, he or she must have personal experience of God’s love, God’s generosity, God’s service. The most unfortunate people in society are those who have not had the

experience of being loved. Before loving other, we must come to the realization that we are at every moment of our lives being loved by God. If we do not reflect often in prayer on the fact that the love of God is flowing down upon us at each moment of the day, it will be difficult for us to show love to others, to show love to the poor. May you have a love for the poor and be gener-ous to the poor and be of service to the poor but, more impor-tantly, may you have each day a fresh experience of God’s love, of God’s generosity and of God’s service. (McCullen, Deep

Down Things, p.670)

BULLETIN SPECIAL EDITION: HATE CONFESSION? HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER—

by Rev. Fr. James Martin, SJ

I have a Catholic friend who hates confession. I am not going to break any confidences, but my friend despises confession so much that he hasn’t gone for a decade. He has offered several reasons why he doesn’t go to what is formally called the sacrament of reconciliation. He is afraid that his sins are now too much to confess all at once; he is frightened of

what the priest might say (he’s had a few bad experiences); and he is too busy.

My friend is not the only person I’ve met who feels this way. Several years ago, while directing a retreat, I met a woman who said that she hadn’t gone for 20 years. Her reason was also an unpleasant experience with a priest during the sacrament. As I recall, he berated her for not coming in more frequently.

In response, I asked her: “If you had a bad experience with a phy-sician, would you would never see a physician again?” However, even after we talked about her experiences, she was hesitant to return. Our spiritual direction session was brief, and by the time our 20 minutes was up it was time for another retreatant. So, I have no idea if she ever returned to the confessional.

Sometimes I feel nearly tongue-tied in these situations. Not be-cause I judge people in these situations to be bad Catholics, or because I don’t know any helpful responses to these common roadblocks. Rather, it’s because I go to confession frequently. Very frequently. And I like it.

Admittedly, it’s easier for me to do when I live in a house filled with priests, and especially when my spiritual director is a mem-ber of my community. If I ever feel burdened by sin, or even a sin, all I need to do is knock on someone’s door and ask.

On the other hand, it’s arguably harder, since these are men with whom I live and, in many instances, work. After confessing your sins to someone, you may see the fellow at breakfast the next morning. Or at an editorial meeting. But that has never bothered me, because I figure that anyone who lives or works with me al-ready knows I am not perfect.

I often ponder what makes me more inclined to go than the people I mentioned. I am certainly not any holier than anyone else—not by a long shot. It’s not that I have fewer sins.

Maybe it’s the frequency. I go to confession once a month, if not more. I’m used to it. Consequently, it ceases to hold any conceiv-able fear. Something like a person who has a fear of flying taking 50 flights in one year, and then suddenly realizing that he’s com-fortable on a plane. He knows there will inevitably be turbulence and can say, “I’m used to this. And it is not as bad as I thought it would be.”

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

Sun. March 26 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. Mass 9:00 a.m. CFF Classes 1:15 p.m. CFF Classes 3:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross Rehearsal Mon. March 27 7:00 a.m. Mass 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice, 8 a.m. Choir Tue. March 28 7:00 a.m. Rosary/Mass 5:00 p.m. Choir Practice, 12 Noon Choir 7:00 p.m. Parish Penance Service Wed. March 29 10:00 a.m. Basic Bible Study for Women 6:30 p.m. Rosary/Perpetual Help Novena and Mass 5:30 p.m. CFF Classes Thurs. March 30 5:00 p.m. Choir Practice, 5 p.m. Choir 6:00 p.m. Choir Practice, 10 a.m. Choir 7:00 p.m. RCIA and RCIA Confession Fri. March 31 5:00 p.m. Lenten Fish Dinner 6:15 p.m. Stations of the Cross 6:30 p.m. Rosary / Mass Sat. April 1 10:00 a.m. Walking Toward Eternity Retreat 10:00 a.m. EM Training 3:30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 5:00 p.m. Mass

CD’S AVAILABLE FROM LIGHTHOUSE CATHOLIC MEDIA— Featured Title of the Week: My Beloved Son: Meditations for Lent Fr. Robert Barron offers five sermons on the spiritual discipline we must cultivate in the Lenten season, a discipline centered in Christ. These meditations cover topics such as finding our iden-tity in God, prayer as the key to mission, our thirst for God, how to end our alienation from God, and how to joyfully embrace the way of happiness. Parishioner Comments “A powerful, sincere reflection... Deep, yet easy to understand.”

Julie - Holyoke, CO

“Fr. Barron weaves Scripture, prayer and practical experience

into a seamless whole that uplifts, challenges and inspires.”

Michael - York, PA

40– DAYS FOR LIFE 40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion. Its Spring Campaign will be from March 1 - April 9. During this campaign, individuals in the community who are Pro-Life will be keeping vigil in prayer from 7am to 7pm on the public sidewalk in front of the Women's Health Specialists Clinic located at 1442 Ethan Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. Our parish's Respect Life Ministry will be keeping vigil during this campaign every Thursday from 9 - 11 am. CFF students who attend with a parent or CFF parents who attend anytime during the vigil hours (7am - 7pm) may claim community service hours. Please contact Samantha Nguyen at respectlife@smgcc.net for more information.

WE HAVE BOOKS, DVD’S AND MORE! Needing something worthwhile to read or watch this Lenten Sea-son? Wanting a variety of resources without breaking the bank? Then the SMG Library is the place to be. You can have them FREE for a week: DVDs, CDs, BOOKS on spiritual guidance, lives of the saints, Lenten themes, etc. Available Monday to Fri-day, 9 am to 5 pm in the Parish Office.

'UNPLUGGED' RETREAT FOR 8TH TO 12TH GRADERS IS SAT., APRIL 8 AT ST. CLARE PARISH IN ROSEVILLE The Diocese of Sacramento’s youth ministry invites eighth to 12th grad-ers to attend “Unplugged,” a Lenten retreat, on Saturday, April 8 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Clare Parish, located at 1950 Junction Ave. in Rose-ville. The retreat is co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services.

4TH ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT at ST. MARIA GORETTI

We are excited to announce the celebra-tion of our Lord's Resurrection on our 4th Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Welcome this great Feast Day with your parish on April 16, 2017 after the 12 noon mass.

In this light, we need your help in making it another fun-filled adventure for our parish children. We gladly welcome your dona-tions in cash or in kind - plastic eggs, candies (individually wrapped), gift baskets, and gift cards. Kindly drop off your dona-tions at the parish office, or for plastic eggs, in the bins located in the vestibule. We also welcome help from volunteers for various roles, in preparing the eggs and the church grounds. For more details, please contact Sr. Ching at (916) 647-4538 or at cff@smgcc.net. Thank you so much for your generosity!

BASIC BIBLE CLASS FOR WOMEN Raising Lazarus from the dead was one of the most amazing mira-cles Jesus performed. Woven into this story is Martha's conver-sion. There is a lot of dialogue in this gospel. Come join the dia-logue this coming Wednesday, March 29. All women are welcome to drop in at St Michael’s room on Wednesdays at 10am for all the remaining weeks of Lent. Hand-outs and coffee are available but don’t forget to bring your bible.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Save the date! Vacation Bible School (VBS) will be from July 10-14 from 9:00 am to 12 noon. This year's theme is "Barnyard Round-up- Jesus Gathers Us Together". Registration will be after all masses during the month of May in the vestibule. Register early as space is limited.

SEE'S CANDY SALE It is back! See's Candies will be on sale on Palm Sunday Weekend (April 8th and 9th) after all masses. Buy your Easter goodies from us! This is a fundraiser for our CFF program and Vacation Bible School (VBS). Your support will be greatly appreciated.

CHRISM MASS Please join Bishop Soto, Bishop Cotta, and the clergy of our dio-cese at the annual Chrism Mass to be held on Thursday, April 6 at 6pm at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The Chrism Mass is one of our most important Diocesan celebrations where Bishop Soto will bless the Holy Oils that are used in sacramental celebrations in all the parishes of the Diocese throughout the com-ing year.

MASSES FOR THE WEEK

March 26, Sunday, Laetare Sunday 1 Sam 16:1-13; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

Optional readings for any daily Mass this week: Mic 7:7-9; Ps 26:1-14;

John 9:1-41

March 27, Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent Isa 65:17-21; Ps 30:1-13; John 4:43-54

March 28, Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent Ezek 47:1-12; Ps 46:1-9; John 5:1-16

March 29, Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent Isa 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-18; John 5:17-30

March 30, Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent Exod 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-23; John 5:31-47

March 31, Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent Wis 2:1-22; Ps 34:17-23; John 7:1-30

April 1, Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:1-12; John 7:40-53