The Sunday Good News Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time The Church of Saint John Bosco August 21, 2016

THIS WEEK & IN THE WEEKS AHEAD…

RCIA Team Meeting ............................................................

..................... Monday, August 22, 6:00 PM, Conference Room

Spiritual Reading, How Big is Your God?, Part IV .....................

............................................ Thurs., August 25, 1 & 6:30 PM

ARISE Together in Christ Sign-Up Weekend ......... August 27/28

Newly Bereaved Workshop ...... Tuesday, September 6, 6:30 PM

Liturgy Committee Meeting .........................Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 PM

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting.... Thursday, September 8, 6:30 PM, Classroom 1

Spiritual Reading, How Big is Your God? Part V ...... Thurs., Sept. 8, 1 & 6:30 PM

Diocesan Annual Appeal Kickoff Weekend.............................. September 10/11

First day of Faith Formation............................ September 11, 10:00 - 11:00 AM

RCIA First Gathering ......... Sunday, September 11, 10-11 AM, Conference Room

Planning Meeting, Annual Election Day Italian Dinner ...... September 12, 6:00 PM

Newly Bereaved Workshop ............................. Tuesday September 13, 6:30 PM

Dementia Caregivers ................................ Wednesday, September 14, 6:30 PM

Confirmation Class ............................... Sunday, September 18, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Little Sisters of the Poor Collection .................................... September 17 & 18

ARISE Facilitator Training ..................... Tuesday, September 20, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Spiritual Reading, How Big is Your God? Part VI .... Thurs., Sept. 22, 1 & 6:30 PM

ARISE Facilitator Orientation...................... Wednesday, September 28, 6:30 PM

HIS WORD TODAY BY Rev. William J. Reilly

JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY Suggestions for the Year of Mercy

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, try putting mercy into practice each week. Can you play the piano, or any instrument? Can you read poetry?

Give free “concerts” to the forgotten people in nursing homes and assisted living centers.

“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges. Endure your trials as discipline. God treats you as sons. At the time all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”

On the day of baptism, the father is instructed similarly, being told ‘you and your wife are the first teachers of your child in the way of faith. May you be the best teachers bearing witness to Christ by what you say and do.’ What a great responsibility, yet we can fail, if we do not know Christ, lack a relationship with Him, are not alive to the life of the church, and living fully the sacrament we are seeking for our child.

Discipline is essential, but the way it is carried out makes the difference. We need to learn how to do this. Perhaps the meetings of couples, parent meetings for religious instruction, or the Joseph Ministry, can help our parents, our fathers and mothers, to enjoy their ministry in forming our children. Maybe we never took that course. The Word of God today is our invitation to revisit our unique role as parents.

PRAYER FOR POLICE OFFICERS

Almighty God we pray to you in Heaven up above. Watch over our dear

police officers and protect them with your love.

Please guide them as they keep us

safe both night and day, and hold them firmly

in your care Should danger come their way.

Give them true strength

and courage as they serve til duty’s end

And one more thing to ask dear Lord,

protect their family and their friends.

~ Anonymous

PAGE 2 The Sunday Good News

SUNDAY STEWARDS

1,289 families receive envelopes

360 white offertory envelopes were used on the weekend of August 13/14

Total Mass Attendance: 914 Total Sunday Offering: $6,140.00

Thank you for your generosity!

Faith Formation Corner THANK YOU to all of our teens who have helped to prepare and serve

lunch at the Salvation Army this summer. This was a great way to share your time and gifts with others. Thank you, also, to our parents and adult volunteers who have so graciously helped to transport our teens to and from the Salvation Army. A special thank you to ARLENE STAGG for her guidance and support of our teens, and for being such an important role model to our young people in the importance of serving and loving others.

Incoming 2nd Level students who have not completed a Prayer Review interview must do so before the start of Faith Formation. Please contact the Faith Formation office immediately if your child needs to be scheduled. Students who have not completed the interview by September 4 will be placed in the Level 1 class for the 2016-2017 year.

Registration continues for Faith Formation. Please keep turning in those registration forms. NO WALK IN REGISTRATIONS will be permitted the first day of class. Please stop by the Faith Formation office, or visit the Faith Formation page of the parish website for a handbook, calendar, and registration form.

There will be a Faith Formation “Meet and Greet” day next Sunday, August 28, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, and pick up textbooks and other important information.

WELCOME TO NEW PARISHIONERS St. John Bosco Parish extends a warm welcome to our new parishioners, Larry, Shannon and Samuel Farrone.

AUGUST SUMMER FILMS

Join us Tuesday, August 30, at 1:00 PM or 6:30 PM for a DVD replay of a Webcast teaching: ~The Soul, the Natural World, and What Is. Father Richard Rohr, OFM, shows us the crucial importance for each per-son to encounter their deepest self, their soul: that which was there before anything else and is one’s “blueprint in God, what you were born for.” We are encouraged to see the importance of recovering our deep, soul-connection with created nature, to which we all radically belong. Call Sr. Marilyn ASAP with

your name and preferred time. Showings will be cancelled if less than 5 persons are interested. It is well worth your time and thought to engage your Faith Development Journey in these anxious times.

Adult Faith Development ~ A Journey of the Heart Cultivating a Culture of Life-long Learning ~ Growing in Understanding and Wisdom

“It is an error to think that FAITH is so entirely a gift of God that it is not in our power

to increase and strengthen it.” ~ St. Claude de la Colombiere, SJ

Our Salvation Army Servers

ANNUAL SUMMER APPEAL Our Summer Appeal continues through September. To date, 254 parishioners/families have responded. We encourage all of our parishioners to give something towards this appeal so that we can keep our properties in good repair.

The outdoor lighting has been repaired, some work on our rental properties has been initiated, a new commercial refrigerator will be purchased for our Hall Kitchen, a part above our Hall stove has been replaced, some work will be done on the asphalt and a few other projects are in the planning stage. Your generosity has made this possible. This also helped us to defray the cost of our Vacation Bible School, our Arise Together in Christ program and some of our youth initiatives and retreats.

Every registered family/parishioner was sent a letter and contribution card with a return envelope. If you did not receive one or if you misplaced yours, please call the parish office or simply use a plain envelope and mark on the outside ANNUAL SUMMER APPEAL. Your characteristic generosity is deeply appreciated.

PAGE 3

Saturday, 4:00 PM August 20 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Robert Wallace By Mary Nora Wallace

Sunday, 7:30 AM August 21 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Living & Deceased Members Of St. John Bosco Church

Sunday, 9:00 AM August 21 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time William Gillmore By Kline Family

Sunday, 11:00 AM August 21 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Adam Rutski By Ron & Joanne Gallagher

Monday, 8:00 AM August 22 Tom Pensock By Don & Milissa Kotzer

Tuesday, 8:00 AM August 23 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Waskovich By Mike & Maria Reisenweaver

Wednesday, 8:00 AM August 24 James Stagg By Fran Menighan

Thursday, 8:00 AM August 25 Special Intention By Ruggiero Family

Friday, 8:00 AM August 26 Special Intention By John & Jeanette Donahue

Saturday, 4:00 PM August 27 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Susan & Paul Scavnicky By Mary Ellen & Sten Oswald

Sunday, 7:30 AM August 28 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Mary Mylet By Ray & Sarah Mylet

Sunday, 9:00 AM August 28 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Living & Deceased Members St. John Bosco Church

Sunday, 11:00 AM August 28 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time John Molitoris By Sister, Madeline Lawson

The Sunday Good News

JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY—2016

. . . Our Parish Family Fully Alive

WE REMEMBER

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS . . .

HOLY FAMILY ACADEMY: Back to School Jackpot Bingo, Sunday August 21, Holy Family Academy, 601 N. Laurel St., Hazleton. Doors open at Noon, Games start at 1:00 PM. $10 admission for 10 regular games; early bird games, specials, food. $500 Grand Prize.

SERVICE OF HEALING AND REMEMBRANCE: In memory of the Lattimer Massacre of September 10, 1897, will be held on Saturday, September 10, at 1:30 PM at the monument in Lattimer. All members of the clergy and faithful of the area are invited to this interfaith service.

TABERNACLE CANDLE The Tabernacle Candle burns this week in memory of Robert Wallace given by Mary Nora Wallace.

MARRIAGE BANNS Trisha Kapes & Dury Martin Wedding, September 3, 2016

ALTAR CANDLE An Altar Candle burns this week in memory of Joseph Fetchen IV by his Parents.

2016 DIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL The 2015 DAA was successful in both our Parish and the Diocese. Over 5 million was raised to help to support the charitable, spiritual, educational and ministerial mission of our Diocese. Through your generosity thousands of individuals and families in need have been assisted. In addition, our Parish received a Grant for $4,000 toward our Social Justice Programs and a rebate check of $7,372.88 for our parish general fund since we exceeded our assigned goal.

The 2016 DAA begins on the weekend of September 10-11. The theme this year will be: “LIVING FAITH – Serving with Mercy.”

Our assigned Parish Goal has remained the same. It is $59,000. With the cooperation and support of all of our registered parishioners, I know that we will be able to achieve and perhaps even exceed it again this year. This year I ask those who have never made a contribution to this important appeal to prayerfully consider investing something to this vision in gratitude for the blessings you receive from God. Whatever you can give would be gratefully received and used to serve in God’s Name.

I am also happy to announce that James and Cecilia Zielinski have agreed to serve again as our Appeal Parish Representatives. I am extremely grateful to them for their time and effort to attend the meetings and run the program at St. John Bosco Parish. Also, Father Jack Lambert, our former Pastor, has been appointed by Bishop Bambera to serve as the Clergy Chair of Luzerne County.

SIGN - UP

WEEKEND

at all

Masses

August

27/28

Deadline

to

Register:

September

17/18

PAGE 4 The Sunday

PARISH TRIP: Fall 2017 Remote plans are being formulated for a trip to Branson for the early fall of 2017. Branson is an Ozark town in southwest Missouri known as a family entertainment and vacation destination. Its 76 Country Boulevard is famously lined with theaters, which once hosted mostly country music performers but today present diverse entertainment. The trip would include: coach transportation, all overnight accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily while in Branson, reserved seating for at least 8 shows. The trip will also include optional visits to Stone Hill Winery, Ride the Ducks and a stop on the return at St. Louis, Mo., for Riverboat Casino and/or St. Louis Arch & Museum. Details will be announced after the New Year holiday (January 2017). Overnight stop with accommodations included will be in Indianapolis. If you might be interested and would like advance notification when plans are finalized, please contact the Parish Office at (570) 788-1997 and give your name and contact information. This is not a commitment at this time but just a show of interest. You will be notified of the dates for the week long trip, cost and other details when they are made available.

SANDALS OF BLESSED TERESA OF CALCUTTA Canonization: September 4, 2016

She began by walking the alleys of Calcutta’s slums. The tiny woman we have all come to know and love, Mother Teresa heard a call to “follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.” She heard, listened, and followed.

Years earlier, as a Sister of Loreto, she’d been assigned to a high school for girls where she taught history and geography to the children of prosperous families. But she could not escape the realities all around her: the poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people. So, she left a life of relative comfort and security to establish her own, some would say, radical ministry.

Radical in its simplicity:

Live among the poor as they live Get to know your neighbors Serve them, one by one

Take what is given you to meet their needs and serve them in any way you can, even if its just to hold their hands as they lay dying.

For the next forty years, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly for the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she traveled the world pleading for support and inviting us all to see the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. Her sandals, pictured below and now on display as relics, speak poignantly of a life lived in extravagant service of others.

As disciples of Jesus, we must be aware of and respond to human needs, whatever and wherever they may be, whether with parishioners or other members of the community, whether the need be hunger, housing, illness, addiction,

loneliness, employment, fair wages, or physical disabilities. We must be people-centered and outward-looking, always focused on the needs of others. Our pragmatic Pope Francis sees the Church as a “field hospital” where wounds are bound and treated. Which brings us right back to Blessed Teresa and her worn-out sandals.

Jesus, whose sandals we, also, are unworthy to untie, washes our feet. He teaches us very clearly and with great love: “As I have done, so you must do.” Let us follow his example and serve others with energy, creativity, generosity of spirit, and humility. For love of him, how can we do less?

In Christ’s Mercy,

Sister Marilyn, RSM

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY SpiriTrust Lutheran Home Care & Hospice (formerly Hospice Saint John) is looking for volunteers to join the Hospice Team. Volunteers visit terminally ill clients in your community. A volunteer is a good neighbor who gives a helping hand; is a good listener and reassures with kind words of encouragement. Volunteers also help with office work, bereavement calls & visits. Also needed are people to knit or crochet shawls or lap robes, and bakers to bake homemade sweet bread (banana, zucchini, etc.,) to be given to our grieving families. Call Cathy Sweeney, Volunteer Coordinator, at (570) 459-6778 to learn more.

SANCTUARY FLOWERS AVAILABLE Donation, $50. Or you may order your own. Contact the Parish Office to reserve a weekend. Intentions and donors may be listed in the bulletin unless requested otherwise.

STOP HUNGER NOW – GOAL ACHIEVED! I am very happy to announce that our goal to reach $3,000 for our new initiative “STOP HUNGER NOW” was achieved. Your generosity and that of many anonymous parishioners and friends of Saint John Bosco Parish has allowed our volunteers, adults, members of our Arise Program (which spearheaded this program) as well as our young parishioners from junior and senior high school and college-age, to package over 10,000 meals on Saturday, August 13. It was a wonderful “hands on” experience and helped all of us have a greater appreciation for those who have little to eat – not

only on our local level but in a global context. It helped us fulfill one of the Corporal Works of Mercy during this Jubilee Holy Year of Mercy: “Feed the Hungry”. I know that many contributed financially to this positive initiative because they were inspired by the desire of our young parishioners to help others in need. Our parish is very proud of them! Any donations received beyond our goal will be used by the parish for future social justice initiatives.

Sunday Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30

Monday 2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12; Mt 23:13-22

Tuesday 2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17; Mt 23:23-26

Wednesday Rv 21:9b-14; Jn 1:45-51

Thursday 1 Cor 1:1-9; Mt 24:42-51

Friday 1 Cor 1:17-25; Mt 25:1-13

Saturday 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 25:14-30

DA I L Y REA DI N GS

REVOLUTION OF TENDERNESS Diocesan Congress, October 8, 2016

“The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.”

The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) #88, Pope Francis

This Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy-inspired event will feature an impressive lineup of presentations, including a Keynote Address given by Father James Martin, SJ, author of My Life with the Saints (Loyola Press); and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life (HarperOne, 2010); Father Martin currently serves as editor-at-large for America Magazine,

Joining Fr. Martin are acclaimed speakers such as: Alice Camille, author, religious educator, and parish retreat leader; Jack Jezreel, Founder of JustFaith Ministries; Frank Mercadante, Executive Director of Cultivation Ministries, a youth ministry training program; the Congress will welcome back author, Leisa Anslinger, Co-Director of Catholic Life and Faith and founding member of the Catholic Strengths and Engagement Community.

All parishioners are invited to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event where you will have the opportunity to see and hear four nationally well-known spiritual writers and workshop presenters. You will be able to choose from 30 sessions. St. John Bosco Parish will reimburse the $40 registration fee to parishioners who attend the Congress.

ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT Thank you to

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Newly Bereaved Workshop This Resilient Heart workshop is for those who have lost a loved one within the past 1 – 4 months. It will provide some insight on the first weeks and months of grief following death. We will be reflecting on: understanding common grief reactions, coping strategies, self-care throughout the grief process and beyond; and the uniqueness of your grief experience. The group will meet on Tuesdays at 6:30 to 8:00 PM for three weeks: September 6, 13, and 27 in the All-purpose meeting room. A commitment to all three sessions is important as it lays a foundation for future “optional” once a month sessions. Registration is required ASAP. Call Sister Marilyn at (570) 788-1997 ext. 5.

“Death is not the opposite of life, Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth.

Life is eternal.”

“Those whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before. They are now wherever we are.”

ST. JOHN BOSCO WEDDINGS Your prayers are requested for the last three couples who are scheduled to be married at St. John Bosco Parish in September and October, 2016.

I have been meeting with engaged couples for the 2017 Wedding Season. To date, we have 15 weddings already scheduled. All engaged couples who are planning to be married here are expected to begin their preparations at least 9 months to a year prior to the desired date of the wedding.

As of August 15, 2016, no weddings have been scheduled for 2018. Contact the Parish Office if you are interested in scheduling a wedding or to become informed of the parish policies and procedures about the Sacrament of Matrimony.

In addition to meeting with me for pre-marital instruction, required paper work and planning for the Nuptial Mass or Wedding Ceremony, each couple is also expected to participate in a Pre-Cana or Engaged Encounter Program and FOCCUS Session.