First Sunday of Lent

February 17, 2013 The word is near you,

in your mouth and in your heart.

— Romans 10:8

PASSING THE TEST “Test” is a four-letter word. Spelling tests, driving tests, SATs, all bring a knot to the stomach. Tests are something we

would rather forgo, but also something we must undergo. Lent, too, is a four-letter word and is also a kind of test, for the only

way to Easter is to pass through Lent.

Today’s reading from Deuteronomy commends Israel for its faith in the God who saves. No matter the tribulation, Israel’s

faith enables it to persevere. This faith/test theme also appears in the reading from Romans. Paul boldly asserts that faith in

Christ will see the believer through any trial.

The Gospel passage makes it clear that even Jesus was tested. It describes a test, a struggle between good and evil, that

dramatically demonstrates Jesus’ faith in the power of God’s life in him. This power enables him to overcome temptation. This

power is with all of us who celebrate the test of Lent, a power enabling us to pass with flying colors.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — God brought us into this land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 26:4-10).

Psalm — Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble

(Psalm 91).

Second Reading — The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (Romans 10:8-13).

Gospel — Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led into the desert for forty days (Luke 4:1-13).

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15;

Mt 25:31-46

Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7-15

Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19;

Lk 11:29-32

Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8;

Mt 7:7-12

Friday: 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4-6; Mt 16:13-19

Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48

Sunday: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18; Ps 27:1, 7-9, 13-14;

Phil 3:17 — 4:1 [3:20 — 4:1]; Lk 9:28b-36

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Often, when a family keeps vigil around a person who is preparing for death, they may notice three interwoven activities.

First, the dying person may become more prayerful and reflective than ever before, reviewing life’s journey in gratitude to

God, or seeking forgiveness and making amends for wrongs. Second, as death approaches, the need to eat and drink is lessened

until even an ice cube brushed against the lips is satisfying. Third, persons who are dying often make plans to give their pos-

sessions away, making bequests, handing treasures down, providing for favorite charities.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving: with these three “pillars” of Lent, we rehearse our death every year in this season, and an-

ticipate the final work we will do in this life. And every year, at the end of our journey, is the joy of Easter and the experience

of the victory of Christ over death’s darkness and power. Annually, we remind ourselves that the Christian experiences the

same power and presence at the end of life’s journey: Christ to the rescue and the lasting joy of heaven.

Praying with Body, Mind and Voice SITTING IN MASS

Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel reading s and the homily and may

also sit for the period of meditation following Communion. All should strive to assume a seated posture during the Mass that is

attentive rather than merely at rest.

GOSPEL CHOIR

Carl Stewart

CONTEMPORARY

ENSEMBLE

Jules Smith

MUSIC

Velina Haynes Johnson

Claudette Session

CHILDREN’S CHOIR Maureen Cummings

EUCHARISTIC

ADORATION

Anita Kaufman

DCCW Geraldine Beckett

YOUTH LECTORS

Delores Fulton

LECTORS Tanya Tanner

ALTAR SERVERS

Tommy Briggs

EUCHARIST MINISTERS Alma Haynes

HEALTH MINISTRY

Frances Gallow

D.R.E.

Margaret Denson

REL. ED. BOARD Regina Carr

R.C.I.A.

Claudette Session

BREAVEMENT Karren Thomas

MEN OF MERCY

Edward Clark

SICK AND SHUT-IN Renee Granger

STEWARDSHIP Gregory Pumphrey

BAPTISMAL

PREPARATION Mary Sam

MARRIAGE SPONSORS

Mr. And Mrs. Eddie Bossette

BIBLE STUDY Sam Peterson

Beverly Williams

RELIGIOUS ARTICLES Viola Roy

Mary Simon

Senior Citizens

Bobbie J. Charles

Social Outreach Evelyn Bernard

OUR LADY’S

SODALITY

Barbara Fontenot

YOUTH USHERS

Viola Thibodaux

CYM

Joyce Lombard

WOMEN of GRACE

Shirley Ruth Jones

USHERS

Alice Nettles

KNIGHTS OF

PETER

CLAVER #64

Daniel Prudhomme

K.P.C. LADIES

AUX

Joyce Lombard

JR. KNIGHTS

Edward Clark

JR. DAUGHTERS

Ruthie Evans

PARISH ADVISORY

COUNCIL

Michael Alfred, Jr.

Sharieka Carter

Mary Ann Howard Cheryl James

Lynette Moore

Winston Pitre Beverly Sennet

Gwen Spikes

Morris Williams

FINANCE COUNCIL

Evelyn Bernard

John Labrie

Miranda Thomas

Preston Sennet

Saturday-Feb. 23rd-4:30pm

Simon Gobert, Christian

Boutte, Troy Collins, Chinye,

Nwaobi

Sunday–Feb.24th-7:00am

Selena Gobert, Kevin Dotson,

Christian Boutte

9:00am

Brianna Powell, Jarod Powell,

William Stuberfield, Halle

Stuberfield, Troy Collins

11:30am

Sean Stevenson, Celysia

Goree, Andre Thomas, Tiana

Bruno, Jamerson Roberts

Baptism: are celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of the month after the 11:30am Mass. Parents or legal guardians are encouraged to contact the Rectory even before selecting Godparents. You are encouraged to begin Baptismal preparations during the pregnancy. Before the Baptism, you will need to bring the Original Birth Certificate to the Priest. Funerals: It is advisable to contact the Priest before releasing a loved one’s body to any funeral Home. Please make ALL funeral arrangements at the Rectory BEFORE contacting the Funeral Director. Weddings: For a Catholic Wedding there is a mandatory 6 month preparation time which begins with your first appointment with the Priest. The couple will need to secure new copies of their Baptism Certificates. Wedding dates can only be confirmed after the Pre-Cana preparation have begun. Wedding consultants are not permitted CCD: All students who attend public or non-Catholic School from 1st through 12th grades should be enrolled in our CCD School of Religion. Classes are held during the school year. Contact the DRE to register, 842-0112 Membership: Registered Members have Census Card on file at the Rectory. Contributing Members also use Church envelopes. All adults 18+ should make sure their registration is current. All census information is strictly confidential and is never given to out side agencies.

Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church

Pastor: Rev. Lowell Case, SSJ

Vicar: Rev. Robert P. Zawacki, SSJ

3390 Sarah Street, Beaumont, TX

77705

Rectory: (409) 842-5533 - Fax: 842-

4710 Margaret Denson DRE, CCC-842-0112

Hall: 842-9833

Pear Orchard Federal Credit Union: 842-

4343

E-mail: omomchurch@catholic.org

omomchurch@sbcglobal.net,

Website: www.josephite.com/parish/tx/

omom/, www.omomcc.org,

Office Hours: Monday thru Friday:

9:00am to 5:00pm

Weekend Mass Schedule: Saturday Vigil:

4:30pm - Sunday 7:00, 9:00,

11:30am

Weekday Mass Schedule: Monday,

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at

6:30am, and

Tuesday at 6:30pm

Confessions: Saturday 3:00 - 4:15pm or

Saturday Feb. 23rd-4:30pm

© Shana Logan

(1) Ted Stuberfield

(2) MarySimon

Sunday– Feb. 24th-7:00am

© Beverly Williams

(1) Monique Sennet

(2) Trudi Lockwood

(3) 9:00am

© Rose Seals

(1) Dolores Fulton

(2) Miron Gerard

11:30am © Sandra Hill

(1) Dora Hebert

(2) Beverly Sennet

Parish Established 1937 “Our Spirit Rejoices in God

Our Savior!”

Dailey Mass:

6:30am & 6:30pm

Stations of the Cross (Friday only)

after the 6:30am Mass, 12:00 Noon &

before the 6:30pm Mass

Lenten Revival

February 18th-21st - 6:30 pm

CYM Meeting CCD (k-6) FRIED FISH DINNERS Altar Servers Meeting

“You shall worship the Lord,

your God.”

Augus

A

TheMo

ALL BULLETIN ITEMS MUST be submitted to

the secretary by Monday to be included in the

weekend Church Bulletin.

You are invited to become a

member of one or more of the

ministries listed on the front of the

bulletin.

February 17, 2013

First Sunday of Lent

Cycle C

Be with me,

Lord

February 20th Carl Stewart Betty Gray

Sunday 1:30pm- Monday 5:30pm-

Friday 7:00am-

Saturday 11:00am-

Events of the Week

Luke 4

Free Tax Preparation Services

Available at Catholic Charities of

Southeast Texas On Mondays from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. during

February and March, the main office of

Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas

(2780 Eastex Freeway in Beaumont) will

serve as an IRS authorized free tax prepa-

ration site for those families with house-

hold incomes of less than $50,000 in 2012.

Those wishing more details about this ser-

vice or alternative free tax preparation sites

may call 409-924-4410 or visit the Calen-

dar tab on the Catholic Charities of South-

east Texas website

(www.catholiccharitiesbmt.org).

2013 Lenten Pilgrimage sponsored by the Latin Mass Society of Beaumont

Join fellow Catholics for a walking pil-

grimage to Shrines of the Blessed Virgin

Mary. You don't have to go to France; it's

right here in Pt. Arthur, TX Saturday,

March 2. It will include the Traditional

Latin Mass, the Most Holy Rosary, Sta-

tions of the Cross, spiritual talks, and a

little history. Starting at 9 o'clock at Our

Lady of Guadalupe with intermediate

stops at St. Catherine's, St. James, Calvary

Cemetery, and ending at the Shrine of Our

Lady of Vietnam. A trailer will be availa-

ble throughout the walk with benches for

those who need to sit. Police escort pro-

vided by Pt. Arthur Police Dept. For more

info you may contact Marilyn at 409-338-

5317.

Knights of Peter Claver

Court and Council #64

Fish Dinner

In the Hall -(409) 842-9833

Friday, February 22, 2013

Menu:

Fried Fish, Green Beans Red,

Rice, Bread, Potato Salad

& Desert

Donation $8.00

To place your order, please call one of the

following numbers Grand Knight Dan Pru-

dhomme 892-7582 or Lady Viola

Thibodeaux 409-842-3035. If you can

pick up your dinners, please do. We will

take walk-in orders.

with

Richard Lane, Catholic Evangelist

Monday, February 18th-

Thursday, February 21st @ 6:30pm

If you are hungry for healing and revival

then come and be fed!

The Sick and Shut-In and Eucharistic

Ministers will have a workshop on

March 2nd from 2:00pm-3:30pm in the

Church. Fr. Case will give the workshop.

All Sick and Shut-In and Eucharistic

Ministers are ask to attend, and anyone

who would like to be part of one or both

of these ministries are welcome.

Abstinence The law of abstinence re-

quires a Catholic 14 years of age until

death to abstain from eating meat on Fri-

days.

Fasting The law of fasting requires a

Catholic from the 18th Birthday (Canon

97) to the 59th Birthday (i.e. the begin-

ning of the 60th year, a year which will

be completed on the 60th birthday) to

reduce the amount of food normally eat-

en. The Church defines this as one meal a

day, and two smaller meals which if add-

ed together would not exceed the main

meal in quantity. Such fasting is obliga-

tory on Ash Wednesday and Good Fri-

day.

VC-1 Dogmatic Constitution

on the Church Who and what is the Church? What is

our role as members of the Church and

how can we help the radiance of Christ,

who brightens the face of the Church, to

be seen by all?

Presenter: Dr. Lorraine S. DeLuca

Director, Lifelong Catholic Formation/

Education

Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 6:30 -

8:30 p.m.

Catholic Pastoral Center, Beaumont

(Assembly Hall A)

(To register please call (409) 924-4324

or email sfahrenthold@dioceseofbmt.org

indicating session(s) you want to attend.)

SAINTS AND SPECIAL

OBSERVANCES Sunday: First Sunday of Lent; Rite

of Election; Rite of Calling

the Candidates to Continu-

ing Conversion; Rite of

Sending

Monday: Presidents’ Day

Thursday: St. Peter Damian

Friday: The Chair of St. Peter the

Apostle; Abstinence; Wash-

ington’s Birthday

Saturday: St. Polycarp; Purim (Jewish

observance) begins at sunset

PAST AND FUTURE

There is no saint without a

past—and no sinner without a fu-

ture.

The world tempts us to grab all we can. Even food be-comes more when it is given than when it is taken. Fol-low Jesus: be a giver.

4:30pm-

Sunday 7:00am-

9:00am-

11:30am-

Monday 6:30am- 6:30pm-

Tuesday 6:30am- 6:30pm- Wednesday 6:30am- 6:30pm- Thursday 6:30am- 6:30pm- Friday 6:30am- 12:00pm-

Herbert & Lucy Straughter req. by Cynthia, Kenya, Herbert & Kenneth Annie Broussard req. by Essley Chentlen Curtis & Beatrice Booker req. by Betty Gray & Family Mayola Guidry req. by Denise Armstrong Joseph P. Bernard req. by Gladys Bernard Joseph L. Ledet, Jr. req. by Family M/M Clarence Malbrough req. by Daughter, Clara M/M George Roberts req. by Grandchildren Kenneth Gloude req. by Elijah, Jr. & Margaret Denson For The Parish req. by The Pastor Marie Haynes Charlton req. by Agnes Paige & LaQuisha Rogers M/M John Kaufman, Sr. req. by Anita Kaufman Fr. Roger Ceasar In Thanksgiving of CESD Elacy Junious req. by Claire Collier Pro-Life Arthur H. Reed req. by Andrews/Jefferson Families Dorothy Simpson req. by Gloria Wilson Marie Haynes Charlton req. by Velina Haynes Johnson Luce Parigi req. by J. . Giglio Fr. Roger Ceasar Joe B. Wilson req. by Gloria Wilson Cory Washington req. By Bobbie Charles Stations of the Cross

Bible Study meet Tues. evenings at 7:15pm, and

Wed. at noon in the Parish Hall. Bring your

Bible and your questions.

The RCIA “Convert Class” meets every

Thursday evening at 6:30pm in the meeting

room. Join today!

Mass Intentions are accepted

at the Rectory during the hours of

8:00am till 2:00pm.

Stewardship of Treasure Last Weekend’s Mass attendance 548 and the

Offering……………$ 12,311.58

Other……….$ 9,255.47

God bless your generosity!

Masses for the Week of February 16th-22nd

The Block Rosary meets every Wednesday at 4:00pm. If you would like to join in and/or sponsor a rosary at your home please call 678-1859.

Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day

The Diocese of Beaumont and Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas are jointly sponsoring participation by members of our diocese in the statewide Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day, which is high-lighted by visits to state legislators in Aus-tin on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. There are many ways to formally show support for this activity, including prayer, correspond-ence with state legislators, and/or travel to Austin as part of the diocesan contingent. A series of information sessions is being held to offer education about legislative advocacy and to prepare Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day participants to ac-cept roles in support of the event. The next information session will be Thursday, February 21 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 710 Archie Street, Beaumont. To learn more about Catholic Faith in Ac-

tion Advocacy Day or the information ses-

sions, please visit

www.catholiccharitiesbmt.org or call

Coquese Williams at 409-924-4415.

Through the Bishop’s Faith Appeal you’ll be helping more than 110 thousand Southeast Texans. Some of them

are your fellow Catholics. Others are just Southeast Texans who need a little help on their journey. Some are college students away from home for the first time. Some are children who’ve lost a parent. Some are prison inmates who’ve lost their way. You’ll be reading about how our diocesan ministries and Catholic Charities help all of us. It’s important for you to understand how these ministries “do” God’s work so that you, as parishioners, realize how well their gifts to BFA are used. You are being invited into a new way of evangelizing. You’ll be “preaching the Gospel” through your gifts. You are also reminded that every dollar you raise over your goal goes back to the parish for your parish use. What great plans you have for that money, and how it will be used to help your parish. Yes, this will be another challenging year - the economy is still sluggish. Some fami-lies may not be able to do much. You’ll be surprised, however, that those who are struggling the most (like the widow with her mite) are the first to respond. We en-courage you to open your hearts to God’s invitation and to give proportionally to the way you’ve been blessed.

The Third Sunday ...of each month is YOUTH SUNDAY (February 17th). Parish youth are involved in the ministries at the 9:00am and 11:30am Masses. You are invited to come and celebrate our faith with the young members of our Parish Family.

All members of the Catholic Youth Min-

istry (CYM) meet on the third Sunday of

each month in the meeting room at

1:30pm. This months meeting is Sunday,

February 17th. For more information

contact Joyce Lombard (842-0103) or

any member.

The Jr. Daughters Court #64 will meet

on the 4th Sunday (February 24th) of

each month after the 9:00am Mass. For

more info contact any member.

All members of the Jr. Knights of Peter

Claver will meet in the meeting room.

the fourth Sunday, February 24th, at

12:00noon. For more Information con-

tact Ed. Clark or any member.

All Altar Servers will meet on the fourth

Saturday of the month at 11:00am in the

Church. This months meeting is Febru-

ary 23rd. Contact Tommy Briggs or any

member for more information.

EXPEDIENCY IS NO JUSTI-

FICATION No one is justified in doing

evil on the ground of expediency.