MARCH 15, 2020 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

MASS SCHEDULE: Saturday: Vigil 4:00pm Sunday: 11am Monday, Tuesday & Friday 8am CONFESSIONS: Saturdays 3:00 p.m. or anytime by appointment. BAPTISM: For information, please contact the Rectory at 440-232-8166 during office hours. MARRIAGES: Limited to registered parishioners only. Arrangements for date and time must be made six months in advance. Final preparations should be made five weeks before the wedding date. SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS(PRIESTHOOD/DIACONATE): For information please contact the Diocese at 216-696-6525. .

PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION: Please call Rectory office. REGISTRATION: If you are new in the parish, please register at the rectory or online at our website. If you moved out of the parish, please notify the rectory.

We give the definition of ourselves over to so many things. We allow our society, friends, family, work, social groups, ethnicity, and even institutions define, classify, and color how we perceive our-selves. When we listen predominantly to the voices of others, we lose touch with what is happening within our own inner voice. If we listen carefully within, we can easily discover that we are in want and need. We know our incompleteness and also know that loneliness, sadness, and self-images can propel us outward in attempts to fill those gaps. We can become not only victims of our own prejudices but can find ourselves overly self-indulgent in things that can only satisfy for a short time, if at all. It is no wonder that money and power are things that are so fervently sought after. As long as we can keep a steady supply going, the illusion of fulfillment and satisfaction can falsely persuade us as craftily as a master magician’s act. We live with illusions not truth. It is no wonder, then, that some of the wealthiest folks are also really the unhappiest. Whether we admit it, the lies we live and pursue will ulti-mately expose our superficiality. We all have to wrestle with who we are and what gives our lives pur-pose and meaning. Learn to listen more deeply, not to what others are saying about you, but to what God is echoing in your heart. We can easily get confused and misunderstand, not only about who we are but who God is. Even the disciples and the Samaritan woman at the well missed the point Jesus was trying to make. There is only one Person who can satisfy the deepest yearnings and longings of our hearts — Jesus the Messiah. It is not the work of corporate America that will lead us to happiness or greatness but the work of the soul. We continue to resist acknowledging this and are happier in our world of misunderstanding and illusion. The life-giving water we truly need doesn’t come from the source of a well but from the Source of Life. Only God can reveal the truth of our sinfulness, the superficiality of our pursuits, and the illusions we hold so dear. Only Jesus can save us from ourselves and give us what we really need. If only our heads can catch up with where our hearts know they need to be, then will we find real contentment and life!

400 CENTER ROAD, BEDFORD, OHIO 44146-2296

Fr. Joe Seebauer—Pastor —jseebauer.ccofbedford@gmail.com

Fr. Isidore Munishi—Pastoral Associate —216-394-7374 Rev. Mr. Bill Starkey—Deacon —wstarkey@ourladyofhopebedford.org

Louise Martin—Pastoral Associate Verna J. Hudak—Secretary Robert Vano—Business Manager Bob Cook—Maintenance Coordinator Loretta Gardner—Office Volunteer Chris McGilton—Music Director

Office—(440) 232-8166 Office Fax—(440) 786-9929

Parish Website: www.ourladyofhopebedford.org

RECTORY OFFICE HOURS Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays,

8:30am –12 noon and 12:30—2:30pm. Anytime for emergencies.

ST. MARY LENTEN FISH FRY DINNERS

St. Mary’s Fish Fries are held in the Social Hall lo-cated at 270 Union Street, Bedford every Friday in Lent (except Good Friday) from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m..

UPCOMING PENANCE SERVICES: St. Monica, Garfield Hts.—March 23 at 7pm St. Therese, Garfield Hts.—March 29 at 3pm St. Rita, Solon—March 30 at 6:30pm Our Lady of Guadelupe, Macedonia—March 30 at 7pm

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, March 14 3:00 p.m. ...................................................... Confession 4:00 p.m.. ................................................ Tom Mahoney

Sunday, March 15 Third Sunday of Lent

SM—9:15 a.m. .................... Fr. Joe Seebauer’s Birthday

OLH—11:00 a.m. ............ Fr. Joe Seebauer’s Birthday

Monday, March 16 8:00 a.m. ...................... Living & Deceased Parishioners

Tuesday, March 17 8:00 a.m. ...................... Living & Deceased Parishioners Novena of the Miraculous Medal after Tuesday Mass.

Wednesday, March 18 8:00 a.m. ........................................ The Massaro Family

Thursday, March 19 8:00 a.m.. ......... Liv. & Dec. Mem. of Fr. Joe Seebauer’s Family

Friday, March 20 8:00 a.m.. ..................... Living & Deceased Parishioners

Saturday, March 21 3:00 p.m. ...................................................... Confession 4:00p.m.. ............................ Joseph & Veronica Horvath

Sunday, March 22 Fourth Sunday of Lent

SM—9:15 a.m. ..................................... Michael Janosko OLH—11:00 a.m. ................................. Dorothy Koutnik

OFFERTORY CONTRIBUTIONS March 8, 2020

Weekly Collection ......................................... $3,763.50 Envelopes used ........................................................ 172 Comfort the Needy ............................................ $333.00 Repairs & Maintenance..................................... $898.00

Special Collections Ash Wednesday-$3; Solemnity of Mary-$3; Black/Indian Mission-$25; Eastern Europe-$242; CRS-$15; Flowers & Decorations-$115; Latin America-$5; Cath-olic University-$2; Diocesan Assessments-$5.

MASS COUNT OLH: 4pm—114; 11am—116; Total—230 STM: 4pm—129; 9:15am—103; Total—232

Thank you for your generosity!!

OUR LADY OF HOPE CHURCH:

ST. MARY CHURCH:

OUR LADY OF HOPE CHURCH:

OUR LADY OF HOPE BEDFORD, OHIO

ST. MARY & OUR LADY OF HOPE:

OUR LADY OF HOPE CHURCH:

ST. MARY & OUR LADY OF HOPE:

ALLOWING THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS TO TRANSFORM YOU: Praying the Stations can give us access to strength, endurance and hope when we find ourselves in the midst of terrible circumstanc-es. Please join us this Thursday evening, March 19th, at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope church for Session Three of our Lenten Study. We will be taking a deeper look into Stations 10-14 and will try to apply these to our personal lives and eventually to our society. Hope to see you there!

YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED . . . Please remember in your prayers all of the sick in our parish and families, especially: Jim Waple, Vir-ginia Vitale, Mary Emling, Daniel Baran, Berta Uguc-cini, Carmen Whaley, Bernie Sylvester, Lil Kalal, Andy Mizsak, Matthew Reeve, Albert Finn, Alan Par-ker, James Smith, Harold Fischer, Ronald Richnavsky, Joe McElhone, Laverne Krempasky, Paul Melzer, Pa-tricia Zak, Matthew J. Zamiska, Daisy Darus, Gerry Lantos, Louise Dragan, Ken Hudak, Maria Spears, Veda Wagner, Shirley Holmes, Frank Richnavsky, Ei-leen Salupo, Jim Goersmeyer, Shirley Manning, Albert Zak, Joseph Homa, Joanne Stewart, Anthony Sava, Dolores Hustack, Thomas Wagner, Florence Cartel-lone, Rosalie Skocaj, Jim Tench …

We extend our sincere sympathy and prayers to the family & friends of our recently deceased— Dorothy Dunsworth Trudy Zimo

Stephen Strazek May their souls and the souls of all our faithful depart-ed rest in peace.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE All LECTORS, EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS & SERVERS—if you would like to sign up for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil & Easter Sunday sign-up sheets are in the Sacristy.

WASHING OF THE FEET Those who would like to participate in the Holy Thursday “Washing of the Feet”, please call the recto-ry. The Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 9th, at 7:00 p.m.

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT MARCH 15, 2020

CRS—MEET YVONE Meet Yvone from Kenya. She learned proper nutrition and hygiene practices to help keep her healthy and in school. Yvone now has a chance to dream and the strength to follow those dreams. How can you ensure that young people in your community receive proper nutri-tion? For more info visit crsricebowl.org.

Dear Parishioners, As I write this column, the Coro-navirus (COVID-19) still hasn’t reached Ohio. I imagine this might change by the time the bul-letin goes to print. The virus is present in most of the states that border Ohio. Father Isidore and I preached about precautions that both par-ishes will take going forward. I wanted to review some of the directives from the Diocese of Cleveland and the USCCB. As we have heard on the news, we shouldn’t panic, but we need to take appropriate pre-cautions. If anyone is sick, they should refrain from coming to Mass. It is not a sin to miss Mass if one is sick. Eucharistic ministers should not distribute Holy Communion if they are sick or if they feel an illness coming on. Eucharistic ministers who do distribute Holy Communion should use the hand sanitizer at the front of the church before giving Communion. We have already suspended giving the Precious Blood in December due to the flu season, and we will continue this practice until the Coronavirus dissipates.

It is recommended, but not mandatory, that parishion-ers should try to receive the Host on their hands in-stead of their tongue. Even in the best of circumstanc-es, it is hard not to get saliva on the minister’s finger when placing the Host on the tongue. When a com-municant does not stick out their tongue properly, it is highly likely that the minister gets saliva on their fin-gers. The next communicant in line then receives this added “gift” when they receive the Host. In regard to the Sign of Peace after the Lord’s Prayer, it is highly recommended to exchange this greeting without physi-cal contact. This could entail giving the person next to you a wave of the hand, a smile, or a bow of the head while one says “Peace be with you.” At this point in time, it is not my intention to drain the holy water fonts. I realize that blessing oneself with holy water from a common font could be a potential conduit for the spread of a virus. One should not feel obliged to bless oneself with holy water if they are worried; it is not a church law to do so. If you do bless yourself with holy water, please keep it away from your mouth, eyes, and ears. We will continue to pray for all those affected by this disease and for an effective vaccine going forward. Have a blessed Saint Patrick’ Day and Saint Joseph’s Day, Father Joe

THURSDAY, MARCH 19 Lenten Study on “Stations of the Cross”, 7pm in Church. Cub Scout Mtg., 6:30pm in School. Boy Scout Mtg., 7pm in Scout Room.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 Stations of the Cross, 2:15pm in Church.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY MASS We remember your loved ones over the past year, whom you entrusted to the care of Catholic Cemeteries Associ-ation, in our One-Year Anniversary Mass. This Mass is celebrated annually on March 19th, the feast day of St. Joseph, the patron saint of happy death. This year’s One-Year Anniversary Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 19th at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 4341 E. 131st Street, Garfield Hts. For more information contact Rhonda 216-930-4866 or rabrams@clecem.org.

IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE World renowned Catholic theologian and speaker, Dr. Scott Hahn, will be speaking on the importance of mar-riage on April 25, 2020 at St. Sebastian Parish in Akron, OH, beginning at 8:00 a.m. To register or more infor-mation go to https://stpaulcenter.com/akron/. We hope you will join us for this special blessed event.

In today’s Gospel Jesus says: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.” Through your alms-giving you are doing the will of the Fa-ther and finishing the work of Jesus.

Know that whatever amount you give it is helping those in need in our area.

DINNER & EASTER HAMS will once again be de-livered to our neighbors experiencing very difficult times by the members of our St. Vincent de Paul So-ciety. The number of families we help depends on how many hams received. If you are able, can you provide a half a ham for a neighbor in need this Easter? Think about it, pray about it and if possible please help us.

HAM DROP-OFF LOCATION & TIME March 30th Our Food Pantry at OLH 11am-3pm (The Food Pantry is in the back parking lot of OLH church. Follow the signs.)

THIS WEEK’S EVENTS:

LADIES AUXILIARY NEWS!! EASTER BASKET RAFFLE—A beautiful Malley’s Chocolate Easter Basket will be on display beginning March 21/22 thru April 4/5 after Masses in the Nar-thex. Tickets will be available to purchase at that time. Please help support this fundraiser.