The Epiphany of the Lord 3 January 2016

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“On the Feast of the Epiphany, as we recall Jesus’ manifestation to humanity in the face of a Child, may we sense the Magi at our side, as wise companions on the way…”

– Pope Francis

CSG 7:00am Kopa & Lowe Families (Ken & Joan) OLS 12:10pm Robin Jackson (Evelyn ) CSG 7:00am Dolores Lee (M/M Jack Lee) OLS 12:10pm Stanley Campbell (Wife ) CSG 7:00am Rich Casteletti (Kathy) OLS 12:10pm Joseph P Pritchyk (Wife) CSB 7:00am Donald Eagen (Janet Suraci) OLS 12:10pm Ronald Spears (Bob & Mary Lukasiewicz) CSG 7:00am David Vorozilchak (Audrey & Joe Masko) OLS 12:10am June Toomey & Joanne Kranick (Bob & Joan Kranick) CSB 4:00 pm Jack Bede (Theresa & Marion Bede) OLS 5:00 pm John “Jack” McGrail (Robert Pagotto) OLS 7:00 am For All Members of the Parish CSB 8:00 am John J Pasternak (Tom & Sharon Phillips ) OLS 9:30 am Anthony Georgiana (Ben & Grace Lewis) CSB 11:00 am Michael & Gunda Ciocca (Heinz Zeh) OLS 11:15 am Ann Pricci (Layton Rd Neighbors)

OLS: Our Lady of the Snows CSB: Church of St. Benedict CSG: Church of St. Gregory

Monday, Jan 4 Memorial of St. Ann Seton

Wednesday, Jan 6 Wednesday after Epiphany

Tuesday, Jan 5 Memorial of St. John Neumann

Thursday, Jan 7 Thursday after Epiphany

Friday, Jan 8 Friday after Epiphany

Saturday, Jan 9 Vigil

Sunday, Jan 10 Baptism of the Lord

At Your Service…

Pastor

Msgr. Joseph G. Quinn

Senior Priest

Rev. Richard J. Cirba

Parish Secretary

Dorothy Lynott dclynott@olsparish.net

Liturgical Music

Dana Cerminaro dacerminaro@olsparish.net

Associate Director

Maria Fay

Religious Education

Nettie Goldate ntgoldate@olsparish.net

Youth & Young Adults

Stephen Wallo sjwallo@olsparish.net

Finance & Development

Donna Arnold doarnold@olsparish.net

Facilities & Grounds

Peter Serine

Deacon

Deacon Leo Lynn

In Residence

Msgr. David L. Tressler

Pastor Emeritus

Msgr. James J. McGarry

Sacrament of Baptism: In order to understand and

better appreciate this special sacrament, parents

can register to attend the Pre-Baptismal Program.

Please call the parish office to schedule your

appointment for your child’s baptism.

Sacrament of Eucharist: This is the foundation of

our faith. For questions concerning First

Eucharist, please contact Nettie Goldate.

Sacrament of Confirmation: Typically, students

throughout the Diocese of Scranton are confirmed

in 8th Grade. For questions, please contact Nettie

Goldate.

Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation can be

celebrated at the times listed on the front cover or

by appointment by calling the parish office

Sacrament of Marriage: At least six months

before the desired date of your marriage you are

asked to contact Dana Cerminaro so that the

appropriate preparations can be made for this

special celebration.

Sacrament of the Anointing Of The Sick: Urgent

calls will be attended to at any time of the day or

night. You may call the parish office to request a

priest to visit you or your loved one in this time of

need.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

is the process the Catholic Church uses to

welcome adult members into the faith. Anyone

interested in becoming a part of this process or in

obtaining more information about it, you can call

the parish office to speak with a priest or deacon.

Visitation of the Sick: Please call the parish to

arrange for visitation of the sick at home, in the

hospital, or health care facility

Funerals: Please notify the parish at the time of a

loved one's death to assist in helping you plan the

funeral.

Please don’t hesitate to contact any staff member.

We are here to answer any questions and assist

you in any and all of your spiritual needs and

Sacramental preparation.

May They Rest in Peace In addition, we remember our

recently deceased relatives, friends and members of our own parish community, especially:

Jerry Dean Pat Kanalley John Hans Ralph Carlacci

Sunday’s Readings Isaiah 60:1-6

Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

Matthew 2:1-12

“All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.”

We are so familiar with the persons of the scripture today, a devious king, star-gazing pilgrims, a baby and His mother. We know the gifts, the beckoning star, and the informative dream. We proclaim Jesus as the savior of all humankind.

As we reflect upon the words of the psalm, we discover the mission of the Christ and hear the echo of the mission of Pope Francis. In his teaching on the Joy of the Gospel and in proclaiming the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are caught up with a special concern for those in great need. As the Holy Father and psalmist speak of the poor, we not only consider the economically downtrodden, but those who are poor because they lack hope and direction, who are not able to find a place for Christ in their lives.

As the Magi went seeking and discovered the One they sought, may we begin this New Year with a concern for those in need and always be the source of strength and support for them.

Monthly Eucharistic Adoration, normally held on the first Friday of each month, will be on this coming Friday, January 8th 2016 due to the Solemnity of Mary falling on the First Friday. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place immediately following the 12:10pm Mass until 3:00pm. Benediction will close this devotion. We encourage all parishioners to spend some quiet, contemplative time in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

What Are We Most Thankful For?

In short, You. We are so blessed in this parish to see so many people actively involved in ministry. These past two weeks alone prove that time and again!

We would like to thank all of the ushers, altar servers, lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion for your time and dedication.

And where would we be without the talents of our gifted music ministry? We thank them all: the children’s choir, the adult choir, all of our cantors, and musicians.

We thank those who were so thoughtful in sending us cards, greetings, and gifts. How humbled we are be your ever considerate ways!

Each one of you has made our Christmas

Masses and the Solemnity of Mary truly welcoming, beautiful and holy events at our parish. And finally, we thank all our visitors, from wherever you’ve traveled, and our parishioners for choosing to celebrate Christmas with us here at Our Lady of the Snows and the Church of St. Benedict! Blessings,

Msgr. Quinn

Friends of the Poor is celebrating the opening of their 30th year of serving those in need throughout our community. Every year, this remarkable organization reaches out to help feed, clothe, and care for the less fortunate. They have affected countless lives positively and lovingly over these years.

All are invited to attend a very special Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral on January 10th at 10am. Bishop Bambera will be the celebrant at this momentous occasion. A reception will follow at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

This Week in Our Parish Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9:30am

Book Group

Conference Room

7:00pm

Young Adult

Ministry

Duffy’s Café

10:00am

Bereavement

Conference Room

No Choir

practice this

week!

7:00pm

Evangilization

Committee

Conference Room

6:30pm

Youth Ministry

Gathering Room

Know a marriage that needs help? Throw them a lifeline and tell

them about Retrouvaille, an international program that helps couples who are experiencing marital difficulties. This program is for all couples, at any stage of marriage that needs help to communicate with each other in a more attentive and loving manner.

The next program in the Scranton Diocese runs February 26 until

February 28, 2016, it’s being held here at The Ramada Inn, Clarks Summit, PA. Please call 800-470-2230 for more information. To register, visit the website at www.helpourmarriage.org.

Celebration of God's Word

The Diocese of Scranton will again participate in the worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is celebrated each year in January.

The Diocese of Scranton will host an

Ecumenical Celebration of God's Word on Monday, January 25, 2016, at 12:10 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton. There will be no 12:10 p.m. Mass that day in the Cathedral. All are welcome to attend. In addition, CTV: Catholic Television will broadcast the service live.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera,

Bishop of Scranton, will preside, and Bishop Jeremiah Park of the Susquehanna Conference, Methodist Church will deliver the homily.

Clergy and representatives from

various Christian traditions and ecumenical agencies will be present. Liturgical music will be provided by All Saints Academy, Scranton.

The next meeting of the Jamaica Twinning Project will be January 11 at 5pm. Final arrangements for the annual trip on January 17th will be discussed. There will also be a planning session for the upcoming dinner/fundraiser on Sunday, March 20th.

The five pallets we sent to Jamaica have arrived. All in Kingston and Mandeville are so excited to receive the items donated by the people of Our Lady of the Snows Parish.

Thanks to the Abington Area Knights of Columbus who donated two new wheel chairs. Father James Price C.P. reported that one chair was given to a retired firefighter who is going blind and had been using a wheelchair from the nineteen twenties, and the other was given to a woman who has had two strokes this year and cannot get around on her own. Thanks also to Jim Barrett from Road Scholar trucking company who again took the pallets to Food for the Poor in Florida at no cost. The people in Jamaica are very appreciative of the things that we send to them. The generosity of our parish is once again astoundingly impressive.

Next weekend, January 11th-12th,we will have a second collection to benefit the Jamaican Ministry Project. Thank you for your generosity!

Jamaica Twinning Project

Donations have recently been made to our parish

in Loving Memory of Josephine A. Spencer by Sally & Richard Marquardt, and Billy & Beverly Sherman

May there added gifts of respect serve to

underscore the abiding gratitude of our benefactors! And may we all keep the good souls being remembered as a part of our own prayers.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Last week not only did we reach our goal of $92,000 for this year’s Diocesan Annual Appeal, but we actually exceeded it by $421! From this point on, the parish will receive 75% of whatever is donated towards the Appeal. We are so blessed because of your selfless generosity!

Some 552 donors (or 22.21% of our parishioners) have kindly and generously made pledges to this year’s campaign. Know that we stand grateful to you all!

…Being Good Stewards…

Weekend of December 19 - 20: Weekly $ 17,560.50

Online $ 1,365.00 Total $ 18,925.50

Our Financial report for the collections of the

weekend of December 27 - 28 will be published next week following the Solemnity of Mary.

Thank You!

Many years ago, a need arose to help out the homeless men of Luzerne County. Catholic Social Services saw this need and began assisting them in finding shelter, often at churches where there might be a hall where they could sleep for the night. In addition to that, they helped in getting the men counseling, transitional housing, meals, transportation, and much more. The program was named Mother Teresa Haven.

As you can imagine, sleeping on floors and constantly rotating between various churches is not the most ideal of arrangements. Seven years ago, Camp Orchard Hill opened its doors to these men for two regular weeks of care, meals, beds, fresh clothes and love.

Five years ago the Abington Catholic Youth Ministry began helping out with providing a dinner on one of the nights them men were there. Recently, for the past two years, St. Elizabeth’s Society, and the OLS Music Ministry teamed up with the ACYM to bring an even more memorable experience to the camp. This year the ministries provided a meal of chili, corn bread, desserts and drinks. They topped it off with some wonderful Christmas Carols provided by our very own talented Music Ministry.

It was a blessed evening for everyone and we look forward to continuing the tradition next year!

January 7th ACYM weekly meeting. 6:30-8:00pm in the Gathering Room January 10th High School Faith Formation. 6-8pm in the Gathering Room January 14th ACYM weekly meeting. 6:30-8:00pm in the Gathering Room

Young Adult Ministry

Young adults aged 18-32, are welcome to join us for our new discussion and fellowship series happening each Sunday evening from 7-9pm at Duffy’s Coffee House across the street from OLS. This month, we focus on our New Year’s resolutions and Christ’s consistent call for us to make sacrificial changes in our hearts thereby making room there for Him.

If interested, contact Steve Wallo at (570)586-1741

All students in Grades 9-12 can sign up for this great series to learn more about their faith. The next session will next Sunday, January 10th in the Gathering Room from 6-8pm!

Join us as we explore why

faith and God’s love are so important to our lives!

For all last minute updates and information, join our Remind service by texting @ACYM to 81010

There will be no Religious Educations classes at Our Lady of Peace School Today, January 3rd.

Classes resume NEXT Sunday, January 10th!

A Very Happy New Year to All!

Andrea Roger’s religious education group wrapped up a week long food drive on Saturday. They collected eight bins of non-perishable goods, six coats, two $25 Wegmans gift cards and $189.00 in cash. All donations were given to Nancy at the Dalton Food Pantry. It was a great success! To finish off the project, the kids made gingerbread ornaments and thank you cards for all who helped out.

Students in the youth ministry recently made up over 30 containers of cookies for the homebound of our parish.

May these treats be warm reminder from our young people that we are thinking about and praying for you all throughout this Christmas season!

Thanks to all who helped in this project as well as those who helped deliver them!