CATHEDRAL OF THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Mission Statement We, the worshipping community of the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, rooted in the Gospel and the celebration of the Eucharist, seek to make known God’s love in the
world through serving one another, sharing our faith and welcoming all.
Established 1848
125 Eagle Street Albany, New York 12202-1718 Telephone: 518-463-4447 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cathedralic.com
Most Reverend Edward B. Scharfenberger, D.D. Bishop of Albany
Very Reverend David R. LeFort, S.T.L., V.G. Rector Reverend John Tallman, Parochial Vicar
Reverend Paul Mijas, Parochial Vicar Mr. Timothy J. Kosto, II, Deacon
Schedule of Liturgical Celebrations The Holy Eucharist (Mass) The Lord’s Day: Saturday 5:15 p.m. (anticipated Mass) Sunday’s 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Weekdays: Monday-Wednesday-Friday 12:15 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 7:15 a.m. Holy Days: Please check the bulletin and website. The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Monday-Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m. Saturday 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and other times by appointment
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ALBANY
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Epiphany
Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines
upon you. Isaiah 60
May the kings of Tarshish and the islands
bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba
offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all
nations serve him. For he rescues the poor
when they cry out, the oppressed who have
no one to help. He shows pity to the needy
and the poor and saves the lives of the poor.
Psalm 72
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same
body, and copartners in the promise in Christ
Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 3
This great feast - celebrated in the East as
the Baptism of the Lord - is a feast of
"revelation." Jesus is the beloved Son of God,
a light for the whole world, the very one who
comes to us in time, this year, to be our sav-
ior: to rescue the poor, to hear our cry, to
save us in our need, in our poverty.
May we bring him the gifts of our faith and trust
and hope; May we recognize him as our savior
who gave his own life to set us free from the
power of sin and death.
Come, let us adore him!
On the Sunday of the Epiphany of the Lord,
we hear about gifts in the gospel reading. The
image of gift is an appropriate one since to-
day, on Epiphany Sunday, we acknowledge
and celebrate the gift of God’s saving grace
offered to everyone in the birth of his Son Je-
sus.
Each Epiphany Sunday, the Gospel reading
is Matthew’s account of the visit of the Magi.
Three important truths are revealed in this
sacred story. First, God alone directs salvation
history. King Herod tried to exercise control
over the newborn Christ, assembling the chief
priests and scribes of the people and meeting
secretly with the Magi in an attempt to con-
ceal his true motives to harm the infant. But
God protected baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
and the Magi, directing all of them to safety. A
second revealed truth is that God prepared us
for this gift though the words of the Jewish
prophets. We hear that the birth of Jesus in
Bethlehem fulfills what the prophet Micah had
foretold nearly eight centuries earlier:
“Bethlehem… from you shall come a ruler, who
is to shepherd my people Israel”. A third re-
vealed truth is that Jesus is God’s gift to all
nations. The Magi who brought gifts to Jesus
are traditionally identified as Caspar, Melchi-
or, and Balthasar. These three astrologers
from the East represented the other major na-
tions of the world in the time of Christ.
Epiphany celebrated what the visit of the Ma-
gi reveals to us: God’s gift– the gift of his new-
born son– is a gift offered to all people, which
God has long-prepared the world.
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
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Just a gentle reminder… If you are among
our parishioners who receive collection en-velopes and “fly south” every winter, please
call the parish office to temporarily suspend your envelopes. These are returned to the Parish Office and we must pay the postage
on them. If you let us know when you plan on returning, we’ll let the envelope company know when to restart sending them to you.
Thank you for your cooperation.
March for Life
Gather with Bishop Edward B. Scharfen-
berger of the Diocese of Albany near the cor-
ner of 9th Street NW and Constitution Ave-
nue NW, Washington D.C., at 12:15 PM to
march together at the 47th Annual March
for Life, January 24, 2020.
Visit the Albany Diocese webpage to find the
bus transportation that is available and for
updates: www.rcda.org/life
Join Bishop Scharfenberger, the Diocese of
Albany, and hundreds of thousands across
the nation for the USCCB’s annual 9
Days for Life Novena, from Tuesday, Jan.
21 – Wednesday, Jan 29, 2020, with daily
postings for you to follow at facebook.com/
RCDARespectLife. Each day, a different in-
tention is accompanied by a short reflection,
suggested actions, and related information.
More info: 9daysforlife.com
The next meeting for the Marian Prayer Group will be January 9th at 7:00 PM.
The Collection for Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day was $8,335.35 The Collection for Sunday December 29th,
was $3,710.00 Thank you for all you have given to
the Cathedral.
Please pray for our sick; Fr. William Pape, Fr.
Frank O’Connor, Jeffrey Abraham, Robert Buell, Shirley Anderson, Lucy Apisa, Stephen Beattie, Carol Bruce, Grace Isabelle Caruso, Carmella Cervera, Mary Faith Colvin, Patricia Contti, Theresa Cooney, Marc Daniels, John Dare, Jr., Denise Degasparis, Michael Dolan, Ann Doherty, JoAnn DeLucia, Diane Fontanelli, Janette Fusco, Gus Franze, Bernice Girma, Ka-ren Goral, Carol Greenshields, Jean Gutbrodt, Bryan Hanley, Jacqueline Heisler, Kelly Hem-ming, Kenneth Hockeson; Douglas Hoffeler, Al-fred Iwanie, Dorothy Jordan, Reny Jose, Bill
Keane, Amy Keegan, James Laung, Donald Law, Gayle Leonard, Rebecca Leno, Therese Lenz, Di-ane Lo Prete, Ted Murawski, Marie-Ann Melen-fant, John McGrath, Mary Grace Meneses Sr., Maria Mercurio, CSJ, Stephanie Merenda, Di-ane Mueller, James Murphy, Mary Murphy, Shane O’Donnell, Josephine Pitcherale, Marcia Pedone, Catherine Rappazzo, Mark Roman, Matthew Rosato, Megan Ruthman, Elaine Spoor, Adam Ventura, Sebastian Vicencio, Richard Warner, Raphael Warner Rosa Maria Santos
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION The group meets Sundays from 10:00 am to
10:55 am in the Cathedral rectory.
If you have any questions please contact
Tod Fowler either by phone – 518-463-4447
or email – [email protected].
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January 5, 2020
Cathedral Liturgical Celebrations, Meetings and Mass Intentions for the week of January
4, 2020 – January 12, 2020
Saturday, January 4,
5:15PM Mass
Sunday, January 5, 9:00AM Mass 10:00AM Religious Ed.
11:00AM Mass 5:00PM Mass
Monday, January 6,
12:15PM Mass Tuesday, January 7,
7:15 AM Mass 12:00PM AA Meeting
Wednesday, January 8, 12:15 PM Mass
Intention: Max Martinez Thursday, January 9,
7:15AM Mass
Friday January 10, 12:15 PM Mass
Saturday, January 11, 5:15PM Mass
Sunday, January 12, 9:00AM Mass
Intention: Dr. James Castleman Intention: Warren Biesemeyer 10:00AM Religious Ed.
11:00AM Mass 5:00PM Mass
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January 5,2020
From Father LeFort
Christmas
As we continue to enjoy and celebrate the
Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, these days
shower me with gratitude for the many parish-
ioners who assisted with our Christmas litur-
gies. From Choristers and musicians, altar
servers and lectors…to extraordinary ministers
of holy communion, ushers, and our phenome-
nal staff: thanks to each and every one of you
for making our celebrations so prayerful. May
we all continue to enjoy this Christmas Sea-
son!
Many Thanks
Finally, many thanks to all who were so kind
and generous in dropping off gifts for us at the
rectory; we are humbled by your expressions of
love and care. May your reward be great!
Mass Intentions– Having a mass offered for
an individual is a wonderful way to honor their memory. If you wish to request a mass
intention, please call or email the rectory of-fice at: 518-463-4447 or [email protected]. The donation for a mass intention is $10.00.
You may enclose the filled out form below along with your donation. Just drop it in the collection basket or mail it to the rectory.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Mass Intention request: If the date and time are available, I would like to request a mass intention for the following:
Date________________________________________
Mass Intention For___________________________
Please indicate if the intention is for living or deceased
Requested by________________________________