The Church of Saint Sebastian 67 Cole Ave., Providence, RI 02906 (401)751-0196 stsebastianri.org Mass Schedule Due to the directive from Bishop Tobin banning the public celebration of the Eucharist until further notice Saint Sebastian's schedule has changed. Sunday: 10:00 am via Livestreamed Mass on Facebook. Video Mass will be posted on www.stsebastianri.org following the livestreamed Mass The Church is open daily from 8:30am – 7pm. Come, rest, and pray! Confession Times By appointment Devotions Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Monday – Friday, 5pm – 6pm Sunday: 11am – Noon Parish Office Hours Closed until further notice Parish Contact Information (410) 751-0196 May 3, 2020 Weekly Bulletin Fourth Sunday of Easter He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. With your rod and your staff that give me courage. Psalm 23 3B-4
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The Church of Saint Sebastian 67 Cole Ave., Providence, RI 02906
(401)751-0196 stsebastianri.org
Mass Schedule
Due to the directive from Bishop Tobin banning the public celebration of the Eucharist until further notice Saint Sebastian's schedule has changed. Sunday: 10:00 am via Livestreamed Mass on Facebook. Video Mass will be posted on www.stsebastianri.org following the livestreamed Mass
The Church is open daily from
8:30am – 7pm.
Come, rest, and pray!
Confession Times
By appointment
Devotions
Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament: Monday – Friday,
5pm – 6pm
Sunday: 11am – Noon
Parish Office Hours Closed until further notice
Parish Contact Information (410) 751-0196
May 3, 2020
Weekly Bulletin Fourth Sunday of Easter
He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
With your rod and your staff that give me courage. Psalm 23 3B-4
PARISH Directory and INFORMATION Directory Parish Information: P: (401)751-0196 F: (401)273-2753 Web: https://stsebastianri.org/ Reverend Father Jordan Kelly, O.P. Pastor 401-500-2462 [email protected] Elaine Ginn Receptionist/Secretary [email protected] Carole Graves Director of Music/Organist [email protected] Megan Morrow Cantor Robert Short Director of Faith Formation and Evangelization 401-272-6062 [email protected] Kristen Gold Assistant Religious Education Coordinator 401-272-6062 [email protected] Paul Castaldi Maintenance Kathy Harrington Parish Accountant finance@stsebastianri@org Parish Trustees Charles Rogers Catherine Taylor James Daly Ann Carnevale Elisa Vele-Tabaddor Douglas Nani Parish Finance Council Sarah Garcia-Mata Mary Hill Jamie Hill Janice Opalenski Patricia Recupero Ellen Reinhardt Fred Reinhardt Parish Council
WELCOME to the CHURCH of SAINT SEBASTIAN In my own name and on behalf of the People of Saint Sebastian’s, welcome to our Parish! If you are visiting, coming back to the Church and Mass after some time away, or looking for a Parish, you are most welcome here at Saint Sebastian’s.
Parish Registration Registration is the official way we join a parish community, please stop in the Parish Office or register online to become a registered parishioner. To be considered an active registered member of the parish, members are asked to give of their time, talent and treasure. The parish is in need of and welcomes all three parts of your stewardship.
Sacrament of Baptism Congratulations on the birth of your child! We require all parents and godparents to attend Sacramental Preparation Classes. Once you have called the rectory to plan for the baptism of your child, we will have someone contact you to set up a special appointment for Preparation classes. These classes are usually done one on one with each family and are conducted by a couple who are well prepared to teach and assist in Baptismal Preparation.
Sacrament of Matrimony Congratulations on your engagement and decision to enter into a Catholic marriage! Saint Sebastian Parish will help you in your preparation to ensure that you make this serious and sacred step in your life a holy and happy one. The day and time of your wedding must be arranged in person by the prospective bride and groom themselves as soon as they feel called to marry. No arrangement can be made by phone or parents. All arrangements should be made nine months prior to the wedding date and done prior to scheduling the reception. The first meeting with the Pastor may be scheduled by calling the Parish Office at (401) 751-0196. Spiritual preparation is a key part of this special time. Frequent participation in the sacraments during this time is important, particularly weekly Mass attendance. It is also strongly recommended that you bring yourselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this time of preparation.
Religious Education By their word and their example, parents are the first and principal teachers of their children concerning our Catholic Faith. The Religious Education of Saint Sebastian’s stands ready to assist parents in their sacred and most important responsibility. Should you have any questions about the program please contact Ms. Kristen Gold at [email protected] or Mr. Bob Short at [email protected]
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Saint Sebastian’s also offers Level One, ages 3 - 6, of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, commonly referred to as CGS. CGS is a Montessori-based program of faith formation. Please contact Mr. Bob Short, Catechist, at [email protected]
Robert Whelan Amy Thomas Karin Schrott Gerry Codola Catherine Denning Toni Dumville Robert Lough
Ellen Boyle
Jennifer Pizzuti
Parish Auditors
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, May the Grace of Our Lord remain always with us! As I sit in my office and write this to you, I am struck by the how beautiful the sun shines on Our Lady’s Statue and, from the transplanted hydrangeas from Easter, one very sturdy pink plant looks like she is reaching out to the sun and encouraging the other plants to brighten up! There are several signs of things brightening up around the Parish even during this rather dismal time of being quarantined. A few parishioners have stopped by the rectory with “time on their hands” and offered to use some of that time for the good of the Parish. Volunteers have come forward to work on the lawns; the aching ‘hole in the wall’ of the men’s bathroom has been completely repaired; and the Easter Flowers have been faithfully watered. All of this work has been completed at no cost to the Parish. Please join me in thanking these generous souls and ask God to reward them and their families. It has been beautiful to see love in action, and to hear voices that pierce the silence of life here at 67 Cole. An Unexpected Gift: A continued reflection As I wrote about last week, on Divine Mercy Sunday Bishop Tobin issued a Pastoral entitled, The State of the Church in the Diocese of Providence in the Age of the Coronavirus. The entire message may be found on our website, www.stsebastianri.org, and it has been emailed to every parishioner for whom there is an email address. The Bishop offers three main categories for reflection: 1) Worship and the Sacrament; 2) Finances; and 3) Evangelization and Outreach. Last week I reflected with you about Evangelization and Outreach. This week I want to consider the Bishop’s first category: Worship and the Sacraments. The Pastoral Reality The Bishop’s reflection addresses the “nuts and bolts” about how our recent experience has impacted our regular worship and the reception of the sacraments. For the Bishop and for all of us, these are primary concerns, and the pressing questions “when can we go to Mass and receive Communion, go to confession; celebrate baptisms, weddings and funerals?” long for directions, hope, and answers. Bishop Tobin provides
these when he mentions that “it is my fond hope, my prayer, my “aspiration,” that by May 31st, the Solemnity of Pentecost, we will be able to gather in our churches again, even with a limited number of worshippers….”. Let us add our prayers to the Bishop’s and may we be together on Pentecost to celebrate in a particular way the ‘Birthday of the Church’! A Deeper Lesson As I take all of this to prayer, I also have deeper concerns. Throughout these last weeks many people have said, we will never be the same again; or, we cannot go back to the way things were. How will these words and the combination of angst and hope they declare impact the way we approach the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and our regular reception of the Sacraments? Worship The centrality of the Sacrifice of the Mass in the life of every Catholic is set before us in the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council: the Sacrifice of the Mass, as “the source and summit of the Christian life” . Being intimately involved in the Liturgy for all my life, I have always been perplexed by what seemed contradictions to this reality. What are these contradictions? Here are just a few: a palpable careless attitude in the way a priest celebrates Mass; poor preaching; cheap vestments; dead flowers and dirty churches; no music, or worse – bad music… but also, a priestly style that is too rigid, and perhaps more Catholic than the Pope; preaching that is a college theology lecture; so many flowers you can’t see the altar; and music that is sublimely performed but never allows the participation of the people…I really could go on and on. Perhaps these two extremes are what cause people to stay away from Mass, or become very laissez-fair in regular Mass attendance? Why people leave after Communion, or before the priest has passed them in the recessional procession? As Saint Thomas teaches us, we need to find the middle behind the ‘abuses’ I mention above, because virtue stands in
the middle. The Liturgy is my highest priority as your pastor. There have been times we have disagreed about decisions made or options that were tried, but I think we have come to a good middle position. Please, if you disagree with me, please come and talk to me. The Liturgy is so vital to our Catholic Life because it is the source of our strength; the Liturgy leads us to God and transfigures our life in Christ; the Liturgy brings us together with others who believe as we do. And coupled to this, the Liturgy is the primary source of evangelization and catechesis. In our public prayer we invite the world to feast at this table by our prayerful joy. In the Liturgy we teach the way of Christ to the curious visitor or the one of us who is struggling and most needs to be reminded of God's great love. Through the Liturgy we are given the grace to respond to the Gospel in a new and fuller way; through the Liturgy we come to know and love God more deeply; through the Liturgy we are reminded that life is ultimately not about us – it is about God; through the Liturgy we thank God for His Love and His Mercy; through the Liturgy we are drawn together as one, and are sent forth is loving service to God and one another. Through worthy celebrations of the Liturgy our faith is built, and through sloppy celebrations of the Liturgy our faith is weakened, if not eventually, destroyed. When we return to being able to come to Church, I pray that when we return we will return to worship with a new zeal and a longing to delve more fully into the riches given to us in the Liturgy; and, when we return I pray that we embrace our celebrations more fully as the great banquet it is, and not some sort of fast food chain. When we will have some difficult discussions and decisions to make. Those discussions and decisions are: 1) Is our current Mass schedule sustainable, especially during the summer months; 2) how do we encourage greater congregational participation in liturgical ministries (servers, lectors, eucharistic ministers, and greeters); and 3) how can we encourage and sustain a culture of stewardship that sustains the Parish through time and talent, as well as treasure; 4) how do we avoid another financial crisis like last summer?
The Sacraments Removing the regular reception of the Sacraments from our lives has reminded us of the unmerited and invaluable gifts God has given us through them. I pray that we will treasure these great moments of encounter with Christ with the resolve to never take these for granted again. I pray that our reception of the Sacraments will not be in any kind of “maintenance mood”. I pray that we will discover with renewed regularity the blessing, grace, and need for the faithful reception of the Sacrament of Penance. As uncomfortable as it may be, we need to acknowledge a reality that takes place in our Catholic Faith, and how we can improve for our own sake, for the sake of our children, and in recognition of what my witness, or lack thereof, says to others. Here is the reality:
Do I have my child baptized and then not darken the door of the Church until First Communion, and fail to catechize my child in the faith as well?
Do I disappear from the Parish after First Communion until Confirmation?
Do I easily excuse myself and my family from Sunday Mass attendance, but expect First Penance, First Communion, and Confirmation to be available with no questions?
Do I live and believe in such a way that I teach my spouse, my extended family and friends, that the faithful reception of the Sacraments are an essential part of my regular life?
May our return to being allowed to attend Mass and to the regular reception of the Sacraments be marked by the lively faith and the deep longing found in these words from last Sunday’s Gospel: Stay with us, Lord; make our hearts burn with Love to be near You, to hear You; and to feast upon your Holy Body and Blood! Amen! O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee! In the Lord,
From FATHER JORDAN, (CONT.)
2 Music in Catholic Worship,#6.
JOIN us IN PRAYER
MASS Intentions SATURDAY, MAY 2 -
BEGINNING OF MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA
Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Fr. Angelo Maraldo, OSFS on the 12th Anniversary of his death
SUNDAY, MAY 3—MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA The Fourth Sunday of Easter/ Good Shepherd
Sunday
+ Francis Corrigan
MONDAY, MAY 4—MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA Easter Weekday
+Robert Koshgarian
TUESDAY, MAY 5 —MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA Easter Weekday
+ Fr. Angelo Maraldo, OSFS on his 63rd birthday
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 —MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA WEDNESDAY, May 6 – Mother’s Day Novena
Easter Weekday
For the conversion of all married couples
THURSDAY, MAY 7 —MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA Easter Weekday
+ Rachel Critelli
FRIDAY, MAY 8 —MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the
Order of Preachers
For the needs of the Dominican Order and the Province of Saint
Joseph
SATURDAY, MAY 9 —MOTHER’S DAY NOVENA Easter Weekday
Recovey of Lewis Mc Carty
MOTHERS’ DAY NOVENA
The Mother’s Day Novena has
begun and will conclude on next
Sunday on Mother’s Day.
Father Jordan is celebrating Mass each day in the Rectory Chapel at 9am. While this is not a public
Mass, the intentions of the entire Parish are remembered in each celebration.
Sunday: 10am, Livestreamed Mass
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Monday – Friday, 5pm – 6pm
Sunday: 11am – Noon
The Church is open daily from 8:30am – 7pm. Come, rest, and pray!
PARISH PRAYER Requests
If you would like someone included in the Prayers for the Sick, please call the office at 401.751.0196 .
LET US PRAY FOR ALL WHO ARE ILL:
All those who test positive for COVID-19; Lewis
McCarty; Belle Calenda; Ken Johnson; Joseph
Kennedy; Esther Sanjaya; Cornelia Pacheo; Stanley
Nadal ; those for whom the isolation in a great
problem; all first responders who risk their lives caring
for the sick, and may become ill themselves; those
who live with addiction.
LET US PRAY FOR OUR BELOVED DEAD:
Francis Corrigan; Joseph Dukehart; John McGrath;
those who have died because of COVID – 19:
Maureen McIntyre; Mary Elizabeth Kelly; Sister Mary
Martinez and the 11 other Felician Sisters who died
from COVID - 19. These 12 nuns died in one day in
the same nursing home 15 minutes apart.
AROUND the PARISH SAVE THE DATES:
Saturday, May 30 at 5pm: Vigil of Pentecost Mass
and Reception – details to follow
Monday – Friday, July 13 – 17: Vacation Bible
School
ASK FATHER JORDAN
Do you have questions about something you see in
the Parish? Or, do you scratch your head and say, “I
wonder about….?” If this is you, think about using
Ask Father Jordan by emailing your questions to him
