February 26, 2006



SATURDAY-February 25
 9:00 A.M        Charles Schifilliti by Irene Trayah and Andrea & Christopher Lammy

SATURDAY-VIGIL FOR SUNDAY-February 25
 4:00 P.M.        Miriam, Eugene and deceased members of the Lalime Family by Michael Lalime

SUNDAY-February 26
 8:30 A.M.        Pat Dietsche by Claire Lewis
11:00 A.M.        For the parishioners of St. Mark Parish

MONDAY-February 27
 9:00 A.M.        Arlene LeBlanc (2nd Anniv) by Jack & Family
3:00 P.M.        Birchwood Nursing Home Mass

TUESDAY-February 28
 9:00 A.M        Deceased members of Lalime & James Family by Senen & Jeanine Encinas

ASH WEDNESDAY-March 1
 9:00 A.M.        Theresa Curley by family
7:00 P.M.        Special Intention

THURSDAY-March 2
 9:00 A.M         Timothy Sheehan by his Aunt

FRIDAY-March 3
 9:00 A.M.        Charles Schifilliti by the Bove's
5:00 P.M.        Sacrament of Reconciliation
5:30 P.M.        Stations of the Cross

SATURDAY-March 4
 9:00 A.M.        Margaret Naiden by John & Donna Harnish

SATURDAY-VIGIL FOR SUNDAY-March 4
 4:00 P.M.        Bove Family by Corinne Bove Maietta

SUNDAY-March 5
 8:30 A.M.        For the parishioners of St. Mark Parish
11:00 A.M.        Teresa Marvin by family


February 19 Attendance at Mass 642
February 19 (200 envelopes) $4,114.95
Religious Education Collection $852.05
Weekly Average since July 1st (32 weeks) $4,971.81
Weekly Goal $5,300.00
Thank you for your continued generosity!

PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION CHAPEL

We have a few hours to fill with committed adorers. Hours to fill are Tuesday, 4 to 5 a.m., Thursday midnight to 1 a.m. Friday morning, 1 to 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday 11 p.m. to Midnight and Sunday, Midnight to 1 a.m. Monday. We are always looking for substitutes for the hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Please call Marge at 658-0228 or Winnie at 862-9598 if you are able to help out for a short period or to commit to spend an hour with our Lord.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" - Mk 2:18

ASH WEDNESDAY: March 1st is Ash Wednesday. Masses, with distribution of ashes, will be at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. This celebration begins the church's Lenten Journey. The time of Lent is to be observed by Catholics as a special season of prayer, penance and works of charity.

This year the Burlington Parishes will join together in sponsoring a Lenten Retreat to be held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 7:00 p.m., on March 6-8. Father Richard Lavalley, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Winooski, will be the retreat master. Please be sure to save these dates so that you will be able to attend and participate in this retreat, a time for spiritual renewal and growth. Father Dan White will be offering a series on Spirituality on four consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning March 15th.

PLEASE NOTE: Stations of the Cross will be said every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

The guidelines for Lent are in this week's bulletin and will come in handy to answer any questions you may have.

NOMINATIONS FOR PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS: Because of a lack of response, the deadline to submit nominations has been extended to Monday, February 27th. If you have not done so, please deliver your nominations in person or forward to the rectory by fax or e-mail so that we may receive them in preparation for the election. Candidates for election will be asked to submit a recent photo of themselves and a brief biographical sketch.

COMING NEXT WEEKEND! Free CD's! Learn about a variety of vital topics from well-known Catholic speakers such as Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Dr. Scott Hahn (former Protestant minister), Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and many others. This is a practical and effective way to deepen your faith and reach out to help evangelize family members, friends, and co-workers by passing along the CD's after you have listened to them. For those who are able, a suggested donation of $2.50 per CD would be greatly appreciated to help continue this program and keep a supply of new titles coming in. We will announce when the new titles will be available. Check out the display next weekend and take home a wealth of information!



RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM 2005-2006

SUNDAY MORNING RELIGION CLASSES: No classes this week, February 26th and next week, March 5th due to mid-winter break. Classes resume March 12th.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL RELIGION CLASSES: No classes this week, February 26th and next week, March 5th due to mid-winter break. Classes resume March 12th.

TUESDAY RELIGION CLASSES: No classes February 28th and March 7th due to mid-winter break. Classes resume March 14th.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES (first through eighth grades) are implementing a diocesan program, Formation in Christian Chastity to help your children recognize the steps they can take to keep themselves safe. Parents will be receiving in the mail information regarding the program. Parents are invited to attend a meeting to further discuss this program on March 12th at 9:30 a.m. (grades 1-5) and 6:30 p.m. (middle school) and again on March 14th at 6 p.m. (grades 1-5).







The Library is closed today and next Sunday, March 5th due to Mid Winter break and no Religion Classes.


PLEASE NOTE: For the month of February, no book fines will be collected. We encourage you to check your bookshelves and under the beds to return any and all books. Books may be left in the drop box located at the entrance to the Family Center. Many thanks.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS will meet Tuesday, February 28th at 7 p.m. at the Family Center.

Readings for the Week of February 26, 2006

Sunday Hos 2:16b, 17b, 21-22/ 2 Cor 3:1b-6/ Mk 2:18-22
Monday 1 Pt 1:3-9/ Mk 10:17-27
Tuesday 1 Pt 1:10-16/ Mk 10:28-31
Wednesday Jl 2:12-18/ 2 Cor 5:20—6:2/ Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Thursday Dt 30:15-20/ Lk 9:22-25
Friday Is 58:1-9a/ Mt 9:14-15
Saturday Is 58:9b-14/ Lk 5:27-32
Sunday Gn 9:8-15/ 1 Pt 3:18-22/ Mk 1:12-15


C.Y.O. BASKETBALL: St. Mark's sponsors two boys' basketball teams in the C.Y.O. League. Why not support them by attending one of their games? This Sunday our 5-6 graders play Christ the King at Rice H.S. at 1 p.m. and the 7-8 graders play St. Ambrose at Mt. Abraham at 12 noon.

FREE TAX HELP FOR SENIORS: The AARP Foundation, in cooperation with the IRS, will provide free and confidential tax assistance for low and middle income taxpayers age 60 and older. Membership by AARP is NOT required. This will be done at St. Mark's Family Center every Tuesday and Thursday, through April, by appointment. Call 862-2796 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays to set up your appointment.

VERMONT CATHOLIC CHARITIES is looking for a few volunteers to assist with special projects, answer phones and check people in for appointments. The commitment is minimal- - - -a few times a year, usually for a half day, whatever fits your schedule. Also looking for 1 or 2 people to cover the receptionist desk on Monday, from 3:30 -5:00 p.m. If you can help us on occasion or would like further information, please call the office and ask for JoAnn or Linda, 658-6110 x312.

SHRINES OF ITALY: Visiting Venice, Florence, Assisi & Rome, November 1-11, 2006. Fr. Lively would love to have you on this pilgrimage with him. For information, please call or write Fr. Joe Lively at 1205 Kensington St. Port Charlotte, FL 33952. Phone 941-255-5690.


YOUR PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED for the safety of our service men and women and support personnel working as peace-keepers throughout the world and for those who are seriously ill, especially Joanne Burbo, Shirley Fuller, Tiz Mazza, Barbara Sanneman, Mikaela Sienkiewicz, and for the repose of the souls of Grace Heron, Isabel Neary and Charles Snelling.

To have someone from your family enrolled in this list, please call the Rectory Office at 864-7686. Names will be listed for one month unless the office is notified that the condition continues and prayers are still requested.

The Mass Explained: The Liturgy of the Eucharist

We said that the Liturgy of the Word is ordered towards the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Our hearts should be “fanned into flame” (as St. Paul says) by Sacred Scripture before we join our sacrifices to Jesus' own offering on Calvary. The Liturgy of the Eucharist can be identified in three steps: 1)the Preparation of the Gifts; 2)the Eucharistic Prayer; and 3)the Communion Rite.
The Preparation of the Gifts begins with the offertory which speaks of our commitment to Him and His Church. It consists of the collection of money used to sustain the parish and Christ's ministry through the Church. “For better or worse, money has come to symbolize in our culture what really matters to us” and it reminds us that we place our trust in God, not our own material wealth. An offertory hymn is most fitting as the gifts are collected and brought forward because “the Lord loves a cheerful giver.”
We can see the visible offerings of bread, wine and money to support the Church's work. But also there is another offering being presented that is invisible. It is the offering of ourselves - all that we have and all that we are. As baptized children of God, we share in the priesthood of Christ (not in the same way as an ordained priest, however) because we too are asked to offer sacrifices. The Second Vatican Council tells us to offer “our work, prayers, apostolic endeavors, and ordinary life activities” to God with the desire for them to be transformed. The Lord can change our human nature on earth and make it divine in heaven in the same way He receives mere bread and wine and changes them into His body and blood, soul and divinity.
The bread and wine are placed on the altar and the people's offerings are symbolically placed into the chalice and on the paten (the plate holding the priest's host). Bread and wine are what Jesus chose to use, so the Church has no authority whatsoever to change them. Moreover, bread was the most basic symbol of human existence (as it was for the Jews in the exodus when they were fed by manna from heaven). To “earn your bread” means that we offer all of the beauty and goodness of God's creation which is discovered and developed through our work. Both bread and wine are made of many parts and crushed to form a single substance (grains of wheat form bread and fermented grapes form wine). The Church is the one body of Christ made up of many members.
Before the consecration takes place, the bread and wine are blessed separately with the acknowledgment that even though they are made with human hands, they fundamentally remain gifts from almighty God. (The priest prays: “Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread/wine to offer....”) A drop of water is added to the wine - originally because the strong wine needed to be diluted before consumption, but later it assumed wonderful spiritual meaning. The wine represents Christ's divinity and the water represents our humanity. The priest prays, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.” He became like us, so that we may become like Him! That little drop of water gets swallowed up by the vast amount of wine in the same way our littleness gets swallowed up by Jesus' greatness!
- Fr. Dan

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Last Update: March 5, 2006