Our Lady Of Sorrows Church

Our Lady of Sorrows Church

From the Pastor’s Desk My Dear People: One of the advantages of an afternoon nap for me is to be able to “burn the midnight oil.” Office work is done without interruptions at night and the walk to visit Jesus in the Chapel of Our Savior leads me to pass by and walk into the garden of the remains of loved ones. In this columbarium there is the statue of the WELCOMING CHRIST. This statue gives us an image of the real Jesus waiting in the Chapel. The statue of the Welcoming Christ is the most meaningful statue for me. If you have not been in the columbarium at night with the lighting and especially the perfectly lighted statue of Jesus with His arms of welcome, try it and you will have a “religious experience.” The constant falling of the water in back of the statue of Jesus bespeaks of the “living water” which Jesus promised to give to the Samaritan woman in her conversation with Him when He asked her for a drink at the well of Jacob. She wondered how a Jew could speak to a Samaritan, and Jesus told her that if she had known who it was speaking to her, she would have been asking Him for a drink and He would give her water that would burst forth into a fount of eternal life. Water represents LIFE. For without it crops die, cattle die, and people die. No wonder Jesus used the sign of water as a sign of God’s life given us at Baptism. Before building our columbarium, the committee of three and I visited several others. Msgr. Rohling built one at St. Peter’s; and we stole an idea or two from them. Now Msgr. Rohling is building one at Our Lady of the Valley, and he has called here to find out where the statue of the Welcoming Christ was bought and what it might cost. Again, that statue, especially at night on the way to the chapel, is my absolute favorite. After all,

it depicts the most important day of our lives —meeting the Welcoming Christ. I sense the summer vacation is almost over when I see on my desk the invitation to speak to the faculty of our school at the preschool faculty meetings on August 5th, the note from Mrs. Elizabeth Sutton about speaking to the parents at orientation day August 23, and notes from Dr. Thomas James, who organizes Adult Education, asking me to give the first presentation of Adult Education on August 30 with the topic of Priesthood, since this is the Year of the Priests. Dr. James has set the theme for the talks this year to be developing an intimacy with Christ. He picked up the ideas from our present Pope who stated that adult education should help us in our relationship with Jesus. Dr. James wrote a parody on the person who excuses himself from things like Sunday Mass, the religious education of children and adult education. All the excuses people use, if seen objectively, have very little validity. Do we, by our actions, say that there is someone or something more important than God? Of all the responsibilities in life for parents, their greatest is to raise their children in the faith. If you think you have a good excuse not to send your children to the religion class through OLS school or the PSR, please call me and tell me since I would love to hear these excuses. You won’t call because you are honest and know your responsibility and have a sense of values. You know you need to send your children who do not attend a Catholic school to our well-taught and efficient Parish School of Religion classes. How the Lord blesses us for doing what we should do! With prayers and blessings, Fr. Muller

MASS INTENTIONS Monday, August 3

Marie Ann Marino Jim Meehan Otto Mooney Tuesday, August 4 Spec. Int. of Louise Robinson Scott Humphrey Jan Bolla Wednesday, August 5 . Dolly Barranco John Clecker Martha Watkins Kilgore Thursday, August 6 Donors to the OLS Foundation John Holt Spec. Int. of Michael Milan Friday, August 7 Dolly Barranco Mark Strength Spec. Int. of Nicholas Milan Saturday, August 8 Special Intention Joseph Covington Mary Lightcap Sunday, August 9 People of the Parish Joe McGeever Joe Philbin

First Friday Devotions will be held on Friday, August 7, at 6:00 a.m. ____________________________________ Feast of the Assumption will be on Saturday, August 15th. Masses will be at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. It is not a holy day of obligation. ____________________________________ Catechists Needed for PSR “The call to the ministry of the catechist is a vocation, an interior call, the voice of the Holy Spirit” (National Directory for Catechesis, 54). Is the Holy Spirit calling you to share your Faith with our young people? Our Lady of Sorrows Parish School of Religion will begin its 2009/10 year on August 23rd , and we are in need of several catechists for grades K5, 1 and 4. If you are interested in working in the catechetical vineyard of the Lord, please contact Elizabeth Sutton, OLS PSR Director, to arrange a time for an interview.

ATTENTION ALL PSR FAMILIES! We are announcing a change in PSR and Growing

with God Registration procedure. Beginning August 1, the OLS Parish School of Religion will have its new website up and running which will enable the 2009/2010 student registration, both new and returning, to be submitted online. The Growing with God Registration Form is also available on the

PSR website. Therefore, there will be no PSR Registration Weekend this year! There will also be an option available to make tuition payments online through Pay Pal. All PSR related documents will be downloadable from this website. All returning PSR families and families with 4year olds who have completed Growing with God and will be starting with the PSR Program this yea, will receive a mailing the week of July 26 with all pertinent website information. All new PSR students who did not participate in Growing with God will need to go to the website for further directions. All families who do not have internet access are being asked to contact the PSR office at 871-1431 and they will be mailed all registration materials. The OLS Parish School of Religion website address is www.ourladyofsorrowspsr.com . The registration deadline is August 10. Thank you for your assistance in facilitating this transition! ____________________________________ GROWING WITH GOD-If you are interested in working with 2-and 3-year-olds, Growing with God could be right for you! The Growing with God program is a Sunday school program designed to teach 2 and 3 year olds about God. You would teach once a month and the lesson plans are already prepared for you. If you are interested in volunteering but do not want to teach, we are also looking for assistants to help in the classrooms. It is a great way to donate your time and make a difference. If you are interested, please contact us!! For 2-year olds: contact Ann Morel 426-2376 or 516-1265. For 3-yearold-contact: Marna Dickinson 747-0455. May God bless you and your family. OLS CHILDREN’S CHOIR is looking for boys and girls who love to sing. Our first practice will be on Wednesday, August 26,

Wednesday, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. For registration and more information, please call Alexandra Naylor at 981-2773. ____________________________________ OLS Adult Choir is Looking For New Members Our Lady of Sorrows Adult Choir is looking for new members. Whether you are a trained musician or you just love to sing, we would love to have you share your talents. Rehearsals begin on Wednesday, August 5, at 7:00 pm, and will continue every Wednesday afterwards in the music room. If you have any questions, please contact Lee Wright at [email protected]. We hope to see you there. ____________________________________

Middle School Youth Group will meet this fall on MONDAY evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. starting August 24. High School Youth Group will meet this fall on SUNDAY evenings after 6:00 p.m. Mass until 8:45 p.m. beginning August 23rd. A Wednesday night Bible Study will be offered starting in September. Please call Chelsea Piper with questions at 871-8120. ____________________________________

– 9:30 a.m. in the church at Our Lady of Sorrows. Children of all ages are welcome including newborns and infants. This time is a wonderful opportunity to encourage your child’s faith and prayer life while fulfilling Christ’s command to “. . . Let the little children come to me . . .” (Mark 10:14). For more information, please call Kim Stephens at 823-8886. ____________________________________ Chapel of Our Savior The Chapel needs permanent Committed Adorers for: Monday at 11:00 p.m. (vacant) Wednesday at Noon (to share hour) Friday at 1:00 p.m. (to share hour) Our goal is to have at least 2 people on each hour. These are the hours needed, but do select an hour that best fits your schedule. Please call Ida Wilker at 879-7040 or Mary Claire Brouillette at 871-2909. St. Vincent de Paul would make a Holy Hour asking the Lord’s blessings on important business transactions and afterwards, returned to thank the Lord! (St. Vincent de Paul-1581 to 1660). ___________________________________________

Please come celebrate the life of Fr. James E. Coyle at a Memorial Mass on Tuesday, August 11, at 12:10 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All are welcome at the reception following the Mass at the Cathedral Life Center.

PRAY FOR VOCATIONS “Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant.” Trust God’s promise. God nourishes us abundantly. (Isaiah 55:1-3, & Matthew 14:13-21)

Children’s Eucharistic Adoration Please join us for Children’s Eucharistic Adoration Wednesday, August 5, from 9:00

YOUTH VOUNTEERS NEEDED Catholic college undergraduates, juniors and seniors in high school interested in working

with children having intellectual and developmental disabilities in a Saturday morning Greater Birmingham Area city-wide program of religious education are invited to a training workshop on Saturday, August 15. The training workshop will be held 9:00 a.m.. until noon in the library at St. Aloysius Catholic Church & School, 751 Academy Drive, Bessemer, Al 35022. For further information or directions, please email Sister Mary Vernon Gentle at [email protected] or Fr. Pat Cullen at [email protected] or telephone 424-2984. If you are unable to attend on August 15 but would like to participate in the program, please contact Fr. Cullen or Sister Mary Vernon as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of taking part in a make-up day the following week. ____________________________________ Vocation Weekend On August 21-23, the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman will host a vocation discernment weekend for single, Catholic women ages 18-45 who are interested in learning more about the Benedictine way of life. The retreat, entitled Seeking God: The Benedictine Way of Living, will be directed by Sister Magdalena Craig, O.S.B., Vocation Director for the Sacred Heart Community, assisted by a team of Sisters. The weekend will include reflective presentations, Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharist and meals with the Sisters, and time for personal prayer and reflection. For those discerning their vocation this is an invitation to ‘come and see’ the monastic way of seeking God. For more information or to register for the retreat, please contact Sister Magdalena at (256) 734-2199 or [email protected]. There is no charge for the weekend; however, donations will be accepted.

Saint Rose Academy announces “Relish the Gift of your Feminity,” a women’s retreat to be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral Family Life

Center on Friday evening, August 28, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and on Saturday, August 29, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. More information is available on the Saint Rose Academy website: www.saintroseacademy.com or by calling the school office at 205-933-0549. The suggested donation for the retreat is $25.00 and will be collected at the door. ____________________________________ To all Family Life Center Weight Room Members: Beginning this year annual membership to the weight room will be due each year on September 1. If you have a membership to the weight room please remit your $25.00 renewal fee as soon as possible. If you are not a member and would like to be one please contact the church office at 8718121. ____________________________________