PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL

INDEPENDENCE STRENGTH FREEDOM

U.S. Air Force: Staff Sgt. Andrew D. Simpson

Master Sergeant Scott Moller

Tech. Sgt. Francisco J. Velasquez

Master Sgt. Jeremy Salaver

U.S. Army: Private Angelique J. Rosado

Master Sergeant Jill Agront

Sgt. Hisnard Cadet, Jr.

Staff Sgt. Misael Exantus

PFC Zaymery Villalobos

Special Force Kareem Inniss

Spc. Richard Aquilar

Captain Gavin Campbell McMahon

LTC Douglas Boltuc

Sgt. Andrew Gandolfo

PFC Francisco Fuentes Melinium

PFC Stefan Saindoux

PFC Luc-Ambert Saindoux, Jr.

PFC Betty Piquion

Sgt. Henry Pazmino

U.S. Marines: 1st Battalion Carlos Fuentes

CPL Daniel C. Monroe

RCT Eric Joel Vazquez

Sergeant W. Jason Ferris

L. Cpl. Alfonso Rodriquez

Oswaldo Pazmino

U.S. Navy: Airman Herbert J. Alvarado

JE-4/CS3 Jesus Ron

Lt. Joseph A. Baugh

Lt. John R. Esposito

AG2/Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael McGee

Gordy Garcia

Fr. Christopher Costigan, Pastor..................... Ext. 302

Cheryl Nicholson................................................. Ext. 301

Parish Assistant (email: cnicholson@saintmartha.org)

Mrs. Kathy Day ................................................... Ext. 304

Bookkeeper

Mrs. Marlene Jean-Baptiste

Co-Director of Social Ministry

292-1603 or 481-2550, Ext. 320

Ms. Barbara Powell

Co-Director of Social Ministry

292-1603 or 481-2550, Ext. 321

Cheryl Nicholson................................................. Ext. 312

Bulletin Editor (email: cnicholson@saintmartha.org)

Voice Mail Only: Must Leave a Message

Deacon Hernst Bellevue ...................................... Ext. 346

Director of Adult Faith Formation

English/Creole Baptismal Program

Mr. Alvin Ingram ................................................ Ext. 347

Liturgy Chairperson

Mr. Tom Gould ................................................... Ext. 348

Plant Manager

Mrs. Dulce Sepulveda ......................................... Ext. 349

Spanish Baptism Program

Elissa Hanson ....................................................... Ext.350

Choir Director & Organist

Ms. Lisette Joachim.............................................. Ext 351

Ministry of Consolation

Deacon Evenou Saint-Louis

Parochial Archivist .............................................. Ext. 352

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Deacon Trevor Mathurin,

Director of Religious Education ..................................Ext. 311

Mrs. Imogene Regan,

RCIA Director ..............................................................Ext. 314

RESURRECTION SUNDAY - APRIL 1, 2018 \

“He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.”

2

Saint Martha Roman Catholic Church 546 GREENGROVE AVENUE, UNIONDALE, NEW YORK 11553-2145

Phone: (516) 481-2550 info@saintmartha.org

www.saintmartha.org

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Truly He has Risen! Today the Church begins our celebra-

tion of the Resurrection of the Lord. This celebration begins with an Octave. We celebrate each day through

next Sunday as Easter Sunday itself. We then continue until Pentecost, the 50th Day of our Easter Season.

Let’s keep the celebration going!

Easter is a time where also focus is in the Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

Our catechumens are now “neophytes.” Our young adults will be receiving Confirmation in late May, just af-

ter Pentecost. Our younger children will be receiving the Eucharist for the first time during these Easter

weeks.

Much work has gone into our celebration of Lent, Holy Week, and the Paschal Triduum. As the end of a litur-

gy is not the best time for public thanks, I would like to acknowledge here the work of our parish facility staff

and our office staff for handling many of the behind the scenes details. Our Liturgy Committee, music leaders,

musicians, lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, servers, and ushers put in a lot of extra time,

effort, and practice. Thank you also to our priests and deacons for all the time spent to help all of us pray so

well during these days. We also owe our gratitude to all who work in our Faith Formation efforts: catechists

and religious education volunteers, baptismal and marriage preparation teams, and especially the parents of our

children—the first and primary teachers of their children in the faith.

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Le Christ est ressuscité ! Vraiment, il est ressuscité ! Aujourd'hui, l'Église

commence notre célébration de la résurrection du Seigneur. Cette célébration commence avec un Octave. Nous

célébrons chaque jour jusqu'à dimanche prochain comme le dimanche de Pâques lui-même. Nous continuons

ensuite jusqu'à la Pentecôte, le 50ème jour de notre saison de Pâques. Continuons la célébration !

Pâques est une période où l'on se concentre également sur les sacrements de l'initiation, le baptême, la confir-

mation et l'eucharistie. Nos catéchumènes sont maintenant des « néophytes ». Nos jeunes adultes recevront une

confirmation à la fin de mai, juste après la Pentecôte. Nos jeunes enfants recevront l'Eucharistie pour la premi-

ère fois pendant ces semaines de Pâques.

Beaucoup de travail a été consacré à la célébration du Carême, de la Semaine Sainte et du Triduum pascal.

Comme la fin d'une liturgie n'est pas le meilleur moment pour remercier le public, je tiens à souligner ici le

travail du personnel de notre paroisse et de notre personnel de bureau pour avoir traité de nombreux détails des

coulisses. Notre comité de liturgie, les chefs de musique, les musiciens, les lecteurs, les ministres extraordi-

naires de la sainte communion, les serveurs et les huissiers ont consacré beaucoup de temps, d'efforts et de pra-

tique. Merci aussi à nos prêtres et diacres pour tout le temps passé à nous aider tous à prier si bien pendant ces

jours. Nous devons également notre gratitude à tous ceux qui travaillent dans nos efforts de Formation de la

Foi : catéchistes et bénévoles d'éducation religieuse, équipes de préparation au baptême et au mariage, et sur-

tout les parents qui sont en premier les éducateurs de leurs enfants dans la foi.

FR. CHRIS PÈRE CHRIS

3

Saint Martha Roman Catholic Church 546 GREENGROVE AVENUE, UNIONDALE, NEW YORK 11553-2145

Phone: (516) 481-2550 info@saintmartha.org

www.saintmartha.org

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! ¡Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad él ha Resucitado! Hoy la Iglesia comienza la

celebración de la resurrección del Señor. Esta celebración comienza con una Octava. Celebramos cada día has-

ta el próximo Domingo como el propio Domingo de Pascua. Continuamos hasta Pentecostés, el 50 día de

nuestro tiempo de Pascua. Vamos a mantener la celebración de ir!

Pascua es una época donde también se centran en los Sacramentos de Iniciación-Bautismo, la Confirmación y

la Eucaristía. Nuestros catecúmenos son ahora “neófitos.” Nuestros jóvenes van a recibir la Confirmación a

finales de Mayo, justo después de Pentecostés. Nuestros niños más pequeños van a recibir la Eucaristía por

primera vez durante estas semanas de Pascua.

Se ha trabajado mucho en nuestra celebración de la Cuaresma, Semana Santa y el Triduo Pascual. A pesar de

que el final de una liturgia no es el mejor momento para agradecimientos públicos, me gustaría reconocer aquí

el trabajo de nuestro personal de las instalaciones de la parroquia y nuestro personal de la oficina para el mane-

jo de muchos de los detalles detrás de las escenas. Nuestro Comité de Liturgia, los líderes de la música, músi-

cos, lectores, ministros extraordinarios de la sagrada comunión, servidores y acomodadores ponen un montón

de tiempo extra, esfuerzo y práctica. Gracias también a nuestros sacerdotes y diáconos por todo el tiempo dedi-

cado a ayudar a todos a orar tan bien durante estos días. También debemos nuestro agradecimiento a todos los

que trabajan en nuestros esfuerzos de Formación de Fe: equipos de catequistas y voluntarios de educación re-

ligiosa, bautismo y la preparación para el matrimonio, y en especial a los padres de nuestros hijos-los primeros

y principales educadores de sus hijos en la fe.

PADRE CHRIS

4

5

4-1-2018 - Resurrection of the Lord Sunday

5:00PM - Lector:

Altar Server: David LaBlanc

Eucharistic Ministers:

Ushers: Rosemarie Laguerre, Jennifer King, Mario Cadavid, Alejandro Apresa

7:30AM - Lector:

Eucharistic Ministers:

Ushers: Jim Capriotti, Carmen Charles, Genevieve Charles, Alex Apresa, Jorge Ricardo Flores

11:00AM - Lector:

Altar Servers: Maya Jerome, Alexa Morgan

Eucharistic Minister:

Ushers: Bennett Paul, Agnes Duclairon, Wilner Nestor, Frantz Denis

If thou love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, thou shall serve Him well.

This is NOT a substitute for your schedule! Please refer to the schedule

you received from the head of your ministry!

If you are unable to serve, do not call the office! Find a replacement or contact your ministry head!

April 1, 2018

Monday April 2

8:30 AM ............. Gerardo Franzese

Tuesday April 3

8:30 AM ............. Ambrosine Semper

Wednesday April 4 8:30 AM ............. In Thanksgiving for God’s Mercy and Grace

Thursday April 5 8:30 AM ............. In Thanksgiving to St. Michael

Friday April 6 8:30 AM ............. Morning Prayer Service

Saturday April 7 8:30 AM ............. Josephine Moor

Sunday April 8

5:00 PM .............. Josephine Moor

7:30 AM ............. Ralph G. D’Atri

8:45 AM ............. Rosa Martinez

11:00 AM ........... In Thanksgiving for Gloria Maffettone

12:30 PM ............ Fritz Cajuste & Marie Ange Pierre

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

April 8, 2018

Acts 4:32-35 Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

1 John 5:1-6 John 20:19-31

Bulletin Reflection

Alleluia! Christ is risen and is victorious over sin

and death! We are good stewards of our faith if, like

St. Paul, we share this good news whenever and

wherever we can.

Living Stewardship

We are grateful this week for all stewards in our

parish whose lives reflect the joy of Christ’s

Resurrection.

Golden Wedding Liturgy This spring, couples that have been married fifty years or

more will be honored at liturgies on Sunday, April 29th at

the Church of St. Rose of Lima in Massapequa. Registra-

tion forms and complete instructions can be obtained at

the parish center. Registration must be received by the

Office of Worship by April 13th If you have any ques-

tions, please call (516) 678-5800, Ext. 504.

6

7

A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH

A Reflection for Easter

————————–—————————Bishop Robert Barron————–———————————

Commencing in the 19th century and continuing stubbornly to the present day is an interpretation of the Res-

urrection of Jesus as one more iteration of the ancient myth of the dying and rising god. Just as Osiris or Dio-

nysus or Krishna symbolized the rhythms of nature or the ultimate triumph of good over evil, so Jesus, this

theory goes, expresses in mythic language the human longing for victory over death. But as C.S. Lewis so

trenchantly observed, the one who thinks that the accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus are mythic just hasn’t

read many myths.

One of the principal marks of mythic literature is a purposeful abstraction from history. This is why stories of

this type begin with “once upon a time,” or, to bring things up to date, “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far

away.” Precisely because they speak great generic truths, myths are not meant to be grounded in the particular-

ities of time and space.

But listen to Saint Peter’s kerygmatic sermon reported in the Acts of the Apostles: Y ou know what has hap-

pened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and

power. He is not lulling his audience with “once upon a time” musings; he is inviting them to remember a

very particular time and very particular places. And then, after declaring the fact of the Resurrection, Peter

says, with breathtaking directness: he [was made visible] to us...who ate and drank with him after he rose from

the dead. This is simply not the way myth-makers talk. This is the language of a man who is reporting some-

thing that happened.

To understand this is central to grasping the revolutionary power of Easter.

PARISH SOCIAL MINISTRY REPORT

INDIVIDUAL PARISH OUTREACH

MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION OF CLIENTS AND SERVICES

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 TO AUGUST 31, 2017

ST. MARTHA, UNIONDALE

(DEANERY 01—ROCKVILLE CENTRE

PERSONS SERVED AVERAGE NUMBER EACH MONTH PERCENT DISTRIBUTION

Children 0-18 years 309 37.4%

Adults 19-64 years 424 51.3%

Seniors 65+ years 94 11.4%

Total Persons 827 100%

DIRECT SERVICES PROVIDED

Food 564 41.7%

Housing 6 0.4%

Utilities 12 0.9%

Basic needs of living 473 35.0%

Other 297 22.0%

Total Services 1,352 100%

8

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Today the Church repeats, sings, shouts: “Jesus is Risen!” But why is this? Peter, John, the women went to the

sepulcher and it was empty. He was not there. They went away with their hearts closed in sadness, the sadness

of defeat: the Teacher, their Teacher, the One whom they loved so much, had been put to death; he is dead.

And there is no return from death. This is the defeat. This is the path of defeat, the path towards the sepulcher.

But the Angel says to them, He is not here, he is Risen.

It is the first announcement: “He is Risen.” And then the confusion, the closed hearts, the apparitions. But the

disciples stayed locked in the Upper Room the entire day because they were afraid that what happened to Jesus

would happen to them. The Church does not cease to say before our losses, our closed and fearful hearts:

“Stop, the Lord is Risen.” But if the Lord is Risen, why is it that these things happen? Why is it that there is so

much adversity: illness, human trafficking, human slavery, war, destruction, mutilation, vengeance, hatred?

Where is the Lord then?

Yesterday I phoned a young man with a grave illness, an educated young man, an engineer, and while talking

to him, to give him a sign of faith, I said: “There are no explanations for what is happening to you. Look at

Jesus on the cross. God did this to his Son, and there is no other explanation.” And he answered: “Yes, but he

asked his Son and the Son said ‘yes.’ I was not asked if I wanted this.” This moves us. None of us is asked:

“Are you happy with what is happening in the world? Are you willing to carry this cross further?” And the

cross goes forth and faith in Jesus comes down from it. Today, the Church continues to say: “Stop, Jesus is

Risen.” And this is not a fantasy. The Resurrection of Christ is not a celebration with many flowers. This is

beautiful, but this is not it. It is something more. It is the mystery of the discarded stone which becomes the

foundation of our existence. Christ is Risen. This is what it means.

In a throwaway culture where what is not needed is just used and disposed of, where what is not needed is

thrown away, that stone—Jesus the source of life—, is discarded. And with faith in the Risen Christ, we too,

pebbles on this earth of pain, tragedy, acquire meaning amid so many calamities. The sense to look beyond, the

sense to say: “Look, there is no wall; there is a horizon, there is life, there is joy, there is the cross with this

ambivalence. Look ahead, do not close within yourself. You pebble, acquire meaning in life because you are a

pebble near that rock, that stone which the evil of sin discarded.” What does the Church tell us today before so

many tragedies? Simply this: the discarded stone is not really discarded. The pebbles which believe and stick

to that stone are not discarded. They have meaning and it is with this sentiment that the Church repeats from

the bottom of her heart: “Christ is Risen.”

Let us think for a while, each of us, think about the daily problems, the illnesses we have been through or of

one that a relative has; let us think about wars, human tragedies, and with simplicity, with a humble voice,

without flowers, alone, before God, before us, let us say, “I do not know how this is, but I am certain that

Christ is Risen and I have put a wager on it.” Brothers and sisters, this is what I wanted to say to you. Go home

today repeating in your hearts: “Christ is Risen.”

POPE FRANCIS

9

Our Need to Pray

Fr. Ron Rolheiser—Week of March 18, 2018 Unless you somehow have a foot outside of your culture, the culture will swallow you whole. Daniel Berrigan wrote that

and it’s true too in this sense: Unless you can drink in strength from a source outside yourself, your natural proclivities

for paranoia, bitterness, and hatred will invariably swallow you whole.

The disciples in Luke’s Gospel understood this. They approached Jesus and asked him to teach them how to pray be-

cause they saw him doing things that they did not see anyone else doing. He was able to meet hatred with love, to genu-

inely forgive others, to endure misunderstanding and opposition without giving in to self-pity and bitterness, and to re-

tain within himself a center of peace and non-violence. This, they knew, was as extraordinary as walking on water, and

they sensed that he was drawing the strength to do this from a source outside him, through prayer.

They knew they themselves were incapable of resisting bitterness and hatred and they wanted to be as strong as Jesus

and so they asked him: Lord, teach us to pray. No doubt they imagined that this would simply be a question of learning a

certain technique; but as the Gospels make clear, linking to a divine source outside of ourselves isn’t always easy or au-

tomatic, even for Jesus, as we see from his struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, his “agony in the garden”.

Jesus, himself, had to struggle mightily at times to ground himself in God as we see from his prayer in Gethsemane. His

struggle there is described as an “agony”, and this needs to be carefully understood. “Agony” was a technical term used

at the time for athletes. Before entering the stadium or arena for a contest, athletes would first work their bodies into a

sweat, a warm lather, an agony, to make their muscles warm and ready for the contest. The Gospels tell us that Jesus also

worked himself into a sweat, except in his case he sweated blood as he readied himself in his heart for the contest, the

test, he was about to enter, his passion.

And what was that contest? The test he was readying himself for wasn’t as it is commonly believed an agonizing over

the decision whether to let himself be crucified or whether to invoke divine power and save himself from this humilia-

tion and death. That was never the issue in his struggle in Gethsemane. He had long before accepted that he was going to

die. The question was how, how would he die, in love or in bitterness?

In the end, it was a struggle to strengthen his will so that he would die with a loving, warm, forgiving heart. And it was a

struggle; a positive outcome was in doubt. Amidst all the darkness, hatred, bitterness, injustice, and misunderstanding

that surrounded him, amidst everything that stood unfairly against him and was antithetical to his person and message,

Jesus struggled mightily to cling to a source that could give him the strength to resist the hatred and violence around him,

that could give him the heart to forgive his enemies, that could give him the graciousness to forgive the good thief, and

that could give him the inner strength to turn humiliation, pain, and injustice into compassion rather than bitterness.

The Gospels put this metaphorically as a struggle to “stay awake”, namely, to stay awake to his inner identity as God’s

Beloved, an identity that he appropriated at his baptism and which shaped his very consciousness during all the years of

his ministry. In Gethsemane, amidst everything that invites him (and us) into moral amnesia, Jesus manages to stay

awake to his deeper reality and to his identity as God’s beloved. His disciples don’t. As the Gospels tell us, during Jesus’

great struggle they fell asleep and their sleep (“out of sheer sorrow”) was more than physical fatigue. This is evident

when, immediately after Jesus has managed to ground himself against hatred and non-violence, Peter succumbs to both

and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Peter was asleep, in more ways than one, in a sleep that signifies the ab-

sence of prayer in one’s life.

Prayer is meant to keep us awake, which means it’s meant to keep us connected to a source outside our of natural in-

stincts and proclivities which can keep us grounded in love, forgiveness, non-retaliation, and non-violence when every-

thing inside of us and around us screams for bitterness, hatred, and retaliation. And if Jesus had to sweat blood in trying

to stay connected to that source when he was tested, we can expect that the cost for us will be the same, struggle, agony,

wanting in every fiber of our being to give in, clinging to love precariously by the skin of our teeth, and then having

God’s angel strengthen us only when we’ve been writhing long enough in the struggle so that we can let God’s strength

do for us what our own strength cannot do.

Lord, teach us to pray!

10

11

Cada lunes, de 9:00 AM a 12:00 PM; miércoles, de 9:00 AM a 12:00 PM y 4:00 PM a

7:00 PM, el Padre César R. Bejarano, OFM se encuentra disponible en el Centro Parro-

quial para confesiones y dirección espiritual.

GRUPO DE ORACIÓN: Los miércoles, a las 7:00 PM en el gimnasio.

ULTREYA: Cada domingo, a las 11:00 AM en la Capilla.

JUVENTUD SIN FRONTERAS: Los jueves, a las 7:30 PM en el Salón Betania.

CORO HISPANO: Ensayos los viernes a las 8:00 PM en la Iglesia.

MINISTERIO DE ACOGIDA: Ministros que extienden la bienvenida y entregan las hojas de cantos a

los feligreses que van entrando a la Iglesia..

MOVIMIENTO FAMILIAR CATÓLICO: Se reúne cada 15 días. Para informarse,

llamen al 516- 554-4503 o al 965-7311..

CENACULO DIVINA MISERICORDIA: Cada mar tes, a las 7:00 PM en la Capilla.

MISA JUVENIL Y DE NIÑOS: Cada segundo domingo del mes.

LOS NIÑOS: Cada domingo los niños son convocados al Salón Betania para escuchar y compar tir las

enseñazas de las lecturas dominicales.

SOCIEDAD DE SAN VICENTE DE PAÚL: Cada pr imer y segundo domingo del mes, inmediatamen-

te después de la Misa, detrás del escenario.

CADA SEGUNDO Y CUARTO DOMINGO DEL MES: Están invitados a recibir la bendición por

cualquier motivo, después de la comunión.

EL SACRAMENTO DEL BAUTISMO: El tercer domingo de cada mes, a las 2:30 PM en la iglesia.

Para apuntarse, visite la oficina del Centro Parroquial.

DOMINGO DE PASCUA

Las lecturas de hoy nos ofrecen el testimonio de Pedro en el libro de los Hechos, la exhortación de Pablo a poner el co-

razón en las cosas del cielo porque Cristo ha resucitado y con Él resucitamos todos y la narración del evangelio de san

Juan, por la que María Magdalena es la primera de los discípulos en darse cuenta de que la tumba está vacía. De todos

los textos del día, sin embargo, es la hermosa Secuencia, la que resume los sucesos de la resurrección en un estilo poéti-

co maravilloso. De hecho, la resurrección de Cristo transformó la forma en la que los discípulos de Jesús se miraron a sí

mismos y miraron al mundo.. Este evento no sólo transformó la historia, sino que transformó a los hombres y mujeres

que buscaban a Dios y lo encontraban en el testimonio de aquellos que vivían en un estilo de vida no conocido en la so-

ciedad hasta ese momento: los esclavos y los ciudadanos libres compartían por igual de una cena especial (la Eucaristía),

por lo cual se llamaban “hermanos” y “hermanas”.

Reflexiones Pastorales de Juan J. Sosa, Presbítero / OCP

12

Mass Book is open:

Weekends: through 12/31/18

Weekdays: through 6/30/18

The Bread and Wine Calendar...

is now open until the end of July 2018

he list of names that will appear under this column will reflect ONLY those who are CRITICALLY ILL. The

individual or family member must contact the Parish Cen-ter in order to be placed on the Sick List. Please note the new email address the Parish Center at cnicholson@saintmartha.org (“PRAY FOR THE SICK” MUST APPEAR IN YOUR EMAIL’S SUBJECT LINE); or come by the Parish Center with your request in writing, no later than Monday. This list will be updated on a monthly basis.

Omnipotent and Eternal God, the everlasting Salvation of those who believe, hear us on behalf of Thy pitying mercy, that, with their bodily health restored, they may give thanks to Thee in Thy church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Helen Zeiser Sophia Kyriakaksis

Edith Lucchi Julienne Jacques

Olivia Gerboth Jazmine Martinez

Frank Brown Leopold Johnson

Ofelia de Torres Solange Bricourt

Lorraine Hardy

James W. Feeney, Jr. ........................................... +February 16, 2018

Joseph Laurice ..................................................... +February 18, 2018

Cecilia Pierre ............................................................ +March 11, 2018

Marie Lucienne Lavaud ............................................ +March 18, 2018

For everything you need to know in faith formation,

Visit WWW.DRVC-FAITH.ORG

Memorialize a loved one with a leaf on

our parish’s Tree of Life, located in

the Church Lobby. If you would like more infor-mation about this lovely memorial, please contact the

Parish Office at (516) 481-2550 Ext 301

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to my medical fund thus far. I found out my initial campaign (not run by me) has been shut down for an unknown reason. The first campaign helped cover my household bills from missed work, as well as smaller hospital bills. This new campaign is set up in hopes of paying back some of the $90k+ I owe as of now. (This is only one of the two surgeries I have had so far.) It is very possible I will have to claim bankruptcy if I can-not make a good dent. That is a very frightening thought as a single parent. For those of you who either have donated already, or cannot afford to, please do not feel obligated. I ask for prayers for myself and for my family. It has been a very rough couple of months. The new link is www.gofundme.com/lishanson. You can also leave donations at the Parish Center. Every little bit helps, and has helped. God bless and thank you so much. St. Martha’s has been incredible with your generosity.

~Elissa Hanson, Music Director

Dear Lord, As my life declines and my energies decrease,

more than ever hold me by

Your Power, that I may not offend You, but daily increase in Your Love.

Give me strength to work in Your Service till the last day of my life.

Help me to ever have an increasing dread of venial sin,

or whatever would cause the

slightest withdrawal of Your Love; all day long,

and at night keep me close to Your Heart; and should I die, ere the morning breaks,

may I go rejoicing

in that vision of Your entrancing beauty, never to be separated from You. Amen.

13

Vocation Prayer

Merciful Father, you sent your Son into the world to free us from the power of sin and evil. Grant that, through the intercession of

the Virgin Mary, our Mother of Mercy, many young men will respond to your call to give of themselves in imitation of Christ the Redeemer. Fill them with the light of your Holy Spirit that they may renounce the power of the world, proclaim truth and freedom, and bring consolation and relief to oppressed Chris-tians. Bless our family of Mercy with numerous holy priests and brothers who will offer our world the testimony of your faith and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN

Scripture Readings April 2—April 7

Monday, April 2 Acts 2 :14, 22 -33

Psalms 16 Matthew 28:8 -15

Tuesday, April 3 Acts 2 :36 -41

Psalm 33 John 20:11 -18

Wednesday, April 4 Acts 3 :1 -10 Psalm 105

Luke 24:13 -35

Thursday, April 5 Acts 3 :11 -26

Psalm 8 Luke 24:35 -48

Friday, April 6 Acts 4 :1 -12 Psalm 118

John 21:1 -14

Saturday , Apr i l 7 Acts 4 :13 -21 Psalm `118

Mark 16:9 -15

14

Social Ministry/Outreach Office Hours

Mon., Wed., Thurs., Fri. 10:00AM—2:00PM (516) 292-1603 or (516) 481-2550, Ext. 320

(English/Spanish/French/Creole)

An Immigration Consultant...

will be available at the Parish Social Ministry the second Wednesday of each month.

The next date will be on:

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 10:00AM - 1:00PM

Give us our daily bread

F I D E L I S C A R E

HEALTH INSURANCE

Is in Social Ministry every

Wednesday from 10AM–12 PM

Ask to see Soraya

Catholic Charities WIC 1000 N. Village Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY 11571 (516) 705-3645

FREE FOOD FOR THOSE IN NEED: For further information and income guidelines please call:

631-491-4166 in Suffolk or 516-623-4568 in Nassau

BABY ITEMS NEEDED: Diapers, diaper wipes, strollers and car seats that meet current standards.

ITEMS NEEDED: individual boxed milk (i.e., Parma-lat); toilet tissue, paper towels, personal care

items, gift certificates.

SHOPPING BAGS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED

This Week: Rice & Canned Vegetables

WHERE: Gathering Area

Some additional items needed: dry milk, peanut but-ter, jelly, rice, pinto beans, dry or canned beans and canned meat/fish.