this issue having a very catholicnorthcountrycatholic.org/cover/whole papers/2011/11-30-11... ·...

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C20 Back pew

YOUNG CATHOLIC VOICE

By Amanda ConklinContributing Writer

Let’s face it; everyone’sfamily drives them a littlenuts around the holidays.

Newlyweds look forwardto their first holidays as a new family

It’s humorous to thinkback to Christmas breaks ofyears past in high schooland college where I wantednothing more than to hangout with my friends until Iwas practically so boredthat I wanted to go back toschool. This year, as I celebrate

my first Christmas seasonas a wife, I find myself wish-ing I had treasured thosequirky times I had homewith family a little more. It’s been almost two

months since I’ve becomeMrs. Seth Conklin and whilebecoming adjusted to thefact that I have an extensionto my family now, the holi-day season couldn’t feelmore special. Something that has stood

out in my mind since ourwedding day was whensomeone shared that weshould always remember toask for the graces given tous on that day throughoutour marriage. As I prepared to have my

family over for my firstThanksgiving dinner, be-lieve me, I invoked thosegraces daily. I know that no matter how

much I prepare, how nice allof my new appliances lookand how perfect the center-piece matches my table run-ner that something willinevitably go awry. But that’s OK. After all, our very Savior’s

birth and the events leadingup to it weren’t “perfect” byhuman standards. Marywasn’t expecting an angel to

come to her and tell her thatshe was carrying the Son ofGod in her womb. I’m sure that it would

have been easy for SaintJoseph to sneak out theback door after the angel re-vealed the unexpected newsto him. And if you get a little

upset because your childrenbroke out the Christmastoys all over the living room15 minutes before for thein-laws arrive, think of howirritated Mary and Josephcould have been when shewas forced to give birth in amanger. So whether you’re married

or single, whether you’rehosting or attending, re-member this Advent seasonhow sometimes the littleunplanned things can leadto the most beautiful giftsof all.

Having a veryMarried Christmas

PHOTO BY PAUL HAMELINESeth and Amanda Conklin were marriedOct. 1 at St. Agnes Church in Lake Placidand are celebrating their first holidaystogether as husband and wife.

CATHOLICNORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 66, Number 30

NOV. 30, 2011

INSIDETHIS ISSUEReflections on thesecond Sunday ofAdvent l PAGE 4

Mission office looksfor some young artists l PAGE 19

A WELCOMEFROM JESUS

Diocesanfinancialreports

Young CatholicVoice

At the diocesanoffice buildings

A NEW CHURCH YEAR BEGINS

NCC FOR CHRISTMAS: The gift that keeps on giving, week after week... p. 20

Pope highlights Africa’s faith, joy

FULL STORY, PAGE 3

PHOTO BY VALERIE MATTHEWSA prayer garden featuring a statue ofJesus with outstretched arms hasbeen created on the grounds of thediocesan office buildings in Ogdens-burg. The prayer area was built withdonations from the children andgrandchildren of the late Lucien andMary Seymour of Ogdensburg. JaniceShoen, diocesan executive develop-ment director, said that the prayerarea acknowledges that the primarypurpose of the professional buildingsis to provide space for employees whoare working to spread the Catholicfaith.

CNS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/BOB ROLLERAdvent, a season of joyful expectation before Christmas, began Nov. 27 this year. The Advent wreath, with a candle markingeach week of the season, is a traditional symbol of the liturgical period. This year’s observance of the First Sunday of Adventalso marked the implementation of the New Roman Missal in parishes throughout the English speaking world.

New bride looks forward to

celebrating her first holidays

with her husband

The Diocesan Fiscal Officeprovides its annual opportu-nity to review the financialcondition of the Diocese ofOgdensburg through thepublication of the audited Fi-nancial Statement for the July1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 fis-cal year.About the report, Bishop

LaValley said, “it will becomequickly apparent that theChurch of the North Countryis blessed with extremelygenerous individuals whosupport the broad array ofministries of our localchurch.”

SPECIAL SECTION, PAGES 5-17

FULL STORY, PAGE 2

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Pope BenedictXVI said his second trip toAfrica left him convincedthat the joy and faith of thecontinent's people - espe-cially the young - represent ahope for all humanity. The pope made the re-

marks at his general audi-ence Nov. 23, three daysafter returning from a week-

end visit to Benin in WestAfrica, where he unveiled amajor document on the fu-ture of the church on thecontinent. The pope said the visit, in

particular the "unforgettable"Mass he celebrated for50,000 people in a Cotonoustadium, showed that faith inChrist is capable of uniting

generations and respondingto their expectations."Through the joy and enthu-siasm of the entire popula-tion, especially the childrenwho represent the future,one could see the freshnessof the 'yes' to life and theperception of reality in itsconnection with God." He said his meeting with

schoolchildren in Ouidahwas a highlight of the visit,demonstrating that Africahas a "reserve supply of vital-ity" that will help Catholics intheir task of evangelizing. His document, he said, was

designed to help Catholicslive their faith fully and be-come builders of commun-ion, peace and justice.”

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 19

OBITUARIESCarthage – James L. Gallagher Sr., 77; Fu-neral Services Nov. 23, 2011 at theBezanilla-McGraw Funeral Home.

Dannemora – Mealena (Dukett) Dubray,93; Funeral Nov. 22, 2011 at St. Joseph’sChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Dannemora – Ann (Elderbaum) Recore,80; Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.Joseph’s Church; burial in parish ceme-tery.

Ellenburg – Andrew “Andy” Miller, Sr., 78;Funeral Services Nov. 23, 2011 at St. Ed-mund’s Church; burial in WhisperingMaples Memorial Gardens.

Harrisville – Barbara A. (McMahon)Arnold, 81; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011at St. Francis Solanus Church.

Keeseville –Geraldine “Geri” Pratt Keefe,74; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011 at Im-maculate Conception Church; burial inImmaculate Conception Cemetery.

Keeseville – Virginia B. (Barber) Marsha,85; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011 at St.John’s Church; burial in parish cemetery.

Morrisonville – Madeline M. (Miner) Pel-lerin, 78; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011at St. Alexander’s Church; burial in parishcemetery.

Morristown – Thomas W. Ryan, 81; Fu-neral Services Nov. 19, 2011 at St. John’sChurch.

North Bangor - Marie Rose (Poirier) Mar-tin, 87; Funeral Services Nov. 14, 2011 atSt. Augustine Church; burial in ParishCemetery.

Plattsburgh – Irene M. (LaValley) Chase,70; Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.

Peter’s Church; burial in parish cemetery.

Plattsburgh – Monica V. (Burdo) Bouyea,70; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011 at St.Peter’s Church; burial in St. Peter’s Ceme-tery.

Port Henry – Paul T. LaMoria, 63; FuneralServices Nov. 22, 2011 at St. Patrick’sChurch; burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery,Moriah.

Port Henry – Joseph Veneto, 90; FuneralServices Nov. 19, 2011 at St. Patrick’sChurch; burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

Saranac Lake – Kay Rassman, 67; FuneralServices Nov. 23, 2011 at the Fortune-

Keough Funeral Home.

Saranac Lake – Eleanor Duquette Vitullo,86; Funeral Services Nov. 19, 2011 at St.Bernard’s Church; burial in St. Bernard’sCemetery.

Sciota – Loyal F. Badger, Sr., 88; FuneralServices Nov. 26, 2011 at St. Louis ofFrance; burial in parish cemetery.

Ticonderoga – Michael James Buckman,64; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011 at St.Mary’s Church.

Willsboro – Edward “Bud” Cushing, 90;Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.Philips Church.

The Society For

The Propagation Of The FaithSr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669(315) 393-2920; fax (315) [email protected]

Since its founding 160 years ago, the Holy ChildhoodAssociation (HCA) has had but one focus -- to bring thelove of Jesus to the world's children.

It’s time for the HCA Annual Christmas Artwork Contest

HCA's annual Christmas Artwork Contest is one waychildren in the United States express their love andcommitment to children in the missions. The contest isopen to all Catholic school, parish religious educationand home school students in kindergarten througheighth grade.Students who enter this annual contest could see their

artwork appear as Christmas e-greetings on HCA’s web-site for kids – www.hcakids.org – and displayed at theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Con-ception in Washington, D.C. during Advent and Christ-mas. Each year, twenty-three different drawings arechosen as winners and the artwork is reproduced asHCA Christmas e-greet-ings. One grand prizewinner is also selectedand his / her artwork isreproduced as the offi-cial Christmas card ofthe Pontifical MissionSocieties in the UnitedStates. All winners re-ceive a commemorativeplaque.To enter the contest,

please go towww.hcakids.com.There is an entry form that must be printed and at-tached to your artwork entry. All of the directions toproperly enter are listed on the entry form. Some ideasof themes for your artwork include The Nativity, ThreeWise Men, Shepherds, The Angel Gabriel. There havebeen finalists from the Diocese of Ogdensburg before,maybe this is our year for another winner. Any ques-tions on the contest can be directed to the Mission of-fice by calling 315-393-2920. Good luck

Please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith”when writing or changing your Will. www.dioogdensburg.org/missionoffice

Attention,little artists!

By Shannon HoppeArchdiocese of St. Louis, Grade 6 2010 finalist

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

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tober and every other week inJuly and August by the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes toNorth Country Catholic,

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As with every other family, ourdiocesan family has a responsibil-ity to keep its financial house inorder. It’s essential that the

people who support thisfamily of faith – thatwould be all of us – under-stand how our hard-earned contributions arespent.It’s with this in mind

that the diocesan FiscalOffice presents an annualreport in the North Coun-try Catholic each Novem-ber.So, this week’s paper is a

bit different from a nor-mal NCC – thirteen of the 20pages are devoted to charts andexplanations that are certain tocause a glazing of eyes for manyof us!But even those with little inter-

est in financial details are anxiousto know that we have honest,competent people taking care ofevery penny.And we certainly do!As Bishop LaValley writes, “I re-

ceive expert assistance from ourDiocesan Fiscal Officer, Michael

Tooley, and his very capable staffin the managing of the Church’sfinancial affairs.

“They continue to care-fully safeguard all thathas been entrusted to us,”the bishop said.We also can take com-

fort in the talent and ded-ication of the variousgroups which provide in-valuable advice to thebishop and his fiscal of-fice – the diocesan Fi-nance Council,Development Committeeand Diocesan InvestmentCommittee.The rest of us who are

working for the church under-stand that without financial re-sources, it would be impossibleto run Catholic schools, trainCatholic priests, deacons or laypersons or publish Catholic news-papers.So we join our bishop in thank-

ing Mike and his team of financialexperts. And we are grateful, too,for all the generous Catholics ofthe North Country who providethe funds that our fiscal friendsare charged with overseeing.

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C2 Diocesan Life

MSGR. ROBERT L. LAWLERVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

CHURCH: A FAMILY OF FAITH

Prepare a Way for the LordSecond Sunday of Advent - Dec. 3-4

By Sister Mary Eamon Lyng, SSJDirector of Evangelization

In today’s Gospel we John the Baptist whose message fits very well todayas it did in his time. His message is: Change your way of life, turn away fromsin, repent, because someone important is on his way here. These words are echoed in the reading from Isaiah as the voice of the

prophet cries out… “Prepare the way of the Lord”. A highway and a road areto be made so that God’s people may travel back with ease into the city ofJerusalem. Jerusalem was to become the herald of God’s good news. Thegood news is the presence of the Lord: “Here is your God!” The God announced to Zion was a God of power, a God who cares for His

people, shepherds the weakest and most venerable members of the flockwith special attention. Mark used part of the text from Isaiah to proclaim the good news of Jesus

Christ. What Isaiah said was important to the Marcan community. The mes-sage speaks of the mission of Jesus. The Gospel opens with a declaration of Jesus as the Son of God and im-

mediately introduces John the Baptist who in turn points to Jesus. John theBaptist heralds the message to the people to repent, acknowledge their sins,and undergo baptism for the forgiveness of sins. This sounds like a Lenten message but in this season of Advent, we recall

not only Jesus’ first coming, but also His coming to us anew each day, and toHis final coming. Repentance and conversion of sins are essential to ourpreparation for Jesus’ final coming. John the Baptist words encourage us tolet go of those things that hold us back from fully accepting the message ofthe Messiah.St. Peter speaks about another value in his letter about the virtue of pa-

tience. We tend to rush the Advent season by our hasty preparation towardsChristmas. We would rather “get through” Advent and into the “spirit” ofChristmas. Peter talks about God’s generous patience with us and with allcreation. How are we preparing our homes and our hearts for Christmas? How do

we prepare for quietly for the celebration of Christmas? Sometimes we an-ticipate Christmas too quickly, because we want it right now. So, too, withthe kingdom of God; we want to enjoy the fullness of it right now. Maybe weneed less the “to do’s” and more time to reflect on being present to one an-other.The new Eucharistic Prayer III makes us aware that “we look forward to

His second coming”. In the Liturgy of the Advent season, the Church wants us to experience

the joyful expectation of Jesus’ reign right now but it has not come fully. St. Peter reminds his community that the Day of the Lord will come and

that we are to conduct our lives “in holiness and devotion”. He is telling us tobe aware of who and what we really are and to behave accordingly. Living our Christian lives with constancy is our response to our call of

faith. If we do the ordinary things in our daily lives well with the awarenessof God’s presence within us, then the holiness of the Body of Christ growswith devotion and love. As a Church: A Family of Faith, we make the world a better place to live as

we prepare for the coming of the Lord by placing Christ in our lives and inour homes. During this Advent season, how have you prepared “a room” in your heart

for remembering the true meaning of Christmas? Open the door and let Him enter in!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Mary LouKilian

If you have a complaint of suspected misconduct involving diocesan clergy, religious, employ-ees or volunteers, contact the Episcopal Vicar for Religious Rev, James Seymour at 315-393-2920 or the Victims Assistance Coordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich,Adult & Youth CounselingServices of Northern New York, PO Box 2446, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail:[email protected]; Phone: 518-569-0612; Fax: 518-425-0401

TO REPORT ABUSE: UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION

Faithful stewardship

By Janice ShoenExecutive Director of Development

We all know someone spe-cial – someone we have ad-mired, respected and loved.

Relationships like these arepriceless and honoring thepeople who make them pos-sible can be especially grati-fying.This is what the families

of the late Lucien and Mary

Seymour are doing, finan-cially donating a Prayer Areain memory of their parentsand grandparents. The Seymours have been

a prominent Catholic familyin the Ogdensburg for gen-

erations which includedtheir sons and daughters:James (deceased), Robert,Thomas (deceased), AnnaDuPre’, David (deceased),Marie Morley, Ellen Bova andWilliam.Due to their extraordinary

generosity, this area hasbeen erected between theBishop’s Residence and theBrzana Building in the 600block of Washington Street. The statue of Jesus with

his outstretched arms ac-knowledges that the build-ings in this area ofOgdensburg are not justprofessional buildings butshows that it is the Catholicfaith that is the prime objec-tive in these structures. The brick walkway leads

to benches and then to thestatue of Jesus.

Benches have been placedon either side of the statueto provide a welcome areafor people to come and qui-etly pray.

The statue of Jesus with out-stretched arms on the grounds

of the diocesan buildingsshows that promoting theCatholic faith is the primeobjective of these buildings

The blessing and dedica-tion by Bishop Terry LaVal-ley of the Prayer Area willtake place in the spring.The Seymour Families,

Bishop LaValley and the en-tire Diocesan Staff welcomeyou to visit the Prayer Areafor quiet reflection.

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C18 around the diocese

CHRISTMAS BAZAARLake Placid – St. Agnes School will behaving a Christmas Bazaar.Date: Dec. 3Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Features: Baked goods, donuts, newgifts, crafts, toys, wreaths, trees, holidayplants & lots of raffle items. Vendorspace is available, please call 518-523-3771 for information.

NIGHT OF PRAYER FOR LIFEPlattsburgh –The Newman Center willparticipate in the 22nd National Night ofPrayer for Life.Date: Dec. 8Time: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.Features: Adoration of the BlessedSacrament during the 4 hours, closingwith Benediction. The purpose is to uniteour prayers with Catholics throughoutAmerica in an effort to help lead theworld to Christ and to bring about anend to abortion. The hours are chosen tocoincide with Our Lady of Guadalupe'sappearance to Juan Diego. Please comeand join us for an hour of prayer.

SETON DINNER & AUCTIONPlattsburgh – Seton will be havingits7th Annual Christmas Dinner andSilent Auction featuring turkey dinnerwith all the trimmings.Date: Dec. 4Time: Noon to 5 p.m.Place: Seton High SchoolCost: Adults-$9, Seniors (55+) $7, Chil-dren 12-5 years $5 and under 5 FREEand take outs $9. Those adults whobring an unwrapped toy or a food itemfor the needy will receive $1 offFeatures: Silent auction, cash raffle, cashand carry items and holiday wreaths.Benefits Seton Academy and SetonCatholic.

‘EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONPlattsburgh – Eucharistic Adoration isheld throughout the year every Wednes

day, Thursday, and Friday.Place: St. John’s Adoration Chapel, Time: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email us

at [email protected]: Immaculate Conception Church

CHRISTMAS BAZAARCrown Point – A Christmas Bazaar willbe held at Sacred Heart Church.Date: Dec. 3Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Features: A Cookie Walk, A Basket Raf-fle, Homemade items, Religious items,Arts & Crafts, White Elephant Table &baked goods, luncheon

CHRISTMAS TEANorth Bangor – The Catholic Communityof St. Augustine’s will hold its Annual“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” Christ-mas Tea.Date: Dec. 4Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Place: John C. Dwyer Parish CenterFeatures: Handmade crafts, a baketable, candy booth, cake walk, Chineseauction, raffles, etc. Christmas cookies,coffee, tea & punch will be available.

Homemade soup, sandwiches & sodawill be for sale.

DAY OF SHOPPINGClayton – St. Mary’s Church to offer a dayof shopping.Date: Dec. 1Time: Noon to 6 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Parish CenterFeatures: Food baskets, pre-made giftbaskets or "create your own" basket plusa variety of gift and food specialties

HOLIDAY FOOD FAIRClayton – St. Mary’s Church to offer theirHoliday Food Fair.Date: Dec. 3Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Cost: Food Fair $6.00; Children’s FamilyFun Room, Crafts and Lunch - Free; Pho-tos with Santa (size 4x6) $3.00Features: Tasting of over 50 specialfoods gift items prepared by parish-ioners, candy, fudge, gift baskets, bever-ages and inspirational items; Photoswith Santa; Children’s Fun Room includ-ing Christmas crafts and free lunch forchildren ages 3-12; Raffle - 10 drawingsfor a prize of $50 each at 1 p.m.

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL DINNEREvans Mills – A Spaghetti and MeatballDinner will be held to benefit the IndianRiver Council 7471 Knights of Columbus..Date: Dec. 10Time: 4 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Senior Citizens, $6; Chil-dren under 12, $5; under 5, Free

SPAGHETTI SUPPERWatertown – St. Anthony’s Altar RosaryChurch will be having Spaghetti Supper.Date: Dec. 1Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7Place: Msgr. Sechi HallCost: $8; children $4.50; under 3, free;sauce, $5 per quart meatballs are $.75Features: Take-out orders begin at 4p.m. Please bring your own containers

MYSTERY PLAYERSWatertown - The Immaculate HeartMystery Players will be performing thisAdvent Season.Schedule is as follows:Nov. 30: IHC in Watertown at 1 p.m.Dec. 4: at Sacred Heart Church in Water-town at 7 p.m.Dec. 11: St. Cyril’s in Alex Bay at 7 p.m.Dec. 18: Holy Family Church, 7:15 p.m.More information: ww.ihcschools.org/webpages/mysteryplay

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy Devotions forthe month of December to be held.Date: Dec. 4Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: : Vespers, Exposition of theMost Blessed Sacrament, Divine MercyChaplet (sung) and Benediction.

FIRST SATURDAY ROSARYMassena – St. Mary’s Church will have aspecial Rosary.Date: Dec. 3Time: 3 p.m.Features: The Rosary to Our Lady of Fa-tima will be prayed in reparation to HerImmaculate Heart and for World Peace,followed by a 15 minute private medita-tion on the Joyful Mysteries. Confessionwill be available. Anticipated Mass be-gins at 4:00 pm.

SHOWTIME CHRISTMAS CONCERTOgdensburg – Showtime’s AnnualChristmas Concert to benefit the Og-densburg Neighborhood Center spon-sored by the Msgr. A. D. CharbonneauCouncil 258 Knights of Columbus.Date: Dec. 4Time: 1:30 p.m.Place: OFA AuditoriumCost: Cash donation, canned goods

SPAGHETTI DINNERCanton – St. Mary’s School will be spon-soring a Spaghetti Dinner.

Date: Dec. 10Time: 5 p.m. to 7Place: St. Mary’s School GymCost: Adults, $8; Children 5-9, $5; Under5, FreeFeatures: The drawing for the Chevroletcar will take place at the dinner. Ticketsare $20 for 1, or $100 for 6. Tickets maybe obtained at the School, Rectory or byfilling out the form in the NCC.

K OF C BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: Dec. 11Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish Center; Take-outs availableCost: Adults, $6; Children under 12, $4;Under 5, Free; Family, $16

CRAFT FAIRGouverneur – St. James School will havea Craft Fair.Date: Dec. 3 Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Features: jewelry, woodcrafts, ceramics,stuffed animals, homemade dolls,leather goods, candles, knitted items,country crafts, Christmas ornaments anddecorations, baskets, etc. Paula Towne,local artist will be doing portraits. Over50 vendors will be there. Lunch will beavailable. Santa will visit at 1:30 p.m.Admission is a donation.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE STUDYPotsdam– Is there life after death? Doyou believe in God? Jesus? Is there aHeaven and Hell? Which Church should Iattend? These questions and more willbe answered at a weekly Catholic Scrip-ture Study on the Gospel of Matthew.Date: Beginning Dec. 5Time: 6 p.m.Place: Mayfield Apartments Commu-nity Room (call for directions)Contact: Chris LaRose Apt 221 315-403-8123 or [email protected]

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONMassena- St. Mary's & St. Joseph's hasAdoration every Friday.Time: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church. Features: First Friday of each month ispreceded by Benediction.

NOVENA FOR MILITARYOgdensburg - Notre Dame Church isholding a weekly novena for the safetyof U.S. military personnelDate: Tuesday eveningsTime : 6:30 p.m.

The North County Catholicwelcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”. Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:

North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 315-394-0670;e-mail [email protected].

Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

ESSEX

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCE

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 3

PHOTO BY MARY LOU KILIANThe children and grandchildren of Lucien and Mary Seymour of Ogdensburg have provided the funds to create a prayer area on hegrounds of the diocesan office buildings in Ogdensburg. The statue of Jesus with a brick walkway and benches has been erected be-tween the Bishop’s House and the Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana Pastoral Center on the 600 block of Washington Street. Bishop LaValleywill bless and dedicate the statue and prayer area in the spring.

Janice Shoen, executive director of development, has announced thatlower rates of return for Charitable Gift Annuities will come into effectJan. 1, 2012. In a Charitable Gift Annuity, the donor transfers cash or se-curities to the Diocese of Ogdensburg in exchange for a fixed incomefor life. Further information is available from Mrs. Shoen at 315-393-2920 or email [email protected].

More details will appear in next week’s NCC.

Act today for best rates for Charitable Gift Annuities

Prayer area created through memorial donationsStatue of Jesus brought to Chancery grounds through generosity of Seymour families

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C financial reports 17N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1

N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C4 Diocesan LifeSCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Today, on this SecondSunday of Advent, John theBaptist takes center stage.It’s the Gospel about thiswild man in camel skin whoate wild honey andlocusts. What asight! He must havebeen! Thousandsof people flocked tothe desert to seethis strange crea-ture and to hear hismessage, PREPAREYE THE WAY OF THELORD! It was verylike the prophecy ofSecond Isaiah thatwe hear in today’sfirst reading. Thosewords came fromGod hundreds of years be-fore, announcing an end tothe Babylonian captivity:“Make straight in the waste-land a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filledin, every mountain and hillshall be made low. Then theglory of the Lord will be re-vealed.”

Now it is a message forthe Jews of John’s time tolook again at a carpenter ofhumble appearance in theirmidst named Jesus who was

already making astir in the syna-gogues of Galileeand Judea. Theymust repent of theirsins and be bap-tized.Like many older

people, I noticed afew years ago thatmy eyesight was alittle cloudy. Ofcourse, it was fromcataracts. After myopthamologist re-moved them, I could

suddenly see more clearlythan I had in many years. Itwas like a miracle.Advent is a time for us to

remove the spiritualcataracts that keep us fromseeing clearly. How andwhat we see influences sopowerfully how we judgepeople and events in ourworld. Look how wrong thepeople of John’s time werein how they judged Eventhough the Jews rushed outto the desert to see this odd,fascinating figure they re-ferred to as John the Bap-

tizer, how many were justcurious to see the spectacle.True, a number took toheart his warnings to repentof their sins. They even letthis strange man baptizethem in the Jordan. Buthow many others justlaughed at the show and for-got about him the followingweek. We need, all of us, tosee as God sees!How can we make this

Advent a time for new vi-sion and understand thestupendous truth of Godcoming to earth as a littlechild?. Even though therewill be thousands of glitter-ing Christmas lights allaround us, how can I getexcited at another break-through into our dark worldof the dazzling light ofJesus, my Lord and Mes-siah? It takes deep reflec-tion to appreciate the realityof history. What humility it

took for God to come as anordinary poor man. Forthirty whole years, no onenoticed Him except a fewpoor shepherds and someforeign scholars we call the“wise men”. The Lord ex-pects much more from us.Advent is a dangerous

season if we see it merelywith the eyes of an increas-ingly unreligious society.Advent is a time to prepareto really see the coming ofthe Messiah as both histori-cal event and as presentmiracle. I must work everyday at improving my spiri-tual vision through readingand prayer, so that a kind ofmiracle can happen to mepersonally.This Second Sunday is an

important one, for it callsforth from all of us new ef-forts at heeding the voice ofJohn the Baptizer. Johnpreached a message of re-pentance for spiritual blind-ness. He proclaimed thecoming of Light into dark-ness, a Light by which,through works of Love andJustice, we could build ahighway toward eventualPeace. Advent is a time forpatience, penance, and re-newal of heart.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

Second Sunday of AdventREADINGS

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-112 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8

Dec. 4

Nov. 22 – Dec. 2 - Ad Limina Visit inRomeDec. 2 – 7:00 p.m., Canon Law Classfor Deacon Aspirants at WadhamsHall in Ogdensburg.Dec. 4 - 8:00 a.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral in Ogdensburg.Dec. 5 – 9:00 a.m., Prayer Serviceand Visit to St. Bernard’s School inSaranac Lake; 7:15 p.m., Novena andMass at the Deacon Winter Chapel inOgdensburg.Dec. 6 – 10:00 a.m., Diocesan and De-partment Heads Meeting at Wad-hams Hall in Ogdensburg.

Bishop LaValley’s Schedule

This week marks the anniversaryof the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served inthe Diocese of Ogdensburg

Dec. 1 – Rev. Charles Goulet, 1913;Rev. George J. Bouchard, 1967Dec. 2 – Rev. Charles Desrosiers,1944; Rev. Joseph A. R. Cote, 1969;Rev. Joseph Fortier, M.S.C., 1970Dec. 3 – Rev. Michael O’Neill, 1899;Msgr. Walter Funcke, 1958Dec. 4 – Msgr. James Mackey, 1883;Msgr. Joseph Patrick Heslin, 1962; Rev. Charles A. Flaherty, 1974Dec. 5 – Rev. Michael Hallahan, 1891;Bishop Edgar P. Wadhams, D.D, 1891Dec. 6 – Rev. Edward F. O’Brien, 1936

Rest in Peace

‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord’


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N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C4 Diocesan LifeSCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Today, on this SecondSunday of Advent, John theBaptist takes center stage.It’s the Gospel about thiswild man in camel skin whoate wild honey andlocusts. What asight! He must havebeen! Thousandsof people flocked tothe desert to seethis strange crea-ture and to hear hismessage, PREPAREYE THE WAY OF THELORD! It was verylike the prophecy ofSecond Isaiah thatwe hear in today’sfirst reading. Thosewords came fromGod hundreds of years be-fore, announcing an end tothe Babylonian captivity:“Make straight in the waste-land a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filledin, every mountain and hillshall be made low. Then theglory of the Lord will be re-vealed.”

Now it is a message forthe Jews of John’s time tolook again at a carpenter ofhumble appearance in theirmidst named Jesus who was

already making astir in the syna-gogues of Galileeand Judea. Theymust repent of theirsins and be bap-tized.Like many older

people, I noticed afew years ago thatmy eyesight was alittle cloudy. Ofcourse, it was fromcataracts. After myopthamologist re-moved them, I could

suddenly see more clearlythan I had in many years. Itwas like a miracle.Advent is a time for us to

remove the spiritualcataracts that keep us fromseeing clearly. How andwhat we see influences sopowerfully how we judgepeople and events in ourworld. Look how wrong thepeople of John’s time werein how they judged Eventhough the Jews rushed outto the desert to see this odd,fascinating figure they re-ferred to as John the Bap-

tizer, how many were justcurious to see the spectacle.True, a number took toheart his warnings to repentof their sins. They even letthis strange man baptizethem in the Jordan. Buthow many others justlaughed at the show and for-got about him the followingweek. We need, all of us, tosee as God sees!How can we make this

Advent a time for new vi-sion and understand thestupendous truth of Godcoming to earth as a littlechild?. Even though therewill be thousands of glitter-ing Christmas lights allaround us, how can I getexcited at another break-through into our dark worldof the dazzling light ofJesus, my Lord and Mes-siah? It takes deep reflec-tion to appreciate the realityof history. What humility it

took for God to come as anordinary poor man. Forthirty whole years, no onenoticed Him except a fewpoor shepherds and someforeign scholars we call the“wise men”. The Lord ex-pects much more from us.Advent is a dangerous

season if we see it merelywith the eyes of an increas-ingly unreligious society.Advent is a time to prepareto really see the coming ofthe Messiah as both histori-cal event and as presentmiracle. I must work everyday at improving my spiri-tual vision through readingand prayer, so that a kind ofmiracle can happen to mepersonally.This Second Sunday is an

important one, for it callsforth from all of us new ef-forts at heeding the voice ofJohn the Baptizer. Johnpreached a message of re-pentance for spiritual blind-ness. He proclaimed thecoming of Light into dark-ness, a Light by which,through works of Love andJustice, we could build ahighway toward eventualPeace. Advent is a time forpatience, penance, and re-newal of heart.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

Second Sunday of AdventREADINGS

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-112 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8

Dec. 4

Nov. 22 – Dec. 2 - Ad Limina Visit inRomeDec. 2 – 7:00 p.m., Canon Law Classfor Deacon Aspirants at WadhamsHall in Ogdensburg.Dec. 4 - 8:00 a.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral in Ogdensburg.Dec. 5 – 9:00 a.m., Prayer Serviceand Visit to St. Bernard’s School inSaranac Lake; 7:15 p.m., Novena andMass at the Deacon Winter Chapel inOgdensburg.Dec. 6 – 10:00 a.m., Diocesan and De-partment Heads Meeting at Wad-hams Hall in Ogdensburg.

Bishop LaValley’s Schedule

This week marks the anniversaryof the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served inthe Diocese of Ogdensburg

Dec. 1 – Rev. Charles Goulet, 1913;Rev. George J. Bouchard, 1967Dec. 2 – Rev. Charles Desrosiers,1944; Rev. Joseph A. R. Cote, 1969;Rev. Joseph Fortier, M.S.C., 1970Dec. 3 – Rev. Michael O’Neill, 1899;Msgr. Walter Funcke, 1958Dec. 4 – Msgr. James Mackey, 1883;Msgr. Joseph Patrick Heslin, 1962; Rev. Charles A. Flaherty, 1974Dec. 5 – Rev. Michael Hallahan, 1891;Bishop Edgar P. Wadhams, D.D, 1891Dec. 6 – Rev. Edward F. O’Brien, 1936

Rest in Peace

‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord’

By Janice ShoenExecutive Director of Development

We all know someone spe-cial – someone we have ad-mired, respected and loved.

Relationships like these arepriceless and honoring thepeople who make them pos-sible can be especially grati-fying.This is what the families

of the late Lucien and Mary

Seymour are doing, finan-cially donating a Prayer Areain memory of their parentsand grandparents. The Seymours have been

a prominent Catholic familyin the Ogdensburg for gen-

erations which includedtheir sons and daughters:James (deceased), Robert,Thomas (deceased), AnnaDuPre’, David (deceased),Marie Morley, Ellen Bova andWilliam.Due to their extraordinary

generosity, this area hasbeen erected between theBishop’s Residence and theBrzana Building in the 600block of Washington Street. The statue of Jesus with

his outstretched arms ac-knowledges that the build-ings in this area ofOgdensburg are not justprofessional buildings butshows that it is the Catholicfaith that is the prime objec-tive in these structures. The brick walkway leads

to benches and then to thestatue of Jesus.

Benches have been placedon either side of the statueto provide a welcome areafor people to come and qui-etly pray.

The statue of Jesus with out-stretched arms on the grounds

of the diocesan buildingsshows that promoting theCatholic faith is the primeobjective of these buildings

The blessing and dedica-tion by Bishop Terry LaVal-ley of the Prayer Area willtake place in the spring.The Seymour Families,

Bishop LaValley and the en-tire Diocesan Staff welcomeyou to visit the Prayer Areafor quiet reflection.

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C18 around the diocese

CHRISTMAS BAZAARLake Placid – St. Agnes School will behaving a Christmas Bazaar.Date: Dec. 3Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Features: Baked goods, donuts, newgifts, crafts, toys, wreaths, trees, holidayplants & lots of raffle items. Vendorspace is available, please call 518-523-3771 for information.

NIGHT OF PRAYER FOR LIFEPlattsburgh –The Newman Center willparticipate in the 22nd National Night ofPrayer for Life.Date: Dec. 8Time: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.Features: Adoration of the BlessedSacrament during the 4 hours, closingwith Benediction. The purpose is to uniteour prayers with Catholics throughoutAmerica in an effort to help lead theworld to Christ and to bring about anend to abortion. The hours are chosen tocoincide with Our Lady of Guadalupe'sappearance to Juan Diego. Please comeand join us for an hour of prayer.

SETON DINNER & AUCTIONPlattsburgh – Seton will be havingits7th Annual Christmas Dinner andSilent Auction featuring turkey dinnerwith all the trimmings.Date: Dec. 4Time: Noon to 5 p.m.Place: Seton High SchoolCost: Adults-$9, Seniors (55+) $7, Chil-dren 12-5 years $5 and under 5 FREEand take outs $9. Those adults whobring an unwrapped toy or a food itemfor the needy will receive $1 offFeatures: Silent auction, cash raffle, cashand carry items and holiday wreaths.Benefits Seton Academy and SetonCatholic.

‘EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONPlattsburgh – Eucharistic Adoration isheld throughout the year every Wednes

day, Thursday, and Friday.Place: St. John’s Adoration Chapel, Time: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email us

at [email protected]: Immaculate Conception Church

CHRISTMAS BAZAARCrown Point – A Christmas Bazaar willbe held at Sacred Heart Church.Date: Dec. 3Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Features: A Cookie Walk, A Basket Raf-fle, Homemade items, Religious items,Arts & Crafts, White Elephant Table &baked goods, luncheon

CHRISTMAS TEANorth Bangor – The Catholic Communityof St. Augustine’s will hold its Annual“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” Christ-mas Tea.Date: Dec. 4Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Place: John C. Dwyer Parish CenterFeatures: Handmade crafts, a baketable, candy booth, cake walk, Chineseauction, raffles, etc. Christmas cookies,coffee, tea & punch will be available.

Homemade soup, sandwiches & sodawill be for sale.

DAY OF SHOPPINGClayton – St. Mary’s Church to offer a dayof shopping.Date: Dec. 1Time: Noon to 6 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Parish CenterFeatures: Food baskets, pre-made giftbaskets or "create your own" basket plusa variety of gift and food specialties

HOLIDAY FOOD FAIRClayton – St. Mary’s Church to offer theirHoliday Food Fair.Date: Dec. 3Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Cost: Food Fair $6.00; Children’s FamilyFun Room, Crafts and Lunch - Free; Pho-tos with Santa (size 4x6) $3.00Features: Tasting of over 50 specialfoods gift items prepared by parish-ioners, candy, fudge, gift baskets, bever-ages and inspirational items; Photoswith Santa; Children’s Fun Room includ-ing Christmas crafts and free lunch forchildren ages 3-12; Raffle - 10 drawingsfor a prize of $50 each at 1 p.m.

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL DINNEREvans Mills – A Spaghetti and MeatballDinner will be held to benefit the IndianRiver Council 7471 Knights of Columbus..Date: Dec. 10Time: 4 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Senior Citizens, $6; Chil-dren under 12, $5; under 5, Free

SPAGHETTI SUPPERWatertown – St. Anthony’s Altar RosaryChurch will be having Spaghetti Supper.Date: Dec. 1Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7Place: Msgr. Sechi HallCost: $8; children $4.50; under 3, free;sauce, $5 per quart meatballs are $.75Features: Take-out orders begin at 4p.m. Please bring your own containers

MYSTERY PLAYERSWatertown - The Immaculate HeartMystery Players will be performing thisAdvent Season.Schedule is as follows:Nov. 30: IHC in Watertown at 1 p.m.Dec. 4: at Sacred Heart Church in Water-town at 7 p.m.Dec. 11: St. Cyril’s in Alex Bay at 7 p.m.Dec. 18: Holy Family Church, 7:15 p.m.More information: ww.ihcschools.org/webpages/mysteryplay

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy Devotions forthe month of December to be held.Date: Dec. 4Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: : Vespers, Exposition of theMost Blessed Sacrament, Divine MercyChaplet (sung) and Benediction.

FIRST SATURDAY ROSARYMassena – St. Mary’s Church will have aspecial Rosary.Date: Dec. 3Time: 3 p.m.Features: The Rosary to Our Lady of Fa-tima will be prayed in reparation to HerImmaculate Heart and for World Peace,followed by a 15 minute private medita-tion on the Joyful Mysteries. Confessionwill be available. Anticipated Mass be-gins at 4:00 pm.

SHOWTIME CHRISTMAS CONCERTOgdensburg – Showtime’s AnnualChristmas Concert to benefit the Og-densburg Neighborhood Center spon-sored by the Msgr. A. D. CharbonneauCouncil 258 Knights of Columbus.Date: Dec. 4Time: 1:30 p.m.Place: OFA AuditoriumCost: Cash donation, canned goods

SPAGHETTI DINNERCanton – St. Mary’s School will be spon-soring a Spaghetti Dinner.

Date: Dec. 10Time: 5 p.m. to 7Place: St. Mary’s School GymCost: Adults, $8; Children 5-9, $5; Under5, FreeFeatures: The drawing for the Chevroletcar will take place at the dinner. Ticketsare $20 for 1, or $100 for 6. Tickets maybe obtained at the School, Rectory or byfilling out the form in the NCC.

K OF C BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: Dec. 11Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish Center; Take-outs availableCost: Adults, $6; Children under 12, $4;Under 5, Free; Family, $16

CRAFT FAIRGouverneur – St. James School will havea Craft Fair.Date: Dec. 3 Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Features: jewelry, woodcrafts, ceramics,stuffed animals, homemade dolls,leather goods, candles, knitted items,country crafts, Christmas ornaments anddecorations, baskets, etc. Paula Towne,local artist will be doing portraits. Over50 vendors will be there. Lunch will beavailable. Santa will visit at 1:30 p.m.Admission is a donation.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE STUDYPotsdam– Is there life after death? Doyou believe in God? Jesus? Is there aHeaven and Hell? Which Church should Iattend? These questions and more willbe answered at a weekly Catholic Scrip-ture Study on the Gospel of Matthew.Date: Beginning Dec. 5Time: 6 p.m.Place: Mayfield Apartments Commu-nity Room (call for directions)Contact: Chris LaRose Apt 221 315-403-8123 or [email protected]

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONMassena- St. Mary's & St. Joseph's hasAdoration every Friday.Time: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church. Features: First Friday of each month ispreceded by Benediction.

NOVENA FOR MILITARYOgdensburg - Notre Dame Church isholding a weekly novena for the safetyof U.S. military personnelDate: Tuesday eveningsTime : 6:30 p.m.

The North County Catholicwelcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”. Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:

North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 315-394-0670;e-mail [email protected].

Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

ESSEX

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCE

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 3

PHOTO BY MARY LOU KILIANThe children and grandchildren of Lucien and Mary Seymour of Ogdensburg have provided the funds to create a prayer area on hegrounds of the diocesan office buildings in Ogdensburg. The statue of Jesus with a brick walkway and benches has been erected be-tween the Bishop’s House and the Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana Pastoral Center on the 600 block of Washington Street. Bishop LaValleywill bless and dedicate the statue and prayer area in the spring.

Janice Shoen, executive director of development, has announced thatlower rates of return for Charitable Gift Annuities will come into effectJan. 1, 2012. In a Charitable Gift Annuity, the donor transfers cash or se-curities to the Diocese of Ogdensburg in exchange for a fixed incomefor life. Further information is available from Mrs. Shoen at 315-393-2920 or email [email protected].

More details will appear in next week’s NCC.

Act today for best rates for Charitable Gift Annuities

Prayer area created through memorial donationsStatue of Jesus brought to Chancery grounds through generosity of Seymour families

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 19

OBITUARIESCarthage – James L. Gallagher Sr., 77; Fu-neral Services Nov. 23, 2011 at theBezanilla-McGraw Funeral Home.

Dannemora – Mealena (Dukett) Dubray,93; Funeral Nov. 22, 2011 at St. Joseph’sChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Dannemora – Ann (Elderbaum) Recore,80; Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.Joseph’s Church; burial in parish ceme-tery.

Ellenburg – Andrew “Andy” Miller, Sr., 78;Funeral Services Nov. 23, 2011 at St. Ed-mund’s Church; burial in WhisperingMaples Memorial Gardens.

Harrisville – Barbara A. (McMahon)Arnold, 81; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011at St. Francis Solanus Church.

Keeseville –Geraldine “Geri” Pratt Keefe,74; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011 at Im-maculate Conception Church; burial inImmaculate Conception Cemetery.

Keeseville – Virginia B. (Barber) Marsha,85; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011 at St.John’s Church; burial in parish cemetery.

Morrisonville – Madeline M. (Miner) Pel-lerin, 78; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011at St. Alexander’s Church; burial in parishcemetery.

Morristown – Thomas W. Ryan, 81; Fu-neral Services Nov. 19, 2011 at St. John’sChurch.

North Bangor - Marie Rose (Poirier) Mar-tin, 87; Funeral Services Nov. 14, 2011 atSt. Augustine Church; burial in ParishCemetery.

Plattsburgh – Irene M. (LaValley) Chase,70; Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.

Peter’s Church; burial in parish cemetery.

Plattsburgh – Monica V. (Burdo) Bouyea,70; Funeral Services Nov. 25, 2011 at St.Peter’s Church; burial in St. Peter’s Ceme-tery.

Port Henry – Paul T. LaMoria, 63; FuneralServices Nov. 22, 2011 at St. Patrick’sChurch; burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery,Moriah.

Port Henry – Joseph Veneto, 90; FuneralServices Nov. 19, 2011 at St. Patrick’sChurch; burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

Saranac Lake – Kay Rassman, 67; FuneralServices Nov. 23, 2011 at the Fortune-

Keough Funeral Home.

Saranac Lake – Eleanor Duquette Vitullo,86; Funeral Services Nov. 19, 2011 at St.Bernard’s Church; burial in St. Bernard’sCemetery.

Sciota – Loyal F. Badger, Sr., 88; FuneralServices Nov. 26, 2011 at St. Louis ofFrance; burial in parish cemetery.

Ticonderoga – Michael James Buckman,64; Funeral Services Nov. 22, 2011 at St.Mary’s Church.

Willsboro – Edward “Bud” Cushing, 90;Funeral Services Nov. 21, 2011 at St.Philips Church.

The Society For

The Propagation Of The FaithSr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669(315) 393-2920; fax (315) [email protected]

Since its founding 160 years ago, the Holy ChildhoodAssociation (HCA) has had but one focus -- to bring thelove of Jesus to the world's children.

It’s time for the HCA Annual Christmas Artwork Contest

HCA's annual Christmas Artwork Contest is one waychildren in the United States express their love andcommitment to children in the missions. The contest isopen to all Catholic school, parish religious educationand home school students in kindergarten througheighth grade.Students who enter this annual contest could see their

artwork appear as Christmas e-greetings on HCA’s web-site for kids – www.hcakids.org – and displayed at theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Con-ception in Washington, D.C. during Advent and Christ-mas. Each year, twenty-three different drawings arechosen as winners and the artwork is reproduced asHCA Christmas e-greet-ings. One grand prizewinner is also selectedand his / her artwork isreproduced as the offi-cial Christmas card ofthe Pontifical MissionSocieties in the UnitedStates. All winners re-ceive a commemorativeplaque.To enter the contest,

please go towww.hcakids.com.There is an entry form that must be printed and at-tached to your artwork entry. All of the directions toproperly enter are listed on the entry form. Some ideasof themes for your artwork include The Nativity, ThreeWise Men, Shepherds, The Angel Gabriel. There havebeen finalists from the Diocese of Ogdensburg before,maybe this is our year for another winner. Any ques-tions on the contest can be directed to the Mission of-fice by calling 315-393-2920. Good luck

Please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith”when writing or changing your Will. www.dioogdensburg.org/missionoffice

Attention,little artists!

By Shannon HoppeArchdiocese of St. Louis, Grade 6 2010 finalist

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

Box 326Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669

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Publish 45 is-sues per year:weekly exceptissue after

Christmas, oneweek in April,on week in Oc-

tober and every other week inJuly and August by the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

622 Washington Street, Og-densburg, N.Y. 13669.

Editorial Office: 622 Washington Street, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669.

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catholic.org

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Paper is printed each Monday;

dateline is Wednesday.Member, Catholic Press

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes toNorth Country Catholic,

PO Box 326Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0326

As with every other family, ourdiocesan family has a responsibil-ity to keep its financial house inorder. It’s essential that the

people who support thisfamily of faith – thatwould be all of us – under-stand how our hard-earned contributions arespent.It’s with this in mind

that the diocesan FiscalOffice presents an annualreport in the North Coun-try Catholic each Novem-ber.So, this week’s paper is a

bit different from a nor-mal NCC – thirteen of the 20pages are devoted to charts andexplanations that are certain tocause a glazing of eyes for manyof us!But even those with little inter-

est in financial details are anxiousto know that we have honest,competent people taking care ofevery penny.And we certainly do!As Bishop LaValley writes, “I re-

ceive expert assistance from ourDiocesan Fiscal Officer, Michael

Tooley, and his very capable staffin the managing of the Church’sfinancial affairs.

“They continue to care-fully safeguard all thathas been entrusted to us,”the bishop said.We also can take com-

fort in the talent and ded-ication of the variousgroups which provide in-valuable advice to thebishop and his fiscal of-fice – the diocesan Fi-nance Council,Development Committeeand Diocesan InvestmentCommittee.The rest of us who are

working for the church under-stand that without financial re-sources, it would be impossibleto run Catholic schools, trainCatholic priests, deacons or laypersons or publish Catholic news-papers.So we join our bishop in thank-

ing Mike and his team of financialexperts. And we are grateful, too,for all the generous Catholics ofthe North Country who providethe funds that our fiscal friendsare charged with overseeing.

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C2 Diocesan Life

MSGR. ROBERT L. LAWLERVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

CHURCH: A FAMILY OF FAITH

Prepare a Way for the LordSecond Sunday of Advent - Dec. 3-4

By Sister Mary Eamon Lyng, SSJDirector of Evangelization

In today’s Gospel we John the Baptist whose message fits very well todayas it did in his time. His message is: Change your way of life, turn away fromsin, repent, because someone important is on his way here. These words are echoed in the reading from Isaiah as the voice of the

prophet cries out… “Prepare the way of the Lord”. A highway and a road areto be made so that God’s people may travel back with ease into the city ofJerusalem. Jerusalem was to become the herald of God’s good news. Thegood news is the presence of the Lord: “Here is your God!” The God announced to Zion was a God of power, a God who cares for His

people, shepherds the weakest and most venerable members of the flockwith special attention. Mark used part of the text from Isaiah to proclaim the good news of Jesus

Christ. What Isaiah said was important to the Marcan community. The mes-sage speaks of the mission of Jesus. The Gospel opens with a declaration of Jesus as the Son of God and im-

mediately introduces John the Baptist who in turn points to Jesus. John theBaptist heralds the message to the people to repent, acknowledge their sins,and undergo baptism for the forgiveness of sins. This sounds like a Lenten message but in this season of Advent, we recall

not only Jesus’ first coming, but also His coming to us anew each day, and toHis final coming. Repentance and conversion of sins are essential to ourpreparation for Jesus’ final coming. John the Baptist words encourage us tolet go of those things that hold us back from fully accepting the message ofthe Messiah.St. Peter speaks about another value in his letter about the virtue of pa-

tience. We tend to rush the Advent season by our hasty preparation towardsChristmas. We would rather “get through” Advent and into the “spirit” ofChristmas. Peter talks about God’s generous patience with us and with allcreation. How are we preparing our homes and our hearts for Christmas? How do

we prepare for quietly for the celebration of Christmas? Sometimes we an-ticipate Christmas too quickly, because we want it right now. So, too, withthe kingdom of God; we want to enjoy the fullness of it right now. Maybe weneed less the “to do’s” and more time to reflect on being present to one an-other.The new Eucharistic Prayer III makes us aware that “we look forward to

His second coming”. In the Liturgy of the Advent season, the Church wants us to experience

the joyful expectation of Jesus’ reign right now but it has not come fully. St. Peter reminds his community that the Day of the Lord will come and

that we are to conduct our lives “in holiness and devotion”. He is telling us tobe aware of who and what we really are and to behave accordingly. Living our Christian lives with constancy is our response to our call of

faith. If we do the ordinary things in our daily lives well with the awarenessof God’s presence within us, then the holiness of the Body of Christ growswith devotion and love. As a Church: A Family of Faith, we make the world a better place to live as

we prepare for the coming of the Lord by placing Christ in our lives and inour homes. During this Advent season, how have you prepared “a room” in your heart

for remembering the true meaning of Christmas? Open the door and let Him enter in!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Mary LouKilian

If you have a complaint of suspected misconduct involving diocesan clergy, religious, employ-ees or volunteers, contact the Episcopal Vicar for Religious Rev, James Seymour at 315-393-2920 or the Victims Assistance Coordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich,Adult & Youth CounselingServices of Northern New York, PO Box 2446, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail:[email protected]; Phone: 518-569-0612; Fax: 518-425-0401

TO REPORT ABUSE: UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION

Faithful stewardship

N O V . 3 0 , 2 0 1 1N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C20 Back pew

YOUNG CATHOLIC VOICE

By Amanda ConklinContributing Writer

Let’s face it; everyone’sfamily drives them a littlenuts around the holidays.

Newlyweds look forwardto their first holidays as a new family

It’s humorous to thinkback to Christmas breaks ofyears past in high schooland college where I wantednothing more than to hangout with my friends until Iwas practically so boredthat I wanted to go back toschool. This year, as I celebrate

my first Christmas seasonas a wife, I find myself wish-ing I had treasured thosequirky times I had homewith family a little more. It’s been almost two

months since I’ve becomeMrs. Seth Conklin and whilebecoming adjusted to thefact that I have an extensionto my family now, the holi-day season couldn’t feelmore special. Something that has stood

out in my mind since ourwedding day was whensomeone shared that weshould always remember toask for the graces given tous on that day throughoutour marriage. As I prepared to have my

family over for my firstThanksgiving dinner, be-lieve me, I invoked thosegraces daily. I know that no matter how

much I prepare, how nice allof my new appliances lookand how perfect the center-piece matches my table run-ner that something willinevitably go awry. But that’s OK. After all, our very Savior’s

birth and the events leadingup to it weren’t “perfect” byhuman standards. Marywasn’t expecting an angel to

come to her and tell her thatshe was carrying the Son ofGod in her womb. I’m sure that it would

have been easy for SaintJoseph to sneak out theback door after the angel re-vealed the unexpected newsto him. And if you get a little

upset because your childrenbroke out the Christmastoys all over the living room15 minutes before for thein-laws arrive, think of howirritated Mary and Josephcould have been when shewas forced to give birth in amanger. So whether you’re married

or single, whether you’rehosting or attending, re-member this Advent seasonhow sometimes the littleunplanned things can leadto the most beautiful giftsof all.

Having a veryMarried Christmas

PHOTO BY PAUL HAMELINESeth and Amanda Conklin were marriedOct. 1 at St. Agnes Church in Lake Placidand are celebrating their first holidaystogether as husband and wife.

CATHOLICNORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 66, Number 30

NOV. 30, 2011

INSIDETHIS ISSUEReflections on thesecond Sunday ofAdvent l PAGE 4

Mission office looksfor some young artists l PAGE 19

A WELCOMEFROM JESUS

Diocesanfinancialreports

Young CatholicVoice

At the diocesanoffice buildings

A NEW CHURCH YEAR BEGINS

NCC FOR CHRISTMAS: The gift that keeps on giving, week after week... p. 20

Pope highlights Africa’s faith, joy

FULL STORY, PAGE 3

PHOTO BY VALERIE MATTHEWSA prayer garden featuring a statue ofJesus with outstretched arms hasbeen created on the grounds of thediocesan office buildings in Ogdens-burg. The prayer area was built withdonations from the children andgrandchildren of the late Lucien andMary Seymour of Ogdensburg. JaniceShoen, diocesan executive develop-ment director, said that the prayerarea acknowledges that the primarypurpose of the professional buildingsis to provide space for employees whoare working to spread the Catholicfaith.

CNS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/BOB ROLLERAdvent, a season of joyful expectation before Christmas, began Nov. 27 this year. The Advent wreath, with a candle markingeach week of the season, is a traditional symbol of the liturgical period. This year’s observance of the First Sunday of Adventalso marked the implementation of the New Roman Missal in parishes throughout the English speaking world.

New bride looks forward to

celebrating her first holidays

with her husband

The Diocesan Fiscal Officeprovides its annual opportu-nity to review the financialcondition of the Diocese ofOgdensburg through thepublication of the audited Fi-nancial Statement for the July1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 fis-cal year.About the report, Bishop

LaValley said, “it will becomequickly apparent that theChurch of the North Countryis blessed with extremelygenerous individuals whosupport the broad array ofministries of our localchurch.”

SPECIAL SECTION, PAGES 5-17

FULL STORY, PAGE 2

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Pope BenedictXVI said his second trip toAfrica left him convincedthat the joy and faith of thecontinent's people - espe-cially the young - represent ahope for all humanity. The pope made the re-

marks at his general audi-ence Nov. 23, three daysafter returning from a week-

end visit to Benin in WestAfrica, where he unveiled amajor document on the fu-ture of the church on thecontinent. The pope said the visit, in

particular the "unforgettable"Mass he celebrated for50,000 people in a Cotonoustadium, showed that faith inChrist is capable of uniting

generations and respondingto their expectations."Through the joy and enthu-siasm of the entire popula-tion, especially the childrenwho represent the future,one could see the freshnessof the 'yes' to life and theperception of reality in itsconnection with God." He said his meeting with

schoolchildren in Ouidahwas a highlight of the visit,demonstrating that Africahas a "reserve supply of vital-ity" that will help Catholics intheir task of evangelizing. His document, he said, was

designed to help Catholicslive their faith fully and be-come builders of commun-ion, peace and justice.”

this issue having a very catholicnorthcountrycatholic.org/cover/whole papers/2011/11-30-11... ·...

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