#7: January 10, 2016 The Baptism of the Lord

“On the Last day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …” OK … so that isn’t part of the song, but we have come to the last day of Christmas. Today we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord. After today we enter into Ordinary Time and back to green until we start the Season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 10th. It is very early this year and Easter will be at the end of March. Before we enter into Ordinary Time we are invited to reflect on the extraordinary love that God has for us. He has chosen us and made us His own. This is the gift that our ‘True Love’, God, has given to us that we are His sons and daughters. The words spoken to Jesus in today’s Gospel are spoken to us: You are my beloved Son/Daughter; with whom I am well pleased! Besides being the last day of Christmas, it is the 10th day of the New Year. How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? To be honest, I’m not hitting all of them but the good news, it is a leap year, so we have an extra day to work on our resolutions. On New Year’s Eve at the masses I invited people to consider a resolution to stop each Sunday and look at the Year of Mercy Display in the Narthex. As you know, we have listed the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy on two doors. Besides stopping, I invite you to consider putting into action one of the Acts of Mercy each week. Living and putting into action is an important part of living our own Baptism. This weekend we have two options for the 1st and 2nd readings. Both of the options for the First Reading come from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. One of them comes from Chapter 40 and the other one from Chapter 42. The reading from Chapter 40 begins today, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” The reading from Chapter 42 contains the following: “…he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.” Both speak of bringing comfort to those who suffer. I love the images in Chapter 42 of a smoldering wick and a bruised reed. Both speak of those who are vulnerable and how the role of the chosen one is not to hurt further but to uphold and strengthen. By living our Baptism and making the Works of Mercy part of our daily life we will bring comfort and speak tenderly to those hurting. We will not extinguish wicks or break bruised reeds but strengthen them and uphold them. This is our responsibility as the Baptized. We have received a great gift and we are to share what we have received. Discussions with the Pastor: You are invited to come and visit with an idea, concern, question, or if you would just like to talk. Feel free to come alone or with others. This week I will be available Tuesday, January 12th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm; Wednesday, January 13th from 4:30 to 5:30 pm and Thursday, January 14th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.

From your Pastor’s Desk Fr. Mike Eckley

To have a name listed in the bulletin: call the rectory at 402-558-8446. Names of the sick will be listed for 4 weeks.

Calendar Club Winners

Mass Intentions

Monday, January 11 7:00 am Sr. Beatus Laible 5:30 pm +Eleanor & +Richard Rosso

Tuesday, January 12 7:00 am +Ron Bojanski 8:30 am +Alvin J. Siemek, Jr. 5:30 pm +Bob & Bernice Brown

Wednesday, January 13 7:00 am +Billie Wieczorek 8:30 am +Marty Baye 5:30 pm +Henry Klug

Thursday, January 14 7:00 am +Mike Gasnick 8:30 am +Matthew Kuhfahl 5:30 pm +Jim Mahoney

Friday, January 15 7:00 am +Homan & +Schmit Families

5:30 pm +Deb Vana

Saturday Vigil Masses, January 16 5:00 pm +Glendale Armstrong 7:00 pm +Mary Sanchez

Sunday, January 17 7:30 am +Catherine Karpf 9:30 am St. Pius X Parishioners

DS ME

DS ME ME

ME CL DS

DS ME ME

ME DS

ME DS

ME JM

Please Pray for

Our Sick Lorraine Versch, Marcie McOwan

Bill Gaffney Betty Heinzman, Barb Jacoba

January 3rd 2279 Tracey & Kevin Segabart January 4th 1899 Fred Dohmen January 5th 1963 Tony Cordoni January 6th 1522 Cheryl Cap January 7th 2340 Effie Swinarski January 8th 1593 Mary Lee Kenworthy January 9th 1618 Tim Kobza

Sunday, January 10

9:30am Family Mass (C)

9:30am Sunday Preschool (Rm. KB)

12:30pm Youth Group (P4)

1:00pm Take Down Decorations (C)

Monday, January 11

6:00pm Adoration (C)

6:30pm Coping With Life Alone (PC)

7:00pm RCIA (MPR)

Tuesday, January 12

7:30am Development Meeting (P3)

10:00am Bible Study (P1)

6:30pm AA (Sch. Cafeteria)

6:30pm Neighbrhd. Outreach (P1)

7:00pm Choir

7:30pm Pastoral Council (P2/P3)

Wednesday, January 13

4:00pm Human Needs (P3)

6:15pm Finance Council (P2/P3)

6:30pm RE Class (School)

Thursday, January 14

10:00am Pius Pioneers (P4)

7:00pm Baptism Class (P3)

7:00pm Cath. Soc. Teaching (MPR)

7:00pm Confirmation Meeting (P4)

Friday, January 15

10:00am Mass at Ambassador

Saturday, January 16

Dusting Disciples Crew #6 - Martins

9:00am Hunger Summit (PC)

10:00am Trafficking Prayer (C)

5:00pm Rite of Enrollment for

Confirmation During Mass

Sunday, January 17

9:30am Rite of Enrollment for

Confirmation at Mass

9:30am Sunday Preschool (Rm. KB)

1:00pm NCYC Shareholder's

Reception (P4)

3:00pm Holy Land Pilgrimage (PC)

The Knights of Columbus would like to thank everyone who returned the baby bottles during this Christmas Season. We would like to complete the baby bottle drive on Sunday, January 17th. If you have a bottle at home please return to church by next weekend. Thank you for your Support. Our garage sale will be held July 14th-16th, 2016. As you are putting Christmas things away, or starting to spring clean, moving, etc., don’t forget the St. Pius X garage sale. We like your “used stuff”. More information will follow. “Hearts Against Hunger” will be held on Saturday, January 16th, at St Pius X Parish Center from 9:00-11:00 am. Light Breakfast at 8:30 & Exhibitors. All are invited to attend an Interfaith Dialogue that will be focused on solutions to end hunger in our neighborhood. The goal is to help the working poor with hunger and other social issues and to provide education and resources to change lives. Several neighborhood churches have agreed to join this cause, St Leo’s, St Margaret Mary’s, First United Methodist to name a few. The January 16th meeting will be lead by Hunger Free Heartland and provide information on hunger. The winter/spring session of Tai Chi classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:15-10:00 am in the parish center beginning Monday, January 11th, 2016. Cost for the 12 week session is $25, payable to St. Pius X. Call Margaret Hoarty at 402-553-7547 to register. Join us for a study of First Corinthians, Tuesdays 10:00 - 11:30 am, January 5th through March 22nd in the St. Pius X Parish Center. To register or for more information please contact Heidi Leach at 402-451-3312 or heidikleach@yahoo.com Coping with Life Alone will be held at 7 p.m. at St. Pius X Church, 6905 Blondo St, beginning January 11th, 2016. It is a six-week program for widowed, divorced, and separated. Visit beginningexperienceofomaha.org for more information. Preregistration is required, cost is $25.00. Baker's Plus Card will support our school. Baker's will give 5% of your spending back to SPSL if you enroll your Baker's Plus Card in the rewards program. If you enrolled your card last year, you must re-enroll for the 2016 year. Go to the following website after January 1, 2016: www.bakersplus.com/communityrewards Our school code is 39528.

Events this Week

At Christmas, we gave out copies of the book Rediscover Jesus. We hope you have enjoyed reading it. If your copy is lying unopened and unread, collecting a bit of dust, then we have just what you need! Deacon Gene Schimonitz, his wife Carol, and Jennifer Walet will be hosting a book study using Rediscover Jesus beginning this Wednesday evening, January 13th The group will meet at 6:30 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room, located on the east side of the church narthex. Please plan to attend this study

which will help with personal prayer and spiritual reflection. Read the first five chapters for January 13th and bring your book, thoughts, and questions. Discussion will last about an hour. The book study will last seven weeks. Contact Patty Griffith at 402-558-1898 or send an email to pattyg@stpiusxomaha.org with any questions.

On the Cover

Thank You from the Servants of Mary Sr. Chantal Marie, prioress of the French community of Servants of Mary Sisters living in the Congo, wrote to thank everyone who bought a brick to help support their efforts to bring medical assistance to those most in need in their African

nation. “Thank you so much for your generosity!,” she writes. “Your participation will help us to build one health post for the poor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Much love, Sr. Chantal Marie, OSM”

Rediscover

Jesus

St. Pius X/St. Leo School Joyce Gubbels, Principal

Before Christmas, the 4th graders studied the rosary: the mysteries, the Hail Holy Queen prayer, and how to pray the rosary. They also made their own rosaries in religion classes, and will use them to pray throughout the school year. They were very enthusiastic and grateful for this opportunity. They also look forward to bringing them to church in May for the Living Rosary that the 7th grade students lead each year. Our 2nd grade students studied customs around the world before

Christmas. In one of the classrooms we celebrated St. Lucy Day by having a student dress up as "St. Lucy" and deliver cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate to the class. In the Scandinavian countries, it is the custom on St. Lucy's feast day, December 13th, to have a girl in the family dress up with a wreath of candles on her head and deliver coffee and rolls to her family. Special Notice: We will be having Pre-Kindergarten Round-Up for 3 and 4 year olds on Saturday, January 30th,

2016 from 10:00 – 11:30 am at our school. (Note: We will no longer be calling our 3 year old program a Pre-School Program, but rather have a 3 Year Old Pre-Kindergarten Program and a 4 Year Old Pre-Kindergarten Program.) We will have Kindergarten Round-Up on Saturday, February 6th, 2016 from 10:00 – 11:30 am at our school. More info on these happenings in the next newsletters.

St. Pius X Church Youth Group is a gathering for all 9-12th Grade Students. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 12:30. It is an opportunity to meet new people, learn about our faith, and have fun, too. All are welcome! For more information, please contact Janet Drvol at janetd@stpiuxomaha.org or 402-558-8446. St. Pius Youth Group January 10th: St. Pius Youth Group resumes today/Sunday at 6:30 pm! Our topic is "Baptism: Jesus and John." We

welcome any new members, or those who we haven't seen in a while! Lunch begins at 12:30 in the Parish Center. Youth Choir: St. Pius X Youth Choir sings Sunday, January 10th at the 11:30 Mass. All singers and instrumentalists are welcome. Contact Derek Heckman for more information at heckmandm@yahoo.com. Bowling Night: Connections will join youth groups from around the Omaha area for a Bowling Night at The Mark on January 24th, 6:30-9:30 pm. Cost is $25 and includes pizza, pop, 2

hours of bowling, and The Mark attractions. Deadline is January 17th. Permission form is on the youth webpage. 2nd Semester Lunch Signup: St. Pius Youth Group is in need of families and groups to provide lunch for our 2nd semester meetings. We have 7 meetings this semester and all are currently open! The sign up can be found here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d44a9ad2ba6ff2-youth2

High School Youth Ministry Janet Drvol, Director

In the document, Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, the US Bishops write: “The Catholic community has a tremendous history and capacity to help shape the issues of crime and criminal justice in the United States. Few organizations do more to prevent crime or heal its effects than the Catholic Church.”

Here are some ways to live out the Corporal Work of Mercy of “Visiting the Imprisoned”: · Support and/or participate in ministries to the incarcerated (see the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Jail and Prison Ministry) · Support programs sponsored by agencies that advocate on behalf of those who are unjustly imprisoned. (Midwest Innocence Project, etc.)

· Support job-training and educational programs designed to rehabilitate prisoners · Pray for families of inmates · Support programs that provide holiday gifts for prisoners and their families · Support efforts that seek the abolition of the death penalty. (Catholic Advocacy Network of Nebraska-Nebraska Catholic Conference)

Year of Mercy Visit the Imprisoned

Pope Quote in this Year of Mercy: “It is not easy to entrust oneself to God’s mercy because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! ‘Oh, Father, if you knew my life, you would not say that to me for I am a great sinner!’ All the better! Go to Jesus; he likes you to tell him these things! He forgets; he has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, he kisses you, he embraces you, and he simply says to you, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more’ (John 8:11). That is the only advice he gives you.” Pope

Francis on March 17, 2013, for a homily at the Parish of Saint Anna in the Vatican A Grand Total The families in the Wednesday evening Religious Education Program participated in a service project to collect money for milk vouchers. These vouchers are distributed by Hunger Free Heartland to needy families in Omaha. Tiffany Jones, Program Assistant for Hunger Free Heartland, received a total of $682.15 for milk vouchers to “give drink to the thirsty.”

Level 4 in the Religious Education program rocks! Walk past their classroom and you will hear music. Catechists Cheri Bowe and Kelsey Leick-Macari are using the natural rhythms of music to help their group memorize two very lengthy foundations of our Catholic faith: the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed. Their group also loves to pour over pictures depicting topics they study in class. For instance, Ms. Bowe brought to class a poster of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.

Religious Education Ministry Patty Griffith, Director

Spirit of St. Pius: Faith in Action Our “Spirit”

Fiscal Year July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016 WEEKEND DONATIONS RECEIVED

Dec. 26/27 & Jan. 2/3 Our two-week Sunday goal is $39,924.00 Sunday Envelopes $45,060.00 Deficit Reduction $50.00 Children’s Collection $127.97 Plate Collection $1,361.71 Total Sunday Contribution $46,599.68 The two-week surplus $6,675.68 YTD Parish Stewardship $504,143.74 Budgeted YTD Stewardship $538,974.00 Parish Deficit YTD ($34,830.26)

This is week 27 of 52 weeks this fiscal year 2015-16.

Our Weekly Average YTD is $18,671.99 2nd Collection-Fuel & Heat Fund $1,950.22

Thanks for your help!

The Seminary Collection will be held this weekend, January 9th-10th, 2016. The Archdiocese of Omaha is currently blessed with thirty men studying for the Priesthood. We humbly ask for your continued prayers, sacrifices and generous financial support.

Do you have life insurance that you no longer need? By naming our School or Parish as beneficiary, you will provide long-term financial support and possibly qualify for tax benefits as well. Be an angel and pass on your Catholic heritage by considering assigning some portion of your life insurance to our School or Parish's Endowment Funds. For more information contact Bob Nowaczyk, SPSL's Development Coordinator, at 402-551-6667 or see your insurance agent. It costs nothing to change the beneficiary on your policy. Please prayerfully consider remembering our School and/or Parish as a beneficiary of your insurance policy.

One of the things about the Spirit at St. Pius X is that people really do take care of each other. Communion ministers bring communion on a regular basis to care centers and homes of those who can’t get to mass. The Hospital Follow-Up group makes phone calls those just released from the hospital. The Shawl Ministry is a group that provides shawls for those who might need some extra comfort. The Dusting Disciples keep our church clean. And then there are the people who regularly give countless donations of

time and money to little projects that need to be taken care of. So many, doing so much, without being noticed or recognized. One of the people that exemplifies the Spirit of St. Pius is Irene Wolf. Irene coordinated the prayer line from her room at Skyline Manner. Irene a non-parishioner, (non-Catholic), adopted a son who is Catholic, and wanted to honor the birth parents by continuing to bring him up Catholic. Irene herself connected with St. Pius X with organizing the Prayer Line in 1975. Now, Irene needs to step back from

this ministry. But it is with great gratitude that we say thanks to Irene for the many years of making sure people were being prayed for. Thank you Irene for your witness to the Spirit of St. Pius X. If you have any interest in picking up where Irene left off, please contact Rita at 558-8446. Other Contacts: Dusting Disciples, Rita Bianchi, 556-1201; Hospital Follow-Up, Liz Ehlers, 553-0191; Shawl Ministry, Pat Franks, 551-9796; Prayer Line Requests, David 558-8446

Office Hours: Weekdays 8 am - 4:30 pm Saturdays 8:30 am - noon

Pastor: Rev. Michael Eckley

Associate: Rev. Mark Bridgman

Deacons: Mike Leick, Jim Nardini (Cindy), & Gene Schimonitz (Carol)

Weekend Masses: Saturdays 5:00 & 7:00 pm & Sundays 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 am

Daily Masses: 7:00 am & 5:30 pm

Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30 - 4:30 pm

Marriage Preparation: Call the Parish Office at least 6 months in advance

New Parent Baptismal Class:

Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 - 9:00 pm in the Parish Center. This class is required for baptism. Pre-registration is required 1 week in advance. Call 402-558-1898.

RCIA: For those interested in becoming a Catholic, please call the par-ish office, 402-558-8446.

School: 402- 551-6667

Religious Ed: 402-558-1898

Liturgy Office: 402-558-1847

Youth Ministry: 402-558-8446

Pastoral Ministry: 402-558-8446

Prayer Line: 402-558-8446

Bulletin Deadline: One week in advance.

Bulletin e-mail: bulletin@stpiusxomaha.org

School Lunch January 11th-15th Monday Mega nachos Green beans Fruit choice

Tuesday Grilled cheese sandwich Potato rounds Pickle spear Applesauce

Wednesday Chicken nuggets w/BBQ sauce Lettuce salad Baby carrots Fruit choice

Thursday Cheeseburger Pickle chips Baked beans Fruit cup

Friday Orange chicken w/rice Corn Fruit choice Fortune cookie

Crew #3 has cafeteria duty this week.

Ministry Schedule for January 16th-17th 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 AM 9:30 AM 11:30 AM

EMHC

M. Bieker M. Perrotto T. Potter P. Potter G. Schimonitz T. Tipton M. Vana

M. Cox M. Dorcey M. Hillier S. Hillier J. Klug J. Nardini C. Nelson

K. Andreasen M. J. Burns B. Kirkpatrick J. Kresl J. Lohr A. Mitchell J. Owens

B. Davis B. Lamoureux M. Leick A. Pyle J. Stolze F. Tollo M. Ursick

N. Bock (sub req.) J. Brown M. Gasnick K. Martin M. Milota M. Ursick R. Versch

Greeter L. Ehlers P. Botos M. Freyermuth H. Griffith NOT FILLED

Lector B. Kellen - 1 S. Welborn - 2

P. Franks - 1 J. Lane - 2

S. Graeve - 1 R. Pedersen - 2

T. Griffith - 1 B. Lamoureux - 2

K. Schinker - 1 T. Strehle - 2

Server

A. Bope M. Bope E. Dowda

T. Metcalf S. Metcalf T. Novotny

C. Freyermuth D. Lockhart T. Rusch

T. Stolze S. Stolze D. Stolze

E. Martin B. Martin P. Martin

CARE M. Fell M. Novotny L. Thomsen L. Stolze D. Martins

Music P. Kern Alleluia Choir MJB

Maple Crest M. Longo, P. Wagoner

Organizing a smart energy future, Wednesday, January 13th at 7:00 pm at Urban Abbey (10th and Jackson). Join us for a discussion of the OPPD rate restructuring plan despite enormous public opposition and what can be done to organize for a smart energy future in Omaha. Winning with our neighborhoods, Thursday, January 14th, 7:00 pm at Urban Abbey (10th and Jackson) Help monitor the Omaha Land Bank, promote strong Housing Code Enforcement, and update tax foreclosure law in the Unicameral. OTOC’s work on the Vacant Property Registration Ordinance helped persuade the City Council to vote unanimously for it in spite of considerable push-back against it. Learn how vacant property should be maintained, where and how to file a complaint, and what happens after a complaint has been filed. The annual Celebration of Life Dinner and Auction sponsored by Nebraskans United for Life and NuLife Pregnancy resource Center is January 15th at the Scott Conference Center in Omaha. Keynote Speaker is Sue Ellen Browder, author of Subverted - How I Helped the Sexual revolution Hijack the Women's Movement. Tickets are $45 per person. Social hour at 6:00 pm; Dinner at 7:00 pm, followed by Keynote Speaker. For information, call 402-399-0299.

6 9 0 5 B l o n d o S t . O m a h a , N E 6 8 1 0 4 Parish Office 402-558-8446 Fax: 402-558-4986

www.stpiusxomaha.org