St George Catholic Church

Jesus Invites, St. George Welcomes

Parish Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2017

ELIJAH CUP

At the Jewish celebration of Passover, the Seder Supper, an extra cup of wine is poured but not consumed. It is for the prophet Elijah who Jewish tradition holds will appear before the coming of the Messiah. For Catholic’s, the Elijah cup symbolizes the hope of the coming forth of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. One family a week is asked to take the cup home, put it in a place of honor, and pray for vocations.

You too can be a part of this important mission here at St. George. Contact Claudine Phillips at elijahcup@stgeorgenewnan.org or Cheryl in the church office.

RESPECT LIFE VALENTINE DANCE

You have one more weekend to buy tickets for this fun annual event sponsored by

the Respect Life Ministry. Tickets will be on sale after all masses on 4 & 5 February.

The dance is February 11th at 7pm In the Church hall. Tickets are $15 per person.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION

February

Wednesday evening Faith Formation will begin February 1st and continue through February 15th. The subject for this series will be Bishop Barron’s new series, Catholicism: The Pivotal Players. This film series illuminates a handful of saints, artist, mystics and scholars who shaped the life of the church and changed the course of civilization. Deacon Steve

Swope will be covering St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena and Michelangelo.

March

Our Lenten schedule, beginning March 8th, will be a special series on the Passion of Christ in art. Deacon Steve Swope has arranged for parishioner and former art teacher at Newnan High School, Carol Toole, to be a guest lecturer and give us insight into some of the famous works of art de-picting Christ’s passion and death. Through art we may have a better understanding of the meaning of the Gospel accounts. What was the artist trying to convey? What is the Gospel trying to tell us? This series will begin to explain the connection and our appreciation of not just the art pieces but the Gospel story as well. A rare opportunity to learn our faith in a different fashion.

MARRIAGE – MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is an experience for couples with good marriages who want to improve and enliven their communication. It is a great way to put the spark back in your marriage and to celebrate your love for one another. The next weekend is scheduled for February 24-26 at the Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners. You can get more information or apply online at GATN-wwme.org or by calling 678-242-9963

COFFEE AND CATHOLICISM

Don’t forget the other opportunity to learn more about our faith on Sunday mornings after the

10am mass in the hall. Grab a cup of coffee and join in the discussions led by Fr. Henry or Deacon

Steve Swope. A wonderfully informal way to become better witnesses to our Catholic faith and for

Christ.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Leviticus 19:18

The weekend of February 18 & 19 will be the opportunity for parishioners to participate in the Archbishop’s 2017 Annual Appeal. Over that weekend the Archbishop’s video will be shown during all masses and envelopes distributed to allow us to make our donation or pledge for this year’s drive. As you know, each parish in the diocese is asked to donate a certain amount based on their size and annual donations. If this amount is not reached, we are obligated to make up the difference from our monthly collection. Should our parishioners donate more than the requested amount, we will receive the overage to be used here at St. George.

St. George has been very generous in past years and we have met and exceeded the amount we were asked to give. Please continue to be generous. We are, remember, the Catholic Church—we are asked to be supportive of all Catholics, not just those at St. George or Coweta County.

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

39.8% of your dollar goes to Ministerial expenses: education for seminarians and deacons, priest support and retirement care and continuing priest formation.

26.7% of your dollar goes to Pastoral outreach: Respect Life Ministry, Justice & Peace Ministry, Prison and Jail Ministry, Disabilities Ministry, Intercultural & Ethnic Diversity, Metropolitan Tribunal, Parish and Mission Support, Hospital Ministry, cemeteries and the Office of Youth and Child Protection.

21% of your dollar goes to Education, formation and Discipleship: Under resourced school support, parish pre-school programs, campus ministry, religious education, youth and young adult ministry, marriage and family ministry, pastoral care ministry, Eucharistic Congress.

6.3% of your dollar goes to Catholic Charities which basically supports the people of the Archdiocese in distress.

6.3% of your dollar goes for administrative costs—office staffs and the operation and maintenance of our facilities.

Your money is well spent. Consider donating one percent of your annual income to this appeal. The suggestion is to give 1% to the Archdiocese, 4% to your parish and 5% to other charities.

YOUTH DIRECTOR EARNS CERTIFICATE

Congratulations to Darleine Arce who recently received her Certificate in Catechesis from Archbishop Gregory. Darleine took the two year program of fourteen courses through the University of Dayton, in Ohio. The on-line program is on two levels, that focus on a broad base approach to Catholic religious education, suitable for all areas of catechetical formation. Each course lasts five weeks and requires readings from several books and Church Documents. Part of what was required for successful completion of each course was participation on ten discussion boards (multiple times per week), between fifteen essays and ten quizzes per course. In total, it amounts to 140

discussion boards, 210 essays, and 140 quizzes over the course of the 2 years! Upon completion of all courses, the student receives a Certificate in Catechesis Program from the University of Dayton that enables the student to apply for Master Catechist Certification from the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Above is picture of Darleine with Archbishop Gregory and in other picture with the Archbishop, Fr. Henry and her proud father, Pedro Arce.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

The Knights sponsored Basketball Free Throw Contest had to be postponed due to weather. It is now scheduled for 4 February in the church parking lot. Boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 are welcome to come try it out!

Remember the Knights serve a pancake breakfast on the third Sunday of the month. Mark Sunday, February 19th now and plan to come support the knights, enjoy a good meal and enjoy the company of fellow parishioners.

The Liturgical Year Deacon Steve Swope

On January 1st, the world celebrated the beginning of the new year of 2017. For the Church, the new year began on November 27, 2016. The liturgical year can be thought of as an unfolding “story” of salvation and it meant to provide meaning and direction to our lives. Each of the six “seasons” of the liturgical year has a particular focus:

Advent - Preparation for four weeks before the celebration of Jesus' birth.

Christmas- Recalling the Nativity of Jesus Christ and his manifestation to the peoples of the world.

Lent – Penance for a six-week period before Easter.

Sacred Paschal Triduum – Recalling the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus – these days are the holiest "Three Days" of the Church's year.

Easter - Joyful celebration of the Lord's resurrection from the dead and his sending forth of the Holy Spirit – Easter lasts 50 days.

Ordinary Time - The faithful consider the fullness of Jesus' teachings and works among his people. Ordinary Time is divided into two sections (one span of 4-8 weeks after Christmas Time and another lasting about six months after Easter Time).

We are currently in Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time does not mean that other times are “extraordinary” and this time is just “ordinary.” The name comes from the words ordinal number, which means to number a series of things as first, second, third, etc. Our Sundays are numbered in that manner, hence Ordinary Time.

We will enter the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2017. It is a fair question to ask why Lent and Easter move around each year while the other seasons seem fixed. Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox (March 21st). If the full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the following Sunday. Easter can occur anywhere between March 22nd and April 25th. The first Sunday of Lent is six weeks before Easter and Ash Wednesday is four days prior to the first Sunday of Easter. The flow of the liturgical year is deliberate and helpful to our formation and growth as the Body of Christ. The USCCB tells us that “The mystery of Christ, unfolded through the cycle of the year, calls us to live his mystery in our own lives.” As we go through this liturgical year, let us dedicate ourselves to entering more deeply into this wonderful mystery!

LENT

March 1 is ASH WEDNESDAY. Masses are at 8:30, 12pm, 6pm

and 8pm in Spanish.

March 8 will be the PENANCE SERVICE at St. George at 7pm.

OPERATION RICE BOWL

As Lent begins we will once again have the opportunity to sacrifice and share our worldly

goods with those less fortunate through Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl. Take

a “bowl” and add a little each day of Lent to help the starving of the world.

ST GEORGE PRESCHOOL

February will be a busy month for our preschool. They will have a Valentine card exchange, be studying about dental health, hold a Mardi Gras parade, and on February 16th, Prevent Blindness Georgia, will conduct a free vision screening as part of the Star Pupil Healthy Eyes Program for the 3, 4, and 5 year olds.

And on our March calendar, The Parent Appreciation Breakfast is scheduled for March 6th and our annual pastry/cookie dough fundraiser will kick off on March 4th. All proceeds go to the play-ground fund for mulch, equipment replacement and up

keep.

Despite the fact three year olds can manage an electronic device almost as well as their parents, they still need some basic skills and last month they tackled cutting!

Each week we take a letter of the alphabet to study. For “M” week we went to the Moon! Here we are exploring moon sand!

SECOND COLLECTION

Our second collection on February 19th will be for Catholic Relief Services. This is the Catholic organization that assists in Jesus’ name all the world. With our help, they can continue to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and shelter the homeless. 93% of your donation goes directly to charitable donations. Please support this worthy organization.

RIGHT TO LIFE MINISTRY

St George Parishioners, members of the Right to Life Ministry and other parishioners,

joined the thousands in Atlanta for the annual Mass for the Unborn and Stand for Life on

January 22d. The weather was good and our spirits were with those in Washington, D.C.,

who also stood for the rights of those who cannot stand for themselves. We had a bus to

take us to Atlanta where we went to mass and then stood with signs and banners along the streets of At-

lanta as witnesses for the right of all to life. Thanks to everyone who went for representing St. George!