Our Lady of Mercy Happenings

DO NOT FORGET! As we come to the end of Au-gust our summer Mass schedule ends. NEXT WEEK we begin our Sunday evening Mass at 6:00 p.m. again and this will continue until next June.

Special thanks goes out to the St. Peter’s School Class of 1939 who donated $500.00 toward the work on the old school building. We appreciate your kindness!

We will continue to collect “Tuition Angel” offerings from anyone who wishes to help families with financial difficulty pay for tuition for Religious Ed or Holy Family School. Many thanks to all who have already contributed.

Many of you who subscribe to magazines are probably getting renewal notices–they seem to come forever! Please wait in renewing your subscriptions. In just a few weeks we will begin the Magazine Drive at Holy Family School. Many of you initially subscribed through this drive, so please continue to support the school by renewing or giving gift subscriptions through us.

 

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will begin a new session this fall.
The RCIA program might be of interest to you if you find yourself in any of the following situations:

• You are searching for a church to call your own and you have a general curiosity about the Catholic Church
• You are unbaptized, or are baptized in another faith, but seek full communion with the Catholic Church
• You are Catholic and attend Mass and other services regularly, but you are in need of sacrament preparation for Eucharist or confirmation

Please call the parish office for more information or to register.

 

WEDDING BANNS III
Peter Neer & Hanna Hoffman-Remy
WEDDING BANNS II
Matthew Gugino & Courtney Clemente
WEDDING BANNS I
Tom Root & Amy Tygart

Please remember that we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday at St. Joseph Oratory following the 8:00 am Mass and continuing until 6:00pm. Please take a moment out of your day to stop in and make a visit to our Lord.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Are you planning a cookout next weekend? Many people use the Labor Day holiday as an opportunity for an end of the summer celebration. The grocery stores will have special sales this week in an effort to entice people to stock up for the holiday weekend. Are you a union member who will be going to a large labor picnic? Or will it just be the family get-ting together, maybe at the beach or a lake cottage for a final summer plunge in the water? In any event, we all probably have a pretty good idea of who will be at our tables. It's unlikely that there will be uninvited guests-except for the ants or mosquitoes that seem to plague any outdoor event this time of year.

In the Gospel today Jesus lays down the challenge of who should be invited to the banquet. The poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind are the ones that are on his guest list. These were the individuals who were often excluded from society in Jesus' time. They were the folks that were on the fringe. Today, there are righteous people who have made a point of welcoming the unwanted. They've taken literally the message of the Gospel, and have gone out of their way to invite to dinner the homeless or the poor.

There are many who exercise a very concrete response to Jesus' call through their support of a meal pro-gram or food pantry, whether they donate food, or their time, or cash to support the good work. We tend to think of the poor at Thanksgiving or Christmas, times when we're often more generous toward those in need. But with back-to-school costs right now, many families are suffer-ing. It may not be possible to invite someone who is hungry or poor to your cookout next weekend, but you can still help them through a gift to a charity that feeds the hungry.

St. Raymond Nonnatus

St. Raymond Nonnatus was born in Portella in the Diocese of Urgel, Catalonia, around the year 1203. He received the name of Raymond at his Baptism and the nickname of Nonnatus [non natus in Latin means not born] because he was not born normally, but was delivered by a caesarian operation after his mother died in childbirth. His father was a shepherd according to some, and a member of the noble family of Cardona, according to others.

From the time he was very young, he manifested a great devotion to the Most Holy Virgin. He prayed the Rosary every day in the hermitage of St. Nicholas of Mira. Once Our Lady appeared to him and promised him her protection. Afterward he was strongly tempted to sin against chastity, but did not fall. He went to thank his Patroness and consecrated his virginity to her. Mary appeared to him again, showing her satisfaction and advising him to enter the Mercedarian Order, whose foundation she had inspired St. Peter Nolasco to make only shortly before, in 1218.

He was ordained a priest and dedicated himself to the redemption of captives until 1231. He liberated 140 captives in Valencia, 250 in Argel, and 28 in Tunis. It was in this last city that he had the occasion to fulfill the special fourth vow of the Mercedarians to offer themselves to remain in captivity in the place of Catholic prisoners. Since he was unable to pay the ransom demanded by the slave dealers in Tunis, Raymond offered himself to take the place of some prisoners.

The trade was made, and he began a hard captivity. To prevent him from speaking about Our Lord, for his engaging words were converting numerous Muslims, the Arabian slave masters pierced his lips with a red-hot iron and closed them with a padlock. This padlock was only opened for him to eat. After eight months of this torment, other Mercedarians arrived from Spain bringing the demanded ransom.

The last ten years of his life were spent in Rome, where he became the representative of his Order and in traveling throughout different countries to preach the Crusade. As a cardinal representative of Pope Gregory IX he was sent to meet with St. Louis of France and encourage him to go on the Crusade, which actually took place 10 years later. St.

Raymond Nonnatus died in Cardona, a Spanish village close to Barcelona, on August 31, 1240. He was only 37-years-old.

Because of the circumstances of his birth St. Raymond has been considered the patron of expectant mothers –especially during childbirth. He has recently been promoted as the special patron of pro-life and families.

Beginning this Sunday, August 22, we will offer prayers every day for the next nine days in his honor preparing for his feast day on August 31st. Let invoke him in a special way to intercede on behalf of all our families –especially those most in need.

Happening Elsewhere

Marriage Problems? RETROVAILLE (RET-RO-VI) is a proven program for troubled marriages including the separated and divorced who want a second chance for their marriages. The program consists of a weekend experience with no group discussions and a series of follow up sessions. All inquiries are strictly confidential. The next weekend is September 10-12, 2010. For information and registration call Patrick and Lauren at (716) 822-5496 or visit our web site at www.mariagesaved.com.

Saints Joachim & Anne Parish of Attica will hold a Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ on Labor Day, Monday, September 6th at the St. Vincent’s Auditorium on Walnut St. in Attica. The BBQ will run from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (or sold out). The cost is $8.75 and includes dessert and beverage. Take outs are available.

Feeling sad, down, discouraged, “blue”? Looking for healthy wholesome alternatives to cope? Reach out NOW. Inner healing and hope are a phone call or email away. Please contact your Office of Family Life Ministries for your FREE packet of practical easy to use resources to provide you with tried and true antidotes! For more information or a free spiritual uplift packet, contact your Office of Family Life Ministries at 716-847-2210 or email familylife@buffalodiocese.org.

Our Lady of Batavia Council Knights of Columbus will sponsor a Chicken BBQ on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. until sold out (take-outs only). Dinners may be picked up at the rear of St. Mary’s Church on Ellicott St. in Batavia. Cost is $7.00 per dinner and includes 1/2 chicken, macaroni salad, baked beans, roll and butter. Proceeds to benefit local charities. For pre-sale tickets call Mike at 343-3810.

The Clarence Fire Company & The Sisters of St. Joseph will hold an Oktoberfest on Friday, September 24, 2010 from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Clarence Fire District #1 at 10355 Main Street, Clarence, NY. Music provided by “The Auslanders,” food, drinks, door prizes and more. Tickets are $5.00 per person $6.00 at the door. For more information call (716) 759-6454 ext. 20.

An ALL Catholic Elementary School -ALL year reunion will take place on Sunday, October 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Buffalo Convention Center. All graduates from every Catholic Elementary school in the Diocese of Buffalo are welcome. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec will be on hand for a blessing. Light refreshments and cash bar. Cost is $20 for singles, $35 per couple. Please RVSP by completing the registration form on the Catholic Alumni Partnership page at www.buffalodiocese.org, by phone to Charlene at (716) 847-8380, or via mail to Catholic Alumni Partnership - Reunion, 795 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203.

Wedding anniversaries for the year 2010: If you know of any couples celebrating their 50th, 60th or 70th Wedding Anniversary for the year of 2010, a special Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, October 17th by his Excellency Bishop Edward U. Kmiec at 3:00 p.m. at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral located in downtown Buffalo. Please contact your rectory by September 6th if you wish to attend. Afterward an informal reception will be held at the Buffalo Convention Center.