Our Lady of Sorrows Church
selfishness and Lent is the time to address
From the Pastor’s Desk
My Dear People:
Deacon Glenn Harmon gave a great mission
last week and everyone who attended left
with insights, resolutions and geared to a
more meaningful Lent.
The Lenten attendance at Mass is always
our greatest help. The commemoration of
the Lord’s sufferings and death at Mass and
those hand-picked readings during Lent bring
untold sanctification. The Lenten readings
remind us that we need to beat our breast in
repentance. Listen to the words of Daniel:
Lord, You are great and awesome
and You are faithful to those who
keep the commandments, but we
have sinned, not obeyed, nor kept
your commandments and not
listened to the prophets….
justice is on your side Lord. But
You, O Lord, our God are
compassion and forgiveness.
What an act of contrition!
Another great Lenten passage is found in
Philippians when Paul tells his converts that
some show themselves as enemies of the
cross of Christ. What a meditation as we ask
ourselves, “Are we adverse to carrying a
cross for Jesus?” Then he speaks about
those whose god is their belly and who are
set upon things of this world. He goes on to
say we have citizenship in heaven. It is as if
the earth is a foreign country. We belong in
heaven; that’s our citizenship. During Lent
should we not think more about our eternal
home? Paul goes on to say that in heaven
we will wait for that day when He will give a
new form to our lowly bodies, remaking them
according to the pattern of His glorified body.
He will do this by His power by which all
creatures are subjected.
We all have those hidden pockets of
them. We have that parable of Dives and
Lazarus, with the cursed Dives not sharing
the scraps from the table with the poor man
Lazarus. I think the apostles themselves had
a heavy moment of selfishness when, in one
of our Lenten readings, Jesus talked about
going to Jerusalem to be mocked, scourged
and crucified and that He would rise after
death. Instead of giving Him concern and
sympathy, they were more worried about
themselves. Since Jesus mentioned He
would rise, they wanted to make sure they
would have the top places in His kingdom.
What a moment of being self-centered. Does
that sound like us at times? Jesus then
gently told His apostles to concentrate on
serving others. He stated His own purpose
in life saying that He had come not to be
served, but to serve. He served us with His
sacrificial death on the hill of Calvary. He
told His apostles and us that greatness
means serving others.
Another great Lenten passage given to us
with our human sinfulness is the bargain
Jesus offers us. He tells us that if we do not
judge others, we will not be judged; if we do
not condemn others, we will not be
condemned. He adds that if we forgive
others, we will be forgiven. We even had the
passage of the Lord’s Prayer during Lent
reminding us to pray that we are to be
forgiven the same way we forgive others.
Are we afraid to say this prayer because we
do not forgive others? If we do not forgive,
we should be afraid to say this prayer.
If we cannot get to Mass during Lent, we
might try to obtain the readings and absorb
the great Lenten messages given us in those
selective scriptural passages.
Breaking news: Mr. Lee Wright resigned as
Choir Director a month ago and we publicly
thanked him at the 10:00 a.m. Mass for the
work he has done with the choir. The choir
threw a party for him last Sunday after his
last mass at OLS. He will not easily be
forgotten since he made so many friends in
the choir.

Starting March 14, at the 10:00 a.m. Mass,
we will have a new director of the choir. Her
name is Leah Haines. She graduated
summa cum laude in music and is in love
with Catholic Church music. Her parents
direct the choir at St. Mark, the Evangelist
Church on Hwy 119. A warm welcome,
prayers and best wishes to Leah. Best
wishes and much gratitude to our great 10:00
a.m. choir.
PRAY FOR VOCATIONS
A surprise encounter can turn our lives around. God
offers us living water. Come and drink. (John 4:5-42)
That we as a Christian community may reach out to
the homeless and the marginalized.
Our Lady of Grace will meet on Monday,
March 8, at 10:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center
Sodality Room. Please bring your toiletries,
magazines and canned goods.
_______________________________________

Incidentally the door is wide open for new Immaculate Heart of Mary Guild will meet on
members for the 10:00 a.m. choir. Singing is Tuesday, March 9, at 6:15 p.m. in the Family Life
a great way to praise God! Center Sodality Room. The meeting portion will
start at 6:30 p.m. Please bring all finished
With prayers and blessings, rosaries to the meeting. We will be completing
Father Muller the rosary packages for the First Communion, 8th
Grade Confirmation and Adult RCIA classes. If
you have any questions please contact Wendy
Green 492-7058.
_______________________________________

MASS INTENTIONS

Monday, March 8 Shirley Steul

Al Hirt
William A. Powell, Jr.
Tuesday, March 9 Thomas Casey
Mimi Norwood St. Joseph Altar
Rev. Robert O’Sullivan
Wednesday, March 10 Special Intentions
The feast day of St. Joseph is Friday, March 19.
Anthony V. Rosato, Sr.
Special Intention Seth & Michelle Galloway
We will celebrate at OLS with a traditional altar in
Thursday, March 11 Donors to the OLS School Found the Parish Hall after the 6:00 p.m. Mass.
Special Intention Leticia Tomas Blessing of the Food in the Parish Hall. We will
Diana Cusimano Fontana not have Stations of the Cross on this Friday
Friday, March 12 Lillie Baldone because we will have the Mass of St. Joseph
Bill Wiggins instead.
Special Intention Maria Fatima Tomas
Saturday, March 13 Special Intentions A St. Joseph Altar is an offering of love, labor
Special Intention Tim & Catherine Thornton and sacrifice in honor of the patron saint of the
Joseph Sicola
universal church. There are special blessings for
Sunday, March 14 People of the Parish
Special Intention Doug Archer
all who give and participate in this celebration of
Special Intentions sharing.

Please bring a food offering in disposal

containers of your choice for each intention to St.
Joseph for intercessory prayer. A wide variety of
foods are needed, although it is customary that
no meat dishes be offered. Suggested foods
include:
Salads Salmon croquettes DO YOU LIKE TO SING? Come serve the
Pasta dishes Fruits Lord through song with the adult choir! Now is
Vegetables Cakes, cookies, pies the time to join to sing with us during Holy Week
Frittatas/Omelets Home baked breads and the Easter season. Come this Wednesday,
Baked/Fried fish Tuna croquettes March 10, at 7:00 p.m. to meet our new choir
Rice/potato casseroles Soups director, Leah Hains. For more information,
please call 205-218-9883. We hope to see you
If you are unable to cook, financial offerings are there!
needed to offset costs of special breads, holy _______________________________________
cards, and candles. Proceeds are donated to the
poor/needy through the Catholic Center of There will be two Lenten Fish Fries
Concern. sponsored by the Knights of
Columbus: the first on Friday,
If you can help in any way, please call Lenora March 12, and the second on
Maenza at 942-7665, or Claudia Tombrello at Friday, March 26, at 6:00 p.m. in
967-9981. the OLS Parish Hall. Everyone is
invited.
St. Joseph Altar is sponsored by Our Lady of _______________________________________
Sorrows Church, Knights of Columbus Councils
#635, #4304 and Assembly #1288.
Baptism Class will be held on Tuesday, March
_______________________________________
16, at 7:00 p.m. in the Church. Please call the
Church Office to register.
____________________________________
High School youth
group will continue Let Worldwide Marriage Encounter help
its semester on the you renew your marriage. The next Worldwide
Sacraments. We Marriage Encounter Weekends are March 19 –
meet Sunday 21 in Nashville, Tenn., August 27 – 29 in
evenings in the Cullman, Ala., October 15 – 17 in Nashville,
Parish Hall from Tenn., and November 5 – 7 in Huntsville, Ala.
7:00 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. Dinner is provided. Early registration is highly recommended. For
more information visit our website at:
High School PSR class meets Sunday mornings wwmealabama.org or call (800) 540-9963.
from 10:00 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. in the youth _______________________________________
room on the third floor of the Family Life Center.
Breakfast is provided.

Spring Break Mission trip: All high school Please remember to set
students are invited to participate in a spring your clocks Sunday
break mission trip to Life Teen Covecrest, a morning, March 14th
Catholic youth retreat center and summer camp
in the North Georgia Mountains. We will be
building cabins, clearing trails and taking some
time to pray in God’s territory. The trip will be
Monday, March 15, through Friday, March 19.
The cost is $75.00 per person. Forms are
available in the vestibule, the church office and
youth group and are due tomorrow, Monday,
March 8. Call the office for more information.