september 4 september 5, 2021 reconnect and rejoice
TRANSCRIPT
PARISH STAFF Rev. Rick Lesser, Pastor
Rev. Dan McHale, Parochial Vicar
Deacon Alfred Manzella
Patricia Holm, Pastoral Associate, Administration
Barbara Ruggirello, Bookkeeper
Paul Edmundson, Office Assistant
Peter Bukowski, Facilities Manager
Maura Barrett, LMSW, Pastoral Care Associate
Avery Tunningley, Parish Music Director
Nelly Brown Bunk, Choir Director
Konstantin Tsykun, Contemporary Music Director
FAITH FORMATION AND YOUTH MINISTRY Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Closed Friday.
Patti Staerker, Coordinator, Elementary School Program
Rose Ann Garry, Co-Coordinator, Middle/High School Program
Mary Ann Hospodar, Coordinator, Youth Ministry Program
Colleen Harrigan, Secretary
PARISH TRUSTEES: Carmel Foltan and Adele Nucci
ST. THOMAS SCHOOL: 439-5573 Fax: 478-9773 www.stthomas-school.org [email protected] Adam Biggs, School Principal [email protected] Jennifer Murphy, Associate for Enrollment and Development [email protected]
35 Adams Place, Delmar, New York 12054
Office Phone: (518) 439-4951 • Fax: (518) 439-0108
Office E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: Open By Appointment Only
Website: www.stthomas-church.org
WEEKEND MASS Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.; Sunday Mass: 10:00 a.m., 5 p.m.
Holy Days As Announced WEEKDAY MASS
Mon and Thurs 7:30 a.m.; Tues and Fri 12:15 p.m. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
No Eucharistic Adoration currently scheduled
RECONCILIATION Tuesday: 11:30 a.m., Saturday: 4:00 p.m. or by appointment
BAPTISM Baptism of infants is usually celebrated on the 3rd and 4th Sundays of the
month. Contact the Parish Office for arrangements. Preparation sessions for parents presenting infants for Baptism are held monthly. RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
Contact the Parish Office for information about the program this fall. MATRIMONY
Arrangements for marriage should be made at least 6 to 8 months in advance and before scheduling a reception. Contact the Parish Office for information.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK First Tuesday of the Month after 12:15 p.m. Mass or by request.
CARE OF THE SICK The Pastoral Care Team responds to the needs of homebound or
hospitalized parishioners. Please call to make us aware of persons who would like a visit or home Communion. Contact: Maura Barrett.
NEW PARISHIONER Please register in the parish by calling the office weekdays to set up an
appointment . Please remember our parish in your will. We are: “St. Thomas’ Church of Delmar, N.Y.”
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
To proclaim and celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord in a community of faith, to respond to the Spirit by recognizing the gifts of each indi-vidual and by encouraging their use in Christian
service to others and to spread the Word to others by the witness of our lives in order to encourage
growth in our relationships with God and with one another.
RECONNECT AND REJOICE SEPTEMBER 4 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
Pastor’s Corner
PRAYER CHAIN ~ Members respond to urgent prayer inten-tions. Calls are confidential. Contact Pam Seward at: 518-439
-7845 for your intention to be added. PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER M. Lorraine Carpenter and Joan Lanahan whose services were held recently. May the
Lord welcome them into Eternal Life.
Prayer & Worship
You are invited to RECONNECT AND REJOICE!
Parish Picnic at the Elm Ave Town Sunday Sept. 12
Park11:30 a.m. Celebrate an Outdoor Mass at the park concelebrated by: Fr. Rick and Fr. Dan (please bring a lawn chair or blanket)
12:15- 4:15 p.m. enjoy delicious foods, baked goods, games, crafts, and MORE!
2-4 p.m. pony rides, petting zoo
4:15 p.m. A raffle with great prizes, a 50/50 raffle AND MORE
Sign-up Sheets are in the Gathering Hall Please sign-up
for shifts that have few or no names. We especially bakers and non meat dish preparers which require
completion before the picnic. During the picnic we’ll need more food servers, sleers of raffle/beer tickets and baked goods and grillers.
Labor Day ~ The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of the Diocesan holiday for Labor Day. THE 7;30 DAILY MASS IN THE CHAPEL WILL BE CEL-EBRATED. CONGRATULATIONS to the families of the following chil-dren who were baptized recently at St. Thomas: Julia Pearl Myr-tle, Chloe Rose Marshall, and Carmine Francis Chiera.
Collection for Haiti ~ This week, Sept. 4/5, we will hold a
special collection for relief following the devastating earthquake
in Haiti as requested by Bishop Scharfenberger and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Please be generous as always in helping our brothers and sisters in the poorest country
in the western hemisphere.
Volunteers needed for our Welcome Table -- Making parish life easier! ~ Volunteers are needed to help us make parish life easier! Our plan is to offer a Welcome Ta-ble, a place in the Gathering Hall where parishioners can obtain items such as: Mass cards, parish registration forms, Faith For-mation information and St. Thomas School materials as well as place requests for sacramental records (i.e. baptismal certifi-cates and forms to be a sacramental sponsor). This "office" out-side of office hours, will be available to parishioners before and after weekend Masses. If you are interested in helping out in this way, please contact the parish office. We will train You!Thanks.
An Invitation to Serve ~ In the coming weeks we will be
taking several minutes at each Mass, hoping to inspire you to serve our parish! Volunteering your time does not mean a life-
time commitment. You may be available for a weekend, a few hours, weeks, or for a specific project. If a certain ministry calls out to you, just try it out! Whatever time you can give is so ap-
preciated. We look forward to highlighting these opportuni-ties for you, as your fellow parishioners explain our needs and tell you what inspired them to serve.
Just a friendly reminder no Food Drive until Tuesday Sept. 14! Thank you for your continued generosity!
Pastoral Care
(Contact: Maura Barrett, LMSW)
“A Prayer for Labor Day ~ Lord, on this Labor Day we thank You for the blessing of work. We ask for strength to complete each day. We ask for rest when we are weary. We ask Your guidance for everyone seeking employment, and we ask that You be with those whose faces we might never see but who work tirelessly each day for the good of us all.” (www.osv.org)
Atria Delmar Place ~ We have resumed our Com-munion Services on Sunday mornings at 11:15 a.m. and on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m.! The residents are thrilled to have us back. We could use one or two
more helpers on a rotating basis for either day. Training is pro-vided. Please let Maura know if you would be interested in joining this team.
Bereavement Support Group Resuming for those who have lost a spouse during the last 2 years. Meetings will held October-May once a month on Mondays at 4 p.m. If you or someone you know
would be interested in joining this group, please contact Maura at the office via phone or email for pre-screening and more information. Maura is also able to provide information and re-ferral for other resources should this particular group not meet your needs.
Call for cards! ~ Maura will be collecting cards for seniors in the parish, particularly for the nursing home residents. This is a great inter-generational project. Happy Fall, Thinking of You, Sending
Cheer, etc. are the themes that would be best. Handmade or store bought are all appreciated. Please sign “A friend from St. Thomas Parish.” Thank you to those who have been kindly sending them in already. You may drop at the office to Maura’s attention. Thank you!
Faith Formation 2021-2022 ~ We are cur-rently gathering information based on diocesan guidelines as well as the needs of our families with young children to determine if in person, virtual, home instruction or some combination of the 3 is the best and safest option for elementary
faith formation classes this year. In any case, there is a vital need for catechists to volunteer their time and share the Good News with our young parishioners. Please contact our office as soon as possible to find out how you can help!
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
elementary faith formation (grades 1-5) (Contact: Patti Staerker)
JOIN US NEXT SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12 FOR OUR PARISH PICNIC
MIDDLE /HIGH SCHOOL FAITH FORMATION
(Contact: Rose Ann Garry)
YOUTH MINISTRY (Contact: Mary Ann Hospodar)
This week we like you to meet these faithful catechists and YM volunteers who have shared their faith with our young church throughout the pan-demic.
In a sentence or two please share how your vocation, as a Catechist or Youth Ministry Volunteer, over the past year, has deepened your friendship with Jesus?
Covid changed everything that was routine in the past year and forced me to look out of the traditional 'box' for inspiration for being a Catechist. Some-times a forced change in life and our routines strengthens our relationship with Jesus for the bet-ter and is passed on to our students. Brian McCaf-frey 10 years
“The Decision Point videos are instructive, not only for the students, but myself as well. Also, I wanted to provide "context" around the weekly Gospel read-ings which caused me to research the Gospel writer and / or the meaning within the reading. By doing so I came to appreciate the reading much more.” *** Bill Kolberg was in the Reserves at Ali al Salem Base in Kuwait during our 2021 Session and contin-ued to teach his 10th Grade Confirmation! Bill has been a catechist for 3 years.
Reminding 9th graders of the myriad of ways Jesus
shows up in their lives serves as a great reminder to
ME of the myriad of ways Jesus shows up in mine. Jean Leonard has been a catechist for 7 years.
We invite you too to consider joining our Faith For-mation Ministry Team as a Catechist, Catechist Assis-tant, Gatekeeper or Youth Ministry Volunteer! Our MS/HS Catechists, Catechist Assistants and Gate-keepers share the JOY of the Gospel in a classroom setting for 5 weeks in the fall and 5 weeks in the spring. All materials and 10 lesson plans are provid-ed.
Our Youth Ministry Volunteers chaperone and super-vise, our young church in Faith based outreach activi-ties in the parish and in the community throughout the year.
All volunteers must complete the online CMG Connect Program. This is a new program that takes the place of Virtus. Get started today by checking out infor-mation on our Faith Formation Volunteer Page Cate-chist/YM Volunteers - St Thomas the Apostle Church - Delmar, NY (stthomas-church.org)
Interested in learning more about becoming a cate-chist contact: Rose Ann Garry [email protected] or a Youth Ministry Volunteer contact: Mary Ann Hospodar [email protected]
God Bless you for sharing the LOVE of the LORD with our young church!
Registration 2021-2022 ~ Elementary instruction will begin in just a couple of short weeks--the end of September!!! Please register for faith formation as soon as possible so materials can be ordered and prepared for catechists and par-ents. Necessary forms as well as an online registration option are now available on our church website, www.stthomas-church.org.
Our final 2021 First Communion Mass for those pre-pared during last school year is scheduled for Saturday, Sep-tember 18 at 11 a.m. All families previously signed up for this Mass should have received an email from Mrs. Staerker within the last 2 weeks seeking to confirm your plans for this celebra-tion. If you have not yet done so, please contact Mrs. Staerker as soon as possible by phone or email to touch base.
In person Middle School and High School Faith Formation Classes begin on October 19! Register online today! Middle and High School Faith Formation - St Thomas the Apostle Church - Delmar, NY (stthomas-church.org) God Bless you for inviting us to be a part of your family’s Faith Journey.
Middle School and High School students attending private school or homeschool are invited to join us at any of our Youth Ministry HOPE activities!( Help Others, Pray, En-courage). We will have registration this November for Catholic School parishioners (10th grade and older) seeking to be Confirmed in the Spring of 2022.
We invite all our Faith Formation/Youth Ministry Volunteers past and present to join us at any Mass the weekend of Sept. 18-19 for a special blessing! Everyone is
invited to our ice cream social following Mass to thank our volunteers!
Save the date ~ Bowling for HUGS! (Hats, Scarfs, Gloves,) Del Lanes: Wednesday Sept. 15 9- 10:30 p.m. cost. $15.00 includes 2 games, shoes, pizza, drink $3.00 goes to our HUGS fund! NO
school for BC School District on Thursday Sept. 16! Wishing all of our College Students a safe return to campus! You are in our thoughts and Prayers! If you would like to receive a note from our CORE
Team or a small care package please email us your campus mailing address to [email protected] OR send a note to our church office with at-
tention: “Youth Ministry”
Seasons of Creation runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4 the Feast of St. Francis. This year's theme is "A HOME for All? Renew-
ing the Oikos of God!" We invite you to create your own tent of radical hospitality by writing a po-em, or creating a picture, or using a photo to show how
you plan to safe guard a place for all creatures of God's household! Tents will be displayed in the Gathering Hall the week of Sept. 26.
JOIN US NEXT SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12 FOR OUR PARISH PICNIC
THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE PARISH
“Advertiser of the Week" ~ This weekend we highlight one of the valued companies advertising in our bulletin:
Countryman Home Improvement Please see their ad in the current bulletin.
Be sure to patronize their business!
Calendar
Mon 9/6
Diocesan Holiday -
Office Closed/Daily Mass Will Still Be Cele-
CHP
PLACE: CH – Church; GH – Gathering Hall; LC – Lady Chapel; MC – Media Center; PO – Parish Offices, PP - Peace Pole, Café-Cafeteria, LCR - Large Conference Room, CHP-Chapel SCH-School, PL-Church Parking Lot Senior Luncheon
Creation Care Team
(Contact: Marie Myer: [email protected].)
OFFERTORY RECEIVED FROM WEEKLY COLLECTION **
$10,117.00
OFFERTORY RECEIVED VIA E-GIVING (VANCO)
$1,675.35
TOTAL OFFERTORY RECEIVED $11,792.35
MINIMUM AMOUNT NEEDED TO MEET EXPENSES
$14,500.00
TITHE (5% OF TOTAL OFFERTORY) $589.62
TOTAL NUMBER OF GIFTS 215
** INCLUDES LOOSE CASH GIFTS $768.00
STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE – FOR AUG 28-AUG 29 2021
Administration
(Contact: Pat Holm)
Welcome To The Season Of Creation: Sept. 1 To Oct. 4
In this Season of Creation, Pope Francis calls us to pray, to acknowledge and em-brace our role as recipients of God’s gift of creation as well as caretakers of this uni-verse. This year’s theme: A HOME FOR ALL: Renewing the Oikos of God (Oikos is
Greek for home or household.) underscores our duty to act as caretakers of “the integral web of relationships that sustain the well-being of the Earth.” Abraham’s Tent, Serves As A Symbolic Reminder Of The Hospitality he showed to strangers as recounted in Genesis 18 and a reminder that we are to extend that same hospitality to all we know and those we do not around this world, protect-ing and sharing justly God’s creation; living “our commitment to safeguard a place for all who share our common home.” Season of Creation Calendar Of Activities: If you didn’t pick up your calendar last week, you can find one on the St. Thom-as website, with the Season of Creation Prayer.
It’s not too late to enroll for 2021-2022! Are you looking for a school with limited class sizes which allow for safe, personalized instruc-tion, Spanish beginning in Preschool, or band in addition to your Music, Art, and Physical Educa-tion? At St. Thomas the Apostle School, our teachers and staff partner with families to instill the same values in our students that they learn
at home. St. Thomas offers Pre-K3, Part-Day and Full-Day Pre-K4 (flexible options available) as well as Grades K-8. Visit www.stthomasschool.org to watch our virtual tour. Call/ text 518-439-5573 or email Jennifer Murphy at [email protected] for more information.
Did you know? ~ St. Thomas the Apostle School’s Pre-school 3-year-old and 4-year-old programs are designed to expand and stimulate children’s minds. We provide our pre-schoolers with an unparalleled first academic, spiritual, and social experience. Children will emerge as successful learn-ers who progress smoothly into kindergarten with the tools and confidence to succeed at every level. We offer an ex-panded Preschool Program which includes part-time morning and afternoon Preschool 3 and 4 classes as well as a Full Day Preschool 4 class.
Visit us at www.stthomas-school.org or on Facebook at
St. Thomas the Apostle School - Delmar.
School News
St. Thomas Active Older Adults - Faith, Food, and Fun ~ We hope you have all enjoyed our beautiful summer. We have our plans set for our next year of events and lunch-eons. Our first luncheon will be on Friday, Sept. 17. We will go back to dining together in person. We will meet at 12:15 for Mass and then enjoy lunch together. For reservations or
cancellations, please contact Steve or Christine Corson at 518-439-3286. Please sign up early because space may be limited due to seating 6 people, rather than 8, at a table. Reservations must be made by Monday, Sept. 13. Attention Parishion-ers: If you like to bake, would you be able to help us out this month by baking brownies? Please package them individual-ly. Please call Steve or Christine Corson at 518-439-3286 if you are able to help out.
Breast Cancer Survivors Mass and Luncheon—October 5. Please join us at our 10:30 Mass at Christ the King, where we will honor and keep in prayer all breast cancer survivors and their loved ones. A special Sur-vivors Luncheon will follow at the Albany Country Club. Our guest speaker will be Mary
DeTurris Poust, Director of communications for the Albany Diocese. The luncheon cost is $30 per person. To register, pick up a copy of the flyer on the oval table opposite the Com-munity Bulletin Board. Submit the tear-off form with payment to the Christ the King Parish Office. We hope to see you there.
Weekday Mass Intentions For the Week of September 6 – September 10, 2021
Mon. 7:30 am Dacey Madigan
Mary Eileen Forrest
Ronald and Carolyn Kibbey - Living
Richard Feldmann
Tue. 12:15 pm Jack Haggerty
His Wife, Nancy
Ron Kennedy
Karen and Carl Winters
Thu. 7:30 am Intentions of the Celebrant
Fri. 12:15 pm Peter Depucci
Catherine Daley
Dr. Harry W. Paige
His Daughters
Anthony Lombardi
Norine and Juri Vancans
Sat. 5:00 pm For the People Sun. 10:00 am Jack Hobin The McKenna Family 11:30 am Intentions of the Celebrant 5:00 pm Intentions of the Celebrant
Scripture Readings: Week of September 5, 2021
PARISHES OF OUR LOCAL CATHOLIC COMMUNITY MASS SCHEDULES
Christ the King Church, 518-456-1644, Westmere Tue, Wed, Fri: 9 am Sat: 4 pm / Sun:8:30, 10:30 am
St. Lucy/St. Bernadette Church, 518-861-8770, Altamont Tue, Thu: 5:15 pm /Sat 5 pm/Sun: 9:30 am
St. Matthew’s Church, 765-2805, Voorheesville
Next Weekend, September 11-September 12, 2021
Sunday Is 35:4-7a / Jas 2:1-5 / Mk 7:31-37
Monday Col 1:24-2:3 / Lk 6:6-11
Tuesday Col 2:6-11 / Lk 6:12-19
Wednesday Mc 5:1-4a / Mt 1:18-23
Thursday Col 3:12-117 / Lk 6:27-38
Friday 1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14 / Lk 6:39-42
Saturday 1 Tm 1:15-17 / Lk 6:43-49
Sunday Is 50:5-9a / Jas 2:14-18 / Mk 8:27-35
RCIA Inquiries Welcome ~ Is God calling you or someone you know to become a Catholic Christian? If so, the RCIA program may be for you. The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for Baptized Christians and individuals who have never been Baptized who wish to learn more about and explore the possibility of joining our Catholic faith and for Bap-tized Catholics who wish to be confirmed. This year’s Inquiry Period will end on Sunday, Novem-ber 22. Contact Paul Edmundson, RCIA Coordinator, at the parish office if you want more information.
RCIA MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES ~ One of the best
ways to grow in your own faith is to accompany someone who
is coming into faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults. Please consider exploring the possibility of becoming
an RCIA team member Please contact Paul Edmundson, in the
parish office at 518-439-4951 if you are interested in joining the
team led by Mike and Martha Snyder, our RCIA Co-
Coordinators.