OUR LITURGY

When we give our lives over to faith in God, we possess hope and confidence. As Christians, we firmly believe in the promise of Jesus to return and bring about the fulfillment of the kingdom. With full confidence in the words of Jesus, we can live as faithful servants who prepare for his return with unwavering courage.

Liturgical Commission Publishings, Diocese of Lansing, Lansing, MI

Altar Bread And Wine

The gifts offered at our Masses this weekend

Are Donated in Memory of:

Richard Kiley

Requested By: Ministry of Consolation

REMEMBER OUR DEAD

James F. Parrotta John Reis, Ignatius DiPaola and for our deceased soldiers,

and all of our deceased relatives and friends.

REMEMBER OUR SICK

For this week, please pray for the sick, especially:

Susan Bateman Alice Boyle William J. Brodie

Mercedes Chipe Rosemary Demarest David DeParis

Rose Dicanio Maggie Errico Keith Ferraro

David Hoffman Joseph F. Koenig Samantha LaRocca

Evelyn Lombardi Richard McKenna William Mytok

Frank Nostro Christine Paglino Edward Percesepe

Grace Peshkur Molly Piccirillo Artie Plouffe’, Jr.

Eleanor Purcaro Thomas Purcaro Santo Rodriguez

Annette Rodriguez Barbara Rooney Rose Russo

Diana I. Sacia Mario Schiano Theresa Schiano

Christopher Sweeney Stacie Tizzard Gloria Toten

Adam Vaneron Gladys Zapata

PLEASE NOTE: To keep our prayer list current, we will keep names on the sick list for two months. We ask families to return the bulletin cut-out to include names of those who are ill for another two months.

OUR PRIEST-CELEBRANTS

(Subject to last minute changes)

This Sunday Next Sunday

Saturday

5:00 pm Fr Butler 5:00 pm Fr. Maffeo

Sunday

7:00 am Fr Maffeo 7:00 am Fr. Thomas

9:00 am Fr Boyle 9:00 am Fr. Maffeo

10:30 am Fr Liu 10:30 am Fr. Boyle

12:00 pm Fr Butler 12:00 pm Fr. Liu

5:00 pm Fr Thomas 5:00 pm Fr. Butler

MASS INTENTIONS

Sunday, August 8- Nineteenth Ordinary Sunday

7:00 An End To Abortion requested by Respect Life Committee

7:00 For Our Beloved Dead

9:00 Mary & Peter McQuillan requested by Claire & Jim

9:00 Jean Cunningham requested by

Joseph, Cathy & Kaitlyn Savage

10:30 Antonia LoBrutto requested by Salvatore & Anna LoBrutto

10:30 For The People of the Parish

12:00 Mark McDonald requested by The Caesar Family

12:00 For the Deceased Members of the Midura and Margas families

5:00 Nunzio Vitale requested by Danny & Paulette Longo

5:00 Catherine Carlos requested by

Mary, Scott & Great Granddaughters

Monday, August 9- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

7:00 Francis Colacioppo requested by Tom Caminiti

7:00 For Our Beloved Dead

9:00 Harry Corcoran requested by Lynne Simon

9:00 Salvatore Motta requested by Joseph & Janett Sheldrick

Tuesday, August 10- St. Lawrence

7:00 Eileen Wright requested by Eileen Gurski

7:00 For The Intentions of The Celebrant

9:00 Frank Pipino requested by The Pisano Family

9:00 Maureen & Ignatius Rienzo (living ) requested by Thomas DuBritz & Son

Wednesday, August 11- St. Clare

7:00 Gerry Martin requested by Rick & Linda Voels

7:00 Eddi Hernandez requested by Marian Kelly

9:00 Alfonsina Filoso requested by Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Tropeano

9:00 Alan McDonald requested by Peter & Rochelle Cascio

Thursday, August 12

7:00 Anne Healy requested by The Wimpelberg Family

7:00 For The Intentions of The Celebrant

9:00 Augusto Lucas requested by His Loving Family

9:00 Scott Morgenstern requested by Cathy & Jim Foy

Friday, August 13 - St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus

7:00 Mary Tempesta requested by the O’Flaherty Family

7:00 For Our Beloved Dead

9:00 Timothy and Marguerite Cleere & family requested by Tim Cleere and family

9:00 Jeremiah Hennessy requested by Family

Saturday, August 14- St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe

8:00 Beth Muzzi requested by Patty & Lisa

8:00 For the Intentions of The Celebrant

Anticipated Mass for Sunday

5:00 John Gutman requested by Loving Family

5:00 EmilioRolla requested by John & Delores Burke 5:00 Anne Kevel requested by Her Loving Family

Sunday, August 15- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7:00 Denise Rolla requested by Lorraine Barr & Family

7:00 Michael Laino requested by Jeffrey Fey

9:00 Jean Cunningham requested by Marge Costa

9:00 Edmond & Margaret Long requested by Mary Verardi

10:30 Carmine Somma requested by Loving Family

10:30 Henry Grasing requested by Grasing Family

10:30 For the People of The Parish

12:00 Ann Gregory requested by Les

12:00 Grace Sheehan requested by loving family

12:00 Agnes Meehan requested by Loving Sister & Family

5:00 Brian, Carole, Eileen Cleere and family (living) requested by Tim Cleere and family

5:00 Geraldine Machin requested by Loving Grandchildren

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP THE GIFTS AT THE MASSES ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE USHERS WHEN YOU ARRIVE FOR MASS.

FROM THE DESK OF FR. MIKE

Fear is useless, what is necessary is trust! These words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel sum up completely what today’s readings are all about. Although the word trust is not used, we see it replaced with the word FAITH! With Faith, we are truly set free from all fear. With Faith, we are given the courage to make great things happen, and we are able to make changes in our lives and do things that we never thought we could do.

What is Faith, and how can I get it, or how can I get more? Good questions (at least I thought so)! What is Faith-there are indeed many answers, so many that whole books have been written on the topic. Faith is God’s gift to us, and it is freely given so that we may come to know Him better and understand His working in our lives. We see this in the example used by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. The author points out that Abraham was able to obey God and do what most would consider impossible (leave his homeland, believe that he and Sarah would have Isaac at such an advanced age, and even offer Isaac to God in sacrifice-which God of course did not really want) because he had great faith in God. No, Faith is not something we can touch or see with our eyes or even prove scientifically, but it is a reality. How do we know this? We know it because we can see the things that are accomplished by mere people using Faith. And for those who have this great gift and use it wisely, we can most certainly feel it.

What if I have lost my Faith, can I ever get it back? Yes, because Faith is given to us by God-none of us merit it or have a right to it. God freely gives faith, to all. And while it is true Faith can (appear to) die by not using it, it is true that it never truly dies. Whether we like it or not, there is always a little spark that remains within us. Faith is always present and one act of true Faith can turn a little spark into a Blast Furnace. So, we must never give up on people who seem to lose their Faith. We must pray for them and help them by our works of Faith, Hope and Charity. Believe it, we can do so much more than we think we can!

Can I ask God to increase my Faith? Yes, without a doubt, but Faith like Love is the type of gift that grows and grows the more we use it. So, perhaps it’s better to ask God to help us to keep our Faith alive and show us the way to use it more and more. In a sense this is what Jesus is speaking about in today’s Gospel when he warns those who believe to be on guard and never to take gifts given so freely for granted. We are never to stop working for the spreading of the gospel. We cannot think that there is plenty of time, because there is not! Let us always strive to be the servants who know our master’s will and act according to it.

Tomorrow from 3:30-9 PM in the Parish Hall, we will sponsor our Annual Blood Drive to help those in need. Please come out and donate the precious gift of life to those who will be having life saving surgery or who are facing an emergency.

Thanks to you, the missions and The Society for the Propagation of the Faith received an additional $8,180 (the proceeds of last week’s 2nd Collection). Fr. Pat who spoke last week at all of the Masses was very impressed and truly grateful to all who helped in this vital work. Thank you, the great people of St. Joseph’s always come through for those in need.

This coming year, we are happy to announce that St. Joseph’s will be blessed with the presence of another seminarian on Pastoral Year. His name is Mr. Lee Descoteaux, and we are all very excited that he will be joining us. This year is important for a seminarian because he gets a chance to see how a parish works, and what parish ministry is all about. The Seminary could not have picked a better place than St. Joseph’s because this is an extremely active parish and it has many different ministries. As you know Lee is one of many seminarians who have come here for Pastoral Year-the last one being the now Fr. Robert Kline who was just ordained this June and in now the Associate Pastor of OLPH in Lindenhurst. Why is Lee coming here and why have we had so many seminarians coming to St. Joseph’s? The answer is easy-it’s you, the beautiful people of St. Joseph’s. Lee will join us on September 8th and will be with us until next May.

I would like to thank the members of the St. Regis Council of the Knights of Columbus and the St. Joseph’s Court of The Catholic Daughters of America. As you may know, things are a little tight around here financially speaking (something we will talk about next month) and to host a seminarian for 10 months can be a great expense. But, when I approached the Knights and the Catholic Daughters about helping us house and feed our seminarian they responded in a true to form fashion. They did not pause for even a second-their answer was a resounding YES! Thank you for your generous support and for helping this young man to take this next step toward priesthood. Likewise, if any one would like to help the parish support Lee (any other organization or ministry) please call me at the Rectory.

Congratulations to Michael R. Burns, son of Edward and Victoria Burns who became an Eagle Scout yesterday. Michael is a member of Troop #272-a Troop sponsored by our parish- and to become an Eagle Scout is a great honor and accomplishment. Michael had to work very hard to achieve this rank. Thank you, Michael and all of those from our parish who have reached this high rank and continue to serve the church and their community.

Thank you for all you do for our beautiful parish and never ever lose Faith! Fr. Mike

Join Us For
Monday Evenings On the Lawn

Every Monday evening at 7PM we will pray the Rosary, sing songs of praise, hear the word of God and share fellowship. Where? On the Rectory lawn (bring your own chair and maybe a dessert) In case of rain, we will meet in the church.

SAY A PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please continue to remember them in your prayers.

Cpl. Jason Bertran Cpl. Michael Bruno

Cpt. Kevin Connolly Spc. Thomas E. Corcoran

Cpt. Edward Cuevas Col. Stephen Czerwinski

Sgt. Stephen DiGirolamo Pvt. Matthew DiNardo

Lt. John DiNero SFC Raymond Fulton

SSG Jeremy Garcia Cpt. Evan Gotkin

Cpt. Jennifer Gotkin Sgt. Steven Knight

PFC Brian Lawson SPC Adam Mackey

GM2 Gerard McGarity Sgt. Patrick McNally

Andy Mezador Spc. Tristin Mortensen

Cpt. Gregory Mueller SSG Joey Napolitano

L/Cpl Michael Napolitano L/Cpl. Thomas Napolitano

L/Cpl. James Neubauer COP Johnathan Norris

PFC Anthony Notaroberta SPC. Brian Pacella

Ensign 3 Lucy Padro Navy Seal Paul Padro

PFC Christopher Reid Sgt. Edwin Rivera, II

SRA Jason Schiavo PO2 Roger Schoverling

Spc. Rudy Schoverling SSG Thomas J. Valentino

Maj. Edward Ward Cpl. Mark Ward

Cpl. Zachary Wilga SSG Dusty Williamson

(If you would like to include a soldier from your family who is serving, place their name and rank on a piece of paper in the collection basket)

Religious Education News

The Religious Education office has been closed for the summer break and we will reopen on Monday, August 23rd. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call our office and leave a message. We will be checking our answering machine and our incoming mail through this summer period.

We are reminding our volunteers to return their completed Volunteer Registration Packet as soon as possible. We are always in need of volunteers; if you have an opportunity to share your faith with the children of our parish, please call 981-1805, we would love for you to join us.

RESPECT LIFE

In reading the August issue of LIFE NEWS, page 8’s “Student Back to School Kit” title caught my eye. As I read this page I thought how timely it was. I also thought that this message bears repeating, for all the young people going away from home, off to college; they will encounter many different points-of view on just about every subject. The writer of this page who wishes to remain nameless, found that expressing a pro-life point of view during her first year of school made her a target for insults and personal attacks.(I feel that the writer is female). She says the majority of students were very hostile to anything pro-life.

Here are some things a pro-life college student can and should do to be able to join in a discussion and be articulate about the subject. The first thing of course is to be armed with knowledge. One recommended book is Randy Alcorn’s Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments. It is of tremendous value, containing information in the question and answer format. Also recommended are websites such as teensforlife.com and aclife.org

(American Collegians for Life.)

The second thing to do is to overcome a fear of speaking out. (Reread the last paragraph if it’s for fear of not knowing what to say.) Many people go to college wanting to make lots of friends and they don’t want to spoil their chances by being ostracized as one of those “anti-abortion nuts”. You’ll always find people who choose friends based on ideology. Are those the types of people you really want to be friends with? The sooner you get them to shun you, in the opinion of our mystery writer, the better.

In the interests of space, the third and fourth things to have in your “back to school kit” will be found in this space next Sunday.

LIFE NEWS August 2004

Parish Outreach

SCHOOL SUPPLIES NEEDED

Parish Outreach is in need of school supplies for the up-coming school year. Pencils, pens, spiral notebooks, hard covered notebooks, book covers, etc. If you can help, please drop the supplies off at Parish Outreach

PREGNANCY CRISIS HOTLINE—We are here to help you. Please call 981.6888.

FOOD SUPPORT—Your donations of food and staple items is always appreciated. Kindly leave them in the front of Mary’s statue in the Church before or after Mass.

Emergency Blood Drive

St. Joseph’s Church

45 Church Street

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

August 9, 2004

3:30 PM to 9 PM

For your convenience appointments can be made by calling 981-6888

Banns of Marriage

(Second Time)

Laura Meade of St. Joseph’s and Joseph Cascio of St. Elizabeth’s

Michelle Niemczyk of Good Shepherd and Matthew Reilly of St. Joseph’s

Jody Bohne of St. Joseph’s and Anthony Apollo of Most Precious Blood

Kimberly R. Seidl of St. John and Michael A. Neff of St. Joseph’s

Dana Borelli of St. Joseph’s and Mark Civitanova of Good Shepherd

Lori A. Preta of St. Joseph’s and Edward C. Akel of St. Margaret

Arianna L. Stillman and Guy S. Lucchese St. John’s

Angela Cannarili of St. Joseph’s and Michael Syrett

Keri A. Skahill of St. Elizabeth’s and Christopher S. Gundlach

Sharon Stauch and David M. Distler both of St. Joseph’s

Tara Brereton of St. Joseph’s and Noel Darvassy

Stewardship

Am I waiting for the “right” time to become a good steward? Do I plan to share my time and talents “later”? Today’s Gospel warns those who are procrastinating about stewardship to be prepared—”at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Weekly Offering

618 envelopes $12,609

Loose collection 1,890

Total Last Sunday $ 14,499

Same collection last year 16,687

Poor Box last weekend 270

L. I. Catholic 1,282

F Y I

During a recent review of parish expenses and income, the Finance committee found it cost the parish on average $4,282.08 a day to run the parish. This is day to day expenses, excluding any special projects. Included in this amount are salaries, insurance, utilities, contracted services, Liturgical expenses, rectory, school, religious education, and outreach expenses.

Averaging out our Sunday and Holyday collections, we receive $2,611.92 a day. When we add fees and other parish income, not including the Restoration or Roof fund (they are for special projects, not regular expenses), our daily income comes up to $3,919.33. This leaves us with a daily shortfall of $362.75.

Restoration Fund

Thank you to those who have upped their pledges. We received a total of $ 6,620 in increases this year.

Pledged to date $1,126,830

Paid to date 993,438

Scrip Corner

Scrip sales last week $14,405

Same period last year 9,660

Gross Profit 686

Calendar Club

Congratulations to this week’s winners!!!

July 25 $50 #507 Joan Clahane

July 26 $25 #662 Patrick & Kathleen Hughes

July 27 $25 #566 Anne Richard

July 28 $25 #661 Patrick & Kathleen Hughes

July 29 $25 #343 Anne McNally

July 30 $25 #700 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Gabriel

July 31 $25 #328 Eva & Chris Liberti

COURTESY ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSITIONS AVAILABLEfor Queen of the Rosary Infirmary in Amityville. They are looking for RN’s and LPN’s Full Time—Part Time—Per Diem All Shifts.

Contact Maryanne Charles, RN or Debi Pfeifer, RN , Directors of Health Services, Queen of the Rosary—Carlin Hall 555 Albany Avenue, Amityville, NY 1170l Phone # 842-6000 (Ext. 271) Mon. To Fri. 8 to 4

RETROVAILLE is a program for marriages that are in trouble. It offers a lifeline to couples suffering with relationship problems. No group discussions. The program will help you rediscover each other, examine your life and learn to communicate more effectively. The next weekend will be held at Montfort Retreat House in Bay Shore, L.I. On Sept. 10-12, 2004. For more info., call 1-800-470-2230.

ST. JOHN’S BOHEMIAN SINGLES

St. John’s Bohemian Singles, ages 55 & up, meets on the first & third Sunday of every month in the Lower Level of our Church. We are a social group and we publish a monthly calendar and Newsletter. Everyone is welcomed—Divorced, Separated, Widowed, Never Married. Enrollment $5—admission $3.00. Coffee and cake is served. For information please call Mary Ann at 563-8982.

MASS & PROCESSION FOR LIFE

Saturday, August 28th 9AM Mass—St. Anne’s

Church, 88 Second Avenue, Brentwood.

Main Celebrant Rev. Gerald Twomey

Rosary procession abortion center First Street & Brentwood Road, opposite RR Station

Prayerful, Peaceful Witness to Life

Announcing the Next

DEFENSIVE DRIVING

CLASS

Saturday, 14 August

Time 8:30 am-3 pm

Cost $45 per person

Get 10% discount on your insurance in collision and liability. Remove up to 4 points imposed on your license in last 18 months. Call the Rectory to sign-up 588-8456.

Used Inkjet Cartridges, Where are you?!

Ever wonder how to continue the useful life of that inkjet cartridge that just went dry? We have found a way to help St Joseph and keep those complicated pieces of plastic, metal and printed circuit boards out of the land fill. Drop them off (in a plastic baggie) when you come to mass. We will send them to a company who reuses them and gives the parish a bounty for each. One note, to clear confusion, if it is larger than a fist, it is not an inkjet cartridge!!!