SANCTUARY CANDLE
Most Rev. Mark L. Bartchak, JCD
Bishop
Fr. George D. Koharchik, Pastor
georgek@csrlink.net
cell: 814 423 1162
203 W Market Street
MOUNT UNION, PA 17066
Marriage:
(814) 542-4582
stcatherine@comcast.net
Please contact Rectory at least
nine months prior to wedding
Confession: 4:30 PM Sat; 8:30 AM Sun
Baptism:
By appointment
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FEBRUARY 5, 2012 – FIFTH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mass intentions for the week February 4, 2012 – February 12, 2012
Sat
Sun
Feb
Feb
4
5
5th Ordinary Sunday
Mon Feb
Tue
6
4:30 pm
5:00 pm
Reconciliation
Gary Calupca
8:30-8:50 am
9:00 am
Reconciliation
Richard Wahler
1:30 pm WRC
3:00 pm MMPC
Angelo & Felomina Ciocca
Special Intention
By Nancy & Harry States
By Family
By Carmela & Maria
Feb
7
8:00 am
Living & Deceased of Remek By John Remek
Family
Wed Feb
8
6:00 pm
Helen Boyce
By Lincoln B. Kupchella
Thu
Feb
9
8:00 am
Delores Scarton
By Shelly Rodgers
Fri
Feb
10
8:00 am
Elise M. Welch
By David & Grace Knox
Sat
Feb
11
4:30 pm
5:00 pm
Reconciliation
Wilson DeVecchis
By Ted & Ann Aurand
8:30-8:50 am
Reconciliation
Living and Deceased Members of St. Catherine Parish
Sun
Feb
12
6th Ordinary Sunday 9:00 am
Steve J. Holesa
By Ann, Stanley, Patty
SERVER SCHEDULE
Weekend of
Feb. 11 & Feb. 12
Sat. 5:00 p.m.
Katie Christoff
Marie Daschbach
Sun. 9:00 a.m.
C.J. Booher
Kaitlyn Booher
Ashlyn Drake
READERS
Weekend of
Sat. 5:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m.
Feb. 11 & Feb. 12
Beth Lear
Dennis Drake
Frank Miller
EXTRAORDINARY
EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
Weekend of
Feb. 11 & Feb. 12
Sat. 5:00 p.m.
Beth Lear
Andrea Christoff
Melissa Fleming
Sun 9:00 a.m.
Mary Lyons
Elaine Booher
Bonnie Melnyk
GIFT BEARERS
Weekend of
Feb. 11 & Feb. 12
Sat. 5:00 p.m.
Volunteer
Sun. 9:00 a.m.
Connie & Ray
Singer
GREETERS
Weekend of
Feb. 11 & Feb. 12
Sat. 5:00 p.m.
Annette Brodbeck
Sun. 9:00 a.m.
Elaine Booher
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
February 19, 2012
6:30 p.m. Regular Council
School Hall
CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS
No Meeting in January
Or February
BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 5 – Feb. 11, 2012
Kaitlyn
Booher,
Joseph
Huntsman, Rexall Secrest,
Daryl Booher, Regina Hicks, Trudy Lego,
Kylie Marie Hammon, Sybil Miller, Mary
Secrest
FINANCIAL REPORT
Balance Jan. 28, 2012
Weekly
Youth
Loose
Monthly
$217,338.38
1,384.00
34.25
186.37
4.00
Catholic Register
Interest
65.00
9.99
Income for Week
$1,683.61
Expenses
$51,898.81
(Error Check #11671 $18.00, New Checks $95.70,
Priest’s Salary $1,815.35, Rectory Supplies $46.76,
Furniture $407.02, Website Service $23.99, Adult
Education $157.27, Wages $84.98, Provisions
$172.29, Building Project $49,077.45)
Balance Feb. 4, 2012
Loose collection
1st Sunday of month:
3rd Sunday of month:
4th Sunday of month:
$167,123.18
St. Catherine’s Cemetery
St. Vincent dePaul Society
Charity
Please pray for all who are sick, recovering, or homebound: Leonard Slates; Phyllis
Neary; Eva Roddy; Paul Yakymac; Ashleigh Hicks; Valentine Johnson; Kylie Hammon, Lisa
McDermott; Andy Kurey; Connie Flaherty, niece of Joan Wenzel; Barb McMath; Darlene
McMath; Jennifer Rosenberry Jenkins; Cathy Wilson; Fred Renninger; Arthur Smith; Dave
Singleton: Eric Giacobello; Carmella Ciccaglione; Mae Galla; Brian Baker, son-in-law of Ed
McGarvey; James D. Abrashoff, nephew of Julia Madden; John Austin; Dakota Hammon;
George Bodnar; Lenny Leonard; John Dell, son-in-law of Jerry & Ann Norris; Marie Christine Giacobello Shiffler;
Denny Hanes, brother of Nancy Kumpf; Rose Rocammo;; Valerie Thomas; Larry Puchalla; Emily Kerstetter, niece
of Mary Secrest; Joanie Jenkins, granddaughter of Mary Leonard; Howard Fleck, father-in-law of Patty Fleck;
Marie Sgro, relative of Dorothy Dell; Shawna Todaro; Jerry Brown, father of Dan Brown; Stanley Holesa; John
Sweatlock, brother of Maggie Szczerba; Vicki Sample; Brian Doyle; Robert Sossong, nephew of Kenneth
Sossong; Bucky Moore; Linda Wagner; Pierre Brenneman; Richard Buffone; Helen Giacobello; Dave Knox, father
of Cinda Imperioli; Jorden Dimoff; Cory Dixon; Alivia Thomas Hanes; Adele Whitaker; Diana Rutherford; Barb
Rourke; Maxine Barrett; Doug & Katy Widenor; Russ Matthews, son of Mae Galla; Carolyn Ann McMath Harbaugh,
niece of Martha Cullen; Jim Myers; Ann Salamon; Sally Ann Cunningham; Adeline Cialone; Harry Cholewinski;
Erma Ticconi; Joan Renninger; Betty Renninger; John Benson; John Remek in VA Home; Charles Peck; Matilda
Piskura, Joseph Seback, Thomas Koharchik, family of Fr. George; Tom Isenberg; and all the homebound of the
parish, particularly those at Westminster Woods: Mary Fink; at Woodland Retirement Center: Paul McGarvey,
Dean Valimont, Kathryn Wilson; and those at Meadowview Nursing Home: Gladys Thomas, Stella Los, Joan
Wenzel, Mary Bender, Clara Kaniecky, Jack Ratchford. Ann Homolash is at Hearthside, 450 Waupelani Dr, State
College, PA 16801. If you know anyone who would like to have a visit, or Communion, please let me know; also,
let us know if there are any additions or deletions to the list. Also pray for all those called up to military service,
as well as the victims of natural disasters throughout the world.
PRAYER CHAIN: If you have someone for whom you would like to request prayer, please get in touch
with Connie Singer, 542-8222; Liz Stasenko, 542-4987, or Carmela Ciccaglione, 542-4281; they will contact
the people on their list. If you want the person’s name to remain anonymous, just ask for a special intention,
etc. The Lists include: CONNIE SINGER: Suzanne Boyer, Betty Renninger, Maria Danish, Nancy States,
Mercy Miller; LIZ STASENKO: Bonnie Melnyk, Aric & Tara Miller, Maggie Stiffler, Jeannette Bumbaugh,
Ann Cutshall, Cathy Wilson; CARMELA CICCAGLIONE: Ann Gilliland, Mary Gaisior, Carmen Rivera,
Valerie Thomas, Melissa Fleming. Those on the list will be called when a request is received, but the prayer chain will not be
held up if the contact person is unable to reach you. If anyone else would like to be added to the Prayer Chain, please call the
Rectory or one of the contact persons.
St Catherine of Siena Parish marks its 100th Anniversary in 2012/13, only a year away.
Some of the areas which we will need to work on include:
MEMBER DIRECTORY
DINNER/ BANQUET
CHURCH HISTORY
LITURGY
COMMEMORATIVE ITEMS
OTHER
Committees are being established to handle these areas. We have begun scanning materials from
the parish archives, and would also like to do a directory, in print and/or digital. Everyone is invited to
submit photos of their families to be included; we will also be taking photos of parishioners as needed. If you have any
newspaper articles, old photos, or other materials, they can also be scanned and included in the overall collection. The
amount of material that can be made available to everyone is almost limitless.
Please return the sign-up forms indicating where you would like to help for the 100th Anniversary activities.
Bishop Mark has let us know that he will be present for Mass on Sunday, April 29, 2012,
(the Feast of St. Catherine), at 2:00 PM, to mark the beginning of our 100th anniversary year.
PARISH NEWS
There will be Mass on Monday at Woodland at 1:30 p.m. and at Meadowview at 3:00 p.m.
Bible study will meet Monday, February 6, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. in The Holy Family Hall. We are
beginning a study of the history of the Church; all are welcome to participate.
The next Job Conference will be Tuesday, February 14, at 10 AM. Work shoul be completed this
week on the restrooms in the basement; the work on the restroom in the vestibule will begin then.
The Parish Pastoral Council will meet Wednesday, February 15, at 7:00 PM.
At the Masses on February 11 & 12, there will be a special blessing for married couples, as well
as a recognition of those who are widowed.
Anyone who needs a statement of donations for 2011 is asked to contact the Rectory or put a
note in the collection basket.
ORGANIZATION NEWS
The Catholic Daughters will not meet in February.
The Knights of Columbus will Nominate Officers for the 2012-2013 year at the March meeting.
COMMUNITY NEWS
A Red Cross Community Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from 12:00
p.m. to 6:00 pm. at the First United Methodist Church in Mount Union. Blood donations have been
very low - a good response is critically important.
Crossroads Pregnancy Center is hosting a Volunteer Orientation on Thursday February 16th
from 6pm to 7:30pm at the Huntingdon CMA Church on 1019 Moore Street. This is for anyone who
wants to know more about Crossroads and the various ways you can become a volunteer. There is no
obligation – just information and an opportunity to ask questions. Please call 814-643-0331 to let us
know you are coming or go to our support web site: www.cpcforlife.org/support to register.
Refreshments will be served. Hope to see you there! Cindy Mansberger Executive Director
CCD/YOUTH
Wonderfully Wicked Thursday, February 9 & Friday, February 10, 7:00 PM, in MUAHS Auditorium.
Written and Directed by Erica Cooper. Cast, Clay Glenny, Piano, Alex Ashman, members of St Catherine.
The 11th Grade Confirmation retreat is scheduled for February 19, 2012.
CCD Grades 8 & 9 continue collecting food for the Food Bank, as a community service. The
theme for January is: Anything Goes.
DIOCESAN NEWS
The Diocesan Marriage Preparation Schedule is available in the vestibule or at the Rectory.
Programs include Engaged Encounter Weekends, Sponsor Couple Sessions, and the Marriage
Preparation Series. Contact the Rectory at least 8 months before your wedding. The schedule is also
available on-line at www.ajdiocese.org
Post-abortion
healing:
814-884-8000.
Confidential,
compassionate.
ProjectRachel@dioceseaj.org For women, men, relatives, friends hurt by abortion. Many whose
child was aborted were uninformed, coerced, pressured, even helpless. The Church wants to walk
with you on a path of healing and reconciliation with God, the Church, your child, yourself.
Helpful websites: noparh.org; abortionchangesyou.com; menandabortion.info; rachelsvinyard.org.
"COUPLE PRAYER SERIES" 6 Sun. evenings, Feb. 5-March 18-6:30-8:30 pm at the Family Life
Office, Lilly. For Catholic and interfaith/engaged and married couples. To help couples grow gradually
and comfortably into praying together. Cost: $20/couple. Register by Feb. 1.
EVANGELIZATION
“Let us go to nearby towns to preach there,” said Jesus. How spontaneously
he evangelized! Of course, Jesus did not find evangelization easy when it
meant carrying the cross and then dying on it. His passover to third-day glory,
however, gave cruel crucifixion new significance. Risen life gives direction to all
growth. Whether we call our lack of growth “sin,” “demon,” “disease” or “death,”
Jesus shows us how to pass through it and into newness. How well he
preaches the good news in our town! Text, James A. Wilde, PhD © 2000, OCP. All rights reserved.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B
Much has been said in the past few years about what is and what is not a "family." Today's liturgy, it
turns out, is in no small part about "family"—God's family. Indeed we begin our celebration with prayer
for our church "family " (collect). The Gospel, too, features a family: Simon's, whose mother-in-law is
sick with a fever. Jesus immediately reaches out to heal her. She responds by welcoming him into her
home. But Jesus' healing touch is not limited to this one household; instead, it reaches the "whole
town," all who come seeking relief. Though pressured to remain in one place, to make one group his
own, Jesus goes to the "nearby villages" to preach and heal. Paul, in the second reading, extends the
family of believers further, becoming "all things to all, to save at least some." His Gospel message is
free to anyone who will receive it. The prayer after Communion continues the focus, and in it we pray
that "the one Bread and the one Chalice" may make us "one in Christ" and "bear fruit for the salvation
of the world." Being God's family, then, calls us beyond our own individual family, our own city or
nation, beyond social class. It is literally a family of everyone, open to everyone, for the sake of
everyone. Let today's liturgy shape us more fully as God's family, where the Lord's table beckons all to
be made one. By Bryan M. Cones © 2005, OCP. All rights reserved.
The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time brings before us the image of God's family. The collect uses the
term family in referring to the gathered faithful. Picking up on the image of the poor in spirit from last
week's second communion antiphon, we the family of God, the poor in Spirit, trust the promises of God
for eternal life. The collect prays that the family might simply be kept safe. The prayer after Communion
leads us to live out the basic tenet of family life — unity. No matter what troubles we may face in the
present or what worries we have over our future destiny, we are called to live in unity for the sake of the
world. The Eucharist is seen as a means for this in the prayer over the offerings, calling the Eucharist
nourishment in this life and Sacrament for the life to come. The Communion antiphons complete this
image of family life by bringing it around the table of the altar; God will give us good things and will feed
those who hunger for righteousness. The second antiphon again quotes from the beatitudes, providing
an interesting motif for the music of these days. By Glenn CJ Byer, MA SLD © 2003, OCP. All rights reserved.
The Christian Community is compelled to tell the story of Jesus Christ. Conforming
our lives to God’s will is not one option among many; it is the only option for those who
follow Christ. The gospel story, indeed, indicates that the Christian life (here given voice
in the life and times of Jesus) should do anything but let us ‘get comfortable.’ Jesus,
having healed the sick and consoled the masses, could have remained where he
experienced a little bit of success. Instead, he moves on, to a new frontier, expands his
horizons to preach the message of forgiveness and peace in another place and time.
He is the itinerant messenger of the Lord, who doesn’t care how much trouble he stirs up. He is
unrelenting in spreading the message as far and wide as possible, to create the most discomfort so
that people ‘wake up’ and smell the rose of life with and in God. By Dale J. Sieverding © 2003, OCP. All rights reserved.
Job 7:1-4, 6-7 By John Paul Heil The shortness of our lives can make us restless, hopeless, and
unhappy. This reading from the wisdom tradition in the Book of Job expresses feelings that we human
beings may often experience during the shortness of our time on earth. We may feel that we just don't
have enough time to accomplish all that we would like to accomplish, so that we try to work as hard as
possible and often try to do too much. Such a life can seem like sheer drudgery, as if we are merely
slaves or hirelings working for our wages. Such a life can also be filled with sleepless nights, as we
anguish over our lack of time--"I am filled with restlessness until the dawn." So quickly do our days go
by--"swifter than a weaver's shuttle" and "like the wind"--that they seem to be without happiness or
hope. In today's Gospel reading, meant to accompany this reading from Job, Jesus illustrates how to
restore happiness and hope to our lives by making good use of the time God has given us to work for
his kingdom: "Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he
prayed." In the midst of all of the healing and preaching activity that Jesus had to do, he found the time
for prayer. Indeed, it was his prayer that empowered him to make the best use of his time in continuing
his ministry--"Let us go to the nearby villages that I may preach there also." May we find the time and
place for prayer in our busy lives, lest they become without happiness and hope. © 2005, OCP. All rights
reserved.
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 By Tom Conry No songs are composed or sung in a social vacuum; no
music is innocent of its surroundings. This is especially true of sacred music. Every sung moment (and
thus, every psalm) is highly charged with a point of view, and every chorus inevitably produces its
winners and losers. Today's psalm belongs to the "Hallelujah Psalms" (146-150, but also 113-118), and
in its Hebrew text it begins and ends with the untranslatable exclamation Hallelujah! The reference to
building up Jerusalem is probably a reference to the building up of Jerusalem's walls by Nehemiah
(Neh 12:27f), although the Greek version of the psalm (i.e. in the Septuagint) connects the image to
Haggai, Zechariah, and the rebuilding of the temple. Psalm 147 is a song that reflects the royal liturgy
of the postexilic community, and so one needs to be very careful indeed in performing its affirmations of
the present situation. Brueggemann calls this psalm "the massive rhetoric of present well-being . . . one
is not likely to notice a present needfulness that contradicts one's own present abundance" True
enough, there are occasional gestures in the text towards God's transformational justice, but these are
overlaid and all but drowned out with the royal language of prosperity. It is easy enough to begin by
praising God's plan for the universe and, before we know it, to wind up praising the ruler who presents
himself as the interpreter and guarantor of God's power and wisdom. Hidden behind this language lies
the psalm's theological core: that God's creative power is salvific, and that the fundamental nature of
creation is inextricably bound up in compassion and justice. © 2003, OCP. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 By Virginia Smith If congregants really hear what Paul is saying
today (and they will if the lector proclaims the message properly), it should leave them shifting uneasily
in their seats. Paul clearly understands that he has a duty and responsibility to preach the Gospel. He
can either do it willingly or unwillingly, but he is compelled to do it. This ought to leave all of us
wondering when we last preached the Gospel, if ever, and how we felt about it if we did. Some
Catholics see evangelization as strictly the province of the clergy and professed religious, but Paul was
neither of these. When others think of preaching, it conjures up images of people shouting into
bullhorns on busy street corners. But in fact it should come as naturally as breathing. What generally
dominates our conversation? Those things which are most important to us. If there’s a big event
coming up in our life, those around us are sure to hear about it. Hopefully, we do that in a manner that
is both effective and inoffensive. The same is true of our faith. It should just naturally find its way into
our exchanges with others. We’ve all heard that the best way to preach is by example, and that is also
true. Francis of Assisi urged his followers to preach always and, if necessary, to use words. Like Paul,
we are all called as disciples to preach Jesus by both word and action. How seriously do we take that
commission? © 2008, OCP. All rights reserved.
Mark 1:29-39 By Tom Conry Because she is pictured as being in Simon's house alone (i.e.
without a husband), Peter's mother-in-law is probably understood to be a widow by Mark's audience.
The wonder or sign is not so much in her being "cured" as it is in her restoration to her place in the
family, an important theme in this gospel. It's hard to miss the liturgical language in the story of Simon's
mother-in-law. Mark tells us she is reclining in her house (the same verb that is used for reclining at
table in the eucharist/meal stories), and, after Jesus raises her (the same verb is used of Jesus'
resurrection), she ministers to the group (the same verb is used repeatedly to signal service within the
group of disciples, both at table and as the characteristic attitude of Jesus' followers). This is typical
Marcan prefiguring: this nameless woman (shades of 14:9!), whose healing and service is immediately
overshadowed by a huge crowd in the very next verse, is the model of discipleship. Her actions
demonstrate that she already knows, out of her own experience, that healing implies an obligation of
service. This is a lesson that will come much more slowly and painfully to the Twelve in Mark's gospel.
The description of the whole "city" being gathered outside Simon's door indicates that this is a small
village, an out of the way place, one of those settings that don't matter very much to the outside world
but matter a great deal in the context of the story. Jesus is literally going to the least of people in the
least of places. © 2003, OCP. All rights reserved.
If you expect to be uplifted by the first reading, let me warn you that
it's from the Book of Job. "I have been assigned months of misery...."
Talk about having a bad day! I have to admit that the reading pretty
much expresses my feelings for a very long time after my husband
died. So if you know people who are grieving, don't wonder why "it's
been six months and they're not over it yet." Believe me, you have no
idea how overwhelming and unpredictable grief can be until you've been there. Today's responsorial
Psalm 147 offers comfort. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus contradicts Jewish law when he heals Simon's
mother-in-law after he leaves the synagogue, obviously on the Sabbath. Read carefully what happens
to Simon's mother-in-law. She is cured and immediately begins to serve her guests hospitably. Several
Scripture scholars point out the difference between healing and cure. Even if there is no cure, healing
can occur. Though they may never be physically cured, spiritual healing can and does take place, even
with those who are terminally ill. Ask anyone who ministers to the dying or is involved with hospice
care. Truly, death is a mystery and many would prefer to avoid being around those who are terminally
ill. But it is one of the richest and most mysterious moments of the human journey and often filled with
unexpected blessings, even holy moments, for sure. Elaine Rendler-McQueeney, from Today's Liturgy 2012
© 2011, OCP. All rights reserved.
February 5 Mk 1: 29-39
In today’s gospel Jesus went to the “house of
Andrew and Simon” to relax but discovered that
Simon’s mother-in-law was very ill. Like Jesus
we come home to relax but are confronted with
problems. Take a tip from Andrew and Simon
who “told Jesus about it at once.”
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today's readings show us that people are not defined by their
vocation or by their financial success or by their power. People are
defined by their willingness to reach out to others. These are the
"real" people who put aside preoccupation with self and set out to
repair a hurting world.
Paul considers the question of financial aid in preaching the gospel. He is rebutting some
Corinthians who maintain that nonacceptance of compensation implied denial of apostleship. In reply,
Paul observes that he has no choice but to preach the Good News. God commissioned him to
undertake the task. Financial independence enables Paul to be of service without pressure and to
identify with the weak. To become all things for all people is another way of saying that service makes
the person.
For Mark, Jesus' teaching in the synagogue provides a picture of a typical day in the Lord's early
ministry. There is the exorcism of the man with an unclean spirit, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law,
and the evening cures. Miracles manifest the advent of the kingdom; through Jesus, God is providing
for those who hurt. Jesus' mission is not to show power or to satisfy curiosity, his call is to serve.
Service is a concern of the modern Christian family. Husband and wife support each other. Parents
take responsibility as first teachers of their children. Children must respond to family obligations.
Service is a concern of the extended family as well. Parishioners, citizens, elected officials, and nations
must provide an environment where peace and justice grow and prosper. - John Craghan, Th.D., S.S.L.
Copyright 1997, Liguori Publications / Liguori, MO 63057-9999
There is an old and funny little anecdote that goes something like this. An elderly man who was quite ill
said to his wife, "You know, Sarah, you’ve always been with me – through the good and the bad. Like the time
I lost my job – you were right there by my side. And when the war came and I enlisted – you became a nurse
so that you could be with me. Then I was wounded and you were there, Sarah, right by my side. Then the
Depression hit and we had nothing – but you were there with me. And now here I am, sick as a dog, and, as
always, you’re right beside me. You know something, Sarah -- you’re bad luck!" There is a part of us that is
tempted to look for somebody to blame for all the things that go wrong in our lives. More often than not, we
blame the very people we once looked up to for an answer. Today’s first reading from the book of Job is a
futile attempt to answer the perennial question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The gospel
shows us how Jesus kept himself busy alleviating the pain and suffering around Galilee by his preaching and
healing ministry rather than by pondering on universal solutions for the problem of worldwide evil. Fr.
Anthony Kadavil
USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:
1) The Catholic Internet Directory-2) Movie and family video reviews:
3) Catholic questions& answers:
4) Catholic answers for teenagers:
http://www.catholic-church.org/cid/
http://www.usccb.org/movies/index.htm
OnceCatholic.org
EveryStudent.com
After the Sunday Mass a little boy told the pastor, "When I grow up, I'm going to give you some money."
"Well, thank you," the pastor replied, "but why?" "Because my daddy says you're one of the poorest
preachers we've ever had." Fr.Anthony Kadavil