From the Pastor’s Desk
says
My Dear People:
If a child were in front of a moving car and
you could save the child’s life by rushing in
front of the car, but breaking your leg in the
process, would you be willing to save the
child’s life? What a decision! We know what
should be the right choice. (How often
firefighters, police and military face these
sacrificial choices.) The fact that someone’s
whole life is to be saved should motivate the
sacrificial act of the serious inconvenience of
the broken leg.
I was a chaplain at a home for unwed
mothers in the early sixties in Washington,
D.C. We had an average of thirty unmarried
pregnant women who came there for the last
three months or so of their pregnancy.
Society was not accepting of the unwed
mother keeping her child in those days. Yet
these women did not kill their children. They
came to this institution, delivered the babies
and put them up for adoption.
Times have changed, and after mistakes,
many women today deliver their babies and
keep them. Many simply cannot support the
child for different reasons and find
themselves needing to offer their babies to
couples who are agonizingly waiting to adopt
a child. These parents are in a position to
give that child a great life, starting with the
child’s being such a “wanted child.” Killing
the child is not the answer! “Keeping the law
of God in the first place is the real answer.”
I am not a prophet of doom. I did not save a
single canned good at the turn of the
millenium, as many thought this would be the
end. However, I sometimes wonder if the
demonstrating and prayer-filled people in
Washington on behalf of Pro-life, as well as
those of us who stayed at home who pray
daily that our country stop this wholesale
killing of the innocent (3700 abortions daily)
are not like the episode of Abraham begging
God not to destroy the city of Sodom.
Abraham bargains with God and God finally
“if there are ten good men in
the city I will not destroy the city.”
In the case of Sodom, the city was
destroyed. I don’t know the population of
Sodom in those days and the percentage of
ten versus the total. However, I do think God
has not destroyed this country because there
are those who pray incessantly in reparation
for the sins of abortion and work pro-actively
to end this slaughter.
Our country is in a downward spiral
economically and perhaps this is a warning
that as a country we do not live close to God,
though our coins say “In God We Trust.”
People keep asking how the economy could
fall so low and how this could happen? With
each reading of the paper, we learn that
more jobs are lost. God can pull the rug from
under us any time He wants. Is this a
warning?
I know I am not in the pregnant mother’s
shoes, and it is a sacrifice to give up those
months of one’s life rather than to take an
innocent life, but it seems that a woman
would have the child and put the child up for
adoption. The mental suffering after an
abortion is worse than the heartache of
giving the child to parents who would love the
child.
We pray for President Obama that God will
direct him in his actions,and that he will be a
God-fearing president. We pray also that
God will restore the economy of our country
because we would we would be a country
that respects human life.
We express our sympathy to Cathy Dent,
whose father, Bill Thornton, we buried last
Thursday. Our sympathy also to Pat
Thornton, brother of Bill, and to all the
relatives. I know from experience that Bill
Thornton was a great husband and father
known for his generosity and kindness.
Cathy Dent learned from her mother that if
your relative is dying, you should offer to
drive the priest to the home or lead him with
your car. Cathy did this for her father twelve
hours before he died. Margie Curry,
Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist at Mt.
Royal, also did this last Sunday morning so
that Gerry Snead, a holy and happy person,
could receive the last rites two hours before
she left this world. Here are two examples in
one week of getting the priest there before
one leaves this earth rather than calling the
priest hours later.
With prayers and blessings,
Father Muller
MASS INTENTIONS
Monday, Jan. 26 Special Int. of Lillie Rumore
Special Int. of Grant Shingelton
Tuesday, Jan. 27 Donors to the OLS School
Foundation
Special Int. of Michael Naro
Wednesday, Jan. 28 Special Intention
Special Int. of Philip Zicarelli
Thursday, Jan. 29 J. Michael Grelier
Viola Sanderson McKeeseport
Friday, Jan. 30 George Cantwell
Mary Ellen Smith
Saturday, Jan. 31 Thomas Sullivan
Paul Eckroth
Sunday, Feb. 1 People of the Parish
Joe Sherman
ADULT EDUCATION
Upcoming speakers and topics for Sunday
morning Adult Education in the Parish Hall at
10:00 a.m.:
January 25th the speaker is Kent Graeve and his
topic will be A Scriptural Guide for Life.
February 1st the speaker is Jane Sweeney and
her topic will be Our Diocesan Hispanic Ministry.
February 8th the speaker is Frances Smith and
her topic will be The History of the Church in the
South.
____________________________________
Join us for V.I.P. on Tuesday,
February 3rd, at 11:00 a.m. in
the Parish Hall. There will be
Mass, lunch, bingo.
JR. HIGH YOUTH GROUP – 6TH THROUGH
9TH GRADERS meet the first and third Sundays
of each month from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. in the
Family Life Center.
Feb. 13th - Steven Lane will be here for an
evening of music.
New members are welcome. Please email Julie
Meadows at jmeadows@jcchs.org to get on the
mailing list.
____________________________________
There is a parent meeting
for PSR parents whose
children are preparing for
First Communion, with last
names ending in A-K this
Sunday, January 25th, at
10:00 a.m. in the PSR
office.
All PSR, Growing with God and High School
families are invited to a family supper sponsored
by the Knights of Columbus. Come join us on
Wednesday night, January 28th, at 6:00 p.m. in
the Parish Hall, followed by Benediction for all in
the Church from 7:00-7:30 p.m. There will be a
sign up sheet in the front entrance of the Church
so that we can get a count of who is coming.
____________________________________
Schedule for Lectors, Altar
Servers and Extraordinary
Ministers of Holy Communion-
The new schedule for the period from
March 7th through June will soon be
prepared. If you do not have an email address
please call Kent Graeve at 423-0092 if you want
to make changes in the times you serve or to
“block out” weekends you will not be in town. If
you have an email address please access the
schedule program via the web as recently
instructed in the communication sent to you.
Please communicate any changes via email or
telephone prior to February 1st
 CHAPEL OF OUR SAVIOR
The Chapel needs permanent Committed
Adorers for:
Monday Morning at Midnight - 1:00 AM (To
Share Hour)
Tuesday at 1:00 PM (To Share Hour)
Friday Morning at Midnight
Our goal is to have at least 2 people on each
hour. Please call Ida Wilker at 933-2281 or Mary
Claire Brouillette at 871-2909.
Nowhere does Jesus hear our prayers more readily
than in the Blessed Sacrament," - Blessed Henry
Suson
PRAY FOR VOCATIONS
If you were Peter or Andrew, James or John, would
you be able to follow Jesus with such ease? What is
holding you back? (Matthew 4:12-23) Please pray
for those who are preparing for ministry as a priest,
deacon, lay minister, religious priest, brother or
sister.
This ad is sponsored by the Serra Club.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Our Lady of Sorrows Altar Sodality Annual Spring
Fling will be held on Saturday, February 21st, at
6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Purchase your
tickets from a sodality member.
_______________________________________
OLS Knights of Columbus-Mardi Gras
Open House invites all men
of the parish to join them for an
informal Mardi Gras style
dinner on Wednesday,
February 4th, in the Knights of
Columbus room. Come enjoy
a variety of authentic Cajun
cuisine and learn more about the world’s largest
service organization.
_______________________________________
Singles-Valentine Party on Thursday, February
22nd, at the home of Grace Troncalli. Food,
music, fellowship and fun all provided.
Directions, valet parking, and transportation will
be provided. For more information contact Grace
Troncalli at 323-3000.
The Service Team of Magnificat is pleased
to announce that the speaker for the upcoming
Magnificat Luncheon on January 31st from 11:30-
2:30 p.m. will be Roni Freund, parishioner of St
Peter the Apostle Catholic Church. Roni began
life as the first-born daughter of Jewish parents.
She was formed in her Jewish faith along with
her three brothers in Hebrew School learning
Jewish history and culture, Hebrew, and the
Torah, making her Bat Mitzvah at the age of
thirteen. As God would have it, through the years,
Roni was lead to a more intimate relationship
with Him through her conversion to the Baptist
faith, and later to Catholicism. Tickets are $10.00
and they are available through our Ticket
Chairwoman, Penny Vaughn You may contact
Penny by calling (205)-919-0914 or sending her
an email at plvaughn1@yahoo.com. Tickets are
also available from Alpha Church Supply and
Gifts, 131 West Oxmoor Road, Suite 119,
Birmingham, AL 35209. Ticket Sales End
Wednesday, January 27, 2009. No Tickets are
sold at the Door!
_______________________________________
Needed! Eucharistic Minister to the Sick
Are you looking for something in your life that
brings you joy, satisfaction and appreciation?
You will never find a ministry that fits your needs,
brings you closer to God or enables you to serve
Him better than being a Eucharistic Minister to
the Sick. The Eucharistic Team serving Catholic
residents at Mt. Royal Towers needs one
additional volunteer. Spiritual Requirements:
Love of God and the Eucharist. Physical
Requirement: Walking and standing. Time
requirements: 2 hours, on 1 Sunday every 4
weeks from 10-12 noon. Substitutes: We
substitute for one another when vacations or
emergencies arrive. To volunteer or get further
information, please call Sister Pat @ 871-8121.
Is God calling you?
_______________________________________
January Bridge Winners
1st Place-Anne Connell
2nd Place-Margaret Kime
3rd Place-Jean Holt
Special prize-Polly Kelly
We need more players call Anne Connell for
details 871-1943.