Bulletin for the Week of January 25, 2009

Mission Intention for January
That the family may become more and more a place of training in charity, personal growth and the transmission of the faith.

FUNERAL: A funeral was celebrated this week for Edward Sullivan. Please remember him and his family in your prayers.

Diary of an Unborn Child
Day 1 Fertilization! All human chromosomes are present
and a unique human life begins.
Day 22 The baby’s heart begins to beat with the child’s own
blood — often a different blood type than the mother.
Week 6 At this stage, brain waves can be detected. The child’s
mouth and lips are present and fingers are forming.
Week 8 At this stage, every organ is in place. Bones and
unique fingerprints begin to form.
Week 17 The baby can now have dream (REM) sleep.

Abortion Statistics: Not Just Numbers . . .
Since 1973 there have been more than 43 million abortions.
The annual number of abortions has nearly doubled since Roe v. Wade, from 744,6000 to 1,313,300 for 2000.
For every 1000 live births, there are 306 abortions.

There are more than 140,000 second and third trimester abortions each year.
After reaching a high of over 1.6 million in 1990, the number of abortions annually performed in the United States has begun to drop back to levels not seen since the late 1970s. Thanks to the efforts of grassroots pro-life activists, more and more Americans have learned that abortion is not about a blob of tissue, and that these children are more than just statistics. Pro-life education has taught America that Abortion Stops a Beating Heart.

RESPECT LIFE COLLECTION: The Respect Life Collection supports a variety of pro-life initiatives in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Last year there were nineteen grant recipients. With looming legislation – The Freedom of Information Act (FOCA) on the national level and the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP) at the state level, it is imperative that we increase our pro-life efforts to protect the most vulnerable of those among us. If FOCA and RHAPP become laws they will jeopardize 35 years of pro-life advances.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: He who receives the Most Holy Communion receives the living Jesus Christ, whose body, soul and divinity are in this divine Sacrament...Let us clearly see in spirit the holy angels who surround the Most Holy Sacrament to adore it. (St. Francis de Sales). Eucharistic Adoration is held throughout the year every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6 am to 9 pm at St. John’s Church Adoration Chapel, downstairs. Everyone is invited to spend some quiet time with Jesus anytime during these hours. For more information about spending a special hour with Jesus weekly, or becoming a substitute, please call 561-5083 or email us at Sjohnsadoration@aol.com

MARRIAGE TIP: Moral decisions in marriage often involve how we use our time and money. Does this job demand too many hours away from home? How many children should we have? Decide prayerfully and together. Find more Marriage Rx at:www.foryourmarriage.org

MARK’S GOSPEL: The shortest and earliest of the four Gospels in the Bible is the Gospel of Mark. It provides a fast paced story of the events of Jesus’ public life. The Gospel dates from around 70 AD, nearly four decades after Jesus’ death. It has no story of the birth of Jesus and no account of the resurrection. It is filled with so much imagery and suffering, that it is often difficult for us to hear it. The Feast of St. Mark is celebrated on April 25, and Christian art often portrays Mark with a lion by his side.