Bulletin for the Week of January 15, 2012

LOOKING AHEAD
Jan 20-23: Annual March for Life to Washington

Jan 21-22: Food Shelf Weekend

Jan 21-22: Special Respect Human Life Collection

Feb 5, Mar 4, Apr 1, May 6: Class for those preparing for Confirmation, 6:00 PM St. James Parish Center

Feb 18-19: Food Shelf Weekend

Feb 22: Ash Wednesday, Special Collection for Church in Central and Eastern Europe Masses: 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM

Feb 25-26: Campaign for Subscriptions to North Country Catholic

May 13: First Communion

RELIGIOUS WEB SITES
www.amm.org/chss/chss.asp (Catholic Home Study)
http://pray.nd.edu/ (Daily Prayer)

Mission Intention for January That victims of natural disasters may received the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives.

STATEMENT OF GIVING FOR INCOME TAXES: If you wish to receive a statement of your financial contributions to St. James Church for 2011, please indicate this on your Sunday offering envelope so that we can assure confidentiality.

RESPECT LIFE COLLECTION: The annual diocesan collection to support pro-life initiatives will be taken up in our parish next weekend. Funds are distributed within the diocese to support local activities in various communities that support the value of human life. Bishop LaValley has established support for human life as an ongoing priority of the Church here.

ANSWERS TO EPIPHANY TRIVIA QUIZ:
1) How many wise men are mentioned in today's gospel? (Matthew makes no reference to wise men in this gospel passage.)
2) How many kings are mentioned in today's gospel? (Two: Jesus and Herod)
3) How many magi are mentioned in today's gospel? (Matthew does not say how many magi followed the star.)
4) What are magi? (Magi were likely Persian Zoroastrian priests who practiced the occult.)
5) How do you spell the third gift presented to the Christ child? (M y r r h)

MARRIAGE TIP: What is a unique endearing quality of your spouse? Have you told your spouse? No harm in saying it again. Do it today. Find more Marriage Rx at www.foryourmarriage.org.

2012 SUNDAY OFFERING ENVELOPES: There are boxes of 2012 Sunday offering envelopes that have not been picked up in the entryway to the church. If you would like a box of envelopes, simply pick up a box and place your name and address on the first envelope. As always, thank you for your generosity that allows our parish to continue its mission.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY: The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on Wednesday, January 18, and continues through Tuesday, January 25. The theme for 2012 is "We Will All Be Changed by the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ." Prayers for each day of the Octave can be found on http://www.geii.org Let us continue to pray for Christian Unity so that one day “all will be one”.

ABORTION STATISTICS: While abortion is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States, nationally valid data is available from only two sources: the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute – a research affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Data from both sources is extremely limited. Latest numbers are from 2005.
In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed in the U.S.
From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million abortions occurred in the U.S.
22% of all pregnancies in the U.S. (excluding miscarriages) ended in abortion in 2005.
Each year, about 2% of U.S. women aged 15–44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion.
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.

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.