Bulletin for the Week of January 13, 2013

LOOKING AHEAD Jan 19-20 Food Shelf Weekend Feb 3; Mar 10; Apr 7; May 5: Classes in Preparation for Confirmation 6:30, St. James Parish Center Feb 13: Ash Wednesday Masses at 8:30 and 5:30 Feb 16-17: Food Shelf Weekend Mar 16-17: Food Shelf Weekend Apr 20-21: Food Shelf Weekend May 12: First Communion May 25: Priest Ordination of Rev. Mr. Scott Belina, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 11:00 AM TOP NOTCH LINKS www.catholic.org (Catholic information) www.marylinks (Links on Mary) Mission Intention for January That the riches of the created world may be preserved, valued, and made available as God’s precious gift to all. FUNERAL: A funeral was celebrated this week for Philip Rice. Please remember him and his family in your prayers. WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY: We are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2013 on January 18-25 on the theme What does God require of me? (Micah 6:6-8). Begun in 1908, these days have been set aside each year so that Christians the world over may share the prayer of Jesus That they may all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me (John 17:21). Promoting Christian unity is an ecumenical movement among Christians to pray for unity among all Christians. 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”. NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING: The Diocesan NFP Office will begin a 3-part series of Natural Family Planning classes at St. John’s Church in Plattsburgh on Saturday, January 26th, at 1:00 P.M. To register, or to learn more, please contact the NFP Office at 518-483-0459 or email apietropaoli@dioogdensburg.org. STATEMENT OF GIVING FOR INCOME TAXES: If you wish to receive a statement of your financial contributions to St. James Church for 2012, please indicate this on your Sunday offering envelope so that we can assure confidentiality. MARCH FOR LIFE: The annual March for Life starts on Sunday, January 20th at 1:30 at Blessed John XXIII Newman Center, 90 Broad Street, Plattsburgh and ends at St. John's Church, 20 Broad Street, Plattsburgh. Signs are provide. All are encouage to join in this peaceful, prayerful pro-life witness. The March is followed by a prayer service with guest speaker, Bishop Terry R. LaValley. Reception will follow in the lower church area. MARRIAGE TIP: What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. How do your personalities or interests differ? What compromises have you worked out to deal with these differences? Which are still on the negotiating table? Find more Marriage Rx at www.foryourmarriage.org COMMUNION TO THE SICK: The Second Vatican Council,in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, speaks of the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit of our spiritual life. This means the Holy Eucharist is the source from which all other blessings flow. Please advise Father Deno of homebound persons who would like to have Holy Communion brought to them at their KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS DINNER: The Plattsburgh Assembly of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus will present and all-you-can-eat Chicken and Biscuit Dinner on January 20, 2013 at Seton Academy in Plattsburgh. Service will start at 11:00 AM and will complete at 4:00 PM. This is all-you-can-eat for $8.00!! All proceeds will be used for charitable purposes. WHY DID JESUS ASK TO BE BAPTIZED? Neither John the Baptist nor Jesus invented baptism. It had been practiced for centuries among the Jews as a ritual equivalent of Confession. It was common for Jewish people to make a spiritual cleansing in a special pool called a MIKVEH--literally a "collection of water". This was said to remove spiritual impurity and sin. Men did this weekly on the eve of the Sabbath. Women did it monthly. Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. Jesus transformed this continual ritual into the one single, definitive act by which we begin our faith in the Sacrament of Baptism. BAPTISM SPONSORS: Sponsors for Baptism are to be at least 16 years of age, have received Holy Communion and Confirmation, and practice their Catholic faith. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic church community may be admitted in the company of a Catholic sponsor, serving as a Christian witness.