www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

Inside this issue:

St. Mary’s: A Beacon in a Dark World

2

Rock the Church 3

Barnstormers and Faith Merge

3

Clean Up Day 3

From the Parish Manager

4

Enduring Legacy T-Shirts

5

Annual Parish Picnic 5

Don Bender Becomes a Priest

6

Fair Reveals Tithe Money Doing God’s Work

7

Legacy Project Bake Sale

8

Parish Salutes Married Couples

8

St. Mary’s VBS Ascends Mt. Everest

9

First Communion 10

Musical Teens Perform

10

How to Make Capital Campaign Pledge Payments

10

Parish Census 11

Flowers for Our Lady Back

Cover

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As many of you know, over the last few months, we have been involved in a capital fund raising effort called OUR ENDURING LEGACY Campaign. Throughout I have been very proud of our Church family for your responsiveness and for how supportive you’ve been.

Over those weeks more than 140 individuals or couples volunteered countless hours of their time to help make our campaign a success. And because people’s time is perhaps more precious than any other resource today, I am especially grateful to them. I would also like to thank our over 352 donors to date. So far, through our collective efforts, $2,844,096 has been committed to Our Enduring Legacy Campaign! We’re past Phase One and into Phase Two! Thank you for your prayerful sacrifice, thank you for your commitment to see this project through, and thank you also to all who I know will be joining our efforts!

As a parish, our mission is the mission of Christ! Starting here in this sacred and beloved place, we are also called to reach out with the love of God to the world around us, “We the family of St. Mary’s, are a community nourished and sustained by the Body and Blood of Christ and impelled by the Word of God to go forth and evangelize.” Some have asked, “How could we replace this powerful mission statement with a prayer for the success of a “financial” campaign, even if it was just for a few weeks?” No doubt, thirteen years ago we made a commitment to proclaim our mission statement at every weekend Mass and have done so over the years with only a very few exceptions, exceptions when we’ve replaced it with a specific prayer request. We love our mission statement. I know that I do! However, and this became evident not only to me but

many others, the communal praying for the success of our campaign was clearly necessary, necessary in that the success of our campaign is a necessary precursor for the successful living out of our Mission Statement now and in the years to come. Just as our ancestors sacrificially rebuilt this church three times and made countless additions and improvements to the property to meet the changing needs of their day, so now this mantle of responsibility has been passed to us. Now

is our time to courageously embrace the sacrifices necessary to meet the changing needs of our community.

This coming year we will celebrate our 275th anniversary! This is remarkable! Our pre-colonial church and pilgrim site is not only the pride of the Diocese but is a national treasure and one of the gems of the Universal Church. But

unlike a historic relic one would find in a museum or a treasure one would discover on the site of a ruin, Historic St. Mary’s is a vibrant, dynamic and fully-alive community of faith engaged in bringing the love of Christ to the city of Lancaster and the larger community as well as to those who enter her hallowed doors. As beautiful as she is, and she is spectacular, ours is a Church of living stones, and her facilities must serve the ongoing needs of her mission. In the year of our Jubilee Anniversary and during the springtime exuberance of the Easter Season, we will break ground for Phase One. In doing so, as with the two phases that will follow, we will be equipping ourselves for the ever- ancient and ever-new Spirit-filled mission that is ours. As the prophet Isaiah first proclaimed and as John the Baptist announced with the coming of the Christ, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be

(Continued on page 3)

Legacy Campaign a Spirit-Filled Mission.

Rev. Leo M.

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St. Mary's: A Beacon in a Dark World.

By Tom Beeman

What a privilege it was for Betty and I to meet and work with such an incredible Enduring Legacy Campaign Cabinet. With our new dear friends, Tom and Susanne Scott and their lovely family, we met, fretted with and engaged so many of our fellow parishioners with one common purpose, to continue the stewardship of the legacy that is St. Mary’s for now and the next generations.

Like those who have gone before us, then the Church militant and now the Church Triumphant, we are in solidarity with them as the communion of saints to be an earthly witness to God amongst us in the community of faith that is St. Mary’s. Our beautiful church is but a visible reflection of the truth and beauty that is God’s love for us. In a world of crass and ephemeral consumption, St. Mary’s is a haven for the enduring and the real. In itself it is but a mere place, but with all of you it becomes the real place where we are both nurtured by our pastor, Father Leo, and sustained by God’s love to witness to the truth.

In a world where truth is being treated as relative; in a world

(Continued on page 8)

Fr. Leo welcomes everyone to the kickoff of Our Enduring Legacy Campaign.

The Scotts and the Beemans, cochairmen of Our Enduring Legacy Campaign, discuss the

matter with the Scott children.

The Legacy banner hung in the gym before being placed on the wall of the

church.

Friends gathered for food and discussion.

A feast was prepared with so many delectable items to choose from.

Father Pistone, former pastor of St. Mary’s, greets old friends.

The Youth Choir, under the direction of Beth Bitts, sings for the event.

Fr. Leo definitely has the attention of the audience.

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Legacy Campaign a Spirit-Filled Mission.

(Continued from page 1)

made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Our Enduring Legacy Campaign is our commitment to the proud history that is ours! Truly it will be not only a joyful 275th anniversary for us and the larger community, but it will be one filled with great hope as we are “impelled by the Word of God to go forth and evangelize!”

In Christ’s Peace,

Clean Up Day.

The Outside Clean Up Day was held Saturday, April 11. The following eight people showed up to help out: Tom, Lilly and Isabella Pallan, Peg Newcomer, Jack, Betty Anne, John and Erin O’Brien. They swept, they raked, they trimmed, they mulched and they weeded, all to help beautify the grounds of St. Mary’s after the ground’s long Winter nap.

St. Mary's Choir, led by Stephanie Sands, sings during “Rock the Church,” May 15, at St. Anthony of Padua Church. The event included the music groups from St. Mary's, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's and San Juan Bautista who sang their

favorite pieces in a fundraising event for Resurrection Catholic School. The event was a great success and the school sends its sincere thanks to the choir director and choir members who shared their amazing talent to help the school.

St. Mary’s Choir at Rock the Church celebration.

Jack O’Brien puts his expertise to work on the bushes on the hill.

Barnstormers and Faith Merge.

By Karen Morrisette

This year I didn't sign up to run an Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) informational table at the annual Diocesan Men's Conference. Inspired by Mother Angelica's willingness to step outside the box, I contacted Clipper Stadium.

In April, I met with Barnstormers marketing director, Vince Bulik, to ask if it were possible to have an EWTN table at a Barnstormers game. "Faith and Farmers Night," on June 20, stood out as a perfect time to evangelize with a Catholic presence at the ballfield. EWTN agreed and purchased the promotional package, which included a table on the concourse, 25 free tickets, an on-air radio spot, and a first pitch.

To help me run the table, I recruited parishioner Cody McSherry, fresh off his National History Day presentation at Millersville University. His knowledge of Mother Angelica and her legacy exceeds my own! Lauren Morrisette threw out the first pitch. Both kids appreciated Father Leo's company during the game while Pat and Dianna McSherry helped run the table.

EWTN Mid-Atlantic regional marketing director, Ron Meyer, joined us to do the radio spot. Ron has his own radio program on EWTN called, "Blessed to Play," where he interviews Catholic athletes. The Barnstormers enjoyed having Ron in the booth to

comment on the game after his EWTN promo spot.

Despite the threat of heavy rain, a decent crowd showed up. We exhausted our supplies at the table. Parents went home with EWTN pens, bumper stickers, and brochures. Children carried colorful rosaries in their hands. Folks who already watched the station were excited to see EWTN on the concourse, while those who never heard of EWTN now know where to tune in. About a dozen friends and family members offered donations back to EWTN in exchange for a ticket. The rain picked up in the bottom of the 7th, but so did the Barnstormers' bats. By the middle of the 8th inning, the rain tarp rolled out with the Stormers up 9-3. Fireworks were postponed, but we all stayed dry thanks to it being free umbrella-giveaway night! Coincidence? I don't think so! Mother Angelica once said, "I want you to get good ideas, crazy ideas, extravagant ideas. Nothing is too much for the Lord to do."

Karen and Lauren Morrisette and Cody McSherry join Silo at Faith and

Farmers Night.

Rock the Church.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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By Tina Skubon

The Capital Campaign has us all extra busy, but we continue to maintain our beautiful church and other buildings. Most of the time our projects are proactive (see Asset Reserve Study below), but sometimes something comes up that catches us by surprise. As always, I welcome your questions and feedback.

Church. Have you taken a look at the vestibule bathrooms in the last couple of weeks? They have been given a makeover! New floors, $706; new toilets, removal of old radiators and floor repair, $980; new paint by Clem.

Cafeteria/School. Our ice machine died and was replaced with a slightly smaller unit, which meets our needs, $3,180. In addition, our hot water tanks also went kaput. They are being replaced with a tankless water heater and an 80-gallon insulated storage tank, $9,687. Some good news . . . we thought that we were going to have to replace the kitchen food warmer, but it was repaired for about $200.

“New” School Foundation. A geo survey was conducted by EnviroScan, $5,500, on a pre-existing crack in the western wall, which was inconclusive. However, there is no evidence that it has gotten any larger since work was done on it in 2002. But we will follow our contractor’s recommendation to monitor it by installing gauges as well as inspecting the roof bearing on the masonry in that part of the building.

The Hill on the Corner of Prince and Vine Streets. We lost the battle. The weeds . . . and the poison ivy . . . won. Frankly, I have gardened for years and have never seen anything like it. We had several volunteers routinely weeding with no success. After Betty Anne, our Administrative Assistant, came down with a bad case of poison ivy from her last attempt to clean up the area, we decided to pull all of the plants out and replace with grass seed. It looks really good!

Fire Extinguishers. Our 26 fire extinguishers in all four buildings were inspected. Martin Enterprises does this for us for $45 a year!

Asset Reserve Study. How do we choose what to work on? In 2007 the Buildings and Grounds Committee enlisted the services of Reserve Advisors, Inc. who studied all our facilities, including HVAC systems, electric, flooring, painting, plumbing, fixtures, etc. They gave us a full report on what needs to be replaced in kind – when and how

much it will cost in tomorrow’s dollars. Other than some items that may be taken care of with the new Legacy Project, we have followed the plan rather closely.

Parking Garage. Things are going smoothly with the transition of the garage to management by the City of Lancaster Parking Authority. Tickets are used on Saturday evenings, and the Vine Street exit gate is open on Sunday mornings. Please be good stewards of our parking garage tickets. Use them only for the duration of the Mass, the time period we currently pay for. To park in the garage beyond these hours strains our relationship with the

garage and will eventually lead to them raising our fees.

Please be extra careful not to park in the spaces of our next-door neighbor, Scheid Funeral Home. They had another one of our parishioner’s cars towed last week, and the fee was $240.

Personnel. Trish Frintzilas-Frey will be retiring at the end of this year and reducing her hours in the meantime. Julie Rasp, our Rectory Housekeeper and Capital Campaign

Secretary will be helping out one day a week in the front office.

Offertory. We changed our envelope company earlier this month with more attractive, colorful envelopes, and we’ll be saving about $1,300 the first year. Electronic giving now constitutes over ten percent of our total offertory. The feedback from people about the company we chose to work with us on this (Our Sunday Visitor) is extremely positive. For more information, please go to our website, www.stmaryslancaster.org, and choose “Online Giving” at the very top.

Assistance to Parishioners and Local Community. Through the efforts of five volunteers, each of whom is assigned one day per week, our parish provides assistance to our local community and parishioners (the latter being handled by the pastor and parish manager). Since the beginning of March, we have received 77 requests for assistance with rent, utilities and a myriad of other things. Of these 22 were helped and one is pending. Some reasons why someone could be denied assistance: we recently assisted them, we discover that their story is false, it might be for a request with which we normally do not assist such as bus fare or cell phone bill, the client does not do what we ask of them, their balance is so high that what we can offer won’t be of assistance, or our calls are not returned by the client, etc.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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The Parish Pastoral Council, under the direction of Scott Smith and Kevin Molloy, orchestrated another fine Parish Picnic at Jaycee Park in Strasburg, PA, on Sunday, June 14. The bouncy house was a big hit and so were the water balloon tosses on a hot Summer afternoon. No one went hungry with a plethora of covered dishes brought by the picnickers as well as the food supplied by the parish.

Enduring Legacy T-Shirts.

St. Mary’s Enduring Legacy T-shirts were worn by our beautiful Children’s Choir when they sang for our Campaign Kickoff Event on April 26. The back of their shirts stated…Singing for Him…Our Light, Love and Legacy!

At the request of many, the shirts were made available for parishioners to purchase. What a wonderful way to show our love and support of Historic St. Mary’s and benefit “Our Enduring Legacy” campaign.

Luke and Camille Weaver show off their St. Mary’s T-shirts.

Water balloons and water balls were fun

on a hot day as families visit.

Rob Visniski rounds up

some young people to play

ball.

Children enjoy face painting

(foreground) as another child slides down the bouncy

house (background).

Mark Livingston flipping burgers!

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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By Brian Eltz

The Mass of Ordination is a solemn liturgy. All of the outward signs associated with Catholic worship for over a thousand years are present: chant, candles, incense, prostrations. Yet in the midst of this dizzying ceremony, a simple but grace-filled moment occurs. At the foot of the cathedra, a man kneels before the Bishop, who puts his hands on the man’s head and silently prays. That man, Donald Bender, knelt down a deacon, but stood up a priest of Jesus Christ.

The Cathedral of St. Patrick in Harrisburg was packed for the Mass of Ordination on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Among the three men being ordained, St. Mary’s own Don Bender (now Father Don Bender), was the first. Many parishioners from St. Mary’s were there to witness Fr. Bender’s

joyous, life-changing, and soul-altering experience. He was able to briefly meet with most at the reception after Mass, at the Cardinal Keeler Center, provided they got in line to receive their first blessing from this new priest.

Fr. Bender celebrated his Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, June 7, (the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) at St. Mary’s. Like the Mass of Ordination, this first Mass was filled with the treasures of Catholic liturgy: incensing, antiphons, and the greatest miracle of every Mass—the Holy Eucharist, made present to the Church through Fr. Bender acting in persona Christi. Fr. Bender expressed his thanks in his closing remarks, to Fr. Leo and his brother priests, to the people of St. Mary’s, and especially to his parents.

When asked his thoughts on being a new-made priest, Fr. Bender expressed his amazement at everyone’s generosity, saying, “The people of the Diocese of Harrisburg love their priests, and they affectionately show it, and it never ceases to amaze me.”

Fr. Bender has been assigned to St. Patrick’s Parish in Carlisle. Looking toward the future, Fr. Bender says he’s very excited about serving at St. Patrick’s, where he will have many duties and roles. “I’m most excited about Dickinson College Campus Ministry. It’s a very liberal college, so being a Catholic presence on that campus is very important to me. I’m very excited about working at St. Patrick’s school with the kids, ‘cause I love kids. Just diving into St. Patrick’s and being a part of that community is very exciting.”

Carlisle is not that far away, so hopefully Fr. Bender will find some time every now and then to visit Lancaster and stop by Historic St. Mary’s. Maybe he’ll hear a confession or two, celebrate Mass once in a while, reminisce with friends about the good old days. But if you ask Fr. Bender now, as good as the “good old days” were, he’d tell you, “The best days are yet to come.”

Don Bender Becomes a Priest.

Fr. Don Bender reads the Eucharistic Prayer at his first Mass.

Fr. Don Bender celebrates Mass with his brother priests.

Fr. Don Bender being ordained by Bishop Ronald Gainer.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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By Nina Eshleman

The morning of Sunday, April 19, was a time of wind burst, flying papers, no rain, and finding out information about 17 different organizations which are supported through St. Mary’s Tithe The Tithe mission.

The morning started out with rain-threatened weather, but as the morning progressed peaks of sunshine aided the smiles and laughter of our parishioners and friends from diverse organizations such as Mom’s House, Lancaster County Council of Churches, Sacred Heart Parish of Pine Ridge, S.D., Mission of Mercy, Lancaster Office of Aging, Catholic Charities USA, Homeless Student Project SDoL, Catholic Worker House, Water Street Ministries, Hope House, A Woman’s Concern, United Disabilities Services, Lancaster Education Foundation SDoL, 40 Days 4 Life, EARS, Billboard For Life, and Orphans Resource International.

Each organization had a table filled with information and handouts and one or two representatives well-versed in the on-going activates of their missions. Our parishioners had the chance to ask questions and find out how the money they so generously give is used in the efforts of improving the lives of countless individuals in our own city and nation and across the globe and who these people are.

The TTT committee received nothing but positive comments from our parishioners and the people who staffed the tables. Bob Dunn, Campaign Director for 40 Days 4 Life wrote, “It is always a treasured opportunity to discuss our mission directly with those who support us.” Mom’s House wrote they were “proud and honored to be invited and take part” in our TTT event. Bob Colbert, Major Gift Officer of Catholic Charities USA, let us know that St. Mary’s is a Major Gift Donor of CCUSA, having given over $60,000 in the past 8 years.

St. Mary’s parishioners also had positive comments. “We did not know they did that!” “I never knew they existed.” “Our TTT money is doing God’s work all over the place!” These are just a few of the comments the TTT committee heard during and after the Fair. There were also questions about the cans of vegetables on the tables, which were being used to hold down papers and pamphlets!

Our TTT committee has discussed having another TTT Info Fair, which was a big question among the mission table staffers, who want to be invited again, and have decided to wait maybe three years before having another Fair so we can utilize the new gathering space outside the church which is being planned through the Enduring Legacy Project. Also, it might take that long for the TTT committee members to recover from this year’s fair!

Thanks again to all who helped make the First Tithe The Tithe Info Fair such a success, from those who helped find and set-up and take down the tables and chairs, to the youth from St. Mary’s PREP who staged a wonderful bake sale to benefit the Enduring Legacy Project, and the people who helped with the snacks and

drinks. I know quite a few people who needed the coffee provided by our Hospitality Committee STAT, including myself!

St. Mary’s Parish is indeed “impelled by the Word of God to go forth and evangelize,” and the love and generosity we show our neighbors through our support of the TTT mission is in keeping with our parish mission statement.

Fair Reveals Tithe Money Doing God's Work.

Many parishioners came out to learn about the organizations that TTT supports.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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Parish Salutes Married Couples.

By Joe Clupp

Each year St. Mary’s recognizes couples who are celebrating milestone anniversaries. This year, 13 couples were recognized for their long-standing commitment to one another in their sacrament of service. In a time when the definition of marriage is being challenged or when marriage is no longer viewed as a lifetime commitment, it is uplifting to recognize these men and women who have chosen to live their sacrament of holy Matrimony with perseverance, a necessity through 25 or 35 or 65 years.

In the sacrament of Marriage, couples are called to share in the life-giving intimacy of the Trinity. Couples are called to model Christ’s love for us in giving of themselves freely to each other. Thus the sacrament is both fruitful in the love that brings and keeps the couple together and Eucharistic in the self-giving lives in which couples grow in the image of God. “God created man in His image: in the divine image He created them; male and female He created them,” it says in Genesis 1:27. That is not because we have the same eyes or hair color or other physical features, but we are made to bring forth life and have sacrificial love for one another. Thus the sacrament of Marriage belongs not only to the couple but to the entire Church as it models these virtues for all of us.

This fall, Pope Francis is expected to canonize Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St.Thérèse of Lisieux, at the world Synod of Bishops. They will be the first married couple to be canonized together. With five of their nine children entering religious life (four died in infancy), their lives of holiness and self-giving highlight the importance parents play in the upbringing of their children. Consider the lives touched by St. Thérèse the Little Flower and her “little way,” which was nourished in the home of her mother and father. The lives of Louis and Zelie demonstrate the title of the catechesis of the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, “Love is our Mission.” (You can participate in that event and the papal visit to Philadelphia by going to http://www.worldmeeting2015.org.)

As a parish we celebrate those couples who have made love their mission in living this great sacrament of Holy Matrimony; love that is more than mere emotion, but like Christ’s love, is fruitful, faithful, freely given and total. Like Jesus’ love for us, where eros and agape meet, it is sacrificial love that always wins. We thank each of these couples for their years of witnessing their love which has blessed all of us.

The following couples were recognized in celebrating milestone anniversaries at Mass on June 13 this year:

25 years

Rip and Mary Lawhead

Erik and Lisa Morgan

Rick and Tina Carter Chris and Diana Masterson 30 Years Bob and Sandy Thompson 35 Years Terry and Sue Warco 45 Years

Charlie and Mary Bonner

Larry and Sandy Miller

50 Years

Donald and Dolores Sweigart Andy and Carolyn Fouchet 50+ Years

Peter and Patricia Bonaduce Jr. (59 years)

Bob and Barbara Sullivan (61 years) Jack and Ella Lochonic (65 years)

Legacy Project Bake Sale.

By Anne Barnes

When presented with the fact that we need to make our church and facilities more accessible to children and adults with disabilities, our 7th grade students went into action. Led by their teacher, Kim Salgado, they organized a successful bake sale to raise money to support Our Legacy Project. Each student selected a task and recruited other students and families to bake items for the event. Our enthusiastic 7th graders, with the help of many of our PREP students, raised over $825 the weekend of April 18/19 at the bake sale.

St. Mary's: A Beacon in a Dark World.

(continued from page 2)

increasingly hostile to our beliefs, we take our comfort from St. Mary’s to the world where we will be persecuted, if not in a physical sense at least in an existential sense for our beliefs. Thank you all for your generosity. You have helped ensure that for now, St. Mary’s will continue to serve the faithful, to be that light on the hill in a world filled with darkness.

Two 7th graders are welcoming buyers to the bake sale.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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By Laurie Weitzel

"I just wanted to let you know that Lexi loves, loves, loves this week at VBS! … She’s constantly singing her songs and I find her talking about God more and saying things like “God can make it happen”. —Marisol Torres, mother of Lexi, grade 3

It's hard to imagine that just five days can make such a big impact, but that’s what happened at St. Mary's totally Catholic VBS! VBS stands for Vacation Bible School, a one-week summer program when the truths and stories of our faith are shared with our children through engaging, high-energy, hands-on activities each morning.

Eighty-one children, age four through entering 6th grade, arrived Monday morning, June 22, to a school building that was transformed into Mt. Everest Base Camp. It was complete with backpacking gear, boots, tents, flags and snow! Twenty adult and 34 teen staff were the backbone to making this week a huge success.

This year's theme was Everest: Conquering Challenges with God's Mighty Power. Each day started with awesome music, funny skits and Bible Buddies, animals who live on Mt. Everest who taught us something about God each day. Then, children ages 4 through entering fourth grade rotated through four stations: Glacier Games, Imagination Station (crafts), St. Cinema, where they learned the stories of heroes of our

faith, and Bible Expeditions. The stories of Elijah, Naaman and Jesus' death, resurrection and promise of eternal life with Him, provided concrete examples of how God's power is available to each of us.

Our 5th and 6th graders participated in the new Ascent program, which focused on service projects, games, Bible stories and preparing the children to potentially serve at VBS someday as teen staff.

Children built relationships with our enthusiastic and helpful teen crew leaders and station assistants. Over the years we’ve heard a lot of positive feedback on the blessing that these teen child-mentoring and friendships are. We are the family of God and VBS gives us a chance to really get to know one another and grow as brothers and sisters in Christ.

As you can imagine, VBS is a place where children's natural bent towards movement, creativity and love of being loud is fully expressed! The children loved it, and though the

adult and teen staff were tired by the end of the week, I think they loved it too!

Multiple times throughout the day, at each station and Mountain Top Treats, the adults declared that day's Bible point: "God has the power to provide!" and the children echoed back with great gusto, "Hold on!" That's what each Christian has to do to follow God through life: Hold on! We all face big challenges. The same way a mountain climber needs to hold on to the ropes to conquer the mountain, we need to “Hold on!” to God. By holding onto God

and his power we can overcome big obstacles.

Thank you to each and every person at St. Mary’s who made VBS possible through your generous donations and prayers! As we say at VBS, you are a God-sighting to us!

We interviewed children, teens and staff:

My favorite part of VBS was…

“The songs!” — Emily Reynolds, Preschool

“My mom’s room, ‘cause I get to see my mom!” — Rachel Visniski, Kindergarten

“Games…the blanket one when we had to carry (someone) because it was challenging.” — Ian Cloonan, 4th grade

“Doing the singing and dancing with everyone.” — Mariana Agadis, 5th grade

“Being with all my friends, having great leaders and crew leaders…and just learning about Jesus, is probably the best thing of all.” — Will Young, 5th grade

“I liked when we read the Bible” — Katie Kelly, 5th grade

“The Ascent Program (5th/6th grade), doing all the service projects with making soup ingredients for a donation and also making prayer bracelets for kids in the hospital.” — Michael Hayes, 6th grade

(continued on page 11)

St. Mary's VBS Ascends Mt. Everest.

Peg Newcomer taught our preschoolers about the lives of

the Saints!

Nikki Hollister taught preschoolers about God's power through Glacier Games.

Marika Ellis and VBS children at Bible Expeditions!

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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First Communion 2015.

By Anne Barnes

First Communions were held this Spring starting at the 5:30 pm Mass on April 25. Some families chose to have their child receive their First Communion at a Sunday Mass. Others joined the larger group First Communion that is held on the Saturday morning of Mother’s Day weekend. This year, we had a total of 23 children receive their First Communion. Congratulations to Liliana Bacon, Jacie Bressler, Kaitlin Churchill, Addison Cummings, Benjamin Estevez, Gigi Fasano, Emory Fluhr, Ava Graceffa, Sara Hernandez, Harriet Mack, Natalie Miller, Thomas Mscisz, Julia Odell, Kaylee Patterson, Christopher Pena, Matthew Pena, Alessandro Picone, Olivia Ross, Kiera Smecker, Cole Taylor, Andrew Wilson, Nate Young, and Xia Zimmerman.

How to Make Capital Campaign Pledge Payments.

By Tina Skubon

There are four options to make payments on your pledge:

1. Online Giving. Go to our website and click “Online Giving” at the top OR go directly to https://osvonlinegiving.com/ 420. Create an account, or sign in your existing one. Enter your payment information (debit/EFT or Visa/MasterCard). Choose “Give a New Gift” and then “Capital Campaign.” You can then choose the frequency and start of your payments.

2. Online Banking. Go to your bank’s website and direct them to send a check to St. Mary’s. Please mark it “Legacy Project” so that it isn’t applied to your regular offerings.

3. Weekly Envelopes. A two months’ supply of envelopes is sent out bi-monthly. Included are two envelopes labeled “Our Enduring Legacy Capital Campaign”—one for each month. These can be put in the offertory basket during Sunday Masses. (If you don’t already receive the weekly envelopes, please call the rectory.)

4. Regular Envelope. Payments can be sent to the rectory office via the postal service to 119 S. Prince St., Lancaster, PA 17603. No account number is needed, but please mark the check “Legacy Project.”

Please call Tina Skubon in the parish office, 392.2578, if you have any questions or need assistance.

Musical Teens Perform.

By Don Peris

On Palm Sunday teens from St. Mary's and LCHS provided music for the Diocesan World Youth Day Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Harrisburg. St. Mary's musicians included Gabrielle and Madeline Claus, Nolan Bitts, Drew and Anna Peris, Annie and Sara Mills. Lindsay Fijalkowski and Don Peris directed.

Group picture of the First Communion Class of 2015.

Fr. Leo congratulates Xia Zimmerman.

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

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Marriages Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Szeles II (Shannon McNaul)

Mr. & Mrs. Sean Moran (Sara Cartwright) Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Hernandez (Josefa Delgado)

Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Wickersham (Christina McLaughlin) Mr. & Mrs. Keith Martin (Danielle Peereboom)

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Esterly (Melissa Frill) Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Sheaffer (Jessica Egan)

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin McElhany (Jacqueline Iannuzzi) Mr. & Mrs. Robert Murphy III (Colleen Jackson)

New Parishioners

Deborah Stauffer Richard & Geraldine Dietrich

Eric & Courtney Meyers and daughter Elsie Herbert & Mary McCorry

Jeanette Craymer Erica Shimp and son Zachary

Felix & Gladys Delgado Mary Fellin

Timothy & Christine McCarty and children Daniel & Theresa Anthony Scicchitano & Michelle Quirk

Vicki Kozlowski Alexander Kleinsmith

Michael Adams Jeffrey & Meghan Smecker and children Julia, Ryan & Keira

Jean Nicolas Miguelson Oreliem

Barbara Cepeda and children Luis, Brandon & Briana Green Anthony & Dolores DiBartolo

Lisa & Victor Vassor and children Javien & Akai Felixberta Herr and daughter Akira

Dean & Janice Cheesebrough Myra Edmisten

Virginia Ashmore Rachel Doty and daughter Arabella

Stephen Renaldo

Baptisms Jazleen Jamisen King Jeanette Raine Page

Sawyer James Owens Syerra Kimberly Epps

Richard Ian Lee Jr. Caleb Dean Pletcher Evan Burke Kinckner

Angelo Salvo Giambanco Lilly Adelin Stark

Madelynn Elisabeth Ross Mary Margaret Pletcher Theresa Jane McCarty

Elsie Grace Meyers Dominick Myles Proler

Benjamin Christopher Patton

Deaths Annette M. Pawlikowski

Nellie H. Kubala William R. Wood Maria G. Eklund

Jaime Feliciano Rodriguez Cynthia A. Wiley

Samuel R. Spearing Andrew Bagdasarian

Eleanore G. Bagdasarian Ralph Gilbert

Dorothy V. Wolpert Paul Richard Frith Mary Beth Doerr

St. Mary's VBS Ascends Mt. Everest.

(Continued from page 9)

“Dancing with the kids.” — Fabiola Rodriguez, crew leader

“Seeing all the kids happy all day to be with God.” — Delaney McCormick, crew leader

“Hanging out with all the kids and how much they love to learn about Jesus.” — Aly D’Ercole, crew leader

“Getting to know all these kids and who they belong to at St. Mary’s. It’s growing my family at St. Mary’s.” — Maria Frego, games leader

“Working with all the kids and seeing their love and spirit for God and spreading the word” — Dayna DaLauro Manley, Registration

www.stmaryslancaster.org Office: 717.392.2578

R e g u l a r M a s s S c h e d u l e

Monday through Friday

12:05 pm

Saturday 5:30 pm (Vigil)

Sunday 8:30 am and 11:00 am

Holy Days 5:30 pm (Vigil)

12:05 pm and 7:00 pm

Confessions Saturday 4:00 to 5:00 pm

Free parking is available in the Central Parking Garage for all weekend Masses.

St. Mary’s Church

119 S. Prince St.

Lancaster, PA 17603

W e , t h e f a m i l y o f S t . M a r y ' s , a r e a c o m m u n i t y n o u r i s h e d a n d s u s t a i n e d

b y t h e B o d y a n d B l o o d o f C h r i s t a n d i m p e l l e d b y t h e W o r d o f G o d

t o g o f o r t h a n d e v a n g e l i z e .

Change Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 275 Lancaster, PA

Flowers for Our Lady.

After the May Procession on May 3, flowers were brought to the Marian altar.