SAINTS SIMON & JUDE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Established 1897

185 Van Sicklen Street, Brooklyn, New York 11223

Telephone: (718) 375-9600 Fax: (718) 375-6642

E-mail: rectoryssj@optonline.net /www.stssimonjude-brooklyn.org

Rev. John Maduri, Administrator Rev. Sijo George, CMI-Parochial Vicar & Rev. Gesson Agenis

Deacon Andrew Mastrangelo, Pastoral Minister/Business Manager

Ms. Sara Nespoli, Director of Faith Formation

SUNDAY MASSES : Saturday evening at 5:00pm

Sunday morning at 8:30am(Italian/English), 10:15am & 12:00pm

Misa en Espanol-1:30pm

WEEKDAY MASSES: Monday – Saturday at 9:00am

HOLYDAY MASSES: 7:30am, 9:00am, 7:30pm (Except Christmas and New Year’s Day)

DEVOTIONS: Chaplet of The Divine Mercy: Monday after the 9 am Mass

Circulo de Oracion Carismatico en Espanol- Todos los Lunes de las

7pm a las 9pm en la parte baja de la iglesia. Para mas informacion,

favor de llamar a la Sra. Teodora Aquino 347-355-5715. Miraculous Medal Novena: Tuesday after the 9 am Mass

Rosario in Italiano ogni Mercoledi alle 7:30pm (Settembre– Giugno).

St. Jude Novena: Friday after the 9 am Mass

Holy Hour / Benediction: 8:00am-9:00am every Saturday

RECONCILIATION (Confession): Saturday: 4:00pm-4:30pm

Other times by appointment.

RECTORY OFFICE HOURS: Monday to Friday: 9:30 am -4:30 pm (CLOSED for lunch from 12pm-1pm) Sunday: 9:30am to 1:30 pm RECTORY/CHURCH STAFF: Bookkeeper / Bulletin Coordinator: Nicole Compagnone Parish Secretary: Antoinette Capobianco Maintenance and Custodians: Nelson Bobe and Eraldi Leka Cook and Housekeeper: Angelica Compagnone Sacristan: Lilian Acevedo Sunday Receptionist: Marie Gatto Youth Minister: Diego Araujo

PARISH REGISTRATION: We are happy to welcome all newcomers to our parish! Join our parish family by registering at the rectory during office hours. Current parishioners who change address, phone number or are moving away are asked to contact the rectory, so we can keep our files up to date.

BAPTISM: Congratulations on the birth of your child! Parish Baptisms are on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 12:00pm. Please call for an appointment to regis-ter and make arrangements for your child’s Baptism.

OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION: To register for religion classes grades K through 8, children’s First Communion, or Confirmation, call 718-372-0733 in the rectory lower level.

Secretaries: Nina Varone and Nelly Yepez (para hablar en Espanol).

ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

Teens over 14 and Adults who are interested in becoming a Catholic or who have been baptized Catholic but never received Holy Communion or Confirmation should be part of our RCIA program. Leave your name and phone number at the Office of Faith Formation for Sara Nespoli. Catholic Adults who have received Holy Communion and desire to receive Confirmation should also leave their name and phone number at the Office of Faith Formation for Sara Nespoli.

MARRIAGE: Plan to make your wedding both a JOYFUL and a HOLY event! Couples must call for an appointment at least 6 months prior to the planned wedding date and partici-pate in the parish and diocesan marriage preparation program.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK: We celebrate this sacrament of healing grace at the 9:00am Mass on the first Saturday of each month. Please join us at that Mass if you are ill. You may also call and arrange with a priest to receive this sacrament at other times.

PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK: Please contact the rectory if you are home-bound, and would like to receive the Holy Eucharist on a regular basis.

MASS INTENTIONS

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

5:00 MARY & JOHN CHICOLI & DECEASED

FAMILY MEMBERS

SUNDAY, MARCH 3

8:30 GIOVANNI & ANTONIETTA CAGGIANO

10:15 PEOPLE OF THE PARISH, DECEASED

MEMBERS OF OUR ROSARY SOCIETY,

INNOCENZO & ROSA CATANZARO, FRAN

MATTERA, ROSE ZEMBOVICTZ & JOSEPH

TRANCHINA

12:00 VINCENT, FRED & JERRY FIORILLO

1:30 SPANISH MASS

MONDAY, MARCH 4

9:00 VINCENZA SCIBILIA

TUESDAY, MARCH 5

9:00 FRANK D’AGOSTINO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

7:30 RAY MALLON

9:00 ANTHONY TURANO & MILLIE TURANO

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

9:00 JOSEPH MARCHISELLO

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

9:00 VINCENZA SCIBILIA

SATURDAY, MARCH 9

9:00 DONATO DENINNO

5:00 STELLA LOMBARDI

SUNDAY, MARCH 10

8:30 CARMELA & ALFONSO CITOLA

10:15 PEOPLE OF THE PARISH, DECEASED

MEMBERS OF OUR HOLY NAME SOCIETY,

FERDINANDO BERTOLOTTI, VINCENZA

SCIBILIA & MARGARET CORBO

12:00 MARIA DE LOS ANGELES CERVANTES SANCHEZ

1:30 SPANISH MASS

IN OUR PRAYERS May the Holy Spirit bring healing comfort to all of our sick, especially:

Jeanine Ardizzone, Camille & Anthony Chiusano, Annette Puglisi, William

Tirelli, John Belezio, Denise Pizzullo, John Geraci, Antoinette Marino, Jean-

ina Caceres, Millie Piccarelli, John DzHon Vong, Gina Morselli, Mary Ann

Barry, Susan Fischetti, Dominic Nunziato, Linda Viscardi, Maria Sciarrino,

Mary Antico, Maria Selca Maher, Angelo D’Attoma, Joseph DiBella, Ella

Spina, Carmela Maccia, Rose Colombo, Theresa Pagani, Roza Camaj-Ivezaj,

Richard Bubello, Joseph Nucifora, Grayce Prestipino, Howard Passman,

Frank Apsel, Isabella DiNiso, Jeanne Turzilli, Larry Lembo, Gesterkent

Jaro, Antonino Curatolo, Robert Cusimano, Michael Fiore, Karen Giachetta,

Mary Jencsik, T. Guida, Richard & Gary Prestipino, Carol Marcinsky,

Pietro Grippo, John Paul Harris, Reid Moritz, Julia Bruzzese, Angela Nuci-

fora, Stephen DiBella, Maria Piccarelli, Russ Pennington, Dorothy Vallone

Iaconis, Jacinta Duenas-Ladd, Sal D’Aquino, Josephine Gioia, Giada Crav-

elli, Frances Bowen, Evan Zitchic, Rose Galia, Isabella Grace Colucci, Diane

DiMonda, Sabrina Giangrande, Leonard Currea, Eddie Stack, Mandy

Crupi, Marie Filosa, Tara Horowitz, Steven Markoulis, Rosalie O’Hara,

Monica Morales, Frank Gramegna, & Joe Mastrianni

May God bring safely home all of our deceased family and friends:

Rita Fodera & Anna Iacopelli

MEMORIALS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 3 - MARCH 9, 2019

THE GIFTS OF THE BREAD AND WINE ARE DONATED IN LOVING MEMORY OF

SPECIAL INTENTION

REQUESTED BY:

THE TABERNACLE CANDLE IS DONATED IN LOVING MEMORY OF

VINCENZA SCIBILIA

REQUESTED BY: THE NAVARRA FAMILY

THE ALTAR CANDLES

ARE DONATED IN LOVING MEMORY OF

SPECIAL INTENTION REQUESTED BY:

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS CANDLE IS DONATED IN LOVING MEMORY

SPECIAL INTENTION REQUESTED BY:

STS. SIMON & JUDE PURGATORIAL SOCIETY The Purgatorial Society of Sts. Simon & Jude parish for the month of

March includes the following members who were enrolled last month:

Fran Mattera, Marie Rose Zembovictz, Kelly Goncalves &

Rita Fodera

MISA EN ESPAÑOL

Hermanos y Hermanas les hacemos la cordial

invitaciõn, a la Misa en Español que se celebrará cada

Domingo a la 1:30pm. Todos son bienvenidos!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

ASH WEDNESDAY-MARCH 6TH All are invited this Wednesday as we begin our Lenten

season with Ash Wednesday on this Wednesday, March

6th .

Ashes will be distributed during the:

7:30am & 9:00am Masses,

3:00pm Prayer Service,

7:00pm Prayer Service in SPANISH

8:00pm Prayer Service

LENT In union with the faithful all over the world, we enter a time of

penance and prayer to renew our hearts in God’s love, and ex-

perience His mercy.

We mark every Friday of Lent as days of abstinence when no

meat (fowl and beast) is eaten.

We also mark Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days of

abstinence and fasting when no meat & only one full meal and

two smaller meals are eaten, and only water, coffee or tea is con-

sumed.

We accept these communal sacrifices offered to God as a way of

uniting ourselves to the suffering of Christ and the suffering of

our world. We also seek to lessen our dependence on the things

of this world, so as to increase our focus on the things of heaven.

Wednesdays at 11:30amStations of the Cross in English

Thursdays at 4:00pm-Stations of the Cross in Italian

Fridays at 8:00pm-Stations of the Cross in Spanish

SPECIAL PARISH LENTEN PACKET Fr. Maduri and the staff of Sts. Simon and Jude have put together

a special Lenten packet to help on our spiritual journey this

Lenten season.

In the packet you will find a calendar of the events taking place

here at Sts. Simon and Jude over the next few weeks. A booklet

containing the guidelines for receiving the sacraments of pen-

ance, a pocket prayer book to help with daily reflection and a

beautiful picture of our Lord...which we suggest you place on the

front door or window of your home as a sign that...this Lenten

season...we walk together with Jesus, to the foot of the cross. All

are invited to take the Lenten packets which are in the Church

vestibule. Thank you and God bless you on your Lenten journey!

OUR LADY OF GRACE ADORATION CHAPEL Our Lady of Grace Church has a chapel that is open everyday for

adoration. Spend some time with our Lord. He is waiting for you

and He loves you more then you can ever know!

The chapel is open 7 days a week from 6am-9pm. 718-627-2020

JOURNEY WITH JESUS Let us welcome Sr. Ave Clark who will lead us in a Lenten Re-

treat Breakfast at Sts. Simon & Jude on Tuesday mornings from

9:30am-11:30am in the month of March in the Office of Faith

Formation/Rectory Basement. Join us on March 12th, 19th &

26th as we journey with Jesus through this years Lenten season.

All are welcome and invited to attend.

ROSARY SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING All Rosarians are invited to this months meeting scheduled on

Monday, March 3rd at 6:30pm in the Lower Church. This month

we celebrate St. Joseph & St. Patrick! Don’t forget to bring your

rosary!

SPECIAL MASS WITH PADRE PIO’S GLOVE All are invited to a special Mass in honor of Padre Pio on Mon-

day, March 11th at 7:30pm in St. Finbar Church. St. Finbar is

located on Benson Ave. & Bay 20th Street. Present at the Mass

will be Padre Pio’s glove used to cover the stigmata on his hand.

The relic will be available after Mass for each person to touch.

ST. ATHANASIUS RESPECT LIFE MINISTRY All are invited to St. Athanasius Church for recitation of the Holy

Rosary and Prayers for an end to abortion. Join parishioners every

Saturday morning after the 9am Mass.

RACHAEL’S HELPERS Rachael’s Helpers is a program, “Forgiven & Set Free” for

women who have had an abortion and are seeking a spiritual heal-

ing from this experience. Meetings are STRICTLY CONFIDEN-

TIAL. This is a FREE 8 week program that will meet on Monday

nights in Queens from 7:30pm-9:30pm from February 25th

through April 15th. For more information please call 347-702-

2352.

MARCH 3, 2019

The Mustard Seed Contact us @ 718-372-0733

Or email us at faithformssj@optonline.net

LENT This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the Lenten season. There are so many

changes that we experience during Lent. We first notice that the church is not decorated, the lone

cross and purple bunting is all that can be seen. The words of our Mass change, we no longer sing

the Gloria or Alleluia. We should also see changes in our daily lives. Lent is a time for us to reflect

on our lives and make the changes necessary to be he people that God wants us to be. Through the

disciplines of fasting, prayer and almsgiving our lives should change for the better. Our parish will

offer many opportunities for prayer and activities to make us aware of the importance of these forty

days.

DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE RIGHT? In the first reading today we are reminded that people can tell a lot about us by the words we use. Our attitudes, beliefs and morality are

made obvious by the things we say. Although some may be able to pretend for a while, eventually the truth can be seen. Words can hurt,

break, divide or they can heal, build up and unite. Which words do you use? What do they say about you? By your words can someone

determine that you are a follower of Jesus? Thou shall not bear false witness is one of our commandments…do your words bear witness

to Jesus? From now on Speak Life and Speak Love!

LIVING RIGHT In all of today’s readings the focus is on behavior. Our actions give an indication to the type of people we are. If we are children of God,

we must live by the rules he has provided for us. We know that God sent his Son, Jesus, to live among us and show us how to live. If we

believe, then our behavior should be a reflection of that.

PERPETUA ND FELICITY On March 7th we celebrate the feast day of Ss. Perpetua and Felicity. These two women were martyred in Carthage, Africa in the year

203. Under Roman rule Christianity was outlawed and those who practiced were imprisoned and put to death. Even though this was a

dangerous time to be a follower of Jesus, there were still people willing to convert to Christianity. Perpetua, Felicity and other catechu-

men were arrested and imprisoned with their teacher, and put to death in the arena, facing the wild animals and gladiators. Perpetua kept

a diary so we have written proof of the conditions these early martyrs had to endure. What an inspiration, that even under horrific condi-

tions their faith never wavered.

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;

be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do you, O prince of the heavenly host,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits

who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls.

Amen

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend’s Gospel reading call us to bear good

fruit. It sounds simple enough but it is difficult to bear

the good fruits of the Gospel if we have not yet encoun-

tered Christ. This encounter is strengthened by the three

aspects of Christian living that we will hear about on

Ash Wednesday and throughout the season of Lent:

prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer brings us into a

deeper awareness of God’s presence, fasting opens us to

receive the reality of God through a discipline that

places confident trust in God alone to supply us with all

we need, and almsgiving is a recognition that all we

have is a gift from God that must be shared generously

with others. Our parishes of Sts. Simon and Jude and

Most Precious Blood will offer several opportunities to

deepen our faith as we undertake the spiritually power-

ful way of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Through music and song we will learn more about the

Gospel of St. Matthew through Plaza Theatrical Produc-

tion’s presentation of GODSPELL this Sunday March

3rd at 3:00pm in Sts. Simon and Jude’s Church Hall.

The STATIONS OF THE CROSS invite us to journey

with Jesus and His walk towards Calvary where we en-

counter perfect love. See the bulletins for details.

We will have the opportunity to JOURNEY WITH JE-

SUS on a three morning retreat experience with Sr. Ave

Clark OP at SSJ on Tuesday mornings March 12, 19 and

16 at 9:30am in the rectory meeting room, and then re-

peated at MPB on Tuesdays April 2, 9 and 16 at

11:00am at MPB’s Coffee House.

THEOLOGY ON TAP offers young adults of our par-

ishes the opportunity to grow in their faith in an infor-

mal setting of faith sharing and fellowship on Thursdays

March 28th and April 25th at 7:00pm at Boardwalk Liq-

uids on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island.

We then continue our faith journey into the Easter sea-

son with a DIVINE MERCY weekend at SSJ on Satur-

day April 27 and Sunday April 28 featuring Mark Nehr-

bas former development officer and conference emcee at

Franciscan University of Steubenville and current board

member of the Ark and Dove retreat center in Pitts-

burgh; Alana Boudreau, one of our country’s premier

Christian music artists; Sr. Jordan Rose SV of the Sisters

of Life, Michael Cosby graduate of Franciscan Univer-

sity of Steubenville who will guide us through the role

of mercy in reaching out to the millennial generation;

and Sr. Ave Clark OP, founder of Heart to Heart Minis-

try; plus praise and worship, Eucharistic Adoration,

Mass and opportunities for Confession.

Parishioners will also have the opportunity to delve into

Sacred Scripture with a four week Bible Study on the

four Tuesdays of March at 7:00pm in MPB’s Rectory.

Fliers with details are available in the churches’ vesti-

bules.

Taking advantage of these events will help us enter into

the season of Lent as a retreat experience that coupled

with prayer, fasting and almsgiving can help make this

Lent and Easter season not only fruitful for ourselves

but also arm us with the spiritual gifts that we need to

bear the good fruits of the Gospel for others.

Fr. John Maduri,

Pastor/Administrator

EXPRESSIONS OF PRAYER:PART 1

VOCAL PRAYER

Today we begin the first of three reflections on the dif-

ferent “expressions” of prayer. You may recall several

weeks ago our series on the “forms” of prayer, which

included petition, intercession, praise, thanksgiving, etc.

What I mean by “expressions” or prayer is different from

the “forms” in that the forms tell us what the prayers are

about (and nearly all of these forms fall under the first

category of the expressions we’ll be talking about). The

expressions are more like different “modes” of being in

prayer. There are three expressions of prayer: vocal

prayer, meditative prayer, and contemplative prayer.

This week we will be reflecting on vocal prayer.

By vocal prayer, the Catechism makes it clear that it is

not only speaking about prayers said “out loud”, but

prayers said with an inner voice in our mind as well. A

spoken prayer at Mass, and a silent prayer asking God

for help in our hearts are both considered “vocal prayer”

for our purposes. It includes any prayer that is said with a

“voice”, whether external or internal, and it is for that

reason that I mentioned the different “forms” of prayer

fall under this category.

Vocal prayer, by its nature, is the most active expression

of prayer. It is speaking, rather that listening (meditative)

or being (contemplative). Vocal prayer is an essential

element to Christian life, both external prayer spoken

aloud and internal prayer in the silence of our hearts. We

are called to worship with every aspect of our being,

which includes lifting our voices to God.

Throughout the Church’s history, there has been a long-

standing tradition of vocal prayer. Jesus himself gave us

the Our Father, which is often called the “perfect prayer”

and the “model for prayer” (we will be diving deeper

into its riches in a few weeks). Countless devotions such

as the rosary, various novenas, and the divine mercy

chaplet have brought great graces to the Church. As any-

one who faithfully prays one of these devotions can at-

test, doing so faithfully can draw our hearts closer to

God.

Another form of vocal prayer is simply speaking to God

throughout the day, asking him for his grace and mercy,

for strength and consolation. To get into a habit of speak-

ing to God frequently, I often encourage people to start a

“prayer journal”, and try and get into a habit of writing

out their thoughts to God and writing the ways they see

him working in their lives. This practice really takes your

prayer life to the next level, and helps you “practice the

presence of God” and keep him in your heart throughout

throughout the whole day, which we reflected on last

week.

The most important thing to keep in mind with vocal

prayer is that we ought to put our whole being into what

we are saying. It is extremely easy to simply “go

through the motions” when we are going through vocal

prayers such as devotions or the prayers at Mass. Yet,

Jesus warns us in Matthew’s Gospel to “avoid vain repe-

titions” in prayer. Checking out mentally and simply

letting our mouths say the words is exactly what Jesus is

condemning here. The fervor of our hearts and souls

always comes before the number of words which we use

while we pray. It is more important to be real and au-

thentic with God and with ourselves then it is to write

beautiful prayers with lofty words. Again, this is where

the prayer journals come in handy with helping us to

externally process our thoughts and feelings towards

God. They help us to “be real” as we seek him.

Vocal prayer is a crucial component of our prayer lives.

Never let a day go by without taking a few moments to

speak to God and draw close to his heart.

Supplementing CCC 2700-2704

Jonah Soucy

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

MONDAY, MARCH 4 9:00am:Mass (CHU)

9:30am: Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (CHU)

6:30pm: Rosary Meeting (LC)

7:00pm: Circulo de Oracion - (CHU)

TUESDAY, MARCH 5 9:00am Mass (CHU)

9:30am: Miraculous Medal Novena (CHU)

6:30pm: LLF/New Testament (OFF)

7:00pm: Antique Auto Club (LC)

7:00pm: CCD Classes (SCH)

7:00pm: Circulo Committee Meeting (CHA)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

ASH WEDNESDAY 7:30am: Mass (CHU)

9:00am: Mass (CHU)

12:00pm-3:00pm: Golden Age Club (LC)

1:00pm: SSJ Food Pantry (OFF)

3:00pm: Prayer Service (CHU)

7:00pm: Prayer Service in Spanish (CHU)

8:00pm: Prayer Service in English (CHU)

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 9:00am:Mass (CHU)

9:30am: Legion of Mary (LC)

4:00pm: Italian Stations/ Rosary (CHAP)

7:00pm: Youth Group (LC)

7:30pm: AA Meeting (OFF)

7:30pm: RCIA

8:00pm: Folk Group Rehearsal (CHU)

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 9:00am:Mass (CHU)

9:30am: St. Jude Novena (CHU)

7:00pm: Reunion de Servidores Meeting (LC)

8:00pm: Spanish Stations of the Cross (CHU)

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 8:00am: Holy Hour (CHU)

9:00am: Mass (CHU)

4:00pm: Confession (CHU)

5:00pm: Mass (CHU)

8:00pm: AA Meeting (OFF)

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 8:00am: Rosario Italiano

8:30am/10:15am/12:00pm: Mass (CHU)

9:00am: Holy Name Meeting (LC)

10:00am: CCD Classes (SCH)

1:30pm: Spanish Mass (CHU)

1:30pm:Adult Conf. (OFF)