MEMORIALS The Sanctuary Candle this week is burning in loving memory of Charles Merando and the Merando Family donated by Chuck and Paula Tompkins. The candle will burn from February 19th through February 25th.

CHOIR REHEARSALS Adult Choir rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm in the choir loft. New members are welcome at all weekend Masses. If you would like to sing, please come to a rehearsal or call Jeffrey V. Lutz at 228-5612.

GRAYMOOR PRAYER GROUP Increase your time in prayer. The Graymoor Prayer Group, following the Medjugorje prayer format, meets Thursday evenings, 7:30 to 8:30 pm at the Spiritual Life Building 6th floor Chapel. Prayer facilitator – Diana Roda: 424-4175.

PLEASE PRAY For the sick and suffering, especially

ANNOUNCED MASSES If you wish to bring up the gifts for a Mass being said for your loved one(s), please see the Usher before Mass.

Vigil (Sunday) Mass – February 18 5:00 PM James Pega Sunday, February 19 – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary

Time 8:30 AM Dimon and Robert Nicolosi and the Cirillo

Family 10:15 AM St. Joseph’s – All the People of the Parish 12:00 PM Carolyn and Joseph Dragicevich

Monday, February 20 – Weekday 8:15 AM Sue Mulvena Tuesday, February 21 – Saint Peter Damian, Bishop

and Doctor of the Church 8:15 AM Raymond Schoch Wednesday, February 22 – The Chair of Saint Peter

the Apostle 8:15 AM Carlos Quintanilla and all the People of the

Parish Thursday, February 23 – Saint Polycarp, Bishop and

Martyr 8:15 AM Katina and Gus Filipich Friday, February 24 – Weekday 8:15 AM John Spada Saturday, February 25 – Weekday 8:15 AM Helen Percacciolo

Vigil (Sunday) Mass – February 25 5:00 PM Pauline McGovern Sunday, February 26 – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary

Time 8:30 AM Gladys and Peter Junjulas 10:15 AM St. Joseph’s – The Cecchini Family 12:00 PM Helen Percacciolo

SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The Lord is kind and merciful. February 19, 2017

READINGS FOR THIS WEEK Monday: Sir 1:1-10; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Mk 9:14-29 Tuesday: Sir 2:1-11; Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Mk 9:30-37 Wednesday: 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4-6; Mt 16:13-19 Thursday: Sir 5:1-8; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Mk 9:41-50 Friday: Sir 6:5-17; Ps 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35; Mk 10:1-12 Saturday: Sir 17:1-15; Ps 103:13-18; Mk 10:13-16 Sunday: Is 49:14-15; Ps 62:2-3, 6-9; 1 Cor 4:1-5; Mt 6:24-34

“I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly

Father.” Matthew 5:44-45a

and for all our dearly departed, that the fighting among nations cease, that vengeance end and lasting peace begin, and for all of our prayers in our book of petitions.

Lucy Abbatine Lucas Boesch Electra Bokanoski Nicole Bokanoski Robert Broughal The Brusco Family Kathleen Clements Carmine Comberiata Joseph C. Etta Christopher Hartly Joseph Hoda Parker Jane Holloway Joey Hyatt, Jr. Elizabeth M. Hynes Geoff Lyons Kathleen Manganello Mary Marion Paula Martino

Merna Mendelson Todd Morris Joseph Nowakowski Brian O’Keeffe Inelda O’Keeffe Luis Padilla Rosario Padilla Neilan Pierce Vivian Pisanelli Phillip Rossignol Melissa Castro-Santos Miguel Santos Laura Schiele Sally Singh Ralph Torres Connie Tuomey Frank Volkmann Lidia Watrud

MONTH’S MIND Alex Dengler – January 19th, 2017

Josephine Merante – January 21st, 2017 John Spada – January 24th, 2017

We remember our loved ones who have died one month following their passing on to eternal life.

OUR LADY OF LORETTO PARISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

“Handing on the Faith” 845-265-3718 ✭ ollfaithformation@gmail.com

Classes will not be held this Wednesday, February 22nd.

Classes resume Wednesday, March 1st.

ASH WEDNESDAY Grades 1 to 5 will attend the 3:45 pm prayer service and

Grades 6 to 8 will attend the 7:00 pm Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 1st. All families are invited!

7TH GRADE FAMILY MASS Sunday, March 5th • 8:30 am Mass in the Church

REGULAR WEEKLY COLLECTION – $4,675 Thank you for your generosity.

WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 12, 2017

MASS ATTENDANCE

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION At Our Lady of Loretto • Every Monday • 7:00-8:00 pm

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament remains as it is with individual prayer time, but specific groups are being identified for certain Mondays so they can come together to focus in prayer for a specific intention...

Feb 20 – Teenagers in our Parish Feb 27 – Our parish choir and musicians Mar 6 – The unborn and persecuted Christians Mar 13 – Those in single life

Adults Children Total

Saturday, 5:00 pm 91 9 100

Sunday, 8:30 am 43 22 65

St. Joseph’s Chapel Sunday, 10:15 am 26 3 29

Sunday, 12:00 pm 43 12 55

Total 203 46 249

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSLoretto Council #536

New MembersGrand Knight Paul Grandetti of Loretto Council #536 is proud to announce that parishioners Todd August, Michael Cappello, James Fitzgerald, William Gunning and Richard Peterson became members of the Knights of Columbus by taking the 1st Degree of Charity and the 2nd Degree of Unity at a recent ceremony. In attendance were Grand Knight Paul Grandetti, Financial Secretary Tom Des Marais, Past Grand Knight Dan Dillon and Membership Director John Hackney.

A 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. Today there are more than 1.8 million members of the Knights of Columbus in over 14,000 local councils in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, Guatemala, Panama, the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Saipan.

Anyone interested in joining the Knights of Columbus can email John Hackney, Membership Director at johnhackney@ hotmail.com for an application. Additional information can also be found at kofc.org.

Philipstown Food Pantry DeliveryNext Sunday • February 26th

The Knights of Columbus will be collecting food and other items, including diapers, toothbrushes, toothpaste,

soap, shampoo, cleaners and paper towels, for the Philipstown Food Pantry the weekend of February

25th and 26th.

Please leave donations in the cry room during that weekend. Thank you for your generosity!

Mardi Gras Pancake SupperTuesday • February 28th

See to the right for details.

Our Lady of Loretto Parish Mardi Gras Pancake Supper

Put on by the Knights of Columbus Tuesday, February 28th • 6:00 to 8:00 pm

(Come anytime during these two hours for dinner.) In the Parish Hall

FREE Pancakes, sausage, bacon, soft drinks

Come join the Knights as we kick off the Lenten Season.

Stations of the Cross

Fridays during Lent beginning March 3rd 7:30 pm at Our Lady of Loretto Church

THE HOLY FATHER’S URGENT PRAYER INTENTION FOR FEBRUARY

Sacredness of Life. We pray for the children who are in danger of the interruption of pregnancy, as well as for persons who are at the end of life – every life is sacred! – so that no one is left alone and that love may defend the meaning of life.

BOYS’ DAY-BY-DAY-AGAPE (DDA) RETREAT

Thursday, March 2nd through Sunday, March 5th For high school teens 14+ years old. No matter where YOU are on your spiritual journey, come! Teen TEAM members present talks on their own lives, struggles and triumphs in Christ; Friars, adult team and CYFM community help facilitate and support. Come to this amazing weekend of prayer, listening, sharing, growing, and feeling the love of Christ. Disconnect from stress and reconnect with what truly matters while enjoying a weekend full of laughter, prayer, music, wonderful meals and other awesome teens. The cost is $140 per person for materials, meals and lodging. Early bird fee of $125 must be postmarked 9 days prior to the retreat. All paperwork and non-refundable $75 deposit must be received by the registration deadline, February 28th. For information and application, contact CYFM or visit our website: www.cyfm.org and click on “EVENTS.” Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flocknote: CYFMGarrison.

Capuchin Youth & Family Ministries • P.O. Box 192 781 Route 9D • Garrison, NY 10524 • (845) 424-3609

“The Cross of Christ contains all the love of God; there we find his immeasurable mercy. This is a love in which we can place all our trust, in which we can believe… let us entrust ourselves to Jesus, let us give ourselves over to him, because he never disappoints anyone! Only in Christ crucified and risen can we find salvation and redemption.”

Pope Francis, World Youth Day, Way of the Cross

The Season of Lent Begins Wednesday, March 1st

As the season of Lent draws near, it is helpful to recall the discipline of the Church in regard to fast, abstinence, and other forms of penance.

• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence.

• The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.

• The Obligation of Abstinence (refraining from eating meat) begins at the age of 14. Those who are not specifically obliged to abstain from eating meat, are encouraged to do so to the extent they are able.

• The Law of Fasting obliges all between the ages of 18 and 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal. If needed, two smaller meals may also be taken, but together they may not equal a full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted. No one should consider this obligation lightly. Those who are not specifically obliged to fast, are encouraged to do so to the extent they are able.

Those individuals who have a medical condition in which fasting or abstaining may be considered harmful are not obliged to fast or abstain, but should perform some other act of penance or charity. Parents should encourage minors to do acts of penance suitable to their age.

All members of the Christian Faithful are encouraged to do acts of penance and charity beyond what is prescribed by law. And all are encouraged to avail themselves of the sacrament of Reconciliation, since it is a true encounter with the loving, forgiving Savior, who takes away the burden of our sin and is the source of true peace and joy.

Ash Wednesday Wednesday, March 1st is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. Our Ash Wednesday schedule is as follows:

8:15 am Mass 3:45 pm Prayer Service

7:00 pm Mass Ashes will be distributed at both Masses and at the prayer service, all to be held at Our Lady of Loretto Church.

Why ashes? On this day the Catholic Church invites us to receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads as a sign that during the coming season of Lent, we will make sincere efforts to cleanse our lives of sin and to discipline ourselves through fasting and prayer. Ashes are not distributed to those under the age of reason (which the Church recognizes as 7 years old), since they have no need of repentance.

Ashes and the Word of God: Through the scripture readings on Ash Wednesday, God calls us to turn to him with our whole heart and be faithful to the Gospel again. Received in the light of God’s revealing Word, ashes become for us a sign of our desire to turn back to God, a God who is “gracious and merciful, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment.” Ashes are reminders of mortality and the fleetingness of life. God’s Word reminds us that it is not the death of the body, but rather the death of the soul that is to be feared.

3 WAYS TO DRAW CLOSE TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN DURING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY

OF FATIMA Pope Francis has established a special "Jubilee Year" from November 27th, 2016 to November 26th, 2017

Aleteia.org, by Philip Kosloski – This year marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal. To commemorate the event and to draw attention to these particular apparitions, Pope Francis has established a special “Jubilee Year” from November 27th, 2016 to November 26th, 2017.

In addition to his making an official visit to Fatima on May 12th and13th, Pope Francis has also granted special “indulgences” for the faithful to take part in, as a way to draw closer to Our Lady during this year of the anniversary. The indulgences can be obtained throughout the Jubilee Year, and to do so, the faithful must follow the usual conditions (go to confession, receive Holy Communion, be detached from sin, and pray for the intentions of the pope). According to the World Apostolate of Fatima, the indulgences granted by Pope Francis are as follows:

1. Make a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal. “To the faithful who visit the Sanctuary of Fatima on pilgrimage and devotedly participate in some celebration or prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary, pray the ‘Our Father,’ recite the symbol of the faith (Creed) and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.”

2. Pray before any public image of Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th of each month between May and October. “To the pious faithful who visit with devotion an image of Our Lady of Fatima, solemnly displayed to public veneration in any church, oratory or adequate place, on the anniversary days of the apparitions (the 13th of each month, from May to October 2017), and who devotedly participate there in some celebration or prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary, pray the ‘Our Father,’ recite the symbol of the faith (Creed) and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.”

3. For those who are infirm and incapable of a public pilgrimage, pray before any private image of Our Lady of Fatima. “To the faithful who, due to their age, illness or another serious cause, are hindered from moving, if they repent of all their sins and have the firm intention to carry out, as soon as it will be possible to them, the three conditions indicated… pray in front of a small image of Our Lady of Fatima, on the days of the apparitions, joining spiritually with the jubilee celebrations, offering with confidence to the merciful God through Mary their prayers and pains, or the sacrifices of their own life.”

Pope Francis has had a special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima throughout his pontificate, even consecrating the world to her on October 13th, 2013, the anniversary day of the final apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the children at Fatima, often called the “Miracle of the Sun.” He prayed during that consecration, “Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima, with renewed gratitude for your motherly presence, we join in the voice of all generations that call you blessed. We celebrate in you the great works of God,

who never tires of lowering himself in mercy over humanity, afflicted by evil and wounded by sin, to heal and to save it… Teach us your own special love for the little and the poor, for the excluded and the suffering, for sinners and the wounded of heart: gather all people under you protection and give us all to your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus.”

In the end, Pope Francis issued these indulgences not so that the faithful could develop a superstitious faith, but to promote a real and abiding love of the Blessed Mother, asking her to draw us closer to her Son. As always, the closer we draw to Mary, the closer we will be to Jesus Christ.

DO SOMETHING FOR OUR PARISH IN 2017 We encourage everyone to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and/or Rosary (or any prayer) for our parish. Here are some things to pray for:

• Our parishioners • Our priests • Our religious education program • Our families • The homebound • The sick and the suffering • Loved ones who have died • Our parish ministries • An increase in religious vocations from our parish • That non-Churchgoers in our community will return

to the Church and start going to Mass • The financial needs of our parish

Our Lord said, "Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My

will.” (Diary 1731) Mary promised, “You shall obtain all you ask of me by

the recitation of the Rosary.”

HOW TO LEARN FROM YOUR PAST How to view what has happened before in order to live

as God wants Father Mike Schmitz and Zoe Romanowsky – Have the right relationship with your past –stop dwelling in it or ignoring it and instead reflect and learn from it. We don’t need to be afraid of our past; we don’t need to let it determine our present and our future. If we’re living in the past, there is no way forward. To live in the present means you’ve looked at the past, lived in it, but now you’ve learned from it and moved on. Ultimately, that is what God calls us to do.

Birthdays, new years, new seasons are typical times to do this, but we can do it every day. Saint Ignatius of Loyola called this the Examen, where you go back over your day and ask God: Where were you today? Where did you speak to me? Where was your grace? And then you also ask: Where were you speaking to me and I ignored you? Where do I need to repent? We must learn from the past to become wise.