May 6, 2012 5th Sunday of Easter - St. Ambrose Catholic Parish

Good News from Saint Ambrose
…”If you remain in me and my words remain
in you, ask for whatever you want and it will
be done for you. By this is my Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit and
become my disciples." It’s all so simple…..
remain with the Lord….be one with the Lord
like a branch to the vine…and you will bear
abundant fruit and your life will be
blessed. How do we remain one with the
Lord How did Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
find the grace and strength to remain one with
the Lord on the path The answer is really in
the question. The more we bring ourselves to
the Lord in prayer and sacrament, the more
we will remain one with the Lord, and the
more we will have the grace and strength to
stay one with the Lord and embrace the
abundant life as a disciple of Jesus
Christ. “Remain in me.”
…Daily, our chapel is open for prayer from
7:00 am until 6:00 pm. Every Monday we
have the opportunity for Eucharistic
Adoration from 9 am until 6 pm. The chapel
and Adoration are blessed ways to remain one
with the Lord.
...Next weekend (and for the weeks to come),
we welcome 200 of our young members to
the Table of the Lord as they celebrate and
receive their First Eucharist. What a special
time for them and their families. Please keep
them in prayer. May the presence of Christ
they receive in their hearts remain with them
always. May their First Eucharist be a time of
God’s grace and blessings. May our youngest
members, and all of us, always desire to come
to the Lord’s banquet feast. May the love of
God bear great fruit in their lives.
…This weekend we rejoice and celebrate
with our Graduates. We are so proud of your
accomplishments and we lift you up in prayer
today. May you be so wise to remain close
to the Lord – the source of abundant life and
strength and joy. We pray that our graduates
will use their God given gifts and talents to
create a world in the vision of Jesus Christ.
This is the work of all of us, as disciples of the
Lord.
…Great news! The picture directories are on
the way! All the pages are complete and the
book is at the printer. Those who had pictures
taken should be receiving a copy within the
next four-six weeks. Thanks for your
patience.
...One of our members asked a good question.
“What are the candles on the side walls of the
Church for How do you get to light one of
them” These candles are offered in memory
of a loved one or to ask God’s blessing for
special intentions. Grace Bouman, our
wonderful sacristan, takes care of lighting
them (since they are in difficult places to
reach). If you would like to have a candle lit
for a loved one or a special intention, simply
complete one of the envelopes that can be
found at the doors of the Church, OR drop an
envelope in the collection with the
information (Candle Intention for...) If
possible, we ask for a $5 donation to cover the
cost of the candles.
…Another great way to remember our loved
ones is by having a Mass offered in their
memory. It is beautiful to see family
members coming together on the anniversary
of death, birthdays, wedding anniversaries.
Last weekend 20 members of a family
gathered together to remember a love
one. What a blessed way to remain one with
the Lord and close to our loved ones who are
in God’s safe keeping. You can easily
schedule Mass Intentions through the Parish
Office. The good people that work in our
office are happy to assist in scheduling dates,
etc. Please feel free to stop by or call
(330.460.7300).
…This Tuesday evening, our Ministry of
Consolation group is working with
Cornerstone of Hope to offer an evening of
Prayer and Remembrance. Dealing with the
loss of a loved one is never easy. The other
day I was leaving Holy Cross Cemetery after
one of our parish funerals. I stopped by my
own mom’s grave in the shadows of a
wonderful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(very important for my mom). Just standing
there stirred the whole well-spring of human
emotions for me, as I know it does for
you. This evening of Prayer and
Remembrance is a way to find comfort,
strength, support and peace in our times of
loss. Please join us Tuesday evening at 7 pm
in the Lehner Center. We remain close to the
Lord as we remember those who have gone
before us.
…Many thanks to A. Ripepi and Son Funeral
Home (on Bagley Road) for sponsoring the
Cornerstone of Hope programs in our parish
community. They have been a great blessing
to our families in their time of need.
…Mother’s Day is next Sunday. Invite your
mom or grandmother to Mass. It’s the perfect
gift that will be appreciated more than words
can express. The Knights of Columbus are
also hosting their Annual Mother’s Day
Breakfast after the Sunday morning
Masses. What a great morning out with your
mom or grandma. As the Jewish Proverb
goes, “God couldn’t be everywhere, so he
created mothers.” No better gift than to
celebrate faith and family with our moms and
grandmothers next Sunday (and every day).
…We had an energizing Pastoral Council
meeting last Tuesday night. Rick Krivanka
helped a group of 28 sort through some plans
and ideas for the upcoming year. Our focus
will be on helping all of us have a deeper
appreciation and awareness of the blessing of
coming to the Table of the Lord to share in
the gift of the Eucharist. Rick, who served in
the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Office, could
not say enough good things about the
meeting, the great discussion, and the
commitment of our PPC and the leadership
that they provide for our parish community.
Amen!!!
…In this Easter Season, where new life
abounds, the signs of new life are all around
our parish community… from our young
people coming to the Table of the Lord to the
start of wedding season…from the dynamic
PPC meeting to the gathering this week of
those who seek new life through the pain of
loss. One visible sign of new life takes place
this coming Saturday, May 12, with the
ceremonial Groundbreaking for the Lehner
Center. As I write this bulletin, we are
receiving the bids for the addition. The
Vision 20/20 leadership team, about 20
members, met the other night to discuss best
ways for us to oversee the LC addition and
work on other capital projects. I was inspired
to see so many of our members committing
their time and expertise to make sure we are
making sound choices and decisions for our
parish. The group is meeting again this
Tuesday, May 8, at 7:30 pm to review bids
and recommend a contractor so we can secure
a contract and begin construction (hopefully
the week after the parish festival). Thank you
for all you do for our parish to make this
project (and everything else we do) possible.
Please join us next Saturday after the 4:30 pm
Mass for the ceremonial groundbreaking and
a cookout to follow (please bring a side dish
or dessert to share).
…The more closely we are connected to the
Vine, Jesus Christ, the more we experience
abundant life and goodness. How can we
remain one with the Lord this week What
separates us from the love of God May God
bless you for all you do to help our parish stay
so close, so near to the Lord. God bless you.
www.StAmbrose.us