Previous :: Next

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October  23, 2005

He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
- Mt 22:37-39

Current Week's Mass Schedule Monday, October 24th St. Anthony Mary Claret 8:30 a.m.  - Our Lady's Chapel Intention of the Deeb Family Tuesday, October 25th --- 8:30 a.m. -  Our Lady's Chapel Soul of Leticia Hidalgo & Laura Inocentes Wednesday, October 26th --- 8:30 a.m. - Our Lady's Chapel Intention of the Souls in Purgatory Thursday, October 27th --- 8:30 a.m. - Our Lady's Chapel  Intention of Shari Deeb 7:30 p.m. - Our Lady's Chapel Soul of Jose Baraquio Friday, October 28th SS. Simon & Jude 8:30 a.m.  - Our Lady's Chapel Soul of Leticia Hidalgo & Laura Inocentes Saturday, October 29th --- 8:30 a.m.  - Our Lady's Chapel Intention of John Deeb Next Weekend's Mass Schedule Saturday, October 29th  Vigil Mass  5:00 p.m.  -  Main Church Intention of the Parishioners of St. Mary's Sunday, October 30th 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Daylight Savings Time (Set Clocks Back 1 hour) 8:00 a.m. - Our Lady's Chapel  Soul of Catherine Crowley  9:30 a.m. - Main Church  Soul of Marie Munson 12:00 p.m.  -  Main Church Soul of Anna Brown New parishioners should fill out a registration form found in either the gathering place of the main church or at the parish office. If you have a new address, phone number, e-mail address or a new member of your family, please contact Susan at (301) 292-0527 or parish@stmaryspiscataway.org. All Saints Day on Tuesday, November 1st is a holy day of obligation. Mass will be at 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Main Church. There will be a Mass at 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Main Church on Wednesday, November 2nd for All Souls Day. All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation. Blessing of Graves by Father Gary at St. Mary’s Cemetery on All Souls Day, Wednesday, November 2nd between 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 1:30–5:00 p.m. Please come to the parish office during these hours to contact Father Gary. Reconciliation Services will be held on Tuesday, December 13th and 20th at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Church. St. Mary’s Rosary Makers would like to thank everyone who supported their Bake Sale last weekend. Funds raised will help replenish our supplies for this rewarding ministry. Want to be involved? Please contact Virginia Merritt (301) 248-3920 or Vicki Burton (301) 292-9012. SCHOOL NEWS Principal: Mr. Patrick Hanus Vice Principal: Mrs. Kathleen Pfaff (301) 292-2522 School Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Early Dismissal: 12:15 p.m. Before Care: 6:45 a.m. – 7:45 a.m. After Care: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Is your child happy at his or her school? We have a few openings left at St. Mary’s School; however, we are being selective with applicants. Please call Cathy Wall at (301) 292-2522 to schedule an appointment. A private tour and testing will be set up for your child.  St. Mary's Christmas Bazaar  The next confirmation session will be held on Thursday, November 17th in the parish hall.   Donations Are Needed for St. Mary’s Annual Christmas Bazaar. We are going to have several NEW theme baskets on the fireplace in the gathering place of the main church to collect items for the Bazaar. The NEW themes for the baskets are: MD is for Crabs Basket, Santa Basket, Golfers Basket, and Soccer Banquet. Please help by donating a few items for these baskets. Contributions will still be accepted for previous baskets! Those theme baskets include: Christmas Basket, Oktoberfest Basket, Love Ya Basket, Entertainment Basket, Thanksgiving Basket, Car Care Basket, Angel Basket, Candle Basket, Disney Basket, Feel Better Basket, Emergency Basket, Breakfast in Bed Basket, Camping Basket, Scrapbook Basket, and an Advent Basket. Attention All St. Mary’s Crafters! We need your wonderful homemade crafts (no store bought items, please) for St. Mary’s Craft Table. Any finished craft items can be brought to the parish office or the main church after Mass. Please mark items, St. Mary’s Craft table. Thank you!  Anyone interested in helping at the craft table this year, can contact Karen Macaluso at (301) 248-6242. Wanted Stuffed Animals in good shape (clean, no holes, no missing parts) for the Christmas Bazaar! Please bring your donated animals to the parish office or school. Ye Olde Bake Shoppe depends on the talent and donations of the parish bakers. Please start now and freeze your items until it is time to drop them off for the Bazaar. Baking is a great way to spend time with your children/grandchildren. We also need your donation of old 1-lb tins (no rusty ones, please), cups, saucers, and small baskets to present some of these delicacies. You can drop these items off at the parish office. Baked goods can be left in the parish hall on Friday, November 11th or the morning of the Bazaar on Saturday, November 12th. The Silent Auction has tables of donated items such as collectibles, fine jewelry, exercise equipment, sports tickets, etc. You are given a bid sheet which you mark with the amount you wish to bid. Please watch during the day to see whether you have maintained the top bid or need to raise your bid. The winners are announced at various times in the afternoon. Do you have an item that you would like to donate but need help in transporting it? Would your business like to donate an item for our auction? Please bring all donated items to the parish office. Call Carolyn Babich (301) 292-5819 or Karen Clink (301) 292-2611 if you have any questions. Your help is greatly appreciated!  The Something Special Shoppe is the place to purchase a variety of unique items for Christmas presents or for any other occasion. This area will offer lots of choices: toys, gadgets, accessories, sports equipment, knickknacks, dishes, and collectibles for sale. If you would like to clean out your closets of old unused or fairly new items, please bring them to the parish office during office hours. Thanks! Attention Business Owners! If you would like to place an ad in this year’s St. Mary’s Christmas Bazaar program at a very reasonable cost, please contact Susan (301) 292-0527 at the parish office. Rates are $10 for a business card size ad, $20 for a half page ad and $40 for a full-page ad. Thank you for your support! ST. MARY’S EXCLUSIVE CRAFTERS Each year, St. Mary’s hosts special crafters. This year the Bazaar will host the following: The Sawdust Pile—Wooden toys to include: toy cars, trucks, trains, rocking horse banks, cradles, trinket boxes and much more! Funky Monkey Design/Custom Jewelry—Unique jewelry to include: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and watches. Paul Kerris’ Art—Graphite art to include: note cards and prints of beautiful animals and buildings to include Our Lady’s Chapel at St. Mary’s. Exquisite Woodworking—Wooden art to include: walnut, oak and cherry bowls, unusual canes, figures, crosses, jewelry boxes and framed maps from a barn in Piscataway. Wooden Cartoon Characters—Wooden characters, wall plaques and yard ornaments of cartoon favorites such as Tweety Bird, Elmo, Dora the Explorer and many others.  Quilt Raffle 2005—St. Mary’s Piecemakers will be selling quilt raffle tickets at all Masses beginning this weekend and on every weekend until the bazaar on November 12th. It’s patriotic and won two ribbons at the local county fairs. Tickets are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5. We are looking for volunteers to sell tickets.! Please contact Pat Seaquist for further information at (301) 843-2082. The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a Tootsie Roll fundraising drive after all Masses next Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th to help mentally handicapped citizens. All of the funds collected by the members of the John F. Kennedy Council remain in Prince George’s and Charles counties where the vast majority of our members reside. Thank you for supporting this great cause. OUTSIDE OF PARISH EVENTS Federal Employees - Please remember CFC #7273 The Little Sisters of the Poor are now participating in the Combined Federal Campaign. Look for the Little Sisters of the Poor, Home for the Aged. With your support, their ministry to serve the elderly poor of the Washington, D.C. area will continue. For questions, please contact Susie Squier (202) 269-1831 Ext. #313. Annual Fall Dinner at Sacred Heart Church in Bushwood, MD on Sunday, October 23rd from noon on. Menu includes fried oysters, stuffed ham, turkey, sweet and parsley potatoes, cole slaw, green beans and rolls—all you can eat and served buffet style. Adult tickets are $18; children (12 and under), $6; carry-outs, $18. St. Mary’s Ryken in Leonardtown, MD is having an Open House on Sunday, October 30th from noon to 3:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for prospective students to meet students, faculty and to learn about the program of study and to tour the campus. For more information, please call the Admissions Office at (301) 373-4183. The CHOICES Abstinence Program is a local, community-based program that provides training, resources and activities for parents and teenagers to help teenagers live chastely. Last year, the program launched a popular Expect More; Get More Vow Ceremony for young people to commit to chastity and abstinence until marriage with the support of a parent or legal guardian. Parents and teenagers are invited to join its Community Advisory Board coordinated by Providence Hospital’s Center for Life. For more information, please contact Michael Scott (301) 853-5308 or mscott@adw.org.

Luxury of Appreciation

We are continually bombarded with noise of one kind or another. Consequently, with a continuous assault on our senses our capacity to appreciate a moment, a person, a place or a thing is greatly diminished. It is any wonder that so many have difficulty with quiet prayer. To appreciate stillness which leads to quietude is something to attempt to recapture. Looking at our little ones who try to absorb an object with a singular focus teaches that what we could do with God in prayer what we may have lost from our early childhood—the luxury of the moment.

 

Upcoming Dates: Tuesday, October 25th: - No School, Archdiocesan Professional Day Friday, October 28th:    - End of First Quarter and Family Fun Night

Family Fun Night will be held this Friday, October 28th from 6:00–9:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Admission is FREE and all are invited to participate. Tickets for the games and food will be sold at the door. For further information, please contact Deborah Stanley at (301) 641-4259 or 1-301-904-0445.

St. Mary’s Restaurant Night, a fundraiser for our school, will be held on Monday, October 24th at Noodles & Co. in the Waldorf Marketplace Shopping Center. The school will receive 10% of the restaurant’s sales from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to join us for this “fun”-raising event! For more details, please contact Christine Stevenson at (240) 832-5122.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Director of Religious Education: Bill Keimig (310) 292-0527 Ext. #104

St. Mary’s Parish School of Religion (PSR) is held every Sunday from 10:45–11:50 a.m. in our school. Children can still register for PSR; fees are $85 for one student; $105 for two students or $110 for three or more students.  Book Discussion Group meets every Sunday morning 10:45–11:45 a.m. in the faculty lounge or behind the school depending on the weather. Come for good fellowship, donuts and hot drinks!  Baptismal Classes for parents wishing to have their child baptized will be held on the 4th Sunday of the month after the noon Mass. Please call Bill Keimig at (301) 292-0527 Ext. #104 and leave a message if you plan to attend. Hearts Aflame Course on Morality will be held on Mondays: October 24th and 31st, November 7th, 14th, and 21st from 3:30–5:00 p.m.  Natural Family Planning Classes will be held at the Keimigs’ home (15000 Schall Road, Accokeek) on the following Sunday afternoons: November 6th, and 20th from 1:30–3:30 p.m. Please contact Heather at (301) 203-9293 to pre-register. Spiritual Play on Three Women of the Bible on Sunday evening, November 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the main church. Tickets must be purchased at the door: adults, $5; children under 12, $3. Catholics Coming Home is an apostolate for those considering returning to their Catholic faith, needing help with an annulment, a divorce situation, or just wanting to talk about their struggles with the Church. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7:30–9:00 p.m. (except holidays) in the school library. New participants are welcome at any session. Attention 7th & 8th Graders! Friday, November 4th Confirmation Retreat 5:00–9:00 p.m. in the parish hall. Pizza dinner provided. No electronic games; dress is casual but modest. Parents are welcome to attend. The next confirmation session will be held on Thursday, November 17th in the parish hall. Mom’s Fellowship and Prayer Group will meet at 2312 Floral Park Road on Tuesday mornings for play time and for prayer at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady’s Chapel. Contact person: Heather Keimig (301) 203-9293.  RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) sessions for those considering becoming Catholic will be held on Tuesday evenings from 7:15–9:15 p.m. in the school library. Please feel free to come any Tuesday; no pressure.  Bible Sharing on the Book of Romans with Deacon Ames will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:00–8:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Parish office through December 14th. Please feel free to join us! Contact person: Deacon George Ames (301) 292-0527 Ext. #105 or Gbamesjr@cs.com Living in the Spirit: St. Mary’s Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) prayer group meets weekly on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. Please call Bob Ryan at (301) 203-8203 for the current meeting location. Cenacle Prayer Group meets Friday evenings (except for the 1st Friday of the month) from 8:00–9:00 p.m. in Our Lady’s Chapel to pray for our priests and parish families. Children of all ages are welcome! Contact person: Joan Yates (301) 283-2206. ARISE: Women of Prayer will meet every 2nd Saturday of the month from 8:30–10:30 a.m. in Our Lady’s Chapel. Contact person: Marti O’Neill (301) 609-6032. Join us for prayer and great fellowship!

MUSIC MINISTRY  Music Director: Dr. Mickey Terry (202) 581-6304

If you like to sing, and have thought about joining the choir, but feel that your schedule is too hectic to fit it in—you may find that it is not as difficult as you might have thought. We would love to have you sing with us! Please contact Dr. Terry to join the choir. I was born November 22nd on the feast of St. Cecelia, a saint I admire for her inspiration of cultural music. At 13 years old, I was learning how to sing so I joined the choir at Roger B. Taney Junior High School. We sang everything from gospel music to classical music. As I was growing up, I was also inspired to sing by my mother, who has always been involved in the music ministry, and my sister. I feel that I have been blessed with the ability to carry a tune when singing. My confirmation name is St. Cecelia. At one point, I felt that something was missing in my life. My mother encouraged me to join St. Mary’s Choir in 1995. A year later, I took a break from singing, but in 2002 I returned to the Contemporary Choir. Over the summer my mother suggested that I return to the Traditional Choir. I thank the Lord that He has given me a gift of singing praises and joy. Susan Ames, Alto

God isn’t looking for extraordinary people for ordinary work, but ordinary people for extraordinary work!

YOUTH GROUP Mrs. Paola Carts (301) 283-0167

St. Mary’s is forming a Youth Group and we’d love to have you join us. Please contact Paola Carts with your name, address, phone number, the name of your high school and hobbies if you’d like to join.

We are in need of male and/or female volunteers to help at the Millennium Nursing Home on Tuesdays from 9:00–11:00 a.m. This times includes Mass, so please contact Joan Yates at (301) 283-2206 if can join us. Can YOU watch for just one hour? Adorers and visitors are welcome to attend any hour of adoration. Our hours of greatest need are: Tuesday noon–1:00 p.m., 5:00–6:00 p.m., 6:00–7:00 p.m.; Wednesday 5:00–6:00 p.m. and Thursday, noon–1:00 p.m., 1:00–2:00 p.m., 5:00–6:00 p.m. and 6:00–7:00 p.m. Please contact Joan Yates at (301) 283-2206 if you have questions or would like to be an adorer.

084,868,097 viewed and updated since 04/05/05