St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish

Congratulations to the following students who made their First Penance on Saturday, March 4^th.  Please keep them in your prayers:

Kasiana Campbell

Ella Froebel

Layna Skinner

Brooklyn Williams

Henry Sanchez

Caleb Speakman

and

Brynn Yaeger

Your prayers for our sick parishioners and friends are deeply appreciated and are very important. You will find a listing near the back of the church of the people that need our prayers.

PLEASE PRAY FOR the ongoing purification of our diocese and the worldwide Church, 122 million fallen away Catholics, those contemplating abortion, those contemplating suicide, the souls in Purgatory, those suffering from drug and/or alcohol addictions and their families, all those who are passed through our prayer chain and all those who are sick, including: Jean Hojnowski, Shirley & Tony Mortellaro, Marty Galczynski, Brandon Walker, Al and Noreen Platten, Suzanne Zbrzezny, Bill and Dianna Loveric, Joe Wolf, Millie Mruczek, Alicia Mangola, Joanne Winkelman, Dorothy, Karen Ryan, Mary Kay Borkowski, Julie D’Amico, Gail M., Agnes and Don Nelson, David Fino, Mike Misterantino, Tony Kutter, Jim Java, Pappert Family, Daniel Bogden, David Bogden, Rose Kadziolka, Isabella Oberlander, Rose K., Benjamin Foster, Robby Bruce, Robert Kicak, Alice Humble, Alyssa Burkhardt, Stephen Barrow, Kathy T., Diane and Robert Brohman, Lonnie Domb, Dave Powell, Letty, Mary Ann Schnaufer, Liz Fenton, Dick Kutter, Sydney Richardson, Randy Burkhardt, Nick Baes, Gloria Sanders, Jodi, Bill Lawrence, Paula Iannelloo and Kelly Jensen Marble.

Please contact the parish office if you would like someone added to the list and let us know when your loved one may be removed from this list. Names will appear for three months, after that time please notify us if their condition continues.

The Sanctuary Candle is the red candle next to the Tabernacle, which signifies the real presence of Christ within it. Parishioners can dedicate the Sanctuary Candle at our Corfu Site or at our East Pembroke Site in memory of a loved one, a saint or for a special intention for one week; the name will be published in the bulletin so that your intention can be prayed for by everyone during that time. Please call the parish office to schedule a week. A donation of $5.00 per lamp is suggested.

Empower Women for Life

The Light House Station is a home for young women in Western New York experiencing unplanned or crisis pregnancy. Mothers live in the home for the duration of their pregnancy and following birth of the baby. Their goal is to empower mothers with the practical life skills, parenting skills, community support and the love of Christ. Whether they choose adoption or parenting, they are prepared for their new life.

Light House Station, Warsaw, NY, 716-359-1225, www.theLightHouseStation.org

LENTEN REGULATIONS

ABSTINENCE: All Catholics who have reached their 14^th birthday are bound to abstain totally from meat on the following days – Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent and Good Friday.

FASTING: All Catholics between their 18^th and 59^th birthdays that don’t have any health restrictions are also bound to observe the Law of Fast on the following days – Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This practice involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Light sustenance may be taken on two other occasions in the course of the day.

EASTER DUTY: After they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, all the faithful are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year. This obligation may be fulfilled between February 26^th, (first Sunday in Lent) and June 4^th (Trinity Sunday).

The following should also be noted:

• Reconciliation: Catholics are bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year (Canon 989).
• Other Fridays of the year: Catholics should be reminded that all other Fridays of the year remain as days of penance, in prayerful remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ.
• Obligation: The obligation which we have as members of the Church to do penance is a serious one. Furthermore, the obligation to observe, as a whole or “substantially”, the penitential days specified by the Church is a serious one.
• While no one should hold himself or herself lightly excused, one should not become unduly scrupulous. Failure to observe individual days of penance is less serious than the failure to observe any penitential days at all or a substantial number of such days.

AN INVITATION: In the name of peace, and in union with the Bishops of our country, the faithful of this Diocese are invited to add voluntary fasting to the practice of penance during the Fridays of the year. Together with works of charity and service toward our neighbors, this practice would become a sign of our commitment to conversion, reconciliation and peace. (The Challenge of Peace, Art. 298)

You are invited to join us on the following Wednesdays during Lent at Noon, as Christians from all denominations come together to eat and remember our Lenten journey together. This is a community activity and a wonderful way to share our faith. We encourage you to visit the area churches for the Lenten Lunch series. Whether you can attend one or all of the lunches, you will find them inspiring and delicious. Free will donations will benefit a local charity. The Lenten Lunch schedule for this year is:

March 1  Pembroke Community Church (at Indian Falls United Methodist Church)

March 8  Indian Falls United Methodist Church

March 15  Corfu United Presbyterian Church

March 22  Cornerstone Church of East Pembroke

March 29  St. Maximilian Kolbe (East Pembroke Hall)

We will be hosting the last Lenten Lunch on March 29^th and we hope that you will come and perhaps help serve or provide some food for the luncheon. Contact Sue at the Parish Office for more information.

We are in need of Lectors AND Extra-Ordinary Ministers for all Masses.  If you are able to help, please let Fr. Dan know or contact Joan Miner or Cindy Gloss to arrange for a brief training class. Your help with this very important Ministry is greatly appreciated!

The next training class for Extra-Ordinary Ministers will be on February 25th at St. Gabriel’s in Elma. Preregistration is required, so contact the Parish Office as soon as you can if you would like to attend.

Are you grieving the loss of a loved one? It could be the loss of a spouse, loss of a child, loss of a marriage, etc., we will talk about any kind of loss you are experiencing. Sharing loss and grief with someone who understands the pain of your loss can help us begin to understand and heal.

While our Grief Support Group isn’t meeting as a group right now, Peggy urges you to call her if you would like to meet one-on-one or if you need to just talk, even over the phone. Peggy can be reached at (585) 536-6287.

A NOTE FROM FR. DAN

Blessings, everyone! I have not written here in some time, but would like to do so more often in the future, especially as we connect as a family of families. As many of you now know, Fr Patryk is on administrative leave while the diocese investigates a complaint of inappropriate comments communicated to a minor. I hope you will keep all victims of abuse in prayer, as well as Fr Patryk and our parish family.

I had expected the family of parishes model would require us to make some changes to our mass schedule, but had planned to wait until the process had finished for us, likely sometime in June. Given our new situation, I am taking the step of canceling St John’s 9:30AM Sunday Mass and St. Max’s 8AM Friday Mass in Corfu.

The 9:30AM Mass will continue through January as we already have coverage, and the last Friday Mass in Corfu will be on January 20^th. For those at other masses, if you see “new” faces, please make them feel welcome! This is a chance for us to see a different side of our family.

SCHEDULING CHANGE ~ PLEASE READ

Please note that in light of recent events and scheduling difficulties, Fr. Dan has decided to discontinue the Friday Mass at 8:00am in Corfu beginning on January 27^th. For this weekday Mass, you are encouraged to attend one of our neighboring parishes. Friday Mass at St. John the Baptist in Alden and at Ss. Joachim and Anne in Attica are at 8:30am. Any Mass intentions previously scheduled for Fridays will be rescheduled. Please contact the parish office or watch the bulletin for the new dates. The Mass on Friday, January 13^th has also been cancelled and the intention will be rescheduled.

This does not affect the First Friday Mass.  First Friday Mass at 10:00am in East Pembroke will continue to be celebrated.

St. John the Baptist in Alden will be discontinuing their 9:30am Sunday Mass beginning in February.

Please watch the bulletin for scheduling changes while we work through the next few months. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Ss Joachim and Anne Parish Men’s Group is studying Devine Mercy with Fr Michael Gaitley.  Their next meeting is January 10^th at 7 pm in the Attica Church basement. The meeting entails watching a DVD, discussion time and light refreshments and is usually done by 8:15.  All those confirmed and older are welcome to join. 

~ God Bless  Jim Kelly men’s group leader