This months Calendar
Come Celebrate With Us
Are You Aware?
The Knights of Columbus are not only responsible for the Fish Fry and the Mother’s Day Breakfast, but also the Church Picnic, the church Dance, the Ping Pong Tournament and the Trivia Dinner
What is Mass
Our Lady Of Grace Mission Statement
If you don't see the information you are looking for, always check the Church Bulletin click here
Books Published by Parishioners
Church Announcements
Fr. Thomas will be going on vacation from January 13 through February 12th. While he is gone Fr. Giles will be saying Mass at Assumption in Keyser and at Our Lady of Grace. Sunday Mass will remain at 11:00 am. Tuesday Mass will remain at 12:00 noon. There will not be Mass on Wednesday while Fr. Thomas is away.
Check out FaithInWV.org
The of Wheeling-Charleston has rolled out #FaithInWV, and it is all presented online through a new website - FaithInWV.org. It is an online pathway to stories, photos, and videos of how our people in West Virginia are following Christ by actions and choices.
#FaithInWV is giving hope, rising above the odds, being a blessing, and leading by example. It is choosing to find the good in others, and letting others see Christ in you. Ultimately it is having faith in God the Father above all.
Learn how our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing His work. Let’s imitate their love, joy, strength, and resilience through the website.
Do you know an exceptional Catholic in West Virginia, someone or a group who is a shining example of #FaithInWV? Email Bibey your feature idea to jbibey@dwc.org.
Lectors - Please pick up your Lectors’ Workbook in the church vestibule.
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The new 2020 calendar is available in the vestibule. Thank you to Shaffer Funeral home for providing them for us.
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Below are addresses for the Kastres, Diane Parker and the Carrigers new phone number.
Mike & Nydia Kastre
3100 S. Manchester St
Apt 202
Falls Church, VA
22044
Diane Parker
Elmcroft of Hagerstown
1175 Professional CT
Hagerstown, MD
21740
Harley & Betty Carriger
814-414-5598
Please Pray For
Congratulations, we have $10,125.00 pledged, with 35 gifts; that is 112% of our goal. If you haven’t donated, it’s not too late. All of the money donated will still come back to Our Lady of Grace. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Envelopes are available on the table in the vestibule.
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Baby bottles are available in the foyer to collect your loose change between now and Christmas. The money will support the Knights of Columbus Pro-life ministry. Please take a bottle home, and when filled, place it in the basket at Our Lady’s feet in the sanctuary.
Thank you to the Knights of Columbus for the new flag for our flagpole. The other one was worn and tattered. Thank you also to Dan & Bob for all the work they do around the church and grounds. Your hard work is greatly appreciated.
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A book of redemptive suffering by parishioner Tom Eades
Harley Carriger has written an autobiography. It recounts his growing up experiences and early life. He has donated a copy to our library. If you would like to read Harley’s book please use the sign up sheet in the vestibule. We will circulate the book through the list and then put it in the church library.
Phil Gallery’s newest book is
“Saint Francis and the Animals.”
Books will be available for sale for $18.00.
Catholic Charities collects and distributes personal care items to the needy. This month they need tooth paste and deodorant.
The food pantry is requesting cereal & crackers for September.
Below is a prayer for Bishop Brennan that the Lord will strengthen him in his new role as shepherd of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
Lord, our God, You have chosen Bishop Brennan as a successor to the Apostles, to be a shepherd to Your flock in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; grant him, we pray, a spirit of counsel and fortitude, a spirit of knowledge and piety, so that by faithfully governing the people entrusted to him, he may help build Your Church as a sign of salvation for the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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If you did not sign up to get your house blessed but would like to have it blessed, Fr. Thomas will continue to do blessings on Tuesdays. Contact Margaret or the office if you would like your house blessed.
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There are copies of “Letter to a Suffering Church” on the bookshelf at the back of the church. This book is by Bishop Robert Barron, the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
From the Author’s Preface:
Why Stay Catholic with So Much Scandal?
“This book is a cry from the heart. I am a lifelong Catholic, and I’ve been a priest for thirty-three years and a bishop for four years. I have dedicated my life to the Church. The sexual abuse scandal has been for me, for millions of other Catholics, and especially for the victim-survivors, lacerating.
I have written this book for my fellow Catholics who feel, understandably, demoralized, scandalized, angry beyond words, and ready to quit.
What I finally urge my brothers and sisters in the Church to do is to stay and fight-and to do so on behalf of themselves and their families, but especially on behalf of those who have suffered so grievously at the hands of wicked men.”
You may take a copy home to read. Please return it when you are done so someone else can read it also.
So far $8,475.00 has been pledged, with 30 gifts; that is 93% of our goal. All of the money donated now will come back to Our Lady of Grace to help purchase an AED. Thank you to those who have contributed. Please consider giving if you haven’t yet. Envelopes are available on the table
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We need greeters for Sunday. If you are interested in being a greeter please contact Joe Szabo. Volunteers are needed for lectors, Eucharistic ministers and parishioners to have their feet washed for Holy Thursday. Lectors are needed for Good Friday. Please use the sign up sheet in the vestibule if you are available.
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Did You Know?
If you make a donation to the church in memory of a loved one it is exempt from the 9% assessed by the Diocese on regular donations.
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One of the CD’s available on the display in the vestibule:
Sister Bethany Madonna, vocations’ director for the Sisters of Life, shares how God not only wants us to know Him, but also to give us the desires of our heart and gifts that bring purpose, meaning, and hope. She makes it clear that “receiving is the gift that we give” to the Lord and that He wants to be invited into every aspect of our lives. Speaking from her own life experience, Sister Bethany shows the importance of asking in order to receive all the Lord has in mind for us.
Parishioner Comments
I was really impacted by how accessible the Lord makes Himself to us, if only we will ask. Tim - Fort Meade, MD
We need to hear more like this: ‘God is our Father in a way that none of our fathers can be.’ He said, ‘I will not leave you orphans.’ Donna - College Station, TX
Coming to Our Lady of Grace regularly but not a member? Contributing but not receiving a tax credit for charitable donations from Our Lady of Grace? Joining the parish is easy! Registration forms are in the vestibule. Drop off the completed form at the parish office or put it in the collection basket.
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A Message from
Fr. Thomas Anatharackal CST
Our Lady of Grace
Administrator
1/19/2020
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) delivered the Israelites in Egypt from slavery and death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up His life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which He poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the "destruction of both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28). It is significant that John was the son of Zachariah, a priest of Israel who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). John recognized that Jesus was the perfect unblemished lamb offered by the Father in heaven as the one and only sacrifice that could cancel the debt of sin, and free us from death and the destruction of body and soul in hell.
When John says he did not know Jesus (John 1:31,33), he was referring to the hidden reality of Jesus' divinity. But the Holy Spirit in that hour revealed to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this is the Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ known to us through the gift of faith. God gives us His Spirit as our helper and guide who opens our hearts and minds to receive and comprehend the great mystery and plan of God—to unite all things in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10). Do we want to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ? Ask the Lord to pour His Holy Spirit upon us to deepen our faith, hope, and love for God and for the plan He has for our lives.
Have a Blessed and Joyful Week
Please Pray For
Kevin Adrian, John & Francine Ahrens, Tom Alicandro, Erica Bailey, Rieke Baize, Bill Batton, Pat Baxter, Dann Biser, Christine & Dan Brown, Betty Carriger, Harley Carriger, Casey Carriger, Sandra Carriger, Eric Chapman, Ray Chapman, Paul Clower, Irene DelGallo, DeVan Family, Anna Dodson, Londa Dodson, Cassie Downey, John Downey, Ruth Ganoe, JoAnn Drahos Hooker, Tom Eades, Tory Gallery, Nabal & Zinnia Giron, Ginny Hajash, Steve Hajash, Mary Hall, Doris Hankey, Jimmy & Lynn Hannah, Cheryl Hockman, Grace Jackson, , Mike Kastre, Ronnie Keiter, Lance LeVasseur, Mike Lippold & children, Norma Llewellyn, Bill Ludholtz, Andy Mason, Sheila McChesney, Ellen Owens, Diane Parker, Eileen Passauer, Lyn Petrucceli, Tyrique Powell, Gary Reddick, Eugene Saville, Sue Stimak, Becky Szabo, Dominick Tarinelli, David Wagoner, Debbie Webb, Rose Whetzel, Pat Whitfield, Jim Wysopal, Benny Young
(To add or remove a name, contact the office or put a note in the collection basket. A new list will be printed every three months.)
Wednesday 12:00 Mass the Perpetual Novena
in Honor Of
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
will be said
Special Occassions
Holy Days of obligations
times are coming
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Weekday Mass's
Half Hour
before and after
1/2 hour before Saturday or Sunday Mass
or by appointment
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OLG's Seminarian
PHILLIP SZABO'S MAILING ADDRESS
Mount Saint Mary's Seminary
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road
Emmitsburg MD 21727-7797
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Other Local Options
Saturday evening Masses:
4:00 PM Keyser,
4:30 PM Fort Ashby,
5:30 PM Winchester,
6:00 PM Moorefield
Sunday early Masses:
8:30 AM Moorefield,
9:00 AM Keyser,
9:00 AM Fort Ashby,
7:30 and 9:15 AM Winchester
Sunday evening Mass
5:30 PM Winchester
Sacrament of Marriage
Please contact our office at least 6 months in advance of the desired date
Sacrament of Baptism
please call the office to set up an appointment
Office Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays
9:00 am—3:00 pm
Please use office door
Our
Pastor
Fr.Thomas Anatharackal CST
Father Thomas comes from India and has been a Priest for 29Years.
Our
Deacon
Larry Hammel
Bishop Schmidt assigned Deacon Larry Hammel to our parish in the Summer of 2002 as they have a small "get away" place in Romney.
Larry was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in 1984 for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY. He had a career in transportation planning, retired in1992, spent a year in chaplaincy training and then worked for seven years in two Catholic hospitals in New York, having been certified as a chaplain by the US bishops. He and Marianne, his wife, relocated to Virginia in 2000, as most of their family is in that metropolitan area. Larry is also currently assigned to St. Francis de Sales in Purcellville, VA and splits his time between that parish and ours.
Larry is one of the on-call chaplains at INOVA Loudoun Hospital and also leads a spirituality group in the hospital’s Mental Health Facility. He is the coordinator of Prison Ministry at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, Leesburg, VA for Catholic Charities and does prison ministry here in West Virginia at the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail.
DO YOU KNOW OF ANYONE INTERESTED IN BECOMING CATHOLIC OR LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE CATHOLIC FAITH?
Registration forms for classes are in the church vestibule. Sessions begin at the end of September. If anyone has any questions, please call or e-mail me. I am glad to meet with you beforehand. We want to provide classes for the following:
1. Unbaptized adults who are considering to join the Catholic Church
2. Baptized non-Catholic adults who want to join the Catholic Church
3. Baptized Catholic adults who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation
4. Catholics and non-Catholics alike who want to know more about the Catholic Faith
Do you know of anyone who wants to find out more about the Catholic Faith? Please invite them to these sessions.
Our Lady Of Grace
Mission Statement
We the members of Our Lady of Grace Parish are a Catholic Christian, ecumenical community under the auspices of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
We are dedicated to providing an environment for ourselves and for others in which we can grow in a spirit of thanksgiving , worship, and love. We wish to deepen our individual and collective faith in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in the Sacraments of the Church, Particularly the Eucharist, and in Mary, Mother of Grace.
W e gather together as a community of Faith, based on love, acceptance, interdependence, compassion, and service.
Our purpose as a parish family is to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ by word and example. We use our God-given talents to bring ourselves and others close to God. We accept our Baptismal call to make the faith of the Church known to all people by taking our personal part in evangelization.
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Offer a Mass for your loved ones, living or deceased. We will try to schedule the Mass on your requested date (birthday, wedding anniversary, death anniversary, special event etc.) or as close to it as possible. Please send requests at least three weeks ahead of the date you would like. The amount set by the diocese for Mass intentions is $10 for weekday and $20 for weekend Masses, but any amount, more or less, will be accepted. Mass Intention envelopes are in the vestibule. Stipends for Mass intentions are given to the priest that celebrates the Mass.
Due to having fewer Masses, it is more difficult to schedule Mass intentions on a requested date. If you would like a Mass said on a particular date, please send the request in at least 4 months before that date. Mass intention envelopes are on the table in the vestibule. Contact the office with any questions.
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Liturgical Ministers
January 19
Greeters: Melzac/Rodriguez
Lectors: Leone
EMHC: Shanholtzer/Slocum/Bogard
January 26
Greeters: Knights of Columbus
Lectors: Kennedy
EMHC: Deacon/Rodriguez/Szabo
Weekly Offering
Jan 12, 2020
General: $ 1,107.00
Poor Box: $ 161.00 ($256.00)
Attendance: 92
Money in the poor box this month will go for special parishioner needs.
Catholic Charities collects and distributes personal care items to the needy. This month they need soap, shampoo and conditioner.
The food pantry is requesting canned meat and tuna fish for November and pasta for December.
Please Pray
for the Sick listed at
Our Lady of Grace
online Prayer Chapel
click to visit
Mass Intentions
Offer a Mass for your loved ones, living or deceased. We will try to schedule the Mass on your requested date (birthday, wedding anniversary, death anniversary, special event etc.) or as close to it as possible. Please send requests at least three weeks ahead of the date you would like. The amount set by the diocese for Mass intentions is $10 for weekday and $20 for weekend Masses, but any amount, more or less, will be accepted. Mass Intention envelopes are in the vestibule.
New Requests
Pray for our homebound parishioners and our falling away Brothers and Sisters
Traveling Madonna
The Following said Yes to Mary and the Traveling Madonna will arrive at their homes on the following Sundays of April to be a blessing for all.
" Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence." --Saint Francis de Sales
“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son.”
Saint Louis Marie de Montfor
What is the
Sacrifice of the Holy Mass
Perhaps the best way to describe this connection is to say that in the Mass we re-link ourselves to Calvary. In the Mass, Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary is perpetuated by the priest, who offers it anew to the Father. St. Paul told his converts in Corinth, "Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
It is not a new sacrifice, but rather the same sacrifice that Jesus offered on the cross 2,000 years ago. The Eucharist is not a matter of "repeating" that action but of reestablishing our bond with it. The difference, however, is that Jesus no longer dies at each Mass, but is simply re-offered to the Father. It is a “bloody” sacrifice only in the sense that it contains the Body and Blood of Christ. But it is “unbloody” in the sense that it is offered only in a sacramental fashion under the appearances of bread and wine.
In other words, in the Mass, we re-present -- or mystically renew -- the Sacrifice of Calvary. In other words, we offer Jesus’ sacrifice to God the Father on the altar during Eucharistic celebration for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols. This means that, once again, we offer Christ to the Father, saying: "Father, look upon the Lamb that was slain for our sake." By the words of consecration, Christ is made present again through the “transubstantiation" of the bread and wine into Christ's Body and Blood.
Trafficking is not just an issue that happens to people in other countries. The United States is a source and transit country and is also considered on of the top destination points for victims of child trafficking and exploitation. Are you aware of any trafficked children in your area and services available for them? U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (sistersagainsttrafficking.org)
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We need someone to take over the Lighthouse Catholic Media ministry. It would involve checking the inventory of cds, ordering new ones when needed, and reporting the money taken in monthly. Contact Terry or the office if you are interested.
The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is committed to the protection of its children and young people. The Diocese complies with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by maintaining an Office of Safe Environment. To report an incidence of suspected child sexual abuse, please contact your local law enforcement agency, or you may confidentially contact the West Virginia Bureau for Children and Families/Child Protective Services by calling the Child Abuse Hotline at 800.352.6513. To report suspected cases of sexual abuse by personnel of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to the Diocese, please contact one of the Bishop’s designees at 888.434.6237 (toll free) or 304.233.0880: Sister Ellen Dunn, ext. 264; Mr. Bryan Minor, ext. 263; Msgr. Frederick Annie, ext. 267, or Msgr. Anthony Cincinnati, 270. For more information on the Diocese’s Office of Safe Environment, please go to www.dwc.org, then click the “Diocese” tab, then click “Office of Safe Environment” under the “Offices” menu. To learn more about the Catholic Church’s efforts in preventing sexual abuse of children in the United States, please visit http://www.usccb.org. Under “Issues and Action,” click “Child and Youth Protection” from the drop down menu.
The Knights of Columbus Council #10011 meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm in Quinn Hall
December 31 Solemnity of Mary 6:00 pm
January 1 Solemnity of Mary 11:00 am
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