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Church Announcements
Hello everyone,
There are cards in the vestibule for the Year of St. Joseph. One is the Litany of St. Joseph the other is a Year of St. Joseph card. You may take one of each. If there are parishioners that are not currently coming to Mass who you will see you are welcome to take them one of each card. The Litany of St. Joseph will be recited after the Tuesday Mass. Please bring yours with you if you come.
Catholic Sharing Appeal
What do we know about the Risen Lord Jesus? Well, we know he can walk through walls, can disappear and reappear in an instant, and can appear in a dazzling light to disguise his appearance. Here, in the wake of the Resurrection, Jesus is reminding us that He is God, and that He has won the victory over death. And yet, Jesus also chooses to remind His Apostles, and us today, that He is also fully human: He not only eats fish, but he interrupts a post-Resurrection moment of catechesis to ask for it! In doing so, and also showing the wounds of His crucifixion, Jesus is reminding us how close He is to us and our humanity. Because when you love something, you don’t hold back; you draw close and are willing to be bold, to have some “skin in the game.”
We have an opportunity to follow Christ’s lead in our own parish community, by supporting the Catholic Sharing Appeal. We may belong to this parish, but are we really invested? Supporting the parish financially is a great way to put our love into action, to allow it to take flesh, as God did among us through His Incarnation. Let’s ask God for the clarity to see how He wants us to “incarnate” our love for this parish.
Collection
The second collection on April 25 is for the Catholic Home Mission Appeal.
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3rd Sunday of Easter (B)
Aren't we like the apostles? We won’t believe unless we can see with our own eyes. The Gospel accounts (Luke 24;35-48) attest to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Jesus goes to great lengths to assure his disciples that he is no mere ghost or illusion. He shows them the marks of his crucifixion and he explains how the Scriptures foretold his death and rising.
The door to heaven and key to paradise is through the cross. The centrality of the Gospel message is the cross - but fortunately it does not stop there. Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies, death and Satan, and won pardon for our sins. The way to glory is through the cross. When the disciples saw the risen Lord, they disbelieved for joy! How can death lead to life, the cross to victory? Jesus shows us the way and he gives us the power to overcome sin and despair, and everything else that would stand in the way of his love and truth. Just as the first disciples were commissioned to bring the good news of salvation to all the nations, so we too are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. Do we witness the joy of the Gospel to those around us? Let us pray: Lord Jesus, open our minds to understand the Scriptures that we may fully comprehend the truth of your word. Anoint us with your power and give us joy and boldness to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed.
Thoughts and Reflection
enlarge click on article

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
Sunday 11:00 am
Tuesday 12:00 noon

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
Deacon Larry has offered to take communion to anyone who is still unable to attend Mass. If you know someone who doesn’t get emails please contact them and ask if they would like Deacon Larry to bring communion to them. You, or they, can contact the office (304) 822-5561 or call Deacon Larry 703-421-5815.
Church Announcements

Liturgical Ministers
April 18
Lector: Kennedy
April 25
Lector: LeVasseur
May 2
Lector:


Weekly Offering
April 11, 2021
General: $ 1711.00
Poor Box: $ 25.00 ($269.00)
Education of Seminarians: $ 403.00
Attendance: 57
Catholic Charities collects and distributes personal care items to the needy. This month they need toothpaste, dish soap and laundry detergent.

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Daily Readings written http://usccb.org/bible/readings
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Daily Readings audio http://usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm
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Video Reflection http://usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
The usccb.org site will also give you tutorials on how to pray the Rosary, the Divine Chaplet, and other prayers and devotions. -
Daily Reflection from The Word Among Us can be accessed at https://wau.org/meditations/
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EWTN Catholic Radio Daily Schedule https://www.ewtn.com/radio/schedule
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Access The Magnificat free online at https://www.osvnews.com
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Liturgical Press is providing free access to a digital file for Give Us This Day, which includes the daily Mass texts: https://giveusthisday.org/Digital
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National Catholic Register has Catholic news, stories, blogs, etc. at ncregister.com
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Discover a saint special to you at Catholic News Service’s Patron Saints page: https://www.catholicnews.com/patron-saints.cfm
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Catholic enrichment site for children: Catholicsprouts.com
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For teens and twenty-somethings: lifeteen.com
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For Catholic headline news: catholicnewsagency.com
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Daily Living with Fr. Chapin: mydailyliving.com
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Catholic Charities collects and distributes personal care items to the needy. This month they need disposable razors, ladies deodorant, q-tips, and toothpaste.
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Dear fellow parishioner,
For better or worse, you will find either a physical or scanned copy of “Thoughts and Reflections”
included in the weekly bulletin. Since I have not been able to contribute to the common liturgical or
ministerial good during this plague, I asked Fr. Thomas if I could perhaps contribute such weekly
offerings instead.
These reflections were written in an ad hoc basis during my years of active ministry in these Potomac Highlands. They were, for the most part, cobbled together on those Saturdays when I had the
weekend homily in hand by the time I left for the 5:00 P.M. Mass at Epiphany. They have been
excavated from my physical files (I suspect that there are many more if I opened one of the many thumb-drives I’ve ignored since I retired.) They are passed on to you in their original state with all the errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and typos, of that which is written in haste. Such is the
laziness of this retiree.
These have no pretense of being anything more than what they are - a backward glance upon the scatterings of grace which a generous God has strewn upon the surface of my daily life. If you find any merit in them; if you find them helpful in recognizing the touch of grace in the simplicity of your own lives, them I am pleased and grateful.
Prayer to Saint Thomas the Apostle
Dear Saint Thomas,
You were once slow in believing that Christ had gloriously risen; but later, because you had seen him, you exclaimed: "My Lord and my God!"
According to an ancient story, you rendered most powerful assistance for constructing a church in a place where pagan priests opposed it.
Please bless architects, builds and carpenters that through them the Lord may be honored.
Contact the office... Tuesday or Wednesday
- 304-822-5561
If you would like to register as a parishioner.
If your address, phone number or email address has changed.
If you or a family member is hospitalized so that Fr. Thomas can visit.
If you become homebound so that a Eucharistic Minister can visit and bring you Holy Communion.
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.
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.


A Message from
Fr. Thomas Anatharackal CST
Our Lady of Grace
Administrator
4/11/2021
2nd Sunday of Easter (B)
The Risen Lord Jesus revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time. Even after the apostles saw the empty tomb and heard the reports of Jesus' appearance to the women, they were still weak in faith and fearful of being arrested by the Jewish authorities. When Jesus appeared to them, he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes us friends of God. He commissioned his weak and timid apostles to bring the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This sending out of the disciples is parallel to the sending out of Jesus by his heavenly Father.
The last apostle to meet the resurrected Lord was the first to go with him to Jerusalem at Passover time. When Jesus proposed that they visit Lazarus after receiving news of his illness, Thomas said to the disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). When Thomas recognized his Master, after the resurrection of Jesus, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! Through the gift of faith, we, too, proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and our God. Jesus called his first disciples, and he now calls each one of us to do the same. Just as he gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, so he breathes on each of us the same Holy Spirit, who equips us with new life, power, joy, and courage to live each day as followers of the Risen Lord. Do we believe in the good news of the Gospel, and in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us new life, hope, and joy?

Have a Blessed and Joyful Week
Please Pray For
Lynn Adams, Kevin Adrian, William Ashworth, Bill & Carolyn Batton, Julie Beavers, Dann Biser, Paul Biser, Christine & Dan Brown, Larkin Bryant, Harley Carriger, Casey Carriger, Sandra Carriger, Paul Clower, Harrison Codo, Janet Crabtree, Connie Davis, Dorothy Davis, Mary Ellen Davis, The DeVan Family, Anna Dodson, Londa Dodson, The Downey family, Theresa & Tom Eades, Ginny Hajash, Steve Hajash, Grace Jackson, Ronnie Keiter, Sharon Kuykendall, Pam Kizer, Loretta Leach, Marianna Leone, Lance LeVasseur, Mike Lippold, Patrick Maher, Andy Mason, Tyler Milbourne, Todd Miller, Eileen Passauer, Terry Peel, Bob Pliska, Braydon Pound, Richard Ramsay III, Ashby Reddick, Danny Reddick, Gary Reddick, Teresa Reddick, Dick Shanholtzer, Kathy Steiner, Sue Stimak, Jerry Vowels, Pat Whitfield, Jim Wysopal, Benny Young, Dana Zucker
(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.)
Mass schedule for Our Lady of Grace
Sunday 11:00 am
Tuesday 12:00 noon
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
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.

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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
Please Pray
for the Sick listed
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.
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.
New Requests
Pray for our homebound parishioners and our falling away Brothers and Sisters


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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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.


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
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.


What are the Gospels?
The term gospel comes from a translation of the Greek noun
euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον) – meaning “good tidings” or “good news”. This means that when people are speaking of the four gospels in the bible, they are talking about the four recounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Written by evangelists between 70 and 100 AD, the four gospels contain almost everything we know today about Jesus, his life, his teachings, and his sacrifice.
The gospels are in fact, a set of specific historical text, that convey a deeper, more profound understanding of Jesus, who he is, his acts, and his teachings, from four different perspectives.
Why are There Four Gospels? Each of the gospels contain information that is either absent from or contradictive to the three other gospels. Each of the gospels were written to convey the message of the lord with different demographics, cultures, and educations in mind. The way an impoverished person living on the streets, would speak and think was different to those of an upper class from the same time period, which also meant that they would see and understanding things differently from one another. This made it rather difficult trying to get the people to connect with the same message, as their view of things was heavily influenced by their own means, needs and comforts.
As time is not kind to human memory, there is no way for us to know exactly what was said and done, word for word, and we must instead rely on the word of witnesses recounting what they saw and heard long after the event. Personal bias could also effect how these witnesses perceived the events, and as Jesus most likely spoke Aramaic there are bound to be a few mistranslated words or phrases here and there. As Catholics we believe that the Gospels are the divinely inspired word of God.




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)


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.