St. Augustine Parish

† Sunday, April 28, 2013, The Catholic Community of Jeffersonville celebrated First Communion for 32 of our young parishioners. Please keep these children and their families in your prayers. † MOTHER-DAUGHTER BANQUET will be held on Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the St Augustine parish hall. Reservations are a must and can be made by calling the Family Life Office at 282-1669 or by using the signup sheets in the back of church. Deadline for making reservations is Sunday, May 5. We are also asking men of the parish to volunteer to help. There will be sign-up sheets on the table for the men to volunteer their service. There will also be a donation basket set out at the end of the evening if you wish to make a donation.

† "Celebration of Life" In memory of Keith Cash - June 1st, Saturday 7 p.m.—10 p.m. at Jeff Elks Club for Sacred Heart 8th grade classmates of 1976 and childhood friends.

† The Fellowship Committee is planning an outing to Vintage Indiana, a festival of wine, food and fun, on June 1, 2013. This is the 14th annual Vintage Indiana wine & food festival in downtown Indianapolis, promoting Indiana wine makers, top culinary experts, popular musicians and artists. Mark your calendar with this date, you won’t want to miss it. It’s fun for the whole family.

† Fr. Tom’s farewell reception. Mark your calendar’s for Tuesday, June 18th at 6:30 p.m. Join us in Walpole Hall for cake and punch.

Message From Father Tom

Dear Friends,

Each year Los Angeles Religious Education Congress "Congress" is a boost to my spiritual journey. It is a time full of wonder and mystery and challenge. Among the highlights of this past year was a passionate keynote address by mark Shriver, the son of former vice-presidential candidate, Sargent Shriver. Mark Shriver spoke of his dad and his dad’s faith. Sargent Shriver, in addition to being a candidate for vice president, was founder of the Peace Corps, Head Start, and Job Corps; he was also the US ambassador to France. But he was most proud not of any of that but of the fact that in his adult life, he never missed a day of attending Mass! What a great example for us all!

Have you ever thought of attending daily Mass? What a great way to begin your day. Attending daily Mass was something that I began doing in high school and continue to do as much as possible to this day. I know that not everyone has the ability to do this, but I want to suggest it nonetheless as an opportunity to grow in your faith life. Our daily Masses are held at St. Augustine on T-W-Th at 8:00 a.m. (we are generally finished by 8:25 a.m.) On Friday, we have Mass with the school children at Sacred Heart at 8:30 a.m. Other parishes in the deanery offer evening Masses (usually around 5:30 or 6:00).

As we begin this time of transition for our parish community I invite you to continue praying. Pray for the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville. Pray for our new pastor (and no I do not know yet who it is going to be). Pray for the pastoral team. Finally I ask that you continue to pray for me. It has never been easy for me to leave a parish. Hopefully your prayers will help my transition go smoothly too.

On a side note, I have just returned from Washington, D. C. with our eighth graders. It was a great experience. We hear so much bad news about kids today. You should be pleased to know that our kids handled themselves with dignity and class throughout the whole trip. As we were waiting for our bus after touring the Vietnam and Korean War memorials, a group of veterans arrived by bus to the same. As each veteran stepped off the bus, our kids stood by clapping and thanking them for their service. It was a touching tribute to those who have given so much for our country.

God bless all of you and the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville.

Lovingly in Christ,
Fr. Tom

Year of Faith Reflection from NPCD: Acts 13 verse 47: For so the Lord has commanded us, "I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth." Dei Verbum, Prologue. For [the Second Vatican Council] wants the whole world to hear the summons to salvation, so that through hearing it may believe, through belief it may hope, through hope it may come to love. Do I study the word of God in order to share it with others?

Monday Morning Bible Study – This group will begin a new study for the Year of Faith. Please join us on Monday mornings from 10:00 – Noon in St. Catharine Hall at Sacred Heart. All are welcome. We ask participants to cover the cost of the book. For more information, please call Ann Northam at the Faith Formation Office.

Wednesday Afternoon Scripture - This group is studying the Gospel of Luke as well as preparing for the Sunday readings each week. Please join us on Wednesdays from 1:00 – 2:30 in the St. Augustine Parish Hall. All are welcome. We ask participants to cover the cost of the book. For more information, please call Ann Northam at the Faith Formation Office.

Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation

Baptisms are typically done at the weekend Masses. Christian parenting classes are required. These are held every other month on the first and second Mondays. Contact Deacon John Thompson to register to attend.

Confessions are held every Saturday at St. Augustine parish at 3:15 p.m. Communal penance services with individual confessions occur during Advent and Lent. You may also contact either Sacred Heart parish office (282-0423) or St. Augustine parish office (282-2677) to schedule an opportunity to celebrate the sacrament.

Marriage: Please contact Deacon John Thompson at least 6 months prior to the wedding. The marriage preparation process will be explained to you at that time.

Anointing of the Sick: Communal services are held twice a year. If you are aware of an upcoming medical event for which you would like this sacrament, you may contact Susan Wheatley or Deacon John Thompson after Mass any weekend. In case of an emergency, you can contact Susan Wheatley or Deacon John Thompson on their cell phones.

Confirmation: Generally occurs with high school freshmen. Candidates must complete preparation program before the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please contact Ann Northam or Maggie Stovall.