MISSION STATEMENT—St. Mary’s is a caring and welcoming family committed to building and strengthening a community of God, reaching out as disciples of Jesus Christ to Freeport and beyond.

St. Mary, Mother of God Church Roman Catholic Church

608 High Street ~ Freeport, PA 16229 A Parish of the Diocese of Greensburg

A Pennsylvania Charitable Trust Established 1826

Parish Staff William Girardi, Pastoral Associate—412-719-7085 Claudia Vertosick Business Manager/Parish Secretary Helen James, Religious Education Director Thomas Koharchik, Main Organist Cindi Harbison Social Hall Coordinator—724-272-7744 Ed & Jeannie Lepkowski Parish Custodians Judy Bergstrom, Cemetery Sales Coordinator 724-316-5352 Jeff Jones, Groundskeeper—724-448-9250

Ministries Kristen Marhefka, Teen Ministry Melissa Kristine/Beth Macurdy Evangelization John Nemcek—Homebound Ministry Gina Jones—Helping Hands 724-448-9251; ginaj1904@gmail.com

Organizations Diane Grant—Christian Mothers Ray Smetana/Mary Ellen Gray St. Vincent de Paul Society Tim Fogarty—Men’s Group

Office Information Administrative Center Numbers & Hours : 724-295-2281 (Office) 724-295-3090 (Fax) Monday through Thursday - 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Friday - 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Parish Website: www.stmaryfreeport.com Parish Email Address: thechurch@stmaryfreeport.com Facebook: Saint Mary, Mother of God - Freeport Send Information to share: stmarysocialmedia@yahoo.com

Monsignor Gilbert C. Gente—Pastor ggente@dioceseofgreensburg.org

Parish Information Saturday (Vigil): 4:00 P.M. (with guidelines) Sunday: 7:00, 8:30 & 11:00 A.M. (with guidelines) Weekday Masses: Monday through Friday—8:00 A.M. (with guidelines) Holy Day of Obligation: 8:00 A.M. & 7:00 P.M. (with guidelines)

Reconciliation: Saturday - 3:00—3:30 P.M.. (with guidelines) Baptism: Sundays (by appointment and with guidelines)

Marriage: Contact the Administrative Office nine months in advance—724-295-2281 Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: RCIA helps you to learn more about the Catholic faith. Pre-registration is required. Contact Msgr. Gilbert or William Girardi at 724-295-2281.

Hospital or Home Visit: If you would like to receive Holy Communion or if you know someone who would like to have the priest visit, call Msgr. Gilbert at 724-295-2281.

Anointing of the Sick: Contact Msgr. Gilbert at 724-295-2281

Holy Communion: Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are available to bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound (with guidelines). If you know of someone, please call the Administrative Office at 724-295-2281.

Baptism: To understand the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism and your obligation as parents, you are required to attend one baptismal class. To register for one of these classes, please call the Administrative Office at 724-295-2281.

=(in memory of) ♥=(IHO/special intention/parishioners) MASSES FOR THE 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

SATURDAY: September 5th 4:00 P.M. Alberta Hager (Dorothy McKinney) SUNDAY: September 6th 7:00 A.M. Judy Polana (Family) 8:30 A.M. John McDermo (Siblings) 11:00 A.M. ♥St. Mary Parishioners MONDAY: September 7th 9:00 A.M. Wilma & Gibson Kelly (The Posney Family) TUESDAY: September 8th 8:00 A.M. William Bale (Wife & Family) WEDNESDAY: September 9th 8:00 A.M. Geno Pernazza (Skyzinski Family) THURSDAY: September 10th 8:00 A.M. J.D. Easley Family (Estate) FRIDAY: September 11th 8:00 A.M. Maurice Heinritz Family (Estate)

MASSES FOR THE 24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SATURDAY: September 12th 4:00 P.M. Bill Fullerton (Pete & Linda Pezzin) SUNDAY: September 13th 7:00 A.M. Dorothy Wyant (Family) 8:30 A.M. ♥St. Mary Parishioners 11:00 A.M. Ellen Huth (Randy & Kathy Lasko)

ALTAR SERVERS: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. TBA Sunday, 7:00 A.M. None Sunday, 8:30 A.M. Sarah Shepherd Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Jacob Schaeffer EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. Mary Williams Sunday, 7:00 A.M. TBA Sunday, 8:30 A.M. Karen Nigra Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Bill Cogley LECTORS: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. Karen Savage Sunday, 7:00 A.M. TBA Sunday, 8:30 A.M. Judy Bergstrom Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Marushka Steele ORGANIST: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. Diane Pleva Sunday, 7:00 A.M. Quiet Mass Sunday, 8:30 A.M. Tom Koharchik Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Dave Wesolosky CANTOR: Saturday, 4:00 P.M. Alex Smith Sunday, 7:00 A.M. Quiet Mass Sunday, 8:30 A.M. Tom Koharchik Sunday, 11:00 A.M. TBA

Ministry Schedule September 12th & 13th, 2020

Readings for the Week

Monday: 1 Cor 5:1-8; Ps 5:5-7, 12; Lk 6:6-11, or, for Labor Day, any readings from the Mass “For the Blessings of Human Labor,” nos. 907-911 Tuesday: Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 [18-23] Wednesday: 1 Cor 7:25-31; Ps 45:11-12, 14-17; Lk 6:20-26 Thursday: 1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13; Ps 139:1b-3, 13- 14ab, 23-24; Lk 6:27-38 Friday: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27; Ps 84:3-6, 12; Lk 6:39-42 Saturday: 1 Cor 10:14-22; Ps 116:12-13, 17-18; Lk 6:43-49 Sunday: Sir 27:30 — 28:7; Ps 103:1-4, 9-12; Rom 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: Labor Day Tuesday: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Wednesday: St. Peter Claver Friday: Patriot Day Saturday: The Most Holy Name of Mary; Blessed Virgin Mary

The Altar Bread and Wine were donated for this week in loving memory of

Bill Davis by Wife—Pat Davis

The Sanctuary Lamp (Candle) will burn this week in honor of living members of the

George & Theresa Martin Families, requested by George Martin & Mary Williams

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In order to meet our weekly deadline, please note that all bulletin announcements/information must be received in writing or by email no later than 10:00 A.M. on Mondays.

Thank you!

Calendar of Events/Meetings Weekday Mass—8:00 A.M. (with guidelines)

Confessions—Saturday - 3:00 to 3:30 P.M. (with guidelines) Weekend Masses—Saturday (Vigil): 4:00 P.M. (with guidelines)

Sunday: 7:00, 8:30 & 11:00 A.M. (with guidelines) September 6th Wedding Rehearsal—5:30 P.M. September 7th Wedding — “Saltarelli/Morely” — 1:00 P.M.; Administrative Office Closed September 10th Baptismal Preparation Class—7:00 P.M. - Fellowship Hall September 11th Wedding (Validation) Rehearsal—6:00 P.M. September 12th Wedding (Validation) — “Clark” - 1:00 P.M. September 14th Christian Mother’s Meeting—7:00 P.M. - Fellowship Hall September 15th Men’s Group—7:00 P.M. - Fellowship Hall September 16th Evening Mass on Wednesday’s Begins—7:00 P.M.

Parish Information/Events

If you are new to the area, we invite you to share fully in our parish life. Your presence brings vitality and new gifts to the community. Please take a moment to register. Forms are available

at all of the church entrances or by calling the Administrative Office at 724-295-2281.

***Until further notice, we will only be live streaming the Sunday Mass at 8:30 A.M.

Please remember that the rosary is prayed in church, Monday through Friday, immediately following the

8:00 A.M. mass. On weekends, the rosary is recited before each

weekend mass. Pray the Holy Rosary daily to keep the faith.

Please join us!

The Administra ve Office—During this pandemic, the office will con nue to be open the normal hours of Monday through Thursday, 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., and Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Our normal weekday and weekend mass schedule has resumed (with guidelines). In addi on, St. Mary’s will con nue to be open for private prayer from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. daily and 12:00 Noon to 5:00 P.M. on Sundays. Below are the guidelines that are to be followed when visi ng our church and what is being done for your safety. ■ Wear a mask upon entrance to the church. ■ Social distancing must be observed - six feet apart from the next person. ■ Only designated pews are to be used for mass/private prayer. For morning and weekend masses, the main doors of the church will be the only way to enter. Greeters and seaters will be at the entrance to greet and seat you. The collec on basket will be in the back of the church. When receiving communion, please abide by the markings. This is explained prior to the beginning of each mass. For private prayer, you are to enter at the side entrance. ■ There are sani zers/wipes that are to be used as you enter the church. ■ The iden fied pews and other high contact areas like doorknobs, handles and tables will be sani zed and disinfected twice a day. ■ Weekly, each church’s high contact areas will be cleaned with soap and water and then sani zed. ■ Hymnals and missale es have been taken out from the pews for your safety.

A regional Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 7:00 P.M. at

St. Lawrence Church First Street—Cadogan, PA 16212

Beginning Wednesday, September 16th, our daily mass will be celebrated at 7:00 P.M. This evening mass will replace the tradi onal 8:00 A.M. Mass. Although we will always have our daily readings for the mass, our intent will be to focus more on the Blessed Mother as we are a Mother of God parish. Please note that the mass inten on that was scheduled for 8:00 A.M. will be scheduled for the 7:00 P.M. Mass.

Note—On Labor Day, morning mass will be celebrated at 9:00 A.M.

News/Activities from Our Ministries/Organizations

To understand the importance of the Sacrament of Bap sm and your obliga on as parents, you are required to a end one bap smal class. The remaining schedule for 2020 is as follows: Thursday, September 10th and Thursday, December 10th. If you would like to register, please call Mark or Melissa at 724-230-4450 or the Administra ve Office at 724-295-2281.

In your charity, please remember the souls of those who passed away, especially Helen Hoculock. We ask God to welcome Helen and all who have gone before us into the joy of everlas ng life and bring comfort and peace to their families.

Missal Stand If anyone would like to purchase this

Missal Stand in memory or in honor of a loved one, please see Jeff Polana.

Diocesan Target - $37,826.00 Parish Target - $55,000.00 Pledges to Date - $127,350.00 Paid to Date - $116,406.50 Number of Donors - 281

Diocesan and Parish Targets have been Achieved!!! Thank you! ALL future gi s and/or pledges will now stay directly here at St. Mary’s in order that we

may complete this year’s major DLA projects!

Prayer for Religious Voca ons Heavenly Father

Your loving providence accompanies us on our life's journey. Thank you for the many gi s you have given us.

We ask that you con nue to call sons and daughters from our families and parishes to serve as priests, deacons and consecrated men and women

in the Diocese of Greensburg. Send your Spirit upon us so that many will respond with great love to your call

to service and leadership in your Church. Give to those you have chosen the faith of the apostle,

the vision of the prophet, and the courage of the martyr. Through the intercession of our Diocesan patroness,

Our Lady of the Assump on, help us to be faithful disciples of your Son by following the example of Mary.

Make us generous in sharing ourselves and our talents for the sake of your Kingdom on earth. We ask this through Christ the Risen Lord.

Imprimatur The Most Reverend Lawrence E. Brandt, JCD, PhD Bishop of Greensburg August 15th, 2004

All employees and volunteers that completed the Virtus and the necessary PA clearances in 2015 must take the necessary steps to renew them. By now you should have received your le er with the necessary renewal instruc ons. If you didn’t and are s ll interested in being one of our volunteers, please call the Administra ve Office at 724-295-2281. For those who are new to the parish and would like to volunteer in any capacity or belong to one of our ministries, you may obtain your individual packet in the Administra ve Office. Renewed forms are to be turned in to the Administra ve Office no later than Tuesday, September 15th. If you require assistance in comple ng these clearances, please call the Administra ve Office to schedule an appointment. Please note that if we do not have all of the necessary forms on file, you will not be able to work/volunteer here at St. Mary Church or anywhere in the Diocese of Greensburg.

If you would like to lead the rosary before the 7:00 & 8:30 A.M. weekend mass, please contact Diane Grant to sign up—Dianepgrant@yahoo.com; 724-448-9235. Volunteers are needed ASAP. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monthly meetings will resume on Monday, September 14th at 7:00 P.M. Meetings will be held in the

Fellowship Hall so we can social distance and follow the CDC guidelines.

The Chris an Mothers had their annual picnic on Sunday, August 30th, at Jean Miller’s place. Everyone had a fantas c me, enjoyed ea ng delicious food with great company!

Learn and enjoy your faith at home and on the go, from any device. Sign-up for free at: formed.org/signup. When the “Create a New Account” page comes up, enter the parish zip code (16229) in the “Find your Parish or Organiza on” box. Select our parish and click the next

bu on. Any issues, please contact Beth Macurdy at: bmacurdy@zoominternet.net.

Loving Debt—According to the Federal Reserve, in 2018 the average household had $120,000 in debt with average annual income of $60,000. We are a culture that thinks nothing of buying on credit and taking a long me to pay off what I want now. In today’s 2nd reading we are told “owe no one anything, except to love one another” (Romans 13:8). Financial debt can be crushing to a person, driving them to despair while enslaving them to another un l the accounts are se led. Paul has another interpreta on for us, debt can be libera ng and life changing. He tells us in the verse directly before this that we must pay our taxes and fulfill our financial obliga ons, but in this next verse he spins what debt we should embrace and make it a life me payment plan. LOVE. Why should we love? Because God first loved us (1John4:19). God radically shows us that love when He sent His Son to us, to save us, while we were yet s ll deep in sin. Sin is a debt to God, but Christ came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. When we finish our mortgage payments, we “burn the book” so there is no reminder to us of the debt. But love is quite different. In a rela onship, do we ever burn the book and state that “I’ve completed the required loving I signed up for; I no longer need to love any further”. Especially in the sacrament of marriage, Paul reminds us that “love never ends” (1Corinthians 13:8). Who should we love? The simple answer is everyone. In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus tells us that loving our neighbor means more than those closest to us. For when we love our family and friends, we are actually just loving ourselves to an extent. When love stops here, it becomes very self-centered and self-serving. We need to step beyond the doors of our homes and the cubicle of the workplace. In loving the most difficult to love, I am picking up the cross and following in my Lord’s passion and death. So How do we do this? Paul gives us a p in Romans 13:10 when he tells us cause no harm and do what is absolutely best for the other. If we genuinely loved, then all the “shall nots” would never happen because we would be focused on the object of love, our neighbor. So, let us simply start this week. When was the last me the words “I love you” fell from our lips? If it takes more than a few seconds to bring up, then its been too long. If we are afraid to say it, then we will be even more mid to actually show it in our ac ons. Our good Father lavishly gives us the graces we need to make it happen. You are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. (Psalm 63:8) Let us cling to Him and graciously pay the next installment of our glorious debt to those who may desperately need those words of love.

Saint Peter Claver (1581-1654) - September 9th Nearly two hundred years before the Declara on of Independence proclaimed “that all men are created equal”, two hundred fi y years before the Emancipa on Proclama on mandated an end to slavery, three hundred fi y years before Mar n Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”, and four hundred years before the elec on of an American president boas ng African heritage, Peter Claver le his na ve Spain behind to volunteer for the Jesuit missions in

Colombia. There, he was horrified both by slavery as an ins tu on and by the inhuman brutality inflicted upon the slaves. He solemnly vowed to become “the slave of the slaves”, and lived that vow heroically for close to forty years. Not knowing their language, Peter began his ministry among the slaves by using the universal language of prac cal charity, providing medical care and a tangible though wordless asser on of their human dignity: “We spoke to them not with words but with our hands, kneeling beside them, bathing their faces and bodies, encouraging them with friendly gestures” (see Liturgy of the Hours, Volume 4, p. 2018). Then came evangeliza on and bap sm. Holiness as human wholeness: Peter Claver’s enduring witness.

The Men’s Group will meet on Tuesday, September 15th, at 7:00 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall. All men of the parish are invited to a end. If you would like informa on regarding this ministry, please contact Tim Fogarty at: pfogarty618@gmail.com; 724-294-0089.

Offertory Collection for August 30th, 2020 No. of Envelopes Mailed Out: 591 No. of Envelopes Received: 131

Collection: Offertory - $5,638.28 Electronic Payments (13) - $1,875.00

Combined Catholic University/Schools - (22) - $257.00 Loose - $90.00; Children (5) - $5.00

Total Collection - $7,865.28 Although we are now able to a end Mass, we con nue

to urge those who do not yet feel comfortable in a ending to please mail your weekly/monthly contribu on or drop

it off at the Administra ve Office or the mail box outside the office doors. THANK YOU!

Something to think about—If you normally give in the offertory basket, please think about on-line giving. Online giving is a safe and easy way to support our parish. This system enables you to support St. Mary, Mother of God Church by making your weekly, bi-weekly or monthly contri-bution or by establishing a recurring contribution. Thank you!

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Perpetual Care Cost $500.00 will be added to the cost of all graves purchased

Opening/Closing Costs $950.00

*Section E Lots contain a rock clause. There may be an additional cost to the $950.00 Opening/Closing Cost. This will be determined at the time of the Grave Opening

Cremations—Opening/Closing Cost $500.00

Chapel Fee $75.00

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