17th SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME
July 29/30, 2023
SUNDAY SCRIPTURE – QUESTIONS TO PONDER
~ If God promised to grant one thine you request, what would it be and why:?
~ How would you define wisdom?
~ How precious is the kingdom of God to you? What are you willing to let go of to possess it?
READINGS FOR THE WEEKEND: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073023.cfm
LIVE-STREAMING: Visit https://www.youtube.com/c/StPolycarpSmyrnaDE for live stream at 8:30 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 4 pm on Saturdays.
PARISH WEBSITE: Visit: www.saintpolycarp.org/.
WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN: CLICK HERE . (New Bulletins are posted on Fridays.)
BULLETIN OVERFLOW: Bulletin Overflow – CLICK HERE
THIS WEEKEND, JULY 29/30 (& Monday, July 31st – Friday, August 4th)
ST. DENNIS CHURCH BULL ROAST FUND RAISER – TOMORROW – Saturday, July 29th – 153 N. Main Street, Galena, MD
Come One, Come All, Please! This year’s fund raiser will be a “Drive Thru” event with optional outdoor seating (weather permitting). There will also be a Corn Hole game.
MENU – Back by popular request – ½ a fried chicken, delicious PIT roasted beef, 2 ears of locally-grown corn on the cob, homemade potato salad plus 2 rolls with butter and bottled water for $25. The famed St Dennis Bake Sale will also be available for purchasing dessert as you exit the property. Advance ticket purchases are recommended as a limited number of meals will be prepared. Drive up ticket purchases on the day of the event are possible. Tickets may be purchased at St. Dennis Church before and after the weekend Sunday Masses (8am and 11am in Spanish) OR by calling Jim at 717-575-1235. Pick up of meals with curb-side service is on July 29th from 11am until 2pm. Please follow the directed traffic pattern.
SECOND COLLECTION this week is for Parish Maintenance.
THE DIALOG: Don’t forget to pick up this weekend’s Dialog as you leave Mass this weekend. Make sure you check out the article on our Squires on page 6!
PRIESTHOOD DISCERNMENT EVENT: Have you been thinking about the priesthood as a possibility for you? Do you need questions answered? Would it help to talk with other young men with the same questions? Then come to the Priesthood Discernment Event this Sunday, July 30th, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Peter the Apostle, Harmony Street in Historic New Castle, Delaware for a Holy Hour, Conversation and Hospitality with diocesan seminarians and Father Norm Carroll. Let us know to expect you at vocations@cdow.org or 302-573-3113.
TUESDAYS – EUCHARISTIC ADORATION – EXTENDED HOURS! We are blessed to have had enough adorers step forward so that we can extend Adoration hours on Tuesdays. Beginning August 1st, Eucharistic Adoration will take place in the Chapel from 9 am to 8 pm, weekly on Tuesdays. We are still in need of people to fill in when others are ill or cannot attend. Do you have one hour to spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament on an occasional basis? Call Cheryl Thomas at (302) 363 – 0404 or email her at salcrest7@gmail.com.
FAITH WITH FRIENDS will meet this Thursday, August 3rd at 6 pm in Room 3. (Ring the bell at the Office/Chapel door under the portico.) Faith with Friends is a new Adult Faith Formation group that meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month from 6 pm to 8 pm. Give us a try! Looking forward to seeing you Thursday! If you have questions, contact Ashley Wilson at (302) 535 – 4118.
QUARTER AUCTION: St. Polycarp’s Parish & Family Life Ministry will be holding its 1st Quarter Auction on Friday, October 27, 2023. Doors will open at 5 pm, auction starts at 6 pm. Proceeds raised will benefit Parish operational expenses and Ministry needs. Discounted advanced purchase of All-in Paddles will be $40 through Friday, September 15th. All-in Paddles will be $45 after Friday, September 15th. If you have any questions or would like to purchase an All-in Paddle, contact Darlene Sanphy (at (302) 270 – 3915 or darpete87@comcast.net) or Linda Montuori (at (302) 270 – 5347 or lindamontuori@yahoo.com). More information will be posted in future bulletins.
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF WILMINGTON – 2023 FAITH AND CHARITY CATHOLIC APPEAL: We’re waiting for the latest up-to-date figures for our parish. If you have already donated to the appeal, Thank you! If you have yet to make a gift, please prayerfully consider a generous donation and help our parish achieve our goal. (Pledge cards can be found in the pews and at the doors of the Church.) It is important that everyone follows through with payments on pledges. Please mail all payments in the self-addressed, return envelope provided with your payment reminder mailings. Remember – If our parish exceeds the $60,000 goal in paid pledges , we will receive back half of the money collected above the goal for projects around our campus. To learn more about the Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal, visit www.cdow.org; click “Giving” then “Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal,” or simply scan this QR code with your cellphone.
NEXT WEEKEND, August 5/6 (and Monday, August 7th – Friday, August 11th)
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD (CLOW) will take place next Sunday, August 6th during the 10:30 am Mass. All children ages PK – 4th grade are welcome to join us. Children will be called to come forward before the First Reading. They will return to you after the General Intercessions. All catechists and assistants have a cleared background check.
AGAPE: Please join us next Sunday, August 6th, following the 10:30 am Mass. Everyone is invited to join us for food and fellowship! The Agape will be hosted by our Parish & Family Life Ministry. Take the opportunity to meet the members of this Ministry who help bring positive actions to our Parish.
UPCOMING
SATURDAY EUCHARISTIC ADORATION will take place monthly at the Vigil Mass for the Second Sunday of the month. Our next Saturday Eucharistic Adoration will take place on Saturday, August 12th, following Communion at the 4 pm Mass.
CHANGE THE WORLD: BECOME CATHOLIC! Is there someone you know who would like to explore the Catholic faith – someone unbaptized, or baptized in
the Catholic or another Christian tradition? Do you know someone who needs First Eucharist and/or Confirmation? The Catholic faith can fulfill their desire
for a closer relationship with Our Lord by participating in the RCIA process.
If interested, the parish will hold three Inquiry Sessions:
Monday, August 14th, at 6:30 pm,
Wednesday, August 23rd, at 10:30 am
Monday, August 28th, at 6:30 pm.
Please contact Deacon Frank Weber for more information: DeaconFrank@saintpolycarp.org or leave a message with the Parish office at (302) 653 – 8279.
ST. POLYCARP PARISH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BUFFET DINNER – Sunday, September 10th
Golfing at Garrison Lake Golf Club, 101 West Fairways Circle, Smyrna, DE. $130 per individual golfer includes lunch, Green fee, Golf Cart, on course beverages including beer, complimentary gift bags, prizes for best teams, long drive/closest to pin, followed by a buffet dinner.
Not interested in golfing? No problem! Join us for a delicious Buffet Dinner for just $40.00 per person in Mother Drexel Hall at Saint Polycarp Church. For more information and registration, contact Dennis Skinner at papadskinz@yahoo.com or (302) 981 – 8743 and Anna Skinner at ANNA.SKINZ@gmail.com or (302) 883 – 5647. You can also scan the QR Code below or click on the following link https://saintpolycarp.org/st-polycarp-annual-golf-tournament-and-dinner-2023/
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! SAVE THE DATE! – SAINT POLYCARP ANNUAL PICNIC! The Saint Polycarp Annual Parish Picnic is scheduled for Sunday, September 17th, 2023, after the 10:30 am Mass. Our Pastoral Council and Parish Picnic Committee are once again planning a fun-filled event. The Knights of Columbus will be cooking up hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries, and there will be three flavors of Rita’s Water Ice. Kids and the young-at-heart will enjoy the inflatable obstacle course. We are looking for volunteers to help make this event a success. Our next planning meeting is Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at 6 pm in the library. Please call Kathy Curlett at 302 222 9326, if interested in helping.
ONGOING
2024 MASS INTENTION BOOK is now open. You can reserve a Mass or offering by calling the parish office between the hours of 9 am – 3 pm, or anytime via email at office@saintpolycarp.org.
– The Mass Intention is $10.00.
– The Sanctuary Lamp may be lit for an entire week (Sunday through Saturday) either in the Church or Chapel for $10.00.
– Bread and Wine Offering for daily Mass is $10.00.
– Purgatorial Society Enrollment is $25.00 for Mass Intentions every 1st Wednesday for one year.
The Maximum number of Mass cards and/or offerings is six per person since the availability of Mass intentions and offerings is limited. We are continuing with what we started last year, a maximum of three Intentions per Mass.
SACRISTANS: We are looking for more people to serve as sacristans! Sacristans have the duty to arrive early to the Church in order to unlock it and set up for Mass. Becoming a sacristan would be a great way to learn more about our beautiful liturgy and become more involved in carrying it out. No previous knowledge is required. If you are interested, please contact the head sacristan Adam Bauer at the email ajpd.bauer@gmail.com.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Beginning Tuesday, August 1,Tuesdays from 9 am to 8pm in the Chapel. We need a few more people to sign up for a scheduled Adoration time slot so we can expand our Adoration hours. We need adorers for these timeslots on Tuesday: 9:30 am, 12:30 and 3:00 pm. Call or email Cheryl Thomas salcrest7@gmail.com or (302) 363 – 0404.
All are welcome to stop in and adore Jesus between 12 pm and 8 pm in the Chapel on Tuesdays. Stay for 10 minutes, 1 hour…
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Our Parish School of Religion (PSR) offers religious education classes for grade PK – 9. Now is the time to register!
Visit https://saintpolycarp.org/religious-education/ for more information or contact our Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE), Erica Taylor, at dre@saintpolycarp.org or (302) 653-4101.
THE VOCATION CHALICE MINISTRY: Please consider signing up to host the vocation chalice in your home for a week. Text or call Alice Gaston at (302) 670 – 7924. For more information visit https://saintpolycarp.org/vocation-chalice/
CONNECTED IN CHRIST (ADULT FAITH FORMATION) meets every Tuesday at 9:30 am in the Parish Library – ALL are welcome. Please join us. If you have any questions, please call Cookie Ruane at (302) 540 – 6429.
GLUTEN FREE? Do you have an intolerance to gluten? If so, our parish offers gluten-free wafers to be consecrated for you. Please see our Sacristan 10 – 15 minutes before Mass and let them know that you need a gluten-free wafer put in the pyx. At Communion, please proceed down the aisle to the priest who will have the pyx in his hand and let him know you need a gluten-free host.
IS THAT YOU, FR. JIM? If you receive emails or texts from Fr. Jim asking for favors, gift cards or gifts or stating something similar to “I am currently busy in a meeting now, no calls so just reply to my email.”, please ignore and delete. If an email looks suspicious and you’re not sure, give the office a call.
FORMED: Thanks to a very generous and thoughtful parishioner, our FORMED Subscription has been RENEWED for another year! Please SIGN UP NOW and begin enjoying the abundant amount of Catholic content that FORMED has to offer! You won’t be disappointed! To gain full access to FORMED; follow these simple steps:
~Go to: www.formed.org or scan QR Code
~Enter our parish’s zip code (19977)
~Click on St. Polycarp Church
~Enter your name and your email address
REDNER’S MARKETS 1% SAVE-A-TAPE FUNDRAISER: Turn your food shopping into cash for our parish. Simply be sure to obtain and scan your Redner’s Rewards Card each time you shop. Save your whole receipt. Bring your receipts to the Parish Office or put them into the collection basket. There is no expiration date – you can turn in receipts months old!
BULLETIN SPONSORS: Thank you to all of our weekly bulletin sponsors for your support during the year! Your support has not gone unnoticed by our parish community and is so appreciated!
USEFUL LINKS:
WEBSITE: www.saintpolycarp.org.
BULLETIN: https://www.jppc.net/onlinebulletins/301template.pdf
BULLETIN OVERFLOW: https://saintpolycarp.org/this-weeks-bulletin/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/StPolycarpSmyrnaDE
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SaintPolycarpCatholicChurch/
ONLINE GIVING: Please consider becoming an e-giver. It is easy to make your weekly or one time contributions in support of the Parish. For more information and to sign up for online giving, visit faith.direct/DE831
ST DENNIS: http://www.stdennischurch.org
DIOCESE OF WILMINGTON – LIVE STREAMING https://www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofWilm
FOR THE SAKE OF GOD’S CHILDREN: https://www.cdow.org/giving/fsgc/
THE DIALOG: http://thedialog.org/ Newspaper of the Diocese, copies available as you leave Church or online
EWTN: ewtn.com
FROM THE DIOCESE:
CATHOLIC FORUM/RELEVANT RADIO: Saturdays at 1:30 pm on Relevant Radio 640AM. On July 29th , Hear an interview with Bear Woznick and Fr. Roberto Balducelli to be featured on upcoming Catholic Forum programs. CLICK HERE You can listen online at cdow.org/CatholicForum, or by searching “Catholic Forum” on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Amazon Music podcasts. “Like” Catholic Forum on Facebook at facebook.com/CatholicForum @CatholicForum.
LET US PRAY: A Prayer for Making Decisions
Holy Spirit, Wisdom of the Father, grant that I may see with the eyes and heart of Jesus. As I ponder the choices before me, help me remember that I am a beloved child of God, and that you always want the best for me, today and forever. Bring me closer to you, that your priorities may become mine as well.. Amen.