4th Sunday of Lent
Laetare Sunday
The 4th Sunday in Lent is called Laetare Sunday. The Lenten Season is more than half over. The Church rejoices since the celebration of the Easter Feast is drawing near. The rose color vestment that Fr. Jim will be wearing this weekend, reminds us of joy in the midst of penance and anticipation.
SUNDAY SCRIPTURE – QUESTIONS TO PONDER
~ What does it mean to see others as God sees them?
~ How has your spiritual vision changed over the years?
~ What can you see more clearly now than before?
(Pastoral Liturgy)
READINGS FOR THE WEEKEND: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031923.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 . BULLETIN OVERFLOW: Bulletin Overflow – CLICK HERE
THIS WEEKEND, MARCH 18/19 (& Monday, March 20th – Friday, March 24th)
TODAY: The Most Rev. William E. Koenig, Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, has granted Catholics in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, a dispensation from the obligation to abstain from meat on Saint Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17th, 2023. ( i.e. – Enjoy your corned beef and cabbage!) This dispensation is given in recognition of the contributions of Irish immigrants to the life of the Diocese and their indebtedness to St. Patrick for the gift of their Catholic faith. Catholics who take advantage of the dispensation, are encouraged to, “undertake a work of charity, an exercise of piety, or an act of comparable penance on some other occasion during the Third Week of Lent,” according to the dispensation decree. To read the decreeCLICK HERE
ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION: The Knights of Columbus will again be sponsoring a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner tomorrow, Saturday March 18th at 5:00 pm in the Mother Drexel Hall. Menu: Corned Beef & Cabbage or Ham & Cabbage, Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad. $15 per person, $25 per family, children under 12 – free. TAKE OUTS AVAILABLE!.
SECOND COLLECTION this weekend is for the CRS Rice Bowl.
PSR ONLINE LESSONS this week for Grades P/K – 8.
BLESSING OF THE STATUE OF ST. JOSEPH AND MARCH AGAPE: The March Agape, hosted by our Liturgy Committee, will take place this Sunday, March 19th following Mass and the Blessing of the new Statue of St. Joseph in the Sanctuary. Please join us. (Unfortunately, the dedication of the outside statue of St. Joseph and the shrine will not take place this Sunday. The outside statue of St. Joseph has not yet arrived. The dedication of the shrine & statue of St. Joseph is currently scheduled for May 13th following the 4 pm Mass.)
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD (CLOW) will take place this Sunday, March 19th 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.
DO YOU HAVE ONE HOUR ON TUESDAYS FOR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION? Come, humbly kneel before Him. Give Him an hour of adoration on Tuesday. We need adorers for the following timeslots: 9:30 & 10:00 am, 12:00, 2:00 & 3:00 pm. Call or email: Cheryl Thomas at salcrest7@gmail.com or 302 363-0404
STATIONS OF THE CROSS & BENEDICTION: Fridays in Lent at 7pm.
EASTER FLOWERS: Please help our altar reflect the glory of this season by placing your intentions and the names of your loved ones in the Easter flower envelope. (Envelopes can be found at the doors of the Church.)
EASTER NOVENA: To remember your loved ones, both living and deceased, with the sacred gift of the Mass offered in their honor, please complete the Easter Novena envelopes. (Envelopes can be found at the doors of the Church.)
THE PARISH OFFICE is in need of volunteers to help out at the front desk. Please consider helping in this important role. Various times and dates available. Let us know what is convenient for you! If you are interested in helping or would like more information, please contact Kathy Watts at the church office 302-653-8279 or via email office@saintpolycarp.org.
BULLETIN OVERFLOW: Check out our “Bulletin Overflow” to learn about various Lenten activities around the Diocese. CLICK HERE TO VIEW BULLETIN OVERFLOW
NEXT WEEKEND, MARCH 25/26 (& Monday, March 27th – Friday, March 31st)
SECOND COLLECTION next weekend is for Parish maintenance.
PRETZELS! The Knights of Columbus will be selling pretzels after both Masses next weekend, March 25th and 26th. Pretzels are $2 each or 3 pretzels for $5
THE VOCATION CHALICE MINISTRY: Next Sunday, March 26th at the 10:30 am Mass – Laura Pajerowski,
EARLY BULLETIN DEADLINE: Please have all articles for the Easter Bulletin (April 9th) submitted to submission@saintpolycarp by 8:00 am on Monday, March 27th. Thank you for your cooperation.
THE DEANERY LENTEN PENANCE SERVICE will take place next Thursday, March 30th at 7 pm at Holy Cross Church (Dover, DE). Several Priests will be available to hear Confessions.
UPCOMING/ONGOING
RECONCILIATION MONDAY: Catholics from throughout the Diocese of Wilmington are invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) at any of the 56 parish churches in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, on Monday, April 3rd, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., during the second annual diocesan-wide ‘Reconciliation Monday.’ The event is designed to make it more convenient for Catholics to receive the sacrament at the end of Lent and beginning of Holy Week, in anticipation of the celebration of Easter. Here at St. Polycarp and at St. Dennis, Confessions will be heard from 3-5 pm & 6-8 pm. This allows for Fr. Jim to be able to hear Confessions at both parishes.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE: Visit our home page at www.saintpolycarp.org to see this year’s Holy Week Schedule.
EASTER EGG HUNT: Our Brother Vincent Knights of Columbus will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 2nd, following the 10:30 am Mass. All children are invited to attend.
There will be prizes! Children are asked to bring their own baskets!
SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! Time to think about ordering your MEMORIAL BRICK! After the cold dark days of winter, the spring season brings new life; everything comes alive. Adding your MEMORIAL BRICK to the walkway of our Blessed Mother is a unique way to keep your memories alive. It is a way to remind us of all those special loved ones or occasions forever. If you would like to become a part of the walkway to our Blessed Mother, with your name or the name of a loved one, now is a good time to do so! There are several ways to order your bricks. You can order through Faith Direct at: Faith Direct MEMORIAL BRICK (you do not need to sign up for Faith Direct), use the QR code below or return your form* with payment of $80 to St. Polycarp Church. Envelopes marked with “Memorial Brick” may be placed in the Offertory collection, delivered to the Parish Office (place in black box), or mailed to the Parish Office.*Forms can be found on our parish website or at the entrances into the church.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Tuesdays from noon 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. Please consider this devotion. You can come to the adoration chapel and in the peacefulness there He will speak to your heart, and you will return eagerly because He has so much to share with you. There are hours available on Tuesday, Call or Email Cheryl Thomas; salcrest7@gmail.com, 659-3388
CHANGE THE WORLD: BECOME CATHOLIC! Is there someone you would like to invite to explore the Catholic faith – someone unbaptized, or baptized in a non-Catholic Christian tradition? Do you know someone who needs Confirmation and/or First Eucharist? Perhaps, the Catholic faith can fulfill their desires for a closer relationship with Our Lord. Then, the RCIA process is for them. Please contact Deacon Frank Weber for more information. DeaconFrank@saintpolycarp.org or leave a message with the Parish office at (302) 653-8279.
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD (CLOW) takes place on the first and third Sundays of the month 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. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, please contact Erica Taylor at (302) 653-4101. Next CLOW – Sunday, April 2nd at the 10:30 am Mass.
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/ March 26th at the 10:30 am Mass – Laura Pajerowski, April 16th at the 10:30 am Mass – Pete Sanphy
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: Have you had the opportunity to dive into FORMED? To sign up visit www.formed.org. Type in our Parish zip code (19977) and follow the steps to sign up or you can use the QR code below. Take advantage of your free subscription to FORMED! Enjoy thousands of hours of quality Catholic content!
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 Saturday, March 18th, Lucy Sneeringer & Jane VanHouten will talk about Millions of Monicas. 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:
Prayer of Pope Francis to St. Joseph
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil.
Amen.
March 19th is designated as the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since March 19th falls on a Sunday this year, the Mass for the 4th Sunday of Lent takes precedence and priority over the Solemnity. The Church has moved the Solemnity of St. Joseph to Monday, March 20th – which is also the First Day of Spring.