Since the 4^th Lateran Ecumenical Council of 1205 a.d., our Church Canon Law requires that a Catholic Christian receive Holy Communion at least once each year during the Easter Season.     This obligation binds under pain of serious (mortal) sin.    In fact, to fail to receive Jesus in His Most Holy Eucharist, as the 4^th Lateran Council noted, would be to seriously reject to use one of the greatest gifts Jesus gave us for our salvation, namely the Gift of His Body and Blood.

In our country, our Bishops at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1870 made our fulfilling this precept as easy as possible by extending the Easter Season from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday.    This year, Trinity Sunday will be June 18^th.

Life-situations which impede a Catholic Christian from receiving the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist include among others:    1) not being married with the assistance blessing of the Catholic priest/deacon in good-standing;     2) living with another person in an intimate manner without the benefit of being married by a Catholic priest/deacon in good-standing;    3) enjoying habits of sin such as drug-use or alcohol-abuse without any desire to refrain from such sinful habits;   4) being intimately involved with another person even though not living with that person;    5) wanting to marry a person who has been married before whether that marriage was in the Catholic Church or not.

If a Catholic Christian is in one of these situations, then that person must first change their ways before he/she can receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion.    All other Catholic Christians are obliged to receive Holy Communion during the Easter Season.

Joe Manion will be ordained to the Order of Deacon on Saturday, June 10^th.    He will serve as Deacon and preach at the 9:00 a.m. and the 10:30 a.m. Masses on Sunday, June 11^th.

There will be a Reception in the Parish Hall afterwards for all to congratulate the new deacon. 

The main function of a Deacon of the Church is to minister to the poor.    In honor of Joe Manion's Ordination to the Order of Deacon on Saturday, June 10th, and his First Mass on June 11th, one and all are invited to bring canned and dry foodstuffs to our parish for MANNA the next two weekends.

In addition, Joe Manion has had many phone calls  inquiring what they could give him as an Ordination Gift.    Joe's response has been: donations to the poor.     Substantial donations of food items or cash to MANNA, to Serra House founded by Sister Teresa to care for AIDS victims in our

Encuentro 2000 will hold its Next Session this Saturday, June 24^th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.     All are welcome!     The theme for this session is:    "Living in Solidarity and Justice . . . How can we strengthen our commitment to aid the poor and others most vulnerable among us?"

Encuentro 2000 is the National Celebration of the Jubilee Year by the Catholic Bishops of the United States.     In each parish throughout our country, six participant friendly sessions are being held with the goal of bringing together ministries that make-up our American parishes and improving on how we interrelate.     New parish members are particularly encouraged to attend and get involved.

We meet to discuss and learn, not to challenge or to judge or to try to change others.    Rather, through dialogue, we seek to develop better strategies for our parish to welcome all, celebrate racial, ethnic, cultural, and other group diversities.    At the June 24th session we will focus on learning how to put our faith into action.   What are the practical things we can do to promote justice and to make things more hospitable to the vulnerable and to help be supportive of the poor.    We will learn about the "Jubilee Pledge".    All are encouraged to attend.      If you have any questions, please call Joe Bowman at 818 - 889 - 6879 after 6:00 p.m.

Don't forget to join us and be there on May 27th at 9:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall.

All parish groups/programs who use our parish facilities --- no exceptions --- are asked to please present their "Proposed Calendar of Usage" listing the days and times they need any parish facility for the coming year:  July 1^st, 2000 thru June 30^th, 2001.    This listing must be submitted before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 30^th.    The Master Calendar will be put together this week.   

No matter how many years your group/program has used any facility, please submit a "Proposed Calendar of Usage".     Those putting the Master Calendar together are human and at times cannot remember from one year to the next regarding each and every group's usage.     Failure to submit a "Proposed Calendar of Usage", could possibly result in your group/program be left off the 2000-2001 Master Calendar.       The Parish School, the Religious Education, and the Liturgical Ministries have first choices, provided they submit a "Proposed Calendar of Usage".