VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Upcoming Special Events

Lent Schedule of Reconciliation (in addition to

the regular Tues, Friday & Sat Reconciliations):

- Mar 6: 4:00 PM, Communal Penance

- Mondays: 5:00 PM (every Monday in Lent)

- Mar 19: Saturday: 12:30-1:30 PM & 3:00-4:15 PM

- Mar 20, Sunday: 12:30-1:30 PM

- Mar 21, Monday: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

- Mar 22, Tuesday: 8:00-9:00 PM

- Mar 23, Wednesday: 8:00-9:00 PM

Feb 10: Ash Wednesday

- 7:00 AM, Liturgy (with Ashes)

- 9:00 AM, School Liturgy (with Ashes)

- 6:00 PM, Liturgy (with Ashes)

Feb 11: 8:00 AM, Mass

- 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM, Adoration

(every Thursday in Lent)

- 7:00 PM, Stations of the Cross & Rosary

(every Thursday in Lent)

Feb 12: 5:00 PM, Stations of the Cross

(every Friday in Lent)

Feb 12-14: Women’s CEW, Parish Center

Feb 15: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Feb 22: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Feb 26-28: Men’s CEW, Parish Center

Feb 27-Mar 1: Parish Mission, Queen of Peace Parish

Feb 29: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Mar 5: Winterfest 2016

Mar 7: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Mar 14: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Mar 19: 4:30 PM, Palm Sunday Liturgy

Mar 20: 8:30 AM & 10:30 AM, Palm Sunday Liturgies

Mar 21: 5:00 PM, Reconciliation; 5:30 PM, Mass

Mar 22: 2:00 PM, Chrism Mass at Cathedral of St.

Raphael, Dubuque

Mar 24: 7:00 PM, Liturgy of the Lord’s Last Supper

(no 8:00 AM Liturgy)

Mar 25: 6:00 PM, Prayer Service of the Lord’s Passion

(no 8:00 AM Liturgy)

Mar 26: 8:00 PM, Vigil Mass of the Resurrection

(no 4:30 PM Liturgy)

Mar 27: 8:30 AM & 10:30 AM, Easter Sunday Liturgy

Mar 29: 6:30 PM, Catholic Witness Hour, O’Hagan

Hall, Sacred Heart Church

Apr 1: Confirmation, Columbus High School

May 1: First Communion Sunday

May 8: Mother’s Day

May 15: Pentecost

Jubilee “Year of Mercy” 2

Dates to Remember 2

Lenten Regulations 3

Lenten Project: “Feed The Hungry” 3

Prayer of Mercy 3

School News 4

Children & Family Catechesis 4

Winterfest 2016 5

Fr. Homero Cardozo Vargas 5

Daily Disciple 6

Parish Directory Volunteers 6

Stewardship - A Mission of Service 7

Ten Ways to Grow Closer to Christ 8

Inside this issue:

Lent 2016 Reawakened by Mercy Lent in this Jubilee Year of Mercy

proclaimed by Pope Francis has

arrived! The Ashes we will take on

February 10th, and the traditional

Lenten disciplines of Prayer, Fasting,

and Acts of Charity help shake us out

of the spiritual sleep-walking in which

we go about, presuming on God’s

mercy for our sins without appreciating

properly how much that mercy is

needed, nor the God who gives it!

Pope Francis’ diagnosis is that much

harshness experienced today in human

life is a result of this sleepwalking. His

remedy is “A Holy Year to experience

strongly within ourselves the joy of

having been found by Jesus, the Good

Shepherd who has come in search of

us… to be transformed by his mercy, so

that we may become witnesses to

mercy.”

Our Lenten theme then is

“Reawakened by Mercy.” Together we

as Blessed Sacrament Community

hopefully will use these 40 days to look

intentionally into one’s own need for

God’s mercy. Awakened to my need, I

then celebrate the gift of that mercy in

the Sacraments of Eucharist and

Reconciliation. You will find in this

newsletter some of the special Lenten

times for celebrating both Sacraments.

Then, awakened to the gift of God’s

mercy to me in my need, I am

reawakened to be an instrument of that

mercy to others.

The theme comes from Pope Francis.

He challenges believers this year to

“Reflect on the corporal and spiritual

works of mercy. It will be a way to

reawaken our conscience, too often

grown dull... Jesus introduces us to

these works of mercy (to feed the

hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe

the naked, welcome the stranger, heal

the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury

the dead) in his preaching so that we

c a n k n o w

whether or not

we are living as

his disciples.

Throughout the

year, each work

of mercy will be

h i g h l i g h t e d .

H o w e v e r ,

A r c h b i s h o p

Jackels has asked

each parish to focus on one of them in a

particular way. Blessed Sacrament staff

has chosen growth in the merciful

work of burying the dead. Doing so

allows us to exercise respect for life,

compassion for the grieving, and

reverence for the mystery of

resurrection we will celebrate again

come Easter. Opportunities to be

merciful in this way will be shared in

the weeks to come. Initially, I invite

you to these two. First: commit to

attending the funeral Mass of three

fellow parishioners—known to you or

not—this year. Second: take part in

Adoration of the Body of Christ in the

Blessed Sacrament exposed during the

Thursday mornings of Lent in our

church, or anytime in the Eucharistic

chapel. Christ is certainly not dead, but

He has a glorified flesh and blood body

that was for a time dead. We hope for

the same glorification of our bodies,

and recognize their holiness in life and

in death!

"This (Pope Francis says) is a time

to reawaken in ourselves the capacity

to see what is essential. This is a time

for the Church to rediscover the

meaning of the mission entrusted to her

by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be

a sign and an instrument of the Father’s

mercy." May Jesus this Lent bless us

each to see receiving—and sharing—

God’s mercy as essential to my life as

His disciple. Fr. Tom

Fr. Tom McDermott

Pastor

T H E C O M M U N I T Y O F B L E S S E D S A C R A M E N T

PAGE 2 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2

Jubilee “Year of Mercy” Sr. Madonna Friedman, OSF

Pope Francis

chose December

8, 2015, to open

the Year of

Mercy because

that day marked

t h e f i f t i e t h

anniversary of

the closing of Vatican II. In

announcing the Jubilee of Mercy,

Pope Francis declared: “At times

we are called to gaze even more

attentively on mercy so that we

may become a more effective

sign of the Father’s action in our

lives; a time when the witness of

believers might grow stronger

and more and more effective.” Pope Francis asks Christ our King

“to pour out his mercy, so that

everyone may work together to

build a brighter future.”

Jesus Christ is the FACE of the

Father’s mercy. These words

might well sum up the mystery of

the Christian faith. We need

constantly to contemplate the

mystery of mercy. Mercy is the

bridge that connects God and

humans, opening our hearts to the

hope of being loved forever

despite our sinfulness.

There are different meanings for

“Mercy”. Pope Francis called

mercy “the very foundation of

t h e c h u r c h ’ s l i f e a n d

credibility,” and said, “Wherever

there are Christians, everyone

should find an oasis of mercy.” It

can mean to come to the aid of

another out of a sense of

relationship. Fr. James F.

Keenan’s definition is, “Mercy is

the willingness to enter into chaos

of another.” Instead of avoiding or

dismissing the chaos of another,

we need to move toward the chaos

with creativity and boldness. “If

we Catholics were 10 times bolder

and more creative in our practice

of mercy than we are right now,

how might things be different”?

(Michael J. Laskey)

In aiming to become a more

effective sign of the Father’s

mercy, continue to ponder and

practice all the actions you read

about during Advent in David

Knight’s booklet: “A Season of

Mercy”. “With our eyes fixed on Jesus and

his merciful gaze, we experience the

love of the Most Holy Trinity!”

January 17, 2016

Give Drink to the

Thirsty

John 2:1-11 Jesus changes water into wine, providing drink for the thirsty.

DONATE to the Sister Water

Project or CRS.

February 28, 2016 Visit the

Imprisoned

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 Moses

sets out to free those who are

enslaved and imprisoned in

Egypt.

VISIT or CALL a person who is

homebound or who feels

‘imprisoned’ where they’re at.

April 10, 2016

Feed the Hungry

John 21:1-19

Jesus feeds the apostles fish and charges them to ‘feed my sheep’.

BRING canned and other non-

perishable foods to support our Food Pantry.

July 10, 2016 Clothe the

Naked

Luke 10:25-37

A man fell victim to robbers who stripped and beat him; yet the Samaritan cared for his needs.

GIVE your extra clothes to local

clothing drives, such as, St.

Vincent’s, Worker House, etc.

August 28, 2016 Shelter the Homeless

Luke 14:1,7-14

Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in

that my home may be filled.

HELP your neighbors care for their

homes with yardwork and simple chores.

October 9, 2016

Visit the Sick Luke 17:11-19

Jesus cured the 10 lepers who

begged for healing of their disease.

SEND a note or a card with

prayers and encouragement to

those who are sick.

November 6, 2016 Bury the Dead 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14

The Maccabees face death with

hope in the resurrection.

PRAY with those who grieve and

for the souls of the faithful departed.

Dates to Remember - Corporal Works of Mercy

*Be sure to mark your calendars for the above dates and watch our bulletins for more details.

VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PAGE 3

“When did

we see you,

M a s t e r ?

When you fed

the least of

my brothers,

gave them drink, and cared for

the sick.”

This year we will again be

utilizing the "Brass Bucket" to

collect funds for the meals we

packaged on February 3rd.

Together with volunteers

from Sacred Heart and Saint

Edward, we packaged 40,000

meals for the African country

of Tanzania - a project that fits in

very well with the “Year of

Mercy...Feed the Hungry.”

Please remember the needs of

our brothers and sisters in

Tanzania and be generous.

Our goal is to pay off the

$12,000 necessary to cover the

cost of meals and shipping. Thank you and God Bless!

Lenten Project: “Feed The Hungry” Deacon Bob Stirm

Lenten Regulations Fr. Tom McDermott, Pastor

Lent is the principal penitential

season in the Christian year. As

d iocesan gu ide l ines s ta t e :

“Everyone is strongly urged to

develop and follow a program of

voluntary self-denial (in addition to

following the Lenten regulations),

serious prayer, and a performance

of works of charity and mercy.”

The Lenten regulations remain:

Everyone 14 years of age or

over is bound to abstain from

meat on Ash Wednesday, all

Fridays of Lent, and Good

Friday.

Everyone between 18 and 59

years of age is bound to fast on

Ash Wednesday and Good

Friday.

Fast and abstinence means one

full meatless meal is allowed.

Two other meatless meals

sufficient to maintain strength,

but that don’t add up to a full

meal, may be taken. Eating

between meals on these days is

not permitted.

When health or ability to work

would be severely affected, the

guidelines do not apply.

Abstaining from meat, and days

of fasting, have been helpful for

Christians for generations as a

spiritual aid. Among the gifts

abstaining and fasting offer is to

mark with self-denial in a physical

way, a time of reflection on other

aspects of life that need greater self

-denial, so that we might be more

available to our relationship with

God. Please look at these guidelines

not as just a burden, but rather as an

invitation to come into closer touch

with what we truly hunger for - the

God who creates, sustains, and

saves us.

Prayer of Mercy

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Let us be your visible face in the world.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,

so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,

you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Amen.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PAGE 4 VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2

Sacraments are key to Catholic

identity and belief. Through them

we encounter God’s love in ways

that help us deepen our

relationship with God and with our

faith community. Waterloo

Catholic Faith Formation has a

number of programs offered to

help families and their children

prepare to receive sacraments.

Ninety-seven 2nd graders from

the four Waterloo parishes

received their First Reconciliation

in December and are now

preparing to receive their First

Communion. (First Communion

celebrations at Blessed Sacrament

will be on the weekend of April

30/May 1.) Thirty-seven students

from school and religious

education programs in grades 3-8

are enrolled in the “Children’s

Initiation” program which began

in January. These classes will

prepare them for Reconciliation

and Eucharist. Seventy high

school students are in formation

for the sacrament of Confirmation

which will be celebrated with

Archbishop Jackels at Columbus

High on Friday, April 1.

We ask the entire faith

community to keep in their prayers

the children and adolescents who

are in the midst of sacramental

preparation programs. Pray, too,

that their parents and families will

be blessed as they take an active

role in passing on the faith. May

sacraments “come to life” and

become for all of them a source of

spiritual strength, guidance,

nourishment, and healing. ~ Julie Niemeyer, Assoc. Dir. Of Children

& Family Catechesis

Children & Family Catechesis - Sacraments

School News Angie Beck, Principal

We have just concluded National Catholics Schools Week, our annual celebration of all that makes education

at Blessed Sacrament School outstanding. Blessed Sacrament School truly is a community of faith, knowledge,

and service.

Registration for the 2016-17 school year is now open. Call the school at 319-233-7863, or stop in to schedule

a tour and learn more about our dynamic educational program and daycare! Tuition assistance is available.

Children learn through play in our

year-round daycare.

Students work hard on reading and

literacy skills! We are proud of our

high proficiency scores.

Creativity and critical thinking are

encouraged with the integration of

STEM and robotics tasks.

Mass Schedule 7:00 AM ~ Liturgy with Ashes 9:00 AM ~ School Liturgy with Ashes 6:00 PM ~ Liturgy with Ashes

Communal Penance Sunday, March 6th

4:00 PM

Mass Schedule Holy Thursday ~ 7:00 PM

Good Friday ~ 6:00 PM Holy Saturday ~ 8:00 PM

Easter Sunday ~ 8:30 & 10:30 AM

February 10, 2016

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PAGE 5 VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2

Winterfest 2016 Trent & Angie Goodnight, Winterfest Co-Chairs

We are pleased to announce

that plans for our Blessed

Sacrament Winterfest Auction

Fundraiser are well under way!

This year, Winterfest will be

an Adults Only (21 and over)

venue featuring a small plate

dinner, adult beverages (no outside

alcohol permitted), and both live

and silent auctions. Tickets are on

sale in the Gathering Space and

are $8 in advance. Tickets may

also be purchased for $10 on the

day of the event.

The purpose of Winterfest is to

come together as a community,

have some fun, and raise money

for our parish.

Winterfest works through the

generous and creative donation of

goods and services that can be

placed for auction. New items

valued at over $75 will be offered

in a live auction with a

professional auctioneer; items

valued between $15 and $75 will

be offered in a silent auction.

We need your active support and

participation to make Winterfest

2016 a success! Are you a painter,

plumber, or electrician? Can you

bake delicious pies, take great

photos, or set up a website? These

services can be donated in the

form of a gift certificate. Another

winning strategy is to team-up

with your friends and family to put

together a themed gift basket or

purchase a big ticket item.

We are now accepting

donations. Simply place your

silent auction items, including

gift cards, in one of the totes

located under the hallway table

at the south entrance of the church,

and remember to identify the item

with a short description, your

name, and the value. To set up

delivery of a live auction item, or

for any other questions you may

have, please call Trent Goodnight

at (319) 230-1814 or Angie

Goodnight at (319) 230-1735.

Thank you for your generous

support. We look forward to

seeing you on March 5th for

Winterfest 2016!

Father Homero Cardozo Vargas Hello, Blessed

Sacrament. My

name is Father

Homero Cardozo

Vargas and I have

been a guest of the

p a r i s h s i n c e

August as I study English at the

University of Northern Iowa.

I was born in the small city of

Cutervo, located in Cajamarca in

the north of Peru. I attended

e l ementar y, pr imar y, and

secondary school in Cajamarca. In

1996, I entered the seminary of the

Order of St. Augustine in the city

of Lima, Peru and dedicated

myself to the hard work required

for a degree in Theology.

Two years later I had my first

spiritual experience. I felt the

presence of God in my heart and

discerned that He was calling me

to follow Him. It was the

beginning of my vocation to the

priesthood, as before, I was only

curious.

In 2003, I was ordained a deacon

and was appointed to one of our

parishes to exercise the diaconal

ministry. While working in the

parish, I taught school in Santa

Rosa, which belongs to the Order

of St. Augustine in Peru.

On August 14, 2004, I received

the grace of the sacrament of Holy

Orders and, later that same year, I

went to Italy to study moral

theology, returning to Peru in

2006.

Upon my return to Peru, my

superiors appointed me to work as

a secretary of the Province of Our

Lady of Grace of Peru, which

belongs to the Order of St.

Augustine. I also taught Religion

at school and enjoyed four years of

caring service in that post.

In 2010, I was appointed Director

of the San Augustin College of

Chiclayo, an important school in

the north of Peru with a student

population of nearly 1,500. My

p o s i t i o n e n t a i l e d b o t h

administrative and pastoral duties

as I spread the gospel in the

manner of St. Augustine.

In February of 2014, I was

assigned to the Prelature of Chota

and Cutervo, the prelature of my

parents.

As I continue my studies in

English here in Iowa, I hope to

pursue a Master’s Degree in

Education in order to become a

director of a school my Bishop

wishes to build in the prelature.

Fraternally,

P. Homero Cardozo Vargas

Our daily disciples as we begin

2016 are Tanya and John Cutsforth.

Tanya and John were married here

at Blessed Sacrament in 2002. Prior

to her marriage, Tanya had been

born and raised in Fairbank, Iowa.

Her family attended Immaculate

Conception Parish, the church her

parents had been married in.

Family and tradition mean a lot to

Tanya, her brother Hans even lives

in the house her grandfather built

for the great-grandparents. Her

other brother, Nick, lives in Hudson

with his family.

John, on the other hand, was a

Waterloo boy, raised right here at

Blessed Sacrament. His parents

were original members of the

parish. From 1986-1999 John lived

in Denver, Colorado and worshiped

at both Queen of Peace and St.

Michael. Growing up, John's family

included his four sisters, Paula,

Pam, Katie and Jenny, along with

his two brothers, Tom and Tim.

Like Tanya, family and tradition

have always been important to John.

They crossed paths when they both

worked at CUNA in Waverly and

they married in 2002. Invoking

their love of family and tradition,

they have a daughter, Elizabeth

"Liza" and a son, Carter. Liza is a

junior at Iowa State University

m a j o r i n g i n A p p a r e l ,

Merchandising, and Design. Carter

is in the 7th grade at Blessed Maria

Assunta Pallotta middle school.

While John remained at CUNA

and works there to this day as a

Business Analyst, Tanya moved on

to Cedar Valley Catholic Schools

and serves as the Operations and

Human Resource Director.

The parish life example that John

and Tanya set for their children and

all of us include:

Parish Council membership for

both, with Tanya currently

serving as the Council

secretary.

They both worked on the

Winterfest celebration for ten

years. Tanya is helping chair

the decor committee this year.

Both John and Tanya presently

serve as sacristans and greeters.

Tanya volunteers as a lector

and John serves as an usher and

also as an altar server with his

son.

The list of their involvement is

long and ongoing. Members of

the Blessed Sacrament and

Columbus Booster Clubs, Home

School Organization, and Board

of Education.

Childhoods marked by a life of

Faith in their home parishes. A

marriage marked by their loving

commitment to family and faith

at Blessed Sacrament.

John summed it up when he said

he feels closest to God standing

beside his son on the altar,

serving at the Mass.

Our traditions are safe with this

family.

Daily Disciple: John & Tanya Cutsforth

PAGE 6 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2

Margaret Klein

As we begin this

Lenten Season, we

also begin to formally

organize our parish’s

efforts to publish a

new Parish Directory

for 2016.

In this regard, we prayerfully

solicit the assistance of all our

parishioners in giving of their time

and talent in support of this effort.

We are seeking volunteers to

serve on the Parish Directory

Committee; volunteers to assist

w i th photo appo in tment

scheduling at weekend masses;

volunteers to serve as hosts during

the actual days of photography;

and photographers willing to visit

our homebound parishioners at a

time and date of their choosing to

take their photograph for the

directory.

If you would like to make a

difference in our parish, this is the

project for you!

Please contact Harland Robinson

at 319-233-3924 or emai l

robbyhcr@mchsi.com to learn

more.

Parish Directory Volunteers Harland Robinson, Directory Committee Co-Chair

SCRIP News: Please buy and use SCRIP.

VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PAGE 7

Stewardship - A Mission of Service Stewardship Committee

Y o u r

Stewardship

Committee is

charged with

encouraging

parishioners

to exercise

s tewardship

as an expression of gratitude to

God and as a way of life for

disciples of Christ. "Stewardship is

what we do - evangelization is how

we do it."

We are all familiar with the term

"Time, Talent, and Treasure", and

while these are the overarching

categories guiding our efforts, did

you know that Stewardship has

specific functions touching on all

areas of our life as Catholics? A

vibrant and active Stewardship

committee provides for the

involvement of all parishioners in

the daily life of the community by:

1. Fostering a sense of belonging

to and "ownership" of the

parish;

2. Viewing evangelization as

essential to stewardship and to

assist with evangelization

efforts in the parish;

3. Encouraging all committees,

g r o u p s , f a m i l i e s , a n d

i n d i v i d u a l s t o c e n t e r

t h em s e l v e s i n p r a ye r ,

especially prayer of gratitude;

4. Providing education about

s t ew a r d s h i p t o p a r i s h

leadership/committees and to

all parishioners;

5. Calling parishioners to the

practice of stewardship as a

way of life;

6. Calling the parish itself to the

practice of stewardship of its

resources;

7. Collaborating with all other

standing committees and

ministries in assessing the

ministry needs of the parish;

8. Drawing forth the stewardship

of treasure by all parishioners;

9. Drawing forth the stewardship

of time and talent of all

parishioners;

10. Facilitating parish publicity

and communications;

11. Collaborating with the Parish

Community Life committee in

providing organized hospitality

and orientation for new

parishioners;

12. Evaluating stewardship on a

regular basis to ensure its

viability; and,

13. Providing a member of the

Stewardship Committee to

serve as an ex-officio voting

member of the Pastoral

Council.

A thoughtful reading of the

above functions of the committee,

will reveal the very large and

critical role the committee plays in

the Mission and Vision of our

parish and the very weighty

resp ons ib i l i t y c a r r i ed b y

committee members. As part of

our strategic planning process, we

have set ourselves tasks expanding

our efforts to evangelize over and

above those familiar activities of

the past few years. These include:

1. Doubling the size of our

committee from 6 to 12

members to drive our efforts in

the parish.

2. Increasing the number of

active volunteers for all parish

min is t r i e s , commit t ees ,

projects, and activities.

3. Developing and implementing

a formal program to promote

vocations as a way of life.

As Fr. Tom has pointed out in his

homily, it is a matter of

"commitment" vs "involvement".

If you already practice stewardship

as a way of life; are motivated by

gratitude for God's gifts; have the

ability to makes the goals of

s t e w a r d s h i p v i a b l e f o r

parishioners; and, possess a belief

in accountability exercised by

reporting back to parishioners on

all aspects of the parish

stewardship efforts, then We Need

You!!!

If you are committed, please pray

on your level of involvement in

the life of our parish and consider

membership on the Stewardship

Committee. Your gifts are

critical to our success! Please

contact the Parish Office at 233-

6179; our Volunteer Coordinator,

Mary Minard at 610-1451, email:

bscvc650@gmail.com; or, a

member of the committee to

discuss how you can make a

difference in the life of our parish.

You’re Invited! Mark your calendars and make it a point during this Lenten Season to

attend the Parish Mission hosted by Queen of Peace Church.

Fr. Dennis Koopman, OSF will preach on the Year of Mercy at

6:30 p.m., February 27th to March 1st.

650 Stephan Avenue

Waterloo, Iowa 50701

THE COMMUNITY OF BLESSED SACRAMENT

Rectory Phone 319-233-6179

FAX 319-233-6051

School Phone 319-233-7863

Day Care Phone 319-236-6131

We’re on the Web!

blessedsacramentwaterloo.org

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Permit No. 1870

Waterloo, Iowa

Reconciliation 3:30 PM Saturday or see bulletin

Masses 4:30 PM Saturday

8:30 AM & 10:30 AM Sunday

8:00 AM Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

9:00 AM Wednesday during School

#1 READ ABOUT THE

YEAR OF MERCY

Instructions on the Year of Mercy by Archbishop Jackels: https://www.dbqarch.org/archbishops-instructions/

View a Scene from Les Miserable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dFIz5ZG4DQ

#2 LEARN ABOUT THE

JUBILEE YEAR

OF MERCY

Six Things you Didn’t See: Year of Mercy Logo Explanation:

http://catholic-link.org/2016/01/11/6-things-you-didnt-see-the-year-of-mercy-logo-explained/

Jubilee of Mercy Hymn, Merciful like the Father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1isSPkn75A4

What is Divine Mercy? http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/

#3 INDULGE & SCHEDULE

A PILGRIMAGE

Pilgrimage to the Archdiocesan Cathedral of St. Raphael: http://cathedralstpats.org/yomtours/

Did the Church ever Sell Indulgences? by Fr. Michael Schmitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdUZ3kWjM8

#4 MEDITATE ON

POPE FRANCIS’

WORDS ON MERCY

The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis: http://www.amazon.com/Name-God-Mercy-Pope-Francis/dp/0399588639/

ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452797429&sr=8-1&keywords=pope+francis+mercy

Relax with the Taize Prayer, Misericordias Domini (I will Sing Forever the Mercy of God): https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=jG4E2JF8ook

#5 DISCUSS MERCY

WITH FAMILY

AND FRIENDS

Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the

Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job by Kerry Weber http://www.amazon.com/Mercy-City-Hungry-Thirsty-Imprisoned/

dp/0829438920/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452799978&sr=8-1&keywords=city+of+mercy

Would You Know Me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UURkatdtFXk

#6 RECEIVE THE

SACRAMENT OF

RECONCILIATION

Making a Good Confession by Fr. Michael Schmitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCmumpsrwBE

Examination of Conscience: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/penance/

examinations-of-conscience.cfm

#7 VISIT THE

IMPRISONED

Participate in this Archdiocese of Dubuque Works of Service Project during the week of February 28th:

https://www.dbqarch.org/yearofmercy/service-project/

Learn more about Prison Ministry: https://www.catholiccharitiesdubuque.org/catholic-charities-services/outreach-

programs/

#8 DIALOGUE

WITH OTHERS

Pope Francis to Interfaith Leaders:

http://www.romereports.com/2015/01/13/pope-to-interfaith-leaders-we-don-t-have-to-renounce-our-faith-to-live-in-peace

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention for Dialogue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6FfTxwTX34

#9 GATHER YOUR FAMILY Watch a Movie on Mercy: https://www.dbqarch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Mercy-FeaturesFilms.pdf

Crafts and Projects: http://www.catholicicing.com/?s=year+of+mercy

#10 JOIN A STUDY

ON MERCY

The Father’s Mercy this Lent: https://www.dbqarch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Mercy-Adult-Formation-Series.pdf

Sign up for a Lenten e-mail series “Lenten Moments of Mercy”: http://www.loyolapress.com/lenten-moments-of-

mercy.htm

TEN WAYS TO GROW CLOSER TO CHRIST IN THE SEASON OF LENT