Saint Stephen of Hungary

ROMAN CATHOLI C PARI SH

5
t h
& Uni on
Al l ent own, Penns yl vani a

Sunday, February 19
th
, 2012 Weekly Bulletin Volume 5, Issue 8
www.SaintStephenChurch.us
Unable to get near Jesus
because of the crowd, they
opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken
through, they let down the mat
on which the paralytic
was lying.
Mark c. ii
510 West Union Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101
tel 610.439.0111
fax 610.439.6048
ststephenofhun@aol.com
Parish offices are closed Mondays
Rev. William N. Seifert, M.Div., Pastor
Coordinator, Diocesan Office of Prison Ministry
Julius Kovacs, Organist

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Ordinary Form (English)
Saturday Vigil ......................................................... 4:30pm
Sunday ......................................................................... 8am
Monday ...................................................... No public Mass
Tuesday ........................................................................ 8am
Wednesday .................................................................. 8am
Thursday ...................................................................... 8am
Friday ........................................................................... 8am
Extraordinary Form (Latin)
Sunday .................................................................. 10:15am
Monday ...................................................... No public Mass
Tuesday ................................................................. 12:10pm
Wednesday ........................................................... 12:10pm
Thursday ............................................................... 12:10pm
Friday ........................................................... No Latin Mass
Saturday ....................................................... No Latin Mass
:\\v.x: |.x\x.
Saturday ............................................................. 3:30 - 4pm
Sunday .............................................................. 9:30 - 10am
(Kindly observe the listed finish times)
Confession & spiritual direction is available by appointment
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Ordinary Form ............................................................ 8am
Extraordinary Form ..................................................... 7pm
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Extraordinary Form ................................................ 9:15am
:.. .x |\x.
Tuesday ........................................................................ 6pm
SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
ORDINARY FORM

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY
EXTRAORDINARY FORM

The Church, Her
Mission and You
By: Fr. Seifert
he Baltimore
Catechism,
citing Sacred
Scripture, tells us
that we are
Temples of the
Holy Ghost. We
say we believe that,
but wheres the
evidence? At our
Baptism, the Fire of
Divine Love, which is the Holy Spirit,
burned into our immortal soul a
Christian Character, indelible and
undeniable, at least thats what
we claim to believe. Again,
wheres the proof?
This statement may sound
harsh. There is a
misbegotten notion that
ones acts of pious devotion
stand as testimony to our
standing before God the
more devotions and prayers
and sacramentals we have, the
more we impress God and the
holier we are. That idea skates
the edges of superstition more than
reflecting Catholic spirituality. God
does not need our devotional rites. Isaiah
and Amos along with many prophets made that
quite clear. God does, however, desire our devotion which is a
relationship not simply a behavior.
continued on back page

T
Sai nt Stephen of Hungary
www.SaintStephenChurch.us

Fasting and Abstinence Rules
Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent are
days of abstinence from meat.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of
fasting for all over 14 years of age. Those who
are infirm, have particular needs (e.g.
diabetics) or have completed their 59
th
year are
not bound to the laws of fasting but are
encouraged to appropriate penitential
practices.
Collection Tally
Your offerings during this past week totaled
$2,439.00.
Saint Stephen of Hungary Parish needs and appreciates
your generosity. We suggest a sacrificial weekly tithe to
help us meet our demands.
Friday
Come pray the Stations of the Cross with us at
7pm.
M\ . :. W.. \x | x:.x: x
Saturday,
February
18
th

Vigil
4:30pm
7
th
Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Living & Deceased Members of
St. Stephen of Hungary Parish
Sunday,
February
19
th

8am
7
th
Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Frank Herczeg
r/b Helen Herczeg
& Carol Smith
10:15am Quinquagesima Sunday
Maximillian Cavoto
r/b Brent & Claire Potteiger
Monday,
February
20
th

NO
PUBLIC
MASS
Ordinary Time Weekday n/a
Tuesday,
February
21
st

8am St. Peter Damian
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Banotai
r/b Leo & Cecilia
12:10pm Feria
Martina Lloyd
r/b Estate
Wednesday,
February
22
nd

12:10pm Ash Wednesday
Living & Deceased Members of
St. Stephen of Hungary Parish
7pm Ash Wednesday Special Intention
Thursday,
February
23
rd

8am St. Polycarp
Margaret Langi
r/b Eva Juhasz
12:10pm
Thursday after
Ash Wednsday
John Lynch
r/b White Family
Friday,
February
24
th

8am Lenten Weekday
Derso Farkas
r/b Margaret Farkas
Saturday,
February
25
th

Vigil
4:30pm
1
st
Sunday of Lent
Special Intentions of
Anthony Bauer Family
Sunday,
February
26
th

8am 1
st
Sunday of Lent George & Martha Bogunovich
10:15am 1
st
Sunday of Lent
Dr. Daniel Schadt
r/b James Boyle Family
THE HI GHEST FORM OF CHRI STI AN PRAYER I S THE MASS.
Having a Mass offered for loved ones, living or deceased, or for a special intention
can be done by filling out a white Mass Intention envelope, which can be found in
the main vestibule of the Church, and dropping it in the collection basket.
The requested donation is $10 per Mass.
SPECI AL MASS TIMES
Ash Wednesday
The holy season of Lent begins this
Wednesday. Masses will be offered at
12:10pm in the Ordinary Form and at 7pm
in the Extraordinary Form. Ashes will be
imposed at both Masses.
The Sanctuary Lamp is lit this week in
loving and prayerful memorial
for the souls of
Thomas and Lucille Finn

Youth Protection
Victim Assistance Coordinator
Mrs. Helen P. Kelleher, L.S.W.
Email: Victimsassistance@allentowndiocese.org
Phone: 1-800-791-9209
Fax: 610-791-1878
See: www.allentowndiocese.org for more information
Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem: quoniam cum probatus fuerit, accipiet coronam vit, quam repromisit Deus diligentibus se.
S. Jacobus c. i, v. xii
ststephenofhun@aol.com
M\ |. J. x.\. v\ :.x\
INTROIT
Psalm 30: 3, 4
e Thou unto me a God, a Protector,
and a place of refuge, to save me: for
Thou are my strength and my refuge:
and for Thy Name's sake Thou wilt lead me,
and nourish me.
(Ps. 30. 2). In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped,
let me never be confounded: deliver me in
Thy justice, and save me.

COLLECT
e beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously
hear our prayers: and releasing us
from the bonds of our sins, guard us
from all adversity.

EPISTLE
1 Corinthians 13: 1 - 13
rethren, If I speak with the tongues of
men and of Angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding brass
or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have
prophecy, and should know all mysteries and
all knowledge: and if I should have all faith
so that I could remove mountains, and have
not charity, I am nothing. And if I should
distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and
if I should deliver my body to be burned and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity is patient, is kind: Charity envieth
not, dealing not perversely, is not puffed up,
is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not
provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth:
beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never falleth away: whether
prophecies shall be made void, or tongues
shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in
part. But when that which is perfect is come,
that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child.
But when I became a man, I put away the
things of a child. We see now through a glass
in a dark manner: but then face to face. Now
I know in part: but then I shall know even as
I am known. And now there remain faith,
hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of
these is charity.
GRADUAL
Psalm 76: 15, 16
hou art the God that alone doest
wonders: Thou hast made Thy power
known among the nations. V.: With
Thine arm Thou hast delivered Thy people,
the children of Israel and of Joseph.

TRACT
Psalm 99: 1, 2
ing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve
ye the Lord with gladness. V.: Come in
before His presence with exceeding
great joy: know ye that the Lord He is God.
V.: He made us, and not we ourselves: but
we are His people and the sheep of His
pasture.

GOSPEL
Luke 18: 31 - 43
t that time Jesus took unto Him the
twelve men and said to them: Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things
shall be accomplished which were written by
the prophets concerning the Son of Man.
For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles,
and shall be mocked and scourged and spit
upon: and after they have scourged Him,
they will put Him to death, and he third day
He shall rise again. And they understood
none of those things, and this word was hid
from them, and they understood not the
things that were said. Now it came to
pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho,
that a certain blind man sat by the
wayside, begging. And when he heard
the multitude passing by, he asked
what this meant. And they told him
that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me. And they that
went before rebuked him, that he should
hold his peace. But he cried out much more:
Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus
standing, commanded him to be brought
unto Him. And when he was come near, He
asked him, saying: What wilt thou that I do
to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see.
And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight, they
faith hath made thee whole. And
immediately he saw and followed Him,
glorifying God. And all the people, when
they saw it, gave praise to God.
OFFERTORY
Psalm 118: 12, 13
lessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy
justifications: with my lips I have
pronounced all the judgments of Thy
mouth.

SECRET
ay these Offerings, we beseech Thee,
O Lord, cleanse us from our sins:
and hallow the bodies and minds of
Thy servants for the celebration of this
Sacrifice.

PREFACE
Preface of the Most Holy Trinity
t is truly meet and just, right and for our
salvation, that we should at all times, and
in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O
holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God;
Who, together with Thine only-begotten
Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one
Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person,
but in the Trinity of one substance. For what
we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the
same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of
the Holy Ghost, without difference or
separation. So that in confessing the true and
everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons,
unity in essence, and equality
in majesty may be adored.
Which the Angels and
Archangels, the
Cherubim also and
Seraphim do praise:
who cease not daily
to cry out, with one
voice saying . . .

COMMUNION
Psalm 77: 29, 30
hey did eat, and were filled
exceedingly, and the Lord gave them
their desire: they were not defrauded
of that which they craved.

POST COMMUNION
e beseech Thee, almighty God, that
we, who have received this heavenly
food, may be safeguarded by it
against all adversity.
B
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Sai nt Stephen of Hungary
ststephenofhun@aol.com
Remember not the events of the
past, the things of long ago
consider not; see, I am doing
something new! Now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it? It
is I, I, who wipe out, for my own
sake, your offenses.
Isaiah c. xliii
continued from front page
evotion leads to behavior that makes manifest that devotion and because we are human
beings, devotional behavior takes specific shapes and uses specific words aka rituals.
We use our hands a lot. We wave hello and good-bye do high-fives and fist-
bumps. Thumbs-up has shifted in meaning from ancient times and has a new, positive
meaning for us. In Church we make the sign of the cross, fold and lift our hands in prayer. The
rest of the body gets used too. We kneel and sit and
genuflect and stand in tune to particular parts of the
Mass. Most of all we use words. We proclaim them, sing
them, read them, pray them short phrases, long
readings, and well known prayers in Latin, in English,
in whatever language needs be used.
The responses get short shrift; they are an impulse just
like Have a nice day! or the How are you
doing?...fineHow about you? dialogues. Its only when
the ritual words get scrambled with an unexpected
response that we take notice. We need to take notice of
what we are saying in church. Words are important.
Mass concludes with the dialogue Ite Missa EstDeo
Gratias. There is a cautionary rubric that instructs the
deacon or priest to pause .momentarily following Ite
because it is a command (You) Go. Deo Gratias, the
response, is an easy translation Thanks be to God.
Missa est, on the other hand has always been an
interesting item. That handy The Mass is
ended, go in peace doesnt quite do it;
neither does a more military Go! You are
dismissed, though that one works better.
We need to see this dialogue as a discourse
otherwise we are giving thanks to God
because the Mass is over as in Were done!
Thank God!! Theres got to be more.
Heres my point. First, Ite is a command as in
You Go! Its direct and clear. Missa est, my
translation is have been sent and hence You
have been sent, Go or Go, having been sent
works for me. Heres what it means for the baptized
faithful. We have a mission given by Christ. We have likewise
been anointed with the Holy Ghost such that we can give Christian witness in the present age.
This is important because though we may give witness in the future those events remain obscure.
We cannot give witness in the past; that is plain enough. Now is the time for our witness. God
has anointed us with the Fire of Divine Love to be living witnesses where we are not where we
aint in time and place. Either we believe that fact or we dont and if we dont, our response to
that dismissal Thanks be to God is a sham, a lie, or a shallow reflex. So, does Deo Gratias
stand for Whatever or Yeah, right, So what or Ok, fine in your liturgical lexicon?
Let me be bold and clear. The Church assembly should be thanking God for the Mission with
which we have been charged and mindful of the calling we are leaving the room for the world
with renewed zeal. The Graces of the Holy Mass, our Holy Communion with the Lord Jesus and
companionship with that company of the Church Militant in our parish should and would bring
us to that level of zeal, if we were prepared to embrace that Mission. Framing the entirety of the
Mass with that command from the Sanctuary sets our vision of the Holy Eucharist right. Our
worship is about Christ and his Mission accomplished once for all; mission that reaches into
and penetrates each age of discipleship intimately and personally. Freed from the blindness that
sin has caused us and from discouragement, we step from the pews into the public eye confident
in Christ and thankful for the Mission he has given us. We can be bold and need not be afraid.
In that relationship with the Lord, our piety has its true ground and grace its sure source.
Or notnot is always an option as it has ever been. The psalmist puts it in best perspective: If
today you hear Gods voice, harden not your hearts. This ball is in your court now.


Thank you
Parishioner Clifford Eyer extends his
gratitude to all those who sent get well cards
and gifts while he was ill.

Parish Guild Meeting
There will be a meeting of the Parish Guild
in the Church Hall at 9:15am on Sunday,
February 19
th
. All are invited to participate;
members are reminded to attend.

Finance Council Meeting
There will be a meeting of the Parish
Financial Council in the Rectory on
Tuesday, February 21
st
. The meeting will
begin at 6:30pm and conclude at 8pm.

Theology on Tap
At Starters Riverport in Bethlehem every
Monday evening from 7 9pm the
Allentown Diocese Office of Youth and
Young Adult Ministry presents Theology on
Tap. Starting February 27
th
and going
through March 19
th
. Ages 22-34.
D
A full color
bulletin can be
produced for
our parish with
your
sponsorship.
Call the rectory
for details!