"Mission to Serve": New Orleans Diary   Vacation Bible School 23RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME September 9/10, 2006   How does your parish show openness to all people, especially those who have disabilities?     Gospel Reflection (Mark 7:31-37): What was promised in today’s first reading we see fulfilled in this gospel story. A man who is deaf and suffers from a speech impediment is taken by his friends to see Jesus. Moved by the man’s pitiful condition, Jesus takes him aside and performs a healing ritual. He concludes by praying that the man’s senses “Be opened!” And the man begins immediately to hear and speak plainly.    Despite Jesus’ command to keep the miracle a secret, the crowd goes wild with excitement and spreads the news throughout the region. They praise Jesus because “He has done everything well!” Jesus, however, does not want them to expect a Messiah who will bring them political power and economic riches. He was a Messiah who used God’s power only to serve others and not to avoid suffering himself.   Discussion Points for Gospel: How would you describe the friends of the deaf man? Why do you think Jesus took the deaf man aside? How did Jesus use his own body in the ritual of healing? Why do you think he groaned when he looked up to heaven? In what way is the man who is healed a sign of the Messiah’s presence?    What does the example of Jesus teach us about how we are to respond to those who are hearing-impaired or otherwise physically-challenged? In what ways can we be helpful to people who have speech impediments of any kind? (from Sadlier "We Believe" web site)     MASSES FOR THE WEEK SATURDAY       5:15 p.m.     People of Our Parish SUNDAY            8:30 a.m.     Bob Stockmal - the Schreck family                          10:30 a.m.     Margaret Schriner - Chip & Terri Rogers & family                            6:15 p.m.    Athens Knights of Columbus members MONDAY         1215 p.m.     Pregnant Parishioners TUESDAY          5:15 p.m.     Tony Udvardy WEDNESDAY   12:15 p.m.    James Rodgers - Pauline Rodgers THURSDAY       5:15 p.m.     Sick & Shut-ins of Our Parish FRIDAY            12:15 p.m.    John Edward Luther - Muriel & Paul Grim SATURDAY       5:15 p.m.     Beulah Udvardy SUNDAY            8:30 a.m.     George Hargraves - the Hargraves family 24th Sunday in         10:30 a.m.     Isabel Frost - CTK Pastoral Council   Ordinary Time         6:15 p.m.     People of Our Parish PARISH CALENDAR: September 10 - 17 SUNDAY          23RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME        4:30 p.m.     Religious Education classes begin        5:15 p.m.     Reconciliation        7:00 p.m.     Knights of Columbus meeting MONDAY        1:00 p.m.     "The Needlers" discussion group        6:30 p.m.     Catholic Ladies of Columbia TUESDAY        6:30 p.m.      Religious Education classes begin        6:30 p.m.      Youth Group meeting @ St. Paul's WEDNESDAY        7:00 p.m.      Newman Community meeting THURSDAY        7:00 p.m.      Peace & Justice ministry film SATURDAY        4:15 p.m.      Reconciliation        7:00 p.m.      Cardboard City event SUNDAY          24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME                            Catechetical Sunday       10:30 a.m.      Blessing of Catechists       12:00 p.m.     Youth Group/Newman picnic        1:30 p.m.      Walk for Life        4:30 p.m.      Religious Education classes        5:15 p.m.      Reconciliation
Sunday Scripture Readings      Reflection on the Scriptures has become more and more a part of basic Christian spirituality. At times we would like to return to the Sunday Scriptures at home, but we do not have the missalette with us. At other times we may be interested in seeing just what came before or immediately after the reading for the day to gain more insights.      To encourage this encounter with the Scriptures, we will be including in the bulletin the scripture reading references for the current Sunday and the following Sunday. In addition, in our on-line bulletin we will have the actual links to the readings.	New American Bible 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 50:5-9a Psalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35
QUESTIONS FOR THE RIDE HOME 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time    Just as Jesus was able to recognize the particular needs and burdens of the man who was deaf, we are challenged to treat the people in our lives with a similar kind of love. Adults: Who in my family, among my friends or at work should I approach with kindness? Children: How can I spread kindness to others this week? LITURGICAL MINISTERS    Please let Nancy Sand know any dates you CANNOT minister September through December via email: nsand@ctkathens.org or by phone, 592-2711. The September issue of Living with Christ is now available at the bulletin board in the Gathering space. These booklets are very well done. Each issue is $2.00, or you can purchase a yearly subscription for $15.00. Contact the office for more information. ANNUAL WALK FOR LIFE Sunday, September 17 1:30-4:00 P.M. CTK Parish Center Phone the Pregnancy Resource Center, 592-4700, to sign up!! ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY    The VDP Society is looking for a volunteer to take on the scheduling duties for deliveries. If you are interested, please call Wanita at 592-6085.    Volunteer(s) needed for food delivery on the third Tuesday of the month. Please contact Wanita at 592-6085 for more information or to sign up! RELIGIOUS EDUCATION    Classes begin today Sunday, September 10, and Tuesday, September 12.    Teachers are needed for grades 4th, 5th and 6th on Sundays and for 3rd grade on Tuesdays. If you are interested, please call Nancy Denhart, 594-8718 or 592-2711. Join Us. Your life will be enriched by participating in the special ministry of passing on our faith. Jesus is our guide. We follow in His footsteps! YOUTH GROUP NEWS    Jr. and Sr. High students are invited to the first youth group meeting of the year - Swapping Stories and prepping for Cardboard City. We’ll be meeting from 6:30 - 7:45PM on Tuesday night September 12 in the St. Paul Hall. Also, please plan to join us and some college students in the Newman group for a picnic at noon on Sunday, September 17th at the Dairy Lane Park to kickoff our new “Friends in God” program. R.C.I.A.    RCIA will begin on Thursday, September 21. We invite those who are: • interested in becoming Catholic • those who are already baptized and who wish to become part of the Catholic Church • those college age and above who have not been confirmed to be part of this process.    We are also looking for sponsors and team members. There may be a member of your family or a close friend who you think might be interested in RCIA. All that is lacking is an invitation. Please contact the parish office or use one of the sign-up cards. PASTORAL COUNCIL    Over the next two weekends we will begin the process of selecting our new Pastoral Council. Members will serve for a three-year term. Please nominate any parishioner -- students, too! -- who you feel would be a good member of our Council. You may nominate as many people as you wish, and you may also nominate yourself. Ballots are located at the two bulletin boards in church and at the front desk in the Parish Center. Place your marked ballot in the designated box in the Gathering Space in church. BISHOP CONLON'S PASTORAL VISIT    During the week of September 23 - the 28th, Bishop Conlon will be visiting our area. He is planning a number of talks focused on particular groups and will be celebrating Masses. Please take a flyer with you to get details of his visit; dates, times and meeting places are listed in the flyer as well as his topics of discussion.    On Sunday, September 24, the Bishop will be speaking at St. Mary of the Hills church hall from 12:30 to 5:30. A light luncheon will be served. If you are planning to attend, please sign up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board. This will help the hosts know how many meals to provide.	"He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. BIRTHDAYS: September 11 - 17 Nicholas Hornung, Sean Messerly, Marissa Coschigano, Joyce Hamby, Brad King, Anne Lombard, Flo Oellerich, Emily Tompkins, Donetta Bantle, Stacey Commerford, David Gustafson, Kelly King, Greg Grimm and Doug Schreck. ANNIVERSARIES: September 11 - 17 Danne & Cory Corrigan (7th), Melanie & John Glassmire (20th), Mary Lou & John Lavelle (54th!!), Angel & Steve Mack (17th), Patty & Richard Manzey (38th), Lisa & Danny Radford (11th), Sallie & Kent Sauber (11th), Peggy & John Scott (28th), and Jessica & Dan Stroh (2nd). Prayers for the Sick    Let's be one in hope and prayerful presence to all on our prayer list and pray for Alice Mulligan, Don Scheck, Kathleen Morrow, Jared Reinhart, Tim Ewing, Denny Jarvis, Rev. Donald Mantica, Ted Hart, Linda Huck, Mary Simmons, Teresa Walsh, Roger Howard, Mike Mulligan, and Andrew Guy. (Remembered in the petitions) RESPECT LIFE    Terry Schlossberg, longtime leader of Presbyterians Pro-Life, recently reminded her denomination that "the church's pro-abortion position keeps it from extending grace to all men and women. If we do not find the truth about what God reveals to us as human beings, we are bound to get it wrong." It is an indisputable truth that when man plays God, bad things happen. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ACTIVITIES    Habitat’s Cardboard City event is coming up next weekend: September 16-17. Please consider spending a night in a box, or be a sponsor for someone who will be there. Contact George Bain for more information at 592-3828 or gbain45701@yahoo.com. (Last year the combined youth group raised more than $1000.) PEACE & JUSTICE MINISTRY    The film The Great Warming will be shown this Thursday, September 14, at 7 p.m. in the Parish Center. This film is being shown around the world to reveal how a changing climate is affecting us all; it has been endorsed by the National Council of Churches, Evangelical Environmental Network, and the Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life. CATHOLIC COMMITTEE OF APPALACHIA    The Catholic Committee of Appalachia’s annual meeting is Sept.22-24 at Burr Oak State Park. This year’s theme is Lighting the Way to Earth-Friendly Energy. Please come for all or part of the weekend. To register, or for more information, consult the brochures in the Gathering Space or contact Bob Maher at 592-3487 or maher@ohio.edu. SACRED HEART RETREAT HOUSE    Senior Citizen Day of Reflection on Tuesday, September 12, from 10:00 till 2:00: “Triumph of the Cross” Call for reservations at 740-667-0100.    A fall dinner is being planned for Saturday, September 16, at 7:00 P.M. at Sacred Heart Retreat house. Call 740-667-0100 to reserve a place. MINISTRY TRAINING    Eucharistic Ministers will be trained after all Masses next weekend, September 16/17; see Nancy Sand.    Nancy will be training Readers after all Masses the following weekend, September 23/24.    Altar servers will be trained after the 8:30 and 10:30 Masses the weekend of September 30/October 1. MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER weekends in Columbus are September 22-24 and November 10-12. Call Paul & Marilou Clouse at 740-746-9003 for information or check out the website: wwME.org Other weekends are September 22-24 in Akron and November 3-4 in Marietta. Call Tim and Lori at 330-305-9963 or email WorldwideME@aol.com for information/reservations.