Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church and School Fort Worth’s Only African American/Diverse Catholic Parish 1001-1007 East Terrell Avenue Fort Worth Texas 76104 817.335.1695-C’;817.923.0058-S [email protected] www.omomftworth.org CLERGY:

REV. JEROME G. LEDOUX, SVD Pastoral Administrator 817.335.1695 [email protected] MASS SCHEDULE:

Saturday Vigil: 5PM Sunday: 8AM ,10AM, &1PM (Spanish Mass) School Mass: 8:30AM (September thru May) Holy Days of Obligation—(Consult the bulletin.) RECONCILIATION:

Before Mass & by appointment February 22, 2015 / 22 de febrero de 2015 First Sunday of Lent Primer Domingo de Cuaresma ———————————————————————————PARISH MISSION STATEMENT Declaración Parroquial de Misión Our Mother of Mercy is a predominately African American Catholic Church Community whose members, guided by the Holy Spirit, strive to deepen their own faith and to share the “Good News” through their faith, gifts, and culture with others. Our Mother of Mercy es una Iglesia católica de una comunidad predominante africano americano cuyos miembros, guiados por el Espíritu Santo, intentan a profundizar su propia fe y a compartir la Buena Nueva por su fe, sus dones, y su cultura con los demás. _______________________________________________ MOTTO LEMA All for the greater Glory of God. Todo para la Gloría más grande de Dios

St. Ignatius Loyola

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Our hearts are restless Oh God and they will never find rest until they rest in you. Nuestros corazones son insatisfechos hasta que descanse en ti. St. Augustine

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE WE ARE CONFLICTED ABOUT PAIN AND PLEASURE Mardi Gras seems to chase the celebrated groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, into the fading weeks of winter each year, making the best of the dreary hangover of Jack Frost, even while pining for the reassuring, gentle, pleasant air of springtime. If towns like New Orleans and Rio De Janeiro and even countries like Germany with their “Fasching” go a bit overboard, we can at least partially understand their excess. More than anything else, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and since recent decades also Lundi Gras (Fat Monday), have come to represent the human longing for a life of freedom from anxiety and pain, and simultaneously a life steeped in exhilarating joie de vivre, sumptuous feasting whenever possible and “Let the good times roll!” Frankly, one must admit that among the most moving kinds of music for most folks is precisely the genre ranging from, “Come on, Baby, let the good times roll! Come on, Baby, let me fill your soul!” to the famous “Second Line” that traditionally closes all Mardi Gras balls. Such music expresses the longing just described above. As midnight chimes the death knell of Mardi Gras, its opposite, “Skinny Wednesday,” ushers in 40 days of penance signed with ashes. Ashes, of course, are a sign of serious business – as serious as our mortality and sinfulness. So let’s not kid ourselves about what is real penance or a charade of going through the motions.

For instance, we equate abstinence from meat with penance. However, I have met a considerable number of people who do not like meat. For them, abstinence is no penance at all. Meanwhile, eating seafood is the conventional substitute for meat in the Lenten plan. Yet, for seafood lovers, this substitute is no penance at all. Caught between the curious elements of this mélange are those who do not like seafood. On the other hand, we do a number of inconvenient, even painful things in order to take care of body beautiful, whether to achieve weight loss or to chisel our body into a finer specimen of humanity. There is no reason why we cannot enable our motives to multitask by elevating that inconvenience and pain into penance. The same holds for hard work, even though that is inevitable, because hard work delivers pain and a longing for respite. Equally, sickness and accidental hurts should be offered to God as penance for all our failings. For some folks, this category is one of the most serious of all, especially when dealing with terminal illness. It is truly a strong and efficacious form of penance very acceptable to God. The ultimate penance for most people is the earthly deprivation/loss of a loved one who has gone on to God. Going home has a pleasant ring to it, except when it entails the loss of a very dear one until eternity do us reunite. Unlike most pains, this one is so deep, so acute and so persistent – often for many years – that it triggers one’s desire to change places with the beloved or to join him/ her. All these reflections demonstrate that we often seek

penance elsewhere while actual penance is all around us and a part of our environment and very life. We can add to this the huge importance of forbearance, or, as Paul says eloquently in 1 Corinthians 13:7, (love) “bears all things… endures all things.” Forbearance, of course, must begin with our own family, extended family, then community. So, being good can actually be a form of penance? It certainly can, because being good all the time, at least for most of us, can be matter of great, persistent effort, annoyance and even of pain. Again, spiritual multitasking is in order here and the power source is the good intention of offering all our thoughts, words and actions up to God. The good intention turns all that we do into spiritual treasure. By definition, penance is either a deprivation of something one likes or the difficulty or inconvenience of doing something good for someone. But, if you hold the door for people routinely, that activity is not a strong penance. The same goes for all the courtesies that you generally do for others in any season of the year, since the rationale is that, for you, such activities are not a deprivation or inconvenience. If you are a vegan – the virtual equivalent of a lifetime sentence to the most stringent abstinence and fast – one is conflicted on a daily, even hourly, basis with the relative merits of pain and pleasure. At the physical level, our body is inclined to sop up the pleasant at every opportunity, while our mind is equally prone to seek the higher enjoyments of knowledge, storytelling, intellectual feats and jests. I have been a vegan so long – almost 19 years – that I enjoy it. Going without meat, dairy, seafood, sugar, salt and fat is no burden. Think about that a minute. "God is love, and all who abide in love abide in God and God in them." (1 John 4:16)

Rev. Jerome G. LeDoux, SVD

COMMUNITY PRAYER

Fr. LeDoux, Jeanette Asare, Evelyn Joseph, John Malachi, Giselle Robinson, Earline Robinson, Debra Hillary, Richard Lee, Sr., Olga & Larry Martinez, & all the sick and shut in. First Sunday of Lent February 22, 2015 [Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your path. —Psalm 25:4 Mildred Gardner, Don Snow, Thang Nguyen, Arnold Brown, Wilbert Youman, J. D. Brown, Pearl Gordon, Rosalind Reynolds, Eunice Wilson, Wilhelmina Harkey, Mary Jean Lily, Oscar Haswell, Renee Gordon, Jocelyn Thomas, Bernard Washington, Thelma Wentzel, Richard Menefield, Rena Brown, Michael Charles Happy Birthday To: Henry Recseandez, Roshell Turner, Brittany Haynes, Rev, Jerome G. LeDoux, Nyka Robins, Byron Roberts, and to anyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary between February 22 to February 28. February 22--First Sunday of Lent--A Vocation View: As we begin this Lenten season we are

reminded of the everlasting covenant God made with us. Renew the promise you made with God. Believe in the Good News! Divine Word Missionaries and Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit 800-553-3321 22 de febrero - Primer Domingo de Cuaresma Vocación Vista: Al comenzar este tiempo de

Cuaresma nos recuerda el pacto eterno que Dios hizo con nosotros. Renovar la promesa que hiciste con Dios . Crean en la Buena Nueva !

Primer Domingo de Cuaresma 22 de febrero de 2015 Descúbrenos, Señor,

tus caminos, guíanos con la verdad de tu doctrina.— Salmo 25 (24):4 Beginning Experience Are you, or is someone you know, struggling after the loss of a marriage partner? The Beginning Experience is a peer ministry for widowed, separated, or divorced individuals. It is a weekend program to help move from the darkness of grief into the light of a new beginning of hope for the future. Rooted in the Catholic tradition, this ministry is open to men and women of all faiths. The next weekend retreat will be held February 27 - March 1, 2015 at the Catholic Conference and Formation Center in Dallas. To register please call or text our voicemail number at (682) "BE-DFWGO", that is (682) 233-3946, or e-mail the DFW Beginning Experience Team at [email protected]. Additional information can be found at www.beginningexperiencedfw.org.

Misioneros del Verbo Divino y hermanas Siervas del Espíritu Santo 800-553-3321

LENT—TURN AWAY FROM SIN Sister in the Spirit of St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church Invite all Women 18 and Older to their Women’s Lenten Retreat Friday March 6 thru Sunday March 8 3006 Rosedale at Ennis, Houston, TX Hotel information at [email protected] Presenters: Frs. Kenneth Hamilton, SVD, Charles Smith, SVD, and Chester Smith, SVD of the Bowman Francis Ministry Team See bulletin board displays for more info!

Saturday, February 21—5pm Mass offered for the intentions of Charles Boatright Sunday February 22—8am Mass offered for the intentions for Charles Boatright. Both Masses requested by Kateri Howard. Sábado , Misa de febrero 21-5pm ofrecido por las intenciones de Charles Boatright Misa dominical febrero 22-8am ofrecido por las intenciones de Charles Boatright. Ambas misas solicitadas por Kateri Howard

DIOCESAN AND PARISH NEWS

OUR MOTHER OF MERCY CHURCH CALENDAR/UPCOMING EVENT PRAYER GROUPS—EACH MONDAY AT 7PM AND SATURDAY AT 12:30PM February 22—St. Anne’s Altar Society Soul Food Dinner Sale.

Saturday Night Soup and Cinema February 21 - March 28th Saturday Night Soup and Cinema in the cafeteria for the 6 Saturdays in Lent. The evening will start at 6:30pm. Each Saturday meals will consist of two different soups which will include bread or a sandwich and a drink. There will also be a movie which will kind of go along with a lenten reflection. The cost will be $7.00.

The movies to be shown will be the following : The Miracle, The Prince of Egypt, The Robe, Ben Hur, Song of Bernadette, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth and the Passion of Christ. We will also have popcorn to be served with a small donation as cost.

Stations of the Cross each Friday 7-7:30pm February 15, 2015 Regular Collection—————–———–——–—-$1,375.00 Spanish Mass—————–————–—–———–——-——76.00 St. Vincent de Paul——————-————————-421.00 Attendance—130 Our Mother of Mercy School Golf Classic 2015 Friday, April 24, 2015 at 1pm Woodhaven Country Club 7113 Country Club Lane Ft Worth, TX 76112 Registration begins @11:30am Shotgun start at 1pm Event hosted by: Knights of Peter Claver, Council 89 2015 Classic Honorees: LaVida News/The Black Voice Chuch Hatley, Deputy Constable Precent 7 Special Guest: Mayor Betsy Price Early Registration: http://www.tournevents.com/ omm2015 Early registration (before April 18, 2015) $90 per player$340 per team After April 18, 2015 $100 per player$400 per team Contact Art Sanford @ 817.296.3921

Sábado Noche Sopa y Cinema 21 febrero-28 marzo Sábado Noche Sopa y Cine en la cafetería para los 6 sábados de Cuaresma . La velada comenzará a las 6:30 pm . Cada comidas Sábado constarán de dos sopas diferentes que incluirán pan o un sándwich y una bebida. También habrá una película que tipo de ir junto con una reflexión cuaresmal . El costo será de $ 7.00. Las películas que se mostrarán serán los siguientes : El Milagro , El príncipe de Egipto , La túnica sagrada , Ben Hur , canción de Bernadette , La historia más grande jamás contada , Jesús de Nazaret y la Pasión de Cristo. Nosotros también hemos palomitas de maíz que se sirve con una pequeña donación como costo .

or [email protected] Nuestra Madre de la Misericordia Escuela Golf Classic 2015 Viernes, 24 de abril 2015 a 13:00 Woodhaven Country Club 7113 Country Club Carril Fort Worth, TX 76112 La inscripción comienza @ 11 : 30 am Disparo de salida a la 1 pm Evento organizado por : Caballeros de Pedro Claver , 89 2015 Classic homenajeados : LaVida Noticias / La Voz Negro Chuch Hatley, Adjunto Constable Precent de 7 Invitado especial: Mayor Betsy Precio

Inscripción anticipada : http:// www.tournevents.com/omm2015 Inscripción temprana (antes de 18 de abril 2015 ) $ 90 por jugador $ 340 por equipo Después de 18 de abril 2015 $ 100 por jugador$ 400 por equipo Contacte Arte Sanford @ 817.296.3921 o [email protected]

PARISH COMMUNITY AND MINISTRIES Bulletin Editor —Delores Newton 817.946.6296 LITURGICAL—Joyce B. Thomas 817.483.9838 Altar Servers—John Malachi 817. 293.8897 Choir — Zenobia Collins 682.365.4156 Eucharistic Ministers—John Malachi 817.293.8897 Lectors—Malinda Walker 817.534.4772 Ushers — Tom Byrd 817.240.1224 EDUCATION & FORMATION Baptism (Children) Joyce B. Thomas 817.437.8394 RCIA/Baptism Adults—Carolyn Yusuf 817.726.6762 RCIA Children, 1st Communion, CCE Arlene Manning — 817.483.9324 PARISH MINISTERIES Hospitality —Kay Norvel, Cynthia Sanford 817.229.4750 Bereavement —Betty Harris 817.429.9492 Sick Ministry — Rev. Jerome LeDoux 817.335.7695 Bldg. & Facilities — Frank Norvel Ray Egana 817.253.0806 Youth Ministry — VACANT St. Anne’s Altar Society –Joyce B. Thomas 817.483.9838 Knights of St. Peter Claver — Tom Byrd 817.240.1224 KPC Ladies Auxiliary — Carolyn Yusuf 817.726.6762 St. Vincent De Paul —Ruby Robinson 817.939.8747 St. Vincent De Paul Emergency Line 817.768.1950 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION 817.923.0058 Colonel (Ret.) Michael Barks—President Amy Malinowski—Principal School Board Advisory Council: Linda Campbell, Bob Hazen, Frank Norvel, Ruby Robinson Ron Russell, Art Sanford, Jodi Newton Pastoral Council Representative Leadership: Tom Byrd Keeping Children Safe — Janae T. Page 817.825.0879 RETROUVAILLE PROGRAM Laura & John Elkins OMM MINISTERS OF MARRIAGE Lana & Reginald Alexander, Sr. FINANCE COMMITTEE Kay Norvel, Carolyn Smith, Lorenzo Wilborn OMM School Alumni Ass. —Marie Barks 817.846.0332 If you would like to become more active with your church family, the names listed above are ministry leaders who are available to assist you. Please feel free to contact them to inquire about the group. Si quieren hacerse más involucrado con su familia de la iglesia, los nombres en la lista de arriba son los de los líderes de los ministerios que pueden ayudarles. Favor de llamarles en cualquier momento para más información acerca del grupo BULLETIN DEADLINE. The bulletin deadline is Sunday by 6pm.Announcements are to be received by the editor by 6pm the Sunday before your announcement is to appear in the bulletin. Please email your announcements to [email protected] or mail to the rectory 1005 East Terrell Avenue. The secretary/ bulletin editor is in the office from 10am to 2pm on Fridays. El Vencimiento del Boletín. El vencimiento del boletín es el domingo antes de las 6 pm. La editora del boletín necesita recibir su anuncio antes de las 6pm el domingo antes de que su anuncio aparecerá en el boletín. Favor de mandar los anuncios por email a [email protected] o mandarlos por correo a la rectoría 1005 East Terrell Avenue. La secretaria/editora del boletín está en la oficina de las 10am hasta las 2pm los viernes

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:715 Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-3, 7c -8; Mt 7:7-12 Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26 Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48 LECTURAS DE LA SEMANA Lunes: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Sal 19 (18):8-10, 15; Mt 25:31-46 Martes: Is 55:10-11; Sal 34 (33):4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7 -15 Miércoles: Jon 3:1-10; Sal 51 (50):3-4, 12-13, 1819; Lc 11:29-32 Jueves: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Sal 138 (137):13, 7c-8; Mt 7:7-12 Viernes: Ez 18:21-28; Sal 130 (129):1-8; Mt 5:2026 Sábado: Dt 26:16-19; Sal 119 (118):1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48

The retreat has been a life-changing and spiritual awakening for me. I feel that any woman who has had an abortion should come to the Retreat to experience healing and forgiveness.” - Testimony after a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat

Give us a call and join us on the next Rachel Weekend Retreat and experience forgiveness. Rachel Ministries 817-923-4757 Next Retreat April 10

“El Retiro ha sido un cambio de vida y un despertar espiritual para mí. Yo siento que cualquier mujer que ha tenido un aborto debía de venir al Viñedo de Raquel para experimentar sanación y perdón.”

- Testimonio después del Retiro del Viñedo de Raquel

Llámenos y reúnase con nosotros en el próximo Retiro del Viñedo de Raquel

Ministerios de Raquel 817-886-4760 Próximo Retiro 24 de Abril

Feb. 21-22, 2015 - “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Allow God to work and move in your marriage relationship. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is Apr. 10-12, 2015. Dates fill fast. To apply, visit our website at: http://www.dfwme.org/apply . For more information e-mail [email protected] or call 469444-0904. Para mas informacion de Encuentro Matrimonial en Espanol, escriba a

[email protected] www.seccion15.org/

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CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS Our Mother of Mercy #727500 1001 E. Terrell Avenue Fort Worth TX 76104 PHONE 817-335-1695 CONTACT PERSON Delores Newton 817-946-6296 (C) [email protected] SOFTWARE Microsoft Publisher® 2007 Adobe Acrobat 9.0® Windows XP Professional® PRINTER ??? NUMBER OF PAGES SENT Cover + 4 text pages + this page = 6 SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION ??? TRANSMISSION TIME ??? = to be determined SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

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