Parafia p.w. Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny
ST. MARY’S POLISH PARISH
21 Wesley St., Sydney, NS, B1N 2M5
Tel.: 564-4847
www.StMarysPolishParish.ca
Witamy wszystkich! Welcome to all!
We are pleased to share our faith and rich traditions with the whole community.
Celebrating 100 years of faith and service (1913-2013)

PROBOSZCZ/PASTOR:  Father Paul Murphy 564-4355
MSZY/MASSES: Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. preceeded at 3 p.m. by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and at 3:30 by Stations of the Cross (post Wed. Mass Novena to Our Lady of Częstochowa resumes after Lent)

SPOWIEDŹ:  Godzina do uzgodnienia z księdzem.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Anytime upon request to the priest.

SAKRAMENT CHRZTU ŚWIĘTEGO:  Prosimy o kontakt z księdzem conajmniej na 1 miesiąc przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM: Please contact the priest at least one month in advance.

SAKRAMENT MAŁZEŃSTWA:   Zapowiedzi powinny być ogłoszone conajmniej na 6 miesięcy przed planowaną datę.
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY: Intentions must be announced at least six months in advance.

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Trzecia Niedziela Wielkiego Postu / Third Sunday of Lent

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION is for Roman Siwak offered by Steffie Black & family. Eternal rest grant onto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Wieczny odpoczynek racz Mu dać Panie, a swiatłość wiekuista niechaj Mu świeci na wieki wieków. Amen.

TODAY’S RESPONSORIAL PSALM: “Pan jest łaskawy, pełen miłosierdzia.” [The Lord is gracious and merciful. Pronunciation: Pan /yest/ waz-kav-ih / pe-w-en/ me-wo-sher-jiah]

The Vigil Candle this week is for John Tynski offered by Nellie & family.

Ushers for collection today: Toni LaRusic, Michael Melski

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NASTĘPNY TYDZIEŃ / THE WEEK AHEAD:

Wednesday, March 6, 4:00 p.m.: preceeded at 3 p.m. by the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 3:30 p.m. by the Stations of the Cross. The Mass intention will be for Fred & Nora Baker offered by Jean Annette and Richard White.

Sunday, March 10, 9:30 a.m.: The Mass intention will be for Jerry Kelly offered by Marjorie & Paul MacKinnon. 
Lectors: Stephanie Black, Tom Urbaniak
Eucharistic Minister: Janet Hawthorne
Altar Servers: Brianna, Nicholas

Collection receipts for Sunday, February 25:  $1445.00 (broken down as follows: $1026.00 weekly contribution, $165.00 monthly supplementary contribution, $72.00 candles, $135.00 fuel, $5.00 initial offering, $5.00 other donation, $37.00 building fund. Thank you very much for your support of St. Mary’s Polish Parish. Serdecznie dziękujemy!

MASS CARDS/VIGIL CANDLE/MASS INTENTIONS: Please call Paul Tynski (562-1716)
Please Note: No individual Mass intentions will be taken for Sept. 8 (100 years to the day since our founding). The intention will be for all parishioners, living and deceased.

“IMIENINY” (NAME DAYS) FOR THE COMING WEEK. Help to maintain a longstanding Polish Catholic tradition by acknowledging relatives, friends, and colleagues who are celebrating their “name day,” corresponding with the feast day of a saint of the same name.  Where there is more than one saint of the same name who has been assigned a day, your “name day” is the one closest to your birthday. It is customary in the Polish tradition to acknowledge the name day of a relative or friend:
March 3: Hieronim, Maryna
March 4: Adrian, Adrianna, Arkadiusz, Eugeniusz, Kazimierz, Lucja
March 5: Adrian, Adrianna, Fryderyk, Jan, Wacław, Wacława
March 6: Eugenia, Jordan, Klaudian, Róża, Wiktor, Wojsław
March 7: Felicja, Paweł, Tomasz
March 8: Beata, Jan, Julian, Miligost, Miłogost, Stefan
March 9: Dominik, Franciszka, Katarzyna
March 10: Aleksander, Borzysław, Cyprian

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OGŁOSZENIA / ANNOUNCEMENTS

CHANGE IN WEDNESDAY MASS TIME FOR THE WINTER MONTHS: 4 p.m.: Our Wednesday evening Mass is at 4 p.m. Novena to Our Lady of Czestochowa follows as usual. Father Paul has effected this change out of consideration for people who may find it difficult to drive in the dark, especially in inclement winter conditions.

WEEKLY ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT every Wednesday at 3 p.m. (one hour before the Wednesday Mass) in our church. STATIONS OF THE CROSS take place at approximately 3:30 p.m. This is an important component of our 100th anniversary year, as we strengthen our life of prayer and spiritual devotion as a parish.

LUNCH AFTER MASS TODAY – EVERYONE IS WELCOME.  There will be a box near the stairs for non-perishable food bank contributions as part of our parish’s STO DAROW initiative. Thank you!

THANK YOU to everyone who made Friday evening’s question-and-answer session in our church with Chris Borgal, one of Canada’s leading architects specializing in heritage conservation, a success. It was well attended, and Bishop Dunn was also present. The focus of the session was “Caring for Historic Places of Worship,” and there was practical advice as well as higher-level reflections on the special meaning of sacred places.  Special thanks to Peggy Ryba, hospitality chair, Chef Jonasz, and Lynette Ryba, to Nicole Baker for preparatory and promotional assistance, to our greeters Teresa Fagan and Anna Wesolkowska, to photographer Chris Shipley, to videographer Patricia Nalepa (a DVD of the session will be available soon upon request), and to everyone else who helped.

The ST. MICHAEL’S POLISH BENEFIT SOCIETY will hold a special meeting this evening at 7 p.m.

The parish’s Rada Duszpasterska (Pastoral Council) will meet on Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Parish Centre.

PREPARING PIEROGI FOR A PARISH FUND-RAISER: Can you assist? All volunteers are welcome. We will be starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, in the church basement. Dziekujemy!

CHARITABLE INCOME TAX RECEIPTS FOR 2012 ARE READY!

ADDITIONAL TIME IN OUR CHURCH FOR PRAYER AND MEDITATION: If you would like to access the church for prayer outside usual Mass hours, please don’t hesitate to call 563-1226. You are also welcome to show our spiritual home to visitors. Please encourage any visitors to take home one of our self-guided descriptive tours (at the back of the church), which discuss our sacred and historic artefacts.

POLISH CONSULAR SERVICES IN NOVA SCOTIA: Jan Skora of Halifax is the new honorary consul in Nova Scotia representing the Republic of Poland. If you need help with any services that might involve assistance from the Polish government or material on Poland, please feel free to contact him. He can be reached at (902) 219-0408; e-mail: jan.k.skora@gmail.com; website:  www.polishconsulhalifax.ca.

CAN YOU LEND SOME PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS, OR ARTEFACTS RELATED TO OUR PARISH AND TO THE LOCAL POLISH COMMUNITY? These would not be required until the summer for a centenary exhibit and for a DVD, but a list is being compiled now. Please contact researcher Patricia Nalepa at ECECP@hotmail.ca or 563-1226.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE invites all to a presentation by Mr. Mam Sambath of Combodia. A survivor of the infamous Cambodian “killing fields” era, Mr. Mam is now Director of Development and Partnership in Action (DPA), an organization that works to ensure that management and control of natural resources remain in the hands of indigenous communities which have always lived on these lands. All are welcome to attend this talk at St. Theresa’s Parish Hall on Tuesday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR ON-LINE “VIRTUAL TOUR” www.stmaryspolishparish.ca

BLESSED KAROLINA KÓZKA, A YOUNG ROLE MODEL FOR DIFFICULT TIMES: Karolina lived her 16 years in Wal-Ruda, Poland. She was murdered by occupying soldiers at the start of World War I. From a very young age, she was devoted to prayer and service. She encouraged her whole village to pray the Rosary daily. She befriended people who were ostracized by society. She gathered food for the poor and spent time with the sick. She responded to the occupiers not with harsh words but by praying for their souls. Her cause for beatification was made in 1965, and she was recognized as “Blessed” and as a martyr for Christ in 1987 by Pope John Paul II. She is considered a patron of youth and of farmers.

EXCERPT FROM POPE BENEDICT XVI’s STATEMENT AT HIS FINAL GENERAL AUDIENCE (Feb. 27): … It’s true that I receive letters from the world's greatest figures - from the Heads of State, religious leaders, representatives of the world of culture and so on. I also receive many letters from ordinary people who write to me simply from their heart and let me feel their affection, which is born of our being together in Christ Jesus, in the Church. These people do not write me as one might write, for example, to a prince or a great figure one does not know. They write as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, with the sense of very affectionate family ties. Here, one can touch what the Church is – not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian purposes, but a living body, a community of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, who unites us all. To experience the Church in this way and almost be able to touch with one’s hands the power of His truth and His love, is a source of joy, in a time in which many speak of its decline.

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TODAY’S HYMNS:
Entrance: W krzyzu cierpienie -- #82 in the coil-bound hymnal (also please see the insert in today’s bulletin)
Offertory: Przyjmij od nas Boze (not in hymnal)
Communion: Jezusa ukrytego -- #113
Post-Communion: Pozwol mi Twe meki spiewac (not in hymnal)
Closing Hymn Words: Ciebie Boze Chwalimy -- #244