St. Stephen Church News and Events

Deceased: James Cook

Banns of Marriage: II Jason Mays & Lauren Holewinski

Reminder to Parents: Should you have to leave the church with your child, the sound system in the church basement will allow you to listen to the Mass while tending to your child. An usher can show you how to access the church basement rather than going outside in the winter weather.

Found: There were two pairs of prescription eyeglasses found in the church. Please contact the parish center at 410-592-7072.

Ladies of Charity would like to thank our parishioners for the donations received this past year. Due to your generosity, we were able to distribute $19,500 to 37 worthwhile organizations.

Maintenance Collection Update: The Parish Center lower and upper floor window replacement project has begun this past week. Once completed, all the Parish Center windows will have been replaced with energy efficient models. Besides improving the appearance of the building, we will see a reduction in heating and cooling costs. Once again, thank you for your continuing support of our monthly Maintenance Collection.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is February 17th. Masses will be at 7:30 am, 4:00 pm, and 7:00 pm. Ashes will be blessed and imposed during Mass.

The Light is On! The sacrament of Penance will be offered every Wednesday during Lent, except for Ash Wednesday and the Wednesday of Holy Week. Confession will be heard from 7:00 until 8:00 pm in the Church. Eucharist Adoration will take place during Confession.

Stations of the Cross will take place on the Fridays of Lent at 7:00 pm in the Church.

Fast & Abstinence from Meat During Lent: All persons who have reached their 14th birthday are bound by the law of abstinence. All adults, between 18 and 60 years of age, are bound by the law of fast. Ash Wednesday & Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat and also days of fast; that is, limited to a single full meal. The other Fridays of Lent remain days of abstinence from meat.

Archbishop's Annual Appeal: The 2010 Archbishop's Annual Appeal is now underway. Many of our parishioners have received a mailing from Archbishop O'Brien asking that you make a pledge to the 2010 Appeal. The Appeal not only funds the operations of the Archdiocese, it funds the services that are of great help to the ministries here in our parish. This year, the theme of the Appeal is "When I called, you answered me." Our contributions to our parish and our Archdiocese serve as a sign of our gratitude not only for God's answers to our prayers, but also as a sign of our recognition that all that we are and all that we have are gifts given to us by God. Your gift will enable Archdiocesan support of ministry, education, and service that touch thousands of lives in our Archdiocese. If possible, please answer the Archbishop's request and make a donation or pledge. All pledges can be given in ten monthly installments. Thank you for your support of the 2010 Annual Appeal.

Religious Education: February 9th - All classes meet as usual grades 7-12. If you have any questions, please contact Kellie Reynolds at 410-592-7294.

Scripture Study Book of Revelation: There is some interest in forming a Scripture Study on the Book of Revelation on a week day in the evening. If you would like to be part of the group, please contact Sr. Angela at 410-592-7294 or redsdef@comcast.net .

Parish Mission: Longing for spiritual enrichment and deepening faith? Step out of clock time and enter into a seasonal "soul-time." St. Stephen Parish Mission will be held on Sunday, February 21st, Monday, February 22nd and Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 pm in the Church. Presenter is Fr. Joachim Anthony Giermek, OFM Conventual (Franciscan). Topics: Knowing for Certain What God Wants Out of Me for Life, Finding God in the World Around Me, and Facing My Death and Resurrection. Join others who desire spiritual renewal!

Taize' Lenten Prayer: Please note: There will be no Taize' prayer Sunday, February 14th, Please join us during Lent for Prayer Around the Cross on February 28th, March 7th, 14th, & 21st. Taize' prayer lends itself so well to our Lenten disciplines. Its quiet contemplative style assists us in listening to the still small voice of God who continually calls us to drink from his well of Living Water. Come and experience this deep and profound form of prayer during Lent this year. Prayer begins at 7:00 pm in the church and lasts for one hour.

Taize' Baltimore ... The Pilgrimage Continues: The greater Baltimore area will be gathering for prayer February 26th at Govans Presbyterian Church located at 5828 York Road, Baltimore MD 21212. This gathering has become a beautiful ecumenical time of prayer that is breaking down the barriers that divide the Body of Christ. During prayer around the cross, priests and ministers will be available for confession and individual prayer. A potluck supper begins at 6:00 pm. Prayer begins at 7:30 pm and continues as long as people stay to pray.

Fiscal 2010 Six Month Financial Report: We recently closed our first six months of Fiscal 2010. The financial report is available on the tables in the back of the church. As compared to the six months last year, our income receipts were less, but so were our expenses. We generated operating income of $569,325 this year that was $13,000 less than last year. Our operating expenses were $560,676 this year that was $37,000 less than last year. Our total net income for the six months was $10,412 as compared to a deficit of $17,106 at the same time last year. The main cause of our reduced income was lower offertory collections this year. Our reduced expenses were due to lower heating oil costs, reduced technology expenses and lower benefit expenses than last year. We are thankful for your continued support of our parish.

Our Daily Bread Winter Needs: During these cold winter days, we serve between 500-800 people a warm and hearty lunch each and every day. We rely on your generosity! Would your parish consider donating frozen macaroni & cheese casseroles (either homemade or purchased), collecting sandwich bags or bags of sugar to donate and/or collecting gift cards to be used to purchase food and supplies? We would be so grateful for your help! For more information, please contact our volunteer line at 443-986-9031.

Helping Hands Food Pantry: The shelves of nonperishable foods are in dire need of soups, canned fruit, pork and beans at the food pantry. Of course, all nonperishable foods are needed and we appreciate whatever you can donate. Please leave them in the container on the back porch of the parish center.

Won't You Consider Helping? We are in great need of parishioners willing to give 15 minutes of their time once every 4 weeks! If you have this time available, please keep reading. Won't you consider greeting at the Sunday Mass of your choice once every 4 weeks; all Mass times need help. It is a great opportunity to get to know some parishioners you might never have had a chance to meet and is a wonderful way to make St. Stephen's the warm and welcoming parish we all know it is! Please contact Diane Endlich at 410-676-4143.

Ice World Food Drive: During these cold winter months we're reminded of how difficult it can be for families to have the basic necessities of life. We spent a few hours in the cold ourselves at Ice World and in doing so over 270 skaters donated over 300 food items for St. Vincent de Paul's Harford County outreach. Thank you!

St. Stephen School Applications & Registrations: If you are interested in more information about our school, please contact Mrs. Ginni Zachmeier at 410-592-7617. St. Stephen School begins with Pre-K 3 and continues up through the 8th grade. The 3-year olds must be 3 by September 1, 2009.

Annual Campaign for Our Students has begun and at present we have received $30,650.99. Thank you for your wonderful support for our students!

Special Thank You: Thank you to the following parishioners who were so kind and donated to the Annual Campaign for Our Students. God Bless You All! Mr. & Mrs. Brian Andrychowski, Mr. & Mrs. Ben Capacio, Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Deaver, Mr. & Mrs. John Marquette, and Mr. & Mrs. Donald Smith. To be continued next week .....

Re-Registration January 25th to February 12th: Parents have from January 25th until February 12th to re-register for the 2010-2011 school year. Please make sure you have your papers in before February 12th. Thank you!

St. Stephen School Fathers' Club is proud to sponsor the annual Family Bowling party. Join us on Sunday, February 28th from 12:30 until 2:30 pm at the Perry Hall Brunswick Lanes. Cost is $8 for children (16 & under) and $10 for adults. This includes Cosmic bowling, shoes, fun, pizza and more fun! Contact Ted Borzymowski at 443-324-6255 or email at tedborzymowski@comcast.net.

Childcare for Valentine's Day weekend. Surprise that special Valentine in your life!! Go to dinner, enjoy a movie or just spend some time together. Back by popular demand, St. Stephen's Girl Scouts will provide childcare for ages 2-12 on Saturday, February 13th from 4:30 until 8:30 pm. Dinner, games, activities, snacks & drinks will be provided. $12/child for the first 2 children. $10/child for each additional child. Reserve your spots. Call Rene' at 410-877-0698 or Mary at 410-877-3544.

Longaberger Basket/Vera Bradley Purses Bingo will be held at Prince of Peace Church in Edgewood on Sunday, February 14th. Snow date is Sunday, February 21st. Doors open at 1:30 pm and bingo starts at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets required for admission for all ages. Price includes 20 regular games. Three special games and a "split the pot" cover - all sold separately. Raffles, baked goods and refreshments will be offered. For more information or advance tickets, contact Sr. Susanne at 410-679-5912 or Dolores Huff at 410-676-0418. In the interest of promoting a healthy environment for our children, this will be a non-smoking bingo.

Little Sisters of the Poor Discernment Retreat: The Little Sisters of the Poor, 4200 Harewood Road, NE, Washington DC (side street of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception), 202-269-1914 or 202-256-0630. Annual discernment retreat is scheduled for February 12th-14th. Single young women ages 18-36 who are discerning a Religious Vocation. No fee. You need to make your reservation by January 15th.

Catholic Lobby Night: Join Maryland's bishops and hundreds of fellow Catholics on Presidents' Day on Monday, February 15th for the 26th annual Catholic Lobby Night in Annapolis, where this year's theme of "Testimony of Charity" is drawn from Pope Benedict's recent encyclical. Lobby Night is an advocacy event that gives Catholic voters the opportunity to speak in person with their elected officials about issues including support for pregnant women, poverty, Catholic schools and marriage. Registration is required. Visit www.mdcathcon.org or call the Maryland Catholic Conference at 410-269-1155 or 301-261-1979 to register or for more information.

Bishops' Statement on Support for Pregnant Women: One of the most powerful testimonies to the culture of life is support of pregnant women in need. In the new statement "Set Out in Haste," the Maryland bishops discuss the need to reach out to pregnant women, as well as review recent proposals that target pregnancy resource centers. These centers provide pregnant women with emotional and material support. To learn more about this issue and how you can help, please read the bishops' statement at www.mdcathcon.org.

8th Annual Kids Bingo will be held February 19th (snow date February 26th) in St. Stephen Hall. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Games begin at 7:00 pm. Food available for purchase. $6/card in advance. $8/card at the door. Winner's choice prizes. For information call Rene' at 410-877-0698 or email renemo@hotmail.com .

Catholic Engaged Encounter is an international program committed to preparing couples for the sacrament of marriage. Engaged couples attend a weekend retreat that fosters openness and communication through a series of presentations, private reflection, and dialog time. Catholic Engaged Encounter is an approved marriage preparation program within the Baltimore Archdiocese. Below is a list of upcoming retreat dates: 2010 Weekends: January 22nd through 24th, February 26th through 28th, March 12th through 14th and Mar 26th through 28th. For more information or to register for a weekend, please visit our website at www.mdcee.org or call 410-439-4217.

Discount Snow Tubing Tickets for Avalanche Express, York PA are available through St. Stephen Girl Scouts. Holiday/weekend passes that do not expire are available for $21 for tubers over 6 years old. Snow tube all day from open to close, not just a 2 hour slot. See flyers in the back of the Church.

World Marriage Day Mass: All married couples are invited to a special Mass with Archbishop O'Brien on Sunday, February 14th at 3:00 pm at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on N. Charles Street. A reception will follow the Mass in the parish center. No tickets are required. The longest married couples from each parish will be honored. The parish will notify the longest married couples and invite them to attend the Mass. Longest married couple nominees will receive a certificate from World Wide Marriage Encounter and a letter of congratulations from the Archbishop. If you think you are the longest married couple in our parish, please contact the parish center. Married 25 years or more? Any couple planning to attend the Mass who are married 25 years or more may register to receive a Certificate of Congratulations from World Wide Marriage Encounters by registering on the Marriage Encounter website, www.wwme.net/registration_wmd.html or by calling 410-987-8407 by February 3rd.

Always Our Children/Encourage Support Group: In offering support to parents who may be dealing with concerns that present themselves when a son or daughter informs them of a homosexual orientation, our Catholic Bishops state: "You need not face this painful time alone, without human assistance or God's grace. The Church can be an instrument of both help and healing." Parents confronting these issues for the first time, as well as those who may have journeyed through them, are welcome. The group meets on the fourth Monday of each month from 7:30 until 9:00 pm at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel meeting room, 719 Maiden Choice Lane. For information or directions, call Pat at 410-433-1610 or 410-302-4641.

Online STAND Training: We are pleased to announce that the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Safe Environment (STAND) online training is now up and running. Either the STAND video or online training fulfills the child and youth protection safe environment training requirement for all volunteers who have substantial contact with children and all employees. The online training will be available via the Internet from any computer at any time. The course takes approximately 1.5 - 2 hours to complete. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to print a certificate of completion. You will be asked to enter your name as well as the name of your parish or school. In order to receive credit for the course, you must forward to the Religious Education office a signed and dated copy of the certificate of completion. To access the online training: Go to the STAND training of the Archdiocese of Baltimore website, http://www.archbalt.org/STAND/training.cfm. Log in with the username ststephen and password archbalt. Click on the link to begin the training. Follow the directions on the website. If you have any questions, please call Pam Franke at 410-592-8666.

Byzantine Catholics: The Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy (Mass) is celebrated each Sunday evening at 5:30 pm in the Stone Chapel of the Church of St. Francis on 1450 Abingdon Road in Abingdon. The celebrant of the Liturgy is Fr. Conan H. Timoney, Pastor of Patronage Byzantine Church in Arbutus. For more information, call the Patronage Church at 410-247-4936. For further information, contact Deacon Anthony and Theresa Kotlar at 410-734-6973.

Pregnancy Center: The Center for Pregnancy Concerns and Birthright of Bel Air work very hard to provide new and expectant mothers with support and guidance. The women are offered counseling, mentoring, access to resources and limited material aid. There is an ongoing need for diapers (especially larger sizes) gently worn baby clothing and toiletry items. Sorry, we cannot take car seats or cribs. Please leave items in good condition on the parish center back porch. God bless you.

St. Vincent De Paul Clothing Boxes: Please remember that the two St. Vincent de Paul donation boxes are for clothing only. Any other items left outside the donation boxes present a very untidy appearance and must be disposed of by parish personnel in our trash gondolas. Also, please place all clothing in a plastic bag no larger than 24 inches by 20 inches - no larger than a small kitchen trash bag. Lawn size garbage bags are too large to fit through the donation bin openings and must not be used. Thank you for your cooperation.

Respect Life Programs: Pregnant, need help? Call the Gabriel Project at 1-800-ANGEL-OK. Suffering from Post-Abortion Stress? Call Project Rachel at 1-800-286-4224.

Friends of Mercy: "Single Again Friends" discussions are held every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at 7:00 until 9:00 pm at the Hiss United Methodist Church in Parkville. This is open to all single, separated, divorced and widowed people. For more information call Cathy at 410-931-1668. Information line at 410-893-4584 or visit our website www.friendsofmercy.org.

Ladies of Charity December distribution of funds received from the poor boxes and other contributions: $100 - Adelante Familia, Anna's House, Beans/Bread, Birthright, Christopher Place, Franciscan Ctr., Helping Hands Food Pantry, Hezekiah Movement.\, Marian House, Our Daily Bread, Pregnancy Ctr., Sarah's Hope, Sharing Table Community Kitchen, St. Stephen's Youth Building, St. Steven's-Kenya. The next Ladies of Charity meeting will be held on February 10th at 1:00 pm in the church basement.

Looking for Smilers: If you can smile and say "Good Morning!" you're a perfect candidate for the Greeting Ministry! The parish is looking for volunteers willing to smile and greet fellow parishioners for 20 minutes before Mass. We are hoping to expand our numbers and hope you will consider helping out. The commitment is easy, one Sunday Mass every fourth week, and you will find it rewarding to meet so many fellow parishioners. If you are interested, please call Diane Endlich, 410-676-4143.

Retired? Working But Hunting For a Ministry to Help Others in Need? Seafarers visit Baltimore in over 2,000 ships every year. They are lonely, timid, poor, needing a helping hand, and a welcome. Jesus said, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." There is a great need for Catholic laiety to volunteer once a week or once every two weeks to drive a car from the seafarers center to the ships in port and pick up seafarers to bring them to the Stella Maris Center in Dundalk next to St. Rita's Church. Call Msgr John FitzGerald at 443-690-2447 to inquire.

Charismatic Prayer Meeting: Held weekly on Wednesdays at 7:45 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Registration: The use of Church Envelopes is the responsible way to support your Parish. Please register at the Parish Center to receive your Church envelopes.

Baptism: Baptisms are held every Sunday at 1:45 PM. Please call the Parish Center at 410-592-7071 for information, to register for Baptism classes and to schedule a Baptism. Parents must be registered members of St. Stephen's Parish. At least one sponsor (Godparent) must be a practicing Catholic. Both sponsors (Godparents) must be Christian. Parents and Godparents must attend the Baptism preparation Program.

Weddings: If you plan to be married by a priest or deacon affiliated with St. Stephen, you should be a registered parishioner. However, if you wish to use the church building for your wedding and you are not a registered parishioner, you may do so only if you provide your own priest or deacon and have him contact the priests at St. Stephen for permission. Please call the Parish Center at 410-592-7071 for information and to schedule a Wedding. Arrangements must be made at least six months in advance.

Ministry to the Sick: Ministry to the Sick Please notify the Rectory at 410-592-7071 when a member of the parish is in the hospital, or is unable to attend Mass and wishes to receive Holy Communion.

The Pregnancy Center, Inc. is associated with Catholic Charities and is located at 7311 Harford Road. For crisis situations and questions regarding pregnancy please phone 410-426-9992.

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