Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: 

I bid you a Happy Mother’s Day weekend, and especially a Happy Celebration of the Ascension of the Lord. 

A week or so back, Pope Francis gave a homily which included forgiveness and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  It can be found on the internet here: 

Some of the insights Pope Francis gave included: 

Commenting on the First Letter of St. John, which states " God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all," Pope Framcis pointed out that "we all have darkness in our lives," moments "where everything, even our consciousness, is in the dark”, but this - he pointed out - does not mean we walk in darkness:  …Walking in darkness means being overly pleased with ourselves, believing that we do not need salvation…Look to your sins, to our sins, we are all sinners, all of us ... This is the starting point...

“…He always understands us”. He wants to gift us the peace that only He gives. ““This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation" even though "many times we think that going to confession is like going to the dry cleaner" to clean the dirt from our clothes:  "But Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner: it is an encounter with Jesus, but with this Jesus who waits for us, who waits for us just as we are… 

"Humility and meekness are like the frame of a Christian life. A Christian must always be so, humble and meek. And Jesus waits for us to forgive us…And if tomorrow I do the same? Go again, and go and go and go.... He always waits for us. This tenderness of the Lord, this humility, this meekness..." 
This confidence concluded Pope Francis "gives us room to breathe." "The Lord gives us this grace, the courage to always go to Him with the truth, because the truth is light and not the darkness of half-truths or lies before God. It gives us this grace! So be it." 

In Easter Joy & Peace

Fr. Tom

All girls that will be in grades 3-8 for the 2013-2014 school year that are interested in cheerleading for the St. Lawrence Rams Football teams in the fall please contact Chris Ugo at 442-2165 or chrisknych@aol.com by June 10, 2013. Cheerleading will begin this summer with a camp and will run throughout football season.

We will be doing a parish wide pictorial directory this summer.  Pictures will be taken in July and August.  Volunteers will be needed to help sign up families after masses, do reminder calls, or serve as host/hostesses during the picture taking sessions.    We also need pictures of the various activities that occur here at St. Lawrence.  Pictures need to be taken from a camera, not a cell phone, using maximum resolution settings.  Please contact Patty Smith at 306-4104 if you would like to volunteer or have pictures for the directory.  

We welcome into God’s Kingdom the following people who were baptized and/or made Profession of Faith during the past several months:

Because kids are not in school during the summer, they have more time to use the computer and other Internet-enabled devices.  Consequently, as a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, it’s up to you to make sure your kids’ summertime cyber experiences are positive.  To help you, here is a simple acronym as a guidepost to steps you can take and tactics you can implement to protect your children from online dangers from Internet Safety 101.

Set clear expectations
Understand the need for cyber safety
Make sure you’re friends with your child on social
            networking sites
Match computer time with quality time
Evolve with the Internet
Review, research and monitor web sites your
            children view

Set clear expectations and establish an ongoing dialogue – Before the computer even gets turned on; you can make a positive impact on your child’s Internet safety.  When parents talk regularly with their kids about the Internet, kids demonstrate fewer risky behaviors while online.  Plan a time when you can have a conversation with your kids and discuss expectations for use of the computer this summer.  Spend time with your child online and create an atmosphere of trust.  Encourage your children to make good decisions, and temper your reactions when they run into danger.

To help you better protect the children in your life, get familiar with all the safety information on this internet website www.internetsafety101.org.  Review the video clips and consider using them as conversation starts with your tweens and teens.

We as parents have always had a say in and a right to know what treatments our children receive from our health care professionals. Our written permission has to be on file in our schools to allow our children to take an aspirin. 

Our rights as parents changed on Aug. 1, when the HHS mandate went into effect. The HHS mandate requires "preventive services" for women to be covered at no cost and with complete and total confidentiality for all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods including abortifacients, sterilization procedures and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity."All women" are defined as females who have begun ovulating, including teenagers. So that means girls as young as 11 and 12 will have access to all FDA-approved drugs including all types of contraception and sterilization procedures without any parental knowledge or consent!

You can download and print a Reflection and Discussion Guide for the document that Bishop Coyne has asked us all to read, prayerfully reflect on and discuss.  The document Bishop Coyne recommends is called Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations.”).  The Reflection and Discussion Guide Lumen Gentium is available here:  www.archindy/.org/yearoffaith/resources.html.  Reading and sharing about Lumen Gentium will prepare you to participate in our parish townhall meeting for the Year of Faith; at this meeting you can make suggestions for an upcoming pastoral resource “10 things We Want You to Know About the Catholic Faith.”

If you are not participating in this program already please consider doing so.
If you are participating this gives you an opportunity to change you contribution amount and distribution.  Of course changes can be made at anytime online or by toll free number to Faith Direct.

Thank you for your continued support of St Lawrence, without your support we would be unable to continue our works of faith.

Ten Reasons to Make Your Offertory Gift Through
Faith Direct

1.  No more checks to write or envelopes to find
2.  52 weeks of predictable income for your parish
3.  Greater security than cash or checks
4.  No cost for you to participate
5.  Online control of your offertory giving – including special collections
6.   Reduction of envelope and postage expense for St. Lawrence
7.   Less work by our parish office staff to post contribution records
8.   Offertory cards enable you to witness your gift of treasure
9.   Earn credit card points for your offertory gifts
10. Fr. Beitans does it

If would like to help St. Lawrence save money and also spare a few trees in the process, please visit www.faithdirect.net and use our parish code of 124 to enroll in our electronic giving program.  You can also pick up an enrollment form in the back of church or from the parish office.  Once you have enrolled in Faith Direct, we will no longer send you offertory envelopes.

Your prayers are requested for the repose of the Soul of Jeremy Harris, former parishioner and son of parishioner Sharon Harris.  Also, please pray for the Soul of Frankie Martin, sister in-law of parishioner Wilbert Martin

Please remember the sick of our parish: Mary Braden, Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, Ken Calvin, Jim Church, Bill Close, Pete Coraggio, Paul & Anna Danford, Roberto DeLeon, Carlos & Delmira Fraguerio, Dave Gerteisen, Oscar Hufnagel, Matt Hurley, Marie Jacobs, Rita Keever,   Audra Manubay, Eltrupe Martin, Mike Meyer, Audrey Anne Pfeuffer,  Helen Porter, Asha & Maya Prabhaker,  Norma Ransdell, Lisa Renee, Theresa Riley,   Karen Schotter, Handi Scorch, Jim Streeter,  Rosalie Weller, Sharon Brotherton, Gary Schotter, Mary Blagburn,  John Williams, Phillip Hurley, Lynn & Ed Flick, Stephanie West, Cheri Halstead, Paloma Mendez,  Brim Sherwood, Reymund Quiroga, Dale Gill, Sr., Bill Robinson, Helen Holland, Joanne Hooper, Yarisely Fragueiro, Sarah Garvey, Augie Abbott,  Art Gadbury, Utonia Martin, Ollie Dillon,  David Flynn,  Andy Anderson, Horst Bodensack and Pat Beaupre.

If you are calling to add a family member or friend to the sick list, please inform the individual that their name will be printed in the Bulletin prior to contacting the Parish Office.  Also, you are kindly asked to inform the Parish Office when you/your loved one have/has recovered and should be removed from the Sick List.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated to insure the privacy of our parishioners.

May 19, 2013 -  A miracle of Pentecost was that, despite their diversity, each listener heard God’s word in his or her own language. The meaning for stewardship is that, by sharing the gifts poured out on us by the Holy Spirit, we will be empowered to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters, whatever the needs may be and whatever the language they speak. 

God loves you and so do we the Stewardship Team.

Republic Services will be supplying a recycling bin next to the garbage bin at no charge.  This will be for the cans, plastics, corrugated boxes, etc. that we currently put in the garbage.  Ernest is developing a day-to-day collection system for the school and cafeteria for separating out the trash from the recyclables  and will publish it next week.

Recycle Paper
The Abitibi Paper Retriever bins, located in front of St. Lawrence School, accept office and school paper, newspaper, magazines, workbooks, catalogs and junk mail. The following items should not be placed in the bins; cardboards/boxes, plastic bags, telephone directories, kitchen and bathroom paper products (i.e. paper plates, cups, napkins, facial/bathroom tissue) paperback novels or hardbound books. For other tips on how to recycle and the safe disposal of many household items, go to the Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc. website, www.kibi.org.

Recycle Ink Cartridges
Don't throw away that empty ink jet printer cartridge. BRING IT TO CHURCH! We are collecting ink jet cartridges as an on-going fund-raiser for Youth Ministry and SMRE. The next time you change your printer cartridge, drop the old one into the collection box outside the Religious Goods Store. No laser cartridges, please.

Food Pantry Volunteers
St. Lawrence's next shift to work at the Pratt-Quigley Food Center is scheduled for Saturday, June 1 from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The number of families visiting the Food Pantry is increasing all the time, and for this reason more volunteer help is needed and welcomed. Please call Ginny Huguenard, 849-0757 if you would like to join us, want to carpool, or for any further information you might need.

National Vehicle Donation
Used vehicles may be donated and turned into food, rent, medicine, or depending upon your vehicle’s condition, it may provide much-needed job transportation for a person in need.   Your donated vehicle will be picked up, tax papers will be sent to you, and you will know that your donation benefits someone in our immediate St. Lawrence Parish area. For more information about the program or to donate, log on to: www.svdpusacars.com or call (800) 322-8284 or contact St. Lawrence Parishioner Joe Carey at 849-7040.

In 2012, the Obama Administration's contraceptive and sterilization mandate went into effect for most employers.  Congress is preparing to consider "must-pass" legislation to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2013. This presents the first opportunity in this Congress to incorporate conscience protection provisions in legislation on which Congress must act.  Needed conscience protection provisions should be made a part of this legislation.

Please urge your Representative and two Senators to take action to protect conscience rights and religious liberty!

We will be doing a parish wide pictorial directory this summer.  Pictures will be taken in July and August.  Volunteers will be needed to help sign up families after masses, do reminder calls, or serve as host/hostesses during the picture taking sessions.    We also need pictures of the various activities that occur here at St. Lawrence.  Pictures need to be taken from a camera, not a cell phone, using maximum resolution settings.  Please contact Patty Smith at 306-4104 if you would like to volunteer or have pictures for the directory.  

We will have a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for Life, Religious Liberty, and the Sanctity of Marriage on Sunday, May 26 at 1:30pm in the St. Lawrence Blessed Sacrament Chapel.  Eucharistic Adoration will continue following the Holy Hour until 4:00pm.

The bishops of the United States have asked parishes to celebrate these holy hours on the last Sunday of each month through the Feast of Christ the King in November 2013.

SUBS NEEDED FOR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Do you have an hour during the week to visit with Jesus?  Subs are needed during the summer while regular adorers are on vacation.  Please contact Danette at dbbwsiertl@sbcglobal.net or 578-8493 if you are able to help or would like to take a weekly time slot.

Are you interested in learning how to make rosaries for missions?  Would you like an opportunity to have fellowship with others?  Please join us the first Saturday of each month from 9-10:30 am in the Adult Learning Center in the church.  Our next gathering is June 1.  If you have any rosary supplies, feel free to bring them.  If you would like to learn, supplies will be provided.  For more info or questions contact Danette Siertle at dbbwsiertl@sbcglobal.net or 578-8493

Names missed on the RCIA list were:  Christin Orman and David Batie.

Now registering!  Providing quality care for toddlers to age 5.  Paths to Quality Level One.  CCDF accepted.  Call Kathryn Kutan at 543-4923 ext 242 for information.

Entry to the Church building on weekdays and off hours is controlled by the outside keypads at the corner entrances.  The keypad code will be changed at 12:01 a.m., Saturday, May 25, 2013.  Please call the parish office during scheduled office hours to obtain the new code.

The Annual Tri-parish Memorial Day Mass will be held at St. Andrew the Apostle on Monday, May 27 at 9:00 a.m.  The parish communities of St. Andrew, St. Lawrence & St. Matthew celebrate together three times a year on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.  Begin your holiday festivities with Mass!

St. Lawrence School is now accepting students in preschool (age 3 and 4) and grades K-8 for the 2013-2014 school year.  Call the school office at 543-4923 for more information.

$1 Club
The holder of envelope #377 did not contribute to the 50/50 $1 Club drawing collection 5/5/13.  The Pot was $3,401 which will be added to next week’s collection.

$5 Club
The holder of envelope #555 did not contribute to the 50/50 $5 Club drawing collection 5/5/13.  The pot was $9,900 which will be added to next week’s collection.