Mass Schedule
Saturday
5:00 p.m. SFX
7:00 p.m. (on
Jekyll)
Sunday (SFX)
8:30 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
6:00 p.m. in Spanish
Weekday Masses
St. Joseph Chapel
Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri.
7:00 a.m.
Wednesday
8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Reconciliation:
Church
Saturdays
4:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday
7:45 - 8:15 a.m.
(Or by appointment)
St. Joseph Chapel
(Please go to the main
office for a key)
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
St Joseph Chapel
First Friday
Adoration
2:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Holy Hour
7:00- 8:00 p.m.
First Saturday
8:45 a.m.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
www.xavierbrunswick.org
St. Francis Xavier Staff
Rev. Timothy McKeown,
Pastor
912-265-3249 ext. 11
Rev. Chris Ortega
Assoc. Pastor
912-265-3249 ext. 12
Ann Buebel
Office Manager
912-265-3249 ext. 0
Maggie Shafer
Director of Finance
912-265-3249 ext. 16
First Communion
Saturday, May 6th at 5 p.m.
Confirmation Mass
Monday, May 8th at 6 p.m.
All are invited.
Rev. Mr. Larry Guyer,
Director of Religious Education
912-265-3249 ext. 14
PERMANENT DEACONS
Rev. Mr. Ntungwa Maasha
262-0458
Rev. Mr. Larry Guyer
912-265-3249 ext. 14
CHRISTIAN FORMATION CENTER
1116 Richmond Street
Brunswick, GA 31520
Juan Perez-Valdes,
Hispanic Ministry
912-264-6805 ext. 11
Marisol Soler,
Fam. & Youth Ministry
912-264-6805 ext. 12
Joe Sechkar
Dir of Liturgy/Facilities
Maint.
ST. FRANCIS X AVIER
C ATHOLIC SCHOOL
1121 Union Street
Brunswick, GA 31520
265-9470
Dr. Terry Mermann
Principal
Lori Carden,
Office Manager
Maggie Shafer
Director of Finance
912-265-3249 Ext.16
The Religious Articles Shop will be open after the
masses. It is located in the Christian Formation
Center (2 story building next to the Church).
Please place the hymnals in the rack in the
horizontal position with the binder (title)
showing. This will help prevent bending and
folding.
Please place your bulletin back on the tables
as you leave, if you are not taking it with you.
Thank you!
On the tables at the main entrance of
the church we have children's pages for
children ages (6-10) focusing on today's
Gospel.
Divine Mercy Sunday
Catholics know how to do penance. We know about fasting. We know about making sacrifices. We have just come
through 40 days of penance where people have done everything from rising early for prayer to giving up chocolate ice
cream.
Catholics also know how to celebrate. Easter is a season to rejoice. We put our penance aside and celebrate! Today
completes the octave of Easter. It is much too big a mystery to be contained in one day. We celebrate it for 8 straight
days and then we remain in the Easter season for a total of 50 days.
Today is the second Sunday of Easter and in 2001 was proclaimed by Pope John Paul II to be Divine Mercy Sunday.
This proclamation was based on the revelations given to a cloistered Polish nun named Faustina.
WHAT IS MERCY?
The Etymology of mercy is from misericordis which means “opening one’s heart to wretchedness” (Name 8). Jesus
told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy…My heart rejoices in this title of
Mercy. Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of my hand are crowned with mercy” (Divine
Mercy Diary #301).
Let us imagine a blazing hot furnace, with flames leaping out of it. This furnace burns 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. This is an apt image for the love of God for you. The heart of God is on fire with love for you.
How powerful is God’s love? St. Faustina was told when receiving Communion “Your minor faults will disappear in
My love like a piece of straw thrown into a great furnace” (Diary#156)
We sometimes have a hard time accepting this. We sometimes focus more on the justice of God than on the mercy
of God. Jesus told St. Faustina, “Before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy” (Diary #83)
Pope Francis has said, “God forgives not with a decree but with a caress” (The Name of God is Mercy xii). “Jesus
too goes beyond the law and forgives by caressing the wounds of our sins” (The Name of God is Mercy xiii). John XXIII
said at the beginning of Vatican II, “The Bride of Christ prefers to use the medicine of mercy rather than arm herself
with the weapons of rigor” (The Name of God is Mercy 6).
The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us — all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that His
mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to
others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
I'm sure many of you have seen the image of Jesus as Divine Mercy. His arms are open towards us and there is blue
and red light emanating from his side. This represents the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus as we
heard in our second reading from St. John.
When Jesus appeared to Faustina he appeared as Divine Mercy. He gave repeated images to Faustina of his mercy
and forgiveness. He said his heart was a blazing hot furnace. All of our sins were as a handful of straw. If we would
simply take them and throw them into the furnace of love they would be quickly extinguished. Jesus' mercy was as wide
as the ocean. Our sins were as a handful of sand that a child throws into the ocean. The ocean quickly absorbs it. That
is the incredible mercy of Jesus. Through these revelations people began to focus more on the love of Jesus than the
vision of God the stern schoolteacher.
Sometimes we retain the image of an angry God. Very often we are our own worst enemies. When we sin, instead
of hastening to confession, we beat ourselves up. Sometimes we give up going to confession saying, "I am a terrible
person. God must hate me. What's the use?"
Jesus knew that the key to peace is through the forgiveness of sins. Nothing destroys our peace as much as sin.
But when we come to Jesus in confession and come face to face with our poor choices He can heal us. We say Jesus I
chose this. I am sorry. Please forgive me. And Our Merciful Lord forgives us.
Why is Easter such a time of celebration? Yes, it is a celebration of eternal life, but it is also a celebration of forgiveness. Jesus forgave the Apostles who deserted him. Jesus will forgive us. No matter how bad your sin, Jesus will take
you back. That is where true peace is.
Prayer List for April
(All Names will be refreshed
on the 30th)
Anna Hardwick
Socorro Helean
Georgia Burgess-Erwin
Tilly Johnson
Moira Kaluzienski
Huong Thi Phan
Gertrude Roberts
Sara Fryar
Richard Brunegraff
Maria Zambon
Donal Brunegraff
David Higbee
Gloria Quinones
Byron Bankston
Charlotte Cornelius
Peggy Lee Farrar
Vera Borkowski
Elizabeth Wendell
Judy Perry Majka
Dick Guerin
Kathleen Koreski
Benjamin Koreski
Billie Lou Henjum
Zoe Yawn
Manuela Rocha
Leslie Kaufman
Michael Mleko Jr.
Steven Gentzle
Buddy Vazquez
Steven Gentzle
Savannah Jones
Barbara Elliott
Jim Layman
Wyatt Kersey
Steve Williams
Pat Ragsdale
Frances Nohrden
Venus Gines
Kathy Poliwka
Bradley Huffman
Carmen Zuba
Maria Borrego
Michael Rafolski
Vicky Hancock
Jane Rafolski
Jackie Maassen
William Wilson
Our sons and daughters in
military service
St Francis Council of Catholic Women will meet
May 1st at 6 p.m. All women of the parish are
invited!
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School will have an opening
for a middle school math teacher and a religion teacher
for the 2017-2018 school year. Georgia Teacher
Certification is required. Please send letters of interest
and resume to:
St. Francis Xavier School
1121 Union Street
Brunswick, GA 31520
This September we will begin Financial Peace
University with Dave Ramsey. It is a course that
helps with financial planning and peace. If you
would be interested please contact Ann at the
office at 265-3249 or [email protected].
Financial News
Collections for
April 15th & 16th
$ 16,073.13
Priest’s Retirement
$ 3,157.00
Holy Land
$ 1,218.00
April 23, 2017
Divine Mercy
Teen’s in the Spirit
Mass Intentions
Saturday April 22
5 p.m. t Paul Roberts
7 p.m. t Cardinal Raymond Burke
(At Jekyll United Methodist Church)
Sunday April 23
8:30 a.m. t Lucille LeMieux
11 a.m. t James Powell/Attilio Tozzi
6 p.m. Our Parish Family
Monday April 24
7 a.m. Forward with Faith
Tuesday April 25
7 a.m. Communion Service
Wednesday April 26
8 a.m. No Mass or Service
7 p.m. Communion Service
Thursday April 27
7 a.m. Forward with Faith
Friday April 28
8 a.m. Forward with Faith
Saturday April 29
5 p.m. t Louise Lazarou
7 p.m. t Maria Zagami
(At Jekyll United Methodist Church)
Sunday April 30
8:30 a.m. Our Parish Family
11 a.m. Council of Catholic Women
6 p.m. t Fr. Paul Burkort, S.M.
A summer mission
experience right here
in our community is
scheduled for June 2023. This is open to all
high school students from incoming 8th to 12
grade. We are partnering with the city of
Brunswick and St. Williams Church for this
event. Adult volunteers are also needed. To
learn more about this call Marisol at 264-6805
extension 12 or by e-mail to
[email protected]
Please note the
Mass changes: April
25th, April 26th,
and April 28th.
Fr. Tim & Fr. Chris will be at the Clergy
Conference Monday through Friday.
Please contact the office if you are in
need of a priest.
Our Forward With Faith Total is now
$ 904,190. We have had 166 of our
630 families participate. We are now
reaching out to our school parents.
We hope to reach a total of 1.5
million and then by using some of
our savings and taking prudent
loans start on the 3 million
renovation of school and church.
Loving Father, You sent St. Francis Xavier to
preach to the nations. You call us also to be
missionaries in our own way. Help us to build
and strengthen our campus so that we may
share Jesus with the people of Coastal Georgia.
Like, St. Francis Xavier, may we be people of
prayer and may we share You with those we
meet. We thank you for blessing us with a Parish and a School. May we seek Your will to further your work. Bless us with a sense of unity, a
spirit of cooperation, and a generous heart as
we face the responsibilities and challenges of
this undertaking. We believe our goals are rooted in Your Word and in Your Work. May we
nourish each other in faith, support each other in
our temporal needs, and renew our Church in
the pattern of Your own Household. Amen.
Blessing of the Fleet
Festival from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. May
13th. Fleet blessing 2 p.m. at Sidney
Lanier Park.
Our Lady of Fatima Celebration
May 14th at 11 a.m.
The Knights of Columbus will host a blood drive on Sunday, April 23rd from 9 a.m.
until 2 p.m. in Xavier Hall. Please consider giving a pint of your precious gift of life
to others. Your donation will remain in the local community. Scheduling an
appointment will ensure your time is respected. The Knights of Columbus will
provide the volunteers needed for service. For questions, please call Dave Robson at 404-7239868.
Parish Activity Contacts
Adult Bible Study, Joe & Linda Kirby…………….267-9359
Altar and Environmental Care, Diane Lott……….223-1261
Bereavement, Ann Buebel………………………..265-3249
CCW, Rose Browning……………………….……...270-7176
Communion Ministers, Ann Buebel……………..265-3249
Culture of Life, Rose Lodise…………….…….…...264-4121
Greeters, Ginger Dorcas…………..……………....275-8492
Jekyll Island Catholic Ladies, Eleanor Daniel…....635-3046
Knights of Columbus, Bill Schuster……………….266-6779
P.S.R., Larry Guyer ……………………..…265-3249 ext. 14
RCIA/Sacramental, Larry Guyer…….…...265-3249 ext. 14
Religious Articles Shop, Rose Lodise……..……...264-4121
St. Monica Society, Peggie Cash…………….…....264-5458
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store…………...….…....262-6027
Parish Council, RoseMary Jones
at [email protected]
Most Rev. Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv.
Bishop of Savannah
Membership
To be a registered member of a Parish is to
have a sense of belonging to a family. Newcomers are requested to register at the Church
Office soon after arrival, to meet the staff and
learn about your new parish. In the time of family sickness, death or special need, parishioners are asked to notify the Church office. If requested, Holy Communion will be brought to
anyone desiring to receive the Eucharist but
are unable to attend Mass for serious reasons.
Please call Ann Buebel at
912-265-3249 ext. 0.,
email her at
[email protected]
or come by to schedule your
masses. Office hours are 9
a.m. to 4 p.m.