MASS INTENTIONS

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St. Martin’s Prayer for Peace is every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in church.  Please come to pray for our country, for peace in the world and for the safety of our brave soldiers stationed around the world.  All are welcome to join us.

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3^rd Sunday in Lent:

Jesus tells the parable of a fig tree that had not produced fruit for three years and the owner wants to cut it down but the gardener wants to let it grow and fertilize it to see if it will bear fruit.  The point is that with nurturing, all may come to bear fruit in the Kingdom.

Our faith grows strong when we pray. Learn about our Catholic faith, reflect on Scripture, celebrate the Sacraments, participate in the life of our parish community and reach out to help those in need. This is how we “cultivate the ground” of faith.  The fruit of our faith is evident in our love of God and our acts of kindness, justice, charity, patience, courage, and peace.

Prayer Moment:  

God, you are the Master Gardener.  Come into the orchard of  our lives and sprinkle our hearts with love and goodness so that our faith will bear fruit every day.

A Vocation View:  

Moses heard God’s call from a burning bush.  What is your passion, your burning bush?  Take time to know what God is sending you to do and be.

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Stock Donations: Effective immediately, donations of stocks to St. Martin of Tours Church will be processed through St. Martin of Tours new individual custodial account at Fifth Third Bank.  Please contact Lois Sundrup for specific information and delivery instructions.

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PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK OF OUR PARISH:

Remember in your prayers those who are in nursing homes, sick at home, and all who have received prayer blankets.

In April 2003, new national hospital-patient privacy laws were enacted.  Therefore, many hospitals will not notify St. Martin's of your admission.  If you would like someone from St. Martin's to visit you in the hospital, please call the parish office to notify us.

The following parishioner has entered Eternal Life.  Please remember him in your prayers:

Robert Bleh, loving father of Robert Jr., Andrew, Daniel Bleh, Patricia Bocock, Cathy Carr and Jane Destefano.

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Facts of Life:

Federal agents raided a Philadelphia clinic where abortions are performed and found deplorable unsanitary conditions. A document dated November 20 states that a patient died after being given two separate doses of pain killers plus anesthesia before an abortion. (Cincinnati Enquirer 2-24-2002)

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PASTOR’S CORNER

Catholic Ministries Appeal: The season of Lent has always been a time for almsgiving. Your support of the Catholic Ministries Appeal is one way to participate in this important action of the Lenten season. The gift that you give to the appeal makes possible a wide variety of religious, educational, pastoral and charitable programs and services throughout the Archdiocese.  Specifically, the drive helps to fund the education of seminarians and lay ministers, St. Rita Home for the Deaf, the Retirement Fund for Diocesan Priests, Catholic Social Services, college campus ministry and Chaplaincy Service for hospitals and jails. Our goal this year is $22,200.00.  I ask your participation in this appeal in whatever way you can.  Remember, every gift helps and no gift is too small.

Station of the Cross: An opportunity for prayer during Lent is the Stations of the Cross, which we pray in church each Friday evening during the Lenten season at 7:00 p.m.

Interparish Reconciliation Service: Our interparish Lenten Reconciliation Service will be held at St. Catharine’s on Thursday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m.  This evening is a good opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as part of your preparation for Easter.

Lenten Blessings!

Fr. Terry

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The "Spare Change" collection this weekend, March 6 & 7 will benefit a Medical Mission, called South of the Rio Bravo, in Mexico. The Medical Mission provides medical care to a destitute population that lives in squalor, without any of the basic necessities of life.
There is no employment, welfare, Medicare or Medicaid to help these people. Please be generous.

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Operation Rice Bowl:  Today we hear the call of Moses to lead his people from oppression to freedom.  God promises to be with them as they journey to a new life.  Our participation in Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl unites us in prayer, fasting, and giving with the million of people throughout the world who are oppressed by poverty, injustice, war, disease, and lack of education and other opportunities.

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Attention St. Martin of Tour Alumni: On Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. St. Martin of Tours invites you and your guests to attend our Alumni Mass.  A reception will follow in Fr. Mick Hall.  Our Pastor, Fr. Terry Hamilton (Class of 1961) will be our Celebrant.  Please invite former classmates, relatives, and friends who attended St. Martin of Tours grade school for this opportunity to reminisce.

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Telephone Prayer Chain:  Are you or someone you know in need of prayers?  St. Martin’s Telephone Prayer Chain will take your request for prayers without a lot of questions and call it through to a team of devout people who will be praying for your request.  Give us a call and put your needs in God’s hands.  For prayer requests or to join the prayer group, call Bob or Mary at 662-0178 or call Peg at 922-7575.

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Festival News:      

Our next (rescheduled) festival meeting will be Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 PM in Father Mick Hall.  Our previously scheduled meeting in February had to be canceled due to the snow.  We hope you can attend.  There are a lot of topics to cover and much work to do.

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Softball Signups for grades 1-8 will be Tuesday, March 9 form 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. Questions call Ginger Sonntag at 662-1130

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Fish Fry: Please support the Girl Scout/Boy Scout Lenten Fish Fries.  They will be held on March 19th and April 2^nd from 4:30 pm-7:30 pm at Harvest Home Park.  Come and enjoy a good meal with friends and family.

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Okay, Mom. It’s the Time-Out Chair for You! Join other moms in the Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) on Tuesday evening, March 9th at 7:00 in the Red School Building. This informal, informational meeting offers moms an opportunity to share experiences and select topics to be explored in future monthly meetings. Mark your calendar and bring a friend

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Join us for a Soup & Bread Supper on Tuesday March 16 in Fr. Mick Hall from 6:00-7:00 p.m. In the Lenten spirit of sharing, it will be a potluck supper. Fill your crock pot with a batch of your favorite soup to share with your fellow parishioners. Not a soup maker?  Join us anyway; we’ll have plenty to go around. We will provide bread & drinks. After enjoying the wonderful variety of soup stay for our featured speakers, the Hones, from My Neighborhood Place.  A free will offering will be taken up!  Please call the parish office at 661-2000 if you are able to help out with the soup!

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St. Martin’s Knitting and Crochet Group,  named the “Knit, Purl and Chain Gang” is in need of more yarn.  In the past year this hardworking group have crafted and donated over 100 items including prayer shawls, hats, scarves, lap robes, baby blankets.  These items have been donated to our St. Vincent de Paul, Terrace View Gardens Nursing Home, Oak Hills Pavilion Nursing Home, and Hillebrand Nursing Home.  If you have a stash of yarn that you don’t know what to do with, please feel free to drop it off at the parish offices, or call Marti Barnes, at 661-2000.  Thanks for your generosity!

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Are you or a loved one unable to come to church?  You may be laid up temporarily, or are confined to home. We have Eucharistic ministers who will bring communion to you at your home or nursing home on a short term or long term basis.  Please call our Pastoral Associate, Marti Barnes, at 661-2000, if you or a loved one would like one of our ministers to bring you communion.

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Please continue to pray for our Elect as they celebrate the 2^nd Scrutiny at the 8:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, March 14^th.

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FINGERPRINTING:  In the Archdiocesan Children’s Protection Decree, all employees and volunteers must be fingerprinted through the Archdiocese and attend a Child Protection Workshop. If you are a new volunteer for any sports, the parent of a Kindergarten child, going on field trips with the school for the first time, or new to St. Martin in any way and will be working with the children, you must be fingerprinted and attend  a Child Protection workshop BEFORE you can work with children.  Please note that the fingerprinting “clearance process” could take up to three weeks, and you will NOT be permitted to participate with the children at this time. If you have lived out of state at any time over the past five years, the “clearance process” could take months.

 St. Teresa of Avila will offer fingerprinting Monday thru Friday every afternoon from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  Friday ONLY - they will offer fingerprinting from 9:00 to 10:00 am.  Also, they will be available every 2nd Thursday of the month from 5:00 pm to 6:45 pm.   Questions please call the parish office at 921-9200. 

St. James, White Oak, will have fingerprinting available Monday’s 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Thursday’s 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Friday’s

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Questions, call the parish office at 741-5300. 

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CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DONATE to St. Martin of Tours Parish by credit card.  Just go to www.saintmartin.org and click the “Online Giving” icon.  You will be in the St. Martin of Tours “E-Giving” page.  Select the type of contribution: Sunday; Second; or Other. Other contribution can be used also for paying tuition online. There are only three steps on the “E-Giving” page: 1) Enter your information; 2) Confirm the information; and 3) Get a receipt.

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Play St. Martin’s BINGO on Wednesday evenings in Fr. Mick Hall.  Doors open at 5:00 p.m. games begin at 7:00 p.m.  To volunteer to work please contact Mary Noble at 941-2783 or Email her at mnoble@zoomtown.com.  If you are scheduled to work at bingo, please arrive by 6:00 p.m. 

Bingo provides a substantial amount of financial assistance to the parish.  Without bingo we would have to raise school tuition considerably more.  Please call to schedule your night to work.

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Looking for LaSalle High School Band and Drama Alumni (male and female) who are interested in participating in a 50th anniversary show to be held April 29, 30 and May 1, 2010. Complete the survey at http://tinyurl.com/LSHSEncore50. Questions, contact Joe Grote at josephgrote@aol.com

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Tajci will be performing   “I Thirst – The Crucifixion Story” at St. Antoninus Church on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m. this is a free concert. For more information call 922-4759.

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You are invited to "An Evening of Reflection with Sister Paula Gonzalez, SC, PhD. - Climate Change and Faith".   Thursday, March 11^th from 7:30 – 9:00 pm, in Hilvert Center at St. Ignatius Church, North Bend Road. 

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A Franciscan Come and See Weekend for single, Catholic women ages 18-45 interested in learning about Franciscan religious life, Saturday and Sunday, March 20 -21 at the convent of the Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, IN. Come and learn about their lives, there is no charge. For more info contact Sr. Joan Miller, PO Box 100 Oldenburg, IN 47036; phone: 812-455-9348; email joanm@oldenburgosf.com

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Beginning Experience Cincinnati offers a healing weekend for the divorced, separated and widowed at Comboni Mission Center, 1318 Nagel Road in Cincinnati, March 19-21^st, 2010. For $175 (payment plan/partial scholarships available; meals included). Grief and regrets, confusion and self-doubt…No one needs to go through it alone! For more information call (800) 300-2937 x 1141.

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The Passion of Our Lord, a Lenten Day of Recollection with Fr. David Kohut, O.F.M.  Friday March 12, 9:00 am to 2:45 pm, Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center 5440 Moeller Ave, Norwood.  $15 donation includes lunch.  To register, call Diana at 598-9938.

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CUMC Preschool, 3820 Westwood Northern Blvd will have its Ladies Night Out, Friday, March 12, from 6:00 – 9:30 pm. with various crafters and many vendors.  There will be a silent auction, grab bags, door prizes, snacks and beverages. Cost of $2 qualifies for door prizes, additional tickets for door prizes are $2, or 3 for $5.   Bring old gold, silver, or platinum jewelry for the gold exchange.  For more information, please call the preschool at 389-3060.

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APOP (Adoptive Parents Outreach Program) is having a Chili Cook Off on Sunday, March 14 from 3:00-7:00 p.m., at Purcell Knights of Columbus Hall on Glenmore Ave. admission is $10.00 at the door children under 10 are free.