HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Happy Birthday to Carole Jean Crimmins!!

THANK YOU!!

A big thank you from the parish to Joe Juliano who donated his time, truck & loader to remove 30 loads of snow from our parking lots. It was God's blessing to give us the snow, & we have been blessed again by having it removed.LENTEN LUNCHES

As in past years, the Ilion Council of Churches has organized a series of Lent lunches. We meet to pray, to reflect & to socialize. A light lunch will be served at each meeting & a collection will be taken to support the Ilion-Frankfort Food Pantry. All are welcome. The lunches take place on Wednesdays at 12 noon. The lunch this week will be at 1st Presbyterian Church, Ilion on Wednesday, March 10th

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Congratulations to Daniel Long son of Joe & Kathy Long for recently receiving his Eagle Scout award.ST. JOSEPH'S DAY DINNER & SHOW

St. Joseph's Day Dinner & Show at St. Francis Club, Frankfort on Fri., March 19th. Dinner: 5:30pm & 7pm Show featuring Big Band sounds of Easy Money & recording star Pat Farenga. Tickets: $20 & available by calling 894-2520.

ST. FRANCIS deSALES REGISTRATION

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School information/registration night (parents/guardians only) is Tuesday, March 9th (snow date Wednesday, March 10th) at 6:30pm in the Pre-K & kindergarten classrooms at the school located at 220 Henry St., Herkimer. Bus transportation provided by most local school districts within 15 miles for our K-6 grade. For more information call 866-4831. The school offers programs for 2-6 year old children. Both half day & full day options are available for the 4 year old Pre-K program.

SEDER SUPPER

On the night before he died, Jesus celebrated Passover with His deciples. Join Annunciation Parish as they recreate this traditional Jewish event, "Seder Supper" at their Parish Center at 6:30pm on Tues., March 30. This is a family dinner & audience participation prayer service. If interested in attending or if you would like to assist in preparation & clean up please call Annunciation Parish Office at 894-3766.

TAIZE PRAYER SERVICE

There will be a Taize Prayer Service on Tues., March 16 at 7pm at Holy Family Parish in Little Falls. Taize is an ecumenical, peaceful way to pray using musical chants, silent meditation & scripture readings - a meditative, common prayer. It was in Taize, a tiny village in France in 1940 that a Community of Brothers began this meditative form of common prayer. Thousands of people continue to find their way to Taize to participate in prayer & reflection.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

There will be Stations of the Cross at 7pm every Friday during Lent at Our Lady Queen of Apostles.PARISH COFFEE

Members of the parish as well as any visitors once again are invited for coffee & . . . this Sunday at 10am in the church hall. This is not a fund-raiser, just an opportunity to meet & greet old friends & hopefully make new friends. Refreshments provided by the Altar Rosary Society at no cost. Please join us.EASTER SALE

Altar Rosary will be selling colorone & assorted Easter breads on Sunday, March 21st from 8:30am-11am in the Church Hall. To order colorone, please call Aggie: 895-7232 or Teresa: 895-5131 before March 18th. Fried dough will also be available.RITE OF ELECTION & THE SCRUTINIES

Over the next few weekends at different Masses we will celebrate "the scrutinies" with our RCIA catechumen & candidates. This special rite marks the final stage of preparation in the RCIA program. The scrutinies come from the early church & have a particular purpose for the candidates (they are also a good reminder for us!). The scrutinies are meant to uncover then heal all that is weak, defective or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong & good. We will use a special Gospel reading for the Mass that is linked to the particular scrutiny as each scrutiny has its own focus & purpose:

First Scrutiny: The mystery of sin & redemption: Jesus, the living water (Third Sunday in Lent)

Second Scrutiny: Jesus as the light of the world (Fourth Sunday in Lent)

Third Scrutiny: Jesus who is our resurrection & life (Fifth Sunday in Lent)

Please continue to remember Michael Polidori, Anthony Polidori, Jaimee Lape, Christina Wright, Nicholas Dean, Donald Stannard & Cheryl Lupinski in your prayers as they begin their final preparations. And please also remember our wonderful RCIA team who have worked so hard during the year. VIRTUAL TOUR OF LOURDES

You are cordially invited to a special presentation by Marlene Watkins, founding director of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality, North American Volunteers. She will present a 90 minute virtual pilgrimage about the mystery & wonder that is Our Lady of Lourdes. A special place "to visit." Come, "Wash of the Water" of Lourdes; touch the Grotto Rock & receive the Eucharistic Blessing. Find out why more than 6 million people every year make pilgrimage to "a little bit of heaven on earth." To be held at the Church of the Annunciation, Ilion, on Sunday, March 14 at 3pm. Our Lady of Lourdes is calling. (For more info. please call Elizabeth Wilson: 315-894-5744).DEATH

Life is changed not ended. Pray for the peace of Heaven for Gladys Dypa (Mother of Roberta Farouche).

FOOD PANTRY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

If you find that you have a couple extra hours during the course of the month, the food pantry could use compassionate, understanding volunteers. For more information, please call Dawn at 895-7182.

PLEASE PRAY FOR

We pray for those who are ill, recuperating and/or hospitalized especially Fr. John Yanas, Fr. Patrick Lynch, Verna Adams, Angelo Aiello, Zachary Anderson, Mary Barberio, Baby Gabriella, Baby Juliana, Baby Lexi, Baby Will Schrader, Donald Baker, Mary Barbuto, George Bergstrom, Melissa Wilson Bradle, Julia Bunce, Judy Putch Carter, Phyllis Costanza, Alexandria Couchman, Marge DeRusso, Rosario "Chuck" DiGristina, Fe Dulak, Vince Durant, Nancy Eramo, Esther Feliciano, Camille Fisher, Anthony Galante (Queens), Fred Galante, Sr., Eric Garcia, Donna (Tripple) Gerrer, Grace Grippe, Frances Hancock, Alex Handi, Mari Hatch, Ryan Jackson, Paul Keddell, Joanna Lanphier, Della LoCash, Michael Mathews, James McKevitt, Herb McKinney, Joanne McShane, Dominick Minosh, Felice Mirabile, Fanny Nicolette, Florida Norman (Rochester), Frank "Boop" Palumbo, Rosemary Parody, Tiffany Pugliese, Marie Puzzilla, Jane Quinn, Carrie Sciortino, Marion Sciortino, Walter Sexton, Jake Silverman, Janet Spensor, Roberta Sportello, Francis Stedman, Bernice & Gene Stolarzyk, Rose Storm, Gemma Tassino, Angie Thurston, Rosalia Diliberto Tocco, Angela Traglia, Joann Vivacqua, Sid Vivacqua, Sr. & Sophie Williams (PA).

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The following are the memorials we received for March 7th:

Bulletin Sponsor

In loving memory of My Mother Josephine Callahan (Anniversary Remembrance) @ $20: Marie & Michael & Family

Religious Education Fund

In loving memory of Barbara Whitney @ $25: Josephine Branck

In loving memory of Gladys Dypa @ $10: Lucille & Chuck Hand

Altar Host and Altar Wine

Thanksgiving Blessings for prayers answered by Jerry & Mayme Fluharty

Sanctuary Candle

In loving memory of Brother-in-law & Uncle Joseph Salvaggio (Anniversary Remembrance) by Moracco & Bryant Families

Set of Cinctures

In loving memory of Marion Edwards by Mayme & Jerry Fluharty

Last Week's Collection

1st Collection & returns:  $2,530.00               2nd Collection & returns:  $1,029.00

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3rd Sunday of Lent

In our reading this weekend from the Book of Exodus, God reveals his name to Moses – YHWH. The Jews regarded this name as so holy that it should not be pronounced. When they came to this name in the scriptures, they said 'Adonai' instead (Lord). As time went by and no one ever heard the word pronounced, no one knew any longer how it was meant to be pronounced. Eventually, some people began to put vowels of 'Adonai' with the consonants YWH, and it yielded the artificial word 'Jehovah'.

There is something wonderful about having a name for God that is so sacred that it is not to be pronounced. We Christians do not talk that way, but in fact we say something that is even more radical. For us it is not that there is a word that is taboo and must never be uttered, but that all words fall short of the mark. St. Thomas Aquinas said: "God is ultimately known as unknown, because then the mind knows that his essence is above all that can be known…Whatever is comprehended by a finite being (us) is itself finite…We only know God truly when we believe that he is above all that human beings can think about God."

Many people have contemplated this inability to fully understand God. But if we can know God then it wouldn't be God. All we can do is accept God's love for each one of us, to know that God will always be with us, and to revel in that knowledge.