BAKER'S BITS - Z PERA OTCA BAKERA - March 15, 2020

1. Today we remember the 50th anniversary of the death of Mon- signor Stephen Krasuľa. Msgr. Krasuľa was pastor of our church for 52 years and because of his efforts our beautiful church, rectory and school were built. We will commemorate the anniversary of his death by placing a flower wreath at his memorial plaque in the foyer of the church following the Slovak Mass.

2. During the Mass when the ‘sign of peace’ is exchanged, it is cus- tomary to exchange a handshake. For health reasons, please forego a handshake. Instead, it is perfectly fine to acknowledge your fellow parishioners with a head nod and the words, ‘Peace be with you.’ For the same health reasons it would be safer to receive communion in the hand. Please see more information about receiving communion in the hand in the bulletin.

3. If you don’t receive our Parish E-newsletter, email parishoffice@ eastrivercatholics.org with your full name and email to be put on the list.

4. I pray your Lent is going well! I share this reflection with you from Fr. Alexander Schemann.

“LENT IS A GIFT! Lent is a gift from God to us, a gift which is admi- rable, marvelous, one that we desire. Now a gift of what? I would say that it is a gift of the essential – that which is essential and yet which suffers most in our life because we are living lives of confusion and fragmentation, lives which constantly conceal from us the eternal, the glorious, the divine meaning of life and take away from us that which should “push” and, thus, correct and fill our life with joy. And this essential is thanksgiving: the acceptance from God of that won- derful life, as St. Peter says, “...created out of nothing...,” created exclusively by the love of God, for there is no other reason for us to exist; loved by Him even before we were born, we were taken into His marvelous light. Now we live and we forget. When was the last time I thought about it? But I do not forget so many little things and affairs that transform my whole life into empty noise, into a kind of traveling without knowing where.”

1. Dnes si pripomenieme 50. výročie smrti Monsinora Štefana Krasuľu. Msgr. Krasuľa bol farárom nášho kostola 52 rokov, jeho zásluhou bol postavený náš krásny kostol, fara a škola. Výročie jeho smrti si pripomenieme po slovenskej sv. omši položením venca k pamät - nej tabuli Mons. Krasuľu vo vestibule nášho kostola.

2. Počas sv. omše si dávame znak pokoja podaním ruky. Z hygien- ický dôvodov, si prosím namiesto podania ruky dajme znak pokoja kývnutím hlavy a slovami “Pokoj s vami”. Z tých istých hygienickýcho dôvodov odporúčame prijať sviatosť Eucharistie do ruky. Viac informácií o prijímaní na ruku nájdete v bulletine.

3. Ak nedostávate náš electronický e-bulletin, pošlite svoje celé meno a e-mail adresu na adresu parishoffice@eastrivercatholics.org, aby sme vás mohli pridať do zoznamu.

4. Modlím sa, aby ste dobre prežívali Pôst! Chcem sa s vami podeliť o úvahu otca Alexandra Schemanna.

“PÔST JE DAR! Pôst je pre nás dar od Boha, dar, ktorý je obdivu- hodný, úžasný, ten, ktorý chceme.” Ale je to dar čoho? Povedal by som, že je to dar toho podstatnéhotoho čo trpí najviac v našom živote, pretože žijeme životy v zmätku a fragmentácii, životy, ktoré neustále pred nami skrývajú večný, slávny, boží zmysel života a berú nám to, čo by nás malo “tlačiť” a tým napraviť a naplniť náš život ra- dosťou. A to podstatné je vďakyvzdanie: prijatie tohto nádherného života od Boha, ako hovorí svätý Peter: “...stvoreného z ničoho ...”, vytvoreného len láskou Božou, lebo neexistuje žiadny iný dôvod, aby sme existovali; On nás miloval ešte predtým, než sme sa narodili, zobral nás do Jeho nádherného svetla, v ktorom teraz žijeme, avšak zabúdame. Kedy som o tom posledný raz premýšľal? Ale nez- abúdam na množstvo maličkostí a detailov, ktoré menia celý môj život na prázdny hluk, na cestovanie bez toho, aby som vedel kam.”