We are more than halfway to our goal! As of this week we have received $37,495.00 toward our assessment of $69,661.00. Please put your Bishop’s Appeal envelope in the collection or mail them into the rectory. There are more envelopes available in the rear of the church. Also online giving at: www.thebishopsappeal.org provides a seamless, secure and easy way to make your gift. The parish is automatically credited with your gift. Thank you to all those who have contributed so generously to the Appeal.

Back by popular demand! Sacred Heart’s Annual Feast Day Festival Celebration, Friday, June 21, 2019. This event will begin with Mass at 5:00pm followed by a Eucharistic Procession and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Ending with a fun filled celebration of Troy’s East Side neighborhood and the gifts God our Father has given us. There will be tons of family things to for kids and adults of all ages. Lots of crazy good food and entertainment, and many surprises too fun to reveal! A time and place to gather as the amazing family of Sacred Heart. A place to bring neighbors and friends who have not yet seen how awesome a community we are! A place and time to share, to laugh and to love. Cancel everything else and come to this event. It just doesn’t get any better than this!

Race For Education: On Wednesday, June 5th, Sacred Heart School will kick-off our 9th annual Race for Education. We invite family and friends to join us in raising money so that we may continue our STREAM Program for next school year! STREAM focuses on project based learning through innovation, design and engineering, and we are excited to bring this program to SHS. Spring Cleaning: Please remember the donation bin located in the parking lot as you begin your spring cleaning. Clothing and shoes may be deposited into the bin (no household or other items please). Follow Us: Please visit our website at: www.SacredHeartSchoolTroy.com and our Facebook page: @SacredHeartSchool to learn more about our up-to-date activities and events.

Vacation Bible School: Announcing Vacation Bible School here at Sacred Heart! August 12 thru 16 8:30am to 1:30pm. For more information please contact the Faith Formation Office at (518) 274-1363 ext. 18, Tricia Adams, Director Roarke Center Donations: Every third weekend of the month, Sacred Heart will be collecting toiletries for the Roarke Center. These can be deposited in the regular Roarke Center Box in the back of church. For the month of June, they are requesting deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes with covers. As always, thank you for your gener-osity to those less fortunate.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Bring peace into your marriage by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The next Weekends are Oct 18-20, 2019 in ALBANY, NY and Jun 8-9, 2019 in Medway, MA. For more information, call Ed & Rhonda Staats at 518-279-3243 or visit them at https://wwmenyalb.org/.

Please plan to spend some extra time next weekend (June 1-2) looking over all the amazing things happening at our Sacred Heart Family Ministries. Ministry is the response a Church family has to the call and mission of our great faith. Share the Gospel, Love each other, Serve each other , Gather together to encourage each other. When we gather we strengthen ourselves, our families and our community. Come see who serves you and how you can be a part of service to others!

A weekend for Catholic Singles and their friends will be held on June 14-16 at Pyramid Life Center, a beautiful camp and lodge run by the Diocese of Albany and located in New York’s Adirondack Park in Paradox, New York. Pyramid Life Center consists of over 750 Acres of Adirondack Wilderness. It features a crystal-clear lake with an unspoiled shoreline and a 16 acre island. It is a mountain with a rock face that rises dramatically from the lake’s edge. It is a waterfall and hiking trails and forest and small mouth bass. It is a perfect habitat for all kinds of flora and fauna including human. Pyramid Life Center on Pyramid Lake is a place of hospitality for people who love and respect nature and reverence for its Creator. It is a place for reflection and re-creation, for physical and spiritual renewal. This is an all inclusive social weekend in a beautiful setting at a great price. For more information contact via email at: cathsing@yahoo.com

Our Christian faith tells us that the Holy Spirit is the inspiration behind our Sacred Scriptures. In light of this what do you make of St. John’s vision in today’s second reading of a new “…holy city, a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven…” Do we simply store such in the back of our consciousness, and return to the hum drum of our everyday lives without any further thought? Or are we willing to ask: what is the Holy Spirit trying to tell us here? And why during this season of celebration of the Resurrection? A recent TV Ad you may have seen uses the phrase: He gets it! Apparently, the Apostles Paul and Barnabas got it, and spent the remainder of their lives in tireless missionary activity, preaching the new creation in the Resurrected Christ, despite the fact that it was “…necessary to undergo many hardships.” There was a time when Western Culture was imbued with Christian values. That era no longer exists. Our world is now every bit as pagan (secularist) as the world of Paul and Barnabas, and now just as much in desperate need of evangelization. As a bare minimum we are obliged to demonstrate: “ This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus doesn’t ask that we love everybody in an abstract general way, but rather the concrete “one another”… in other words, the face in front of you!

We are off to a great start! As of Monday, we have received $27, 825.00 toward our assessment of $69,661.00! Please put your Bishop’s Appeal envelopes in the collection or mail them in to the rectory. There are envelopes available in the rear of the church. Also, online giving at www.thebishopsappeal.org provides a seamless, secure and easy way to make your gift. The parish is automatically credited with your gift. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to date.

No School: Sacred Heart school will be closed on Wednesday, May 15th for a Diocesan Faith Formation Day. SHS Drama Club Presents: The Sacred Heart School Drama Club will be presenting “Into the Woods Jr.” on Thursday, May 16th at 7:00 pm AND Friday, May 17th at 7:00 pm in the gymnasium. All are welcome!

Father Yanas, along with the members of the Liturgy and Finance Committees are pleased to advise that as of this year, all bequests made in memory of a relative or friend will now be placed in the Sacred Heart Memorial Fund Account and will be earmarked for refurbishing our pews. As many have stated, this project is long overdue and is now a top priority. For your convenience, Memorial Fund Envelopes are available in the rectory, and on the bulletin tables located in the rear of church. Additionally they will also be placed with programs at all funerals, and most times will be available at funeral homes during wake services.

We are off to a great start! Sacred Heart’s response to this year’s Bishop’s Appeal officially began this past weekend. Thus far we have received 49 gifts totaling $19,060! A second collection will be taken up for the next two weekends. We hope to reach our goal of $69,661. There are extra envelopes in the rear of the Church or you may also make your contribution online at www.thebishopsappeal.org Please remember that every gift, no matter the amount makes a huge difference, not only in helping Sacred Heart meet our goal, but more importantly in aiding the mission of the Church in our Diocese! Thank you to all those who have contributed.

On behalf of Fr. Vaughan, Fr. Yanas and staff, we wish to express our best wishes to all mothers as they celebrate the day on which they are honored. Please be assured that your intentions will be remembered at the altar of God. May our Lord bless and keep you. With respect and affection, Fr. Yanas

Confirmation: Confirmation Mass is on Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30pm. Please plan to arrive no later than by 6:15pm. The Confirmation Mass Rehearsal is on Monday, May 13 at 6:30pm. Attendance at the rehearsal is mandatory for all candidates and their sponsors. World Youth Day Presentation: World Youth Day participants are planning a power point presentation of their trip to Panama in the multi purpose room THIS SUNDAY, Mother’s Day, May 12 at 9:30am. Coffee and donuts will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Congratulations to Sacred Heart’s 2019 First Communion Class: Julian Bill, Dexter Bourdon, Kayla Brennan, Mollie Grebert, Jonathan Hartley, Connor Kehn, Jack Looby, Addison MacLeod, Stella Mickalonis, Joseph Milanese Eric Muellecker, Harper Seibert, Krystyna Wunsch. Sage Yakuboski CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!

Sacred Heart’s participation in the Annual Bishop’s Appeal officially begins this weekend. Every gift no matter the amount makes a difference! Please know that your gift helps the continued Mission and Ministry of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese. Each parish in the Diocese has a responsibility to the furthering of the Mission and Ministry of the Church and we at Sacred Heart take that responsibility very seriously. Our assessment for 2019 is $69,661.00 which is $2,903.00 less than last year. We hope to reach our goal as we did last year. There are extra envelopes in the rear of the Church or you may contribute online at www.thebishopsappeal.org Thank you and God Bless.

World Youth Day participants; Catherine Foley, Emily Jaworski, Angela Morabito, and Erin Pendergast, will deliver a multimedia Power Point presentation on their trip to Panama in the School multi-purpose room on Mother’s Day, May 12 at 9:30am. Coffee and donuts will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Faith Formation Grades 1-5: Saturday, May 4, First Communion Retreat. First Communion at the 8:30AM Mass on Sunday, May 5. Junior High Youth Program: Next class is THIS SUNDAY April 28. Confirmation Preparation: Next class is THIS SUNDAY April 28.