February 18, 2020

The next Information Bulletin is Monday, February 24, 2020.
Deadline for submissions is Thursday, February 20, at 4:30 p.m.

Email your Information Bulletin items to the editor.

2021 special collection schedule for Diocese of Erie
The 2021 special collection schedule for the Diocese of Erie is attached. Please use this schedule when ordering collection envelopes for your parish(es). Feel free to contact the Chancery at 814-824-1135 with any questions.

Seminary Discernment Weekend
Any young man who is a high school junior or older and is seriously considering applying to seminary is encouraged to attend the Seminary Discernment Weekend April 4-5 at St. Mark Seminary in Erie. The weekend is designed to assist young men to discern whether they might be called to diocesan priesthood, to familiarize them with the basic goals of seminary formation, and to help each individual determine whether he is ready to move forward with the application process. There will be presentations by seminary faculty and seminarians, informal interaction with seminarians, a tour of Gannon University in Erie, Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, confession and Palm Sunday Mass. Accommodations and all meals are at no cost. For further information and/or to register for the weekend, contact Father Mike Polinek, vocations director, at 814-824-1202 or at mpolinek@ErieRCD.org.

Bottles for holy oils needed
If parishes have holy oil bottles from previous years, please return them to the Office of Worship at St. Mark Catholic Center as soon as possible. You also may return them at the Priests’ Day of Reflection in Titusville on March 24. The bottles are needed for the Chrism Mass on April 6. If a pastor is unable to return bottles before the Chrism Mass, please bring them to the Chrism Mass and leave them in the recycle box in Synod Hall (next to the sacristy) at St. Peter Cathedral. Recycled bottles will be cleaned and used in the future.

2020 Catholic Foundation grant opportunities
Parishes, schools and departments of the Diocese of Erie are encouraged to apply for faith formation and education grants through the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania.

Faith formation grant applications are being accepted through Feb. 28. This will be the only faith formation grant cycle in 2020. If you are planning a project that promotes lifelong faith formation, review the grant guidelines and criteria to see if your project qualifies. Review the attached document or go to the following link to learn more: https://www.cfnwpa.org/grant-seekers/faith-formation-endowment-guidelines.
Education grant applications are being accepted through March 23. This is the first of two education grant cycles in 2020. Are your parish lay ministers or lay staff planning to attend a conference, workshop or retreat this year? Are you planning a new religious education or faith formation project for your parish or school? Is your school or faith formation program in need of updated technology? Your project may be a good fit for this grant opportunity. Review the attached document or go to the following link to learn more: https://www.cfnwpa.org/grant-seekers/education-grant-guidelines.

Catholic Services Appeal Commitment Sunday is one week away
The 2020 Catholic Services Appeal Prayer is attached for your convenience. The administrative offices of the Diocese of Erie extend blessings on parishes for a successful campaign, which officially begins with Commitment Sunday on Feb. 23.

As the 2020 Catholic Services Appeal gets underway, parishes are encouraged to utilize the resources found at https://www.eriercd.org/Catholic-Services-Appeal-CSA-Materials.html. Questions? Contact Julia Cooney at the Catholic Foundation at 814-824-1253 or jcooney@cfnwpa.org.

Financial assistance available to parishes through OCP
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press) provides direct financial assistance to Roman Catholic parishes across the United States through its annual OCP Parish Grants Program. Since its inception in 2001, it has provided nearly $3.3 million to parishes in the U.S. The Parish Grants Program is open to all Roman Catholic parishes, even if they do not use OCP as their liturgical music source. If your parish has a need for something that would enhance the worship experience, apply at https://ocp.org/en-us/parish-grants. See the attachment for information needed to apply for a grant.

Attention Office 2010 users
Office 2010 will reach its end of support on Oct.13, 2020. If you haven't already begun to upgrade your Office 2010 environment, we recommend you start now. Microsoft will no longer provide support for technical issues, fixes for problems, or security updates for vulnerabilities. Using Office 2010 past the end-of-life date puts your data at risk. Not sure what version you’re using? Visit https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028492/office-what-version-of-office-am-i-using for instructions. If you are using Office 2010 or prior, contact 814-824-1184 or email it@ErieRCD.org to purchase heavily discounted Microsoft Office through the Diocese of Erie.

Updates to 2020 Diocese of Erie Directory
The following corrections have been made to the 2020 Diocese of Erie Directory:

Page 52, St. Eulalia — Change mailing address to the same as the following physical address: 6 E. Maple St., Coudersport, and change support staff to Wendy Willenbecher. There is no FAX number.
Page 92, St. Gabriel — Change mailing address to 6 E. Maple St., Coudersport. Telephone number is 814-274-8646, and there is no FAX number. Email is now steulalia@zitomedia.net. Change support staff to Wendy Willenbecher, and change daily Mass to Tuesday at 11 a.m. There is no first Friday Mass.

Diocese of Erie’s Good for You Wellness Initiative
There is still time to participate in the Diocese of Erie’s Good for You Wellness Initiative. This program is for full-time employees covered by the Diocese of Erie’s wellness plan. All you have to do is complete four easy steps. You’ll earn a $150 reward. Learn more at https://www.eriercd.org/wellness.html.

Your mind deserves better than to be loaded down with the never-ending job of worrying! Some stress can be beneficial and may lead to actual problem-solving, but a lot of stress is unnecessary and even harmful. The attached document provides practical insights on how to effectively manage stress.

Job openings in the diocese
See the classified section below for current position openings. Here’s a quick link to diocesan, school and parish jobs: https://www.ErieRCD.org/employment.html.

Attachments

2021 Special Collection schedule
Faith formation grant overview
Education grant overview
OCP financial assistance
2020 CSA Prayer

Parish Bulletin Announcements

PW Protected Attachments:

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2021 Special Collection schedule
Faith formation grant overview
Education grant overview
OCP financial assistance
2020 CSA Prayer

People for Life sponsors oratory and essay contests
Erie’s People for Life is sponsoring a high school oratory contest and an essay contest for seventh- through 12^th-graders. Pre-registration is required. For details about both contests, go to www.peopleforlife.org or call 814-882-1333.

Two more weeks to register for 22:32 Men
Men of all faiths are invited to join their brothers from across the Diocese of Erie and beyond for the seventh annual 22:32 Men’s Conference Feb. 29 at Our Lady of Peace Church, 2401 W. 38^th St., Erie. This day of inspiration, spiritual growth and worship will feature national speakers, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Mass with Bishop Lawrence Persico. Lunch and free parking included. For details and registration information, go to www.2232Men.com or call 814-455-7364.

Lenten services in DuBois
A Lenten evening prayer series will be held at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 123 S. State St., DuBois, the first five Sundays in Lent, beginning March 1. All are invited to attend the evenings, held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be music, vespers and a Lenten reflection by invited guest speakers. The schedule is as follows:

March 1 — Father Justin Pino, pastor, St. Leo Magnus Parish, Ridgway
March 8 — Deacon Marty Eisert
March 15 — Pastor Amy Miller of Christ Lutheran Church, DuBois
March 22 — Ann Badach, executive director, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Erie
April 7 — Father Jim Gutting, senior associate, St. Bernard Parish, Bradford.

Silent Walk for Peace scheduled March 2
Benedictines for Peace will hold a Silent Walk for Peace on March 2 from 7 to 7:30 p.m., beginning at the Mercy Center for Women, 1039 E. 27^th St., Erie, in recognition of Women’s History Month. The walk will begin and end at a place dedicated to women and children moving from homelessness to stable housing. All are welcome to participate.

Plan to attend the Shadow Drama of the Stations of the Cross
Save the date for the contemporary Shadow Drama of the Stations of the Cross at Holy Cross Church, 7100 W. Ridge Road, Fairview, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to join this Lenten experience presented by the youth of the parish. For further details, go to www.hc-parish.org or call 814-474-2605.

Author of Bored Again Catholic to speak at church
Dr. Timothy O’Malley, author of Bored Again Catholic — How the Mass Could Save Your Life, will speak at the parish event center of Immaculate Conception Church, 715 E. Main St., Clarion, on March 14 beginning at 9 a.m. The event will include brunch. Childcare will be provided for children pre-K through eighth grade. For more information or to RSVP, contact Linda Summerville at linda.summerville62@gmail.com or call 814-226-8433, ext. 203

Erie Catholic Preparatory School System seeks president
The Erie Catholic Preparatory School System (Cathedral Preparatory School, Villa Maria Academy and Mother Teresa Academy) is accepting applications for the position of president. For complete information on the system and the position, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html.

Teacher, principal and president positions available
The following job openings are available elsewhere in the Diocese of Erie. For details, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html.

Full-time high school English teacher, Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools, Hermitage
Principal, St. Michael Elementary School, Greenville
President, Shenango Valley Catholic School System
Principal, St. Gregory School, North East

Director of liturgy and music/elementary music teacher
Immaculate Conception Parish in Clarion is seeking a full-time director of liturgy and music/elementary music teacher. Competitive compensation package. For complete details, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html. Interested candidates should e-mail a resume and letter of interest to Kim Kroh of the Liturgy and Music Task Force at KimKroh@comcast.net.

McKean parish hiring director/coordinator of parish evangelization
St. Francis Xavier Parish in McKean is hiring a full-time director/coordinator of parish evangelization. For a detailed description of the position and the application process, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html.

Youth minister needed at Our Lady of Mercy, St. Mark
The parishes of Our Lady of Mercy, Harborcreek, and St. Mark the Evangelist, Lawrence Park, are seeking an energetic, creative person dedicated to working with teens as a youth minister. This is a full- or part-time position. For details, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html.

Oil City parish hiring director/coordinator of faith formation
St. Joseph Parish in Oil City is seeking a director/coordinator of faith formation. This is a full-time, exempt position that reports directly to the pastor and supervises numerous volunteer catechists and parent volunteers. For information about the position and how to apply, go to https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html.