October 18, 2021
The next Information Bulletin is Monday, October 25, 2021.
Deadline for submissions is Thursday, October 21, 2021, at 4:30 p.m.
The Diocese of Erie Information Bulletin advertises and promotes activities and events sponsored by diocesan entities such as parishes, schools, religious communities and groups. The IB is unable to advertise or promote activities or events not sponsored by such entities. Submissions may run a maximum of two editions. The administrative offices of the diocese reserve the right to edit submission
Email your Information Bulletin items to the editor.
Confirmation planning process underway
Pastors, administrators and religious education leaders are asked to review the revised confirmation planning process in the attached document. Please note that, except for the Eastern Vicariate, the process works through the dean. The due date for a parish’s response to the dean is Oct. 29, 2021. The due date for the dean’s submission is Nov. 12, 2021. For further questions, please contact the Office of Worship at 814-824-1271.
Reminder of optional memorial for St. John Paul II, pope
Oct. 22 is the optional memorial for St. John Paul II, pope. Aside from the usual Mass readings of the day, any Lectionary readings from the Common of Pastors: For a Pope may be used. Please see the attached documents for the Collect and the Office of Readings.
All are invited to view and share Sunday Story videos
The Office of Faith Formation has launched a series of short videos featuring parishioners from around the Diocese of Erie sharing testimonials about what they experienced during the pandemic. Find them at www.ErieRCD.org/SundayStory.html. The site also includes suggestions about how both parishes and individuals might use the videos. Try using some as an inspiring way to begin a meeting or to jump start a dinnertime conversation. Each video also can be downloaded and shared on social media.
#iGiveCatholic registration closes Nov. 3
The registration deadline to participate in #iGiveCatholic is Nov. 3. Like last year, this is an “opt in” process. Register your parish, school or ministry at https://erie.igivecatholic.org/register. Registration instructions and other helpful resources can be found at https://www.cfnwpa.org/giving-options/igivecatholic/igivecatholic-resources. As a reminder, organizations that register by Oct. 20 will be eligible for a drawing on Nov. 30 of four cash prizes of $250 each. Questions? Contact Kathy Grisier at kgrisier@cfnwpa.org or 814-824-1236.
Diocese to offer prayer service for racial healing
The Diocese of Erie is continuing its commitment to racial justice with a prayer service — co-sponsored by Gannon University, the diocesan Social Justice and Life Office, and the Office of Faith Formation for Parish Support — on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, 520 Peach St, Erie. Bishop Lawrence Persico will preside. All are invited to deepen their Catholic understanding of racial healing and how our Catholic faith can engage with racial justice. Attend with your family, youth group, small faith group, RCIA program, or others. Contact Patrice Swick, director of Social Justice and Life, at pswick@eriercd.org with any questions.
Holy Hour for Vocations planned at Our Lady of Peace
There will be a Holy Hour for Vocations at Our Lady of Peace Parish, 2401 W. 38th St., Erie, on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., held in conjunction with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Vocation Awareness Week Nov. 7-13. Leading this special event will be Msgr. Edward Lohse, vicar general of the Diocese of Erie and a graduate of Our Lady of Peace School. All ages are welcome to attend.
Plan now for a pilgrimage to England
Father Rich Toohey and Father Nicholas Rouch are leading a pilgrimage to England July 18-28, 2022. The title of the pilgrimage is “In the Company of Mary, Missionaries, Monks, Martyrs, Scholars and Converts.” The cost is $4,799 (includes accommodations, meals and round trip airfare from Pittsburgh). Find all information at www.pilgrimages.com/frtoohey/england/.
Attention, priests and deacons: Check your Microsoft Office account
Priests and deacons of the Diocese of Erie who use Microsoft Office to check their eriercd.org account are advised that Outlook versions 2010 and 2013 will no longer work as of Nov. 1. Outlook 2016 build 16.0.4599.9999 and older are also no longer supported. Purchase an upgraded version of Microsoft Office 365 through the diocese for $36 per year or check your eriercd.org account for free by going to http://www.office.com by using a phone or tablet app. Microsoft Office 365 includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook Access and Publisher. Microsoft Forms is also included if you need a tool for creating online forms and surveys.
Job openings in the diocese
See the classified section below for the latest position openings. Here’s a quick link to diocesan, school and parish jobs: https://www.eriercd.org/employment.html. For Erie Catholic School System jobs only, go to http://ErieCatholic.org/careers.
AttachmentsConfirmation planningOffice of Readings, St. John Paul II optional memorial Collect, St. John Paul II optional memorial
|
PW Protected Attachments:Clergy and Department Heads click here to login.Confirmation planning Office of Readings, St. John Paul II optional memorial Collect, St. John Paul II optional memorial |
Benedictines offer discernment retreat
The Benedictines Sisters of Erie are offering a discernment retreat at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery from Friday evening, Oct. 22, to Sunday, Oct. 24. Join in a weekend of reflection and sharing centered on Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister’s book What Are You Looking For? Participants are also invited to join in the life, prayer and leisure of the Erie Benedictine community while discerning how God is speaking in their lives. For more information, email vocations@eriebenedictines.org. Note: This is an in-person event that will be adapted to Zoom if necessary.
Looking for a golabki dinner?
Holy Trinity Church in Erie will have a golabki dinner at the parish social hall, 2220 Reed St., Erie, on Oct. 24 from noon to 5 p.m. The cost is $10 per dinner, which includes golabki, haluski, mashed potatoes, green beans, and roll and butter. Drinks are available for $1. No substitutions. Carry-out or dine-in available. Baked goods are available at an additional cost. For more information, call 814-456-0671 daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 814-392-0257 after 3 p.m.
Pro-life holy hour scheduled at St. Stanislaus Church
A pro-life holy hour will be held at St. Stanislaus Church, E .13th and Wallace streets, Erie, on Oct. 24 beginning at 2 p.m. All are welcome to attend and join in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, asking for special intentions that focus on a greater respect for all human life. St. Stanislaus’ pro-life community is sponsoring this holy hour during Respect Life Month.
The Cloud of Unknowing to be explored at Bethany Retreat Center
The Cloud of Unknowing, a 14th-century work that is the basis for the method and practice of Centering Prayer, will be explored Oct. 25-30 at Bethany Retreat Center in Frenchville. Doug Laplante will lead an exploration into five key elements of the spiritual journey: spiritual growth, humility, dealing with thoughts, intention, and unity. The retreat is designed for participants with a well-established Centering Prayer practice. Through a combination of prayer and contemplative dialogue, participants will delve deeply into the teachings of The Cloud of Unknowing. The cost is $598. A commuter option is available. To register, call 814-263-4855 or visit www.bethanyretreatcenter.org.
Young adults invited to Halloween party
On Oct. 29, Erie Catholic Young Adults will host a Murder Mystery Halloween Party in the multipurpose room at St. George Church, 5145 Peach St., Erie. Everyone between 18 and 40 is welcome to come and mingle with other young adults and work together to figure out the mystery at-hand. Reservations are necessary for food preparation as well as assigning cast roles for the night. Register at https://erieya.org/murdermystery or get further information by contacting Father Andy Boyd, parochial vicar at St. George, at aboyd@eriercd.org or 814-864-0622, ext. 354. The event is free, but a free-will offering is welcome.
Cathedral Prep’s open house for middle school boys and girls
Cathedral Preparatory School, 225 W. 9th St., Erie, is holding an open house for middle school boys and girls on Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is an optional Mass at 9:30 a.m. in the school’s David H. Bowes Auditorium. Guided tours will include interactive classroom demonstrations, a look at renovations and expansion coming in the fall of 2022, information about the transition to a co-ed campus, hands-on science experiments, information on MedPath, Esports, the new STEM lab, the new dance and arts studios and more. Learn about financial aid and how to graduate from Prep with a semester or more of college completed. Students in attendance will be entered in a drawing for tuition discounts. For more information, call 814-453-7737, ext. 3.
Turkey bingo is coming!
St. Anthony Parish in Sharon is holding a turkey bingo event Nov. 7 at the church hall, 804 Idaho St., (Sherman Avenue entrance). Doors open at 1 p.m.; bingo starts at 2 p.m. The church hall is handicap accessible. The cost is $20 for one pack, $25 for two packs, $30 for three packs. Each pack contains 20 games of regular bingo and five special games. The big winner of each of the 20 regular games wins a $20 gift card for a turkey to D’Onofrio’s. The big winner of each special game wins a $25 gift card to D’Onofrio’s and a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart. There will be delicious food available, too, plus a 50/50 and raffle drawing.
Presentation on love and mortality scheduled at McKean parish
A traveling exhibit and presentation titled, “Meditations on Love and Mortality,” will be given by artist Ann Schmalstieg Barrett at St. Francis Xavier Church, 8880 Main St., McKean, on Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. The presentation has been given at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., among other locations. It explores the Catholic understanding of death through the beauty of art and Gregorian chant. For more information about the artist and her work, go to www.annschmalstieg.com/about.
Prayer yard signs available
Yard signs that read “Pray for Our Nation” are available free of charge by leaving a message with Jim Toohey at 814-864-2145.
If I.B. attachments do not open, click here to download the latest Acrobat Reader. If problems persist, email Kathy Papalia or call 814.824.1184.
If your email address or your status for receiving the Information Bulletin changes, please notify the Office of Communications so that we can update our mailing list.
To access the Information Bulletin online, visit www.ErieRCD.org and click on Information Bulletin under the News and Information drop-down menu. As with the email version, pastors and department heads will still need to enter their password to access secure information.
If you would like to unsubscribe to the Information Bulletin, please notify the Office of Communications and type “unsubscribe” in the subject line.