We will commemorate St. Francis of Assisi (whose feast day on October 4 concludes the Season of Creation) with a reading or singing of his Canticle of the Creatures--Laudate Si--during our liturgies on Sept. 28-29.
Deacon Al invites parishioners to bring their own favorite Creatures (including but not limited to dogs and cats) for a Blessing of the Animals, to take place outside the church at a time to be announced.
Melinda Gardiner will tell the history of the Labyrinth, which was used by early & medieval Christians as an aid to prayer and worship, and offer suggestions for those interested in walking the Labyrinth that lies within the Prayer Garden in our east lawn.
Parishioner Jackie Elder will share information about the Theology of the Body, teachings from Pope John Paul II about love, life, and human sexuality.
This year our parish is observing the Season of Creation, which runs from September 1 through October 4, with a series of special activities. This is the time of year when the world’s 2.2 billion Christians are invited to pray and care for Creation. September 1 was proclaimed as a day of prayer for creation by Patriarch Dimitrios I of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1989. It was embraced by a number of other Christian denominations in 2001 and was adopted by Pope Francis for the Roman Catholic Church in 2015. The Season of Creation concludes on October 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, to honor the author of the Canticle of the Creatures, Laudato Si, which Pope Francis adopted as the theme for his encyclical on the care of Creation. See the Calendar for each week-end's events.
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION 1 SEPTEMBER 2019 “And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:25). God’s gaze, at the beginning of the Bible, rests lovingly on his creation. From habitable land to life-giving waters, from fruit-bearing trees to animals that share our common home, everything is dear in the eyes of God, who offers creation to men and women as a precious gift to be preserved. Tragically, the human response to this gift has been marked by sin, selfishness and a greedy desire to possess and exploit. Egoism and self-interest have turned creation, a place of encounter and sharing, into an arena of competition and conflict. In this way, the environment itself is endangered: something good in God’s eyes has become something to be exploited in human hands. Deterioration has increased in recent decades: constant pollution, the continued use of fossil fuels, intensive agricultural exploitation and deforestation are causing global temperatures to rise above safe levels. The increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather phenomena and the desertification of the soil are causing immense hardship for the most vulnerable among us. Melting of glaciers, scarcity of water, neglect of water basins and the considerable presence of plastic and microplastics in the oceans are equally troubling, and testify to the urgent need for interventions that can no longer be postponed. We have caused a climate emergency that gravely threatens nature and life itself, including our own. In effect, we have forgotten who we are: creatures made in the image of God (cf. Gen 1:27) and called to dwell as brothers and sisters in a common home. We were created not to be tyrants, but to be at the heart of a network of life made up of millions of species lovingly joined together for us by our Creator. Now is the time to rediscover our vocation as children of God, brothers and sisters, and stewards of creation. Now is the time to repent, to be converted and to return to our roots. We are beloved creatures of God, who in his goodness calls us to love life and live it in communion with the rest of creation. For this reason, I strongly encourage the faithful to pray in these days that, as the result of a timely ecumenical initiative, are being celebrated as a Season of Creation. This season of increased prayer and effort on behalf of our common home begins today, 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. It is an opportunity to draw closer to our brothers and sisters of the various Christian confessions. I think in particular of the Orthodox faithful, who have celebrated this Day for thirty years. In this ecological crisis affecting everyone, we should also feel close to all other men and women of good will, called to promote stewardship of the network of life of which we are part. This is the season for letting our prayer be inspired anew by closeness to nature, which spontaneously leads us to give thanks to God the Creator. Saint Bonaventure, that eloquent witness to Franciscan wisdom, said that creation is the first “book” that God opens before our eyes, so that, marvelling at its order, its variety and its beauty, we can come to love and praise its Creator (cf. Breviloquium, II, 5, 11). In this book, every creature becomes for us “a word of God” (cf. Commentarius in Librum Ecclesiastes, I, 2). In the silence of prayer, we can hear the symphony of creation calling us to abandon our self-centredness in order to feel embraced by the tender love of the Father and to share with joy the gifts we have received. We can even say that creation, as a network of life, a place of encounter with the Lord and one another, is “God’s own ‘social network’” (Audience for the Guides and Scouts of Europe, 3 August 2019). Nature inspires us to raise a song of cosmic praise to the Creator in the words of Scripture: “Bless the Lord, all things that grow on the earth, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever” (Dan 3:76 Vg). It is also a season to reflect on our lifestyles, and how our daily decisions about food, consumption, transportation, use of water, energy and many other material goods, can often be thoughtless and harmful. Too many of us act like tyrants with regard to creation. Let us make an effort to change and to adopt more simple and respectful lifestyles! Now is the time to abandon our dependence on fossil fuels and move, quickly and decisively, towards forms of clean energy and a sustainable and circular economy. Let us also learn to listen to indigenous peoples, whose age-old wisdom can teach us how to live in a better relationship with the environment. This too is a season for undertaking prophetic actions. Many young people all over the world are making their voices heard and calling for courageous decisions. They feel let down by too many unfulfilled promises, by commitments made and then ignored for selfish interests or out of expediency. The young remind us that the earth is not a possession to be squandered, but an inheritance to be handed down. They remind us that hope for tomorrow is not a noble sentiment, but a task calling for concrete actions here and now. We owe them real answers, not empty words, actions not illusions. Our prayers and appeals are directed first at raising the awareness of political and civil leaders. I think in particular of those governments that will meet in coming months to renew commitments decisive for directing the planet towards life, not death. The words that Moses proclaimed to the people as a kind of spiritual testament at the threshold of the Promised Land come to mind: “Therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” (Dt 3:19). We can apply those prophetic words to ourselves and to the situation of our earth. Let us choose life! Let us say “no” to consumerist greed and to the illusion of omnipotence, for these are the ways of death. Let us inaugurate farsighted processes involving responsible sacrifices today for the sake of sure prospects for life tomorrow. Let us not give in to the perverse logic of quick profit, but look instead to our common future! In this regard, the forthcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit is of particular importance. There, governments will have the responsibility of showing the political will to take drastic measures to achieve as quickly as possible zero net greenhouse gas emissions and to limit the average increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius with respect to pre-industrial levels, in accordance with the Paris Agreement goals. Next month, in October, the Amazon region, whose integrity is gravely threatened, will be the subject of a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Let us take up these opportunities to respond to the cry of the poor and of our earth! Each Christian man and woman, every member of the human family, can act as a thin yet unique and indispensable thread in weaving a network of life that embraces everyone. May we feel challenged to assume, with prayer and commitment, our responsibility for the care of creation. May God, “the lover of life” (Wis 11:26), grant us the courage to do good without waiting for someone else to begin, or until it is too late. From the Vatican, 1 September 2019 FRANCIS
Menu - Six Choices: 1. Hamburgers & Hotdogs + all sides $12. 2. Hamburgers & Hotdogs + all sides kids 10 & under $6. 3. Vegetarian Hot Dogs & Hamburgers + sides $ 14. 4. Prime Sirloin Tip & shrimp + all sides $ 18. 5. Lobster + all sides $24. 6. Prime Sirloin Tip, Shrimp & Lobster + all sides $30. Side dishes: red rice, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw, potato salad, garden salad desserts galore, iced tea, lemonade, coffee provided. BYOB if desired (Tickets must be purchased in advance - no walk-ins)
LET’S GO SURFIN’ – Join us for our annual Ecumenical Vacation Bible School. This summer you will be riding the waves with the saints as you learn holy daring and how to be a dynamic duo – the Holy Spirit and you. This great program is being held on Monday, August 26th - Friday, August 30th from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. Please contact Mary Burntitus for further information or for registration forms at olhfaithformationdre@yahoo.com or at (518)329-4711, ext. #11.
A NIGHT IN PARIS DINNER Wednesday, June 26th, 6:00 PM The Menu: ● Coq au Vin - Chicken cooked in red wine with onions, mushrooms & bacon ● Quiche ● Potatoes au Gratin ● Dilled Green Beans ● Salad Adults $12, Children up to ten $6
This is an invitation for anyone already doing and anyone interested in doing pastoral care. These meetings will give us a chance to share experiences, ideas, and needs and talk about how to move forward. We do have a possibility of training from the diocese if there is enough interest. Please encourage anyone you think might be interested in this ministry to come.
Homily for Sunday May 26, 2019 at Our Lady of Hope Copake Falls, NY Acts 156:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29 How did the early followers of Jesus sustain themselves? How did they support their needs for food, clothing and shelter? How did they maintain their inner peace while struggling to support themselves? Jesus tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Dear Lord, that is much easier said than done! I’m worried about the attendance here at Our Lady of Hope, and about the finances. We need more people coming to Masses on the weekends and we need more money in the collections. Some of us go to the Doctor for six month or annual physicals. When we go for our physicals, we may hear that we have high blood pressure, or we’re overweight, or our cholesterol level is off. We don’t like hearing bad news. But if the Doctor doesn’t tell you the truth about your health problems you won’t take corrective action. Today I want to talk to you about our problems and about corrective action. This is Memorial Day weekend. Will there be more or fewer people here this weekend? Will the collection be up or down? I would like to tell you all not to worry, don’t let your hearts be troubled. Peace be with you. But frankly I’m worried about attendance and about the offertory collection. The reality is worrying won’t help. We need to do something! It’s good to know what the situation is, but anxiety and worry won’t help. We need to think about evangelizing. You need to invite people you don’t see here, who came in the past. Tell them about the wonderful liturgies we have. Tell them about the community of faith, the sisters and brothers who support each other. Tell them that you have found Jesus here. Am I preaching to the choir?! Well of course. I can’t preach to people who aren’t here can I? I know you love this church. I’ve only been here five months and I can see why you love it. You are welcoming, kind and a reflection of Jesus – most of the time. However, there are still some separations in our Parish family – people who identify as from St. Bridget’s, St. John Vianney, or Holy Cross or Sacred Heart. And people who disagree about this or that. It is fine to disagree, but it isn’t fine to be disagreeable! I had a drill sergeant who told us that two wrongs don’t make a right – two wrongs don’t make a right; and two rights don’t wrong nobody. Not good English but very smart - two rights don’t wrong nobody. Please do your best to put your separations behind you. We have a Parish of about 280 families, around 450 people. On any given weekend we have about 150 to 200 people who come to Mass. Where are the other 250? How can we bring these missing faith family members back - people from Holy Cross, St. Bridget, St. John Vianney, and Sacred Heart? How can we get them back to experience our wonderful liturgies? How do we make them feel the love? Everything we do should include evangelization. For example, we are very happy that Justin and Chelsea Charter are planning to have their daughter Allison Baptized here. Please let them know we welcome Allison into our faith family. Perhaps we can invite a Young Adult and a Faith Formation Student to be on the Pastoral Council. When we plan events like the Summer Suppers, we should think about how to attract young adults and youth to the suppers. I invite you to reach out to people from St. Bridget’s, St. John Vianney, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart. Today when you exchange the sign of peace look around, be grateful for all who are here, your family, your friends and your neighbors. And think about who is missing. Our Lady of Hope Parish, and I, need all of you to step up and seize the opportunity to invite others to come here to Mass and share the love of Jesus. Peace be with you.
Come and hear about what is happening about Waste & Recycling in Columbia County from Jolene Race, the County Director of Solid Waste. Bring a bag lunch and your questions. Coffee, tea and other drinks will be provided. Presented by Our Lady of Hope Human Development Committee.