Stephen Patrick Alther

Adam George Berry

Luke Buas

Daniel Patrick Darcy

Riley Dominic Dickerson

Robert Eustachius Duke

Logan Mary Figgs

Tyler Sebastian Keiser

Joshua Gregory Mills

Arran Isidore Mills

Hailey Jude Moxley

Rayne Homobonus Parker

Clare Catherine Riley

Noah Francis Shockley

Brody Peter Shockley

Sydney Frances Westcott

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Dear parishioners and friends, This week we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. We are also celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation which 16 of our younger parishioners will receive from Bishop Malooly during the 10AM mass. Our hearts are most certainly filled with gratitude to the Lord who allows us to celebrate in such ways God’s love for us. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus physically disappears before the eyes of the disciples. On a superficial way, this may appear as Jesus was abandoning them but in reality Jesus can now be present to them in a different way. And this story is also an invitation to witness to the world that Jesus continues to remain “God-with-us,” the One who is always present to us. We, individually and as a Church, are witnesses to this Good News: God is always with us. The Gospel tells us that after this experience, the disciples “went forth” – a verb of motion; this verb reminds us that the Church is not called to be closed to the world. To say that Jesus is alive in our midst means to go out and reach other people with this message, not only with words but also with the most credible actions: our generosity and the courage to face any risk in order to make this reality ever present in our families, in our workplaces, in our country and church. I am reminded of a story about St Francis of Assisi who, one day, asked Brother Juniper to go out and preach the Gospel. They walked around the city of Assisi, praying silently for all those working in the shops and in gardens. They smiled at the children, especially to the poorest. They exchanged a few words with the elderly. They visited the sick. They helped a woman to carry a heavy bucket filled with water. After passing through the city several times, St. Francis said: "Brother Juniper now is time to return to the convent." "And our preaching?" replied Francis’ companion. "We did it ... we did it," said the smiling saint. “Preach always, and when necessary use words.” How important it is for all of us and for the people we meet every day, to be witnesses of the Great things God is doing and not just “preachers” or pushers of values. We pray, especially, this week that our young men and women who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation will be able to find inspiration in the love we have for one another and be able to translate it into a life of witness to other young men and women. Only in this way we can truly build the Civilization of Love.

““But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with

Christ” (Eph 2:4–5).

We want to thank Bishop Malooly for having celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation here at our Church. We want to congratulate our young parishioners who received this Sacrament. Please, make sure you keep them and their families in your prayers. Our Religious Education Program is coming to an end. We want to thank all catechists and aides for their ministry. Their willingness to pass on the faith of the Church has allowed so many of our youngest parishioners to grow in their knowledge of the Love of God. We also thank Mrs. Rita who is leading the program and making sure that our faith is celebrated always in a more meaningful way. May 23rd: we begin to celebrate Mass at Bethany United Methodist Church (On Route 611) on Saturday s at 5PM. May 27th: Parish “Country Cookin’” Dinner from 5-7. More information in the bulletin. Thank you for sending in your “Bishop’s Appeal” cards; we have now reached 71% of our goal. You have noticed that we are having some repairs done at Holy Savior Church. We are fixing and give a makeover to our Reconciliation Room. Sorry for any inconvenience.

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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Our Bazaar Elves are up and at them! They have asked me to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join them with their Christmas Crafts on Wednesday

mornings. They start up right after Mass in room #120. They also asked me to let you all know that they are accepting gently used home items, toys and jewelry on Wednesday mornings. Please no electronics or kitchen appliances. Also, the Elves are planning a special project that includes “Snow Babies” If you would like to downsize your collection, please feel free to donate them to our cause!

You may have noticed that we are selling raffle tickets for the 50/50 outside of church. Parishioners, please know, you will be getting them in the mail in a few weeks. We are

waiting for the printing of the Basket of Cheer tickets. If you are interested in taking a shift selling tickets, please give the parish office a call and we will get you set up!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOCIAL CONCERNS OUTREACH

Our first International Student Dinner is June 30th! If you are interested in

helping to cut vegetable, do dishes, cut cake, serve, clean up or just stop talk and welcome the student give the office a call and we will get you set up.! We will be making Boxed Lunches for Diakonia in the hall on June 4th after morning Mass. We will be making Casseroles in the Kitchen for Diakonia on June 11th after morning Mass. If you are interested in getting involved with this, just show up and offer a helping hand and we will be happy to have you.

The members of St. Vincent de Paul Society would like to thank everyone who has donated food for the pantry and money for the poor box. Through your

continued generosity we have been able to help many of our members of the community as they needed help with food, rent and utilities. We are blessed to be a part of such a caring parish family.

Thanks to everyone who is participat-ing in Bottles of Blessings. Whether you are placing money in a bottle or praying for our mothers to be or their babies, it is so appreciated. If you still would like to make a donation to help

the Shirley Grace Pregnancy Center, there are enve-lopes in the back of church and you can just place them in either collection basket and the money will be directed accordingly. Note: Bottles are to be re-turned on or before Father Day. If you are sending a check, please make it payable to St. Mary’s. Thanks again!

With your Kitchen Crew Due to scheduling conflicts, we will not have our All You Can Eat Breakfast in May or June. However, we are happy to announce that we have added a Dinner to our May calendar. Yes, on Wednesday, May 27th from 5—7 pm we will have a night of Country Cooking! We will be serving BBQ Ribs, Home Made Cole Slaw, Pork & Beans, Corn of the Cob and of course Steve is planning an additional surprise to satisfy your taste buds. We will resume Breakfasts on July 19th! Thank you so much for all your love and support!

Today, we will hold a special collec-tion for the Diocesan Priests’ Retire-ment Fund. Your donation will be used to support the many fine priests who have dedicated their lives to ser-vice of the faithful of Delaware and

Maryland’s Eastern Shore. You can meet four of our re-tired priests; Fr. Raymond Forester, Msgr. Daniel McGlynn, Fr. Leonard Kempski and Fr. Edward Stork, and learn about their ministry on a short video posted on the diocesan website, cdow.org. Please be as generous as possible.

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Sharing the Gospel It was time for Jesus to go back up to heaven. Before he left, Jesus asked his friends to tell the whole world the good news. God wanted all people to be saved from their sins through Jesus. If people believed in Jesus, God would forgive them, and they could do great things to help others. If people refused to believe in Jesus, God would not forgive them, and they would not be saved. God was with Jesus' friends as they shared the good news. It is your turn now. God wants you to tell the world the good news about Jesus. God will be with you, too. Prayer God, help me as I tell people about Jesus. Something to Draw Draw a picture of yourself telling a friend about Jesus. Mission for the Week List the names of your family and friends on a piece of paper. Has anyone refused to believe in Jesus? Put a star by their names. Pray for them, and ask God to help

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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Volunteers Needed Catechist for Sunday School Weekly Great opportunity to share your faith and get to know other parishioners. Teachers Aid ~ be a second set of hands for the Catechist…help supervise the students and assist with the lessons. Hall monitors and Office help~ your commitment can match the time you have! Vacation Bible School ~ This is where We need a variety of skills and time commitments ~ we need those that can volunteer to work with the children during the week of VBS (7/27 to 31), builders and crafters to help with set up and anyone willing to help to gather needed supplies. Many hands needed! Still not sure? Call, or stop in, we can talk! Rita

From the desk of Mark J. Record, Principal…

In May of 2014, our fifth and eighth grade students took an assessment of their faith knowledge. The Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) is published by the National Catholic Education Association and stands as a widely used instrument to assist Catholic Schools and Parishes in measuring the effectiveness of their respective Religious Education programs. Our Regional Catholic School received group and individual student results. We have examined the results to determine our strengths and weaknesses in this area that is so critical to our ministry. The following provides a summary to our eight supporting parishes, of the results that were reported for our eighth grade students. In all there were eight domains that were assessed. We are pleased to report the following results from the assessment of the faith knowledge of our eighth grade students. The scores reported are average percentages for our Catholic School and national Catholic School averages.

Domain Assessed MBS Averages National Averages God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: MBS 84% National 81% Church, One Holy: MBS 81% National 74% Liturgy and Sacraments: MBS 77% National 71% Revelation, Scripture and Faith: MBS 71% National 77% Life In Christ: MBS 77% National 79% Church History: MBS 62% National 62% Prayer/Religious Practices: MBS 74% National 72% Catholic Faith Literacy: MBS 74% National 67%

One can immediately see that our eighth grade students scored as well as or better than their peers on a national level in all but one of the assessed areas. While we continue to work to strengthen our Religious Education program, we are pleased that our students performed at the levels reported.

“It always is so awesome to come to this time of year and to be able to take a deep breathe!! Today if you are lucky enough to attend

the 10 AM Mass (If you forgot, and are reading this after attending an earlier Mass, you are welcome to come back) you will witness Bishop Malooly confirm 16 of our young adults! Each year we, Bill and I, get to know and love this group of Teens. We discuss our faith, argue over opinions and watch them mature! It gives me great hope for the future of our Church. We have such intelligent young people with a great desire to learn and grow! I now add them to my ever growing list of fully initiated friends!! I want to take this time to thank Stephen, Adam, Luke, Riley, Robby, Logan, Tyler, Josh, Arran, Hailey, Rayne, Clare, Noah, Brody, Sydney and to welcome Daniel! You have brightened my life! I have had a great year with you! My faith has grown because of time spent with you! I remind you as you embark on your new journey to always stay involved here at your parish home! We need lectors ~ I know how well you all read! Remember we have adult formation classes so you may continue with classes, I’d love to see you join CFC to give a fresh perspective to courses and programs offered, you could help with religious ed classes, mentor the TOP group and of course there is always Vacation Bible School! You are loved here needed here and you are family! God Bless all of our Confirmandi, their parents, families and parish, watch over them and keep safe! Rita Volunteers Needed C.F.C. Christian Formation Committee ~ Is an awesome group! Lifelong Christian Formation is the foundation of faith development. Members of the Christian Formation Committee help to develop educational programs that will meet the faith formation needs of the whole parish, from children to adults. This committee works with parish staff to identify the Christian Formation needs in the parish and assist in the development of programs that will meet those needs. If you are interested in joining us contact me or Tom Butler Thomasebutler11@mediacombb.net/ 410 299 7306

Little Disciples ~ If you have been to 10 AM Mass you have seen our little Disciples in action…our little group that started with seven children has grown. We need several adults to step forward to help! Depending on the number of new volunteers this would most likely be a monthly commitment ~ no lesson plans ~ simple lessons to follow approximately 20 minute class!

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Readings for the Week of

May 17, 2015

Sunday: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26/1 Jn 4:11-16/Jn 17:11b-19 Monday: Acts 19:1-8/Jn 16:29-33 Tuesday: Acts 20:17-27/Jn 17:1-11a Wednesday: Acts 20:28-38/Jn 17:11b-19 Thursday: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11/Jn 17:20-26 Friday: Acts 25:13b-21/Jn 21:15-19 Saturday: Morning: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31/Jn 21:20-25 Next Sunday: Vigil: Gn 11:1-9 or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b or Ez 37:1-14 or Jl 3:1-5/Rom 8:22-27/Jn 7:37-39 Ext. Vigil: Gn 11:1-9/Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b/Ez 37:1-14/Jl 3:1-5/Rom 8:22-27/Jn 7:37-39 Day: Acts 2:1-11/Gal 5:16-25 or 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13/Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 or Jn 20:19-23 ©Liturgical Publications Inc

May 16 Saturday 5:15p.m. Timothy OBrien

May 17 Sunday St. Mary’s 7:00a.m Savanah Brooke Hurtado Holy Savior 8:30a.m. Anne Santoni 10:00a.m. Parishioners

May 18 Monday 8:30a.m. Mary Cochran

May 19 Tuesday 8:30a.m. S.I. of Al Johnson

May 20 Wednesday 8:30a.m. Mary Anzengruber

May 21 Thursday 8:30a.m. Marge Schauman

May 22 Friday No Mass

May 23 Saturday Bethany United Methodist Church 5:00pm Rev. Richard Smith Holy Savior 5:15p.m. Parishioners

May 17 Sunday St. Mary’s 7:00a.m Savanah Brooke Hurtado Holy Savior 8:30a.m. Anne Santoni 10:00a.m. Parishioners

If you would like a Sanctuary Candle lit for the week for a special intention or in memory of a loved one, please contact the parish office. A donation of $10.00 is appreciated. This week the Sanctuary

Candle at Holy Savior will lit for special intentions of Kathy Hayman from Kathy Higgins.

First Collection Second Collection $6,541.35 $980.07

Thank you to all of you for your most generous donations.

The Second Collection for next week will be Capital Improvement

MASS INTENTIONS

Pastor: Rev. Stanislao Esposito pastor@stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com

Deacon: Tom Miller deacon@stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com

Administrative Assistant: Donna Santoni, office@stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com

Faith Formation: Rita Danhardt, Religioused@stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com 410-289-7038

Music Director: Josie Cover, Josiecover@icloud.com

Facilities Manager: Tony Dicken, maintenance@stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com

PARISH OFFICE HOURS Mon., Tues, & Thurs. 9am to 5pm Wed. & Fri. 9am to 3pm 410-289-0652 1705 Philadelphia Avenue Ocean City, MD 21842 Website: Stmarystaroftheseaocmd.com Facebook: Saint Mary Ocean City, MD Parish Pay: Automated Giving 1-866-727-4741 x 4 Parishpay.com