CORONAVIRUS RELIEF GRANT: The Perry County Consortium of Catholic Parishes received a grant from the Catholic Foundation to give directly to needy families and individuals who have been financially impacted by the Coronavirus shut down. Some funds are still available. Please call the Rectory Office at 740- 342-1348. May God bless and protect those who have been generous in making this possible, and those who have been negatively affected by the shutdown due to the Coronavirus.

Adult Faith Formation Class starting Tuesday May 11, 2021 at 6:30pm lower level of the PCC Click on picture or blue link for more info.

New Votive Candles at St. Rose In honor of the month of May being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, we will have new votive candles in St. Rose Church. They are due to be in place near the front of Church, directly under the statues of Mary and Joseph. The glass holders for the candles are blue and gold, respectively (which so happens to be the colors of our school). These candle stands were given at no cost to the parish. The votive candles near St. Aloysius statue will remain. The suggested donation for lighting a votive candle is $3.00. Votive candles are a sacramental, used as an outward material sign of our prayer and love for God. “The consuming of the candle symbolizes the oblation (offering) of something of value to God: our time, our praise, our resources and so forth. The lingering quality of the candle symbolizes the fact that our prayers, praise and concerns continue in our heart even when we must leave the church. The flickering light also seems to say ‘Remember me, Lord, remember my prayer and those for whom I pray.’ (Msgr. Charles Pope, ‘Why Are Votive Candles Used?’)

It is that time of year again! The Festival is asking for donations of 12 packs of pop, cases of water and gift cards so drinks can be purchased. These donations can be dropped off at the rectory. Also,we are asking for two cakes,two pies or $20.00.These donationscan be dropped off at the PCC starting June 18 at 9:00 a.m. and continuing through Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Monetary donationscan be dropped off at the PCC or put in the collection basket. Please label “Kitchen Donation” on the envelope. Lastly, we are asking for baskets filled with goodies for the basket wheel (around $5.00-$10.00 in value). Those can dropped off any time at the rectory. The Festival raffle tickets will be coming in the mail. Please watch your mailbox for those. If you need additional tickets, please contact the school office or the rectory and we can accommodate those requests. We want this to be the most successful Festival as possible from a monetary and fellowship standpoint! We hope consortium members from all parishes support the Festival with donations, attendance and prayer. We wish to develop friendships and memories! St. Rose School is in need of as many supporters as possible and we want thisFestival to be a stepping stone to expanding it’s support within our consortium. As always, thank you in advance foryour continued support.

Real Presence, Real Future reflections: As the Father Loves Us Deacon Steve Petrill, St. Joan of Arc Parish “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.’” Christ reaches out to us as friends, inviting us to remain, to dwell, in His love. We draw close to God by loving our neighbor as Christ loves us: through self-sacrifice, trust in God, and fully giving of ourselves. We cannot do this alone. Individually and as a Church, we are brought into the life of God, healed, nourished, and sustained by Christ’s real presence. In the same way Christ is with us, we are called to be truly present to one another. Please visit www.RealPresenceRealFuture.org to learn more about how we are growing together in the life of faith and discipleship in the Diocese of Columbus.

News Updates March 26, 2021 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Since the onset of the pandemic just a year ago, the Bishops of Ohio have worked together during this unprecedented time with the assistance of government and health professionals to lead and protect all those entrusted to our pastoral care. By the grace of God and the painstaking efforts by so many to follow Covid- 19 protocols, coupled with the expanding availability of vaccines, we are making progress in our fight against this deadly scourge. What a blessing it will be for us to be in person in our churches this year to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, culminating in the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. In our shared hope of eradicating this virus and encouraging ongoing return of the faithful to Holy Mass and the Sacraments each week, you are invited to continue to follow all the essential protocols of hand sanitizing, wearing masks and social distancing. These efforts are working to the point that we are in a much more hopeful place than we were even a few months ago. At the same time, you are encouraged to receive a vaccine. To reiterate the teaching of the Church with regard to the vaccine options: if you have the opportunity to choose a vaccine, you should choose Pfizer or Moderna. While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is made from cell lines originating from an aborted human fetus, it should be taken only if it is the only option available. As we move toward herd immunity, notwithstanding a spike in the virus, it is our sincere hope that soon we can return to the regular celebration of Mass with full capacity in our churches, and thus lift the dispensation of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. We are advised that parish festivals likely can take place this summer, preferably outdoors, following the necessary protocols. Nevertheless, we all need to remain vigilant. We look forward with eager longing to when we can all be together around the altar of the Lord without any restrictions. In the meantime, let us continue to do all that we need to do to overcome the virus, and rely upon the guidance of government and health officials so that we can return to some sense of normal. Have a blessed Holy Week! Sincerely in Christ, The Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar Diocese of Youngstown The Most Rev. Robert J. Brennan Diocese of Columbus The Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas Diocese of Toledo The Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma The Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic Diocese of Cleveland The Most Rev. Jeffrey M. Monforton Diocese of Steubenville The Most Rev. John Michael Botean St. George Byzantine Catholic Diocese

The dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation granted by Bishop Brennan, which was to last at least through Sunday, September 13, 2020, has been extended indefinitely. This is in keeping with the indefinite dispensation throughout the rest of the Ohio Catholic Conference. Those who are in the high risk categories are encouraged to remain home. Those who are not feeling well or who are exhibiting Coronavirus type symptoms are expected to remain home. It remains in effect to observe safe social distancing by marking off pews, to wear masks in church, and to make use of sanitization procedures.

REGARDING FIRST HOLY COMMUNION FOR CHILDREN: This is for the parents of all our second graders doing Religious Education from home this year and who will be making their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion later this May. So far you have been receiving “Gospel Weeklies” which connects each weekend’s Mass readings with the lessons to be learned that week. These “Gospel Weeklies” will continue to be passed out for you to go through with your kids each week as part of this year’s “at-home” Sunday school. On January 10th, parents are asked to attend a meeting with Fr. Yakkel at 11:45 a.m. in St. Rose Church. At this meeting, we will discuss the program to be used specifically for sacramental preparation and a schedule will be handed out. The sacramental preparation will involve watching a series of videos with your kids each week leading up to First Reconciliation (Date TBA) and leading up to First Holy Communion (May 9, 2021). In addition to watching the videos at home with students each week, parents and students will be required to attend a few in-person meetings with Fr. Yakkel, all of which will be held Sundays at 11:45 a.m. in St. Rose Church. More information on all of this will be covered at the meeting on January 10th.

Low Gluten Host: If you have Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy and would prefer to receive low-gluten host, please let us know by signing the form in the back of all churches or calling the Rectory Office 740-342-1348

AmazonSmile has donated over $200 million to charities worldwide! You can help increase AmazonSmile donations to St. Rose Church & School by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/31-4395029 or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app.

Come and join us for the Holy Rosary which is offered every Sunday at the Church of the Atonement at 7:30pm. Each Rosary invites the person to meditate on the mysteries surrounding the birth, life, and death of Jesus.

Catholic Men's Meeting is held every 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month, from 7:30am - 9:00am at the lower level of the PCC. We are looking for Catholic men of the consortium to join us as we go over the readings of scripture for the week along with fellowship.

PERRY COUNTY WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING is pleased to begin accepting materials at the Drop-off containers located at the top of the drive above PerCo., 2235 State Route 13, New Lexington. Materials must be deposited in the containers. This site is under video surveillance; anyone leaving materials on the ground or depositing garbage into the bins will be cited for littering. Please, if the bins are full, call 740-342-7881. DO NOT LEAVE MATERIALS ON THE GROUND OR AT THE CENTER. Two more locations have been added: Shawnee, Main St and Thornport at TC Market! Thank you!

Please don't forget your parish offering during these challenging times. Mass offering can be made via online on this website, just click on your parish under Mass offering, or you can mail it to Perry County Consortium 309 N. Main St. New Lexington, OH 43764.

We are updating our prayer chains at our parishes. Judy Kunkler is the contact for St. Patrick (740) 342-3967 and Mae and Katie Sabatino are the contacts for St. Rose, St. Bernard, and Church of the Atonement (740) 342-2675. In order to have a parishioner who is in need of prayers or if you yourself would like to be a part of the prayer chain, call one of them. If you have a person in need of prayers to be added to the list, call one of them, and also indicate if the person would like his or her name read at Mass during the Universal Prayer (Petitions). We will rotate 2-3 names each week.

By signing up on Amazon Smile and Kroger Community Rewards. How to do this: (1) Visit smile.amazon.com (2) sign in with your Amazon.com credentials (3) Choose Saint Rose School to receive donations (4) Add a bookmark for smile.amazon.com to make it easier to return and start shopping at AmazonSmile. Kroger Community Rewards makes fund-raising easy by donating to Saint Rose School based on the shopping you do everyday. A digital account is needed to participate in Kroger Community Rewards. Please note, a plus card is required to be linked to your account so that your transactions apply toward St. Rose School. (1) Sign into your digital account at Kroger.com (2) Under the account click Community Rewards (3) Enter St. Rose School or our organization number FB144. Any transactions moving forward using your Kroger plus card will be applied to the program.

ST. VINCENT de PAUL: The St. Vincent de Paul Center is in need of paper goods and toiletries to replenish our stock at the Center. We are in need of such items as paper towels, bathroom tissue, cleaning products, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, and laundry detergent. Items can be left in the bins provided in the back of each church in the Consortium. Thank you in advance for your support and contributions!

Fr. Daniel Swartz Command Chaplain 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines 1st Marine Division Box 555442 Camp Pendleton, CA 92055-5442

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) will begin on Tuesday, September 10 and run until April 28, 2020. The classes will be held on Tuesdays, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Lower Level of the PCC. Anyone who is interested in becoming Catholic is highly encouraged to attend to at least see what it’s all about. We’ll be using the Credo series again from St. Benedict Press, which was well received by last year’s class. Please call the Consortium office (740) 342-1348 to sign up or for any questions