Catholic Community of St. Stephen-St. Patrick

10/03/2026

𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣
October 4, 2026
Twenty-Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time
https://parishesonline.com/find/catholic-community-of-st-stephen-st-patrick/bulletin/file/03-1424-20261004B.pdf

10/02/2026

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓’𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒌
October 4, 2026 – Twenty‑Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
J. M. J.

My friends, in today’s second reading, St. Paul invites us to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”
We have only to look at our own lives and at the culture in which we live to see that anxiety surrounds us. Sadly, many forces in society thrive on stoking our fears for their own ends.

St. Paul reminds us that thanksgiving—gratitude—is the prayerful antidote to needless anxiety. Gratitude helps us see all that we are, all that we have, and all that we love as gifts from a good God who walks with us always. When we are grateful, we can live even anxious moments with poise and confidence in Jesus.

A grateful spirit lifts our minds to what Paul calls the best subjects for our thinking: “whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, and praiseworthy.” What a beautiful world we would live in if each of us saw our lives as gifts from the Lord! Thanks be to God.

Month of the Rosary
October is the month of the Holy Rosary. In praying the Rosary, we enter into the key events of the lives of Jesus and Mary. It is one of my favorite ways to pray—only about twelve minutes for one set of mysteries. May we never forget that Our Blessed Mother always leads us to Christ her Son.

Blessing of Animals
This weekend, Sunday, October 4 at 3 PM, we will hold the Blessing of Animals in honor of St. Francis, patron of animals, in the parking lot at St. Patrick’s in Whitney Point (rain or shine). Light refreshments will follow. Pets of all faiths—and their humans—are welcome!

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day, and please remember me in yours.
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in His love.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace, Fr Mal

10/02/2026

𝑼𝒑𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 / 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 / 𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔
1. Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 • 3:00 PM
St. Patrick’s Church Parking Lot
Rain or shine.
2. Diocesan Second Collection
Sunday, October 4, 2026
For Respect Life.
3. Parish Finance Committee Meeting
Monday, October 5, 2026 • 1:00 PM
St. Patrick’s Parish House.
4. Catholic Men of Faith Meeting
Saturday, October 10, 2026 • 8:00 AM
St. Patrick’s Church Hall.
5. Second Collection
Next weekend, October 10 & 11, 2026
For the Tim Brown Family
At all three churches.
6. Columbus Day
Monday, October 12, 2026 • 10:00 AM Mass
St. Patrick’s Church
No 6:00 PM Mass, Confessions, or Adoration.
Parish Office closed.
7. Next Parish Council Meeting
Monday, October 19, 2026
Following the 6:00 PM Mass St. Patrick’s Church.

10/01/2026

𝑻𝒊𝒎 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚
On September 5th, a well‑known and beloved member of the Marathon community, Tim Brown, son of Ken and Colleen Brown, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 43. His wife and children are in need of our help.

We will take up a Second Collection next Sunday, October 11, 2026, at all three churches. This is one of those times when we are called to come together and support them, especially during such a sorrowful time.

Thank you for your generosity and prayers.

10/01/2026

𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑺 𝑺𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑫𝑼𝑳𝑬 & 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺
Saturday, October 3, 2026 — St. Stephen’s
5:00 PM for Tim Brown by Ken & Colleen Brown
Sunday, October 4, 2026 — St. Patrick’s
8:30 AM for Colleen Mihalko by Angie, David & Karen Mihalko
Sunday, October 4, 2026 — Our Lady of Perpetual Help
11:00 AM for Lloyd Lapierre by Lapierre Family
Monday, October 5, 2026 — St. Patrick’s
6:00 PM for Joey Bates by Stevens Family
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — St. Patrick’s
10:00 AM for The People of Our Parish
Thursday, October 8, 2026 — St. Patrick’s
10:00 AM for The People of Our Parish
Saturday, October 10, 2026 — St. Stephen’s
5:00 PM for Rose & Doug Braman by The Atwoods
Sunday, October 11, 2026 — St. Patrick’s
8:30 AM for Jim Dean by Pat Dean
8:30 AM for Helen Bidwell, Birthday by Chuck & Mary Green
Sunday, October 11, 2026 — Our Lady of Perpetual Help
11:00 AM for Colleen Mihalko by Joanne Livermore

10/01/2026

𝑭𝑨𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑺
𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 – 𝟵:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟬:𝟭𝟱 𝗔𝗠
• Sunday, October 4, 2026: Protecting God’s Children Classes
• Sunday, October 11, 2026: No Classes
• Saturday, October 17, 2026: Fall Leaf Raking Service Project

09/30/2026

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑 & 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔:
St. Stephen's:
Greeter: Don Atwood
Lector: Youth
Ushers: Jim Russell, Bill McGovern
Eucharistic Ministers: Cindy Barry, Tony Zelsnack, Carol Niggli
Tabulators: Karen Standish, Wayne Niggli

St. Patrick's:
Greeters: Anne Ballard, Earl Markham
Lector: Youth
Eucharistic Ministers: Laura Dunham, Kathy Cusick, Sue McDonald
Tabulators: Cathy Cummings, Kathy Cusick

OLPH:
Greeters: Bob Crowley, Joe VanSteenburg
Lector: Hugh Cook
Gifts: Pam Maroney, Polly Ann Faucher
Eucharistic Ministers: Sharon Constantino, Chris Klein

09/27/2026

Sunday Mass - Live @ 8:30am
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass at 8:30am

09/25/2026

𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣
September 27, 2026
Twenty-Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time
https://parishesonline.com/find/catholic-community-of-st-stephen-st-patrick/bulletin/file/03-1424-20260927B.pdf

09/25/2026

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓’𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒌
September 27, 2026
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

J. M. J.

My friends, in this weekend's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Lord tell the story of two sons. Their father invites both of them to go to work in the field, in the Vineyard. The first of his sons first denies his father's request but then changes his mind and goes to work. The second of his sons first agrees to work but then ultimately doesn't go to work. Jesus asks his listeners (the Chief priests and elders) which of the two sons had (in the final analysis) followed the will of their father, and they correctly answer that the first son did so.

Our Lord then reproaches the chief priests and elders for failing to follow his call to the kingdom, and he says that those who they would regard as “deplorables” and “irredeemables” and “unclean” (due to their life history and circumstances) are paradoxically opening themselves to Jesus and are entering into the life of the kingdom of God ahead of the self‑righteous chief priests and elders. The Lord doesn't simply want us to welcome him in our words but in our daily deeds.

Those parts of us, those places in us that are wounded and suffering are most often the places where we are faced with the fact that we need Jesus. When we allow Christ to lead us, one day at a time, then he can help us (step by step) with his grace so that we can follow in the pathways to which he calls us. It’s when we self‑righteously pretend that we don’t need God (or that we are already righteous on our own accounts) that we are headed for trouble in our lives.

May we ask Christ, whose Body and Blood we receive at the Eucharist, to help us to not only praise him with our words but witness to him with our actions in our daily lives.

PRIESTS’ RETREAT
This coming week, I will be joining my brother priests of the Diocese of Syracuse for our days of retreat at Alexandria Bay, NY. This is a beautiful opportunity for us to gather with our bishop for prayer, fraternity, conversation and support. Since I will be out of town this week, there will be no daily Masses this week, since I can't be in two places at once. Please keep us in prayer as we spend time together and with the Lord on retreat.

BLESSING OF ANIMALS
On Sunday, October 4th, we will be holding the blessing of animals in honor of St Francis (patron of animals). It will be in the parking lot at St Patrick's in Whitney Point on Sunday, October 4th at 3 PM (rain or shine). After the blessing, there will be some light refreshments served. Pets of all faiths and their humans are welcome!

Know that I remember you all in my prayers every day and please remember me in your prayers!
May God bless us and Mary keep us always in his love!
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Peace,
Fr Mal