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Purpose of this Directory
Jesus gave his disciples the great commission, “Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28: 19)
It is our hope that, through the use of this directory, all who are
part of St. Mary’s Cathedral will be able to become more familiar
with the opportunities available in our parish for spreading the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel most connected when we are able to
be involved with parish activities and make our contribution to the
life of the “family.” This directory gives an introduction to the
various organizations of our parish.
Parish Staff
Diocesan
Administrator / Cathedral Rector
Bishop-Elect Terry R. LaValley, J.C.L.
Pastoral
Associate
Sr. Mary Teresa
LaBrake, GNSH
Deacon
Deacon Francis
F. "Spike" Bateman
Deacon David J. Sandburg
Deacon John L. White
Office Staff
Mrs. Gail G.
Bouchard, Business Manager
Mrs. Catherine J. Romano, Office Assistant
Mrs. Rose-Marie M. Missert, Office Assistant
Music
Ministry
Mr.
Ernest W. Hadley, Jr.
Director of
Religious Education
Mrs. Celina R.
Burns
St.
Marguerite D’Youville Academy
Mrs. Celina R. Burns, Principal
Maintenance
Mr. David W.
Mills
Mr. Peter F. Nadler
Mr. Michael W. Jerome
Household
Staff
Mrs. Deborah S. Henry, Cook/Laundress
Mrs. LouEllen Smithers, Housekeeper
Regular Cathedral Schedule
Weekday Masses
10:50 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Nursing Home, Monday - Friday
12:00 p.m. Mass in Cathedral Chapel, Tuesday - Friday
7:15 p.m. Novena and Mass in Cathedral Chapel, Monday
Evenings
Weekend Masses
4:00 p.m. Saturday
(Anticipated)
8:00 a.m. Sunday Mass
10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's Nursing Home
11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass
Reconciliation
Saturday: 3:00 p.m. - 3:45
p.m.
Sunday: 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Or by appointment
Nocturnal Adoration
Thursday, before First Friday,
of each month in the Chapel from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Friday
Eucharistic
Adoration
First Friday and Thursdays (except the Thursday before the
First Friday of the month) in the Chapel beginning after the noon
Mass until 5:00 p.m.
Sacraments
Baptisms
and Marriage
Must be scheduled in advance by contacting the rectory.
Sacramental preparation is required before the sacraments may be
administered.
First
Communion
All Catholics who wish to receive
First Communion must first attend courses of instruction. Children
should be enrolled in the CCD program at Bishop Conroy School of
Religion or St. Marguerite D’Youville Academy. Adults should be
enrolled in the RCIA.
Confirmation
To receive this sacrament, one must
attend confirmation classes held at the Bishop Conroy School of
Religion. Adults, who wish to be confirmed, should participate in
the RCIA.
Anointing of the
Sick
One need not be dying to celebrate
this sacrament of healing, though there should be a threat to one's
long-term health. Contact a priest, or call the rectory at
315-393-3930, if you have a loved one who would like to receive this
sacrament.
Religious Education Ministries
RCIA (Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults)
When
an adult wishes to become a full member in the Catholic Church, the
procedure that we follow is called the Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults, or RCIA. This process is broken into three major steps.
First is acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. In this step, the
individuals are taught the doctrine of the Catholic Faith in
preparation for the reception of the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
At St. Mary’s, we have RCIA classes on Tuesday nights from 7:00 -
8:00 p.m. The catechumens and candidates are dismissed from Mass
after the Liturgy of the Word and join the catechist to discuss and
pray over the readings for the Sunday Liturgy.
The second step is the Election. Here the catechumens and candidates
are presented before the bishop and are officially "enrolled" to be
received into the Church. Usually, on the first Sunday of Lent,
catechumens come from all over the diocese to declare, before the
Church, their intention to be received into the Church. The newly
elected catechumens and candidates undergo the scrutinies during the
third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent.
The third step is the actual reception of the sacraments and welcome
into full communion with the universal and local Church. At this
stage, those welcomed into the Church are called Neophytes to
indicate that they are "newly planted" into the Church.
St. Mary’s has a dedicated team of catechists who walk with
the catechumens and candidates, through the whole journey, until
they are fully received by the Church community. Sr. Mary Teresa
LaBrake, GNSH, Pastoral Associate, leads the team.
CCD (Religious Education) Teachers
Learning the riches and wonders of our faith is crucial for all
young people. In order that they might learn about God and the
Church, there are CCD classes held at the Bishop Conroy School of
Religion on Sundays. Grades K - 6 meet from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15
a.m.; grades 7 - 10 meet from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.; and grades
11 & 12 meet at 6:00 p.m.. Volunteer teachers dedicate their
time to handing on the Catholic faith to our children. Indeed, it
is important for children to participate in our religious education
program and that we have competent, faith-filled catechists.
Saint Marguerite D'Youville Academy
Saint Marguerite
D'Youville Academy is the Catholic school of Ogdensburg, supported
by both St. Mary's Cathedral and Notre Dame parishes. SMDA provides
a strong, faith-filled environment where our youngsters receive
excellent academic training, supported with state-of-the-art
computer technology for Junior Kindergarten to Sixth Grade. SMDA
boasts a very dedicated faculty and staff that work hard in making
SMDA such a fine Catholic School.
From the
Principal's Desk
The academic
success and leadership qualities of our students continue through
their high school and college years due to our commitment to the
five strengths of our Catholic school: faith, academic excellence,
technology, fine arts, and enrichment.
School of Faith: SMDA offers spiritual guidance every day
through religious instruction, daily prayer, and frequent pastoral
visits providing rich soil in which children gain a deeper
understanding and appreciation of their faith. St. Marguerite
D’Youville Academy welcomes children of all faiths and ethnic
backgrounds.
School of
Academic Excellence: SMDA has a history of academic achievement,
and its rigorous instructional program more than prepares students
for success in the future. All faculty members are NYS certified.
Strong cooperation among teachers has led to a variety of creative
and flexible learning experiences including peer mentoring, team
teaching, integrated units of study, and field trips.
School of
Technology: We are proud to report that SMDA has brought its
computer and communication technology into the twenty-first
century. Through a combination of donations, grants, and careful
budgeting, all classrooms and offices are networked with expandable
capacity for file and print sharing and Internet access. Our
Pentium4, Windows XP, LCD monitor equipped lab offers student
stations with an LCD projector, providing the tools for modern
instruction. Our multi-media center includes a renovated library
with hundreds of new volumes and direct access to the computer lab.
School of Fine
Arts:
St. Marguerite
D'Youville Academy is a school of fine arts. Instruction in art,
vocal, and instrumental music occurs each week. Instrumental group
lessons are given to students in grades 4 - 6. A concert band of
all instrumental students rehearse each week. A student chorus of
primary and intermediate levels performs at all concerts. Art
instruction is part of the core program.
School of
Enrichment:
As a school of
enrichment, SMDA provides activities, after the academic day, that
furthers its mission of holistic learning. In the past couple of
years, SMDA Odyssey of the Mind teams have done well in regional,
state, and world competitions. Again this year, we sent a team to
state competition in Binghamton. The after school programs include:
Eagles Nest (teacher assisted homework club), Latchkey, fall
soccer, winter basketball, and skating club.
As our school
continues to grow, we welcome all families to become part of our
excellent educational program. You have an education choice for
your children. It is our duty to provide the best learning
environment possible for our children.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Celina R Burns, Principal
Adult Education
Classes
Learning
never stops! For adult Catholics, it is important for us to learn
more about our faith as it impacts our adult life. As children, we
learned the basics of the Catholic Faith – but that is not enough to
sustain us as adult Catholics. For this reason, the Cathedral
offers several Adult Education classes, covering numerous topics,
throughout the course of the year.
Liturgical Ministries
Adult Servers
On certain
occasions, during the week, adults are called upon to serve for
funeral Masses or other Masses that require servers, since the
younger members of our Church are at school. These men and women
give their time, to serve at the Altar, providing the priests with
the help needed to celebrate Mass smoothly and effectively.
Altar Servers
For years, the
Church community has provided children with an opportunity to
participate in the celebration of Mass by serving at the altar. While serving, these young
people learn the sacredness of the Liturgy of the Word and the
Liturgy of the Eucharist. They also learn from devoted Catholics,
such as priests, religious, and dedicated laity. Altar serving is
integral to the Christian formation of all young people seeking a
rich relationship with God. For more information, or to sign up
your son or daughter as an Altar Server, please call the Cathedral
rectory at 393-3930.
Children’s
Liturgy of the Word
During the Liturgy of the Word,
we listen to God speak to us through the proclamation of Scripture
readings and the homily of the priest. Sometimes these
proclamations are difficult for children to understand. So, before
the readings are begun, all the children gather together in the
altar server sacristy with an adult leader to listen to God’s word.
An interactive explanation of the readings is geared to their
learning level. They then return to the congregation for the Liturgy
of the Eucharist. The group is led by one of many volunteers who
rotate each week to lighten the responsibility. At St. Mary’s
Parish, the Children’s Liturgy of the Word is celebrated during the
11:00 a.m. Mass. All children who haven’t celebrated their First
Communion are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity for
children to better understand the Gospel message.
Lector
Two Thousand
years ago, God became man and dwelt among us. After his death and
resurrection, God inspired human authors to record the events of
Jesus’ life. Also, letters (or Epistles) were written from certain
Church authorities to various Church communities. All of these
writings are contained in the New Testament. God also inspired men
of the ancient world to write histories, prophetic books, or Psalms.
Yet, they remain in written form. At each celebration of the
Eucharist, we break open the Word of God to listen to His words for
us. The Lector has the important task of giving voice to that
written word so that it will reach the hearts of all present. The
Lector not only recites the text, but proclaims it for what it is -
the Word of God speaking in our midst!
In order to
become a Lector, one must attend short informal training sessions
and be approved by the Rector.
Music Ministry
The
beauty and elegance of music will enhance any activity or
gathering. In the Church’s liturgies, music is an indispensable and
integral element that not only enhances but completes each liturgy.
At St. Mary’s Cathedral, we believe in making each celebration as
complete as possible with polished singing and musical
accompaniment. We have music at all weekend Masses. For the 4:00
p.m. anticipated Mass, there are guitar and piano to accompany the
cantor and congregation. At the 8:00 a.m. Mass, the music is led by
a schola and accompanied by the organ. For the 11:00 a.m. Mass, a
full choir with cantor and organ lead the music. The music program
is under the direction of
Mr. Ernest W.
Hadley, Jr.
There are
four different music ministry opportunities:
-
The Cathedral
Choir:
This choir sings at each Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass as well as other
important feasts and solemnities.
-
The Funeral
Choir:
This choir dedicates their time to singing at any funeral liturgy
held at the Cathedral.
-
Cantors:
The cantor intones the Responsorial Psalm and leads the
congregation, indicating when they are to begin singing.
-
Instrumentalists: Anyone
who plays and instrument and would like to volunteer their services
are invited to speak to the Music Director.
Ushers/Greeters
A welcoming
atmosphere is necessary in any Christian community, and so it is
important that there be men and women, at the entrances of the Church,
to greet and welcome people as they arrive and leave Mass. All must
feel welcome, to the worshiping community, in order for there to be a
full and rich experience of celebrating Mass. Greeters are stationed at
each of the entrances of the Church to meet the parishioners and give
them a bulletin and anything else necessary for the celebration of that
particular Mass. Also, Greeters are assigned to work at all special
functions such as the Rite of Election for Catechumens, Chrism Mass,
Ordinations, and funeral Masses where they distribute Mass programs. In
addition to greeting, the Ushers take up the collection. This ministry can be summed up as a ministry of service that
enhances the communal nature of our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist.
Sacristans
For each Mass
that is celebrated, there is much behind the scenes preparation. Bread
and wine, to be consecrated, must be measured out, books need to be set
out, and patens and chalices must be put out. In addition, the
Sacristans purify the vessels and put them away, along with the
other articles used during Mass. Each is scheduled to work at different times during
the month.
Extraordinary
Ministers of Holy Communion
The Second
Vatican Council taught, in Sacrosanctum Concilium, that the
Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith and life.
Indeed, the Eucharist is the most profound mystery of our faith.
Sometimes, priests alone are unable to distribute Holy Communion, in a
timely fashion, to all the faithful desiring to receive. Therefore,
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are commissioned by the Church
to aid in the distribution of Holy Communion, during Mass, and to take
Communion to the hospital and those individuals who are homebound. St.
Mary’s Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve the community in
just this way. The Rector invites suitable parishioners to serve as
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Committees and Societies
St. Vincent de Paul
Society
Our Mission
Statement:
“As members of the Body of Christ throughout the world, we are aware
that we are called to be responsive to the Christian calling to seek and
find the forgotten, the suffering, or the deprived, so that we may bring
them comfort and aid. We pledge ourselves to be generous with our time,
our possessions, ourselves, and to be charitable and cognizant of the
needs of God’s people.”The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an
international Catholic organization of lay persons founded in 1833 by
Frederick Ozanam and his companions. Placed under the patronage of St.
Vincent de Paul, the Society derives its inspiration from his thinking
and work. It seeks, in a spirit of justice and charity, and by
person-to-person involvement of its members, to help those who are
suffering and in need. The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mary’s
Cathedral is dedicated to addressing individual circumstances that call
for help and to seeking answers to the larger social justice issues that
underlie local needs. We accomplish these tasks through various ways:
running a second-hand store (operated by the Ladies of Charity), meeting
weekly, providing travel aid and food aid, serving funeral Masses,
visiting and delivering flowers to hospitals and nursing homes, visiting
shut-ins, assembling and delivering Christmas baskets with a complete
dinner to families in need, and granting monetary assistance, if
possible. Many other works are provided according to individual needs
and requests.
Evangelization Committee
“For the Church,
evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of
humanity and, through its influence, transforming humanity from within
and making it new.” (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi) Evangelization
has several ingredients:
1. Love of God, love
of others, and love of self
2. invitation to an ongoing personal relationship with Christ
3. ongoing conversion
4. conscious, active extension of ourselves within the community
5. nurturing the spiritual growth within the context of a worshiping
faith community, and
6. the ministry of loving service to others. Evangelization is an ongoing
process.
It is a
person-centered ministry, and its core is the Person of Jesus Christ.
The message of evangelization always remains the same: dedication to
conversion of self and others in the power of Him who was crucified,
died, and rose again. This dedication leads to a renewed parish that, in
turn, will become an evangelizing parish reaching out and welcoming
strangers. The Evangelization Committee, for St. Mary’s Cathedral, meets
at 7:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Its purpose is to
recommend processes and programs to the Rector that will assist him with
the spiritual growth of the parishioners, to reach out to inactive
Catholics and assist with their return to the Church, and to inspire and
encourage those who may wish to join the Catholic Church.
Bereavement
Committee
When a loved one
dies, there are a number of details that must be addressed in
preparation for the wake, funeral, and burial. This can be extremely
difficult when grieving the death of a loved one. The Bereavement
Committee seeks to make the preparations for the wake and funeral Mass
as easy as possible. A committee member will meet with the family
member, or friend, to help with the selection of songs and readings or
to help answer questions about the preparation process. In addition, the
committee members offer a gift of food to the grieving family and send a
card of remembrance the following year. Each year, on All Souls Day, the
Bereavement Committee is responsible for planning and organizing the
Mass of Remembrance, in which all the deceased of the parish are
remembered and prayed for. The committee members are dedicated to
helping the family, or friends, of a deceased person in any way
possible.
Liturgy Committee/Socialization Committee
In process of being re-formed
Pastoral
Council
The Pastoral
Council, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, provides leadership and direction in
formulating and carrying out the goals and objectives of the pastoral
activity in the parish. The Council assists in developing a spiritual
unity through enhancing participation in the life of the parish on the
part of the faithful. The Council also participates in identifying and
organizing the apostolic activities by which the parish meets the
specific needs of the people. In short, the Council helps the Rector set
policies, establish goals and priorities, plan the means of achieving
the goals, and produce a plan of action. Three main committees have been
established by the Council to meet the needs of the parish community.
They are: Liturgy Committee, Evangelization Committee, and Socialization
Committee. Ultimately, the Pastoral Council is a ministry of service to
the greater Church community.
Non-elected Members:
Rector - Rev. Terry
R. LaValley
Deacon – Deacon Francis F. “Spike” Bateman
Pastoral Associate -
Sr. Mary Teresa LaBrake, GNSH
Parish Trustees -
David Rishe and Joanna Hollis
Finance Council
According to Church law, every parish is to have a Finance Council.
This Council aids the Rector in the administration of parish goods.
The Rector appoints
parishioners to advise him about parish financial matters. The parish
trustees serve as members of the Council. Council members review the
annual budget as well as the annual Financial Report.
Nocturnal Adoration Society
The Nocturnal Adoration Society is an
association for Catholic men and women. It has a threefold purpose:
1.
To provide a fervent response to Christ’s invitation to
keep prayerful vigil with Him;
2.
To deepen the experience of communion with Christ Eucharistic, as He
continues His self-offering and saving influence;
3.
To live more consciously and actively the full significance of the
Eucharist as the Sacrament of charity and unity for the Church and the
world.
In this Year
of the Eucharist, the parish has recently re-activated the St.
Mary’s Cathedral Chapter of the Society. It is the only parish
sponsored Chapter of the Society in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Every
Thursday, before the First Friday of the month, members of the Society
pray before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, on a rotating hourly basis,
from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on First Friday. Membership is always open
to all who are interested.
Prayer Groups
Legion
of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholics who, with the
sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary
Immaculate, has formed themselves into a Legion for service of the
Church through prayer and action. They offer their time and service to
the Rector to aid him in performing spiritual works in the parish.The
main activities of the Legion of Mary at St. Mary’s Cathedral
include: weekly meetings; visitations to the sick, shut-ins, and nursing
homes (where they lead the recitation of the Rosary); daily individual
recitation of the Rosary; monthly curia meetings; yearly correspondence
to Legion representative in the Bronx; and Acies ceremonies at which
members renew their promises. Membership in the Legion of Mary is open
to all men and women, married or single.
Prayer
Line
The power of prayer cannot be denied. Jesus tells us to come to the
Father with our needs and desires. This ministry seeks to provide
prayers for those in need. Here’s how it works. If you would like a
prayer said for a person or situation, you can call the rectory to make
the request that it be forwarded to the Prayer Line. A member of the
Prayer Line is contacted who, in turn, contacts other Prayer Line
members who pray for your intention. Prayers on the Prayer Line are
not included in the Sunday intercessions during Mass.
World Apostolate of
Mary
This group is made
up of women dedicated to saying the Rosary and who are committed to
praying for the promises from Our Lady of Fatima. Members of the
Apostolate meet once a week, for an hour, in the St. Mary’s Cathedral
Chapel for prayer. Our Lady of Fatima asked that we pray often and make
sacrifices to God. Members try to make everything they do a sacrifice
and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is
offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. They pray
also to bring peace to our country and, above all, to accept and bear
with submission the sufferings that our Lord has sent. Other prayers
include: consecration to Mary, meditation on the Rosary, intentions of
the Pope, reparation for sin and offences against the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Every First Saturday, the members
meet for devotions after the noon Mass to make five First Saturdays.
They offer their confession, Holy Communion, five decades of the Rosary,
and fifteen minutes of meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary during
the First Saturday devotions.
Development Committee
“God created man in his image; in the divine image he
created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them saying:
“Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion
over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living
things that move on the earth.” (Genesis 1: 27-28)
With these
words, God entrusted humankind with the stewardship of the earth, to
use His creation wisely, to care for all people and, most
importantly, to give glory to God through the respectful use of His
gifts. Stewardship has varied applications in our modern age. We
are called to be wise administrators of the gifts of time, talent,
and treasure that God places at our disposal. The tradition of
offering a return to the Lord, for all that He has given to us, is
as old as the story of Cain and Abel.
The major goals of the parish Development Committee are: to foster an
experience of spiritual renewal in each parishioner; to welcome back
those who have left the parish; and to establish an ongoing Stewardship
Program of Time, Talent, and Treasure.
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