Last Sunday's Mass celebrating Father Peterson's forty-five years of priestly ministry was a beautiful and moving occasion. All the elements that make for good worship and good worship true prayer fell into place perfectly. I would like to cite some of Father John's homily that I think merit hanging onto and thinking about. He said that John the Baptist "was pitch perfect clear about who he was and who he was not. He was not the Messiah. He was a herald of the Messiah 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness saying: prepare the way of the Lord.' Values influence choices, and John's values were clear: truth rooted in the word of God, a realistic self-awareness, and finally, enduring fidelity."

Each year when we celebrate the Birth of John the Baptist on June 24 I cannot help but fondly recall my years at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Providence. It is the largest of our center city parishes and has a large Latino community. This feast in honor of John the Baptist is a very important celebration for the Puerto Rican community. John the Baptist is the patron of that Island. In fact, Columbus originally named the island in his honor San Juan and the principal settlement Puerto Rico. These were later reversed to highlight the natural riches of the island. Even way back then marketing your product was a high priority! Each year we had a pig roast in Goddard Park along with games and music that are part of any Latino celebration. On the island itself it is customary to light bonfires on the beaches where people gather on the eve of the feast to begin to celebrate their Big Day. The priest blesses the bonfire and prays: Lord God, almighty Father, the light that never fails and the source of all light, sanctify + this new fire, and grant that after the darkness of this life we may come unsullied to you who are light eternal; through Christ our Lord.

John heralds the Light come into the darkness of our world. It is up to us as Christians to keep the fire burning.

• The Parish Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.
• Parish Center Summer Hours
  During the months of July and August the Parish Office hours are as follows:
  Mon. through Wed. 8:30 am--5:00 pm
  Thursday and Friday: Closed
• E-Buzz!
  The other week we e-mailed our newsletter out to the parishioners whose e-mail addresses were in our database to invite them to sign up to receive the Buzz regularly through e-mail. If you did not receive the e-mail, please call or e-mail the Parish Center with your updated e-mail address. If you have not had a chance to share your e-mail address with us, you may do so and you too can receive the Buzz this way! (Those who get the Buzz through e-mail receive it in color, so don't miss out!)
• 5th Annual Stewardship Fair -- SAVE THE DATE...Sunday, September 23!!!
  Watch the bulletin for more details.
• Parish Family Day in Jamestown
  Remember, Sunday, August 19, will be the second annual Parish feast of family and friends. You do not want to miss it. Everyone had a fabulous time last year. All are welcomed and encouraged to come. Volunteers are needed. Please contact Deacon Ron 884-1687.
• 1st Annual Steve Hernandez Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at Quidnessett Country Club on Monday, July 23rd. Proceeds will benefit Monsignor Clarke School. To receive an application for golf and tee sponsorship, please call the parish center at 295-0387 For more information please call Tami Gwaltney 294-9784 or 521-4000 ex. 111.
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend
  The modern world can do a lot to destroy marriage. Come away for a weekend and fortify your sacrament. There are weekends each month in New England. For more information call Ray & Beth Ginepro at 1-800-710-WWME or visit our webpage at www.wwmeMA.org.
• The Rejoice In Hope Youth Center in Cranston is sponsoring a Search for Maturity weekend during July 13-15. Any high school youth (grade 10+) or college age young adult is welcome to attend. Please contact the Rejoice in Hope Youth Center at 942-6571 for any additional information or to register.
• The Chur d'Enfants et Jeune Chur d'Ile de France, a 120 member children's choir and youth orchestra, will be in concert on Friday, July 20 at 8:00 pm at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in Providence, RI. The ensemble comprised of 37 children, 30 persons and a 50 person orchestra will be under the direction of Mr. Francis Bardot. Under his direction, the children's choir has performed throughout the leading concert halls of Europe and North America with stars in music and opera including Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. This year's tour will include an all-French program featuring the recently discovered Charles Gounod Requiem. The concert is open to the public with a good will offering taken in lieu of purchasing tickets.

Do you have a child entering 1st Grade this fall?
Or are you and your children new to the Parish?
Please contact the Parish Center at 295-0387 to register for the Religious Education program and make sure that you receive all the mailings.

Attention Confirmation Candidates! Do you need service hours? Are you creative? We are looking for someone to design Posters for the upcoming Generations of Faith Program. Are you good with computers? Call the Parish Center at 295-0387.

Generations of Faith - We are in the process of scheduling a Focus Group. If you didn't get a chance to sign up, please consider joining us. Call the Parish Center.

Generations of Faith Registration Forms are being sent out this week to those who registered for the program last year. Watch for it in your mail!

The Youth Ministry camp Team is getting ready!!! We are FOUR weeks away from our trip. The vans are reserved, the bill is paid, our paperwork is complete, and we are going over our last minute details with our annual Camp Team Picnic / Appreciation Celebration. All YOUTHS and CAMPERS AND Families should be at this potluck picnic on Tuesday evening, July 10th from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at Dawn's parents' house. We will be celebrating the Class of 2007, our eventful year and sending off our Camp Team. You are asked to bring some kind of picnic food to share. Please contact Dawn at 461-3048 or by email birondawn@yahoo.com to confirm your attendance and what you are bringing.

There will be no salesperson available during July. Self service only at all other times. Call Deborah at 885-6405 or use the "Bill Me" instructions.

Is this you? Or somebody you know? For any number of reasons baptized Catholics do not always complete their initiation into the Church. This is done through the Sacrament of Confirmation and receiving Holy Communion. This is a simple process of preparation that results in the satisfaction of participating fully in the sacramental life that Christ has given us for our joy and support. For more information call Father Reardon.

Do you wonder? Do you regret? Healing the Wounded Heart is a support group for women and men who have been involved in an abortion experience. The group meets twice a month in a confidential setting. Come meet Jesus and be made whole again. Call Kris at 421-7833x119.

Those who would like to bring the bread and wine to the altar, please call the Parish Center at 295-0387 to arrange.

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For prayerful preparation during the week before Sunday Mass, please visit http://liturgy.slu.edu. Reflecting on the spirituality of the scriptures before Mass can have a great impact on hearing the Word proclaimed on Sunday.

Please submit bulletin materials directly to the Parish Office, or via e-mail to parishcenter@sbcwickford.org, attention to Jane Allen. The deadline for the submission is Tuesday by 5:00 pm. Please take into consideration the cutoff time and the space limit. Thank you.

The Gospel reminds us that we are not to let such things as our desire for material goods get in the way of following Christ. Stewardship as a way of life will help us do this.

St. Bernard's now offers parishioners the opportunity to make their budget contributions by Direct Debit. Call the Parish Center, 295-0387 for further information.

June 23 / 24	Actual $6863.00	Budget
Through 05/31/07	Actual $354,650.00	Budget $335,838.00

ACH $494.70

From "Madame Secretary":
Reminder - Budget envelopes have gone out. If you do not receive them, please call the Parish Center. Also: Please let us know if your address or phone number have changed so we can update our records!

Matching Contributions: Many companies offer matching funds for donations to non-profit organizations. If you donate weekly to St. Bernard's your company might match it! Please take time to find out if your company has this policy.

Thank you for your continuous support and generosity.