Written by Catholic SUN   
April 30 - May 6, 2009
Spring Confirmation schedule
Saturday, May 2 at 5 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes and St. James in Syracuse at Our Lady of Lourdes, Bishop Thomas Costello
Sunday, May 3 at noon, St. Joseph in Lee Center, Father Philip Hearn; 2 p.m., St. Leo in Tully, St. Joseph in LaFayette and Immaculate Conception in Pompei at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, Bishop Thomas Costello
Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m., St. Joseph the Worker, Liverpool, Bishop Thomas Costello
Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m., St. Mary in Hamilton and St. Joan of Arc in Morrisville at St. Mary, Bishop Thomas Costello
Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., St. Anne, Mother of Mary, in Mexico and Christ Our Light in Pulaski at St. Anne, Bishop Thomas Costello; 7 p.m., St. Bartholomew/St. Paul in Norwich, St. John the Evangelist in Bainbridge and St. Malachy’s in Sherburne at St. Bartholomew/St. Paul, Father John Putano
Saturday, May 9 at 5:15 p.m., St. Augustine in Baldwinsville, Msgr. Robert Yeazel; 5 p.m., St. James in Cazenovia, Bishop Thomas Costello
Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m., St. Joseph in Camillus, Bishop Thomas Costello
Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m., St. John in Liverpool, Msgr. Robert Yeazel; at 7 p.m., Blessed Sacrament in Syracuse, Msgr. Richard Kopp
Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m., St. Anthony in Chadwicks, St. Bernard’s in Waterville and St. Patrick’s in Clayville at St. Anthony, Father Joseph Salerno
Saturday, May 16 at 5:15 p.m., St. Mary and St. Peter in Rome at St. Mary, Father Philip Hearn
Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m., St. Catherine and St. Christopher in Binghamton at St. Catherine, Father John Putano; also at 2 p.m., St. Paul’s and the Newman Center in Oswego at St. Paul’s, Bishop Thomas Costello
Monday, May 19 at 7 p.m., St. Mark in Utica, Father Joseph Salerno; also at 7 p.m., Immaculate Conception in Greene and St. Joseph’s in Oxford at Immaculate Conception, Father John Putano
Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m., St. Mary in Kirkwood, Father John Putano
Thursday, May 21 at 7 p.m., St. Joseph’s in Oneida, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Verona, St. Francis in Durhamville and St. Therese in Munnsville at St. Joseph’s, Bishop Thomas Costello
Sunday, May 24 at 2 p.m., St. Thomas and St. Patrick in Binghamton at St. Patrick, Father John Putano
Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m., St. Michael in Central Square and St. Agnes in Brewerton at St. Michael, Bishop Thomas Costello
Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m., St. Cecilia in Solvay, Msgr. Richard Kopp
Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m., St. Peter and Holy Trinity in Utica and St. Mary/Sacred Heart in New York Mills at St. Peter, Father Joseph Salerno
Saturday, June 6 at 5:15 p.m., St. Ambrose in Endicott and Most Holy Rosary in Maine at St. Ambrose, Bishop Thomas Costello
Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m., Mt. Carmel/Blessed Sacrament/St. John in Utica
Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m., St. Patrick in Whitney Point and St. Stephen in Marathon at St. Patrick, Bishop Thomas Costello

Bishop Cunningham to lead pilgrimage to Ireland
Catholics in the Diocese of Syracuse will have an opportunity to meet their new bishop by joining Bishop Robert J. Cunningham in a pilgrimage to Catholic sites in Ireland  Sept. 21 through Sept. 30.
Bishop Cunningham will serve as the spiritual director of the pilgrimage which, will feature stops at the Cliffs of Galway, Connemara, the Knock Shrine, Dublin,Waterford, Kerry and more.
“We will celebrate Mass together in grand Irish cathedrals and charming village churches and at the Knock Shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to 15 people in the village in 1879,” the bishop said in an invitation to join the trip. “Together, we will explore ancient church sites and castles, spectacular scenery and modern Irish cities. The pilgrimage promises to be a time of prayer and growth in our faith as we explore the treasures of the Catholic Church in Ireland.”
The cost for the pilgrimage is $2,999 from Newark with connecting flights available from Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany and Burlington.
The full itinerary and reservation information is available at
www.northcountrycatholic.org.
For more information, call the North Country Catholic at (315) 393-2540 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Space is limited; reservations with a $300 deposit are requested by May 20.


St. Patrick’s School to hold Mother’s Day plant sale
St. Patrick’s School Annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale will be held Mother’s Day weekend, Thursday, Friday and Saturday May 7, May 8  and May 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Welton Motors, Rt 5 , Oneida.  Plants are provided by Stone Brothers of Canastota. For more information, call (315) 363-3620.


Christ the King to host retreats for sisters, priests
Christ the King Retreat and Conference Center, 500 Brookford Rd., Syracuse, will host two special retreats for priests and sisters this summer.
June 15 through June 19, the center will host a retreat for priests entitled “Priesthood: Tragedy and Transformation” featuring Father Lou Sogliuzzo, SJ. Registration will be at 5 p.m. and the first conference will be held at 7 p.m. The retreat will end by noon on Friday, June 19. An offering of $300 will be accepted.
Then, July 27 through Aug. 1, the center will host a retreat for sisters entitled “The Experience of Angelus” presented by Sister Rose Clarisse Gadoury, SSA, and Father Michael Carmola. Registration for the sisters’ retreat will be at 5 p.m. and the first conference will be at 7 p.m. on July 27. The retreat will conclude by noon on Aug. 1. An offering of $350 will be accepted.
No dinner will be served the first night of either retreat.
For more information, call (315) 446-2680.


Upcoming Family Life Education events
The Family Life Education Office is planning several May events at the Bishop Harrison Center, 1342 Lancaster Ave., Syracuse.
Sunday, May 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the center will host The Third Option’s next meeting. The topic will be “Re-building Trust.” On Sunday, May 17, The Third Option will meet again and the discussion will be entitled “The Greatest Secret to a Happy Marriage.” For more information, call (315) 472-6728.
On Wednesday, May 6 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Diocesan Separated/Divorced Group Branch Out and Grow will hold its meeting feauring the video “Nothing Permanent but Change.” Then, on Wednesday, May 20, the group will meet again from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for a session featuring guest speaker Cindy Fallon, whose presentation will be entitled, “Beginning Amidst Shattered Dreams.” For more information, call (315) 472-6754, ext. 5.


Mother’s Day Mass and brunch, spring cleaning at Christ the King
In May, Christ the King Retreat and Conference Center, 500 Brookford Rd., Syracuse, will host several special events.
On May 10, the center will offer a Mother’s Day Mass and Brunch. The event will begin with 9 a.m. Mass, followed by the brunch. An offering of $12 for adults will be accepted and an offering of $6 will be accepted for children under 12. Children under 5 may attend for free.
May 18 through May 22, volunteers are invited to help prepare the center’s gounds in any capacity they feel comfortable with including gardening, seeding and general cleaning. Participants should bring their own gardening tools. Those who wish to participate should call (315) 446-2680 so that the center’s staff can prepare a lunch.


Concert to benefit St. Mary’s Church
MINOA — A special concert to benefit St. Mary Church, 401 N. Main St., will be held May 9 at 7:15 p.m.
The featured performer will be Ann Walseman.
For more information, call Steve Barrone at (315) 488-3840, ext. 114.