St. Paul's Catholic Church

Portsmouth, Virginia

ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This website is no longer maintained.  St. Paul's information has been consolidated with the other parishes of our cluster on the new Cluster Parishes website found at www.clusterparishes.com.  If you navigated to this page from the Cluster Parishes website, our apologies -- please return there and scroll further down the main page to find items such as a consolidated cluster bulletin, calendar, and more.

General Announcements

10 Apr 11:  If you have borrowed a Pyx from the Church to take the Holy Eucharist to someone who is ill and you no longer need your Pyx, please return it to the Church Office or leave it in the Sacristy of the Church.  Thank you!

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10 Apr 11:  Virginia Catholic Conference News…The Virginia Catholic Conference represents the public-policy interests of the Commonwealth's two Catholic bishops and the dioceses of Richmond and Arlington. On behalf of Bishop Francis DiLorenzo, Diocese of Richmond, and Bishop Paul Loverde, Diocese of Arlington, the Conference advocates for respect life, social justice, and education issues through contacts with state and federal lawmakers, grassroots advocates, and media outlets.
• Respect Life initiatives seek to protect human life and dignity in every stage of development and circumstance.
• Social Justice initiatives give first claim to the rights and needs of the poorest and most vulnerable members of the human family.
• Education and Family Life initiative support the fundamental family unit and provide basic services to children who attend nonpublic schools.
More information about the Virginia Catholic Conference and the work done during the most recent General Assembly can be found at www.vacatholic.org.

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14 Nov 10:  St. Paul’s Catholic Church is presently forming a Funeral Reception Committee similar to those of the cluster parishes.  This committee provides a reception following the funeral Mass, if requested by the family. Several parishioners have been contacted and are willing to participate in this ministry. If you are interested in becoming a member of this committee, please contact Pat Cox at 397-7066 or Lillian Haythe at 484-2924. Please let us count on you saying “yes!”

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14 Nov 10:  Volunteer Opportunity: The administrative office of the Cluster Parishes is seeking volunteers for a few hours each week for light office work. If you would like to volunteer to help out in the office, please contact Jeff Foster at 485-2142.

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24 Oct 10:  Adult Altar Servers Needed
If you are interested in volunteering as an Adult Altar Server during the week or Saturdays for Christian Funeral Masses, please call the Church Office at 397-7066. You will be properly trained for this ministry. This ministry does require mobility.  Thank you for considering this much needed ministry!

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24 Oct 10:  Congratulations to Theresa Carpenter, Lillian Haythe, and Merritt Mizzell on being elected to St. Paul’s Pastoral Council!  Their desire to participate and help set the vision for the future of the parish is greatly appreciated. We also appreciate candidates: John Hudgins, Renee Russell and Kevin Young for also running for Pastoral Council. Thank you all!

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31 Oct 10:  Can You Spare the Time to save a Baby?
Birthright is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers
committed to offering practical and positive alternatives to
women facing the abortion decision.
*Do you have 2 to 3 hours a week you can devote to a
woman?
*Do you have the ability to love a desperate woman in
need?
*Do you have a passion to make a difference in the lives of
others?
For an interview or information, please call 489-0222 or
Maria @817-9816. You can make a difference!
Thank you very much for your unending help to Birthright
of Norfolk.

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JustFaith Program
Do you find yourself wondering how to live your faith in today’s complex world? Responding to the world’s needs takes reflection, study, prayer and community. All of these are offered in the JustFaith program, an intensive 30-week program.  Consider joining a group that starts this October at Church of St.
Therese, in the Portsmouth/Chesapeake area. For more information, contact Jimmy Culpepper at 403-2170.

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Diocese of Richmond Safe Environment Program -
VIRTUS® Protecting God’s Children

What are the VIRTUS® Protecting God’s Children
Programs ?
The VIRTUS programs assist the Church in being a safe haven
for children and serve as a messenger for preventing child abuse
within the Church and society in general. By identifying the best
practices designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote
"right-doing", the VIRTUS® programs empower organizations
and people to better control risk and create child-safe
environments. Who should attend a VIRTUS® Program?
Maximizing a child-safe environment begins with making adults
more aware of the ways children and adults interact with each
other. All diocesan employees, clergy, religious, teachers, staff,
and all adult volunteers who regularly or routinely work with
children or youth participate in a Protecting God’s Children
training session. But all adults are welcome to attend, regardless
of whether you have children involved in a church program. The
information presented at a Protecting God’s Children is
applicable to all areas of a child’s life – in church, at school and
in any extracurricular activity. For more information, or to register for a VIRTUS® training
session, please visit the diocesan website,
www.richmonddiocese.org and follow the VIRTUS® link at the
top right of the page. If you do not have access to a computer,
please call Marisa Beebe at 966-5461 to register for the training
session. If you have any questions, please contact Marisa Beebe,
Coordinator of Christian Formation, at mrcbeebe@cox.net or at
966-5461.

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1 Aug 10:  Help Wanted: Looking for Volunteers who are willing to help with laundering the church communion linens. If interested, please call Barb Lewis (757-484-8325) for details.

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18 Jul 10:  DRESSING RESPECTFULLY FOR MASS: Warmer weather in many parts of the country means
wearing lighter, more casual clothing. Still, something that could be worn to play a sport, clean the garage, or work in the yard (shorts, strapless tops, etc.) are not appropriate for Mass. God deserves your “Sunday best” even in the summertime.

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10 May 10:  St. Paul's Church Bell In our historic church, we are fortunate to have one of the largest
and finest bells in the area. It was cast by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland in 1903. It measures 53 inches in diameter and weighs approximately 3,500 pounds. It contains remnants of the bell from the fourth St. Paul's which burned on March 28, 1897. The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in The Portsmouth Star on May 9, 1904 at the time of the dedication of St. Paul's church bell: After a silence of about seven years, the citizens of Portsmouth are soon to hear again the sweet notes of the “Angelus” floating out on the early morning air from the belfry of St. Paul's. Generations of Portsmouth families have passed from childhood into the grave under the sound of the “Catholic Church bell.” Until it tolled its own death knell in the disastrous fire of March, seven years ago. St. Paul's bell, as it rang out morning, noon and eventide was inwrought in the affections and habits of our people.
A major enhancement has been recently completed on our bell with the addition of a new striking system, 106 years after its dedication. The new system, installed by the McShane Bell Foundry (the same company that cast the bell in 1903), allows the bell to strike the hour, ring a funeral toll, ring the “Angelus”, and
ring a full peal for special celebrations such as weddings. The new system was given in memory of Raymond W. and Annie D. Ficenec.

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18 Apr 10:  Parents—we need your help! Please assist your small children when using the Church bathrooms. We have made some changes to the doors which may be difficult to open and we now have hand blowers. Also, we continue to have the toilets stopped up with toilet tissue, etc. causing them to over-flow.  Please help your child when they need to use the restroom.

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14 Feb 10:  Inclement Weather Policy:  A reminder, when Portsmouth Catholic Regional School is canceled due to inclement weather, our Cluster and Parish Offices are closed as well.

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31 Jan 10:  Birthright is an emergency pregnancy service that provides resources and assistance for a woman who may be pregnant. It is staffed completely by volunteers who provide friendship counseling, take and respond to hotline calls, help with fundraising projects, and assist with determining resources that are available in the community. Interested persons may call Birthright at 489-0222 or Maria at 620-1473 for further information.

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13 Dec 09:  Anne Bernadette Dail and Caitlin Howerton, are offering Irish Dance lessons at Centenary United Methodist Church on Cedar Lane. The program will begin in mid January and is open to parishioners and non-parishioners ages 5-13.
Please send an email of interest with the age(s) of the children and any questions you may have to
portsmouthirishdance@gmail.com. Depending on the response, we may have more than one class during the week, so spread the word!
Both Anne Bernadette and Caitlin are championship Irish dancers and have been teaching for several years and look forward to passing on this wonderful tradition to your child.

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1 Nov 09:  “DECOLORES" fellow Cursillistas: If you have completed a mens or womens Catholic Cursillo Weekend, come live out your Fourth Day and support the revitalization of the Greater Hampton Roads Cursillo Community (GHRCC). The goal is to establish regional Ultreyas and Groupings then reestablish our local Cursillo weekends. The first step is to identify all current Cursillistas within each parish. Please contact Greg Branigan at 757-572-1198 or email donold@managemytime.com for access to the GHRCC website.

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18 Oct 09:  If you would like to donate Altar Flowers in Honor of or In Memory of a loved one, please
call the Church Office, 397-7066 to reserve your weekend for Altar Flowers. The Church Office will handle ordering the flowers at $40.00 per arrangement.

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30 Aug 09:  Retrouvaille (Re tro vi' with a long i) – Thinking about separation or divorce?
Is your marriage or that of a relative or friend in trouble?  Do you know how to save that marriage, or do you feel helpless?  Retrouvaille is designed to help troubled marriages. It gives spouses the tools to re-awaken the love, trust and commitment that originally brought them together. The program has also been successful at leading some couples to reconciliation after having separated or divorced. For more information about the program call Bruce & Colleen at (800) 470-2230 or (804) 639-1870 or visit the our website www.HelpOurMarriage.com

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16 Aug 09:  Cathedral Exhibits Open on Sunday Mornings: The Museum of Virginia Catholic History exhibits located in the Baptistery Gallery and Crypt & Undercroft at the Cathedral of the Sacred
Heart will be open to the public every Sunday immediately after the 9am and 11am Mass. All are welcome to come and tour these new exhibits. There is No Admission Fee.

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3 May 09:  A parishioner has lost a black leather prayer book which is very old and had belonged to her mother. Please, if anyone has found this very sentimental prayer book call the Church Office at 397-7066. 

There are many other articles in our lost and found box in the glass room in the back of the church. Please look in this box if you have lost a hat, sweater, glasses, keys, books, baby items, etc.  We will need to dispose of these articles if they are not claimed in the near future.

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19 Apr 09:  The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart invites you, your family and friends to visit this national historic landmark and center of diocesan worship and outreach - throughout the Easter Season and during the summer. You can now view the results of extensive preservation of the original seat of the Virginia Diocese (now Richmond Diocese), and, the newly installed Museum of Virginia Catholic History. More than 1,800 donors have given to The Centennial Preservation Campaign for your Cathedral since the Campaign was launched diocesan-wide. Funds secured to date total $4.2 million in gifts, pledges and historic preservation tax reimbursements. The goal is $6.0 million. Bishop DiLorenzo announced a $500,000 Challenge Gift to inspire all to participate as you can. Contact info: 804/359-5651, ext. 118; kkremer@richmondcathedral.org.

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9 Nov 08:  Are you interested in Quilting?  I am interested in starting a “Quilting Bee” at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. We could meet on a mutually decided day or evening.  The quilting bee can be whatever we want it to be. Anyone in our Cluster, or even your friends, outside the Cluster are invited.  Please email me at ljennison1@verizon.net (the first letter is lower case l for Laura, the second after Jennison is the number one), please put quilting bee in the subject line), or call me at home, 483-1858. I think we would all enjoy the fellowship and the knowledge that would be shared.

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Refugee & Immigration Services, a ministry of the Richmond Catholic Diocese located in Hampton, is currently in need of a vehicle in good running condition for the office. A van (or other large vehicle) is preferred for use to transport refugee families to various appointments in the Hampton Roads area. Additionally, bikes are also needed for refugees to use to get to and from work. Please contact Karen Schomaker at (757)-247-3600 ext 17 for more information. 

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St. Ann’s Basilica in Scranton, PA, televises the Daily Mass during the week at 3:30pm on HDTV Channel 263.

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SINGLE CATHOLIC ADULTS: Looking to meet people of similar backgrounds? Tidewater Catholic Alumni Club (TCAC) is a local organization of college graduates of the Catholic faith who gather together for religious, social, and cultural activities. Full membership is open to single Catholics over the age of 21 who are either 4-year or 2-year college graduates, and are free to marry in the Catholic Church. However, partial membership is also available. Our current members are generally in the age range of 30’s to 50's. We always welcome new people and new ideas. For more information contact Hope at 595-6996 or Lisa at 480-8737 and visit the Tidewater Catholic Alumni Club (TCAC) website at www.freewebs.com/tidewatercatholicalumniclub/. 

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We are missing seven of our “floral oasis blocks” that were stored on top of one of the metal cabinets in the work room in the church. One of our parishioners graciously donated these so that we could have fresh flower arrangements in our sanctuary. If you have taken these without permission, we ask that you consider reimbursing the church for these. Please contact the Church Office before using or borrowing supplies from the church. Thank you!

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Please Note: Our new deadline for bulletins: Announcements must be in the Parish Office by NOON on Friday.

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We kindly request that you not park in the parking lot behind the rectory. Not only do our Pastor and Parochial Vicar park there, but visiting priests and any priest(s) who reside in the rectory. In case of an emergency and to allow the priest easy access to and from the parking lot, we ask that these parking spaces be available to the priests and staff only. Thank you for your cooperation.

PLEASE do not park in the parking lot of Monumental United Methodist Church at the corner of Washington and Queen streets. They were gracious to allow us to park in their lot from time to time when needed. Cars will be towed at your expense if you park in their lot without permission. Please honor this request.

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Please Register or Update
Have you moved and now have a change in address, phone number or other changes? Are you new to the parish? Do you have a child attending the Religious Education Program? Please pick up a “Parish Registration Information” form that can be found in the back of the church and return it to the Church Office to help us update our records or register you with our Church Office. Thanks!

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Church Etiquette reminder:
Please be courteous and prayerful...do not talk during church if not necessary, especially during the Consecration;
Please be helpful by picking up tissues, bulletins, papers off the floor and pews before leaving; do not leave the sanctuary in a mess; Pick-up kneelers and replace hymnals back to their proper place; Please turn off all cell phones and beepers before entering the sanctuary...this is a holy place;
Please restrict the use of the bathrooms. We know that sometimes it is an emergency, but we have received many, many complaints of children and adults using the bathrooms especially during the Consecration. This is a very important, holy part of Liturgy. Some of the same children have been seen using the bathrooms more than once during Mass. Please use the bathroom before coming to Mass.
Parents need to go with children to the bathrooms. We have found unused paper towels thrown in the trash and toilets stuffed with paper. As you know, paper products and plumbers are expensive! Please do not be wasteful!
(We have been asked once again to repeat all of the above by YOU, the parishioners. Thank you for your support and cooperation!)

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Wheels of Love: All Medicare recipients should now be aware that they may be eligible to receive a power wheelchair, paid for by Medicare, if they suffer from conditions such as arthritis, respiratory, disorders, cardiovascular disease, pain, gait instability and other conditions that impair a beneficiary’s ability to participate in completing activities of daily living.  For more information for Medicate eligibility call 1-866-631- 3022.

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The Pastoral Care Committee invites anyone who would like to be visited (sick or homebound) or brought Holy Communion to please call the Church Office at 397-7066.

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Mr. Joseph P. Sullivan, one of the original founders of the “Penguin Club” is looking for other members of this club to contact him. Back in the early 1940’s a group of men from St. Paul’s joined in with other men and formed the “Penguin Club” and hosted dances. If you were a member or know anything about the Penguin Club, please contact: Joseph P. Sullivan, RR 2, Box 2130, Beach Lake, PA, 18405; or you may call him at 914-672-3288.

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Print & Electronic Resources

St. Joseph Sunday Missals are here and on sale in the back of the sanctuary. Prices: One for $3.00 or
Two for $5.00. Please place your cash or check payable to St. Paul’s in the envelopes provided in the
collection baskets. We are collecting old St. Joseph Sunday Missals to be recycled. Please drop your old copies in to the container out in the vestibule of the church.  (11-28-10)

We now have many new CD’s in the back of the church that have just arrived.  New titles include: Church Beliefs, Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues, Davinci Code Exposed, The Eucharist: our very life, God’s Family and Ours; The Virgin Mary revealed through scripture. These will make great stocking
stuffers. Also there are new brochures on making a good confession, forming a Catholic Conscience and one on coming back to the Catholic Church. (11-14-10)

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Former Students of St. Paul's High School

From 1950 to 1956, Mr. Ray Chamberland taught physical education and coached football and basketball at St. Paul's High School here in Portsmouth.

In May 2007, Coach and his wife Rita Reagan Chamberland returned to Portsmouth for the class reunions of the St. Paul's classes from 1955 through 1958. After our dinner, the coach spoke of his many humorous memories from his years here at St. Paul's, and has now agreed to record these and additional memories on a DVD or VHS video. Coach is an excellent and entertaining speaker.

We are offering this recording for sale to those who enjoyed these years at St. Paul's High School, or who have family members who enjoyed them. It would also make an excellent gift, or just a souvenir of a more simple time, the 1950s.

Please complete the below portion of this notice, and mail it to: Patrick Morris, 2221 Banstead Road, Midlothian, Va. 23113, along with your $20.00 check for each DVD or VHS video ordered. This amount covers the DVD or VHS, shipping/ handling, and a donation to the St. Paul's Church Restoration Fund.

All proceeds from the sale of this video will go to the Restoration Fund at St. Paul's Catholic Church, Portsmouth, Virginia.
_______________________________________________
Yes, please mail me _____copies of "Ray Chamberland's
1950-1956 St. Paul's Memories" @ $20.00 each, including
shipping/handling and a contribution to the St. Paul's
Church Restoration Fund.
I prefer DVD________ VHS tape__________
My check for $_____. ____ is enclosed.
Name__________________________________________
Street
Adress__________________________________________
City/State/
Zip_____________________________________________
________________________________________________

(Please cut out and mail with your check)