Office Closed – May 8

Due to illness, St. Mary’s Parish Office will be closed today, May 8.  In case of an emergency, please contact St. Michael’s at 439-4400.

Mandatory Volunteer Training

To protect those who volunteer and the people who we serve, we ask that all volunteers, completeVirtus Training. 

Do you volunteer in our parishes? Have you attended a VIRTUS Training Session?  This is a one-time obligation for all volunteers active in our parishes, SCCS and SCCFF.   “Virtus-Protecting God’s Children” program, is for the protection of everyone in our community.  This training is mandated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for each diocese.   Our next training session is on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m. in St. Michael’s Social Hall.  To register go to http://www.virtus.org or contact your parish office.  

If you have not completed the additional forms for volunteers, please complete these documents.

The Inaugural Meeting of the Argument Club for Women

Join us on May 28, 2013, 6:00– 9:00pm for the Inaugural Meeting of the Argument Club for Women.   The Question:  Do Contraceptives Liberate Women?   Moderator: Dr. Deborah Savage, Co-founder of the Siena Symposium.  In the Affirmative: TBD and In the Negative: Dr. Anne Maloney, St. Catherine University.   Doors will open at 6:00pm. The Church of St. Michael in Stillwater will host the event in their Social Hall (611 South 3rd Street, Stillwater).  Fee:  $10.00.  No reservations necessary.  Pay at the door.  Libations and Appetizers at 6:30 and presentation to follow.  For further details, feel free to call the St. Croix Catholic Faith Formation offices at 351-3175.   Click on the following link for a full page flyer :  Quick directions: Go East on Hwy 36.   Once you are approaching Stillwater, turn North on Osgood Ave. N. (a.k.a. 4th Street).  Follow Osgood/4^th to Churchill Street.   Take a Right on Churchill, go one block and then take a left on 3rd Street.  St. Michael’s Church will be on your right. St. Michael’s Social Hall is located between St. Croix Catholic School and Church of St. Michael’s. The entrance to the Social Hall is through the Parking lot located behind the school and church.  The parking lot can be accessed from either Willard Street (turn right before the school) or 3rd Street (turn right after passing the church into parking lot).

Ladies Spring Salad Luncheon

It has been a long and cold winter, and it is time to come out of hibernation
and celebrate Spring….a time of new life and warmth.
Please join the ladies of the parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s
for our annual Ladies Spring Salad Luncheon.

Saturday, April 27
11:30am in St. Mary’s Great Hall

This year, the theme is
“New recipes from the famous Cookbook of St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s”.
It will be fun to try something we haven’t made before.
After all, if they are in the cookbook, they should be delicious….right?
 
Sign up on the sheet in the back of St. Mary’s Church or call the office-439-1270.

Parish Office Closed

On Tuesday, March 5, St. Mary’s Parish office, St. Michael’s Parish office, St. Croix Catholic School, and Ark of Angels Preschool ARE CLOSED due to the weather. Enjoy the snow and drive safely!

ReDiscover

The first week of presentations in the Rediscover: Speaker Series were a resounding success. Nearly 4,000 people turned out to explore God’s purpose in their life, guided by Father Peter Laird. If you missed this event, there are still three more presentations in the series! Sign up for carpooling to any of these events.

Rediscover: belonging – Living in Communion with God – Presented by Father Michael Keating
We all feel the tug of the big questions in life. What is my relationship with God? Where do I belong?
This presentation shows us how personal sin weakens our relationship with God and reveals how, living the life we are called to through our baptism, unites us with God and to our family of faith.

Monday, February 18   –  Saint John the Baptist, New Brighton:
Tuesday, February 19  –  Saint John Neumann, Eagan
Thursday, February 21 –  Our Lady of Grace, Edina

All talks are free of charge and all begin at 7:00 p.m. Each talk runs 90 minutes and is followed by hospitality time. No registration is necessary.

Attend one or all of the talks in the 2013 Rediscover: Faith Speakers Series.  An audio recording of the first talk has been posted at Rediscover-faith.org (See sidebar)  and video will be posted by March 1. Free CDs of the full set of four talks will be available at parishes in April.

Monday, February 18
10:00 a.m. St. Mary’s Room C

Tuesday, February 19
1:00 p.m. St. Michael’s Library

Wednesday, February 20
9:00 a.m. St. Michael’s Library

Thursday, February 21
9:00 a.m. St. Michael’s Library

 

Pope Benedict XVI

“In today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” Pope Benedict XVI

 

 

Prayer for the Election of a New Pope
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God’s hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o’erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.  Amen.

2013 Men’s Club Lenten Fish Fries – 10th Anniversary!

The men are taking over the cooking duties. 

Make plans to attend one or more of our Lenten Fish Fries
hosted by the Men’s Club of St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s. 
Bring the whole family to what has become a very popular parish and community tradition.

All you can eat Beer Battered Cod, parsley buttered potatoes, coleslaw, and green beans.
There will also be PB&J sandwiches and chips for the little ones.
First 6 Fridays in Lent. February 15 – March 22.
St. Michael’s Social Hall
Serving from 4:30 – 7:00  p.m.  Take-out available
Adults: $10.00, Seniors: $9.00, Children 6-12 years: $5.00 Children 5 and under: Free
       Special Family Household rate: $35.00 max.

 

The Men’s Club provided nearly $10,000 in 2012
to the following ministries

St. Michael’s FunFest
St. Mary’s Wild Rice Festival
Giving Trees – St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s
SCCS – Faith Rally
SCCS – Light Their Way Dinner
SCVFF – YouCat Books for Confirmation Students
SCFFF – Ray Sayers Golf Tournament Hole and Priest sponsorship
Dominican Sisters – Tree removal at convent
Dominican Sisters – Dinner
Just for Fun Dance – Co-sponsor
Kitchen and Social Halls – repair, improvements, equipment
Eagle Scouts –Project funding
All Saints Day Party – Pizza sponsor
Eucharistic Procession – Guest Priests dinner
Chimbote Dinner – Beverage sponsor

Order of Naming and Commending

Saturday February 9                 9:30 a.m.              Church of St. Michael
“You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. My very self you knew.”     Psalm 139:13-14

God knows and loves each of our children even before we even have an inkling of their presence within us. He cradles them first.  The death of a baby before birth is devastating whether the loss is due to miscarriage, stillbirth, accident, or other reason. The Order of Naming and Commending of Children Who Have Died before Birth is a prayer service that acknowledges the loss of these babies within your family and our parish community. This rite is a celebration based on Christian faith and hope. In the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word, we find comfort in knowing these babies are with God. This commending rite offers families the opportunity to memorialize their baby by naming their baby and recording that name in a special book. This memorial book is placed in our Adoration Chapel. We know the great love Jesus had for little children, how he gathered them into his arms, and we are confident that he lovingly cradles these babies too.

We invite anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby before birth to join us for this service. May you be assured of our parish’s prayers and concern for each of you. If you have questions, please call Leann Kaufenberg, Parish Nurse/Pastoral Minister, at 379-1266.

Leann Kaufenberg, Parish Nurse    Deacon Guy Glover

Holy Hour for Life – Sunday, January 20

At St. Mary’s Church

Fr. Brian Lynch, presider

We recall the 40th anniversary of  the legalization of abortion (January 22, 1973) and pray to end it.

2:30 – Rosary for Life

3:00 – Holy Hour with:
Eucharistic Adoration
Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Quiet time for reflection
Music
Benediction
4:00 – FREE Soup Supper in Great Hall
(Free-will offerings gratefully accepted)

Sponsored by the Respect Life Committee of St. Mary, St. Charles and St. Michael.

“. . . a great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world.  Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, … from the heart of every believer.  Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4:1-11).”Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life), n. 100
Bl. Pope John Paul II

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