LORD S DAY WORSHIP 5th Sunday of Easter 28/29 APR. Final Student Supper on Wednesday The last Student Supper of the academic year is Wednesday

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1 THIS WEEK SUNDAY 22 APR 7 PM - Youth Ministry, Kostka Hall MONDAY 23 APR 8 AM - Mass, St. Peter Parish 7:30 PM - College Women s Bible Study, Newman Center TUESDAY 24 APR 4 PM - Salvation Army Meal Ministry 6:30 PM - Christian Initiation, Newman Center 6:30 PM - Celebration Choir, Church WEDNESDAY 25 APR / 5 PM - Student Supper, Newman Center 6:30 PM - REP Grs. 1-7, School; Gr. 8, Kostka Hall 9 PM - Late Night Mass, Newman Center THURSDAY 26 APR / 9 AM-3:30 PM - Eucharistic Adoration 7:30 PM - College Men s Bible Study, Newman Center FRIDAY 27 APR 12 PM - Rosary, Newman Center SATURDAY 28 APR / 9 AM - Reconciliation 10:30 AM - Funeral Mass: Douglas Firkus 1 PM - Centennial Concert Series: Tuba-Organ Recital LORD S DAY WORSHIP 5th Sunday of Easter 28/29 APR 5 PM Saturday 8 AM Sunday 10 AM Sunday 6 PM Sunday Final Student Supper on Wednesday The last Student Supper of the academic year is Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Newman Center. All students are invited. Sign-up at Mass today or send an to wendy@holyspiritstevenspoint.org. Also, remember our Year-End Picnic at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 13. Special Collection for Haiti Next Week Deacon Rick Letto will be going to visit the new pastor of our Twinning Parish in early May and we d like to send some wellneeded supplies with him. The following items will be collected at all Masses next weekend, as well as at the church entrances or Newman Center during the week: Holy Spirit Parish continues to celebrate the centennial of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church with something quite unique: A Tuba-Organ Recital at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 28. It will feature UW-Stevens Point students James Kuzmic and Elijah Schuh. Looking ahead, Holy Spirit s Celebration Choir will present a Pentecost Concert on May 20 at 2 p.m. Save the Date!

2 Receiving Communion Celebrating Eucharist participating at Mass each Lord s Day as I mentioned in my homily last Sunday, which obviously very few people heard because of the snow, is the most Eastery thing we do. We recognize, praise and receive the presence of the Risen Lord! It s in that Eastery spirit that I share this reflection on receiving the Body and Blood of Christ by Father Anthony Ruff, a Benedictine monk of St. John s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn. He was one of the monks I got to know and learn from during my sabbatical, a year ago. He is well known and regarded for his contributions to Catholic worship in general and sacred music in particular. Fr. Anthony moderates a blog, Pray Tell, where this first appeared. In this season of children celebrating First Communion, I think the questions he poses give all of us who receive Christ in the Eucharist an opportunity to re-examine and renew who we celebrate and receive. It s printed here with his permission. RECEIVING COMMUNION: An Examination of Conscience There is more to the mystery of the blessed Eucharist than the human mind can grasp. This examination is not meant to be a burden to consciences, but an opportunity to reflect gratefully from time to time on various aspects of the gift of the Eucharist. While processing to Communion, do I realize that I am journeying toward the Jerusalem above to feast with angels and saints, with deceased friends and loved ones, with the entire mystical Body of Christ? Do I recognize those around me as the Body of Christ, and add my voice, however halting, to the processional song that expresses our union in spirit and joy of heart? Do I bow humbly to the Eucharistic Lord, to the servant of the Lord ministering to me, to the altar on which the Lord s dying and rising is made present? Does my veneration of the Risen Lord, really present in sacramental sign, open my eyes to the divine presence which we believe is everywhere? As I eat the Bread of Life, do I realize that my own body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? As I drink the Precious Blood, do I realize that Christ s love poured out for me in sacrifice calls me to pour out my life for others? Does this sacred banquet strengthen my yearning for a world in which the poor have enough to eat? Am I grateful that the Eucharist has the salutary virtue to remit the sins I commit daily? Do I let the Eucharistic Lord still my inner voices ready to speak in judgment of others piety and prayer? Am I ready to go forth in peace, glorifying the Lord by my life? Allusions: Jerusalem above: Galatians 4:26; union in spirit: General Instruction of the Roman Missal 86; divine presence: Rule of Benedict 19:1; bread of life: Roman Missal; temple: 1 Corinthians 6:19; salutary virtue: Council of Trent Session 22; Go forth: Mass dismissal from Benedict XVI. MISSION STATEMENT Disciples called to worship sent to serve. VISION STATEMENT Holy Spirit Parish, encouraged by a legacy of faith, hope and love, commits to welcoming all believers and seekers; engaging college students to grow in faith; reaching out to those who have left the Church and to those who do not know Christ; encouraging members to share generously of time, talent and treasure; and living a Gospel response in our parish, our community, and our world. PASTORAL COUNCIL FINANCE COUNCIL BUILDING UPON A FIRM FOUNDATION Joining Our Parish: Celebrating Baptism: Caring for the Sick: Facebook: 838 Fremont St., Fourth Ave.,

3 Grief Circle of Support On Monday, Apr. 30 we invite you to join in this small group experience that will offer a caring space in which to acknowledge and learn how better to live with and in one s grief. Meetings will be held each Monday through May 21 at the Newman Center from 6:30-7:30 p.m. For information contact Julie Meadows at or Julie@holyspiritstevenspoint.org. Sharing Christ at Mass Our parish needs 35 people to assist as eucharistic ministers every weekend. That s a lot of people, and so there is always a need for more people to share the Body and Blood of Christ when we gather for Mass. How about you? You might be thinking: I m not holy enough or worthy enough to do that. You re right. None of our ministers are, but we remain hopeful that we will become more holy, more worthy of this ministry to which we are needed and called. There will be orientation for new and interested Eucharistic ministers parishioners and college and high school students after all four Masses May 5 and 6. Please give consideration to this invitation and our parish s need, and plan to stay briefly after Mass on that weekend. It s time for Goodie Bag Donations Goodie Bags are bags of treats given as a token of encouragement to Catholic college students as they approach Final Exams. Parishioners are invited to donate items for Goodie Bags, such as snack sizes of peanuts, gum, candy bars, raisins, cheese and crackers; apples and oranges; as well as other home-baked cookies and other non-gooey or crumbly baked goods. Donated items are needed at the Newman Center by 5 p.m. May 10. Park in front of the building with flashers on to drop off your donation. Volunteers are needed to help assemble Goodie Bags at 6 p.m. May 10. THIS WEEKEND: Leading our worship is Fr. Frank Corradi, a familiar presence in our parish as he filled in for Fr. Tom last spring. He is with us this weekend as Fr. Tom attends the wedding of a nephew in Houston. LIFE SIGNATURE AD NEXT WEEKEND: The annual collection of signatures for a Mother s Day newspaper ad promoting life will be held next weekend after all Masses. If you d be interested in helping with this important project, please contact Annette at ALUMINUM CAN DRIVE: Holy Spirit Boy Scout Troop 298 will hold an aluminum can drive on Saturday, May 5, from 8:30-11 a.m. in the school parking lot. For home pickup of cans, please call John Strojny at Of time, talent and treasure BEFORE BUILDING The work that comes before the actual building of our Parish Center project continues. Central to this preliminary work is generating the funds still needed to reach our goal. As we continue to hover just above $3.5 million: THANK YOU to those parishioners who have significantly increased their pledge to our campaign. If you would like to increase your pledge, please contact Sr. Barb Knauf or Lee Olsen at Please continue making your scheduled payments to the campaign. The sooner the funds are pledged and collected, the sooner we proceed. Watch and listen for updated appeal information within the next few weeks. Keep praying for the success of this venture. COUNCIL NOMINATIONS SOUGHT The Holy Spirit Pastoral Council will be losing six of its founding members this summer and new members are being sought. If you would be interested in serving or would like to nominate someone you think would make a good contribution to the Council, please pass along your name, or that of other parishioners, to Fr. Tom. If more than six people are nominated, a random selection process will be established by the existing Council. Terms will begin July 1 and Council members serve two three-year terms. The Council is a significant consultative body to the pastor with, ideally, a cross section of parish representation. It meets approximately six times a year. Meetings rarely last more than an hour. MAKING SPIRITFEST A SUCCESS Holy Spirit s summer celebration, SpiritFest is July 22. We are seeking two volunteers to serve as chairpeople for the Main Raffle. Training and support will be readily available. If you d like more information, Brant Bergeron, SpiritFEST Chair, at bergeron@dcopy.net or call PARTICIPATION AT MASS April 14/15 5 p.m a.m a.m p.m. 81 HOLY SPIRIT PARISH GIVING April 14/15..$2,105.19

4 SHINY NEW CATHOLIC CORNER ALLELUIA! He is risen! This week we re proud to introduce Carolyn Menningen and her sponsor - also Carolyn our very own Carolyn Davis! We asked Carolyn M. to tell us a little about her experience: Her first exposure to Catholicism was around age 8 in her encounter with her mother s host-mom from Argentina. Her name is Marie and Carolyn called her abuela ( grandmother in Spanish). Marie attended Mass at our parish during her stay with Carolyn s family even though she didn t speak English something Carolyn admired. 10 years later when I decided to follow Christ I researched the most common church denominations to see what they were about. I already admired the Pope and the communion of saints so that gave me greater interest in the Catholic Church. I did some research online on church history and came to the knowledge that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Himself on St. Peter, and it is Apostolic. I think that because Jesus founded His church it is holy, and it is His will for His followers to be part of it. I also love how the Church is ONE worldwide I am a big believer in unity...that s why I decided to become Catholic. I was initially intimidated by the fact that there is an initiation process. I was nervous to send that first , and I was especially nervous for that first meeting. I talked to Jesus and He told me to be brave because it would change my life then I knew that I wanted it more than anything else. My favorite thing so far about being Catholic is my wonderful parish community and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist! Also, the joy and comfort I feel knowing through the waters of baptism I am saved. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, CAROLYN! STUDENT SUPPER: YEAR-END PICNIC: 11:30A Sunday, May 13 LATE-NIGHT MASS EXPLORING FAITH: Something s Coming...BEE ready

5 s I began walking to church last Sunday morning I wasn t about to risk the drive I wondered if we should have canceled Mass. I ve repeated that we would never cancel Mass, but road conditions were dangerous. Even walking seemed risky. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this was a time when canceling Mass was warranted. We didn t, of course, and I think that was the still right decision, or indecision. There would always be someone who didn t get the message. And, as a friend observed, You (meaning me) can always get to Mass. That may be true, but having Mass involves lots of other people. As it did, even last week in the midst of the grandest winter storm in most of our memories. Here are a few storm observations: We informed all of our ministers that they were not expected to come to Mass because of the storm, but nearly all of them did, or they found a sub able to make the trek, or let us know they were staying home. We were fully staffed with readers, ushers, music ministers and servers, and when scheduled ministers weren t present, others stepped forward often on their own initiative, asking if we needed help. We didn t have a sufficient number Eucharistic ministers for our usual Sunday needs, but we had far fewer people and so didn t need as many. Thanks to our generous and extremely reliable ministers who helped us worship last weekend, and do so all the time. Well, we are. The far fewer people I just AFTER THE 15 April The Third Sunday of mentioned, which you ll see reported on Page 3 in the Being Good Stewards column, also brought the practical reality of a much smaller collection. You ll see that reported in the Being Good Stewards column also. It s kind of a double whammy: a snowstorm understandably, and rightly, leads people to stay home instead of come to church, but it also brings additional costs in terms of frequent snow removal and heating. I mention this because our giving was already more than $50,000 under budget and a weekend of such excruciatingly slight giving greatly exacerbates that problem. This offers an opportunity to consider our ongoing, regular support of the parish, and possibly consider a one-time contribution for general programming and maintenance. As pleased as I was that our ministers and the few dozen others joined us for Mass on Sunday, I was also grateful that the vast majority of you did not. That s especially true of our parishioners for whom venturing out in such conditions would have been extremely risky. You played it safe, and that was the better portion, to paraphrase what Jesus says to Martha of Mary in the gospel. While we hopefully are determined to be at Mass, there is definitely no obligation to be at Mass in the midst of a major weather event, which that was, or any weather or illness circumstance that presents a risk to health or well-being, for us or anyone else. Please always remember, the Church does not want anyone to do anything unreasonable or potentially dangerous and lifethreatening. Fr. Tom Bringing clarity and light to marriage and the Church A very Catholic relative or friend shares wisdom on marriage, divorce, annulments or some related topic. The intent is good, but the information is incorrect or maybe poorly applied, and thus a sacramental marriage in the Church is not pursued and the grace of the sacramental covenant is not realized. It s regarded as too many hoops, too judgmental, too much money, simply too much of something. The Church unquestionably regards marriage as of great importance. There are only seven sacraments and marriage is one of them! Celebrating the sacrament of marriage is not meant to be an ideal, but rather a celebration of life and love intended for all who are called to make its promises of sacrificial commitment. If you are in a marriage that has not been celebrated as a sacrament within the Church, or have been married and divorced and are interested in learning about the annulment process, or have other questions regarding you, your marriage, or interest in marriage and the Church, please contact Fr. Tom at frtom@holyspiritstevenspoint.org, or The point is not to judge, but to be helpful and encouraging in guiding people to appreciate and celebrate this sacrament of the Church. If nothing else, you ll have accurate information.