~Share the Warmth in your Heart with others~ Our weekly on-line newsletter keeping you updated on the latest news at St. Mary Parish.

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1 ~Share the Warmth in your Heart with others~ Our weekly on-line newsletter keeping you updated on the latest news at St. Mary Parish. If you have information or photos to be published in the The Bells of St. Mary, please send your submissions to by noon on Wednesdays. ST. MARY PARISH In the Heart of the City since Middle Avenue Elyria, Ohio

2 February 12, 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS: Eucharistic Adoration Thursday, Feb. 13 Lower Church 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Happy Valentine s Day! Share your Heart... Liturgy of the Word with Children Sunday, Feb. 16 Lower Church 9:30 a.m. Mass St. Mary School & PSR Class Mass - Grade 4 Sunday, Feb. 16 Upper Church 11:00 a.m. Mass Donuts & coffee in Weigand Room following Mass Pre-School P.S.R. Sunday, Feb. 16 St. Joseph Building 11:00 a.m. No School & No P.S.R. Monday, Feb. 17 Come inside it s warm! They Care About our Hearts Thank you to Maryann Ketchesin and the St. Mary Social Action Commission for all of their efforts in bringing the Wellness Health Fair to St. Mary Parish. Maryann spends countless hours organizing this event every year. There is a lot of planning that goes into having representatives from various medical fields available from 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. the second Sunday of February each year. This wouldn t happen without Maryann s dedication and the support of the St. Mary Social Action Commission. We appreciate that you care about our hearts and health. Take care and God Bless you! P.S. We loved the cookies too! The 2014 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal actively begins this weekend! Please refer to the insert in this week s bulletin which includes parish goal information and an overview of the importance of Catholic Charities in our communities. This year s appeal theme is: One in Christ. Please consider a gift to the Catholic Charities 2014 Annual Appeal and pray for the success of this important Appeal. As in the past, an in-pew commitment process will take place next weekend, February 22 nd /23 rd. If you have received the mailing, please respond to it. There is a box on the in-pew envelope to indicate that you have responded by mail. We invite you to view the stories of inspiration at Diocesan Celebration of Sacrament of Penance The celebration of the Sacrament of Penance is one of God s gifts to help us as we journey towards God s kingdom and strive to serve God s people entrusted to our care. Bishop Richard Lennon. You will be seeing more information on the Diocesan-Wide Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance which will be held on March 12, For more information you can go to Watch for the Lenten Issue of the Bells coming to your mailbox soon!

3 Are You Bloomin in the Snow? In the fall we were asked to reflect on how we could Bloom Where We Were Planted as we completed our stewardship commitment form in the pews or at our kitchen tables. Have you thought about your commitment lately? Have you been successfully bloomin? In the midst of the Advent and Christmas Season and now the wintry days of January and February have you taken time to Bloom in the Snow? Last week on one of the snowiest days of the year as I began making my way into work, I found myself stuck on Carol Lane trying to make the mom-mobile go. It made lots of noise but produced no results. In hopes of using my Macgyver skills, I hopped out of the car and started kicking the unplowed snow away from my tires thinking that that would certainly do the trick. However, as I began driving forward and then backwards again, I realized that wasn t going to work. Much to my surprise another crazy individual was out driving in the snow. A kind neighbor making his way back home, got out and helped by giving my van a push. After several attempts, and plenty of flying snow, I made it safely down the lane with my neighbor waiting to make sure I did. That Random Act of Kindness was simply and literally bloomin in the snow. Each day we are given an opportunity to bloom. If you are of the mindset that volunteering will take up too much of your time, a neighbor giving a push was a perfect example of how little time it takes to perform a random act of kindness. Don t be afraid to bloom, it is okay to use your talents and muscle for the benefit of someone or many in need. Take advantage of these opportunities TODAY to bloom and flower. -Annie Cunningham P.S. Thank you to the other wonderful couple (snow angels) who arrived at that same spot on my way home. They helped me get back up Bayberry Drive. Folks on Carol Lane are bloomin! Are they bloomin in your neighborhood? Please keep the following in your prayers. This week please remember the intentions in our intention book, our family and friends in need, those who have fallen away from the Church, all those trying to recover from traumatic experiences, and those going through difficult times: Amy, Bette, Bobby, Carmen, Catherine, Denise, Ed, George, Joyce, Kelly, Mary, Mary Ann, Matt, Mike, Pam, Ruthie, Sean, Tom and all who have asked for our prayers. Volunteers are needed for the following activities during the months noted. If you are interested in sharing your talents, for these particular events please contact stmaryelyria@aol and your name will be given to the various committee chairs. If there is a need for volunteers for your group or committee, please contact Annie Cunningham at ext. 224 and that information will be added to the Volunteer Corner. Your commitment to volunteer this year is essential in helping all at St. Mary Parish. 1. Market Day... Monthly 2. Hot Meals... 2nd, 3rd, 4th Tuesday 3. 3rd Annual Bridal Fair... Mar 2 4. Pierogi Lunches... Ash Wed/Fridays in Lent Helping Hands Needs your Cards We are in need of gift cards grocery, Wal-Mart/Target, gas or fast food gift cards that can be distributed to those in need in our community. If you received a gift card over the holidays that you don t think you ll use, please consider donating it. Just place the card in an envelope marked Helping Hands and drop it in the collection basket at any weekend Mass. Thank you for your continued support of the St. Mary Helping Hands Ministry!...and Jesus said...feed the Hungry! Our next dinner for the homeless at St. Joseph s Catholic Overnight Shelter will be Saturday, Feb. 15th. If you are able to contribute a pasta dish, rolls, salad or dessert please call Thank you for your generosity, Maryann Ketchesin. Please Keep Clipping Coupons... Maggaline Bomback, American Legion Auxiliary Chaplain, wishes to thank all of those who have been donating the coupons from Proctor & Gamble, Red Plum and Smart Source to the donation bin outside the Green Room. Thanks to your help, soldiers are able to use those coupons overseas. Please continue to do so. It definitely is helping.

4 . Patriot s Pen Congratulations to Riley Cunningham who received 1st Place recognition in the VFW Patriot s Pen essay contest. Riley wrote his essay on what patriotism means to him. Along with winning students from other schools in Elyria, Riley was honored at the VFW Post on Abbe Road on January 19th with a luncheon where they received their awards and commendations. Kudos on a job well done! Keep writing Riley. Working on Knots of Love Blanket Welcoming guests to the Catholic Schools Week Open House Dates to Remember: St. Mary Spirit Day/Dismissal Feb. 14 Students can wear either Cougar Wear or Valentine s Day motif St. Mary School & PSR 4th Grade Mass Feb. 16 No School/President s Day Feb. 17 Cupid Shuffle Jr. High Dance Feb. 22 Confirmation Retreat Feb. 23 The Living Stations of the Cross at EC: 7pm ---- Feb. 23 Performed by Elyria Catholic High School Students. ACRE Test Gr. 5 and Feb. 26 Advanced Band Festival Feb. 27 Ash Wednesday Mar. 5 No School/Teacher Inservice Mar.7 8th Grade Confirmation Mar. 20 7th Grade Retreat at Elyria Catholic Mar. 22 Math Carnival activities require concentration. Future Olympians practicing their curling skills.

5 Getting Ready... Having Fun...

6 Thank You... To the St. Mary PTU and the guidance of Lori Massey in creating a beautiful Seussland for this year s Family Fun Night! Thank you to her team of volunteers that made it all happen. Everyone had a fantastic time and enjoyed an evening of fun and awesome food. We are looking forward to next year. Thank you.keep Clipping! SMS received a check for $2,011 from Box Tops for Education. Thank you to our box top queen Cathy Hollan for her dedication in promoting this project. Cathy has been organizing our Box Top drives for several years. Her son Brian graduated from St. Mary School two years ago and she still continues to help our school! That is dedication and an example of time, talent and treasure! Thank you to all who have turned in your Box Tops. Our next turn in date is February 21, Please return your clipped Box Tops to the School Office or to the designated boxes outside the Weigand Room or at the entrances to the Church. As you read above St. Mary School benefits from these Box Tops. P.S. Box Tops are also found on office supply boxes and Kleenex boxes. Before you through away or recycle those containers, check all over the containers for this symbol: Sports Shots of the Week! Do you have photos from the tournament? Would like to do a page of photos! Please send your photos to Annie Cunningham at stmaryelyria@aol.com. THANK YOU!. Photo by Cindy Bredel The 6th Grade Basketball team, taking a well deserved break! Congratulations on a great year boys.

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