The Church of St. Gerard Majella

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Saturday: CLOSED Sunday: 1/Month, 9 am-12 pm, Sept-May EUCHARIST Saturday 5 pm, Sunday 8:30, 10:30 am All Are Welcome! We are a Catholic community striving to love God and our neighbors.

1 The Church of St. Gerard Majella TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 ADDRESS 9600 Regent Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN OFFICE HOURS Monday-Thursday: 9 am-5 pm Friday: 9 am-1 pm Saturday: CLOSED Sunday: 1/Month, 9 am-12 pm, Sept-May EUCHARIST Saturday 5 pm, Sunday 8:30, 10:30 am All Are Welcome! We are a Catholic community striving to love God and our neighbors. No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! Who Am I To Judge? --Pope Francis WEBSITE: Like us on FACEBOOK St. Gerard s Youth TWITTER St. Gerard s Youth Parish Office: Fax Number: Faith Formation: Victim Assistance: PASTORAL Services Rev. Thomas Santa, C.Ss.R. Rev. Tuan Pham, C.Ss.R. Rev. Matthew Bonk, C.Ss.R. Fra. Chung Tran, C.Ss.R. Barbara Staats - Business Administrator Anne Tiller - Pastoral Minister Amy Wittak- Liturgical Ministry Tim Smith - Dir. of Liturgical Music Colette O Brien - Communications Judy Foster - Dir. of Faith Formation Emily Wenner - Youth Faith Formation Heidi Schleif - Preschool & Elementary Coordinator SUPPORT Services Sue Czerniak - Secretary/Receptionist Dianne Goodwin - Secretary/Receptionist MAINTENANCE Services Dave Neuman - Maintenance Operator Roger Popham - Custodian Hearing Assistance Devices are available at the Sound Desk in the Church. Low-Gluten hosts are available. Please call the parish office for more information.

The Church of St. Gerard NOTE FROM THE PASTOR A parishioner shared with me an interesting result of having posted a Corn Fest yard sign at her residence.

As a result, she received a well-meaning tract from a fundamentalist Christian neighbor/passerby pointing out the errors of her beliefs and offering a catechetical instruction and correction that was

2 The Church of St. Gerard NOTE FROM THE PASTOR A parishioner shared with me an interesting result of having posted a Corn Fest yard sign at her residence. Evidently this was all that was needed in order to announce that a possible Roman Catholic family resided at the address. As a result, she received a well-meaning tract from a fundamentalist Christian neighbor/passerby pointing out the errors of her beliefs and offering a catechetical instruction and correction that was biblically based. She shared the tract with me and I read through it. Little did the well-meaning person who shared the tract with her imagine how far it would go: right to my desk and now to the words of our bulletin. Social media is not the only powerful communication tool we have at our disposal! The tract spoke not only about the need for salvation, and the error of presuming that salvation could somehow be experienced through Roman Catholicism, but it was also a thinly veiled negative critique of the Church. We hardly ever dwell on this kind of understanding and belief and are probably surprised when we stumble upon it but there was a time in the not so distant past in the United States where Roman Catholicism was under constant suspicion. For those of us of a certain age we can well remember the real fear that existed in this country when John F. Kennedy was running for President of the United States. People of good faith, that were not Catholic, were concerned that a Catholic president would be a disaster for the country. Unfortunately, there remains a strain of belief in certain evangelical and fundamental communities that would still hold this perception. They are joined today by those people who are hostile to any kind of religious expression of faith as inappropriate for people of a modern age. It has never been easy to be a person of faith. There are and always will be challenges that need to be faced. No generation has ever been spared from the challenge and I do not believe that a time will ever come when it will be different. However, that being said, if we can nonetheless witness to the power of God s grace and life at work in the world, we will be faithful examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The past few weeks, we have been very engaged in the parish. We have the usual celebration of daily mass and devotions, the weekend liturgies, and the normal ebb and flow of parish life but we also had a Holy Day, baptisms, a couple of weddings, an unusual amount of funerals, and also a couple of burials and services in the cemetery. All of this was a reminder to me of the fragileness of life, the necessity for shared love and respect, the need to gather together and to celebrate, but most of all the manifestation of the grace of God at work in our lives. Grace is not something that exists as a theological idea, it is rather the lived experience of being a human person in relationship with a loving God. In each celebration, the joyful but also the sorrowful and even the tragic, with the eyes of faith we can see the hand of God at work in our lives. I cannot The Church of St. Gerard imagine how people navigate day to day in their lives if they are not both aware and thankful for God s grace! In the coming weeks, perhaps even this weekend if everything comes together, we are going to try and have fresh cinnamon rolls available on Sunday morning. There is nothing quite like the smell of a freshly baked cinnamon roll and we are hoping that this will be one more way we can enhance together our sense of community and of parish. If this turns out to be something that the community finds useful and enjoyable we are going to have to form teams that will be able to prepare, bake and serve the rolls on a rotating basis. There will undoubtedly be some hiccups along the way but we will see how it develops. It is an idea that I am stealing from a parish in Apache Junction, Arizona who years ago instituted the baking of fresh cinnamon rolls and it developed into a wonderful way to build their community. If it worked in the heat of the desert I can only imagine that it will be successful here, especially when the weather cools and becomes a little more challenging. Other ideas have also been expressed and we will work on those ideas too, one step at a time. Thank you to all those who have offered ideas and suggestions for our 50 th Anniversary Celebration as a parish in 2020, Pentecost Sunday. We are still looking for parishioners who are willing to help be part of the planning committees and who will serve as Chairpersons. Please consider offering your time and talent for this most important opportunity. Fr Tom Santa, C.Ss.R. For the Redemptorist Community and Staff CONGRATULATIONS to: Charlene Fish & Matt DeCarolis Who were married on August 25th. Our prayers are with them as they begin their married life together! AUGUST BAPTISMS Liam Matheus Calle, Ellie Marie Browen, Sylvie Charlene Johnson, Wesley Minh Quan Ngo, Blake Carolynn Bundy, Michelle Jing Hock, and Olivia Hoang Nguyen were made members of the Church through the saving waters of baptism. May God continue to bless them and their families. A HEARTFELT WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS! We are so happy you are with us! Cindy & Dave Joppru; Lauryn Amanda Pals & Zachary LaFave Touria Techam & Nathan Burk Jennifer Kopp; Allison, Madison John & Nancy Kihslinger; Tyler Zenz, Jayson Zenz MORTGAGE BALANCE AS OF JUNE 30, 2018: $921,690 At the end of September: $899,868 At the end of December: $877,791 At the end of March 2019: $855,457 At the end of June 2019: $832,862

Justice and Outreach INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE The Interfaith Prayer Service is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at 2:00pm by the pavilion at St. Gerard s.

The service will include a Native American Elder Prayer, an Islamic Prayer, and a Christian Prayer.

3 Justice and Outreach INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE The Interfaith Prayer Service is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at 2:00pm by the pavilion at St. Gerard s. The purpose of the interfaith prayer service is to come together as a faith community to pray for our youth experiencing homelessness in our community. The service will include a Native American Elder Prayer, an Islamic Prayer, and a Christian Prayer. There will also be a brief presentation on youth homelessness in the NW suburbs by Anna Bergreen from Avenues for Homeless Youth. Join us! THE JUSTICE AND OUTREACH COMMISSION IS LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS We are a group of parishioners who serve the parish as its primary resource and instrument for the work of social justice. We educate the parish on social issues and Catholic social teaching and provide opportunities for taking action. Grounded in Catholic social teachings, this commission is primarily responsible for developing, communicating, and implementing a social justice strategy for St. Gerard s members. Our past events have included the Fair Trade Sale, the JustFaith educational program Climate Change: Impact and Faithful Response and a multi-session study group on Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si. We are responsible for supporting all the St. Gerard s outreach ministries such as: St. Gerard s Community Garden, Loaves and Fishes, Sharing and Caring Hands, CEAP, etc Members should be willing to attend a monthly meeting (first Monday of the month at 7:00pm) and a willingness to get involved in at least one to two projects annually. New members are needed for us to be able to continue this important parish work. Contact Anne Tiller at annet@stgerard.org or call ext 120 for more info. JUSTICE & OUTREACH VOLUNTEER OPP St. Gerard s Justice & Outreach ministries provide many ways to help our neighbor. Below are some current volunteer opportunities: Loaves & Fishes: Driver needed to be part of a team that delivers prepared food to St. Stephen s Church on the 4 th Friday of the month. Also needed is a back-up coordinator, who is willing to be trained and mentored by our current L&F coordinator. Community Garden: Help plant, harvest and deliver fresh produce to CEAP, our local food shelf. Join the Community Garden Committee and get involved in the development and management of the community garden and other earth friendly initiatives. San Rafael Sister Parish: Participate in building a relationship between our parishes and learn about the people of San Rafael through trips and exchanges of communication. The sister parish committee meets on the 4 th Tuesday of the month. For more information about these opportunities, contact Anne at annet@st-gerard.org or ext 120. Faith Formation FAITH FORMATION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We are looking for a few more volunteers for Faith Formation this year! Please prayerfully consider being a part of helping our children and youth grow in faith this year. These are the volunteer positions we still have open: Nursery: at least two adult volunteers Liturgy of the Word: 3 adult volunteers, 4 teen helpers Wednesday 1st-5th Small Group Leaders: 1 second grade small group leader 1-2 third grade small group leaders 1 fourth grade co-leader On-call Elementary Substitutes Confirmation: 1 male small group leader EDGE: 1 seventh grade small group leader FALL FRIEND-RAISING EVENT Attention St. Gerard s! You are invited to the Fall Friend-Raising Event Sunday, September 16, after the 10:30am Mass. Join us for FOOD, FUN, and FRIENDS! There will be yard games, the Vikings-Packers football game, a food truck, and new people to meet! The Ekbom Food Truck (from Corn Fest) will be serving: cheeseburgers, corn dogs, chicken fingers, fries, cheese curds, and onion petals to purchase. Grab some food, play a yard game, watch some football, and meet new friends! See you there! VIRTUS TRAINING - SEPT 19 Are you planning to volunteer this year for St. Gerard's? Do you need to attend a live VIRTUS training? St. Vincent de Paul (Brooklyn Park) will be hosting a VIRTUS training session on September 19, 6:00-9:00pm in the Education Center (school) Library. Registration can be done online at Childcare will be provided. People in need of childcare should contact Mary Ann at or maryannmarschall@saintvdp.org by Monday, September 17. Infants and children are not allowed to attend the training sessions. Please have your training completed before you begin your volunteer position. Colette O'Brien with any questions at coletteo@stgerard.org or call the parish office at YOUTH CONNECT WITH US! Follow us for activities and exciting ways to get involved! website: and click on YOUTH! LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

registry. You can also visit the I m New tab of our website (www.st-gerard.org) or app (search for St Gerard Majella in the app store)! You can also check out our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ churchofsaintgerard)!

4 Announcements WELCOME TO ST. GERARD S! If you are visiting St. Gerard's today and would like more information about the parish or how to become a member, please stop by the Welcome Desk in the Gathering Space, pick up a new member info packet, and sign our guest registry. You can also visit the I m New tab of our website ( or app (search for St Gerard Majella in the app store)! You can also check out our facebook page ( churchofsaintgerard)! Thank you for worshipping with us today! ST. GERARD APP Did you know St. Gerard s has a mobile app? The app features prayer resources, parish calendar, online registration and giving, photo gallery, prayer journal, bulletins and homilies, and access to our facebook page, youth website, and parish website. Also, you can receive important announcements called push notifications from St. Gerard s with the parish app. Download the free app by scanning the QR code located on the inside page of the bulletin, or search for St Gerard Majella in the app store. PUMPKIN FEST Pumpkin Fest is Saturday, October 13! It is fast approaching and it is now time to clear your book shelves and bring your books to St. Gerard s for the Pumpkin Fest Book Sale. Drop your books off at the table in the gathering space. You can t miss it. A pumpkin will greet you. Books will be collected until October 7. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again this year at Pumpkin Fest! ATTENTION ONLINE SHOPPERS! Do you shop on Amazon? When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you ll find the same low prices, same products and same shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to St. Gerard's. Support St. Gerard's when you shop Amazon by using the link smile.amazon.com/ch/ it is already setup to directly support St. Gerard's. Thank you! KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS STEAK FRY The St. Gerard s Knights of Columbus are having their annual Steak Fry on Wednesday, September 5 at 6pm at the pavilion (weather permitting). All St. Gerard and St. Alphonsus KC members and their families are encouraged to attend this event. The cost of the dinner is $10. It will include steak, potatoes, vegetables, beverages and dessert. This event is a great way for our families to get to know each other better while enjoying a delicious steak dinner. ANNUAL LEBANESE FESTIVAL St. Maron Church (602 University Ave NE, Minneapolis) invites you to our 27th Annual Lebanese Festival Saturday, September 15 from 1-8pm and Sunday, September 16 from 11am-6pm. Fresh food, live music, folkloric dance, silent auction, delicious pastries and much more! Free admission! Visit for more information.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 8:25 am - Cliff McAlpine THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 8:25 am - Maria (mother of Kathy Vu) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 8:25 am - Parish Families SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 5:00 pm - Don Heintzeman

Perpetual Help Devotion 9:15 am - Womens Prayer/Support Group 9:30 am - Women for Spiritual Growth 7:30 pm - Regent AA WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 9:00 am - Eucharistic Adoration 5:00 pm - Eucharist (KC

6:00 pm - Anointing of the Sick SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 8:30 am - Eucharist 10:30 am - Eucharist PLEASE PRAY for the sick and ailing members of our parish community, and all those in our Parish Prayer

5 This Week at St. Gerard s INTENTIONS M-F 8:25 AM - Eucharist, Liturgy of Hours TUE 9:00 AM - Perpetual Help Devotion MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 8:25 am - Communion Service TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 8:25 am - Richard Potvin WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 8:25 am - Cliff McAlpine THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 8:25 am - Maria (mother of Kathy Vu) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 8:25 am - Parish Families SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 5:00 pm - Don Heintzeman SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 8:30 am - Grace Onouha 10:30 am - Gerald & Robert Steffens PARISH EVENTS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 OFFICE CLOSED 7:00 pm - Justice & Outreach Meeting TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 9:00 am - Perpetual Help Devotion 9:15 am - Womens Prayer/Support Group 9:30 am - Women for Spiritual Growth 7:30 pm - Regent AA WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 9:00 am - Eucharistic Adoration 5:00 pm - Eucharist (KC s) 6:00 pm - KC s Steak Fry 7:30 pm - Music Rehearsal THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 6:00 pm - Centering Prayer FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 4:00 pm - Individual Confessions 5:00 pm - Eucharist 6:00 pm - Anointing of the Sick SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 8:30 am - Eucharist 10:30 am - Eucharist PLEASE PRAY for the sick and ailing members of our parish community, and all those in our Parish Prayer Book, especially: Michelle Marlette Thuy Luu Also remember those loved ones who have died, especially: Lauren Davids Jim Iskierka Leona (Loni) Reynolds SEPT 9, rd Sunday OT IS 35:4-7A JAS 2:1-5 MK 7:31-37 SACRAMENTS: BAPTISM Call the Parish Office to schedule a date and register for the preparation class. RECONCILIATION Saturday at 4:00 pm or any time by appointment. MARRIAGE Please contact the parish office at least six months prior to the desired date. Get the App Text Giving: Visit our app or website for more info (GIVE) Donate Online

The Church of St. Gerard Majella

The Church of St. Gerard Majella SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST NOVEMBER 25, 2018 ADDRESS 9600 Regent Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN 55443-1499 OFFICE HOURS Monday-Thursday: 9 am-5 pm Friday: 9 am-1