Daily Readings. St. Mary Financial Report. Parish Calendar Mon, Jan 28 6:30 pm Follow Me Study Class. Tue, Jan 29. Mass for Charlie Hoppenjan +

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1 Tue, Jan 29 Mass for Charlie Hoppenjan + Wed, Jan 30 Mass for Clifford & Julia Beck + Thur, Jan 31 Mass for Paul Peiffer + Fri, Feb 1 Mass for the Wiebers Children Sat, Feb 2 ( Church Support / Energy Needs ) Mass for Anna Mae Wack + Sun, Feb 3 ( Church Support / Energy Needs ) Mass for Ruth Higdon + Mass for the People of the Parish Daily Readings Jan 28 Mark 3: Jan 29 Mark 3: Jan 30 Mark 4: 1-20 Jan 31 Mark 4: Feb 1 Mark 4: St. Mary Financial Report Estimated Monthly Expenses: $28, Week 1 Income: $5, Week 2 Income: $4, Week 3 Income: $7, Week 4 Income: $3, Total: $21, Fiscal Year to Date ( July 1 - Dec 31 ) Income: $178,738 Expenses: $173,272 Net: $5,466 To report child abuse contact: Iowa Department of Human Services Child Abuse Hotline: and if it involves clergy or church personnel also notify Alicia Owens, the Victim Assistance Coordinator, ; vac@diodav.org or PO Box 232, Bettendorf, IA Parish Calendar Mon, Jan 28 6:30 pm Follow Me Study Class Tue, Jan 29 Wed, Jan 30 5:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration 5:30 pm Wednesday Night Meal Faith Formation 6:10-7:10 pm K - 6th Grade 7:20-8:30 pm 7th - 8th grade 7:20-8:30 pm 9th - 12th grade Thur, Jan 31 10:00 am Who Does He Say I am? 6:30 pm Who Does He Say I am? Fri, Feb 1 Fr. Ron s Final Day Sat, Feb 2 Bishop Zinkula here for Mass 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Mitten Workshop Fundraiser 4:30 pm Confession 5:00 pm Rosary 5:30 pm Mass Sun, Feb 3 Bishop Zinkula here for Mass 9:00 am Mass ( Coffee & Rolls ) 11:00 am Mass 6:30 pm Bible Timeline Study Mon, Feb 4 6:30 pm Follow Me Study Class Tue, Feb 5 5:30 pm 100 People Who Care Mtg. Wed, Feb 6 5:00 pm Eucharistic Adoration 5:30 pm Wednesday Night Meal Faith Formation 6:10-7:10 pm K - 6th Grade 7:20-8:30 pm 7th - 8th grade 7:20-8:30 pm 9th - 12th grade Thur, Feb 7 10:00 am Who Does He Say I am? 5:00 pm Finance Council 6:30 pm Who Does He Say I am? Fri, Feb 8 Sat, Feb 9 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Mitten Workshop Fundraiser 4:30 pm Confession 5:00 pm Rosary 5:30 pm Mass Sun, Feb 10 9:00 am Mass ( Coffee & Rolls ) Confirmation Prep Class 11:00 am Mass 6:30 pm Bible Timeline Study

2 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL Did you know that you have a guardian angel that was created for the chief purpose of getting you to Heaven? Think about this - we have a God that loves us so much that he creates other creatures to aid, protect, and pray for us! If you haven't yet, begin cultivating a devotion to your guardian angel. Perhaps every time you get in your car, or brush your teeth, or go to bed you ask for their protection and prayers. If you want to read more on the guardian angels, I recommend reading some of the writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux ( Clair - voh ). Friends, be confident in Christ's mercy and love. The Buildings and Grounds Committee has been asked to be the body that coordinates ideas for decorating, hanging paintings, etc, and adding equipment to the parish hall and church. The Procedure: If any one or a group has in mind a project that they would like to see completed the project should be written up on the Buildings and Grounds Request Form and submitted to the committee. The form should be completed in it's entirety with the scope of the project, estimated costs, contractor ( if applicable ), diagrams of any item to be purchased and at least 2 bids, if possible. The Buildings and Grounds Committee will review the proposal and if it seems feasible, necessary, and worthwhile, it will be forwarded on to the finance council for approval. The Reason for this procedure: There have been a number of requests and ideas that parishioners have had in the past months. This is a way to keep track of the ideas and make sure there is a proper procedure to address ideas. Liturgical Roles for February 2 & 3 5:30 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am Sacristan Richard Wilson Dennis Crawford Connie Buffum Greeter Lois Jones Scot Wilson Michelle Otto Family Ushers Larry VanErsvelde Steve Bernemann Lee McFee Neal VanErsvelde Dennis Crawford Adam McFee Mike Beck David Cunningham Tom Kriegel Denny Conway Brent Flander Jared Speichinger Reader Katie Buhman Patsy Probasco Adam McFee Gifts Les/Linda Ollinger TommaLou Jay Jennifer Williams Euch Ministers Richard Wilson Donna Godar Connie Buffum Monessa Cummins Mark Godar Pam Pelzel Mike Hotchkin TommaLou Jay Lee McFee Doris Hotchkin Susie Kinney Jennifer Williams Deb Molitor Vicki Nolton Servers Karen Schmidt Isabel Hart Rick Jacoby Volunteer Kalli Hart Sean Kivi Alyssa Flander

3 January 25, 2019 Dear Friends, Well, the last weekend is here. I want you to know how much of a joy it s been to be your pastor. The five and a half years I ve spent in Grinnell have been full of great learning experiences, a lot of happiness, and occasional sadness and frustration over my health and the natural challenges of sharing time and space in a close community of any kind. Together we have survived the ups and downs of building our new parish center and repainting our church. You gave so much of your time and resources at different stages of the building project and I am proud that we pushed past the roadblocks we encountered. In spite of challenges, we came together to design a functional parish center and a wonderful place to worship. I watch groups of people stay around after Mass, and think that s a great thing. Thank you for believing enough in our vision to build something so useful, beautiful and sacred. I really want to thank you for your patience as I dealt with my foot health problems. I was here only about four months when I first broke my foot. One issue after another kept cropping up. I want to publicly thank Dr. Matthew McKnight who has worked with me for years. He gave me outstanding care and has become a friend; I can t say thank you enough to him. My left foot is healing well and Dr. Pehde, my surgeon, is very pleased with my progress. You all know, I think, how upset I am at having to leave St. Mary s. I will miss St. Mary s and Grinnell a lot. I know there were some differences of opinion over the years but I think we worked through most of the ones we were able to discuss openly. I am aware, however, that some parishioners, through comments made in private, hastened my departure and contributed to the bishop demanding my resignation. I am very saddened by this. Mostly, I am sorry for anything I did to persuade anyone that we couldn t resolve our differences directly. Please give future pastors the opportunity to respond to any concerns that may arise. I believe you and they will be better served in this way. I encourage you to welcome Fr. Ross Epping with friendship and fraternal charity. He is a fine young man; he is funny, kind, and I think you will appreciate him. Please offer him your encouragement and support. Friends, I wish you all the best and I humbly ask you to pray that I can be open to where God may be calling me. I am looking forward to some time with my Dad but I m very uncertain of what the future holds for me. I pray for your good health both physically and spiritually. Let s pray for each other! Fondly, Fr. Ron Hodges

4 February 23rd from 7-9 p.m. Questions are general knowledge and fun for all! $25 per couple/ $12.50 per person More details next week. Questions? contact Renny Crawford at Due to unforeseen circumstances the Valentines Dinner originally scheduled for February 9th, has been cancelled. Please plan to attend TRIVIA NIGHT on February 23rd! There are a couple small pieces of the building project that we decided at the time of construction we would postpone. One is an automatic door opener for the Broad Street entrance and the second one is a key card entry system for the same door. There are a couple parishioners who have approached us saying they would like to see that part of the project completed and would like to set up a matching opportunity to raise funds. This is one project. If you'd like to donate some money to this fund please put your donation in an envelope marked "Broad Street Entrance" and put it in the collection basket. The total cost of the project is $8, Here are the specifics Automatic Door Opener. This is similar to the handicap entrance on the north doors. There will be a paddle that will open both the outside and breezeway door allowing easy entry. A number of people have a difficult time opening those doors due to their weight. This will allow us to have a handicap entrance on the north and the west side of the building. 2. Key Card Entry System. This system will allow us to control access to the building through the use of key cards rather than physical keys. The system will allow us to control who enters, as well as allowing us to put date and time expiration dates to cards. This will help when providing keys to outside groups, college students who come here to make use of the facilities to study, and a host of others. **IMPORTANT NOTE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS INTERESTED IN DONATING FOR THIS PROJECT ( or other donations to St. Mary's ) : If you are interested in exploring ways to make your donations count as Business Advertising for IRS tax purposes, please contact the Church office. We will be able to make arrangements to give recognition for donors.**

5 Contact Crystal DeNeve January 30 K-12 Classes ( 3rd & 4th grade and HS Safe Environment Training ) February 3 Souper Bowl Event / Super Bowl Party for JH/HS see details below... February 6 K-12 Classes ( 1st & 2nd and 7th & 8th grade Safe Environment Training ) February 10 Confirmation Preparation February 13 K-12 Classes ( 5th & 6th grade Safe Environment Training) February 20 K-12 Classes February 23 1st Eucharist Class February 27 K-12 Classes Students currently in 8th through 11th grade are eligible for NCYC Forms and information can be found on St. Mary s Website. The first form and deposit was due last week. If you missed it and are still interested please contact me ASAP. Adult Studies currently on the calendar for 2019: U nlocking the Mysteries of the Bible ( The Bible Timeline ) currently in session Sundays at 6:30 PM through February 24th in the Church Hall ( lower large gathering space ). F ollow Me, Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John currently in session on Monday evenings through February 25th in the Church Hall ( lower large gathering space ). W ho Does He Say You Are? ( A women only group ) Currently in progress and will continue on Thursdays at 10 am or 6:30 PM going through March 21st in Classroom G ( i n the lower classrooms ). New members welcome at any time. The Eucharist by Bishop Baron will begin on Sunday, March 10th and continue on Sunday evenings through April 14th. The Mass by Dr. Edward Sri will begin Monday, March 11 and go through Monday, April 15th. We continue to seek those interested in joining the Catholic Church. Please contact me ( Crystal ) if you are interested in joining RCIA and becoming Catholic.

6 Fr. Ron Hodges PO Box 70 Indianola, IA Anyone Can Make Mittens! Saturday, February 2 at 9:00am St. Mary Parish Center Come learn to make mittens by hand sewing fabric from felted wool sweaters. You will take away one pair of mittens and a mitten pattern. No experience required. Space is limited. Please RSVP on the sign up form ( ) or pp.alternate.mail@gmail.com T he Nature of Love: What it is & Why It Means Everything with Katie Patrizio: Join your friends during the season of love at special evening with Katie Patrizio. On Saturday, February 16, Katie will share her thoughts about LOVE in a fun way for the marriage and singles to put into action with the everyday life. Katie is the Director of Faith Formation at the St. Cecilia Parish in Ames, regularly on Iowa Catholic Radio and speaker at events around the country. Sacred Heart Church in Newton invites all to come to the DMACC Conference Center at 5:00 p.m. for a cash bar social hour to meet Katie before a catered dinner followed by her dynamic, heartwarming presentation; The Nature of Love. All are welcome to attend the 4:00 Mass held at Sacred Heart Church. Tickets can be purchased in person at Sacred Heart Church or on line at shcnewton.com for $25 per person including the dinner and unforgettable presentation. # of Donors Annual Diocesan Appeal Please prayerfully consider your pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal. Our parish goal is $44, If you did not make a commitment this weekend, please return your pledge form to the parish this week. Your support and prayers are greatly appreciated. Avg/ Donor # of Gifts Avg/Gifts Goal Total Pledged ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE Over(Under) Pledges Pledges %Goal Total Payments Received Over(Under) Payments Payments %Goal December 20, $ $ $44, $39, ($5,370.00) 87.92% $32, ($11,884.50) 73.26% January 3, $ $ $44, $42, ($1,955.00) 95.60% $33, ($11,094.50) 75.04% January 9, $ $ $44, $42, ($1,555.00) 96.50% $35, ($8,946.50) 79.87% January 17, $ $ $44, $42, ($1,505.00) 96.61% $35, ($8,785.25) 80.23% 139 $ $ $44, $42, ($1,505.00) 96.61% $35, ($8,785.25) 80.23% January 24, $ $ $44, $42, ($1,505.00) 96.61% $35, ($8,335.25) 81.24%

7 Saint Mary s Parish Council Meeting January 17, 2019 Present: Steve Bernemann, Dennis Crawford, Renny Crawford, Brad Donohoe, Al Frischmeyer, John Grennan, Bill Gruman, Fr. Ron Hodges, Dennis Phelps, Patsy Probasco, Lucy Schmidt, Joel Smith, Charles Willenbring, Jennifer Williams, Scot Wilson Opening Prayer: Dennis Crawford 1. UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS Trivia Night is scheduled for Saturday, February 23 in the Parish Center at 7 p.m. Cost is $25 per couple with room for about 70 to 80 people to participate. With the event emcee charging $200, this event should raise a few hundred dollars for the church. The event will have a Mardi Gras theme and Renny Crawford will advertise the event to other churches and organizations in Grinnell. The Parish Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, February 24. Dennis Crawford is organizing this event and looking for volunteers to help, especially for shifts from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The Prime Rib Dinner is being re-scheduled. Check future bulletins for more information. The Barn Quilting Event in December was a success. Renny Crawford is looking into hosting another of these fundraisers in coming months. 2. SAINT MARY S & THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OF IMMIGRANTS ORGANIZATION As Father Ron leaves Saint Mary s Parish, he asked the Parish Council at a special January 3 meeting to consider formalizing a sponsorship agreement with the Community Support of Immigrants organization in Grinnell. Father Ron has been very involved with this effort, as have some Saint Mary s parishioners. In June 2018, the Parish Council approved the potential use of the Saint Mary s Parish Center for community support work in the event of an Immigration and Customs (ICE) raid affecting families in the Grinnell area. Members of the Parish Council raised various questions and concerns about Saint Mary s relationship with the Community Support of Immigrants organization. Father Ron explained that Tom Tallman, the chief financial officer of the Diocese of Davenport, indicated that the diocese has some questions before any sponsorship agreement could move forward. ACTION: The Parish Council tabled the discussion of a financial sponsorship agreement until the Diocese of Davenport has reviewed this request. 3. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS The Finance Committee (Chair: Patsy Probasco) met on January 3. Father Ron indicated that the Finance Committee approved a change in the way income figures are reported in the bulletin. Under the new system, the bulletin will list the church s estimated monthly expenses followed by the actual weekly income collected through donations. This change is designed to help the congregation keep track of whether the church will be able to meet its monthly expenses. Father Ron also mentioned Saint Mary s is now $1,505 away from meeting its Annual Diocesan Appeal goal. Patsy indicated that ushers have implemented new money-handling procedures in line with diocesan guidelines (there are new bags for offertory collections at Mass). The Finance Committee approved the purchase of new wireless devices for the church to ensure that these devices comply with new Federal Communications Commission guidelines. B3 will install the new devices during the week of January 21. Joel Smith asked if the Finance Committee has explored the use of a mobile app to facilitate donations. Patsy and Father Ron said that the committee is exploring the use of the Parish Soft system for online and mobile giving, but they need to evaluate the costs. The Worship & Spirituality Commission (Chair: Sharon Mealey) met on December 13 and January 10. The Christmas holy day was reviewed. Four new eucharistic ministers have been trained. Blessing of throats is planned for the first weekend in February. A request from parishioners for a small set of candles to be placed near Our Lady of Sorrows was discussed. The reason for the request is to encourage prayer for the healing of victims and the church especially in light of the recent abuse accusations in the country. The commission will ask the parishioners interested in this idea to present a proposal for review. Jennifer Williams asked about the possibility of having Mass greeters wear name tags and to have eucharistic ministers put on specific lanyards to help ensure that there are enough ministers for each Mass. Patsy indicated that the Worship & Spirituality has considered both of these requests in the past and can look into them again. The Worship and Spirituality Commission s next meeting will be February 14.

8 The Faith Formation Commission (Chair: Dennis Phelps) met on January 15. Faith Formation highlights include the first grade s Communion training, the second grade s Reconciliation training, and the sixth grade s work on a video about creation. First graders made Christmas cards for shut-in members of the parish, the third grade performed The Christmas Story for first and second grade classes, and high school students attended a catechists retreat. Adult education is going strong, with three book studies happening at the parish and more scheduled for the future. The Faith Formation Commission is looking to expand (it currently has three members), but there were no volunteers for this commission during the most recent Time & Talent survey. If you are interested in joining this commission, contact Jay Dietrich in the Parish Office at grinnellstmary@diodav.org or The Parish Life Committee (Chair: Charles Willenbring) did not have an update as it has not met in It expects to meet again once Grinnell College students have returned for classes on Tuesday, January 22. Father Ron asked Charles to reach out to Margaret Christensen, a certified dementia clinician who has offered to teach informational courses at Saint Mary s directed toward parishioners who have a family member with dementia. The Social Action Commission (Chair: Scot Wilson) met on January 14. The commission reported that the No Room at the Inn event in December brought in $762 for parish-sponsored programs. The commission donated $50 to the new baby room at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center, which helps families with baby supplies. The commission was also contacted for potential help for the Relay for Life event. New commission member Vanessa Preast is looking into conducting a survey into how churches and organizations are serving Grinnell community members in need and evaluating ways to improve these services. The commission will be distributing Catholic Relief Services rice bowls during Lent. Buildings and Grounds Committee (Chair: Steve Bernemann) met on January 15 with seven members present. Regarding the leak in the upper gathering space, contractors discovered the source of a leak and repaired it on January 14. The committee is in the process of receiving and reviewing maintenance agreements for the heating and cooling systems in parish facilities and for the elevator. The committee will be forwarding recommendations to the Finance Committee for further action. Dennis Crawford stressed the importance of obtaining an extended warranty on some of these systems and warned of catastrophic expenses if there need to be repairs that are not under warranty. The Buildings & Grounds Committee is also developing a process for reviewing requests for signage and other décor within the church and parish hall facilities. Discussion continues on current storage areas within the building and how to better utilize the available space and on how to dispose of old and unused equipment and property. The committee s next meeting will be held on February 12. The Stewardship Committee (Chair: Wendy Kramer) met on January 14. Jennifer Williams reported that committee membership is low and the group is looking to expand. If you are interested in joining this committee, contact Jay Dietrich in the Parish Office at grinnellstmary@diodav.org or The committee is planning to offer a Dave Ramsey style financial freedom course that will be held over several weeks. Al Frischmeyer asked about whether there is a way to publicize new members of the church. Father Ron mentioned the possibility of including more information about new parish members, baptisms, and weddings in either the Parish Bulletin or a separate newsletter. Bill Gruman reported that the Technology Committee is closer to offering online registration for new parish members. The Technology Committee (Chair: Bill Gruman) has reduced network noise impeding different technology systems within the church and parish center. Speakers in the upper gathering space and parish center are up and running they were successful in helping accommodate larger church crowds at Christmas masses. The committee will work on various broadcasting capacities at the church, including for events such as funerals. Knights of Columbus (Chair: John Gorman): Scot Wilson reported that the Knights are sponsoring a spelling bee for grades 4-7 on January 27 and a free-throw contest on February 3. Look for more details in the bulletin. The Knights may also need volunteers to help with fish fry events during Lent. Pastor s Report: Father Ron asked that parishioners remember to check with Jay Dietrich if they want to schedule meetings at the parish. He thanked the Buildings & Grounds commission for establishing procedures for signs and décor within the church. Dennis Crawford (Parish Council President) mentioned that he intends to add a Staff Report section to future Parish Council meetings. This report will give Saint Mary s staff members an opportunity to update the Parish Council about various aspects of parish life. The Parish Council closed the meeting with several expressions of gratitude to Father Ron for all his work with Saint Mary s during his five years in Grinnell. The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Parish Center. (Patsy Probasco opening prayer, Al Frischmeyer closing prayer). Closing prayer by Renny Crawford. Minutes submitted by John Grennan, Parish Council Secretary