Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception 837 Parkview Drive First Sunday of Lent Milton, Wisconsin February 26, 2012

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1 Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception 837 Parkview Drive First Sunday of Lent Milton, Wisconsin February 26, 2012 Parish Web Site Parish Address Parish Staff and Directory Fr. Jim Uppena, Pastor After Hours Emergencies, please call: Sr. Carol Hanus, FSPA, Pastoral Associate Vicki Kersten, Parish Administrator Sabrina Elsen, Faith Formation (PreSchool & Elementary Coordinator) Sabrina Elsen, Faith Formation (Youth Ministry Coordinator) Angie McNally, Coordinator of Liturgy and Music Maggie Kennedy, Administrative Assistant Faith Formation 1 & 2/Parish Fax Number Masses This Week Sat. Feb. 25 5:00 p.m. Alan Weisensel Sun. Feb. 26 8:30 a.m. Malcolm & Betty Cullen 10:30 a.m. For All Our Parishioners Mon. Feb. 27 9:00 a.m. Eucharistic Prayer Service Tues. Feb :30 a.m. Barbara Palan Wed. Feb. 29 8:30 a.m. Jim & Jodie Stephenson-Allen Thurs. Mar. 1 7:00 a.m. Edwin A. Kapek Fri. Mar. 2 5:00 p.m. Maxine Wagman Sat. Mar. 3 Sun. Mar. 4 5:00 p.m. Deceased Members of Art Wroblewski Family 8:30 a.m. Rollie Coats 10:30 a.m. For All Our Parishioners Bulletin announcements are due by Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

2 Liturgy Minister Schedule for March 3-4 If you notice an opening at a particular Mass and you are able to fill-in, please call and let us know. Thank you! Ministry 5:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Reader One Reader Two Cindy Baughman Frank Daniels Mary Jane Hendricks Sandy Tieglman Jessica Schafer Commentator Dennis Sitter Ron Kaiser Penny Portman* Cantor Clarence Lornson Mary Jo Bergs Gretchen Geist Servers Extraordinary Ministers *Denotes Check-in person Ushers Ashley Riesterer Brittany Riesterer Ella Silha B1 - Helen Dickinson B2 - Barbara Hilliker B3 - Dave Matthusen W1 - Teresa Riesterer* W2 - Cindy Wroblewski W3 - Betty Daniels W4 - Sophie Perrotto Dennis Ryan Steve Riesterer Ross Veitenheimer Mike Baughman Patrick Riesterer Emily Riesterer This Week at St. Mary Parish Sun. Feb. 26: Children s Choir will practice at 9:45 a.m. in church. Sun. Feb. 26: Child care will be available from 10:30 11:30 a.m. in the church hall. Mon. Feb. 27: Stations of the Cross in Church at 6:30 p.m. Tues. Feb. 28: Weekend Scripture will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the Ark. All are welcome! Tues. Feb. 28: FF-1 Grade K 6 classes will be held from 4:00 5:15 p.m. Tues. Feb. 28: Education Commission will meet at 7:00 p.m. in the Ark. Wed. Feb. 29: FF-1 Grade K 6 classes will be held from 4:00 5:15 p.m. Zachary Bergs Mikayla Kaiser B1 - Marion Kaiser* B2 - Linda Groeschl B3 - Carlene Brewer W1 - Lisa Meyers W2 - Cathy Thomas W3 - Joyce Albright W4 - Peggy Mayfield Pete Thomas Bill Bergs Brian Kaiser Larry Meyers Tony Bergs Arnold Hoff Michael Riesterer Kylie Berberich Chloe Donday-Selenske Megan Kreier B1 - Nancy Heiman B2 - Rick Murphy B3 - Pat Mosher W1 - Donna Curley W2 - Mary Kapheim W3 - Mari Anne Warren W4 - Steve Vicenzi Jim Check Scott Erdman Tom Dixon Bob Dibble Marian Cousin Jim O Leary Ryan Vicenzi Wed. Feb. 29: NO Children s Choir practice. Wed. Feb. 29: FF-1 Grade K 6 classes will be held from 5:45 7:00 p.m. Thurs. Mar. 1: FF-2 Youth Ministry Leaders Inservice at 7:00 p.m. in the center. Sat. Mar. 3: First Communion Reflection Morning at 9:00 a.m. in the center. Sat. Mar. 3: St. Mary Choir will practice at 4:00 p.m. in church. Sun. Mar. 4: FF-2 Youth Ministry Leaders In -service at 9:30 a.m. in the center. Sun. Mar. 4: FF-1 Preschool classes will be held from 10:30 11:30 a.m. in the church hall.

3 Welcome New Parishioners Heath & Becky Huber and children Hayden and Breleigh. In Sympathy Heartfelt prayer and sympathy to the family of Margaret Montanye, who died on February 21 and was buried on February 25. Financially Speaking Collection from last Sunday (February 19) Envelopes 6, Offertory Education Loaves & Fishes Catholic Herald Special Collections 0.00 Collection from February 20, 2011 Envelopes 7, Readings for Week of February 27 - March 4 Monday, February 27 Thursday, March 1 Leviticus 19:1-2, Esther 43:12, 14-16, Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 Matthew 25:31-46 Matthew 7:7-12 Tuesday, February 28 Friday, March 2 Isaiah 55:10-11 Ezekiel 18:21-28 Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8 Matthew 6:7-15 Matthew 5:20-26 Wednesday, February 29 Sunday, March 4 Jonah 3:1-10 Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, Luke 11:29-32 Romans 8:31b-34 Mark 9:2-10 Liturgy Washing of the Hands The washing of the hands began as a practical matter. Originally it was a cleansing of the presider's hands after he had received the various gifts from the people given to support the poor of the community. This could have included animals or produce from the garden. Certainly he wanted to wash his hands before handling the food that people would be receiving from them. Presently, it is mostly a symbolic action, unless it follows an incensing of the gifts. The priest prays silently at this time, Lord, wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin. Liturgical Bits and Bytes 2010 Resource Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

4 Liturgy Saint Mary Parish, Milton Lent 2012 Seasonal Focus The Season of Lent in the B cycle of readings invites us to enter deeply into the death and resurrection of Jesus. A dominant motif that emerged from our reading/reflection is the Beloved Son. Jesus is the beloved Son of God who learns obedience through suffering and dies on the cross for our salvation. We are the beloved sons and daughters today, with the same destiny of suffering, death, resurrection and salvation. First Sunday of Lent: Saved through Water The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness. These words are taken from the blessing of the water in the baptismal ritual. In the first reading (Genesis), God, having saved Noah and his family from the destructive waters of the great flood, makes a covenant with Noah to never again destroy the earth by flood. The waters destroyed the evil but the waters also saved the good. In the second reading, Peter defines baptism as an appeal to God for a clear conscience. In baptism we repent of our sins, and our conscience is clear. The gospel (Mark) has Jesus in the desert where there is no water, where he is tempted by Satan to set aside his calling to be the savior. Immediately thereafter he begins his public ministry, when he proclaims the nearness of the Kingdom of God, and when he issues the call to repentance and faith. Traveling Chalice A Program of Awareness and Prayer for Vocations This week our parish gratefully acknowledges Jeffrey & Dinah White as they host our Traveling Chalice

5 General Announcements What Compromise? The National Catholic Bioethics Center (the NCBC) consistently has voiced its strong opposition to the mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that all employers provide insurance coverage free of charge to their employees for contraceptives, surgical sterilizations, and abo rtifacien t d rugs and devices. There was widespread outrage to this measure which was seen by many as an attempt to force religious organizations to violate their moral convictions and religious beliefs by providing drugs, procedures and devices that they considered to be immoral because they violated human dignity. The opposition was so strong and from so many different quarters that President Obama proposed what he called a compromise on Friday, February 10. The NCBC has been involved in providing analyses of the compromise to its various constituents and collaborating with others involved with trying to influence public policy. As soon as the government documents were actually made available and studied, it became obvious that there was no true compromise at all but rather some slight modifications to procedure that left the substance of the mandate entirely intact. In fact, the day the compromise was announced, the mandate was entered into the federal register with no changes. Since the announcement of the compromise organizations of varied religious beliefs and political affiliation have called upon President Obama to withdraw the HHS mandate in its entirety. Some of the fundamental reasons the Mandate must continue to be opposed are: The unacceptable definition of what constitutes a religion for protection under the constitution. HHS has determined that for an organization to qualify for a religious exemption it must hire and serve primarily its own co -religionists and try to convert those who do not share the same faith. This unconscionably narrow definition of what constitutes a religion would not cover the Catholic Church in its own self understanding. In other words, it would not even cover the largest religious body in the United States. It is a matter of religious belief that Catholics are commanded to serve all in need not just its own coreligionists. This goes to the heart of the teachings of the Church s founder who told the pointed story of the man who had fallen among thieves and been left beaten by the roadside. His co-religionists passed him by, but the one who did not share his faith, the Good Samaritan, is the one who stopped to help him and bind up his wounds. Jesus told us to go and do likewise and that even as we have done a service to the least of our neighbors, we have done it to Him. It is (Continued on next page )

6 (...continued from previous page) unjustifiable for the federal government, by bureaucratic fiat, to make the arbitrary judgment concerning what organization constitutes a religion. This is one area where the mandate violates the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. It is often pointed out that this narrow definition of religion is in place in a number of states already. That is not accurate: there are only three states with such a narrow definition of religion, with some options for being exempt from state law, e.g., through self-insurance plans. Such options are not available under the HHS mandate. Furthermore, the Catholic Church fought these narrow definitions of religion in the states without success. Why should it simply acquiesce when they are imposed by the federal government? The unacceptable definition of what constitutes a disease or pathology, in t h i s c a s e, f e r t i l i t y a n d pregnancy. Contraceptives and surgically mutilating acts such as tubal ligations are included in the Mandate as means of preventing disease rather than being seen for what they are, drugs and surgical interventions that actually destroy or render dysfunctional an otherwise health system of the body. Abortifacient drugs and devices are also offered as preventions for disease as though preventing an embryo from implanting in the nurturing womb of his or her mother were the prevention of a pathology. Such errors of fact cannot go unchallenged, no matter who asserts them. The unacceptable and arbitrary shifting of an unjustifiable federal mandate from one group of citizens to another. In an attempt to forge a compromise the Obama administration first of all created a new category of citizens those who did not enjoy the HHS religious exemption because they were not really religious, such as Catholic hospitals and universities, but who still had religious objections. According to the compromise, the proposal to be considered is that they would not have to provide insurance to cover the costs of the contraceptives, mutilations and abortifacient drugs and devices but now the insurance companies themselves would have to provide them at their cost. Of course everyone understands that insurance companies would be certain to recover their costs through the premiums charged to the (non-exempt, but now indulged) organization that has religious and moral scruples about providing these drugs and devices. Also, no provision was made for many religious organizations who are selfinsured. How are they to avoid the coercive measures accompanying the mandate, such as the heavy fines. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and many others have insisted, this mandate is a violation of the First Amendment and must be rescinded. It is also unnecessary, harmful and in violation of human dignity. (continued on next page...)

7 (...continued from previous page) Those who have embraced the mandate have ignored the constitutional questions it raises in favor of secondary issues such as women s access to contraception under the euphemistic and misguided term women s health, or the perceived good of universal health care. The moral issues related to the latter two are significant and should be addressed. This issue, however, must not be allowed to be diluted by arguments about the morality of sterilization, abortifacient drugs and devices, and contraception. Every American should feel challenged by this egregious violation of constitutional freedom. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Christian Medical Association, The Southern Baptist Convention, some Jewish groups, the Catholic Medical Association, a group of highly regarded Catholic scholars, individual religious leaders, and many others have all decried the president s mandate and the so-called compromise which leaves the mandate in place as a violation of the Constitution of the United States and potentially of the consciences of the citizens of the United States. We are pleased to provide links to what we believe are some of the best commentaries on this wrong-headed policy of the Obama administration. MILTON FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS: James 2: If a brother or sister lacks food and one of you says, "go in peace," and yet do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? Faith if it has no works is dead. It s almost here. The sophomore faith group of K n e i e r t / C a l h o o n a r e organizing a food/supply drive for the Milton Food Pantry. We are asking that all donations be brought to St. Mary on the weekend of March 10 th 11 th. This has been designated as Brown Bag Sunday! We have been asked to request certain items such as: diapers, wipes, bottles, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, shampoo, detergent, soap. Our group will collect the donations, take them to the pantry, and help stock shelves. We appreciate your help and so do the needy in our community!

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10 AWAKENING FAITH: What is your image of God? How does the birth of Jesus bring insight into your understanding of God? What difference has Jesus made in your life? Come and find out more about Jesus in the next Awakening Faith session, 1 0 : : 3 0 a. m., Saturday, March 3 at St. John Vianney Church. A BIBLICAL WALK THROUGH THE MASS by Edward Sri will be offered by the Education and Faith Formation Commission at St. William Parish. This FREE video series will be presented each Wednesday night starting February 29 th from 6:15-7:15 p.m. for 4 weeks. It will be held at St.William School Library, 1822 Ravine St. Enter at the rear of the building through door number 5. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jane Graves at FISH FRY: Our Lady of the Assumption will have a Fish Fry this Friday, March 2 and every Friday during Lent. Serving takes place from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in Assumption Hall. All you can eat baked and fried Cod, baked potatoes, fries, coleslaw, applesauce, bread and beverage. Adults: $10.00; Children 6-12: $4.00; 5 & under FREE. Soda & desserts offered at an additional charge. Carry outs available. ST. MARY SCHOOL S AL AD LUNCHEON: St. Mary s School in Janesville is having their annual salad luncheon buffet on March 9 th, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Come and enjoy a wonderful variety of homemade salads, desserts, vegetable lasagna and traditional salmon loaf. Tickets are $7 per person in advance or $8 at the door. Children under 10 are $3. Carry-outs are available, as well, for $6. Please call the school for reservations at ext. 22. ST. PATRICK S DAY BUFFET & POT OF GOLD RAFFLE: On Wednesday, March 14th, come to St. Patrick School for a buffet dinner from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Menu includes corned beef and baked chicken, cabbage, m a s h e d p o t a t o e s, chicken strips, French fries, corn, carrots, rolls, dessert & beverage. Advanced ticket sales are Adults $9, 6-14 yr $5, 5 yr and under Free. Deadline to purchase is March 9. Grand Prize $3,000. T E C RET R E AT C O M I NG T O LANCASTER: The Diocese of Madison offers five TEC retreats a year, and the next retreat will be offered at St. Clements in Lancaster from March TEC stands for Together Encountering Christ, The retreat is designed for those who are at least juniors in high school and older to come together and encounter Christ in a profound and unique way. In the Madison Diocese, the Kairos TEC program started in 1985, with now over 2600 participants. We in the TEC community hope you will consider being a p a r t o f t h i s a w e s o m e experience! Applications and more information about TEC can be found at If you'd like even more information, please contact Jean at jeanjoze1@tds.net.

11 Stewardship: A Way of Life First Sunday of Lent Lent again! Lent is a time not for depriving ourselves, but for spiritual spring cleaning before Easter. The Church recommends three things: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. The purpose of these practices is to help us simplify our lives, to convert our hearts more closely to God and to grow and develop as disciples of Jesus. DIOCESAN LENTEN MEN S RETREAT, MARCH 2-3: The OEC and the Knights of Divine Mercy invite all Catholic men to join their brothers in Christ for the annual diocesan men s Lenten retreat. This short retreat promises an opportunity to pursue a Lenten journey through spiritual talks and time for reflection and prayer. Doug Berry of Radix and a regular on the Rock on EWTN will be the featured speaker. Register online will soon be available on the OEC website at S T. S T E P H E N P A N C A K E BREAKFAST: Come to St. Stephen in Clinton on March 11 from 7:30-11:30 a.m. for a pancake breakfast with raffle. T HE MEN OF CHRIST CONFERENCE: Want to know what it is like to celebrate Mass with over 2,000 men who know and love their Catholic faith? Want to see some nationally recognized speakers and experience an event that has been described as transformative? Then be sure to check out the 2012 Men of Christ Conference on Saturday, March 3rd in Milwaukee. A group of men from the Rock County area is planning to meet and travel together t o t h e conference. If you would like to attend, call Jeff at You can also find out more about the conference at EUCHRE TOURNAMENT: St. William KC s will host a Euchre Tournament on Saturday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m. $10 entry fee. RSVP by February 28 to Harry C. O Leary

12 FUNERAL FOOD DISHES: To all volunteers who have so graciously donated food for the funeral dinners throughout the year, THANK YOU! Just a reminder that there are several unclaimed empty containers in our parish kitchen. Check your cabinets to make sure that you are not missing a container. All unclaimed containers will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul after Easter, so hurry to claim yours. CONCERT FOR SOLWEZI: Join Sr. Connie Fahey on Sunday, March 4, for an afternoon of organ music and reflection. Learn about the families of Solwezi, Zambia who live in the unrelenting poverty of Africa and how you can make a difference. Admission would include one of the following: soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, band-aids, hair trinkets, pens or pencils. A free will offering will be taken up during the program. The concert begins at 2:00 p.m. at St. John Vianney Church, with refreshments to follow. For more information: (608) ST. MARY KC FISH FRY: Knights of Co lu mb u s a n n u a l Lenten fish fry will be held on FRIDAY, MARCH 16, starting at 5:00 p.m. Carry out s will be available. Mark your calendar with this date. LEARN ABOUT HOMELESS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JANESVILLE Please join us for the showing of movie Project 16:49. Special Guest: Ann Forbeck; Homeless Liaison for the School District. On March 13, at 6:00 p.m. at Nativity of Mary Church Hall, 313 E. Wall St. Janesville. A special collection will be taken and given to this project. Special THANK YOU to parishioners Gail & John Nordlof for the donation of altar wine. Northleaf Winery, LLC 232 South Janesville Street Milton Wisconsin fax info@northleafwinery.com

13 CLUSTER CHURCH WEEKDAY & SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULES Nativity of Mary St. John Vianney St. Patrick Mon. 8:15 a.m. Mon. No Mass Mon. No Mass Tues. 12:10 p.m. Tues. 5:15 p.m. Tues. 5:15 p.m. Wed. 8:15 a.m. Wed. 5:15 p.m. Wed. 8:00 a.m. Thurs. No Mass Thurs. 8:15 a.m. Thurs. 8:30 a.m. Fri. 8:15 a.m. Fri. 8:15 a.m. Fri. 8:00 a.m. Sat. 4:30 p.m. Sat. 5:00 p.m. Sat. 4:00 p.m. Sun. 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Sun. 8:15 & 9:45 a.m. Sun. 7:30 & 10:00 a.m. St. William St. Mary, Milton Mon. No Mass Mon. 9:00 a.m. Euch Prayer Serv Tues. 7:30 a.m. Tues. 11:30 a.m. Wed. 7:30 a.m. Wed. 8:30 a.m. Thurs. 7:30 a.m. Thurs. 7:00 a.m. Fri. 8:30 a.m. Fri. 5:00 p.m. Sat. 8:00 a.m. Sat. 5:00 p.m. Sat. 4:00 p.m. Sun. 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Sun. 8:00 & 10:30 a.m.

14 Prayer of the Faithful Allow your grace through the Fountains of Living Water to deepen our sense of responsibility for the work of our parish and diocese. We pray that all will give generously to the Annual Catholic Appeal of the Diocese of Madison. We pray to the Lord Diocese of Madison Annual Catholic Appeal 2012 Fountains of Living Water The theme for the 2012 Annual Catholic Appeal of the Diocese of Madison shows how each of us is touched by the living water of God. We ask that God grant us a renewed sense of responsibility for the work of our parish, our diocese and the Church throughout the world. We ask that His grace make us even more generous in supporting those needs. Each pledge to the Annual Catholic Appeal supports diocesan ministries, education and services today and assures a strong future for the Diocese of Madison and the people that it serves. This year each of us is asked to consider making a pledge, payable over five months. Your gift will help enable the diocese to reach its goal and provide grant opportunities for Catholic schools, religious education programs and assisting distressed parishes in need. If you received your pledge form in the mail, please complete it and mail it back. Thank you for your prayerful consideration and generous response.

15 The Krausse faith group is assisting with the March 10th MOME clothing exchange. If your children have grown out of some outfits in the last year...please consider bringing them to St. Mary the weekend of March 3 & 4 to be sorted and delivered to Milton United Methodist for their monthly clothing exchange. If you are in the market for exchanging your child s clothes for the next size up...you may choose to bring a bag or more of clothes to the March 10th exchange and take home a bag or more! Contact Sabrina at for more information.

16 ALL ACTIVITIES ARE OPEN TO MEMBERS OF ANY PARISH IN THE CLUSTER Feb. 26 9:00-11:30 am Breakfast sponsored by Serra Club of Janesville to benefit St. Joseph Seminarian fund. $5 Adults/$3 age St. John Vianney Feb. 27 9:00 am Tai Chi - St. John Vianney Marian Hall Feb :00 am Centering Prayer - Nativity of Mary Nativity House Feb. 27 4:00-6:30 pm Adoration - Nativity of Mary Feb. 27 6:30 pm Stations of the Cross - St. Mary, Milton Feb. 28 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Adoration - St. William Feb. 28 9:30 am Weekend Scripture Group - St. Mary, Milton Feb :30 am Faith Sharing Group on Next Sunday s Readings - Nativity of Mary Nativity House Feb :45 pm Stations of the Cross - Nativity of Mary Feb. 28 6:00-7:00 pm Adoration - St. John Vianney Feb. 29 8:00 am Stations of the Cross - St. William Feb. 29 9:00 am or 6:30 pm Jeff Cavin s Quick Journey Through the Bible Week 3 - Nativity of Mary Church Hall Feb. 29 9:00 am Women s Scripture Study - St. John Vianney Marian Hall Feb. 29 Feb. 29 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross - St. Patrick 7:00-9:00 pm Dead Theologians Society. All high school students welcome. Contact St. John Vianney Marian Hall March 1 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Adoration - St. Patrick March 2 6:00-7:45 am Adoration - St. John Vianney March 2 9:00-2:30 pm Adoration - St. John Vianney March 2 2:30 pm Stations of the Cross - St. John Vianney March 2/3 9:00 am - 4:00 pm St. Elizabeth Home & Sisters of Charity Rummage and Bake Sale - St. John Vianney Marian Hall March 3 10:30 am Awakening Faith. Call for more information St. John Vianney Gathering Space March 3 5:00 pm Bingo - St. Patrick March 4 2:00-4:00 pm Organ Concert to benefit the Diocese of Solwezi, Zambia. Free-will offering will be taken. St. John Vianney Church