THE BANE AND THE BLESSED

Transcription

1 The Epiphany of the Lord January 7, 2018 THE BANE AND THE BLESSED We assume there were three Magi but the Gospel does not indicate such. The Magi came with three gifts so we conclude there must have been three givers of gifts. But what is certain is that there was more than one and they traveled together. The shepherds who adored the newborn child were locals, simple folk expecting nothing out of the ordinary. The Magi traveled a great distance and they were seeking wisdom. They did not travel alone because they knew that what they were searching for could be found only in community. Both my grandmothers lived in homes that had front porches. I remember often sitting there with them. Always they spoke to people who passed by. Greetings were always exchanged, often conversations shared, and sometimes a person would take a seat with us on the porch. To paraphrase Robert Frost, there is something that loves a front porch. Today it seems we prefer to build porches at the back of the house. On a back porch, conversation only happens between family members or known acquaintances. The view is limited from the back porch, and the only wisdom to be found is what you carry with you. The Magi realized that we need God and thus we really do need one another. If we belong to Christ we also belong to others. Take a seat on the front porch and you know it to be true. The Lord be with you. Father John Parr

2 SEAS STEWARDSHIP We at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish will begin our yearly parish Stewardship campaign in February. This is the time when we ask you to commit to share with us your time, talent, and treasure. We have put together a booklet that details the many opportunities in which you may choose to share your unique gifts and talents with our parish family. Please begin to discuss and pray with your family about how you want to serve this coming year. Look for the booklet and pledge card to be in the gathering place in mid-february. We need the time and talent of everyone in the parish to meet all of our needs. Thank you for all that you do to make St. Elizabeth Ann Seton a Stewardship parish! ANSWERED PRAYERS Thank you to the parishioners who are willing to share their time in shoveling the church sidewalks and rectory. Our prayers have been answered and we now have a Snow Removal Crew of about 8 willing to be on call for when the snowflakes are a falling. If you wish to join this crew, please call the parish office. Our appreciation goes well beyond just a thank you. Bless you for this gift of stewardship you are sharing. ROTARY LIGHTS Thanks to Rotary Lights, our food pantry is restocked. We are grateful to their organization for including our pantry for those donations. Hopefully you got a chance to go see all their hard work in making Riverside Park a winter wonderland. It takes many volunteers and many hours of service to create such a magnificent display. Many of our own parishioners are involved in this endeavor. We thank you and hope there are many more years of Rotary Lights. SEAS GOOD MOUNRING MINISTRY Losing one's partner, one's soul mate, one's spouse or a child "demands" the greatest inner strength one can apply, and it requires the help and wisdom of fellow grief travelers. All are welcome to join for any or all of our gatherings. The next meeting is Mon. Jan. 8th at 2pm at church. The group typically meets on the 1st Monday of the month. Please contact Sr. Bridget Donaldson, OSB at the parish office if you have any questions. Sara (Wozney) Balaker Trudy Brieske Sr. Bridget Donaldson, OSB Elizabeth Donaldson Patrick Donaldson Sharon Grabar Robert Heim PRAYER REQUESTS June Kukovec Kent Limberg (military) Jerome Malin Kevin McIntyre Bailey Rohrer Daniel Schultz Lynn Schultz Lynne Taylor Please remember the sick, hospitalized, military members, homebound, and anyone needing of our prayers. May they experience the healing power of God. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Wishing that the three wise men visit you and gift you with loads of love, peace, and happiness to make your Epiphany a joyous celebration! Thank you for all of your help with taking down the Rotary Lights KC Free Throw Contest being held at Prairie View Elementary starting 6 pm on Friday January 12 SIGNATURES NEEDED TAKING A STAND... MAKING A DIFFERENCE The 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion (Roe v. Wade, Jan. 22, 1973) will soon be here. We invite you to join with other pro-life members of our community in making a public statement of our belief in the sanctity of human life. This annual signature ad (sponsored by the La Crosse chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life), commemorating all of the precious lives lost to abortion will be in the La Crosse Tribune on Sunday, January 21st. If you would like to be included in this ad, PLEASE PRINT your name on one of the sheets on a clip board in the gathering area. There will be volunteers, with clip boards, collecting names after all Masses this weekend, January 6/7. You may also send an with your name to: jenfisk@charter.net. Any donations to help defray the cost of the ad will be gratefully accepted and may be placed in the designated box in the gathering area or given to a volunteer. Thank you! The Epiphany of the Lord 2 January 7, 2018

3 THANKS A big thank you goes to Brian and Angie La Fleur for donating their time and their awesome movie screen for our Cosmic Sledding night, which due to the weather was just a movie indoors. This was a great event to bring families out together on such a chilly night. We hope to do more movie nights in the future so that many of our new families will get to know some of you that have been members longer. The children had a great time and it was hard to tell if they liked the movie or the cotton candy better. Thanks again Brian and Angie for this fun parish event. Watch our Facebook page and parish calendar for future family movie nights. SEAS FAITH SEEKERS We now have a young adult group at St. Elizabeth s. They exist to provide faith, fellowship, friendship, and support to all adults who are actively seeking to meet other adults in the parish to accompany them on their faith journey and to deepen their love in Christ and His Catholic Church. If you are interested in learning more about the Faith Seekers and when they meet, please contact Pat Brueggen in the parish office. SPORTSMEN NIGHT & WILD GAME FEED Tickets are still available for the annual Huberters Sportsmen Night and Wild Game Feed. This parish event takes place on Saturday, February 17th at the Holmen American Legion. The doors open at 4:00pm with dinner beginning at 6:00pm. Tickets are $40.00 each and that includes a chance at winning 1 of the top prizes. The night includes feasting on some tasty wild game and many booths, raffles, and prizes. Thanks to the Huberters, this fundraiser has helped with the many parish updates at St. Elizabeth s. Get your tickets today at the parish office or contact Pat Brueggen at Don t miss out! FREE THROW CONTEST Basketball, Basketball, Basketball... It is that time of the year to bring your kids to the annual KC Free Throw Contest. In order for this event to be a success we need to find many sharp shooters. Unfortunately, there is an age limitation, so only boys and girls ages 9-14 can participate. Also, to make this event a success again, we will need some help judging and scoring the sharp shooters. NOTE: WIAA has changed their ruling on Girls\Boys participation. This means all girls and boys ages 9-14 can participate without impacting eligibility to play JV, VR, and Varsity high school programs. Date/Time: Friday, January 12, 2018 Registration/Warm-up: 6:00 6:30 pm Contest Starts: 6:30 pm Location: Prairie View Elementary / Cost: FREE Contact: Brian Clements ( ) P.S. Looking for a co-chair, let me know if you are interested. SEAS SIMPLE LIVING Next Group Discussion is Sunday, January 14 at 9:15am Please join us the second Sunday of every month from 9:15 to 10:00 a.m. in the gathering place as we continue to discern what we, individually and as a community, are called to do as stewards of creation. Please know that all are welcome to pray and reflect on Pope Francis words even if you have not attended previous sessions. There is much to share! Youth Faith Formation Classes resume on Wednesday, January 10 at 6:30 pm PARISH INCOME (FISCAL YEAR 7/1/17 6/30/18) Last Week s Collections Weekly Budget Difference Annual Budget Envelopes/Plate.$30,085 (includes Christmas) $10,594 $19,491 $550,888 Fiscal Year-to-Date $277,340 $286,038 -$8,698 The Epiphany of the Lord 3 January 7, 2018

4 MARCH FOR LIFE There are two excellent opportunities to march for life once again this year. The Pilgrimage for Life to Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, runs Jan , Visit: and click on Pilgrimage for Life to sign up. The March for Life Chicago is one day only, Jan. 14, and you can sign up by visiting and scrolling down to the link. Both pro-life marches have buses leaving from locations around our diocese. The La Crosse Life League is offering five $30 "scholarships" for the March for Life Chicago. Contact Marie Allen at (608) or to apply for a scholarship. 1 Peter 4:8-10 DIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL In a spirit of generosity, we ask that all members of our parish respond with prayers and gifts to this year s Diocesan Annual Appeal. Help us reach our goal. We have achieved 65% of the target. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God s varied grace. Donate online at diolc.org/donate-online/ Be sure to designate it to St. Elizabeth Anne Seton Parish. Parish Target: $82,615 Reached as of 1/2/2018 $59,443 Under: -$23,172 ROOF REPLACEMENT UPDATE January will be the last month you will receive a Roof Replacement envelope in your monthly envelope Packets but donations will still be greatly appreciated after January. At the time of publication, we have received $24, in donations for this project. The estimate is for $35,500. The roof replacement will begin in the spring. Thank you so much to all those who have donated to this very necessary parish update. PARISH INFORMATION PARISH RECTORY & OFFICE Phone Fax Number office@seasholmen.org STAFF Pastor, Father John Parr pastor@seasholmen.org Pastor Emeritus, Monsignor Delbert J. Malin djm133@charter.net sbridget@seasholmen.org Pastoral Minister, Carol Reider carol@seasholmen.org C.R.E. (3 years-gr. 5),.Mary Luebke reled@seasholmen.org youth@seasholmen.org Director of Music, Beth Lakmann music@seasholmen.org Secretary, Sandy Jerue office@seasholmen.org Sister Jean sjean@seasholmen.org MASS SCHEDULE Weekend: Sat. 5:00 pm and Sun. 8:00 & 10:15 am Weekday: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 am except Tues. 7:00 am Gluten Free Hosts: St. Elizabeth s has gluten free hosts available. Please contact Fr. Parr, and he will make the necessary arrangements. SACRAMENTS Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00 pm or by appointment. Baptism: Baptism involves membership in the church. Parents are to attend three sessions early in the pregnancy. Marriage: Our church is trying to create successful marriages. This takes some time. Arrangements for a wedding date are to be made at least six months before the anticipated date. Anointing of the Sick: Communal celebrations in fall and spring. Individual celebrations upon request. Please call the office when family members are hospitalized. PASTORAL VISITATION Anyone who desires a personal home visit is invited to call the parish office. CATECHUMENATE Anyone wishing to become a full member of the Church is invited to visit the parish office. NEW PARISHIONERS Please call the parish office. Parish Council Members Karen Anderson Laura Antonie Len Beranek Francis Brown Finance Council Members Ryan Malak Janice Dvoracek Brian Clements Les Giesler Angie Hendrikson Shelly Linskey Christine Olson Larry Warzynski Shawn Handland Pat Stephens Larry Warzynski The Epiphany of the Lord 4 January 7, 2018

5 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Sunday, January 7 The Epiphany of the Lord 8:00 am People of SEAS 9:15 am Wee Believe Sunday School 10:15am Mass Katharine Nelson Monday, January 8 The Baptism of the Lord 8:30 am Mass Dr. John Smalley 2:00 pm Good Mourning Group 6:30 pm Pastoral Council Meeting Tuesday, January 9 Weekday 7:00 am Mass Priest Intention 4:30 pm Finance Council Meeting 6:30 pm RCIA Wednesday, January 10 Weekday 8:30 am Mass Lida Wolle 6:30 pm Youth Faith Formation Classes Thursday, January 11 Weekday 8:30 am Mass Priest Intention Friday, January 12 Weekday 8:30 am Mass Priest Intention Saturday, January 13 Weekday 8:00 am Pray the Rosary 4:00 pm Sacrament of Penance Vigil: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 5:00 PM Mass People of SEAS Sunday, January 14 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 am Mass Hannora Parr 9:15 am Simple Living Discussion Group 10:15am Mass Candido Ratunic 7:00 pm KC General Meeting Visit seasholmen.org for the parish calendar of events MISS A BULLETIN? Did you miss getting a bulletin after Mass? No worries, past bulletins can be found on the website at: seasholmen.org or use the BULLETINS button on the MYparish App. You can also find the parish calendar on both. Never miss a parish event again. Do you have/ know of an upcoming event that may be of interest to your fellow parishioners and you would like to see it in the bulletin, on the website, or app? Contact Sandy in the parish office with the information. Bulletin deadlines are a week in advance. PRAYERS FOR SR. BRIDGET Our beloved Sr. Bridget has been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray for her as she begins this journey. She is still undergoing tests and does not have her treatment plan set up yet, but we will certainly keep you informed. With her feisty spirit, she will continue her work here but will count on all your prayers and support. Thank you and God bless. THANK YOU Thank you to those who have donated to the Christmas Flowers that were on the Altar. If you still have an envelope you want to share, please turn it in as soon as possible. We would like to acknowledge in the bulletin the names of whom those flowers were in honor of. Thank you again and God Bless you and your families in 2018! UPCOMING MEETINGS Mark your Calendars! January 8 - Pastoral Council at 6:30 pm January 9 - Finance Council at 4:30 pm January 14 - KC General Meeting at 7:00 pm January 16 Stewardship Committee at 6:30 pm The Diocese of La Crosse is celebrating 150 years in To commemorate the Sesquicentennial, we have a beautiful hardbound, 464 page book for sale in the parish office. This book contains the history of all the parishes in the Diocese including your very own St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish. We have a limited supply. Contact the parish office at WEDDING BANNS II. Martha Dibb and Spencer Westerveld The Epiphany of the Lord 5 January 7, 2018