C A T H O L I C P A R I S H E S O F PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI 53821 St. Gabriel Archangel Rev. Hubert G. Boschert S.J. Pastor Rev. James B. Warosh S.J. Associate St. John Nepomuc 506 N. BEAUMONT ROAD 326-2404 ST. GABRIEL S Tuesday / Thursday... 6:45 am Monday / Wednesday / Friday... 8:30 am Saturday... 4:00 pm Sunday... 8:00 am MASS SCHEDULE 710 S. WACOUTA AVENUE 326-6511 ST. JOHN S Monday / Wednesday / Friday...6:45 am Tuesday / Thursday...8:30 am Saturday...7:00 pm Sunday... 10:00 am Baptism Please make arrangements with the Pastor Marriage Please contact the Pastor at least 6 months prior to the wedding date. Joint Parish Pastoral Council Joe Faust, Mark Forsythe, Jim McGrath, Holly Nicholson, Mike Mezera, Steve Schwager, Pat Mercaitis, Keith Neisius, Patrick Nolan, Carl Orr Joint Parish Finance Council Lucy Cornford, Pat Dagnon, Mark DuCharme, Mike Garrity, Mark Mara, Phil Mezera, Brad Linder, Tom Stram, Jim Welsch, Jerry Wachuta Endowment Trustees: St. John s: Roy George, Mary Pellock & Mike Leard St. Gabriel s: Dan Kussmaul, Mary Jaynes, Cathy Bierman Prairie Catholic School Phil Mezera, Paul Stark, Mark Mara, Leslie Orr Prairie Catholic School Principal Kathleen Schwartz Parish Administrator Paula Check Office Managers Paula Check, Lana J. Gratace Director of Religious Education Pat Prochaska Parish Nurses Rose Bauer & Shirley Cipra (357-2000) Education Committee Deb Trautsch, Rochelle Fulcher, Kathy Schneider, Tracy & Laurie Pedretti, Rochelle Neisius, Dixie Jackson, Tim Steger Confessions Saturday St. Gabriel s 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm St. John s 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm At Rectory anytime; phone to set up a time Rectory Office Hours at St. Gabriel s - 8 am to 3 pm Rectory Office Hours at St. John s - 8 am to 4 pm THIS WEEK at St. Gabriel s and St. John s SUNDAY, AUGUST 31 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 - LABOR DAY No Bingo because of the Holiday TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 6:00 pm 1st meeting for St. Gabriel s Fall Fest will be held at St. Gabriel s School Hall - all interested parties, especially chairpersons should attend WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 7:00 pm Depression Support Group will meet in St. John s Church Hall THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 9:00 am Exposition & Adoration at St. John s Church until 1:00 pm 6:30 pm Education committee will meet at St. Gabriel s School Hall FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 9:00 am Coffee & Rolls will be served in St. John s Hall by the September Group plus drawing for the Lottery Sweepstakes Calendar E-Mail Address: stgabriels@centurytel.net Website: www.prairiecatholic.org August 31, 2008-22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Offertory Gift Bearers-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Karla Rogers & Family Sunday 8:00 am Terry Meyer Family Eucharistic Ministers-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Laura Meyer & Tom Steiner- Lyle Marfilius & Virginia Konichek-Cup Sunday 8:00 am Karen Fritsche, Don Cipra- Mary Osterhaus & Donna Teynor-Cup Home Communion Ministers for Sept. 7th: Bonnie Reilly, Rose Trautsch Servers-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Claire Stoeffler & Lauren Nicholson Sunday 8:00 am Natalie & Nathan Stram Lectors-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Mary Stoeffler Sunday 8:00 am Barb Welsch Ushers-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Joe Barrette, Bill Check, Randy Ginsterblum, Ed Steger Sunday 8:00 am Tom Stram, Ed Mezera, Dick Tesar & Volunteer Scrip Workers-September 6/7 Saturday 4:00 pm Terri Strandlie/Jeff or Sue Groom Sunday 8:00 am Ken Stoeffler/Sam or Sandy Halverson Parish Support This Year Last Year Envelopes for 8/24 $3,208.00 $3,464.00 Plate for 8/24 647.90 707.23 Students 5.40 3.07 Heat Envelopes 67.00 68.00 Holy Day (addt l) 10.00.00 Total $3,938.30 $4,242.30 Our average weekly goal at St. Gabriel s for adult envelopes is $4,650.00. The second collection at St. Gabriel s came to $3,487.25 and will be used for school expenses. Thank you for your offering! Choose Life: On the eve of the Pope s visit to the United States, it was reported that he had experienced the horror of the Holocaust first hand in the death at Nazi hands of a cousin with Down Syndrome. A Holocaust expert has noted that the medical crimes of the Holocaust started with the acceptance of the attitude basic to the euthanasia movement, that there is such a thing as a life not worthy to be lived. (Dr. Leo Alexander, NEJM article, 1949) August 31, 2008 St. Gabriel s Parish St. Gabriel s Mass Intentions Monday, September 1 - Labor Day 8:30 am Clement V. Mezera: by Pat & Kay Lorenz Tuesday, September 2 6:45 am William Hoffman, Jr: by M. Fagan Wednesday, September 3 8:30 am June Tyler: by Family & Friends Thursday, September 4 6:45 am Marie Mahan: by Lorraine & Dan Groh Friday, September 5 8:30 am Viola Kane: by Family & Friends Saturday, September 6 4:00 pm Mayme Quinn: by Family & Friends Sunday, September 7 8:00 am For the People of St. Gabriel s Parish and St. John s Parish Bingo Winners from Monday, August 25th: $25.00 - Jenni Stagman, Bob Heinrichs; $30.00 - Peg Stoeffler, Maggie Check; $40.00 - Helen Ellenbolt - $100.00 - Lindsey Davis; Consolation Progressive ($100.00) - Helen Ellenbolt 50/50 Winner ($53.50) - Luke Wright Bingo will not be held on Monday, September 1st because of the Labor Day Holiday. Bingo will resume on Monday, September 8th. In Sympathy Please remember Lorraine Betz in your prayers. Her funeral was held at St. Gabriel s on Friday, August 29th. May God grant her eternal life and comfort to her family. The first meeting for the St. Gabriel s Fall Festival will be held Tuesday, September 2nd at 6:00 pm at St. Gabriel s School Hall. All interested parties, especially chairpersons, are encouraged to attend. Reminder: Prairie Catholic School and Parishes now has a website at www.prairie catholic.org. We encourage you to browse through it and tell others about it. Inside you will find information about our school and parishes, church groups, news, schedules, calendars, church bulletins and more. Please visit us often because this is a dynamic site which offers updated news and content that is growing and changing each week.
St. Gabriel - St. John, Prairie du Chien Notes Common to Both Parishes 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading: Jer 20:7-9:; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27 Theme: Love Implies Sacrifice. Those who are dedicated to a once given commitment know that their dedication implies sacrifice. Married people may think of their mutual commitment in love; religious sisters, brothers and priests may think of their vows; children and parents, if committed to mutual happiness in the family, may think of their daily living under one roof. Love means giving of self. This self-giving is a source of happiness but it entails sacrifice as well. For Jeremiah, duped by the Lord into loving, it was derision and reproach all the day (First Reading). After Paul has described God s redemptive work in Christ (Rom 1-11), he explains the human response in love: Offer your bodies (selves) as a living sacrifice...to God (Second Reading). Christian life, although seen as a response to God s love for human beings, implies carrying a cross, as the Lord Himself has done (Gospel). Is Christian life then a miserable life, a life of those trapped in a situation from which there is no escape? No, as long as sacrifice is seen in the perspective of love. The secret of a happy Christian life is not to avoid the cross, but to keep love alive! Lord God.place in our hearts a desire to please You and fill our minds with insight into love (Alternative Opening Prayer). Vocation Viewpoint: If you wish to follow Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow. Are you courageous enough to follow as a priest or deacon, religious brother or sister? (Mt 16:21-27) If anyone would still like to donate to our new Reading Series at Prairie Catholic School - there is still time to do so. As was stated before it will cost an average of $130.00 per student for the program. Many thanks to those who have already contributed. Brothers & Sisters: I was talking recently with the Bishop and brought up the topic of what will be happening to the 2 parishes in Prairie after mid -October. The Bishop commended me for being concerned for my parishioners but encouraged me not to be concerned about the matter as any provision for the future would be his responsibility. Earlier he had suggested to me to contact Tom Farrell with whom the Bishop is personally familiar and confident in because of Tom s chairmanship of the diocesan finance council. I was to see whether Tom would be willing and available to work with our parish administrator, Paula Check, until a new pastor might be appointed next June. Tom was willing to become so involved and so I later informed the Bishop of this. Subsequently the Bishop encouraged me not to bear this burden of providing for the future and so it is presently unclear just what arrangement the Bishop will make and approve. Should the above be part of the Bishop s interim solution, should there be those who would question the authority of said leaders, this is exactly what needs to be avoided. Whatever the final arrangement approved by the Bishop, that is what the parishes will be working with. Were all to cooperate, as would be hoped, it would be a powerful manifestation that the laity can be sharers in the role of authority, serving their brothers and sisters in whatever dayto-day decisions have to be made in the interim period. Otherwise, parish life would be extremely strained and even unmanageable. Along these lines also, let me encourage you to remain faithful to your volunteerism and financial support that you have manifested over the years. Should you let the interim period be a source of frustration or discouragement and you were to give up your involvement and/or financial contributions during this time, it would be a strong example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. On the other hand, if you were to focus on keeping parish life afloat during this period, even increasing your involvement in a positive way, it would see the parishes coming through with flying colors and would provide a strong foundation for the new pastor to build upon when he arrives.
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time St. John s Parish Offertory Gift Bearers-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Dan Schickert Family Sunday 10:00 am Philip Mezera Family Eucharistic Ministers-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Mary Pellock & Gail Ehlers- Nell Bowar & Sharon Boylen- Cup Sunday 10:00 am Pat Dagnon & Jan Duve- Phil Dagnon & Mary Jaynes-Cup Home Communion Ministers for Sept. 7th: Chris Ingham, Cathy Swenson, Mary Steiner Servers-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Brandt & Anna Zeeh Sunday 10:00 am Peyton Hall & Ryan Garrity Lectors-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Carroll Polodna Sunday 10:00 am Donna Cipra Ushers-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Dan Schickert, Curt Root, Doug Rickleff & Scott Vorwald Sunday 10:00 am Richard Panka, Steve Steiner, Paul Porvaznik, Mark Forsythe Scrip Workers-September 6/7 Saturday 7:00 pm Arlene Kozelka/Jeff or Karen Fisher Sunday 10:00 am Paula Check/Duane or Laurie Fritz Parish Support This Year Last Year Envelopes for 8/24 $2,689.00 $3,115.00 Plate for 8/24 402.75 386.50 Students 1.00 1.50 Holy Day (addt l) 100.00.00 Heat & Utilities 30.00 50.00 Total $3,222.75 $3,553.00 Our average weekly goal for adult envelopes at St. John s is $4,500.00. The second collection at St. John s came to $216.65 and will be used for school expenses. Thank you for your offering! Rummage Sale.At this time I will not be able to conduct the rummage sale in October. If there are any grade levels, that would like to take over - it would help you to raise money for your Washington D.C. trip. Or maybe there is another group that would like to take it over. If so please contact Fr. Boschert. Thanks again for giving the rummage sale committee a helping hand. -Millie Senesac St. John s Mass Intentions Monday, September 1 - Labor Day 6:45 am Al Duve: by Maurice & Letty Oehler Tuesday, September 2 8:30 am Marie Reger: by Maurice & Bette Mayer Wednesday, September 3 6:45 am Audrey & Harry Lochner: by Family Thursday, September 4 8:30 am June Novacek: by Family & Friends Friday, September 5 6:45 am Don Shea: by JoAnn Shea Saturday, September 6 7:00 pm Teresa Tarrence: by Family & Friends Sunday, September 7 10:00 am Fae Schneider: by Family & Friends Coffee & Rolls will be served in St. John s Hall next Sunday, September 7th by the September Unit. September Unit Chairpeople are: Jean Ann Dillman, Marguerite Engelhardt, Gail Ehlers BAPTISMS We welcome into the family of God, Andrew Norman Geisler and Alexius Elise Geisler, children of Brian Geisler & Amanda Otte, through the sacrament of Baptism. May God continue to bless Andrew Norman and Alexius Elise. IN SYMPATHY Please remember Paul Kueter and Clem Mezera in your prayers. Both funerals were held at St. John s Church this past week. May God grant them eternal life and comfort to their families. FROM SCRIPTURE: Mt. 16:21-27: In this reading Jesus shocked His disciples - Peter, in particular - by predicting His own horrible death. Like many Jews of the day, Peter believed that the Messiah would be a triumphant king who would trample the enemies of his people. Instead Jesus blew their notions of the Messiah s role in salvation. Like any good friend, Peter tried to save Jesus from any discomfort or pain. He hoped there was an easier way. But Jesus knew that unless He suffered and died, we would all die in our own sins. He couldn t turn from His purpose and He rebuked Peter for tempting Him, even out of love. Sometimes our most difficult temptations come from our loved ones trying to spare us pain. Saving ourselves from earthly death might mean doing something that causes us to lose eternal life. Avoiding the pain and sacrifice that comes with being a Christian could cause us to die spiritually and emotionally. The secret of a happy Christian life is not to avoid the cross, but to embrace it with love.
St. Gabriel - St. John, Prairie du Chien Religious Education Classes (Grade School CCD) will begin on Wednesday, September 17th at 6:45 pm in St. John s School. All new students and all First Grade students will need to register - please call Pat Prochaska at 326-8774. New Fundraiser. We have started collecting aluminum cans to raise money for Prairie Catholic Schools. We have set up two fenced in areas - one against the playground fence outside St. John s Rectory and one behind St. Gabriel s School. Please collect your cans, put them in plastic bags and drop the bags in our new bins. We would like to thank Mark Mara for taking the lead in setting up this new fundraiser. If everyone would participate by collecting their empty cans, this could be a great new source of income for our school. Thanks for your support. HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE LABOR DAY Many, many thanks to the crew from both St. John s & St. Gabriel s who gave up their whole Saturday morning and early afternoon and into the following week to restore St. John s Parish and middle school parking lot. It s a thousand percent better and has been provided an extended life-span. Many thanks and may God bless all of you. Q & A: I have been away from the Catholic Church but want to come back. What do I do? The Church is eager to welcome back her children. You may want to start by meeting with your local parish priest or pastor so he can guide you in the process. Every priest is happy to help Catholics come home. Then, you ll want to experience God s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A good way to prepare is to think of ways you may have sinned through word, thought, action or omission. For guides use the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes. Come to Mass, even if you are not able to receive Communion at first. If you feel rusty, consider buying an aid such as the St. Joseph Sunday Missal. It is available at many Catholic bookstores and the Daughters of St. Paul (800-836-9723).