Palm Sunday March 25, 2018 St. Isidore the Farmer Area Faith Community St. Francis, St. Bridget, St. Malachy, Sacred Heart, Visitation Oratory, St. John Fr. Jeremy Kucera, Pastor Cyndi Stifter, Faith Formation Director AFC Office: 508 13 th Street North, Benson, MN 56215 Murdock Office: 320-875-2451; kitchen 875-4320 Website: www.stisidorethefarmerafc.org Mondays: 8:30 am Noon E-mail: office@stisidorethefarmerafc.org Appleton Office: 320-289-1146; stjccao@gmail.com AFC Office Number: 320-842-4271 Monday-Thursday: 10:30 am 2:30 pm Fax Number: 320-843-2264 Fr. Jeremy Kucera Cell#: 507-828-5247 AFC Office Hours: fatherjeremykucera@hotmail.com Monday-Thurs.: 8 am noon; 1-3:30 pm Cyndi Stifter: 320-842-4021 Fridays: 8 am - noon cstifter@stisidorethefarmerafc.org LITURGY SCHEDULE Tuesday, March 27 8:30 am BENSON w/ Holy Hour & Confessions + Rose Anne Bowe Wednesday, March 28 8:30 am DEGRAFF Kelly Schmidt Holy Thursday, March 29 7:00 pm APPLETON Presider s Intention (Adoration following Mass for one hour) 7:00 pm MURDOCK Presider s Intention (Adoration following Mass for one hour) Good Friday, March 30 3:00 pm BENSON 3:00 pm APPLETON Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 31 8:15 pm BENSON Presider s Intention 8:15 pm MURDOCK Presider s Intention Easter Sunday, April 1 8:30 am BENSON Presider s Intention 10:30 am APPLETON Presider s Intention 7:00 pm MURDOCK (Spanish Mass) Presider s Intention * Marriage Preparation: Please contact AFC Office at least six months ahead of time to plan and prepare for your wedding. If one party has been previously married, the wedding cannot move forward unless an annulment has been granted by the Catholic Church. * Baptism Preparation: Please call Fr. Jeremy Kucera at 507-828-5247 * RCIA: Anyone interested in joining the Catholic Church please call the Area at 320-842-4271 Office for fall registration. * Registration/Moving: To register in a parish or if moving, call the AFC Office at 842-4271 or the Sacred Heart office at 875-2451 or St. John s at 320-289-1146 Catholic Charities - offering personal, marriage, family and pregnancy counseling 1-866-670-5163. Prayer Line If you would like to put someone on the prayer line, please call the Area Office at 320-842-4271. After hours, please call Patricia Walsh at 320-843-2226. *PASTORAL CARE* If any parishioner or family member needs a pastoral care visit and Holy Communion, please call the parish office. Today s privacy laws do not permit hospitals to contact churches when a patient needs a pastoral visit. We are made aware of it only when the individual or their friends and family contact us. We are also not always aware of parishioners that are homebound and would desire a pastoral visit
DAILY SCHEDULE The Vocation View The Lord has risen; it is true! Proclaim it to the world! Pray for an increase in vocations to priesthood and religious life. (Matthew 28:1-10) Sunday, March 25 Monday, March 26 Tuesday, March 27 Wednesday, March 28 Thursday, March 29 Friday, March 30 Saturday, March 31 Sunday, April 1 The Holy Rosary will be prayed ½ hour before Masses in Appleton & Benson 9:30 am Sunday School at St. Francis (Gathering Space) 6 pm Knights of Columbus Ham Bingo at St. Francis Church Gathering Space, BBQ dinner served at 5 pm. 5:00 pm Rosary in Benson intention is that we resolve that our Lenten practices make us more Christ-like. 9-10 am Holy Hour & Confessions in Benson 7:30 pm Knights of Columbus meeting at St. Francis 3:30 pm Enrichment class at St. Bridget 6:30 pm Choir practice at Sacred Heart No Faith Formation this evening Holy Week Home Lessons for grades 1-6 5:00 pm Altar Server practice for Holy Thursday at Sacred Heart 6:00 pm Altar Server practice for Holy Thursday at St. John 2:00 pm Altar Server practice for Good Friday at St. Francis 2:00 pm Altar Server practice for Good Friday at St. John 2:00 pm Altar Server practice for Easter Vigil at St. Francis (note change from time listed on altar server schedule) 6:00 pm Altar Server practice for Easter Vigil at Sacred Heart The Holy Rosary will be prayed ½ hour before Masses in Murdock & Benson The Holy Rosary will be prayed ½ hour before Masses in Benson & Appleton No Sunday School today Encounter Our Neighbors We encounter Jesus this week in Jerusalem, a community he knew well. We prayerfully enter our own communities too, encountering those who are hungry and thirsty, those who need our help. How does our Lenten journey motivate us to serve those we meet in our daily lives? Visit crsricebowl.org for more. SAVE THE DATE... Mark your Calendar for Sunday, April 15 th... ST. JOHN S POLISH MICRONESIAN FUSION Dinner after the 10:30 am Mass. More details will follow. The Swift County Food Shelf top 10 needs are: Canned soup, bottles of juice, pasta & sauce, personal care items, cereal, fruits & veggies, pancake mix & syrup, peanut butter, oatmeal, monetary donations. Donations can be dropped off at your church or at the Swift County Food Shelf. Monetary donations can be mailed to the Swift County Food Shelf, PO Box 321, Benson, MN 56215 Swift County Food Shelf needs your help. Help them reach their goal of $30,000 between February 26, 2018 and April 8, 2018. With a tax-deductible donation of $240, you can supply a family of four with a 3-day emergency supply of good once a month for a year. This is equivalent to only $20 a month. All of the proceeds that are received by the food shelf stay in Swift County and go back to the people that we serve. During the March Campaign donations are matched by Minnesota Food Share. The amount of matched dollars we receive is based on a percentage of how much we raise in our county. The more we raise, the more matching funds we receive. The DeGraff Fire Department will be sponsoring a Fish Fry on Friday, March 30 th from 4;30-8 pm at the DeGraff Liquor Store. Serving Fish, Baked Potato, Cole Slaw, Dinner Roll, Beverage & Dessert. Adults $10 and kids 12 & under $5.00. Take outs available by calling 843-3107. Meat Raffles. We appreciate your support! The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring a Ham Bingo on Sunday, March 25 th at 6 pm at St. Francis Gathering Space. BBQ dinner will be served at 5 pm. Winning Number: 512
Big Bend Lutheran Church Soup, Sandwich & Pie Dinner to be held Sunday, March 25 from 11:30 am 1:30 pm. Adults $8.00, Children 4-10 $5.00, children 3 & under Free. Handicap Accessible. Take-our orders will be available. Sponsored by BBLC Women of the ELCA, 8070 90 th Avenue NW, Milan, MN 56262. BENEFIT BRUNCH ~ Sunday, March 25 th at the Appleton VFW. Serving Omelets, Hashbrowns, Toast & Beverage from 8:00 am 1:00 pm. Benefit for Western Prairie Farm Machinery Collectors. Wednesday, March 28th, there will be Stations of the Cross at St Bridget's in DeGraff at 4:00 pm. At 3:30, there will be a lesson about Stations and a discussion about the murals on St. Bridget's walls. Enhance your Lenten journey through this experience. SACRED HEART CHOIR: We will be singing for the Easter Vigil service at Sacred Heart on Saturday, March 31. There will be choir practice on Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30 pm at the church. Please be prompt. Everyone is welcome to join us! If you cannot make it to the practice, come sing with us on Saturday night - bring your family and friends. HOLY WEEK COLLECTIONS... There is a Holy Thursday Rice Bowl envelope and a Holy Land Good Friday envelope in your packet. PLEASE BE GENEROUS HOLY THURSDAY ~ Please return RICE BOWLS. You may also drop Rice Bowl donations in the collection using your Holy Thursday /Rice Bowl envelope. Your Rice Bowl donations support the Catholic Relief Services programs around the world and helps ease hunger and poverty in our local diocese. GOOD FRIDAY ~ Support Christians in the HOLY LAND. Join with Catholics around the world to stand in solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land. Your donation to the Holy Father s annual appeal is a direct way to make a difference in the lives of those caught up in war, violence and instability in this region. You become an instrument of peace in a troubled land by contributing to the Pontifical Good Friday Collection OLD PALMS ~ Please bring Palms to the box in the Gathering Space at St. John s. Old Palms may also be burned or buried in a garden or field. DO NOT THROW THEM IN THE GARBAGE. ENRICHMENT EVENING FOR LADIES of St. Isidore the Farmer Area Faith Community TUESDAY, APRIL 3 -- Sacred Heart Church LIVING AS THE WOMAN GOD INTENDED YOU TO BE (Awakening the Beauty Within) Who am I as a woman of God? What does God want for and from me? Whether you re the mother of small children and are up with them in the middle of the night or dealing with a rebellious teen, married or living as a single woman, God has a plan for your life. He wants you to know his incredible love for you! He wants to awaken the beauty within you! Presented by Mary Jo Gallagher, Spiritual Events & Inner Healing Abbey of the Hills Inn & Retreat Center, So. Dakota THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE AN EVENING WITH OTHER LADIES, SOCIALIZE with DINNER SERVED, AND ENERGIZE YOUR FAITH! The evening will include: 5:30 P.M. Registration: $6 6:00 P.M. HOLY MASS with Father Jeremy Kucera 7:00 P.M. Dinner and Presentation, Door Prizes PLEASE COME AND BRING A FRIEND. ALL ladies of St. Isidore the Farmer Area Faith Community are cordially invited! Registration fee for Sacred Heart ladies paid by their CCW. Presented by Region 4 Council of Catholic Women. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND MASS! If anyone has left cake pans at Sacred Heart Church, please come get them. Thank you.
Join us for an open house 90 th Birthday Party in honor of Jim Stutelberg on Saturday, April 7 th from 1-4 pm at the Benson Golf Club. Lunch will be served. No gifts please. Confirmation for our area students will take place on Sunday, April 8. First Communion will take place for our area students the weekend of April 28, 29. Please pray for them and all our students in our Faith Formation Program. The 59th Annual New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention will be held on Saturday, April 28 at the Church of St. Catherine s in Redwood Falls. The theme for the convention is Believe in me and do my works. The keynote speakers will be Nancy Jo Sullivan and Mary Kay Stebbins. Nancy will share her story of faith raising a child with Down Syndrome, whom after a brief stay on earth, now resides in heaven. Mary Kay, the founder of Look for the Blessings ministry, will share answers to the question Are Catholics Christian? Join other women of the Diocese for Mass and the presentation of the NUDCCW Woman of the Year, along with lunch, silent auction and various exhibits and booth displays to fill the day. All who attend are sure to be spiritually enriched. Please register by April 11. Your Parish CCW president has registration forms. Grow in your faith! Meet new friends! Connect with other faith filled women from the diocese! All women 18 years and older are welcome and encouraged to attend. Thank you to everyone that volunteered their time to do a good deed and fill out a Catholic United Financial Ministree card during 2017. We have received $500 from CUF for our effort. Our plan is to buy a new projector for our Area Religious Education Program. I plan to put volunteer cards out again after Easter. If you have any questions about the Ministree program, please give me a call at 843-2228. Coordinator Rosie Hoffman Thank you to those who donated baby items for the Hope Pregnancy Center. The Knights of Columbus donated $1,000 from our French Toast Breakfast to the Swift County Food Shelf. Thanks to all those who helped or attended the event. SOLES4SOULS ~ HELP WEAR OUT POVERTY. Soles4Souls is a not for profit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes. They have distributed over 26 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. Please donate your GOOD USED SHOES or NEW SHOES. Please bring shoes to the box in St. John s Gathering Space. Sponsored by Appleton Lions Club Our Area Faith Community has purchased a great new on-line resource for all our members. We hope you find this resource helpful in your faith journey and in sharing your faith with others. The website is Formed.org and the parish code is: N6W22K. Please go to the website to set up your own personal account and please share this with your family and friends.
EnCourage Ministry is a Catholic ministry that serves the spiritual needs of parents, friends, and family members of loved ones with same sex attractions. EnCourage is a faithful witness to the teachings of the Catholic Church, by which its members support each other through discussion, prayer, and fellowship. For more information about EnCourage or to find out times and locations please call 507-233-5328. Appleton MEDIACOM Cable TV Sunday Mass information... 9:30 am Channel 21 WUCW Mass 11:00 am Channel 12 KSTC Mass from St. Cloud Diocese Above Masses are listed in the Willmar paper weekly TV Guide 11:00 am Channel 94 EWTN Mass (Also daily Mass at other times) Reflections for the weekly readings are part of this bulletin. This publication is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council #2129. OUR WEEKLY OFFERING St. Francis - Benson Sacred Heart - Murdock Adult $2,777.00 Adult $1,725.00 Student $34.00 Student $21.00 Loose Plate $82.00 Loose Plate $52.00 Fuel $50.00 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God $1.00 Rice Bowl $10.00 Catholic Relief Services $125.00 Catholic Relief Services $25.00 Initial Offering $5.00 Votive Lights $14.00 Easter Decorations $25.00 Easter Decorations $40.00 Food Shelf $25.00 Building Maintenance $50.00 Mercy Fund $395.00 Parish Cemetery $20.00 Food Shelf $10.00 Total $2,374.00 Mercy Fund $317.88 St. John - Appleton Total $3,429.88 Adult $1,123.00 St. Malachy - Clontarf Student $2.00 Loose Plate $74.00 Adult $790.00 Votive Lights $38.00 Student $1.00 Flowers $55.00 Designated Gifts $454.08 Total $791.00 Mercy Fund $168.35 St. Bridget - DeGraff Total $1,914.43 Adult $1,095.00 Student $7.00 Total $1,102.00 Please take note of and support the sponsors of our Area Faith Community bulletin. We will be giving away gift cards that have been donated by these sponsors. Within the content of the bulletin will be hidden one Adult contribution Envelope number. If that is your number, please call the Area Office at 320-842- 4271 to claim your prize for that week. You will have until 9 am Thursday morning following that Sunday s bulletin to claim your prize. If you are out of town any given weekend, you can look at our bulletin on-line at stisidorethefarmerafc.org. Congratulations to Gene & Dolly Roberts. They were the winners of a gift card this past week. Be sure to scour the bulletin for your contribution envelope number to be our next winner!