St. Jude Newsletter A quarterly newsletter dedicated to nurturing the growth and community of St. Jude Parish August/September 2017 A Few Reasons Why You Should Prayerfully Consider the Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) Weekend By Michelle Patrick It was the fall of 2008, I was pregnant with our third child, and my dad had just passed away. We were living in Indianapolis and were members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. I attended my first CRHP weekend at IHM and it changed my life, my relationship with Jesus, and my relationship with others for the better. I am so thankful that I gave CRHP...and the growth of my spirituality...a chance on that October weekend nine years ago. Since then, and after our move back to Fort Wayne four years ago, I have had the privilege of being a part of five more CRHP weekends, all here at St Jude. As the current Co-Spiritual Director for Continued on Pg. 3 We would like to thank Tedra Lapp and Dr. Valentino Piran for their time here at St. Jude. Tedra will be teaching Theology at Bishop Dwenger and Valentino will be teaching Liturgy and Music at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. May God bless them and their families! Grief workshop and Mass of Remembrance Nov. 4 8:15am Mass Workshop from 9am noon Every year near the Feast of All Souls, the Social Action Committee offers a Grief Workshop for the entire St. Jude Parish community. The loss of a loved one is very difficult. Coming together to celebrate Mass and then attend the grief workshop can be a very positive step in dealing with your grief. We gather together to share our stories, to learn about the grief process, and then learn some concrete, positive ways to deal with our loss. We close each workshop with a lovely candle lighting service. The date for this year s workshop is Saturday, Nov. 4 beginning with the 8:15am Mass, followed by the workshop from 9am noon in the Parish Center. Watch the bulletin for further details.
By Vickie Lortie Youth Ministry s Very Busy Summer Youth Ministry has been filled with many vibrant activities this summer. In June, 25 teens and 7 adults went on a week long mission trip partnering with St. Therese, Little Flower in South Bend. The teens worked each day, while praying, discussing their work, and playing each evening. We served over a dozen centers for those in need over the course of the week. Many of our teens spent their summer learning and growing closer to our Lord at camps and conferences. More than 15 teens participated in ND Vision; a week long camp at the University of Notre Dame teaching teens about leadership in the faith. Some other teens went to Holy Cross' "Saints and Scholars" program, and still others attended the "Life Defenders Boot Camp" at University of St. Francis. These programs help to prepare our teens for life-long leadership in evangelization of our beautiful faith. July was marked with many pilgrimages for our teens. For the second year, Fr. Bob Garrow lead our group on a "Church Hopping" pilgrimage that lead us to 7 churches in one day. We started at St. Jude, then St. Patrick, the old St. Andrew's Church (where we had Mass with the Sisters that currently live there), St. Henry, St. Therese, St. Al, and finishing at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. All that attended learned so much about the history and art of our local churches. The next week, 17 of us participated in a "bike riding pilgrimage" to St. John's New Haven. It was about 16 miles round trip that included having Mass at St. John's. This was quite a hit with all who participated. Finally, our Youth Council attended a Steubenville Youth Conference at the end of July. There were 10 of us that made the 6 hour pilgrimage to Franciscan University to learn from renowned speakers such as Fr. Mike Schmitz, Leah Darrow, and Matt Fradd. Our Youth Council is more ready than ever to help lead their peers toward Christ. What an impressive group of teens we have here at St. Jude! We have some amazing things coming up this fall New YDisciple groups will be starting for our high school teens High School retreat is Oct. 13-15 at Pokagon State Park High School teens plan the retreat beginning Aug. 16 XLT Nights of Praise and Worship continue Aug. 20 at the Queen of All Saints Chapel Middle School All Saint's Carnival is back for Nov. 4th Middle School activities (Mass and Breakfast, After-school Adoration, and Rosary Club) Leaf Raking this Fall Stay posted by subscribing to our monthly Youth Ministry emails or liking us on Facebook (St Jude Youth Ministry). But most of all, pray for our youth On the Mission Trip, we had a vocations day. The girls visited Our Lady of Angels Convent. One of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration gave us a tour of the beautiful grounds and talked about vocations. It was a beautiful afternoon. Bike riding pilgrimage to St. John s New Haven. 2
This was the 2nd year that Father Bob Garrow led our Youth on a Church Hop CRHP Continued Women's Team 46, I have had the great honor of learning with and through my CRHP Teammates. Together we laugh, learn, cry, and explore our spiritual journey as it relates to our earthly struggles. My faith is never more real, alive, and meaningful than when I am exploring it with others. CRHP has helped me dispel the myth that robust spirituality is only for the "good", the lovely, and those secure in their faith. I have learned that the CRHP process is truly for ALL. Whether you feel safe and confident in your relationship with Christ or you ask yourself, "what's a relationship with Christ?", you can benefit from the gifts that a faith journey like CRHP has to offer. I have always been struck by how Jesus embraced the "messy people" in society. Matthew was a reviled tax collector; Peter denied Jesus three times, yet went on to be named the rock of the Church; Zacchaeus was a despised government official, yet Jesus showed him respect by staying in his home. The woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the sick and the lame...all were people whom Christ embraced, whether they supported his teachings or not. Jesus offered salvation to the lost and His love did not discriminate. The CRHP process exemplifies Jesus' example of "love all, even when it's inconvenient." CRHP gathers people of all walks of life, of all ages and backgrounds, and together we learn and explore and put into practice the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. Here are a few comments on the benefits of CRHP from my fellow CRHP sisters: " CRHP has helped me to more fully allow God into my life...i have added more prayer to my days...and loving one another becomes real. CRHP has helped me see that God is everywhere and prayer is the key." -Janet " CRHP is allowing yourself to be renewed in faith and in prayer with the Lord. The journey of faith can be a struggle, but CRHP allows you to understand that you don't have to go through it alone."-melissa " Christ Renews His Parish is a spiritual community focused on sharing the graces and trials God gives us. It is a community apostolate using all different people and gifts to grow Christ's love."-bonnie I encourage you to prayerfully consider a CRHP weekend. If you attend, you will be giving yourself the gift of rest, renewal, and a restoration of your inner peace. God bless you. Any questions about the upcoming CRHP weekends? September 9-10, 2017, Women's Weekend: please call Michelle Patrick at 260-415-0985 September 23-24, 2017, Men's Weekend: please call Mike Krucina at 260-418-2746 3
St. Jude Finances Follow-up By Father Jake I have seen a tremendous response since I gave the presentation on our parish finances back in May. Many people have contacted me to let me know that they were unaware of our financial difficulties. I believe that our collections have stabilized, and we have trimmed the budget considerably. So, I m very positive and hopeful about our financial future. We cannot fulfill our mission without your generous support. I m very thankful. One of the outcomes of my presentation in the spring has been that many people have asked me to keep the parish better informed about the financial situation of the parish. So, we will be sure to use various means to let everyone know about the state of our finances. By Christine Nix HASA 2017-2018 New Hasa Officers: Christine Nix President Stephanie Goss Vice President Lisa Krebs Treasurer Melissa Smith Secretary. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with our school and our parish Register your Kroger Card and save those Boxtops. Now through the Kroger Community Rewards program you can support St. Jude. It s simple; just register your Kroger Plus Card online at www.kroger.com. Click on the Community Rewards tab. You will need to create an account and then follow the prompts. Be sure to select St. Jude Catholic School as your organization to support (ID#11163). Then every time you shop and swipe your Kroger Plus Card at checkout, you will earn money for St. Jude. It s that easy!! The more people we have participating the more we can earn. Thanks to all who have already signed up and selected St. Jude. Keep clipping those Boxtops, this past year we received over $2000 from the Boxtop program. Keep clipping Mother Son Bowling: Saturday October 7 th. Contact Dawn Case for more information: 260-348-3296. Save the Date: Annual Taste and See Saturday October 14 th 7 pm. Join us for this great parish event and come enjoy great food and desserts cooked by our own parishioners. This year the theme will be around the world. Chelsie Dennis,the Chair of the Taste and See, has many cooks already signed up to cook their favorite dishes and desserts, but we can always use more volunteers. If you are interested in cooking either a main course appetizers or a dessert or would just like to volunteer contact Chelsie Dennis at 260-438-1237 Volunteering is great way to live stewardship. You don t have to have children in the school to volunteer for Hasa. We always need more volunteers. We always have a need for copy helpers, playground helpers, lunchroom volunteers. Or maybe you are a retired teacher and you would like to help tutor students in the younger grades. Please think about using the talents God has given you and volunteer to help make St. Jude great. Just remember if you volunteer you must go through the Safe environment background check. If you have any questions contact Christine Nix at cjnix4@frontier.com 4
St. Jude Troop 451 Takes First Place in Inaugural Scout Tournament By John LaMaster St. Jude s Boy Scout Troop 451 earned first place at the Inaugural Little Turtle Cup Competition held this summer at Camp Chief Little Turtle. Eighteen boy scout troops participated in the week long competition, including troops chartered by St. Charles Borromeo, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Competing against some troops containing as many as forty scouts, the St. Jude troop finished the week with a mere five scouts. They began with nine, but an outbreak of influenza forced some scouts to leave the week early. I couldn t be more proud of their effort, said Scott Krebs, Scoutmaster of Troop 451. What makes this accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that they continued to compete even as their numbers were diminishing. They beat several Troops with far more participants than ours. The competition was styled after the television show The Amazing Race. Events included becoming a Flying Squirrel attached to a climbing rope hung from a pulley nearly 40 feet above the ground, competing in water ball, designing a campsite gateway, completing a service project, performing a skit, and other activities. St. Jude Catholic School begins it s 88th school year! By Mike Obergfell, Principal By time you read this the 2017-18 school year will be under way. We are happy and excited to welcome the students back after summer break. It is so rewarding to watch the school once again come alive with the energy that 450 students bring into the building. We welcome several new families who will add to the great history and tradition of St. Jude School. As we begin this year I remind you that our parking lot will once again be limited for the safety of the students at recess. Please be mindful to park on the east side of the lot outside the orange cones if you come to the chapel after 9:00. You may also park on the west side of Pemberton between 9 AM and 2 PM. I also ask that you keep our school community in your prayers. Each day our teachers are charged with the great responsibility of passing on the faith to our children. Our school prepares future generations to strengthen and lead our church. Your prayers of support for this mission are greatly appreciated. Thank you and God Bless! 5
By Mary Pohlman Join our Active Seniors Group Celebrating Marie Steinberger s 100th Brithday during Fr. Bob Garrow s talk on Fatima Our Seniors group has had a very active summer. In June we enjoyed some great 50 s songs in a play and ate a tasty turkey dinner at Cornwell s Turkeyville in Marshall, Michigan. In July, Fr. Bob Garrow shared a very interesting talk about his trip to Fatima, celebrating the 100 th anniversary of Mary s appearance to the three children. August found us back on the road again to Albion to visit the Black Pine Animal Sanctuary for a close up view of the animals under their care. Our stop at the St. James Restaurant in Avilla provided us another great meal. We hope more of you will consider joining us in September. We ll meet at 11:30am at Hall s Gas House Restaurant, 305 E. Superior for lunch followed by a visit at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art to see the International Glass exhibit and the World Studio of Glass. You can join us for either or both of these activities, but please call the parish office so we have an accurate count. Museum cost is $8 for adult, $6 for those over 65yrs. Keep your eyes on the bulletin as we finalize our October activity. On Friday, Nov. 10 we ll attend Sister Act presented by the University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts. Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors or $12 if we get a group of 20 people. Please call the Parish Office by October10 so we can reserve tickets for this performance. Rides available. These activities are open to any seniors or anyone who likes spending time with seniors. Details can be found each month in the Sunday bulletin or you can always call the Parish Office if you have questions. We d love to welcome anyone to join us and anyone to share an idea for an activity. The Social Action Committee has been working on banners for the Spiritual Works of Mercy to complete the banners for the Corporal Works. Parishioner Ann Helmke s sister, Kathy Sheehan, has a work shop where she makes drapes among other things. Kathy was kind enough to let St. Jude s banner makers use the workshop. Sheila McGarry said, She was a tremendous help to us novices. She even had those hanging irons for putting letters on the banners! Look in the back of church for the completed banners! 6
Pictures from St. Jude s Habitat for Humanity Building Days St. Jude days were Saturday, July 15 and Saturday, July 29. Our volunteers worked at the Fuller s Landing building site. 7
E-mail address: hcisz@stjudefw.org Web site: www.stjudefw.org The deadline for the next issue is Sept. 15, 2017 St. Jude Parish The Grapevine 2130 Pemberton Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Return Service Requested Perpetual Adoration Chapel Reading Room By Linda Derheimer We are very blessed as a parish to have our Perpetual Adoration Chapel. We are able to go and visit Jesus any time day or night, bring Him our problems, and thank Him for His blessings. There is a special reading room within the Chapel. It is behind the glass door next to the sign-in book by the entrance. In the reading room you will find books on the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, and a variety of religious topics. There you will also find books for children to use while they are in the Chapel. You can find the Divine Mercy photo, Holy Cards, pictures of Mary, and many other religious materials. After using these materials, please return them to the reading room. We want to keep the Chapel neat and tidy. The pews in the chapel each have a leather bound book on the Eucharist and a bible in the book holders. Praying can be accomplished in many ways. We can say the rosary, read from one of the books in our reading room, just talk to Jesus from our hearts, or sit quietly and look at the Lord. Each person has their own way to pray. Please join us for our 1st Annual Perpetual Adoration Chapel Picnic The whole parish is invited! Saturday, August 26, 2017 After the 5:00 pm Mass Church parking lot *in case of rain: church basement