St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Manitowoc February 21, 2021 ♦ Page 2
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Welcome to February 21, 2021 St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Manitowoc February 21, 2021 ♦ page 2 MEET OUR RCIA CANDIDATES! Please keep Debra, Vanessa and Joshua in prayer as they journey to the Catholic faith! Debra Cotter Joshua Seefeldt Vanessa Valdez St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Manitowoc February 21, 2021 ♦ page 3 A note from Fr. Doug... Dear Parishioners, How is the 1% of your day for prayer going? How is reflecting on the daily gospel working for you? In our Lent bulletin/newsletter, I really challenged everyone to spend 1% of your day, 14 minutes and 24 seconds, with the daily gospel. There are purple 1% Challenge cards in church, or you can cut them out from the bulletin (on the cover this week). Note the daily scripture passages of the gospel is on one side of the card. To find the readings, you can use your own bible, a daily hard copy (such as "Living With Christ", or electronic access (from our parish app or the US bishops website usccb.org). Then, following the instructions on the other side of the card, prepare, read (2 or 3 times), reflect (word, phrase, image), respond (what might God be asking of me?) and rest (just be with God) spending the 1% of your day with God. My hope is to have everyone praying from the word of God, to affirm those who already use scriptures in their daily prayer, and to encourage others to try it for this Lent. I challenge you spend 1% of your day in the bible and to pray over the daily gospel. What was your word, phrase, and insight from your prayer? Fasting is a part of Lent. An insight that may help in fasting is to “fast with a purpose.” To fast from something (chocolate, ice cream, electronic media...) and to fast for something (give a donation so that others may eat, make time to pray...) and to realize this in our actions and choices as well. For example, I fasted this Ash Wednesday from placing ashes in the firm sign of the cross on each person's forehead. I fasted for this past Wednesday for all parishioners to be safe from the fear of spreading the COVID virus by touching multiple foreheads. I realize that some people had concerns about this change and really wanted the traditional cross on the forehead. I think it helps us to identify when we are fasting from something and for something. Other Lent concerns were about why parishioners could not attend the school Masses and why all the parish Masses were held at the Grand church site. In order to maintain social distance in church and not restrict attendance to advanced registration or to turn people away at the door, we offered more Masses this Ash Wednesday, limited the school Masses to just the students, and held all of our parish Masses at the Grand site (where we set up to accommodate for higher attendance with overflow seating in the social hall). Fortunately, we were able to fit everyone in safely for all of our Masses and did not use the overflow seating. Thank you to all who helped with our many Ash Wednesday services. This Lent will be unlike our past Lents, because of the pandemic that we currently live in. I find myself, and encourage you, to fast from complaining about what we can not do, and fast for what new insights God has in store for us. Happy Lent, Fr. Doug P.S. This is "Temptation Sunday." The first Sunday of Lent is the gospel of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Note that the gospel of Mark is very brief in details about the temptation and the end of the gospel is referenced by the three mysteries of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Manitowoc February 21, 2021 ♦ page 4 A note from Fr. Ben... Hello everyone! For this week’s mini-lesson from Stuff I Learned in Seminary, I wanted to present something that connects to another big focus for our parish this weekend: the Bishop’s Appeal. And no, this is not some marketing tactic, though it is perhaps corny :) but my hope is that this tidbit will help foster an appreciation for the function of the diocese and of course, our bishop. Without further ado, this is Part 9: The Universal Church. The Universal Church is the Body of Christ, the community We still need your support for of believers united throughout time and space. The One, our parish ministry Holy, catholic, Apostolic Church which Christ instituted around two thousand years ago is alive and well today, and We are aware that your finances may be challenged we are a part of it. This Church was built on the foundation in the weeks ahead. However, we do need your of Peter, just as Christ willed, and it has grown to become continued financial support to provide ongoing ministries and parish operations. quite the family, with its members more numerous than the stars in the sky. Christ entrusted his people to the care and Please visit our website at: leadership of his apostles, and the apostles fulfilled their www.sfamanitowoc.org/donate for giving options. roles wonderfully as the Gospel was brought to many more PARISH SUPPORT people. Eventually, as the time would come for the apostles’ earthly lives to end and their heavenly lives to begin, men Received Week of 2/07/21 would be appointed as successors to these apostles. These Envelopes $20,974 men would continue to guide the growing Church on Earth, Collection $725 and the Church in Heaven would continue to help the ATP n/a Church on Earth through intercession. Because of the Total This Week: $21,699 Church’s growth across the world, more and more of these apostolic successors were needed, and so these men, who Support Required/Week: $39,031 were called bishops, would be charged with the duty of Difference this Week: -$17,332 serving a particular territory, a diocese, all while being in Year-to-Date Required $1,154,378 union with one another and with the successor of Peter, the Year-to-Date Support $1,168,513 Pope. And although there are now more than 5000 bishops Difference this Year: $14,135 in the world, each and every one of them is to be considered a modern day apostle. And our apostle—Bishop Ricken—is Year-to-Date Support Last Year: $1,237,381 an essential point of connection in keeping us, in Northeast Wisconsin, united with the rest of the Church. This is also - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - especially cool for me as a priest because, like all other PARISH SUPPORT priests, my ordination can be traced through our bishop to Received Week of 2/14/21 the pope, and through him, all the way to Peter and to Christ. Envelopes $22,327 Collection $949 That is why I personally have confidence that whatever the ATP $15,262 Bishop asks of me will be something good and worthwhile. Total This Week: $38,538 I try my best to receive his words as if they were the words of one of the Twelve, for he truly is one of their successors, Support Required/Week: $39,031 an apostle sent specifically to us, to guide and to serve us. Difference this Week: -$493 God bless, Year-to-Date Required $1,193,409 Year-to-Date Support $1,207,051 Difference this Year: $13,642 Rev. Ben Johnson Year-to-Date Support Last Year: $1,280,623 St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Manitowoc February 21, 2021 ♦ page 5 Eternal Rest to Our Loved Ones We extend our sympathy to the families & friends of: Saturday, February 20th - Saturday after Ash Wednesday Mary Ellen Robinson-Miller 4:00 PM G †Mark & Jeffery Christensen 4:00 PM W †Hilary, Doug & Judy Hearly Betty Hoefner Sunday, February 21st - First Sunday of Lent Maxine Fitzgerald 7:30 AM W For the Parish 8:00 AM G †Albert “Hal” & Shirley Reinke 9:00 AM M †Bob Hablewitz Thomas Schermetzler 9:30 AM W †L/D Mbrs. Walske & Johnsen Families Marvis Vondrachek 10:30 AM G †Judy Rathsack 6:30 PM W For the Parish Guido “Vic” Barbarossa Monday, February 22nd - Lenten Weekday 6:45 AM G †Joe & Clara Franz & Sara Franz 9:00 AM W †Albert Hodas Kathleen Burger Tuesday, February 23rd—Lenten Weekday Therese Strauss 6:45 AM G †Richard J. Podrabsky 9:00 AM W †Terry Hamblin 6:30 PM G For the Parish Helen Goswitz Wednesday, February 24th—Lenten Weekday 6:45 AM G † L/D Mbrs. Franciscan Sisters of May all the faithful departed Christian Charity rest in peace. 9:00 AM W †Grace T. Brandl Thursday, February 25th - Lenten Weekday 6:45 AM G †Elizabeth Koch 9:00 AM W †Helen Goswitz In Memory of… Friday, February 26th - Weekday For the week of February 21th, 2021 6:45 AM G Ann Holsen 9:00 AM W †Norbert, Delores & Luella Lochman Sanctuary Candle is for: Saturday, February 27th - Dawn Dirkmann Second Sunday of Lent at the Grand Site 4:00 PM G †Karen Schweda 4:00 PM W †Conrad & Betty Vogel Sanctuary Candle is for: Sunday, February 28th - Special Intention Second Sunday of Lent at the Marshall Site 7:30 AM W †Kathy Zucchi 8:00 AM G †Henry & Lydia Jagodinsky 9:00 AM M †Samantha Kinjerski, Harold & Sanctuary Candle is for: Rosemary Strauss Grace Krish 9:30 AM W †Erich Pitz 10:30 AM G †Gordon Kopetsky at the Waldo Site 6:30 PM W For the Parish Tabernacle Candle is for: Paul Foreyt at the Adoration Chapel St.