Saint Mary's Catholic Church
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Saint Mary’s Catholic Church IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH Artwork by Avery Conrad PARISH COMMUNITY MASS SCHEDULE CONFESSIONS Pastor Weekdays & Saturdays: First Friday of the Month: 4:00-5:00 pm FR. JEREMY PAULIN, O.M.V. 6:30 am & 8:00 am Saturday: 4:00-5:00 pm & 7:00-8:00 pm AND BY APPOINTMENT FR. DAVID BEAUREGARD, O.M.V. During School Year: Fri. 8:15 am FR. PAUL NGUYEN, O.M.V. Saturdays: 5:15 pm ANOINTING OF THE SICK FR. BENJAMIN UNACHUKWU, O.M.V. (for Sunday Obligation) Please call the office if you or a loved one needs to be anointed. DEACON JIM SCHWARTZKOPF Sundays: 6:30, 8:00*, 9:30, 618-465-4284, and press 1 11:00 am & 6:00 pm PARISH OFFICE BAPTISMS *8:00 am on Facebook Live Daily Please call the office to arrange 618-465-4284 a baptism at this time. Fax: 618-463-4637 Rosary: 5:30 pm Mon.-Fri. on Facebook Live VOICEMAIL & DROPBOX MARRIAGES Day before Holy Day: 5:15 pm To be arranged at least six months SCHOOL OFFICE Holy Days: 6:30, 8:00 am before marriage. Call the Parish Office. 12:00 noon and 5:15 pm 618-465-8523 (if announced) Middle School 618-465-9719 Check out our Facebook page... www.smsalton.com First Fridays: 5:15 pm St. Mary’s Catholic Church ƒ 519 EastOBLATES Fourth OF THE VIRGIN Alton, MARY Illinois www.stmarysalton.com St. Mary’s Learning and Living Our Catholic Faith Catholic Church My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ the Teacher, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, ALTON, ILLINOIS Today marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week (CSW). It's an annual opportunity to celebrate the importance and value of Catholic Education. I myself am blessed to have participated in various levels of Catholic education, but it has meant so much THE FOURTH SUNDAY more to me from the time four years ago when I was told by Fr Jim that I was being IN ORDINARY TIME sent to St Mary's as its Pastor. I immediately thought of the Parish School and it brought great joy to my heart, hearing that I was being sent here. Our School is wonderful. Our administration, teachers and staff are incredible, the JANUARY 31, 2021 children are a blessing and joy! We are so, so blessed! As I was preparing a CSW letter to the parish, I received Alex Pulido's weekly email to school parents, this time regarding CSW. One of my greatest blessings as Pastor here, I think, is having Alex and MASS INTENTIONS Beth Hogg coming on board and working together to guide our school. They joined a long list of great administrators here and have done a great job! Below, I am sharing Monday, February 1 Alex's letter to school parents with the larger audience of St Mary's Parish. His letter 6:30 am Int of Xavier Jaworski speaks so well of all we endeavor to do here as a Catholic School - and all we have 8:00 am Int of Sr. M. Clare done so well. Thank you Alex and Beth and all our teachers and Staff! God bless you O’Connor, FSGM and our school children! As you read his letter, please consider helping us in our mission of spreading the Good Tuesday, February 2 News of Jesus Christ in and through St Mary's Catholic School. Consider contributing 6:30 am Roger Kamp† to this year’s Annual Fund collection on February 6th and 7th. You may also donate 8:00 am Herb & Anne Milligan† online by selecting School Annual Fund. We need your help! - God bless you! Fr Jeremy OMV W ednesday, February 3 "St. Mary's School Families, 6:30 am Otto & Angeline Another Catholic Schools Week is approaching and we all know that it will be different Franzmeier† from years past. As we focus on keeping our kids in school and safe, we have to make 8:00 am Bob Schnelten† difficult decisions to end some of the traditional activities we have done in the past. As I was starting to lament the limit on activities we have to endure for this year’s Catholic Thursday, February 4 Schools week, I had a moment when I realized that the purpose of this coming week is to celebrate our Catholic Education. 6:30 am Pro-Life Efforts at St. Mary’s This school year has been a clear reason why we should be proud of our school. The constant diligence, flexibility, caring and perseverance of our teachers, staff, students 8:00 am Ray, Donna & Jack and parents keep our children in school safely. We were able to stay open to in-person Fischer† learning from August into mid-November, and now we resumed for the start of the second semester. During this time, our teachers have made huge adjustments to also Friday, February 5 offer online learning to those who have chosen this option, or for students who have to 6:30 am Int of Mark & Barb be at home for COVID related issues. Our teachers have shown their dedication to St. Crammond Mary’s and they should be applauded. In conjunction with our teachers, our building 8:15 am David Westbrook† aides, school secretaries, maintenance and custodial workers, cafeteria workers and 5:15 pm Paul Schmidt† Aftercare staff have adjusted to new procedures and protocols. They have done so with an understanding that we must do what is necessary for our children. There are Saturday, February 6 too many examples to list what they have done, but it is an understatement that they have stepped up and forged ahead with doing what is needed to keep our schools 6:30 am Jim Geisen† safely open this school year. 8:00 am Sr. Mary Grace The parents have been willing to follow the necessary protocols and procedures that Cozzoli, FSGM† we have implemented this year. Adhering to absence policies and getting doctors' 5:15 pm Nick Blevens† notes when needed is not an easy task. Necessary quarantines or school closures are a part of the whole picture this year. They have also been willing to shrink their Sunday, February 7 social “bubble” so that a positive COVID case does not spread through our school. 6:30 am Fr. Jim Walther, OMV Regardless of their personal views on COVID or school procedures, they are followed. 8:00 am Int of Larry Moylan They are trusting the process, and it is working. They are also willing to apply positive 9:30 am Int of Agnes Balan peer pressure on those parents who are feeling that following procedures or protocols are too restrictive and pose a burden on their families. Thank you for being willing to 11:00 am Alice Maher† be that advocate, and please keep spreading the word that St. Mary's is a great school. 6:00 pm The People of Children are resilient and they have proven that this year. They are smiling, laughing and St. Mary’s happy to be with their friends. They are the reason that I had that moment of focusing – continued on next page If you have submitted a name for prayers in the bulletin – continued from previous page they will remain for one month. If you would like to ask the on the positives of Catholic Schools week, not the negatives. parish to continue praying, please let the parish office know They were not angry and did not complain that we have no by calling (618) 465-4284. Thank you for your prayers! bookfair, fieldtrip or family lunch. Disappointed? Yes. But perpetually angry and unhappy? No. They were excited for our daily donations, our pajama pants day, movie day, Saint Bingo, a Subway lunch and a new Rock Paper Scissor tournament. These are just a few activities for CSW that made them happy. Thank you to our Catholic Schools Week Committee in their Please remember our brothers and sisters, hard work to create fun activities for our children this year! who are in need of prayer. I think we could all take a moment to learn something from their behavior. Do not focus on the negatives and losses this The Almeter Family, Lucy Rose Lucas, Bill Haine, year. Celebrate the happy things, even the small ones, and try Naomi Fader, Barb Cronn, Everett O’Connor, Tom to find joy. Grossheim, Jack Droste, Greg Weirich, Cathy May God bless all Catholic Schools, and may Weirich, The Ringering Family, Sean Michael God bless St. Mary’s!! -Alex Pulido" Donahue, Veronica Murray, Keith Houghton, Debra Houghton, Baby Olivia, Mary Jenniches, Phyllis THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Milford-Rill, Larry Greenwell, Emilee Tate, Pat Focus: Those who witness Jesus’ authority and healing power are amazed. Gorman, Liam Maher, G. Terry Westfall, Ellen Saville, In today’s Gospel account of Jesus entering Capernaum, Margarita Pulido, Bob Rill, Chris Henkhaus, Mike those who heard his teaching and witnessed him drive Mihalich, Kathleen Engdale, Martha Kraehmer, Sue out an unclean spirit are astonished. Their amazement is Imming, Michael Jennings, Jr., Francis Gonzales, due to the authority of Christ, who is God himself. Are Henry Leady, Matthew Paulda, Mary Wuellner, we, too, in awe at the work of God in our lives? Stephen Turvey, Rollan “Jerry” Jouett, Samuel Moses tells the people that God will raise up a prophet Madrey, John Wittman, Phil Hoefert, Mary Ann and put his own words in the prophet’s mouth. This Raymond, Trisha Middleton, Denny Meehan, Sarah prophet will speak all that God commands him to.