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| Father John Lantsberger - to contact me, please click on my picture. |
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FROM FR. JOHN: We are rapidly approaching the midpoint of Lent. I hope these days have been fruitful for your spiritual journey, and will continue to be so. We have had nice groups gather for the soup suppers, and for the Lenten study group as well. I see many more faces at daily mass, and hope that many more will recommit themselves to faithful Sunday attendance as well. Now is the time to return to the Lord with our whole heart!
A special word of thanks for a very successful parish breakfast last weekend! We had a great response all through the morning. A delicious breakfast was served, and all seemed to enjoy the time together. While this was not intended as a fund raiser, everyone was generous at the free will offering, and we were able to cover all the costs of the breakfast and then some! Special thanks to Rita Brownlee, our Family Circle chairperson, and to all who assisted with the event. We are looking at future dates to do this again - not every month, but several times throughout the year. In those months without a special breakfast, we will still have the Sunday socials with coffee and donuts after mass.
As you saw this weekend, work has begun on the enclosure at the rear of our worship assembly. I am very pleased with the initial work, and think that this will be a good improvement to our church facility. It will take some getting used to, particularly the glass between the pillars, so please be observant about the change! We don't want anyone running into a glass window!
May God continue to bless your Lenten season. Have a great week!
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| Pope Benedict XVI |
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| Pope Benedict XVI |
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| Bishop Paul Swain |
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SUNDAY GIVING UPDATE: "Lord, grant me the gift of a generous heart." This was a prayer that our former Bishop Robert Carlson, encouraged us to pray. All that we have is a gift, including our generosity itself. During this Lenten season, let us continue to pray that our lives will be open to God's many gifts. Thank you for your support of $6,499.82 this past weekend. Our 35 week average is now $9,754.03 per week. Keep up your good efforts!
RCIA CLASS : RCIA class will meet on Thursday, March 11th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Angelus Center.
CFSA UPDATE: Thus far, 215 families (out of 865) have responded to the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. $47,960.00 has been given or pledged, toward our goal of $79,000.00. We are well on our way - please make a generous gift to this, if you have not yet done so. Thank you!
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING: Immaculate Conception School Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 9th, at 7:00 p.m. in the school library.
PRESENTATION SISTERS - FINDING GOD RETREAT FOR SINGLE WOMEN: Single women are invited to a retreat "Be Peace: Creating peace through prayer - from the inside out!" presented by Sister Phyllis Gill. Friday, March 26th, 2010, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the Presentation Convent in Aberdeen, SD. Pre-registration is required by Friday, March 19, 2010 to Jan Johnson at (605) 229-8414 or jjohnson@presentationsisters.org There is no cost to attend.
COME AND SEE RETREAT: Saturday, March 27, 2010, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. come and see where the Presentation Sisters live and experience their prayer and community life. Adult single women are invited to spend time with the Presentation Sisters at their Convent in Aberdeen. Opportunities are available for quiet time, prayer, reflection and/or to meet with a sister for guidance. Enjoy eating, visiting and praying with the Sisters. Private rooms are available throughout the weekend if you desire to spend additional quiet time in prayer and reflection. There is no cost to attend but pre-registration is required by Friday, March 19, 2010 to Jan Johnson at (605) 229-8414 or jjohnson@presentationsisters.org (An individual retreat time that fits your timetable may also be scheduled by request)
A RICE BOWL REMINDER: Jesus' transfiguration was a moment of hope for the disciples, giving them strength to endure the future sacrifices they would make as they formed the early church. As we continue our journey with Catholic Relief Services' Operation Rice Bowl, let us be mindful that our Lenten sacrifices help to give hope to our brothers and sisters in need.
DWS SUPPORT GROUP: Divorced, widowed and separated support group. Open to people of all faiths. A ten-week program led by volunteers who have been through the program and want to give back after experiencing help with their grief and pain. Registration will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at Immaculate Conception Parish Center, 309 Second Avenue SE, Watertown. Cost $45 for books and materials. Call 886-6321 or 1-866-700-2376 for more information. No pre-registration required.
RACHEL'S VINEYARD RETREAT: March 12-14, 2010 ... Healing the Trauma of Abortion. Strictly confidential. A safe, loving, non-judgmental environment. Scripture based retreat exercises. Open to men and women of all faiths but sponsored by the Catholic Church and includes the sacraments. Call (605) 988-3775 or 1-800-700-7867 for registration materials and more information or e-mail mmergen@sfcatholic.org
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY STUDY GROUP: A study group using the teachings of Pope John Paul II, will be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Agnes Room, on the upstairs west end of the Immaculate Conception Parish Center. The group will be lead by Fr. Brian Simon. On Monday, March 8th, we will be discussing natural law and Humanae Vitae (Pope Paul VI's encyclical on the transmission of human life.) The March 22nd meeting will have an introduction to Theology of the Body. For more information, contact Amy Christenson at 881-7819.
A LENTEN THOUGHT: God's promise to Moses in this week's first reading from the Book of Exodus was that he would free the people of Israel from slavery in the land of Egypt. Now that we've been thoroughly into Lent for a while, we have each probably discovered what sins we are slaves to. It is not slavery in the land of Egypt from which we seek liberation. Rather, it is the sin to which we are beholden day after day that needs to be broken by the power of God. While fasting from food or drink is often in vogue during Lent, it might also be time to fast a bit from some of the noise of our world so that we can have some quiet time for self-reflection. This may be the week to turn off the cell phone or television for a brief period of time and listen to God speak to our hearts.
SPECIAL PROJECT FOR OUR CHURCH: After discussion for a number of months at Parish Council and Finance Committee meetings, approval was given this past week for an update to our church building. Over the years, the possibility of enclosing the worship space has been discussed. This would involve sets of doors at the back of he church, and panels between the pillars. The purpose would be to better define the worship space from the gathering area, and to provide a sound barrier between these areas. Noise traveling from the lobby into the church has been an issue many times, and by enclosing the rear of the church, this issue would be taken care of in most circumstances. A secondary benefit will hopefully be better management of hearing and cooling between these areas as well. A bid has been accepted to do this work, and will involve three doors at the main entrance point, glass panels between each of the brick pillars, and a door at the north end - next to the old confessional. One of the main doors will have an electric opener for handicap access.
This project will be completely paid for as part of a gift from Leona Horn of our parish. Leona made a most generous gift of $25,000 last year, to be used for special projects in the parish. Approximately one-third of her gift will be used for this work, and the remainder will be kept for other needs as they arise. We are most grateful to Leona for her gift, and this new improvement to our church facility!
Our hope is to complete the work by Easter. The doors and glass will match the current entryway doors, and will be clear glass, to maintain a clear view into the church. We will keep you posted as to when the work will begin. I believe this will be a functional and attractive addition to our church building.
MASS STIPENDS: We thank all who continue to provide our parish with mass offerings. At the present time, we have quite a few mass requests for weekend masses, but less requests on weekdays. If you have been thinking of bringing mass offerings, we would be happy to receive them, especially for weekday masses.
SIGN UP FOR SUNDAY SOCIAL: Helpers are needed each month, to serve the coffee, juice and donuts at mass on the weekend of our Sunday social. A sign-up sheet for this can be found in the lobby of the church. At least two people are needed to help with this at each mass. All is provided - you just need to be present to help at one of the masses.
PRAYER FOR THE PRIESTS BY THE FAITHFUL:
Dear Lord, We pray that the Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry. We pray that Mary will guide your priests to follow her own words, "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5). May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary's most chaste spouse. May the Blessed Mother's own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross. May your priests be holy, filled with the fire of your love seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
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Masses & Sacraments
Weekend Masses: Saturday 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.
Nursery Service: 10:30 a.m. Mass
Daily Masses: Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.
Confessions: Saturdays 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Baptisms: First Sunday of the month following the 10:30 Mass and third Saturday of the month following the 5:00 Mass. Pre-baptismal classes are to be taken.
Marriage: At least 6 months pre-notice is required
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| Pope Benedict XVI |
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A Family Perspective
By Bud Ozar
The words of Jesus in today’s gospel, “Don’t be troubled,” seem impossible. The disciples, Phillip and Thomas, had difficulty understanding this, but Jesus did not back off. He said to them, and says to us today, to “have faith” because anxiety and worry are the enemies of peace.
Immaculate Conception Masses:
Weekdays: Wednesday and Thursday - 8:00 a.m., Tuesday - 5:15 p.m., Friday - 9:00 a.m.
Weekends: Sat.-5:30 p.m. & Sun.- 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.
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