Photos of sister parishes--Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Kingston, Jamaica, and
St. Mary's Church in Florence, Wisconsin.
2019-20 PARISH ANNUAL MEETING/FINANCIAL REPORT . . . If any one is interested in receiving a copy of St. Mary's 2019-20 parish annual financial report which was presented at Mass recently, please contact Joanne in the parish office, and she will gladly provide you with a copy of the same.
Called to be Holy, Fully Engaged, Fully Alive
COVID-19 MASS UPDATE . . . On Monday, October 5th, Bishop David Ricken reinstated the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass in the diocese until further notice. Even with the reinstatement, we will continue to celebrate the Mass publicly every weekend for those who are able to attend and willing to strictly follow the proper health protocols. During this time of increased infection, our parish will be even more vigilant in observing the health protocols shared in the diocesan guidelines to prevent the spread of disease and allow as many people as is safe to come to Mass without fear of infection. The wearing of masks is mandatory at Masses celebrated throughout our diocese. Thank you for your support and compliance as we as a community of faith come together to worship in safety.
DO YOU KNOW of an adult who is interested in becoming Catholic, or a Catholic who is interested in completing their sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church by receiving Confirmation? Fr. Timothy is seeking interested individuals to begin planning for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program that will culminate in next year’s Easter Vigil. Please feel free to contact Fr. Timothy for more information or if you know of someone who is interested!
ST. VINCENT de PAUL REFLECTION: In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” To give thanks for all that God has given to you, have you considered answering the call to help serve the poor by joining the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
JESUS IS WAITING! Please know the worship space is open for prayer during regular parish office hours, 8:00 am — 12:00 noon, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. We simply ask that you enter through the parish office entry door. Come as you are and know that you are always welcome!
NEXT WEEKEND, October 17th and 18th, we will celebrate World Mission Sunday! Pope Francis invites the entire Church to support mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and parts of Latin America and Europe, where priests, religious and lay leaders serve the world’s most vulnerable communities. Please keep the Pope’s mission in your prayers and be generous in next week’s collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith! Specially marked envelopes can be found in the church entryway.
THE WEEK AHEAD
SATURDAY, OCT. 10th — Mass at 6:00 pm.
SUNDAY, OCT. 11th — Mass at 8:30 am. Rosary at 7:00 pm (temporarily suspended).
TUESDAY, OCT. 13th — Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation and Benediction from 4:30 pm —
5:20 pm. Mass at 5:30 pm. Rosary at 6:00 pm.
FRIDAY, OCT. 16th — Mass at 8:30 am. Liturgy of the Word at Florence Health Services at 10:00 am
(temporarily suspended).
SATURDAY, OCT. 17th — World Mission weekend! Fall cemetery clean-up at 8:30 am, at St. Mary’s Ceme-
tery. Mass at 6:00 pm. Special collection for World Mission Sunday.
SUNDAY, OCT. 18th — World Mission Sunday! Mass at 8:30 am. Special collection for World Mission Sun-
day. Rosary at 7:00 pm (temporarily suspended).
CEMETERY DECORATIONS . . . We ask that any old decorations be removed from St. Mary’s Cemetery by Thursday, October 15th, 2020. Please be considerate by kindly discarding your old decorations at home and by not placing them over the fence or by the cemetery shed. To obtain more rules and regulations for St. Mary’s Cemetery, please visit our website at www.stmaryflorence.org or simply contact the parish office.
FALL CEMETERY CLEAN-UP is taking place on Saturday, October 17th, at 8:30 am, at St. Mary’s Cemetery if any one is willing to help. Simply meet Joanne at the cemetery, and be sure to dress warmly. Gloves are helpful to bring, too, in addition to any totes you could bring to gather flowers in if you have them.
THE MONTH OF OCTOBER each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. In honor of this special occasion, we will pray the rosary in the worship space at 6:00 pm, on the following Tuesday evenings: October 13th, 20th and 27th. Please join us during this beautiful time of prayer and be sure to bring your rosary!
A HEARTFELT THANK YOU to ALL who contributed to St. Mary’s Human Dignity Mission special collection last weekend. Through your support and generosity, the amount of $541.00 was collected and will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Food for the Poor to purchase and distribute food for poor children and families in need at our twin parish in Kingston, Jamaica! Thank you, again, for your donations and for being a part of this great cause!
DID YOU KNOW? St. Mary’s Prayer Shawl Ministry has lovingly created and distributed more than 100+ shawls since its inception in 2009. Additional shawls are always being accepted, including monetary donations for yarn and/or donations of yarn, and may be dropped off at the parish office. (When donating yarn, please be sure to bring in three full skeins of the same or complimentary colors.) To learn more about this vibrant ministry or to request a prayer shawl, please contact the parish office or Yvonne Podner at 715-336-2376.
------------------------------------------week of October 3/4, 2020, below-----------------------------
Called to be Holy, Fully Engaged, Fully Alive
ST. MARY’S HUMAN DIGNITY MISSION UPDATE . . . Food for the Poor has begun an initiative in cooperation with the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas (PTPA), the organization that assisted St. Mary’s Parish in twinning with the Holy Rosary Church in Kingston, Jamaica. Due to the coronavirus, parishioners in Jamaica and Latin America are in a daily struggle for survival. Because they practice social distancing to protect their families, they face the more difficult challenge of providing food security for their families. PTPA has received information that communities are facing chronic hunger and severe malnutrition due to the current circumstances.
Food for the Poor approached PTPA with this unique opportunity: Food for the Poor had identified donors who are willing to match, dollar–for-dollar, donations made by PTPA parishes to provide food for their twin parishes in impoverished countries. This means that a donation from our parish will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Food for the Poor to purchase and distribute food for our twin parish! There will be 10% that will be used to support Food for the Poor’s mission partners in Latin America and Jamaica that will handle the food distribution. To take advantage of this opportunity, we will be holding a special collection this weekend, October 3rd and 4th, to raise funds that will be matched! Let’s not miss this opportunity to share God’s love and mercy by helping to feed the people of our sister parish, Holy Rosary Church in Kingston, Jamaica, during this difficult time.
When PTPA contacted Br. Bernie from Holy Rosary, he sent back an e-mail that stated, “Yes, by all means we need assistance with food! Let us keep each other in our prayers”. He also thanked us for the donated altar server gowns. He indicated that they are not currently using altar servers due to the coronavirus, but once they are, they will share pictures!
Thank you in advance for your generous support of this important collection!
A PUBLIC SQUARE ROSARY is taking place on Saturday, October 10th, at 12:00 noon, at the Florence Community Center in Florence, WI. Be sure to bring a lawnchair! Rosary being held rain or shine!
ST. VINCENT de PAUL REFLECTION: The good news of this Gospel is that all we need to do is let God tend us and bring us to produce good fruit. All we need to do is be faithful; God will take care of the rest. Please know that through your donations, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is able to “bring good news to the poor”.
THE WEEK AHEAD
SATURDAY, OCT. 3rd — Mass at 6:00 pm. St. Mary’s Human Dignity Mission collection.
SUNDAY, OCT. 4th — Mass at 8:30 am. St. Mary’s Human Dignity Mission collection. Rosary at 7:00 pm
(temporarily suspended).
TUESDAY, OCT. 6th — Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation and Benediction from 4:30 pm —
5:20 pm. Mass at 5:30 pm. Rosary at 6:00 pm. Clergy Congress (via virtual Zoom meeting).
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7th — **Kick-off of religious ed—grades 1-6 from 3:30 pm — 5:00 pm; and grades 7-
11 from 6:00 pm — 7:30 pm. **(In church religious ed CANCELLED due to pandemic. On-line ver-
sions to be determined. More information to follow.
FRIDAY, OCT. 9th — Mass at 8:30 am. Liturgy of the Word at Florence Health Services at 10:00 am
(temporarily suspended).
SATURDAY, OCT. 10th — Mass at 6:00 pm.
SUNDAY, OCT. 11th — Mass at 8:30 am. Rosary at 7:00 pm (temporarily suspended).
CEMETERY DECORATIONS . . . We ask that any old decorations be removed from St. Mary’s Cemetery by Thursday, October 15th, 2020. Please be considerate by kindly discarding your old decorations at home and by not placing them over the fence or by the cemetery shed. To obtain more rules and regulations for St. Mary’s Cemetery, please visit our website at www.stmaryflorence.org or simply contact the parish office.
OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES to the family and friends of Jeffrey Hickey who passed away recently and whose funeral service was held this past Wednesday at Jacobs Funeral Home. May we continue to keep Jeffrey and all his family in loving prayer.
THE MONTH OF OCTOBER each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. In honor of this special occasion, we will pray the rosary in the worship space at 6:00 pm, on the following Tuesday evenings: October 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th. Please join us during this beautiful time of prayer and be sure to bring your rosary!
THANK YOU to ALL who graciously offered their time and attention to water the outdoor flowerbeds around church during the summer months, including, but not limited to: Sue King; Jessica McCoy and Family; Amy Johnson and Family; Dan and Cindy Throm; Jeanne Waitrovich and Family; Will Kelley; Ewa Papciak; and Barb Kensik. And, a special THANK YOU to Al and MaryKay Williams (and Meg Dallapiazza) for their help with the flowerscapes in front of the altar and for all the work they did on the flowerbeds. All your help is deeply appreciated! May God bless you! St. Mary’s Art and Environment Ministry—Barb Kensik, Chair
ON-LINE GIVING OPTIONS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: While the parish has received many generous donations throughout the past weeks during the shutdown, and we have applied with many other small businesses for the Payroll Protection Program, I did want to make you aware that the diocese has made available to all parishes an on-line giving option during these days of parish shutdowns, so people may continue to support the work of their parishes. You can make a one-time online gift, or setup a recurring (weekly, monthly) gift that will be made and then forwarded on to the parish of your choosing. To access the online giving page through the Diocesan Catholic Foundation, simply visit https://www.givecentral.org/appeals-form-registration/acp5e7d16110ebfd/user/guest.
Thank you for your consideration of our parish needs during this difficult time for us all! Gifts may also be dropped off at the church using your envelopes at St Mary’s any weekday morning, or left in the mailbox outside the main entrance.
God bless! Fr. Timothy
