Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church
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Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church
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March 9, 2008
FATHER'S TWO-CENTS WORTH
I want to thank all of those who have supported the Diocesan Services and Ministry Appeal so far. We now have 192 members of the parish who have indicated that they are for this vital program of our Diocese. Our goal is at least 152 parishioners. At the present time, $34,510.7l has been pledged and donated toward our goal of $38,734. God has been good to all of us, and we can show our appreciation by sharing His goodness, the faith, through our participation in the CSMA. God bless all who have stepped up to the challenge to be a part of the Catholic Services and Ministry Appeal!
This week, we have our parish Penance Service, on Tuesday, at 7:00 P.M. There will be six priests here to administer the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation). We all have a responsibility to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year. It is also part of the requirements of the Divine Mercy Novena for the Indulgence. However, more than that, it is an opportunity to receive God’s mercy, and also His grace to lead a meritorious life toward heaven. It shows our love for God, as WE COME TO HIM to receive healing with Him, our church, our faith family.
There will also be penance services this week on Wednesday at St. Nicholas Church, at 7:00 P.M., and on Thursday at St. Clare of Assisi Church at 7:00 P.M. Both are in O’Fallon.
As I write this column, our March Blood Drive is this afternoon, and so I cannot give any results yet. I thank all of those who came to give blood today, and all who have volunteered to work. I thank the Scouts (boys and girls) who have given of their time to load out the Red Cross after the Blood Drive. I call your attention to our MAKE-UP DRIVE on Saturday, March l5th (next Saturday), from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. This is to accommodate those who could not come today (Thursday), and also to offer an opportunity to those who were deferred, or not feeling well today. Thanks for your support of the Blood Drive, from those who need your blood.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, and the following Sunday is Easter! Palms will be blessed at all Masses; at the 10:30 Mass on Sunday, the blessing will take place in the parish center, and a procession from there to Church will follow. For those of you who come to the 10:30 Mass, and who can participate in the procession, we start in the parish center.
On Thursday morning of this week, we will have the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the students of Holy Childhood School. We will have extra priests to help in this sacrament. I ask the parents to pray for their children in a special way on this day to help them prepare. Many of our students do not yet know their basic prayers, like the Act of Contrition.
Lenten Project PSR will be collecting dry goods for the Food Pantry as a Lenten service project. The 8th grade will be heading up this project and will be responsible for collecting and assigning items to each grade. The food pantry is in need of paper towels, tooth paste & brushes, dish soap, face soap, toilet paper, lotion, shampoo, etc. PSR will be collecting these items during the six weeks of Lent. Thank you for your help.
News IN OUR PARISH
ATTENTION ALTAR SERVERS There will be a training session for the Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil services. The training will be held at 10:00 am on Holy Thursday, March 20th. If you are not able to attend the training please call Mrs. Schneider at 566-2871 or Mr. Grawitch at 566-4319. Training session will take approximately one hour.
GIFT BEARERS Volunteers are needed to bring up the Offertory Gifts for the following Masses: Holy Thursday @7:30 PM, Holy Saturday @ 8:00 PM, and both Easter Sunday Masses. If you and/or your family would like the honor please call the rectory at 566-2958 or Ruth Wilhelm at 566-2885.
SHEPHERD SUNDAY March 22-23, The Concerned Christians Food Pantry of Mascoutah needs the following items this month: Hamburger Helper, Chile, Sloppy Joe sauce, fruit juice, applesauce, jelly, canned milk. Thank you for your donation to the food pantry.
CHURCH CHATTER It's time to submit your parish newsletter items and plans for the Church Chatter. We are looking for the news from Holy Childhood school organizations, parish organizations, committees, pastoral council, from the K. C. Council or HCCCW to small Christian Communities. If you have something to tell or share with the rest of the parish, please contact Linda Zacharski at 566-8022 or mail to 717 Knipp Ave or email to kzacharski@charter.net by March 25th.
Can you recall the last time you had a moment for yourself?...To Pray...To Relax...To be Quiet…? Now is the time to do something for yourself and God. Come with other women from your parish for the women's retreat on March 28-30. Join us for a time of rest, renewal, and spiritual nourishment at King's House Retreat and Renewal Center in Belleville. Contact Mary Elmore at 566-7315 for further information or to register.
ANNUAL CHURCH CLEANING Many hands are needed on March 29th at 9:00 AM to complete our annual church cleaning tasks. Please join fellow parishioners to clean "God's house", our church. Bring your rags and buckets. Also, there will be NO Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that morning.
AN INVITATION Special Mass at the Cathedral for couples celebrating their 25th, 50th, or 70th wedding anniversary, on Sunday, April 27th at 1:30 PM. Bishop Edward K. Braxton will celebrate Mass to honor all couples in the Diocese celebrating their Jubilee Anniversaries this year. A reception will immediately follow in the McCormick Center. The Cathedral is handicap accessible. If this is the year of your Jubilee Wedding Anniversary, the Bishop would like to extend to you a personal invitation to attend this event in your honor. Please contact your parish as soon as possible with your names and addresses so that they can forward them to the Bishop's office. Family members are welcome to accompany you. If you should forget to give us your names, or if you should not receive an invitation, your are still most welcome to attend. No special tickets will be required for admission.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION "Could you not then watch one hour with me?"
The church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord - not as one gift, however precious among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of Himself, of His person in His scared humanity, as well as the gift of His saving work. (Pope John Paul II)
Consider spending extra time with our Lord, especially during Lent. Come to find how peaceful and enriching your time spent in Eucharistic Adoration will be. The blessed Sacrament is exposed every Tuesday following the 8 o'clock Mass until 7 PM and on Saturdays from 9-10 AM.
Mass Intentions
Tuesday, March 11, 8:00 AM 1. LeRoy Schulte 2. Mildred Haas
Wednesday, March 12, 8:00 AM Viola Klinkman
Thursday, March 13, 8:00 AM Minnie Schoeberle
Friday, March 14, 8:00 AM Elsie & Louis Wombacher
Saturday, March 15, 5:30 PM 1. The Fabick Family 2. Vincent Walter
Sunday, March 16, 8:00 AM Mike Hopfinger 10:30 AM People of the Parish
TITHE FOR March 2, 2008
THIS COMING WEEK
MONDAY, March 10,
Tuesday, March 11, 8:00 AM Mass followed by Adoration until 5:00 PM 9:00 AM Quilting 7:00 PM HCCCW-pc 7:00 PM Holy Childhood Penance Service
Wednesday, March 12, 8:00 AM Mass 6:30 PM HC Book Club-hcs 7:30 PM Choir practice 7:00 PM St. Nicholas' Penance Service
THURSDAY, March 13, 8:00 AM Mass 9:00 AM Quilting 9:00 AM HCS Penance Service 7:00 PM St. Clare's Penance Service
FRIDAY, March 14, 8:00 AM Mass 5:30 PM Stations of the cross 7:00 PM Variety Show-hcs
SATURDAY, March 15, 9:00 AM Adoration 9:00 AM-2:00 PM Blood Drive-hcs 4:30 PM Confessions 5:30 PM Mass
SUNDAY, March 16, Palm Sunday Shepherd Sunday 8:00 &10:30 AM Masses 9:00 AM PSR-hcs
HOLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL
WEB SITE:
holychildhoodschool.com
Once upon a time in a nice little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By surprising coincidence, both were blind from birth.
One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest while the snake was slithering along the same path. The bunny tripped over the snake and fell down. “Oh, my,” said the bunny, “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ve been blind since birth, so I can’t see where I’m going. In fact, I’m also an orphan, so I don’t even know what I am.” “It’s quite okay,” replied the snake, “my story is much the same as yours. I’ve been blind since birth and never knew my mother. Tell you what, I could slither over to you, and figure out what you are.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful,” replied the bunny. So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, “Well, you’re covered with soft fur; you have really long ears; your nose twitches; and you have a soft cottony tail. I’d say that you must be a bunny.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you,” cried the bunny in obvious excitement. The bunny then suggested to the snake, “Maybe I could feel you with my paw, and help you in the same way you’ve helped me.” So the bunny felt the snake all over, and remarked, “Well, you’re scaly and smooth, you have a forked tongue, you’re impossible to pin down and you have no backbone at all. I’d say you must be either a consultant or possibly someone in senior management.”
The task of this joyful season is to bring our good humor and compassion to bear on the blind spots in our own lives and be on our guard for the times when we are too confident about who God is, how He works or what He can or cannot do. We need to open our eyes and see God in others.
Sincerely, Deacon Ron Karcher
IMPORTANT DATES: 7 PM on March 11th -- Preschool Open House 7 PM on March 18th -- Kindergarten Open House Mark your calendars!!!
MARCH CALENDAR
March 12 7-8:30 pm Meeting March 15 7:30 am Set-up for Make-up Blood Drive 2:00 pm Take down March 20 7:30 pm Mass followed by Egg Hunt and prayer service at Jamie Norrenberns' house. Bring flashlights. March 21 11:45 am Living Stations -- Meet at St. John's UCC March 23 Happy Easter! March 26 7-8:30 pm Meeting March 28 6:00 pm Meet at HCS for DYC. March 30 5:00 pm Return from DYC
ATTENTION FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES COMING UP April 12-13, there will be a Quest experience held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish in Herrin, IL. For more information or an application contact Ron Hulliung or Kathy Renth.
YOU'RE INVITED to join the Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton as he celebrates a special Mass for his Mother Dear on her 88th birthday Tuesday, March 11th at 10:30 a.m., Cathedral of St. Peter (The Blessed Sacrament Chapel). All are welcome.
CHICKEN DINNER St. Felicitas Church, 13322 Church Road, Beaver Prairie. On Palm Sunday, March 16th from 11 AM to 5 PM. The usual homemade bread, dressing, and desserts. Carry-outs available. Cafeteria Style. Adults $8 and children (6-12) $4. Look for signs on new Rt. 50, west of Carlyle and on Rt. 127, six miles north of Carlyle. Newly remodeled for faster Carry-out Service.
OLD FASHIONED QUILTING BEE at St. George Elementary School Gym, 319 E. Maple St., New Baden. March 24th & 25th from 9 AM to 3 PM also 6 to 9 PM. Lunch and good conversation will be served 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Sponsored by the St. George Ladies Sodality, Christian Mother's Club and Quilt Committee. The quilts to be worked are for the St. George picnic on August 9, 2008. Mass will be offered at 8 AM on Monday for those who wish to attend. Attendance Prizes!
BABYSITTING WORKSHOP on Friday, April 4th from 9 AM to 3:30 PM at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Millennium Room. For girls and boys currently in 6th-8th grades. Curriculum will include: What to expect as a babysitter; Safety and First Aid; Age appropriate activities and much more. Cost is $25 per child and includes lunch. Enrollment is limited to 35 participants. NO phone call reservations accepted. Registration is complete upon receipt of payment. For more information or to request a registration form, please call 618-234-2120 ext. 2099.
GOLDEN EGG RAFFLE St. Dominic church is having a Golden Egg Raffle with a grand prize of $20,000!!!!! Second prize is $5,000! And there will be 2 consolation prizes of $500 each. Only 2,000 tickets will be sold for $50 each. Drawing will be held on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. To get your name entered in the raffle, send your name, address, and phone number along with $50 to St. Dominic Church, 493 North Second St., Breese, IL 62230. For more information, call St. Dominic parish office at 526-7746.
WORLD MARRIAGE DAY Jesus came into the world so that we could see the truth and not be blind. Sometimes we are blinded in our marriage by the cares of the modern world. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend in this area is April 11th to 13th. To register or for more information call 888-889-9963 or go online to www.aweekendofdiscovery.org.
REMINDER: please turn in your Bi-Monthly Quilt Raffle tickets. Our first drawing is to be held this Tuesday, March 11th at the HCCCW monthly meeting. Tickets can be turned in as late as noon on the 11th to the rectory or the quilting room. Thank you.
HCCCW Norbert Zinck, a Holy Childhood graduate, will speak at the HCCCW meeting on March 11th at 7:00 PM. He has some interesting tales of his travels since his school days.
CEMETERY CLEAN-UP TIME! Please remove any old or out of season decorations by THIS Wednesday, March 12th at the Holy Childhood Cemetery. Old decorations will be discarded. Thank you.
FATHERS AND SONS The first ever Catholic Men's Conference for the Archdiocese of St. Louis will take place this Saturday, March 15th. The men of Holy Childhood have chartered a bus to and from the conference and at this time we have room for 5 more. If you would like to join us please contact Tom Norrenberns at 566-8531.
HC BOOK CLUB For a great Lenten read join us on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:00 in the parish center as we discuss The Day Christ Died by Jim Bishop. It's an inspiring classic on the last 24 hours of Jesus' life. It opens at 6 pm--the beginning of the Hebrew day--with Jesus and the apostles enroute to Jerusalem and the Last Supper. It closes at 4 pm of the following afternoon, when Jesus was taken down from the cross. Several copies are available through the library system; if you would like one contact Susan Anderson at 746-4775.
EASTER FLOWER MEMORIALS Now is the time to send in your request for Easter Flower memorials for your deceased loved ones. For $10 you can list one or two individual names or one or two family names. The Holy Childhood Council of Catholic Women (HCCCW) is sponsoring this program. The money is used for the purchasing of the Easter flowers and any other items needed for the altar. For your convenience, there is an Easter Flower envelope (dated March 2) in your church envelopes or use a white envelope and address it to HCCCW Easter Flowers. Make sure you list who the memorial is for and the donor's name on the envelope. Please make checks payable to HCCCW. Donations are needed by March 19th, to insure your loved one's names are included on the list displayed at all entrances to the church. For more information contact Pat Bowker 566-7089.
HCS KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Holy Childhood School will begin Kindergarten registration after a parent meeting on Tuesday, March 18th, and continue through June 6th. Holy Childhood Kindergarten is a full day program. There will be a parent meeting Tuesday, March 18th, at 7:00 PM in the School Meeting Room - a great time to meet the teacher, view curriculum and see the classroom. Parents may also register after the meeting. To register, you will need your child's birth certificate, social security number, and Baptismal certificate, if Catholic.. For more information, please call Deacon Ron Karcher, Principal at 566-2922.
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