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May 4, 2008
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Class Schedule
Monday, May 5 - Grades 1-2-3
Wednesday, May 7 - Grade 10
Wednesday, May 7 - Grades 6-7-8 Life Teen Mass for youth and families. This is the last scheduled class night. All youth are expected to attend. Attendance will be taken. Families are also invited and encouraged to attend.
Parents,
As your children and teens complete another year of growing in their knowledge of the Catholic faith, we ask you to make every effort possible to thank the catechists and aides who have assisted you in teaching the scripture and traditions of our Catholic faith. This can be done by a thank you note, a personal acknowledgement, or a small token of appreciation.
Eileen Garcia
Bonnie Van Heel
SCHOOL NEWS
Transition Day
Monday, May 5th is Transition Day; SFX sixth grade students will visit the school they will attend as seventh graders. This is one way of helping the sixth graders make a smooth transition from St. Francis Xavier to their next school. Going their separate ways, members of this year’s class will go to Sartell Middle School and John XXIII. Each student will be paired with a current seventh grader with whom they will go through the day at their school. They will see what it is like to go through a normal school day: how to do lunch, how to get to class within the allotted time, location of restrooms, media center, computer lab, what the lockers will be like, etc. SFX tries to help students make a smooth transition by providing them with information. We thank the administrations of John XXIII and Sartell Middle School for their hospitality.
Grades 3-6 Take the ITBS
This week, students in grades 3-6 are taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills Test. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is a nationally standardized, norm referenced test. A nationally standardized test is a test that each test-taker is administered in the same way across a specified reference population (e.g., age groups, grade groups, etc.). Therefore, the score interpretations are based on a comparison of the test taker’s performance to the performance of other students in the nation; it compares students’ abilities rather than to a criteria. The ITBS allows educators to get a look at the performance of their students in relation to the rest of the nation. The ITBS was developed at the University of Iowa, and is based on over seventy years of on-going research.
Linda Wilfahrt, School Principal
PARISH LANDSCAPING & FLOWER POTS
Each spring the flower pots come out and the flower beds are adorned with new, colorful flowers and plants. Parishioners are invited to make memorial gifts or honorariums to remember special people in their lives. Funds received help purchase the new flowers that brighten the flower pots and flower beds around our campus. If you are interested in making such a gift, just put the donation in an envelope and mark it Spring Flowers. Also list the names of the person(s) that you want to remember on the envelope. The Memorial Day worship aid will list those remembered or honored.
Additionally, help will be needed to plant the flowers when the time is right and the threat of frost (and snow!) has passed. Watering the flower pots over the summer will keep the flowers blooming until Labor Day – help for that is also appreciated. Call Tom Offerdahl in the parish office if you have questions about how you can help. Thanks for the continued generosity of time, talent, and treasure that is offered to keep our grounds looking so good!
CHURCH/COMMUNITY EVENTS
MOTHER/DAUGHTER BREAKFAST— "The Many Hats Women Wear" Saturday, May 10,St. Cloud Civic Center, Terry Haws Center 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. Theme is "Singing in the Rain" by Creative Impressions Entertainment, Inc. Celebrating life with a smile! Join us for singing, comedy and interaction as we gather to celebrate all women and the gift of life. This event celebrates Mothers, Mothers-in-law, Daughters, Daughters-in-law Sisters, Sisters-in-law, Grandmothers. Every woman is a daughter; therefore, if you are a woman, you are invited to join us! JOIN THE FUN, WEAR A HAT! Suggested age for children is 10 and older. Tickets must be purchased for all ages, we are billed for all children who take a chair. Please register prior to May 7. Call 252-4721 for registration and information.
FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF LITTLE FALLS invite the public to a series of Evening Enrichment Gatherings focused on Exploring the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi at the Franciscan Welcoming House in St. Cloud, September 2007-May 2008. The last in this series of gatherings entitled, “A Compassionate Heart gives and receives…is birthed to Eternal Life,” will be held on Thursday, May 15, 6-8 p.m. All Enrichment Evenings will include dinner, followed by reflections and prayer. Men and women of all ages are welcome to join the sisters for shared faith, food and fun. The Franciscan Welcoming House, located at 1600 11th Avenue South, St. Cloud. Sister Cordy Korkowski, who lives at the Welcoming House, will be the presenter for May 15. For more information on the Franciscan Welcoming House and to RSVP by May 13, contact (320)229-0307, (320)240-6184 or email: franciscanwelcoming@fslf.org.
CONFIRMATION will take place at St. Francis Xavier Church on Sunday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m. Students from St. Stephen Parish will also be joining us. Please pray for all the young men and women of these two parishes as they make final preparation to confirm their faith.
STEWARDSHIP
Our 2007/08 Weekly Collection Goal is $16,750.00 Needed to Date …………….. $ 737,000.00
4/27/08 Collected ………….. $ 15,708.82
Received to date ………… $ 812,371.08
Surplus to date ……… + $ 75,371.08
PARISH DEBT REDUCTION
Our Current Debt ..…………….. $ 430,000.00
Received 4/27/08 ……………….. $ 190.00
*Parish debt is paid off after we accumulate $10,000.00 or more
In today’s Gospel, Jesus prays, ―I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.‖
Good stewards follow His example by using their time and talents for the glory of God.
ATTN: ST. MONICA CHRISTIAN WOMEN
Please mark your calendar for The Honorary Christian Woman’s Dinner which will be held Thursday,
May 15th, starting with Mass at 5:30 p.m. After Mass, join us in the Gathering Place for dinner. This dinner is being held to honor all Christian Women, however, we especially want to honor those women who have been installed as a Christian Woman for 35 or more years or are 65 years of age or older. It is a great time to celebrate with those who have offered so much over the years.
If you are able to join us, please RSVP by May 10 to Bonnie Nies at 252-7838 or Sue Schlosser at 259-4770 so the proper amount of food can be prepared. Call Bonnie or Sue if you want to help with the planning and serving of the meal. If you are in need of a ride, also call Bonnie or Sue.
Watch the bulletin for more information regarding a visit to the St. Cloud Children’s Home in late May.
Thank you and God Bless, Bonnie & Sue
A LOCAL MISSIONARY FAMILY
Last weekend, there was a special flyer in the bulletin telling the story of the Rich & Laura Scanlon Family regarding the upcoming Mission work they will be doing through FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students).
After reading their story, would you prayerfully consider ―adopting them‖ as missionaries?
Any help you may give them will be greatly appreciated and will help them evangelize to the next generation of Catholics.
MOTHER'S DAY FLOWERS
As in the past years, youth from our parish will be distributing carnations at the entrances of the church on Sunday, May 11, Mother’s Day. Please consider making a donation and thanking your mother with flowers. As you present them to her, say Thanks for Life.
All proceeds from the flower sales will be used to promote Prolife awareness.
Thank you for your past and upcoming financial support.
PASTORAL MINISTRY
Our BeFrienders group will meet on Monday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. in Xavier Hall. Please bring your journals.
Parish Nurses will meet on Wednesday, May 14 at 4:30 p.m. followed by a meeting of the Health and Wellness Committee at 5:30 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Welcoming Sunday will be held on Sunday, June 1 at the 10:30 a.m. Mass, for those who have recently registered and their guests.
BeFriender candidates are asked to meet with me on Wednesday, May 14 at 9:00 a.m. in my office. Commissioning of two newly trained BeFrienders will take place on Sunday, May 18 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. In upcoming bulletins, I will introduce you to the two new candidates.
Thanks to the many people who attended the fundraiser for Kianna Condon. Let us continue to remember the family in our support and prayers.
With Earth Day just celebrated, let us be mindful
of how our generation can respect the earth and all of our resources. It takes 700 to 1000 years for a plastic bottle in a landfill to biodegrade. At present 31 countries suffer from water scarcity. While 70% of the Earth is covered in water, only 1% is suitable for human consumption.
Sister Cordy
Are you a Cancer Survivor?
If so, you are invited to attend:
A Celebration of Life
National Cancer Survivor Day
Sponsored by
The American Cancer Society
Greater St. Cloud Relay for Life
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Trobec’s Event Center, St. Joseph, MN
Survivor Social: 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Dinner: 6:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Sheila K. Letcher
Motivational/Humorist Speaker, Cancer Survivor
Dinner provided for all Survivors.
Guests may purchase dinner tickets at the door.
$10.00 per guest.
To reserve your place at the Celebration, please contact:
Barb Kuester at the American Cancer Society 229-7787
RSVP BY Friday, May 23, 2008
NOTES FROM THE PASTOR
I enjoyed reading a commentary written by Fr. Daniel Durken, O.S.B. published by Liturgical Press (Collegeville) regarding today’s Feast of The Ascension of the Lord. He talks about one small word, ―up,‖ as a word which summarizes Jesus’ ascension. Durken points out how the dictionary has 151 entries for the word ―up.‖
I thought this was a fun paragraph from his commentary: Apart from the dictionary ,we begin our day when we wake up and get up, heat up a cup of breakfast coffee and pick up the morning paper, hurry up to work, open up the office and the morning mail and boot up the computer. Eventually it is time to close up the shop, drive up the road and find out “what’s up” at home.
I think the point was driven home—in speaking, we apparently use the word “up” more than we may realize.
However, for the disciples, it appeared that things were not really ―looking up.‖ The angels who were present at the time of Jesus’ ascension didn’t seem to be impressed by the disciples looking up to the sky. They asked, ―Why are you standing there looking at the sky?‖
In the Gospel, Jesus says nothing about going ―up, up, and away.‖ Rather he uses another little two-letter word when he says to the disciples, ―go and make disciples of all the nations.‖ And that wasn’t all: Not only were they instructed to make disciples of all the nations, they were to observe all that Jesus had commanded them.
The daunting task—the challenge given the disciples seemed to have worked quite well because Christianity has really spread to all the ends of the earth.
Indeed the faith has grown. It’s like Jesus’ story about the tiny mustard seed that grows into a large shrub where the birds of the air come to find their home.
Jesus’ mandate to the disciples continues today. The task, challenge, or mission of proclaiming the Gospel to others was left to us, the Church. This, though, does not imply that the proclamation mission was left to the leaders of the Church. No, by the nature of our baptism, we each share in the mission of Christ to invite
When we actually observe the commands of Christ, we lead others by good example. We may also help other Christians deepen their faith by sharing our faith with them.
We deepen our faith through study and contemplation. We deepen our faith through prayer and the reception of the sacraments—particularly the Holy Eucharist where Jesus is really present. That is to say, in the Eucharist we receive the very life of Jesus.
Therefore, let’s see the things of heaven not by looking up to the sky, but by looking within ourselves, and by going out into the world to find Jesus in others, especially the poor and the poor in spirit. Let’s truly GO, to love and to serve the Lord.
God’s Blessings, Fr. Lauren
MAY IS THE MONTH OF MARY
We celebrate and Honor the Mother of Our Savior
In May we celebrate the
Month of Mary, Mother of God.
"Blessed art thou among women."
Prayer of the Month
An Act of Consecration to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Mary, Mother of God and Virgin,
I choose you this day for my queen, patron, and advocate, and firmly resolve and purpose never to abandon you, never to say or do anything against you, nor allow others to dishonor you. Receive me, I beg of you, as your perpetual servant; assist me in all my actions, and do not abandon me at the hour of my death. Amen+
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
The following children became members of our Church through the sacrament of Baptism:
Jacob Lynn, son of Michael & Amber Wold and
Aubrey Rose, daughter of Joe & Katie Stang.
Congratulations and welcome to God’s Family.
FR. JERRY NORDICK'S 25TH
Fr. Jerry Nordick will be celebrating his 25th Anniversary of priesthood this spring. There will be an Anniversary Mass in his home parish of St. Thomas Church in Kent, MN on Sunday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. You are invited to the lunch at the church after the Anniversary Mass. If you are not able to make it to Kent, you may send a card to: Fr. Jerry Nordick at 25-8th Ave. So., St. Cloud, MN
AREA STREET WORK
Please drive carefully with all of the street work being done around the parish. Lots of equipment, piles of dirt, trenches, and water and sewer pipes may impede traffic at times. With 1st Street North being re-done, entry into the south parking lot may be an adventure some days. The city has told us that any trenches directly in front on the driveways will be closed as quickly as possible to keep access to our church available most of the time. Weekend access to the church for regular worship, weddings, and other events will be maintained.
Please pray for good weather, safety for the workers and motorists, and all of our neighbors (and parishioners) that are affected by the construction.
LAST “SCRAP” NIGHT
With summer quickly approaching and everyone’s schedules filling up, we will be having our last scarp booking night on Friday, May 9 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Xavier Hall. If you can join us, consider bringing a dish to share and spend the evening putting the final touches on those graduation books or baby books. If you have questions,
e-mail Bridget at bhamak@charter.net
We hope you will join us. If not, have a great summer!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will be held July 28th-August 1st from 9:00-11:30 a.m. All VBS participants will be asked to participate in a very special way at the10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, August 3rd.
Vacation Bible School is for children ranging in age from those who are entering kindergarten to those who just completed 4th grade. Registration will take place in late May. Please watch the church bulletin for details!
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