For the People of our Parish The Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, and St. Stephen Updates for the hybrid meeting at St. Francis- Xavier and via Zoom on October 6th, 2020.

Stewardship - Our four parishes have volunteers to help foster stewardship activities within their respective parish. As part of the larger ACC stewardship committee, they will begin by sharing ideas for education to the concepts of stewardship; giving thanks for and sharing all that God has given us.
 
Young Adults - We are connecting with each parish to organize a unified Young Adult group to serve young adults from our 4 parishes.
 
RCIA - Working to align RCIA and Baptism preparation classes within the 4 parishes.
 
Evangelization - Volunteer representatives from our 4 parishes met to greet and meet each other, and to begin to organize as an "Evangelization team". The next goals are to establish a leader for this team as well as develop a letter to welcome everyone in our One in Christ ACC.
 
Worship - A Mass schedule for the upcoming Holy Days is being developed for the period through New Year's Day.
 
Parish Pastoral Council Engagement - Representatives from Our One in Christ ACC Council are meeting with their respective parish pastoral councils to "listen and learn". It is paramount that our Parish Pastoral Council is engaged and that we keep everyone informed of ACC activity progress; open communication is vital. At this time all four parishes will continue to have their own parish pastoral council and councils will continue to be invited to the conversation as recommendations are made by the St. Cloud Diocese. Contact us at: oneinchristacc@gmail.com Visit us at: oneinchristacc.org
Next meeting: Tues. Nov. 10th, 2020, @ 7:00 p.m. (virtual via Zoom)

Our offering of drive-thru communion has been well received and is going well. Please arrive by 10:45 to ensure you receive the Body of Christ before the Eucharistic Ministers leave. If you are serving as a Eucharistic Minister, please remain in the entryway until at least 10:45.

Greetings from SFX School, In the month of November, the SFX Fruit of the Spirit focus is on Gentleness. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he says “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” May our actions and words be gentle with one another. We have many things for be thankful for this month. First, of all, we are still in school and learning is happening every day at SFX! Students are getting outside for music class twice a week. A shout-out to Mrs. Yaggie-Heinen and our custodians for creating an outdoor classroom. Senora Mansell pushes her Spanish cart from class to class and alerts students of her arrival by honking a horn or ringing a bell. Some classrooms have audio speaker systems to help students hear the teachers’ instruction more clearly. Distant learners are tuned into the class lessons from home using iPads. The SFX Knowledge Bowl team has been preparing for virtual competitions with other area school teams. On Fridays, we gather together as a school community both in church and virtually for Mass to give thanks for the gift of Jesus and his love for us. Although, 2020 has been a year of change and challenges, our school community has worked together to create an engaging, faith-filled, learning environment for students in spite of it all. Thank you to all those who generously donated to the SFX Saints in Service Work-A-Thon. We reached our goal and raised more than $30,000 for our school! It looks like our weather is going to warm up so that work teams can get out to sites and complete their jobs for people in our community in need of a little extra help. The HSS wreaths and poinsettias will arrive at SFX School on November 18th for distribution. Thank you to all of those who purchased their holiday décor through the HSS wreath sale. The money raised provides for special events for students and staff at SFX School. Peace and blessings, Bonnie Van Heel, Principal

Look for the Share the Spirit Tree at St. Francis Xavier beginning November 21st and take one or more tags. If you are not able to attend Mass right now, consider a Cash Donation. You can call either Sue Heim or Judy Pohlkamp to find out how you can help the families our Parish has adopted. Return gifts to SFX no later than December 5th.

Sue Heim - 255-9923

Judy Pohlkamp -259-9483

For many local families, it’s difficult to find joy in the holiday season while struggling to provide a wonderful holiday experience. Our community neighbors have been hit particularly hard this year and with your support, you can help ease this worry for families in need by participating in Catholic Charities Share the Spirit program. Share the Spirit matches families experiencing hardship during the holiday season with individuals and organizations who wish to help. All sponsored families are nominated by area social workers or education professionals. When you sponsor a family, you receive a list of three wants and three needs for each household member. Families of all sizes are available for Share the Spirit sponsorship. We ask that donors spend about $70 per family member, which includes $60 for gifts and $10 for a grocery gift card.” To sponsor a Share the Spirit family, visit ccstcloud.org/share-the-spirit and complete and submit the online donor form. Gift-wrapped items are to be delivered to the former Save-A-Lot at 3316 W Division St, St. Cloud, on Thursday, December 10, between the hours of 8am and 5pm. You will receive information about your family via email on or around November 16, 2020. Or look for the Share the Spirit Tree at St. Francis Xavier beginning November 21st and take one or more tags. Return gifts to SFX to be delivered December 10th.

The KC Coats for Kids donation box is in the Gathering Place awaiting your donation of winter coats, hats, gloves, etc. which will be distributed to families in need. Donated items should be clean and in good condition (new or gently used). Adult coats may also be donated.

There are collection boxes in the Gathering Place for Toys for Tots. The Marine Corps Reserve “Toys for Tots” program can accept new toys only with an approximate value of $15 or more, for newborn children up to 16 years of age. Cash donations are welcome! Make checks payable to “Marine Toys for Tots”, a 501(c)3 organization.

We are currently awaiting the arrival of guidelines from the Diocese of St. Cloud for Faith Formation in parishes during the pandemic. We hope to have a plan in place soon for grades 1-10. Registration materials will be sent to you as soon as the plan is set. Thank you for your patience!

Shelby Vaske, Coordinator of Grades 1-5

Melissa Fox, Coordinator of Grades 6-10

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS:

It is my goal that EVERY student in grades 6-12 is prayed for, by name, everyday for this year. I look forward to telling each of our students that they are being prayed for by name by someone in our parish. What better way to support the youth in our parish as they continue to grow in their faith and also as they start to ask questions about their faith. Each of the envelopes in the gathering area will contain the names and a little information about three students in our parish. One of the greatest hesitations people experience when thinking about becoming a prayer partner is, “I don’t know what to pray for or how to pray.” Enclosed in your envelope will be six months worth of calendars. Each day there will be a short specific prayer to say, if you choose to use it. We ask that you fill out the bottom of the letter, to register as a prayer partner. Then we can mail you your second set of prayer calendars in February, but more importantly, we can hold you in prayer also.

Please prayerfully consider taking an envelope after mass, to become a prayer partner for the youth of our parish. If you would prefer an envelope be mailed to you, you can contact Melissa Fox (320-761-2217) or call the main office, and we will get one in the mail to you!

Sacred Heart Church will host “Grieving During the

Holidays” on Sunday, November 22 beginning at 1pm. This

is an opportunity for those who have experienced loss

(either recently or in the past) to talk about grief, self-care,

and finding hope in God’s promise of new life. The session

will be led by Jim Otremba, LICSW, who will provide

handouts and other resources. No registration is necessary;

all are welcome.

Have you suffered a significant loss? A death? Beginning

Tuesday, November 24 from 4-5:20pm at Sacred Heart,

Deacon Joe Kresky will facilitate four free sessions assisting

with healing. For questions or to sign up, call or text Deacon

Joe at 320-200-4454.

Next Sunday begins a new Liturgical year in our Church marking the four weeks of Advent as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord. St. Francis Xavier invites all members of One in Christ to take part in a challenge to pray daily during Advent. We especially encourage families with children to take time to pray together as we prepare for Christmas. The four candles of the Advent wreath are traditionally associated with the words; Hope, Peace, Joy and Love which will be the focus of our prayer in the coming weeks. Look for the Weekly Advent Challenge as we join our hearts in prayer and prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Christmas Mass Reservations

Yes! All will need a reservation this year to attend Mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

St. Francis Xavier parish is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of parishioners and visitors while adhering to both MN State and Diocesan mandates in regard to the Coronavirus. Therefore, to ensure proper distance for seating and not having to turn people away at our doors, we will take

reservations for Christmas Masses beginning December 1st using on-line sign-up at:

https://bookapew.com/app/mn/sfx

Two Christmas Eve Masses

4:00 p.m. This Mass will be livestreamed

8:00 p.m.

Two Christmas Day Masses

8:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. This Mass will be livestreamed

If you do not have access to a computer, call the parish

office to make your reservation. You will need to give

your name, current phone number and the number of

people to be seated with you.

Please Note: Reservations are NOT for a specific pew.

They will be used to ensure we do not exceed the number

we can safely accommodate. Once that number is

reached for a particular Mass, reservations for that Mass

will then be closed. We are currently limited to 250

people in attendance, therefore we strongly encourage

watching from home via livestream.

Make Plans Now, Then Make Your Reservation

beginning December 1st.

Help those in need have happier holiday season. We are collecting non perishable food for both Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army over the next several weeks. Please drop off your donations in boxes left in both entry ways of the Gathering Place. Thank you for your Generosity.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the formal process of bringing adults into full membership in the Catholic Church.

Who is R.C.I.A. for? For adults who have not been baptized or were baptized in another Christian tradition and desire to explore becoming Catholic. In addition, there is a process for families and children.

RCIA is a Parish Initiative - All baptized members are called to evangelize; to invite others to come to know Jesus Christ. The parish community participates by modeling Christian living and praying for participants throughout the process.

Have you ever invited anyone to explore RCIA or to consider membership in the Catholic Church?  Do you know of someone who might be interested? Or is it you? What is involved? Weekly sessions of presentation, study and discussion of Church teaching, structure, Tradition, and sacramental preparation. This most often takes place Fall to Spring culminating in the celebration of the Easter Vigil. How does one get started? You may call or meet in person with anyone of our Pastors, Deacons, Pastoral Associate or a parish contact listed below.

Our One in Christ Area Catholic Community is working together, sharing resources and instructors to serve those interested in knowing more about the Catholic Church.

For the next few weeks, names of interested persons will be gathered. Then a “Meeting of Inquiry” will provide time to gather (in-person or virtually) to pray, answer questions and provide information on how to begin RCIA.

Interested or Have Questions? Contact one of the following: Fr. Ron Weyrens, Fr. Tom Knoblach, Deacon Joe Kresky, Deacon Terry Jancik or Deb Rudolph – Numbers found on page 2. You may also contact:

Jessica Hommerding – St. Stephen – 320-255-0075

Shirley Scapanski – Annunciation – 320-259-

PRAYER PARTNERS: We still have several Prayer Partner Packets left in the gathering area. It is our goal to have every young person prayed for by name each day. If you are willing to take a packet and pray for 3 of our young people, please let Melissa Fox know (320-761-2217 or youthmin@stfrancissartell.org) and I will mail one to you.

To members of our Area Catholic Community,

For decades now, Catholic Charities have relied on members of local parishes to assist them at the Food Shelf.

Volunteers from Sacred Heart support the Food Shelf each year during the month of October and St. Francis Xavier assists in the month of January. We intend to continue this service and invite Annunciation to join Sacred Heart in October and St. Stephen to join St. Francis Xavier in January. The Food Shelf is just now beginning to bring back volunteers since COVID, and is asking for help in the form of Distribution Aides from Sacred Heart/

Annunciation next month.

Volunteers will receive onsite training so they can assist with NO CONTACT distribution. These volunteers will fill shopping carts in an assembly line process and must be able to bend, lift and stand for most of the shift.

There are 2 shifts Wednesdays (2:30-5:15 and 5:00-7:15) and one shift Fridays (8:30-12:15) throughout the month. Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age and those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Food Shelf is following COVID guidelines, including mandatory wearing of masks. During this time of virus, the Catholic Charities building is locked. Volunteers will enter through Donation Door D and press the "white button" for assistance. There, staff will greet the volunteer and assist with following the agency's COVID policies. This is an opportunity to provide a very real, necessary and meaningful service to others.

Catholic Charities is grateful for our prayers as well as time, talent and treasure. If you are able to volunteer in October, or have any questions at all, please contact Peggy Weber 259-7841

Thinking about Separation or Divorce? Hurting? Angry? Feel helpless? Retrouvaille is a lifeline for troubled marriages. Couples learn the tools to rediscover each other and heal their marriage. 100% confidential.

When:

December 4-6, 2020

February 5-7, 2021

Where: Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel 3450 Washington Dr, Eagan, MN 55122 800-470-2230 info@tcr-mn.org http://www.helpourmarriage.org

When it comes to racial bridge-building for white people, there is a lot of focus on listening to and learning from people of color. But there's also some important internal work that white people need to do as well. When white people don't understand some of the basic tenets of whiteness, it's hard to fully engage in the work of racial reconciliation. The Social Justice Concerns Committee invites you to be part of a 6-week series to understand more deeply what shapes and forms who we are. We will focus on the Four W's of white supremacy, white fragility, white identity and white privilege.

The 6-week series will be done over Zoom. We will "meet" on six Sundays from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm starting October 25th. We will use a resource from Be the Bridge that you can download and print at home.  If you do not have a way to do that, please contact one of the people listed below.  Cost is $10 and you can go to the "Be the Bridge" website at https://bethebridge.com/btb101/  to pay and download the booklet.

Please register for this series. Once you sign up you will get the Zoom link.  To register go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094facae2aa7f58-bethebridge

For more information contact Ken Wendinger at 320-251-2774 or Molly Weyrens 763-389-2115 or email stfrancissjcc@gmail.com.

Due to COVID-19, some restrictions remain in place for visiting patients at St. Cloud Hospital. In order to have clergy or volunteers visit, family members need to make a request to the Spiritual Care staff to have a pastoral visit from community members. At this time, we are not able simply to stop in and check the Chaplain's List as in the past. Thus, if a loved one is hospitalized and you would like a pastoral visit, please let the hospital chaplains know and they will contact us to arrange it. We apologize for this inconvenience as we seek to safeguard the health and safety of patients and staff. Thank you!

A number of people who are homeless are finding themselves living in tents and in their cars. If you could donate any of these supplies to help with their survival, please bring them into the church. If you would like to donate financially to the outreach work that is assisting them you may send checks to Homeless Helping Homeless, P.O. Box 475, St. CLoud, MN 56302 or contact Harry Fleegel hfleegel@aol.com or 612-868-0465. Items Needed - winter coats of all sizes, mittens, hats, warm socks, long underwear, snowpants, sleeping bags, tents, space heaters, propane tanks, $10-$20 gas cards ( this is for people living in their cars to stay warm). New or slightly used bath towels. Thank you for your generosity! For more information contact Molly Weyrens with the Central MN Catholic Worker - centralmncw@gmail.com or 320-316-3290

The Central MN Catholic Worker is helping to provide food for those who have been experiencing homelessness and are now sheltering in place in a hotel in St. Joe. Groceries are purchased each week and several meals are prepared. If you would like to volunteer, email Molly Weyrens at centralmncw@gmail.com. If you would like to donate, you can make out checks to Central MN Catholic Worker and send to P.O. Box 94, St. Joseph, MN 56374. Thanks for your support!

Dear Women of the Parish,

Every women of the parish, age 18 or older, is invited to consider joining the St. Monica Christian Women organization of our parish. This organization has been active since the parish was established back in 1949. We meet on the third Tuesday of the month beginning in September through May. However we do not usually meet in December or January. So as you can see, there are only about seven meetings a year. We hold various events throughout the year including our annual Craft Sale, the Poor Clare’s Tea fuel fund collection for the Poor Clair Sisters, BINGO in the fall and spring, collection of personal care items for Anna Marie Alliance, diaper drives, rose sale for local pro life groups, and will occasionally have guest speakers attend our meeting. We come together to pray and support each other and help raise funds to support those in need, both within our community and throughout the world.

We will begin our new year and have our first meeting on Tuesday, September 17 at 6:30 pm in Xavier Hall. We will begin our meeting in prayer and discuss what we have planned, so far, as an organization. Because we have had the summer off, this first meeting will primarily be a business meeting but will also be a great opportunity to visit with guests and catch up with each other on how their summer has been.

We invite all current members and those interested in joining us to watch for a Membership Enrollment Form in the bulletin on the weekend of September 8. Instead of mailing to only the current members, we want to invite everyone to consider becoming a part of this great group of women.

So, bring a friend, your ideas, any questions and make plans to attend.

Blessings on your days ahead.

Aggie Schulte, Linda Kmitch and Lisa Kirchner, CW officers

Please consider making a gift to our St. Francis Xavier Catholic School Endowment Fund. Your gift to the Endowment is a way to ensure all children seeking a Catholic education at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School are able to attend. Gifts of appreciated mutual funds shares, stocks or other assets can provide some wonderful tax benefits to you. Share your blessing at this time of year by giving a gift that keeps on giving! Please call Adam Vonderahe in the parish office at 320- 252-1363 (ext. 1105) to make a gift.

Pro-Life Christmas Cards are available for purchase in the Parish Office. Front of Card is Holy Family, by Margaret Werlinger. Inside reads: As we adore the Christ child, let us remember that each “little one,” born and unborn, is a precious gift from God. Wishing you all the blessings of this Holy Christmas season and throughout the New Year.
10 Cards and envelopes. $8.50

A consistent and committed way to contribute to the parish is via electronic giving. St. Francis Xavier works with Vanco. From the company website . . . . Vanco Payment Solutions is focused on meeting the unique needs of clients that count on predictable, recurring revenue. Faith-based, nonprofits and other relationship-oriented organizations— and the software providers and professional associations that serve them—rely on Vanco’s specialized approach to adding electronic payment options and enhancing current capabilities.

If you wish to learn more or pick up an authorization form, please contact Adam Vonderahe in the parish office. You can also go online to the parish website. The Donate/Payment button brings you to a secure site for making one time donations or for setting up recurring donations. Vanco protects the privacy of our parishioners and of St. Francis Xavier Parish, and we have been working with them for more than 17 years. Many parishioners have also taken the step to make “electronic” payments of a sort through the “Bill-Pay” program where they bank and have set up recurring donations. Thank you.