So that we can manage our 25% capacity limit, we ask that you reserve a seat for each weekend Mass you want to attend by going online to:

https://bookapew.com/app/mn/sfx  

If you do not have access to a computer or smart phone, call the Parish office ( 252-1363) and leave the names of those who wish to attend and your email or phone number. If you arrive for Mass without a reservation to attend, you may be seated only if adequate space allows. I recognize this sounds extreme, but we want to be as prepared as we can to safely accommodate people and meet the requirements of the diocese and state.

Weekday Mass will not need a reservation.

Here is the Mass schedule for our One in Christ

Area Catholic Community, effective July 1, 2020: Annunciation Parish in Mayhew Lake: Monday and Thursday mornings at 8:30 am and Sunday morning at 8:30 am.

St. Stephen Parish in St. Stephen: Tuesday at 5:30 pm and

Thursday at 8:30 am and

Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 10:30 am.

Sacred Heart in Sauk Rapids:

Tuesday at 5:30 pm and

Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 am and Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 9:00 am

(Please note that the Sunday schedule is temporary and will change to two Masses at a date to be determined.)

St. Francis Xavier in Sartell:

Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 am (during school year Friday Mass at 9:00 am) and

Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 9:30 am (Please note that the Sunday schedule is temporary and will change to two Masses at a date to be determined.)

--

For the People of our Parish

The Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake, Sauk

Rapids, Sartell, and St. Stephen

Updates for the virtual meeting via Zoom on Tuesday,

May 26th, 2020

Our ACC plan to the diocese for the sharing and

growth of our four parishes was revised and

resubmitted to now include target completion dates

and a slightly revised weekend Mass schedule that

proposes to change St. Stephen's Saturday evening

Mass to 7:00 p.m. from the earlier plan of 5:00 p.m.

A sample ACC Combined Bulletin was reviewed.

Upon review, it was decided that we attempt a

second version combined bulletin that has two pages

devoted to community/common information with an

additional page for each parish. When including

advertising, the total length to be 8 pages, with the

possibility of going to 10 pages if needed. Each

parish would still have the option of providing an

insert for their own particular needs. Specific

bulletin content has not yet been determined.

The trustees from each parish will be meeting with

the diocese' newly assigned priest/s to determine

the financial obligations (percentages) for each

parish relating to priest's salaries and expenses.

This information is needed for budgeting and

planning purposes.

A weekday Mass schedule was proposed and will

be relayed to the new priests of our ACC.

Mayhew Lake - 8:30 a.m. on Monday and

Thursday

Sauk Rapids - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8:00

a.m. Wednesday; 8:00 a.m. Friday;

(perhaps Word and Communion at 8:00

a.m. Monday)

Sartell - 8:00 a.m. Wednesday; 9:00 a.m.

Friday during school year, otherwise at

8:00 a.m.; (perhaps Word and

Communion at 8:00 a.m. Monday)

St. Stephen - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8:00 a.m.

Thursday

2:00 p.m. Wednesday at Country Manor

2:00 p.m. Thursday at Good Shepherd

Contact us at: oneinchristacc@gmail.com

Visit us at: oneinchristacc.org

Next meeting: Tues. June 16th, 2020 @ 7:

--

For the People of our Parish

The Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake,

Sauk Rapids, Sartell, and St. Stephen.

Updates for the virtual meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, March 31st, 2020:

A oneinchristacc@gmail.com e-mail account has been created for our ACC. It is an account whereby all parishioners can use it to contact our ACC planning council with questions or comments.

A oneinchristacc.org website is currently under development. Ultimately, our hope is that this website will contain information relating to our ACC as well as the Sunday bulletins for each of the four parishes within our One in Christ ACC.

The "Progressive Supper", as a "community building event" has been tabled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Our ACC plan that was submitted to the diocese and Bishop Kettler last winter has been reviewed and returned to us with feedback, recommendations, and expectations. The following are the first three we will address.

First - that we have some sort of joint bulletin. Discussions relating to format, frequency, and method of availability are now under way and will be spearheaded by a "bulletin team".

Secondly - that our ACC activity needs to include more "outreach" focus. The RCIA team will start by revising the plan to include methods for "keeping families engaged between Baptism and First Communion".

Thirdly - that we have a Mass schedule that has staggered Mass times. The Mass time subcommittee will meet to discuss and develop a revised proposal.

Next meeting: If held in person, it will be Tuesday, May 5th, 2020, @ 7:00pm at St. Francis Xavier Church in Sartell. If not in person, it will be a virtual meeting for that same time.

--

For the People of our Parish

The Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, and St. Stephen

Updates for the meeting on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 @ Sauk Rapids

A "One in Christ" ACC shared website was discussed and will be created showing and linking our four parishes.

Individual church bulletins will remain the same for now.

We are looking into a communication platform, an app, on which our four parishes can share information.

A Community building event, a “Progressive Supper”, is being planned. Its purpose is to introduce and bring our ACC community together.

Our ACC is in support of a request that was made to the Bishop that an additional priest be added to our ACC. It would help us to better serve the 10,000 plus members of our four parishes.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 at 7:00p.m. at St. Francis Xavier.

-----

For the People of our Parish

The Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, and St. Stephen. Updates for the meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 @ Mayhew Lake.

 

Our ACC Planning Council approved the subcommittees’ proposals for the four elements of Stewardship, RCIA Evangelization, Young Adult and Worship. These four proposals will be submitted to the Diocese for review and approval.

 

A consensus was reached on Mass times.

Annunciation: Sunday 8:00 am

Sacred Heart: Saturday 5 pm and Sunday 10:00 am

St. Francis Xavier: Saturday 5 pm and Sunday10:00 am 

St. Stephen: Saturday 7:00 pm and Sunday 8:00 am

The above Mass time schedule, beginning July 2020, is part of the Worship element that is being submitted to the Diocese for review and approval.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 at 7:00p.m. at Sacred Heart Church.

-----------------------------------------

The "One in Christ" logo has been selected to represent our Area Catholic Community of Mayhew Lake, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and St. Stephen.

In the formation of our ACC, Bishop Kettler is asking that we come together and share our strengths and challenges. Then, as an Area Catholic Community, we can address our challenges.

The first four elements that we will work on will be in the areas of:

- Young Adults (ages 18-28) - opportunities for faith formation and growth

- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) - part of Evangelization

- Caring for the Poor - Part of Stewardship

- Worship Schedule - Mass times

 

From within our ACC Planning Council, subcommittees have been formed for each of

the above elements with one representative of each parish on each subcommittee.

We ask all parishioners to please contemplate the four areas: Young Adults, RCIA, Caring for the Poor, and Worship Schedule. Provide your suggestions/feedback to one of your parish representatives. Keep in mind that as an Area Catholic Community our goal is to use our collective strengths to address our collective challenges.

Next meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 at St. Stephen @ 7:00 p.m.

Using the best seeds doesn’t always guarantee the best plants. An older Italian gentleman straight from Italy gave me these amazing tomato seeds that he claimed produced the best tomatoes ever grown. Without doubt, the fruit he shared with me was a testament to that fact.

These tomatoes were amazing! I couldn’t wait until the next growing season to plant these seeds and harvest my own tomatoes. The whole experiment ended up a failure.

I did everything the gentleman said, but my fruit didn’t even come close. What happened? At first I was perplexed, then some years later the light dawned. The problem wasn’t the seeds, it was the soil!

You cannot sow seeds in any old place and in a haphazard way and expect them to be at their best. It doesn’t work that way. Planting the seeds is the easiest part. Preparing the soil is the challenge. Tilling, mulching, enriching, and building up the nutrients are all required for good fruit. Then after the seeds are planted, more care is required in order to maintain that healthy, nutrient rich environment for those seeds to sprout, grow, and flourish. God happily sows the seeds of his Word. What

do we do with them?

If we expect to be a passive bystander and have good fruit magically grow, we are mistaken. Bearing the good fruit of God’s Word requires preparation and work. We have to cultivate the soil of our lives so that those seeds can find a proper home. This one thing alone takes a great deal of patience, time, and effort. What kind of preparation have we put into our lives so that we can be a recipient of God’s seed? It takes a great deal of soulsearching and ego-checking to properly prepare. God is the ever faithful and persistent sower. If the seeds do not bear fruit the first time, God will come back time and time again, giving it another try.

If we have created a suitable bed for sowing, then once the seed is sown, we must properly maintain them. What is our maintenance plan for the seeds of God’s Word? We need not only a source for water but a watering schedule. We need to weed, aerate the soil, nurture the young plants, protect them, and provide proper nutrients.

What does our spiritual maintenance plan look like? If we have done all things well, imagine what the seeds of God’s Word could produce in us!

©LPi

If you Google Search recommendations on how to

raise generous children, almost every list of ideas

begins with — or at least contains — the directive

for adults to be good models of generosity

themselves. Our children learn from our actions much

more than from our words. Of course, when I think

back over the years while my children were growing

up, I think I may have learned as much from them as

they learned from me. There is a time between

early childhood and middle school where a child

seems to be freer to give and share than at any

other time in life. It is around the age of First

Communion when the cries of “mine” turn to laughter

and smiles, and the urge to be a part of something

bigger than oneself leads to sharing. Before you

know it, the child hits the pre-teen years, and once

again, he or she becomes the center of the universe.

I believe that the previous paragraph is all true,

however, the stages described seem to repeat

themselves throughout adulthood. Don’t you agree?

Sometimes we fall into seeing ourselves as the center

of the universe, or we become consumed by our

state in life or with what we have acquired. Also, we

at times are generous and loving people. It is sin

that draws us back into ourselves and away from

any meaningful life of stewardship and generosity.

In order to be freed for love, we need role models

to help us see what really matters. We need to

reflect on the example of many of our brothers and

sisters in Christ. And, yes, we need to look to

children who may be at the point in their lives where

sharing is fun, and love is something in abundance.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

Come to Christ Life is perhaps God’s greatest gift to each of us.

Without life, we would be unable to experience all the wonder of this world, the love of family and friends, and the joy that comes from using our talents and skills. Life itself is more profound a gift than we can even truly contemplate.

On Easter, we celebrate life. For on this day, Jesus Christ conquered death and gave to us the chance for a life eternal. The wonder, love, and joy of this world does not have to end. Through a life in Jesus Christ, these emotions are heightened, and we find even greater fulfillment in this world.

Maybe this Easter you find yourself open to take a next step in your relationship with Jesus. This could be the moment you decide to follow Him more closely and take seriously all that he has given you. If so, welcome to the journey, where there are many other disciples on that same path who can help show you the way and share their stories. If not, hopefully it doesn’t take a whole year for this possibility to be considered again.

Jesus is alive and waiting to get closer to you. May this Easter season find you and Our Lord getting to know one another in a whole new way.

Happy Easter!

—Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

When we awoke this morning, we found ourselves

blessed with another day. It is Easter Sunday. As

that thought crossed our minds, did we find ourselves

saying “so what” or “alleluia”? For many, today is

truly a day of alleluia. For others, it is just another

day of “so what.” Faith makes a huge difference. It

not only makes a difference in how we understand

today and the significance of what we celebrate, it

also makes a huge difference in terms of how we

understand ourselves.

Succeed, live well, be productive, find your niche,

follow your dreams, make money, protect your

social status, be politically correct, and keep your

preferences to yourself are pretty good examples

of the messages our secular life wants us to hear. In

and of themselves, they don’t sound all that harmful.

But when really examined, they are. The life of

resurrection embodied in the Gospel tells us a much

different story.

Life keeps us busy. We are always connected,

distracted, occupied, and working. For many of us,

an agenda awaits us before we even start our day,

and unfinished stuff is brought with us when we retire

at night. Make the best of life and “find your own

road to happiness” are messages we all too easily

believe. The “so what” response to the new life of

resurrection is often the result of believing that life is

only what I make it. What God has to say isn’t

important to me securing my next raise.

Sadly, we live as if the grave is the end. While we

may give the wonder of heaven a blink now and

then, its glory really doesn’t impress us or matter all

that much. It’s all about the here and now and what I

need to do today to get where I want to be

tomorrow. We tend to put off considering the one

significant “tomorrow” that will come the millisecond

after we take our last breath. When that happens,

will we want to be thinking “so what?” or “alleluia”?

There is only one Jesus, one mission, and one

resurrection. There is also only one of us. Have you

ever pondered what one solitary, humble human life

can do? Faith, not our world, tells us how special we

are. We are not robots. We are not replaceable.

We have one shot. There are no do-overs. Love is at

our core and unites us together as one with the God

of love who so desperately wants us to be with Him

forever. This may not match our secular agenda, but

it ought to make our true inner agenda leap for joy.

There doesn’t need to be an end. I can live forever.

Alleluia!

©LPi

Red Cross Blood Drive St. Francis Xavier Gathering Place

Thursday, July 16, 2020

from 1:00 – 7:00 PM

WHY GIVE

Every two seconds someone in the USA needs blood 38% of the USA population is

eligible to donate but < 10% donate

The Red Cross supplies 40% of the needed blood supply serving over 2600 USA hospitals 

The human body contains 10 pints of blood, you donate 1 pint 

80% of their blood collections are at local blood drives

Your whole blood donation can help three people

Your donation is divided into red cells, platelets and plasma

TO DONATE:

RC website: redcrossblood.org

or

RC phone: 800-733-2767

Questions Contact: Greg Schlosser

320-250-9137 or

schlossergregory@gmail.com

This Blood Drive is Sponsored by St. Francis Xavier Health & Wellness Team

Donors Needed

Want to help your parish facility look its best? Our landscaped areas around the church and school need some attention and tender loving care this time of the year and our maintenance crew can’t do it all alone. We need volunteers to adopt an area (or more than one) to “Spring clean” – pull weeds, remove debris, trim plants and spread new mulch. This can be an individual or family endeavor. Equipment and supplies can be provided, or you may bring your own. If you want to spend some time outside and get your hands a little dirty, contact Adam in the parish office at 320-252-1363 x1105.

These are offered by the Social Concerns Committee to help us all understand more about the reality of living with homelessness in Central MN.

"Finally the weather broke, reducing the need for our neighbors outside to call for emergency help.

One new couple went to the woods in Sartell and needed sleeping bags. And one woman left the woods in town and doubled up in a friend’s apartment. One woman and disabled son living in her car needed gas to stay warm, as did another man also living in his car. We distributed six 20 lb tanks of propane, and eleven gas cards this week. Gas cards were for both heating and reimbursements for those giving rides. The warmer weather also allowed us to resume the furniture program, and we had six pickups and eleven deliveries. We are in need of beds, dressers, and pots and pans. On the challenging side our folks have been hit with an outbreak of influenza A. Many are going to the ER."

To offer assistance contact Harry Fleegel: 612-868-0465

Providing Food in St. Joe - The Central MN Catholic Worker is helping to provide food to a group of people staying in St. Joe who have experienced homelessness. This is in response to COVID. Dinners are being provided by St. Benedict's Monastery and St. John's University for 4 weekday evenings and

community members and restaurants are taking care of Sunday dinners. A group of volunteers helps to shop and bring groceries during the week for breakfast and lunch. The generosity of the community has been tremendous. If you would like to offer financial assistance you can do so through Pay Pal (use the email centralmncw@gmail.com) or by sending a check to the Central MN Catholic

Worker at P.O. 94 , St. Joseph, MN 56374. For questions email, centralmncw@gmail.com or call 320-316-3290.

Habitat for Humanity seeking Veterans Build Applicants

If you or someone you know is currently serving, has served, or is the surviving spouse of someone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, you are invited to apply for homeownership through Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity. For more information regarding our affordable mortgage program, call Eileen Bitzan at 320-248-7812 or visit www.cmhfh.org/how-to-apply.

BIKE@HOME for Habitat for Humanity!

Like so many large-group events, the Habitat 500 bike ride has had to switch gears (pun intended) to a virtual event. This year’s ride, called BIKE@HOME is the perfect opportunity to get out of the house, enjoy the sunshine and support Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity!

Take these three easy steps to participate: Visit www.habitat500.org to register (registration fees have been reduced to $50) Cycle any time between now and September, for as many miles as you would like! Ask family members, friends, businesses & church groups to support your ride (there are no fundraising minimums this year. $250 is suggested for those new to the ride.)

For more information, contact Kris Lehman at 320-241-8662 or klehman@cmhfh.org

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

Saturday, July 4 St. Joseph Parish in St. Joseph hosts a Facebook Live Raffle Drawing at 10 a.m. Raffle features a grand prize of $5,000 and 46 other prizes, which can be viewed at www.joetownrocks.org. Chances are $10. (A book of 10 chances is $100.) To purchase tickets, stop by the parish office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays, or mail payment with your ticket request to Joetown Rocks, St. Joseph Church, 12 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph, MN, 56374. Your payment must be received by Thursday, July 2. Parishioners also have raffle tickets. (This event and the quilt auction replace the annual parish festival: Joetown Rocks.)

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.

It is amazing to think we are at the end of another school year at SFX. Together we’ve learned much and shared experiences that will long remain with us in the years to come. The strength of our community and care for one another make our school a wonderful place of learning for our students.

We would like to wish our 6th Grade Class of 2020 the very best in their respective middle schools next year. They are special group who has much to offer.

Drew Bollinger Katie Rose Pfeiffer

Kendal Braun 

Brynn Darling 

John Downey 

Elesha Dubay 

Jack Hamak 

Brady Kohn 

Noah Olson 

Sawyer Omann 

Katie Rose Pfeiffer

Erika Salaski

Henry Schloe

Gabrielle Schulte

Nathan Schuver

Addie Smith

Nathan Stockinger

Amanda Uy

Cece Witte

On behalf of our entire school, blessings to you and your family.

Warm regards,

Bonnie Van Heel

As Father Tim pointed out last weekend, we need all of

our registered parishioners to contribute financially to

the parish if we are to continue to provide the current

level of service in our school, faith formation program

and parish ministries, as well as maintain and improve

the campus facilities. Our Catholic Faith calls us to share

the many gifts God has given each one of us, and we do

that in a very powerful way every day throughout our

parish community.

To that end, I encourage you to consider signing up to

make electronic contributions and automate your weekly,

bi-weekly or monthly contributions. You can control your

own account by visiting stfrancissartell.org and click on

the red Donate/Payments button at the top of the page.

Read about ways to donate, and then click to donate

online. On the right side of the new webpage, choose

Log-In and enter your email address and password or

select Create Your Online Profile if you have never

created one. Once logged in, you can set up new or edit

your scheduled transactions. You can also update credit

card and bank information. Remember, using your bank

account as your payment method is safe and secure,

there is no additional cost to you, and it helps the parish

avoid paying the associated 3% transaction cost in

credit card processing fees.

If you prefer, paper authorization forms are included as

a stuffer in this bulletin and are always available at the

kiosk and in the entrances to the Gathering Place.

Complete the form to start new electronic contributions or

to make changes to your existing contributions. Return

the form by mail or drop off in the parish office, or drop

in the collection basket during weekend mass. Call the

parish office at 320-252-1363 if you have any

questions.

Finally, I understand that many parishioners prefer to use

their contribution envelopes and drop those in the

collection basket at mass. This is a long-standing

tradition for them and we support that method. There is,

however, a cost to the parish to print and mail over

1,800 sets of weekly and special envelopes (roughly

$10-11,000/year), so if you do not use or do not wish

to receive these envelopes, please let Becky in the parish

office know. Thank you!