Seminaraians

AREA FAITH COMMUNITY NEWS:

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF LOUISE MADALINE WYFFELS, age 86, who died in Visalia , California on Tues. Aug. 19. She is the wife of Charles C. Wyffels who died in 1978. She moved to California from Tracy about 3 years ago. She will be cremated and her funeral will be at St. Mary's in Tracy on Friday, September 12. CCW Rosary will be at 8:30 a.m., visitation in church from 8:30 -11 a.m. Funeral at 11 a.m., Burial in Calvary Cemetery in Tracy . She has 3 children, Duane Wyffels of Roswell , New Mexico ; Darlene Loose of Visalia , California and Diane Godfrey of Inver Grove Heights , Minnesota .

St. Mary’s CCW will be selling FRESH FROZEN PIES; Sunday, August 31^st in the St. Mary’s Church Basement during the Dad’s Belgium Waffle Feed and also on Monday, September 1^st in St. Mary’s School from 10am-4pm during St. Mary’s Craft Fair.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY – FREE TRAINING! Qualifications: Pro-life, friendly, non-judgmental, loving. If this sounds like a description of you, consider training as a Birthright volunteer. Birthright is an all volunteer, pro-life organization which provides free pregnancy tests, counseling and practical helps for girls and women in crisis pregnancy situations. Birthright needs you! A Training Session is planned for September 13^th in Marsha ll . If interested call 428-3572 or 532-2929.

BOX CAR DAY’S EVENTS IN TRACY NEXT WEEKEND

BELGIAN WAFFLES Next Sunday, Aug. 31, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in St. Mary’s Church Hall in Tracy .

ST MARY’S PIES SOLD next Sun. during the waffle feed & Mon. Sept 1 from 10 am to 4 pm at St. Mary’s School.

CRAFT FAIR AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOL, Mon. Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

FOOD STAND outside St. Mary’s School, Mon. Sept. 1, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Parade is at 1 p.m. )

ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION OF THE FOURTH BISHOP OF NEW ULM , JOHN MARVIN LeVOIR – Join Bishop – Designate LeVoir on Sunday, Sept. 14 for Evening Vespers (evening prayer) at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity ( 605 North State St .). Vespers begins at 7:30 p.m. and are followed by a reception. On Monday, September 15, 2008 , Bishop – Designate will be ordained and installed at New Ulm Civic Center ( 1212 North Franklin St .). Mass begins at 2:00 p.m. , and is followed by a reception. Please notify your parish office or sign up by Sept 9 on the sheets in the entries of all 3 churches if you will be attending these events. Let’s get a good turn out, the last 2 installations for Bishop Lucker and Bishop Nienstedt were very limited in space and only about 6 people from each parish could get tickets to go. This is a lot bigger facility and as many as want to come can come. Witnessing the ordination of a Bishop is very rare. Please sign up so we can get you registered when we send in the names on Sept. 10.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW TEACHERS TO ST. MARY'S SCHOOL. We have hired Lisa Sanow to teach first grade, and also combined first and second grade in the afternoons. Juli Neuman will teach second grade in the morning. Welcome also to Angeles Ramos-Ankrum who has been hired to teach afternoon Spanish, Computer and Music, and to help in the Library and office.

YOU MAY REGISTER YOUR CHILD AT ST. MARYS SCHOOL AT ANY TIME FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR, contact Juli Neuman the principal at the school office – 507-629-3270.

UPCOMING VIRTUS SAFE ENVIROMENT SESSIONS FOR NEW EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS: The new employees and volunteers at all parishes working with youth are required to attend one of these sessions. The old employees and volunteers will do their updating on the computer.

Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in St. Peter; Sept. 13 at 9:30 a.m. in Hutchinson ; Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in Willmar ; Sept. 27 at 9:30 a.m. in Montevideo; Sept. 29 at 6:00 p.m. in Marsha ll; Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Springfield; Oct. 11 at 9:30 p.m. Litchfield; Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at New Ulm Cathedral; Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Bird Island; Jan. 12, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. Redwood Falls; February 12, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Arlington; March 12, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. Minneota; April 25, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. in Appleton; May 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in Ortonville.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sun. August 24 8:00 a.m. Confessions in Milroy

8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Michael’s in Milroy

10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s in Tracy

11:30 a.m. Confessions after Mass in Tracy

Mon. August 25 No Mass

Tues. August 26 8:30 a.m. Mass in Milroy

7:00 p.m. Area Liturgy Committee Meeting in Milroy

Wed. August 27 8:30 a.m. Mass in Tracy

10:45 a.m. Mass at Prairie View Nursing Home in Tracy

7:00 p.m. St. Mary’s School Parent Meeting in Tracy

Thurs. August 28 8:30 a.m. Mass in Walnut Grove

7:30 p.m. St. Paul ’s Administration Committee Meeting in Walnut Grove

Fri. August 29 8:30 a.m. Mass in Tracy

Box Car Days begins in Tracy

Sat. August 30 5:00 p.m. Confessions at St. Paul ’s in Walnut Grove

5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Paul ’s in Walnut Grove

Sun. August. 31 8 a.m. Confessions at St. Michael’s in Milroy

8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Michael’s in Milroy

10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s in Tracy

Before & after 10:30 Mass. Confessions at St. Mary’s in Tracy

9:00 am – 1 pm Dad’s Belgium Waffles at St. Mary’s Church Hall in Tracy

St. Mary’s School:

Congratulations to our $100 calendar raffle winners. Thank you for supporting our school!

August 1^st – Elise Lanoue August 8^th – Lisa Schaar

August 15^th – D’Ann Paradis August 22^nd – Ivan Johnson

Reminder!! Our parent information night is Wednesday, August 27^th @ 7:00 p.m. One parent must be in attendance that night. Looking forward to seeing you on the 27^th!!

Needed!! The St. Mary’s Box Car Days Food Stand is in need of donations of Tomatoes and Apples. If you would like to donate either of these, please let the school office know. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

SMS Alumni!! Any alumni interested in helping at the Food Stand just call Joan LaVoy and let her know, she can be reached at 532-5567. All hands are welcome!

SMS Students!! Don’t forget to ride the float this year in the Box Car Days Parade. Meet the float on the school playground by 11:00 a.m. and you can ride it to the parade start point and throughout the parade route. We’ll be passing out candy and pencils this year.

NEWS FROM ST. MICHAEL’S IN MILROY

Interested in Becoming a Catholic? For more information or to set up an initial interview, please contact Rich Hamsa at 507-336-2505. We hope to begin the RCIA process in September.

St. Michael’s invites you to hear our guest speaker, Stephanie Percic, on “Making a Pilgrimage to Medjugorje” Sunday, August 24^th, 7:00pm, in the church hall. She has made over 100 pilgrimages to Medjugorje. She will be able to tell us about her journey of faith and what these pilgrimages mean in her spiritual life. There will be a free-will offering.

CCW Members, Circles & Dues Women in our parish are all members of CCW (Council of Catholic Women) and are assigned to belong to a particular circle. Membership dues are $20. You will find a special envelope or you can put your dues in an envelope marked “CCW dues.” Thanks.

Need for CCW Leaders! Listen, is God calling you to serve? Your church needs you. The CCW needs you! The CCW is in need of the following positions: Vice President or Co- President (two VP/presidents serving together). Call Carrie Shofner @507-336-2888 for information about these positions to help our church and others for God.

Parish Service opportunity ~ using our time & talent We are in need of more religion teachers for our faith formation program for children and youth. Classes are on Wednesday evenings: 6:00 – 7:00pm, Grades K-6; 7:15 – 8:30pm, Grades 7 – 12. A catechist is a person of faith who participates in the catechetical mission of the Church, which is to help put people, young and old, not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ. If you are interested in serving as a parish catechist or a helper, please contact Rich Hamsa @ 336.2505.

Ben Lightfoot to Speak on Sept. 11 at 8pm Our Savior’s Lutheran Church is kindly inviting members of our church to join them at their church, 301 Oak Street , to hear Ben share his military experiences. Refreshments will be served.

Liturgical Ministers for Sunday, August 31, 2008
Gifts	Bruce & Pat Pape Family
Lector	Ken Lanoue
Organist	Christie Gergen
Cantor	Trent Gergen
Ushers	Jeff Orren, Dan Coudron, Dennis Deruyck, Tom Vroman
EMHCs	John & Mary Zwach, Peggy Dolan, Cheri Appel, Julie Dolan, Dan Coudron
Servers	Isaac Dolan (K), Brianna Parker (S1), Shane Parker(S2)
Money Counters	John Welu, Robert and Margie Zeug

Welcoming the New Catholic: the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)

The RCIA is a gradual process that takes place within the community of the faithful. It is a spiritual journey that is marked by periods and stages – four in all. It is markedly paschal in character – that is, it involves a sharing in Christ’s dying and rising. It leads to the full celebration of the seasons of Lent, Triduum and Easter. It is the responsibility of all the baptized in the local parish, which is exercised principally through love and prayer. It is a way of faith and conversion that is suited to the needs of the participants. It is a process of formation which enlightens faith, directs the heart toward God, fosters participation in the liturgy, inspires apostolic activity, and nurtures a life completely in accord with the spirit of Christ.

St. Michael’s Sunday Offering (Envelopes, checks, loose plate)

Amount needed each week from Sunday collection	$1,427.79
Sunday Offertory: week ending August 17, 2008	$803.50
Year-to-date Sunday Offering	$7,023.42
Other Revenue: Holyday collection for Assumption CCW dues VBS registration	$285.00 $100.00 $20.00
Year-to-date: (Behind in budget)	($2,971.11)

Thank you for your stewardship offering. May God bless your generosity!!

St. Mary’s Religious Education

We are in need of a few teachers for the Religious Education--Year of 2008-2009. Please call 629-3667.

Grades 5-6 (afternoon class from 3:45 – 5:00 PM) 7 or 8^th Grade Teacher NEEDED!

Our Catholic Heart Workcamp Youth and Chaperones want to thank you again for your support on their Oklahoma City Trip this summer. (See insert) We are already planning our trip for next summer – contact Jean Schmidt if interested. (Location to be determined)

NEWS FROM ST. MARY’S IN TRACY :

WELCOME TO: Michelle Larsen and her daughter Kailee. Michelle works for Carrow’s in Marsha ll , Kailee will be in St. Mary’s Kindergarten this year; and welcome to Sheila & Jay Fultz and their children: Nathan who is in CCD Kindergarten and Elizabeth who is 3 years old. Jay is a member of the Lutheran Church . Give a warm welcome to them all.

SUNDAY CONFESSIONS AT ST. MARY’S: I have been noticing that some Sundays I get here earlier if there is nothing going on in Milroy so I have been using that time before mass for confessions. Please check to see if the light above the reconciliation room door is on before Sunday Mass as I maybe in there. Confessions will also be available after mass as usual.

St. Mary’s SCHOOL PARENTS NOTE A 5% DISCOUNT IN YOUR TUITION if you recruit a new family to come to St. Mary’s School and they use your name for a reference.

NEW FAMILY DISCOUNT – FOR STUDENTS FROM NEW FAMILIES FOR ST. MARY’S SCHOOL. We will give a 20% discount in tuition for each child attending this 2008-09 school year from any family who has not previously attended St. Mary’s school. This is for one year only. Why not give us a try? We teach religious values, we have small classes and more individualized attention, and our students test more than one grade level over the national average - to name a few benefits. Tuition for this year will be $1475 for a parishioner of St. Mary’s or IHM in Currie and $1675 for non-parishioners, this is for the first 3 children, there is no extra tuition charged for children above the first 3. 20% of this is a savings of $295 per child for parishioners and $335 per child for non-parishioners.

DO YOU HAVE SCRAP METAL YOU WANT TO GET RID OF? Maybe it is time to clean out your grove of old cars, farm equipment, or other junk. We can use any scrap metal you have to fund new playground equipment for St. Mary’s school. Call Gary LaVoy at 532-5567 and he will see to it that it is picked up.

ALUMINUM CANS FOR NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT for St. Mary’s School can be dropped off in the wagon behind St. Mary’s Church .

St. Mary’s will be delivering Meals on Wheels from July 28 – August 29. If you have help, please call Patty Peterson @ 629-3491.

SACRIFICIAL OFFERING FOR LAST WEEK:

Adult Envelopes $ 2,288.00 Insurance $ 135.00

Loose Plate $ 123.00 Assumption $ 263.00

Youth $ 5.00 Candles $ 3.00

Total $ 2,416.00 Fuel $ 0.00

NEXT FUNERAL: St. Joseph ; Rosemary Hemmingsen & Bonnie Miller

NEXT SMALL FUNCTION: Our Lady of Fatima; Angie Axford & Jan Griffith-Sunday,Aug 31^st Pie Sales @ Waffle Feed

St. Theresa; Monday, Sept. 1^st Pie Sales @ Craft Fair Next Up; St. Agnes

CCW MEETING:

CCW Cleaning Schedule: AUGUST – St. Theresa SEPTEMERB – Our Lady of Fatima

WEDNESDAY COMMUNION: August 27^th Father Bob/PrairieView September 3^rd – Mary Ellen Ochocki

LITURGICAL MINISTERS SCHEDULE;

10:30 AM Mass August 31st, 2008

Servers: James & Kylie Lessman, & Hannah Brockway Lector: Ted Nilius

Extraordinary Ministers of Communion: Jim & Jeanine Vandendriessche, Maurice & Judy VandeWiele, & Heidi Morgan

Organist: Shannon Cantor: Cookie Gifts: Ken & Carol Weedman

September Ushers: Joe VanMoer, Dan Buysse, Bill Brockway & Walker Schaar

Please call a sub if you cannot be here. If you cannot find a sub, please call Fr. Mraz. Thanks

NEWS FROM ST. PAUL ’S IN WALNUT GROVE:

ST. PAUL’S ADMINISTRATION COUNCIL MEETING this Thurs. at 7:30 p.m. in the church hall.

YEAR OF ST. PAUL INDULGENCE AND BLESSINGS AVAILABLE ST. PAUL’S IN WALNUT GROVE: As mentioned the same blessings and indulgences that can be received during this “Year of St. Paul” (until June 29, 2009) which can be gotten by going on a pilgrimage to St. Paul’s tomb in Rome can also be gotten at any parish or shrine dedicated to St. Paul throughout the world (including Walnut Grove). To receive this indulgence you need to 1) Have a detest for all sin, 2) Go to confession, 3) Go to communion, 4) Say the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer for the intention of the Holy Father.

FIRST BANN OF MARRIAGE: For Brid Teresa Cooney from Dromiskin, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland the daughter of James Cooney and Phyllis Kearns from Killy Vally, County Cavon, Ireland; and Aidan William Martin from Dromiskin, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, the son of John Martin and Carmel O’Brien of Haggardstown, County Dundalk, Ireland. A September 13 wedding is planned for St. Paul ’s in Walnut Grove , Minnesota . If you know any reason why these two should not be married contact the rectory.

LECTOR: MaryAnn Alcorn

SERVERS: Amber Rasmussen, Justin Knakmuhs

EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF THE COMMUNION: Harry & Nancy Hewitt, Dave Doubler

PRESENTATION OF THE GIFTS: Vicky Rasmussen Family

USHERS FOR JULY: Bernie Boerboom, Ray Maeyaert

LAWN MOWER: Paul DeSmith

SACRIFICIAL GIVING FOR THE WEEK OF August 16, 2008

Adult $502.00, Plate $40.00, Youth $2.00, Fuel $10.00, Cemetery $40.00, Assumption $46.00 TOTAL $600.00