Advent 2015 - St. Bridget Catholic Church

Ad v e n t 2 0 1 5
St. Bridget Catholic Church
Inside this issue:
From the Pastor
Pope Francis has declared 2015 - 2016 a jubilee year of
mercy. He hopes that the year will be steeped in mercy so
that we can go out to every man and woman bringing the
goodness and tenderness of God. May the balm of Mercy
reach everyone; both believers and those far away, as a
sign that the kingdom of God is already present in our midst.
The face of mercy, God's mercy, is a defining characteristic.
After humanity's first parents sinned against him, the Father
immediately started preparing them for the Savior, Jesus
At the closing for a portion
Christ. In Jesus’ death on the cross, God showed the extent
of the St. Bridget Cemetery
of his mercy to the human race. Merciful like the Father,
to The River Church.
therefore, is the model of this holy year. In mercy one finds
proof of how great is God's love. He gives his entire self always freely asking nothing. In
return he comes to our aid whenever we call upon Him. The Pope's desire is not only for
each member of the church to realize the abundant mercy and love God has for them,
but to extend the Mercy even to the fringes of society. He calls the church to open our
eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who were
denied their dignity and let us recognize that we are compelled to hear there cry for help.
For more information see Pope Francis declaration of the year “the face of
mercy.” You can find more information here.
Behind the
Scenes: Senior
Gathering
1
Parish Mission:
Tony Melendez
2
Staff Spotlight:
Morgan Sarter
3
St. Bridget Parish
School News
4
Faith Formation
Updates
5
Upcoming Events 6
at St. Bridget
A Look at St.
Bridget’s Fall
7
Throughout this year of Mercy there will be articles in our bulletins and newsletters
from the Diocese of Superior. This will provide us reflection from our Holy Father on
this great year of mercy.
Behind the Scenes of Senior Gathering
Many years ago St. Bridget’s started ‘Senior Gathering’ as a
ministry to provide education, entertainment and fellowship for our
senior population during the fall and winter months. There are six
scheduled gatherings, all on the first Tuesdays of the month, from October through March. Each gathering starts at 11 am with a program,
followed at noon with a lunch and quite lively conversations.
So how does ‘Senior Gathering’ kind of magically occur? Here is a brief behind
the scenes look.
It starts with Deacon Gregg, Pastoral Minister, securing presenters and entertainers for each gathering. “I work hard to arrange programs that will be of interest
to our seniors’, said Deacon Gregg. “I ask attendees several times a year for
program ideas. The most recent program was how to do balancing and
strengthening exercises at home. Courtney Drury, physical therapist from Kinnic
Rehab and Health Care conducted a training class along with an exercise
handout for the participants”, Deacon Gregg concluded.
Ah, but the meal. Who provides the meal? (continued on page 3)
Page 2
12th Annual St. Bridget Parish School GALA
The 12th Annual
February 20, 2016.
St.
Bridget
Parish
School
GALA
is
Saturday,
This past year we were able to reach a milestone. In the 11 years of the gala,
we reached and surpassed 1 million dollars in total funds raised for the
school. The dedicated people that support this school are unbelievable and
we look forward to another successful year.
If you have not been part of our gala in the past here is a little more information:
It is a semi-formal, community-wide event, which includes wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, catered
dinner, music, dancing, and a live and silent auction. This event is our largest fund raiser. It allows us to
reach our school’s financial goals, provide an excellent and affordable faith-based education for our
students, and purchase additional resources that would otherwise be unattainable. This year’s theme
is A Night in Paris, which is sure to make for a marvelous evening! Tickets will be available for purchase
at the school, on the school’s website under the Gala tab, and at church starting December 1.
Parish Concert Featuring Tony Melendez
St. Bridget Catholic Church is honored to welcome renowned singer and songwriter, Tony Melendez, on Sunday, December 6 for a special Advent concert.
Originally from Nicaragua, Tony was born without arms and a clubbed foot
due to the drug, Thalidomide, which his mother was prescribed during pregnancy for morning sickness.
Since he had no arms, Tony had to learn to do almost everything with his feet.
At the age of sixteen, Tony taught himself how to play the guitar with his toes.
In 1987 he was asked by the youth of Los Angeles to be their gift to Pope John
Paul II. It was this internationally broadcast event in which he was recognized
by the Pope for sharing his beautiful gift that changed Tony’s life and career.
Tony has recorded five albums: Never Be the Same, Ways of The Wise, Cup of
Life, Hands in Heaven and Hope/Esperanza. He also has an autobiography: A
Gift of Hope published by Harper and Row and is the recipient of numerous
awards and honors.
Despite all the travel over the last twenty eight years, Tony continues to resist the siren song of
stardom, hoping only to develop his musical career and share his God given gifts. “I don't feel like a
celebrity," he says with a smile, " I just feel like me!"
Please join us on Sunday, December 6 from 4 p.m. -6 p.m. for a special message of Hope, Courage
and Faith.
Welcome to St. Bridget
We would like to welcome these new parishioners (since September 2015) to our St. Bridget Family.
We are excited to have you journey with us!
Page 3
Staff Spotlight: Morgan Sarter, High School Youth Ministry Leader
What us
giftsabout
do you bring
this position?
Tell
thetowork
you do at St. Bridget.
a passion
for youth
and ainto
love for
Christ.
II bring
work
to bring
Jesus
the
lives of the high school youth! Sometimes teenagers can
fall away from the Church, and it is important for them to see how Jesus can work to
make
allhave
your
goals
and
dreams
a world
realityyou
just have
If you could
dinner
with any
person
alive in the
today,
who would
that be?to have faith!
If I couldgifts
have dinner
with one
person
I would love to have it with actress, Jennifer Lawrence. She is never afraid to be herself, speak her mind, and
What
do you
bring
toalive
thistoday,
position?
stand up for what is right.
I bring a passion for youth and a love for Christ.
If
you
dinner
with any person alive in the world today, who would that be?
What
do could
you like tohave
do in your
spare time?
If
I
could
have
dinner
with
one person alive today, I would love to have it with
Currently in my life, I study A LOT in my spare time :( but If I had my choice I would be sewing, doing different types of crafts and Pinterest-y things, watching 80's
movies and spending
time with
family.
actress,
Jennifer
Lawrence.
She is never afraid to be herself, speak her mind, and stand up
for what is right.
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
What
do you like to do in your spare time?
The most courageous
I have
ever done
to bespare
being myself,
when itIfwas
and still
is hard.
Currently
in mything
life,
I study
A would
LOT have
in my
timeeven
:( but
I had
my
choice I would be sewing, doing
different types of crafts and Pinterest-y things, watching 80's movies and spending time with family.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
My greatest accomplishment would have to be going to college. I am the first person in my family to receive a Bachelor's degree.
The
most courageous thing I have ever done would have to be being myself, even when it was and still
is hard.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment would have to be going to college. I am the first person in my family to
receive a Bachelor's degree.
Behind the Scenes of Senior Gathering (continued from front page)
Emily Lyon-Hanson from Dish and Spoon, along with many outstanding volunteers
provide made-from-scratch meals for each program. Emily is the planner and
coordinator, but she gives a lot of credit to the great volunteers that pull the meal
together. Like a well lubricated machine the group shows up, prepares place
settings, makes coffee and then prepares to serve the meal restaurant style when
the program is completed. Last month’s meal was “stuffed sliced turkey, a salad
of greens and fruit with a homemade dressing, fresh wild rice bread and butter
and a light pumpkin dessert with whipped cream”, said Emily. “Having such a
great crew makes the work easy and keeps it fun.”
Pictured L to R: Sandee Blakely, Jan Benson, Emily
Lyon-Hanson, Pat McCardle, Cheryl McCardle, Lori
Loney and Mary Langer.
Other volunteers not pictured include Dodie Sazama,
Barb Baumgartner, Ramona Raehsler, Lois Helmueller,
Catharine Noel and substitutes that pitch in well when
needed.
The next Senior Gathering will be Tuesday,
December 1, featuring the annual Christmas Tea
menu, along with Christmas music by The Joyful Bell
Choir from Joy Lutheran Church in Prescott and our local Costume Carolers from River Falls High School.
Page 4
St. Bridget Parish School
Some of you may wonder what’s happening at St. Bridget Parish School. We are happy to say there
isn’t enough room to tell you all the great things that happen here. However, we can tell you that we
believe in six core values that we as a staff and school community try to make sure our students
understand
and
appreciate.
The
core
values:
Stewardship,
Prayer,
Responsibility, Community, Excellence, and Respect are a symbol of the school and embody our
Christian values.
Take a peek at recent happenings at St. Bridget Parish School
St. Bri dget Pari sh School
Pre-K students using the new
outdoor classroom on a beautiful
November day.
St. Bridget Parish School
kindergarten students received a visit
from the River Falls Fire
Department and learned about fire
safety.
St. Bridget Parish School students brought in 124 pounds of
Halloween Candy as a part of Allina Health’s Halloween
Candy Collection. The candy donated will be given to troops
over seas. Allina Health is donating $1 to our local food shelf
for each pound of candy donated. St. Bridget School was the
winner of the collection for collecting the most candy pounds/
student) and received $250 to be used towards equipment to
help improve the health of our school.
St. Bridget Parish School Students at the dedication
of the new outdoor classroom.
St. Bridget Parish School Students take part in
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first
Tuesday of the month.
Strategic Planning Committee Update
This fall we started the second phase of the
strategic planning process. We invited parish
members to be part of our “Idea Teams” to
brainstorm ideas for the 6 initiatives identified by
the planning committee last Spring. The areas
are:
Accountability,
Measurement
and
Communication; Ministry Involvement, Music
and Volunteer Leadership; Parish Life Experience
and Parish-Wide Fun Events; Discipleship and Idea Team 3: Parish Life Experience and Parish Wide Fun
Spiritual Growth; Evangelization: Outreach for Group members pictured include (left to right): Morris
New Members, Youth, Un-Churched and Marosolek, Ryan Miller, Deb Avestruz, Esther Sykora, Brenda
Derks, Jesse Gilles, and Mary Gribble
De-Churched; and Leadership Transition. We
have over 70 volunteers working on these initiatives. The idea teams will present their top ideas to the
planning committee in January. The planning committee will then identify the top priorities to present
to the Pastoral Council for approval and implementation. It’s very exciting to see so many parishioners
stepping up to make a difference in our parish. A big THANK YOU to all helping with this effort.
Page 5
Faith Formation Off To A Great Start!
With about 400 students registered for Faith Formation, there is a lot of
energy at St. Bridget’s on Wednesday nights! Here are a couple of
highlights from our Faith Formation Classes:
Laura Sobiech
On November 1, we were blessed to have Laura Sobiech come and
speak to our Confirmation candidates and their sponsors. Laura’s son,
Zach Sobiech, died about two years ago at the age of 18, from
osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. The way he chose to live his last
days with faith and hope is an incredible inspiration! He used his love for
music to leave a legacy. Through God’s grace, Zach’s hit
song “Clouds,” has been changing the lives of people all
over the world! Check it out online!
Please consider joining in the largest “Clouds” Choir for a
Cause on Friday, December 11 at 6:15 p.m. at the Mall of
America Rotunda to create the largest choir for a cause.
Rosary Night
Our Confirmation students made use of a beautiful fall night
by praying candle rosaries in small groups.
K-5 Students learn about Gospel Stories and More!
The K-5 students have been studying the weekly Gospel stories as well as Creation, the Rosary, and Saints.
After Advent, they will study the Church, the Sacraments, and Morality (the Ten Commandments).
Preschoolers Learn about God’s Love
We have 17 children participating in our Sunday Preschool program. This program is held in the Upper
Room during the 9:30 Mass and uses the Seeds curriculum from Pflaum. We have a wonderful teachers and
assistants that look forward to sharing God’s love each week! (If you have a 3, 4, or 5 year that you would
like to register for this program, please contact Diane at the parish office.)
Faith Formation Upcoming Events
Wednesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.: Family Advent Learning Centers
All families with students in grades K-5 are invited to enjoy the Advent themed “stations” that will be set
up in the Fellowship Hall. Families are invited to spend some time together doing the crafts and playing
the games, all as they explore and celebrate the events of our Savior’s birth. (This event is for all families,
whether you’re doing the at-home FF program, the FF classes, or are currently not registered for a FF
program. All are welcome!)
Saturday, December 12, at 9:00 a.m.: First Reconciliation Celebration
Forty-five youth from our parish will celebrate their First Reconciliation. Please keep them in your prayers
as they finish their study and prepare to celebrate this beautiful sacrament of absolute forgiveness! The
sacrament of Reconciliation will be available to everyone who wishes to participate. All are welcome!
Wednesday, December 16, at 6:30 p.m.: K-5 Christmas Caroling
Families with students in grades K-5 are invited to help spread the joy of the season by joining Peggy
Krasin for Christmas Caroling! We’ll also enjoy cookies and hot chocolate afterwards!
Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 p.m.: First Communion Information and Registration Meeting
This meeting for parents and candidates will be on Sunday, January 24, at 1:00 p.m. in the Church.
Celebrations of this sacrament will be on Saturday, April 16 at 2:30 p.m. and on Saturday, April 23 at
2:30 p.m. Children in the 2nd grade or above are welcome to prepare for and celebrate the
sacrament of First Communion. (Please note that 2nd grade is only a guideline. If you do not believe
that your 2nd grader is ready to appreciate this sacrament, they can wait until later, when they are
more ready.)
Page 6
Mission Trip Location ANNOUNCED!
It seems too early to think about next summer, but it’s time to begin
preparing for the 2016 High School Mission Trip! Our group of 28 youth and
7 adult chaperones will be heading to Benton Harbor, MI, to serve the
community through work projects and through building relationships! If you
will be in high school next fall, you are eligible for the trip! There are 11 spots
remaining for youth so sign up today! Forms are available on our website and
in the church information rack.
Here’s what one Mission Trip participant from last summer said about her experience:
“The trip showed me how lucky I am to live in River Falls, where I have a house, I am getting an education, I have enough food to be full, and I have two parents that care about me. At the same time the
mission trip brought me closer to God. Through our nightly sharing time I learned how amazing God is
and how He is in our lives every single day. Overall, I would highly recommend the mission trip and
would encourage anyone to go.” Elizabeth, Grade 11
Upcoming Events at St. Bridget
Be sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming events!
-Monday, November 30, 2015: Communal Penance
The communal penance service will begin at 7:00 p.m. Several priests will be available for private
confessions for those who desire one to one confession.
-Tuesday, December 1, 2015: Senior Gathering Annual Christmas Tea
‘The Joyful Bell Ringers’ at Joy Lutheran Church in Prescott will open the entertainment at 11 a.m. The
Christmas Tea of seasonal foods and beverages will be served during the performance. The program
will close with songs performed by the Costume Carolers from River Falls High School.
-Saturday, December 12, 2015: Christmas Caroling Family Fun Night
All are welcome to the second ‘family fun night’ of singing Christmas songs after the 5:00 p.m. Mass.
We will start in the Fellowship Hall and those who would like to walk around the block singing carols
are welcome to do so. Look for more information to come in the weekly bulletin or on the school’s
website.
-Thursday, December 17, 2015: St. Bridget Parish School Christmas Program
The Christmas program is at 6:30 p.m. in the school gym! Everyone is welcome! You are promised to
be renewed with the Christmas spirit and rejoice in the music for the Holiday season!
-Thursday and Friday, December 24 and 25, 2015: Christmas Masses
Christmas Eve Masses will be held at: 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Christmas Day Mass will be held at 8:30 a.m.
-Tuesday, January 5, 2016: Senior Gathering
Conan Kmiecik from the International Student Services Department at UWRiver Falls will tell about the vibrant international program here. There is also an
opportunity for local residents to meet and invite these international students
into their homes to get a more realistic ‘American’ experience.
-Tuesday, February 2, 2016: Third Annual Doris H. Murphy Memorial Lecture
The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Charles Bobertz, a professor at the
School and Department of Theology at St. John’s University in
Collegeville, MN will be our presenter.
Page 7
Knights of Columbus Punt, Pass and Kick Event
that took place on September 19.
Booya Bash
2015
Council of Catholic Women 2nd
Annual Ladies Night Out Event
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Non-Profit
St. Bridget
Catholic Church
211 E. Division Street
PO Box 86
River Falls, WI 54022
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 62
Phone: 715-425-1870
Fax: 715-425-1871
E-mail:
recept@stbparish.com
St. Bridget Parish Mission Statement
St. Bridget Catholic Church is a Christian
Community which exists to continue the
mission of Jesus Christ under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As such, we are committed to working for
the coming of God's Kingdom.
Advent Family Prayer
God of Love,
Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
As we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior.
Amen.
Wishing you a blessed Advent Season!
The Staff of St. Bridget Church
We accomplish this through worship,
community life, Christian education and
service to those who are in need.