News & Events

Dear Parishioners,

Consider This … Lenten Renewal:

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe that we are into Lent already! Where has the time gone? As our parish looks to transition in the Renewal, Lent is the perfect opportunity to look at our lives and discover how Jesus is calling us into a deeper relationship, and how we can be better disciples.

Lent is an opportunity for us to take our spiritual life seriously, and recognize that we could do more in our relationship with God. During Lent we will offer opportunities for you to grow closer to Christ through reconciliation, Mass, Stations of the Cross, as well as, your personal prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As you know, I am temporarily helping out and will do my best to offer Lenten opportunities for confessions and Stations.

Stations of the Cross

• Tuesdays during Lent (2023), after Mass at 7 pm at our East Arcade Worship Site.
• Fridays during Lent (2023) after the 7 pm Mass at our Arcade Worship Site.

*Please note; I am hoping that I can celebrate all Masses and stations during Lent, however, my schedule many not allow me to do so. Please watch the bulletin each week! If for some reason I am not able to be here for Mass on Tuesday or Friday, the Stations of the Cross will still take place, led by a lay person.

Confessions

• Tuesdays (2023) at 6:30 pm at our EAWS
• Fridays (2023) at 6:30 pm at our AWS
• Saturdays at 4:30 pm at our AWS

Please watch the bulletin for information on a parish penance service.

Important Renewal information to keep you updated:

1. All members of our Finance Councils and Parish Councils from all of our parishes in the family will meet at our AWS on Monday, March 6 (2023) at 7 pm.
2. All of the staffs from our parishes will be meeting for lunch on Wednesday, March 8 (2023) at noon, at St. Aloysius in Springville.
3. The Pillar Groups will be meeting together for the first time for an orientation session on Monday, March 13 (2023), at St. Jude’s in Sardinia at 6:30 pm.

Lent is all about Renewal, the renewal of our relationship with Jesus, as well as, the Renewal needed in our parishes as we come together as a family. Please keep praying for our Renewal, family of parishes and all that is happening in our parish. Also, please keep inviting people to come back and see what is going on.

Keep smiling :)

Fr. Bryan

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Adapted from Fr. Bryan’s letter in the bulletin of February 26, 2023.

We Are Grateful!

In order to continue to maintain our beautiful Churches and to support the mission and the ministries of our parish, we depend on our weekly offertory donations.

Offertory envelopes can be placed in collection at Mass or mailed to the Rectory Office. We are grateful for your ongoing support of St. Mary’s Parish.

Thank you!

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Adapted from the bulletin of February 26, 2023 — for more details, please see the bulletin.

Dear Parishioners,

Lent … what’s going to be different?

This week we begin the season of Lent with our celebration of Ash Wednesday. Are you ready? As you can see, we are offering MANY opportunities for people to come to Mass and receive ashes. Please take advantage and invite others to join. This is the most sacred season of our liturgical year and is an opportunity for all of us to grow closer to Christ. Please pay attention to next week’s bulletin, as we will be sharing our Lenten schedule of activities for you to grow in your relationship with Christ.

So what’s going to be different for you this Lent? As we move forward with the Renewal as a parish, this is a great time to renew our relationship and dedication to Jesus. Remember, faith is a choice and requires a commitment. Lent is the perfect time to ask ourselves, what is our commitment to our faith life and how is it visible to the world? All of us are called to share the joy of God’s love with others. If our parish wants a future, then all of us need to be committed and ask ourselves, what’s going to be different as we go forward? It begins with you!

Invite … share faith … share the reasons you follow Jesus …pray … fast and give alms! Now’s the perfect time to recommit. Let’s have a transforming and renewed Lent!

Keep smiling :)

Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter from the bulletin of February 19, 2023.

As I’m sure you’re aware, we have two prayer lists in our weekly bulletin. One for ‘The Sick of Our Parish’, and the other for ’Friends and Family of Our Parishioners.’

I am hoping to update our prayer lists and attempt to keep them current. Once a name is added, it will remain on the list for one month. If you would like to add your name or the name of a close relative or friend with their permission, please call the rectory to have their name added to the list. Thank you!

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Based on the bulletin of February 19, 2023.

Dear Parishioners,

Its time for Renewal! I am so excited that I have the opportunity to be assisting at my home parish to help us move forward with the Renewal. As I mentioned last weekend in my homily, everything needs to be on the table so we have a real understanding of how our church needs to respond. I ask you to pray for our parish and the work of the Renewal as we move forward. As a parish we have a lot of work to do to get our parish in a good position to move forward as a family. Please take note of all of the following:

1. Please pay attention to the daily Mass schedule. I will do my best to have daily Mass each week, but with my full time renewal schedule, I can’t guarantee that it will be consistent. I will update the schedule weekly until our family of parishes is able to establish a new Mass schedule.

2. Look for details, we are planning a Mardi Gras event on Tuesday, Feb. 21st (2023) in conjunction with daily Mass at our East Arcade site.

3. Ash Wednesday is fast approaching. We are making every effort to make sure all are welcome and able to attend Mass with distribution of Ashes. The schedule for Ash Wednesday (2023) is as follows: 8:30 am, Noon and 5:30 pm at the Arcade Worship site, and 7:30 pm at the East Arcade Worship Site. I want to encourage everyone to invite someone you know to begin their Lenten journey with us. This is an important time to develop and strengthen your relationship with Jesus.

4. From my conversations with people already, it is clear that not many people really know the state of our parish; how it is financially, spiritually, etc. Therefore, we will have a ‘State of the Parish Address’, on Thursday, February 23rd (2023) at 7 pm in the church at Arcade. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. I will share trends and important information on where the parish stands for the future.

5. We need to develop a Buildings and Grounds Committee for our parish. I am inviting anyone who may be interested in helping to make sure our buildings and grounds are in tip top shape as we prepare to move forward as a family of parishes. I would like to invite all interested on Tuesday, Feb 28 (2023) at 7:30 pm after the 7 pm daily Mass in East Arcade. We will meet in the rectory there.

In the midst of all of this, please take advantage of Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays’ and Fridays’. The Church is warm, and ready for you to come and adore the Lord who is the one ultimately in charge of all that is going on.

Keep smiling 🙂
Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter in the bulletin of February 12, 2023. Links added; year indication added “(2023)” for future viewers; emphasis added to worship site locations via underline.

If you want to help serve at our Masses on the weekend, we would love to include you in our schedule! Please call the parish office and let Debbie know you’d like to be on the schedule.

We will be working at developing a new schedule by March 1st (2023). We really need servers to help at Mass! Please if you can. If you need training just let us know and we will be glad to get you the training you need.

🙂 Fr. Bryan

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This information is from the bulletin of February 12, 2023. Year indication added for future viewers.