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PARISH NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS |
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I pray this note finds you well as we settle into the grace filled time of Lent. It was inspiring to see so many attend Mass on Ash Wednesday. I believe this reflects how we deeply desire to turn our lives to Christ and how the Holy Spirit can work deep in our souls. Whether we have an awareness or not, the Holy Spirit gives us so many opportunities to grow closer to Christ. If you haven’t started a Lenten sacrifice, it’s not too late! Let’s have a grace filled journey together with increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we journey with our Lord this Lent.
As you may know, I recently returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Deacon Mike Pool and almost 40 parishioners. Some major highlights of the pilgrimage for me centered around places where our Lord experienced the Paschal Mystery - namely His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We visited and had Mass at the Church of Gethsemane where our Lord experienced the Agony in the Garden. We also had Mass at the Church of the Condemnation, and prayed Via Delarosa, or Stations of the Cross where our Lord actually experienced them. It was so powerful to pray and sing while walking through the streets of Jerusalem.
We also visited a store with religious articles hand carved out of olive wood made by Christian artists living in the Holy Land. Many of us took the opportunity to support these Christians and bring home a part of the Holy Land. Though I didn’t set out to get something for our parish, it seemed through conversations with parishioners that it should be something I consider. Well, long story short, I purchased hand carved Stations of the Cross for our parish. They are beautiful! Each station is carved out of olive wood with a darker wood behind it. The two-toned wood matches the wood in the sanctuary and provides more visibility from a distance than our current stations. They will be arriving soon and I am anxious to get them up to pray with this Lent. In order to pay for the stations, we were given enough rosaries so each of our families can have one. The idea is that you take a rosary and give a donation to help cover the cost of the stations. Before you give any money, I would like you to know that myself and Deacon Mike and Mrs. Kathy Pool have each paid for a station. I am confident with your help we can cover their cost, and if by chance there is a surplus we will put that money into Parishioners Helping Parishioners. Thanks in advance for your support.
Last but not least, you may have noticed on our parish social media that our diocese has a new bishop. The Holy Father accepted Bishop Jenky’s letter of resignation last week and named him Bishop Emeritus, and Bishop Louis Tylka is now the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria. Join me in giving thanks to God for Bishop Jenky and pray for Bishop Lou as he serves our local church. Following Bishop Lou’s lead, we will no longer pray the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer for the religious freedom of the Catholic Church and for all victims of abuse at the end of the petitions. However, we will frequently add that as a petition on weekends and Holy Days, and pray it after our daily Masses.
In Christ,
Fr. Schultz
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Additional Confession Times at St. Patrick Church of Merna:
- Following the Saturday 4pm Mass
- Following the Sunday 9am Mass
Confessions will begin as soon as the priest has finished
greeting parishioners.
- Communal Reconciliation Service will be on Thursday, April 7th at 6:30pm
Stations of the Cross:
- We will offer Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent (with the exception of Good Friday) immediately following the 5pm Mass at St. Patrick Church of Merna.
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BeFriender Ministry-
When you need someone to listen
Everyone is, at times, on a difficult journey and needs a caring person who will listen, empathize, and be a reminder of a caring faith community. BeFriender is a listening ministry where trained volunteers (BeFrienders) meet individually with parishioners in difficult and transitional situations such as illness, loneliness, divorce or separation, or loss of a loved one. They offer a listening presence and support along the journey during difficult times. If you would like support from a BeFriender please contact Jana Schopp at jana@stpatrickmerna.org or the parish office at 309-662-7361.
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PURLS: A Prayer Shawl Ministry |
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There are times in each of our lives when we need to know that others are thinking and praying for us. Sometimes it helps to have a tangible reminder of those thoughts and prayers.
The purpose of PURLS is to create those tangible reminders for our parish family! PURLS gather to pray, socialize, and create knitted and crocheted items.
No matter your skill level (even wannabes), please join us for our next gathering. Their are 2 times to choose from:
Tuesday, March 8 at 10am
Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30pm
Both sessions meet in room 9.
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If YOU (that means YOU reading this newsletter) know of ANYONE who might benefit from receiving a prayer shawl, please contact Jana at jana@stpatrickmerna.org or 309-662-7361, ext. 217 or ask any staff member.
We have an incredible, talented, dedicated group of knitters and crocheters who gather each month and create these beautiful shawls, which are then blessed and prayed over.
The Prayer Shawls are for:
- people who are ill (acutely or chronically)
- people struggling with issues in their lives
- people grieving the loss of a loved one
- people grieving other losses - job, relationship, etc.
- parishioners and non-parishioners
- any age!!
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Teaching Mass
Join Fr. Schultz as he presents a Catholic Teaching Mass where he explains the reverence and relevance why Catholics do and say what we do before, during, and leaving Mass. This Mass is appropriate for all age groups to gain a more in-depth knowledge of our Catholic Mass.
When: Wednesday, March 16th
Where: Main Church
Time: 6:30 pm
Planning: A pamphlet will be given out upon arrival (one per family/couple, or individual). Please sign up by clicking the button below.
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First Holy Communion Prayer Partners
During Masses on March 12th and 13th, we will recognize all of our students who have just received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. As these children continue their faith journey towards First Holy Communion, we invite our parish community to support them as Prayer Partners. Whether you stop by the bulletin board in the gathering space to choose a specific child or hold the entire group up in prayer, we welcome all of our parishioners to pray for these students. Bless you for praying with us!
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Youth Ministry
St. Patrick Church of Merna Youth Ministry exists to provide our teens with a space to grow in their relationships with Jesus. Our purpose is to help our youth understand that each of them are known, loved and chosen by God for a specific purpose. Ultimately, we hope that they can take what they discover here as they grow into that purpose and apply it beyond their SPCM home.
Upcoming Events:
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Fellowship and Game Night: On March 13th, all High School students are welcome to join us for a Game Night in Shamrock Hall from 6-8pm. Feel free to bring your personal favorite games to play, and bring a friend!
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Trip to University of Illinois Newman Center: We will be taking a group of our High School students to St. John’s Catholic Newman Center in Champaign on April 2nd. This event will look to share the Catholic community on college campuses with our high school students, and will be open to all high schoolers and a few parents and chaperones. More details will be shared in the bulletin and on the church website as we get closer to our trip. If you are interested in securing a spot on this trip, please reach out to youthministry@stpatrickmerna.org
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The Holy Land -
The 5th Gospel
There are four sacred texts, but there is also the good news about Jesus revealed to us by the places which mark the events of his life.
Join Fr. Schultz as he and some of his fellow pilgrims share stories and experiences of their pilgrimage to the Holy Land and why it’s considered the 5th Gospel. Hear how walking where Jesus walked, where Jesus preached, saw places where he cured, and performed miracles creates a sense of experiencing what we read in all the Gospels.
Stories, experiences, and pictures will be shared to tell the story of how Jesus and the Holy Land changed their lives. Come join us in Shamrock Hall on Thursday, March 10th, 5:00 pm OR Sunday, March 13th, 12:15 pm.
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1001 N Towanda Barnes Rd.
Bloomington, IL 61705
(309) 662-7361
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