And just like that, we’ve returned to Ordinary Time… what does that actually mean? At the onset, it sounds like “just another day” and “nothing special to see here.” But digging deeper into the meaning of Ordinary Time, we find that there’s really nothing ordinary about it.

Ordinary Time is the season that falls outside of the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons. We would say that the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons are very special, which is true, as those seasons help us to dig deeper into our faith in knowledge and love for Jesus.

Advent-Christmas: the seasons in which we recall the promise fulfilled by God that He would send to humanity a savior who would redeem us so that we can return to the Father. Lent-Easter: the seasons in which the promise is fulfilled by Jesus: that he would give of his own life to wash away our sins in his own blood, open up the gates of Heaven, and be that bridge for us to enter into the Father’s Kingdom, Heaven.

Ordinary Time: the season in which we have the opportunity to live out our faith, our “newfound” love with Jesus, every day in a practical manner, to build and maintain good, relational habits with Jesus and one another.

Another way to look at this on a more practical level is if we think of it like a couple who are in the midst of a courtship. The initial days are spent trying to learn about one another. During this time, milestones —new high points— are created in that relationship which are then used to deepen that bond so that their foundation can be strengthened and continued growth can occur. In the periods between the milestones, the couple will spend their time building new habits with one another based on their experience with one another. That time for the couple could be called “ordinary time,” like our liturgical calendar’s Ordinary Time season.

One way in which we as a parish family did this in a very practical manner was this past Sunday at the 9:30am Mass and social when we welcomed into our midst our brothers and sisters from Saint Vincent de Paul with open arms to pray together at the Mass, but also, during the “little” social in Kenney Hall that followed. In my conversations with some of the families from Saint Vincent’s during the social, they were filled with joy that our parishioners welcomed them so well and were “not staring at them” as if they were strangers who didn’t belong. What beautiful sounds I heard and saw at the celebration of the Mass and in the social afterwards. For those of you who were able to be a part of it in any way, thank you for the warm reception you gave to those families. They certainly felt it and allowed themselves to settle in comfortably in our midst without hurrying of out of awkwardness.

Thank you again for welcoming them in a way that I know Jesus was proud of. Please continue to pray for them, and for ourselves, as we continue this discernment process together.

-Fr Peter

Get your home blessed in the New Year! If you would like your home blessed (an Epiphany tradition), please contact the parish office at 651-777-8116 or email us to schedule a time for Fr. Peter to stop by & bless your home.

Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House invites you to a men’s three-day silent retreat on the beautiful grounds of Lake Demontreville guided by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The retreat begins Thursday evening January 18, 2024, and ends Sunday evening, January 21, 2023. Free-will donations are accepted. For more information call their office at 651- 777-1311 or visit www.demontrevilleretreat.com. 

Join us on Sunday, January 21, from 12:30-2pm at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake for rosary making & Adoration. This will kick off a new devotion to the Eucharist for the NextLevel group. Bring a friend or two and spend an hour with Jesus in the Eucharist!

Address: 3878 Highland Ave White Bear Lake, MN

Troop/Pack 461 Scouts are teaming up with Presentation’s HEO (Help Each Other) for the weekend of February 3, 2024 to collect additional non-perishable food items. This promotion will benefit the Salvation Army, Maplewood. Just bring your donations as usual to the weekend Mass. We will have many strong helpers to deliver the food so be as generous with your donations as you would like! We appreciate your participation and generosity. Together we can fight hunger! Last year we delivered over 250 pounds of non-perishable food items.

The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Sunday, January 28th from 9:00 - 11:30am in conjunction with our Presentation School Open House to kick of Catholic Schools Week! Bring your family to enjoy pancakes, eggs, sausage, along with coffee, orange juice, & milk. Free will donations will be accepted. 

On Friday, January 26th at the Church of Saint Paul in Ham Lake, Father Jim Livingston will celebrate a Mass that aims at helping people find healing in whatever areas they may require it, including physical, emotional, or spiritual situations. A time of individual prayer follows. Prayer teams will also be available to pray for specific needs. Mass will begin at 7pm, followed by a time for prayer. All are welcome. For more information, visit: www.churchofsaintpaul.com/healing-mass.

55 Club Luncheon - December! The 55 Club was joined by the 3M Mellow Fellow singers for their luncheon for Christmas, and were absolutely delighted by them!

Start the New Year of right! NOW is the time to get your child registered for the 2024-2025 school year. We are on track to have an increased enrollment again next year so make sure you save your child's spot in their class before it's too late! Please note all Financial Aid Applications are due by February 23, 2024. Visit https://presentationofmaryschool.org/new-families/enrollment-affordability/.

Bring your friends and family to dine at Mac's Dinette in North St Paul on Monday, February 19th between 4pm-close and 30% of your food and beverage purchases will be donated back to the school! You MUST bring a printed flyer with you to earn us the donation. Flyers are available in the back of church, can be printed from the school website, or call the parish office and we'll print one for you! 

The Kindergarten Class of 2024-2025 is invited to come experience a half day of Kindergarten with Mrs. Bertini on the morning of January 24th, 2024 from 9-11am. Parents are welcome to stay and visit in the Mary Room. Please check in for the day at the Front Office of School. RSVP must be completed by January 19th, and can be done by visiting https://forms.gle/b3c4UQ2PTQh7xAr87.

Save the date to help us kick of Catholic Schools Week by coming to the All-School Open House on Sunday, January 28th. We’ll begin the day with Mass at 9:30, followed by a pancake breakfast in Kenney Hall (cash or check only), and then the school will be open until 12:30pm for you to tour the school and complete fun activities and/or browse through the Scholastic Book Fair to pick up your favorite titles. RSVP for this fun event at https://forms.gle/FTySvNKyUS9Lp3Yf8.

The boys' basketball season has begun! Check out the schedule here for the days to come cheer on our Panthers: https://stpaulcaa.org/basketball-boys.

Great Scott! The 2024 Presentation of Mary Catholic School Gala is coming back to Presentation on Saturday, April 13, 2024! We need you to take action now, so you don’t get left behind! 

April may feel a long way off, but the planning and preparations for our Panther Pride Gala are well underway already! Please make sure you've read all of the information on the Gala web page to understand all the ways you can Raise Your Hand to ensure the success of our biggest fundraiser! Donate a theme basket, wine, beer, or spirits, become a sponsor, get a Gala t-shirt, or even join the planning committee! If you have any questions, contact the school office at 651-777-5877.

Donate Items to the Panther Pride Gala! We are collecting items for our silent and live auctions. Put together a fun theme basket or donate tickets to a fun event. Do you have a special skill such as cooking or woodworking? Donate a cooking lesson or a few hours of carpentry assistance! Get together with some friends and donate a hosted dinner party! The options are limited only to your imagination! Questions? Contact Gala Chair, Linda Charnowski, at lprazak@presentationofmary.org.

Do you know someone in need of prayers? Contact Kay at the Parish Office at 651-842-6022 so they can be added to our Prayer Line.

You can also contact her if you are interested in joining the Prayer Line!

Protection of Youth: All employees, and volunteers who interact with minors, are required to complete and maintain safe environment credentials (E3) through the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To ensure successful completion of these requirements or if you have any questions regarding our safe environment practices or would like more information on what is needed to volunteer, please contact our Safe Environment Coordinator: Kay Mottaz @ 651-842-6022 or email kmottaz@presentationofmary.org.

To learn more about reporting suspected abuse, please also visit: www.safe-environment.archspm.org/report-abuse/Report.