"Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."
~Jn 10:2-3
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World Day of Prayer for Vocations
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please pray that those whom God is calling to serve the Church as priests, deacons and religious women and men will respond with generous and joyful hearts. I invite parents to encourage your children to discern whether God is calling them to a religious vocation. Now, more than ever, the Church needs holy, joyful and prayerful women and men to witness to the Lord as religious, priests and deacons. I ask you to pray for me and for all priests, deacons and religious women and men already serving in the Church, that we would do so in imitation of Christ, the Good Shepherd. Resources for vocations and a reflection by Pope Francis for the 56th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, can be found at
https://www.worlddayofprayerforvocations.com/.
Ordinations
This year, Archbishop Hebda will ordain five men for service as priests and five men for service as transitional deacons (meaning they will be ordained as priests, God willing, next May). These men and their vocations are a great blessing for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Among the transitional deacons is Michael Reinhardt, who is assigned to St. Mary of the Lake during his seminarian years. Please pray for Mike and all the men to be ordained, that they would be holy and prayerful shepherds, who conform themselves to Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Giving Opportunities
I have had many people ask about making a gift to those in need. I am grateful for this instinct of our people, to offer to share with those who need some help. Here are some possibilities for you to consider:
MN Catholic Relief Fund for Parishes/Schools - The Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota established the Minnesota Catholic Relief Fund to help parishes and schools whose finances have been severely affected by the coronavirus. You can donate at
www.ccf-mn.org/relief. This is a way to show gratitude for the many people from outside our parish who helped us when we were in difficult financial times.
Haiti Fund – The number of confirmed COVID cases is still small in Haiti. However, health care people are expecting a large increase. Donation to our parish Haiti fund would be wired to assist our partners who help with the elderly and the sick and dying. Please make your check payable to St. Mary of the Lake and mark “Haiti Fund” in the memo line if you choose to contribute.
St. Mary of the Lake Emergency Assistance Fund – The parish has an ongoing fund to help those in our parish who need extra help. Please make your check payable to St. Mary of the Lake and mark “Emergency Assistance Fund” in the memo line if you choose to contribute.
White Bear Emergency Food Shelf – Many people have lost jobs or had hours reduced, which means less money for food. This reality has resulted in more people needing the services of the White Bear Food Shelf. Those who want to support the food shelf can make your gift directly to the food shelf and mail it to the White Bear Lake Food Shelf at 1884 Whitaker Street, White Bear Lake, MN 55110.
Peace, Fr. Talbot
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Frassati Spring Gala – Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who supported our Frassati Catholic Academy students through our virtual spring Gala, “A Night in Tuscany”! We are grateful for your support! Money raised will support the overall operations of Frassati Catholic Academy. This support keeps tuition steady and Catholic education accessible. Fund-a-Need donations will be used to create a Chapel of the Beatitudes in the Parish Life Center/Frassati Catholic Academy. Our hope is that the chapel will be ready for use in the fall!
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Praying Together: Renewing Our Consecration to Mary
Live streamed on the
USCCB website
this
Friday, May 1 at 2:00 PM.
As the world continues to face the ongoing effects of the global pandemic of the coronavirus, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced that the U.S. bishops will join the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on May 1 in
renewing the consecrations
of the two nations to the care of our Blessed Mother.
Archbishop Gomez will lead a brief liturgy with the prayer of re-consecration and has invited the bishops to join in from their respective dioceses and asked them to extend the invitation to the faithful in their dioceses for their participation. Find liturgy guides in English and Spanish below to assist the faithful who may join in by tuning into the
USCCB website
.
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LIVE Stream Rosary Procession
Sunday, May 3 at 2:00 PM
Pray with us online as Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens crown Our Lady of Fatima, pray the Rosary, and have Benediction. Watch the live stream on Facebook and on the event page. Our Lady, Health of the Sick, Pray for Us!
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The month of May is approaching, a time when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is traditional in this month to pray the Rosary at home within the family. The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this “family” aspect, also from a spiritual point of view.
For this reason, I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at home in the month of May. This can be done either as a group or individually; you can decide according to your own situations, making the most of both opportunities. The key to doing this is always simplicity, and it is easy also on the internet to find good models of prayers to follow.
I am also providing two prayers to Our Lady that you can recite at the end of the Rosary, and that I myself will pray in the month of May, in spiritual union with all of you. I include them with this letter so that they are available to everyone.
Dear brothers and sisters, contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial. I keep all of you in my prayers, especially those suffering most greatly, and I ask you, please, to pray for me. I thank you, and with great affection I send you my blessing.
For instructions on how to pray the Rosary:
If you would like a Rosary handcrafted by the St. Mary’s Rosary Makers, stop by the Parish Life Center M-F 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM.
Photo: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
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SYNOD ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ARCHBISHOP HEBDA
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Archbishop Hebda recently announced his decision to alter the Synod schedule so that we can all focus on our parishes and schools without any distraction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parish Consultation with Small Groups stage of the Synod will be delayed one year. While the Deanery Consultation planned for a Saturday in January or February of 2021 will still be held at that time, the more intensive Parish Consultation process, originally planned for Fall 2020, will now occur in Fall 2021 (the exact dates will be forthcoming).
There is great progress still underway for the Synod! We had over 8,000 people participate in the 19 general prayer and listening events and 11 focus events, providing over 35,000 comments. In addition, our Archdiocese had the highest response rate to the Disciple Maker Index of any diocese, with approximately 30,000 responses. Based on this information and other consultation, Archbishop Hebda plans to announce the initial set of focus areas in late May that will set the parameters for our discussions at the deanery and parish levels. Please keep that discernment in your prayer.
If you have questions about the Synod process, or what is happening at St Mary’s, contact Samantha Hagel
srhagel@stmarys-wbl.org
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Subscribe to St. Mary of the Lake on YouTube
Search and subscribe to St. Mary of the Lake - WBL on YouTube for Sunday Mass with Fr. Ralph Talbot. Or, just click on the Mass that is posted on the homepage of our website.
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Parish Office Information
Currently, we will allow access to the front entryway of the Parish Life Center for drop-off and pick-up but the doors to the right and left will be locked. Please call the main number 651-429-7771 option 1 if you need assistance.
Our office hours are 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM Monday - Friday until further notice.
Pick up the Easter edition of The Word Among Us and other resources in the entryway.
They're FREE!
Note to Our Parishioners
Assistance may be available for parishioners who need some help during these uncertain times. Email
cjgreen@stmarys-wbl.org
or call the parish office at 651-429-7771 option 1 and ask for Casey Green. Parishioners who are able to financially assist other parishioners are encouraged to make a donation payable to St. Mary of the Lake and note “Emergency Assistance Fund” in the memo line. Your gift will be restricted for the purpose of helping those in need.
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How To Subscribe to Our Parish Bulletin on Parishes Online
- Go to www.parishesonline.com.
- Enter your church name and your city, state or zip. Click the search icon.
- Find your church on the search results page and click on the name of the church.
- Under recent publication, click subscribe.
- Enter your email, first name and last name in the pop-up box. Click subscribe.
You will now receive alerts in your inbox when new publications become available for your church on parishes online.
View this process step-by-step with visuals
HERE
.
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Consider Remote Giving to Support Our Parish
There are currently three ways to give electronically:
- Monthly amount transferred from your bank account (click on the DONATE button on our website home page to find a form). It would be better to mail the form to us, since you need to include a voided check.
- Weekly, monthly, or one-time checks sent by your bank or other financial service organization (contact your bank to set up a plan that works for you). It is helpful to have your envelope number on the check your bank sends to us.
- Weekly, monthly, or one-time gifts charged to your credit card (click on the DONATE button on our website home page to set up your gift).
There is a way to give remotely that is not “high tech”: Simply mail us your check. Our address:
4690 Bald Eagle Avenue, White Bear Lake, 55110.
Thank you so much for your support in this difficult time.
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White Bear Area Food Shelf
will have “To-Go” Bags, Monday-Friday
No Appointment Necessary, any and every household is eligible to receive them.
Food helpline 1-888-711-1151.
Hours:
Monday: 10 AM-12:30 PM
Tuesday: 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 10 AM – 12:30 PM
Thursday: 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Friday: 10 AM -12:30 PM
Mahtomedi Area Food Shelf:
651-395-5350
Vadnais Heights Community Food Program:
651-746-4158
Questions about “ Meals On Wheels”
651-653-3123
National Alliance on Mental Health:
651-645-2948
Northeast Youth & Family Services:
651-429-8544
Medicare/Health Insurance – Senior Link – Age Line:
1-800-333-2433
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YMCA Food Distribution
The YMCA is partnering with Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group to serve free healthy meals to families in need. These organizations believe that supplying healthy fresh food is critical to supporting families in our communities to alleviate food insecurity and hunger. Together they combine the YMCA region-wide distribution network, Loaves & Fishes internationally recognized program, and UnitedHealth Group efforts to cover the more than $2 million in food costs and wages for the cafeteria employees preparing meals for people in the Greater Twin Cities.
Families may pick up food from Noon – 2:00 PM
Monday through Friday at select YMCA
and choose a meal package for a family of four including a protein, vegetables and other fresh food. Also, lunch bags with a sandwich, snacks and fruit are available. The White Bear Lake location is a designated pickup spot. Go to
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Dementia Caregiver Support Group
The Dementia Caregiver Support Group is meeting online, on the first Tuesday of every month. This group is conducted by Brookdale of North Oaks and offers the following virtual events:
- Stopping senior scammers—a member of the sheriff’s department will be there.
- Dementia education
- Presentation on isolation with live music from a music therapist.
Call Daniel Reinke at 763-913-6140 to provide your email address.
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