e-Bulletin
Week of April 11 - 17, 2021
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... to Love, to Serve, to be Hope ...
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WORD COMMUNION
We will continue with our Word and Communion Service beginning April 14
at Noon, it will be limited to 12 people.
The Service will be no longer than 20 minutes with Scripture and Communion, you will need to reserve a place.
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CALENDAR
Saturday, April 10:
Sunday, April 11:
- Baptism - time will be assigned beginning at 11am
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9:00 am MASS, Fr. Tim Wozniak (reservation required) Livestream available
- Confirmation year 2—Guest speaker via Zoom 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Monday, April 12:
Tuesday, April 13:
- Spirit of Justice Zoom, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- AA meeting, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Wednesday, April 14:
- Word/Communion Service, 12:00 pm - 12:20 pm
Thursday, April 15:
- Mass, 10:00 am -11:00 am
- Parish Leadership Council / Zoom mtg, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
- Al-Anon meeting, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Friday, April 16:
Saturday, April 17:
- McCoy/Schliesman Wedding, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Sunday, April 18:
- 9:00 am MASS, Fr. Tim Wozniak (reservation required) Livestream available Confirmation year 1 - Candidate/sponsor mtg 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Confirmation year 2, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
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NEW WEBSITE:
Where is the "What's Happening" now?
On the home page, scroll down until you see a picture of some shoes and arrows.
Here you will find 2 columns: "Upcoming Events" and "Stay in the Know..."
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Under this column, you will find things that have a starting and ending date or one specific date.
STAY IN THE KNOW...:
Here you will find things that are going on, but that don't necessarily have a specific date, like articles, announcements, documents, etc.
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MOTHER'S DAY
Flower Donations Needed
This year, the annual Mother’s Day flower planting will be done differently. Because there are not currently a lot of children attending Mass, and we continue to be cautious about safety, the flowers will be planted by some of our Year 1 Confirmation students on Mother’s Day, May 9.
What has not changed is our need for donations of flowers. Any quantity of any type of Marigold is welcome. Anyone can donate a few or as much as a flat of Marigolds by bringing them to the South patio (back door) on Saturday, May 8 or before 9:00 Mass on Sunday, May 9.
If you would like to donate but are not available for those drop-off times, please contact Dez Sobiech.
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LAWN MOWING VOLUNTEERS
We are looking for volunteers to help keep our STB grounds looking beautiful.
This would be a 2-2.5 hr. commitment once a month to work with a team of four on our parish grounds. Any adult 18 or over is eligible to sign up.
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FACE MASK
I already got my 2 vaccines.
Do I have to continue wearing a Face Mask when I'm at St. Thomas Becket?
Yes, the answer is yes.
Please continue to wear your mask even if you have been vaccinated. We will continue to follow government guidelines. Thank you!
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VBS
Registration opens this
Monday, April 12, 2021.
All Aboard for VBS 2021
The Rocky Railway will be rolling July 12-15 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm each day.
- We will limit total campers at VBS to 35 participants
- We will limit small groups to 7 campers and 2 leaders
- Each small group will remain in their own “pod” as they move through the day
- We will follow whatever CDC guidelines are in place in July
- Snacks will be prepackaged and eaten only with small groups
- Fee: $30 per child.
Volunteer opportunities
will be posted this Monday on our website.
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GIVING GARDEN
Our Giving Garden is off to a good start. Using plastic greenhouses, we planted on March 21st, and already have lettuces, peas, carrots, spinach, radishes and dill growing!
If all continues to go well, our first harvest should be delivered to The Open Door right around Memorial Day.
Stay tuned…
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PRISON MINISTRY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP
APRIL 17
Saturday, April 17, 2021
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
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STB MEETS BREAKING FREE
Zoom Speaker Event Coming!
Human Trafficking: It Happens Here
(And what we can do about it)
May 4, 2021, 7-8:45 PM on Zoom
Some Stats......
- Human trafficking happens 365 days a year in every zip code in the United States
- The FBI ranked Minnesota 13th in the U. S. for sex trafficking. The Twin Cities area ranks 14th among major U.S. cities for instances of child prostitution.
What St. Thomas Becket Has Been Doing
- Our first year Confirmation Candidates filled 65 cosmetic bags with toiletries, snacks, and gift cards for Breaking Free in St. Paul. (See video below for more on Breaking Free). These bags will be distributed to women on the street and in the Safe House.
- We have provided Prayer Shawls for graduates of Breaking Free, Sisters of Survival program.
What Can You Do?.....
- Be informed: The Spirit of Justice committee will sponsor a live zoom meeting with Jessica Bartholomew, retired Minneapolis police officer and Jennifer Gaines, a survivor of trafficking who has opened several safe houses for teenage girls and boys that were caught in the system. See the bulletin article about this event for more information.
- Pray: Offer up a prayer every time you pass a motel, hotel, casino or truck stop. Pray that this place will be closed to trafficking.
- Give: There is always a need for toiletries, cleaning supplies, food, used clothing and gift cards for Subway, Target, etc at Breaking Free and other organizations that serve survivors.
VIDEO: CLICK HERE to see a video message to STB from Breaking Free, followed by an in-depth look at the work they do with survivor services and prevention.
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STB VIRTUAL PRAYER WALL
Let's pray for each other!
When you get to this page, double click on the brick wall to post your prayer or a prayer request, or click on the "+" on the lower right of the wall.
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GROWING THROUGH LOSS
South Suburban Coalition
The Interdenominational Coalition of South Suburban Churches, comprised of 15 churches “south of the river”, is pleased to present a five-week series titled “Growing Through Loss”. Join us for one or all sessions on Thursday evenings, April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6, 2021, from 7:00 to 9:00.
Suggested donation per session is $4.00.
If you have any questions, email Barb Korman or call her at 651-452-8261
The following is a list of the dates and the speakers.
April 15
“Depression vs Grief: Which is it?”
Kay King
Older Adults Program Coordinator & Community Educator
National Alliance on Mental Illness of MN
April 22
“Love Deeply, Grieve Deeply”
Kelly Grosklags
Board Certified in Clinical Social Work
April 29
“Resiliency Through Life’s Challenges”
Donna Mathiowetz
Inspirational Speaker & Author
May 6
“Service of Remembrance”
Rev. Karen Treat
Pastor of Care Ministries & McKenna Crossing
Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake
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GOSPEL MEDITATION
What a wonderful joy fills us today as we ponder the inexhaustible mercy of God. “Mercy is the heart of God,” Pope Francis tells us. The image of a heart has been used to point to the very life source of a person as it is the organ that allows life to flow through our veins and sustain us. Mercy is the heart of God. Imagine this dynamic, powerful, compassionate, piercing, embracing, loving, propelling, penetrating, absorbing, and enveloping, transforming presence of God flowing into the very depth of our souls. It is God’s mercy that allows blood to flow through our veins. It is God’s mercy that forms every atom of our being and leads us to what is true. God’s mercy reveals all superficiality and falsehood, and lays bare all distortions, empty promises, weakness, and sin.
“Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope,” Pope Francis continues. God’s all forgiving, compassionate love is with us. When we finally believe and accept that Christ’s resurrected transfigured presence resides with us, we then find within us a strong confidence to accept life’s imperfections and disappointments and move on. Every day is a new adventure in new life. God leaves the past behind and opens doors to the future. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes we made yesterday. All that matters is what we do tomorrow and what we learn along the way. It is so easy to remain tethered and mired in the past, but there is no need to do so. God is all about tomorrow and the work God has yet to do in our lives.
Mercy gives birth to hope. Hope for the greatest of sinners and hope for the worst of disasters. There is nothing God cannot do and nothing God cannot fashion. After all, everything we know and treasure was once nothing, and look what God did with the nothing God had! The resurrected Christ stands before us with nail marks in his wrists and wounds on his body as a testament that not even injustice, suffering and death can trample over and destroy God’s mercy. What have we to fear? Why do we keep ourselves from peace? Our lack of faith prevents us from going forward and fully receiving the holiness God desires to breathe upon us. Breathe in God’s mercy, allow the wind of God’s presence to kiss all of your sins and caress all of your fears. Exhale peace.
©LPi
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RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Eye Has Not Seen
They say seeing is believing. But if you’ve ever ordered a pair of pants online, you know that’s not always the case. Whatever the photos promise us, what looked like a perfectly nice shade of navy blue on our computer screens comes in the mail as an unusual shade of blue green that only appears in the giant box of Crayola crayons.
The Apostle Thomas, who couldn’t bring himself to accept that Jesus had risen from the dead without seeing him, is such an utterly relatable figure in the Gospels.
Thomas is still reeling from a loss — not only of his good friend but his Lord, who was taken prisoner and crucified before his eyes. Thomas is guarding himself. He’s not believing the hype. He’s going to be the only judge of what is real and what is fiction.
Would any of us be any different? We’ve all had those thoughts. Can we believe it all — Jesus, salvation history, the Eucharist — when we haven’t seen it with our own two eyes?
That’s when we need to remember that those two eyes were absolutely positive they had ordered a pair of navy blue pants.
It’s easy for us to sit back stroking our chins in judgment at Thomas, “you didn’t believe the testimony of your friends!” But do we accept the testimony of our friends? The saints, the popes, the Church fathers themselves?
Sometimes the things that are most worthy of believing can’t be seen with the naked eye.
— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
©LPi
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Every week on the printed bulletin we have a section for kids.
During this time of isolation, we will share this activity booklet for you to print out at home.
2nd Sunday of Easter
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DAKOTA COUNTY'S COVID-19 INFO
This is the link to Dakota County’s COVID-19 info which has a wealth of info and links. Check out the Community Resources tab for all sorts of useful info. This is a central place for county info and community resources that a team of staff are regularly updating.
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STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE
Snowflakes are some of nature’s most fragile things
— but look at what they can do when they stick together.
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PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
Please hold these parishioners in your prayers:
Janet Higgins
Lisa LaFrance
Mary Cloutier
Peter DePover
Judy Schmidt
If you have someone you would like added to our confidential Prayer Line call Cathy at 651-344-3350.
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READINGS
Sunday:
Acts 4:32-35/Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 [1]/1 Jn 5:1-6/Jn 20:19-3
Monday:
Acts 4:23-31/Ps 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9 [cf. 11d]/Jn 3:1-8
Tuesday:
Acts 4:32-37/Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5 [1a]/Jn 3:7b-15
Wednesday:
Acts 5:17-26/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 [7a]/Jn 3:16-21
Thursday:
Acts 5:27-33/Ps 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20 [7a]/Jn 3:31-36
Friday:
Acts 5:34-42/Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14 [cf. 4abc]/Jn 6:1-15
Saturday:
Acts 6:1-7/Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 [22]/Jn 6:16-21
Next Sunday:
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19/Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 [7a]/1 Jn 2:1-5a/Lk 24:35-48
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