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The Parish Center will be closed Holy Thursday, March 28 & Good Friday, March 29

Poems to Retreat By MARCH 23, 5:30 PM, ST. IGNATIUS HALL Join us for a presentation with guided meditations by Fr. Aaron Malnick, S.J. on his new book, Poems to Retreat By: Praying with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. By using the Spiritual Exercises as a framework, Fr. Aaron's poems can be prayed with over a number of days or weeks in order to make a personal retreat or as standalone prayer periods throughout the liturgical year. This beautiful collection of 40 poems is available in paperback and eBook on Amazon. Please register in advance.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord We begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday this weekend. This final Sunday of Lent commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. March 23 3:30 pm — Confessions 4:30 pm — Mass March 24 8:00 am — Mass 10:30 am — Mass (begins on the front steps)

Holy Week at Saint Thomas More Holy Week stands at the head of our calendar, the holiest week of the entire liturgical year. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 24 and continues until Easter Sunday on March 31. Please join us for this beautiful week of liturgies and celebrations.

Triduum & Easter Environment Volunteers We are looking for volunteers to help with liturgical environment over the Holy Triduum as well as care for the Easter plants during the Easter season. Sign up here if you're able. Please consider volunteering for this important ministry!

Return Your CRS Rice Bowl on Holy Thursday We invite you to bring your CRS rice bowls to Mass on Holy Thursday, which is the last day of Lent! We will have a bin in the church for you to drop them in. Thank you for contributing to fight hunger and poverty in our world! You may also donate online via OSV.

A Light That Guides Us: Master Plan 2024 We are ecstatic to announce that this spring, we are embarking on a comprehensive facilities assessment and master planning process that will guide our parish over the next decade. We encourage you to watch our Master Plan launch video and visit our website for more information!

Fish Fry Recap Our Lenten Fish Frys were a huge hit this year! We are incredibly blessed by an engaging and welcoming community. Here are our final totals of 2024: 1,600 Plates of Food 580 Pounds of Fish 216 Pounds of French Fries 80 9x13 Pans of Mac & Cheese 140 Pounds of Cole Slaw 24 Pans of Peach Cobbler 1,512 Cookies We couldn't provide great food and warm hospitality without our volunteers. Watch this video to hear from several of our volunteers on why they choose to return year after year. We look forward to hosting you again next year!

Now Hiring at STM! We are now seeking applicants for several positions at both the parish and school:   Director of Youth Faith Formation Director of Admissions & Advancement Full Time Preschool Teacher Weekend Events & Facilities Supervisor Weekend Custodian Help us find the right candidates by SHARING these opportunities with any qualified professionals you know who may be interested.

Pledge to Conserve our Stations of the Cross As we near the end of our pledge period to raise funds for the conservation of our stations of the cross, we encourage you to prayerfully consider what you might be able to contribute to this most exciting project. Learn more about the conservation and how you can help support the process. We ask that you submit your pledge by Easter. Thank you for supporting this project!

Good Friday Collection At Mass on Good Friday, we will be taking up a second collection for the Pontifical Good Friday Collection which helps Christians living in the Holy Land. Your donation will support parishes, schools, seminarians, housing, senior care facilities, and creates jobs for those in the Holy Land. You may also donate online via OSV.

Stations of the Cross Overcoming Racism MARCH 22, 5 PM, STM CHURCH People in our day suffer unjustly simply because of the color of their skin or their national origin. Let us acknowledge the sin of racism and work to combat it in our social structures, our institutions, and our hearts.  Our STM Racial Equity group is hosting Stations of the Cross on March 22. We’ll be reading from the USCCB document “Stations of the Cross Overcoming Racism.” All are invited and welcome to read, reflect, and pray with us.

Night Prayer–Compline MARCH 27, 8:40 PM, MARY CHAPEL The Parish Choir will sing Compline in the Mary Chapel each Wednesday in Lent to conclude Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome to join this beautiful tradition of night prayer. Additional Compline dates will be added to our schedule in the coming weeks!

Gospel of Mark Scripture Study with Fr. RJ WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 10 - MAY 1, 7 PM, ST. IGNATIUS HALL Rich in Scripture, theological in purpose, and exciting to read, the Gospel of Mark invites us to become followers of Jesus' wisdom and enlightenment. Join us for this engaging and insightful scripture study led by Fr. RJ! The study begins Wednesday, April 10, and continues on Wednesday evenings until May 1. You are welcome to arrive at 6:30 PM for pizza and social time. Please register in advance.

Praying with Latter-Day Mystics APRIL 13, 8:30 AM - 3 PM, SAINT THOMAS MORE This day of retreat and reflection led by Susan Stabile will invite us to pray with the writings of some of the modern day men and women to deserve the label of mystic. Some of them will be familiar names, such as Thomas Merton, while others, like Thea Bowman, are perhaps less well known. The day will include presentations, time for individual prayer and reflection, and the opportunity to share the fruits of our reflections in small groups. Please register in advance.

STM Auction 2024 APRIL 26, 7 - 10 PM, COMO PARK ZOO & CONSERVATORY The Auction Committee is busy planning a fun event for our community. We need your donations of gift cards, cash, themed baskets, bottles of wine, etc. in order for this event to be successful! The Auction is our school’s largest fundraiser of the year and we rely on your donations to make it a success. Thank you for supporting the Auction! Please contact Elizabeth Thimmesh, our Admissions and Advancement Director.

We Remember Please pray for the repose of the soul of Francis "Frank" G. Mach, who recently passed. His funeral is Friday, March 22, at 11 am in our church. Visitation begins at 10 am. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. You may find his obituary here.

Stewardship Update Here is your February giving report from the STM Stewardship Committee:

Upcoming Mass Offerings Mar 26, 7:15 am - ♰Mary Lally Mar 27, 7:15 am - ♰Mary Helen Barry Mar 28, 7:00 pm - ♰Bishop Peter Muhich Mar 30, 8:15 pm - ♰RCIA catechumens and candidates Mar 31, 8:00 am - ♰Henry Orme Mar 31, 10:30 am - STM Community

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Reader Notification: STM's E-News is a publication of St. Thomas More Catholic Community in St. Paul, MN. Each edition contains articles and news feeds that are included for awareness of current topics in our world today. The positions expressed by outside authors and news feeds are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of St.Thomas More Catholic Community or its staff. This E-News was compiled by Brennan Hall, Director of Communications.