October 9, 2011 If you haven't yet picked up your quilt raffle tickets in the Atrium, please do so today. For those who have already sold their tickets, thank you! PCCW members will be available after all Masses to accept the money and ticket stubs for the raffle.
St. Mary's – Gays Mills will hold their annual Pork Roast Dinner on Sunday, October 9th. Mass will be at 10:00 followed by a family-style dinner from 11:00 to 2:00. Please see the poster in the Atrium for specific activities and prices.
St Mary's – Coon Valley is holding a Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 9th from 7:30-11:30 a.m. There will also be a bake sale, cake walk, and garden produce for sale. Please see the poster in the Atrium for details and prices or call 608-452-3841 for more information.
The parish is in need of volunteers who can serve as Communion Ministers at the 5:15 Saturday Mass. Please contact Fr. Francis or the parish office if you can help with this important ministry.
Anyone interested in participating in the Bible Study Club this year should contact the parish office (637-7711 or stmaryparish@mwt.net ).
St Isidore Garden: The harvest is almost complete. There will be no further scheduled harvest days. We will be scheduling a garden cleanout some time in October when all the produce is finished. Many hands will be needed, as well as a couple of pickup trucks. Watch the bulletin. There are still some wonderful, fresh herbs, such as thyme, sage and parsley that are available in the garden. They would enhance the soups, stews, roasts and stuffing of the fall. Feel free to harvest what you need. They should be available until we get a hard frost.
The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe would like to invite you to a Symposium on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saturday, October 15, at the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse. The one-day Symposium features a lineup of renowned speakers. October is the Month of the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Come and experience the special maternal presence and intercession of Our Blessed Mother at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Please call the Shrine for reservations.
Last week, we had a special second collection to provide much needed assistance to Bishop Essien with a water project in the Wiaswo Diocese in Ghana. Your support is deeply appreciated and anyone who missed the collection may still put an envelope marked "Water Project" in the regular collection either this week or next week. Thank you.
Last week, Lexus Lynn Kelbel and Treyton James Schmidt were welcomed into the Christian community through the Sacrament of Baptism. Congratulations to the families and we welcome Lexus and Treyton to this community of faith.
Ushers – Please use the forms found on the table in the library to begin the annual Mass count which will continue through Sunday, October 23.
Next Sunday at the 10:30 Mass, Alayna Elizabeth Curti will be welcomed into the Christian community through the Sacrament of Baptism. Alayna is the daughter of Eric and Erin (Urbanek) Curti. The family wants to welcome parish members who may normally attend other Masses to participate with them in this liturgy.
The book club will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in the atrium to discuss THE WHISTLING SEASON by Ivan Doig. You are welcome to join us.
Information on the upcoming Hunger Walk sponsored by the Viroqua Ministerial Association will be available soon.
The next meetings of the "Directions" REP classes for 11th and 12th graders will be held on Wednesday, October 26th and Wednesday, November 30th. Additional information regarding future classes will follow in upcoming weeks.
"Healing Through Grief Group: Winter 2011/2012 Series" A free and confidential Healing Through Grief Group Series will be offered Mondays from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Rose Conference Room located on the second floor of the Mayo Clinic / Franciscan Healthcare La Crosse Campus Hospital (St. Francis Building) beginning on November 7th and continuing through March 26th, 2012. You are invited to attend any part of the series at any time. Each session includes an educational topic and a time to share with others also experiencing grief. Please call 608-785-0940 ext. 22218 for additional information. One-on-one free and confidential support is also available from a Franciscan Healthcare chaplain with specialized training in grief. A listing of the topics and corresponding dates can be found on the bulletin board in the Atrium.
Norseland Nursing Home Rosary and Mass Schedule: Rosary at 9:30 a.m. followed by Mass on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month; the next scheduled date will be October 11th.