ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL
The Appeal supports a number of important ministries in the diocese, from outreach to the poor and education for seminarians and lay leaders, to formation for our next generation of faithful and a parish sharing portion for us at Holy Spirit!
Thanks to everyone for your generosity as we support the diocesan Church!
Lent: A Way to the Foot of the Cross
Lent is the ideal time to unmask these and other temptations, to allow our hearts to beat once more in tune with the vibrant heart of Jesus. The whole of the Lenten Season is imbued with this conviction, which is echoed by three words offered to us in order to rekindle the heart of the believer: pause, see and return"
- Pope Francis
One full meal and two smaller meals
Days of Fasting:
Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday
Who participates?
It is mandatory for those aged 18 to 59 (Those pregnant or sick are not obligated to fast).
Many people choose to let go of a bad habit (like gossiping or too much screen time)
or
strengthen a good one (attending Mass more often or praying on a consistent daily basis).
No meat
Days of Abstinence:
Ash Wednesday, Good
Friday, Every Friday
during Lent
Who participates?
Mandatory for those
older than 14 years.
Take the Next S.T.E.P.
Embrace the disciplines of Lent in new and transformative opportunities
Lenten Schedule of Events
Face covering is required and social distancing is still in effect.
Celebrate Holy Week with us
HOLY THURSDAY
April 1
Public & Livestream Mass
7 pm
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
8:30 pm
GOOD FRIDAY
April 2
Stations of the Cross
12 Noon
Public & Livestream Service
7:00 pm
April 3
Church Decorating
10:30 am
Blessing of Easter Baskets
12 noon in Chapel
EASTER VIGIL
8 pm (public & livestream)
EASTER SUNDAY
April 4
All Masses are public
8 am, 10 am (livestream), 12 pm
Fr. Matt's Updates
Take the Next S.T.E.P.!
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Lent is off to a great start here at Holy Spirit. We had a great turnout for our Ash Wednesday liturgies, and it seems as if a number of folks are taking advantage of Lent as a time to return to Mass. It’s a joy to welcome people home!
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Last week, we introduced our parish-wide initiative for Lent, Take the Next STEP -- an opportunity for us to embrace the practices of Lent in new ways through service, tithing, evangelization, and prayer.
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Our website has a lot of useful suggestions and resources to help you grow in faith during this holy season, so check it out or use it to be creative and develop your own practices
Consecration to St. Joseph
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Pope Francis declared a “Year of St. Joseph” from 8 December 2020 - 8 December 2021. It’s a great way to grow in devotion to the guardian of the Redeemer and the patron of the Universal Church
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As part of this celebration, I’m encouraging everyone at the parish to join together and participate in the Consecration to St. Joseph! Whether as individuals, couples, or families, we can all renew our love of Jesus through the intercession of St. Joseph
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The 33-day consecration will begin on March 30 and will conclude on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
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We’ll be using Fr. Donald Calloway’s excellent book. You can buy it at Holy Spirit for only $10, cheaper than retail or even Amazon. There’s a form online for you to reserve your copy, and we’ll make sure it’s available before we begin the consecration together
Church Clean-up Day
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As a kind of early spring cleaning, and in preparation for Bishop Knestout’s pastoral visitation, we’re organizing a church clean-up day on Saturday, March 6 from 8am to noon.
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have lots of opportunities for people to help, and we need it!
WATCH NOW
Church Clean-up Day (cont.)
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Sign up through the link on our website or Facebook page, so we can make sure we have the help we need while maintaining our occupancy restrictions and social distancing guidelines
Annual Diocesan Appeal
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We’ve mentioned the Annual Diocesan Appeal over the last couple of weekends at Mass, and I spoke about it in last week’s update, but I wanted to share with you two reasons why I support the Annual Appeal and would encourage you to do so, if you haven’t already
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It helps parishes help those in need! When we were beginning our chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we applied for a grant through the diocesan Fuel and Hunger Fund, which is supported by the Appeal. The money would be used to directly support those in our community who are most in need. We received $2,500, full funding of our request! Lots of parishes across the diocese are able to share the loving concern of Christ through this initiative.
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Support for our seminarians. When I went to the seminary right out of college, the diocese supported my education completely -- tuition, room and board, the cost of my books, even health insurance. It helped me to focus my discernment truly on the will of God, without any financial strings attached. I was amazed when I arrived at the seminary that this isn’t the case everywhere, so what a blessing it is that through the appeal, we are able to help support our seminarians get the formation they need to truly discern God’s calling and, God-willing, be well-formed priests after the heart of Jesus.
Welcome to Joy!
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Last week Joy Palm officially began as our new parish secretary! She comes to us with broad experience in different aspects of church life, and provides a tremendously welcoming presence for our parishioners and visitors alike
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It’s a great blessing to serve with her. Please stop by and say hello if you get the chance!
Announcements
Holy Spirit Ministries
It has been incredibly heartwarming to witness the many ways in which our parishioners are continuing to serve the Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ during this time of isolation and great uncertainty.
Through the constant prayers and unwavering support from our parish community, on-going food donations and meal preparations for those in need, generous financial contributions to support our parish and its numerous ministries, zoom meetings for our ministry gatherings, rehearsals, and faith formation classes, caring calls to fellow parishioners, and many other outreach projects, Holy Spirit is continuing to serve. Our "Ministry Highlight" and video testimonial will be featured in the Home Page slideshow!
Outreach Fundraisers & Sign-Ups
“I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.”
(Matthew 25:40)
Easter Flower Memorial
By remembering a loved one through your donation to our Easter Flowers & Liturgical Décor fund at Holy Spirit, you will help beautify our Worship Space for the celebration of our risen Christ! Flowers will be displayed for all of the Masses throughout the entire Easter season.
Deadline to donate is March 31, 2021
Bulletin & Social Media
** CYBERCRIME ALERT **
Cybercrime is hitting dioceses nationwide. If/when you receive an email or text from Fr. Matt requesting you to purchase a gift card, rest assured it is a scam. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS! Parishioners can and should contact the parish to verify the legitimacy of any suspicious request and block or report the originating email. All cybercrime should be reported to the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx