We welcome the newest members of the Church through the waters of Baptism: Charlotte Ann Vavra

Baptism Classes

If you are interested in having your child baptized, please contact Father Shofner at the Parish Office to reserve your spot and to schedule a Baptism class. This 1 1/2 hour-long class is required for the parents and godparents of the child to be baptized.

Please note the next scheduled date for baptism will take place on May 12, 2019.

Please Note: A requirement for Baptism is a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

Sacramental Information Baptism - offered once each month (except during Lent). Contact Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles for baptism in Spanish or English.

Marriage - contact Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles at least 6 months in advance. All couples must complete a weekend retreat as well as marriage preparation classes with Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles.

Confirmation - youth are prepared in grades 8 & 9. For adult confirmation - contact Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles.

Anointing of the Sick - communal anointing for the Parish once each year in the spring. For private anointing, contact Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles

Communion calls for ill or homebound - please contact the Parish Center.

Sacramental Life

Please Pray Part of our Christian duty is to pray for each other.

The following have asked for your prayers:

Myles Genelin Jolene Zell Milo Holey Holden Zell Tim Simonette Stacy Germscheid

Larry Germscheid JoAnn Cemensky

All residents at Central Health Care, Mala Strana, Benedictine, Traditions, Lutheran Home, Three Links, Laurels Edge, & Horizon Place. Some people have requested to not have their name included on this list. We respect their wishes and ask that you pray for all who are ill.

Morning for Justice, Peace and Healing Tuesday, May 7, 9:00-11:00 am

Knights of Columbus Hall, 411 4th Ave. SW, New Prague, MN Special Guest Speaker: Janine Geske (former Wisconsin Supreme

Court Justice). Welcome & Opening Comments by Archbishop Bernard Hebda & Tim O’Malley.

Restorative Justice is a healthy way to address the needs of those traumatized by violent crime. Talk about what has happened in the

past, what is happening in the present, and what steps we can take to influence the future. Engage in conversation with others as we move

towards peace and healing. Open to the public – All are welcome This event is for all who have been impacted by violent crime,

including: victims/survivor of emotional and physical abuse, as well as their family and friends, city officials, law enforcement, legal experts,

staff and members of all church congregations.

Monthly Rosary Rally begins Monday, May 13 Please join us at South Park, Hwy 99 and Park Ave. in LeCenter,

under the gazebo near the pool, at 12 noon on Monday, May 13, and on the 13th day of each month through October. The holy Rosary and

other prayers will be said to honor the Blessed Virgin and ask Her intercession for peace and conversion of our nation and the world.

Please bring a chair and join us if you can or pray along with us from home. For more information, contact: Sheila McCabe Swan, 507-357-

6941 or mccabeswan@yahoo.com.

Holy Hour for Vocations Join us at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month to pray for

vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life. www.10000vocations.org

May 14, 2019 Our Lady of Grace, Edina June 11, 2019 St. Mary, Le Center

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Joe Schatz who

passed away on April 24. Joe’s Mass of Christian Burial took place at the

Church of St. Mary this past

Wednesday, May 1.

Our sympathies to the family and friends of Mike

O’Malley who passed away on April 24. A memorial

service was held on Sunday, April 28 at the Le Center American Legion.

May God’s infinite love and mercy bring these families comfort and peace.

St. Mary-St. Henry Pro-Life Team

Spiritual Enrichment and Education Opportunities

A reminder to pray daily for your Spiritually Adopted Baby

and the baby’s mother and father.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have

spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.

Prayer of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

During your earthly life this spiritually adopted child of

yours will be known only to God but in the world to come it is hoped that you will meet the

child whose life was spared by your prayers and spend eternal

happiness with them.

Next Pro-Life meeting will be on Monday, May 13, 2019 at the home of Bob & Monika Rivers at 1:30 PM

(Please note time change).

SAVE the DATE: Kickball Tournament -Sunday, May 19, 2019

St. Henry Ballfield 2-5 pm Fun for the entire family! Concessions to benefit "Pro-Life Across America"

Month 4

Thank you for praying for me. I’m bigger and

stronger now. I’m about 6 inches long and I weigh 4

ounces. When mommy goes to the doctor, she can even listen to my

heartbeat. I hope that one day I will run and play with

friends like you.

Churches of St. Mary & St. Henry 165 N. Waterville Ave., Le Center, MN 56057

Phone: 507-357-6633 Phone/Fax: 507-357-4838

www.stmarysthenry.org

Parish Staff

Pastor: Fr. Christopher Shofner (phone extension 305) fr.chris@hotmail.com After Hours Emergencies: 612-227-7985

Associate Pastor: Fr. James Adams (ext 307) padrejfa@frontier.com

Associate Pastor: Fr. James Stiles (ext 306) fr.stiles@frontier.com

Trustees St. Mary: Clarence Mager 357-4338 Pete Plut 357-6222

Trustees St. Henry: Dan Germscheid 357-4923 Jim Selly 357-4898

Coordinator of Faith Formation: Jean Boothby (phone ext 304) jeanrb@frontier.com

Secretary/Receptionist: Gloria Wolf (phone ext 301) gloriagw@frontier.com

Accounting/Bookkeeping: Tara Robinson (phone ext 302) tarar@frontier.com

Maintenance: Joe Holicky (phone ext 303) jholicky1@frontier.com

Music Ministry: Terri McMillen mcmillen752@gmail.com

Office Hours - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Thursday

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Friday

Bulletin Deadline - articles need to be submitted to Gloria by noon

on Wednesday.

For use of meeting rooms or Social Hall - contact Gloria

Mass Schedule

Saturday 4:30 PM (St. Mary)

Sunday 8:00 AM (St. Henry)

10:00 AM (St. Mary)

12:00 PM (St. Mary, in Spanish)

Monday No Mass

Tuesday, Weds & Friday 9:00 AM

Thursday 5:00 PM

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday 3:45-4:20 PM (St. Mary)

Sunday 7:30-7:50 AM (St. Henry)

Or by appointment (contact Fr. Shofner, Fr. Adams or Fr. Stiles)

Our Eucharistic Adoration chapel is open for individuals to come

for 5 minutes or an hour and be with Our Lord in the Blessed

Sacrament. Our chapel hours are: Tuesday 9:00 AM to Thursday

9:00 AM (closes during daily Mass and Funeral Masses).

“Christ is

alive.”. . . He has

triumphed over

death; he has

overcome

sorrow, anguish

and the power

of darkness.

-St. Josemaría Escrivá

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER MAY 5, 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These days we witness the grace of God alive and well in the hearts of our young people. Last Sunday we celebrated with the Second Graders of our parish the Sacrament of First Communion, and this Thursday our Ninth Graders will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Basilica in Minneapolis. What great joy it is to see the grace of God come alive in such a powerful way as Jesus becomes present and gives His very Body and Blood, and as the Holy Spirit offers strength to accomplish the call to be His witnesses in the world. We pray that as these young people continue their journey in faith, they will allow Jesus to touch them in the very depths of their hearts so that they may know His peace and joy!

As a priest, I reflect often on the power of the Eucharist, which is Jesus making Himself present to us Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the humble form of bread and wine. A number of years ago I read an article about St. Peter Julian Eymard, a 19th century priest noted for his devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. Pope Saint John Paul II referred to him as the “Apostle of the Eucharist”. Saints such as St. Peter Julian Eymard are so important in our day to remind us of the importance and reality of the Eucharist, especially as we hear the statistics that only 63% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence (that is, that the Eucharist truly is the Body and Blood of Jesus and not just a symbol (some put that number as low as 30%).

St. Peter Julian Eymard sought to foster deeper faith in the Eucharist, as he saw the number of believers drop even in his own day. What can we pinpoint as factors for this decline? Is it simply that we are so busy and distracted that we don’t give a second thought to the presence of Jesus? Or is it something deeper, that Jesus has become a stranger to us? Do we come to Church without that deep knowledge and awe that the Lord is present to us, hidden from our eyes under the guise of bread and wine? The more we contemplate this mystery, the more He will open our eyes to see Him there.

To grow in our Eucharistic faith, St. Peter Julian Eymard encouraged proper preparation for receiving Communion, but he also emphasized giving proper thanksgiving after Communion. He laid out five things that we can do immediately after receiving the Eucharist to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus. They help us foster a reverent awe of the gift we receive each Sunday.

1) Be silent. Be at peace in the presence of the Lord, for He promises rest to the weary and afflicted soul.

2) Adore Jesus and praise Him for His power. 3) Thank Jesus for having loved you and nourished you through the gift

of His Body and Blood. 4) Be sorry again for all your sins, and resolve never to offend the Lord

again, by the help of His grace. 5) Ask whatever you will, since now is the moment of grace, when

Jesus is disposed to bestow His greatest graces upon you.

After receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, we should then carry ourselves with greater dignity and attention, knowing that we were found worthy to carry within us the King of kings and Lord of lords. As we leave the church, know that we are vessels that carry Jesus to those around us. This knowledge helps us to be more attentive to our words and actions, and to seek to draw others to Jesus. We find that receiving the Eucharist is not just something that benefits us, but others as well. There is strength and courage in the Eucharist we receive, and Our Lord invites all of us to come receive Him. What a beautiful gift we have been given! Let us not receive Him in vain, but with great love and devotion.

God bless, Fr. Chris Shofner Fr.Chris@hotmail.com

Mass Schedule & Intentions

Monday, May 6

Tuesday, May 7 9:00 AM Mass Margaret & Frances Germscheid†† 9:30 AM Opening of Adoration

Wednesday, May 8 9:00 AM Mass J. Gordon McCabe†

Thursday, May 9 8:55 AM Closing of Adoration 9:00 AM Mass Ray & Rose Fredrickson†† (Please note daily Mass time change for this week)

Friday, May 10 9:00 AM Mass Living & Deceased of Prososki & Lesiak families

Saturday, May 11 3:45 PM Confessions 4:30 PM Mass Paul McCabe†

Sunday, May 12 7:30 AM Confessions (St. Henry) 8:00 AM Mass (St. Henry) Joan C. McCabe† 10:00 AM Mass Jean Weber† 12:00 PM Mass (in Spanish) For the Parish

This Week in the Parish

Monday, May 6

Tuesday, May 7 Communion Calls - Darcy 5:00 PM CCW May Tea & Dinner

Wednesday, May 8 10:00 AM Women’s Grief Support Group

Thursday, May 9 7:00 PM Confirmation at the Basilica in Mpls

Friday, May 10

Saturday, May 11 AM-Kitchen in use - Take out Hispanic food sale

Sunday, May 12 - Mother’s Day Baptisms after all Masses this weekend 6:00-9:00 PM Dead Theologians Society (LeSueur)

Readings for next Sunday, May 12, 2019

Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52 Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 John 10:27-30

Hispanic Food Sale

Stop by St. Mary on

Saturday, May 11 from

8:00AM—12:00PM to

purchase delicious

chicken huaraches to go!

Community and Social Events

TODAY, Sunday, May 5, 2019 KC Spring Breakfast - from 8AM-12PM, Immaculate Conception Church Basement, Lonsdale. All you can eat Pancakes! Eggs & Sausage. Proceeds to support Local Projects and Programs.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 15th Annual 50+ Lifestyle Expo - at Mankato Civic Center from 9AM-2PM. This expo is free to the public and will include vendor booths, free Zumba, Chair Yoga, Pickleball, entertainment, prize drawings, free lunch and root beer floats, and more! More information can be found at www.MankatoLifestyleExpo.com or by calling the Mankato Civic Center at 507-389-3000.

Thursday, May 16, 2019 Village 55 - will gather at Horizon Place at 2PM. Le Center’s Rhea Block with Hardware Hank will be giving us potting and flower arranging hints. She will also be giving a couple of her vases as door prizes.

Faith Formation

Regular May Meeting Potluck, General Meeting, and Installation of Officers will be held on May 7

th at 5:45 pm at St. Mary. Prayer

Service at 5pm. The speaker will be Sharon O’Connell Wilson. She will be

speaking about the power of prayer.

Congratulations to the 32 students who will receive

Confirmation this Thursday at 7pm at the Basilica in Minneapolis. Today as a parish we pray for them and send them

with our well wishes.

Thank you to the parents and sponsors that nurtured these students

this year and set such great examples of celebrating their faith.

Upcoming Dates: May 9 - Confirmation @ the Basilica in Minneapolis, 7:00 PM May 19 - Baccalaureate Mass @ St. Mary 10AM Mass for all graduating seniors to receive a blessing and recognition with a reception following the Mass.

More Lasagnas! We had such a

successful lasagna sale! Thank you! We have left over supplies and would like to offer another limited sale of meat or cheese lasagnas either in 4” x 8” pans for $10, 10” x 12” pans for $20, OR 12” x 20” pans for $40

(great for graduation parties!) through Sunday May 12th. Pick up is available after Masses on May 18th & 19th. Please contact Jean

(jeanrb@frontier.com) or the church office to order.

Summer Programs 2019 Registration and payments now available online @

www.stmarysthenry.org

Totus Tuus – July 7-12, 2019 – Grades 1-12

VBS Barnyard Roundup July 28 - Aug. 1, 2019

3 yr olds – Kindergarten Children learn that Jesus gathers us together! They’ll explore five Bible accounts where Jesus graciously gathers us

together to be with Him with His abundant provision and saving protection, now and forever.

“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your

sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38

Jean R. Boothby Faith Formation Coordinator jeanrb@frontier.com 941-962-5168

St. Mary’s Thrift Store Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Saturday: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Thrift Store #507-341-4236

Church Cleaning - Dorothy Riebel & Ann Holicky are scheduled to clean the church by May 12, 2019.

St. Henry Church 160th Anniversary Celebration Sunday, July 14, 2019

Meeting Dates for Planning - Sunday at 6PM in Hall May 19 June 23 July, if needed

St. Henry News

St. Mary’s CCW Events

Grief, Hope, & Healing A nondenominational grief support group

for women who have experienced the death of a spouse or significant other.

You are not alone. This grief group is led by widows who understand what you are going through.

The group offers an opportunity to learn about grief, share experiences and find healing and hope from your loss.

No registration is necessary. Wednesdays 10AM-11AM

Church of St. Mary, Le Center - in the Mission Room For more information, call Marlene Hunt, 507-381-1177

PASTORAL CARE EVENTS

Dead Theologians Society (DTS) – Next meeting Sunday, May 12

Join us for Movie Night at St. Anne’s School, 511 North 4th St., LeSueur, from 6:00-9:00 pm, supper included. All parishioners and families are welcome

to accompany the teens for the movie (however, please note that very little children might struggle with the movie, as it is geared toward teens/young adults). We will finish the evening with Night Prayer and Benediction at 8:30 pm at St. Anne Church, 217 North 4th St.

Individuals and families are invited to commit to an hour or half-hour of Adoration between 6-9 pm at the church as the youth gather for the movie. We will expose the Blessed Sacrament during those hours for prayer.

Please note there will be a makeup VIRTUS session for

volunteers on Thursday, May 30 at 6:30 pm at St. Mary

The last one was cancelled due to a snow storm.

St. Mary’s Parish Festival June 23, 2019!

Below is a listing of the current Festival Chairpersons. Please consider contacting the people listed to volunteer in the area of your interest – there are many to choose from! Some can use help before the

actual day of the festival as well. We need many volunteers to help make our Parish Festival a success.

Festival Chairpersons

General Festival Co-Chairpersons Doug Christian, Clancy Mager, & Brent Christian

Raffle Tickets Jenny Blaschko

Jackpot Drawing Tickets Emmett Krenik, Mariane Beer, Maureen Blaschko

Dinner/Kitchen Bruce & Colleen Budin, Tim & Jeanne Traxler

Dining Room Bette Traxler & Rose Krenik

Dinner Tickets Mary Kay Whipps, Anne Claffey

Carry-Outs/Deliveries Gibbs Family

Dining Room/Pies Priscilla Malinski

Post-Dinner Food Sales Bev Steffen

Country Store Dave & Mary Krenik, Deb & Clancy Mager

White Elephant Sales Pat & Deb O’Malley, Shannon Lang

Wall of Wine Patti Germscheid, Kathy Christensen

Beer Garden/Pop Stand Randy Hunt

Food Court Theresa Collins, Judy Ykema

Money/Change Emmett Krenik

Bingo Knights of Columbus

Setup Grounds VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Picnic Tables Pat Traxler

Split the Pot Jenny Blaschko

Youth Games Jenny Weiers

Social Hall Clean-up Darcy & Mike Schloesser

Kitchen Clean-up Mary Kelly

Outside Grounds Clean-up VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Silent Auction Carol Holicky, Arianne Holicky, Tonya Holicky

Concession Tickets Sales Dennis Lang, Dan Lang, Don Reak

Advertising Gloria Wolf

Hispanic Community Paul Lopez

Parking Lot Mike Grof

Are you new to the Churches of St. Mary & St. Henry? We are glad that you are with us! All you need to do to register is to stop in or call the parish office during office hours. We will be happy to help you. The registration form takes only a couple minutes to fill out. For your convenience these forms can be found in the church entrances and on our web page at www.stmarysthenry.org. We welcome our recently registered parishioners and look forward to getting to know you better.

April 27-28, 2019 St. Mary St. Henry

Weekly Budget $ 3950.00 $ 825.00

Easter/Weekly Offering $ 3167.39 $ 495.00 Plate $ 585.00 $ 82.00

TOTAL $ 3752.39 $ 577.00

Diff. from budget -$ 197.61 -$ 248.00

Parish Stewardship

Catholic Services Appeal (CSA)“…be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” James 1:22

The CSAF is an independent non-profit focused solely on supporting 20 designated outreach ministries and nothing else. We invite you to prayerfully consider joining in the good work being done. Simply connect via your mobile device to csafspm.org, or complete a paper pledge form (found in the church entrances) and drop it in the collection basket. Thank you from the many ministries of the CSAF. Together, we’re transforming lives by God’s grace.

Our Parish goals for 2019 remain the same as in the past few years: St. Mary $12,117 goal $10,285.75 collected (84.9%) | St. Henry $2,382 goal $2,180.00 collected (91.5%)

Let’s plan to work together to meet our goal this year and help others! If we reach 100% of our goal, the parish will receive back 25% of the total raised, which we then use to build up our par ish ministr ies. What better way can we donate $20 or $50 or $100 and see it multiplied many times over for the benefit of our parish? Please note that all donations to the CSA are handled through the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation (CSAF), an independent entity from the Archdiocese. After all pledges are met, the CSAF distributes funds accordingly to each of the ministries.

Approximate goal to replace social hall roof and air conditioning units: $90,000

Raised to Date: $94,041.10

The air conditioning units and the social hall roof will be

replaced this summer shortly after the festival.

Building Maintenance and Improvement Fund

Catholic Home Missions Appeal Thank you for your generous support of last week’s Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Our parish raised $239.00 to strengthen the Church at home and ensure that the Gospel spreads across the United States. If you missed the appeal, it’s not too late to give! Just visit www.usccb.org/nationalcollections and click on the “How to Give” link on the left.

May 11 - May 12: Fourth Sunday of Easter

Altar Server Extraordinary Minister Lector Usher

Saturday, 4:30 PM (St. Mary)

Adalyn Gibeau Jean Cemensky-Mohr - Host Ann Gindt - Host

Priscilla Malinski Ethan Gibeau Jeremy Gindt Andy Simonette Clinton Von Bank

Sunday, 8:00 AM (St. Hen-ry)

Noah Holicky Madonna Russo - Host Mike Boettcher

Sunday, 10:00 AM (St. Mary)

Lillian Claffey Kaitlyn Hartwig Carter Hunt

Margaret Cooney - Host Patti Gruetzmacher - Host Patrick Traxler - Host Kae Traxler - Host

Julie Deutsch Philip Campbell Peter Plut Norman Schmidt Timothy Widmer

Parish Festival - June 23, 2019 Start thinking about how you can contribute to the festival! Large items make a big difference to the success of the festival! If you’re able to shop for deals and maybe go together with other families to donate an item, that would be

terrific! Items are also needed for the kid’s games, Country Store, White Elephant & Silent Auction/Raffle. Thank you!

Festival Cash Raffle Prize

Donations can be dropped off in

the collection basket or at the

Parish Office. Thank you for your

contributions to our cash raffle!

By covering the cash prizes and the printing costs

with your contributions the money brought in

when tickets are sold is all profit! We welcome

your donations!