Parish Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm Website: http://stmary.irelandindiana.com

St Mary Church - 812-482-7041

Fr. Joseph F. Erbacher, “Fr. Effie”, Pastor, Ext 33 …………………………………………………......jerbacher@evdio.org

Dianne Gogel, Secretary, Ext. 21………...dgogel@evdio.org

Sherri Hartley, Secretary, Ext. 22….…..chartley@evdio.org

Stan Heim, Property Manager, Ext. 36...sheim@evdio.org

Martha Schmitt, PCL, Ext. 45……......mjschmitt@evdio.org

Charlene Sermersheim, Music…..………..…….812-482-7837

Annette Weidenbenner, Cleaning ………..…..812-630-7870

Parish Contacts

Altar Server Trainer, Stan Vollmer……………..812-630-2990

Bereavement Meals, Sherri Hartley……….....812-482-7041

Church Decorations, Janet Schitter……..…....812-482-3500

Finance Council, Audrey Wehr…..…….……....812-639-3393

Ireland K of C, Grand Knight, Adam Hopf…..812-639-6347

Ireland K of C Building Rental, Allen Reckelhoff ………………………………………………………….……...812-631-4449 .

Parish Council President, Pat Gress…………...812-639-0795

Prayer Line, Bev Himsel……………………….......812-639-1384

St Anne Society President, Patty Sermersheim ………………………………………………………………....812-630-5967

St John Bosco Youth Ministry, Jacqueline Ripberger, …………………………………………..……….……….......812-481-2442 812-639-4227

St. Mary Mission Statement:

St. Mary Church is a community of faith united in Eucharist and committed to seeking God through prayer; sharing our gifts of time, talent and treasure; providing formation and education for children and adults; responding to the needs of people by sharing our faith and resources. We are dedicated to living and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

March 18, 2018

St. Mary Church

P O Box 67 • Ireland, Indiana 47545-0067 2829 N 500 W • Jasper, Indiana 47546

Most Reverend Joseph M. Siegel, D.D., S.T.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana

Fr. Joseph F. Erbacher, “Effie”, Pastor

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - April 19, 2020

Bulletin deadline is 10:00am on the Monday before the upcoming weekend.

Mass Intentions Effective March 18, 2020 and until further notice - all public Sunday and weekday Masses throughout our Diocese are suspended - as decreed by Bishop Joseph M. Siegel, DD, STL

Sat-April 18 Gene Betz Sun-April 19 Oscar Gehlhausen Family

Tues-April 21 Hilmar & Rosemary Denu Wed-April 22 Members of St. Mary Church Thurs-April 23 Mass of Thanksgiving

Fri-April 24 Special Intention Sat-April 25 Amos Schnaus Sun-April 26 Members of St. Mary Church Fr. Erbacher will continue to celebrate Mass privately for the intentions shown above on the scheduled day even though you cannot attend. Call the parish office if you have concerns or questions

We entrust our local Church to the loving protection and intercession of Mary, the Mother of God and Health of the Sick.

Let us continue to pray for the sick and their families, healthcare providers, public health officials and

all civic leaders during the weeks to come.

Happy Birthday to the following parishioners who will be celebrating their Birthday April 18 to April 24:

April 18: Ace Hasenour, Michelle Krodel, Gwen Mehringer

April 19: Nicholas Burke, Donna Gehlhausen, Allison Jochum, Ryan Kluesner, Adrienne Kraft, Phyllis Krodel, Melissa Luebbehusen, Caroline Prechtel, Clay Renner, Blake Schitter, Tim Weidenbenner, Kevin Werner

April 20: Mark Brescher, Liam Elkins, Cody Ellis, Claire Terwiske, Abby Wagner

April 21: Jayme Buechler, Viola Jochim, Blake Miller, Kristine Murray, Mike Schmitt, Keena Schnell, April Schue, Kelly Schwartz, Tenley Terwiske

April 22: Jay Braunecker, Nathan Brinkman, Eve Fleck, Todd Hopf, Megan Lechner, Brooklyn Leinenbach, Jody Verkamp

April 23: Hannah Colvin, Christina Eads, Kathy Helming, Kurt Mehringer, Henry Renner, Jacqueline Scherle, Noah Schum, Paige Weidenbenner, Jace Whipking

April 24: Alisa Hildenbrand, Megan Matheis, Joslyn Mehringer, Ty Ofer

Congratulations!

If your name was omitted or we have the incorrect date, please call

the parish office so we can get our records updated. Also, if your son

or daughter has moved from this area or are back in the area, call and

let us know that too. Helps to keep everything up to date. Thanks!

Church Support Budgeted Weekly Operating Costs: $14,000.00 Collection for the weekend of April 11 & 12

Weekly donations can be mailed to “St Mary Church, PO Box 67, Ireland, IN 47545” or dropped in the slot in the parish office front door. Thank you for your stewardship to our parish.

Weekend Collection…………………………...……..……….$ 4,285.00 Average Electronic Weekly Giving for April...…..….$ 4,793.25 Total Collection…………………..……………………...………$ 9,078.25 Short.………………………………………………………………….$ 4,921.75

Year-To-Date-Budget (7-1-19 to current)…..……….$ 574,000.00 Year-To-Date-Total..……………………….………………….$ 503,377.14 Year-To-Date-Difference………….…………………………$ (70,622.86)

Campaign Goal………………….…………………………….....$ 6,000,000.00 Amount in Pledges (as of 04-07-20)…………………....$ 5,753,766.00 Cash Collected to date (as of 04-07-20)……......…...$ 5,363,963.00

Thank You!!

You can do your tithing electronic. This can be by electronic check payment from your bank or by ACH through the parish office. This is an easy way to make your donations on a recurring basis and save St. Mary the expense of sending tithing envelopes. Your support is greatly appreciated.

As the virus may have a real impact on people’s ability to attend

Mass at our parish, we express our heartfelt gratitude for the

continued financial support of all our ministries during this trying

time. If you would like to sign up for ACH, call me at the parish

office at 812-482-7041 or email me at dgogel@evdio.org and I can

help you get set up for automatic withdrawals from your bank.

Another option could be to go to the Evansville Diocese Site. The

diocese has established an Online Sunday Collection Giving Page on

their website for the benefit of each parish in the diocese.

Go to: http://www.evdio.org

At the top of the menu on the main page go to: “Sunday Collection

Giving”

This will take you to a donation page:

Enter the amount of desired contribution and the date you wish

to contribute

Click “Continue”

Enter personal payment information

Select payment option: Credit Card, Debit Card, Checking or

Savings (ACH)

Select “St Mary Church, Ireland 54”

Follow the remaining on-screen instructions and the donation is

made

Donor information remains confidential

Parishioner can repeat this process as often as desired (recurring

payment options may be available in the future)

The Diocese of Evansville will distribute these contributions to St.

Mary in a timely manner. Thanks for your stewardship.

Thanks, Dianne

Act of Spiritual Communion

I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into

my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself

wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

Places to find online and televised Mass

St. Joseph Church, Jasper:

11:00am Sunday WJTS (Channel 18-televised)

Holy Family Church, Jasper:

Live-streamed at holyfamilyjasper.com

8:00am Tuesday-Friday

6:00am Wednesday

5:00pm Saturday

8:30 & 10:30am Sunday

Precious Blood Church, Jasper:

Available on Precious Blood Catholic Church-Jasper Facebook

page

8:00am Monday-Friday

4:00pm Saturday

8:00am Sunday

WITZ

Mass on air 8:30am Sunday

WTJW 93.1 - Catholic Radio

8:00am EWTN Mass everyday. Tune into this station for differ-

ent programs throughout the day.

EWTN: (cable channel 44, not sure satellite channel)

8:00am, 12:00 noon, & 7:00pm Sunday

Thirty-One - One of St. Mary’s parishioners, Kelli Schmitt, is throw-

ing a Thirty-One Fundraiser for “Building For Our Future”. Proceeds

from what she makes will be donated to our new church. Go on line

at MyThirtyOne.com/KelliSchmitt and go to “My Parties” and select

“Building for our Future”. Catalogues can be found in the back of

church. If you have any questions, please call Kelli Schmitt at 812-

639-9789. Deadline for ordering is April 27. Great way to purchase

graduation gifts, wedding/shower gifts….

Greetings and Easter Joy to all! I hope that everyone enjoyed

your Easter, although your celebrations this year were quite

different from Easters in the past. I was happy/pleased that

the Easter Bunny stopped at my house, 2 beautiful Easter

eggs engraved with “Fr. Effie”, and 2 candy bars...my sincere

appreciation to that bouncy rabbit.

In addition to my private Holy Week Masses, I was very

happy/privileged to celebrate Good Friday Service with Fr.

Schmitt and Fr. Andrew at St. Joseph in Jasper….if by

chance you saw this on T.V., yes, I did move the candle with

my foot because it was not lined up correctly with the other

candle. This year, we missed the “Rice Bowl” collection

taken up on “Holy Thursday”, that was money saved thru

Lent to feed the poor locally and thru out the world, and so

kids, if you did save for “Rice Bowl”, it is not to late to get

your offering to the parish for distribution. We continually

pray for all the sick and caretakers and everyone assisting

others in this time of universal sickness especially with the

virus. May the peace and love of “The Risen Lord” be a

glorious blessing to us all. Alleluia! Prayerful Good Wishes

as we all continue on our journey of faith.

Fr. Erbacher (Effie)

April 19, 2020 - Second Sunday of Easter

A person was going through a very dark time, questioning the mean-

ing of life, not feeling very purposeful or worthwhile, and feeling dis-

connected and unappreciated. Suddenly, they gazed up at the night

sky, found themselves in awe of all the stars and constellations, and

exclaimed, “I am here on purpose and I am loved!” Having been

brought by God to this moment of intense connection and awareness,

his life changed from that moment on.

If we are always preoccupied with the challenges, obligations, and

stuff of daily life, we can easily miss the wonderful opportunities

when the resurrected Christ is knocking at our door. If we open our-

selves to the fullness of experience, we will find ourselves listening

and embracing all that is around us, being caught up in the magnifi-

cence of creation’s grandeur and knowing in our heart and soul that

God is and I am.

While that sounds like a simple, tell-me-something-I don’t-know kind

of revelation, it is life changing when it takes root in the depth of a

person’s soul. Stumbling upon this awesome truth and internalizing it

doesn’t require an assent of the mind. It beckons for a claim on our

soul. We find ourselves knowing something profound that cannot be

explained or reasoned, but purely is. When we are caught up in an

experience and encounter the truth, it doesn’t matter how all of the

pieces got put together. Truth is simply truth. The “my Lord and my

God” responses we utter are not evoked because all of the pieces of

faith and life make reasonable sense. The “my Lord and my God”

affirmations come when we are lifted up out of our preoccupations

and silliness and are in the presence of mystery and mercy.

God is mystery, one who is beyond our grasp but at the same time

within our reach, knowable yet unknowable. And when in the pres-

ence of mystery, there comes an intense experience of mercy. We

know deep within the essence of ourselves — and in the very life of

creation — this beating, unconditionally accepting, life-sustaining,

profound, mysterious yet familiar presence of love. We have found

our peace. “Peace be with you.” Breathe in and breathe out. Peace.

©LPi

Peace in the Mourning (PIM) is an overnight, Christ-focused heal-

ing retreat for widows of all ages (no matter how long ago their loss).

Through personal sharing education, and the Sacraments, retreat-

goers are able to continue, or begin their journey of healing after the

loss of their spouse. Cost includes food, materials and overnight

lodging. The next retreat is October 10-11, 2020. You may register

now (registration ends September 1). For additional information,

email Kathy Burton at kmbccrn1@gmail.com or call 812-630-0603 or

Donna Oeding at dcoeding56@gmail.com or call 812-309-0773. To

register, contact the Office of Family and Life at 812-424-5536.

This Week’s Parish Events Effective March 18 and until further notice, all public Sunday and weekday Masses throughout our diocese have been canceled.

Sunday [4/19]: No Mass will be celebrated until further notice. Saturday [04/25]:

Private Confessions 3:30-4:10pm. No Mass will be celebrated until further notice.

Sunday [04/26]:

No Mass will be celebrated until further notice.

Be sure and check out the table in the back of church. Lots of take home materials for you and your family.

Upcoming Parish Events

May 2: St. Mary Parish cooks and serves the Community Meal. May 7: St. Anne Mother’s Day Celebration June 15-19: Vacation Bible School June 28: New Church dedication at 1:00pm. The date has been set with Most Reverend Joseph M. Siegel, DD, STL Jul 18, 19 & 20: TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) here at St. Mary August 1: St. Mary Parish cooks and serves the Community Meal. September 13: St. Mary Church Picnic - Mark your calendar. November 7, 8 & 9: TEC (Teens Encounter Christ)

April 12, 2-$250 Easter Irish Sweepstakes Raffle Winners

are Katelyn Schitter and Debra Wehrle

and the

$100 Irish Sweepstakes Raffle Winner

is Emma Schipp

Congratulations!

If you are looking to join a parish, “Welcome”. We are hoping

you will join St. Mary Parish and pray with us. If you are new to

the area/parish, we extend a special welcome to you and pray

that you will find a warm home here. Stop by the parish office

or call the parish office number during the week to register.

Registering at St. Mary Parish is a declaration of your desire to

be part of a Catholic community and commitment to the life of a

parish family. Being a registered parishioner makes things easier

when it is time for Baptism, religious education registration, a

wedding, when asked to be a baptismal or confirmation sponsor,

rental of parish buildings, buying a burial plot and even funerals.

We are often asked by other parishes to provide affidavits for

baptismal and confirmation sponsors. We can only do this if a

person is a registered, active, and contributing member of our

parish. How do you know if you are registered? A registered

parishioner receives all parish mailing and monthly tithing

envelopes (or do automatic deduct for Sunday giving).

What is a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend? It is a

positive, renewing experience for couples that have a good marriage,

but want to make it even better! This is a time for you and your

spouse to spend time together and learn about the tools to nourish

your Sacrament in a new way. Future Marriage Encounter Weekends

will be Mount Saint Francis Centre for Spirituality, New Albany,

from 14-16 August 2020 and at Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House,

Indianapolis from 6-8 November 2020. Visit www.wwme.org for

further information.

St. Mary Cemetery mowing has begun!

Please help us by removing all statues,

mementos, balloons, decoration, etc, that are not

attached firmly/permanently to the gravestone

marker. By doing so, you will help us keep

St. Mary Cemetery not only a place of prayer,

but a place of beauty too.

Thank You!! This bulletin is furnished to the Parish without charge. The advertisements that appear completely defray all publishing costs with which the church would otherwise be bur-dened. Please patronize these sponsors as a “Thank You” for their generosity.

Holy Trinity Catholic School-2020 Jeep Wrangler Raffle

Holy Trinity is selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2020 Jeep

Wrangler. Tickets are $25 limited to 7500 tickets. Raffle ticket forms

can be found in the back of church. Proceeds from this raffle will help

support our efforts of making Catholic education in Dubois County

affordable for all. Call 812-482-4461 or email holytrinity@evdio.org

for more information.

Prayer of Pope Francis

O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salva-

tion and hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.

At the foot of the cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with stead-

fast faith.

You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need.

We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of

Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine, Love,

To conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus

tells us:

He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to

bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.

We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.

Do not despise our pleas - we who are put to the test - and deliver

us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.