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The Choir serves as an integral part of the liturgical life of the church. Its primary role is to act as song-leader for the congregation and to contribute to the beauty and sacredness of the Mass.

The choir is made up of volunteers and is open to all members of the parish who enjoy singing.

Parish Ministries

Rosary Altar Society

This group of women serves the parish by attending to needs that are a part of our gathering around the table of the Lord -- the primary sign of our Catholic
Christianity.

The Society provides hosts, altar linens, vestments, servers' albs, baptismal stoles and some altar flowers.

Every woman of the parish is considered a member of the Society and is encouraged to attend meetings. These meetings feature various speakers and presentations. The Rosary - Altar Society operated within the guidelines of the diocesan Council of
Catholic Women. For more information contact.

Parish Ministries

Eucharistic Ministry

   At each Eucharistic celebration where there are more communicants than can be served without prolonging the Communion rite, special ministers of communion assist the priest and deacon.

   These persons are commissioned by the Bishop through his delegate, the pastor of the parish. This privilege is renewed every two years.

   Special ministers of the Eucharist may also take communion to the sick and if the case warrants, give viaticum to the dying. As the rite says, they "must strive to be an example of Christian living in faith and conduct."

Parish Ministries

Scripture Group

Father Eberle has started a scripture Group that meets every Tuesday at 10:30 a. m. at the rectory to read and study the Bible readings for the coming Sunday. This group is open to all.

Parish Ministries

R. C. I. A.

   The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the restoration of an ancient process of discerning and ritualizing stages of conversion, leading to sacramental initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and  Eucharist) into the Catholic Church.

   It is a formative process involving past and present teachings, traditions and rites.

   The responsibility of the parish community in the RCIA process is through its witness, worship, service and catechesis. The community offers the invitation and support necessary for these men and women.

Each year in the United States, there are thousands and thousands of adults, either never baptized, or baptized in another Christian denomination, who become Catholic. I want to form an RCIA team made up of members of the parish to help with the instruction of these new candidates and catechumens and also as support staff - to provide snacks, to be sponsors or godparents and to assist with the various rites and meetings and retreats or simply to provide an interested "ear" to a newcomer. RCIA will most likely meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If it turns out that potential candidates cannot meet on Tuesdays, we would change the meeting to a different night of the week. If you are interested in helping out with the RCIA team in one capacity or another, give me a call.

When someone begins RCIA, they are not committing themselves to becoming Catholic at that time. In the first stage of RCIA, called the Inquiry Period, a person makes no other commitment than to begin finding out what Catholics believe. It is only at the Rite of Catechumenate (around the First Sunday of Advent) that the individual is asked to become a catechumen - a learner of the Faith. That lasts up through Lent when the catechumens are asked to make another commitment - that of the Elect - those who have elected or chosen to become Catholic at the Easter Vigil. Those who are already baptized make a profession of faith as Catholics and are confirmed and make their First Holy Communion as Catholics. At any time, if a candidate does not feel ready to take the next step, they are certainly free to "put themselves on hold." We need your help in asking possible candidates to consider RCIA this year. I will be happy to speak to anyone to explain the RCIA program to them in greater detail. Since these folks are not members of the parish, they will not see my invitation to consider becoming Catholic. We need you to invite them to become part of us! If you have email, my address is: rteberle@tc3net.com

Parish Ministries

CCD / Religious Education

Continuing Christian Development is a program for children and youth not attending a Catholic school. The goal is to develop an awareness of the riches of the Catholic tradition and to encourage the spiritual and moral growth of young persons.
Through learning experiences, prayer, and
development of community spirit, dedicated catechists reinforce the Catholic Christian atmosphere of the family.

Parish Ministries

Lectors

A person who has a love of God's work and chooses to proclaim it publicly exercises the role of a lector. That person then meets with the ministry coordinator for instruction and orientation.

The lector begins serving by a prepared weekend schedule, and by rotation on a voluntary basis for Holy Days, prayer services, Holy Week, etc. This
ministry involves the lector with two important tools, the Bible and the Workbook for Lectors and Gospel Readers.

It is through a lector's love and understanding of God's Word that the proclamation of faith
community comes alive.

Parish Ministries

Knights of Columbus

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Knights of Columbus are Catholic gentlemen committed to the exemplification of charity, unity, fraternity, patriotism, and defense of the priesthood. The Order is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Order is unequivocal in its loyalty to the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is firmly committed to the protection of human life, from conception to natural death, and to the preservation and defense of the family. It was on these bedrock principles that the Order was founded over a century ago and remains true to them today.

Parish Ministries

The text of Pope John Paul II's speech Tuesday, April 23 to U.S. cardinals gathered at the Vatican:

Dear Brothers,

Let me assure you first of all that I greatly appreciate the effort you are making to keep the Holy See, and me personally, informed regarding the complex and difficult situation which has arisen in your country in recent months. I am confident that your discussions here will bear much fruit for the good of the Catholic people of the United States. You have come to the house of the successor of Peter, whose task it is to confirm his brother bishops in faith and love, and to unite them around Christ in the service of God's people. The door of this house is always open to you. All the more so when your communities are in distress.

Like you, I too have been deeply grieved by the fact that priests and religious, whose vocation it is to help people live holy lives in the sight of God, have themselves caused such suffering and scandal to the young. Because of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the church herself is viewed with distrust, and many are offended at the way in which the church's leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter. The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society- it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God. To the victims and their families, wherever they may be, I express my profound sense of solidarity and concern.

It is true that a generalized lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem and also at times the advice of clinical experts led bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong. You are now working to establish more reliable criteria to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated. At the same time, even while recognizing how indispensable these criteria are, we cannot forget the power of Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God, which reaches to the depths of a person's soul and can work extraordinary change.

Neither should we forget the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing. The Catholic church in your country has always promoted human and Christian values with great vigor and generosity, in a way that has helped to consolidate all that is noble in the American people.

A great work of art may be blemished, but its beauty remains; and this is a truth which any intellectually honest critic will recognize. To the Catholic communities in the United States, to their Pastors and members, to the men and women religious, to teachers in Catholic universities and schools, to American missionaries in all parts of the world, go the wholehearted thanks of the entire Catholic church and the personal thanks of the bishop of Rome.

The abuse of the young is a grave symptom of a crisis affecting not only the church but society as a whole. It is a deep-seated crisis of sexual morality, even of human relationships, and its prime victims are the family and the young. In addressing the problem of abuse with clarity and determination, the church will help society to understand and deal with the crisis in its midst. It must be absolutely clear to the Catholic faithful, and to the wider community, that bishops and superiors are concerned, above all else, with the spiritual good of souls. People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality, a truth as essential to the renewal of the priesthood and the episcopate as it is to the renewal of marriage and family life.

We must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if the church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force. Now you must ensure that where sin increased, grace will all the more abound (Romans 5:20). So much pain, so much sorrow must lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier church.

God alone is the source of holiness, and it is to him above all that we must turn for forgiveness, for healing and for the grace to meet this challenge with uncompromising courage and harmony of purpose. Like the good shepherd of last Sunday's Gospel, pastors must go among their priests and people as men who inspire deep trust and lead them to restful waters (Psalms 22:2).

I beg the Lord to give the bishops of the United States the strength to build their response to the present crisis upon the solid foundations of faith and upon genuine pastoral charity for the victims, as well as for the priests and the entire Catholic community in your country. And I ask Catholics to stay close to their priests and bishops, and to support them with their prayers at this difficult time.

The peace of the risen Christ be with you!

Articles

Short Quotes for Inspiration
When you believe in something, you must also believe in the struggle it takes to achieve it.	Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are.
Life is hard - Pray harder.	Life is fragile, handle it with prayer.
Dark days are stepping stones toward the light.	Be Catholic, Don't be a pew warmer.
Society is a reflection of what the children were taught.	What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say
We cnn't change what we don't acknowledge.