St. Nicholas Catholic Church         412 W. 4th Street               Carver, MN   55315                   952-448-2345

 

Memorial Day 5/28 Guards here at 7:45 am with Word and Communion Service to follow.

Healing Mass with Fr. Jim Livingston, Friday 6/15 at 7 pm with Rosary at 6:30 pm.

Tuck Pointing, Bell Tower Update! A great way to support these improvement projects is by supporting our 4^th Annual
Summer Gala which will be held on Friday, July 20 at the OK Corral in Jordan. Even if your schedule does not permit you to be there, you can still support the event by making a donation or inviting friends, family, etc.

 

 

 

   †

     Sitio  

 

MAY 20, 2012 – ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20

 

Thanks to Steve Carlson and Crew! Steve is not only very faithful in taking care of the lawn maintenance regularly; he also keeps his eyes open to the various needs of the Church.  Recently Steve brought a number of men together with Randy Worm as they spent a few hours on a sunny Wednesday afternoon removing the rocks and old landscaping material from the sides and back of the church so the ground could be cut down to brick level.  In the coming weeks, drain tile will be installed around the church to prevent moisture in the basement.  The final grading and seeding is set for mid to late September.  Thanks to all who are helping with this project.

                                                                                   

 

Thanks Mark Koehn! We express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mark for single handedly building new stairs to the basement of the church.  Mark volunteered his time and carpentry skills to help improve the safety of our church for which we are very grateful.

 

Miriam Porter! Miriam Porter, a proud parishioner and resident of Carver, who is actively involved in the church and our community, is currently in Africa teaching a course at an African University. Miriam has solidly set her foot in the well being of the local Church and civic community, yet has passion for far nations, such as Africa.  We wish Miriam all the best during her stay and look forward to her safe return near the end of June.

        

 

Thanks to Mark and Gloria Gness! Thanks to Mark and Gloria, and their beautiful family who joined our church at the beginning of the year and are always willing to help in many ways.  Mark and Gloria help in the parish office with various needs; and Gloria was also a very big help for our Faith Formation Program this past year.  In addition to our church, they are both also very much involved with the Love INC and many other good causes.  May the good Lord multiply the blessings in their lives.

                     

 

A little thoughtfulness can go a long way! As I pulled into the driveway recently I saw our good Barb Swanson coming out of the church with a flower vase.  Barb’s daughter had sent her flowers for Mother's Day.  Barb was kind enough to share them with all of us as they were brought to Church and left at the feet of Mary.  Further, when the petals dried away, she found time to come and remove the dead ones, change the water in the vase and give it a fresh look.  Laura Worm was kind enough to repaint our statue of Mary which is now in a new spot outside the parish center.  Please stop by and check it out.  A little thoughtfulness like this in caring for your church, will take us a long, lasting way.

                          

 

Congratulations Fr. Michael Joncas! Recently Fr. Jan Michael Joncas, currently a professor at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul was honored at the 55th International Franciscan Award Dinner at the Royal Cliff Banquet Facility in Eagan in recognition of his contributions to liturgy, music.  He has composed and arranged over 300 pieces of liturgical music.  One of which is On Eagle’s Wings.  Fr. Joncas in a native Minnesotan and has made great contributions to Catholic liturgy over the years.

   

 

Dear Padre Question!  Dispensation from holy days…Q. How can a bishop waive the obligation of a diocese to attend Mass on a holy day of obligation if that day falls on a Saturday or Monday?

A.  Diocesan bishops do have the faculty to dispense from a holy day Mass obligation when the appropriate conditions prevail.  Please recall that the six holy days observed as days of obligation in the United States are not divinely appointed; hence, dispensation is possible.  However, it is important to notice that I said a bishop can dispense “when the appropriate conditions prevail.”  What does that mean?  The dispensation is given in view of alleviating an overwhelming burden.  Usually, this would involve priests more than lay people.  For example, there are far-flung dioceses in this country where a priest has charge of several missions separated, literally, by hundreds of miles.  To expect a priest to drive, let us say, five hundred miles between Friday night (the vigil of the holy day) and Saturday morning, and then begin all over again on Saturday night for the Sunday obligation, would be a tremendous strain, leading to physical and/or emotional difficulties.  That is the kind of situation a dispensation should alleviate.  Granting such dispensations too freely has two negative effects, in my judgment:  (1) It removes the place of good, healthy sacrifice from the lives of clergy and laity alike.  (2) It reduces religion to a matter of convenience.  [Stravinskas, Peter M. The Catholic Answer Book; Huntington, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 1990; Page 85 & 86.]

 

Sunday School!  As we near the end of the school year, we are so grateful to Tammi Anderson for all she has done to make our Sunday school program so successful over the years.  Jesus says, “…like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings; so too Tammi was the motherly figure, spiritual mother to all these children who come to Sunday School week after week.  Mother Theresa said, “Thoughtfulness is the beginning of great sanctity.”  In the same way Tammi was so thoughtful and conscience of the needs of our children.  We extend our profound gratitude and prayers to Tammi as well as Nicole Riesgraf and Darcee Sobraske who have been instrumental in helping with the program. 

    

 

Financial Support to the Church!  Dear Brothers and Sisters, we have so much to be grateful for.  As a part of St. Nicholas, a city of God set on the hill for the past 143 years, so too today we are healthy vibrant church community.  As I leave for India I leave the church in the good hands of all you good people.  As a humble reminder, there is no vacation from vocation.  Consistently taking care of your church on regular basis is important.  As many will be traveling over the summer, please find ways to continue to support the church by using your envelopes or taking advantage of our electronic giving options.  Everybody matters and every gift is important.  Be assured of my prayers for all of you as I will be doing Mass at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow, Poland as well as other holy places in India. 

 

Sunday Reflection! The Gospel for today is from John 16 in which Jesus said to his disciples, "...But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.  For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you..."  Dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate Ascension Sunday in which we celebrate Jesus ascending into heaven; in which we hear about Jesus' reason for ascending into heaven.  Jesus ascended into heaven so that He could send down the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) to all of us.  After all, Jesus was doing all kinds of good works on earth and He could have very well stayed right here on earth for many, many more years, giving sight to the blind, feeding the five thousand, bringing the dead back to life, etc.  Do you know, even though Jesus could have stayed here on earth and continued the good work here on earth forever, He ascended into heaven, to teach us that ascending/climbing heave is our ultimate goal?

 

At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity.

St. John of the Cross

 

In Christ Jesus,                      

Fr. Thomas Joseph

 

Next Sunday is the last day of Sunday school for the summer break.  Thanks to all who have participated.  Enjoy the summer!

 

The next Fall Festival meeting will be Tuesday, May 22 at 7 pm in the Parish Center.  All are welcome to participate!

 

All are invited to Community Park in Caver for the Woody Swanson Carver Black Sox Baseball Field dedication on Sunday, June 3 at 1 pm.  There will be a picnic lunch after the game. 

 

Would you like to be trained in CPR and the use of AED’s?  We are willing to host a FREE training session here at St. Nicholas.  If you are interested, please contact the parish office.  We need 8 participants to hold the class. 

 

Join us for Gather4Good, a FREE community service & fellowship event sponsored by Catholic United Financial.

Sunday, June 24, 2012 at Cedar Lake Farm, New Prague

11 am – 3 pm (lunch served 12-1pm).  This FREE event includes assembling care package for the needy in our community (all supplies provided), a picnic lunch, musical entertainment, face painting, inflatable jumper and more!  A donation for the local food shelf is encouraged. RSVP at www.catholicunited.org/links/gather4good or 1-888-346-7183 so we can plan accordingly. All are welcome!

 

              

 

 

 

 

Daily Mass Readings

Daily Reflections

Saint of the Day

Divine Mercy Chaplet

How to Pray the Rosary

Pray the Rosary Online

Lectio Divina

Confession

 Saturday
8:30-9:00 a.m.
3:45-4:00 p.m.
6:45-7:00 p.m.

Sunday
7:45-8:00 a.m.
9:45-10:00 a.m.

or anytime requested

Adoration
Every Friday at 6pm        1st Friday of the Month   at 3pm

Bible Activities
Click Here

Stations of the Crosss Prayer

Childrens Youtube
first video
Second Video
Third Video

   CALENDAR     

"Consider Remembering
Your Parish
in Your Will."

 

 

3 Important Books
every Catholic should know

   Holy Bible
 
   Catechism of the Catholic Church
 
   Vatican II Documents 

    Pope's encyclical letters
   CARITAS IN VERITATE
   Click here
   SPE SALVI
   DEUS - CARITAS - EST
        

'Code of Canon Law'

_____________________________

 

Archbishop’s address from the Prayer Service for Life

_________________________________________________________________

The Archdiocesan permanent deacon formation program will begin the discernment and application process this fall for admission to Aspirancy (novitiate) in fall 2011.  Men married or single and at least 30 years old can begin now by:  1) applying to the prerequisite Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute that begins on Monday evening, September 13 (go to the St. Paul Seminary webpage at http://www.stthomas.edu/spssod/ for an application or call 651-962-6890), and 2) attending our “Diaconate Inquiry Course” on Tuesday evenings Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 9 and Saturday morning Nov. 20 at the St. Paul Seminary.  This course will introduce men (and their wives) to the vocation, spirituality, and role of the permanent deacon in the Archdiocese and will explain the discernment, application, and formation process.  Those who cannot attend this fall may attend one of the courses offered next winter or spring.  For more information on the Diaconate Inquiry Course, contact Deacon Russ Shupe at (651) 291-4428 or email: shuper@archspm.org.   Even if you cannot apply for diaconate formation now, you may still attend the Diaconate Inquiry Course to learn more about this unique vocation in the Church.

_____________________________

Prayer Shawl

Click here for more information 

_________________________________________________