St. Stephen’s Church

P.O. Box 507, 515 Fifth Street, Stephen, MN 56757

218-478-2231 ststephens@wiktel.com www.wiktel.net/ststephens

Pastor: Fr. Bob Stone

Parish Coordinator/RE Coordinator: Priscilla Steinke priscillaststephens@wiktel.com

Office Hours: Tuesdays - 12:00-6:00; Wednesdays - 8:30-8:00; Thursdays - 8:30-5:30; Fridays - 10:00-3:00

Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator: Louann McGlynn 218-281-7895 lmcglynn@crookston.org

The Sacramental Life

Sacrament of Reconciliation: half hour before Mass or by appointment

Sacrament of Baptism: pre-baptism class is required; contact the Parish Office during pregnancy or adoption

Sacrament of Marriage: all Catholics who have made a decision to enter into marriage must see a priest six months before the proposed wedding date; if a Catholic is contemplating marriage to a non-Catholic, the Catholic must still contact a priest to fulfill the requirements of the Catholic Church for the marriage to be validly recognized by the Catholic Church

Anointing of the Sick: please call the Parish Office during serious illness or before surgery

Shut-ins: if you know anyone who cannot come to Church, please let the office know,

so they can be put on a visiting schedule by a Eucharistic minister

St. Stephen’s Church Mass Schedule

Wednesday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. Mass For †George Scheving by Eileen Sczepanski

Friday, May 18, 10:15 a.m. Mass at the Tamarac at 10:15 a.m. For †Bert & Martha Kuznia by Tom Kuznia

Sunday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. Mass For †Tom Sczepanski by Eileen Sczepanski

Tri-Parish Mass Schedule - April, May and June, 2012

Saturday at 7:00 p.m. - Assumption

Sunday at 8:30 a.m. - St. Stephen’s

Sunday at 10:30 a.m. - St. Rose

Prayer List

Robert Bolduc, Dianna Bromaghin, Catherine Ernst, David Field Family, Carolyn Gracey, Shannon Hansen,

Zach Kasprowicz, Father Joe Kieselbach, Elizabeth Koble, Richard Kurowski, Linda Loveless, Father Mario Prada,

Ray Schlag, Vera Tibesar

To add or remove a name, please call the Parish Office

Stewardship of Treasure

Jesus’ commandment is that His disciples love one another, even to the point of laying down their lives, if necessary. What gifts of myself -- my skills and talents, my time and resources -- will best demonstrate my love for God’s people?

May 6 Collection: $2151.00 Adult: $1887.00 Child: $27.00 Plate: $237.00

Catholic Home Missions: $1.00

Sanctuary Restoration and Painting Fund If you wish to make a donation or memorial, please consider giving to the St. Stephen’s Church Sanctuary Restoration and Painting Fund. Thank you to all who have donated to this fund, either as a general donation or as a memorial.

Building Repair Fund We also have the Building Repair Fund if you wish to make a donation or memorial. This fund is used for general repairs to the Church and rectory. Thank you to all who have donated to this fund, either as a general donation or as a memorial.

Liturgical Ministry

Sun., May 20 - Lector: Lenore P. Servers: Casey B., Lydia B. & Kinsey B.

Eucharist: Arnette B.*, Aggie S. ** & Tom S. Greeters: Doug & Jane S.

From the Pastor’s Desk

Natural Family Planning On Sun., July 22, the Crookston Couple to Couple League will be hosting a Love & Life Celebration at the Cathedral for married couples who support and/or practicing NFP. This celebration is for the purpose of building a support system for NFP couples within our Diocese. This event will begin with Mass at 4:30 p.m. followed by supper and a presentation. Child care will be available for families during the presentation. I, as pastor, encourage any married couple to attend and learn the Catholic Church's acceptable natural birth control method. NFP has a 99% success rate to delay/space out children and uses no harmful drugs as regular contraceptives do, which can also cause an abortion. Please talk this over with your spouse and pray on this important tool to enhance your marriage. It makes a marriage much more intimate as both parties are involved. Let's get involved in what the Church offers as accepted contraception (NFP) and stop causing physical and moral harm by use of artificial contraception, which the Church sees as a serious sin against life. Anyone interested in attending, please call me at the church office and I will give your name to the chancery to sign you up.

Graduating Seniors - An important part of your college life is finding out about the Catholic presence at whatever college you attend. The web site: www.collegeconnectionforcatholics.com supplies any information you need and want to find out about, no matter what college you are planning on attending. Campus ministry, local Catholic Churches and college clubs to enhance your faith and outreach, such as Habitat for Humanity, are listed. You can go to one of their links and request a packet be sent to you from your college. I explored this site and it looks good. One of the sponsoring agencies is NET, which puts on our annual retreat every November. Good Hunting! Fr. Bob

Religious Education

Religious Education Classes NO religious education classes until Fall. Youth are to continue to practice their prayers and their faith by attending weekend Mass.

Vacation Bible School Mark your calendar - May 29-June 1. Registration paperwork was DUE!! Please mail your paperwork in.

Retreats, Marriage Encounters, TEC, NET, etc. Check out the bulletin board for brochures and registration forms for many different retreats and programs.

Other Items and Future Events

Bible Study/Devotional Time Mindy Gerszewski, Manager at the Tamarac, is in the process of setting up a Bible Study/Devotional Time at the Tamarac. If you are interested in attending or helping by being a leader, please contact her at the Tamarac at 478-2850 or on her cell (218)478-4056.

Mother’s Day Dinner at Holy Rosary Church in Lancaster on Sun., May 13, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Meal will include: Ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, & all the trimmings. Adults: $10.00; Ages 6-10: $5.00; Ages 5 & under: Free. Proceeds go towards operation of the church.

Real Presence Radio How has Catholic Radio affected your life? Let the Lord show you the gifts He has in store for you when you support one of the most effective evangelization tools available today! Coming May 16, 17 & 18 you will have the chance to become an integral part of the driving force that keeps Real Presence Radio alive and growing in your listening area. We will be here live to answer your call on AM1280 (Fargo/Moorhead), AM1370 (Grand Forks, 91.3FM (Bismarck), 91.1FM (Minot) and 89.1FM (Williston). Call 1-877-795-0122 or send your gifts to PO Box 13703, Grand Forks, ND 58208.

Adult Choir will be singing at Mass on Sun., May 20. Please come ½ hour early to practice.

Religious life is not for the faint of heart: The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, the makers of your communion hosts, invite single women, ages 18-47, who are considering religious life, to attend a week long Summer Monastic Experience at their monastery in Tucson, AZ, on

May 24-30 or in Clyde, MO, on June 30-July 7. Experience life in a contemplative monastery, learn about discernment and prayer, and meet others who are discerning a call to religious life. For more information visit our website at www.benedictinesisters.org and click on Come and See under Vocations. To register: contact Sr. Ruth Starman at (660)944-2221, Ext. 127 or e-mail: vocation@benedictinesisters.org.

More Items and Future Events

The fishing season is finally upon us!
Here’s your opportunity to represent our parish in the Fourth Annual Bishop’s Cup Tournament and Family Fishing Event, June 9^th, South Twin Lake, near Naytahwaush, MN. Brochures are available in the Church, or go to www.crookston.org/bishops_cup to learn more and to register your team today. You can also call Lisa Hatlestad, Stewardship Manager of the Diocese of Crookston at 1-855-397-8252 or email her at Lhatlestad@crookston.org.

- All teams new to the tournament will receive a discounted registration fee of $160. The regular registration fee is $200. Team members receive a tournament t-shirt and a meal on the day of the event along with other goodies in their tournament bags. All tournament team members are automatically registered to win an over-night stay/dining/gaming package ($125 value) courtesy of Shooting Star and a great ice fishing package for four ($500 value) courtesy of Roerick Fish House Rentals of Laporte.

- Parish youth teams are also wanted. Teams of four youth and one adult are welcome to compete for the Bishop’s Youth Cup traveling trophy and other prizes. Youth team members will receive a t-shirt and a meal ticket on the day of the tournament.

- There is also a Family Fishing Event taking place during the tournament. Families will have a chance to win some great prizes including fishing rods, tackle or one of our fabulous gift baskets! Family Fishing Event registration is only $20.

Join Bishop Hoeppner and fishing enthusiasts from all over the Diocese of Crookston! We will celebrate Mass right after the tournament with dinner at Pinehurst Resort to follow.

Please register by May 18^th to reserve your t-shirt in time for the tournament!

Marriage Encounter The best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother! Bring the love in your marriage to a higher level by attending the June 16-17 Marriage Encounter. Weekends are held at Mt Olivet Conference and Retreat Center in Farmington. Visit www.marriages.org for a listing of additional retreats or call (651)454-3238.

Introduction to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body for the Diocese of Crookston on Sat., July 14, (registration 9:00-10:00 a.m.) at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston. Many have heard the “what” of Catholic teaching on sexuality. Few have heard the “whys.”

Bishop Michael Hoeppner and the Diocese of Crookston are pleased to invite you to join renowned author and speaker Christopher West for an introduction to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body - a bold, organic and contemporary understanding of human love in the divine plan. The presentation will highlight the role of the Theology of the Body in understanding the Minnesota Marriage Protection amendment which will be voted on Nov. 6, 2012. To register, please visit www.crookston.org/TO or contact Amanda Zurface at (218)281-4533 Ext. 435.

Catholic Communication Campaign/Catholic University of America Next week our parish will take up the Collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). This Collection communicates the Good News through Catholic social media activities and enriches our faith through pod casts, television, radio, and print media. Half of all proceeds remain in our (arch) diocese, so please be generous in this Collection. CCC is how the Good News gets around to you.

That Catholic University of America is the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States, located in Washington, D.C. It provides an academically rigorous education guided by Catholic intellectual tradition to nearly 7,000 students every year. Next week is the National Collection for The Catholic University of America. Every donated dollar directly supports financial aid for students from dioceses across the country, including ours. Please be generous.

Courage Same-sex attraction? Visit: couragerc.org

MAY LADIES AID LEADERS: Karen Knutson, Carol Riley & Priscilla Steinke

The proper Mass protocol is that the Priest is always the last one in and first one out.