March 30, 2025 — Fourth Sunday of Lent

St. Stephen’s Church, Stephen

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

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

Pastor: Father Luis Buitron lbuitron@wiktel.com Phone: 218-242-5689

Parish Secretary: Priscilla Steinke

Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday — 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

(closed all holy days of obligation and holidays)

Youth Minister: Ethan Marquis

Pastoral Council: Kristin Gajeski, Katrina Halfmann, Autumn Schindele, and Danika Sundby

Finance Council: Alex Anderson, Daniel Gerszewski, and Darrin Kowalski

Trustees: Todd Chwialkowski and Ethan Marquis

Diocesan Victim Assistance If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual misconduct on the part of a priest, deacon, or individual representing the Diocese of Crookston, its parishes, or its schools, your first call should be to law enforcement. In addition, the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator is available at 218-281-7895 (24-hour confidential number).

Project Rachel Ministry: Healing After Abortion The Project Rachel ministry is offered to women and men who have had a past experience with abortion and wish to seek healing and reconciliation. A trained counselor can be reached through this confidential phone number (218‑470‑0112) on Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-Noon.

New to the area? Please contact the parish office to register. Change of address/phone number. Please contact the parish office.

Knights of Columbus members: If you have insurance questions, please contact Field Agent Aaron Kaiser at 218-280-4707 or by email at Aaron.kaiser@kofc.org.

Mission Statement of St. Stephen’s Church

We the community of St Stephen’s are believers in Jesus Christ; striving to proclaim His Gospel in word and in deed. Through worship, evangelization, formation and service we invite our brothers and sisters to know the Lord.

The Sacramental Life

Please contact Father Luis at 218-242-5689 to schedule an appointment.

Baptism: Pre-baptism class is required for parents.

Reconciliation: available before Saturday evening Mass: 4:30-5:00 p.m.; before Sunday 8:30 a.m. Mass: 8:00-8:30 a.m.; or by calling Father Luis for an appointment. No Reconciliation before 10:30 a.m. Mass. If you are homebound or handicapped, call Father Luis for an in-home appointment.

Marriage: All Catholics who have made a decision to enter into marriage must meet with 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 fill the requirements of the Catholic Church for the marriage to be validly recognized by the Catholic Church.

Pastoral Visit/Anointing of the Sick: If you or a family member would like to receive a home visit, the Holy Eucharist for the homebound, or the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, please call Father Luis.

St. Stephen’s Church Mass Schedule

Wednesday, April 2, at 8:30 a.m. — Mass for †Bev Robertson by Jerry & Marilyn Kuznia

Friday, April 4, at 8:30 a.m. — Mass for †Tom Sczepanski by Eileen Sczepanski

Sunday, April 6, at 10:30 a.m. — Mass for Tri-Parish Families of St. Stephen’s, St. Rose & Assumption Churches

(Rosary said at 10:00 a.m. before Sunday Mass)

Eucharistic Adoration at St. Stephen’s – April 6 from 1-5 p.m.

Tri-Parish Mass Schedule for April, May & June, 2025

Special Prayers For

Pope Francis, Rita Chwialkowski, Eugene Kuznia, Roger Troska and David Wesolowski

To add a name to the prayer list — ask their permission first, then contact the parish office. Names are left on the list for four weeks. If you want a name kept on the prayer list, call the parish office for an additional four weeks.

Prayer Chain Please call the parish office with prayer requests.

Prayer Blankets Please contact Theresa Kuznia if you know of anyone who needs comfort and prayers and would like a prayer blanket from the Ladies Aid.

Stewardship of Treasure

March 23: $1,605.25 Adults: $1,530.00 Children: $9.00 Plate: $66.25

Ash Wednesday: $270.00 Children’s Altar Donations: $9.75

2024-2025 Budget for Sunday Offertory: $101,450 / 52 weeks = $1,950.96

2025 DAA as of March 19: St. Stephen’s Goal: $9,730 Committed by 17 donors: $5,680 (58.38% of our goal)

Donations while away for the weekend When you are away from Stephen for weekend Mass you can still give to your home parish by dropping your donation envelope in the collection basket at the church where you are attending Mass and it will be mailed back to St. Stephen’s. OR Did you know that St. Stephen’s Church has the option for automatic debit from a checking or savings account? Contact the parish office at 218‑478‑2231 to set this up.

Building Repair Fund If you wish to make a donation or memorial, we have the Building Repair Fund. Funds are used to maintain and make repairs and updates in the church, rectory and grounds.

CRS Rice Bowl as Catholic Relief Services celebrates 50 years of the program. CRS Rice Bowl started in Allentown, Pennsylvania, by parishioners to help families facing famine in The Sahel region of Africa. Shortly after, it was adopted by the United States bishops and made an official program of CRS.

At this very moment, millions of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers are facing life-threatening levels of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. At the root of this crisis is a perfect storm of poverty, climate change, conflict and inequality. There is no one solution to breaking the cycle of hunger for every community around the world—but we can do our part through CRS Rice Bowl by answering Jesus’ invitation to us to share bread for life with our sisters and brothers during Lent—so all may live with dignity.

Rice bowls are available in the vestibule. Take one home and give to those in need during this Lenten season. Bowls will be collected April 24.

Catholic Relief Services Collection This week we take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection to reveal Christ’s love to our brothers and sisters in need. This collection makes grants to six Catholic agencies that provide relief and support for struggling communities and work for peace and reconciliation among our marginalized brothers and sisters, both here and around the world. Please prayerfully consider how you can support the collection. Learn more about the collection at www.usccb.org/catholic-relief.

Cemetery Committee

St. Stephen Cemetery Update Upon approval by the Parish Finance Council, the restoration and painting project is moving forward. It is scheduled to begin as soon as weather permits.

The estimate for this project is $10,000. It is our hope to fund this project through donations. Thank you to those who have already supported this project through their generous donations. If you can help support this project, please make checks to St. Stephen’s Church Cemetery.

Thank you for helping maintain our cemetery. God Bless — The Cemetery Committee

Other Items and Future Events

A video series for New Life!

Join our Bishop Andrew Cozzens for a study on the foundations of our Diocesan Pastoral Vision. What is this series about? The series is comprised of four video sessions running about 80 minutes with prayer, inspiration, testimony and time for sharing faith. Bishop Andrew Cozzens will address various elements of the New Life pastoral letter. Hosts will guide viewers through each session and Catholics from the Diocese of Crookston will also provide brief personal testimonies.

Please join us on Wednesdays, March 12-April 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. If you have any questions, please contact Tammi Anderson (218-478-4217), Marilyn Kuznia (218-478-4273), or Katrina Halfmann (218-280-2388). Come for one, two, three, more or all of the sessions! Everyone is welcome, and hospitality will be provided! We hope to see you there!

March 30	March 31	April 1	April 2	April 3	April 4	April 5
Rosary at 8:00 a.m.; Mass at 8:30 a.m.			Mass at 8:30 a.m.; Lenten Study Sessions at St. Stephen’s at 9:00 a.m. (following Mass); Lenten Soup & Sandwich Supper (hosted by the Ladies Aid) 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Eucharistic Adoration at 6:30 p.m.; Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m.		Mass at 8:30 a.m.
April 6	April 7	April 8	April 9	April 10	April 11	April 12
Rosary at 10:00 a.m.; Mass at 10:30 a.m.; Eucharistic Adoration from 1:00-5:00 p.m.			Mass at 8:30 a.m.; Lenten Study Sessions at St. Stephen’s at 9:00 a.m. (following Mass); First Reconciliation for grade 2 students at 7:00 p.m.; Tri-Parish Lenten Penance Service at 7:30 p.m.		Mass at 8:30 a.m.

Tri-Parish Lenten Penance Service will be held on Wednesday, April 9, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Stephen’s.

Holy Week Schedule (Note: There will be no confessions during Holy Week unless in the case of a medical emergency.)

Sunday, April 13 – (Palm Sunday) Mass at St. Stephen’s at 10:30 a.m. (NO Rosary at 10:00 a.m. – people gather in the basement for blessing of

palms and procession)

Monday, April 14 – Chrism Mass at the Cathedral at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 15 – Sacred Sounds Concert at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 16 – Soup & Sandwich Supper 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 17 – (Holy Thursday) Mass at Assumption at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 18 – (Good Friday) Service of the Passion of Jesus Christ at St. Stephen’s at 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 19 – (Easter Vigil) Mass at St. Rose at 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 20 – (Easter Sunday) Masses at Assumption at 8:30 a.m. and St. Stephen’s at 10:30 a.m. (NO Rosary at 10:00 a.m.)

Come and join the Ladies Aid Group on Wednesday, April 2, for the

Soup and Sandwich Supper (serving from 5:30-6:30 p.m.) and

Stations of the Cross at 7:00 p.m.

(Note: Eucharistic Adoration at 6:30 p.m.)

NEEDED The Ladies Aid is in need of a President (or with a friend as Co-Presidents) for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. If you are willing to fill this position and have any questions about it, please contact Amy Kowalski as soon as possible at

218-478-4177. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Thank you to the Pastoral and Finance Council members and the Trustees who provided and served the delicious soups and sandwiches Wednesday evening. Also, thank you to those who led and assisted with the Stations of the Cross this past week. These parish Lenten traditions are enjoyed by many. Thank you!

Area Food Shelf at St. Rose Church is open from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention for March For families in crisis Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other's gifts, even in their differences.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

April 6 from 1-5 p.m.

Ladies Aid

April Ladies Aid Leaders – Marlene Dowdle, Laura Efta, Annie Osowski, Autumn Schindele, Danika Sundby & Jennifer VanHorn

Knights of Columbus Council #3385

Members of the Knights of Columbus Council 3385: If you have not been receiving emails or texts from council officers in regard to upcoming meetings or events, please contact Darrin Kowalski at 218-289-1192 to be added to the council contact list. Thank you.

Diocese of Crookston Announcements

Mercy Hour St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls is inviting you to a Mercy Hour with Bishop Cozzens, Sunday, March 30, at 3:00 p.m.

Consider signing up for a Cursillo Would you like to deepen your faith and let Jesus become more involved in your life? Let the Spirit lead you on a Cursillo. The Diocese of Crookston is offering a Women’s Cursillo on the weekend of April 3-6, 2025, at the Pastoral Center in Crookston. More information and applications are available at crookstoncursillo.weebly.com.

“No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.” Joshua 5:12

Over the forty years that the Israelites journeyed through the desert, God provided them with manna to eat. As soon as they were able to enjoy the fruits of the Promised Land the manna ceased. Likewise, God’s blessings to us may change over the years but it is important to trust that God will always provide us with all that we need.