St. Stephen's Catholic Church    Stephen, Mn

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Website Contact: ststephens@wiktel.com

Assumption Bulletin Website Contact:  assumption@wiktel.com

St Rose Bulletin Website Contact: stroser@wiktel.com

April 11, 2021 — Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of the Divine Mercy)

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: Britni Gajeski, Darrin Kowalski and Todd Chwialkowski

Finance Council: Tammi Anderson, Carmen Beauclair and Brent Halfmann

Trustees: Ethan Marquis and William Safranski

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).

Struggling after an abortion? The Diocese of Crookston has a confidential phone line to assist those suffering in the aftermath of an abortion. Call 218-470-0112 (Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-12 p.m.).

Newcomers Please contact the parish office to register.

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 and Spiritual Direction

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

Baptism: Pre-baptism class is required for parents.

Reconciliation: Confession is available in the church main. The confessional will not be used. Social distancing of six feet and a mask are required.

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.

Anointing of the Sick: Please call a priest or the parish office during serious illness or before surgery.

Shut-ins: If you know anyone who cannot come to church, please let the parish office know so they are mailed a bulletin and, if wanted, to schedule a time to receive the Holy Eucharist from Father Luis.

Spiritual Direction: is available

St. Stephen’s Church Mass Schedule

Wednesday, April 14, at 8:30 a.m. – Mass for †Raymond Kuznia by Agnes Kuznia

Friday, April 16, at 5:00 p.m. – Mass for †Margaret Gerszewski by Joey Kazmierczak

Sunday, April 18, at 8:30 a.m. (Rosary at 8:00 a.m.) – Mass for †James Kowalski by Jake & Kari Krolak & Family

Tri-Parish Mass Schedule for April, May & June, 2021

Saturday at 5:00 p.m. – Assumption

Sunday at 8:30 a.m. – St. Stephen’s

Sunday at 10:30 a.m. – St. Rose

(Exception: Saturday, April 24, Mass at 5:00 p.m. at St. Stephen’s and Sunday, April 25, Mass at 8:30 a.m. at Assumption)

Tuesday Mass at 5:00 p.m. — St. Rose (No Mass on April 20)

Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. and Friday Mass at 5:00 p.m. — St. Stephen’s (No Masses on April 21 and April 23)

Thursday Mass at 6:00 p.m. — Assumption (No Mass on April 22)

Liturgical Ministry

Lector for April 18 — Marilyn Kuznia

Rosary Leader for April — Jerry Kuznia

Prayer List

Brooklyn Poe & all those affected by the Covid-19 virus

To add or remove a name, please call the parish office. Names will be removed after four weeks. You may call and request 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

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own...” ACTS 4:32

All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God!  Think of your family, your friends, your life, your talents and your money – these are all gifts from God!  We aren’t really owners of anything, we are merely “stewards” of the gifts God has blessed us with.  We are called to be grateful and generous with all of our gifts for the benefit of others.

April 4 Collection: Not available at this time

Budgeted Sunday offertory income for 7/1/20-6/30/21 = $91,950.00 (weekly = $1,768.27)

Diocesan Annual Appeal St. Stephen’s Church DAA Goal: $9,769.00. Amount committed by 29 families as of March 31: $6,465.00. We have reached 66.18% of our goal! For more information about the DAA, check out a second Diocesan video clip at https://vimeo.com/user26947741/review/521436299/cf746840b8.

Other Items and Future Events

Mass exchange due to SAC Prom To accommodate the SAC Prom attendees, St. Stephen’s will have our weekend Mass Saturday, April 24, at 5:00 p.m. and Assumption will have their Mass on Sunday, April 25, at 8:30 a.m. Prom couples are invited to come dressed in all their finery. Pews in the front will be reserved for high school prom attendees. Masks and social distancing are required.

Year of St. Joseph To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis has proclaimed this year as “Year of St. Joseph” (December 8, 2020-December 8, 2021).  This year is a time to reflect on and show our love for St. Joseph.

To celebrate the Year of St. Joseph here at St. Stephen’s we will be saying a Prayer to St. Joseph before the final blessing at every Mass through December 8. Prayer cards are located at the back of the church for your use. If you take and use a prayer card, please take it home with you and pray it as a family and then bring it back with you for every Mass. Also located on the vestibule table for use in your home are copies of a Prayer to St. Joseph to be said after the Rosary.

Stations of the Cross and Statues The Stations of the Cross and Statues were professionally cleaned and repaired this week. For better preservation of these items, we ask that you do not touch them. Thank you.

Holy Water Bottles are available in the vestibule. To have yours filled with blessed holy water, please contact Father Luis.

April Food Shelf Time Change The area food shelf will be open Tuesday, April 13, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at St. Rose Catholic Church in Argyle, MN.

Church Protocol

By following these guidelines, we are better able to keep people safe. Please follow these guidelines as we continue to prayor an end to this pandemic.

· Here at St. Stephen’s we will continue to use masks according to MN Emergency Executive Order 20-81 and social distancing of six feet or more for those not sharing a household. If you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms of sickness, we ask that you do not attend Mass.

· During the Mass we can offer the sign of peace by a wave, a nod, etc. -- no hand shaking. Please greet each other without touching.