901 EAST 90TH STREET ● BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA 55420 ● 952-854-4733 Email: [email protected]Web Site: www.saintbonaventure.org May & June 2018 Volume 6 Issue 3 PASTOR’S UPDATE different perspective, and give us something to guide our life the rest of the week. God’s Word was given to people just like us and God knows how to speak to our hearts. We do not have to figure out everything for ourselves. For many people the weekend Mass may be the only time they take to listen to the scriptures, and attendance at the liturgy creates the time and space for God’s Word to take hold. Most importantly, by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, he enters our very bodies and becomes a part of us, nourishing and healing us like nothing else can. We have hungers that go much deeper than what we feel in our stomachs. Our hearts hunger for God, as Psalm 63 says: “O God, you are my God—for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts.” We spend much time, money and energy trying to fill that hunger in ways that do not satisfy. By receiving the Eucharist, God can satisfy that hunger in ways we do not even know or cannot express in words. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life.” For Catholics the Sunday assembly is one of the most outstanding expressions of our identity and our participation in the Body of Christ. We are sent forth from this liturgy to act as Christ would to undertake, with the strength of Christ and his Spirit, the tasks which await us in our ordinary lives. Regular participation is never useless, especially in a world that so desperately needs Christ’s message of peace, compassion and forgiveness. We all can grow in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and we can help one another in this mission. Our participation helps us to thrive in the rest of our lives through the experience of the presence of God, in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Peace, God is important in my life. I spend time with those that are important to me and that includes spending time with God. It’s no secret that in the United States not even half of registered members attend Mass on a regular basis, so I thought it would be good to talk about some reasons to make Sunday worship in church a priority (even in the summer). I ask you to seriously consider the following thoughts. If I just go to church when it is convenient or when I need something it makes a statement about how important God is to me. Making it a priority to worship every Sunday not only says that God has a central place in my life, it also confirms and deepens God’s place in my heart. By gathering with other believing people we know that we are not alone in our belief. As we come to know the members of the community it is more likely that we will be able to talk about issues more important to us than just superficial things. Everyone goes through difficult times in life and praying with and for each other can give us a strength like nothing else I know. When we are together in faith we begin to feel more and more like we belong to the community and this gives us roots in a changing world. By making space for God in quiet meditation and prayer we give ourselves a respite from the rush of our lives. There is so much activity and noise in the lives of most of us that we need the sacred space of church to give us the opportunity for prayer. We can pray anywhere, and many pray regularly in the Adoration Chapel, but praying together on Sunday is a sure time when we can bring our lives as they are and place them before God with other people who believe. By hearing the Word of God proclaimed and a homily based on that Word, it can help us to think, gain a Christ enters our very bodies and becomes a part of us, nourishing and healing us like nothing else can.
Transcript
901 EAST 90TH STREET ● BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA 55420 ● 952-854-4733
PASTOR’S UPDATE different perspective, and give us something to guide our life the rest of the week. God’s Word was given to people just like us and God knows how to speak to our hearts. We do not have to figure out everything for ourselves. For many people the weekend Mass may be the only time they take to listen to the scriptures, and attendance at the liturgy creates the time and space for God’s Word to take hold.
Most importantly, by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, he enters our very bodies and becomes a part of us, nourishing and healing us like nothing else can. We have hungers that go much deeper than what we feel in our stomachs. Our hearts hunger for God, as Psalm 63 says: “O God, you are my God—for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts.” We spend much time, money and energy trying to fill that hunger in ways that do not satisfy. By receiving the Eucharist, God can satisfy that hunger in ways we do not even know or cannot express in words.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life.” For Catholics the Sunday assembly is one of the most outstanding expressions of our identity and our participation in the Body of Christ. We are sent forth from this liturgy to act as Christ would to undertake, with the strength of Christ and his Spirit, the tasks which await us in our ordinary lives. Regular participation is never useless, especially in a world that so desperately needs Christ’s message of peace, compassion and forgiveness. We all can grow in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and we can help one another in this mission. Our participation helps us to thrive in the rest of our lives through the experience of the presence of God, in prayer, praise and thanksgiving.
Peace,
God is important in my life. I spend time with those that are important to me and that includes spending time with God. It’s no secret that in the United States not even half of registered members attend Mass on a regular basis, so I thought it would be good to talk about some reasons to make Sunday worship in church a priority (even in the summer). I ask you to seriously consider the following thoughts.
If I just go to church when it is convenient or when I need something it makes a statement about how important God is to me. Making it a priority to worship every Sunday not only says that God has a central place in my life, it also confirms and deepens God’s place in my heart.
By gathering with other believing people we know that we are not alone in our belief. As we come to know the members of the community it is more likely that we will be able to talk about issues more important to us than just superficial things. Everyone goes through difficult times in life and praying with and for each other can give us a strength like nothing else I know. When we are together in faith we begin to feel more and more like we belong to the community and this gives us roots in a changing world.
By making space for God in quiet meditation and prayer we give ourselves a respite from the rush of our lives. There is so much activity and noise in the lives of most of us that we need the sacred space of church to give us the opportunity for prayer. We can pray anywhere, and many pray regularly in the Adoration Chapel, but praying together on Sunday is a sure time when we can bring our lives as they are and place them before God with other people who believe.
By hearing the Word of God proclaimed and a homily based on that Word, it can help us to think, gain a
Christ enters our very bodies and becomes a part of us, nourishing and healing us like nothing else can.
2
It’s funny how something so innocuous can serve to inspire. I recently saw a comic strip in which two birds were sitting on a swing in a playground. One bird said to the other, “I used to have my own swing, with a fancy mirror and a bell but I gave it all up for a taste of freedom.” In the next frame he goes on to explain, “I was caged, you know?”
At first glance it was a cute comic, but it started me thinking about deeper things in my own life. How often have I wanted something that I thought would make me happy only to find out once I had, whatever it was, I wasn’t any happier? At one point in my life I bought into that dream of success and happiness, hook, line and sinker. I was hooked because I believed the line and was sinking into debt trying to fund that life. Like the bird in the comic, I had the trappings of success and happiness, but I was caged. We are only given so many days on this beautiful earth and we need to decide how we want to spend those days—working to pay for all the things that offer only fleeting happiness or finding a way to something more true and meaningful.
Finding the path to happiness can be a challenge because we are constantly bombarded with subtle messages and not-so-subtle advertising which tells us that we need to look a certain way, smell a certain way and dress a certain way if we want to be popular, successful and happy. We hear this message so often that we begin to accept it without question, but nothing could be further from the truth. Judging by the number of books written on the topic it seems happiness is quite elusive; but I have found a formula that works for me which I would like to share:
Live with purpose, love without restriction, celebrate the little things.
Ok, so there it is, but what does it mean?
Live with purpose means finding something that you love to do and then doing it with passion. The great thing about this is that when you love what you do, the passion comes naturally.
Love without restriction simply means loving others for who they are and not what we want them to be. This can be a challenge especially with those we know best because we usually see their faults more glaringly because of our familiarity with them. By the same token, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t challenge them to be the best version of themselves. It simply means to love them for who they are while
encouraging them to further growth.
Finally, celebrate the little things. At some point in our lives most of us realize that we don’t need to have the newest car, the biggest house or designer clothes to be happy. As we grow in wisdom we realize that it’s not the “things” that bring us joy, it’s the moments when we connect with others, with nature and with God.
With that in mind, I invite you to take a few moments every day to find something for which you can give genuine thanks. After a few weeks of doing this I think you will find you are more filled with peace and joy. Each of us have so much to celebrate, yet we often get mired in the daily grind and forget to observe the wonders that surround us.
- Gary Russell
The Mass and Reception for High School Graduates will be Sunday
June 3rd at the 10:00 Mass. Graduates please meet in the Fireplace
Area at 9:45 a.m. and plan to wear your Cap and Gown during the Mass.
NET Lifeline - May 5th Join NET Ministries and over 1,000 young people for Lifeline Mass. Lifeline has contemporary music, ener-getic crowds, and powerful presentations. Lifeline is focused on giving 7th -12th graders in the Minnesota area the chance to experience the beauty of Mass with their peers. This event is completely free but forms are required; you can find them on our webpage. RSVP by May 2nd. (Turn forms into the parish office) Meet in Youth Room @ 4:00pm—10:00pm (there will be pizza). We depart at 4:30pm.
Guys Night— May 7th
Calling all high/middle school men (6th-12th) to join us for Guys Night! This night includes free pizza, playing sports, watching movies, and a little prayer to end the night. This is led by young adult men from St. Boni’s. Grab a friend and join us for this awesome night! No registration is required; you can just show up! Meet in St. Boni’s youth room from 6:30-8:30pm.
WOW (girls group) - May 15
WOW is the women’s high school group (8th-12th) which stands for Women of Worth. This women's small group will be held in St. Bonaventure's youth room from 5-7pm. We will have great snacks, games, fun, fellowship, and learning what it means to become a woman of God. No registration is required, just show up! We would love to have you there!
Summer Open Youth Room
Come join us for Summer open youth room once a month on Fridays at St. Bonaventure. This is a time for young people (6th-12th) to come to St. Boni’s youth room to relax, play video games, sports, board games, hang out, etc. We will be selling candy & pop as well (very cheap), so bring a little spare change with you. DATES: June 15th, July 20th, & August 17th
WHEN: 6-10pm at St. Boni’s youth room!
Summer Stretch Info coming in May! Be on the look out!
Extreme Faith Camp (EFC) - June 25-29, 2018 If you are finishing 6th-8th grade by the summer of 2018 you’re invited to join us for a week-long camp filled with EXTREME FUN! There will be outdoor games, low ropes, archery, wrist rocket range, sports, swimming, canoeing, boating, doing crafts, fishing, rock climbing wall, a giant water slide. Along with amazing speakers, awesome music, daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and more! We are now taking registration for EFC this summer!
The cost for this camp experience is normally $375.00, but through an anonymous donor we are able to reduce this to $100.00 per teen! This is just for this year’s Extreme Faith Camp. Contact Gabby if you missed the registration deadline.
All forms/info is on our webpage: www.stbonaventureyouth.com
Have Questions? Contact Gabby Swift at: 952-854-4733 ext. 14 or email at [email protected]
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Enjoy a full buffet dinner and
Watch the bulletin, future newsletters, monthly calendar, or parish website for fun classes/events for the whole parish!
Saturday, May 19, 2018—5:30-8:00pm
We postponed in April due to the spring blizzard, so there is still time to get a team & join the fun! $5 buys you dinner and Trivia—what a bargain! Tickets are available after masses May 12 & 13, or at the door on May 19. All are welcome!
St Boni’s Trivia Night—
Optional bus ($12) if you want to ride with the group. Enjoy the live band: Rich & the Resistors! Adults, cruise/dinner: $28—add bus for $12 each
Children, ages 5-11: $13—add bus for $12 each
Children under 5: free
Tickets on sale June 2-18 after all weekend masses and in the office during business hours. Contact: Breta MacPhie - [email protected]
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It’s a milestone worth celebrating—
Fr Richard will be turning 70 in June, and as a parish, we want to celebrate with him! Plan to come to an open-house style picnic after the 4:30 pm Mass here at St. Bonaventure, to share some laughter, appreciation, and memories. Watch for more information in June.
5
Task Force Volunteers Needed
A new Communication Task Force is now forming to evaluate how to effectively communicate to our parishioners and the broader community. This task force will evaluate current methods of communication and propose revised or alternative means of reaching the community. Do you have experience with internet communication and apps to reach large numbers of people? If you would be willing to serve on this task force, please contact Ardie Broich at the office at [email protected] or 952-854-4733.
Goal: Increase the Visibility of St. Bonaventure in the Community
What is needed: Volunteers who would be willing to help organize the best way to achieve the goal.
We need volunteers who would be willing to take orders for shirts in the Gathering Space after masses. Volunteers are also needed to be in the Gathering Space to help people pick up their shirts. If you are willing to help turn this dream into a reality, please call Deacon Mickey Redfearn in the parish office.
Capital Campaign II Update
As of April 17, 2018, our Pledge Total is $1,408,873; the amount paid is $1,243,101, with a balance of $165,772. Thank you!
We have exceeded our initial Victory Goal of $1,310,000. Thus far we have been able to eliminate our debt ($675,000) and improve the lighting, audio and pews in our church, increasing
energy efficiency in the process.
Once the remaining balance is received, we will complete the Victory Goal projects, which include updating Ambrose Hall ($150,000), repaving the south parking lot ($200,000), and installing a canopy on the south end of the church ($60,000).
Ambrose Hall Renovation includes four main areas: ¨ Replace the upper windows. We have selected the
glass, which will be double-pane, frosted, tinted glass; installation is scheduled for mid-June. The frames will be the same bronze color as the new windows on the lower part of the building;
¨ Replace the flooring. We are in the process of selecting the final floor material and hope to be done by the end of the summer, though we need to work around the busy schedule of using the hall;
¨ Replace the tables with new light-weight tables which will be easier to set up and take down;
¨ Review options with the chairs, considering use, weight, maintenance, and storage space;
In summary, five hundred & four households pledged or contributed to the campaign. We are grateful for each dollar that has been received. Our campaign officially ends in December of 2018. There are 166 households who are still completing their pledge. Of these, 64 are set up to have their monthly contribution automatically come out of their checking, savings, or credit card. If you would like to set up fulfilling your pledge electronically or if you have any questions about your pledge balance please call Deacon Mickey Redfearn at 952-854-4733 ext. 13 or email at [email protected].
Join 155 households who donate
electronically! Scan this QR Code
to access St. Boni’s online giving
page, operated by Vanco. Donate at the frequency you desire from
your checking/savings account or credit card. Thank you for your support!
“For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me.”
Thank you to everyone who has accompanied us to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) in Eagan over the past couple of months. Many who joined us in March had such a beautiful experience they returned in April to assist us once again and we are incredibly grateful! Several have asked us to plan on their participation each month going forward and have helped to spread the word, inviting many others to attend which is wonderful! If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to join us, we hope you will very soon. We are presently planning two trips the first full week of each month. On the first Tuesday of the month we will be going in the evening 6:00-7:30pm, and on Thursday of the same week, we will go during the day 2:30-4:30pm. In
choosing both a daytime and an evening option, we are hopeful we can include people of all ages and families with school age children. We
take the St. Bonaventure bus to each of our outings which always leaves the St. Bonaventure south parking lot a half hour before each scheduled shift; please reserve a place on the bus if you need transportation. We have been including the online registration option (with link to the FMSC website) in the bulletin for the past several weeks and will continue to do this going forward until we get used to the process. Registrations online are helpful in streamlining the administrative process, and we thank you in advance if this is an option for you. In the event of cancellations (due to weather changes, for instance which happened with our recent snow storms) you receive updates via email with regard to your scheduled shift which is also extremely helpful. Feed My Starving Children is also very appreciative of monetary donations in the event you are unable to join us but would still like to support this important ministry. If you have questions or need assistance with the registration process, please contact Becky Running. If you are interested in helping to coordinate this ministry we would enjoy hearing from you and will help familiarize you with the process.
AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE IS COMING TO ST. BONAVENTURE ON
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16TH
FROM 1:00-7:00PM
Please consider joining us for our upcoming blood drive which will be hosted by the American Red Cross on Wednesday May 16th in the Activities Building from 1:00-7:00pm. If you have donated blood in the past, simply call 1-
800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and
enter Sponsor Code: “Stbona”. We have learned from the Red Cross that every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. As a parish community, we would like to assist in this important effort. If you would like more information about who can donate and other important thoughts to consider when donating blood, please visit the Red Cross website which addresses many commonly asked questions. If you would like to assist as a greeter or at the registration table for a two hour block of time on the day of the blood drive please contact Becky Running (see bottom of page). Please register online prior to the event so the Red Cross staff can plan for you and hopefully decrease the potential for unnecessary wait times. Thank you in advance for your participation.
FIRST AID KITS
It has recently come to my attention that on a few occasions people have been looking for our First Aid kits on campus and have had difficulty finding them. The First Aid kits for the church building can be found in the drawer of the welcome desk in the gathering space, the closet where the Altar Servers Albs are stored (near the confessional on the south side of church), in the choir loft, and in the long cabinet in the Nursery/Youth Room. The First Aid kits in the Activities Building can be found in the Faith Formation office, the kitchen and the boiler room. If you find one of them missing (as this happens from time to time) please let us know.
Becky Running, Health & Wellness Coordinator [email protected] Or call (952) 854-4753 Ext. 23
Congratulations
to our St. Bonaventure
Confirmands!
April 17, 2018
Feed My Starving Children
Please see page six for more information about how to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. Here is the impact St. Bonaventure parishioners made by volunteering one evening:
Boxes Packed: 97
Meals: 20,952
Kids Fed For a Year: 58
The gifts of the Holy Spirit —
Wisdom Understanding
Knowledge Counsel Piety
Fortitude Fear of the Lord
—have been conferred on:
Amina Ali John Lane
Adam Bergstrom Jenna Pepka
Maya Chesky Cordy Ruch
Wyatt Doppmann Michael Scherer Maria Duffy Catherine Sothy
Morgan Galush Peter Vodovnik
Eric Halpin Diana Vu
We joyfully welcome these children to the Table of Christ! Giovanni T. Castillo Jacob Heston Ivan Schiller Kenneth Conrad Olivia Lux Chase Stoneback
Esme Eyberg Spencer Reins Kayla Thul Regan Helen Geyen David Schiller Graydon Vogel
First Communion Mass—Sunday April 29, 2018—10:00am
Congratulations to our First Communicants!
In this issue: Page 3 Youth & Families Page 6 Health & Wellness
Page 1 Pastor’s Update Page 4 Enter tainment & Activities Page 7 Par ish Life
Page 2 Faith and Devotion Page 5 Stewardship
Electronic Service Requested
May & June 2018 Edition
Church of Saint Bonaventure Conventual Franciscan Catholic Community
Want to be Baptized, Confirmed or receive Eucharist?
Now is the right time! The Easter Vigil (photo below) has passed, but it is not too late to begin the RCIA process. God doesn’t call people only between the months of September through May, and our RCIA process doesn’t think this way either. You may begin at any time. Currently there are three people inquiring about receiving the Sacraments of Initiation. If you would like to learn more about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), the Catholic Church or Jesus, please contact Deacon Mickey Redfearn at [email protected] or call the office at 952-854-4733.
