Parish Office Phone ................................... (701) 223-3606 Hours (Mon.-Fri.) ............... 8:30 am-4:00 pm Education Office ............................ 258-5692 Fax ................................................. 223-5783 E-mail .......... ascension@midconetwork.com Web .......................... ascensionbismarck.org

Pastoral Staff Rev. Msgr. Jim Braaten…………..….Pastor Ray Grabar……………………………Deacon Tony Finneman………………………Deacon Doyle Schulz…………………………Deacon Beth Kathol…...…Parish Business Manager Kathy Lewis………………... Music & Liturgy Jan Sitter………………………...Bookkeeper

Julie Luger & Rita Ritter ........... Secretaries Bob Urlacher…………………. Maintenance

Eucharistic Liturgies Saturday ........................................... 5:00 pm Sunday ...................... 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Weekdays (Mon.-Fri.) ....................... 8:00 am Holy Days ....................... 8:00 am & 7:00 pm

Sacraments Reconciliation Tuesday-Friday ........... Before 8:00 am Mass Saturday .................................. 3:30-4:30 pm Baptisms Please call the Parish Office to schedule. If possible, contact the office three months prior to the due date. Marriage Arrangements are to be made with the Pastor at least nine months prior to the wedding.

Newcomers

Welcome to the Parish! Contact the Parish Office to register.

As a people of God, of Ascension Catholic

Parish, we are united by Baptism and

committed to meeting the needs of our

faith community. In union with the whole

Church, we will build the Kingdom of

God by proclaiming the Good News,

worshipping God, creating community,

and promoting social justice.

1825 SOUTH 3RD STREET • BISMARCK, ND 58504

Ascension C H U R C H O F T H E

February 4, 2018

Pastor’sNote

ParishNews

FaithFormationNews

Know your Faith Trivia Question of the Week Question: Why can we only receive Confirmation and Baptism once? Answer: A) They both save our souls B) They both put on our souls a special mark that never goes away C) They both forgive our sins D) They both are a sign of our death and resurrection in Jesus Christ Look for the answer to the following question in next week’s bulletin: Question: St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of __________________.”

Due to the severe strain of flu in our midst, Bishop David Kagan has requested that all parishes of the Diocese of Bismarck suspend the exchange of the Sign of Peace and the distribution of the Precious Blood at all Masses until further notice.

Monsignor Jim Braaten, Pastor

THANK YOU to the Knights who served all the Faith Formation families taco in a bag this past Wednesday at the Grill-Out. The food

and time of fellowship was greatly appreciated!

FAMILY ST. VALENTINE DANCE Mark your calendars for a Family St. Valentine Dance next Sunday, February 11th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Ascension Community Room. This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day early as it falls on Ash Wednesday this year! Fun for all ages. No cost. Food, Valentine making crafts, prizes, square dancing lessons, polkas, waltzes, and other songs and dances by request! Contact Jessica at the parish office with any questions, 223-3606.

ULTRASOUND INITIATIVE The Ascension Knights of Columbus council is assisting our local FirstChoice Clinic to raise the funds necessary to purchase new 3D/4D ultrasound equipment that will enable expectant mothers to see and hear their babies in utero and to recognize the miracle of new life. If you would like to help with this initiative, tax-deductible contributions can be made to “Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative” and sent to Mike Luger (Financial Secretary—Council 1602) 1830 S 3rd St, Bismarck ND 58504. Thank you!

ASH WEDNESDAY Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, February 14th. Masses will be offered at 8:00 am, 5:00 pm, and 7:00 pm. Distribution of ashes will be done at all Masses. Liturgical Ministers are needed for these liturgies. Please volunteer by signing up on Ministry Pro, www.rotundasoftware.com/ministry/ascensionparish, email jcsitter@ascensionbismarck.org or call 223-3606. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

PRAYER BLANKET MINISTRY The Prayer Blanket Ministry is planning an evening of making Prayer Blankets on Thursday, February 8th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Community Room. All are welcome to attend. Any type of blanket you would like to make is welcome. To make a fleece blanket you will need 1 1/2 yards of fleece fabric and a sharp scissor. Some fabric will be available. Please bring any ideas you may have for creating blankets for this important ministry that provides comfort to those in need.

BOY SCOUT SUNDAY Today is Boy Scout Sunday. At today’s Mass, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts from the surrounding Packs, Troops and Crews are in uniform to celebrate the Boy Scout anniversary. On February 8th, 1910, William D. Boyce from Chicago, IL walked into an office in Washington, DC and filed papers of incorporation for an organization he hoped would shape the lives of American boys. His purpose was “to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts.”

The flowers near the altar have been

donated by Luella Keller

in memory of her husband, Leo Keller.

ULTREYA Join us for Ultreya on Tuesday, February 6th at 7:00 pm at St. Mary’s Parish. Ultreya is a gathering of people who have made a Cursillo weekend. For more information contact Kathy Dosch at 527-3221 or check out our page on the Diocesan website: http://bismarckdiocese.com/cursillo-1.

5:00 PM 8:00 AM 9:30 AM 11:00 AM

Count Offering Team #4

Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

Ken Johnson—Plate Doug Mormann—Plate Loretta Scherr—Plate** Bob Scherr—Plate**

Wayne Hatzenbuhler—Plate** Renee Jangula—Plate** Ellen Klein—Plate

Cathy Hruby—Plate** Pam Moormann—Plate** Mike Neigum—Plate Mary Neigum—Plate

Howell Flowers—Plate** John Paul Martin—Plate** Shawn Meier—Plate Jay Uhlman—Plate

Hospitality

Kendall Preskey Conni Schafer Randy Schafer

Lori Engleson Terry Daffinrud Greg Power

Eric Miller Andy Schaffner Shirley Schaffner

Nicholas Ness Carl Ness DJ Ness

Lector Linda Charbonneau Rita Ritter Cathy Hruby John Paul Martin

Altar Server Eric Krug Alyson Krug

Nick Hagel Milla Weigel

Katie Volk Matthew Volk

Mya Tena Ethan Tena

Video/Audio Operator

Aaron Mahlmann Dee Baumgartner Mark Malm Deb Kuntz

Music Ministry Kathy Lewis Sally Dasinger

Vicki Martel Lynne Dolajak

Jeanne Jankowski Mary Bachmeier

Mike Langer Kay Larson

Serving the Assembly February 10th & 11th: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CommunityNews

BISMARCK CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS Catholic Daughters will meet on Tuesday, February 6th at 7:00 pm at Cathedral. Margaret Sitte and Virginia Dolajak will speak on legislation and abortion issues. Guests are welcome. Visit our website, www.bismarckcda.org or call Delores at 221-2818.

COPING WITH LIFE ALONE Beginning Experience (BE) is a non-denominational, spiritually based peer grief ministry for those who have lost a marriage/relationship through death, divorce or separation. BE offers 10 weekly sessions, beginning February 11th through April 15th at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Register at the first session; attendance can start as late as week three. For information contact Elaine at 400-1941, Marjean at 391-5411 or email BEofWND@yahoo.com.

SWEETHEART BALL AT CHRIST THE KING On Saturday, February 10th at Christ the King School Gym, parents with their children are invited to attend the Starry Night Sweetheart Ball. The doors will open at 5:30 pm; the Grand March will be at 6:00 pm, with the dance taking place from 5:30 to 9:00 pm. The cost is $12 online at www.ctkmandan.com or at the door. Pictures will be available for purchase. This event is a Christ the King PTO fundraiser; all proceeds will benefit the students and staff at Christ the King.

JOB POSTINGS Cemetery Manager St. Mary's Parish Family, Bismarck, ND, is seeking qualified applicants for a part time St. Mary's Cemetery Manager starting May 1, 2018. Qualifications: A practicing Roman Catholic with a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience. Three or more year's supervisory experience is a plus. The ideal candidate would plan, organize, implement and promote St. Mary's Cemetery burial ministry to the dead, their family, friends, and loved ones in order to offer consolation in time of grief. Cemetery Groundskeeper St. Mary's Parish Family, Bismarck, ND, is seeking a motivated applicant for a full time seasonal Groundskeeper at the St. Mary's Cemetery starting April 1, 2018. Responsibilities include providing grounds equipment repair and maintenance, general lawn maintenance, and janitorial support. Applicant must have the knowledge of grounds equipment operation, repair skills, be able to work independently, and be able to lift at least 50 pounds. This is a seasonal full time position from April 1 until October 1. For further information, contact Cressy Aberle, Parish Manager at 701-223-5562. Please submit cover letter, resume, three references and St. Mary's Parish application for employment to Cressy Aberle, 806 E. Broadway Ave., Bismarck, ND 58501, or cressy@stmarysparishfamily.net.

TimeTalent&Treasure

Prayer Line Call the Parish Office at 223-3606 or Pauline Mueller at 226-9471. The Prayer Line is a group of parishioners who pray for requested intentions. The names of those requests and/or the intentions are not made public. Names of people listed in the bulletin have given permission to use their name.

John W. Bitz, Mildred Schall, Marjorie Bitz, Jerry Feist, Larry Sackman, Don Hopfauf, Tim Heidt, Erna Jacobchick, Michelle Niska, Viola Bitz, Bill Feist, Jolene Klein, Richelle Knudson, Daryl Wanner, Mary Shaffer, Kathy Lewis

FINANCIAL BLESSINGS

ParishCalendar

Monday, February 5 8:00 am Communion Service Tuesday, February 6 8:00 am †Bridget Urlacher by Ben & Jan Sitter Wednesday, February 7

8:00 am †Fran Braaten by Clarence & Mar-Jo Steffes Thursday, February 8 8:00 am †Paul Kalberer by Neal & Cheryl Kalberer Friday, February 9 8:00 am †Leo & LeoRoy Keller by Luella Keller Saturday, February 10 5:00 pm †Don Heck & Jeannie Dunten by Shirley Heck Sunday, February 11 8:00 am †Don Masseth by Family 9:30 am Geary and Jean McCleery by Phil & Danette McKenzie 11:00 am People of the Parish

Weekly Schedule Monday, February 5 8:30 am Eucharistic Adoration 6:30 pm Social Concerns meeting Tuesday, February 6 7:00 pm Parish Council meeting Wednesday February 7 4:00, 5:30, 7:00 Faith Formation Classes 6:45 pm Adult Faith Formation Thursday, February 8 7:00 pm Social Concerns Committee/ Prayer Blanket Ministry/Community Room

Readings for the Week of February 4th

Sunday: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7/Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6/

1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23/Mk 1:29-39

Monday: 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13/Ps 132:6-7, 8-10/Mk 6:53-56

Tuesday: 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30/Ps 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11/

Mk 7:1-13

Wednesday: 1 Kgs 10:1-10/Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40/

Mk 7:14-23

Thursday: 1 Kgs 11:4-13/Ps 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40/

Mk 7:24-30

Friday: 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19/Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-13,

14-15/Mk 7:31-37

Saturday: 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34/Ps 106:6-7ab, 19-20,

21-22/Mk 8:1-10

Sunday: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46/Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11/

1 Cor 10:31—11:1/Mk 1:40-45

WEEK COLLECTIONS BUDGET

January 28,

2018

$8,230.93 $13,002.00

Fiscal Year

to Date

$427,188.05 $403,062.00

REPAIR & MAINTENANCE FUND

January 2018 Collections $3,063.00

POOR FUND DONATIONS

January 2018 Collections $4,041.55

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Adult: When have you felt the sadness of Job? When have you felt the joy of those who witnessed the healing works of Jesus? Youth: What could you do this week to comfort someone who is sad?

The fact that today’s Gospel from Mark makes reference to Jesus curing Peter’s mother-in-law would seem to point to the fact that Peter was married. However, the majority of scholars are of the opinion that the wife may have died before Peter was called by Jesus as an Apostle. In fact, there are many misconceptions about St. Peter. For one, although often portrayed as much older, he was probably younger than Jesus. In fact all 12 Apostles were most likely younger than Jesus. Also, Peter is often presented in paintings and movies and books as being a very old man, but historians have also concluded that Peter was martyred in Rome when he was about 66 years old. He was never the old, old man in his 80’s we see quite often. All of that is secondary to a simple statement in today’s Gospel about the mother-in-law. Specifically, St. Mark writes, “He (Jesus) approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.” St. Matthew reveals this same fact in his Gospel (Matthew 8:15), and he writes, “He (Jesus) touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.” The message for us is very basic. Peter’s mother-in-law responded to Jesus the same way we should when Jesus blesses us. She responded to the Lord and immediately served Him out of gratitude. That should be our motivation, and action, as well.

CommunityNews&Events

A WOMEN’S SIMPLE LENTEN RETREAT A Women’s Simple Lenten Retreat will be held Saturday,

February 10th from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Church of

Corpus Christi in Bismarck. Talks on forgiveness and other

inspirations will be given by Fr. Paul Becker and Fr. Jared

Johnson. Doors open at 7:15 am. The retreat includes Mass at

8:00 am, a light breakfast, lunch, confessions, adoration, a table

of free items, and vendors. Registration fee is $30. To register,

send your name and check to Lenten Retreat, 3600 McDonald

Road, Bismarck ND 58504.

WOMEN’S BREAKFAST FOR ALL AGES A Women’s breakfast will be held Saturday, February 10th

from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck.

Guest speaker will be Renae Duppong. The registration fee is

$20. Pre-registration by February 6th is required at

www.bismarckdiocese.com/breakfast. For more information,

call Pam at 204-7185.

SOUP KITCHEN LENTEN LUNCHEONS For the past several years, Spirit of the Life Catholic Church

in Mandan has offered a series of Lenten Luncheon talks in

conjunction with our Thursday Soup Kitchen. Please join us

during Lent over your Thursday lunch hour for soup,

sandwiches, and an opportunity to deepen your relationship

with Christ as we prepare for Easter. The luncheons will begin

on February 15th with the speaker being Msgr. Gion. On

successive weeks the following will speak: February 22nd,

Deacon Randy Frohlich; March 1st, Shelly Preszler; March 8th,

Ray Morel; March 15th, Dominick Goettle; and March 22nd,

Fr. Chris Kadrmas. Soup is served at 11:30 am and the speaker

begins at 12:00 noon. Everyone is welcome to attend. Any

questions, call 663-1660 or email marijo@myspiritoflife.com.

RESTORE: a Young Adult Retreat Enter into Lent with a weekend of rest and community with many opportunities for spiritual growth and healing. This new retreat being held in Glen Ullin (45 minutes west of Bismarck) is open to all young adults-single or married and ages 20-40(ish)-and will take place February 16-18 with a bonus half-day February 19 (President's Day) for anyone able to stay longer. Space is limited, and the deadline to register is Feb 12. For more info, please email Renae at sacredheart@westriv.com.

HANNAH’S HOPE MASS The Hannah’s Hope Mass is an opportunity for the community

to pray for/with and support those suffering from infertility. It

will be offered by Bishop Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy

Spirit on Monday, February 12th at 7:00 pm. Questions can

be directed to Christie Collins at 864-354-5046. All are invited

to attend.

CANA DINNER Celebrate and renew the gift of your marriage at the CANA

Dinner on Saturday, February 17th at the Bismarck Munici-

pal Country Club. The evening includes appetizers and cash

bar at 5:00 pm, blessing and renewal of vows by Bishop Kagan

at 6:00 pm, dinner at 6:15 pm, presentation on marriage by

Dr. James Link at 7:00 pm, followed by a dance at 8:00 pm.

Register at www.bismarckdiocese.com/cana or call Tara

Brooke at 204-7209. The cost is $50 per couple.

PROM EXTRAVAGANZA St. Mary’s Central High School Pride Parents are hosting a

shopping and consignment event on Saturday, February 24th

at the high school cafeteria from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Prom

dresses, shoes, and accessories will be available for sale.

Cash or checks are accepted. For those wishing to consign, the

items will be sold for a fee of 10% of the total sale. Con-

signment drop-off will be at the school library on Friday, Feb-

ruary 23rd from 5:30 to 7:00 pm or Saturday, February 24th

from 8:00 to 10:00 am. Reserve a consignment spot by Febru-

ary 10th. For more information, contact Jennifer Barry at jen-

nyleebarry@hotmail.com or 400-1254.

PINOCHLE CARD PARTY St. Mary’s Parish will host a pinochle card party on Sunday,

February 18th at 1:00 pm. The event will be held in the multi

-purpose room; there will be a $5 entrance fee. Lunch will be

served following the games.

WORLD YOUTH DAY INFORMATION WEBI-

NAR An information webinar will be held on Sunday, February

25th at 7:00 pm for those young adults interested in signing up

for World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, January 21-28, 2019.

The webinar will provide participants with information

about World Youth Day, Panama, and the registration process

will be led by the pilgrimage host, Faith Journeys. To attend

the webinar, please contact Carrie Davis at

cdavis@bismarckdiocese.com or sign up online at

https://bismarckodiocese.com/wyd. Please register by

Friday, February 23rd.

Save the Date for the

THIRST 2018 Women’s Conference

Sunday, September 22 at the Bismarck Event Center

Presentations, confessions, Eucharistic adoration,

music, and a Vigil Mass with the Bishop

Conference website and online registration

coming soon