Community and Social Events

Friday Fish Fry American Legion - Le Center, MN

Fish Basket Lunch 11AM-1PM $8 (Free Delivery in town for lunch only) Fish Dinner 5PM-7PM (or until gone)

$13 Adults, $7 Children under 12.

Dates: February 26, March 5, March 12 (lunch only), March 19 (lunch

only), March 26, April 2 (lunch only) No dinner meals on March 12, March 19,

& April 2 Take out available for Lunch and Dinner!

Church Cleaning - Lisa Beer, Megan Holicky, & Sharon Budin are scheduled to clean the church by February 28.

St. Henry News

President’s Day was celebrated on Monday, February 15th. The birthday of Abraham Lincoln was February 12th and George Washington’s birthday is February 22nd. It’s not too late to quote what our nation's first president had to say about life:

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life YOU will have been all of those.”

St. Mary-St. Henry Pro-Life Team

PASTORAL CARE EVENTS

Red Cross Blood Drive Tuesday, March 16, 2021 Noon-6pm American Legion Club, Le Center, MN

The Red Cross will be making the calls. If you don’t receive a call, but would like to donate,

please call 1-800-733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org. Appointments only - NO walk-ins. Covid rules will be in place

(masks). If you can’t make your appointment please call the above number to cancel.

The Women's Grief Group for Loss of Spouse / Significant Other is offering Online

meetings via Zoom! The meetings are every Tuesday from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. This is a

combined group with the Mankato Hope's Grief Group members. The majority of widows are living alone and isolation and grief can be a challenge for many.

Know that you are not alone! ***If you have any questions or are interested in signing up, please contact: Marlene Hunt at

marlenehunt53@gmail.com or call 507-381-1177.

Meals on Wheels is available Monday through Friday. Enjoy home-style cooking

prepared at Central Healthcare’s commercial kitchen by the oversight of a Certified Dietary

Manager and Consultant Registered Dietician. They prepare a variety of

wholesome dishes that may be tailored to meet the needs of a physician prescribed diet. The cost of these meals is $7.06 per meal and CHC accepts payment through Elderly Waiver. These

meals can be ordered for anyone that has recently been hospitalized, are requiring respite care, recovering from an illness, or you just want to stay safe during this time of Covid. If interested

in learning more about Meals on Wheels delivery, please fee free to Contact Sally Holden at: 507-357-2275, ext. 228 Monday-Friday.

MEALS ON WHEELS IS IN NEED OF A VOLUNTEER 1 week open: March 15-19

If you are able to serve or have questions about what is involved in volunteering for Meals On Wheels, please contact

Tara at the Church of St. Mary, Le Center, Parish Office.

Energy Assistance Program

Greater Minnesota Gas, Inc. (GMG) would like to remind residential homeowners or renters of the Energy Assistance Program (EAP). This federally funded program helps pay for home heating costs for income qualified customers. Please contact your local EAP Service Provider to apply. For help

finding your local EAP provider, call us at 888-931-3411. Applications must be received or

postmarked by May 31, 2021 to be processed for benefits for the 2020-2021 program year. You can find

information on-line at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website at: https://mn.gov/commerce/

Sometimes it feels like the culture has reduced Lent—an amazing and powerful 40-day journey of prayer, fasting, and giving—into giving up sweets. Well, we aren’t having it! Join us for BEST LENT EVER this year to go deeper than “what did you give up?” and experience prayer in a whole new way. Who will you become? Let’s find out! www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent/best-lent-ever 1. Sign Up Just enter your name and your email address and you’re ready to go!

2. You’ll receive quick, inspirational videos straight to your inbox every morning to help you prep your soul to get the most out of every day.

3. Think over what you’ve heard today. What stuck out? What resonated with you? How can you apply what you learned to start living a more prayerful life today?

Churches of St. Mary & St. Henry 165 N. Waterville Ave., Le Center, MN 56057

Phone: 507-357-6633 Phone/Fax: 507-357-4838

www.stmarysthenry.org

Parish Staff

Pastor: Fr. James Stiles (ext 306) fr.stiles@frontier.com

After Hours Emergencies: 507-456-8473

Associate Pastor: Fr. Timothy Sandquist (ext 307) ftsandquist@gmail.com

Trustees St. Mary: Clarence Mager & Pete Plut

Trustees St. Henry: Dan Germscheid & Jim Selly

Faith Formation Assistant: Angie Neubauer (phone ext 304)

angieneubauer@frontier.com

Secretary/Receptionist: Gloria Wolf (phone ext 301)

gloriagw@frontier.com

Accounting/Bookkeeping: Tara Robinson (phone ext 302) tarar@frontier.com

Maintenance: Joe Holicky (phone ext 305) jholicky1@frontier.com

Music Ministry: Terri McMillen

mcmillen752@gmail.com

Office Hours - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Thursday

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Friday

Bulletin Deadline - articles need to be submitted to Gloria by noon

on Wednesday.

For use of meeting rooms or Social Hall - contact Gloria

Thrift Store - 507-357-6942 Open Tues & Thurs 1-4pm

Mass Schedule

Saturday - 5:00 PM at St. Henry (in the church)

Sunday - at St. Mary (in the church)

9:00 AM - English

12:00 PM - Spanish The Archbishop has made it abundantly clear that no one is obliged to

attend Sunday Mass during the time of this pandemic. Therefore, if you judge it safer for you not to attend Mass at any point during this pandemic,

let your conscience be at peace. To help you stay connected the best we are able, we will continue to live stream our Sunday Masses whenever possible.

Daily Mass - in St. Mary Church Building

Monday No Mass

Tuesday 5:00 PM

Weds, Thurs, & Friday 9:00 AM

Sacrament of Reconciliation Confessions are available Tuesdays & Fridays, 6-6:30pm at the Church of St. Mary in Le Center in the parish building entrance by the office.

Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the main church from 7:00-9:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday, & Friday 9:30-11:30 am.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT February 21, 2021

Lent invites us into

the desert. We live a

simpler, more

reflective life for

forty days to

confront our

weaknesses. Freely

choosing to limit our

distractions and

comforts for forty

days opens the door

to greater self-

awareness which

leads to holiness.

From the Pastor’s Desk

Prayer, Waiting, and Distractions I just got back from a weeklong silent retreat in Arizona on Tuesday. From what I’ve heard about the weather here while I was gone, it sounds like I timed it just right!

One of the biggest graces I received on the retreat was a greater understanding of the importance of “waiting” in prayer. I think our general tendency is to pray, but then promptly give up when it seems like God isn’t speaking to us.

It does indeed seem like he isn’t listening or speaking sometimes, but there is a great mystery here. It is by means of the silence and the waiting that God brings us deeper, beneath the surface level chatter that our hearts and minds are normally occupied with. A good biblical example of this is the way God spoke to Elijah (1 Kings 19). A wind came, but the Lord was not in the wind. An earthquake came, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire came, but the Lord was not in the fire. But there was a quiet whisper. This was how God spoke to him. This reveals that God’s most powerful way of speaking to us is in the silence - much more powerful than the flashy ways we might expect.

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles we face when trying to pray and wait in silence is distractions. Or so we think. You might be surprised, but saints like St. Theresa of Avila don’t actually consider distractions something to be concerned much about. St. Theresa, in fact, experienced a great deal of distractions herself. Even during a time in her life where she was regularly receiving lofty mystical experiences in prayer she wrote about having a distracted mind after receiving Holy Communion. The lack of control we have of our mind is simply a consequence of our weak fallen nature. We shouldn’t be surprised by it at all, and, more importantly, we shouldn’t get distressed about it.

Listen to what St. Theresa wrote in her autobiography regarding distractions:

“So I return to the advice – and even if I repeat it many times this doesn’t matter – that it is very important that no one be distressed or afflicted over dryness or noisy and distracting thoughts.” (Life ch. 11, no. 17)

In another place she writes: “When one of you finds herself in this sublime state of prayer, and the thought wanders off after the most ridiculous things in the world, she should laugh at it and treat it as the silly thing it is, and remain in her state of quiet” (Way, ch. 31).

So there you have it. You or I never need to get anxious about distractions in prayer again. St. Theresa is a doctor of the Church after all. Instead of getting distressed about our wandering minds, we just need to try to turn our mind back to God while remembering that he does not expect us to pray like the angels. We are like little kids before him, and this is not a problem because, as he says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt 19:14)

Fr. Sandquist

Mass Schedule & Intentions

The statewide mask mandate requires wearing of a face mask in all public indoor spaces.

Monday, February 22 7:00 –9:00 pm Adoration - (in the church)

Tuesday, February 23 10:00 am Funeral Mass Clair Pete† 5:00 pm Mass Living & Deceased of Cemensky & Androli families 5:45-6:30 pm Confessions - (building office entrance) 7:00 –9:00 pm Adoration - (in the church)

Wednesday, February 24 9:00 am Mass Joan C. McCabe† 3:15-9:00 pm Confirmation NET Retreat No Faith Formation Classes

Thursday, February 25 9:00 am Mass Vincent Holicky† 7:00 –9:00 pm Adoration - (in the church)

Friday, February 26 9:00 am Mass Mary Jean (Minnie) Hunt† 9:30 am-11:30 am Adoration (in the church) 5:45-6:30 pm Confessions - (building office entrance) 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday, February 27 5:00 pm Mass (St. Henry) Ralph & Kathryn Hoey††

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT, February 28

9:00 am Mass (in the church) Grant Anderson† & Bruce Weber† 12:00 pm Mass - Spanish (in the church) For the Parish 6:30 pm Lent Penance Service (St. Mary)

Please check our website and Facebook for the latest news or feel free to call the parish office.

www.stmarysthenry.org

St. Mary's Church, Le Center

https://www.facebook.com/StMaryStHenry/

Readings for next Sunday, February 28, 2021

Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Romans 8:31b-34 Mark 9:2-10

St. Mary's Thrift Store 69 E Minnesota St.

Le Center 507-357-6942

OPEN HOURS 1-4 PM Tuesdays & Thursdays & 3-6PM Wednesdays (NEW)

Altar Ministry Schedules have been mailed out for March & April. Thank you for your willingness to serve! If you are on the schedule, you will receive one. If you are not scheduled, but would like to be included in future schedules contact the parish office and we will be happy to add you (gloriagw@frontier.com).

Baptism Baptisms are still being celebrated in the present time with social distancing, precautions and some limitations. Please contact Fr. Sandquist via email or phone to schedule your child’s baptism. Parents are asked to attend a class on the sacrament of baptism (virtually if necessary). Due to the great importance of this sacrament we encourage you not to delay in requesting this sacrament. It is desirable that parents make contact with us even before the birth of the child.

Baptism - offered once each month. Contact Fr. Sandquist for baptism in English or Fr. Stiles for baptism in Spanish.

Marriage - contact Fr. Sandquist at least 6 months in advance. All couples must complete a weekend retreat as well as marriage preparation classes.

Confirmation - youth are prepared in grades 8 & 9. For adult confirmation - contact Fr. Stiles.

Anointing of the Sick - communal anointing for the Parish once each year in the spring. For private anointing, contact the parish office. In an emergency call 507-456-8473.

Communion calls for ill or homebound - please contact the Parish Office.

Please Pray Part of our Christian duty is to pray for each other.

The following have asked for your prayers:

Jolene Zell Holden Zell Dave Krenik Dave Farm Ann Wesley Skalicky Gene Holicky Sandy Germscheid

We also keep in prayer all residents at area assisted living and long-term care facilities and our homebound parishioners.

Some people have requested to not have their name included on this list. We respect their wishes and ask that you pray for all who are ill.

NEXT WEEKEND-SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Saturday & Sunday - February 27-28 The statewide mask mandate requires the wearing of a face mask. In

addition, use hand sanitizer as you enter and exit the church, maintain 6 feet social distance, and please stay home if you are

experiencing any cold like symptoms. Please be aware that we will have limited seating.

We ask that if the center of the pew is open to please move to the center, so as others arrive they can sit on the ends.

Saturday, February 27, 5PM Mass at Church of St. Henry

Sunday, February 28, 9AM Mass at Church of St. Mary We have the social hall set up for extra seating. It’s a big open space with chairs arranged at least 6 feet apart. The video on the

large screen and the audio are both clear. An Extraordinary Minister will bring Communion into the Social Hall.

You are also welcome to attend Mass in the parking lot via live-stream or using the FM radio audio broadcast at station

90.7. Holy Communion will be brought outside to those in their cars during the usual Communion time.

If you’d like to receive Communion, please turn on your car lights and an Extraordinary Minister will bring Communion out to you.

Sunday, February 28 - Spanish Mass at 12PM

Faith Formation

NET Retreat this Wednesday, February 24 from 3:15-9:00pm for all Confirmation students. Come as soon as you can after school. This will be an evening of inspirational talks, group discussions, dinner, Mass & music.

Please keep our Confirmation students in your prayers as they are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Loving God, You are the giver of all we possess,

the source of all of our blessings. We thank and praise you.

Thank you for the gift of our children.

May they come to know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

May your Holy Spirit help them to grow in faith, hope, and love,

so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.

May their ears hear your voice. May their eyes see your presence in all things.

May their lips proclaim your word. May their hearts be your dwelling place.

May their hands do works of charity. May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ,

your Son and our Lord. Amen.

Like us on Facebook! For Faith Formation News go to St Mary & St Henry Faith Formation (https://www.facebook.com/lecentercatholic/). For other news in the parish go to St. Mary's Church, Le Center (https://www.facebook.com/StMaryStHenry/)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6

Angie Neubauer Faith Formation Assistant angieneubauer@frontier.com

Sacramental Life 3 PILLARS OF LENT PRAYER FASTING

ALMSGIVING Churches of St. Mary &

St. Henry will be collecting nonperishable

items throughout the Season of Lent for our local Le Center Food Shelf. Please place items in

bin found in the southwest building entrance.

All items are welcome - Ramen Noodles, Pudding Snack Packs, boxes of Mac & Cheese, Cereals, Kleenex,

Deodorant, canned goods, etc. (Also needed are gently used plastic grocery bags.)

The Food Shelf can not accept items that are outdated.

THE CATHOLIC FAITH. ON DEMAND.

How do I get FORMED? Go to www.FORMED.org. Click on “Sign Up”, then click on “Sign up as a parishioner”, then type in our parish code: 3675db in the “Find your parish or organization” field. Lastly, set up a username and password. It’s that easy! Be inspired, be educated, be formed, in your faith. Get thousands of movies, programs, audio, and books instantly.

This Lent, we invite you to journey with Dr. Tim Gray by signing up for FORMED Daily

Lenten Reflections at formed.org/lent. Each day you will receive in your inbox a short video which features Dr. Gray commenting on the daily Mass readings, explaining the Scriptures, and providing you with concrete ideas on how to apply them to your Christian life.

During Lent please feel free to take advantage of any and all of the following offerings:

Extended times for Individual Confessions: Tuesdays & Fridays, 5:45-6:30 PM

Confessions at St. Mary take place in the entry way by the parish office. Confessions will be "behind the screen" unless face-to-face is specifically requested. Social distancing will be maintained. Simply drive up to the cones next to the curb outside the parish office - when the person in front of you drives away, you can pull forward, park, and enter the building using the most East doors.

Lenten Penance Service: Sunday, February 28, 6:30 PM at St. Mary

Stations of the Cross at St. Mary Fridays during Lent at 7:00 PM

Eucharistic Adoration Monday, Tuesdays, & Thursday 7:00-9:00 pm in the main church.

Friday 9:30-11:30 am in the main church after the 9:00 am daily Mass.

Lent Materials Available in Church Entrances

FOR LENT FOR LIFE Join our faith community–and more than 12,000 Catholic communities across the United States—in a life-changing Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. Pick up your family’s CRS Rice Bowl in our church entrances. During the 40 days of Lent, we will reflect on how hunger and malnutrition affect our human family, and on the need to take action to end this global injustice. Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.

THE WORD AMONG US AND FIVE MINUTES WITH THE WORD - LENT ISSUES Each issue of this magazine includes daily meditations based on the Mass readings, full Mass readings and prayers from the Liturgy, articles, and practical advice on living the Christian life. Looking for the daily meditations without the Mass readings and articles? Then the simpler version, Five Minutes With The Word is the one you want.

DEVOTIONALS AND PRAYER BOOKS Specific to the Lenten season for individuals, families, teens, and children. Take them home, and strive to use them each day throughout Lent. These books can be found in the church entrances. Feel free to browse through the selection offered.

During Lent, we often take on practices to deepen our faith lives and commitment to serving others. But once Easter comes, those

practices can easily go to the wayside. How can we make those practices stick, to continue on a path toward holiness?

The Synod at Home series (provided by the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Mpls) takes helpful videos, tips and tools for growing in faith, and pairs them with family-friendly activities based on four pillars: Prayer & Sacraments, Lifelong Learning, Generosity & Service, and Traditions & Fun. Individuals, couples and families will find their faith and relationships strengthened by Synod at Home.

You will receive weekly emails with Synod at Home videos and materials Thursdays from February 18 - March 18! Sign up, videos, and materials are available at archspm.org/synod. We are excited for you and those in your household to join in this journey.

The Church teaches that Catholics in good health are to observe the following practices during Lent unless for some serious reason they are unable to do so:

Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Fasting as explained by the U.S. bishops means partaking of only one full meal and two smaller meals that do not equal the main meal. Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat.

Lenten Regulations for Fasting and Abstinence

St. Mary’s CCW

Many thanks to the St. Mary’s CCW for continuing to provide for the liturgical needs at St. Mary’s (i.e. candles, hosts, wine, & Living Faith booklets) even during this time when they can’t do fundraising events!

February 13-14, 2021 St. Mary St. Henry

Weekly Budget $ 4230.00 $ 825.00

Weekly Offering $ 2156.25 $ 474.00 Vanco Online Giving $ 1230.00 $ 20.00 Plate $ 13.00 $ 23.00

Total $ 3399.25 $ 517.00

Diff. from budget -$ 830.75 -$ 308.00

Cemetery Project $ 300.00 Weekly Building Fund $

You may have noticed that your 2021 box of envelopes no longer has a column for the New Community Center Offering. Since the new building is paid for, it was decided this should be removed from the envelopes. However, we appreciate your continued monetary support and prayers for our building. Maintenance is ongoing with any building, so we anticipate that repairs and replacements will be needed in the future. If you would like to give to the building fund, you can mark on your check memo line or on the envelope that your donation is for the building.

Parish Stewardship The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation contributions go directly to 20 Designated Ministries. To learn more, go to www.csafspm.org. In addition, you can find a short & informative video on the Churches of St. Mary & St. Henry webpage: www.stmarysthenry.org or at www.csafspm.org.

Those who have contributed to the Appeal in the past should have received a mailing from CSAF. Please prayerfully consider making a pledge. Please send in your pledge using the preaddressed envelope and payment voucher

provided with the mailing or bring your completed pledge to Mass and drop it in the collection basket. Thank you for your generosity!

For those who have not received a CSAF mailing we are providing an informational flyer and envelope in the church entrances. When using the envelopes provided by the church be sure to use an envelope marked for St. Mary or St. Henry according to which parish goal you want your contribution to go toward. You can also give directly at GiveCSAF.org using your phone, tablet, or computer.

Our parish goal & raised to date totals this year are: St. Mary Goal $15,322 St. Henry Goal $2,768 Raised to date $ 7,735 Raised to date $1,050

The cemetery board along with Father Stiles and Father

Sandquist would like to thank the parish for their generous support in reaching the cemetery project goal! The statue of The Blessed

Mother is in place with a dedication ceremony to be held in the coming months. The road

project is set to begin in the spring; the existing blacktop will be removed and replaced and the gravel road around the newer section

will be paved. Your continued support of

the cemetery is greatly appreciated!

February 27 - February 28: Second Sunday of Lent

Lector Extraordinary Minister Ushers

Saturday, 5:00 PM (St. Henry) Mike Boettcher

Sunday, 9:00 AM (St. Mary)

Constance Meyer Daniel Meyer Robert Closser Wayne Schloesser Norman Schmidt Timothy Wolf

Your combined parish contribution of $585 will enable many religious communities to meet their pressing retirement needs, while continuing to serve the People of God. Your generosity also contributes to the retirement planning of newer religious communities.

On behalf of all retired men and women religious, priests, and brothers, thank you for your support of the annual Religious Retirement Appeal: your generosity is a blessing to those who have given a lifetime!

Gratefully, Sister Lynore Girmscheid, SSND, Coordinator, Retirement Fund for Religious, Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis