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Greetings Holy Spirit Parish!
Welcome to the Third Sunday in Ordinary time!
We continue to pray for our parishioners and an end to the COVID pandemic.
Friday, January 22nd is the annual
“Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.”
Catholics are called to observe this day through prayer and penance.
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Each year on January 22, all dioceses in the United States are called to observe a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. January 22 is the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion throughout our nation. Since then, over 60 million lives have been lost. That’s more than the size of Italy’s population.
This coming Friday, January 22, we set aside a day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. It is also a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. We are each called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms.
The act of abortion rejects God’s gift of life. Abortion destroys the life of a child, lovingly knit together in his or her mother’s womb, and for someone who has participated in abortion, the loss of a child can form a hole in their heart so deep that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness. As a human and Christian family, we grieve the loss of so many lives. And yet, even in our grief, we know there is hope.
Christ came for the very purpose of redeeming our sins, offering us His forgiveness, and giving us His peace. Jesus comes to free us from the bonds of sin. And there is no sin that is beyond God’s mercy. It is never too late to seek the Lord’s mercy and healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His greatest desire is to forgive us, pouring out His infinite mercy upon us so that we may be healed. If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential, compassionate help is available. You can find out more information about the Church’s ministry for healing after abortion by visiting hopeafterabortion.com. We are all sinners. But with the grace of God, we can become saints.
We can be lights to the nations, sharing the truth about the irrevocable dignity of the human person. Where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more. Therefore, let us take courage and offer prayer and penance, that all human life would be welcomed in love and protected in law.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2020, USCCB, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.
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A N N O U N C E M E N T ! !
A NEW and IMPROVED live stream experience is coming soon!
Stay tuned for details and a schedule of events!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel now!
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Together is a monthly bulletin from the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
Each month, Together will feature messages from Archbishop Jackels as well as initiatives and happenings from around the archdiocese.
Click on the link above to read the January edition.
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Continue your journey with The Search on FORMED.Org!
Watch the next episode beginning Sunday, January 24th!
Your life is a story, and it’s caught up in the great story of humanity. This great story, as we see in the Scriptures, shows us the amazing love story that is God’s pursuit of man. The God that is love created us so we can ultimately be with his love. We were made to be with God. Union with God is so central to the purpose of life that we even see the afterlife in these terms. Our definition of Heaven is union with God, and Hell is the absence of him. Your life has a plot. Your life has purpose. Your life has value. We need to see how we fit into this big love story to begin to know why we exist. And that love of God isn’t abstract—it has a face and name: Jesus.
Access Episode #1 at FORMED.org. Not signed up on FORMED.org? Visit FORMED.org/signup and search for our parish by name or Zip code.
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FORMation Inspiration with FORMED.org 
Each week we will spotlight programs, movies or devotions to help encourage your faith at home using our new FORMED.org subscription!
* Daily Inspiration
FORMED Now: Daily Reflections
Everyday FORMED Now! features special guests and insider looks at special topics. New episodes are published each day at 1pm (CST).
* Self-guided Bible Scripture Study
Take time to dive into the bible and revel in the perfect love story God has written to us.
Join scripture scholars Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Michael Barber as they dive into the Gospel of Matthew. This Bible study is part of a weekly series hosted on FORMED Now! We hope you enjoy this lively and faith-filled study of the first Gospel.
* Celebrating the Sacraments
As we move back into Ordinary time and prepare for the start of Lent, let's take a deeper dive into the mystery of the Eucharist.
Although the Eucharist appears to be simple bread and wine, it is actually the "source and summit" of the Christian life. Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist explores the truth and beauty of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture, to its profound role in the life of the Church and her members. It is the crescendo of the entire story of salvation.
NOTE -- This is a wonderful study for those who are wanting to connect with this Sacrament on a deeper level and also for parents and children who are preparing for First Holy Communion.
* Sunday MOVIE Night
Faith begins at home and what a better way to celebrate the faith together than with a movie night! Each Sunday evening set aside time to gather the family, grab your favorite snacks and check out the faith-filled movie options below.
This week enjoy a feel-good movie: The Adventures of Ociee Nash
Based on Milam McGraw Propst’s award-winning novel, A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street, The Adventures of Ociee Nash is a delightful and inspiring film you won’t soon forget! Although nine-year-old Ociee loves roaming Mississippi’s 1898 rural landscape, her widower father (Keith Carradine) feels that Ociee lacks a role model to help her become a “young lady.” So, Ociee boards a train to North Carolina, to be raised by her Aunt Mamie (Mare Winningham). Although Ociee meets heroes like the Wright Brothers and the U.S. President, she ultimately proves that she, too, is capable of greatness in this heartwarming, rewarding film the whole family will enjoy.
Another Kid-friendly option, consider the new comic-series: Finnian and the Seven Mountains // Issues #1-4
Seeking to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of Viking marauders, a young man named Finnian leaves his monastic school in Ireland to find a legendary sword rumored to have the extraordinary power to defeat evil.
Join writer Philip Kosloski, and artists Michael LaVoy, Jay David Ramos (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN) and Jim Fern (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN ANNUAL, and CROSSING MIDNIGHT) on an epic journey that begins on the mysterious island of Skellig Michael, where the sword was last seen.
Will Finnian find the mythical sword and lead the way to victory? Or will the Vikings continue to destroy innocent villagers Find out what happens in this epic adventure series!
---> Not yet on FORMED?
- Visit http://signup.formed.org/.
- Enter our parish’s zip code or name.
- Enter your name and email.
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Religious Education & Sacramental Prep Updates
Religious Education
We continue with our regularly scheduled classes on Zoom. As long as positive Covid cases in our area remain low as they are right now, we are planning to resume in person class on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd. Please keep watching your emails for the most updated information. Contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org if you have any questions.
First Eucharist Preparation
We are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Jan. 27th at 6:30pm. We will be meeting virtually using Zoom. Cassie will be sending out the link and details on getting the First Eucharist folders today or tomorrow. If you have any questions please contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org.
Confirmation Session
Our next class will be Sunday, February 14th at 10:30am. The assignment due that morning is the paper on the Confirmation saint you've chosen to use for your Confirmation name. Please email the paper to Cassie when you've completed this assignment. Contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org with any questions or for more information.
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A Note from Patrick, Director of Worship
 Dear All,
I hope you and your families continue to be in good health! What a blessing to be able to come together to celebrate Mass in this New Year 2021! Since many ministers are staying home for various legitimate health and safety reasons this means many of you are serving each week to help; please know how grateful I am for all of you who are serving every week! We are all in this together and will take it week by week. The 11/29/2020-1/31/2020 schedule is live. Please let me know if you need to update your preferences or schedule, I will update the schedules and share them via our weekly email blasts and the Parish website under the Ministers, Minister Scheduler Pro tab. We are staying the course with the same amount of ministers through January and February. Lectors will continue to read through the first reading, psalm, and second reading. All volunteers, Especially Ushers/greeters, please wear your mask fully over your nose. It is of the utmost importance to set a good example of the safety protocols to ensure everyone’s health and well-being.
As we approach Ash Wednesday soon it is time to think of the next schedule for Lent 2021! (February 6th - March 28th); I have sent the request for updates by email, please let me know if you need to update your preferences or schedule, and I will update the schedules. I will make this schedule live this week and send the schedules to you all. As always, copies of the schedule can be found via MSP, the parish website, along with hard copies in the sacristy of each church and parish office. For those that have no computer access I will mail hard copies. Please let me know if you would like me to add you to my mailing list. As we assemble more information on Ash Wednesday, Lent prayer services, and Palm Sunday, we will let you know. If you are unable to make your Mass time, please click on sub request and/or let me know at least 2 days in advance. For all ministers across the board please be at least 20-30 minutes early to Mass. Especially in these trying times, thank you for all your continued service to Holy Spirit Parish. As Father Steve and I do all that we can to maintain the guidelines set forth by the Archdiocese and Archbishop Michael, we thank you for your patience and understanding!
Notes on MSP emails and App: I know there are issues with the new MSP emails; please double check all inboxes as these emails sometimes go to other inboxes. If an email is delivered to the Promotions tab, you can click and drag it to the primary inbox. Once you move one message, the others will no longer be marked as promotions so they will go to the primary inbox! The phone app has been updated! To access the updated app, volunteers should click Update for the MSP app in the App Store or Google Play and then click Open. Doing so will allow you to regain access to your account. If for any reason they do not get access, please simply close and reopen the app, or click the “reload” link if they experience an error code.
Many prayers and blessings to you and yours,
Patrick J.
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Sunday Reflection from Father Steve Garner
Reflection | Third Sunday in Ordinary Time | January 24, 2021
 In last weekend’s Gospel we heard the story of the initial conversation between Jesus and the first two of his disciples. As Andrew and John followed Jesus, The Lord turned to them and said: What do you want? The disciples were caught short by the request and could only stammer: “Where do you live?” And then Jesus said, “Come and see.” The two disciples followed Jesus’s invitation and spent the rest of the day with Him. It was an encounter that would change their lives forever.
In this weekend’s Gospel, we hear of an encounter even more significant. Jesus has returned to Galilee after John the Baptist’s imprisonment and has begun to preach a similar message as John did by saying, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Jesus now walks along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and finds Andrew and Peter in the midst of their work as fishermen. Once again, He invites them to follow Him. With the memory of their earlier encounter burned in their memories, Andrew and Peter immediately abandon their nets, and their livelihood, and become his followers. The encounter is repeated with James and John. Jesus summons them and they drop everything, leave their father in the boat, and become Jesus’s followers. It is no longer a call simply to know Him, it is a call to change their lives completely and follow Him.
Today Jesus enters into the same dialogue with each of us. He enters into our life each and every day. He gives us the opportunity to learn of Him, and bids us to follow. We are not called to be merely admirers of Jesus and His teachings, but rather we are called to be His followers. In Mark’s Gospel, this resonates as his principle theme—that we too are called to be disciples and therefore must begin to change our own lives. It is to be a change that can do nothing but deepen our joy and make more profound our satisfaction in making a difference in the lives of others. This is the basis of our preaching the Gospel. And perhaps the best way we can accomplish this is by following the advice of St. Francis of Assisi, “Always preach the gospel, and where it is necessary, use words.” No matter what our profession or walk in life, we are called to find motivation for our careers in that radical call and in our sharing of Christ with others.
Headlines will often describe Pope Francis’s trips throughout the world and it is perhaps his actions that proclaim the Gospel message as much as his words do. Perhaps we can recall a few years ago when he spoke to six million in the Philippines while standing in the rain with them—or his contact and conversations with people of all faiths that are always conducted with the utmost respect and compassion. And how often have we seen the Pope being blessed with the ability to stop whatever he is doing to lend a compassionate ear and hand to someone who calls out to him. We could say that Pope Francis’s ministry exemplifies Christ’s prayer on the night before His passion when the Lord said, “May they be one, as we are one.” It is the call for our age--for every age-- to let the noise of the world subside so that we can follow Christ more closely each day, putting His will and love at the profound depths of our hearts, of our professions, our careers, our lives. For it is in answering His call that we will find the strength and motivation to proclaim His Gospel. The call to follow is persistent, and it is radical. It is a call that goes out to each of us, and it must be answered in every phase of life—because we are now His disciples.
And the Lord said, GO! And we responded, “Here I am Lord…send me!”
Have a blessed week!
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Join the Virtual Archdiocesan Women’s Conference, Beauty in Christ: ON FIRE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT! Saturday, January 30th, 2021, 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. for a fabulous day designed to ignite you with the power of the Holy Spirit!!! You’ll experience dynamic speakers, Maria Vadia and Caroline Gambale-Dirkes, plus prayer, music, vendors, plus your friends of faith! Don't miss this incredible conference!
If you are interested in attending, contact Nicole via email at dbq059bm@dbqarch.org or call the parish office to be included in a parish group rate!
More details at https://www.archwomensconference.org/.
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 Prayer Resources
ONLINE MASS (Pre-recorded)
Opportunities for online Mass with the Archbishop will continue to be available. Click the button below for the broadcast schedule.
DAILY PRAYER RESOURCES
Please visit these websites for resources for your daily prayer life or other prayer opportunities:
TELEVISED MASS TIMES
Click HERE and enter your zip code to view where you can find televised Mass times and channels.
FAMILY RESOURCES
Please refer to the Archdiocesan webpage for family resources during COVID-19.
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Prayer and Intention for the Week
Please pray with intention this month of January for Life ...
Join thousands of Catholics nationwide in the annual Respect Life novena, 9 Days for Life, beginning today, Thursday, January 21 – Friday, January 29. Get daily intentions, brief reflections, and more. Sign up at 9daysforlife.com! 
Let us pray with intention this week as we begin this journey of prayer through 9 Days of Life:
May all who suffer from participating in abortion turn to God’s loving forgiveness;
We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer
For public servants: May God grant them the humility, wisdom, and courage to defend all human life; We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer
For our nation: May God unite us in peace and respect for each other and reverence for all human life; We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer
May friends and families of women with difficult pregnancies provide loving, life-affirming support for both mother and child; We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer
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Enjoy the latest edition of the Family Matters newsletter here!
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Recent Updates & Reminders
REQUIRED for attending Mass at Holy Spirit
Masks are REQUIRED to attend Mass at Holy Spirit Parish. If you do not have a mask, there are some available at the church entrances. Also, as the number of Mass attendees increases there is a chance we may need to turn people away so as to maintain recommended social distancing guidelines.
Parish Office Closure
Due to COVID-19, the Parish Office will remain closed to walk-ins for your health and the health of our staff. We will still keep reduced office hours (8am-noon, Monday-Friday) for the time being, so if you need to speak with someone, please call 563-583-1709 and we will be happy to help! If you have something to turn in to the office, please place it inside the front storm door at the parish office in the locked depository box on the left under the shelf. We will retrieve items during business hours.
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Guidelines for Attending Mass at Holy Spirit Parish
Please review the following guidelines implemented for the celebration of public Mass until further notice.
- All (including children) must wear masks before, during, and following Mass (while in church/parking lot areas). The CDC recommends children under the age of two do not wear a mask; please refrain from bringing children under the age of two to Mass until restrictions have been lifted.
- Seating will be limited; please sit only in open (untaped/unroped) pews minding social distancing guidelines; please do not disturb, change placement of or remove blue tape or rope on pews
- Once pews are filled we will be at capacity and admittance will cease, pews may not be held or saved for others
- Families or those living in the same household may sit together in a pew; if room permits, others may enter the same pew IF proper distance is available. Families living in different households must maintain proper social distancing guidelines.
- Church pews, handrails, kneelers, door handles, high use areas, etc. will be sanitized after each Mass
- Holy Water fonts and cisterns will be remain empty
- Sanitizer will be available at all church entrances
- Rest rooms (in churches) will be available and sanitized following Mass
- Church halls (Kriebs, Terence, and Paraclete) will be CLOSED during Mass, including the rest rooms located in those halls
- All printed materials (including the bulletins) will be removed from churches, please refer to the parish website to view the weekly bulletin
- There will be no missalettes or music issues available for use in pews
- Social distancing must be observed (at least six feet apart) in church and parking lot areas
- Please refrain from singing during Mass
- There will be no (or very limited) liturgical ministers
- Please refrain from greeting or gathering before and/or after Mass in church and/or parking lot areas
- There will be no collection during Mass, collection boxes will be placed at church entrances
- There will be no offertory/gift procession
- Please avoid physical contact during the Our Father and Sign of Peace
- Only the Precious Body will be offered at Communion and placed only in the hand (not on the tongue)
- There will be no distribution of the Precious Blood
- Logistics are still being considered for each location concerning the distribution of Holy Communion. NOTE: Priests will begin by bringing Communion to the people in the pews and adjust if need be as we proceed.
Please keep in mind these other important points when considering attending Mass:
- The coronavirus is still with us. Following social distancing guidelines in regard to gathering for a liturgy or a devotional in church will result in less space, reducing greatly the number of people who can attend.
- Dispensation from the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass and holy days will remain in effect until further notice, most likely until a vaccine is available.
- Please refrain from attending if you are sick, were recently sick (in the past 14 days), or have an underlying medical condition; or, if you are concerned about contracting COVID-19 or live with or care for someone who is at higher risk due to underlying medical conditions or advanced age, or is sick. Additionally, those who are frail due to advanced age, are under the age of two, and those who work in a high risk profession should abstain from attending Mass.
- Daily Mass will be offered each day (regular schedule) with the same restrictions.
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