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FORMation Inspiration with FORMED.org
---> 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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Annual Knights of Columbus Baby Shower
The Knights of Columbus Councils #510,10069,5513 and 15813 will be hosting their 16th Annual Baby Shower. The Baby Shower will run from February 17 - April 4. All donations will be given to Birthright. Donations can be placed in the baby crib on display at Holy Spirit Parish church sites. A list of requested items (diapers, newborn outfits, blankets, etc.) will be available in the cribs. Please be generous. |
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Religious Education & Sacramental Prep Updates
Religious Education
We will NOT have class on February 24th due to conferences. We will resume class on Wednesday, March 3rd. Please contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org if you have any questions.
First Eucharist Preparation
We are studying the student workbook for First Eucharist with Chapter 2 this week! You also should have received information about RSVPing for the Mass time at which your child will receive First Eucharist; contact Cassie if you did not. Please pray for all of our parishioners preparing for this Sacrament! If you have any questions please contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org.
Confirmation Session
Our next session is scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 14th at 10:30am in the Holy Ghost church basement (in person). If you have any questions please contact Cassie at dbq059ff@dbqarch.org.
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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! With Ash Wednesday this week, we begin our 2021 Lenten Journey and pray together, “again we keep this solemn fast.” 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. We are staying the course with the same number of ministers through February and March. 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. The Lent 2021 Schedule is Live (February 6th - March 28th), please let me know if you need to update your preferences or schedule, and I will update the schedules. 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. Musicians, please review the Lent music guidelines I sent; solemn, silent exit, no recessional, please. 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 | First Sunday of Lent | February 21, 2021
 In our Gospel this weekend, we hear of Jesus remaining in the desert for forty days. Lent is meant to be like our journey into the desert. Just as Jesus spent these days fighting with temptation and ultimately building up His spiritual strength, we too are called to spend the next forty days doing battle with the things that tempt us. We are invited during this holy season to grow in self-discipline by giving something up for Lent. The long-standing Christian practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are also important elements of this spiritual battle. When we pray, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, thereby squeezing out any spirit of selfishness or evil that threatens to control our hearts. When we fast, we exercise the virtue of temperance, or self-control. This virtue is of tremendous value when we are tempted to indulge our bodily senses in ways that are not healthy or holy. And almsgiving—when it is truly generous—also strengthens us spiritually by shifting our gaze to the needs of others, even to the point of making a personal sacrifice.
Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was among the wild beasts and the angels ministered to Him. What a contrast! The brutal, vicious beasts and the pristine, heavenly angels were both there at the same time: each with radically different intentions. And so it is with us sometimes. Our reality is also marked by the contrast between the brutality and vice of sin and the grace and goodness of faith. During Lent, we acknowledge the battle between good and evil within our own souls (however great or small that may be) and we do what we can to stir up a victory for goodness. This season of purification can help each of us to become a better, holier, and therefore happier person. May we make good use of this time and embrace it as our journey into the “desert”.
I wish everyone a blessed weekend!
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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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 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:
FAMILY RESOURCES
Please refer to the Archdiocesan webpage for family resources during COVID-19.
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Prayer and Intention for the Week
Let us pray with intention this week for our own Lenten journey!
On the First Sunday of Lent, begin your journey with self-reflection and allow yourself to experience the mercy of the Lord. How will you renew your commitment to prayer, fasting and almsgiving this season?
Prayer:
O Mary, Blessed Mother of God,
when the angel greeted you
you were surprised and fearful;
yet, in wonder you listened and
opened your heart to the divine message.
Your life had been ordinary,
like so many of Adam’s children,
but your “yes” changed your life
and led to the salvation of us all,
because you invited Christ Our Lord
to grow inside of you.
Mother of Our Savior, help me to open my
heart to the Father’s will in my life.
Prayer for me to the Lord God as I pray to Him,
O God, prepare my heart
for it is hard for me to trust in your will.
Give me clarity of vision,
that I may see your way.
Open my ears,
that I may hear your words.
Place your hand on my shoulder,
that I may feel your guidance.
Enlighten the darkness of my soul,
that I may be filled with your light.
Grant me wisdom as I ask (mention your requests here).
Generous and loving God,
like your daughter Mary,
help me to know and do your will
in this life and in the next.
Grant me a grateful heart and help me to always pray as Mary prayed:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for He has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.
This text was originally published by the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning on usccb.org. Prayer by Theresa Notare. Copyright © 2020, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved.
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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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