 Returning to Normality—One Step at a Time: On Thursday, April 15, Bishop Kemme announced that the Mass dispensation would be lifted on the weekend of June 5-6. His letter allowed that personal dispensations; and local guidelines regarding social distancing, masks, etc. would be left to the judgement of pastors. With this announcement, St. Francis and St. Ambrose have taken the following steps. Return to Normal Mass Schedules at Both Churches. Effective this weekend, June 5-6, both St. Francis and St. Ambrose will return to their normal, pre-Covid, Mass schedule: Saturday: 5:30 p.m. — St. Francis, St. Paul* Sunday: 8:00 a.m. — St. Ambrose, Erie 10:00 a.m. — St. Francis, St. Paul Monday: 7:30 a.m. — St. Francis, St. Paul Tuesday: No Mass Wednesday: 7:00 p.m. —St. Francis, St. Paul Thursday: 8:30 a.m. — St. Ambrose, Erie Friday: 7:30 a.m. — St. Francis, St. Paul The new schedule is reflected in the May 30 bulletin and the parish website has been updated. The Ministry Schedules for both churches have been updated and changes are reflected in the bulletin. The Ministry Schedule for St. Francis is linked below. * At the moment, the Saturday, 7:30 a.m. Mass at St. Francis is not reinstated (subject to change). Guidelines. Most of us received a letter from Father Sam dated May 1, 2021. It lays out guidelines for implementation of Bishop Kemme's announcement as they apply to each parish. Please note that until social distancing is removed for both churches; St. Francis parishioners should attend weekend Masses in St. Paul to avoid over-crowding of St. Ambrose. In addition to Father Sam's letter, the Diocese released another brief Guidelines document this week (below). Some Reference Information:
Here are links to relevant information:
 Congratulations to Our Second Grade PSR Students Who Received Their First Holy Communion at 11:00 Mass On Sunday, April 18. Front — Amani LaForte Back — Amy Hummel (Teacher), Rhett Born, Daxen Burns, Knox Aday, Kristy Mueller (Teacher) Thanks to Father Sam Pinkerton, PSR Director Suzie DIskin, teachers Kristy Mueller and Amy Hummel, and all of the parents and family members who made this a joyous and holy event.
 SOLEMNITY OF MARY THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD Holy Day Mass Schedule At St. Francis, St. Paul: Thursday, December 31st, 5:00 p.m. (No Morning Mass @ Erie) Friday, January 1st, 9:00 a.m. (No Early Moring Mass) Have a Happy, Blessed and Healthy New Year!  There Will Be Five Christmas Masses at St. Francis:
Thursday, December 24th:
Friday, December 25th:
 CHRISTMAS CHURCH DECORATIONS: We will be decorating the church for Christmas on Sunday, December 13th, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Everyone is welcome to help. Face masks are required. We plan to divide up and work in small groups to keep the 6’ distancing. CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS
Poinsettias are available again this year in memory of your loved ones. Please pick up the envelopes on the back table and return them as soon as possible. They can be dropped in the collection at the week-end Masses or mailed to St. Francis Church, P.O. Box 216, St. Paul, KS 66771 New Parish Internet Communication and Entertainment Links: Our Parish School of Religion (PSR) has set the groundwork for providing a couple of new internet links for parishioners. These links provide high-quality, faith-based content; and a means for parishioners to communicate PSR and other parish matters.  FORMED provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families and individuals explore their faith anywhere. Supporting thousands of movies, children’s programs, eBooks, audio, parish programs and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device. FORMED.ORG is a free subscription to you, where you will find the best Catholic content all in one place! Watch on your TV, computer or phone, feature films about the saints, documentaries on Catholic topics, and children’s programming. Just go to formed.org and select your parish. Register with your name and email address. See the flyer enclosed in this week's bulletin for more information. FLOCKNOTE is a new way of communicating within our parish via text messages and emails. Our Parish School of Religion will use this method to keep parents informed of cancelled classes, meetings and any other important information. To be on this list, please text VIRGINMARY to 84576 on your phone and you will receive a link to verify your email or go to stfrancischurch3.flocknote.com and put in your zip code. When you get to Flocknote, pick PSR Families to join.  Flocknote Dashboard Here is a link to the St. Francis St. Ambrose home page and the October 18 Bulletin.
 St. Francis Fall Bazaar is Cancelled:
Sadly, due to the Corona Virus, there will be no Fall Bazaar this year. The Bazaar is a major source of revenue for our parish, so I ask you to consider making up for it in your tithes in the offertory at Holy Mass. HERE is a link to the October 4th Bulletin KANSAS IS NO LONGER PROLIFE! HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT: It’s almost too gruesome to believe, yet true. According to official records of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, an average of nine preborn babies lose their lives each week in Kansas through a horrific procedure known as live dismemberment abortion.  There is more shocking news about abortion in Kansas. Did you know the legal path is now open for taxpayer-funded/Medicaid-funded abortion in Kansas? Did you know that under current Kansas law, a 14-year-old girl (or any minor) can get an abortion without the knowledge or consent of her parents? Did you know that virtually every prolife Kansas law on the books is now “presumed unconstitutional?” including bans on brutal late term birth abortion, informed consent and even basic clinic sanitation standards? All these appalling facts—and much more—are the result of a devastating decision recently made by the Kansas State Supreme Court in the abortion case Hodes & Hauser v. Schmidt. You probably haven’t heard much about this decision, but overnight it changed Kansas into one of the most radical pro-abortion states in the country. In fact, Kansas abortion law is now even more extreme than states like New York. WHAT IS "VALUE THEM BOTH?” What can Kansas Catholics do to change this injustice? VALUE THEM BOTH is the proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that will safeguard both women and babies from what could soon be an unregulated abortion industry. VALUE THEM BOTH restores to the people of Kansas, through their elected officials, the ability to regulate the abortion industry in a way that protects both women and babies. Unlimited abortion hurts women and babies. VALUE THEM BOTH places the power to regulate the abortion industry back in the people’s hands where it belongs. Passing VALUE THEM BOTH is a two-step process. First, a “super majority” of the Kansas Senate and House must vote to approve placement of the amendment on a statewide ballot. Once that happens, citizens will vote. The amendment becomes part of the Kansas Constitution if it receives a simple majority of votes. Passage of VALUE THEM BOTH will again make our abortion laws enforceable and constitutional. THE UPCOMING STATE ELECTION MATTERS! This past Legislative Session, VALUE THEM BOTH passed the Senate, but came four agonizing votes short in the House. Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry cheered. The Catholic Bishops of the United States have declared abortion to be the pre-eminent issue of our day. The Catholic Bishops of Kansas call VALUE THEM BOTH their #1 legislative priority. Before casting your vote this election, become informed about this and other issues. Then exercise your responsibility of faithful citizenship and VOTE! RESOURCES: Chuck Weber is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference and can be reached at: Chuck@KansasCatholic.org The Kansas Catholic Conference is the official voice on public policy matters of the Kansas Catholic Bishops. The web site is: www.kansascatholic.org The web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops can be found at: www.USCCB.org Photograph is by Swedish photograph Lenart Neilson.
 HELPERS NEEDED:
Our PSR Program is in need of a helper for the 4th grade, the 6th grade and the 8th grade classes. Parents, please consider helping in your child’s class. Please contact Suzie Diskin at 449-2783 to volunteer.  Congratulations to Second Grade PSR Students Who Received Their First Holy Communion at 7:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, August 22.
From Left to Right: Back - Amy Hummel (Assistant), Kristy Mueller (Teacher) Center - Ian Spielbusch, Jackson O'Brien, Sawyer Born, Gabriel Harmon, Jace Hummel Front - Sophia Corwin, Ella Hundley, Amelia Sevart Thanks to Father Sam Pinkerton, PSR Director Suzie DIskin, teachers Kristy Mueller and Amy Hummel, and all of the parents and family members who made this a joyous and holy event. Our Autumn PSR Program Presented a Few New Challenges. But, With the Support of Our Staff and Our Student's Families, We Will Have a Great Learning Program!  Parish School of Religion Parents and Students:
Our PSR K-12th grade program will begin September 16th at 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. with Mass in the St. Francis Church. We will continue to meet in the church each week until social guidelines for COVID-19 allow us to go back into our classrooms. Each student will receive a workbook and syllabus for their class that they will complete at home. This will be a family-centered approach and parents will need to make sure assignments are completed. There will be time at the end of Mass each week for the teachers to connect with their class and follow up with the week’s lesson. We will do our best to social distance in the church and keep our student’s safe! If you can, please bring your bag from last year when you come the first night to collect your books. New Students to our Program: Please enroll new students in Kindergarten or any other grade in our PSR program by calling Suzie Diskin at 620-449-2783 as soon as possible. Thank You — Looking forward to a great 2020-21 program!  First Holy Communion:
Our St. Francis — St. Ambrose 2nd grade PSR students will Receive their First Holy Communion at St. Francis Catholic Church on Saturday, August 22nd at the 7:00 p.m. Mass.  Bishop Carl Kemme, Catholic Diocese of Wichita Kansas It has been said that we live in unprecedented times. But do we really? After all, any amateur student of history and especially Church History can attest that the Holy Mother Church has already experienced everything we are living through and even far worse, things like plagues and pandemics, persecutions of Christians, violent attacks against persons for reason of color or other discriminatory traits, the shameless desecration of churches and statues and acts that cause scandal, even by those who are called on to serve as leaders of the faith. These are among the things that are clearly seen in our modern day, but the Church has been here before. The only difference between then and now is us." — Bishop Kemme, From His Letter
 Effective The Weekend of May 30 - 31.
On May 7 we announced the resumption of Holy Masses, using the guidelines of the Diocese of Wichita and Kansas health officials. The social distancing guidelines substantially reduced the seating capacity of our churches. At that time we began a weekend schedule of five Masses at St. Francis, with no weekend Mass at St. Ambrose. Now, with two weeks of experience, we have decided to reduce our weekend Masses at St. Francis to four with the elimination of the 1:00 p.m. Sunday Mass. Beginning this weekend, of May 30 & 31, Masses are scheduled: Saturday, May 30: 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Sunday, May 31: 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. We will maintain this schedule until further notice. The previously issued schedule of Ushers, Lectors and Rosary Leaders in linked HERE for convenience.  This message follows Bishop Carl Kemme's announcement of Sunday, May 3rd regarding Phase One resumption of Holy Masses Within the Diocese of Wichita. As noted in the Bishop's announcement, and attachments, Phase One covers the period of Wednesday May 6 through Wednesday May 20. Below are links to a letter from Father Sam Pinkerton regarding local Mass schedules, beginning Monday, May 11. This letter, and Bishop Kemme's attachment, have also been mailed to all members of St. Francis and St. Ambrose parishes.  Click to Enlarge At right is a photographic (JPG) image of Father's letter that can be enlarged, or you can follow THIS LINK to download the the letter, in PDF format, to your computer or device. Here are some important take-away messages from the letter:
Please be reminded — at this time there continues to be no obligation to attend Holy Mass on Sunday. If you are turned away because of capacity restrictions, or are among the high-health-risk population you should pray privately, view Holy Mass on EWTN or other sources. Note 1. The last three pages of the enclosure titled: "Guidelines for Resuming of Public Masses In the Catholic Diocese of Wichita ...." provide specific guidelines and restrictions regarding entry, seating, spacing, etc.
 Bishop Carl Kemme On Sunday, May 3rd, 2020, Bishop Carl Kemme announced his intention to resume public Masses, in phases, Beginning May 6. The announcement, which was released on the Diocese website, included:
"... the current pandemic is far from over. Medical experts tell us that this health crisis remains a very serious threat to the lives of many people. Because of this, I want to urge all those in the high risk population and others who so choose to continue to use the general dispensation I am giving from the obligation to attend the Sunday celebration of the Mass, which continues indefinitely during this crisis. Please do not put yourself or others at risk by attending the Masses once they resume. This is my urgent appeal to all in our Catholic Community: use extraordinary caution and good judgment in determining if you should attend Mass. No mortal sin is committed if you decide that you and your family should not attend. The Proposal and Guidelines have since been provided as a single PDF document that can be downloaded HERE. This document describes Phase One of Mass resumption, during the time frame of May 6 through May 20, 2020. The proposal allows individual pastors to start at a later date if more time is required for preparation. The St. Francis - St. Ambrose parish office has tailored the guidelines for our specific purpose and facilities. Those guidelines are being mailed to all members of both parishes. They will also be posted on the parish website soon. The COVID-19 crisis is a difficult period requiring many changes in the way we worship. We must remain flexible and patient in the days ahead. "Put your gifts at the service of one another." 1 Peter 4:10
 Click to download prayer On Friday, May 1, a prayer of consecration will be offered on behalf of the entire United States of America by the Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The prayer of consecration incorporates language used in consecrations of Popes Pius XII, John Paul II, and Francis, and also from prayers from Masses of the Virgin Mary. At the same time as the Archbishop's prayer; Bishop Carl Kemme will consecrate the Diocese of Wichita. Bishop Kemme invites all faithful of our diocese to join him in a live-stream video. See Instructions below for downloading the Prayer of consecration, and a link to the live-stream. Instructions:
DAILY MASSES continue to be celebrated privately for the intentions that have been scheduled:  Sun. 4-26 3rd Sunday of Easter - People of the Parish Mon. 4-27 + Henry & Catherine Smith Tue. 4-28 No Mass Wed. 4-29 + Alex Treiber Thur. 4-30 + Ann Smith Fri. 5-1 + Betty Coomes Sat. 5-2 + Bill & Lou Spielbusch Sun. 5-3 4th Sunday of Easter - People of the Parish DRIVE-UP CONFESSIONS: Confessions will be heard on the west side of the St. Francis Rectory every Saturday from 4:30-5:15 p.m.; and every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until all are heard. Follow the signs and cones and remain in your vehicle. If traffic allows, exit north on the gravel drive toward Carroll Street. Click HERE for more information.
Bulletins will be in the back of both churches every week; and are always available on our website Home Page. DAILY MASSES continue to be celebrated privately for the intentions that have been scheduled:  Sun. 4-19 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) - People of the Parish Mon. 4-20 + Charles & Betty Westhoff Tue. 4-21 No Mass Wed. 4-22 + Alex Treiber Thur. 4-23 Mary Alice Diskin 90th Birthday Fri. 4-24 + Bill & Jennifer Beachner Sat. 4-25 + Rick Bowman Sun. 4-26 3rd Sunday of Easter - People of the Parish Remember — As always, the weekly bulletin is posted on the home page of this parish website. There are also copies of the bulletin in the back of both churches.
Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Thomas Weston who passed away; and to the family and friends of Mary Lou Beachner who passed away. Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. Drive-Up Confessions are heard every Saturday evening and Sunday morning as described HERE. DAILY MASSES will be continue to be celebrated privately for the intentions that have been scheduled:  Sun. 4-12 Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord - People of the Parish Mon. 4-13 + Ralph & Loretta Carter Tue. 4-14 No Mass Wed. 4-15 + Betty Roberts Thur. 4-16 + Woody Holland Fri. 4-17 + Pete & Marie Fager Sat. 4-18 + Jane VanLeeuwen Sun. 4-19 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) - People of the Parish
Parish Organization Leaders: Our Joint-Parish website is about 3-1/2 years old and it has more than a year since we did a general site update. Please take a moment to look at the part of the site that pertains to you and your organization, and update information as needed. In many cases, this might just be name changes. Follow these links to check your individual page information: Education (including, PSR, Catechesis, RCIA, Bible Study) Organizations:
Updated information may be provided to Laura Hoppas (St. Ambrose) and Ron Brogan
(St. Francis) directly or by message using the Joint-parishes Facebook Page (linked HERE) * The St. Francis Altar Society and the Joint Knights of Columbus pages were updated fairly recently and might be OK as the are.  Some Updates and Reminders About COVID-19 the Situation:
Offertory/Tithe Change: With the Stay-at-Home order now in effect, please do not mail your treasure - tithe. Hold onto your envelopes until we are though this crisis. Special Anointing Due to Surgery: If you are going have a significant surgery, please call for Anointing of the Sick before you enter the hospital. Reminder: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Parish Office is now closed to your physical presence and entrance. To schedule Mass intentions or such, please call Jackie Harmon, our Parish Secretary, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday at 620-449-2224.  The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations Because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Healthy individuals are needed now to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood*. When: Wednesday, April 8; 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Where: St. Francis Parish Hall, 1 Block North of Highway 47 & 1st This blood drive will be run entirely by American Red Cross personnel. Every precaution is assured that the blood drive will be done in a safe and secure manner. ** * As the COVID-19 pandemic has grown blood drive cancellations have grown at an alarming rate. To date, nearly, 2,700 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to concerns about congregating at workplaces, college campuses and schools amidst the outbreak. These cancellations have resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations.
** There will be no need for St. Francis or St. Ambrose Altar Society or Daughters of Isabella Volunteers.  Weekly Mass Intentions and First "Abbreviated Bulletin." Mass Intentions for Week of March 29 - April 3, 2020: DAILY MASSES will be celebrated privately by Father Sam for the intentions that have been scheduled:
Abbreviated Bulletin: As announced last week, the St. Francis, St. Ambrose bulletin has been abbreviated to only one page. As usual, the bulletin is posted on the home page of this parish website; and is also linked below: 
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This is the community website for the St. Francis de Hieronymo and St. Ambrose Catholic Churches in Neosho County, Kansas. Both churches are located in the center of the historic nine-county southeast Kansas area. We share one of the richest Catholic Heritages in Southern Kansas and the Four-State Region. For more information about our churches, history, organizations or programs browse our site including its links.
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