 Sharon Witzell Harvest House will meet at the St. Paul Cafe on Thursday, August 17th, at noon. Our guest speaker will be Sharon Witzell, Program Coordinator, Senior Adult Ministry at Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Hope to see you there!
For more information about our Harvest House Program, and the Diocese Senior Adult Ministry, please follow this LINK.  Totus Tuus is committed to bringing kids closer to Christ through the sacraments, prayer and fun! We believe all sixty-five of the youth who attended this year's retreat, and their adult advisors, will agree that it met or exceeded all of the criteria. This summer's event was held July 9th through 14th, from 8:00 to 3:00 for our 1st to 6th graders. Older students enjoyed an evening program. The daytime program included outdoor water fun, snacks, pizza and ice cream sundae making. It also included some pretty good messes. During the week, our 1st through 6th graders also took time for Mass, prayers, Confessions, Adoration and learning more about their Catholic Faith. Many Thanks to our Diocesan Missionaries, Maria, Jessica, Paddy and Ryan. Thank you, Father Theodore, for providing so many opportunities for confessions, adoration, and Masses for the kids. Thanks to Lyndon and her helpers; and those who volunteered to provide meals for the team and kids each night. Special thanks for the Aday's and Mueller's for providing lodging for the Diocese Missionaries. It was much appreciated and provided some awesome social time for the entire team. This year's retreat was a true parish team project!!!  Artist Rendering of the Completed Project. Origin and the Need for the Renewal Project. Our grateful thank you to the Jim and Loretta Hofer Family for the Divine Mercy image that has been blessing and watching over the souls of our historic Saint Francis Cemetery for many years. Sadly, due to time and weather, the image has deteriorated and will be replaced with a new full-color replica of the original Divine Mercy image as revealed by Jesus to St. Faustina, in a vision that occurred in her cell in the convent of Plock, in central Poland, on February 22, 1931. Likewise, the nearby Rachael Mourning monument, erected in 1993, is showing signs of wear and is in need of cleaning and refurbishment. Both of the updated/restored monuments will be erected on a new decorative concrete base slab.  A New Concrete Slab Awaits the Renewed Rachael Mourning Monument and 12' Divine Mercy Image. The Project is Under Way. An area in the cemetery is being prepared for placement of the image and the Rachel Mourning monument as a site of veneration and pilgrimage for the faithful. An attractive, new dyed concrete slab has been installed. The Rachel Mourning statue has been removed, cleaned and restored. It is in storage waiting for the new base. A new Divine Mercy image will be mounted in an attractive metal frame. The new image, including the frame, will be 52" Wide x 154" high. The image itself will measure 48" x 96". At just over 12' in height, the new image will attract attention to the new monument area from across the cemetery. How to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation. If you would like to make a Tax-deductible gift for the cost and completion of this project, please make checks payable to St. Francis Church. Please designate the “Divine Mercy/Rachel Mourning monument.” or “DM/ RM monument project in the memo field.” Please mail or bring your donation to the rectory office or put in the collection basket. Make checks separate from your regular church donation. Any amount large or small will be greatly appreciated. Thank You! Note: In addition to your direct personal donations, the Knights of Columbus Council 760 will host a Benefit Breakfast on Sunday, June 25 to raise funds for the Divine Mercy/Rachel Mourning Project and drainage/road improvements in the south part of the cemetery.  ALTAR SERVER TRAINING will be held on Saturday, May 20th, at 10:00 a.m. in the church. All students currently in grades 4 -11 are encouraged to attend.
Altar serving is a wonderful way for our parish youth to practice stewardship. Call the parish office with questions.   Click to Open Diocese of Wichita Feasibility Study This is an exciting time in the Diocese of Wichita as together we discern and plan for the future of our local Church. During the early weeks of a campaign feasibility study, the Diocese is inviting feedback from every Catholic family across our diocese. Bishop Kemme wants to hear from us! Take a few minutes to learn more about the proposed goals and priorities we are testing during the study and participate in the online survey today. Visit CatholicDioceseOfWichita.org/Feasibility-Study to read the complete feasibility study fact sheet and access the online survey. Stand By For More Important Information!
 Local Free Throw Championship. On Sunday, January 29, Council 760 hosted the local Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship. With some other athletic competitions active in the area, our field of contestants was a little smaller. But we had an active contest, leading up to next weekend's District Championship which will also be hosted in the St. Paul School gymnasium. This year's medals went to:
Many thanks to the group of Knights and family members who supported this important annual event. Also, thanks to District Deputy Bernie Collins for driving down from Chanute to support us.  Council 760 Exemplification of New Members. On Saturday evening, January 21st, Knights of Columbus Council 760 inducted five new members. Congratulations are extended to:
Following the Exemplification, our council hosted a social for new, existing Knights and their families in the west dining room. The social included a delicious pulled-pork dinner with trimmings, beverages and deserts. In addition to congratulating our new Knights, we want to thank several existing or past Kansas state and district officials who attended and supported the membership effort:
Some Reference Information:
1. Follow THIS link for more information about the Knights of Columbus history and organization; our council; and our most esteemed Knight (who was also awarded a Vatican Knighthood). If You Are Interested in This Volunteer Position, Please Contact the Parish Office. St. Francis - St. Ambrose has an immediate need for a volunteer Associate Webmaster to help maintain the joint-parishes website and business Facebook page. The Associate Webmaster will assist the two existing people but will eventually assume responsibility as the lead Webmaster. Responsibilities include:
Web Editing. We use the Weebly website editor.[1] Weebly is a very easy-to-use website tool that requires absolutely no HTML coding knowledge [2]. The screen presentation is true 'What You See is What You Get' (WYSIWYG). Most layout and editing work are done with a set of drag-and-drop tiles displayed at the left side of the screen. Less used page setup and support commands are accessible from a top-bar menu.  Actual Page View as Seen By Website Visitors. The Drag-and-Drop tiles are used to place text blocks, images, documents (such as the bulletin), videos, section dividers (like the one above), etc.  Weebly Editor Page View, Showing Drag-and-Drop Tiles at the Left Side of Screen; and blue section lines indicating the part of the page being edited. Notes and Reference Information.
1. Weebly was recently acquired by Square, an E-commerce specialty company. 2. As noted above, routine maintenance of the site does not require any knowledge of HTML coding. However, if the applicant is familiar with coding, Weebly does allow accesses to coding for fine detail work. However, the current web maintenance staff have never used this feature.  HARVEST HOUSE will meet Thursday, January 19th at 12:30 p.m. in the Senior Citizen Center, 505 N. Main, St. Paul.
Soup, crackers, bread and desert will be served. Everyone please bring table service and a drink. For more information, and to volunteer to bring food, call Marlene Clark 620-687-4401 or Judy Fager 620-423-9144.  PSR Center - Former Sisters of St. Joseph Convent. CONGRATULATIONS, THANKS, AND PRAYER:
Our parish is going through some changes that call for congratulations, thanks, and prayers for easy transitions: Congratulations to Lyndon McCracken for assuming the role of Director of Religious Education. Lyndon will be doing this important faith formation work from the Religious Education Center and home. A Heartfelt Thank You to Suzie Diskin for her many years of hard work and dedication as our Director of Religious Education. Suzie will continue to support Lyndon during a transition period. Congratulations to Larry Coomes on his retirement from our facilities maintenance position. Larry, thank you for your service during the past years. Also, congratulations to Dennis Duling for assuming responsibility for facility maintenance, mowing, and repairs for our parish. Let’s all support Dennis during this change.  DONUTS AND COFFEE:
Southeast Sunflowers Donut Fest and 4-H Project Display will be at the St. Francis Parish Hall on Sunday, October 9th at 11:00 a.m. Everyone is Welcome!  Weekday Mass Schedule Changes:
There will be no Mass:
* At Saint Ambrose. All others at St. Francis.  104th Anniversary Public Square Rosary on October 15th 2021  105th ANNIVERSARY, 2022 PUBLIC SQUARE ROSARY: Join us on Saturday, October 15th, 12:00 noon, at the St. Francis Church parking lot. This Public Square Rosary, sponsored by America Needs Fatima, will be one of over 20,000 rallies that will take place all across the United States on this day. Please join us in offering reparation for the sins and offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to fervently pray for the conversion of the United States. Please join us on this very important day. Mary Jane Gouvion is organizing this Rosary for our parishes. For more information call 620-449-2654. For More Information: https://www.americaneedsfatima.org/
 Click for a link to the Hosea Initiative Website LIBERATED BY TRUTH:
It’s not too late to register for the Liberated by Truth Conference coming to Wichita on Saturday, September 10th. Audiences say 100% of Catholics need to know this information! Brush up on history, learn tools to defend the truth about life WITH CHARITY in a world that is confused and hostile. This may be the best gift to yourself, and the community. COME RESET our prolife efforts! To register contact the Diocese of Wichita Respect Life and Social Justice Office at 316 269-3935 or register at: https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/event/liberated-by-truthconference/ Click the Hosea Initiative logo in the upper-right corner for a link to their website. The Hosia Initiative is Bringing Truth to a Broken World! Also, Click THIS LINK for a copy of the Wichita Liberated by Truth Conference information flyer.  Being handed a roll of this candy is a reminder that you can make a difference in the lives of women facing crisis pregnancies. The familiar Life Saver candy was invented in 1912 by Clarence Crane of Garrettsville, Ohio. He was looking for a hard-candy alternative to chocolate that melted during hot Ohio summers. Their shape was similar to life rings used on boats and around swimming areas. As they became popular, a roll of the candies was a "lifesaver" for the occasional sweet-tooth attack.  A New Meaning. In recent years, the word "Lifesaver" has taken a more literal meaning. Knights of Columbus members, across the nation, don their familiar aprons and meet parishioners at church doors, after Mass, with the cash-can in hand. Being handed a roll of the candy is a reminder that you can make a difference in the lives of women facing crisis pregnancies. The difference an ultrasound machine makes is frequently the difference between a mother keeping or aborting her baby. It is hard to deny the humanity of an unborn baby when confronted with a face, a nose, a heart, ten fingers and ten toes. To date the Knights of Columbus have donated more than 1,500 ultrasound machines, worth more than $72 million — in all 50 states, Mexico, Canada and countries in South America and Africa. Thousands of babies have been saved and and the lives of countless mothers, fathers, and families have been enhanced thanks to the work of the Knights. So remember, when you see a Knight in the apron, with his can, ... digging into your pocket a little deeper will make a difference!  Lifesaver Sunday is Coming Up!
Lifesaver Sunday will be honored at all Masses on the weekend of April 30, May 1. The Knights of Columbus will be present to collect donations for the benefit of A Better Choice, a Catholic pregnancy resource center in Wichita. Following is a link to a short video about A Better Choice, featuring Bishop Kemme (with a very cute baby!): vimeo.com/693171470  PARISH SURVEY:
The Disciple Maker Index Survey opened Friday, April 1, 2022 and we need your help. Your participation in this survey is critically important and will be helpful for Fr. Theodore. Please help us participate by completing a 10-15 minute survey as soon as possible. To complete your survey go to https://portal.catholicleaders.org/dmi/survey/y71a4y You may also use the QR Code, shown here, with your phone. There are paper copies of the form in the back of the churches that you may return to the parish office. The survey will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide feedback on our parish’s efforts to help you grow. All responses will be confidential and the parish will only receive information about the community as whole. We will receive the results this summer at which time we will share what we have learned with the entire parish.  175TH ANNIVERSARY AND PASTORAL VISIT:
St. Francis Church will be celebrating our 175th Anniversary on May 7-8, 2022. Bishop Carl Kemme will be coming for the Pastoral Visit to St. Ambrose and St. Francis Churches. He will celebrate the Anniversary with us; and our PSR youth will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Mass. There will be Chicken Annie’s catered meals at the St. Francis Hall on Saturday, after 5:30 p.m. Mass and Sunday, after 10:00 a.m. Mass. Everyone is welcome to attend and are asked to use the sign up sheet that will be in the back of the churches. It will be very helpful to have an approximate count for the meals. This message was received by the Parish Office, via email, on February 23:  Call to Action On Monday, February 28, the Senate will vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, H.R. 3755. This deceptively-named, extreme bill would impose abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy through federal statute. Even worse, it would eliminate modest and widely supported pro-life laws at every level of government -- the federal, state, and local level -- including parental notification for minor girls, informed consent, and health or safety protections specific to abortion facilities. It would force all Americans to support abortions here and abroad with their tax dollars. It would also likely force health care providers and professionals to perform, assist in, and/or refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover or pay for abortion.
We need to send an unmistakable message to the Senate that this horrible bill must never be enacted. Join Archbishop Lori, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Cardinal Dolan, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty in urging the Senate to oppose H.R. 3755. Check out the chairmen’s letter and this fact sheet to learn more about this radical bill. Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/dup78voj74oEKsEuAHWNmw  ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING CATHOLIC OR KNOWING MORE ABOUT YOUR FAITH? There will be an informational meeting on Monday, January 31st at 7:00 p.m. in the Rectory Basement. RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults for entering the Catholic Church, classes will be held every Monday at 7:00 p.m. through Easter. For more information about the Parish's RCIA Program, follow this LINK. Please note that scheduling of the classes has been modified this year from that described on our main page.
 Reminder/RSVP - First Degree Exemplification & Social. Knights of Columbus Council 760 will host a First Degree Exemplification Ceremony and social on Saturday, January 22, at the St. Francis Parish Hall. The Exemplification Ceremony will be held in the east room of the parish hall beginning at 6:00 pm, lasting about one hour. Following the Exemplification, at 7:00pm, there will be an evening social. The Knights will provide grilled burgers with the trimmings and beverages including adult beverages. The social is for all Knights and their wife or friend. Knights not involved with the Exemplification and guests may gather in the west room during the Exemplification. Please RSVP, if you plan to attend, by calling*:
* Or, if you have thought it over and have decided to join after all, call and let them know. It is not to late to be a part of the Exemplification! About the Knights:
Pope John Paul II once referred to the Knights of Columbus as the “Strong right arm of the Church.” There were reasons for his comment and when you Join the Knights, you are placing yourself in the company of a well-respected Catholic fraternal organization. Follow THIS LINK for more information about the Knights of Columbus on a local, national and world-wide basis.  SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, MASS SCHEDULE.
January 1st is normally a Holy Day of Obligation to celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. This year, since it falls on Saturday, the obligation has been lifted. There will be a Vigil Mass Friday, and a Mass Saturday to celebrate the Solemnity.  Schedule of Christmas Masses at St. Ambrose and St. Francis:
Christmas Eve:
 First Degree Exemplification: Knights of Columbus Council 760 will host a First Degree Exemplification and social on Saturday, January 22, at St. Francis Parish Hall. This is a perfect opportunity to become a Knight; and introduce your spouse or a friend to our Council 760 fraternity and their wives. The Exemplification ceremony will be held in the east room of the parish hall. It begins at 6:00 p.m. and should last about one hour. Following the Exemplification, at 7:00, there will be an evening social, the Knights will provide grilled burgers with the trimmings and beverages including adult beverages. The social is for all Knights and their wives or a friend. Knights not involved with the Exemplification, and guests, may gather in the west room during Exemplification. Interested? If yes, contact:
About the Knights:
Pope John Paul II once referred to the Knights of Columbus as the “Strong right arm of the Church.” There were reasons for his comment and when you Join the Knights, you are placing yourself in the company of a well-respected Catholic fraternal organization. Follow THIS LINK for more information about the Knights of Columbus on a local, national and world-wide basis.  KofC Team Members Bob Harmon, Dan Spielbusch Sr., Harry Venneman and Dave Diskin. Not Pictured (because he took it) Charles Schettler.  Dave Diskin Repairing the Bottom of a Sign Post During the past weekend KofC Council 760 replaced the fourteen The Lord's Prayer signs, that stretch about 4/10th's of a mile east from Xavier Road, on the north side of highway 47. A group of Knights took on the job of: removing the old signs; scraping and repainting the existing posts; and remounting a set of new 2' x 4' sign panels. They also repaired a couple of posts and replaced a few of the trim strips finishing off the installation. The project actually started several weeks earlier when artwork from the earlier signs was located. Those earlier images were enhanced to make the lettering more prominent on the backgrounds. Then the new images were printed on vinyl covered aluminum plates mounted on a corrugated vinyl core. This Was the Third Iteration. We don't know the exact timing, but the new signs are the third set that have graced The Lord's Prayer along K47 during the past 25 or more years:
Note:
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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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