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:

• Sat.    3-28   + Raymond “Rip” Fager
• Sun.   3-29     The 5th Sunday of Lent People of the Parish
• Mon.  3-30  + W.J. Auvigne
• Tue.    3-31    NO MASS
• Wed.  4-1   + Bob Beachner
• Thur.   4-2  + Ann Cost
• Fri.       4-3  + Rita Sanger
• Sat.     4-4    + For all deceased members of D of I
• Sun.    4-5    Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord People of the Parish

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:​

​Dear People of Saint Francis and Saint Ambrose Parishes:

Due to the Coronavirus 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 a.m. until 1 p.m on Monday through Friday at:

620-449-2224

I love you, but God loves you more!
In Jesus with Mary, I remain,
Father Sam Pinkerton

Suspension of Masses and Other Events.
For those who are unaware, on March 17, Bishop Kemme suspended Masses, funeral luncheons, and other gatherings until further notice.  There are provisions for limited gatherings for funerals, baptisms, etc discussed in his LETTER.

Drive-Up Confession. 
Beginning Saturday, March 21, St. Francis has Drive Up Confession at the West entrance of the Rectory.  The confessions will be heard on Saturday afternoon from 4:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. as long as necessary.  Refer to THIS LINK for more information.

Bulletins & Parish News.
The bulletin for Sunday, March 22, is printed and on tables near the entry of both churches. They are not folded and Bishop Kemme's message of March 17 is on the right side of the page.  This will be the last printed bulletin until you are otherwise advised.   As always, this bulletin is posted on the home page of the parish website, https://www.stfrancis-stambrose.org/. 

​During the COVID-19 crisis period the bulletin will be reduced to a list of weekly private Mass intentions and special announcements.  This abbreviated bulletin will be posted on the home page of the parish website — usually by Friday afternoon, with earlier bulletins.  Parishioners who have friends or family without access to computers can print copies of these abbreviated bulletins for them.

Also, much of the recent news or events related to our churches, the diocese or The Vatican are provided at:

• The "NEWS" link of our parish website.  News articles are arranged chronologically beginning with the latest.  There is also a date and subject list at the right (of a monitor). News articles are made more accessible via the church Facebook page.
• The LINKS page of our parish website includes several links to The Vatican, The Vatican City State, The Diocese of Wichita, EWTN and other ministries and organizations.  Several of these pages, EWTN in particular, include links to Facebook pages that offer daily Mass, virtual Eucharistic Adoration and other features.
• Our parish Facebook page provides notifications as soon as items are posted.  Many of these posts are linked back to website articles — @SaintFrancisAmbrose. (See Note 1)

Offertory/Tithe.
Even during this time of suspension and decreased activity, our churches and other facilities are expensive to operate.  Air conditioning and heating systems continue to run, insurance premiums come due, maintenance is required and salaries must be paid.  We still need your support!

Please place your tithe in your church envelope, then  inside of a regular mailing envelope with your return address on that mailing envelope. This allows us to separate donations for the two church accounts, and ensures you are credited for your donation.  Mail to St. Francis Catholic Church, P.O. Box 216, St. Paul, KS 66771. DO NOT MAIL CASH. 

1.   A Note About Facebook:
The Saint Francis-Saint Ambrose Facebook page currently has 535 followers and the number is growing weekly.  These followers receive parish notifications regarding church events, cancellations, or the present COVID-19 crisis as they are posted.  Facebook is an instant link to parish news releases.

We understand some parishioners are reluctant to use, or are even afraid of, Facebook. There is no reason to fear our application, but some explanation is in order.

Facebook provides three levels of service:

1. ​Personal "Profiles."  This is the service that most Facebook users call "their page."   Profiles are not "Pages" as described in 3, below.  Many personal profiles are loosely controlled, with little personal security; and users CAN invite "Friends" to share in their posts and post comments.  The world of Facebook profiles has earned the term "vast wasteland" and probably for good reason.
2. Groups.  Facebook groups cater to organizations such as clubs, communities, associations, etc; and they have "Members".   Groups have tighter control and are generally as good, or as bad as the group moderators; and moderators have the authority to accept or reject member requests (members must have a Facebook profile).  They also have the authority to remove inappropriate posts; and to remove or ban members.  Local groups such as the Hometown St. Paul Kansas and the Meanwhile in Walnut, KS community pages are well moderated.
3. Pages.  The Facebook "Page" is a specialized business application that can be customized and tightly controlled.  Generally people join from invitations and are "Followers."  Pages are used by businesses such as manufacturers, entertainers, specialty retailers, and many churches and church organizations.  The Catholic Diocese of Wichita and some of its internal organizations use Facebook to communicate with followers.  While the Pope has not yet embraced Facebook, there are several unofficial Vatican pages.

If you have family or friends who are reluctant, but do have access to a computer or smart phone, you could help them by explaining the above; and setting them set up with a basic Facebook profile account.  In lieu of friends:

• Help them "Like" The St. Francis - St. Ambrose Page
• Help them "Like" Southeast Kansas Catholics Page
• Help the "Join" the St. Paul and Walnut community groups (or others as appropriate).

This combination of pages and groups will help them stay in touch with events during these uncertain times.

Beginning Saturday, March 21, Father Pinkerton will hear confessions from the west Rectory entrance for people parked in the driveway.  The spacing from Father to the planned parking spot allows safe distancing to prevent spread of disease.  The Confession Schedule is:

• Saturdays, Beginning March 21 — 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
• Sundays, Beginning March 22 — 9:30 a.m. until all confessions are heard.
• This will continue each Saturday and Sunday for as long as necessary

Illustrations and instructions below describe the entry-exit procedure; and the use of a waiting area to ensure adequate privacy during confession.
​

​An Announcement of March 17, 2020 Regarding Suspension of All Catholic Masses, and Other Services, In The Diocese of Wichita, Until Further Notice.

​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.  In October of 2019, the Knights of Columbus announced that it's Ultrasound Initiative has placed 1,134 ultrasound machines — valued at more than $54 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.

Closer to home, the Kansas State Council has set a 2019-2020 goal of raising $450,000 in donations for Culture of Life organizations and/or the Ultrasound Initiative.  Local Life Saver Sunday proceeds support clinics such as A Better Choice Pregnancy Center in Wichita. [1]

1. Source: Kansas State Council 2019 - 2020 Program & Membership Guide.
​
Photo is from KofC.org "Building a Culture of Life." (2019)

Photos: Diocese of Wichita.

​THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION for 36 PSR Students will be on Saturday, February 8th, at 1:00 p.m. This will take the place of the 5:30 p.m. Mass and will fulfill the Sunday obligation.

The practice for candidates and sponsors will be on Wednesday, February 5th, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the church. (If the sponsor cannot be there, please have a parent attend.) There is no reception after the Confirmation Mass. Please plan accordingly for this special day! Parents:

Please read the information about pictures on the back of the letter that was mailed home. Bishop Kemme will be bringing a photographer along that will take a group picture before Mass and individual pictures during the Anointing and after the ceremony with sponsor and parents. You must order these online. The Bishop requests that no photos be taken during the Mass other than by the professional photographer. More information on this will be given to students at practice. 

It happens every December.  St. Francis Parishioners walk into the church on a Monday before Christmas and it has changed.  Window and choir loft swags, trees, wreathes, column decorations, a nativity scene and thousands of beautiful lights that weren’t there during Sunday Mass.  A few days later, dozens of beautifully arranged poinsettias appear.  It must be the work of elves!

The existing St. Francis Catholic Church was dedicated in May of 1884.  But that was about sixteen years before it was completed to the point we recognize today.  By 1900 the stained glass windows, taller steeple, and majestic altars were completed.  But electric power was not available until around 1915.  Early newspaper articles refer to gas jets that lit the church prior to electricity. Evergreen Christmas wreaths and live trees were illuminated with candles—a frightening thought by today’s standards.

​But there was an earlier church.  The original log and frame mission church, built in 1848, was located about 215 feet west of our stone church.  That church, with the mission that surrounded it, has been called “The Beacon on the Plains” and the “Cradle of Catholicism in Southern Kansas.” While the open-timber bell tower certainly was not decorated with a strand of electric lights, there can be no doubt that the Sisters of Loretto and the Jesuits recognized the birth of Christ with decorations that accented a nativity scene of some kind.

During the late 19th century the Jesuits and Lorettos departed and the Passionists took possession of the stone church.  The Passionist priests, brothers, and students had to contend with the early flame-based decorations until electricity was installed—and early electric tree lights might have been nearly as dangerous as the candles.  Those of us who are older remember more conventional decorations from the Passionist era.   But as time passed, our parish was handed from the Passionists to the diocese.  It was then that parishioners took over the job of decorating.

To say the annual decorating process is well organized is an understatement.  Our church maintenance men, Larry and Charlie, set up the inside and outside cribs during the week before the interior decorating begins.  Typically, on Sunday morning, after 10:00 Mass, a small crew starts moving tubs and boxes of decorations, and crib statues, down the narrow curved stairs from the old upstairs.  At about noon a small army of 20 or more youth and adults start showing up to move the marked boxes to the appropriate areas and begin unpacking decorations.  Over a period of about 3-4 hours wreaths, window and column decorations, trees, and other items are set up and plugged in. Among the most cherished features in the sanctuary area is the Memory Tree that is placed directly in front of the west altar.  A few days later a nursery truck delivers dozens of beautiful poinsettias that are arranged by another small team of parishioners.  Many of those plants honor the memory of past parishioners whose pictures are on the Memory Tree.

A Slideshow of the 2016 Setup Illustrates the Annual Process ...

And there you are!  That is how one of the most beautiful and photographed holiday church displays in our region happens.  A few weeks later, the elves show up again and reverse the process.  It is just that simple!  Simple?

Come to think of it, maybe those elves are really angels.

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION:
Friday, November 1st, is All Saints Day, which is a Holy Day of Obligation.

The Mass schedule is:

• Thursday, October 31st at 5:00 p.m. at St. Ambrose,

​

• Friday, November 1st at 7:30 a.m. at St. Francis and 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis.

​

• There will be no 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Ambrose on Thursday.​

The Feast of The Assumption.
Thursday, August 15th is the Feast of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.  As such, it is a Holy Day of Obligation.  Holy Day Mass schedules, at both churches, are:

St. Francis, St. Paul:

• Wednesday Evening, August 14 — 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday Morning , August 15 — 7:30 a.m.

St. Ambrose, Erie:

• Thursday Evening, August 15 — 7:00 pm

Thanks to Lois Carlson for photos.

For more information about the Daughters of Isabella, including Circle 239, follow THIS LINK.

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.

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.  In January of 2019, the Knights of Columbus announced that it's Ultrasound Initiative had donated 1,000 ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers around the world.

Closer to home, the Kansas State Council recently announced installation of two ultrasound machines in pregnancy crisis centers, with another scheduled by the end of April; and four more possibilities in the next 9 to 12 months.   Local Life Saver Sunday proceeds support clinics such as A Better Choice Pregnancy Center in Wichita.

So remember, when you see a Knight in the apron, with his can, ... digging into your pocket a little deeper will make a difference!

Photo is from KofC.org "Building a Culture of Life."

The above is from the publisher's back-page summary of their booklet of articles, meditations or short prayers.  The booklet includes a brief one page reflection for each day of lent, plus the Stations of The Cross and other material intended to guide us through Lent and into the Mystery of Jesus Christ.

The St. Francis Altar Society has purchased these books and they are available, to parishioners, in the back of both St. Francis and St. Ambrose Catholic Churches.  Pick up a copy of the companion for your family as part of your Lenten Reflection.

​PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION NEWS (& Reminders):