Sts. Joachim and Ann PSR Newsletter
Prayer: Faith Expressed
“Do not be anxious about anything, but prayer in all that you do” Philippians 4:6
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Volume 17 Issue 8______March 2017
Upcoming Events-march
March 1 Ash Wednesday – Mass times – 6:30am, 8am, 10am, 7pm
March 4Parish Trivia Night
March 5 Women’s Lenten Retreat 2-5PM in Celebration Room, Care Service Building
March 6 PSR Class
March 7 7th grade Parent Candidate Confirmation Meeting 7PM Church
March 12 Family Service Day 10:30AM-1:00PM in cafeteria
March 13 PSR, 4th grade Parent Activity Night, 8th grade Confirmation Interviews begin
March 20 No PSR Spring Break
March 27 PSR, Reconciliation for Grades 2-8
March 28 Catholic Book Club 7PM Room 100, Lenten Concert 7-8:30pm Church
April 3 PSR, Confirmation Interviews continue with priests
FAITH EXPRESSED THROUGH PRAYER, SACRAFICE & SERVICE
We begin the season of Lent on March 1 with Ash Wednesday. Families are encouraged to attend Ash Wednesday mass at 6:30am, 8am, 10am or 7pm. Each family will receive a Children’s Lenten calendar and little black Lenten booklets are available in the back of Church for all families.A pamphlet of Lenten activities offered in the parish is included with this newsletter.
Prayer and Sacraments-Adoration is available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturdays after 5PM Mass. The Church is always open during PSR time for any parent to come in and pray. A Women’s Lenten Retreat will be held on March 5 from 2-5PM at the Care Service. If interested, please contact me to register. The Walking Stationswill be set up throughout Lent in the back of church beginning March 6. Parents are invited to stop in the church after they drop off their children to walk the stations. Stations of the Cross will be available every Friday at 7:00PM after the Fish Fry. On April 10, 7th graders in PSR will act out the Stations of the Cross at 6:45PM in Church. There are a number of Lenten resources at loyolapress.com. Click on Lenten ideas for families. The children in grades 2-8 will receive the sacrament of Reconciliation on March 27th. Adults can receive the sacrament on April 4 beginning at 6:30PM. Reconciliation is also available every Saturday except April 15, from 4-4:45PM or call the rectory to make an appointment with one of the priests.
Fasting and Alms Giving - Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting as explained by the U.S. bishops means partaking of only one full meal. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older are asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. Many people also choose to give up something special as a sacrifice during Lent. Children will be receiving Rice Bowls. Talk to them about how they can sacrifice by giving up a special food or event and put the money they would have spent in the Rice Bowl for the poor. Rice bowls can be turned in on Holy Thursday or the money placed in an envelope and brought to PSR on April 10.
Acts of Service- Our Second Family Service Day is Sunday March 12th from 10:30AM-1:00PM in the cafeteria. Adults as well as 7th and 8th graders are needed to help with the Parish Fish Fries on Fridays. All families are asked to bring in a dessert such as a cake, pie or brownies each Friday. As a reminder, all students are expected to do service, beginning in Kindergarten, and turn in their service log by the end of March. K-2 grade = 1 hour, Grades 3-5 = 3 hours, 6-7 grade = 5 hours and 8 grade 25 hours. Service logs were given to each student at the beginning of the year and can be found on the parish website at
Please keep the 2nd and 8th graders in your prayers as they continue to prepare for their sacraments of First Communion on Saturday, April 29 and Confirmation on Tuesday, May 2. May God continue to watch over and bless each of you and your family
Rose Wieschhaus, Director of Religious Education for Children
A Prayer for Lent
Eternal God,
The refuge of all your children, in our weakness, you are our strength,
In our darkness, you are our light, in our sorrow; you are our comfort and peace.
May we always live in your presence, and serve you in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
7th Grade Parent/Teen Confirmation Meeting
The time has come for all seventh graders to begin theirpreparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. The meeting forparents and all current 7th graders planning to receive theSacrament of Confirmation in the spring of 2018will be onTuesday, March 7at 7:00PM in the Church. All parish seventh graders and at least one parent are expected to attend. Please contact Rose Wieschhaus with any questions or concerns at or 926-0021.
CONFIRMATION PREPARATION
8THgraders will have their Confirmation Interviews on March 13 or April 3. Your teen will receive their date and time scheduled. They should be working on finishing up their service hours, Sponsor project and theirletter to the Archbishop.
Catholic Women For Christ Conference- March 25, 2017
Join us on March 25 at the Touhill Performing Center on the UMSL campus for a spiritually uplifting day with women like you! We had so much fun last year! Three excellent speakers, lunch, spiritual activities, Mass, and shopping- all for $40 ($50 day of event). Go online at catholicwomenforchrist.org for details or to register. Teens and college women up to age 25 pay only $15, but must call the Touhill box office at 314-516-4949 to register. Call Diane with questions or for carpooling information at 314-954-4887.
Ladies Club - Upcoming Events
All ladies of the parish are invited to attend any or all of the events. Sunday, March 5, 2:00pm - 5:00pm Lenten Retreat "Savoring Time with God" Thursday, March 16, 5:30pm - Tour Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service Saturday, April 8, 9:30am - Tour Old St. Ferdinand Shrine followed by lunch at Hendel's Restaurant Sunday May 7, Marian Luncheon, "For the Love of Mary"
Fish Fries during Lent
Our wonderful Fish Fries will begin on Friday, March 3rd, and will take place every Friday during Lent (except Good Friday) from 4:00-7:00pm. Many volunteers are needed! Please consider volunteering. Many hands make light work. To volunteer contact: Kitchen/Serving: Cathy Nute, 441-4835 Dining Room: Sharon Kinsella, 314-680-7733 Cashiers/Money Counters: Kathy Mueller, 441-7503 Carry Outs: Cindi Johnson, 314-724-8906 Service Hours: Marjorie Bolton, Desserts: Nancy Sage, 636-928-2490. Families are asked to bring in a dessert each week- cake, pie, brownies, by Friday 4pm.
Bereavement Ministry We are pleased to offer again this year a six-session “Bereavement Ministry” support group led by our parish team. This offers a very gentle way of helping people come to a greater appreciation of God in their lives at what can be a very challenging time. This group will meet on Wednesday evenings beginning March 8th, 7:00pm in Room 100 in the Junior High. For more information, contact Jeanne & Jim Potts at 636-939-3428.
PArking Lot Schedule
If you are unable to make your night, please switch with a family on the list. Please come to the PSR office to sign in, pick up a name tag, orange vest and flashlight. If you are asked to be a hall monitor, you are still expected to help with the parking lot for dismissal. Please remind the teacher on your assigned night, and theywill keep your son/daughter until after dismissal.
6:15PM7PM
Feb 27 Dungan, Eimer, Wood, Schaeffner, Tierney
March 6 Eiswirth, Endres, Erickson, ErnstTurnbull
March 13 Ervin, Fann, Fann, FiggemeierWilliams
March 27 Fister, Freese, Geerling, Gelven
April 3 Gentile, Gordon, Griffin, Hall(Michael & Barbara)Ausbury
If you were not able to help on your scheduled day, please offer to help on another day. We can always use extra help, especially at the 7PM session. If you cannot help with parking lot on your assigned night please try and find a sub or call the PSR office. Thank you!
CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB
Our March book we will be reading isImages of God, Encountering the Divine presence through Visionary
Prayer, by Marci Alborghetti. When life gets noisy and stressful, when we can't quiet our anxious hearts enough to form the words of prayer, how can we expect to do the most important part of prayer, which is to hear God's words to us? Marci Alborghetti shares a simple and beautiful way to offer ourselves to God through visionary prayer, replacing the noise and tension in our minds with calming visions of God's many aspects and works. Each chapter addresses an image of God such as Healing, Challenging, or Forgiving. Rooted in Scripture and filled with personal stories and tips, this wonderful, illuminating book from a beloved author can help all who seek God’s presence in day-to-day living. Any adult in the parish is invited to read the book ahead of time and then join us onTuesday, March 29 at 7PMin Room 100 for discussion. The book is available on Amazon.com.For more information please contact Rose Wieschhaus at636 926-0021 or.
TEEN MINISTRY
Youth Ministry Events Wednesdays in the Youth Ministry Room from 7-9pm March 1 Craft Night (Knot Chord Rosary),March 8 Encounter at Incarnate Word,March 15 Movie Night, March 22 Bible Study
March 29 Game Night. For more information contact Phillip Uro, 314-614-4901.
Registration BEGINS APRIL 3rd
PSR classes will again be offered on Monday evenings this coming fall at two times – 6:15-7:30PM for grades K-8 and 7-8:30PM for grades 6-8. Tuition will remain the same as last year for any family that registers by May 31, 2017. Registrations will be sent home April 3rd with your child. We will also email the registration packet to families receiving Kidmail by email. Parents can drop off forms, fill out financial aid applications or ask questions in either of the offices during PSR or contact Rose at or 636 926-0021 with any questions. Families who return their registration form with at least a partial payment by May 98hwill be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate. We are encouraging all families to return their registrations on or before the deadline. After May 31, 2017, tuition costs will increase by $50 per family, There will be no exceptions to the higher tuition except for families new to the PSR program. Please do not wait to register your child. .
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Families needing financial assistance need to register by May 31, 2017 to receive any discounts or payment plans other than the ones on the registration form. All families requesting financial assistance need to be actively involved in the parish by attendance at Sunday Mass and a willingness to volunteer at parish events.
Shop for Our Schools
Families have until March 1, 2017 to make their $30 profit for the year if they want to receive a waiver for their registration fee next year, as long as they continue using the Shop for Our Schools program. If you reached your $30 profit goal, you will be receiving notification with your registration packet. A complete list will be available in the PSR office on March 13.There are a number of teachers who use the program, and also several families who continue to participate even though their children are no longer in the PSR program. If you are not currently participating please try using it and ask friends and family who do not have children to use the program too. Be sure to write 8000 on the form so that the proceeds go towards PSR. If you do not understand the program, please stop by the Shop for Our Schools table and someone will be happy to answer any of your questions
SAVE THE DATE: VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Vacation Bible School will be held this year June 26-30 for children Pre-school–Grade 5. A separate
component for those children entering Grades 6 & 7 will take place with Youth Ministry.8th grade and high
school teens are needed to help. It is not too early to begin thinking about VBSand how you would like to
be involved. Many adult and teen volunteers areneeded. If you have helped in the past and would like to
volunteer again this year or if you would like to know more about becoming involved in VBS, please
contact Dana Puckett at r call 926-0021. All adult must be compliant with
the Safe Environment Program prior to the start of VBS. Contact Joanne VanAcker at 636 441-7503
for more information.
WORK FORCE DEVELOPMENT
Did you know the Care Service has a Work Force Development Office for people who have been laid off, or under employed? They can assist with resume writing, job leads and offer help with resources. Make an appointment by calling 441-1302.
Matching Gifts-Monetary and Service Hours
Does your employer participate in the Matching Gifts program? Many employers do, and the amount you contribute is often matched dollar for dollar. Please check with your employer to see if they participate. This is free money that our parish can use towards repairs on the roof, completing the church, paying off the debt or keeping up with the general needs of the parish. Verizon, Boeing and several other companies encourage volunteerism by contributing to your favorite charity if you work 50 or more hours of service throughout the year. Some employers will also match the service hours contribution, which would double your efforts at a contribution! Many forms are on the company website. If you have any questions about Matching Gifts, please call Kathy Mueller at 441-4835.
FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE
Save the date for Saturday, April 1 for the annual Sts. Joachim & Ann Father Daughter Dance. Details and flyer will be sent home soon.
Lenten Women’s Retreat “Savoring Time With God”
Sunday, March 5, 2017, 2:00 – 5:00 PM Care Service Celebration Room All women of the parish are invited! Join others as we listen to inspirational messages, uplifting music, guided meditation, read Scripture, have small group discussion and quiet time for yourself. Please contact Rose Wieschhaus at or 636.926.0021 or return the registration form with payment (financial assistance available) ------Return this registration form and payment to the Rectory Office by Wednesday March 1, 2017
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$10 included ____ Yes _____No _____ Cash _____ Check ____