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Volume 10 Issue 2

June 2016

Franciscan Way of Life… by Sister Millie A two year study of St. Francis and St. Clare facilitated by Sister Millie Leuenberger, OSF, concluded on May 10. The ten participants learned the way these saints lived in the 13th century and how Franciscans live today. One session presented details on the life of the Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque. Thoughts about the two year's experience were shared at the last session:

We came to a greater understanding of giving up treasures and finding joy in the simple pleasure that God offers through His creation.

I wish I could go on a pilgrimage to see the places where Francis and Clare lived. I have found deeper peace in prayer and more patience in my dealings with others

in daily life. Through Clare, I've come to know more about how precious Holy Eucharist is and

the power it holds. It made us think about getting rid of all we don't need. Clare and Francis were good examples of helping others, doing without things we

do not need, praying more and thanking God. Accept the challenges that come in every day life as Francis and Clare did in theirs. Francis' great love of creation and of the poor. Knowing how Francis and Clare lived, it just amazes me how they could live so

poorly and yet so rich in love. It challenged me to live what was presented.

T hese past few weeks we’ve had great celebrations in the church year. Pentecost, Most Holy Trinity, and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Pentecost celebrates to end of the Easter season. For 40 days after the resurrection of Christ, He taught His disciples what they needed to know and told them before His ascension to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, celebrated 50 days after Easter, is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the upper room as tongues of fire. They left the comfort and security of that room and boldly proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to those who listened. They no longer had fear of being put into prison or beaten. In fact, when these things happened, they rejoiced that they were worthy of ill treatment because of using the name Jesus. Pentecost is the birthday of our Church.

The Most Holy Trinity celebrates the great mystery of one God yet three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons sharing one nature. Although the term Trinity does not appear in Scripture, it is very clear in what Jesus says. After his resurrection, when he appeared to His disciples, he sent them forth to teach all nations, baptizing them “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ celebrates the mystery of the Eucharist. Every time we celebrate Mass the bread and wine offered on the altar become for us the Body and Blood of Christ. We can’t fully explain how it happens, we can’t prove that it happens, but our faith says it does happen. Just as Jesus took bread and wine at the last supper saying, “This is my body” and “This is my blood… do this in memory of me”. In the gospel of John, chapter six, we have the bread of life discourse, where Jesus says, “Unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you have no life within you… for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”.

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The walls of the monastery seemed to embrace us with its holiness. I think I could spend a day of solitude on the grounds of the Abbey; so inviting and beautiful. What a great opportunity to witness First Communion at St. Joseph the Worker. Walking through the “Door of Mercy”; then attending Mass. I enjoyed seeing the Cathedral of St. Raphael. The quietness of the Abbey and hearing the monks during their chant. My seat partner, Cindy, who is a member of the group from Visitation, was wonderful to visit with. The weather could have been better but I guess I wouldn’t have done much else at home other than watch TV. Enjoyed the Mass. Main purpose to help my grieving time. I gained a curiosity of monastic life and renewed assurance that I am called to married life. I will pray for those living the cloistered life that they continue to pray for the world; something I had never considered before. Also, I loved the fact that the priest at Mass had First Communicants stand at the altar with him during Liturgy of the Eucharist. Mass was the best part for me.

Pilgrimage Comments

H ow can we say that we love Jesus, if we do not know Him? How can we say that we love our neighbors, if we do not know them?

In the early darkness of the morning, 34 parishioners from St. Isidore Catholic Cluster boarded a bus to begin their journey to Dubuque; some for adventure, some for an indulgence, and some for renewal. The first stop on our journey was New Melleray, rural Peosta, the home of the Cistercian order of Trappist monks, who follow the rule of St. Bene-dict. As we drove through the tree covered path to the entrance of the Monastery, we could feel the presence of the peace of God. The large oak doors to the Monastery Church welcomed us to enter and kneel in silence as the Monks assembled for “Terce,” midmorning chanted prayer. After the Monks left the chapel, we prayed Pope Francis’ Prayer for the Jubilee of Mercy. Fr. Jonas visited with us while we browsed in the gift shop and viewed a display of the Trappist Caskets. As the rain began to fall, we were off to Our Lady of the Mississippi, the home of the Community of Trappistine Sisters, Cistercians of Strict Observance, who also follow the rule of St. Benedict. We were graciously welcomed by Sister Christine into their visitor’s center for a power point presentation about the history of their community. As noon approached, we were invited to enter the visitor’s chapel for noon prayer, “Sext,” chanted prayers offered by the Sisters from their cloistered chapel which was not in our view. Before leaving the Abbey chapel, we again humbly recited the Jubilee Mercy Prayer. Oh yes, we made a definite stop at the gift and candy shop for an ample supply of the Sisters’ car-amels and chocolates. The rain began to pour as we were off to enjoy a delicious lunch at Pizza Ranch and a time for visiting, laughing, sharing stories, and growing as a community. Filled with nourishment and plenty of dessert pizza, we then ventured on to visit and tour St. Raphael’s Cathedral, the “Mother Church” for the Diocese; a place of Pilgrimage, a Patronage for sacred art, a “Mortuary Chapel” within, containing the bodies of seven Bishops/Archbishops and a Sanctuary for the presence of the Eucharist. To fulfill part of an indulgence offered during this Pilgrimage, we walked through the Door of Mercy and we prayed for the intentions of Pope Francis in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Leaving the Cathedral, we had a short bus trip to St. Joseph the Worker Church for Mass, the summit of our jour-ney. We celebrated the Mass as welcomed Pilgrims and prayed with the four First Communicants who received Jesus for the first time. We found ourselves united in the Eucharist and renewed in the Spirit. As we boarded the bus in front of St. Josephs, the parishioners bid us farewell and welcomed us to return again. St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, that we are the Body of Christ. We are all given certain gifts to share with one an-other for the benefit of all. Our Pilgrimage to Dubuque offered those from our parish community an opportunity for a better understanding of the monastic gifts of spirituality, provided a glimpse into the gifts of simplicity and beauty of the world of the Monks and the Sisters living in the Archdiocese of Dubuque; an opportunity to pray together; to walk the journey of Faith, not alone, but in community; to be the body of Christ to each other; to realize and experience the gift that we bring to each other. TODAY, we met Jesus, in the Eucharist and in one another. Below are the thoughts and reflections of many of those who participated in this Pilgrimage to Dubuque.

Pilgrimage to Dubuque - Adult Faith Formation: by Barbara Ann Brumm/DCRE .

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Pilgrimage Comments...continued

Very impressed with the Monks and the Trappistine Nuns. Wish we could have visited longer. It was a wonderful day. I was inspired by the loving, kind spirit of my traveling companions. I enjoyed all of our visits today. The Lord’s Prayer sung by all at St. Joseph the Worker was moving and beautiful. It would be wonderful for us to do at Sacred Heart. It was interesting to see how people can dedicate their lives to Christ and be at peace with God and themselves. Ann Meirick O’Brien, our tour guide at the Cathedral of St. Raphael, was very friendly. Pleasure of seeing the Cathe-dral for the first time, free history book of the Archdiocese. Enjoyed the caramel samples and Sr. Christine’s power point, The history and chapel at Mellery Abby. Pizza Ranch was a great place for lunch! Always enjoy a trip that informs us of things both prayerful and new to some. Enjoyed seeing the Monastery and see-ing the caskets available. The Sisters and their abbey was such I’d never seen and not aware of how they support them-selves. The Cathedral of St. Raphael was very beautiful and should always be in the pilgrimage tour. Thanks so much. I am grateful for the opportunity to make this pilgrimage to Dubuque. This was my first trip to Dubuque. Very beauti-ful and peaceful. Would love to take part in a retreat here someday! Thank you! Beautiful tabernacle at the Abbey. The St. Raphael mortuary room was fascinating as were the relics. Since I’ve never been to an Abbey, this was very interesting. Always wanted to see the caskets and the caramels were so good. Pizza Ranch was a very good choice for lunch. They did a good job. As did our driver. I am in awe of the men and women who have devoted their lives to prayer and contemplation on their journey to Heav-en. Their lives are so different from my hurry scurry! It makes me think about maybe reevaluating my life. I liked that the Sisters at Our Lady of Mississippi called themselves by their first names and were so casual and kind. Pizza Ranch had the best cactus bread which was a very good addition. Enjoyed hearing and watching the monks chant. The tour by Ann O’Brien at St. Raphael. The very best of all was the Mass and First Communion at St. Joseph the Worker. Fr. Anderson never quits smiling. Wonderful. I really enjoyed visiting the Abbey and learning of the life of the monks and sisters. Really made me think of their beautiful and simplistic life compared to the “busyness” that fills my day. Very inspiring. Very powerful and prayerful experience to visit the “Mother Church”, the Cathedral. The historical significance as well as seeing the “Door of Mer-cy” was very meaningful. Thank you. I am grateful for the bus trip and being able to listen and visit with other Christians; to connect with and discuss faith in our lives. I know Vera now! There are rock piles mounded along the roadside as our bus takes us to Dubuque. I wonder… In the past, were some of these rocks used for building churches? Christ, the cornerstone of our Church, chose Peter, which means Rock, as the first Pope. The “stones” standing with Peter were Apostles. The Archbishop, in line after the Apostles, heads our Arch-diocese. We, the people of God, ride in a bus on the way to his Cathedral. We “building blocks” cement friendships as we rub against one another, making each other smooth and shiny. We establish faith bonds. I really liked the New Melleray Abbey, seeing the old stone building, the monks pray, and seeing the caskets. The women’s Abbey was interesting seeing their video and their church and, of course, their prayer time. The Cathedral of St. Raphael is also an amazing place, very well constructed, beautiful, and interesting. The tour was also nice. The trip was set up very well, the day was well spent seeing all these things and Pizza Ranch was a good choice for one meal. When we walked into the chapel of the New Melleray Abbey and sat in silence for about 15-20 minutes before the monks began to arrive for their chanting, was the most profound time of my journey. I thought about how many prayers had been said there over the years (7 times per day). It felt like prayers permeated throughout the long narrow chapel with tall ceilings. It felt like prayers were embedded in the tall stone walls. I was very much at peace and felt like the Holy Spirit was flowing through me. It felt that no matter what I prayed for, God would answer my prayers. I couldn’t pray fast enough.

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Catholic Heart Workcamp… by Beth Hoppel

T eens and adults from the St. Isidore Parish, will put their faith into action during a week-long mission trip to aid the economically disadvantaged this June. The twelve teens and three adult chaperones will participate in the June 18

to 24 Catholic Heart Workcamp session in Oklahoma City, OK, performing acts of charity and elbow grease for the economically depressed area. “It will be a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun, too,” according to Beth Hoppel, coordinator of Youth Ministry for St. Isidore. "This will be my sixth camp and every year the camps get better and better. After the work day comes to a close, the 500 teens and adults will assemble in the Catholic high school for communal meals and to dance and sing with Christian musicians, perform skits and give testimony to their faith before lights out for an evening spent on an air mat-tress in a classroom. The bond these kids and adults form is amazing! On Sunday, when we first meet our group, we are strangers, but by Thursday, we are family! This bond lasts, sometimes, forever. I still keep in touch with kids from my first camp which was in Kansas City, MO. I have also formed a special bond with the kids and adults from St. Isidore. We are so fortunate that both Sacred Heart and Visitation Parishes support this life changing service trip. When the trip is over, the participates continue to live to give.”

The Catholic Heart Workcamp program was founded in 1993 by youth ministers from Orlando, Florida. as an alternative to secular youth work camps. All the events are geared towards our Catholic faith.

The St. Isidore team consists of Madi Blake, Chad Halbach, Gracie Halbach, Beth Hoppel, Katie Hoppel, Abbie Kulow, Brianna Lowe, Mason O’Malley, Jenna Plotzke, Niklas Smith, Tyra Sullivan, Ann Touney, Patrick VandenAvond, Laura Wyohrad, and Zoe Wyonhrad.

Catholic Heart Workcamp Role…. by Sawyer Small

An Honor for Sawyer

M any young teens and adults take part in mission trips each year. Specifically, with St. Isidore, we annually have around thirty individuals spend a week out of their summers in a different part of the U.S., devoting their time

to helping a community in need. For our youth, it is not just a once in a lifetime experience – Catholic Heart Work-camp is viewed as a much needed religious vacation and spiritual reset. This summer, I celebrate my eighth year with Catholic Heart Workcamp. I was fortunate enough to be a camper with our youth group for five years, experiencing many new locations and servicing very diverse communities. I looked forward to each year because I yearned to learn more about my faith and to connect with individuals my age who could teach me new ways to live faithfully. For the past two years, I have been honored to be a staff member for this Orlando-based corporation. Along with being a part of a nine-person team that traveled to multiple locations, my roles included being a kitchen assistant and percussion to the musicians. Each team trains in Orlando, is assigned a tour, and travels to a new location each week. At any given time in the summer, seven CHWC camps are taking place. A typical camp starts on Sunday and ends on Friday, allowing us time to travel to the next location and spend all day Saturday setting up our equipment. To put it in perspective, we travel with the biggest-sized Enterprise truck and a cargo van all filled with materials for the whole week. Although each location has different service work for the campers, our programs, meals, and routines stay the same. Staff members provide the tools, meals, and guidance to campers – both adult chaperones and youth. While the campers are out doing service work during the days, we prepare for our nightly programs, which provide excitement, laughter, music, faith-based skits, and time for prayer and reflection. Staff members give morning and night witness-es/talks to share their faith journey and how God is impacting their life. These talks are often a camper’s favorite part of camp because they allow the teens to find connections between their experiences and what us college-aged staff members have experienced in our faith journey. This summer, I take on a new role as Team Captain. Although it is a little intimidating to think CHWC is letting me keep track of their checkbook and run the programs, I am honored to lead my team as we start our ten-week tour. We will be putting on a total of seven camps this summer and although I will be repeating the same thing each week, I look forward to interacting with the new faces at each camp to help youth learn more about their faith. I look forward to giving my speech each week to hopefully inspire others going through tough times. Most importantly, I look for-ward to growing more in my faith as I learn from each person I meet along the way.

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GRADUATION Sacred Heart

Sterling Isler, Nicole Hemann, Alex Havlovic, Kelsey Hackenmiller, Ethan Mayer Not pictured: Jaz Storgaard, Jack Koster

Visitation First Communion April 24, 2016 Front row: Trace Huisman, Tori Koenigs 2nd row: Tobias Lamb, Lanie Hanna, Jaxson Vroom, Jack Hanke 3rd row: Adyn Bissen, Aden Franzen 4th row: Carol Mullenbach, Fr. Ray, Tara Franzen

May Crowning celebrated on May 1, prior to the 8:30am Sunday Mass at Visitation Church, the 2nd grade First Communicants carried flowers to Mary. Tammy Lamb crowned Mary with a band of roses.

Front: Natalie Hemann, Jessica Meier Middle: Bethany Meitner, Julia Bobinet, Ryan Cornwell Back: Patrick VandenAvond, Jim Plotzke, Isaac Shultz, Joseph Clark, Spencer Blake, Collin Havel Not pictured: Lucas McKay

Sacred Heart First Communion April 24, 2016 Front row: Ethan Brock, Travis Buttolph-O’Malley, Alexis Kolbet, Lydia Koch 2nd row: Isabelle Jacobs, Mylie Havig, Kaylie Havig, Kendall Power, Gabi Reinardy 3rd row: Julie Voaklander, Catechist, Easton Sonberg, Parker Kisley, Collin Bohr, Alex Machin, Sage Christensen 4th row: Bethany Meitner, Catechist, Fr. Ray, Deb Popp, Catechist, Beth Hoppel, CRE

GRADUATION Visitation

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A Very Fulfilled Life... by Mary Blake

W hen asked to interview Marian Pitzen for the issue of the quarterly St. Isidore Cluster Newsletter, it became my privilege to do so, as

Marian recalled so graciously, a quick overview of her one hundred years dwelling among us. Marian’s 100th birthday was on September 26, 1915. She began by stating, “God has a plan for everyone, and we should ac-cept it, and not resent it.” This statement was most essential in Marian’s life. She went on to say, “We lost a baby after 36 hours and lost a beautiful daughter on her 19th birthday. My husband, Clem, suffered from Parkin-son’s for 12 years. During the last five years, he needed a lot of help. In all, we had seven sons and two daughters.” Her husband, Clem, and his brother, Al, had a produce business in which they hauled cream to the creamery, collected eggs from local farmers, and bought poultry locally. Marian cared for her large family.

“After raising my family, I got involved with Doctor Smith’s wife, Betty, who had moved from Des Moines to Stacyville to live. Betty felt lost after she arrived here. She had a friend in Des Moines that had an antique shop, so she started one here. After Doctor Smith’s sudden death from a heart attack, Betty wanted to leave here. It was then that Betty asked me to take over the antique business.” Trusting that she could, she proceeded to ask her husband. He gave her the permission to give it a try. However, he didn’t seem that interested in “old things” at first. “I was very fortunate to buy an estate of one of my relatives. With it came beautiful things, “old and new” and it gave me a good start. It continued with going to auctions. By word of mouth, I was called to homes where I purchased things. People were pleased and the calls kept coming to buy things from homes.” Marian chose the name “Treasure Hut” and it was located in the old Wolf’s Grocery. Her predecessor, Betty, had been in the same store but never really had a specific name. She only had a vertical sign in front which could be read from both sides along Broad Street. Clem and Al closed the produce business because of the change in how products were being handled. Therefore, Mar-ian got access to that building to store large furniture items. A new phase also came into the antique business when malls opened. Several antique dealers could rent spaces there and sell their wares. This also freed the antique dealer to go and travel. “By this time, my husband learned to respect the antique business and he went with me or went by himself.” Another outlet for Marian was the opening of Terry Lynn’s in Osage. She did extremely well selling from the space rented from Rick and Terry Lancaster. Clem and Marian were then in a position, after their children were well grown, to spend time in restoring things. “And then my antique business came to an end with a fire at two businesses west of Terry Lynn’s. The smoke dam-age destroyed a lot of things. What I salvaged, I sold privately and decided to quit.” From there on, Marian moved into the Evergreen Apartments and stayed for almost 15 years. After she broke her hip and had surgery at Rochester and left the hospital, she needed to find another place to live, other than independent living. About a year ago, she went to live with her son, Lenny, and wife, Sue, in Missouri. She stayed until her daughter-in-law needed surgery. In February, 2016, Marian made the trip to the Stacyville Community Nursing Home, which is home to her now. “I am so grateful for having Mass twice a month and to have Communion brought to me every Sunday from the Visit-ation Lay Ministers. I have a lovely room. The staff is pleasant and helpful. What makes it most interesting is the fact that I know almost everyone here.” A footnote: Back in 1978, Mary Blake purchased the building where Clem and Marian Pitzen raised their children after they built their new home. In the 90’s, the building became “The Old Gray Mare Guest House.” Mary’s inspiration to collect antiques came from Marian. The antiques were prevalent throughout the two-story guest house.

St. Isidore Cluster elections were held the weekend of May 14/15 The newly elected members for Sacred Heart Pastoral Council are Mark Ringhofer and Tom Thome. Mark and Tom join the cur-rent members: Rodney Koch, Audrey Christensen, Marge Markham, and Keith Mayer. The newly elected members for Visitation Pastoral Council are Mike Mullenbach (2nd term), Matt Thome, and Jim Lowe. Mike, Matt and Jim join the current members: Matt Hemann, Tony Brown, and Luke Marzen. The newly elected members for the Faith Formation Commission are Jennifer Christensen from Sacred Heart and Julie Brumm from Visitation. Jennifer and Julie join the current members Glenda Ross, Jayne Havig, Mary Streit, and Christine Hackenmiller.

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Moving Forward Together (St. Isidore Bereavement Group)... by Mary Lou Kennedy

W hen a special person in our lives dies, the death leaves a void in our lives that seems impossible to face. There is no magic cure, time line or person who can make the pain go away. The loss is ours to endure. What do we do?

We pray, we question, we seek help from others and we wonder why. About five years ago, St. Isidore initiated a group which was named Moving Forward Together. This is not a profes-sional grief group, but a group of people who are going through the same process of trying to face the void. Each time we meet we pray, share, and grow in friendships. In March, making St. Patrick’s hats, having an Easter Egg Hunt, and sharing a snack kept us busy. In April, Jo Popp shared her wonderful shed with us for a picnic and time to learn new games which we can share with our family and friends. We, also, played bean bag toss and some of us were really quite good at it. May found us at Apple Valley ex-ploring their beautiful home and learning about their services. Mary Mackin crowned the statue of Mary in our meaning-ful May Crowning. Karen Thome accompanied our singing on the piano. After this we had an ice cream treat. On June 16, Moving Forward Together will meet at the 8:30am Mass at Sacred Heart Church and from there will go to AmericInn for a great breakfast. If you have been to our gatherings, we hope you will join us for this and if you have-n’t been, please come and heal with us. Through Moving Forward Together, hopefully we have found new friends, learned new skills, and shared some good food and fun.

Dan Uker walking through Door of Mercy at St. Raphael Cathe-dral, Dubuque

Confirmation at SH Saturday, April 2, 2016 Front row: Msgr. John Hemann, Bryton Lowe, Dylan Hanna, Makayla Retterath, Kristen Hemann, Madeline Brumm, Madalyn Dohlman, Katie Hoppel, Brenna Jacobs, Jacy Hovde, Bekka Reams, Pam Marzen, Catehcist, Lucy O'Brien, Catechist Second row: Barb Brumm, DRE, Gena Meitner, Catechist, Grace Heimer, Nathan Adams, Jack Huebsch, Kraig Hemann, Isaac Oberfoell, Lucas Rogers, Jake Duren, Devan Hackenmiller, Fr. Ray, Archbishop Jackels Third row: Jane Roggensack, Catechist, Christopher Schneider, Steven Merten, Lucas Schwamman, Trystan Dohlman, Kelsey Havel, Nicholas Bork, Dylan Bissen, Theo Baldus, Beth Hoppel, CRE

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Following is the nomination that Betty’s son-in-law, Al Winters, sent in to KIMT. "Grandma Betty Clark is 87 years old and continues to volunteer at the Mitchell County Hospital, Mitchell County Food Bank and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She travels into Osage nearly every day volunteering. She is a “go to volunteer” for many other com-munity needs including blood drives, community dinners, and visits to local nursing homes. She even travels to volun-teer at the Community Kitchen in Mason City and Charles City. It would be difficult to find anyone in the Osage com-munity that doesn’t know Betty and most have been touched in some way by her generosity, concern and love. She has been volunteering since her retirement. She is always giving of her time and is very deserving of this award."

Betty Clark: Giving Your Best Volunteer of the Month in April 2016

Dubuque Pilgrimage Attendees

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My Decision to Convert to Catholic... by Connie Smith

M y decision to convert to Catholic took about 25 years.

In 1990, I married a Catholic boy in the Church. When our children were born, they were all baptized and later confirmed in the Catholic Church.

I never went to church EVERY Sunday, but when I did I went to the Catholic Church, sometimes with my kids, sometimes by myself. I always felt better about myself after going to church, but still felt like I was missing something. In the last 25 years a few people told me “I had to convert.” “ It was the right thing to do.” One person even told me on-ly Catholics will be allowed into heaven, etc. I wasn’t ready to do something someone told me I had to do. After my oldest son was in two accidents and the EMTs told me he was lucky to be alive and that he had a guardian angel watching over him, I started doing a lot of praying. Growing up I had a lot of misconceptions about Catholics, but decided to take classes last fall. I learned a lot and am still learning. I am proud to say that in April, I became a member of the Visitation Church and Catholic Family. I still don’t go to Church EVERY Sunday, but when I do go, I feel like I belong!

WELCOME CONNIE TO OUR COMMUNITY

My Confirmation Journey... by Elizabeth Shaw

W henever I told someone that I was going through the process of being confirmed I always got the same question, “Why would you go through that now?” When the other Catholics in my grade started to get information about

when the confirmation process would begin, I felt like I wasn’t missing out. At that time my parents had recently gone through a divorce and I didn’t know exactly where I was with my faith. I have always believed in God but I didn’t under-stand why he was doing what he was to my family and myself. I was honestly furious with God and what he was doing.

Now, recently finishing my sophomore year of college at the University of Iowa, I realized that I was missing something in my life and being confirmed was what I was missing. Personally, I knew that I was in a good place with God but I wanted to show that to the whole Catholic community. I wanted to share my faith with others and learn more about the Catholic Church. I grew up Catholic and went to a Catholic school but I just went through the motions instead of understanding why we do what we do as Catholics. By going through the process of being confirmed at an older age, I truly understand the history of the Catholic Church and love its traditions.

When I was younger, I didn’t realize the power of being a part of the Catholic Church and the support that has given. When I turned to face the Catholic community who were at Mass when I got confirmed, I felt the sense of reassur-ance, peacefulness, and support that I have never felt before. I am actually glad that I waited to be confirmed until now because I really appreciate the Catholic history and community. If I had been confirmed when I was younger, I would have been doing it for my family instead of myself. I am also a totally different person than I was in high school because of how my faith has grown. I can’t thank everyone enough for all of the support that I received when I told him or her I was going through the confirmation process.

Elizabeth was Confirmed on Saturday, May 7, at Sacred Heart Church, Osage. WELCOME ELIZABETH TO OUR COMMUNITY

QUIZ

1. There are seven sacraments in the church? T F 2. Advent starts the Liturgical year? T F 3. Christmas & Easter are holy days of obligation? T F 4. Mark was the first gospel written? T F 5. Matthew & Luke list a genealogy of Jesus? T F 6. Liturgical colors are Purple, green, red and white? T F 7. Abraham was the father of 12 sons? T F 8. St. Paul’s original name was Saul? T F 9. There were two disciples with the name Judas? T F 10. Ash Wednesday is a holy day of obligation? T F Look for answer key on another page.

St. Isidore Catholic Community

218 South 12th Street

Osage, IA 50461

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Baptisms VIS – Brynn Rebecca DeMaris, daughter of Jordan & Sydney DeMaris VIS – Peter James Krebsbach, son of John & Karen Krebsbach SH – Frank Ryan Kotek, son of John & Renee Kotek SH – Violet JoAnn Bohr, daughter of Jared & Samantha Bohr SH – Payton Rae Rowan, daughter of Alex & Kendra Rowan

Marriages SH – 4/23/16 – Michael Mack and Trisha Adams

New Parishioners SH – Debora Powers SH – John & Renee Kotek VIS – Connie Smith

Deaths Meyer – 2-24-16 Herman J. Koenigs SH – 3-13-16 Marjorie Pelleymounter VIS – 3-29-16 Wayne Adams SH – 4-5-16 Edward O’Connor VIS – 4-16-16 Gene Wagner SH – 4-19-16 Nancy Johnson VIS – 5-11-16 Beverly Adams

F r. Ray and the parishioners of St. Isidore Catholic Cluster are grateful to our young boys and girls for the generous and faithful service in God’s ministry as Altar Servers. They have set a wonderful example for all of us.

Wednesday evening, May 4, the Mass servers from St. Isidore Catholic Cluster gathered at the Osage Bowl for an even-ing of bowling, friendship and pizza. The annual event is sponsored by St. Isidore Parish Life and Liturgy committees. Thank you to Bev Steiger, Julie Brumm, Corissa Meek, Linda Schneider, and Laura Wynohrad for scorekeeping. Thank you to Mary Lou Kennedy, Beth Hoppel, Fr. Ray, and Barb Brumm for coordinating this event. There are 20 Mass serv-ers at Visitation and 23 Mass servers at Sacred Heart.

Appreciation Evening for St. Isidore Mass Servers... by Barb Brumm

Answer key….. 1 thru 9 are all true, 10 is false.