ST. MARK’S BOTTINEAU & ST. ANDREW’S WESTHOPE

PARISH OFFICE: (701) 228-3164 RECTORY: (701) 228-5164 stsmanda@utma.com

322 Sinclair St. • Bottineau, ND • 58318 - www.stmark-standrew.org

Dec 31-Jan 1—Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

PARISH STAFF

Fr Michael Hickin, Pastor

Ursula Palmer, Secretary

Cathy Miller, Custodian

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Valerie Heth, DRE

St. Andrew’s Parish

Ursula Palmer, DRE

St. Mark’s Parish

WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE

Saturday 5:30 pm, Bottineau

Sunday 9:00 am, Westhope

And 11:00 am, Bottineau

CONFESSIONS

Saturday, 4:30 pm, Bottineau

Sunday, 8:30 am, Westhope

Or by Appointment

OFFICE HOURS

Tue 12:30pm-5:00pm

Wed 9:00am-3:30pm

Thurs 12:30pm-5:00pm

Fri 9:00am-5:00pm

PARISH NEWS AND EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS St. Andrew’s— K-6 Religious Ed.— will resume January 8 January 3—Parish Council meeting 7pm St. Mark’s— Religious Ed Classes K-6– will resume January 4 January 6—First Friday Adoration January 10—Parish Council meeting 7pm

STEWARDSHIP MOMENTS “And the Word become flesh.” - John 1:14

Jesus is God’s ultimate gift of love to us. The count-less other blessings that God showers upon us are nothing compared to the gift of His only Son. The on-ly appropriate way for us to respond to such gener-ous love is with our own generous love. When we dedicate our lives to sharing all the gifts God has placed in our hands, the peace of Christ truly will control our hearts and we will know Christmas joy every day.

ST. MARK’S PARISHIONERS PLEASE DO NOT FORGET

TO SIGN UP FOR A MINISTRY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

THE SHEET IS OUT

AT THE CHURCH ENTRANCE. IT IS REALLY APPRECIATED!

Report For December 25, 2016

St Andrew’s: Ad env $ 5145 Pl $ 124.50 and Ch $ 18

St Mark’s: Ad env $ 8938 Pl $ 320 and Ch $ 44.01

Roof $ 700 Building Fund $ 300

Home Communion Any St. Mark parishioners desir-

ing Holy Communion at home,

call Claudia Trebas (228-2339) by

Monday eve to be put on the list.

To add or remove a name, please contact Deb Wyman at 245-6538

or the parish office.

PARISHIONERS, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS: Military personnel &

their families, Cindy Volk, Donna Stratton, Wayne Barbot, Kenadi

Zappone, Bridget Herpel, Jerry Burns, Chris Vattel, Glen Brandjord,

Eloise Halvorson, Dakota, Lloyd McKeown, a special private inten-

tion.

Sat, December 31, 5:30 p.m. St. Mark’s

(† Severin, Gary & Patti Posch)

Sun, January 1, 9 a.m. St. Andrew’s

(† Louise Deschamp)

Sun, 11 a.m. St. Mark’s

(Parishioners)

Tue, January 3, 12 p.m. St. Mark’s

(† Leonard Puhr)

Wed, January 4, 12 p.m. St. Mark’s

(† Duane Sebelius)

Thurs, January 5, 9 a.m. St. Andrew’s

(† David Pease)

Fri, January 6, 8:00 a.m. St. Mark’s

(† Tom & Priscilla Fischer)

Sat, January 7, 5:30 p.m. St. Mark’s

(The Moncera family)

Sun, January 8, 9 a.m. St. Andrew’s

(Parishioners)

Sun, 11 a.m. St. Mark’s

(† Andrew Cote)

Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

Father, Source of Light in every age, The Virgin conceived and bore Your Son Who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother’s love Be your people’s joy through all ages. May her response, born of a humble heart, Draw your Spirit to rest on Your people.

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World Day of PeaceWorld Day of PeaceWorld Day of Peace

St. Mark’s Ministries for January 7-8 DATE EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS READER GIFT BEARERS USHERS GREETERS COUNTERS

Satr. Bread: Bobbi Aus Julie Hoffman / Lenny McGuire

Lenny McGuire Dennis & Cindy Lagasse

Merle Allard / Brad Trebas

Joyce Bursinger

Sun. Bread: Warren Emmer Jen Nero / Karen Sollin

Pete Artz Chris Aberle family Mike Haberman / Mike Nero

Tim Kihle family Priscilla Sturdevant / Carla Eisenzimmer

Right to Life Did you get your lefse yet?. Please contact Peggy Nero or Wayne Miller. Thank you for your support.

Cleaning person for St. Mark’s. One day per week for the church/social hall and twice a month at the rectory. If interested, please contact the parish office. Thank you.

Clearing the Sidewalks at St. Mark’s. Thank you to the person who has been clearing the sidewalks at St. Mark’s. Hugely appreciated!

To all of our parishioners at St. Mark’s and St. Andrew’s—You must be al-ready receiving your 2017 offertory envelopes which will be sent quar-terly directly to your house by mail. If you haven’t gotten them already, you will be getting them soon. Any

questions, please call Ursula at 228-3164. THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS– will have the annual FREE THROW competition on January 8, 2017 at 1pm at the Bottineau HS Gym for

boys and girls ages 10-14. Don’t miss out on this event. It will be fun!

“Climate Survey”—Next week, we plan to pass out a survey. The goal is to get a feel for things. It’s an at-tempt to take our temperature. Later, we hope to use some other surveys to get a handle on the nuts and bolts of parish life and a clearer path forward. This time around, at both parishes, we’re just trying to break ground. The coming year is about laying some foundations for our future. It will be a time to get better

From the Pastor’s Pen

Discovering Mother. A gravel lane headed West toward the hills across the highway from where I went to college in Front Royal, Virginia. It was great for reflective walks or a stroll with friends. One morning bathed in sunshine after a night’s rain, I passed a mammoth wild rose bush overgrown to the size of a two-man tent. What an attention-grabber, and I gave it all I had. How had I not noticed it before? Admiring, an idea struck me.

It was leaning over a stone large enough to serve as a stool. High grass surrounded the bush like a protective hedge. I tip-toed through the grass so as not to get my jeans too wet. Around back there was an opening. I gently crept under the bowed and prick-ly branches, careful not to cause the roses to release upon me their store of big, juicy raindrops. It was quite a feat to arrive at this spot, requiring an agility normally beyond my powers. Yet, lo’ and behold, it succeeded and I occupied the stone seat.

It was early enough that my buddies were still sleeping off a night of collegiate escapades. That morning, God had something different in store for me. There I was, the Sun rising in my face under a dome of wild roses, heavy with droplets that sparkled like a thou-sand eyes.

It seemed as though I had fallen into some sort of idyllic world. But no, this world was as real as real can get. I must’ve sat there for 45 minutes to an hour. Rapt in a boyish trance, the indescribable, unrepeatable beauty held my won-der. A strong feeling suggested this was a once in a lifetime moment. I had no camera or sketchpad. I had nothing but my five senses and the soul which they fed. There was also grace. It fed my soul; it instructed me to see in this scene a symbol.

It was a Saturday morning, a day traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and there my thoughts went. I felt compelled to ponder her. This mantle of little roses, studded with dangling drops of fresh, heaven-sent water, spoke of someone who loved me in a way words could not describe. There was a distinct feeling of blessing, “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (1st Reading).

I’m not saying that I was born again that day, as some people do. But as a believer, this place embedded in my memory banks has become a sacred space, a kind of womb. There my heart was charged with a peace that is Wisdom. Call it devotion. Call it vocation. I don’t know what to call it. There were no words attached to the vision. Yet it was full of meaning, but one only to be understood over an arc of time. Even then, I hesitate to ascribe any specific interpretation to it.

My point is not that any of you should have to have a similar experi-ence. The rind of these truths is different for everybody, but might the core be the same? What is the core? It may well be this: I have a Mother.

This obvious, simple truth can be rediscovered, often with the help of Mother Nature. It must, in fact, if we desire to be born again into a life that will never end.

Mary, the Mother of God, perfect image of Mother Church, the Mystical Rose of our race, is the one whom we have to stop and smell along the way if Christ is to be born in us afresh. I pray the New Year of Grace, 2017, surprises you with a few choice moments of realization and belonging—we are God’s Family. God sent his Son, born of a woman… so that we might be adopted as His children. To prove we’re children of God, God sent his Spirit to cry out from our hearts, “Abba, Father!” (2nd Reading).

informed about how we see ourselves, our shared goals and how we wish to work together and support one another and reach out to others. Next week, the 10-question will be distributed. We will follow up with reminders and mailings to those who may have been away. At the end of the month we will close our collection of the surveys and begin tabulating the results. We hope this will give us a preliminary snapshot of who we are and how we feel as a community. Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

St. Mark’s Parish Council Meeting Tues, Jan 10, 7 pm.

St. Andrew’s Parish Council Meeting Tues, Jan 3, 7 pm.

St. Andrew’s Ministries

DATE EUCHARISTIC

MINISTERS READER GIFT BEARERS ALTAR SERVERS COUNTERS USHERS

Sun. Jan 1 Roberta Henry / Tom Henry

CYO Sunday CYO Sunday Colton Bowers / Anthony Tabarez

Tom Henry / Howard Erickson

Linda Ellingson & Paul Klokstad