Parish Office Phone ................................... (701) 223-3606 Hours (Mon.-Fri.) ............... 8:30 am-4:00 pm Education Office ............................ 258-5692 Fax ................................................. 223-5783 E-mail .......... ascension@midconetwork.com Web .......................... ascensionbismarck.org

Pastoral Staff Rev. Msgr. Jim Braaten…………..….Pastor Ray Grabar……………………………Deacon Tony Finneman……………………...Deacon Doyle Schulz…………………………Deacon Jan Sitter………...Acting Business Manager Kathy Lewis………………... Music & Liturgy

Julie Luger & Rita Ritter ........... Secretaries Bob Urlacher…………………. Maintenance

Eucharistic Liturgies Saturday ........................................... 5:00 pm Sunday ...................... 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Weekdays (Mon.-Fri.) ....................... 8:00 am Holy Days ....................... 8:00 am & 7:00 pm

Sacraments Reconciliation Tuesday-Friday ........... Before 8:00 am Mass Saturday .................................. 3:30-4:30 pm Baptisms Please call the Parish Office to schedule. If possible, contact the office three months prior to the due date. Marriage Arrangements are to be made with the Pastor at least nine months prior to the wedding.

Newcomers

Welcome to the Parish! Contact the Parish Office to register.

As a people of God, of Ascension Catholic

Parish, we are united by Baptism and

committed to meeting the needs of our

faith community. In union with the whole

Church, we will build the Kingdom of

God by proclaiming the Good News,

worshipping God, creating community,

and promoting social justice.

1825 SOUTH 3RD STREET • BISMARCK, ND 58504

Ascension C H U R C H O F T H E

October 1, 2017

FaithFormationNews

ParishNews

PARISH BUSINESS MANAGER OPENING

Church of the Ascension is seeking a Business Manager that can serve as a team member and leader

in a small-office environment. The right person for the job must be able to work with staff, leading and

encouraging them toward excellence. This person supports the Pastor in the management and

stewardship of the parish's physical, financial and personnel resources. A strong commitment to service,

and an ability to foster collaboration among staff and volunteers are required.

Qualifications: A four-year Business Administration or accounting degree with at least three years of management experience.

Individual must be computer literate, knowledgeable in office procedures, with experience in church accounting software and

communication products preferred. Individual must be organized and capable of meeting regular monthly deadlines, have the ability

to organize and implement procedures as they relate to the church environment. Above average oral and writing skills are also

necessary.

This person is to possess a keen appreciation of the Catholic faith and complete a background check as required by the Diocese of

Bismarck. Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Search Committee, Church of the Ascension, 1905 South Third Street, Bismarck

ND 58504.

We are still looking for a few more catechists this year. Please prayerfully consider serving in this vital ministry! Our catechists are offered a $7/class stipend or a waived registration fee for their enrolled children (new this year!).

4:00 Session—4th Grade 5:30 Session—1st and 5th Grade 7:00 Session—5th Grade

To volunteer or for more information, contact Beth Kathol, Director of Faith Formation, at bkathol@ascensionbismarck.org or call the Parish Office at 223-3606.

NEXT SUNDAY IS COMMITMENT SUNDAY

Today we will hear from a parishioner who will share what stewardship has meant in his or her life. Reflect on how you are involved at Ascension. . .Do you serve in parish ministries? Do you come to parish-wide events? Are you taking steps to improve your spiritual life and further study our Catholic Faith? The Commitment Card you received in the mail offers suggestions for how you can take a step forward in all these areas. Don’t forget to bring your Commitment Card to Mass October 7th and 8th!

SPECIAL SECOND COLLECTION FOR HURRICANE IRMA/OCTOBER 7TH AND 8TH

Our Bishop David Kagan has requested that a special second collection be taken up on this weekend in all Diocesan parishes to assist those impacted by Hurricane Irma. Bishop Kagan is aware that this call comes on the heels of the recent emergency collection for Hurricane Harvey. That storm, which hit Texas and Louisiana and held on for days before moving inland, caused catastrophic damage and compelled us to respond. Likewise, Hurricane Irma has been devastating, and our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean, especially the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and the southern US need our help. There is no designated offering envelope this special collection. Thank you for your generosity!

9th GRADE CONFIRMATION ENROLLMENT MASS & SPONSOR/CANDIDATE RETREAT

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8TH—11:00 AM MASS TO 3:00 PM IN THE CHURCH & COMMUNITY ROOM

On Sunday, October 8th, we will recognize in a special way the 9th grade students preparing to receive the final Sacrament of Initiation: Confirmation. Following the 11:00 AM Mass, there will be lunch and an afternoon of reflection between the students and their chosen Confirmation sponsor. This is a required event for all of our 9th grade students. Parents can fill in for the sponsors if needed. Please contact Beth Kathol, Director of Faith Formation, at bkathol@ascensionbismarck.org or 223-3606 with any questions.

HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RALLY—ENCOUNTER

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 AT UNIVERSITY OF MARY The Diocese of Bismarck and the University of Mary have again partnered to offer a High School Youth Rally on Thursday, October 19th from 1:00-10:00 PM at the University of Mary. The cost is $25/student and chaperones are free. Register online at www.umary.edu/youthrally. Teens must be affiliated with a parish. The theme this year is “Encounter” with special guest band Sonar. Don’t miss out on this event!

The flowers near the altar have been donated by

Clara Lisko, in memory of her husband

Ted.

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

We are a group of friends from Ascension Parish who have experienced the loss of loved ones. Our next luncheon is

scheduled for Thursday, October 5th at the Elks. Please feel free to stay after the luncheon and play cards. If you are planning to

attend, please call Lil at 255-7610 or 202-5594 or Linda at 223-0802.

FIRST FRIDAY FELLOWSHIP

First Friday Fellowship will be held on Friday, October 6th

in the Community Room after the 8:00 am Mass. What a wonderful opportunity to visit

and enjoy coffee and pastries!

5:00 PM 8:00 AM 9:30 AM 11:00 AM

Count Offering Team #3

Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

Bill Blotsky—Plate Ellen Holt—Plate Meredith Holt—Plate Jan Sitter—Plate Mary Fornshell—Cup Bonnie Sanders—Cup** Loretta Scherr—Cup**

Phyllis Silbernagel—Plate** VOLUNTEER—Plate VOLUNTEER—Plate Wayne Hatzenbuhler—Cup*

Jean Kraft—Plate Mike Luger—Plate Doug Mormann—Plate Susan Mormann—Plate Bobbie Grassel—Cup Mike Neigum—Cup** Mary Neigum—Cup**

Lynn Burgard—Plate Rosie Dingus—Plate Melanie Schwab—Plate** Kiaya Schwab—Plate** Sue Mock—Cup VOLUNTEER—Cup VOLUNTEER—Cup

Hospitality

Lil Krance Al Wangler Patti Wangler

Jeff Engleson Lori Engleson Brian Schumacher

Andy Schaffner Shirley Schaffner Deb Schon

Steve Berg Genny Berg Bill Wolff

Lector Irene Howard Rita Ritter Kaye Andersen Donna Davidson

Altar Server Katrice Kern Ethan Stewart

VOLUNTEER Alyson Krug Grace Haider

Avery Prokop Katarina Severt

Video/Audio Operator Aaron Mahlmann Dee Baumgartner Val Frank Deb Kuntz

Music Ministry

Kathy Lewis Sally Dassinger

Vicki Martel Lynne Dolajak

Cheneniah Mike Langer Keylee Hertz Barnett

Serving the Assembly October 7th and 8th, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

The date of October 14th has been set aside to commemorate the 100th Anniversary (1917-2017) of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal by holding a Public Square Rosary Crusade across our country. In Bismarck the Rosary Crusade will be held at the lower portion of the North Dakota Capitol Mall, in front of the Pioneer Statue. We will be meeting from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Come and join fellow Catholics/Christians in coming together publicly to give honor to this visitation of our Blessed Mother, who came with miraculous signs and wonders witnessed by thousands and a message of intercession and warnings for our world to three shepherd children who have or are in the process of attaining sainthood. Invite your friends and let us fill this Mall space in honor of Our Lady of Fatima by giving public communal witness in saying the Rosary.

The flowers near the altar have been donated by

Shirley Schafer, in memory of her husband,

Herman.

TimeTalent&Treasure

Prayer Line Call the Parish Office at 223-3606 or Pauline Mueller at 226-9471. The Prayer Line is a group of parishioners who pray for requested intentions. The names of those requests and/or the intentions are not made public. Names of people listed in the bulletin have given permission to use their name.

John W. Bitz, Mildred Schall, Marjorie Bitz, Jerry Feist, Larry Sackman, Don Hopfauf, Erna Jacobchick, Michelle Niska, Viola Bitz, Bill Feist, Jolene Klein, Dennis Conklin, Tim Heidt, Richelle Knudson, Dennis Barnhardt

FINANCIAL BLESSINGS

ParishCalendar

Monday, October 2 8:00 am Communion Service Tuesday, October 3 8:00 am Fr. Jordan Dosch by Mark & Deb Dosch Wednesday, October 4

8:00 am †Joey Hilzendeger by Ray Grabar Thursday, October 5 8:00 am †Charles Skalsky by Andy & Darlene Weigel Friday, October 6 8:00 am †Al Stockert by Connie Stockert Saturday, October 7 5:00 pm †Don & Jeanine Heck by Shirley Heck Sunday, October 8 8:00 am †Leo and Barbara Gross by Steve & Rita Ritter 9:30 am †Frances Becker by Alice Schumacher 11:00 am People of the Parish

Weekly Schedule Monday, October 2 8:30 am Eucharistic Adoration 6:30 pm Social Concerns meeting Tuesday, October 3 7:00 pm Pastoral Council Wednesday, October 4 4:00, 5:30, 7:00 Faith Formation Classes 6:45 pm Adult Class Thursday, October 5 11:30 am Circle of Friends at the Elks Friday, October 6 8:30 am First Friday Fellowship/Community Room

Readings for the Week of October 1st:

Sunday: Ez 18:25-28/Ps 25:4-9/Phil 2:1-11/

Mt 21:28-32

Monday: Zec 8:1-8/Ps 102:16-23, 29/Mt 18:1-5, 10

Tuesday: Zec 8:20-23/Ps 87:1b-7/Lk 9:51-56

Wednesday: Neh 2:1-8/Ps 137:1-6/Lk 9:57-62

Thursday: Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12/Ps 19:8-11/

Lk 10:1-12

Friday: Bar 1:15-22/Ps 79:1b-5, 8-9/Lk 10:13-16

Saturday: Bar 4:5-12, 27-29/Ps 69:33-37/Lk 10:17-24

Sunday: Is 5:1-7/Ps 80:9, 12-16, 19-20/Phil 4:6-9/

Mt 21:33-43

Check out our website at www.ascensionbismarck.org

WEEK COLLECTIONS BUDGET

September 24,

2017

$12,111.50 $13,002.00

Fiscal Year

to Date

$157,989.91 $169,026.00

REPAIR & MAINTENANCE FUND

September 2017 Collections $1,931.00

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Adult: When have your actions not measured up to your promises? What was the outcome? Youth: Why is it important to follow through on your promises to others?

St. Paul offers a formula for living the way we are supposed to live as Christians in the Second Reading. Paul writes, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” Doing that is a challenge for most all of us. Yet, that is one of the secrets to being a good steward and living as Christ wants us to live. To truly live that way requires a dramatic conversion. All of us know people who are so self-centered that they often are not even aware that they are totally unwilling to compromise or to even recognize the value of those around them. Achieving this kind of self awareness, of what kind of a person we are, is a significant step on our faith and life journeys. Screenwriter and playwright William Nicholson once wrote, “God does not necessarily want us to be happy. He wants us to be lovable, worthy of love, able to be loved by Him. What makes people hard to love? It is called selfishness. Selfish people are hard to love, because so little love comes out of them.” That is our challenge, to love others in such a way that we become lovable as well. Christ told us over and over that the secret to being His disciple and the secret to being a good steward is to “Love your neighbor.” That is how to be the kind of person Paul calls us to be as well.

CommunityNews&Events

ULTREYA Ultreya will be held on Tuesday, October 3rd, at 7:00 pm at St. Mary’s Parish in Bismarck. We will begin with Mass in the church

and then move to the Multi-Purpose for reflection. Ultreya is a gathering of people who have attended a Cursillo weekend. For ad-

ditional information concerning the Ultreya meeting, contact Kathy Dosch at 527-3221 or visit bismarckdiocese.com/cursillo-1.

DioceseJobPosting

FUNDRAISER FOR SKY STEVENS Sky is four years old and has a DIPG brain stem tumor, which she has been fighting for 2 1/2 years. She is the daughter of Jason and

Julie. Julie is a PreKindergarten teacher for Light of Christ Schools. Due to Sky’s needs, Julie is unable to work at this time. The

fundraiser will be at Pizza Ranch in Mandan on Monday, October 2nd, from 4:30 to 8:00 pm. All tips and 20% of sales will go to

Sky and her family for medical expenses.

BISMARCK MANDAN RIGHT TO LIFE CHAIN The Bismarck/Mandan Right to Life is sponsoring a Life Chain today, October 1st from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Meet us at 6th St. and Boulevard Ave. in Bismarck. Signs will be provided. It is a one hour peaceful, prayerful chain to defend the unborn. This will be held in 1600 cities across the US and Canada. Families are welcome. For more information call Virginia at 258-5379.

FRIENDS OF THE POOR WALK-RUN Save the date for the 3rd annual St. Vincent de Paul 5K Walk-Run today, October 1st at Sertoma Park! Register online at

www.svdpbismarck.org or at the event. The Cathedral Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank all sponsors for their

support, especially Gold Sponsors ($500+): Dakota Eye Institute, Goebel Pediatric Dentistry, and Atlantis Industries, Inc.

BISMARCK CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS Catholic Daughters will meet on Tuesday, October 3rd, with a potluck beginning at 6:00 pm at Cathedral. Our guests are Home on the Range. They have asked for the following donations: folders w/pockets, (all colors), mechanical pencils, journal books for writing and drawing, 3-ring binders, and adult size hats, gloves and scarves (all colors). Bring donations to the meeting and drop them off at the west door by the elevators. For more info call Delores at 221-2818 or check our website at bismarckcda.org. Guests are welcome.

CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS CARD PARTY The Bismarck Catholic Daughters are hosting a card party on Sunday, October 8th at 7:00 pm at Cathedral. Admission is $5.00 and is open to the public. Cash prizes will be awarded and a light lunch will be served. For more info, call Delores at 221-2818.

The Diocese of Bismarck has a full time Administrative Assistant position open for a friendly, energetic and outgoing

individual. The position reports to the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese. Primary work duties include re-

ceptionist for the Center for Pastoral Ministry office facility; answer central telephone panel, greet callers, visitors and guests, ascer-

tain their needs and direct them to the appropriate ministries. Perform administrative assistant tasks for selected ministries such as

event coordination, dissemination of information to the ministries’ social media presence, manage databases, and process corre-

spondence.

Desired education and skills include two years’ of college or business school with emphasis in administrative education. Proficient

in Microsoft Office Suite software including Word, Outlook, Access, Excel and PowerPoint. Must possess excellent communica-

tion skills. Confidentiality is an essential requirement of the position. If you are organized, possess the ability to multitask, and

enjoy working in a team environment, this is the position for you.

Please submit cover letter, resume and three references to Denise Jordan, PO Box 1575, Bismarck, ND 58502, or

djordan@bismarckdiocese.com.