THE ADVOCATE News of Holy Spirit Parish|October 2019

Recap: Fr. Max Visits from our Twinning Parish in Haiti Deacon Rick Letto

Fr. Max’s visit was truly a suc-cess. Why? Because his visit was built upon renewing our relation-ship between Fr. Max and our parish.

Fr. Max was welcomed by the Staff when he arrived here on Wednesday, October 2nd. After a

short rest he was off to a Student Supper. There, Fr. Max, along with parishioners who have been to Haiti, spoke about life in Lalomas. This short presentation helped intro-duce students to the life in Haiti and to consider the poten-tial of a future Haiti mission trip..

On Thursday and Friday morning, Fr. Max concelebrated Mass with Fr. Steve at the Newman Center. Then, he en-joyed meeting some of our parishioners over a wonderful assortment of breakfast foods. Patty Cray, presented Fr. Max with a suitcase filled with children’s books written in French, and some puppets to help students enjoy the task of learning to read. Fr. Max took these gifts back to Haiti and will be sharing them with the two schools.

After lunch, on these days, Fr. Max visited Ben Franklin Junior High and St. Peter Middle School. At Ben Franklin he visited a classroom of students who were studying French and talked with them in French. At St Peter Middle School he shared in a student retreat centered on the virtue of Hope.

Parishioners took Fr. Max around Stevens Point, in the late afternoons, for walks along the riverfront, visits to Francis-cans Downtown, the Salvation Army, the Rudolph Grotto, the resting place of Brother James Miller and the Convent,

where he met the sisters. Fr. Max was most grateful for the generous hospi-tality of so many parishioners; espe-cially those who hosted him for meals throughout the day.

The highlight of Fr. Max’s visit was the opportunity to share in our week-end Masses and reflect on his deep concerns for the Haitian people: secu-

rity, food, water, gas, electricity, health and education. Although our parish’s main focus is supporting teacher salaries, many who heard of the need for clean drinking water that could be drawn from a community well—instead of carrying river water from a distance away—were deeply moved to provide for this basic neces-sity of life. We have promised Fr. Max that we will explore opportuni-ties to drill a well and provide clean drinking water to his neighbors. Stay tuned as we learn how best to go about ac-complishing this project, with help from our other Twin-ning parishes in the U.S..

In the meantime, let’s focus on the immediate need of “Helping to Educate the Children” by raising the necessary money to pay the monthly salaries of the 49 teachers and 3 administrators. Thank you to those who have supported this Mission over the years. Please prayerfully consider pledging your support for this new school year. Your monthly contribution makes it possible, right now, for a teacher to educate young minds and hearts and give chil-dren hope for a brighter future.

I close with a quote from Fr. Max about the two schools we are supporting…it “is a blessing for both our community, parents, teachers, and students. That’s a blessing for me, too, because I work there. Your support is extremely im-portant for the ministry of St. Joseph Parish in Lalomas Haiti. Without your support, I do not know what I can do for these schools.” And most deeply expressed are his words of thanks “…my heart is telling you how much I love you.” Truly heart felt, and truly a successful visit in renewing and strengthening our rela-tionship with Holy Spirit Par-ish and St. Joseph’s in Haiti.

Thank you to all who helped

make his visit a success and to

everyone for your continued

support and prayers!

E ucharistic Adoration is the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in which Jesus is really present and loves

and waits for you. He waits for your acts of faith, adora-tion, love, thanksgiving and praise that you can offer Him as you contemplate and encounter His presence.

The way Jesus asks you to love him in return is to spend one hour with him in the Blessed Sacrament. “Could you not watch one hour with me?” (Mt 26:40) This is a per-sonal invitation to you from Jesus. Each moment you spend with Jesus brings joy, pleasure and delight to his Sacred Heart. “My joy, my pleasure, my delight is to be with you.” (Prov 8:31)

Good friends find pleasure in one another’s company. Just as you wait for a visit from a friend, you can experience the pleasure of being in the company of your best friend Jesus, a friend who can do every-thing for you, a friend who loves you beyond measure. Here, in the Blessed Sacrament, you can talk to him straight from the heart.

How can you spend time in the company of Jesus? He asks one hour of you, but even ten or fifteen minutes of your time would gladden his heart. Here are some sugges-tions when you visit: Look at Jesus and let him look back at you. Tell him something that made you happy; then listen. Share your fears, your angers; then listen. Talk to him about your loved ones or about your work; then lis-ten. Lean on him, thank him. Tell him you love him. Meditate on the mysteries of the rosary. Read scripture until something touches you; then listen. Just relax and enjoy being in his presence.

More persons are needed to come for adoration on Thurs-days when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed after the 8:15 a.m. Mass until 3pm. Please give to God the time he so generously gives to you and stop in. According to church guidelines, Jesus should never be left alone during this time of exposition. Jesus asks you, “Could you not spend one hour with me?” You will be greatly blessed for any time you can give to Jesus who loves you and waits for you. Will you come visit Jesus?

What is Eucharistic Adoration? Lottie Wysocki

A lthough September’s monthly and YTD figures look good, in that Revenues are close to budget and Ex-

penses are under budget, the Finance Council is a bit con-cerned. Collections, which make up over 90% of Total Revenue, is $9,000 behind budget and over $19,000 be-hind last year’s YTD Collections at this time. The Coun-cil will continue to watch this closely and keep the Parish informed.

Holy Spirit Financial Picture John Clifford, Finance Council

W hat a joy it is to antic-

ipate, plan for and welcome a new child of God into your family -and into our parish fami-ly! It is our de-light to celebrate with and support you as your family grows and changes. If you are anticipating the birth or adoption of a child, or are already expecting the arrival of your child, here are some things you can expect from us:

First Baby Baskets: If your first child is about to arrive, please invite us to share in your joy and allow us to bring you a basket of gifts, some made by loving hands in our parish!

New Parent Meals: Whether it’s your first child or your fourth, it’s good to give over the cooking to someone else in the first few weeks after bringing baby home. Our par-ish team of top chefs is ready to prepare and present your family with an evening meal or two so that you may be nourished while nourishing others.

Rosebud Program: This program helps the church identi-fy, pray for and support those who are pregnant, celebrat-ing birth or adoption, grieving miscarriage, stillbirth, abor-tion, infant or child death or waiting to become pregnant or adopt. Add your silk rosebud with written hope or con-cern to the blessing bouquet found near the Vigil Candles in the church, and take a prayer card for personal reflec-tion. In the event of unexpected or difficult circumstances, volunteers are available to talk and pray with you.

To enjoy First Baby Baskets and New Parent Meals or to share hopes, concerns and prayers with someone who cares, please call Julie Meadows at 344-9117 or direct an e-mail to her attention at julie@holyspiritstevenspoint.org

What to Expect When You’re Expecting? New Family Life Ministries Julie Meadows

Honoring our Faithful Departed Mary Pionkowski “Come to me all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

T hroughout the month of November, our Sunday read-ings remind us to prepare for our personal “end of time.”

We all long, someday, to rest in the arms of God. Each Lord’s Day in November, we come together to pray in hope, be strengthened in faith and be rooted, more firmly, in love as we renew our devotion to live lives that shine with the promise of resurrection and eternal life.

Every year, beginning on the first weekend of November, we remember parishioners and loved ones who have gone before us into eternal life. To help us commemorate these souls, Holy Spirit Parish celebrates with an altar warmed by

candlelight and a table of remembrance filled with photos of our deceased. This display is located on the south side of the church, and you are encouraged to add in photos of your own deceased loved ones that we may remember and pray for them:

Lord, receive their souls and present them to God, the Most High.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

The exterior brickwork on the Ministry Center is nearing completion. Currently, the brick veneer is approximately 95% completed and it is estimated that it will take about two more weeks to finish the work according to Pete Lang, owner of the company that has been busy laying the 57,000 bricks required for exterior of our new addition. Inside the Ministry Center the workmen from Tweet/Garot have completed the above ceil-ing and in wall rough-in of hot and cold water lines, as well as PVC drains and venting. Air handling ductwork is nearing completion. The air ducts have been wrapped with insula-tion for more operational cost efficiency. Interior walls are currently having sheetrock fas-tened by screws to the steel wall studs. The newly installed sheetrock will have all joints taped and topped with a plus-3 drywall compound before being sanded smooth and readied for a texture finish. After that they will be sprayed with primer and a finish coat of paint. With the onset of the cooler Fall tempera-tures temporary heaters inside the new addition are being utilized to supply the necessary warm air for the drywall topping to dry properly. With the seemingly unrelenting, wet weather pattern we’ve been mired in, the big question on everyone’s mind still remains, “when will the parking lot paving be finished”? A concrete

curbing will be installed around the parking lot soon and proof rolling of the parking lot base course continues. Blacktop paving is targeted for around the first week of November!

With the month of October soon coming to an end we find ourselves with five full months of construction completed and the project about half way down the road to completion. Much has been accomplished by skilled workers using quality materials. Thanks to all who have contributed in Time, Tal-ent and Treasure, our new Min-istry Center is becoming a reali-ty with construction completion targeted for early 2020.

Ministry Center Construction Update John Krupka

HOLY SPIRIT PARISH 838 Fremont St. Stevens Point WI 54481 Electronic Service Requested

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Permit No. 53 O ver the weekend of October 11th, twenty-five Point

Catholic students traveled to the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt for a weekend getaway to en-counter God and each other in a more powerful way. The theme for the retreat was “Encountering Love.” Retreats are important because, often, the change of scenery, experience of nature, and drop in “busyness” help facilitate a fresh encounter with God!

Specifically, though, this retreat experience was filled with ice breakers, stu-dent testi-mony, small group gather-ings, ropes courses, Praise and Worship, Eucharistic Adoration, Reconcilia-tion, and Mass. During free time, some stu-dents took a snow-filled kayak trek while others engaged in a competitive battle of a new game called “Ga-Ga Ball!” Each activity illuminated a different aspect of each person and was vital to the building of trust.

A new activity incorporated this year was the “Emmaus Walk” inspired by Jessi-ca Enstad’s expe-rience on retreat with the Viterbo Campus Minis-try group. The “Emmaus Walk”

paired two students together who walked around the property and asked each other questions ranging from personal tastes and

interests to questions, more specifically, about their spiritual life. As we gathered to reflect on their time with each other, many students reported that “this was the perfect person to be paired up with” or “I never thought that we had so much in common!” Positive reactions such as these reaffirm to me the need for students to be vital in leading the retreat, as well as how important these deeply human en-counters are to the development of a faith community.

Observing the whole retreat, Fr. Steve noted that he has really come to understand “the struggle for students to find fellow believers on campus.” In a secular setting that wants to eschew any evidence of the divine, a community such as Holy Spirit Parish is truly a “city set on a mountain”. Not only do the students pursuit of God testify that He is still working in the world, but they also testify to the power of human community and our enduring need to live in and through each other.

Snow Can’t Spoil a Great Retreat Zach Laughlin