this week in our parish november 19,...
TRANSCRIPT
This Week in Our Parish
November 19, 2017 33rd Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Sunday Mass
Saturday 6:00 PM
Sunday 7:30 AM & 11:00 AM
Daily Mass Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
8:00 AM
Wednesday and Friday
5:00 PM
Liturgy of the Hours This ancient communal prayer of the
Church is prayed after all weekday
Masses
Sacrament of Reconciliation Confessions are heard before all
Sunday Masses and after all weekday
masses
Rosary The Holy Rosary is prayed 30
minutes before all Weekend and
Daily Masses
Bethel Home Mass and Rosary held on 3rd Friday
of each month at
10:15 AM
Norseland Mass and rosary held on 2nd & 4th
Wednesday each month at 9:30 AM
Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament First Thursday of the Month
8:30 AM -10:00 AM
The free Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner, November 23, will again
be held at St. Mary’s. Serving from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. For delivery to
the homebound, please leave a message by calling 608-675-3100 by
Tuesday, November 21; leave your name, address, phone number, and the
number of meals needed to be delivered. Sorry – no carry outs. Volunteers
are needed to roast turkeys, bake pies and help the day of the dinner. Sign-
up sheets are in the Atrium
Wednesday, November 29th, in Marian Hall from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., we
will be hosting a Committee Meeting Night to gather members who have
an interest on being on the parish family life, peace and justice and education
committees. There will be a general gathering of all in attendance for an
opening prayer and brief description of the purpose and responsibilities of
each group (more information in upcoming bulletins.) If you have an interest
in being a member of the family life, peace and justice and/or education
committee or in learning more about them, please plan on attending…and
bring a friend!
O Ho, Ho, Ho and a Hee, Hee, Hee what a Merry Ole Time will be! Join
our parish family for some Christmas cheer and fellowship. December 8th,
in Marian Hall (after the 6 p.m. Mass) we will gather to celebrate Our Lord's
birthday. There will be fun for all ages! We will have door prizes, a
cake/dessert walk, kids’ games, teen activities, music, etc. This is a potluck
so here's what you need to bring: A dish to pass (main dish, side or salad),
dessert for the cake/dessert walk (cake, bars, cookies), bottle of wine
(optional), a small gift for the door prizes. Be sure to look for the signup
sheet in the atrium as we will need little elves to help bring this all together!
Contact Fran in the parish office if you need more information, 637-7711.
Fr. Joe’s 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee is for sale and available immediately.
Asking price is $6,500; it has 128,000 miles on it and is in good condition.
Fr. Joe will have the use of another vehicle for his ministry until his leave-
taking next year.
Parish Website www.stmaryviroqua.org
Fr. Joseph Arokiam OFM Cap, Parochial Administrator (715)-937-5117 Frances Campbell, Secretary/Bookkeeper (M-Tu & Th-F – 8 am-4 pm) [email protected] (608)637-7711
Tara Lyons, Director of Religious Education [email protected] (608)638-7879 400 Congress Avenue, Viroqua, WI 54665
400 Congress Avenue, Viroqua, WI 54665, 608-637-7711
November 19, 2017
Do You Want to Bury Your Talents or Use Them?
Jesus in today's Gospel tells us a story of a wealthy land owner who before going on a long journey
called his three servants. He entrusted to them his property or his money each one according to his
ability and expected them to use it in their business to make good profit out of it. Hence, he gave
different amounts, to one a sum of five talents, to another a sum of two talents, and to the third one a
sum of one talent and instructed that they should render an account of the profit each one of them
made or got in their trade or business on his return.
The Talent is a Greek and Roman used pure gold coin. One single coin has the value of $30,000 in
U.S. dollars. It is a huge amount given by the land owner to his servants that they make good use of it
for a great profit to come up in life. The servants who received the five and two talents used them
wisely in the trade and doubled their amount, but the third one who received one talent did not make
any effort. He buried it in the ground, and he did not take any risk or effort to invest his money. This
fellow is really a lazy bug without saying. Is not this servant a fool?
The master on his return from abroad wants to hear what has happened to his investments. He is only
happy if they have doubled his amount. The servants who received five and two talents doubled their
master's money, and due to this they were honored in the master's household with good positions. But
from the third servant the burier of the talent, the talent is taken away from him and given to the
servants who doubled his investments for their hard work. God has entrusted to us with so many
talents and gifts, skills, graces and blessings according to our abilities. He is only happy if we use all
of these to the fullest. Why are the talents given unequally when we are all equal in the eyes of God?
Are we not guaranteed with equal rights under the constitution in an election to vote equally? But
when it comes to our abilities, we are different from each other. God did not make us all the same.
There are some who can handle five talents, there are some who can handle two and some only one
talent.
In conclusion, these gifts and talents we have got from God are to be made use of for the glory of God
and in the service of our neighbor. It is not a question of whether these talents are insignificant or not.
It is a question of whether we are trying our best to use them for God and for others. Some do not use
their gifts and talents and others use their God-given gifts in a wrong way. Some are gifted, but they
prefer to use them for their own interest. Others do not develop them further. The three servants
received unequal talents. Does it mean that there is injustice and inequality here? Does God
have favoritism? No. Yes, they received unequal talents; but they received the same reward, the joy of
belonging to God's Kingdom. Here Jesus tells us that it does not really matter what and how many
talents we receive. What matters is how we used the talents. We are given by God treasure like
money. Some held it back and hoard it for themselves alone and bury them under the ground so that
no one traces out where it is; but unfortunately, they die all of a sudden. They neither used it, nor
anybody used it, but it remains idle. Let us pray that our talents and gifts are used in order to glorify
the Lord and to bring happiness to others in need.
~ Fr. Joe
November 19, 2017
FINANCIAL REPORT Weekend November 12, 2017
Adults: $3,546.00 Offertory: $177.25 Total: $3,723.25
Needed Weekly: $3,400.00 THANK YOU!
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
Saturday, 18 November, 6:00 PM +Sandi Kuehn
(Jerry & Paula Cina)
Sunday, 19 November, 7:30 AM +Philip Brueggen
(Mark Brueggen)
Sunday, 19 November, 11:00 AM +Paula Herken
(Richard Herken)
Monday, 20 November, 8:00 AM +Ray Oncken
(Jim & Ann Graham)
Tuesday, 21 November, 8:00 AM + Mass
Wednesday, 22 November, +Parish Council of Catholic Women
(PCCW)
Thursday, 23 November, 8:00 AM +Mass
Friday, 24 November, 5:00 PM +People of St. Mary’s Parish
Saturday, 25 November, 6:00 PM +Jeanne Kabat
(Jerry & Paula Cina)
Sunday, 26 November, 7:30 AM +Joe Menne
(Jerry & Paula Cina)
Sunday, 26 November, 11:00 AM +Wesley Schar
Saints of the Week *St Cecilia
*St Clement I
*St Columban
*St Andrew Dung-Lac
*St Catherine of Alexandria
Annual Appeal pledge cards have been mailed to each parishioner’s home. Pledge cards also available in the Atrium. Our
goal for 2017-2018 is $34,455.00. Total received to date is $15,078.00 or 43.8% of our goal.
BELL CHOIR CONCERT - The Viroqua Community Bell Choir will present a concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November
26, at the United Methodist Church, 221 South Center, Viroqua. The program includes special music by Sue Walby. A
freewill offering will be taken. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.
St. Charles 11th Annual Steak Fry Dinner – Saturday, December 2, serving 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Cost - $13/person;
location – Retreat Sportsmen’s Club, E3460 County Road N, DeSoto, WI 54624. Hosted by St. Charles Borromeo Catholic
Church, Genoa, Wisconsin. For more information, please call (608) 689-2642 or e-mail [email protected] .
On Sunday, December 3rd., there will be a Christmas Concert to benefit A Place of Grace. The concert is free to attend,
but we will be collecting monetary gifts and non-perishables for the work of A Place of Grace.
Door of Hope Pregnancy and Family Care Center has Christmas wrapping paper available for your gifts. You can stop at
Door of Hope between 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Cost is a donation to the Center. Location: 304
Washington Street, Viroqua.
All scouts wishing to earn their Religious Emblems for the 2016-2017 year should be working on them at this time; all
applications are due by May 1st. If you are a catholic scout in a non catholic chartered unit and need information please
contact the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting at [email protected] or call 608-782-4911.
This week we highlight Leum Technologies as the bulletin sponsor of the week.
Please Support the Businesses that Support Our Parish Bulletin
Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you
have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service,
love, sacrifice and courage. ~ St. Francis of Assisi