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Tour Talk March 2010
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Promise Beyond Darkness By: Fr. Terry Hamilton
It has been several years since we have experienced such a cold and snowy winter as we are having this year. Not only do the cold temperatures assail our bodies, but the endless days of dark, ashen skies chip away at our spirits. Perhaps our thoughts and feelings are also mellower this year because of the darkness that seems to penetrate our world. Terrorism, violence and war are commonplace in the news each day. The struggling economy and the resultant loss of jobs touch many of our doorsteps and a sense of overall moral decline and hopelessness in society can create a very bleak picture. But there is one bright element in all of this. It is a promise that will lead us beyond the darkness that seems so encompassing. Early in history, God made a promise to the human family in the form of a covenant. He promised that He would be our God and we would always be His people. The promise said too, that God would never forget us or walk out on us. Most of all, the promise pledged that God would give us life—life that would never end. God’s promise found its fulfillment in the gift of Jesus Christ and because of His death and resurrection darkness will never consume us. But when we are struggling with darkness in our lives, it is so easy to forget or disregard God’s Promise. That is where Lent comes into the picture. This season of forty days is a time of rediscovering and letting God’s promise speak to us so our weary spirits might be rejuvenated. Lent is also the time for us to confront the darkness of personal sin and indifference. None of us likes to acknowledge that shadow side of our life, but when we do so, the light of Christ brings us much peace and we begin to be signs of His love for others. Lent will truly be a springtime that leads to Easter if we take on the work of authentic conversion and commit ourselves to prayer, fasting and works of charity. “Out of darkness God has called us to walk in light...”
Lent 2010 at St. Martin of Tours Parish
Wednesday, Feb 17 Ash Wednesday: Masses 6:30 & 8 am; 12 noon, 5:30 pm
Friday, Feb 19 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: St. Martin’s Choir
Friday, Feb 26 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: Worship Commission
Tuesday, March 2 6:00 pm Soup and Bread – Father Mick Hall Presentation by Greg Nolan on his trip to Africa
Friday, March 5 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: Parish Council
Friday, March 12 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: Youth
Tuesday, March 16 6:00 pm Soup & Bread Supper – Father Mick Hall Presentation by “My Neighbor’s Place”
Thursday, March 18 7:00 pm Penance Service At St. Catharine of Siena Church
Friday, March 19 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: Education Commission
Tuesday, March 23 7:00 pm Vespers Service in church with Adoration and Benediction
Friday, March 26 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross Led by: Athletic Association
From the Principal’s Desk By: Patricia Dieckman We had a great Catholic Schools Week Celebration. The theme was “Dividends for Life”. Our Student Council officers represented our school at the Mass at the cathedral. They carried our new banner with the new St. Martin of Tours logo that Mary Jo Betz designed for us. The students had a great time all week; decorating their classroom doors, being out of uniform on special days, having doughnuts and juice provided by our PTO, and culminating in our famous annual St. Martin Children’s Bingo to end the week. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a memorable week. The Jumping Roping Rockets presented their program to our students on February 19. It was a fantastic program and the students were completely enthralled by the jumpers. This is in preparation for “Jump Rope for Heart” that our students will participate in April. During Lent, our students will pray the Stations of the Cross as a part of their religion classes. Our student Lenten collection this year is for birthday themed items. This will allow families who are less fortunate to have birthday celebrations for their families with a cake and the trimmings. We congratulate Ryan Lohbeck for representing St. Martin School in the Scripps Spelling Bee. He did a great job! On March 2 and 4, our seventh and eighth grade”It’s Academic” Teams will compete at LaSalle High School. We wish them well. Grades 5 completed writing samples during February and grade 3 will do theirs the first week of March.
PTO News By: Jenny Frede The third quarter is upon us and we had a great start with Catholic Schools Week. The week started off with a teachers’ breakfast sponsored by the PTO and donuts and juice for our students. The week was filled with fun; dress-down days and no homework days. On Thursday, January 28, we had our General PTO meeting and our second Annual Chili Cook-Off /Eighth Grade Science Fair. Our Students did a great job on their projects, they were very well done. The chili cook-off was a great success; we had nine entries making Fr. Mick Hall smell wonderful! The winners were; 1st Place: Bill Holthause’s “Mock Wendy’s” Chili, 2nd place: Wendy Wyatt’s “Hillside” Chili and 3rd place: Mary Noble’s “Hot Mama” Chili. Thank you to all who entered, the chili was all delicious! On Friday, to round out our great Catholic School Week, we held our annual student Bingo. Fun was had by all!
Our next general PTO Meeting is March 25. We will have a talent show and program put on by our students. More information will follow. Hope to see you there! **Please continue using our Gift Certificate program!** The proceeds help us fund these fun events for our children.
Congrats! Congratulations to our eighth graders Ryan Lohbeck, Alex Dickey and Zack Leytze who have been “Admitted With Distinction” to La Salle High School. These three boys scored in the top 10% on their high school placement test. They recently attended a banquet at La Salle High School along with their proud parents. Congratulations to eighth grade sisters Teresa and Mary Rust who have been “Admitted With Distinction” to Mother of Mercy High School. The girls both scored in the top 10% on their high school placement tests for McAuley and Mercy.
Alumni Mass Scheduled On Sunday, March 14, 2010, at 11:30 a.m., we invite you and your guests to our Alumni Mass. A reception will follow in Fr. Mick Hall. Our Pastor, Fr. Terry Hamilton (Class of 1961) will be our Celebrant. Please invite former classmates, relatives and friends who attended St. Martin of Tours Grade School for this opportunity to reminisce.
RCIA News By: Laurie Huff Our RCIA children and teenagers along with their sponsors held a bake sale in January. The children and their sponsors made baked goods to sell after all masses. This outreach project brought in a total of $260 which was donated to our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society. Gary and Ginney Bachman, who head up this parish organization, shared with the children the role of Saint Vincent de Paul in our church and told them how the money that they raised would benefit a particular family in need.
Parish Centennial Committee Formed St. Martin of Tours is gearing up for a year-long celebration of our parish’s 100th Year Anniversary! A committee has formed and is meeting regularly to plan events. We will kick-off our year of celebration on November 11, 2010 (St. Martin of Tours Feast Day) and continue with special activities through November 11, 2011. We will be offering many opportunities for our parish family, our alumni, and our community to participate in this wonderful celebration. Be sure to watch for more details over the next few months. Join us as we come together to celebrate this very important historic milestone.
New Parish Pictorial Directory In conjunction with our 100th Anniversary, we will be publishing a new parish pictorial directory. We will begin photographing members of our various parish organizations this spring and then Olan Mills will be here to photograph our parish families over the summer. We would like to encourage all parishioners to be a part of this very important historical parish publication. All families who participate will receive a free copy of our new hard-bound book, plus one free 8X10 photo. Watch for more details to come.
Spaghetti Dinner Benefit On one of our snowiest weekends in February, our parish came together with the community to hold a benefit dinner for one of our students. Grace Singler, a kindergartener at St. Martin of Tours School is battling cancer. We had tremendous support from our parish and our community. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Grace’s family.
Pastoral Council Present at the January 21, 2010, Pastoral Council meeting were: Jim Kern, Eileen Duffy, Debbie Brunst, Peg Hancock, Deron Dickey, Kevin Bonecutter, Cathy May, Nicole May, Pat Dieckman, Kevin Weber, Vickie Reinhardt, Lois Sundrup and Father Terry Hamilton. Absent: Gary Momberg.
TASK FORCE REPORTS:
Property and Grounds No report. Our next Property & Grounds meeting will be held on Monday, February 8, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. in Fr. Kotter Room.
Spiritual Life RCIA: Will celebrate the Rite of Sending for the Call to Election on Saturday, February 20 at the 5:00 Mass. The RCIA candidates, catechumens, sponsors and team will go to the Cathedral on Sunday, February 21 at 3:00 p.m. for the Rite of Election.
Scripture Study: The Scripture Study program began a new session of study based on the book Food from Heaven: The Eucharist in Scripture. The program began on January 11 and will run for seven weeks.
Caring Connectors: Caring Connectors is hosting a series of presentations by Hospice of Cincinnati. There are three evenings: January 12 - “How to talk to someone with a terminal illness”; January 26 - “I have a family member who needs Hospice care. What do I do?”; and, February 9 - “How to care for your loved one with dementia”. The meetings are held in the Red School Building at 7:00 pm. The Caring Connectors, in conjunction with the Bereavement Committee, is looking into starting grief support sessions for families/loved ones as a follow-up after funerals.
Worship Commission: There will be Blessing of Throats after all Masses the weekend of January 30 and 31. Stations of the Cross will again be led by various parish organizations each Friday during Lent. The dates/groups are as follows: February 19 – Choir; February 26 – Worship Commission; March 5 – Pastoral Council; March 12 – Youth; March 19 – Education Commission; and, March 26 – Athletics. Rather than the 40 Hours devotion this year there will be two Vesper Services with Adoration and Benediction. They will be held during Lent and Advent. The date for Lent will be March 23. Worship Commission will be involved in the spiritual life aspect of our upcoming Centennial Celebration here at St Martin. Their first task will be to assist with the Kick-Off on November 11, 2010.
Adult Faith Formation: There will be a “Marriage Enrichment Day” with Susan Vogt on Saturday, February 13. This will be followed by a blessing for our 25, 50, 60 and 60+ anniversary couples at 5:00 Mass and a fellowship in Fr Mick Hall. There will be a blessing for all married couples at all Masses February 13 and 14. There will be two Soup and Bread Suppers with speakers during Lent. We will have a pot-luck soup dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by a speaker. The first will be Tuesday, March 2 with Greg Nolan as our guest speaker; the second will be Tuesday, March 16 with a speaker from “My Neighbor’s Place”. Theresa Glaser will organize the Rice Bowl campaign during Lent. There will be a “Foreclosure Forum” hosted by WIN (Working In Neighborhoods) on February 23. The MOMS (Ministry of Moms Sharing) group will have an organizational meeting on February 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Red School Building – childcare will be provided.
Parish Life The Parish Life committee met on January 10 to develop a schedule of events for 2010. This list was submitted to the office staff for consideration. One change was made. This year we will not be hosting a Ministry & Volunteer Fair. The suggestion was made that we should have that event only every other year. Therefore, that event was removed from the schedule and a regular fellowship of coffee and donuts after the 8:00 and 9:30 Masses was added in its place. A copy of these 2010 events will be published each month in Tour Talk for all parishioners. Sunday, January 31: Our next fellowship is Sunday, January 31 after the 11:30 Mass in conjunction with Catholic Schools Week. Coffee & donuts will be served. The parish is providing the donuts and PTO will be supplying the juice and milk. Saturday, February 6: Saturday, February 6 Parish Life will host a Spaghetti Dinner to benefit the Grace Singler family. She is the kindergarten student that we have been praying for every week at Mass. The cost of the dinner is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. The dinner will include spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, dessert, soft drinks and coffee/tea. We will have split-the-pot and a raffle. We are preparing for 400 guests. We are trying to get as much donated as possible. So far, LaRosa’s has agreed to give us spaghetti and sauce for 300 people. Another donor is paying for the meatballs, a parishioner has secured the donation of the bread for the spaghetti dinner and three businesses have offered to donate something that can be raffled off. Parishioners are making all the desserts. We are still looking for a few more gifts that can be raffled. It would be great if we could find someone who would be willing to purchase the paper products, salad and salad dressings. Saturday, February 13: Saturday, February 13 we will have a fellowship after the 5:00 Mass in Fr. Mick Hall. This fellowship is in conjunction with the Married Couples Retreat that is being held from 9:30 – 4:30 and the celebration of anniversaries that will be recognized during Mass. We will be serving a variety of hot and cold appetizers instead of a dinner. Everyone is invited. Centennial Celebrations: The first meeting for our 100th anniversary was held on January 14. Representatives were present from Parish Life, Spiritual Life, Worship, office staff, festival chairs and school.
Festival The first festival meeting of this year was January 19 in Fr. Mick Hall. The festival is being chaired by Margie and Jeff Hammitt. A large group was in attendance. We discussed the following: Booth chairs (Kevin Weber will be in charge of making sure we have enough workers for each booth); T-shirts - We will have shirts only if they are completely paid for in advance by sponsors; several new booth ideas; Entertainment - no decision was made. Additional notes regarding the festival: The Park is reserved for Wednesday and Thursday preceding the festival; the gambling license has been taken care of; The ATM machine is reserved; Greg Nolan will take care of the liquor license; Bid & Buy items and books are already coming in.
Finance The Pastoral Council members discussed and reviewed the tuition information. It was decided that the 2010-2011 in-parish tuition rate for one child would be $2,950. The pre-tuition $50.00 per family is due by March 5, 2010, in order for the $50.00 to be applied to your 2010-2011 tuition. The multi-child discounts are as follows: $300 for 2nd child; $400 for the 3rd child; and $500 for the 4th child will remain. Also, if you pay your tuition in full by June 1, 2010, you are eligible for a 5% tuition discount minus the $50.00 pre-tuition paid. Therefore, the in-parish tuition for one child would be $2,950; $5,600 for two children; $8,150 for three children; and $10,600 for four children. The 2010-2011 out-of-parish tuition rate will be $4,250. The minutes reflect that a vote was taken and that one member was opposed and all others were in favor. Motion was carried.
Youth Ron and Peg Hancock would be happy to have ideas/input regarding the new Bible program being planned for the youth.
Athletics No Report at this time.
Education Commission No Report at this time.
Principal Terra Nova test results have been sent home to the parents. Writing Sample results for the seventh graders are being sent home today. Catholic Schools Week will be January 31-February 5, 2010. The theme is “Catholic Schools - Dividends for Life”. A schedule of events should go home in the home folder. Open House will be from 12:30-2:00 p.m. on January 31. Kindergarten and New Student Registration packets will be available at Open House. The EdChoice application form will be in that packet. Ronald McDonald will present “Friendship Adventure” to K-6 on Tuesday February 2 at 1:00 p.m. The student council will represent the school at the Mass at the Cathedral on February 3. The Annual Mission Fair for the benefit of St. Julie School in Uganda will be held on Tuesday, February 16 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. in the Parish Center. A Mardi Gras theme will be carried out in the booths and prizes. All tickets are twenty-five cents. We invite you to bring your little ones and enjoy the fun. This year the students have already collected money to buy books for the library in the St. Julie School. In December several Notre Dame Sisters from St. Julie’s came to St. Martin and were presented with the books. The sisters also talked to all the students about the mission school in Uganda. The students were very excited to learn about the boys and girls in Africa and how they live and play. During the Mission Fair, the children will be collecting pennies for Haiti. There will be a contest between classrooms to determine which one brought in the most pennies. The student council held an out of uniform on January 15 to collect money to help buy soccer balls for the children in Iraq. The children collected $123.90. Ben Merk, grade 7, was in charge of this fund raiser and will buy the soccer balls and deliver them to the mother of the soldier who is collecting them and sending them over to Iraq. Ben has also received help from some of the businesses and organizations who have donated soccer balls. St. Martin Athletic Association donated 25 balls, Western Sports Mall donated 15 and he received five from other donors. Also, during Lent the children will be conducting a Birthday Box collection so that children and adults who are having financial difficulties will be able to celebrate their own very special day with a cake and some favors. We are very proud and thankful for the thoughtfulness and generosity of our school families. Congratulations to our students, Mary and Teresa Rust, who received scholarships to Mother of Mercy and McAuley High Schools. They have been admitted with distinction to McAuley High School. Ryan Lohbeck has been awarded a LaSallian Scholars Institute Scholarship. Many of our eighth graders have received grants to Mother of Mercy and LaSalle High Schools. Ryan Lohbeck, grade 8, is the representative in the Scripps Spelling Bee. Mr. Vassallo and Mrs. Gilligan are preparing the seventh and eighth graders for the LaSalle Its Academic Contest in March. On January 28 Report Cards go home, PTO meeting and no homework night. Registration packets will go home February 4. Kindergarten and new student registration will be February 9 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. PSAS deadline is March 5. Grade 5 will do writing samples the week of February 8; Grade 3 will do theirs in March.
Pastor Report Father Terry announced that PSR would once again be a two week-long program in the summer. The St. Martin Society approached Fr. Terry with a request to dissolve their group. The Society has been nearly inactive for about the past 4-5 years. Many of the activities that would have been sponsored by the Society in the past have been absorbed by other groups in the parish. There is some money left in their treasury, which could be applied to the “Preserving Our Treasures” fund or used as start-up funds for the Centennial celebration – the St. Martin Society would be recognized as a donor to the Centennial Fund. The motion to dissolve the St. Martin Society and move the funds from their treasury to the Centennial Fund was made by Cathy May and seconded by Jim Kern. Motion carried.
Our next Pastoral Council meeting will be Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. in Room E of the Red School Building.
Memorial Mass Fund
Deaths Jack Abrams Margaret Thompson Virginia Brennan Maria Kocher Mary Ann Lustenberger
Welcome New Parishioners Thomas Crotty Kristine Gills Ryan & Sarah Argo Michael Hand Christina Harvey Lisa Harvey Christopher Toelke Allison Schmitz Matthew Mackay
MINISTRY OF PRAISE
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH:
For all Christians during this season of Lent, that they may deepen their union with the Passion of Jesus Christ.
That the Holy Spirit will enlighten all the R.C.I.A. Candidates and Catechumens as they continue to grow on their faith journey and make their final decision to enter the Church.
For special blessing on the R.C.I.A. team members as they continue to support and encourage our Candidates and Catechumens.
For each of us, for our families and our friends, that we respond fully to the call of our baptism, and accept the grace to remain open to God’s call to service.
That all Catholics use the Fridays of Lent not only to abstain from meat, but to abstain from other activities which may distract them from following Jesus.
That through the intercession of St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, all families will grow closer to Christ His Son.
That our daily living may transform our suffering world into a place of love, justice and peace.
Pray for the people of Haiti both those living through and those who lost their lives during the earthquake. Pray also for the safety and well-being of the relief workers assisting during this disaster.
That the fundamental rights of all human persons may be recognized and respected in all the nations of the world.
That those who feel a call to and desire for priesthood or religious life may find the courage to say yes to what God asks of them.
For all recipients of our parish healing/prayer blankets for their physical, mental and spiritual health.
For all the members of the Ministry of Praise, may they be blessed by the Lord and inspired to continue to pray for the special needs of all members of our Parish and their families, and especially the special intentions in our Parish Intention Book.
Parish Events 2010 Tuesday, March 2 – 6:00 p.m. Potluck Soup & Bread/Greg Nolan Guest Speaker Sunday, March 7, after the 11:30 a.m. Mass Girl Scout Sunday Fellowship Sunday, March 14 – 11:30 a.m. Alumni Mass & Fellowship Saturday, April 3 – Easter Vigil with Reception Easter Sunday, April 4, after the 11:30 a.m. Mass Easter Egg Hunt Sunday, April 25, after the 8:00 & 9:30 a.m. Masses Coffee & Donuts Fellowship Friday, May 14 – Parish Picnic at Stricker’s Grove Sunday, June 20, after the 9:30 a.m. Mass Coffee & Donuts Fellowship Friday, July 9/Saturday, July 10/Sunday, July 11 Summer Festival at Harvest Home Park Saturday, August 28, after the 5:00 p.m. Mass Ice Cream Social September 12, after 8:00 & 9:30 a.m. Masses Coffee & Donuts Fellowship October 8, 9, & 10 – Oktoberfest Weekend Saturday, October 30, after the 5:00 p.m. Mass Children’s Halloween Fellowship Tuesday, November 2 – Vesper Service & Reception November 6 & 7, after all the Masses Lantern Making Fellowship Thursday, November 11 Parish 100th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration Sunday, November 28, after all the Masses Advent Wreath Making Fellowship |
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