Holy Family Area Catholic Community Newsletter — August 2020

ST. JA M E S

ST. ANDRE W

ST. J OS E PH

Holy Family Area CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

FAITH FORMATION CATECHISTS: Sharing the Beaut y of Our Faith

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hen St. James Faith Formation catechist Ken Club teaches his students, one of the lessons he regularly emphasizes is the importance of listening.

“I often tell the kids we have two ears and one mouth — we should listen twice as much as we talk,” Ken says. “I tell them, ‘WWJD, What Would Jesus Do?’ — especially in these times. I tell them to be more accepting and more tolerant. I also try to instill in them the Great Commandment to treat others as you want to be treated.”

Ken has been volunteering to teach Faith Formation at St. James for three years. He enjoys sharing these lessons and many others with the students he has been teaching since their first-grade year.

He has followed their grade each of the last three years and will continue this academic year.

“The continuity is good for them,” Ken says. “We can get to know each other and I get to know their work habits. I also know their parents and grandparents.”

Just seven years ago, Ken retired from a 14-year career at Monsanto in agronomy sales. However, he had gone to school to become a teacher, and taught in Dawson during the 1970s.

“When I was a teacher and now with the Faith Formation class, I try to be as empathetic as I can and just bring some calm to their lives,” he says. “I just enjoy being able to help.”

St. James parishioner Ken Club and his wife, Sandie.

Ken enjoys teaching weekly classes at St. James and staying involved in the lives of his students.

continued on page 5

AUGUST 2020

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STEWARDSHIP’S “SUPREME TEACHER” Following Christ’s Example

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ormer President and Five-Star General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “You don’t lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.”

President Eisenhower’s words are both blunt and humorous, but he makes a great point. Almost any successful endeavor in life requires the benefit of strong leadership. And a truly effective leader does not lead by simply telling others what to do, but by providing a strong example of how to carry oneself on a daily basis.

This is no different for us in our lives as Catholic Christians. As individuals who face numerous difficult choices every day, we require a leader who, through word and example, can show us the path to living according to God’s will. For us, Jesus is the supreme teacher of every aspect of Christian life, and His life as documented in the Gospels is a model that we should strive to imitate in living as good Christians. And as we have learned, stewardship — the sharing of the gifts that God has given to us — is a big part of Christian life, and one for which Jesus left many examples of successful living.

Jesus’ nature of selfless service, documented many times throughout the New Testament and culminating with His death for our sins, is an underlying aspect of living the stewardship way of life. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops points out in its pastoral document 2

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Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, “In Jesus’ teaching and life self-emptying is fundamental. Now, it might seem that self-emptying has little to do with stewardship, but in Jesus’ case that is not so. His self-emptying is not sterile self-denial for its own sake; rather, in setting aside self, he is filled with the Father’s will, and he is fulfilled in just this way” (19).

Jesus points out to Peter in Mark’s Gospel that this “self-emptying” requires sacrifice, but ultimately leads to “eternal life in the age to come” (Mk 10:30).

But the Christian steward’s ultimate reward is not his or her only benefit from living the stewardship way of life. By sharing of our time, talent, and treasure, and living in imitation of Christ, we can relate more closely to Him in sharing, in a small way, in His sacrifice. “To be a Christian disciple is a rewarding way of life, a way of companionship with Jesus, and the practice of stewardship as a part of it is itself a source of deep joy. Those who live this way are happy people who have found the meaning and purpose of living” (Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, 21).

The next time you are frustrated or unsure of how to best respond to God’s gifts in stewardship, take a moment to open up the Bible. Jesus may not “hit us over the head” in His leadership, but He does provide numerous examples through His actions and teachings of how to live as one of His disciples.

A Letter From Our Pastor

Understanding God’s Gift of Time My Dear Friends in Christ,

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ith the arrival of August, I find it hard to believe that summer is just about over! Of course, some of us are trying to squeeze in that last vacation, or just simply enjoying a “staycation” at home, soaking in the glorious summer season for a few more weeks. But for the most part, we’re starting to transition back into the swing of our fall routines.

I once heard a quote from a psychologist who said time seems to pass more quickly as we get older because we’re experiencing fewer “firsts.” When we’re continually experiencing new things, time tends to stand still while we’re living them. After we’ve repeated those events numerous times, they don’t faze us much anymore — and before we know it, months have passed, seasons have changed, and it’s time to start the annual cycle again.

Yet, we should not allow our time to be something that simply evades our grasp, trickling through our fingers. After all, time itself — every moment on this earth — is a gift from God. We each have 24 hours today and seven days this week to use however we please.

At the end of this summer, we have the opportunity to reflect on how we chose to use our

time these last few months. Did we set aside time to pray? Have we allowed for time to serve others? Did we devote time each day to serve God? When we assess the use of our time, we must make a spiritual examination — “Have I been a good steward of the time given to me?”

Maybe now is a good time to make some changes in our lives and get more involved. There is no better time than right now to seek out ways to serve God, our parish, and those around us. This is what it means to be a good steward!

As the lazy days of summer give way to the routine and activity of fall, remember to keep God in your hearts, in your minds, and on your tongue as we continue our stewardship journey as a parish family.

Please pray for me as I continue to pray for you all.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Paul Timmerman, Pastor

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ST. JA M E S R E J O I N S H O LY FA MI L

B lessed to be T

A

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s our faith family continues to move forward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are blessed to once again have St. James in Dawson officially be a part of our Holy Family Area Catholic Community.

“I am looking forward to being pastor to the St. James parishioners again,” says Fr. Paul Timmerman.

“I had a good rapport with them when I was their pastor the first time, so I look forward to picking up where we left off.”

Beginning July 1, St. James joined Holy Family Area Catholic Community. St. Clara is now part of Jesus Our Living Water Area Faith Community, which currently includes St. Mary in Willmar and Our Lady of the Lakes in Spicer. St. James was a part of Holy Family Area two years ago, for about two years.

“I am glad we are going back to the familiar,” says Joann Evjen, a parishioner at St. James for more than 40 years.

The Faith Formation program has been combined with St. Joseph in Montevideo for three years, and that arrangement will also continue.

Founded in 1898, St. James initially consisted of seven families. In 1902, St. James welcomed Fr. James Kline as Pastor, and he taught catechism classes and held Mass each Saturday morning. Sunday Mass was held once a month and Fr. James would travel back to his home in Granite Falls by train. From 1910 to 1938, no Masses were held because of the low number of Catholic families in the area.

In 1938, Fr. William Murphy started holding Mass in the home of William Schacherers. In that same year, a white wooden church was purchased from the Methodist Society.

The current church, where construction began in 1955, had the first Mass on April 29, 1956. St. James in Dawson and St. Andrew in Granite Falls were built by the same contractor. In 1981, a remodeling project was completed. Today, St. James has about 100 families.

Joann has always loved St. James. She says people are always friendly and welcoming to each other and visitors.

“Many parishioners have family at the other parishes in the Holy Family Area,” Joann says. She and her husband, Mark, have a daughter, Asha Godfrey, who lives in Montevideo with her husband, Dan, and

LY A R EA CAT HOL IC CO M M U N I T Y

To geth er Aga i n

three children. They also have three sons — Dan, and his family in Honolulu, Hawaii; Taylor, and his family in Brandon, Minn.; and Clayton, and his family in Alexandria, Minn.

St. James holds their big fundraiser each year during harvest season. The Fall Festival, complete with a turkey dinner, is held the first Sunday in October. Because of the COVID-19 precautions, this year’s festival will be a takeout only meal.

“We always serve 700 to 800 people,” Joann says.

“One year, we served just over 900.”

A soup and sandwich meal is held each March through Catholic United, along with a monthly breakfast that benefits the education fund.

Joann wants to invite current parishioners at St. James to step forward to volunteer for the various ministries, whether that be helping with the Fall Festival or serving as a lector. She also invites anyone in the Holy Family Area Catholic Community to attend Mass at St. James for weekday Mass on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. or Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m.

FAITH FORMATION

continued from front cover

Ken takes the time to study the lessons for the week and customize them for his class.

“Just being with kids was the reason I got into education,” he says. “I want to try to make a difference in the lives of children.”

He also enjoys staying in touch with the lives of young children as he and his wife, Sandie, have five grandchildren ranging in age from almost 1 to 16 years old. He enjoys being able to share the joys and struggles of teaching with Sandie, who is a retired teacher.

Ken’s class consists of seven boys and one girl. He tries to instill discipline in the classroom by telling the children, “Don’t interrupt someone else’s opportunity to learn.”

Having grown up in Ivanhoe, Ken has been a member at St. James for 43 years. He enjoys being able to teach Faith Formation, count the collection and serve as a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. He also helps with the church grounds as much as he is able.

“I try to step in where I am needed and can help,” he says.

Ken always looks forward to teaching his eight students during their weekly classes on Wednesdays, from 2 to 2:50 p.m. Ken has enjoyed this experience so much and encourages anyone who wants to pass on the faith to get involved. He also points there is no problem finding a substitute when he is gone for a week or two in the winter.

If you would like more information on Faith Formation or to get involved at St. James or Joseph’s, please contact Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Coordinator Ann Voller at 320-226-5205 or sjocoordinator@holyfamilyarea.org; at St. Andrew’s, please contact Christina Wangen at 507-920-0122 or sacoordinator@holyfamilyarea.org.

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THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY:

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A Time to Celebrate! Aug. 15

an a pile of bones really be that exciting?

Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, eager to glimpse the spot in which the alleged bones of St. Peter, our first pope, remain to this day.

The relics of saints have been venerated throughout the ages in every corner of the world — yet, the bones of the very first Christian, the Mystical Rose, are nowhere to be found.

When it comes to the day, manner or year of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s death, nothing is certain.

No account is given in Scripture. The Church turns instead to Tradition for an answer.

Since the birth of the Church, no Marian relics have ever been venerated — nor can they ever be — because her body was assumed, or taken up, into heaven. There exist, therefore, no remains of the Blessed Virgin’s body on this earth. She lives, right now, body and soul, in heavenly glory.

Although the particular dogma of the Assumption cannot be found in the writings of Scripture, if we look at many other writings by the early Christians, it is clear that the Church has always held this dogma to be true. Even more, though there is no statement of fact in the Bible itself that Mary was assumed body and soul, the truths that we do know about Mary from Scripture simply serve to back up the reality that she was assumed into heaven. She gave herself wholly to the Lord and followed His will for her life, perfectly, to the end.

The Assumption of Mary reveals that the promises of the Lord — including the resurrection of the body — were fulfilled in Mary. She shared most intimately in the life, death and resurrection of her Son, and was free from original sin and its effects — including corruption of the body at death.

Therefore, it was no surprise when, in 1950, Pope Pius XII declared infallibly the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a dogma of the Catholic faith with these words: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus, 44).

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is observed

on the liturgical calendar as a solemnity — of higher importance than a feast. On Aug. 15, this wonderful celebration is accompanied by great hope in the resurrection of the body and everlasting union with God in heaven.

ST. ANDREW MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE

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Getting the Job Done

f you own a home, you know the amount of work that goes into maintaining it. Whether small upkeep or large repair projects, it seems there’s always something that needs a little extra time and attention to remain functioning well. And when you’re not caught up working on those projects, there’s almost always something that could use an update. The home care to-do list seems to be one that is never ending.

The maintenance of our parish home is no different. Our physical grounds also require nearconstant attention and care to keep in working condition, as well as to create a beautiful and peaceful space for our community to worship. Art Mehr has worked with our pastor to identify needs in the St. Andrew building, and get the job done.

“Fr. Paul calls me and asks me to do different projects that he sees the need for,” says Art, who has been involved at St. Andrew since the mid-1980s.

A retired banker who grew up in a family where serving the church was always prioritized, Art’s involvement in maintenance began with his love of woodworking. Not only has he built a number of crosses for the parish, including the processional cross used at St. Andrew, but he also built the baptismal font. Art enjoys the satisfaction of coming to pray at Mass and knowing that his efforts make a difference in the beauty and function of the church, for longtime parishioners and visitors alike.

“It’s a great satisfaction,” Art says. “I just see a need for it, and I like doing it” Over the years, Art has worked on many different projects, including both the St. Andrew Parish Center and the outdoor grounds. From repairing the kneelers, to putting new handrails in at the church and Parish Center, there’s always something to be done, and Art is happy to help. Most recently, he replaced the door frame in the church basement and cleaned out the parish house basement and removed carpeting, in preparation for selling the home.

“We just look for what needs to be done on the church property,” Art says. “We just come up with what needs to be done and then advise the Administrative council.”

“More people could be involved — they would only need maintenance type skills. I think people should offer to get involved. It’s the thing to do.” — Art Mehr

Parishioner Art Mehr has served our parish in many ways, helping to maintain our grounds. A woodworker, Art also built the crosses for St. Andrew’s celebration of the liturgy.

Serving in this way has also given Art the opportunity to feel more connected and invested in his parish community, as well as getting to know fellow parishioners, including Tom Sand, who often helps him with projects.

“I feel a little more a part of the parish,” he says.

New members are always needed to help continued on back cover

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512 Black Oak Ave. Montevideo, MN 56265

www.holyfamilyarea.org

MASS TIMES: Sunday 8:30 a.m. — St. James, Dawson 10:30 a.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls Tuesday 5:30 p.m. - St Andrew, Granite Falls Wednesday 5:30 p.m. — St. James, Dawson

Thursday 5:30 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo Friday 10 a.m. —St. Andrew, Granite Falls

Saturday 5 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo 7 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo in Spanish

CONFESSION TIMES: 30 minutes before daily Mass Sunday 8 a.m. — St. James, Dawson

Saturday 4:15 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

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MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE continued from page 7 with various projects as they arise and parishioners are encouraged to consider whether they may have any skills or talents that they could contribute to caring for our parish home, on the Maintenance Committee. For those who may never feel comfortable reading at Mass, or being part of the choir, but would like to become involved, the Maintenance Committee is the perfect way to serve the community, using your strengths, in a behind-the-scenes way.

“More people could be involved — they would only need maintenance type skills,” Art says. “I think people should offer to get involved. It’s the thing to do.”

If you have a talent for any kind of building maintenance and would like to become involved with our Maintenance Committee at St. Andrew’s, please contact Art Mehr at 320-981-0281; at St. Joseph’s, contact Melinda Hedman at 320-269-5954; at St. James, contact Travis Schacherer at 507-829-1098.

AUGUST 2020