T h is M o nt h at Tra n sf i g u rat io n Lord, how good it is for us to be here!. . . Matthew 17:4
October 2014
t h e m o n t h l y n e w s l e t t e r f o r Tr a n s f i g u r a t i o n C a t h o l i c C h u r c h a n d S c h o o l
"Small Groups": Something Old, Something New by Father Bill Baer
As you will see in both this Newsletter and in our weekly Bulletin, there are a variety of Small Groups occurring around the Parish. The phrase “Small Groups” is a bit elastic, like “Bible Studies.” There are many different kinds of groups that fall under both of these categories, with varying goals, varying numbers of members, varying frequency in meeting times. Transfiguration has had Small Groups throughout its history. A Choir is a type of Small Group, as is a Social Justice Committee or a Church Sewing Group: It’s not merely a group that meets to get something done — although many Small Groups get a great deal done — but the relationships and spiritual blessings that result from being together are every bit as essential. Some older parishioners remember when Catholic Action and RENEW groups flourished at Transfiguration. People enjoy people, and our faith is strengthened when we don’t keep it to ourselves, but share it with others. Keep an eye on the Bulletin for information about Small Groups that are forming all around our Parish. There’s a place for you at Transfiguration!
Christ Jesus Ou r Lord, Sh ine in Us!
C h r is t J esus O u r L o rd , S h i n e th ro u g h U s !
October 2014
This Month at Transfiguration
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Transfiguration Catholic Church 6133 15th St. North—Oakdale, MN 55128
Parish Office Hours
• Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. • Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12 Noon • Saturday 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. • Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 12 Noon
Begins Thursday, November 20, 2014 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the Harvestor Room.
Parish Office phone: 651-738-2646
from Michael Brennan, RCIA Parish Coordinator
After hours emergency phone: Rebecca Minogue - 908-507-2970
Church Staff Pastor: Rev. Bill Baer.....................651-738-2646 Parish Administrator: Erin Ethier........................................651-501-2209 Director of Parish Life: Gretchen Sonnen............................651-501-2224 Administrative Assistant: Martha Praska.................................651-738-2646 Special Events/Communication Coordinator: Rebecca Minogue...........................651-501-2207 Parish Bookkeeping: Kim Connolly...................................651-501-2208 Director of Music: Mary Demko....................................651-501-2203 Director of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry: Justin Kortuem..................................651-501-2202 Family Formation Coordinator: Sue Hilo............................................651-501-2204 Maintenance Supervisor: Jerry Klaas........................................651-501-2245
Do you know someone who is interested in becoming a Catholic whom you’d like to sponsor? Or, are you already Baptized but have not yet received your First Holy Communion or been Confirmed? Are your children or grandchildren completing their Sacraments this year and you desire to celebrate your faith as a fully participating member? The “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults” is your opportunity to learn more about the Catholic Church and to take the steps toward joining the Church at Easter or completing the Sacraments. We will begin RCIA on Thursday evening, November 20 and will continue to meet until Easter. Please consider joining us or bringing someone as an Inquirer. Please call our Parish Office, 651-738-2646, for more information or to register.
Transfiguration Catholic School Grades Preschool–8 6135 15th St. N., Oakdale, MN 55128 651-501-2220
Principal: Tina Monosmith...............651-501-2216
This Month at Transfiguration
is an official publication of Transfiguration Catholic Parish. Submissions should be sent to Jean Yost, editor: yostgarden@comcast.net Although the goal is to publish articles in their entirety, all are subject to editing. This monthly newsletter and the weekly bulletin are both available on the parish website.
transfigurationmn.org
Congratulations to Hank Klotz, one of our long-time custodians, who retired on August 22, 2014.
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This Month at Transfiguration
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2014 Parish Fall Festival Recap My name is Eric Brooker and I was honored to serve Transfiguration as the Chair of the Parish Fall Festival this year. With a number of events that started with the Holy Soles 5K and continued through the Taste of Transfiguration and a wonderful Parish Fall Festival, our entire weekend was full of fun and fellowship. We had yet another very successful Taste of Transfiguration with a wide variety of food and a live auction that included a trip to the Holy Land with Father Baer! We even announced our first ever King and Queen . . . Bud and Kay Sauer!! The Taste event was followed by an amazing Fall Festival; food trucks, kids' games, carnival rides and new this year: bingo, cakewalk and the used book barn! We truly Kay and Bud Sauer, with Father Baer, at the Taste of Transfiguration had a blessed weekend and are grateful for everyone's presence! Next year's Fall Festival will be even more successful . . . but we need your help! If you are interested in serving as a part of the Executive Team or being a captain, please contact me directly at thebrooker7@gmail.com. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you in this way. Thanks again for everyone's help and participation!
of the 2014 Fall Festival Congratulations to our Auction winners at The Taste of Transfiguration!
Congratulations to our overall 5K winners
1st Place: Alex Diamond
• iPad winner: Grace Wachlarowitz
2nd Place: Steve Wallner
• Camera: Barb Schmitz
3rd Place: Jack Murray
• TV: Terri & Kim Faust • Holy Land Pilgrimage with Father Baer:
Congratulations to all our Raffle Winners!
Georgiana & John Sauer
S e e mo re F all Fest ival f un on pages 6 - 7
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Transfiguration Youth Ministry by Justin Kortuem, Director of Faith Formation, Confirmation and Youth Ministry
Summer Stretch: We had a great time with Summer Stretch. We did projects like weed around Transfiguration, helped out at Options for Women East, and packaged food at Feed My Starving Children. We had fun in the afternoon at Pinz bowling, watching a Twins game and, of course, a couple water parks. We ended the summer at Valley Fair. We had a great summer and the kids enjoyed their time both working and having fun.
Summer Stretch at Options for Women East
Summer Stretch weeding around Transfiguration
Extreme Faith Camp: Extreme Faith Camp made headlines in the Catholic Spirit this year. Our teens joined 300 others for a week of fun and faith. The main focus of the week is for the teens to have a real encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. It is always one of the highlights of the week for the priest to come by all of the teens during adoration with the Monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. We also had a lot of fun at the beach, lazer tag, archery, climbing wall and, of course, a muddy tug of war after Wacky Olympics. Join us next year for the best week of your summer! Extreme Faith Camp team
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This Month at Transfiguration
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Transfiguration Youth Ministry by Justin Kortuem, Director of Faith Formation, Confirmation and Youth Ministry
Father and Son Trip to Colorado: We took our first Father and Son trip to Colorado at the beginning of
August. We stayed at the Air Force Academy, visited the top of Pikes Peak, rafted the Class IV rapids on the Arkansas River and hiked to the top of Mt. Elbert (the tallest peak in Colorado and the second tallest in the lower 48 at 14,433 ft.) It was challenging, uplifting and a lot of fun. We also read a great book by Fr. Larry Richards called “Be a Man." It was a great meditation while out in the woods on what it means to be a real man today and to give your life for our Lord and our families. Look for information this spring about the trip next summer.
Getting close to the top of Mt. Elbert
White water rafting on the Arkansas River
Confirmation Retreat at the NET Center
Above: Father Baer praying with the group of Confirmation Candidates before they traveled to the NET Center for a Confirmation Retreat on the weekend of September 12-14. They had a great time and came back with renewed joy and excitement for this final year of Confirmation preparation.
October 2014
This Month at Transfiguration
2014 Fall Festival
Friday: Taste of Transfiguration
Saturday: Holy Soles 5K Run
Page 6
October 2014
This Month at Transfiguration
2014 Fall Festival
Sunday: Faith, fun and fellowship
Page 7
October 2014
This Month at Transfiguration
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Transfiguration Catholic School Welcomes New Principal by Barb Schmitz
Transfiguration Catholic School students were excited on September 2 to see a new face in the hallways. Tina Monosmith is the new principal of Transfiguration Catholic School. Mrs. Monosmith is a lifelong product of Catholic education. She is a graduate of Austin Pacelli Schools, and holds an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education and Theology, and a Master of Arts in Catholic Studies degree (both from the University of St. Thomas.) She is currently pursuing an Education Specialist degree and working towards a doctorate in Educational Leadership. She has worked at the Academy of Holy Angels and Totino Grace high schools as a religion teacher and campus minister, at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the Office of Marriage, Family, and Life, and most recently was Principal of St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Roseville. She is married to William Monosmith and has two sons – Oliver, age 3, and Leo, born on September 10. Mrs. Monosmith is an avid reader, loves to travel, cook and bake, visit museums and zoos, and she collects papal memorabilia from around the world. Says the new principal, “The Transfiguration Church and School community could not be more welcoming! I am blessed to be a part of the exceptional educational tradition at Transfiguration Catholic School and I look forward to working with our dedicated families, teachers, staff and students.” William and Tina Monosmith, with their sons Oliver, age 3, and Leo, born on September 10.
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This Month at Transfiguration
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Totus Tuus Will Be Back Next Summer! by Sue Hilo, Family Formation Coordinator This was our first year to have Totus Tuus at our parish, and it won’t be the last! A wonderful team of four young adults trained at the Archdiocese for a summer full of teaching our children about the Catholic faith. The team arrived on Saturday, June 14 and stayed with two host families that opened their homes to the team for the week. Children from 11 parishes came for the youth program. More than 60 volunteers helped out during the week providing meals for the team, snacks for the children, and time in the classrooms or serving in the lunchroom. We had seventy elementary children meet during the day and thirty 7th - 12th graders in the evenings. We celebrated Mass, Stations of the Cross, Confession, Adoration, learned the Ten Commandments and how to say the Rosary, and enjoyed singing songs and learning about the Saints in skits.
Children learn how to genuflect and make the Sign of the Cross. Here is what some parents had to say about the Totus Tuus Summer Youth Program: • Just wanted to say "Thank you" to Transfiguration for bringing the Totus Tuus team here!!! • My daughter and niece had a wonderful time! They came home every day laughing and joking, retelling skits and songs, but more importantly, they came home more in love with Christ and His Mother through the Faith of Our Church. • This program is such a blessing for the children and for our whole family! • I so hope that Totus Tuus will be back next year! I know of so many local families that missed the opportunity this year, but are hoping for next year! • The kids had a great time. I hope it's in the works to do it again next year! • The girls had a wonderful time at the night sessions. They will be back again next year! We hope to see more children participate next summer, to learn about Virtues and the Beatitudes.
Team leader David acting out the story of St. Ignatius
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This Month at Transfiguration
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Knight Vision Greetings from the Knights of Columbus! My name is Michael Braun and I am the new Grand Knight for the Father Finley Council. My home parish is Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If you’ve never been there, it is the church that sits on top of the hill just west of the intersection of Larpenteur Avenue and White Bear Avenue. I do spend some time here at Transfiguration Church, attending First Saturday Mass, and helping with events like the Fall Festival and such. October is the Month of the Rosary. The Knights of Columbus have a special devotion to Our Blessed Mother. All new Knights are given a rosary at their initiation and are asked to carry the rosary of Mary with them and to pray the rosary often. This is a good and pious practice for all Catholics. What a great habit to create during the month of October! Find your rosary and carry it with you. Pray the rosary often, while driving in the car, waiting for appointments, after dinner with the family. Make the time to pray the rosary and meditate on the life of Jesus. Then watch your holiness grow. October is also Respect Life Month. The Knights of Columbus have committed to praying in front of the Planned Parenthood building, at 671 Vandalia St. in St Paul, all day on October 11. This is part of the 40 Days For Life Prayer Vigil that happens twice a year. This fall’s vigil is September 24 through November 2. The purpose of the vigil is to provide a peaceful, prayerful presence at this abortion facility. Plan to pray at Planned Parenthood Building during the vigil. Public prayer is a powerful weapon. “For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses”. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 Right: Prayer at the Planned Parenthood building during the 40 Days for Life last fall.
Hopefully, you had a chance to sample and take home some of the Knights of Columbus booya from our Fall Booya Event. Watch for the Knights of Columbus Turkey Bingo to be held at Transfiguration Church Mount Taber Hall on the evening of November 15. There will also be a Pancake Breakfast at Transfiguration held on December 7. God’s Blessings on you and your families. Vivat Jesu! Michael Braun, Grand Knight, Father Finley Coucil #4374
October 2014
This Month at Transfiguration
Sunday
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Monday
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6 Donut Sunday
12
Tuesday
October 2014 Wednesday
Page 11
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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4 Archdiocesan 2014 Rediscover Celebration
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11 Wedding: Kevin Kelley & Erin Willhite
Senior Cards 1:00 pm
Marian Consecration begins 9:00 am
Oktoberfest 6:00 pm
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19 New Parishioner 20 Brunch 11:30 am
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Catholic Man Night 6:00 pm
Young Adult Dinner 7:00 pm 26
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Archdiocesan Youth Day Nov. 1 Solemnity of All Saints
Above: The Summer Stretch group at Feed My Starving Children
Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID St. Paul, MN Permit No. 4243
Transfiguration Catholic Church and School 6133 15th Street North Oakdale, MN 55128 651-738-2646
I n s id e T h is Is s u e ... "Small Groups": Old and New...........................Front Cover
Parish Fall Festival Photos.............................................6-7
Church/School Staff Information.......................................2
Transfiguration Welcomes New Principal..........................8
RCIA.................................................................................2
Totus Tuus Will Be Back Next Summer!..........................9
Hank Klotz Retires.............................................................2
Knight Vision..................................................................10
2014 Parish Festival Recap..............................................3
Calendar..........................................................................11
Transfiguration Youth Ministry........................................4-5
Summer Stretch.............................................................11
Above: Father and Son Trip at Pikes Peak in Colorado (See page 5)