St. Michael the Archangel Pastorate
Sacred Heart Parish
Remington
Sts. Peter & Paul
Goodland
St. Augustine
Rensselaer
Friday Flocknote
January 28th, 2022
Fr. Joshua Bennett
“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.” Prov 22:6
Today we kick off Catholic Schools Week in our Catholic Schools across our country. This is a great week to give thanks to God for the great gift of Catholic Schools and Catholic Education. Earlier this month we celebrated the feast day of two great American saints who were very instrumental in the establishment of Catholic Schools in the United States, especially the parochial or parish school, like our own St. Augustine School. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) and St. John Neumann (1811-1860) pioneered the establishment of Catholic Schools to protect the minority Catholic population of the early United States from the anti-Catholic sentiment of the Protestant/Puritan majority and to ensure that the children of the mostly poor and immigrant populations of Catholics from Europe, would not only learn the skills necessary to be successful in life but more importantly to learn the truths of the Catholic Faith and to practice the Faith with the celebration of the Sacraments and prayer as part of the daily life of the school.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a convert from Episcopalism, found herself completely alienated from her friends and family in New York City when she converted to the Catholic Church, but also became a widow when her husband died after a sailing trip to Italy. Forced to raise her children on her own and seeing the plight of so many like herself, through her great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration, with the permission of the parish priest, she began a small school on Manhattan. Not long after the success of this school she was asked by the then bishop of the United States (as there was only one bishop for the whole country at this point), the Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, to come to Baltimore and to start a parochial system there. Shortly after she began her schools in Baltimore, Bishop Carroll asked her to move to Emmitsburg, in Western Maryland and to found the American foundation of the Daughters of Charity, from France founded by St. Vincent De Paul. Under holy obedience she moved her family and some women willing to start this new order and moved to a donated log cabin on a piece of overrun property in a valley in the middle of nowhere and began the true parochial school movement in the United States. The Daughters of Charity grew and established houses all over the country and taught in schools as the country continued to expand west. In Indiana the Daughters of Charity are most known for their work in healthcare and the St. Vincent Health system (now known as Ascension Health) which was founded by sisters from Emmitsburg when they started St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis in 1881 with $34.77 in their pockets!
St. John Neumann grew up in Bohemia, in the modern-day Czech Republic, and like so many of his kinsmen, immigrated to the United States. John studied for the priesthood in Prague and during his years in seminary became fluent in many languages. Immediately before his ordination his bishop fell ill and died and the plans for John to go to Philadelphia to assist the immigrant population were canceled and so was his ordination. After the death of his bishop his diocese decided they did not need to advance John to be ordained a priest anymore. John had his heart on being a missionary and decided to go to America and see how God could use him there anyway. When he arrived in New York, the bishop John Dubois (former rector of the seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland) met John Neumann and heard his story and after he spent some time with a local priest, decided he should be ordained a priest in New York. After some years as a circuit riding priest in upstate New York, St. John entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, popularly known as the Redemptorists, which had been founded by St. Alphonsus Ligouri. During his time as a Redemptorist he served in many parishes and eventually became their religious superior, until in 1852 he was appointed to be bishop of Philadelphia. Philadelphia had a large immigrant population and St. John Neumann spoke all of their languages! He was the first bishop in the country to organize a diocesan school system as the anti-Catholic sentiment in Philadelphia was very strong at that time and parents not only wanted their kids to be safe, but also to be taught the faith, as they had to struggle every day to make ends meet. During his time as bishop, he increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from 1 to 200!
Our children and our faith are under attack as much, if not more, than it was in the time of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann. Today’s enemy is not religious but rather secularism and moral relativism. Our society is not designed to promote or defend our Catholic Faith. Catholic Schools remain as a thorn in the side of all the “isims” of society, as they have for centuries and as the Catholic Church has for millennia. It is true that academics are important, and I don’t know of any Catholic School that does not excel academically, but what truly sets us apart is NOT test scores or what jobs our alumni get, but it is the faithful adherence and transmission of the Catholic Faith, the greatest gift we can give our Children. Living our Catholic Mission and preserving our Catholic Identity for our youth, in this most unique and special way, is how we will raise up the next generation, which themselves will raise their own children in the faith.
Sadly, in the last decades Catholic Schools have been closing. I think we must all come together and not only support the schools we have (even if not attached to our parish) but also plan, push and bring into reality new and expanded Catholic Schools so that more children can have this great opportunity! St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann show us by example that our sacrifices now will bear great fruit in the future to come.
God Bless,
Fr. Bennett
Sacred Heart of Jesus – Have Mercy on Us
Immaculate Heart of Mary – Pray for Us
Sts. Michael the Archangel, Joseph, Peter, Paul, Augustine – Pray for Us
Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2022 is January 30 to February 5. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2021 is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” We will observe the annual celebration week with Masses, service work, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and community members.
Today we begin Catholic Schools’ Week by celebrating our beloved parish. The staff and I are extremely thankful for your prayers and generosity which allow us to provide an education rooted in our Catholic faith. Your support is fundamental to the connection between the parish and school, as well as for the development of our students spiritually, academically, and, as you witnessed in today’s Mass, in leadership. Because of the parish subsidy, not only can we guide our students of today, but we can be an integral part of faith-filled leaders of tomorrow. Many of our St. Augustine alumni have gone on to be members of our peer ministry program, National Honor Society, valedictorians, salutatorians, recipients of awards, such as the Lilly Scholarship, and many more accomplishments that we can all be proud of!
I hope you are able to join us at the Knights of Columbus on Sunday for a DELICIOUS breakfast and some fellowship!
Have a joyful and blessed day!
Mrs. Angela Nagel and the School Staff
We will be collecting food for the Tri-County backpack program for the next two weeks. These items can be left in the boxes in the back of the church at St. Peter and Paul.
Items that are in need include:
Mac & Cheese, Canned Meats (chicken, tuna, hash, spam), Canned Milk, Spaghetti O's & etc., Granola Bars, Cereal, Pop Tarts
Please buy in smaller quantities as these need to fit in a backpack and be carried home by smaller children. Your donations are greatly appreciated. Last Sunday to leave donations at church is February 6th.
Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest
Calling all boys and girls ages 8-14 from the St. Michael the Archangel Pastorate for the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship.
Saturday February 5th at St. Augustine School.
Registration and warm up will open at 11:00am with the contest to follow at 11:30am CT.
Balls will be furnished but contestants are encouraged to bring their own. Please bring a copy of birth certificate, adult signature required for registration, and a mask. Bring a friend, this is open to any contestant that lives in Rensselaer, Remington or Goodland. Annual event sponsored by Bishop Dwenger Council 1881.
Contact Jeff Hillan (219) 869-1338 with questions
Deadline for Destination Jesus Retreat is February 6th!!
Knights of Columbus
January 30th— 8:00-11:30am CT
End of the month AYCE Breakfast
February 4th— 5:00-7:00pm CT
Fish Fry
February 11th— 5:00-7:00pm CT
Fish Fry
Christian Women of St. Augustine
Who are they? What do they do?
(All women of St. Augustine Parish-over 18 years of age are members)
Why not attend Mass with us?
Please join us on Wednesday, Feb. 9th after the noon Mass in the church basement. Light refreshments will be served. Also, please remember to being your Food Pantry Donation. We will be adopting a budget for 2022 and discussing our options during the ongoing COVID restrictions.
New to the parish? Come and join us. The women help provide for funeral dinners, lenten luncheon, seasonal cleaning of church, greeting cards, and other items needed for the church. Our meetings are held quarterly, and alternate morning and evening. Our quilt raffle produces money for the bazaar. This year's winner of the quilt was Sandy Martin. Please make your yearly donation to the Christian Women. Thank you for time, talent, and treasure you give to St. Augustine.
Any questions contact Mary Lee 219-394-2055.
(In case of bad weather and school closure meeting will be postponed. Watch bulletin and Flocknote for date.)
WE NEED Y0U!
Youth Group "CYO" is back at Sacred Heart and St. Peter and Paul!
Jason & Patty Kilmer have agreed to coordinate and lead activities for middle school and high school youth at Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter and Paul. Typically, the group will meet the first Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:30 pm ET at the Fulcher Center. Watch for future announcements in the Sunday bulletin for updates.
The first gathering will be Wednesday, February 2nd 6:30-8:30 pm ET in the Fulcher Center. They will make plans for the semester and prepare college care packages/military care packages for Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter and Paul parishioners. Please contact Jason or Patty Kilmer if you have any questions.
Sacred Heart Mobile Food Pantry
Sacred Heart has been asked by Food Finders to host a Mobile Food Pantry on Friday, February 18. This will be another drive-thru pantry, from 11 AM ET until finished before 1 PM.
Food Finders is no longer having us post fliers, so please spread the word. If you are interested in volunteering for this important ministry, please call Pat Berger at 219-261-3155 or 765-427-0357.
If you know of someone that is in need of food, you may be their proxy and pick up the food and deliver it to them. Volunteers should dress for cold weather! We did this last February with record cold temperatures. We have always been fortunate to be able to take left-over items to the Remington Food Pantry or the schools, rather than it go back to the Food Finder warehouse.
The SEARCH groups are continuing to meet!
Contact Kris Dobson if you need connected to a group. Groups will continue to meet through February, and they are featuring episodes from The SEARCH Continues. The groups will transition to Lenton Lessons beginning in March. We truly appreciate all of the group leaders who are giving of their time to walk with others in their faith journey!
College Care Packages:
It's not too late to support sending College/Military Care Packages to our young adults from St. Augustine, Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter & Paul!
Monetary donations are greatly appreciated to help defray the cost of shipping. Monetary donations can be given to Sarah Hall or Jason/Patty Kilmer for Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter and Paul packages. Monetary donations can be given to Kris Dobson for St. Augustine packages. You can also leave a monetary donation in the collection basket, but please make sure it is clearly marked for College/Military Care Packages and for your specific church. Monetary donations will be accepted through
February 6th.
Parishioners from Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter & Paul can still provide items for the packages through February 2nd. There is a box located at the Fulcher Center for donations. We appreciate your support for this youth service project!
