Weekly Newsletter

For the Week of Sunday, October 16

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Michael O'Neill

The Miracle Hunter

THIS WEEKEND:

Special Speaker: EWTN Host, Author Coming to St. Mary's

This Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

Ever wonder about the steps in becoming a saint in the Catholic Church? What is the status of Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney? What was the miracle that made him a Blessed? How many more miracles are required for his canonization? Why can’t miracles prior to the canonization effort be counted? What is the story of Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey and Fr. Stanley Rother? Why hasn’t the case for the grunt padre, Father Vincent Capodanno gone forward? What ever happened to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and his canonization? What are the new categories for sainthood? If you would like answers to these and other questions about saints, blessed and the Catholic Church, join us to hear “How the Catholic Church Investigates Miracles” with Michael O’Neill, The Miracle Hunter, on October 15 at 10 am at Immaculate Conception Church in Colville or 5:30 pm at St. Mary of the Rosary Parish Hall in Chewelah.

Several people participated in Sunday's Rosary procession at St. Mary of the Rosary

Parish News & Updates

Pastor's Letter for October 16, 2022, by Father Vincent Gilmore

Dear Parishioners,

I was really delighted with the Rosary procession that happened last Sunday. It was the beginning of a lovely tradition to honor Our Lady of the Rosary who is that patron of St Mary’s. Many of those who participated mentioned that it brought back good memories of processions and May crownings they remember as children. I would like to thank everyone who participated and those who helped with the procession and meal that followed.

An update on a few projects that are moving forward: We have begun the restoration of the sanctuary at St. Joseph’s. With Don Mally leading, and many volunteers, we have removed the carpet in the sanctuary and are taking the sanctuary to its original wood floor. The altars with the gold leaf in the sanctuary are in need of painting and will be part of the restoration. We have also closed up some of the large holes in the exterior of the building and finished with the restoration of the bell tower area. I would like to thank all those who have volunteered and those who have helped financially with this restoration and preservation.

We have also begun work on the conversion of the convent to a priest’s residence/rectory. Whit Baker came up with a wonderful conversion plan. We will be making a proper entrance, two priest living areas, two guest rooms, a chapel and a large kitchen/dining/living room open area to host meetings and dinners. I plan to help with the demolition and construction where I can.

I have really enjoyed sharing my Camino to Santiago at Faith Night. This Wednesday will be my last presentation, we will finally make it Santiago! I so thoroughly enjoyed that pilgrimage/walk that I kept my eyes open for other pilgrimage walk opportunities. The opportunity came about six years ago when I came in contact with a man named Bret, an American that lives in Italy, who organizes walking pilgrimages in Italy. Bret has become a good friend and he has helped me organize four walking pilgrimages in Italy and the fifth one will be starting next week. I usually walk with a small group of pilgrims. There will be six pilgrims on this pilgrimage. I will depart from here after Adoration and Mass this Friday, Oct. 21.

My first pilgrimage walks were on the Way of St. Francis. My first went from Assisi to Rome then the following year from Florence to Assisi. Then I went on the Way of St. Benedict where we started in Norcia, which is the birthplace of St. Benedict, and walked to Monte Casino where he is buried. Last year we walked from the Adriatic Coast at a town called Loretto, which is where the house of Mary is, and we walked West to Assisi. This year I will be walking with a group of five other people starting in Lucca and finishing in Assisi. This will be over a hundred mile walk over a period of twelve walking days.

When we walk we pray the rosary and have Mass every day. Part of the pilgrimage is to take the petitions of others and special needs. I will be praying for the spiritual growth and wellbeing of all of my four parishes in a spirit of thanksgiving to Our Lord for sending me to this place I now call home.

No Saturday Masses Oct. 22 or Oct. 29

Fr. Vincent will be on a pilgrimage in Italy Oct. 22 through Nov. 11. During that time, Saturday masses on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 will be canceled due to lack of priest availability. There will be substitutes celebrating each Sunday mass. However, on the weekend of Nov. 5 & 6, Fr. Mark Pautler will cover all Saturday and Sunday masses. There will also be no daily mass or confession while Father is away. We apologize for the inconvenience. While he is away Matt Cobb will be presenting at Faith Night as well.

Online Giving Makes Donating Easy

Supporting your Parish has been made simpler with the start of the Online Giving portal for the Catholic Parishes of South Stevens County (St. Mary of the Rosary, Holy Ghost, St. Joseph, and Sacred Heart)! Are you tired of fishing for cash or fiddling with having to write a check …. you can now contribute to the Parish you choose and even identify a particular fund to which your contribution will go …. all with a couple of clicks on your computer or smartphone. You can even set up recurring donations so you can set up your desired donation amount and the frequency of the contribution and, if you prefer, you can use a credit card as a matter of convenience. Give it a try. Getting to the portal is easy. Go to www.osvhub.com/chewelahcatholic/giving/funds, click on the Online Giving link below. Once there, you’ll find eleven separate fund choices - 4 unrestricted with donations identified by parish, 6 restricted (4 for parish building fund donations and 2 for cemetery fund maintenance donations) and 1 for anyone who wishes to use our online giving site to give to the ACA through our parish collection process. Each is reported separately to facilitate both segregation into the correct bank accounts and related QuickBooks ledger accounts and to easily identify ACA contributions to be forwarded to the Diocese.

Give directly to our parishes online! CLICK HERE

Upcoming This Week

St. Mary's Coffee and Donuts

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, 11 am, St. Mary's

There will be coffee and donuts this week and next week after 10 a.m. mass in Chewelah. Please join us!

Third Tuesday Rosary

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, 1 pm, St. Mary's

Each Third Tuesday of the month, a St. Mary's prayer group leads a Rosary at St. Mary's Parish at 9 am. Please join them!

All-Parish Faith Night

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, 6 pm, St. Mary's

Please join us for dinner at 6 pm with faith formation classes starting at 6:30 pm every Wednesday. This week will be Fr. Vincent's last presentation on his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. When he returns in November after his pilgrimage in Italy, he will begin a new topic. Thank you to everyone who provided soup and bread for a delicious soup supper at last week's Faith Night. This week's meal will be hosted by the St. Mary's Altar Ministries to include chicken, baked beans and potato salad. If you are a member of the altar ministries and have not yet been able to help with dinner, please reach out to Sandy or Chris Anderson. The meal is an important part of Faith Night and many hands make light work! Don't forget, there is also confession at 5 pm and Mass at 5:30 pm.

Ladies Auxiliary Crystalline Luncheon

Tickets now available!: Saturday, November 19

The Ladies Auxiliary is planning the annual Crystalline Luncheon, a popular women's gathering at our parish, for Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary's parish hall. Please let Kellie Trudeau know if you would be interested in hosting a table or volunteering in any way. Each table host, or cohosts, can set up their table however they like using their nicest china or most creative decorating skills. It's up to you! There is always door prizes, yummy food, and even a fun contest to vote for audience favorites. Guest tickets are $15 and are now available in the office.