Hello everyone! We’ve had quite the flurry of funerals in the last month or so, maybe not a lot, but a lot for our two parishes in such a short amount of time. 

We just lost OLL parishioner, Claire Vaubel, who passed away yesterday evening. Her funeral info will be forthcoming. Please pray for the repose of her soul and for the family. Claire had been in the nursing home. She was 82. 

Though it may sadden us to hear about so many deaths so close together, St. Paul reminds us that we “do not grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Our hope in the resurrection helps to ease the grief we have for those who have died. Thanks to the deacons who have been able to help me with the funerals. When Connie Dietz’s brother, Joe, passed away last week, Deacon Nick was able to do the funeral service at the funeral home. Deacon Mike will do Sharon Fields’ funeral service this Tuesday at OLL. Thanks to Ruth McCullough and Donna Lamb and the rest of the volunteers who put on the funeral luncheons for the families. They so appreciate it. Thanks as well to all who serve, set up, and provide the music. You provide so much consolation to the families. A big thanks to Rachel, Kathy, and Stacey in the offices who put together the worship aids and do all the behind-the-scenes stuff as well. It really takes a community to bring comfort and consolation to those grieving. In whatever part we play, we are performing the Corporal Work of Mercy of Burying the Dead and the Spiritual Works of Mercy of Comforting the Sorrowful and Praying for the Living and the Dead. 

May God bless you for your compassion!

ICC will have a Lenten Penance Service today Saturday, March 4^th immediately beginning after the 4pm Mass, from 5pm until 6:30pm. Retired priest, Msgr. William Dunn, will be there to help hear confessions. 

OLL will have a Lenten Penance Service on Sunday, March 26^th immediately beginning after the 11am Mass, from 12pm until 1:30pm. Msgr. Dunn will be there as well to help hear confessions.

I will hear confessions on the Monday of Holy Week from 4pm-5:30pm at ICC and then from 6pm-7:30pm at OLL. That will be one of the last scheduled confessions before Easter. It will only be me hearing confessions as almost all parishes in the Diocese will be holding confessions during that time. 

Please remember the Church precept that we are to go to Sacramental Confession at least once a year. You receive graces from every Sacrament and those graces help us to be more holy. 

The Knights of Columbus will be serving donuts after this Sunday’s Mass, March 5, followed by St. Vincent DePaul Society meeting which is open to anyone who wants to help serve the poor. 

Our two FOCUS campus missionaries will be here for their semester visit to the ONU Catholic students. I will have Mass for them this Monday at 8am. Anybody is welcome to attend. 

OLL is responsible for staffing the Ada Food Pantry in March. The Food Pantry is located in the basement of the Presbyterian Church, across from the Post Office outside mailbox. It is open Tuesdays from 4 - 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am until noon. Sign up on the sheet in the narthex! 

Another way to help the Ada Food Pantry is by donating food. They currently need canned chicken, canned pasta, canned beans, and peanut butter. There is a box in the narthex to place food donations.

Save the date! We had a good ICC festival planning meeting on Wednesday. Thanks to Lydia Hickey who scheduled and ran the meeting. Though she was tentative about being the chairperson, she was essentially already acting in that role and will continue to do so. Kate Mankey Johnson had done a fabulous job chairing the festival for at least 8 years. She continues to do rehab at Vancrest in Ada so please remember her in your prayers. 

One big change of the festival this year is that we will have one food truck on site, likely one that sells pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, instead of doing the chicken dinners. That might lower our profits, but it will save on the number of volunteers we need for the food line. Ernie still plans on doing the chicken and noodles. We will still have a variety of food options which includes the Mexican food (huge thanks to Brenda Vargas!), brats, popcorn, ice cream, etc.  

The next festival planning meeting is on Wednesday, April 26^th at 6pm. 

The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a corned beef and cabbage dinner on Saturday, March 18 after Mass (5pm to 8pm or until they run out) for St. Patrick’s Day. Donations will be accepted. Carryout will be available. If you wish to pre-order carryout, call Brad Lautar at 419-675-0822 and leave a message of name and how many servings.

Attached are the bulletins, Sunday readings, and Fr. Ferguson’s cat column (which is about the kids at St. Andrew preparing for Confirmation). 

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!      

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!   

God bless!       

Fr. Ed