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Storm Lake Saint Mary's

300 E. Third Street

Storm Lake, IA 50588

PH: 712.732.3110

March 22, 2024

Message from Father Lingle

This weekend we begin the holiest week of the year with the celebration of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. We begin with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where he was hailed as messiah and king only to be crucified days latter. The people of Jesus' day had certain expectations of what the messiah would be and what kind of kingdom he would build. When Jesus failed to be exactly what they wanted, they turned on him, handed him over to death and had him crucified as they looked on. Holy Week is a good time for us to set aside our own expectations of Jesus and the Church he founded. It is an opportunity for us to conform our wills an hearts to his own and to walk the way his suffering, death and resurrection.

I hope that you will join us in these most sacred liturgies. On Saturday evening we will celebrate Palm Sunday in the church without a procession. On Sunday at 9am and 11am we will begin in the parish center and process to the church together. It sounds like the weather will have us doing this inside this year.

On Monday I will be headed to Sioux City for the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of the Epiphany so there will not be a 7:00am Mass. The Bishop will bless the Oil of the Infirm and the Oil of Catechumens as well as consecrate the Sacred Chrism. The priests also renew our priestly promises at this Mass. Please pray for all of us!

Wednesday at 5:00pm will be the last opportunity for confessions before the Sacred Triduum and Easter. Wednesday is also our final RCIA class (for those preparing for the Easter Sacraments) before the Easter Vigil. We are going to have a Holy Hour at 6:30pm with the group to spend some time in prayer as they anticipate the sacraments. It would be a wonderful sign of care for them if you joined us in prayer. We invite any of you to pray with them in the church at 6:30pm. We will have exposition, quiet prayer and conclude with Benediction by 7:30pm. Our two candidates who are joining from other Christian churches will make their First Reconciliation at that time as well. As you know, we have a large group joining the Church this year and that is cause for all of us to gather to thank God in prayer.

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday will be at 6:00pm. We celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood. This will be followed by a Eucharistic procession to the altar of repose in the parish center. The parish center will be open for quiet, private prayer from the end of the procession until 10:00pm. I encourage you to plan to spend a bit of time in prayer before the Lord that evening.

Our Good Friday service will take place at 3:00pm in the church. 3:00pm is the traditional time for this liturgy as it is at that moment the Gospels tell us that Jesus died on the cross. It is the only day in the Church year that Mass is not celebrated. We will listen to the Passion according to St. John, venerate the cross and receive Holy Communion.

The Easter Vigil will begin at 8:00pm outside the east entrance of the church with the blessing of the Easter fire. At this Mass we will celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation and the full reception into the Church of our candidates. There will not be 4pm confessions or the 5pm Mass that evening as it is forbidden.

Our Mass schedule on Easter Sunday is the normal 9am and 11am Masses. We will have the parish center set up for overflow as we had over 250 more people than our seating capacity last Easter Sunday.

This is the week we enter fully into the very mystery of our faith. It is a great grace an blessing. I wish you all a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!

Father Lingle

Wednesday

Holy Hour

@ 6:30pm

Benediction

@ 7:30pm

Holy Thursday Mass

@ 6pm

Good Friday Service

@ 3pm

Saturday Mass @ 8pm, Sunday Mass @ 9am and Spanish Mass @ 11am

Remember the Retired and Infirm Priests Collection Easter Weekend and support the men who have served the church and the faithful for decades. Contribute in your parish's collection at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday.

Quest 2024 Date Change Due to scheduling conflicts with lodging in Rapid City, Quest 2024 has been moved from June 3-7 to June 24-28. This annual trip sponsored by the Vocations Office is open to any high school or college age young men who are looking to grow in their faith with other young men from Northwest Iowa. This trip will be led by Fr. Crotty, Fr. Jones, and the seminarians of the Diocese of Sioux City. We will hike, pray, play paintball, and encourage each other in holiness. To register, please email Michelle in the Vocations Office at michelles@scdiocese.org.

The Diocese of Sioux City is blessed to have 40 retired priests. Some of these men dedicated more than 50 years of their lives to caring for and ministering to others. Even in retirement, these priests continue to give of themselves in countless ways of service for which we are most grateful.

Next weekend, March 30 and 31, the parish will have the Easter Mass collection to help show our appreciation for those priests who have cared for us and ministered to us through the years. Please prayerfully consider how to best support the Retired and Infirm Priests Collection this year. You can also contribute online at scdiocese.org/ripc.

Schedule

Catholic Radio

Siouxland Catholic Radio

KFHC/KOIA 88.1 FM

Tune into Faith in Action at 9 a.m. Monday, March 25. Host Joanne Fox interviews Dr. Mike White, Shelby Hagerdon, and Tracy Bennett about a new movie, The Cross, which details the true story of a cross-burning in Laurens, Iowa, on the property of Dr. White's family in 1922. This program replays at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. Faith in Action is brought to you by Mary's Choice, a Sioux City Pregnancy Resource Center. Previous Faith in Action programs can be found at siouxlandcatholicradio.com, on YouTube, and on a number of other podcasting platforms.

St. Mary's Funeral Planning Guide and Policies

Recently Bishop Nickless issued a letter to the funeral directors in the Diocese of Sioux City reiterating some of our laws and rules as the Catholic Church regarding funerals. This was in response to a document from the Vatican about cremation that addressed some of the abuses that have become common. This is also a good time to look at our practices as a parish. As we continue to face the reality of an aging population, fewer priests, and larger parish territories, we have to continue to adjust and educate on how and why we do things. It is time for us to provide an updated guide and reiterate some general rules and policies regarding the funeral rituals of the Church. We will also be doing the same with marriages. Please see the attached document to assist you in planning a funeral in the parish. We will also provide this to our funeral directors in the area so that everyone is on the same page.

Father Lingle