St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish News
July 2, 2020
Dear St. Mary Star of the Sea Parishioners-
BISHOP-ELECT PETER IN SOUTH DAKOTA: Our Rector and Pastor is now in Rapid City. The weekend of June 27th & 28th Fr. Peter celebrated his final Masses as a priest in the Diocese of Duluth before his episcopal ordination. This will take place on Thursday July 9th at 11 am (CT) in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City, SD. The ordination will be live-streamed at www.rapidcitydiocese.org. In addition, for those who are unable to access the live-stream or would prefer to participate in the Social Hall of our Cathedral, we will set-up the live-stream of the ordination here.
IN THE MEANTIME: I will “hold down the fort” at the Cathedral and St. Mary Star of the Sea in the absence of Fr. Peter. It is a reminder and opportunity to thank God for our parishes’ phenomenal staff and volunteers! This first weekend in Fr. Peter’s absence I am covering all 5 Masses. I thank Fr. Seamus Walsh for his generous willingness to assist with Masses on Mondays and Thursdays and the weekend of July 11 & 12 at St. Mary Star of the Sea!
SENDING AND RECEIVING: On Wednesday July 15 following 7 am Mass at the Cathedral and 12:10 pm Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea I will be “sent” to my new priestly assignment in Chisholm and Buhl. That afternoon our parishes will be receiving Fr. Tony Wroblewski and Fr. Matthew Miller. I often recall words spoken at the Cathedral of St. Paul at the time of then Fr. (Bishop) Paul Sirba’s being sent to us; the Archbishop stated, “The priesthood is a missionary call.” To be a priest is to be always ready to be sent whether that is to someone’s bedside to bring the “last rites” or to another parish in need or in Bishop Elect’s Michael Mulloy and Peter’s situation – even to another diocese. I was quite impressed and inspired by Bishop Elect Michael Mulloy’s press conference here in Duluth on Friday June 19. Among words he shared he said, “I look forward to doing whatever it is that God wants me to do here. You learn to love where you are and you learn to love where God places you. I don’t care if the winters are hard, I know they are. These things are really secondary to being with people and serving them. It’s my new home. It’s where God has planted me for this part of my life.”
For those who didn’t see the press conference of our new bishop-elect I encourage you to check it out. It is available at www.dioceseofduluth.org
-Fr. Paul Strommer
BISHOP-ELECT PETER PREPARES FOR HIS EPISCOPAL ORDINATION:
Watch this engaging video with Fr. Tony Wroblewski (our soon-to-be pastor) and Bishop-elect Peter Muhich. It is a wonderful explanation of some of the garments and items Fr. Peter will be wearing as Bishop in Rapid City!
FR. PAUL WILL SOON BE LEAVING FOR HIS NEW PARISHES IN CHISHOLM AND BUHL:
Join us on Tuesday, July 14th at the Cathedral to say farewell to Fr. Paul. An hour of Adoration and a Rosary will be held from 6 -7 PM and after the hour of prayer, Fr. Paul will be in front of the Cathedral to say goodbye to all who wish to stop by! If you are unable to attend for the full time, feel free to come for the portion that you are able.
EPISCOPAL ORDINATION LIVE-STREAM:
View the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect Peter Muhich by Archbishop Bernard Hebda in the presence of Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Papal Nuncio to the United States, on Thursday, July 9 at 11 AM CST. Go to the Rapid City Diocesan website at www.rapidcitydiocese.org.
For those who are unable to view the live-stream from home, we will be offering a viewing of the ordination in the Social Hall at the Cathedral. Please call 218-728-3646 if you plan to attend!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRAYER:
Come and join Deacon Dick outside in front of the Mary statue every Wednesday at 6 PM to pray the Rosary and Sunday scriptures, weather permitting.
CLEANING MINISTRY:
Help is needed cleaning the church after weekend Masses. Cleaning supplies and gloves are provided. You are encouraged to bring and wear your own mask. Many hands make light work!
HOLY WATER BOTTLES AND HAND SANITIZER:
We have a limited supply of both at the church!
For holy water bottles, please bring your own. It should be clean inside and out. A little remaining paper on the outside of the bottle is acceptable. If you need more than a small bottle, bring your own filled water bottle and ask Father to bless it.
For hand sanitizer, if you have any at home, please bring your own supply to church. It will assist us in helping you to stay healthy!
PARISH NURSE OFFICE HOURS:
Parish Nurse Nancy Turchi holds office hours Tuesdays from 1 PM to 5 PM each week. She can be reached at 218-722-3078 ext. 13.
WEEKLY BULLETIN:
The Sunday bulletin for July 5 includes the weekly stewardship report and Mass intentions for the week ahead.
A limited number of paper copies are printed and placed at church entrances. If you know of someone who does not have internet access, please let them know that the bulletin will be available at church entrances. If they prefer to have the bulletin mailed to them, please ask them to call our office.
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STEWARDSHIP, OFFERTORY COLLECTION, & FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Thank you for your continued financial support of our parish. Your contributions have enabled us to continue the important work and mission of St. Mary Star of the Sea!
As the option for public Masses resumes, you will now have the opportunity to make your contribution when you attend a weekend Mass. Out of an abundance of caution, the ushers will not be bringing collection baskets through the pews. Instead, we will place a collection basket at the main entrance of the church where donations can be placed before or after Mass.
Contributions can also be mailed or dropped off at the parish office at 325 E. 3rd Street Duluth, MN 55805 or made through our online giving platform at https://www.duluthcathedral.com/ and clicking on the Giving Tab, then St. Mary Star of the Sea Fund. Please contact Lauren McCracken, Business Manager at 218-728-3646 or lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org if you need assistance.
UNITED CATHOLIC APPEAL
During these challenging times “You are the Light of the World.” The work of Christ and the mission of the Church continue within our parish and diocese. You make this happen. Please prayerfully consider a gift to the United Catholic Appeal this year.
There are various giving options for you to choose from depending on how you prefer to contribute. You are able to mail your gift in the envelope enclosed in the recent mailing or give throughout the year by using your yellow UCA envelopes. If you would like to donate to UCA online, please contact Lauren McCracken at 218-728-3646 or lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org to set this up. You change lives, including your own through your prayer and sacrificial generosity. Thank you for the gift you are to this parish community!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
Please continue to support us however you can, especially with your prayers. We are still here! For the month of July, due to the holiday weekend we are meeting July 9 and 16 at 6 PM in the Social Hall. Social distancing will be observed. If you do not have a mask of your own please let us know. We look forward to serving our neighbors.
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
Questions? call Dcn. Jim at 218-348-6258 or email dcn.jim.philbin@duluthcatholic.org.
CATHEDRAL JOB OPPORTUNITY:
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary is hiring a part-time (20 hours/week) Building Maintenance/Assistant Boiler Engineer. This position includes assisting in building operations, and maintaining the boiler, equipment and grounds at the Cathedral and Stella Maris Academy - Holy Rosary Campus. Please see the full job description.
To apply, send a cover letter and resume to Lauren McCracken at lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org. Questions can be directed to Lauren via email or phone at 218-728-3646.