St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish News
July 23, 2020
Dear St. Mary Star of the Sea Parishioners,
Greetings in Christ! My name is Fr. Matt Miller, the new associate at the Cathedral and St. Mary Star of the Sea. I’ve been so grateful to be here and serve you all. There are many of you that I have not had the chance to meet, so perhaps a brief introduction would be helpful.
I originally hail from Hinckley, Minnesota, and I have one older sister who is happily married to her husband Aaron. They live in the Woodland neighborhood and have one son (my Godson, in fact) who I happily spoil. My parents’ names are Tom and Lynn, and they, in fact, recently moved to the Woodland neighborhood without knowing that I was going to assigned to Duluth. Thank goodness for God’s providence! I am grateful for my family’s witnesses to the Catholic faith, and for teaching me to live the faith well.
I attended Hinckley-Finlayson Schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and I graduated in 2012. I attended the College of St. Scholastica for one year before I joined St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas. After graduating from there in 2016, I studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2016-2020. On 26 June 2020, I was ordained a priest at the Cathedral here in Duluth. I am incredibly grateful for my seminary formation, as my years in seminary formed me well, and taught me the importance of being a faithful and holy priest.
In 2015, I actually lived at the Cathedral during the summer while I was working at Calvary Cemetery. Some of you may remember me from that, even though I was not primarily serving the parish. I did, later on in seminary, have two summer assignments at parishes that I am grateful for, with priests that will be familiar to you. During the summer of 2018, I served at the parishes of Crosby and Garrison with Fr. Eli Gieske (your former associate), and last summer, I served in the Brainerd Lakes Region with Father Tony Wroblewski, your new pastor. These two summers displayed to me the joys of priestly life.
So far, I have found priesthood to be incredibly life-giving. Particularly, I find that ministering to parishioners and families is one of the most life giving-parts of being a priest. If you want to get to know me, then, you’ll have to have me over sometime! I look forward to meeting you all, I pray that I will be able serve you well! Please pray for me!
- Fr. Matt
WELCOME FR. ANTHONY & FR. MATTHEW!:
The Cathedral of Our Lady and St. Mary Star of the Sea parishes are delighted to welcome Fr. Anthony Wroblewski and Fr. Matthew Miller as our new priests. Fr. Anthony comes to us after serving many years at St. Francis and All Saints Catholic Churches in Brainerd and Fr. Matthew was just ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Duluth this June.
We thank God for the gift of your faith-filled lives and your dedicated service!
We thank God for the gift of your faith-filled lives and your dedicated service!
FACE MASK REQUIREMENT:
The City of Duluth has mandated the wearing of face masks in all public indoor places including churches. Please wear a mask when inside St. Mary Star of the Sea. There are exemptions for those who are unable to medically tolerate face coverings and for children under 10. We have extra masks available in each of the entrances. Thank you.
LECTORS NEEDED:
We are looking for lectors for the month of August. Email or call the parish office by Monday, July 27 to sign up. There are five weeks to fill in the month of August plus the 6 PM Vigil Mass on August 14 for the Assumption of Mary. The office will email or mail the final schedule. Thank you!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY NEWS:
Please continue to support us however you can, especially with your prayers. We are still here! Questions, call Deacon Jim at 218-348-6258. We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month in the Social Hall. Social distancing will be observed. If you don’t have mask of your own please let us know. We look forward to serving our neighbors
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 26 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.
FORMED.ORG:
Pick of the Week: Extraordinary Stories for Children
Children as young as five and adults of all ages will enjoy the colorful, engaging film. The film features eleven different stories that introduce children to this humble priest's spirituality and ministry. Each segment features a child who tells a fascinating and true story about Blessed Solanus. As the story unfolds, another child colors a large drawing that is eventually revealed to be a colorful illustration of the segment.
The film was written and produced by veteran Michigan filmmakers Dr. Stan and Pam Williams under their SWC Films banner and was directed principally by Kelly Nieto, the creator of The Cross and the Light stage musical. The original orchestral score was created by Royal Oak, Michigan composer James Stonehouse. Famed Catholic illustrator and graphic novel artist, Sean Lam, created the drawings.
Although ordained a priest, Bl. Solanus Casey never received permission to hear confessions or preach a sermon. He celebrated the Eucharist each day and carried on his apostolic work not in a pulpit or confessional, but in a tiny office. He was the friary doorkeeper whom people by the thousands visited, seeking counsel and spiritual guidance. Bl. Solanus spent his life in the service of people. He was always ready to listen to anyone at any time, day or night. He faithfully served the people by providing soup for the hungry, kind words for the troubled, and a healing touch for the ill. Because of his holiness, St. John Paul II declared him Venerable in 1995. In May 2017, Pope Francis announced that Fr. Solanus would be Beatified. Venerable Solanus was elevated to Blessed November 18 at Ford Field, Detroit, witnessed by 60,000.
Sign up for free at formed.org/signup.
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!
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!
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.