St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Parish

1 St. Mary s Immaculate Conception Parish JUNE 24, 2018 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist 7176 Esker Road, Custer, WI 54423 Phone: 715-592-4330 Website: Mass Intentions Sunday, June 24, 10:00 +John Britz, Loretta Britz, George & Elaine Pulchinski by Karen & Brian Britz Followed by the Litany for Liberty Followed by Pot Luck in our Parish Hall Tuesday, June 26, @ SH 8:15 +The Wanserski family by Val & Jeanette Blaskey Followed by the Litany for Liberty Wednesday, June 27, 8:15 +Dolores Ganski-Wierzba by Jean Miller Followed by the Litany for Liberty *Fr.

2 Michaud will be in La Crosse Thursday through Saturday afternoon for Priest Unity Days Thursday, June 28, @ SH 8:15 Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Holy Communion Followed by the Litany for Liberty Friday, June 29 , 8:15 Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Holy Communion Followed by the Litany for Liberty Saturday, June 30, @ SH 3:15 Confession 4:00 +Parishioners of Sacred Heart & St.

3 Mary s Sunday, July 1, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 @ SH +Lester & Esther Kluck by Daughter Carol 10:00 +Prosper & Evelyn Gosh by Family Pastor (715) 592-4221 Father Gregory Michaud In case of emergency please call 906-282-2049 Fr.

4 Michaud s OFFICE HOURS Wednesday: 9:30 3:30 Senior Priest in Residence Fr. Roy Witucki Secretary-Donna Wierzba Bookkeeper-Diane Wysocki CCD Coordinator-Jessica Bielen Custodian-Jeanne Hintz Maintenance/Grounds keeping-Kenny Rozek ** MARRIAGE PREPARATION If you plan to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage you must begin your preparation with Father at least 6 months prior to your wedding date. CLERGY Parish STAFF Parish Mission Statement St Mary s Parish is a practicing Catholic Community providing spiritual, social and educational opportunities for all God s people that we may deepen our love of God and one another through prayer and deed.

5 Raffle Tickets for our Church Picnic on Sunday, August 26th are available in the entrance of the church. PLEASE pick them up today! St. Mary s I. C. Parish 2017-18 DIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL Parish GOAL: $16, PLEDGE RECEIVED $20, We have exceeded our goal: $3, This money has been refunded back to our Parish . Our THANKS to those who have contributed. If you made a pledge to our Annual Appeal PLEASE send it to the Diocese by June 28th. Any additional contributions to this years appeal will be refunded back to St Mary s. Please drop your card in the collection or mail it in.

6 Extra cards are in the entrance of the Church. Weekly Financial Support JUNE 17, 2018 Total: $ Envelopes $ Offertory $ Building Fund $ collection for the Cure GM1 foundation $ BUY SCRIP JULY 8th & 22nd in the Church entrance. June SCRIP Sales = $13, Profit = $ ENVELOPES FOR MONTHLY BUILDING FUND DONATIONS: Donation envelopes for the Ground Level Hall and Church Renovations can be found in your Parish Support envelopes.

7 This project is for current and future generations of St. Mary s parishioners. Please be generous. WHAT TO DO WITH CREMAINS Dear Family, It was brought to my attention not long ago that there is a growing industry built around making the remains of someone who has been cremated into jewelry. There was even an article on it in the Central Wisconsin Sunday paper. The article tries to show these things as artistic works. Though there is art involved, in the case highlighted, in making the glass that surrounds the ashes, it is anything but. As you read on, please keep this in ashes of the body of the deceased are no different than the non-cremated parts of a body, they just look different.

8 So, first let s look at this from a stand point of practicality. People lose jewelry all the time. What would you think if the remains of a person who wasn t cremated were lost? It would be cause for great concern, and rightly so. What if family member of friend decided to keep a finger or toe as a keep sake? That would be utterly unacceptable! Yet, the cremated remains of a body are still the body, no different than the remains of a non-created body. How would dishonorable would it be to lose part of the remains of a loved one? This leads to the next issue which is found in our Corporal Works of Mercy.

9 God tells us to BURY THE DEAD! That s not my command or even Pope Francis command, it is God s. Lastly, from a legal standpoint, this jewelry is bought and sold. At present there is little to be found in the code of law, at least in Wisconsin, to guide what can be done legally. We must remember, however, that not all state and federal laws are moral. Simply take the legalization of abortion as the prime example. Therefore, even if the state says it s legal to make this jewelry and sell it, is it moral? It clearly is not. The Church allows for cremation but under very specific guidelines which are summarized in an online article from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

10 The article states in These practices [not burying the cremated remains] promote heretical ideas and can be dangerous from a faith perspective. This is why the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued updated guidelines. According to the new guidelines, burial is still preferred, but cremation is an option. When a loved one has been cremated, their ashes must be kept intact, the same as one would treat a body. The ashes may not be separated or scattered. Instead, they should remain in a proper vessel that is interred in a proper place, such as a cemetery or church. Only the bishop can authorize an exception to this storage requirement in extraordinary circumstances.