St.

Marys Catholic Church

November 18, 2012 P.O. Box 70 Malta, MT 59538 Email: smp1435@hotmail.com www.SaintMarysMalta.org Fr. Cory StichaAdministrator Office: (406) 654-1446 RE Center: (406) 654-1311 Fax: (406)654-1467

Mass Schedule and Intentions

Nov. 19: Malta - 5:30 PM: For Monte Sticha r/b KofCs Nov. 20: Malta - 8:30 AM: For Jim & Mary Brady r/b Tom Golik Nov. 21: Malta - 8:30 AM: For Bessie & Delmar LaBrie Nov. 22 - Happy Thanksgiving!: Malta - 10:00 AM: For deceased members of KofC Council 2124 (No Holy Hour this week) Nov. 23: Malta - 8:30 AM: For priests intention Nov. 24: Malta - 5:30 PM: For Jack Munsinger r/b KofCs Nov. 25: Dodson - 8:30 AM: For Lorri Williams r/b Wanda Durocher Malta - 10:00 AM: For the parishioners Saco - 12:15 PM: For Helen DePuydt r/b Tom Golik Confessions: Saturdays 4 - 5 p.m., 1/2 hour before daily Mass (Mon.- Fri.) or by appointment Baptism: Normally celebrated at Sunday Mass. Parental sessions are required. Marriages: Six month couple preparation period required. Please Contact Fr. Cory before scheduling marriage date.

St. Marys Ministers

Saturday, November 24 - 5:30 PM Mass Lectors: Willie Doll & Madeline Itcaina Servers: Reba Doucette & Colt French Hospitality: Mark French Family Music: Kari Hould EMHCs: Jerry Depute & Linda Manoukian Gift Bearers: Mark French Family Sacristan: Jerry Depute Sunday, November 25 - 10:00 AM Mass Lectors: Mary Brady & Megan Johnson Servers: Parker & Raina Mortenson Hospitality: Corky LaBrie & Jack Stenswick Music: Kerri Cornish EMHCs: Jim Brady, Jill Hould, & Diane Liebel Gift Bearers: Denny Salsbery Family Sacristan: Corky LaBrie

Collection Totals for Last Week

Malta: Dodson: Saco: Collected $1,798.00 $Not avail. $91.41 Needed $2,758.26 $440.37 $183.05

Care & Share for 2012

(Includes remainder of 2011 assessment) Malta/WW: Dodson: Saco: Income $18,077.00 $3,565.00 $835.00 Assessment $37,668.32 $4,824.22 $1,613.43

Sacred Heart Ministers

November 25, 2012 Lector: Connie EMHCs: Bonnie & Don Gift Bearers: Nick Hopkins Church Cleaning for November: Tammy Wyse

Any announcements for next Sundays bulletin need to be in by 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Ministers: Please come early to serve as greeters!

Holy Fathers Prayer Intentions for November 2012

(Each month, Pope Benedict chooses two prayer intentions, one for the concerns of the whole church and one for missionaries. We are invited to join the Holy Father in praying for these intentions.) General Intention: Ministers of the Gospel. That bishops, priests, and all ministers of the Gospel may bear the courageous witness of fidelity to the crucified and risen Lord. Missionary Intention: Pilgrim Church. That the pilgrim Church on earth may shine as a light to the nations.

Please keep in your prayers:

Bessie LaBrie, Rich Nordquist, Joann Evans, Loretta Patrick, Lila Raymond, Sherman Doucette, Andrew Scott, Skip Erickson, Kathleen Jorgenson, Vera Mendelson, Noel Emond, Jack Munsinger, James Cantos, Jeanie Engebretson, Dawn Jones, Gloria Coombs, Larry Holmes, repose of the soul of Debbie Painter, Dave ONeil, Stella Faydo, Mae & Gay LaFond, Kathy (Hould) Iannacchione, Connie Wilkes, All of Our Military, especially those from our local area, & the Poor Souls. Anyone who needs to have prayers said for someone can call: Allie Ereaux at 654-1012; Jean Niebur at 654-2822; or Doris Nicholson at 6542692. Names will be listed in the bulletin for one month unless specified.

Year of Faith Holy Hour

The first step in growing as faithful Christians is to develop our prayer life, both as individuals and as a community. To help in this growth, we are offering weekly Holy Hours at St. Marys on Thursday evenings at 7 PM. These Holy Hours will include Holy Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, devotional prayer and Benediction, as well as time for silent prayer before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Faithful Citizenship Quote

"As chief teachers in the Church, we must therefore explain, persuade, correct and admonish those in leadership positions who contradict the Gospel of life through their actions and policies. Catholic public officials who disregard Church teaching on the inviolability of the human person indirectly collude in the taking of innocent life" (US Bishops, Living the Gospel of Life, 1998, n. 29).

Additional Confessional Times

More Confession times are now available! Fr. Cory will be in the Confessional 1/2 hour before daily Mass MondayFriday, in addition to the regular 4-5 PM on Saturday. He will continue to be available by request before Mass in Dodson, and after Mass in Saco.

Care Cups
Please donate coffee cups/mugs to the church basement for use in providing Care Cups. These cups are used in the patient rooms at our hospital as a reminder that we care about them and are praying for them. Madeline Itcaina fills these cups with goodies and distributes them to the Phillips County Hospital with our help. Thank You!

Knights of Columbus

Dec. 9 - Pancake Brunch after Mass Dec. 11 - Meeting Dec. 9 or 16 - Possible 1st degree ceremony

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Starts at 9:00 AM Benediction at 6:00 PM Join us on December 7th!

Scriptural Rosary
Will be held on November 11, 2012 at 5:00 PM at St. Marys Church.

Can you not spend one hour with me?

(Mt 26:40)

New to the Parish? Please fill out this form and drop it into the collection basket, or bring it to the Church Office during the week. You may also use this to give us a new address or phone number.

Name: Address: Telephone:

Mardi Gras/Spring Fling Quilt Donations

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to help defray the costs of making the new quilt for our 2013 raffle. As stated in the previous notice, our expenses were nearly $300 and we are still $115 short of that goal. I would encourage those who have not yet donated to help out so that we can reach that goal. Thank you in advance for your generosity and thank you again to those who have already donated.

Stewardship and Development

Stewardship Thought: The Scripture passages from Daniel and St. Marks Gospel speak of the end of time the second coming of Christ. At that time, we know we will have to give an accounting of our stewardship of Gods blessings to us. For those who are living a life of Christian stewardship to build Gods Kingdom on earth, it will be a time of great joy and celebration of life eternal with God. Development Thought: Oil, gas and mineral interests make great gifts for the benefit of the Catholic Church. As do other types of property, even life insurance policies! Sure, giving cash or stocks/bonds is the most common form of charitable giving, but why not think outside the box? You could make the gift you want to give to our parish, while you are still living, and also potentially solve some personal or estate problems. For free assistance, call Judy Held, Stewardship and Development, at 800-332-9998. To reserve the Parish Basement or other St. Marys facility, please contact Fr. Cory or Lana at the Parish Office.

CD of the Month Club

If we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be continually learning about the faith and growing spiritually. Catechesis, the process of Faith education, doesnt stop at Confirmation or High School graduation, but is a life-long process. To aid in this process, the parish is making available the Lighthouse Catholic Media CD of the Month Club. Every month, a new talk or audiobook excerpt is released. Not only is the current months CD available - No Price too High by Deacon Alex Jones - but a number of previous months CDs can be picked up as well. Each CD averages about 1 hour long, and is filled with great Catholic teaching, uplifting stories, and excellent speakers. Theyre great in the car, working around home, or anywhere you have a CD player! Theyre also excellent resources whenever someone has a question about a teaching of the Catholic Faith. If you or someone you know wants to learn more about the Catholic Faith, or if questions come up, pick one up today!

Religious Education
As many of you know, I have been gone for a while and I thought my letters were getting into the bulletin but the parish office has not been receiving them....I am very sorry about that especially since I am pretty sure I had some profound things to say!!! Each family should have received this last week at RE, a letter explaining that we need to do our Virtus, "keeping our children safe", viewing for this year. The letter states that if anyone does not want their child to view these short videos, to please let us know. Also if a parent wants to view them before making a decision, we will do a pre view on Nov 28. The students will view them on Dec 5th. If you have any questions on this, please call me on my cell phone 654-4675. In many of our classes, we have been doing a lot of "out reach work". Writing to our soldiers, visiting and playing games at the Hi Line Retirement Center. and collecting food for the food drive. A couple of weeks ago, the readings at Mass were about taking care of and loving one another. Doing this "outreach", is one of the ways we can do that. There will be no class on Wed before Thanksgiving. We pray for a meaningful Thanksgiving and for remembering all that we have to be thankful for. God's blessings on us Di

Mass Intentions
As Catholics, we have a long tradition of having Masses celebrated for those we wish to offer up in prayer. The Mass is the ultimate form of prayer, and each Mass is celebrated for an intention. Please consider having Masses celebrated for family and friends on special occasions and anniversaries, as well as those who are in need of prayers. Masses are also encouraged in memory of those loved ones who have died, especially on the anniversaries of their deaths. Contact Fr. Cory for more information!

Sacred Heart PCCW Meeting

1st Sunday of each month immediately after Mass.

We Pray Together
Prayer for the New Evangelization
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? Romans 10: 13-15 Heavenly Father, Pour forth your Holy Spirit to inspire me with these words from Holy Scripture. Stir in my soul the desire to renew my faith and deepen my relationship with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ so that I might truly believe in and live the Good News. Open my heart to hear the Gospel and grant me the confidence to proclaim the Good News to others. Pour out your Spirit, so that I might be strengthened to go forth and witness to the Gospel in my everyday life through my words and actions. In moments of hesitation, remind me: If not me, then who will proclaim the Gospel? If not now, then when will the Gospel be proclaimed? If not the truth of the Gospel, then what shall I proclaim? God, our Father, I pray that through the Holy Spirit I might hear the call of the New Evangelization to deepen my faith, grow in confidence to proclaim the Gospel and boldly witness to the saving grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for Religious Liberty

O GOD OUR CREATOR, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us this great land will always be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Family Prayer for the Year of Faith

O God our Father, in Jesus you call all Christian families and homes to be signs of living faith. By the light of the Holy Spirit, lead us to be thankful for the gift of faith, and by that gift may we grow in our relationship with Jesus, your Son, and be confident witnesses to Christian hope and joy to all we meet. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Schedule of Devotions
Mother of Perpetual Help: Before Tuesday Mass. Rosary: Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Hi-line Center - After Thursday 10 a.m. Mass Follow us on Facebook and Twier!

Facebook.com/SaintMarysMalta

Twier: @SaintMarysMalta

LIFE MATTERS: MARRIAGE, THE SANCTUARY OF LIFE

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother / and be joined to his wife, / and the two shall become one flesh. / This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). St. Paul could not have been more correct. This Christian teachingthat marriage and the relationship between Christ and the Church, shed light on each otherremains a great mystery. What can it mean? At the very least, it must mean that marriage is a far weightier matter than bridal magazines and television shows indicate. It also means that God himself made marriage, and had it in mind when he made two opposite sexes who are able to become one flesh. Finally, from the reference to Christ and his Church, we get the distinct impression that marriagelike the relationship between God and the People of Godmight involve great sacrifice for the other, total fidelity, and not a few ups and downs. enjoy their newly elevated incomes alone, or that fidelity is well-nigh impossible (and maybe not even desirable). Christianity points to a life so different from this life of calculated self-interest that it is difficult to see how Catholics can wrap their minds around it while still living in this world. Any adequate reply will have at least one foot planted firmly in the ample modern data showing that the Catholic way of marriage works to support the flourishing of individuals, families and communities. It will have its other foot planted firmly in an understanding of the dignity to which God has called each of us, made in his image and likeness as male or female, and called to live as he lived, in love and service to the other unto death. Starting with the last point, Blessed Pope John Paul II could not have been clearer in his Encyclical letter The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae, no. 81): The meaning of life is found in giving and receiving love. For most people, that meaning is discovered in marriage. Even today, about 80% of Americans marry by age 40. It is no surprise that John Paul II calls marriage the primordial (i.e., the first, most fundamental) sacrament, and the central point of the sacrament of creation (Pope John Paul II, Wednesday Audience, Oct. 6, 1982). In other words, and simplified greatly, the authentic gift of self between a man and a woman in marriage is bound up with the mystery of Christ and the Church. In this sacrament, husband and wife make visible the invisible grace of the perpetual, fruitful love of Christ, who as Son of God belongs to an eternal communion of love known as the Trinity. God desired to enter into the most intimate communion with his creation by coming among us, as one of usJesus Christ, true God and true manand by giving himself for the life of the world. Married couples manifest this invisible reality of communion through a lifetime of mutual, perpetual self-donation, which is also the source of procreation. It seems odd to modern ears, no doubt, that we talk about this very human, very common, highly imperfect experience of romantic and practical love we call marriage, as a glimpse of God. It takes some getting used to. But that is what we are called to do because that is what marriage is. Marriage is both a gift and a task (to borrow more language from John Paul II). Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI have reminded us further, and in gorgeous terms, that our dignity as human beings demands nothing less than what marriage is. In other words, when spouses say to each other I love you, and I wish to have children with you, nothing less than all their lives, nothing less than all their persons, will do.

The New Testaments direct teachings on marriageSt. Pauls above, and Jesus in Matthew 19:6 (what God has joined together, no human being must separate)were prefigured in the Old Testaments many allusions to the marital qualities of the relationship between God and Israel, right down to calling Israel an adulteress when she strayed from fidelity to God. How far is this picture from our modern conversations about marriage which, when they are not about the gown or the destination wedding, still verge on the economic and the utilitarian? Not a week goes by that we dont read about a new study or survey talking about young men and women making strategic decisions about marriage based on their educational plans, their incomes, and/or their desires to consume certain experiences and adventures before settling down to the adult life of marriage and children. Increasingly frequent, too, are stories or studies purporting to show the death of marriage on the grounds that a sexually-active single life or cohabitation are essentially superior, or that women would do better to

Sadly for some, it is only on the occasion of the dissolution of a marriage that it becomes clear just how essential the other spouses love and fidelity was in securing a sense of security and self-worth. Yet most of us have been fortunate enough to witness a marriage in which the spouses actually achieve a level of mutual selfdonation which makes the full meaning of marriage more clear than any description can manage. It opens our eyes to the possibilities. It has also become quite apparent today that the Catholic model of marriagefaithful, exclusive, permanent and procreativeworks. In fact, it is the model that Americans in general long for, whether Catholic or not. High school and college students regularly answer surveys on marital aspirations by ranking both lifelong marriage and parenting quite high among possible life goals. In fact, Americans who take pains to avoid some of the most common impediments to successful marriage among them, cohabitation and nonmarital childbearing are more likely to achieve a marriage that is lasting and includes children. Both they and their children then reap many of the advantages of marriage: marital and financial stability, emotional security and educational attainment, among many others. Sadly, more and more researchers are discovering that other Americans are less likely to marry, more likely to cohabit, and far more likely to give birth to children outside of marriage than in past decades. Even from a purely secular perspective, this is troubling. Researchers have written at length about how marriage introduces human beings to the possibility of loving non-kin, those who are not our blood relatives. They have discovered the association between learning to love a spouse and children sacrificially and wholeheartedly, and the development of self-discipline, generosity and altruism. And economic evidence has demonstrated in cold, hard numbers the extent to which marriage is the fundamental cell of society. In communities where marriage is weak, the economy suffersand more family members, especially the very old and the young, require support from the state. Marriage is not just one choice among many in a persons life. It is not a mere contract with another person, more or less lasting, for an exchange of love and good times. It is not even merely a status that the state assigns to your relationship if you fulfill the legal requirements for entering into marriage. Catholics hold that marriage is a vocation, a call. It is a way of life that offers continual opportunities to be in loving service to the other. Marriage has a way of calling us to make this happen, and of making us want it to happen. It is both a splendid reality and serious business.

It is not to be entered into in an unthinking way. The person you marryand his or her salvationis a permanent part of your own path to salvation. Clearly God is in the midst of it. Consider that the majority of those who marry still do hold onto one another until separated by death. And so, if you thought marriage was a grand calling, a dramatic part of existence, you would be right. Helen M. Alvar, Esq. is an Associate Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law and is a consultant to the Bishops Committee on Pro Life Activities.

SECRETARIAT OF PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington, DC 20017-1194 Tel: (202) 541-3070 Fax: (202) 541-3054 Website: www.usccb.org/prolife
Excerpt from Bl. John Paul II, The Gospel of Life (1995), used with permission of Libreria Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations, unless noted, are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms 1991, 1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used with permission. All rights reserved. Models used for illustrative purposes only. Veer Images. All rights reserved. Copyright 2012, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.