Knowing how everyone is eagerly awaiting the next installment on my latest travels, I'm going to pause a moment and keep you on the edge of your seat and take this opportunity to reflect on the joy and rebirth that is central to not just Easter Sunday, but the entire Easter Season of 50 days.

****ATTENTION LADIES***** TUESDAY, APRIL 15th ***** is our special "DAY OF PRAYER AND REFLECTION" at Circle Lake Retreat Center in Pinehurst, Texas. The topic will be "What is prayer? How does one find time to pray in today's busy world?" Our day will be conducted by Sister Mary Dennison, and Mrs. Diane Whitely. Sister Mary is a Cennacle Sister of the Order of the Ladies of the Retreat in the Cennacle. She is the Director of the Spiritual Direction Institute. Our day will begin at 9am and should end around 2:30 to 3:00. The Altar Society is providing a catered luncheon, and SO WE WILL NEED A DEFINITE RSVP BEFORE TUESDAY APRIL 8TH. Please e-mail ANN LAMBERT at mum_lambert@yahoo.net or by phone at 936-448-4926.

St. Mary's ~ St. Joseph's
MEN'S RETREAT

The Fourth Annual St. Mary's / St. Joseph 's Men's Retreat will be held April 25, 26 & 27, 2008
at the Holy Name Retreat Center in Houston , Texas .
The theme for this year's retreat Is "Christian Living in a Secular World."

TOP TEN REASONS FOR ATTENDING A MEN'S RETREAT AT THE
HOLY NAME PASSIONIST RETREAT CENTER

10. The Priests and the Holy Name Retreat Center Staff are wonderful hosts;

9. No chores, honeydos' or family carpooling from Friday evening to Sunday after noon;

8. No interruptions from cell phones, pagers or Blackberries for a whole weekend;

7.Best value in town--private room with private bath for 2 nights with 6 great meals for a "suggested donation" of $165.00;

6. Opportunity to get better acquainted with fellow parishioners and diocesan brothers;

5. Chance to share a wonderful experience with a son, father, brother, friend, etc.;

4. Beautiful chapel, grounds and facilities for meditation, relaxation and reflection;

3. Outstanding presentations relative to our everyday challenges;

2. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Lord's Supper;

AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON

1. Quality, quantity and personal time with our Savior.

Remember, the weekend of the St. Mary/St. Joseph's Men's Retreat is the last weekend of the Holy Name Retreat Season for 2008. To date we have 26 men from St. Mary's signed up for this year's retreat. There are nine other parishes attending on our weekend and many

parishes use the last scheduled weekend. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, PLEASE DON'T WAIT TOO LONG TO SEND IN YOUR $25 DEPOSIT TO RESERVE A ROOM. SPACE IS LIMITED AND WILL BE FILLED ON A FIRST COME-FIRST SERVED BASIS."

For information on the drawing for a free retreat for first timers at Holy Name,
Or on this year's retreat and how to obtain registration forms, please call
Fred Seale at 936-582-7095 or at fseale2@yahoo.com.

Don't forget the Guardian Angels Monthly Officers' meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 10:00am in the SM FLC.

Also... it's BINGO this month ... come join us on Thursday, April 17, 2008 in the SM Hall from 10:00am--2:00pm for good food, good company and plenty of fun!

Please keep all of our men and women in the military in your prayers,
especially ..........

Lt. Keith M. Herzog
Headquarters XVIII
Airborne Corps
Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq
(Keith is the son of George, Jr. & Nancy Herzog & the grandson of George, Sr. & Pauline Herzog)

If you have a loved one serving in the armed forces and would like to include them in our prayers, please
contact the parish office by phone at 936-894-2223 or
e-mail at info@smsj.org.

The St. Joseph's Altar Society will be meeting on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, after the 9am mass.

What's Happening This Month??? - APRIL, 2008

St. Mary's Altar Society Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, April 8, 2008 @ 6pm in St. Mary's Hall.

**Proposed bylaw revisions will be read and discussed at this meeting.
Please plan to attend this very important meeting.**

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 3:30PM with Mass to follow at 5:00PM.

We welcome new members to our St. Mary/St. Joseph Conference. We meet once a month, and our purpose is to reach out to those in need while working to improve our own spirituality.

If you are interested in joining, please contact our president
C.J. LeBlanc at 936-597-7924.

The Saint Mary's Men's Club is again sponsoring a scholarship for a student within our Parish. Applicants must be active members of St. Mary/St. Joseph Catholic Church, be a graduating senior and be planning to attend an accredited trade school, college or university in 2008.

Applications are available through the Parish Office and completed applications must be turned in by April 15, 2008. The office contact is Gail Sowell.

St. Mary's Catholic Church Men's Club is sponsoring their Seventh Annual Golf Tournament
at Walden Golf Club on Lake Conroe--Monday, April 14, 2008--10:00am (Rain out date: Monday, May 19)

Includes:
Green Fees--Cart
Box Lunch--Free Drinks
Silent Auction--Dinner
Live Auction--Range Balls

Prizes:
Door Prizes
Win a "CAR" with a Hole-In-One

Format: Four Person Scramble

For More Information Contact:
John Tryon at 936-448-1342 or Neil Rosenberg at 936-873-2579.

St. Mary's Men's Club will be holding their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. in the SM Hall.

CCE APRIL NEWS BUZZZZ

Just a quick reminder that the Festival of Saints will be April 6 th from 3-5 PM.

  GRADES K-6TH
Come out for games, refreshments, and our Saint Costume Contest. We look forward to seeing you all there!!

CONFIRMATION:

Please remember that you should have all of their requirements completed (with exception of the children's festival work) and all of their forms and paperwork tuned in by Wednesday, April 2nd.

CCE SAVE THE DATES:

Confirmation-Saturday April 12 th @ 10:00 A.M.
St. Mary's in Plantersville

First Communion-Saturday April 12 th @ 3:00 P.M.
St. Mary's in Plantersville

LAST DAY OF CCE CLASSES IS WEDNESDAY APRIL 23rd. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR TEACHERS, AIDS, AND OFFICE AIDES WHO VOLUNTEERED THIS YEAR! THANK YOU!!

ALSO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A CATECHIST FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR PLEASE EMAIL, CALL, OR STOP BY THE OFFICE AND FILL OUT ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEER FORMS.

SAVE YOUR EASTER BASKETS!

St. Mary's/St. Joseph's Easter Egg Hunt is coming on Pentecost Sunday, Mother's Day, May 11, 2008.
(This is the day Easter season closes.)

My name is Joshua Welsh. I am a parishioner, choir member and Level III Conformation student at St. Mary's. I am currently working towards completion of my Boy Scout Eagle rank. To complete this rank I must organize and lead a project. I have selected to organize a drive to collect baby items for the Gabriel Project. On May 4, 2008 I will have a baby shower inside the parish hall at St. Mary's. You may donate baby items in the hall anytime that weekend by placing them in the foyer. Thank you in advance for your contributions and support

The Music Ministry of St. Mary's / St. Joseph's has chosen the second weekend in April as our stewardship month. Look for members of our adult choir, the Bells of St. Mary's choir, or our chimes choir in the hall after Masses on this weekend. Try your hand at ringing bells or chimes. Ask any questions you might have about our ministry -- what we do, why we do it, how much of a commitment is involved, or any other thing you would like to know. We welcome all members of our parish community to investigate how they might join our ministry. We have so much talent at St. Mary's. Isn't it time to share some of that talent and dedication with the whole parish in lifting our voices in God's praise? We have a spot for everyone, whether you can sing or not, whether you read music or not, no matter what your age or musical preferences; check us out!

The Catholic communities of St. Mary/St. Joseph extend a heartfelt welcome to the following individuals who joined our Catholic faith at Easter Vigil:

Receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist:
Elaine DeLeon
Sunni Radford

Receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist:
Shawna Cook Grant
Christy Higginbotham
Daniel Polhamus

BAPTISM PREPARATION CLASSES
Scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd @ St. Mary’s from 9-12 in the Family Life Center with Baptisms to follow on May 18th

Preparation classes for baptism are a requirement for parents or expectant parents of children up to 5 years old and are generally held every other month. Godparents are encouraged to attend as well.

We invite you to call early in your pregnancy to register for a class.
Call:
Francell Busa
(936) 870-4145 (fbusa@embarqmail.com),
Gaby Tryon (936) 448-1342,
Anita Thornton (936) 448-2974
En espanol: Maria Pena, (936) 588-4765

The St. Joseph's Altar Society wants to extend their thanks and appreciation to everyone who supported, contributed and attended their Stew Supper on March 13. The evening was a huge success once again. There was lots of food, fun and fellowship and a great time was had by all.

Congratulations to the winners of the raffle prizes:
1st Prize--Handmade Quilt--William Gorney
2nd Prize--Handmade Porch Swing--Jo Ann Kowis
3rd Prize--Rod & Reel--June Lowe
$100 Gift Certificates--3 Winners:
Natalie Uilkie ~ Jay Burzynski ~ Helen Caves

St. Stanislaus Spring Festival
April 27, 2008 ~ 10am--1:30pm

Benefiting the CCE Program

Hamburger / Hot Dog Lunch

Activities:

Small Live Auction
Ring Toss
John Deere Tractor Races
Train Ride
Football / Baseball Booth
Bean Bag Tournament

And many more fun things to do!

Raffle Prizes:

Dell Inspiron 1520 Laptop
Polaroid 19" Widescreen LCD HDTV
Canon 7.1 MP Digital Camera
$100 Savings Bond
$50 Gift Card from Academy

PLANTERSVILLE-STONEHAM
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT.

31st Annual
Bar-B-Que &
Bazaar

Sunday, April 13 ~ 11am til ?
Fire Station--Downtown Plantersville

Raffle ~ Food ~ Drinks ~ Kiddie Entertainment
Games ~ Auction begins at 2pm

Plates: $7.00 each

Any questions, please contact:
Janie Legge at 936-894-2506
Jacki Peacock at 936-894-2464

It's that time of year again . . . .

Time for the St. Joseph's Catholic Church
99th Annual Homecoming Bazaar
in Stoneham , Texas !

When: Sunday, May 27, 2008
Time: 11:00am until ?

Bar-B-Que Dinner beginning at 11:00am
Auction beginning at 2:00pm in Hall
Music from 11:00am until 8:00pm
Lots of fun for the whole family
Games and booths for all ages

~ Wanted ~

* Cakes and Pies for dinner line *
* Cakes for cake booth *
* Items for the auction *
* Volunteers, volunteers & volunteers! *

Don't forget to stop by and
take a peek at the
newly remodeled church.

For more information, contact:
Bo Imhoff at 936-672-4555
or
Mike Wetuski at 936-870-6836

Apr 1: Acts 4:32-37 * Ps 93:1,1-2,5 * Jn 3:7b-15

Apr 2 [St. Francis of Paola]: Acts 5:17-26 * Ps 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9 * Jn 3:16-21

Apr 3: Acts 5:27-33 * Ps 34:2,9,17-18,19-20 * Jn 3:31-36

Apr 4 [St. Isidore]: Acts 5:34-42 * Ps 27:1,4,13-14 * Jn 6:1-15

Apr 5 [St. Vincent Ferrer]: Acts 6:1-7 * Ps 33:1-2,4-5,18-19 * Jn 6:16-21

Apr 6, Third Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14,22-33 * Ps 16:1-2,5,7-8,9-10,11 * 1 Pt 1:17-21 * Lk 24:13-35

Apr 7 St. John Baptist de la Salle: Acts 6:8-15 * Ps 119:23-24,26-27,29-30 * Jn 6:22-29

Apr 8: Acts 7:51--8:1a * Ps 31:3-4,6-8,17,21* Jn 6:30-35

Apr 9: Acts 8:1b-8 * Ps 66:1-3,4-5,6-7 * Jn 6:35-40

Apr 10: Acts 8:26-40 * Ps 66:8-9.16-17,20 * Jn 6:44-51

Apr 11 St Stanislaus: Acts 9:1-20 * Ps 117:1,2 * Jn 6:52-59

Apr 12: Acts 9:31-42 * Ps 116:12-13,14-15,16-17 * Jn 6:60-69

Apr 13, Fourth Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14a,36-41 * Ps 23:1-3,3-4,5,6 * 1 Pt 2:20b-25 * Jn 10:1-10

Apr 14: Acts 11:1-18 * Ps 42:2-3;43:3,4 * Jn 10:11-18

Apr 15: Acts 11:19-26 * Ps 87:1-3,4-5,6-7 * Jn 10:22-30

Apr 16: Acts 12:24--13:5a * Ps 67:2-3,5,6,8 * Jn 12:44-50

Apr 17: Acts 13:13-25 * Ps 89:2-3,21-22,25,27 * Jn 13:16-20

Apr 18: Acts 13:26-33 * Ps 2:6-7,8-9,10-11 * Jn 14:1-6

Apr 19: Acts 13:44-52 * Ps 98:1,2-3,3-4 * Jn 14:7-14

Apr 20, Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 6:1-7 * Ps 33:1-2,4-5,18-19 * 1 Pt 2:4-9 * Jn 14:1-12

Apr 21 [St. Anselm]: Acts 14:5-18 * Ps 115:1-2,3-4,15-16 * Jn 14:21-26

Apr 22: Acts 14:19-28 * Ps 145:10-11,12-13,21 * Jn 14:27-31a

Apr 23 [Sts. George and Adalbert]: Acts 15:1-6 * Ps 122:1-2,3-4,4-5 * Jn 15:1-8

Apr 24 [St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen]: Acts 15:7-21 * Ps 96:1-2,3,10 * Jn 15:9-11

Apr 25 St. Mark: 1 Pt 5:5b-14 * Ps 89:2-3,6-7,16-17 * Mk 16:15-20

Apr 26: Acts 16:1-10 * Ps 100:1-2,3,5 * Jn 15:18-21

Apr 27, Sixth Sunday of Easter: Acts 8:5-8,14-17 * Ps 66:1-3,4-5,6-7,16,20 * 1 Pt 3:15-18 * Jn 14:15-21

Apr 28 [Sts. Peter Chanel and Louis Mary de Montfort]: Acts 16:11-15 * Ps 149:1-2,3-4,5-6,9 * Jn 15:26--16:4a

Apr 29 St. Catherine of Siena: Acts 16:22-34 * Ps 138:1-2,2-3,7-8 * Jn 16:5-11

Apr 30 [St. Pius V]: Acts 17:15,22--18:1 * Ps 148:1-2,11-12,13,14 * Jn 16:12-15