Plans have been finalized for the Celebration of Hayden O'Brien's Life.

Visitation:
St. Mary's
Wednesday, July 2 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Prayer Service & Rosary @ 7:00 p.m.

Funeral Mass
St. Mary's
Thursday, July 3 @ 10:30 a.m.

We were all blessed by knowing this 17-year-old. We continue to pray for him and for Wanda and Tim O'Brien and Hayden's siblings---Emma, Maddie, Tess & Max.

Everyone should have received a packet of raffle tickets for this year's St. Mary's Homecoming Bazaar, to be held Sunday, August 31.

Last year, we made over $33,000 on the raffle, which was a 10% increase over the previous year. Our goal for this year is $37,000; we need your help! Sell or buy the tickets you received in the mail, and pick up some extra tickets to sell outside the church on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

We have an impressive list of raffle prizes this year, thanks to the generosity of our parishioners.

Turn in your tickets in the collection plate, at the church office, or to the Raffle Committee person outside the church every weekend.

Volunteers are needed to sell tickets at neighboring parishes during the month of August. If you are able to help with this, please contact Linda Armstrong at 936-825-0565, or by calling the church office at 936-894-2223. We will also need volunteers to staff the raffle booth at the Bazaar. Sign up now!

Be sure to fill out your "early bird" entry form when returning your tickets. The lucky winner will be selected by drawing at the "Stretch" meeting in August. Good luck!

St. Mary's Annual Bazaar Stretch Dance & Meeting

Sunday, August 3 ~ 4:00-8:00 pm
St. Mary's Parish Hall

St. Mary's Music Ministry is beginning a new program for 3rd through 8th grade students this fall. St. Mary's Choristers will be rehearsing before CCE for one hour in the church every Wednesday (from 6pm - 7pm). Watch for information and registration materials when you register your children for CCE. The Choristers will be singing at regular Sunday Mass approximately once every month and at many special events, such as First Communion, Confirmation, Christmas, and Easter. Help your children to learn about the music of our faith so that they can truly fully participate in worship. For more information, contact Linda Armstrong at 936-825-0565, or leave a message at the church office.

You might have noticed some new sounds coming from the choir loft on Saturdays. We have two new substitute organists who are playing at Saturday evening Masses; Gary Lecamu and Ann Marie Ricci. Gary comes to us from Hempstead, where he was organist for Father Ed when Father was the pastor there years ago. Ann Marie and her husband, John, live in April Sound. She comes with a strong background in Catholic liturgical music and strong musical skills. Please make them welcome! We are so blessed to have such talented and dedicated people to share their skills and dedication with us.

St. Mary's Men's Choir will sing at the 10:30am Mass on Sunday, July 6.
Practices will be held on Mondays, June 23 and June 30 at 7:00pm.

All men are invited to participate in this special liturgy.

The St. Joseph's Bazaar Committee greatly appreciates and thanks the many bazaar workers, volunteers, supporters and donors. Without all these people, the bazaar would not have been the success it was.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

BAPTISM PREPARATION CLASSES
Scheduled for
Saturday, September 6th
@ St. Mary's from 9-12
in the Family Life Center
With
Baptisms to follow September 14th

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

ALL ENGAGED COUPLES
(And all Newly Married Couples)  

Are invited to attend a Free
Marriage Awareness Weekend Event

"God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage"

God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is a video marriage preparation supplement presented by Christopher West that offers engaged and newly married couples a more complete understanding of God's glorious plan for marriage and human sexuality than perhaps any program available in the Church today and is based on Pope John Paul II's The Theology of the Body.

This weekend event is part of your marriage preparation requirements to be married at St. Mary's/ St. Joseph 's Catholic Church. Don't miss it!

Do we both have to attend? Yes, it is advisable for you both to attend this meeting as a couple.

Scheduled date & times: Day 1: Saturday, August 2, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Day 2: Sunday, August 3, 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm

(Lunch, snacks and drinks are provided for each day at no charge)

Do we have to attend both days? Yes, Day 2 is a continuation of the program and is a necessary part of your preparation for marriage .

Where will this be held? St. Mary's Family Life Center

Couples Must Pre-Register (both Engaged & Newly Married):

Please contact Walter/Francell Busa, 936-870-4145 or 936-825-1503 or fbusa@embarqmail.com no later than July 20, 2008.

REMEMBER : Marriage is a Sacrament of the Church and Marriage Preparation is a requirement of the Church and takes both time and effort on your part to accomplish.

St. Mary's 5th Annual Garage Sale
Saturday, July 12, 2008
8:00am--4:00pm

PLANTERSVILLE , TEXAS

Come Rain or Shine !!!
650 Families
have donated items to make
this the biggest Garage Sale in
Montgomery & Grimes Counties

~ Shop til' U Drop ~

Kitchen items/appliances, Antiques, Toys, Bedding, Books, Glassware, Videos, Shoes (matched in pairs), Purses, Jewelry, Hats, Christmas Decorations, Furniture, Baby Items, Auto Accessories, Tools, etc...

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2008
July 21-25 ~ 9:00-11:30am
SonWorld Adventure Park

presents

A Thrilling Ride with Jesus
Children who have just completed Pre-K through
6th grade are invited to attend.
Volunteers are needed.

Call Michelle Mock at 894-2534 or the office at 894-2223.

==========================================

VBS Registration Form

Family Name _______________________________________

Child(ren)'s name(s) Last grade attended

______________________ __________________

______________________ __________________

______________________ __________________

______________________ __________________

Parents' names _____________________________________

Phone numbers _____________________________________

Emergency numbers in case parents' cannot be reached:

Name ___________________________ Number __________

Name ___________________________ Number __________

Does your child have allergies or medical conditions we should be aware of? _______________________________________

We are accepting resumes for applicants for a C.C.E. Administrative Assistant. Job hours will be Wednesdays and Fridays 9:30 - 4:30. Some volunteer time after-office hours may be requested occasionally. Duties will include clerical work and other assignments necessary for the smooth running of the C.C.E. program. Applicants should possess good computer skills and be familiar with MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Desktop Publisher, and should also be able to maintain a web page with HTML knowledge. The chosen applicant will need to receive VIRTUS training if they have not already received it. Please mail or fax resumes to the Church office during the first week in July to:

St. Mary’s/St. Joseph’s C.C.E. or Fax # 936-894-3613

FIRST COMMUNION

To enroll in the First Communion class students should have received the Sacrament of Baptism (copy of Certificate needed for enrollment) and have attended at least one year of C.C.E. prior to enrollment. The Archdiocesan guidelines state:

"Parents have a right and a duty to be intimately involved in preparing their child for First Communion. Parents may do this by their support and encouragement of the spiritual growth of their child through: ... providing opportunities for formal religious education/faith formation."

"The child should be participating in the parish religious education process or the Catholic school religious education formation which provides ongoing, systematic catechesis as set forth in the Diocesan Curriculum Guidelines..."

CONFIRMATION

Our Confirmation program requires two years of ongoing catechesis covering the pillars of faith (as per Archdiocesan Guidelines) prior to or in conjunction with the separate Immediate Sacramental Preparation classes. There are eight ISP classes (scheduled over the course of one year) once a month on Sunday afternoons. The students should have received the Sacraments of Baptism and First Communion prior to enrollment in Confirmation classes (copies of Certificates needed for enrollment).

OUT OF CYCLE

We have an Out of Cycle class for those students who need to get
caught up on their Sacraments.

Being sensitive to our parishioners' concerns about the rising gas prices and realizing that many are looking for ways to cut back on car trips and gas use, we are striving to do our part to help out in the following ways:

During registration we will have sign-up sheets for families who wish to find others to form carpools with. We will help match-up the families.

We have removed some of the class nights we originally had scheduled for next year. (Therefore, it will help our catechists if our families make a concerted effort to have the students arrive on time. This will help allow enough time to cover a full lesson each night and then we can also let classes out on time.) All grades will attend class from 7:00 -- 8:15 p.m.

And for those of you who will be driving your students to class -- don't drive all the way back home during class. Come join our happy team of volunteers! You can be a catechist, a catechist's aide, a monitor, a substitute catechist, or an office aide. We can find a spot for you!

Volunteer cards are available in the Hall on the round table near the doors. Fill the card out and place it in the marked box on the same table.

We are in need of Catechists in the following grades:

1 - Kindergarten Catechist
1 - 1st Grade Catechist
1 - 6th Grade Catechist
2 - 7th Grade Catechists
1 - 8th Grade Catechist
_______________________________________________________________________

Check out our bulletin board in the Hall for C.C.E. information, news and events. Keep watching for an updated C.C.E. link on the church website -- we're working on it!

C.C.E. Registration will be on Sunday, August 17th and Sunday, August 24th in the Hall after the masses. Our Open House and Parent Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 10th at 7:00 p.m. and our first class will be Wednesday, September 17th.

Beginning in August, our C.C.E. Office will be staffed on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00-4:00. If you need to speak with someone or fill out forms there will be someone in our office during this time to help you.
______________________________________________________________________

Confirmation Orientation will be Wednesday, September 10th at 7:45 p.m. in the Hall after the C.C.E. Parent Meeting. All students and at least one parent/guardian must attend. Only these students will be placed in a Confirmation class! If you miss this orientation, you must call and make an individual appointment for the student to be admitted.

How long did you date your beloved? If married, how long were you engaged? If parishioners were asked these questions, answers would vary greatly. So when individuals decide to get to know God and develop an intimate relationship with Him, who are we to know His time-schedule? Each person's journey is based on God's time and God's grace, rather than on our parish calendar and a published RCIA "program."

The Rite itself implores us to respect the individuality of each person's journey: "The rite of initiation is suited to a spiritual journey of adults that varies according to the many forms of God's grace, the free cooperation of the individuals, the action of the Church, and the circumstances of time and place" (RCIA, #5).

Your St. Mary's/St. Joseph's RCIA Team is attempting to meet the needs of all inquirers. While we've begun informal discussions over the phone with people and in the FLC on Sundays, we welcome anyone at any time throughout the year. We urge all parishioners to recognize their Baptismal promise of fulfilling their own Catholic identity by evangelizing to non-Catholics. YOU, too, are a member of our initiation ministry! Please do your part by encouraging others to join our discussions of faith. Check out our Sunday topics, and join us yourself to continue your lifelong catechesis of Catholicism. All are welcome!!!!!

(Dr. Sharon Skeans, RCIA Director; contact her at skeans@consolidated.net)

As I take plants out of my van, my husband looks over shakes his head and smiles. My response. Cheap therapy! I guess you could say I have a passion for digging in the dirt and watching things grow.

July is when the passion flower, Passiflora or Maypop starts to bloom. Some claim the 1600's others the 1500's the flower was discovered by missionaries. Fascinated by its beauty they envisioned the likeness of the Crucifixion or Passion of Christ. The five petals and five sepals represent the ten apostles, omitting Peter and Judas. The three pistils became the nails of the cross. The purple corona or filaments, the crown of thorns and the stemmed was the Lord's goblet. They bloom July until the first frost. The fruit is an oval berry, a little larger than an egg. Passion fruit is edible but seedy. It can be used in making jam. It is also used for a food source for several species of butterfly and their larvae. The plant dies back in winter and pops back out in spring. There are over 460 known species of Passiflora.

July is time for maintaining your garden, watering, watering and watering. Taking out the old and planning for your fall garden. Pumpkin can be planted on July 4th. Above ground vegetables can be planted after the new moon on August 1st but need protection from the west sun and watered twice daily.

Therapy? You bet. God and the ground He walked upon!
Send your gardening ideas to: rjbochat@netzero.net. Subject: God's Garden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from the Office: Many thanks to Mrs. Ronnie Bochat who is taking over writing of the articles for God's Gardeners, but the office is still looking for someone to oversee the flower gardens around the church and to answer any "gardening" questions.

Store Hours:

Saturdays: Open after 5:30 p.m. Mass
Sundays: Open 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: Open 7:00p.m. - 8:15p.m.
Mon thru Fri: Stop by the Parish Office
between 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. for Assistance

Check out the
AFTER INVENTORY SALE
( Sale will include Christmas items
& run through the Month of July!)

Gift Certificates ~ Gift Registry ~ Religious Articles
Prayer Books ~ Bibles ~ Rosaries
Children & Adult Books
Baptism Gifts & many other Gift Items.

The First Sunday of the Month is Food Pantry Sunday.

A few can goods from each family add up to a parish family reaching out, sharing and living the teachings of the gospel and Saint Vincent de Paul. Large wicker baskets are provided in the foyer of the St. Mary's Hall and St. Joseph's Hall to accept your offerings.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 3:30pm.

We are always happy to welcome new members to our 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 learning more about our work, please contact our president, C. J. LeBlanc at (936) 597-7924.

MEDITATION: If life gives us a rainy day,
rainbows are never far away.

In the latter part of that sentence, HOPE abounds! HOPE is an emotion. Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. HOPE implies a certain amount of perseverance-believing that a positive outcome is possible.

To go back in Biblical History and in layman' s words, God said to Moses on Mount Horeb, I am the God of your ancestors. I have seen the misery of my people in the world, in your city, and in your area. I have heard them crying and I have come to save them. So, I am sending you to lead your people to FREEDOM, truth, justice, and peace. The word FREEDOM gave the Israelites HOPE for a better future.

Here we are in the 21st century and this message resounds clearly in the world today. We Vincentians cannot lead legions of people to FREEDOM and HOPE, but we can assist those in our own Grimes county. We are not "Caped Crusaders," but only human beings wanting to help our "FRIENDS" to resolve their various needs. We have learned that St. Vincent de Paul and Fredrick Ozanam want us to keep our hearts open to the suffering of others and to have compassion for them.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke on the "Hope of the World on December 3, 2007. He stated that "the world needs God, otherwise it remains without HOPE. " On December 10th, 2007, he urged HOPE through working towards a brighter and more humane world.

REFLECTION: Through your donations, you are performing a good work far greater than you think. You can show your love for our Lord by helping to give HOPE to your neighbor who is hungry, hopeless, alone, and frightened. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!

We are preparing a Family/History book to celebrate 100 years at St. Joseph. We are looking for family stories, lore, and genealogy for this publication.

The 'founding fathers" those who put their fortunes on the line to buy the land and build St.
Joseph's church have descendants today who still populate the area. Whether you now belong to St. Mary's, or wherever, if you are a descendant, we want your story and your genealogy.
We are attempting to show what happened to these original St. Joseph families.

If you have family buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, we want your story, whether or not your
family belonged to those "founding fathers."

Pictures will be greatly appreciated and returned unhurt, and or 'touched up." Stories and
pictures can be emailed to Nance Shaw: nance7@embarqmail.com. Stories and pictures can be snail-mailed also. Please include SASE IF YOU WISH YOUR STUFF RETURNED and a phone number where you can be contacted for clarifications.

Nance Shaw ~~ 16911 Lone Star Road ~~ Navasota, Texas 77868 ~~ 936-894-2512

The Ladies of St. Joseph are compiling a cookbook for the 100-year Anniversary of St. Joseph Catholic Church which will be available in 2009.

We are interested in everyone’s favorite / family recipes. Please help us by turning them in as early as possible so we can get this together and sent to the publisher.

Make sure your name is on the recipes submitted. Phone numbers for clarification would be helpful. All recipes can be dropped in the collection basket at St. Joseph during the 7:30 mass, dropped by the office at St. Mary or turned in to any of the below contact persons from St. Joseph.

Thank you in advance!
Kaky Wetuski @ 936-894-2307
Willie Mae Bohack @ 936-894-2379
Anne Mannina @ 936-449-4743
Swanda Smith @ 936-894-2415

On Monday, August 11, our Guardian Angel Senior Group will once again be host to the Senior Fun Day of the Northern Senior Senate. We will have a great fellowship day with bingo and a catered meal. In previous years, we have hosted 200 and more at this fun event. Anyone 55 or over interested in attending must contact Laveta Malek at 936-894-2465 by July 25. Cost of meal is $7.00.

ST. MARY'S MEN'S CLUB BLOOD DRIVE With Breakfast

SUNDAY, JULY 13
8:00am-1:00pm
in St. Mary's Parish Hall.

For More Information, call Neil Rosenberg
At 936-873-2579

ST. MARY'S MEN'S CLUB will be holding their monthly meeting on
Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. in the SM Hall.

Don't forget the Guardian Angels Monthly Officers' meeting on Tuesday, July 1, 10:00am in the SM FLC.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Guardian Angels will take a break in July. Fun times will resume on
August 21.

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

Altar Society Meeting Hostesses for July: Mary Ann Kloster, Chris Kocian, Betty Ann Tolbert

The St. Joseph's Altar Society will not meet during the months
of July, August and September. The next meeting is Oct. 14.

JULY, 2008

July 6th
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For our Holy Father:
In thanksgiving for his devotion to the
Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:

July 13th
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For every child who died this week
by abortion: that they might rest for eternity in the gentle arms of God;
We pray to the Lord:

July 20th
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For seminarians and novices and all who prepare for religious life
: that they might be imbued with the vitality and joy of the
Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:

July 27th
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

That governments sanctioning abortion,
destructive embryo research or the death
penalty may be led by courageous prophets to embrace the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
says the Lord, and I will raise them up on the last day.
(from the Roman Missal)