During the restoration of St. Mary, the artist, Ms. Donell Hill, had just uncovered the pattern of stenciling on the front left column of the church. It was a gold/yellow color. The same pattern was already uncovered on the back column on the same side of the church, only it was a green color. I remarked to Donell, "You don't think they did gold-green, gold-green, do you?", meaning rotating the column color. She responded, "Father, I think they did gold/green, gold/green.". I sighed and said, "Donell, this place is going to really look busy." She smiled, "Father, we passed 'busy' a long time ago.".

There will be a Mass of Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 26 at 9:00am at St. Mary's.

There will be no masses on Thursday & Friday, November 27 & 28.

The Parish Office will also be closed both days.

The Stitch N' Sisters of St. Mary and St. Joseph and Friends meet at St. Joseph's in the hall each Tuesday morning following the 9am Mass. On Tuesday, October 14th, Fr. Ed. was invited to a luncheon which was billed as their 'October Covered Dish'. There was really nothing unusual about the invitation because so much of each organizations' activities revolve around food and the 'Sisters' have been known to throw a 'light' spread of goodies from time-to-time. Fr. Ed. did notice that there were two tables full of food and desserts, a lot more than he expected. He wondered what the 'November Covered Dish' would be like.

He was completely surprised when a beautifully wrapped box with an envelope was brought out and everyone laughed and sang 'Happy Birthday'. They really jumped the gun 'cause his birthday wasn't till the following week. That's how they pulled their surprise. The card was signed by all the Stitch N' Sisters. Inside the box was a hand pieced and hand stitched quilt in the 'barbwire' design. Fr. Ed. had actually watched it being pieced and stitched and admired it 'from afar'. In addition to being a beautifully hand worked quilt by parishioners and friends, it was also embroidered with a special presentation inscription, dated and signed by all the Stitching Sisters. It was displayed on the following Sunday at the Stitching Sisters table during the Festival of Ministries and drooled over by all.

Fr. Ed. will treasure the quilt not only because of its beauty, uniqueness and quality of workwomanship, but because he knows that each stitch was done with love. He already considers it an heirloom. Bridget IV and Y2K have strict notice to 'stay off'. He doesn't want this very precious gift to get 'distressed'. So many have been gifted by the talents of the Stitch N' Sisters. They are the ultimate treasure of our Community of faith.

~ COME ENCOUNTER JESUS ~
Presented by
Rev. Cedric Pisegna, C.P.

Rev . Cedric Pisegna, C.P., is a Passionist priest who professed vows in September, 1985. He was born in Springfield , Massachusetts , and graduated from the University of Mass. at Amherst with a B.S. in Social Work. In addition, he has studied Philosophy at So. Illinois Univ. and Speech and Drama at Northwestern Univ. in Chicago . Fr. Cedric graduated from the Catholic Theological Union at Chicago in May, 1990, receiving his Master of Divinity with Bible Specialization. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1991. Currently, Fr. Cedric preaches retreats and missions throughout the United States ministering out of the Passionist Retreat complex in Houston , TX .

Wanted
Your attendance at
St. Mary's / St. Joseph's Mission
November 9, 10 & 11 at 7:00pm
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Plantersville , TX

~~~

Childcare will be provided for children ages 2-8 years for all evening sessions.
To reserve a place for your child, call the office at 936-894-2223.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!
www.frcedric.org

A Parish mission is a way of rejuvenating the parish community. During this time universal message of the Gospel and of the Church is preached. It is a time of God's special grace. Through prayer, music, and preaching God's word, the missionary tries to create an atmosphere through which peoples' hearts will be moved. The centerpiece of the mission is the Lord Jesus Christ and his Paschal Mystery. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven; he rose so that we could know new life; he will come again in Glory to raise us up and take us home to Heaven. New life is the goal and purpose of the mission; the refreshing new life that God offers us in the Holy Spirit.

Led by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Monday, November 24, 2008 ~ St. Thomas Catholic Church, Huntsville, TX

The Texas Catholic Conference invites Catholic faithful to participate in a Pilgrimage for Life from 9am-noon at St. Thomas Church, 1323 16th St., Huntsville, TX. The pilgrimage will be led by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and several Texas bishops. It will start out with Mass at St. Thomas including the Stations of the Cross. The route is approximately 3 miles (bring good walking shoes) including the Planned Parenthood facility and the Walls Prison unit. For those not able to participate in the walk, an opportunity for adoration and reflections on the stations of the cross will be available. For additional information, visit http://txcatholic.org/Pilgrimage.asp or call Dave Atwood at 832-693-5710 or Maria Frederick at 512-339-9882.

The St. Joseph's Altar Society will meet this month at the hall after the 9:00am mass on November 11, 2008.

Don't forget the Guardian Angels Monthly Officers' meeting on Tuesday, November 4 , 10:00am in the SM FLC.

Also... it's GAME DAY this month ... come join us on Thursday, November 20, 2008 in the SM Hall from 10:00am--2:00pm for good food, good company and plenty of fun!

Choir Practice is every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.

Call Linda Armstrong for more information.

Join us for Advent and Christmas.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008. Please contact Pam Alexander for more
information.

Our Lady of Guadalupe One-Week Novena Schedule:

November: St. Joseph's
December: St. Mary's
January: St. Joseph's
February: St. Mary's

A simple one week Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Have her blessed picture in your home and honor her with a daily rosary and your petitions.

St. Mary's: A sign up sheet is available in the parish hall.

St. Joseph's: A sign up sheet is available in the church entry.

The picture of Our Lady is to be returned at the end of the week.

Store Hours:

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

~~New Merchandise~~
Do your Christmas Shopping With Us!!

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

We are always happy to welcome new members to our St. Vincent de Paul 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.

THE NEXT ST. VINCENT DE PAUL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008 AT 3:30 P.M. AT ST. MARY'S HALL.

Help Us Please!

Since our food pantry is getting low on non-perishable foods, we are asking each family to bring a donation of food each week. A few canned goods from each family add up to a parish family reaching out, sharing and living the teachings of the gospel and St. Vincent de Paul. Large wicker baskets are provided in the foyer of St. Mary's Hall and St. Joseph's Hall to accept your offerings.

Thank you!!

The Cemetery Association of St. Mary Catholic Community invites all to a Memorial Day Celebration in the Cemetery Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 9:00 AM honoring St. Mary's Veterans.

St. Mary Boy Scouts will hoist the Colors Memorial Service and Blessing of the Veteran's Graves

Deacon Ted Baker Patriotic Music, Kelly Gabriel of St. Joseph"To the Colors" and "Taps" by John Sadler,a member of the Montgomery High School Band

An American Flag will be placed on each veteran's grave.

Wear your red, white and blue and come join us for this 7th annual celebration of our freedoms and the lives of the Veterans who made it possible for us to worship and celebrate in this most wonderful country.

For the last couple of years the St. Mary's Men's Club Christmas Toy Drive, which benefits the less fortunate children in our area, has been a huge success. Therefore, the SMMC is doing it again this year. All toys collected (unwrapped) will be delivered to the Plantersville Fire Department to be prepared for distribution to the children. All St. Mary's Men's Club members, or anyone wishing to contribute, should either bring their toys/contributions to the
October 21st SMMC meeting, or leave them at the Parish Office with Gail Sowell no later than November 28th. All cash donations will be used to purchase toys.

Mark Your Calendars Now!

Men's Club Blood Drive with Breakfast

Sunday, December 14 from 8AM-1pm In St. Mary's Parish Hall.

NEXT MEETING Tuesday, November 18

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

Calling ALL Parishioners:

Join our RCIA Neophytes (those who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil 2008) and past & current RCIAers as we carpool downtown to the Co-Cathedral for a special archdiocesan "kick-off" Mass for the Year of the Bible! Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be the celebrant at the 9:00 am Mass on Saturday, November 15. We plan on having carpools leave St. Mary's and Walmart's (Hwy 105 @ Walden Road) parking lots around 7:15, attending Mass, and then eating lunch before returning home.

For more information:
Contact Annette Young at Annetteyoung9@hotmail.com
or Sharon Skeans at skeans@consolidated.net or 936-448-2740.

(Arthur Plessala -- November, 2008)

Since November is the month for recollection, let's reflect on the following questions: (1) What is meant by the "kingdom of God"? (2) Is the kingdom of God present in our temporal world today or is it something we call Eternal Life only to be experienced after our death?

John the Baptist warned us all in the New Testament that the advent of the kingdom of God is near. John exhorts, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). In the words of Christ, the "kingdom" means not so much a goal to be attained or a place to be reached, though these meanings are by no means excluded: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (cf. Matthew 5:3). Rather it is a state of consciousness, a mental awareness that must permeate men's minds if they would be one with Him and attain His ideals: "Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, (Jesus) said in reply, 'The kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce Look, here it is, or There it is. For behold, the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:20-21).
Only by recognizing these shades of meaning can we do justice to the biblical references to the kingdom with their endless variety. At one time the "kingdom" means the sway of grace in men's hearts such as in the parable of the seed growing secretly (Mark 4:26-27). Still, Mark (14:25) refers to the kingdom as a place where God reigns, as does Luke (23:42-43) when quoting the good thief crucified with Christ: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." In Matthew 3:3, we all are asked to "prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." Here John the Baptist addresses the kingdom as our lifelong goal here in our temporal world and everyday lives.

As our early church fathers grew to understand the divinity of Christ, they realized that the kingdom of God was not only, as we say in The Lord's Prayer, "thy kingdom come," our goal and a place in the future; but also the "kingdom" is enshrined in the living Church here on earth. They began to speak of the Church as "the kingdom of God"' (cf. Colossians, 1:13-14; I Thessalonians, 2:11-12).

Thus, "the kingdom of God" means the ruling of God in our hearts; it means those principles which separate us from the kingdom of the world and the devil; it means the benign sway of grace; it means the Church as that divine institution whereby we may make sure of attaining the spirit of Christ and so win that ultimate kingdom of God where He reigns without end in "the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21:2).
The stark reality: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If we cannot come to grip with the fact that sin separates us from God, we will never come home spiritually, for there is no need for a savior. We must understand that we sinners are separated from God in order to experience "God's kingdom" here on earth. Repentance is to say to the Father, I want to turn toward you and away from the life I have lived independently from you. I am sorry for who I have been and what I have done and I want to permanently change. I pray and ask for and humbly receive your forgiveness for my sins.

The kingdom of God is within our hearts. It is the Holy Spirit that Jesus sends us. It is the Spirit of Peace. It is the Spirit of Love. The Spirit is our living union with God. It is this union with the spirit that takes us to the Kingdom. "From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him" (St. Paul).

The dividing line between temporal and eternal life is by no means simply time as we know it. We generally think that the years before death would be temporal life; the endless time afterwards, eternal life. Eternity is not just that which comes afterwards, something about which we can form no notion at all. Why? Because eternity is not just endless time but another level of being, a mere chronological distinction of the two cannot be made. Eternal life is here, in the midst of time, whenever we come face to face with God (e.g. in receiving the Eucharist---John 6:51, by helping our brothers and sisters in need). When we come face to face with Jesus, the Messiah, we come face to face with God. At those special moments, we are in another level called Eternal Life.
Through the reception and contemplation of the living God through Jesus, He becomes our soul's companion. Like a great love, Eternal life can no longer be taken from us by any physical change or chance happening; rather it is an indestructible heart from which springs the courage and the joy to go on, even when our daily lives are painful and hard...When God touches our soul, we learn to see aright... "This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Wherever such an encounter takes place, there is eternal life in our midst. The dividing line between temporal life and eternal life runs right through the midst of our daily existence because seeing Jesus Christ is seeing God face to face--the union of Eternal Life with life in today's world. Let's remain mindful of this each time we say The Lord's Prayer and utter the words, "thy kingdom come."

ISP Class Reminder
Sunday, November 2nd

The Confirmation ISP Class will meet Sunday,
November 2nd at 12:00 PM in Room 203. Saint reports are due.

Food Drive
November 5th, 12th & 19th

This month we are having a food drive. Students should bring non-perishable food items (canned goods, flour, sugar, etc.), paper goods (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.), diapers or formula to class.

First Wednesdays
In the Hall at 6:00 PM

All high school youth are invited to take part in food, fun and worship on November 5th and December 3rd.

Thanksgiving Holiday
November 26th

No Class. Happy Thanksgiving!

Volunteers

We could still use volunteers to be a part of our craft crew and prayer experiences. Anyone interested should call the office (936) 894-2223 or stop by on Wednesday night.

Confirmation

Keep these students, who are attending Intermediate Sacramental Preparation Classes, in your prayers:

Chelsea Bailey
Nicole Cravens
Stephanie Fountain
Maxwell Giddens
Baylee Imhoff
Ryan Kimich
Brian Lauer
Emma O'Brien
Reese Reissig
Jason Riker
David Russell
Ben Seale
David South
Jennetta Welsh

~~Stories & Especially Pictures Needed ~~

There is still time to get YOUR family into St. Joseph's 100-Year Book. If any of these are in your family tree, (even on a mother's or grandmother's side), your info belongs also. Write down what you know: your mother's parents and brothers and sisters, their birthdays? who they married? when and where? your dad's siblings? who fought where in which war? Do you remember your grandparents? Have a picture? We will come to your house to scan pictures, or they can be LENT to us. All pictures will be returned and you will also be given a cleaned up 4x6 copy to share.

If your ancestor, OR your child, is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, your info belongs in this book. Don't be the only family missing when we go to press.

DEMNY, CHLEBOWSKI, FILIPAK (Phillips), GRACZYK (Grochett), JAGODZINSKI (Yargo), KLAWINSKI, KUTA, NASKRENT (Noski, Naski), NISZLKEWSKI, NOAK (Nowak), PAWLACK (Pavlock), PIECZYNSKI, SHECHINSKI (Sicinski), SZMIT (Smith, Schmidt), SYMANSKI, TOMKIEVITZ (Tomkivits), URBANOSK (Ubanoski), WIETZYKOLE, WINKLER, WITUCKI (Wetuski), YOREK.

If you are not sure, turn in your info anyway! The program we are using will sort it out. Each person has part of the picture, and when it all fits, it will be a beautiful resource for our
descendants in the NEXT 100 years. Send info to or call:
Nance Shaw ~ nance7@embarqmail.com
16911 Lone Star Road ~ Navasota, Texas 77868 ~ 936-894-2512

Saturday, November 8, 2008
St. Stanislaus Church--Anderson, TX

Come and enjoy a Festival Concert of sacred music at 5:30pm, and join in the celebration of Eucharist at 6pm at St. Stanislaus in Anderson. This event is hosted by St. Mary's, St. Joseph's, Christ Our Light, and St. Stanislaus. Musicians from churches all over the Archdiocese will participate in the choir, directed by Felipe Gasper, Director of Liturgical Music at Christ the Redeemer in Houston, who is also a gifted composer; Felipe's music will be featured at the concert. The Mass will be concelebrated by Father Ed and Father Raul, pastor of Christ Our Light and St. Stanislaus.

Choristers will rehearse in the Church from 6 -- 7pm on CCE class evenings (Wednesdays), and St. Mary's Chimes Choir will rehearse in the Hall.

The Choristers and Chimes Choirs will be singing and playing 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.

35 40-Hour Heros ! These people are praying every day at the same hour, for an hour:

100 emails sent out daily, with 500 emails crossing cyberspace once a week. These are all in Grimes and Waller counties (with a few neighbors of good will.)

268 known "Baby-saves" ( USA and Canada ) in the first 21 days. There are so many that are never known. The mother drives by, sees the prayer warriors, and decides to not to keep her abortion appointment, or a mother or father sees an ad or hears a radio interview, etc and a life is saved without anyone ever encountering a sidewalk counselor. How many hours of prayer and fasting are 268 babies worth?

500 families (well, a few single priests) are willing to be known as pro-life to the world, with a yard sign at the road

Over 1500 signatures sent in to Houston to stop the Planned Parenthood mega clinic!

Bottom line? It is no longer necessary to be pro-life "in secret" in Grimes and Waller Counties .

BE BOLDLY PRO-LIFE

St. Mary's will have ALTAR SERVER TRAINING on Sunday, Nov. 9 following the 10:30 Mass. Meet in church at 11:45 for a training session that will last about 45 minutes. A parent must attend with the child. Any children who have made their First Communion are eligible. For more information contact Wanda O'Brien, 597-6328.

THE GABRIEL PROJECT will be selling Christmas Cards during late November and early December. Look for them for sale after Mass and use them when you send out your Christmas Cards this year. Help be a part of this wonderful witness to the pro-life message.

Announcing an Upcoming Information Night on Annulments

There is a great deal of misinformation that surrounds the Catholic Church's laws concerning annulments. Some think that the Church's procedure for annulments amounts to nothing other than "Catholic divorce," while others feel that the process is too cumbersome, intrusive and expensive. The truth of the matter, however, is that Church law concerning annulments both protects the sanctity of marriage and offers a compassionate response to those suffering the effects of a union flawed from its beginning.

Come to this Information Night (date to be announced), meet the case sponsors here at St. Mary's/St. Joseph's, listen and feel free to ask questions. Gather knowledge and information for your own situation or to pass on to your son or daughter or friend who might be in need of an annulment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember:

The Church has come to a fuller understanding of the workings of the human mind and heart from the development of modern psychology and is attempting to respond more freely to the many requests for a declaration of nullity while remaining faithful to the teachings of Christ. (Don't ever think your case is hopeless (even if you have had a negative decision in the past--an appeal can always be made).

The Church is inviting you to investigate how you might petition for nullity for your failed marriage(s) and be able to receive all the Sacraments again. Don't keep putting it off--Contact us today for further discussion. Complete confidentiality is assured.

  Walter & Francell Busa (936) 870-4145 or fbusa@embarqmail.com
Pat & Corliss O'Shaughnessy (936) 447-3126 or patricko@consolidated.net

Questions & answers have been taken from the book, "Annulments and the Catholic Church" by Edward Peters, J.D., J.C.D.

Scheduled for Saturday, January 3rd @ St. Mary's from 9-12 in the Family Life Center with Baptisms to follow Jan. 11th

Preparation classes for baptism are a requirement for parents or expectant parents of children up to 7 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) 582-2618
En espanol: Maria Pena, (936) 588-4765