STATIONS OF THE CROSS

St. Michael Catholic Church

MASS SCHEDULE GIRARD
Saturday
5:30 pm
Sunday
10:00 am

ARMA
4:00 pm
8:00 am

CONFESSION
GIRARD
ARMA
Saturday
2:00-2:30 pm 3:15-3:45 pm
Weekdays before Mass, anytime by appointment
RECTORY HOURS & INFORMATION
Tuesday-Friday: 9:00 am - Noon
Rectory: (620) 724-8717
Fr. Maxs cell: (316) 708-9473
Fr. Maxs email: thomas.becket.fan@gmail.com
STAFF Pastor: Fr. Max Biltz
Secretary: Faith Paoni
Bookkeeper: Janel Scales
Bulletin Editor: Nancy Bauer
PARISH WEBSITE:
www.stmichaelgirard.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Finance Council
Parish Council
Tony Stonerock, Chair Dale Coomes, Chair
TBA
TBA

!Altar Society

Knights of Columbus
4th Monday of month 1st Tuesday of month
Parish Hall
7:00pm in hall

!Helping Hands

Daughters of Isabella
Carrie Smith
Marilyn Bradshaw
724-6684
724-7133
Kapauns Men: Fridays at 6:00am in the hall

Mar. 5 Saturday
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

106 N. Western Ave.

Girard, KS 66743
(620) 724-8717
Pastor: Fr. Max Biltz

THE PRIESTHOOD: CHALLENGE TO YOUNG MEN TODAY

I recall reading a successful recruiting ad that the Marine Corps ran: We Dont Promise You
a Rose Garden. It ran in the 80s when prosperity was high and jobs were easy to obtain. Many
young men werent fooled by the lure of high pay and material happiness. The Marine Corps
challenged them and they accepted. The priesthood is much like the marines in that it requires
toughness, integrity, self-discipline and sacrifice. In fact, their leader and brother-priest, Jesus
Christ, was almost beaten to death and then crucified. Of course, young men today who enter
seminaries dont anticipate such a fate. However, during the early years of our nation, when antiCatholic sentiment was at its height, it wasnt unheard of that a priest was beaten or even
hanged!
We might ask ourselves, if such good qualities are necessary in a priest, who in his right mind
would want to become one? The answer would be anyone who wants to help people save their
souls, teach the truth, and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The challenge is truly therefor
a priest has other obligations besides administering the sacraments. He finds himself fighting for
the poor, the hungry, the homeless, or almost any good thing that you could think of, and all on
his own time! Father Joseph Gorentz, my classmate throughout 12 years at Arma Schools and
the man who introduced me to Fr. John Reinkemeyer, once told me that he couldnt have
imagined a more thrilling life. He remarked, We deal in eternity, far beyond the sky! His life
was cut short with cancer, but he left an impression on meone of respect for all priests, no
matter any shortcomings they might have as human beings.
We, in the Wichita diocese, have been fortunate in the number of young men who have
chosen to become priests. We have great promise for the future; however, other dioceses have not
enjoyed such numbers perhaps due to spiritual erosion in a strongly materialistic world, a lack of
inspiration from the religious, or attitudes of parents toward priests. I tend to think this lack of
vocational interest has much of its origins in a change of attitude toward marriage, which
changed the attitude toward home, which, in turn, changed neighborhoods, parishes, dioceses,
and ultimately, the culture, itself ! Many new parents today want a showy home, with a few, wellspaced children. From this kind of family, we get little emphasis on hard work, sacrifice for
family, or concern for the poor and others who fall short. Vocations come from strong, faithdriven families who teach their children the basic core values of life. A Christ-like father and a
kind, loving mother are basic ingredients for a sons priestly vocation.
It isnt all tough, Fr. Gorentz added as he spoke of being a priest. Theres much joy, laughs,
and wonderful fraternity with brother-priests. You find an unbelievable number of people who
love you, who cant do enough for you, and who think youre the greatest thing that ever
happened to them. For the wife and children you will not have, thousands of families take you
into their hearts. Eligible young men should think and pray about the possibility that God
wants them to become priests. God speaks loudly; hopefully, some will hear Him.
- Marcel Normand

Altar Ministers for Next Weekend

Mass Schedule and Intentions for Mar. 5 - 13

4:00pm
Marion Rowland
5:30pm Lawrence & Winnifred Walsh
Sunday
8:00am
For the People
10:00am
Jim Davied
Monday
7:00am
No Mass
Tuesday
5:30pm
No Mass
Wednesday 6:30pm
No Mass
Thursday 8:00am
No Mass
8:30am-3:00pm No Adoration
Friday
7:00am
No Mass
8:00am-6:00pm No Adoration
Saturday 4:00pm
No Intention
5:30pm
Mary Davied
Sunday
8:00am
No Intention
10:00am
For the People

Arma
Girard
Arma
Girard
Girard
Arma
Girard
Arma
Arma
Girard
Girard
Arma
Girard
Arma
Girard

Next Saturday (3/12/16)

Next Sunday (3/13/16)

!Altar Servers:
!EMHC:
!

5:30 pm

Lector:

Teresa Davenport Beth Wilson

Gift Bearers

Mike & Donna

Martin family

Carly & Macy

Reif

Collections

We will have Stations of the Cross at both parishes at their

regular times: Tuesdays at 6pm in Arma and Fridays at 6pm in
Girard. We will also have childrens Stations of the Cross at St.
Michaels at 9:00am on Sunday, February 28 & March 20.

10:00 am

Rick & Eileen Bland

family

Childrens Offering

ST. JOSEPH SPAGHETTI FEED

St. Josephs in Arma will be holding their annual Spaghetti

Feed on Saturday, March 12 from 5:00 to 7:30pm in their
parish hall. Join them for a delicious meal, fellowship, and lots
of prizes!

BIRTHRIGHT ASSISTANCE

The Knights of Columbus will be collecting baby items to

donate to Birthright over the next few weeks. A basket will be
in the back of church. Diapers, baby blankets, etc. are needed.

KAPAUNS MEN FISH FRY

The mens group Kapauns Men will be holding their 3rd

annual St. Michaels Parish Fish Fry on Friday, March 11 from
5:30 to 7:00pm. A free will offering will be accepted. Please
plan to support them and enjoy a delicious Lenten meal!

KAPAUNS MEN

Kapauns Men meet every Friday morning at 6:00am in the

parish hall. All men 18+ are invited.

DAUGHTERS OF ISABELLA MEETING

The Daughters of Isabella will hold their March meeting at

7:30 on Tuesday, March 8 at the St. Francis parish hall in St.
Paul. Chairman is Rose Mary Brogan. Co-chairs are Alice
Schettler, Betty Schettler, and Margaret A. Patterson.

ST. BRIDGETS FISH FRY FRIDAYS

Its time for St. Bridgets Knights of Columbus Council #3316

Famous Fish Frys again! They will be serving Catfish, Cod,
and Shrimp Dinners, along with the St. Elmos Platter, Grilled
Cheese and Chowder. Dinners are every Friday from Feb. 12 Mar. 18, at St. Bridgets Parish Hall in Scammon. Carryouts
are welcome.

ALTAR SOCIETY MEETING

The St. Michaels Altar Society will meet Monday, March 28

at 6:00pm at El Caballo de Oro. All ladies of the parish are
invited.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK OF OUR PARISH

Please pray for parishioners Doug Lopeman, Herman Masser,

Thurma Masser, Rosemary OToole, Tom Weston, and Judy
Widner who are ill or in need of prayers.

Peyton & Trevor

Amershek, Eric Wilson

Savanna Ashmore Linda Garrett

Contributions

Last Week

July 2015 to date

$2,301.00

$87,413.37

$18.50

$519.08

Expenses

$93,046.83

Over / (Under)

($5,114.38)

Building Fund Contributions

$10.00

Building Fund Loan Balance

$222,601.96

ST. PEREGRINE ITEMS AVAILABLE

St. Peregrine cards, medals and tokens are available free of
charge for persons with a cancer diagnosis or cancer survivors.
St. Peregrine is the patron saint of persons suffering from
cancer. If you would like one for yourself or a loved one, call
Teresa Davenport at 362-3042.

MIDWEST CATHOLIC FAMILY CONFERENCE

The 17th Annual Midwest Catholic family conference will be

held Aug. 5-7 in Wichita, Ks. Call the parish office for more
information or visit catholicfamilyconference.org.

THANK YOU!

Dear St. Michaels parishioners,

I wanted to extend a big thank you to the parish for your
support of the medical mission trip to the Philippines that I
have the opportunity to be a part of. Father Roger and I leave
soon for the Philippines, and will be gone from March 4-13.
Please keep us in your prayers. I really appreciate all of you
joining in the mission through financial contributions, donated
supplies, and prayers. Every act of kindness and generosity
truly reflects the love of Christ. Without your help, it would
not be possible for us to extend this same love to the people of
the Philippines. So once again, thank you for the support. I will
be sure to come back and share my experience with you all, so
you see what a difference you helped make.
Thanks and God Bless,
Madison Smith

ALTAR FLOWERS DONATIONS

If you would like to make a donation in honor of a loved one

that will be used to purchase flowers for the altar, please
contact Faith at the parish office, 724-8717. The flowers will
remain as long as they are fresh, and the memorial information
will be included in the bulletin.

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