This Week's Message from Father Bill March 7, 2010 Dear Friends in Christ, Today, March 7th, our diocese is celebrating our official farewell to Archbishop Listecki. The farewell will be in La Crosse, beginning at 3:00 pm with Mass at the Cathedral, followed by a reception. All are invited. Fr. Michaud and myself will be attending the celebration. Archbishop Listecki has made a great contribution to our diocese over the past 4-1/2 years. He will be missed. Among his accomplishments are the “We Belong to Christ Capital Campaign” which raised approximately 50 million dollars in cash and pledges for debt retirement and new projects in the diocese. It is helping St. Michael’s pay off their debt and Resurrection to establish an endowment to help maintain their church building. He has also initiated a pastoral plan for the parishes in our diocese which we have begun to implement here on the Eastside of Wausau. He has updated our diocesan computer system, both in the areas of pastoral ministry and finances. Last but not least, he has placed emphasis on the promotion of vocations to the priesthood, deaconate and religious life. We sincerely thank the Archbishop for his leadership and ministry. We wish him God’s Blessings in his new assignment as our Archbishop. The process for the selection of our new bishop is beginning. Laity, priests, deacons and bishops will be asked to assess the needs of our diocese and to submit names of possible candidates, either a bishop or a priest. This data will then be passed on to the Holy Father’s representative, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Delegate in Washington, D. C. He will review the needs of the diocese as well as the proposed names and will then pass on the information to the Congregation of Bishops in Rome. The Congregation will then recommend three names to the Holy Father who will select the person who is to be our next bishop. The whole consultative process will take about eight months to a year. Hopefully we will have a new Bishop by the end of 2010. We ask your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide the process and that we will be blest with a good spiritual leader. Lastly, this coming Wednesday, March 10th, is the fourth anniversary of Fr. Steve Gross’s death. The suddenness of his death is still hard to believe. His work was done, and now we carry on. I think he would be pleased with the growing partnership between our two Eastside Parishes which he was a part of. Pray for him and pray that this legacy will continue to grow and flourish. God Bless and have a good Lent. Fr. Bill

OUR CALENDAR Friday, March 5 9:00am – Bible Study at CR 4:30pm – Lenten Fish Fry - SM Saturday, March 6 No schedule Sunday, March 7 9:00am – Blood Pressure screening/coffee & donuts CR 12:30pm – Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby - SM Cafeteria 1:00pm – Youth Ministry Open House SM Monday, March 8 No Schedule Tuesday, March 9 7:00pm – Widowed, Single, Separated & Divorced - GS SM Wednesday, March 10 9:00am – Bible Study SM Parish Library 9:30am – 3-D Meeting at CR 10:00am – Eastside Staff Meeting- SM 11:30am – Soup Kitchen - CR Brennan Hall 4:15pm – Faith Formation Class - SM 4:30pm – Soup Suppers - SM 6:30pm – Faith Formation Class - SM Thursday, March 11 4:30pm – Jubilee House at CR 6:30pm – "Fireproof" study group - SM GS Friday, March 12 9:00am – Bible Study at CR 4:30pm – Lenten Fish Fry - SM Saturday, March 13 9:00am – Prayer Shawl Meeting at SM GS Social Justice Stewardship Presentation-masses CR & SM Sunday, March 14 Daylight Saving Time Begins Social Justice Stewardship Presentation-masses CR & SM 9:00am – Confirmation class - SM 6:30pm – RCIA at Resurrection CR - Church of the Resurrection SM - St. Michael Church CR PC - Church of the Resurrection Parish Center SM GS - St. Michael Gathering Space SM CMR - St Michael Cafeteria Meeting Room

Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen at Resurrection Remember "Circle of Love" Soup Kitchen every Wednesday during Lent from 11:30-1:00 pm. All are welcome. Volunteers are needed to make this another successful year. Call Mary Ann Nelson at 845-3662 to volunteer. Fish Fries at St. Michael Parish Fridays, 4:30-7:00 pm, in the St. Michael Krasowski Hall. Cod (baked and beer battered), shrimp, and potato pancakes are just a few items on the menu. Call Phyllis Burclaff 845-6092 to volunteer. Lenten Soup Suppers at St. Michael Parish Wednesdays, 4:30-6:30 pm, in the St. Michael Krasowski Hall. Donations will go to a building fund in our Diocesan Parish in Bolivia. (We will not serve during Holy Week.) Volunteers are needed to donate soup. You may make the soup (3 to 4 gallons) at home and deliver it to St. Michael kitchen (in plastic ice cream pails etc.) on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. Sign up in the Gathering Space or call Joan Egging, 359-4900, or Kelly Meverden, 848-3264.

OPPORTUNITIES TO DEEPEN YOUR FAITH THIS LENT Faith Alive During Lent of this “Year of the Priests”, would you like to deepen your life of faith, prayer, fellowship and love of neighbor? In the Faith Alive program, “Who Is My Neighbor?” parishioners will meet for six sessions. They will reflect on Gospel passages coming alive in human stories. There will be discussion and prayer, as well as a modest commitment to love of neighbor through service. Note: The date, time and location will be determined by the people interested. Please sign up. The Great Adventure – A Journey Through the Bible This will be a journey through the New Testament with St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. General principles for reading the bible are also taught and participants are encouraged to continue on the life-long adventure of learning to know God through Scripture.-- Sundays after the 8:30 am Mass at St. Michael. -- Please sign up Dead Sea Scrolls and Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist – March 25 Eastside Parish Bus Trip to Milwaukee Thursday, March 25, 2010 Depart at 6:00am and return by 6:00pm Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible explores the archaeological history of the Holy Land during the period the Scrolls were written, from the third century BCE through the first century CE. The exhibit also tracks the discovery of the first Scrolls and subsequent realization of their extraordinary significance. The Day: Arrive at the Milwaukee Public Museum at 10am Lunch venue and cost to be determined, and is not included in tour cost. Tour of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Milwaukee Cost: $60 (lunch not included) includes bus, admission to museum exhibit and individual audio guide for exhibit. We need a minimum of 30 people to make the trip. Your check for $60 & registration must be received by Monday, March 8. Invite your friends!! Call the parish office to register.

Your Subscription to the Catholic Times For the past several years, most of you have received the Catholic Times from the Diocese of La Crosse. Our parish (you) are charged for this publication whether you want it or not. If you read and enjoy The Catholic Times, no action is necessary. However, we have heard from many of you who do not want The Catholic Times and would like to have it discontinued. We, at the Parish office, can only discontinue your publication if you are no longer with the Parish. For any other reasons, you are the only one who can discontinue the publication by writing a letter to the Diocese that you would like to have The Catholic Times discontinued. The Church of the Resurrection and St. Michael Parish urge any of you who do not want The Catholic Times to state this in written form and drop it in either offertory collection basket or send it to either parish so we can forward it to the Diocese. Your request will need to go through our parish office so we can also update our records. If you do not want the Catholic Times, you can help reduce this wasteful and needless expense.

CHURCH CLEANING - BOTH PARISHES Resurrection and St. Michaels are seeking volunteers who are willing and able to help clean the churches prior to Easter. Volunteers are asked to bring a bucket and scrub rags to church on Monday, March 22, at 9:00 am. Our goal is to have 10-12 volunteers at each church so the job can be done in about 2 hours. Call your Parish Office for more information. Sign up sheets will be available in the back of each church.

Easter Flowers to decorate the churches can be ordered in memory of a loved one, or to honor a special person or family member. A $15 contribution is suggested, please use the flower envelope received with your weekly envelopes, or contact your Parish Office.

Consider joining us for the Love Dare Bible Study Group held the following six weeks. Facilitators are Ashley Wirth and Heather Wilcox. For more information call 715-679-1135. Pre-registration for the Love Dare Study Group is appreciated. Study Guide and materials will be discussed and available for nominal reimbursement fees. Bible Study Times: February 4th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm February 11th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm February 18th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm February 25th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm March 4th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm March 11th, Thursday at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

The local food pantries are in desperate need of canned and boxed goods. Our parishes collect food EVERY weekend to help feed the hungry of Marathon County. Please place your donations in the baskets by the entrances of each church.

St. Michael New Mausoleum and Resurrection Memorial Garden to include a Columbarium to house cremated remains, are two projects in the preliminary stages of planning. Please call your parish office if you would like to be contacted regarding purchasing a crypt/niche, when more details are available. If you responded to the Interest Survey this summer, you do not need to respond again.