St. Mary's Catholic Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

Floors update: Work on the interior of the church has begun. We are now relocated to the church basement while the pews are removed and the floors redone. The good news is that there will be no disruption of services. These are the temporary changes:

Weekend Masses and School Masses will be in Flynn Hall.

All confessions will be heard in temporary confessionals in the bride's room and in the TOPS closet, both at the base of the south stairs, one to the right and the other to the left. Please form one line along the south wall of Flynn Hall for confessions.

Daily 12:10 pm Masses will be celebrated in the Legion Room, which is through the tunnel in the basement by the piano, and then to your left.

Adoration will be available during the day ONLY in the Legion Room through the Church basement. The Legion room will be accessible from about 7 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.

Kindergarten Preview will be Friday, February 10th. If you have a child who will be attending Kindergarten next year, please call the school office, 402-476-3987, by Monday, January 30th. New state law requires that children starting kindergarten must be 5 on or before July 31st to start school in the fall.

Trivia Night: Come join us for St. Mary's 1st Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser on Saturday, February 18th at 7 pm in Flynn Hall. Cost is $20 per person. There will be 10 tables of 8 persons at each table. An individual who puts together a table of 8 persons joins in the fun at no charge. Fr. Dietrich will be auctioned off at the beginning of the evening and will go to the highest bidding table. The team answering correctly the most trivia questions out of 100 wins. Other games and raffles will be held throughout the evening. Each person/table brings their own refreshments and tableware to share. Please reserve and pay for your spot by calling the rectory (402-435-2125) by Saturday, February 17th.

Adult Education series: "What Catholics believe and why" will be presented by Fr. Robert Barrone on a DVD series, starting January 8th through March 18th. Topics include the art, architecture, literature, beliefs and practices of the Catholic tradition. The DVD series was filmed at 50 locations in 15 countries. It will be held at the Falls Reception Center, 5925 Adams, from 7-8:30 pm. Please RSVP by email to evangelization@cdolinc.net or call 402-488-2040.

Retrouvaille: 2 weeks to sign up. Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue…or have you just stopped talking to each other? This program has helped thousands with marital difficulty. Call 1-888-317-5654. www.retrouvaille.org.

Divorced, separated and widowed Catholics are invited to a special Mass sponsored by the Family Life Office on Monday, February 13th at Blessed John Center. Confessions 7 pm, Mass at 7:30 pm with presentation, "The Many Facets of Love," to follow.

Pius X High School has an opening for lunch room monitor during the remainder of the school year. Typical hours 11:15 am - 1:15 pm, M- F. Send letter of interest to Jolene, 6000 A Street, 68510 or Jolene.ritzman@piusx.net before February 10th.

Catholic Business Women will meet on Tuesday, February 7th from 11:45 to 12:45 at Blessed John Center, 37th and Sheridan. Bring your own lunch. The presentation will be by Don Costello, Senior Lecturer with UNL about Information Technology Call Paula with questions, 402-328-5222.

S.T.A.G.E. student theater will present The Silver Thread, a children's musical set for February 17-19 at St. Teresa's Kaczmarek Hall, 36th and Randolph. Tickets can be purchased in advance (recommended) by calling 402-486-3746. Tickets $6 for students/ $8 for adults.

Seminarian to pray for is Anthony Kohel, a Pre-Theology 1 student at St. Gregory the Great Seminary. His parents, Richard and Kathi Kohel, from St. Joseph's, have two other sons and a daughter. Please pray for Mr. Kohel and all of our seminarians.

Pius X High School will hold their annual "New Student Orientation" on Monday, February 6th at 7 pm in the Bishop Flavin Gym, 6000 A Street. Students considering or anticipating enrollment at Pius X for the 2012-2013 term are encouraged to attend with their parent(s)/ guardian(s). If you have questions, please call the Guidance Office at 402-488-0931.

Healing Hearts Support Sessions for those who have recently suffered the loss of a loved one are being offered starting Monday, February 6th from 7-9 pm at Blessed John Center, 37th and Sheridan. Cost is $15. To register call 402-488-2040.

Catholic Social Services Fish Fry will be February 3rd at 2241 O Street. Hours are 5 - 7pm. Cost is $10 person or $35 per family for all you can eat.

Holy Hour, Friday, February 3rd at 7:15 at the Pink Sisters' Chapel, 1040 S. Cotner. The singing will be led by the Anima Christi Singers.

Pius X Vocal Music Department will host a Classic Valentine's Dinner on February 11th at St. John's gym, 7601 Vine Street, $40 per person. Enjoy classic songs and piano music while you dine. To make reservations contact Cindy at 402-304-2948 by Friday, February 3rd. Proceeds will support Pius vocal music students' trip to New York City in April. This trip provides students with unique opportunities to perform, to learn from professional musicians and to attend Broadway productions.

Sacred Art Show will be April 20-21 at Blessed John XXIII Center. If you are a painter, potter, weaver, carver, jeweler, sculptor, musician or glass artist call for details on how you can participate. Laura at 402-540-2600.

12 Day Holy Land Pilgrimage from April 29 - May 10, 2012, escorted by Fr. Rand Langhorst. Visit the biblical places of Jesus with an opening of the Scriptures for your spiritual life. Cost is $3,150 per person/ double occupancy. Includes roundtrip airfare from Omaha. For a brochure with detailed information write St. Vincent DePaul, 152 Pinewood Avenue, Seward, NE 68434 or call 402-643-3421 between 8 am - 4 pm weekdays.

11 Days trip to Alpine Europe, visiting Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Come along from April 23 to May 3, 2012 and visit some of the most scenic places in all of Europe. We will be doing this pilgrimage during their most beautiful time of the year - springtime! We will have Mass each day in great Churches and Cathedrals along the way. Cost is $2,798 with departure from Omaha. For a brochure, contact Fr. Dan Guenther, 1212 Morningside Ave, Sioux City, IA 51106 or call 1-712-276-4821 or frdanic@cableone.net.

Eucharistic Adoration
Saint Mary's Church is open for Prayer & Adoration daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.

SCRIP: We are selling SCRIP every weekend after Mass; you can also buy SCRIP during the week at the rectory. St. Mary's buys the SCRIP gift cards at a wholesale price, sells them to you at retail and St. Mary's then makes a small profit on every SCRIP gift card sold. A question oftened asked is "what does it cost me to buy the SCRIP?" The answer is that it costs you the same amount of money as if you had gone to the store and purchased the items direct from the store. SCRIP gift cards are actually cash and accepted at stores as such.

Earn Cash for our school by saving labels and turning them into the school or rectory. We need: Campbell's labels, Big G Box Tops for Education, Best Choice Labels, Our Family Labels, Tyson Project A+ labels and aluminum cans. Thanks for your help.

Have you had a Mass offered lately? It is a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the living and the dead (2 Mac 12:44). Call the rectory to schedule a Mass for a loved one.

St. Mary's Altar Society: Members perform services works for our parish, both spiritual and corporal. The works range from praying the rosary to helping out someone else. These volunteer hours should be reported to the circle leaders to be reflected in our yearly report to the Lincoln Deanery. Altar Society meets the first Tuesday of every month (except July) in Flynn Hall, at 7 pm.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House schedule: You may pick up a complete schedule in the bookrack in the entry to the church. Please call 786-2705 to make reservations. http://www.goodcounselretreat.com

Project Rachel can help heal the wounds of abortion. For private and confidential counseling, and/or reconciliation, call 800-964-3787.

Church Cleaning is the 3rd Saturday of the month. Please be at the church by 9 am to help out.

Acolyte / Lector / Reader Meeting: Usually on first Saturdays, 9 am, Flynn Hall. The Acolyte-Lector-Reader Schedule is available here. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal can be found here.

Natural Family Planning Introductory Sessions are offered by Rosemary Clements (402-326-0681) or through the Diocesan Family Life Office (402-488-2040).

Retreats At Waverly Retreat House
More information at 435-2125 or at the Waverly Retreat House's web site http://www.goodcounselretreat.com

Announcements