Mar 2012 - Mary Immaculate Catholic Church

March 1, 2012
Mary Immaculate
Herald
Mary
Immaculate
Catholic
Parish
Newsletter
Director of Campus Ministry &
Young Adult Coordinator Named
Inside this issue:
Spotlight:
Campus & Young 1
Adult Ministries
Bishop’s Award
2
LifeLong Faith
Adult Ministries
3
Catholics Come
Home: Parish
Retreat
4
Lenten Mission
5
Parish
Development
6
Mary Immaculate 7
School Auction
Calendar
8
Tom Grossman, who
has been working part
-time in our Youth
Ministry Department,
has agreed to work full
time as our Director of
Campus Ministry and
Young Adult Ministry Coordinator
effective February 1st!
He will continue to support the Youth
Ministry Department in executing the
Confirmation program throughout the
year. Tom will also continue to offer
assistance to the parish’s already developing Young Adult Ministry.
A 2005 graduate of Oklahoma University with a degree in Communications,
Tom worked most recently with the
His campus ministry responsibilities
Young Adult Ministry at St. Joseph in
will include developing and implement- Richardson before coming to Mary
ing seasonal sacramental retreats for
Immaculate Parish. With his special
parish children and developing the
calling for prayer ministry, Tom also
High School
serves as
CORE
Director of
“One of the best ways to keep up your
TEAM. Tom
Prayer for
relationship with our Lord is through
will invite
the Catholic
prayer.”
students to
Pro-Life
take ownerCommittee
Tom Grossman
ship of their
of Dallas and
parish
as a Sidewalk
through participating in the liturgy as
Counselor at abortion clinics.
ushers, greeters, hospitality ministers
and altar servers.
Tom is also excited about his expanded
role at Mary Immaculate. “Over the
Tom will be reporting to Fr. Michael,
past year this has become my family
who notes: “Tom demonstrates strong and I am grateful to serve in my new
leadership and ministerial skills. The
position. Please pray for me as I
school Campus Minister piece of his job embark on my journey to serve directly
duties is unique, I believe, for any
in the parish school, and also as I
parish in our diocese. I’m excited
continue to serve the parish youth and
about Tom assisting the parish school young adult ministries!”
in fulfilling its mission to ‘Provide
Academic Excellence in a Catholic,
Christ centered environment.” Tom
will assist school students, parents,
faculty and staff in matters spiritual
and ministerial.
Page 2
First Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church
On February 11 Mary Eason and Gail
Hartin were honored at a special mass of
Thanksgiving for their tireless volunteer
efforts with the first Bishop’s Award for
Service! A total of 135 volunteers from
around the Diocese of Dallas were bestowed the award at this inaugural service. Bishop
Kevin J. Farrell says the new award will be conferred
on an annual basis to recognize the contributions of
lay people to their parishes and the diocese.
Furthermore, Mary manages our Parish Web Site and
posts all information, changes and notifications that
are required to maintain an active and interactive
website.
Gail Hartin and her husband Bill have been members
of Mary Immaculate Parish since 1979. Gail has
served on the Parish Advisory Council for nine years,
only recently rolling off. During her time on the
Council, she managed and handled the Parish Time
and Talent weekend. This weekend was the basis for
“It is time that we recognize the essential work and
recruiting new volunteers for the many ministries
the true sacrifices made by these lay men and womhere at Mary Immaculate. She also served as a cateen. It is my hope this award will help convey my deep chist and Confirmation teacher during her children’s
gratitude for their dedicated service to the Church.”
years in the RE and Youth Ministry programs.
“We represent all the
dedicated volunteers
who help make Mary
Immaculate the
spiritual home for so
many….our volunteers
represent such a
blending of
different approaches to
living one’s faith and
showing love for our
Catholic Church.”
Mary Eason &
Gail Hartin
Gail is a Cantor and sings in our parish Choirs. Also,
Mary Eason has been a long time member of the
she is a member of our parish Hand Bell Choir and an
Parish. She and her husband Eddie sent both of their active member of the Diocesan Choir that performs at
children to Mary Immaculate School.
the Cathedral for occasions such as Ordinations, Rites
of Election and Chrism Masses.
Mary was an active and integral member of the Parish
Finance Council for well over 10 years and currently
Gail has served as an advisor to the current and past
serves on the Parish Advisory Council and attends the Pastors of Mary Immaculate in matters pertaining to
Finance Council meetings as the Parish Council
school management, parish history and future direcliaison to the Finance Council.
tion. Currently, Gail serves on the Bishop’s Lay Advisory Council which meets with the bishop quarterly.
Over the years, Mary was involved in Youth Ministry,
volunteering her time by assisting with the Youth
Congratulations to both Mary and Gail on this special
Ministry activities. Most notable is that Mary devel- recognition! Mary Immaculate is blessed to have both
oped and managed the Youth Ministry database that of you serving our parish!
was used in the YM Department for years.
Page 3
Christmas in…Christmas out!
Thanks to the volunteers who showed
up after the Epiphany to help take
down the Christmas trees and decorations for Christmas. Though the crew
was small, they were tenacious and
hearty, and
stayed until
every last pine
needle was swept
away.
Attn: MIS Alumni &
Alumni Families!
The winter edition of
the MIS alumni
newsletter, the MIS
Messenger, is now
available online at
http://www.mischool.org/
pages/Alumni_Home.
If you would like to
contribute your story
to the summer
edition, please send
your story to
[email protected].
We welcome photos,
wedding announcements, birth announcements, success stories, etc
Let your classmates
know what is happening in your life!
http://www.mischool.org
Like our own
families at
Christmastime,
everyone likes to
put the decorations out, but it
is usually only
mom or dad who
takes them down and puts them
lovingly away for the next year.
This year, our “moms” and “dads” were
Susan Davis, Jan Brotherman, Ed
Brandt, Rosemary Martinez and our
own maintenance staff - Mel, Ramon
and Juan!
Thanks again to
everyone who
helped put up and
take down our
decorations. You
are a wonderful
part of our Mary
Immaculate Altar
Society, and we
are so thankful to
God for all your
help!
If you want to join
the Altar Society, call the parish office
and speak with Beth at ext. 46.
RCIA—It Takes a Parish!
This past fall, our Adult English RCIA
Candidates and Catechumens took a
class on Confirmation from our resident Confirmation expert, Kelli Simon.
Kelli is the Mary Immaculate Youth
Ministry Coordinator and has the
enormous responsibility of preparing our youth for
the Sacrament of
Confirmation.
She and the adults
met in the Imy
Lounge to learn
about Confirmation in a similar
way that she teaches the youth.
RCIA Candidates and Catechumens, in
the age range of 18-90, are really just
like our young people: learning the
essentials of their faith and trying to
“put it all together!” in preparation for
the reception of Baptism, First Holy
Communion and Confirmation.
The Candidates and Catechumens enjoyed Kelli’s presentation on “building
church,” and
said they wish
every class
could be just
this fun!
If you would
like more information
about becoming Catholic,
or to find out
how you can become an RCIA Sponsor
or volunteer, call our Adult Faith Coordinator, Beth Crouch, at 972-243-7104
ext. 46.
Page 4
Catholics Come Home campaign kicks off in a big way!
This November, our official
Catholics Come Home campaign kicked off with a series
of events and talks designed
to help bring our loved ones
home for Christmas! A panel of speakers gathered at
four different sessions to talk
about what has changed in our Church over the past
few years, Why Catholics leave the Church, Why do
Catholics Do That? And so much more.
The committee has now begun preparation for the
next part of the Campaign, which will involve the
Lenten Mission, Parish-wide Reconciliation and
Lenten Retreat “Behold, I Make All Things New!”
The Committee, comprised of staff members Sefanit
Mekonnen, Kelli Simon, Pricilla Mahaffey, Tom
Grossman and Beth Crouch, and parishioner Steve
de la Garza, worked diligently to prepare the series of
talks to help fallen-away Catholics come home, and
to prepare a comprehensive calendar of parish and
school-wide events for the season.
By giving fallen-away family members, friends and
neighbors the brochure and inviting them to one of
the events, it was hoped that the invitation would be
an open door to bring people back to the Church in a
non-threatening way that would be welcoming and
inviting.
Sefanit Mekonnen, Priscilla
Mahaffey, Steve de la Garza and Beth
Crouch at the panel discussion
“Why do Catholics do that?”
Behold, I Make All Things New!
Mary Immaculate Parish invites you to come
on a Lenten Journey
with Jesus when we
present “Behold, I Make
All Things New!” Saturday, March 17,
2012 beginning at 8
am in the Parish Hall.
This Lenten Retreat will be a day-long reflection on
Jesus’ journey to the desert where he was tempted by
Satan, his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and
culminating with his death and ultimate Resurrection
on Easter Sunday that reflects back to our Baptism
and Jesus’ Baptism in the River Jordan.
Our guest speakers will include staff members Tom
Grossman, Kelli Simon, Sefanit Mekonnen and Beth
Crouch. The retreat is free and a light breakfast and
lunch will be provided.
The Spanish language
retreat, “Yo Haga Nuevas Todas las Coasas”, is set for
Saturday, March 3rd, from 8 am—5 pm.
A free-will offering will be accepted. Sign up for the
Speakers will include Deacon Martin Armendariz and retreat after any Mass on Sunday March 3 and
Sunday March 10, or call the parish office to put
other Diocesan deacons.
your name on the list to attend the Retreat! We hope
you will come!
Page 5
National Director of Apostleship of Prayer to lead Lenten
Mission March 24-26
Fr. James Kubicki, National Director of
the Apostleship of Prayer, will be our
Lenten Mission week speaker the days
of March 24-26, 2012 as Mary
Immaculate Parish kicks off its annual
Lenten Mission Week. The week will
begin with Father Kubicki concelebrating all English Masses the weekend of
the March 24th and 25th, and he will present talks on
Monday March 26th and Tuesday March 27th
evening beginning at 7 p.m. in the Church.
Father Kubicki will work within our Lenten Theme
begun at the Parish retreat on March 17, with Behold,
I Make All Things New!
Father Kubicki is a Jesuit priest who is nationally
known through his appearances on EWTN, Relevant
Radio and Ave Maria Radio throughout the nation.
You can hear him give the Holy Father’s prayer intentions on national radio each week. His website lists
the Holy Father’s prayer intentions as well as providing numerous prayer resources for Catholics everywhere. Find more about Kubicki at
www.apostleshipofprayer.org.
has arrived!
What is flockNote?
flockNote is a communication and registration tool made specifically for Catholic parishes, dioceses and
organizations.
Mary Immaculate ministry leaders can now post information in one place and have it sent out via email,
text message, phone call, Facebook, Twitter and more. One of the biggest perks of this system is that it will
empower you, our parishioners, to get personally plugged in and choose precisely when and how you’d like
to receive information.
So what should I do as a parishioner?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Go to http://www.flocknote.com and click on REGISTER to create an account.
AFTER you have created an account, SEARCH for the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church Network.
Click on Mary Immaculate Catholic Church.
Click on JOIN THIS NETWORK.
Complete your profile.
Click on SUBSCRIPTION SETTINGS. This is where you select how you want to receive flockNotes
from the Network Master List, by email, text message and how often you want to receive the notes.
7) From the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church Network page, review all of the different Mary Immaculate
ministry lists from which to choose.
8) SUBSCRIBE to those lists where you already serve or want to receive information regarding those
ministries. When you subscribe to each list, you select SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS to select how you
want to receive the flockNotes that will be sent by each particular List Owner.
9) Contact the ministry leader or the church office if you are unsure of which lists to subscribe, or if you
want more information regarding that ministry.
flockNote Vocabulary:
Account—You need to set up an account to be able to subscribe to different lists.
Network—Mary Immaculate Catholic Church is just one of many Networks within the flockNote system.
List—On the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church Network page, you will see the lists, which are the different ministries affiliated with Mary Immaculate.
Subscription —The method by which you choose from which lists you want to receive information.
Page 6
Mary Immaculate is Blessed with Generous Parishioners!
If you’ve been around the church
campus, perhaps walking to or
from the school to the church,
you may have heard the new
“bells” music coming from the
bell tower.
In December of last year the
church’s prayers to repair the
bell system were answered by a
generous donor. In a passing
conversation the donor had with Fr. Michael, the
need to have the church bells repaired or replaced
was mentioned. So their Christmas gift to the church
was the funds to repair the bell system. The gift was
so great that we have been able to repair the old bell
system and to have as a back-up, and also to purchase
the new system that you hear during the weekdays
playing the spiritual melodies that our entire community enjoys! The system actually digitally reproduces
the sound of cast bronze bells!
The anonymous donor mentioned in his letter “...My
mother, who passed away in June of 2010, always
enjoyed hearing the bells as we entered church each
Saturday evening. As her birthday was just last week
I thought this would be a wonderful gift in her
memory. We continue to love the people and liturgies
of Mary Immaculate.”
Another item that has recently been gifted to the parish is
the Marian “Madonna in
Prayer” oil canvas replica,
which will be installed and
blessed by Fr. Michael on
Monday, March 26th at
1:30 pm.
This date has been especially
chosen as it is the Solemnity
of the Annunciation of the Lord to Our Lady.
This donor who also wishes to remain anonymous,
has thought for some time that the church office
reception area should display a representation of our
Blessed Mother, since our parish is named after her.
This beautiful art piece will surely be an inspiration
for prayer to all who walk past the office!
The original 17th century piece was painted by artist
Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferatto. It’s been
written that the artist places emphasis on the softly
modeled draperies, the white veil and brilliant blue
cloak, painted in ultramarine. The face remains
largely in shadow, the eyes downcast, and has the
effect of highlighting the hands joined in prayer.
We praise you, Father of all. We thank you for calling us to be your people,
and for choosing us to give you glory.
In a special way we thank you for all Mary Immaculate parishioners.
Cleanse our hearts and our lives with your holy word and
make our prayer pleasing to you.
Guide us by your Spirit as we follow in the paths of Jesus
All glory and praise are yours Father,
Forever and ever,
Amen!
Page 7
Auction Recap
Raffle Winners:
1st prize—$10,000 in Gift Cards—Kristen Brandt
2nd prize—$3,000 in Gift Cards—Marissa Tomlinson
3rd prize—$2,000 in Gift Cards—Lou Masferer
Congratulations Winners!
Auction Numbers:
Congratulations
Attendees: 477
Auction & Raffle
Net profit:
$125,000
and still counting!!
Mary Immaculate
School
on another
successful Auction
year!!
Page 8
Calendar of Events
Father of all mercy,
We thank you for
this season of
grace and light.
We know that sin
has blinded us.
Draw us ever
closer to you, in
prayer & penance.
Since you, O God,
are light itself,
Give all your
people a clearer
understanding
Of what is sin, &
what is virtue.
Grant in particular
that we may see,
as never before,
The profound
dignity of every
human life,
Including the
vulnerable unborn
children.
Give us grace to
defend our
brothers & sisters
in the womb
By our prayers, our
words, & our selfsacrificing actions.
We pray through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
March 3
Spanish Retreat— “Yo Haga Nuevas Todas las Cosas”
March 4—5
Living your Marriage as a Sacrament Workshop—6 pm in Church
Conference Room
March 5
Prayer & Life Workshop—1st of 14—6—8 pm in School Room 8B
March 6
English Baptism Class—7 pm in the School Library
March 7
1st Year Confirmation students MI Night—The Secret of Happiness
(Service projects due)
March 13
Adult Confirmation Class—7—9 pm, Church Conference Room
March 17
English Retreat—”Behold, I Make all Things New”
March 20
Adult Confirmation Class - 7—9 pm, Church Conference Room
March 21
1st Year Confirmation students MI Night—In Service of Others
March 25
Blood Drive
March 26
Lenten Mission Talk —Fr. Kubicki— 7 pm in the Church
March 26
Blessing of new Marian art piece—Church Office 1:30 pm
March 27
Lenten Mission Talk—Fr. Kubicki—7 pm in the Church
March 28
Parish Reconciliation Service—7 pm in the Church
March 28
2nd Year Confirmation student MI Night Sword of the Spirit
April 1
Palm Sunday
April 5
Holy Thursday—Bilingual Mass of the Lord’s Supper—7 pm
April 6
Good Friday
Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion & Veneration of the Cross
12 noon & 5:30 pm English, 7:30 pm Spanish
April 7
Holy Saturday—Bilingual Easter Vigil Mass
April 8
Easter Sunday
Mary Immaculate
2800 Valwood Pkwy
Farmers Branch
75234
972-243-7104
www.maryimmaculatechurch.org