August 21: Message From Fr. Hottovy

Dear Parishioners,

The Responsorial Psalm for this weekend’s Mass heartens us: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple.”  This past week many people have taken advantage of our restarting Eucharistic Exposition.  We’ve had all of the hours fill up on sign-up genius and some hours had three, four, or more adoring at the same time.  Please come and adore Our Lord when you are able.

A few reminders:

  • Mass Attendance continues to increase for our Sunday Masses.  If we get to a point that we reach capacity for weekend Masses, we will direct people down to K Hall where the Mass will be livestreamed and communion will be brought to those downstairs.  Our daily Mass attendance is steady and there is plenty of room to spread out in the church.  Please join us for Mass if your health permits.
  • Planning for RCIA, CCD, Godteens and Religious Education for Intellectually Challenged Youth and Adults are in the works, as we are trying to determine the best way to proceed with these groups.
  • We are considering creative ways that we may have a simplified version of our Parish Bazaar this year.  There has been communication with our parish groups to see what might be possible.
  • We are coming to the completion of many construction projects that happened over the summer for our school.  The school is fully air conditioned!  The gym ceiling renovation with acoustical tiles is finished.  The new A/C in the gym allows fresh outside air to be brought in.  Replacement of windows in the gym and stairwells continues.  The new windows – which replace 50+ year-old windows – are double-paned, insulated glass will allows for a significant increase in energy efficiency in the gymnasium.
  • Many of you have been very generous in maintaining of increasing your church support in the last four months. Because of lessened attendance at Sunday Mass, our collections have obviously gone down. We continue to have fixed costs such as utilities, salaries, property insurance, etc. Would you please consider maintaining your level of giving or maybe increasing it a little? Your support is important and much appreciated.

Know of my prayers for all of you.  May Our Lady, Queen of heaven and earth, intercede for you and protect you at every moment.

In Jesus and Mary,

Father Hottovy

Pastor | St. Teresa Parish

Secretary’s note: Announcements are now being split into new (or updated) and then repeated, to keep things simpler for you to read and understand.

:: NEW & UPDATED PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS ::

St. Teresa's Altar Society will meet on Wednesday, September 2 at 7pm. We will begin with the Rosary in the church and then meet in Kaczmarek Hall immediately after.  Cake, coffee, and iced tea will be served.  All women of the parish are members and always welcome at the meetings.  All are asked to wear masks (except when enjoying the dessert) and we will social distance.

Spiritual Adoption Program

Members of St. Teresa Parish Family will have the opportunity next weekend to spiritually adopt a child who is newly conceived. The program will begin on Sept 8, in honor of our Blessed Mother’s birthday. Please see the insert for details and check the bulletin for updates.

THANK YOU! Our gratitude goes out to the many people who have worked to make repairs and improvements to our parish’s grounds and its buildings recently. The courtyard’s statue of St. Therese was repainted and roses and evergreens were planted at its base. Exterior steps have been repainted, and the exterior doors of the rectory were refinished. Thank you for your time and work!

S.T.A.G.E. student theater presents screenplays! Please consider auditioning for Studio STAGE/and or/Saintspeare! Both performances will be created for "film", presented via internet , and permanently recorded for a family keepsake.  Small groups and outdoor settings will make this possible with COVID restrictions. Auditions for Studio STAGE or Saintspeare will take place August 28-29 in Kaczmarek Hall. See the attached poster. Please visit stage4kids.com to learn the details of these two fun opportunities for kids and to use our signup genius link for auditions.  For ages 9 and up.

Construction Updates

The school is fully air conditioned! The a/c is complete and fully operational. (Bonus: the gym’s system will use fresh outdoor air!) Many of the new windows have been installed, and work continues on the improvement of our school and its gymnasium.

There will NOT be a Marian Mass held at the Waverly Retreat Center this year, due to health concerns. Plans are being made for a smaller celebratory Mass here at St. Teresa.

We will NOT be having a parish picnic this year (normally celebrated around our Titular Feast Day of Oct 1st) again—due to health concerns.

The Parish Bazaar is tentatively planned for November 8th with changes for health and safety.

ALL IN | Youth Bible Study

High Schoolers and College Students: come join us for a weekly Bible Study. It will be a great chance to grow in your faith and in a relationship with others from the diocese. The time is now to be ALL IN for the Faith. Meetings will now be held on Tuesdays. The upcoming meeting will be TUESDAY August 25th at St. Teresa. Please see the attached flyer for details.

 

:: REPEAT PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS (for your convenience) :: 

Mass & Confessions Updates

  • 6:30am Masses have resumed. There will be one weekly 5:30pm Mass on Fridays.
  • Attendance at the 8:15am School Mass will be limited: The last pew, side chapels, and choir loft will be available for non-student seating.
  • Confessions will be heard Thursdays 1/2 hour before Masses beginning August 20th (in addition to Fridays before-Masses and Saturday afternoons.)
  • Additionally: The rosary will be prayed in church at 7:30am on weekdays.

  

Those who are unable to attend Mass or Confessions in person may contact the parish office to schedule a home-visit from a priest for confession and/or communion.

Eucharistic Adoration (Exposition!)

During this difficult time in our community, country and world, we need Jesus more than ever. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is vital for the conversion of our world. We want to bring back Eucharistic Adoration, but we need to make sure that someone is present with Jesus the whole time He is exposed. As we ease back into an adoration schedule, Exposition will be Sundays from 1-9pm, Mondays from 9-9, and Tuesdays from 9-9 and will begin August 16th IF all Hours are filled. We will reevaluate on September 29th. If you aren’t able to commit to an hour each week, consider signing up as a substitute. Regardless of whether you commit or sub, please stop by at any time during adoration to make a visit with our Lord, even if only for a few minutes! God loves to spend time with you! An online sign-up has been created HERE to make sure all hours are covered and its link is in the weekly e-mail. If you want to sign up but can’t use the link, please call the parish office for help.

Our SCRIP program is beneficial, indispensable, and ever-evolving … especially as COVID has changed the way we are doing all things. Using SCRIP for even your most basic shopping needs can offer St. Teresa School $150.  That’s $100/week x 52 weeks.  If 300 families did this, St. Teresa’s would receive $46,800 each year.  We are currently at almost $7,000.  We can do so much better! Please see the attachment “SCRIP COVID Instructions” for a detailed announcement and then take time to look at the Raise Right Flyer for ideas about how to use this new app.

 St. Teresa Thrift Shop

is open for business on  Saturdays in August from 9-3. Donations can be made during these times at the back door of the store. All volunteers and shoppers must wear masks (which are not provided). We may limit the number of shoppers in the store at one time to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Only children who are 12 and older and accompanied by an adult will be admitted at this time. To volunteer, call: Barb Bechtoltz: 402-499-9735, Karen Restau: 402-309-9769, or Ann Reinke 402-560-4114.

Fatima Project Update: It’s not too late to join the Parish’s spiritual pilgrimage to Fatima! For more information, please pick up a brochure in church, view the attachment on the most recent e-mail, or find it on our parish’s Facebook Page.

Are you interested in learning more about your faith or are you considering becoming Catholic?

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) will be offered this year. Classes are in the Marian Room from 7:30-9pm on Thursday evenings, beginning on Sept 24th. These classes are for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Invite a friend and plan to attend!

Golf Tournament: St. Teresa's Men's Club is sponsoring a golf tournament.  The four-man scramble will be held at Highlands Golf Course on Sunday, Sept 13th.  For more info or a registration form, please contact Dale Theisen at 402-430-0973.

Godteens: Online registration is open for the 2020-2021 school year for our parish’s high schoolers. The deadline is August 30th. Please use THIS LINK.  An Ice Cream Social is planned for Sept 2nd in the school parking lot to kick off the school year.

In-parish Job Opening: St. Teresa Catholic Church and School is seeking a Custodian. This includes general cleaning—keeping the facilities clean and orderly—and upkeep of the parish, school, and grounds, sanitizing surfaces at school and public areas of the church and rectory, mowing and grounds maintenance, snow removal and ice-melt application, and occasional light maintenance and minor repairs. High school diploma or GED is required. For more information, contact the Parish Office: 402-477-3979.

Walk the Little Way for 2020 is gearing up. If you have a business and would like to support Saint Teresa School by advertising on the t-shirts and banner for Walk the Little Way, please contact Janice Swanson at Janiceswanson7 @gmail.com.

St. Teresa School is looking to add to our list of Substitute Teachers for the 2020-2021 school year. If you do not have a teaching or substitute certificate, you may still be eligible to apply for a local substitute teaching permit. This permit requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours of college coursework and at least one course in professional education. Contact Sister Mary Ruth at 402-477-3358 or sr.mary-ruth@cdolinc.net for more information.

Confirmation: The eagerly-anticipated confirmation of last year’s fifth graders will take place September 19th and 26th at 10am. Please note: attendance is by invitation only.

Pink Sisters & Adoration Chapel: Because the current (COVID-19) Risk Level in our community is high, the Chapel remains closed to the public in order to preserve the health of the sisters and the lay adorers. When the Risk Level lowers significantly, reopening of the chapel will be considered.

:: NEW DIOCESAN ANNOUNCEMENTS ::

The Seiker family is looking for a nighttime caregiver for Vince & Theresa Seiker from 10pm to 7am Monday through Thursday (it is possible to divide/reduce the number of days). CNA experience is preferred. $20 per hour. If interested, please call Susan at 402-975-9191.

Newman Institute Fall Seminars are now open for registration. Owing to COVID, the seminars will be available either in-person (limited to 15) or online. Because of their popularity, both spring seminars will be repeated. Dr. David Arias will teach "In Wandering Mazes Lost": Seven Philosophical Errors, including relativism, Marxism and transgenderism. Dr. Helen Freeh will teach Tolkien, Friendship and the Pursuit of the Good. The seminars meet for 90 minutes on alternating Monday evenings, with the first classes in mid-September. See newmaninstitute.com for details. Priests, pastors, religious and students pay half price. Dr. Freeh also gives the fall's first Reborn in Wonder lecture: Standing on a Knife's Edge: The Battle Between Hope and Despair in J.R.R. Tolkien, at 7 PM, Wednesday, September 9. The in-person public lecture, which will also be live-streamed, will be held at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at UNL.

 

:: REPEAT DIOCESAN ANNOUNCEMENTS ::

 Upcoming Retreats at Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House

Note: Altar Society or Men’s Club will pay for half of the cost of a standard retreat once per retreat-year for parishioners!

  • August 28-30, a retreat for Men and Women will be given (in person or online) by Father Gary Coulter and Matt Simmons. The topic is Unbound: Freedom in Christ.
  • September 4-7, a 3-4 day Directed Spiritual Exercises retreat for men and women (in person) will be given by Fr. Gary Coulter and Fr. Chris Barak.

For more information, a complete list of retreats, or to register, please visit Our Lady of Good Counsel’s website.

Men’s Conference: October 17 from 9 am – 3 pm at St. Peter Church in Lincoln. Men on Fire: Take Back What Belongs To You. Online participation option now available! Register online at www.jpiihealingcenter.org

Scholarships available - contact Annette Wemhoff at JPIIRetreatLincolnNE@gmail.com for more information. This event is sponsored by Spirit Catholic Radio 102.7 FM.

 

Women’s Conference: September 24-26 @ St. Peter Church in Lincoln. Undone: Freedom for the Feminine Heart. Online participation option now available! Register online at www.jpiihealingcenter.org.  Scholarships, student and missionary discounts are available - contact Annette Wemhoff at JPIIRetreatLincolnNE@gmail.com for more information. This event is sponsored by Spirit Catholic Radio 102.7 FM KVSS.

Diocesan Confirmation Retreat

All students being confirmed along with their parents are invited to attend the “Confirmed in Mission” Confirmation Retreat! It will be held Saturday, October 3rd from 10am-4:30pm at Camp Kateri. This event is an opportunity for parents and their children to come together to be renewed in the Holy Spirit and prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation. Light breakfast and lunch is provided, and appropriate health measures will be taken. Cost is $15 per person to register. To register or for more information visit: www.lincolndiocese.org/mission

The Benedict XVI Diocesan School of Catechesis is for Catholics wanting to strengthen their intellectual and spiritual formation to empower their evangelical mission in the world. It covers the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments, and Prayer (Year I) as well as Salvation History, Church History, Faith and Reason, and Spirituality (Year II). Participants can join in Year I or Year II and classes will be offered in-person and on Zoom simultaneously. The time commitment is one Saturday a month from September to April for two years. The cost is $100 per semester but those who teach CCD, God-teen/CYO, or in Catholic schools receive a 25% discount.

For more information go to www.lincolndiocese.org/bxvi or call 402-473-0631.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center with Catholic Social Services continues to support mental health for the Diocese of Lincoln through the use of telehealth. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health difficulties that adversely impact daily functioning or shadow the joy of living, please reach out. For more information, visit their website at immaculateheartcounseling.org or call 402-489-1834.

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May God bless you and keep you!

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