Ss. Andrew-Thomas School Spaghetti Supper on May 13 from 5-6:30 p.m.

The St. Anne’s Sodality in Fennimore (St. Mary’s Church/Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish will be hosting the Spring Vicariate Meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Registration will begin at 3:00 PM followed by a short meeting and Mass will be celebrated at 4:00 PM. Supper will be served at 5:00 PM. The theme for the meeting is “Disciples Wear Many Hats”. We will be having Marge Karsten from the Grant County Right to Life group and Judy Vesperman from the Grant County Historical Society in Lancaster speak to us. Please wear your finest Derby Hat, Easter Bonnet, or historical hat from days of old. Every hat tells a story. Registrations are due by May 1. All ladies are welcome. The cost for the event is $15/person. Please send your registrations to Rita Moore at 14791 Homer Rd, Fennimore, WI, 53809. If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Loy at 608-822-6412 or [email protected].

St. Mary School is looking to hire two middle school teachers (grades 5-8) for the 2025-2026 school year. Please contact Kelly Copsey if you are interested in being a part of our St. Mary's family. [email protected] / (608)994-2435.

After looking over St. Mary's Rectory roof and windows, St. Mary's Parish Council has decided to have the remaining 30 original 1949 rectory windows replaced this year. This project will cost approximately $51,000.00 and should be completed sometime later this summer or early fall. While there are some restricted maintenance funds that can be used toward the cost, St. Mary's Parish Council is hoping that generous people in our parish and pastorate will be able to help with this expense by making donations to ST. MARY'S RECTORY WINDOW PROJECT. Please contact St. Mary's Parish office at 608-994-2526 for more information.

St. Mary School Bike/Walk-a-thon Saturday, April 26 9am to 11am Additional information: 3k - 7th grade may participate Participants please see the forms

A HUGE thank you to Steve Bernhardt for donating and installing the new amp and speakers at St. Mary's Church. Thank you to Pat Casey for generously donating copies of the Lenten Magnificat for St. Mary's families. Thank you to everyone who helped with the repairs and organizing St. Mary's Church Kitchen.

What is Totus Tuus? Totus Tuus is a summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. Our week-long Parish Summer Catechetical Program and Summer Camps assist parents and parishes in the evangelizing and catechizing of their youth by supplementing the work they are already doing. The methodology, structure, content, and enthusiasm of Totus Tuus is concerned not only with teaching the faith but also igniting the hearts of the team members and young people. The result has been the formation of young adults who continue to dedicate themselves to the Church’s mission of evangelization. The success and popularity of Totus Tuus is demonstrated by its broad expansion and utilization throughout the country over more than 20 years. We are excited to offer Totus Tuus in addition to the many other excellent youth outreach offerings in the Diocese of Madison for the summer of 2025.

St. Mary’s Fish Fry Thank You’s We had a fantastic Fish Fry & Raffle with over 775 meals served! We deeply appreciate everyone who supported our Fish Fry and made it a fun and successful night! A huge THANK YOU to St. Mary's Parish Council and everyone who prepared the delicious meal especially the crew who prepared the fish. We have received a lot of compliments! Thank you to everyone who donated bars and cookies and the great people who helped during the evening. A special thank you to Mary & Kurt Adrian, Ma's Bakery for donating the delicious coleslaw and rolls. Thank you to all who gave donations toward our raffle prizes. Thank you to Dennis and Annette Knapp for donating part of their winnings back to St. Mary’s. Thank you to Catholic Financial Life Branch #34 for co-sponsoring the raffle and donating napkins. The following are the total amounts received during the Fish Fry before expenses have been paid: Raffle: $6,225.00 Raffle Prize Donations: $800.00 Meals: $11,527.00 Sale of Extra Food: $824.00 Refreshments: $109.00 Fish Fry Donation$250.00 Total to date: $19,735.00

High School kids: June 8-13 at St. John Vianney, Janesville. Middle School kids: July 7-10 at St. Joseph, Dodgeville. Registration is now open at www.madisondiocese.org/lbhregistration Click on the NEW or RETURNING family for instructions. This year we will not sign in as “lost sheep”, but as St. Joseph The Worker Pastorate. 10 spots are saved for our pastorate children in each location. Email [email protected] to receive more information.

Children are a great gift to us. One way families can find support for the moral and academic formation of their children is in a Catholic school. Below are just few of the reasons why we value our Catholic school: *There is weekly Mass and special feast days where the children are more involved in the liturgy and regular prayer is a part of the school day. *There is a regular religion class several times each week so the children can come to understand the rich tradition and teachings of the Catholic faith. *Our Catholic School has a strong family feel and students are welcomed, and feel safe and comfortable while being challenged to grow and mature according to God’s plan for each of them. *Teachers help the children connect the Catholic faith with all other learning and work with parents for the good of children. Thank you to all of our wonderful parishioners, benefactors, and volunteers who make Catholic education in our area possible. Thank you to all of our dedicated teachers and staff who share their knowledge and faith each day with our students. Thank you to our parents and families who made the decision to entrust St. Mary’s School with the education of their children. May God continue to bless our students, families, and schools as we give thanks for the great blessing of Catholic school. Please contact the school or parish offices to learn more about enrolling your child(ren) in our excellent school.

Still considering a New Year’s resolution? Decide now to take part in one of Grant Co. Right to Life’s upcoming 2025 activities! 1. Pray for GCRTL’s efforts to bring a Safe Haven Baby Box to Grant County. 2. Help plan a movie night! Join a team to bring the full-length documentary, Unthinkable, by former PP clinic director, Abby Johnson, to a Grant Co. theater. (Or donate to offset costs.) 3. 2/4/25: Participate - from anywhere – in a 6 p.m. GCRTL Zoom meeting. Call for log-in info. 4. 3/1/25: Volunteer at a GCRTL table at a late a.m. Platteville Public Library Involvement Fair. 5. 4/5/25: Attend a free WI RTL Pregnancy Help Center conference in Wausau. By 3/21/25, register at https://www.classy.org/event/2025-pregnancy-help-center-spring-conference/e626057 . 6. Participate in a group to distribute small gifts to nursing home residents. Consider making a walker bag or lap blanket for residents. (GCRTL will provide materials.) For more info., text or call Marge at 608.732.0850 or email [email protected] (NEW address!)

Everyone is invited to attend St. Mary's Lasagna Supper at St. Mary School on Saturday, January 25 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. There will also be a Silent Auction and classroom displays.

THANK YOU to everyone who supported the Scrip Push! The goal was $30,000 and $69,700.00 in Scrip was purchased! The St. Mary's students will enjoy a pizza and movie party hosted by the Home & School Association.

Thank you to everyone who worked to make our churches beautiful inside and out for Christmas. Thank you to all who gave donations for the flowers and decorations. We can be very proud of our beautiful churches. Thank you to everyone who has very generously supported our parishes throughout the year and at Christmastime. May God’s love and blessings be with you and your family in 2025! St. Mary’s School is deeply grateful to everyone for their very generous gifts to St. Mary’s teachers and staff. A special thank you to all the families who have participated in Family Faith Formation. It is such a blessing to watch the families share a meal, pray together, and grow in their faith. Thanks to our prayer warriors, snack providers and catechists who provide their time to help build God's Kingdom on Earth.

We invite you to find help through Retrouvaille, (ret-tro-vi), where husbands and wives are helped to re-discover each other. In Retrouvaille, couples discover they are not alone. There is hope and grace. Madison’s upcoming Retrouvaille program is January 31 – February 2, 2025 at the Green Lake Conference Center. Follow up sessions will be in Madison. Call (920) 369-8836 or check our website at www.helpourmarriage.org Your confidentiality is always respected.

St Mary’s School has teamed up with Hamann’s Helping Hands again this holiday season to help gathering gifts for children that are spending the holidays in the hospital. We will be collecting gifts until December 20.

St. Mary's Home and School Association is sponsoring a Calendar Raffle for the month of January. Please contact the school office at 608-994-2435 if you are interested in purchasing a chance to win. All money must be turned in by December 20.

The annual "Christmas Club" where you can donate money for gifts for the staff has begun. Donations may be left at the parish office or school.

The start date is December 27 (start noon on Friday)- 29 (ends 3:30 on Sunday). TEC (Together Encountering Christ) is centered on the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Our Shepherd Bishop Donald Hying has also centered his 'Go Make Disciples' initiative on that same theme. TEC is especially designed to help us grow in our love for Christ and our Holy Catholic Church. It is an amazing experience for any age who are young at heart and at least 15 years of age. Regardless of your present walk in our Catholic Faith, you will be rejuvenated. This is also a 'shout out' to those of you who have already experienced a TEC retreat and would like to help out. Fr. Greg Ihm will be our Spiritual Director. Jeff Jackson is the lay Director and can be reached at 608.778.6027 Or [email protected] More information about TEC can be found at www.MadisonDiocese.org/TEC