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.

Dear Ladies of the Parish! Our CCW will be having our Lenten Bake Sale during the St. Charles Fish Fry. Mark your calendar for this very special parish event. Bakery items for the Bake Sale can be dropped off Friday afternoon, April 11th, at your convenience. Tables will be set up in the school entrance. Thank you for your donations. Starting at 5 PM, come join us for the CCW Bake Sale, Basket Drawings, and St. Charles Fish Fry. Please contact Phyllis Adrian or Susan Kremer with any questions. Blessings to All! -CCW Leadership Team

Be sure to pick up a copy of THE WORD AMONG US this weekend. During the Lenten season, they are a great way to get into the habit of daily prayer. THE WORD AMIONG US contains the readings of the day, short reflections on the readings, as well as excellent articles. We order extra copies of this publication during Lent to make it easier for us all to enter into God’s Word, and to let His Word transform our hearts and minds. Copies can be found in various places in the back of church. Renew yourself in God’s Word this Lent!

St. Charles Fish Fry Friday April 11, 2025 Serving from 5-7:30 St. Charles parishioners are asked to bring in a dessert or if you don’t bake, a $10 donation to go towards food, the day of the fry.

Congratulations to Mrs. Cheryl Raisbeck from St. Clement School on receiving the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year Award!!!

The Lancaster Association of Churches (LAC) FoodPantry has seen a dramatic increase of those needing help. At the same time, the pantry has been blessed by receiving food assistance from some of the local KwikTrips, Dollar General and individual donations. The Pantry is seeking an individual (or 2 or 3 people) who are willing to pick up the donated food from Kwik-Trip in Lancaster on Thursdays, as well as Dollar General on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Again, this could be the same person, or different volunteers. The process is very simple, and takes only a little bit of your time. To volunteer or to get more information, contact Linda Bendorf, the LAC Pantry manager, at 608-988-6216 or bendorf1982@gmail.com. Whatever help you can give would be greatly appreciated!

Join us during this year of Hope as we explore the Letter to the Hebrews. The Tuesday Morning Bible Study in Cassville has moved back to Saint Charles to accommodate some of our new members. It is always open to new members--you do not have to be an expert in the Bible, but the Letter to the Hebrews is full of great messages of HOPE! Join us in the Media room at the school after Mass on Tuesday and we wrap it up at 10:00 a.m.

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

Its going to be another amazing night. This year our theme is Kentucky Derby. As always, the attire is optional, but if you decide to partake in the fun theme, you will be awarded a FREE Drink Ticket. All are welcome to come and support our amazing school. The night will consist of cocktails, dinner, photo booth, music, live and silent auction. Get your bids ready and come join us for some fun! Festivities start at 6pm, located in the basement Dining Hall at St Clement Catholic Church

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.

We are looking for a few good men/women who like to bake to help make desserts for our Youth Nights in Lancaster. The next gathering would be January 29 at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Leigh Boorn via email lboorn@stjworker.com if you can help. Thank You in Advance!

THANK YOU for your generous support of St. Clement Scrip Wars, with your help we surpassed our goal of $130,000, reaching $186,000 in scrip sold and the students will enjoy an all-school ice-cream party!

SS. Andrew-Thomas School will be having a Chili Cook Off fundraiser on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 5-7 PM. Call 608-763-2120 if you would like to enter your chili in the contest, entry fee $10.

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 GrantCoRTL@outlook.com (NEW address!)

Other Religions This week in our continuing series on evangelization tips we're talking about evangelizing people who belong to other religions. When you encounter a person who is of a non-Christian religion, it can be challenging to know how to convince them of the divinity of Jesus and the truth of the Catholic Church. We first have to remember that it is God who does the real work in the heart, while we only offer points for consideration. Perhaps a place to start is with the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who once stated a universal truth that, "All men by nature desire to know." Despite all of our differences, one thing brings together non-Christians who believe in God. To some degree, all of them desire "something greater." When sharing the Gospel with non-Christian believers in God, there are many arguments that you can use in a discussion. Here are a few: 1) Lord, Liar, Lunatic or Legend, 2) prophecies, and 3) miracles and private revelation. The Lord, Liar, Lunatic, or Legend argument, developed from C.S. Lewis' "trilemma," makes the case that Jesus can't be simply a good moral teacher if He is not also God. He has to be lying about being God, which would make Him evil, or must be crazy to proclaim such a thing, which makes him unfit to be God. Or He's simply a legend, that is, people in the early church exaggerated accounts of Him, making Him a deity. While this argument doesn't prove that Jesus was God, it does narrow down things. When carried on to its conclusion, it shows that the best explanation for Jesus' life was that He is divine. That is, the deity of Christ (while not irrefutable) has more explanatory power than the other available options. The argument from prophecies shows that biblical prophecies have come to fruition and reveal a God who loves us and wants us to know Him. The Virgin Birth is one such prophecy which is mentioned in Isaiah 7:14. It is fulfilled in the Incarnation of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary (Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:26- 38). This is just a starting point ... there are numerous more. The argument from miracles and private revelation shows God's continual care and providence for His people in the present. A final point: personal testimonies and stories add to these arguments by presenting a sincere witness to the Faith. This evangelization tip was brought to you by St. Paul Street Evangelization. Take our course, One Good Reason for Non-Christian Believers at evangelizationschool.com. ©Copyright St. Paul Street Evangelization 2024

To the Family Promise Staff, Volunteers and Board Members, Thank you so much for everything you have done for me and my family over the last six months. You have touched our lives in ways you will never know. When we came into this program, we were in a really bad time in our lives. I felt so low [and] broken. You guys helped me build myself back up. You gave all of us hope and peace of mind. Thank you for giving us what we needed and more. I will cherish the memories made and the lessons learned. You made me not only a better person, but a better parent. God bless all of you and everything you do for the families in this county that are in need. Thank you again!”