Fr. Dick Leffler is currently at Edenbrook Nursing Home, 1300 N Water St, Platteville, WI 53818. He is undergoing therapy to regain strength. Fr. Dick was the pastor of Ss. Andrew-Thomas Parish for 27 years and is part of all of our families. Please take a moment to say a prayer for him to regain his strength. It would be wonderful to do a Christmas card shower for him to show our love and support.

Our next week to host families with children experiencing homelessness begins the week of December 28. The volunteer sign-up forms will be in the back of St. Clement Church next weekend. In this season of giving, consider giving just 2 hours of your time in this important outreach to the needy.

"Everyone wants eternal youth. God created us with this desire because he wants to fulfill it. How? Through the Sacrament of Confession." Everyone is encouraged to take home a The Fountain of Youth book, and one for family and friends. We received the books as a gift from an anonymous person. There was no cost to our pastorate. The book was written by Dave Durand (a cofounder of Lighthouse Catholic Media) and endorsed by Bishop Hying and Fr. Mike Schmitz.

St. Andrew Church is in need of volunteers to shovel the steps and sidewalk.

Everyone is invited to attend St. Mary’s School Christmas Program on Wednesday, December 17 at 7:00 p.m. the rehearsal will be on Monday, Dec. 15 at 12:30 p.m.

The 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 22. Every year, St. Mary's has a "Christmas Club" where people can donate money for gifts for the St. Mary Parish staff. If interested, you may leave a donation at the parish office or at school.

If you work or volunteer in any of our parish churches and serve in ministries involving children, please ensure your Diocesan Safe Environment Training is current.

It's time again to think of decorating our churches for Christmas, and we are asking the members of St. Mary’s and St. John’s churches to help by purchasing poinsettias in memory of their loved ones. The prices for the flowers are $18 for a small poinsettia, $30 for a medium poinsettia, & $42 for a large poinsettia. Parishioners also have the option of making a donation to help offset the cost of decorating the churches.

Anyone wanting to donate to the Christmas Flower Memorial Fund for St. Charles, St. Mary in Glen Haven, or SSAT- Please put your donation and who you are honoring/memory of: in an envelope and put it in your church collection by the weekend of Dec. 13.

St. Clement also offers an opportunity to remember your deceased loved ones through Christmas memorial donations.

St. Clement is once again taking part in the Grant County Holiday Project to assist families in need have a better Christmas.

Fr. Herbert Schmidt would like help cleaning his apartment once a month. He lives at Sunrise Valley Apartments in Lancaster. If interested, please call him at 608-331-7148.

Everyone is invited to attend the 8:15 a.m. School Mass at St. Clement Church on Monday, December 1.

St. John's Parish is seeking a Sacristan and a musician (organist) to play for the Sunday, 8:00 a.m. Mass.

The men’s group will be meeting at St. Clement Dining Hall at 7 :00 p.m. on Sunday nights during Advent and then in January after Christmas and New Year.

We pray for all who will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time at St. Clement Church on December 17, St. Mary Church, Bloomington on January 7 and St. Charles Church on January 14.

Thank you to everyone who helped in raising, picking or purchasing pumpkins for Ss. Andrew-Thomas School’s Pumpkin Sale this year! We raised $4,160 and couldn't have done it without your support!

Ss. Andrew-Thomas Parish is sponsoring its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive during November. Nonperishable food items, paper products, cereals, etc. can be deposited in the box in the back of St. Andrew Church. Donations will be taken to the Lancaster Food Pantry in December to help those in need in our area. May God bless you for your generosity.

A number of the churches in our pastorate are in need of people to assist in distributing Holy Communion at Mass. If you would be willing to help, please contact Deacon Roger Scholbrock at [email protected] or 723-6946, with your name, contact info, and parish so that we can plan training events. Training will also cover bringing Holy Communion to the sick & homebound.

Saint Clement Family Faith Formation is looking for a few parishioners to help with the meal on Wednesday nights and/or to bake items for the students and families. Our next Family Faith night is November 19. Please contact Leigh for more information.