Every ten years, Catholic Schools go through an accreditation process. We have begun the self-study for our school accreditation that will take place next year. We need all parishioners to fill out a survey by February 28. Below is the link for the survey.

Grief after the death of a loved one can be overwhelming. One can experience a host of feelings, thoughts, behaviors and physical reactions that can make one question one’s own mental wellbeing. There is the notion that, “time heals all wounds.” Time can bring healing, but it’s often what we do during this time that brings about relief and renewed hope. It has also been said that, “grief shared is grief diminished.” Those who have been involved in the ecumenical GriefShare bereavement support group can attest to this. Through video, discussion and sharing, GriefShare is a 12-session process that brings people together who have experienced loss and who seek support and healing in their unique journey. Our next GriefShare support group will begin on February 19 from 1:00-2:30 PM at St. Clement Church. To register online, go to: www.griefshare.org and choose “find a group.” You will see St. Clement listed. If our day/time are not the best for you, you will also see other offerings that may be a better fit. Contact Marcia Hampton at 608-732-8849 if you have questions or want to register.

Can you give just 20 minutes of your time to help our parish? Consider becoming a sacristan for our weekend Masses. You may wonder what that even means. Basically, it's helping the priest set-up for Mass. It's very simple. You would need to arrive about 20-25 minutes before Mass, and help set up the items that are needed for worship. Once you get the hang of it, it takes less than 10 minutes to do. At the end of Mass, it involves putting the Mass items away, and turning out the lights. Very simple! We'll provide on-the-job training too. Contact Dcn. Roger at 723-4990, ext: 2 to volunteer or to get more info.

We are seeking a volunteer to assist with our Altar Linen Ministry. This involves collecting altar linens once or twice a month, then washing, pressing, and folding them. Your help ensures the beauty and reverence of our Mass celebrations. If you are interested in serving in this ministry, please contact Deacon Roger for more details.

All are invited to participate in the 40 Day Holy Hour Devotion before the Holy Eucharist from January 20-February 24 to seek discernment about Ss. Andrew-Thomas School and Daycare.

Fr. Steve Brunner will lead a discussions on the options for Ss. Andrew-Thomas School and Daycare at 6:00 p.m. in the school gym. The meeting is open to the public.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

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.

TEC Retreat What is TEC? TEC (Together Encountering Christ) is an experience in Catholic Christian living, especially designed for adults and young people ages 15 and up

All pastorate member are invited to take a journey through the Acts of the Apostles. You don't have to be an expert in scripture to attend. Bibles will be provided. Adoration will be held on Tuesdays after Mass.

Musicians and singers are needed for a praise and worship team for Saint Joseph the Worker Pastorate. A workshop will be held on August 23. Time to be determined. If you are interested or want more info, please contact Leigh at: [email protected].

Everyone from our pastorate is invited to join us for a fabulous SUNSET CRUISE on Friday, August 1. The cruise will be from 8-10 p.m. and will depart from the Cassville Ferry Landing with loading to begin at 7:45 p.m. The cost is $12/person. Pay and Sign Up for the Cruise at the St. Clement Parish office. Please make checks out to Knights of Columbus and sign up ASAP! Bring your own chairs, drinks and snacks. Please Note: No Glass of any kind is allowed on the Ferry! We’ll be having live music too, for an enjoyable evening on the Mighty Mississippi! Invite your friends (and sign them up) and meet new friends from our pastorate! While everyone is invited, space is limited, so sign up soon. For more information, contact Bill & Judy Seyer at 608-988-6543.

SS. Andrew-Thomas School is seeking to hire a Music Teacher for the 2025/26 school year, please contact Beth at 608-763-2120 or [email protected].

On January 23, 2014, I retired from my job at FSA in Dodgeville. The next day I was asked to help with counting money for the church. This quickly led to being the bookkeeper for the parish. Then in 2023, I was asked to become the Administrator for the Parish. Now after 11 years of serving the parish, I have decided that it is time for me to allow someone else to have the privilege of helping. Therefore, on June 27, 2025, I will be stepping down as bookkeeper and Administrator of St. Andrew-Thomas Parish. It has been a great privilege for me to be able to help for the past 11 years, and my enjoyment came with helping all of you in the parish in any way that you required. Thank you to our priests, Leigh, Julie, Katherine, Cheryl and the congregation for making it memorable. You are ever in my prayers. - Aleise Oyen

We were overjoyed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Fr. Sudhakar Reddy Devarapu's Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ yesterday with a beautiful Mass, delicious food and lots of wonderful people. We are very grateful that Bishop Donald Hying, many priests, and lots of father's friends and parish members were able to join us for the day. A huge & hearty THANK YOU to Gary Mumm and crew for preparing the delicious chicken and to Melanie Mergen and all of the fantastic volunteers from the parishes who helped to set up, serve the meal and cleaned up afterward. Thank you to everyone who brought desserts. The food was fabulous!!! A very special thank you to Jane Patterson and the choir members from our parishes for the amazing music for the Mass. We are very grateful to everyone who helped with the Mass especially Deacon Roger Scholbrock and Bill Manthe and the servers. Thank you to Donna Bark, Kim Vogt, Cathy Martin and helpers for the lovely flowers and making the church look stunning for the Mass. It was an incredible celebration and truly there aren't enough words to thank everyone who made it possible. God bless.

Ss. Andrew-Thomas Parish sincerely THANKS Pat Reuter for her many years of service to the Tennyson and Potosi Churches. She has kept our facilities in an immaculate condition and has always been there to support all activities, including weddings, funerals, and other pastoral events. Pat has decided to retire from her cleaning position, and we are in search of a new volunteer to walk in her shoes. The position requires approximately 20-30 hours a month and pay is negotiable. If interested, please get in touch with Aleise Oyen 608-331-7305 or Shirley Straka 608-770-9504 for additional consideration.