Our next host week at St. Clement begins on Sunday, May 31. While that seems far away, it will be here soon. We continue to seek to expand our pool of volunteers for this important outreach to families with children experiencing homelessness. Recently, some member churches of the LAC have committed to help us and the Lancaster United Methodist Church during our host weeks. We also have a few people who assist us from Ss. Andrew-Thomas, and one person from Fennimore. But we do hope that others from our pastorate will join us in our work to support families experiencing a very difficult time for them and their children as they seek housing. To get involved or for more information contact Bill Manthe at 723-4913 or Peg Jonas at 723-2051.

Congratulations to the children from our parishes who have celebrated their First Holy Communion these last few weeks. We pray that they will cherish the gift of Christ present in the Eucharist and know God's love always: Genevieve Adam, Harrison Adams, Sawyer David, Killian Fritz, Zaylee Guthrie, Oliver Hampton, Jack Helmke, Tanner Junk, Finley Klar, Tucker Klein, Dane Leibfried, Woodlynn Meier, Jonathan Mumm, Elizabeth Oyen, Emma Roesch, Chloe Spaeth, Klair Timmerman, Hadley Uppena, David Wiedenbeck, Dakota Adams, Gracie Brewer, Jenna Freise, Luke Grinnell, Bodey Hamilton, Kalliope Hearn, Reuben Ihm, Liam King, Elliot Klein, Leighton Knapp, Xander Love, Korbin Miles, Aubree Nihles, Charles Reynolds, Connor Snyder, Henrietta Spraggon, Brynlee Udelhofen, and Benjamin White.

The St. Mary Settlement Cemetery in Cassville is in need of new caretakers: after 35 years Rod and Bev need to retire due to health and family issues. Please call 608-725-5876 to get more information.

Ss. Andrew-Thomas needs volunteers to mow the school lawn this summer. If you would like to help out, we are hoping to get enough helpers so each person only needs to mow 3-4 times this mowing season. Please contact Amy at the school if interested: 608-763-2120.

Thank you to all the ladies who baked the delicious treats for the Family Faith Formation sessions in our pastorate!

We have been informed that some parishioners are receiving messages claiming to be from Fr. Steve Brunner requesting help or parish information. These messages are fraudulent. Please do not respond, do not send any parish information, and do not click any links in these messages. Fr. Steve will never contact parishioners in this manner for personal requests. If you have received one of these messages, please delete it.

If you are on the chain and wish to remain on the chain, if you are already on the chain and wish to be removed, or if you are not on the chain and wish to join - Please contact Aleise Oyen either by phone, text or email to let her know your wishes. She will need your name and your current phone number. You may contact her by phone or text at 608-331-7305 or by email at [email protected]. We hope to get a new list out by the end of April. Thank you!!

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.

Have you ever felt like what you are doing or where you are at just isn’t really your destination in life? Could it be that you are not just called to a new job or a different apartment, but to a whole new life? Might religious life be the life for you? I am Sister Kathleen Murphy and that whole new life came to me when I became a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity! It wasn’t a long journey from my farm home in the Diocese of Madison to our beautiful motherhouse in Manitowoc, and yet it was a chance to experience a God-given adventure. If you are up to enter on such a journey, visit my Community at https://fscc-calledtobe.org or even think about an in person stay with us here in Manitowoc, WI. As the Gospel urges, “Come and see!”

Hello! My name is Deacon Roger Scholbrock, and I’m a Permanent Deacon serving in the Diocese of Madison, currently assigned to the St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate. My wife, Wendy, and I have lived in the Potosi/Tennyson area for over 30 years, where we raised two daughters (now both married) and are blessed with one amazing grandson. After retiring from my previous career, I recently stepped into a new chapter as Pastoral Minister at St. Clement’s, following Bill Manthe’s retirement. It’s a big transition for me, and I sincerely appreciate your patience and support as I settle into this new role. For the past 40 years, I worked as a graphic designer, illustrator, museum and exhibit designer, and senior art director. Shifting into full-time ministry is certainly a major change—but one I’ve prayerfully hoped for over the years. I’ve often asked God to show me how I might use the gifts He’s given me in service to His people, and in His time, He answered. That’s what led me to retire from design and accept this new calling. I already have the pleasure of working alongside Leigh Boorn, our Director of Evangelization, across our pastorate communities. Together, we’re focused on offering prayer and outreach that helps individuals grow in their personal relationship with Christ Jesus. I’m truly excited to see how this ministry unfolds and how I can walk with you in your faith journey. I believe God is doing something beautiful in our parish, and together, we’re just beginning what promises to be a vibrant and faith-filled future. Pax, Deacon Roger

SS. Andrew-Thomas has had continued great support of our Script program. Please remember us as you are school shopping and Christmas shopping. We will again be making a donation to the parking lot.

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].

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

Thank you to everyone who generously gave donations for the flowers and decorations and to everyone who worked to make our churches look beautiful during the Christmas season. We are deeply grateful for your support of our parishes! God bless.

This week in our continuing series on evangelization tips we’re talking about the method of Listen, Befriend, Proclaim, and Invite. Evangelization is an important responsibility of all Catholics. However, many of us Catholics can be a little intimidated by the idea that we might openly share the saving story of Jesus Christ with others. It’s not that we don’t find it important or desire the salvation of our brothers and sisters who don’t know Him. On the contrary. We simply get nervous when we have to share something as personal and demanding as the Gospel. We don’t know how people will react. But what if we had a template that we could use for sharing the Gospel? What if we had a predetermined method that removes a lot of our own stumbling and guesswork, so that there’s a defined beginning, middle, and end? SPSE has created a model called Listen, Befriend, Proclaim, and Invite. And it’s as easy as it sounds. First, you simply listen to a person to show them that you care about what they have to say. As they say, “nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care.” And that’s what listening accomplishes. Next, befriend by making conversation and finding a shared interest or common ground on a topic. After that, it’s your turn to talk. This is where you proclaim the Gospel. Briefly tell them about Jesus, what He’s done out of love for us (the kerygma), and what our response should be. (Don’t focus too much on the negative/sin aspect, as this may be their first encounter with Jesus in a long time or ever.) Finally, invite them to take a step towards Jesus, either by encouraging them to pray, or perhaps to do some reading based on recommendations you’ve given them about Jesus. Or who knows … maybe they’re ready for confession! As long as they are taking a step, no matter how small, in the direction of Our Lord, then it’s a successful mission. One final thing to remember—what they do with the information you’ve given is up to them. All we do is plant seeds — it is God’s job to make them grow. So your next step is to practice. Run through this method with a few friends or family members, and then ask God to put someone in your path who needs to hear it. Don’t be surprised when He does!

Thank you to all for supporting our Ss. Andrew-Thomas Pumpkin Sale Fundraiser and special thank you to all that made it possible: Dan Pierce, Kevin Udelhoven, Jamie & Angie Pierce, Fred & Ginny Koeller, Larry & Betty Kalina.

Please join us for Rosary, Adoration and Benediction at St. Andrew Church every 4th Thursday of the month, to pray for peace from 7-8:00 p.m. It will be the third Thursday in November sue to Thanksgiving.