St. Mark Announcements:

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It's a PARTY! In honor of Paul Dolan, who will be ordained a Deacon on Saturday, July 10, the St. Mark Parish Life Committee is throwing a Parish Potluck after the 10 Am Mass on Sunday, July 11 in the parish center. The main dish, drinks, and tableware will be provided, so just bring a salad or dessert to share. This will be the first, big parish event since Covid restrictions have been lifted, so it will be a great time to catch up with fellow parishioners who you have only seen from afar! We hope to have a great celebration to thank Paul and his family for completing the four-year program and are so grateful for his future service to the Emmaus Pastorate. Welcome Deacon Paul Dolan!

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Blood Mobile at St. Mark on July 20 from 1:00-6:00 p.m.

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REMINDER:

Pastorate Baptism Class

It is the practice of the Emmaus Pastorate that parents expecting their first child participate in a baptism class. The next class is scheduled for July 21 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph, Elkader. If you have an upcoming baptism, please join us. Classes are open to all parents of the Emmaus Pastorate.

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PRE-CANA CONFERENCES

Pre-Cana is a pre-wedding preparation to be completed prior to getting married in the church. (Cana was the location of the wedding feast where Jesus turned water into wine. That's where the name Pre-Cana comes from.) The conferences scheduled for the Archdiocese of Dubuque are August 1 (New Hampton), October 9 (Mason City), October 23 (Cedar Rapids), and/or November 13 (Dubuque). There will also be a Virtual Session on August 14. Contact Matt Selby with questions. (563-556-2580, ext 233 or mselby@dbqarch.org)

St. Mark Upcoming Events:

Sun. - July 4, BENEFIT BREAKFAST for Bob and Peggy Schilling Family in St. Patrick's Parish Hall in Colesburg, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Sun. - July 4, St. Mark Mass, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Wed. - July 7, St. Mark Mass, 7:00-7:30 a.m.

Sun. - July 11, St. Mark Mass, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Sun. - July 11, Parish potluck meal honoring Deacon Paul Dolan, following Mass

Wed. - July 14, St. Mark Mass, 7:00-7:30 a.

Wed. - July 14, Edgewood Convalescent Home Mass, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Sun. - July 18, St. Mark Mass, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Wed. - July 21, Emmaus Pastorate Baptism Class at St. Joseph, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Sun. - July 25, St. Mark Mass, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Wed. - July 28, St. Mark Mass, 7:00-7:30 a.m.

St. Mark Mass Times:

Sun. 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Wed. 7:00-8:00 a.m.

July Mass Intentions:

Sunday, July 4 For the People
Wednesday, July 7 Joann Helle
Sunday, July 11 Gary Pitz
Wednesday, July 14 Henry Bockenstedt
Sunday, July 18 Larry Funke
Wednesday, July 21 Threse Puetz
Sunday, July 25 Don Nabor
Wednesday, July 28 Roger Hermsen
Sunday, August 1 Kenny Klostermann

St. Mark Parish Life:

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St. Mark Parish Life Committee is throwing a Parish Potluck in the Parish Center on Sunday, July 11 after the 10:00 a.m. Mass in honor of Deacon Paul Dolan. Bring a salad or dessert. All else is provided!

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Donation of school supplies for Ed-Co students will be happening the last two weekends in July and the first weekend in August. There will be a container in the back of church.

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Family Pool Party on Wednesday, July 28! Come beat the heat and enjoy the Edgewood Swimming Pool between trips to the county fairs! We will be serving a light supper outside of the swimming pool starting at 5 pm, with swimming from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy some fellowship and splashing.

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New Soles for Young Souls is back! Working with Thompson Shoes in Manchester, we will be providing gift certificates to students to get a free, new pair of tennis shoes to start off the school year. Monetary donations will be accepted throughout August. Thank you for your generosity!

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Future events: Famous Rodeo Chicken supper on August 21. Everyone is needed to work a shift to make this HUGE event go smoothly. Please be generous with your time and pies!!

What team are you on?? Did you know that every member of St. Mark's is a valuable member to their parish life team?? Last year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, team leaders played a huge role in communicating with every member of the parish, passing on information about the chicken supper and parking lot reconciliations, for example. If you didn't get a call, maybe your leader doesn't have your phone number! Or maybe you don't answer calls from "strange numbers". The new parish directory will hopefully help us be able to reach you, but we want you to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns, too! The new parish life co-chairs, Annette Knipper and Lynn Lueken, and the wonderful teams of the Parish Life Committee are as follows:

Amazing Grace - Laurie & Jason Wiskus

C.I.A. - Christians In Action - Dianne & Michael Sperfslage

Companions on the Journey - Tracey & Cam Schulte

D.O.C. - Disciples of Christ - Ann & Dave Venteicher

Glory Be - Jane Christiansen

Go Light Your World - Michelle & Cain Brady

God Squad - Cheryl & Lynn Stone

Good Samaritans - Aggie & Mike Putz

Hope’s Answer - Karon DeMar & Sharon Besler

Ready to Go Beyond - Anna & Joe Weigel

Rock Solid - Ann & Jeff Funke

Walk In Faith - Darla Hankins & Diane Meyer

St. Mark Social Concerns:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Bob Fishel.

May he rest in peace.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

St. Mark Faith Formation:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

Starting this fall, our K-12 Faith Formation program will have co-directors. Brooke Kerns and Jody Kerns sharing this position as Brooke learns the ins and outs of our Faith Formation program. We are very appreciative of both gals for sharing their time and talents! Watch for more information about these two as we get closer to fall classes.

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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL- 2021:

June 1-4

Theme: Knights of the North Castle

where Kids 'Armor Up' with Truth, Justice, Peace, Faith and Salvation through this VBS program. They learned to Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. (Ephesians 6:10)

What do you get when you have 75 awesome kids, valuable volunteers, super leaders, supportive parents, and a caring community? You get a week of wonderful learning and fun during Vacation Bible School! Special highlights were delivering flowers that the students potted to the residents of the Edgewood Convalescent Home and Lincolnwood as well as singing for them. All of the students also performed their songs in the Edgewood City Park under the shelter for parents, grandparents, and friends and family before enjoying their sack lunches to end the week.

(Photo credit to Jody Kerns and Trinity Methodist. See more photos on St. Mark's Faith Formation Facebook page.)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/425938100939334

*... to the organizers, teachers, parents/students, recess helpers, snack providers/servers, song leaders and all who had a hand in making this wonderful week happen!!***

DEACON

PAUL DOLAN

Did you know that as of July 10, we will have a Deacon in our Pastorate? Have you wondered how he will use his time and talents to serve others? Do you know who it is? Read on for information and comments of soon-to-be Deacon Paul Dolan.

God willing, on July 10, 2021, I will be called to ordination to the Permanent Diaconate by the Archbishop Jackels to serve the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Many people ask what it will be like to serve as a Deacon. The best comparison I can think of would be to ask someone what it's like to be a parent, the day after you find out your wife is pregnant. It's like being 50% excited for the joy and the miracles that will come, and 50% scared wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into. All I know is I’ll have to take each situation by itself, and find out how to serve the needs of the person at hand.
For those of you who don’t know me, I was born and raised in Nebraska and then moved to Iowa where I graduated from Loras College with a degree in Business Management. My wife Shelley and I live between Edgewood and Strawberry Point. We are almost empty nesters with five adult children and one teenager remaining at home. Shelley is a nurse at the hospital in Manchester. Currently I am a part time rural letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. In addition to my volunteer work as a Deacon, in July I will serve the Pastorate as part-time Business Manager.
I have served as a Catechist for the Sophomore Confirmation class at St Mark, and plan to continue to serve in this manner. At times, I will assist Fr. at the altar, and will be able to do Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals outside of Mass. Since we haven’t had a Deacon in our parishes, we will all need to learn together how I may best serve this Pastorate.
Life takes many turns and offers us numerous ways to serve others. Diaconate formation over the past five years has been a journey that has shaped the lives of our entire family. We look forward to this new form of service as we focus on the Pastorate.

Thank you, Deacon Paul, for accepting God's call to serve. The Emmaus Pastorate appreciates your time and talents. May God continue to bless Paul and his family as he serves as Deacon.

DID YOU KNOW?

Someone was wondering when it is appropriate to stop kneeling and sit down after receiving the Eucharist.

Here's the answer:

After we receive the body of Christ and his precious blood, we return to our pew and kneel for a period of time. We kneel for one primary reason: it is a sign of respect for the real presence of Jesus Christ. It is a time for private prayers of thanksgiving We are to kneel until the Eucharist is stored safely in the tabernacle. Then be seated. You do not have to wait for the priest to sit down.

ST. MARK MINISTRIES:

Prayer Chain Ministry:

There is power in prayer and comfort in knowing others are praying for you or a loved one. Did you know that we have a whole chain of people ready and willing to pray for any needs you or someone you know may have? Please call one of our parish representatives to get heartfelt prayers started. St. Mark: Carlyn Hunt 563-928-7089 or Norma Venteicher 563-928-7283.

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BeFriender Ministry:

Ten members of the Emmaus Pastorate are trained to offer comfort through the gift of listening. If you or someone you know would benefit from this ministry, contact Marsha Hauser at 515-290-4992 or dbq072s1@dqarch.org.

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New Parish Bereavement Ministry:

The Emmaus Pastorate—Parish Bereavement Ministry (PBM) is a program that will provide support to those experiencing the loss of a loved one. It is a 13 week program that will be offered twice a year, the first one started April 22, but anyone is welcome anytime. More specific details can be found in the bulletin https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/23076/bulletins/20210418.pdf or call one of the three committee members to obtain further information or to sign up for the class—Dianne Fette (563-880-9847); Kandi DeShaw (608-306-2558)or Fran Zichal (563-880-0873).

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Homebound Ministry:

If there is a homebound Pastorate parishioner who would like a visit from Father John and would like to receive Holy Communion and/or the Sacrament of Anointing, there is a parish coordinator who will help schedule these visits. Watch for additional information coming soon.

St. Mark Pastoral Council:

Current Pastoral Council

Mike Schmitz, Chairperson
Joyce Anderson, Vice-chairperson

(new member)

Brian Atkinson, Finance

Tom Bunting (new member)

Jane Christiansen, Stewardship and Social Concerns Rep

Mary Fisher, Parish Life
Jay Funke

Mark Hauser, Secretary

Judy Lueken, Faith Formation
Cam Schulte
Harry Wulfekuhle

Current Finance Council

Brian Atkinson, chair

Greg Deutmeyer
Marilyn Sullivan

Current Faith Formation Board

Nathan Erickson (new member)
Dee Hansel

Jenny Lange (new member)

Judy Lueken (chairperson)

Amber Wessels (new member)
Amy Wilson

The Parish Life committee's new co-chairpersons are Annette Knipper and Lynn Lueken.

Let's Stay Connected:

WEBSITE: https://vibrantcatholic.com

Find valuable information about the whole Emmaus Pastorate, weekly bulletins,

live broadcasts, past homilies and pod casts, and more!

RADIO: Mass can be heard on Sundays on KMCH 94.7 FM at 11:00 a.m.

FACEBOOK: St. Mark’s Faith Community, (join) https://www.facebook.com/groups/301314160252089

FACEBOOK: St. Mark’s Faith Formation, (join) https://www.facebook.com/groups/425938100939334

If you have suggestions or ideas to pass along for future newsletters, please call the parish office 563-928-7200 or email Judy Lueken at djluek@gmail.com. Thank you!