St. Mark Announcements:

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Mark your calendars!! St. Mark's Famous Rodeo Chicken supper is August 21, 2021, serving from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Let's make it the best one yet!!

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PRE-CANA CONFERENCES

Are you engaged to be married? Then this is for you. Pre-Cana is a pre-wedding preparation to be completed prior to getting married in the church. 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)

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CAN YOU BELIEVE THE ST. MARK CHURCH BUILDING WILL BE 25 YEARS OLD IN SEPTEMBER?

If anyone happens to have pictures of the old church being torn down or the new one being built, please email them to djluek@gmail.com and we'll publish them in the September online newsletter. It's interesting to wonder who the first baptism, wedding, and funeral masses were for in the new church. How would you like to see this event commemorated and/or celebrated? Share your ideas!

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CONGRATULATIONS to Deacon Paul and Shelley Dolan as the five-year study program has been completed and he was recently ordained into the permanent Deaconate. Our Emmaus Pastorate is grateful for you hearing God's whisper, and we look forward to and appreciate your service!

St. Mark Upcoming Events:

Sunday Morning Mass Times: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday Morning Mass times: 7:00 - 7:30 a.m.

August 14 and 15 - Dennis Rima will speak about the Clarity Clinic in Dubuque in our parishes.

August 15 - St. Mark will be hosting an NCYC breakfast casserole fundraiser on Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Menu includes the casserole, muffins, fruit, and beverage.

August 21 - ST. MARK RODEO CHICKEN SUPPER, Sat., serving 4:00-8:00 P.M

August 22 - Sacred Heart Community Picnic (Emmaus Pastorate Event)

Sunday, Mass—10:00 a.m. Everyone Welcome! Lunch—11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Live Auction starts at 1:00 p.m. Menu—maid-rites, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips, beverages, and cupcakes. Carry-outs are available upon request. Also popcorn, ice cream, games, and more! The cost is Adults—$7 Children (6-12)—$5 Children under 6—Free. Let's support our Pastorate!

PLANNING AHEAD? - Mark your calendars!

SEPTEMBER 8 -EMMAUS PASTORATE FAITH FORMATION

Registration and Opening Mass, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 at Starmont High School at 6:30. There will be a meal beforehand hosted by NCYC students. Watch for more details to come about this very important, special event!

St. Mark Mass Times:

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

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

August - 2021 - St. Mark

Sun., August 1 - Kenneth Klostermann
Wed., August 4 - Francis and Wilma Holtz
Sun., August 8 - For the People
Wed., August 11 - Tony Helle
Sun., August 15 - Rose Ann Ronnebaum
Wed., August 18 - Bob Fishel
Sat., August 21- at 4:00 p.m. Jordan Cabalka
Sun., August 22 - David and Mona Engelken
Wed., August 25 - Judi Kintzle
Sun., August 29 - Joyce Cherne
Wed., September 1 - Joanne Helle

St. Mark Parish Life:

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FAMOUS RODEO CHICKEN SUPPER ON AUGUST 21. Did you know that it takes over 100 workers to make our Rodeo Chicken Supper a success? Everyone is needed to work a shift to make this HUGE event go smoothly. Please be generous with your time and pies!!

PARISH LIFE TEAMS INFO...

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

You can easily click this link to find out which team you are on!

https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/23076/documents/2020/2/Parish%20Life%20Teams_2020_for%20Publication-1.pdf

Donation of school supplies

for Ed-Co students will be happening the last two weekends in July and the first couple of weekend in August. There will be a container in the back of church. Your donations are much appreciated!!

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New Soles for Young Souls is back!

Working with Thompson Shoes in Manchester, St. Patrick and St. Mark parishes will be providing gift certificates to Ed-Co students to get a 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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St. Mark Social Concerns:

Our heartfelt thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with the family of Jim Funke.

James Claire Funke

June 2, 1935 ~ July 13, 2021

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls 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! Read more about these two in the Staff Spotlight below!

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SAVE THE DATE! Our special Faith Formation registration and opening Mass for the Emmaus Pastorate will be held on Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 8, at Starmont High School. Enjoy a meal, get registered for classes, and experience a meaningful Mass! Details coming soon!!

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SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

Congratulations and many blessings are wished to these two couples, married at St. Mark in August!

Tyler Wessels and Carly Tegeler on Saturday, August 7

and
Derek Beck and Rachel Kelchen on Saturday, August 14.

May God continue to bless them in their married life together.

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SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Savannah Funke, daughter of Chad and Nicole Funke, being baptized on Sunday, August 15.

Justin and Ashley Augustyn's twin boys baptism on August 21.

Welcome little ones!

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ATTN: CONFIRMATION CLASSES -

NEW THIS FALL!!

As a way of strengthening our Pastorate Confirmation formation and a way for Father John to get to know our students better, one Wednesday a month, Confirmation candidates from all five parishes will join together at St. Mary in Strawberry Point in the Upper Room. This special once-a-month meeting will include a meal, teaching time, and Q&A. More details and dates will be sent to Confirmation families.

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R.C.I.A.- (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)

Wanting to know more about our Catholic faith or know someone who might be interested in learning about becoming a Catholic? Plans are underway for this faith-filled learning experience. Contact R.C.I.A. coordinator Fran Zichal (563-880-0873) or Father John (563-543-5873).

Jody Kerns and

Brooke Kerns

Read on about these two gals as they begin their journey as

Faith Formation Co-coordinators at St. Mark. We are so grateful for their time, talent, and dedication to our Faith Formation program! Thank you!

Jody Kerns...

Hi! I have been the Director of Religious Education at Saint Mark’s for somewhere around 23 to 25 years now. I guess I should know what year I started, but I honestly couldn’t tell you which must mean I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been doing all these years! More than anything I’ve enjoyed relationships and friendships that have come into my life. What a privilege it’s been to now have children of students I’ve had over the years. We are blessed at Saint Mark with an incredibly supportive parish and families.

As I begin to wind down my ministry at Saint Mark, we welcome Brooke Kerns, my niece by marriage, who will be transitioning into my position. I look forward to mentoring Brooke, and watching the new enthusiasm and fresh energy she can bring to our program.
My husband Jim and I have been lifetime members at Saint Mark. Our family consists of six children Baili, Payson, Madalyn, Emma, Noelle, and Ava. Love has brought the addition of our son-in-law’s Brad and Nathan, and our daughter-in-law Miranda. The newest joy in our life (and reason for my future retirement) is our beautiful granddaughter Brisby Ann and another grandbaby (Maddy & Dewey) expected to arrive in December. I have also worked as an x-ray technologist at RMC for the past 38 years and enjoy my work there as a mammographer. Jim and I will be married 38 years in October. We are always on the go with many activities so we enjoy life…..Our lives are
crazy busy, but crazy good!

Brooke Kerns...

Hello! I recently started my new position here at St. Mark, and I’m honored to serve as the Co-Coordinator of Faith Formation with Jody Kerns. This transition will be a great fit for our family as I learn about Faith Formation and what Jody does to lead such an awesome program. It will allow me to continue to stay home with Ada (3yrs old) while Cora will start Kindergarten this fall.

I grew up in rural central Missouri. My dad was raised Catholic and mom, Protestant. My brother and I were baptized, made our first confession and first communion the same year. My mother joined the Church the following year. My faith was very important to me growing up as I was very active in our CCD program in our parish. I also led our local Catholic Youth Organization program when I was in high school, and my priest really wanted me to be a nun. I knew I wanted to move away from home and follow my passion in agriculture.

I studied Animal Sciences and Ag Economics at Mizzou and worked for Cargill, Inc. for four years in various roles. During my time with Cargill, I met Luke. Everyone always asked how we met because we had similar interests and backgrounds. We would always look at each other, and it was up to one of us to either say how we really met or tell people we met in a bar. The Catholic faith was important to both of us and we knew we wanted to find someone with the same Faith, so we went to a Catholic website and met on catholicmatch.com. That was still a time when it wasn’t very common to meet online and the older generation really didn’t understand. We met in person on April 4, 2009. We had a long distance relationship (3 hrs apart) for 2.5 years. We married in February of 2012. Luke was working at John Deere and the following year I took a role with the Iowa Corn Growers Association. We had Cora in 2015 and I continued to work for her first year. We made a family decision for me to stay home with her as my traveling was starting to pick up more and we had no family close by. In 2017, Ada joined our family.

Family is important to us and we both wanted the same upbringing that we had as children. Conversations about coming to Edgewood and being a part of the Locker started in 2017, and we made it a reality in 2019. It feels so good to plant our roots, be part of a community, and establish lifelong friendships. We could never do that when Luke worked with Deere because we knew would be moving in two to three years.

It’s hard for me to write about myself, but I share this with you because these experiences in my life have led me to this role here at St. Mark. I have always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and give back to a community. I’m blessed that I’m now able to do that. I look forward to meeting and getting to know every family and student involved with Faith Formation. I know how important it was for me growing up, and I hope one day you, too, will find that religious education is a stepping stone for something greater in yours and your student’s life. I look forward to taking this journey with you!

DID YOU KNOW?

Why do we make three little crosses on our forehead, lips, and heart before listening to the Gospel?

Here's the answer:

This gesture is a way of praying, “May the Lord be in my mind," (while making a small Cross on your forehead) "on my lips," (while making a small Cross on your lips) "and in my heart,” (while making a small cross over your heart). It is a way of prayerfully inviting Christ to come to us in what we think, and say, and do as we hear the Gospel.

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.

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. Call one of the three committee members to obtain further information. —Dianne Fette (563-880-9847); Kandi DeShaw (608-306-2558)or Fran Zichal (563-880-0873).

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.

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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

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

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

Let's Stay Connected:

Leadership:

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!