1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Special points of
interest:
 Strategic Planning
Update begins on
page 9
 Faith Formation
Updates begins on
page 19
 Calendar of
events for AprilMay on page 21
 ‘In Memory’ on
page 23
Inside this issue:
A New Deacon
at St. Pius X
5
Administrative
Update
7
The Power of
One
13
Spirituality &
Mental Health
14
An
Unexpected
Journey
CCW
Advent Morning of Reflection
March for Life
and Spiritual
Adoption
15
17
18
Volume 40 Issue 4
April 5, 2015
We are a Resurrection People!
Greetings on
this most joyous and hopefilled day of
the
Church
year. This is
the day on
which
we
commemorate
in the fullest of
ways, what we
remember every Sunday when we gather to
praise and pray to God in the presence of
those we love: the saving resurrection of
Christ! The Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday
Masses culminate the Triduum, the annual
celebration of three days that changed the
world and really that changed all of eternity. It is amazing to think what happened
during those three days.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus instituted
His priesthood and taught us how we are to
worship Him. Jesus said “This is my
body...This is my blood,” and he gave us
the command: “Do this in remembrance of
me.” He did not say “praise me in the ways
that make you feel good,” He said “do this
in memory of me.” For those of you who
have heard about the five Love Languages,
the Mass is an important part of the way
God receives love like the Rosary is
Mary’s. So if there are days when you are
attending Mass or praying the rosary and
it’s not the most exciting thing to do, remember that God and the Blessed Mother
are grateful for how you are showing them reverence and concern for
their feelings, just as you do when
you defer to your preferences in
order to please someone who you
love. Speaking of love, on Good
Friday we remember how Jesus
showed us the meaning of true love
(that it is self-giving and fruitful)
and we remember how he died and
then rose from the dead for us because He loves us. And while He
did that to open the possibility of
salvation for every person, He loves
each one of us so much that He
would undergo all that He did if
any one of us were the only person
alive. What a wonderful reminder
of love and of hope!
And on Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead. Without the
resurrection, all His suffering on
Good Friday would be in vain and
our faith would be in vain. This
year’s Easter Vigil at St. Pius includes the entry of five new Catholics into our parish community. Let
me congratulate the four young ladies who are being baptized at the
Easter Vigil and another one who is
becoming Catholic, converting
from the Lutheran Church. We welcome you into our spiritual family
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Page 2
CHURCH OF ST. PIUS X
(651) 429-5337
www.churchofstpiusx.org
Mass Schedule
Sunday:
Saturday:
First Saturday:
Weekdays:
Mon-Fri.
Wednesdays
Fridays
8:00 AM
10:00 AM
5:00
PM
8:00 AM
8:00
6:30
6:45
AM
AM
AM
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday:
3:30 - 4:30 PM
First Saturday:
After 8:00 AM Mass
PARISH STAFF
Pastor
Fr. Joe Bambenek
Deacon Tim Harrer
Business Administrator
Bryan Zimmerman
Parish Administrative Assistant
Jeannie Schommer
Parish Bookkeeper
Rosalie Solyntjes
Social Ministry
Kim Williams
Carri Petronack
Patti Ries
Faith Formation
Shawn Gutowski
Stephanie Gazich
Erin Kimball
Communications, Volunteer, Worship Support
Tim Lawrence
at St Pius X Church and the Catholic Church more
generally! An additional young lady is receiving
her first communion, as well as many more young
people of our parish will on Sunday, April 19, Saturday, April 25 and Sunday April 26.
When we think about it, what happened to
Jesus during these three days is how God works in
our lives. There is that beautiful truth in the Bible,
Romans 8:28, “God works out all things for those
who love Him.” And if we look back at the times
of suffering in our lives: how often is that the case,
that times of suffering lead to a new future?
As Catholics, we are called to be a resurrection people. We are called to be a people who persevere through suffering with the hope that God
will use it for good. During the past few years we
have experienced our share of suffering, yet we are
catching a glimpse of post-resurrection life here at
St. Pius. It is amazing to think what has happened
since last Easter in our parish:
 The sad closing of our parish school has
led to the birth of the regional school,
Frassati Catholic Academy, which
comes to life more with more dynamism
and fewer problems than I imagined
possible (www.frassatiwbl.org).
 Our vacated school building has been
leased to Liberty Classical Academy, a
group of dedicated brothers and sisters
in Christ with whom we have developed
a Christ-centered relationship of living
together under one roof.
 Our “Bridging our Future” financial appeal, which was intended to help us financially survive the transition period of
2014-16, exceeded its goal in terms of
pledges and allowed St. Pius to remain
viable as a parish as we regain our footing and move into this new springtime.
See page 7-8 for a fulfillment of my
promise of greater transparency with
respect to how the money has been spent
to date.
 Our Winterfest was not only enjoyable
and contained some beautiful signs o
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Page 3
We are a Resurrection People Continued from page 2
how our community has come back. Together (such as the ‘Little Library’ bids), but also, in the
end, proved to be the most financially successful festival in recent memory.
 Our strategic planning teams have developed stimulating ideas about how the parish can
move forward (see page 9; more details will be revealed in the coming weeks).
For this springtime to continue, it will be important that we be a people of prayer and of love. In
fact, as I have stated many times, it is my hope that when you come to Mass at St. Pius (or come for one
of our other many activities), you will feel more loved than any place you go outside of your own
homes. On the Wednesday evening before Holy Week (about 10 days ago as you read this newsletter)
we had a well-attended, inspiring (dare I say an igniting) parish mission led by a lay man, Michael Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman’s secular career is to ignite businesses to success (http://ignitingperformance.com/)
and he even has a YouTube video that has gone viral: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/
north-texas-dancing-video-goes-viral.html/. Similar to Matthew Kelly, a high
powered business consultant who spends most of his time teaching the faith (or “For this springour own business administrator Bryan Zimmerman who retired from corporate time to continue,
executive life to take on an executive role in running our parish), Mr. Hoffman’s vocation is to help Catholic parishes to do the same, because he is a man it will be imporon fire with his faith. Michael, through many stories, and much humor and en- tant that we be a
ergy, reminded us that Jesus wants us to love one another at Church as if we are people of prayer
family, and then to take that love of Christ-the love God has for us-and the love and love...it is my
we experience from one another into the world. Earlier in the day, he met with hope that when
parish staff members to train us on how to better serve the good people of God you come to Mass
at St. Pius. And at St. Pius X Church there are so many good and loving people.
One example of this could be seen on the Sunday evening prior to Palm at St. Pius, you
Sunday. One of our young adults, Tony Armstrong, was featured in a KARE 11 will feel more
story about how, despite his own limitations and struggles, he brings joy to peo- loved than any
ple in need and to the elderly through song. It can be seen on-line at: http:// place you go outwww.kare11.com/story/news/local/land-of-10000-stories/2015/03/22/rockin- side of your own
tony-armstrong-salvation-army-white-sidewalls/25026215/. Not mentioned in
homes.” - Fr. Joe
that story is the fact that Tony also serves us here at St. Pius X as an altar server
and by playing in our FIREPROOF contemporary music group at Masses.
There are many examples of this new springtime.
We have women and men who make rosaries by the hundreds per month for use in our parish
and literally around the world. Our prayer shawl ministry has been going for over a decade now, and I
am told that over 1600 such shawls have been knitted by our prayer shawl team. We have a young man,
Luke Gion, who is actively discerning God’s call in his life as a seminarian at the St. John Vianney
Seminary, studying for our Archdiocese. In March, there was an ‘Operation Andrew’ dinner, and three
young men of our parish attended with me, as they are open to the possibility that God might be calling
them to the priesthood as well. Under the long-time leadership of Geoff Green and Gary Davis (and the
“new blood” of Bill Sonntag), our vocations committee will be returning from a state of dormancy.
In this new springtime, this time of resurrection, it will be important to continue to invest in our
future at St. Pius X. The difficulties of the past few years seem to have been particularly hard on young
families. In the coming year we will be placing emphasis on initiatives to help young Catholic families
live out their Catholic path. One of these initiatives is the starting of a Sunday evening Mass. We are
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Page 4
“We Are a Resurrection People” Cont’d from page 3
currently looking to implement it the Sunday evening after Labor Day, the first weekend of the school
year and are looking to have a 7:30 PM Mass time. If that proves to be a time when people come to
Mass, I could envision the Sunday evening Mass being an important building block for our ministries
for young adults and high school students.
For this springtime to move forward, it will be important to continue to be people of healing and
prayer. It was for this purpose that I invited Archbishop Nienstedt to come to St. Pius X on St. Joseph
Day (March 19). The evening began with a holy hour of Eucharistic Adoration, during which the
Archbishop performed a spiritual cleansing of our building and, among other things, asked for forgiveness for the suffering that has been caused by the scandal. The evening continued as the archbishop lead
us in prayer as we celebrated a “Mass for Healing from the Failings of Our Fathers.” He also expressed
his determination to provide healing and reconciliation to the victims and safe environments for young
and vulnerable adults.
In this season when, as a people of God, we are a people of resurrection joy, hope and love, may
we also do our part in our parish and in our archdiocese as we collectively go through this time of purification, resurrection and new springtime. It is amazing to think of all that we as a parish have accomplished since last Easter to move in the direction of restoration. Thank you for your faithfulness and as
we celebrate the Easter season that concludes with Pentecost, may we continue to turn to the Lord for
His strength and wisdom as we move forward with the implementation of our strategic plan. And may
the great and hope-filled message of Easter ignite each of us to love God and love one another with ever
greater selflessness, zeal and fruitfulness!
Wishing you God’s blessings of peace, hope, healing, love, and Easter Joy!
Fr. Joe
St. Pius X is Going to See the Pope
in Philadelphia September 23-28
Back in January, we held three interest sessions regarding a
parish pilgrimage to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis when he
visits the World Meeting of Families. There was enough interest
among parishioners so we are going to see Pope Francis in
September 2015. Plans are coming together for the parishwide pilgrimage. A bus company has been contacted, hotel
rooms have been blocked and some shrine visits confirmed.
Once all potential expenses are known, a pilgrimage fee scale
will be formulated and a flyer with all of the information will be available. If you were unable to attend
the interest sessions and would like to go, contact Tim at 651-762-3631.
Page 5
A New Deacon at St. Pius X–by Deacon Tim Harrer
Maybe you don't know who I am and
that is understandable. To my good fortune in
life, I was assigned to St. Pius X on October 1,
2014 to bring my ministry skills to the parish
and to assist your very good pastor, Father Joe.
My past life ( pre-St. Pius ) is not that
important, although I have had a very exciting
and demanding number of careers as an educator, senior accounting manager, and a hospital
and clinic administrator. Ordained (happy every
day since ) in 2000, I
have worked in parish
and school life. I am
married to (saint)
Cindy and have two
fabulous young adult
children, one recently
married and the other
needs a girl as good
as his mom. What is
important to me is the
present and the future, and this involves
your lives as members of this good parish. Without your goodness
and faithfulness and a look to the future, there is
no need for me to write a single word.
The Present. Being here for a mere six
months means there is a new experience every
day for me. There are the activities in Sacraments, Faith Formation, Social Justice, and all
the groups that exist in this parish (and all the
names and backgrounds of each of you, child to
senior). Father Joe is much better at remembering names and thankfully he cues me in often.
Liturgically, I have truly enjoyed Advent,
Christmas, and now Lent, leading to the Resurrection celebration on Easter. The liturgy here
with the support of greeters, ushers, servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and choirs combines
into a reverential and holy worship of Jesus. Be
very proud of being a part of this. For me, I
can't seem to get enough of your kindness, your
humor, your openness, your charity, and your
support to the clergy and staff here at your parish. I thank you, each of you, from the depth of
my heart.
The Future. Those who have gotten to
know me a little, have come to realize that "I
shoot straight from the hip." God, the Ten
Commandments, the Scriptures, the meaning of
Jesus, how we should choose to live, and the
Christological " Law of Love" is what I defend,
preach, teach, and try to
live earnestly. Eighty-seven
percent of America professes to be Christian or
Jewish. When I look at
newspaper headlines and
what's offered in movies,
television and gaming, it is
so obvious to me that much
ministry needs to be done
within individuals, families, neighborhoods, and as
a nation. We have drifted
from God much the same
way as those peoples found in the books of the
Bible.
At St. Pius X, there is much to be done.
We have the parish plan set for the next few
years. We have a great parish! I'd add we, (yes
WE), need to share our good story and experiences with others, not just members here, or to
those not regularly attending here, but to those
in the community. I'd love to see at every Mass
hundreds of individuals and families gathering
with anticipation of being in the very presence
of Jesus, who is God. I'd love to see every pew
packed with believers, choosing to listen and to
participate. I'd love to see the halls packed with
individuals and families, after Mass, having fun
visiting, sharing stories, and good natured teasing of both Father Joe and myself. I'd love to
see hundreds of babies, young children, middle
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Page 6
A New Deacon at St. Pius X–by Deacon Tim Harrer
and high school teens, and returning college and
technical school young adults home for a visit.
I'd love to be able to say to our dear seniors:
“Look and see what you have generously built, it
will go on, your parish is growing and there is
happiness all around." I'd love that future,
wouldn't you? The opportunity to join Father Joe
and staff is today. You are the home church
which gathers with others here at Saint Pius. You
have great influence in your neighborhood. I ask
you to reach out to others. Why? Because, the
Lord Jesus commanded us to do this in Matthew
28:18. "Go out." I wish we had a small sign that
read: " Enter to worship, depart to serve." Perhaps we could put it in our hearts and minds.
You are all " loverly." May God richly bless
your lives and actions,
Deacon Tim’s New Office in the
Faith Formation Department.
He is open for business and ready to serve.
Deacon Tim, your servant.
THE FOUR SIGNS OF A DYNAMIC CATHOLIC
Some time ago, parishes around the archdiocese gave away and discussed a book titled “The
Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic” by Matthew Kelly. During this springtime we find ourselves in at
St. Pius X, it might be helpful to revisit those four signs.
Matthew Kelly, in his book, writes that only seven percent of all Catholics are engaged Catholics or what he calls “Dynamic Catholics.” According to Matthew Kelly (and the saints), there are four
signs:
Prayer
Kelly notes that this consists of a daily routine of prayer. The 7% have a daily commitment to prayer, a
routine” (p. 8).
Study
Dynamic Catholics see themselves as students of Jesus and his Church, and make an effort to allow his
teaching to form them” (p. 14). Kelly also notes that on average they spend 14 minutes each day learning about the faith.
Generosity
Generosity covers not only time and money, but also generosity in all things.
Evangelization
Dynamic Catholics don’t consider themselves to be evangelists but regularly do and say things to share
a Catholic perspective with the people who cross their paths.
Let us take these signs to prayer and reflect how we might incorporate them into our lives.
Page 7
Operational News Flash:
Bryan Zimmerman, St. Pius X Business
Administrator
First of all, welcome to springtime finally! We made it! Second of all, welcome to my
first SCOPE article! I did it!
Congratulations are in order to St. Pius X
and our Winterfest volunteers for the outstanding
result of $53,178. This was our best year ever in
net profit (income-expenses) over the span of six
years. Well done team of St. Pius X!
Congratulations again to St. Pius X, our
brothers and sisters at St. Mary of the Lake, and
to the Knights of Columbus. On March 27, we
had one of our largest of Fish Frys yet, serving
over 700 meals. The word is out across the archdiocese that we have one of the best fish fry
events available.
Congratulations is in order again for your
generosity and commitment to the “Bridging Our
Future Campaign.” We have received $395,652
of a total of $734,121 committed. You have delivered on what you have committed. A quick
snapshot:
Operational Income [actual]:
ture). I have been reviewing all existing
contracts, such as copiers, cleaning supplies,
document shredding, garbage etc. and have
been changing or improving these vendor
relationships. Our savings on these contracts
have been anywhere from thirty to fifty
percent. I will continue to evaluate and bid
out all contracts to improve financial
savings and improve services to the parish.
Recently, Julie Olson resigned her
position. We have decided not to fill that
position at this time, but have divided some
of her responsibilities among the Faith Formation team. I also supported a reduction in
labor of one part-time employee in our
maintenance department. We are very committed to being fiscally responsible to each
and every member of this awesome parish
family.
As we “Restore All things in Christ”
together, I ask each one of you for your
prayers and involvement in the stewardship
of St. Pius X.
July 2014 thru
ACTUAL
Yours in Christ,
February 2015
$831,777
Bryan
July 2014 thru
ACTUAL
*Please see next page for financial
breakdown for a detailed allocation of
February 2015
$815,452
Operating Expenses [actual]:
Our weekly collections are a key success
driver for the overall daily operating needs of the
parish (i.e. wages, benefits, heating, electricity,
snow removal, roof repairs, etc., you get the pic-
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the finances or administration of
the parish, please contact Bryan Zimmerman at [email protected]
or at the parish office at 651-429-5337.
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 8
UPDATE – Through [February 28, 2015]
Monies Pledged:
Monies Collected:
$734,121
$395,652
Monies Spent
Category
Appeals Funds Allocation
Amount Spent to Date
(as of Feb. 28, 2015
Bank Debt Payments
$312,000
$103,914
Teacher Severance
payments
$75,000
Summer 2014 Payment to
Teachers for Salaries &
benefits
$125,000
Implementation of
“Restoring All Things in
Christ” Plan
$15,000
$2,394
Review of Procedures
$4,000
$4,000
Sound System Upgrade
$4,000
$0
Emergency Maintenance
Contingency Fund
$53,000
$31,843
Part-time Youth Ministry
Coordinator
$5,000
$2,839
Appeal Costs
$7,000
$987
$207,409
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 9
Strategic Planning Moves Forward
It’s that time to bring everyone up to date with our St. Pius X Strategic Plan. The Parish
plan is moving forward very nicely due to the efforts of so many energized and dedicated parishioners! You will see the revised Strategic Planning goals boards in the following pages and displayed in the commons area the week of April 6th with the feedback received from the St. Pius parishioners back in November. The Strategic Planning teams have assembled leadership teams to put
action to the goals and are already seeing the “Fruits of Our Labor”! If you would like to join any
of the five working teams, please contact Bryan Zimmerman in the Parish office; we can always
use more help. In May we will be reassembling the Strategic planning Group to share any updated
results and additional tweaks that may be needed. We will communicate back to the parishioners of
St. Pius the meeting notes from this meeting. This is an exciting time for our parish as we” Restore
all things to Christ”!
Already St. Pius X has
made progress on its
2014-2015 Strategic
Planning Goals. We
have added a Friday
morning Mass at 6:45
AM and a Wednesday
6:30 PM Mass. Plans are
underway to get a Sunday evening Mass here.
We have created an
overarching theme titled
“Unifying through the
Mass.” A volunteer coordinator has been hired
to focus on recruitment,
training, education and
appreciation of volunteers. More goals will be
completed in the year
ahead.
Next Page
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 10
Strategic Planning Article continued from page 9
Above are the strategic goals for year 2015-2016, there is much to be done in the
coming year. Among them is a parish theme “Strengthening the Family,” coinciding
with Pope Francis’ trip to the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families.
Next Page
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 11
Strategic Planning Article Continued from pg. 10
In 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, new goals will build on the foundation built in the previous years. Helping others become disciples is an important element of these two
years. Once we complete goals within the parish, we begin extensive outreach outside
the parish.
Next Page
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 12
Strategic Planning Article Continued from pg. 11
The new boards (in color) will be
unveiled the week of April 6 in the
main commons area. Every parish
member is encouraged to take a
look at the strategic goals and then
provide any feedback you would
like to offer.
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 13
The Power of One–by Kim Williams
We are called to serve one another, and to be served when in need. Each of us has been given
special gifts, and each of us has special needs. Christ calls us to care for each other. Our obligation is
to be thoughtful, considerate, and giving of ourselves to make a difference in the lives of everyone we
encounter. What is our direction on how to fulfill this obligation? We find the answers in the Corporal
and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Social Justice Teachings of the Catholic Church.
Corporal Works of Mercy
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Social Justice Teachings
Feed the Hungry
Teach the Ignorant
Dignity of the Human Person
Give Drink to the Thirsty
Give Advice or Counsel
Clothe the Naked
Comfort those who Suffer
Community and the Common
Good
Rights and Responsibilities
Visit the Imprisoned
Be Patient with Others
Option for the Poor
Shelter the Homeless
Forgive those Who Hurt You
Dignity of Work
Visit the Sick
Correct those Who Need It
Solidarity
Bury the Dead
Pray for the Living and the Dead
Care for God’s Creation
Issues of poverty have been around since just about the beginning of time. It, and many other
issues, seem impossible to end. How do we eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness and the other
blights of our world? The answer is: “The Power of One.” If only one person donated to the WB Area
Food Shelf, they would not be able to serve very many people. One person, plus one person, plus one
person and so on creates an amazing grassroots effort to feed the hungry. This grassroots effort is a
groundswell of support. The WB Food Shelf on average feeds 400 people per month! This is the
Power of One. If you don’t do it, who will? Working together in Christ’s name, there is absolutely
nothing we cannot accomplish. Together we make a difference; together we work following Christ’s
example; together we become the hands and feet of Christ.
Within our parish, there are many opportunities to serve in many capacities. We need volunteers to serve the homebound, to feed the hungry, to bury the dead, to provide shelter, to protect innocent life, to welcome people into our Church, to teach our children, to clean our Church. The list is endless of what you can do to serve “the least of these.” Find your passion, pray about what God is calling
you to do, step forward as one serving in with others to bring the light of Christ to our parish, our community, our country, and our world. It doesn’t require hours and hours each week, it may require one
hour or less each week. Do you have one hour to give to Christ, outside the Mass? What would happen
if every registered family in our parish committed to donating 1 hour per week? Yes, there are a select
few who give many hours each week. But what if suddenly we had every family commit to 1 hour of
service? We would have 1,500 hours of service each week! Imagine the difference that would make in
our parish, community and world! It’s the Power of One, never underestimate it.
Be the one to make a difference. Extend your hand to fellow parishioners by being Christ to
them. Find a ministry within our parish or community and commit to serving one hour a week. What a
beautiful gift to God and others and to yourself.
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 14
MENTAL HEALTH AND SPIRITUALITY
Please join us for a presentation on
Mental Health and Spirituality
Thursday, April 16, 7:00-9:00 PM,
in the Community Rooms
sponsored by our H.O.P.E. Depression Ministry
Reverend Rebecca Fletcher, Chaplain for Mental Health and Addiction Care
at St. Joseph’s Hospital, will discuss the role of spirituality in our lives, the
spiritual effects of depression, and what does and does not help in coping
with depression in ourselves and our loved ones.
Renee Berthiaume, B.S., RN-BC, St. Pius X
Parishioner and Mental Health Nurse at
HealthEast, will discuss symptoms associated with depression, medications to
treat depression, and other techniques
that help decrease depression, including spirituality.
There will be time for Q & A at the end of the
presentation.
For more information, please contact Patti Ries
in the parish office at 651-762-3628.
"Have patience with
all things, but chiefly
have patience with
yourself. Do not lose
courage in
considering your own
imperfections but
instantly set about
remedying them -every day begin the
task anew."St. Francis De Sales
THE YOUTH SOCIAL MINISTRY TEAM APPRECIATES YOU
By Carri Petronack and YSM Team
The YSM team has been blessed once again with generous donations from parishioners during their “Pennies for the Orphans” collection this past January. Our four godchildren will receive
an extra payment this year because YOU were so generous. We ask that you continue to pray for
the godchildren throughout the year. Here is what the team had to say about this year’s collection:
Hello my name is Laci Petronack and I have been on the YSM team for 3 years. Being apart of this
group helped me experience great service opportunities like Pennies for the Orphans. I really enjoyed seeing how many people really cared to change the lives of others. Receiving more money
than our goal was amazing to see. I really appreciate all that the parishioners of St. Pius X have
done to support our godchildren. Thank you, Laci
My name is Kimber Hansmann and I have been a member of the YSM team for three years.
This year during the Pennies for Orphans collection, I was amazed how many people donated to
help our parish’s 4 godchildren. We needed $1440.00 to support them, but we collected over
$2300.00. That is amazing and now our Godchildren will have an extra Christmas gift. Thank you
for all your help, it means a lot to us but it means even more to our Godchildren.
Thanks, Kimber
Continuedd on page 16
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 15
An Unexpected Journey– by Tim Lawrence
A town 7,857 miles away from Minneapolis is nestled among the rolling hills of
Uganda called Kabale. A young boy, who loved
to play soccer and would win second prize in
high school running, would one day be given
the courage to follow God all the way to St.
Paul, MN to study to be a priest. We at St. Pius
X are blessed to have this young man, Charles
Mugabi, as our teaching parish seminarian. If
God wills, Charles will be ordained a Transitional Deacon by the archbishop
on May 2, 2015 at the Basilica of
St. Mary in Minneapolis at 10
AM. The following year, summer
of 2016, Charles will be ordained
a priest of Jesus Christ at the age
of 30. From early on, Charles
never thought about the priesthood, but thought he’d follow in
the footsteps of his father and be a
farmer. It was a single visit from
a priest to his grade school that
would eventually turn Charles’
attention to the priesthood.
Charles lived in a village
of 900 families, most of them Catholic. The major activity in the village was farming and his
family grew corn, peas, beans and potatoes. The
nearest parish to the village was thirty miles
away and several priests would make rounds to
various villages that had what Charles called
‘sub-parishes,’ or Eucharistic Centers. Charles
was born December 2, 1985 and was baptized
thirteen days later in one of those Eucharistic
Centers (or chapel). It was not until Charles
was in grade six that he became conscious of
who and what a priest was. A priest came to
celebrate Mass on a Sunday and he was struck
by the priest’s vestments, the man’s kindness,
love and joy he had toward the people. The
priest said that to be like him, he would have to
join the seminary. A spark took hold of Charles’
heart and he would enter high school seminary
two years later. He loved seminary and enjoyed
the six years of high school seminary. Before
entering college seminary, he was unsure and
sought out God’s direction and peace. He decided to continue into college seminary, always
remaining open to what God might want of him.
Charles would finish the three years of college
seminary and then do one year in a parish. He
was struck by the example of the good priests
he saw and the sincerity, love, support
and encouragement of parish life.
After that year, Charles came back to
seminary more at peace and with a
fuller realization that God was indeed
calling him to be a priest. It was after
one year of theology in Uganda that
Charles would be asked a question
that would alter the next three years
of his life.
Several scholarships were
made available for select men who
would want to go study at the St. Paul
Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Charles
was one of the men who were asked
and, with great prayer and reflection, Charles
said yes to such a wonderful opportunity.
Charles would arrive in St. Paul, MN August
28, 2012. Everything was new for him and he
made great strides in getting used to his new
home. One of the biggest challenges for him
was getting used to the freezing temperatures. It
might make Charles feel better that many of us
never get used to the cold weather in the frozen
tundra we call Minnesota. Charles loved taking
the various courses in biblical studies, homiletics and pastoral care courses. Shortly after his
arrival in Minnesota, he met the community of
St. Pius X, his new teaching parish. A teaching
parish is a place a seminarian is assigned to
learn at and to finish various teaching projects.
His first introNext Page
C
p
“T
att
an
s
qu
s
Page 16
An Unexpected Journey continued from page 15
duction to the parish was when he accompanied Fr. Joe, some CCW ladies and others
on a pilgrimage to Iowa. Besides beating Fr.
Joe (depending on who you ask) in a race,
he enjoyed immensely getting to know the
parishioners on the trip. He was impressed
with how warm, inviting and very charming
everyone was to him. That initial impression
continued throughout his time at St. Pius X,
as people continued to be hospitable, offering to drive him and to help him in his time
at the seminary. Charles mentioned how
great Fr. Joe has been and how wonderful it
is to observe a full-time pastor in his various
duties. Although you see him around, the
seminary keeps him very busy.
Besides the classes, Charles schedules regular times to exercise and takes part
in the full and demanding schedule of the
seminary. In those rare instances when
Charles has some free time, he enjoys reading Catholic literature, playing soccer and
hanging out with friends. One of his favorite
books is “Story of a Soul” by St. Therese of
Liseiux.
As Charles’ journey to the priesthood
comes to its final stages, we as a parish community are privileged to have walked
along-side him and supported him. I personally
have known Charles for a couple years and he is
a man of great faith, courage and has a joyous
presence. If you are able to attend the ordination
on May 2 at 10 AM, you are encouraged to do so
and support our soon to be Deacon Charles.
The High School Seminary Charles
attended in Uganda
YSM Team Continued from page 14
“Pennies to me was a great experience, especially because I got to speak in front of the parish
about the Godchildren. I also got to watch the happy faces of people donate their hard earned money!
Thank you, Joey Petronack”
I am Aurelia Williams, the senior leader of the YSM team. This year the Pennies Collection was
awesome. We raised around $2300.00! It was really great to see people bringing in jars of money that
they collected throughout the year just for our Pennies project. Thank you, Aurelia Williams
I am Elaine Cornelius and I just started YSM this year. My Pennies for the Orphans experience
was great. It made me realize how charitable everyone in our parish is. We received more donations
than needed and that is amazing because then the kids receive extra necessities with this money. This
program is a really great way to get people involved in helping others around the world! Thanks, Elaine.
Continued on page 22
Page 17
CCW Advent Morning of Reflection
This year, we had 96 attend our
inspirational CCW Advent
Morning of Reflection held on
Saturday, December 6, 2014.
The morning began with Mass
presided by our pastor, Father
Joe Bambenek. During the homily, Father Joe shared wonderful
words of wisdom to help us reflect more deeply during the
holy season of Advent.
Look for ways
to magnify the
Lord
Following Mass, guests were
graciously served a delicious
breakfast provided by our own
CCW, who were assisted in the
kitchen by Tom Zweber, Ken
Sandquist, Mark Peterson and
Peter Bormann.
Alyssa Bormes, nationallyknown speaker and author of
the book The Catechism of
Hockey, was the keynote
speaker for this year’s event.
Alyssa shared an insightful
message about Mary’s
“Magnificat” and her role in
salvation history, and she challenged us all to look for opportunities in our daily life to magnify the Lord in the world.
The spirit of generosity was
alive and well on this day, as we
were able to make a generous
donation of $1,100 to the
“Philomena House,” with the
proceeds raised through poinsettia sales and raffle ticket sales.
The “Philomena House” is a
residence for homeless, expectant mothers and is staffed by
volunteers.
Special thanks to Laurie
Koscianski for creating and
framing the lovely counted
cross-stitch Marian work of art
for the raffle. Josh Cermak was
the winner of the raffle. Beth
Cermak, his mother, bought the
ticket and wrote his name on it
because she says her son always
wins things. Beth then gave the
counted cross-stitch to
Geralyn Clasemann, Director of
the Philomena House, who was
also in attendance that day.
Thank you to everyone who offered their time, talents, gifts
and prayers to make this morning of reflection so joy-filled
and inspiring. We look forward
to next year’s event and hope to
see you there.
Alyssa Bormes book “The
Catechism of Hockey” is available thorough various vendors.
It is also available at Amazon.com and if you use
smile.amazon.com, a portion of
the transaction price can come
back to St. Pius Parish once
you set up the program.
Volume 40 Issue 4
Page 18
St. Paul March for Life 2015 by Dick Bouchee
No pro life person desires to be at the
March for Life commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but dedicated they are
and come they
must as they
faithfully have for
each of the last 42
years. This year,
25 parishioners
from St. Mary’s,
St. Peter’s, St.
Bridget, and St.
Pius X united on a
bus to help completely fill the St.
Paul Cathedral for
an ecumenical
prayer service. Then the parishioners joined
the estimated 4,000 throng of people at the St.
Paul Capitol to march in mutual protest on the
42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling
of Roe v. Wade, which legalized the monu-
mental evil of abortion. There have been over 57
million abortions “performed” in America as of
this anniversary.
Are we better off as
a country and society since
January 22, 1973?
Is there a moral
failure in America?
At the rally, the
weather cooperated with a
sunny sky and temperature
over 30 degrees. Impressively, the speakers were
very good and you could
hear the passion in their
voices. Present on the capitol steps were many state
senators and house representatives who support the
right to life. Let us pray together for the dignity of
life!
Spiritual Adoption March-December 2015
On March 21, the Respect Life Committee began its
annual Spiritual Adoption Program.
We encourage you to
take a prayer card home and
pray for a baby who is in danger of abortion and for the parents who are considering the
fate of their unborn child.
Throughout these nine months
of growth and development,
we ask you to pray this simple,
short prayer to prepare for the
arrival of this new life. You may wish to name
your spiritually adopted child so that you have
an even deeper connection to this young life.
When your spiritually adopted
child arrives in December, you can
celebrate his/her birth through our
Layette Collection. Items collected are donated to the Women's
Life Care Center in Little Canada,
which is dedicated to life; providing services, support and education
to women and families experiencing unplanned pregnancies. While
you may never meet this child you
have saved, you can know that
your prayers have made a difference in the life of a child. It is not
too late to take part in the program. Call Patti Ries
at the parish office or pick up a card at the Social
Ministry Center.
Page 19
Page 20
Like us on facebook.com/spxff
Page 21
THE YOUTH SOCIAL MINISTRY TEAM Continued from page 16
I am Sonni Eib, and I have been involved in YSM since the beginning of this
year. My Pennies for the Orphans experience went very well. It helped me realize
that just a little bit of money can go a long
way when helping children and adults that
are less fortunate than me. Thanks, Sonni
I am Troy Tischler and this has been
my first year as a YSM member. My experi-
ence with Pennies for Orphans was very good. I held
out the buckets during the money collection and it
was great to see everyone supporting the Godchildren. Lots of money was collected for the orphans.
We made $2300.00 for the orphans when the
minimum was $1440.00 so my experience as a YSM
member has been great. Thank you, Troy Tischler.
Schedule of
Events:
APRIL 2015
 04/2-04/05 -Holy Week
Sun
Liturgies and Activities
Mon
Tue
 04/06– 5 PM Buildings
and Grounds Mtg.
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
 04/07– 9:15 AM
Women’s Enrichment
Group
 04/07– 7 PM Finance
Council Mtg.
 04/07– 7 PM KOC Busi-
ness Meeting
 04/14– 8 AM Staff Re-
treat Offsite
 04/16- 7 PM Presenta-
tion on Mental Health
and Spirituality
 04/18– 6 PM Pope Party
 04/21- 9:15 AM
Women’s Enrichment
 04/23– 7 PM Parish
Council
 04/30– 7 PM “It’s Not
Good for Man to be
Alone” Speaker
Good Friday Easter Vigil
Service at 3 8 PM
PM
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Easter
Sunday
8, 9:30,
11:15 AM
 04/09– 4:30 PM Compan-
ions in Grief
Holy
Thursday
Mass 7 PM
3:30 Pm Our 6:30 PM
Lady’s Prayer Lectio Divina
7:00 PM
Group
Finance
Council
2 PM -Divine 3:30 PM
Our Lady’s
Mercy
Prayer
Sunday
Group
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
Lectio Divina RCIA
10:00 AM
3:30 PM Our 7 PM KOC
First ComLady’s Prayer Officers
munion Mass Group
Meeting
10:00 AM
3:30 PM
First ComOur Lady’s
munion Mass Prayer
Group
5:30 PM
Faith Formation Open
House
6:30 PM
Festival
Committee
Meeting
7:00 PM
Marketing
Committee
6:30 PM
Respect Life
Committee
6:30 PM
CCW
5:00 PM
Fish Fry
Meeting
8:30 AM
11:00 AM
Prayer Shawl Affordable
Maker Mtg. Care Act
Presentation
7:00 PM
Parish
Council
Pastoral
Care:
Speaker
Presentation
10:00 AM
First Communion
Retreat
6:00 PM
Pope Party &
Candy Bar
and Bingo
5:00 PM
First Communion Mass
Page 22
ATTEND THE WINTER FEST MEETING APRIL 28
Come to the Winterfest Meeting on April 28 at 6:30 PM in Community Room A. All parishioners are
welcome to attend and become members, exchange ideas, suggest improvements, make plans and put
ideas into action. We meet once in April or May, then once in Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec., and two times in
Jan. (once in Feb. if need be). This year we need help in different areas. Some areas are: the Saturday
Night Functions, Silent Auction baskets, Botto Lotto help, Cake walk helpers, Craft Boutique helpers,
kitchen etc. Many committee members have been running Winterfest for years. We need new parishioners to step up to the plate, to help us make Winterfest successful in 2016 and beyond. Please call
Vivian at 651-245-8854, Bernie at 651-724-0400, (Chairs) or Mary at 651-407-8899 (co-chair). Or
email at us [email protected] or [email protected], or [email protected] . May
God Bless you and speak to your heart and mind to give us a call or email. Thank you, Chairs and CoChair.
MAY 2015
Schedule of
Events
 05/01– 8:45 AM
First Friday Donuts
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
 05/02– 10 AM
Charles Mugabi’s
Diaconate Ordination at Bascilica of
St. Mary’s
 05/04– 5 PM Buildings and Grounds
Meeting
 05/05– 7 PM KOC
Business Meeting
 05/09– 6 PM Cookie
Saturday
 05/10– Donut Sunday after all Masses
 05/14-6:30 PM
CCW Board Meeting
 05/17– 7:45 AM
KOC Pro-life
Breakfast
 05/18– 6:30 PM
Baptism Workshop
 05/26– 9:15 AM
Women’s Enrichment
Fri
Sat
1
2
6:30 PM
KOC Rosary
10:00 AM
Charles
Mugabi’s
Ordination
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
3:30 PM Our 6:30 PM
Lady’s Prayer Lectio Divina
Group
Mother’s
9:15 AM
3:30 PM
Women’s
Our Lady’s
Day
Donut Sunday Prayer Group Enrichment
after all
Masses
6:30 PM
KOC
Rosary
6:30 PM
KOC
Rosary
8:00 AM
3:30 PM Our 7:00 PM
7:00 PM
KOC Pro-Life Lady’s Prayer KOC Officers Jubilee
Choir PracBreakfast
Group
Meeting
tice
Pentecost
31
Trinity Sunday
Memorial
Day
7 PM Finance
Council
7:00 PM
Jubilee Choir
Practice
Ascension
6:30 PM
CCW Board
Meeting
7:00 PM
Worship
Meeting
7:00 PM Pastoral Council
6:30 PM
KOC Rosary
6:00 Cookie
Saturday after
5 PM Mass
3:30 PM
Confessions
& 5 PM Mass
9:00 AM
Church
Decorating in
Church
Page 23
WE
REMEMBER…….
In Memory
Jeannie Taylor
11-24-2014
Bradley T. Pommier
12-05-2014
Don James
12-20-2014
Rose Marie Savage
12-30-2014
Emmet P. Hughes
01-06-2015
Gerald J. Peters
01-20-2015
Dolores “Snook” Mitchell
01-21-2015
Gerald J. Pignato
02-06-2015
Judy L.H. Fleming
02-08-2015
Lillian A. Molitor
02-10-2015
Rosemary R. Gerner
02-12-2015
Robert L. Gerner
02-18-2015
Frank E. Ninefeldt
02-24-2015
Dorothy A. Hughes
03-18-2015
“It is beautiful to have so many brothers and sisters in the faith who walk at
our side, support us with their help and travel the same path toward
heaven,” he said. “And it is consoling to know that there are other brothers
and sisters who have already reached heaven, who await us and pray for us
so that together we can contemplate for eternity the glorious and merciful
face of the Father.” - Pope Francis on November 1, 2014
RESTORING ALL THINGS IN CHRIST
CHURCH OF
ST. PIUS X
Parish Scope
The Parish Scope is published
four times annually
NEXT SCOPE DEADLINE
JUNE 2015
EDITOR: Fr. Joe
Bambenek
Editorial Assistant and
Layout:
Tim Lawrence
St. Pius X Catholic
Church
3878 Highland Ave.
White Bear Lake, MN
55110
(651) 429-5337
Fax: 651-429-5339
THINK
RESTORE
“Encounter Christ,
Experience the Love
And Be Restored”
New Marketing Plan Coming
We’re on the Web:
Churchofstpiusx.org
U
O
Y
E
E
S
IN
!
H
C
R
CHU
In our attempt to “Restore All Things in Christ for a
Seventh Decade,” part of that process will include a total review
of all communications and the way we communicate with parishioners and the wider community around St. Pius X Parish. A
newly developed Marketing Committee will be meeting in April.
Among other things, the committee will be evaluating all points
of contact (e.g. the SCOPE, the bulletin and the website etc.) to
find ways to make them more engaging, useful and dynamic for
parishioners and non-parishioners. As we progress through this
process, we would like your input. What do you think of the
SCOPE, the bulletin, the website and various other communications you receive from the parish? What would you like to see?
How might these communication pieces keep you better informed, enhance your faith and help you in your daily life? Please
let us know by calling 651-762-3631 or e-mail
[email protected]. Your feedback and suggestions
are welcome!