Spring Rummage Sale Draws Shoppers

Our PCCW (Parish Council of Catholic Women) is hosting their Spring Rummage Sale today and tomorrow. Thanks to the crew of ladies who arrived this morning to operate the sale and staff the kitchen for lunch. There were a lot of volunteers to set up, run the sale, and to clear out the hall afterward.

On this chilly, overcast, blustery day, it was helpful to have our nice, warm hallway for guests to keep warm while waiting for the sale to open at 11:00. With about 15 minutes to go, the line was just beginning to exceed the west entry.

As usual for this parish, donations were widely varied and very generous. Thanks to everyone who took this opportunity to donate clothing, toys, holiday decor, and lots of other finery. This sale is a major fund-raiser for our PCCW folks, and we appreciate all who support this effort.

“Do you believe?” “I do!”

Sunday dawned sunny, cloudless, and warm, a beautiful day for 29 children to receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time. We congratulate you all and welcome you into an ever deeper relationship with Jesus.

With families and guests, the church so full, it made sense to celebrate a special Mass in the afternoon. There was a lot of excitement and some nervousness in the air. This is not a time for the person seeking a quiet, contemplative experience.

After the Homily, it was time for the children to reconnect with their Baptism. It’s a special moment for a young child to hold a their baptismal candle, lit with the light of Christ. Six times, Father asked, “Do you…?” and the children responded with a robust “I do!” Then it was time to recall the moment of Baptism, when Father pours water while saying “I baptize you in the name…”. Father is always very generous when blessing the children with a sprinkling of holy water.

When each child came forward to receive the Body of Christ, many also received the Precious Blood. Parents, we will soon email to you a photo of your child receiving.

For their part in helping the children to prepare for this day, we have many people to thank. Let’s start with their first teachers, their parents. Christine Kainz heads sacramental prep, and Kristin Johnson directs our Family Faith Formation program. Thanks also to our Greeters and Sunday Choir. Fr. Konopa led the celebration masterfully and had a great message in his Homily.

As a parish family, we pledge to support these children in their faith journey with prayer and setting a good example. Again, congratulations to all!

OCIA Class of 2024

A warm welcome and congratulations to our sisters and brothers who took important steps forward in their Catholic life at the Easter Vigil Mass. Contact our Deacon Terry Bell if you or someone you care for would be open to talking about this.

We are Hiring

Update: The position described here has been filled. We are delighted to welcome Jenn Burchill to MMOC!

Our Parish Office Assistant, Steve Young, is moving on. We thank him for his devoted service.

We are now searching to hire his successor. Please see the job description below and pass it along to anyone you think might be a good fit. Send application materials to our pastor, Fr. Brian D. Konopa  (frkonopa@mmoclacrosse.org). We hope to have our new assistant in place by March 19, so please treat this as urgent. Thank you.

Notes from a Christmas Eve Mass

The 4:00 Christmas Eve Mass (video) was an amazing experience in every way. My notes:

• The music was so beautiful, so astounding, I choked back tears. Grateful to all who play and sing, you outdid yourselves. Deepest respect and gratitude to our director, Mary Jo Lium. “It’ll be fine.”
• Whoever designed the acoustics and sound in our renovated choir loft, congratulations. Our choirs have never sounded better.
• Children were invited in to sing, and they were dazzling. When they sang the first verse of Away in a Manger, I almost lost it. Thanks and respect to Marilynn Jensen-Henry.
• Nary an empty seat in the whole church, including overflow in the loft. The energy in the church was wonderful. So many young voices in the pews added to the joy. God bless all young parents.
• Best thing about Christmas Eve 4:00 Mass is seeing people you haven’t seen in a while. We have watched each other’s children grow up, mature, go off to college, and now they come home for Christmas as adults. Wow.
• There are peak moments in the life of our parish family, and you feel privileged to be part of it.

2023 Iverson Frecking Awards

The following appears in today’s edition of the La Crosse Tribune. Copyright 2023 La Crosse Tribune. Story by Caden Perry, Photo by Saskia Hatvany.

Faithful Efforts Honored

Three people were honored with the Iverson Freking Ecumenical Recognition Award for their work in community service that crosses the bounds of faith and spirituality.

On Thursday, the Bethany St. Joseph Corp. awarded Mary Ann Gschwind, alongside Barbara and Joseph Kruse for their ecumenical work in the La Crosse area community. Barbara and Joseph Kruse are founding members of the Place of Grace Catholic Worker House focused on supporting children, community health care and social justice. They have lived in La Crosse for more than 40 years.

“When you volunteer and you do something that you believe in, it’s really life-giving. Good things came from it, and I know we helped other people along the way, but we were probably the biggest recipients of goodness and grace from all of that involvement,” Joseph Kruse said.

Joseph Kruse also has been on the board for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse and the St. Clare Health Mission. Barbara has served on the Bethany Lutheran Homes board as well as the Downtown Rotary Club. Both are also affiliates of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

“It’s really an honor to be here with Sister Mary Ann. Pretty much the whole 40 years we’ve been here, we’ve known her,” Joseph Kruse said. “We consider her a close family friend, so it’s really an honor for us to do this together.”

Among Gschwind’s contributions are positions on the Viterbo University board of directors, La Crosse City Symphony board and La Crosse City Vision Foundation board. Gschwind has also been the vice president of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration for the past eight years and makes a priority to help the incarcerated, the hungry and people with disabilities.

“My time here has usually been on that side of the room because I’ve helped nominate several people, some of whom have been graciously accepted, so it’s so good to be sitting on this side.” Gschwind said as she pointed to the audience. “I wanted to mention the same feeling that Joseph mentioned in that what we do is small in terms of what we receive.”

Gshwind said that people who want to begin volunteering or serving their community should start small and build motivation from the ground up. She said service groups in the city are always looking for day-of volunteers that only need to contribute a small amount of time here and there.

The Iverson Freking Ecumenical Recognition Award was established in 1987 to honor the service of CarlIverson, from the Luthern faith, and Bishop Frederick Freking, from the Catholic faith, and their work across lines of spirituality. Iverson and Freking established the Bethany St. Joseph Corporation and care center in 1976 with sponsorship from the Christian Communities of the Greater La Crosse Area.

I was hungry and you gave me food

MMOC continues to reach out into our community with food and loving service. There are probably more efforts than recorded here; please let me know. One of the things I’ve come to appreciate about our parish is that so many people serve faithfully in roles that are unseen.

Delivering Mobile Meals

Mobile Meals is a program that delivers meals to our brothers and sisters who, because of age or infirmity, need healthy, nutritious meals brought to their homes. We deliver meals along a prescribed route, seven days per week, about 7 or 8 weeks per year. Volunteers pick up the food at St. Francis hospital; our route covers the south side of La Crosse.

There’s been a recent change in leadership in MMOC’s participation in Mobile Meals. We thank Sue Moyle for coordinating this effort for over 20 years. In addition to training and scheduling volunteer teams of drivers, Sue and her husband Bill have delivered on days when there was no other volunteer. Their commitment has been astounding. Deepest thanks to Sue and Bill for their long faithfulness to this ministry.

Now we welcome Stefana Pretasky as coordinator of MMOC’s participation in Mobile Meals. Stefana has been a volunteer driver and now steps into the role of coordinating for MMOC.

We’re going to need more volunteer drivers to meet the MMOC commitment to Mobile Meals. Delivery works best when two volunteers team up. Watch for dates on the parish calendar, and contact Stefana or the parish office to sign up.

Tuesdays at the Catholic Charities Warming Center

MMOC has long been committed to providing food, supplies, and staff at the Catholic Charities Warming Center. Our involvement there was pioneered by our beloved friend and Deacon Richard Sage, who was also one of the founders of the Catholic Worker House in La Crosse, Place of Grace. We honor his legacy and spirit by this ministry.

We are deeply grateful that Mary Olson has accepted responsibility for carrying on our commitment to the Warming Center. Contact Mary, the parish office, or look for sign-up sheets in the entryway of our church. The responsibility is light when we share it among a few of us. Volunteers prepare food at home, then deliver it to the Warming Center, downtown on 3rd Street and Cass.

Matthew 25 in the kitchen on Thursdays

Barb Stetzer saw a need, and responded to meet it. She coordinates our Matthew 25 team that prepares meals in the MMOC kitchen at 2:00 on Thursday afternoons, then delivers them to the Warming Center. There is a warm sense of of friendship and community in our kitchen on these afternoons, chatting while we work together. (Our kitchen is a wonderful resource for serving our parish members, and also reaching out to our community.) Our Matthew 25 group is a light commitment; show up on Thursdays when you can, there will usually be plenty of people on hand. Contact Barb to get on her mailing list.

“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”
Hebrews 13:2

PCCW Cookie Walk 2023

Big thanks to our PCCW and all who crafted, baked, and set up to support the 2023 Cookie Walk! Thanks to Sue Groetsch for more photos.

Prepare Your Heart during Advent

Advent begins December 3. During the season, MMOC will be featuring “Prepare Your Heart“, a series of daily video reflections by Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR (preview). This video series, along with other Advent resources, may be found on the MMOC “myParish” app. Take a moment to install MMOC’s free app on your phone or tablet. Visit mmoc.mobi and touch iPhone or Android.

Once you’ve got the myParish app on your device, pop it open and look for this icon to access the video reflection for today.

If you wish, Prepare Your Heart is also available in the form of a paperback or Kindle journal ($11.95 at Ave Maria Press or Amazon). Each day you’ll find a Gospel reading, commentary from Fr. Torres, space to journal, and a prayer. Consider asking one of your MMOC brothers or sisters in Christ to be a prayer partner.

May Advent be a time of prayer, peace, and blessing for you and your family. Here is some Advent music at MMOC to help set the mood.

On Mission and Focus

Yesterday, on Friday, 27 October, 21 people got on a bus from MMOC to St. Bronislava in Plover, Wisconsin to attend a conference led by folks from Divine Renovation Ministry. It was a day full of times to learn, pray, share, and focus on what is most important for the vitality of our parish family. Likely it will take some time to unpack and share and figure out how these ideas might apply at MMOC. We say, “His life. His mission. Our focus.” Perhaps yesterday gave us some insights about our mission and focus. It felt healthy to reflect on what we as a parish family are doing and on our priorities. Thanks to Deacon Terry Bell for this little souvenir: