IN THIS ISSUE

Pastors Pen

Page 2

Lenten Opportunities

Page 3

Parish Happenings

Page 4 & 5

From NCS

St Paul Feast Day

Page 6

Literature

Page 7

ST. PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH

PAGE 2

If the current publishing schedule holds, oneweek after you read these words it will be AshWednesday and we will begin Lent. Likewise, theday I am writing these words is exactly two weeksbefore that, three weeks before Ash Wednesday.That means that today, sitting fat and happy afterall the Christmas goodies Ive enjoyed, to behonest, it doesnt feel much like Lent yet.

But, I tell myself, thats precisely why I probably we all need Lent. Someone gave mea CD of Irish music, and the sprightly, lilting songthat is playing around in my mind now (theGermans call these ear-worms) is the cautionarytale of an engaging young man who sings Ivebeen a wild rover for manys the year / And Ivespent all me money on whiskey and beer. // Butnow Im returning with gold in great store / And Inever will play the wild rover no more. And thechorus comes in with great gusto and verve, Andits No, nay, never, / No, nay, never, no more /Will I play the wild rover, / No never, no more.

How edifying! Of course by verse two heslides into an alehouse I used to frequentpresided over by a landlady who is only too willingto relieve him of all that heavy weight of goldcoins in his pockets, and one thing leads toanother (as things always do), and by verse fourour hero is singing, Ill go home to my family,

confess what Ivedone / And Ill askthem to pardon theirprodigal son. // Andif then they do so asoft times before / Inever will play thewild rover no more.And yet again that vigorous, toe-tapping chorusrepeats for the fourth and fifth time, And its no,nay, never, / No, nay, never, no more / Will I playthe wild rover, / No never, no more.

Hmmmm. By the end, those bold words ofresolution dont inspire much confidence, dothey? And I realize that I too, despite my vigorousprotestations and good intentions from last Lentthat No, nay, never no more, doggone it if I havenot found myself too often figuratively in this case sliding into those alehouses I used to frequentand replicating this guys experience. (Sliding issuch an evocative, insightful word, no?)

Nancy Reagan ushered in with great fanfarean anti-drug campaign in the 1980s that used asits mantra, Just say no! But we learnedsomething from that effort, namely, that its notenough to just say no to what is bad; you have tosay yes to what is good. To break a bad habit,you need to replace it with a good one. So thatsa thought for this Lent. How about if, no matterwhat else we may do, we would put a priority ondeveloping a closer relationship with the Lord not the imaginary one weve domesticated in ourimaginations but the real one as we know Himfrom His words in the Gospels. So that this year,after Hes pardoned us, as oft times before, wewill be ready to say to Him in all that He asks, Yes,yea, ever, always, Lord!

Lenten Opportunities 2015

Parish Retreat ~ Called by the Cross Saturday, February 14

9 AM 3:30 PM, St. Paul Gathering Space Former parishioner and St. Paul High alumnus, Brian Pusateri will lead us on this retreat day,

helping us to grow, share and explore: the reality of our brokenness, the infinite mercy and

ORYHRI*RGVSODQWKHQHHGIRUKRQHVW\ in our relationships, the courage of true Christian friendship and what the Cross has to do with all of this. Cost is $5, which includes a light lunch.

0HQV/HQWHQ'D\RI5HFROOHFWLRQ Saturday, February 21

7 AM 1 PM, St. Paul Gathering Space Begin your Lenten season strong! This area-wide, semi-silent day is focused on the Sacraments

and ZLOOLQFOXGH6WDWLRQVRIWKH&URVV7KH3DVVLRQPRYLH(XFKDULVWLF$GRUDWLRQ5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ a Lenten motivation talk by Fr. Dave Nuss and Mass. Please RSVP for breakfast (419-668-6044).

Evening Prayer Wednesdays at 7 PM throughout Lent and Easter (February 25 May 20) in church.

The Rosary will be prayed in the Adoration Chapel following Evening Prayer during the Lent.

Stations of the Cross Fridays of Lent at 7 PM in church.

Daily Devotionals A Season for Reclamation, by Jerry Welte

Living Faith, Creative Communications Best Lent Ever, Dynamic Catholic emails (www.dynamiccatholic.com/bestlentever)

Theology of the Body Monday evenings: March 9, 16, 23, 30 from 7-8 PM, St. Paul Gathering Space

(If you need child care during the Monday evening sessions, please call the parish office to register for free babysitting.)

Friday luncheons: February 20 & 27 and March 13 & 27 from 12-1 PM, St. Paul Gathering Space

:KDWGRHVLWPHDQWREHPDGHLQWKHLPDJHDQGOLNHQHVVRI*RG" What is the real meaning of my sexuality? 7KH7KHRORJ\RIWKH%RG\LVUHQHZLQJPDUULDJHVDZDNHQLQJ

vocations, healing deep personal wounds, and setting people free to live the life of greatness to which wHDUHDOOFDOOHGDavid Kidd will host this series based on the video,

An Introduction to the Theology of the Body, by Christopher West.

Coffee and Conversation Wednesday mornings at 10 AM, St. Paul Gathering Space

Pat Krause will lead the group in a discussion on Faith and Justice.

Day of Grace Monday, March 30

9 AM 4 PM Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Msgr. Ken and/or Fr. Nathan will be in church to hear confessions throughout the day.

PAGE 3

PAGE 4

The Huron County Right to Life, Walk for Life on January 18th was attended by hundreds of individualsand families from Norwalk and the surrounding communities. Peter Range, the Toledo Diocese CatholicCharities Respect Life Coordinator, spoke prior to the march, encouraging others to believe thateach person has a purpose and a mission. After praying and singing together, the crowd walkedsilently from the Convocation Center to the county courthouse and back. Please continue to prayfor life, at all stages.

PAGE 5

The 5 and The AfterMassThe AfterMass has officially made its appearance after the 5 oclock mass. Thekickoff on January 11th was a complete success and the turnout exceeded eachteam members expectations. I, personally, have enjoyed each and every momentof our newly established Catholic Youth Group. The experience has truly openedmy eyes to God and my faith. We have only had two sessions and I already feelthat my faith activity has doubled. The fact that I get to grow in my faith with my

peers makes it even more special and easier. I have truly learned more about what it means to be aCatholic and we have yet to get into a detailed session. I am finally starting to feel proud of myself forbeing a Catholic because we truly are unique. Nowadays, I cant wait for Sunday to come aroundbecause the AfterMass has made such a wonderful impression on my life. I would recommend thisyouth group to any young Catholic, who is lost in their faith or just wants to learn more about it. I canpromise them that they wont be disappointed as long as they come with an open and optimisticmind. ~ Sam Carper

PAGE 6

From Norwalk Catholic School:Our family joined Norwalk Catholic School

simply for the convenience of the Flyer Clubhousethat the Early Childhood Center provided. Weneeded the care before and after school due toour work schedules while living in the Black Riverschool district. As we became involved in themany school activities and met the wonderfulindividuals who surrounded and cared for ourchildren each day, we knew that NCS wasabsolutely the best decision we could have madefor our children, far beyond any conveniencefactor.

The best part of all is seeing our childrens lovefor the Lord flourish! I wish I could bottle up theprayers that they say around the dinner table, soheartfelt and genuine. (This, of course, after theconversation of who gets to pray first). I trulycredit this love with the daily presence of the Lordin our childrens lives. From praying in school,religion classes and weekly masses, they arelearning so much and I am certain this love theyhave will be with them throughout their lives what a gift that I alone could not give them!~ Stephanie Kluding

Stephanie and Mark are currently enrolled inRite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) and will receivethe Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation,Eucharist and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.Their children, Grace (Class of 2025) and Gunner(Class of 2027) recently were baptized. Grace willalso receive the Sacrament of Reconciliationand make her First Holy Eucharist this year!Welcome to St. Paul Parish, Kluding Family!

St. Paul Feast Day CelebrationIt was good to see our parish community unitedfor the celebration of our patron St. Paul onJanuary 25th. From the bilingual Mass to the fiestawhich followed in our gathering space, our twocommunities came together to honor St. Paul andfollow his sage advice.

Pauls letter to the Corinthians speaks about theone body of Christ. His message is still true today.To paraphrase, God constructed the body (ourchurch) so that there may be no division and thatall parts may have the same concern for oneanother. If one part suffers, all parts suffer, if one ishonored, all share in the joy. (1st Cor 12: 25-26)

PAGE 7

Dont just read anything. If you want to grow inholiness, ask the holiest people you know

to recommend books for you to read.~ Matthew Kelly, The Narrow Path

Are you looking for Catholic reading materials?Here are just a few to get you started:

Catholic Digest- on faith and family living

Give us This Day includes readings and reflections for every day

Inside the Vatican - a Catholic news magazine

Liguorian - proclaiming the Good News as good news

Magnificat -a spiritual guide to help you develop your prayer life andparticipate in Mass with greater fervor

Magnifikid! - for children between the ages of 6 & 12 years.

My Daily Visitor - readings and reflections for every day

National Catholic Reporter - an Independent news source

St. Anthony Messenger - applies our Catholic faith to the challenges ofthe times

The Word Among Us - a daily approach to prayer and scripture

Prefer to go online? Visit these websites:

www.bustedhalo.com www.catholicchronicle.org

www.dynamiccatholic.com/ www.flocknote.com

www.ncregister.com www.osv.com

www.spiritdaily.com www.toledodiocese.org

www.usccb.org www.zenit.org

And yes, theres an app for that: Pope Francis, Laudate, Lighthouse Catholic Media

Coming soon! We will launch our new parish smart phone app with OneParish

You can also like St. Paul Roman-Catholic Church on Facebook

If you tweet you can stay connected with us on Twitter:@St_PaulNorwalk.

Youth can follow The 5: @THE5AFTERMASS or #THEAFTERMASS

Our newest ministry team, Media Matters, has been working diligentlyto design and launch our new parish website! Media Matters team membersMary Castleberry, Tom Kueterman, Wilma Lepore, Katie McKinney, AnnetteScheid and Brian Switalski, assist our parish in spreading the Good Newsthrough the use of technology. Thank you, Media Matters Team!

New Members:Antonio & Anjelina CarbajalMark & Stephanie KludingChildren, Grace & Gunner

Victoria MahlSon, Teegun

Ross & Lori MatlackChildren, Jessica, Kristin,

Sarah & PatrickChristopher & Christine McHale

Son, StephenAdam ReichertIn Memoriam:Ronald Barron

Douglas A. ColvinDorl L. Ely

Kevin DoyleEugene J. FotiBarbara J. Fritz

Anna Mae ObermillerMarilyn T. Pennington

Jack G. WeisenbergerBaptisms:

Avery Elizabeth BarmanDaughter of Daniel & Tessa Barman

Jasper George, Fletcher Talis,& Oliver Valdis Daiga

Children of Talis & Lyndsey DaigaHannah Duncan, Profession of Faith

Remington Sue Lynn HaulerDaughter of Ryan & Tiffany Hauler

Grace Elizabeth& Gunner Eben Kluding

Children of Mark & Stephanie KludingRory Grace Lucal

Daughter of Teresa Smith& Chad Lucal

Teegun Gerald Nathaniel MahlSon of Victoria Mahl

Osiel MartinezSon of Juan & Silvia Martinez

Eva Grace MesenburgDaughter of Bradley & Leslie

MesenburgNatalie Morales

Daughter of Mayola RobleroSawyer Raymond Myers

Son of Anthony & Brittany MyersWeddings:

Randall & Sharon JettMatthew & Liane Roth

Sean & Jeanne McKenzie

St. Paul Boosters $100 Daily DrawingWinners from November and December

Darlene Pheifer Gregg Smith (twice) Robert Wasiniak Roger & Denise Stine (twice) Michelle Allen Brice Fries Nancy Doerner Dave Pocos Kevin Doerner John Livengood Tom Fulton Derek & Kim Dilger

St. Paul Catholic Church91 E. Main StNorwalk, OH 44857

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTEDPhone: 419-668-6044Fax: 419-663-5770E-mail: lisah@stpaulchurch.org

NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNORWALK, OH

Permit No. 25

PAGE 8

Bonnie Ball Barbara Noftz (twice) Mary Ott Janice Simon Dick Doughty Lynette Baldwin Joan Fox Pat Dublo Nancy Doerner Al Lesch Anthony Ringholz Marilyn Hohler Rosemary Conney Christine Claar