Church guide

Father Hodges will be moving into the chancery on Monday July 1, around 3 PM. If anyone is around to help move a few boxes he would really appreciate the help! Please reply here if you will be around.

Holy Family News June 30, 2019 Father Harness’s Retirement Reception After all the weekend Masses Father Harness’s New Residence (July 1) Church of the Visitation rectory in Camanche 1028 Middle Road, Camanche, IA 52730-1032. Home phone: 563-259-1188 cell phone: 563-249-5759. Morning Mass Beginning Monday, July 1, the church will open at 6:30AM. Daily Mass will still be at 7:15 (Monday-Thursday). Thursday, July 4 7:15 Mass There will be no Adoration. Children's Liturgy Sunday, July 7 10:30 Mass Are you interested in a night out on Wednesdays from 6:00-7:00PM? Please join us at All Saints Catholic School for a fulfilling hour teaching our parish children their Catholic faith. No experience required. We will provide the materials. It is a way to give back to God for all the blessings we have received. Please contact: Diane or Roberta at 563-322-0901. Have a blessed week!

Fr. Ron Hodges should be in town July 1st! He will be moving into an apartment in the chancery. His usual days off will be Monday/Tuesday and Fr. Paul will take off Friday. The rectory will be receiving a new coat of paint while we wait for Fr. Francis to arrive!

BlushWe Need You Blush When: Friday, June 28 9:00AM Where: Enright Hall What: Put all the furniture back in Enright Hall. We would really appreciate your help. God bless!

NOVENA PRAYER FOR OUR PARISH… O Holy and Glorious St Joseph, beloved Patron of our Parish Church, we call upon you and Your dearest Spouse, our Mother Mary, to intercede for us before your Son Jesus for the continued well being of our Parish, and to help us in this our time of need. You were the Father of Our Lord, and with Mary, you cared for Him and provided for all the needs of the Holy Family. Hear us now, in this our time of special need and bring our request to your Son, that He may send His continued graces upon us and bring to a happy solution the situation that confronts us. Dearest Mother Mary, with Joseph, we ask you to assist us and to be our advocate for the continued spiritual and physical growth and well being of our Parish. We make our prayer in the name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Amen

Prayer for Priests: O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Christ, and for love of Him Who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation. O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory. But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (your priest’s name here). O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen. Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests. Amen.

From the new pastor... On July 1st I will be taking over as pastor at Holy Family. At this time I will also remain pastor of St. Alphonsus and St. Peter. In order to help out, we will also be welcoming a new parochial vicar to the parishes. Fr. Francis Mensah, a doctoral student from Ghana, will be living here for a few years and ministering at the parishes while he completes his research. Because his visa has still not been granted, Fr. Ron Hodges has agreed to come help us out in the meantime. So what are my priorities? My first concern at any parish I have been assigned is to make sure that the liturgies are as good as possible. This means providing a good homily, good music, good vestments, and good training for all ministers on the altar. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the faith and will always be my first priority. (The same goes for the rest of the sacraments). Second, I will prioritize Catholic education and evangelization. Our school should be the best it can be, our Religious Education program should be rigorous, and everyone should have the skills they need to talk to friends and family about their faith. In an age of growing atheism, I am committed to not losing another generation to the darkness of the world. Third, I am committed to being fiscally responsible with parish resources. Financial processes should be transparent and always be used to promote the works of the parish in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. I will expect the same from all connected parish organizations. Finally, I am committed to open and honest communication with all parishioners. If any of you have a concern, please let me know. If I need to hear something, I want to hear it. I may disagree with you, but I won't hold it against you! Likewise, if I think there is something that you need to hear, you can expect to hear it from me in person. I don't care for gossip, whining, rumor, or back-biting. I hope you would expect nothing less from any father. I hope this message convinces you of my devotion to all the parishes and my keen desire to serve the people in my role as pastor. I am looking forward to meeting all of you and hope that my ministry will bear much fruit. May Our Lady grace us with her presence and may her Son send us all a full measure of the Spirit under the care of our Heavenly Father. May God bless you all with his love, Fr. Paul Appel