The Shortest Slideshow Ever!!!

Here are some photos from Kid's Club 2010. Thank you to all of the participants, parents & of youth leaders for making it a GREAT High Seas Adventure!!!

GIFT's Out for Summer... (Kid's Club Coming Soon!)

With these not-so-warm days, it's hard to believe that another GIFT year is over. Once again we had a WONDERFUL year. We are truly blessed with caring and hardworking catechists here at St. Joe's. THANK YOU catechists!!!

There was a lot going on during the last GIFT class. Ice cream sundaes, root beer floats, a scavenger hunt, some final touches on a Mass Book project, a picnic, and Q&A with Fr. Tom were just some of the activities. Here are some pics of what the 4th grade did that night...

They hosted an indoor picnic (thanks to those April-showers-in-May!)

It was a tasty spread of food...

...share with a close bunch of friends :)

They ended the class with some questions for Fr. Tom...

Note: Pretzels & a plant make great spur-of-the-moment Visual Aids to explain a concept more clearly!

Next up???

Summer Kid's Club!!! Mark your calendar:

July 6th-8th, 2010

More details will follow!!!

Holy Week

We are in the midst of Holy week. There's lots happening at St. Joe's as we gear up for the beautiful Masses we will experience this week.

Just so you don't miss anything, here are some important dates & times to put on the calendar:

Wednesday, March 31st - Shadow Stations in the Church at 7:30 PM

Thursday, April 1st, the Easter Triduum begins. This is a "three-day festival" of prayer and worship, composed of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil - the heart and core of the whole Church year - on Saturday evening.

Please join us for these special masses:

Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper - 8:00 PM (Will you participate in the washing of the feet?)

Good Friday service - 1:00 PM

Easter Vigil - Saturday, April 3rd, 8:30 PM (Come celebrate as we welcome Tim Dolan, Nolan Dowd, Craig Anderson, Ryan Galbreath & Brian Fuhrman into the Catholic church, celebrate the sacraments of Confirmation & First Eucharist with Jessica Boone & Jason Micek, and the sacrament of Confirmation with Priscilla Fuhrman).

Easter Sunday Masses are at 8:30 & 10:15.

Blessings to you and your family!

Next Time Won't You Sing With Me

We had a very special closing to our GIFT classes on March 3rd. After singing the Zacchaeus song in class earlier this year, one of the first graders found the music to accompany his class on the guitar. He was generous (and brave) enough to share his gift with the entire GIFT group!

And now, to the video...


GIFT Zaccheus Song from Emily Revak on Vimeo.

Thanks 1st graders for singing with us all! (And thanks Fr. Tom for quickly producing a working camera!)

Looking Toward Lent

The 3rd Grade GIFT class was working on their Lenten project last night.

A lot of work went into each and every one.

First was the rolling...

Then came some braiding...

Followed by the transfer to a plate...

Then it was the very careful placement of the toothpicks...

And finally, a finished Crown of Thorns.

During Lent, the 3rd graders will work to remove the thorns by doing good deeds. By Easter time, the crowns should be free of thorns and ready for Easter decoration!

Something For The GIFT Alum!!!

I spent the weekend on retreat at Beaver Creek Reserve in Fall Creek with some AWESOME former GIFTers who are now 9th graders - time sure moves quickly :) By their request, here is the YouTube link to some fun happenings that took place in November, 2009 at the Chula Vista retreat...

Traditional Division, a band with members from Holmen, WI, performed their popular "Jesus Chant" for the crowd. If you look closely (and quickly!), you may even spot a familiar face or two!