Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church

We welcome Sue Drexler who has joined the staff of OLQA as our new secretary.  The transition is going quite well and Sue if “fitting in” beautifully.  Welcome, Sue!

We will be burning palm on Monday evening, March 7, at 7 PM and these ashes will be used for our Ash Wednesday prayer.  Ashes will also be given to our area Protestant churches so that we might ALL enter into this holy season as the People of God!

There is much happening during the Lenten season, especially the WELCOME HOME CATHOLICS program.  Please check the bulletin each week to be sure you particpate in all of our prayerful activities.

Our parish secretary/bookeeper/adminstrative assistant is retiring the end of this month.  Margy Nawrath is “hanging up her hat” after 27 years of service to the parish.  Msgr. Zeitler hired Margy and she has “lived through” two pastors since then!  We congratulate Margy on her retirement and the beginning of another chapter in her life.  You can wish her well on Sunday, February 27th, after the 10:30 Mass.  There will be a parish reception for Margy in the parish hall.

The parish wishes all of you, our readers and parishioners, and all those you love – a wonderful 2011 filled with every grace and blessing from God!  Christmas at OLQA was spectacular . . . and now we move through the “ordinary weeks” of our church’s year.  God bless you all!

There are so many happenings at our parish during this month of November, a month dedicated to the souls in Purgatory.  Our wonderful candle-light Mass for those who have died will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 2nd at 7:00 P.M.  We will particularly remembmer in our prayers all our lvoed ones who have died.  You can place their names in the ceramic bowl on the “Altar of the Dead” located in the sanctuary.  On Saturday, November 13th, we will have our annual Morning of Reflection for all Parish Ministries.  This year we will reflect on the Mass and its various parts and meaning as we celebrate.  Our Thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, at 9:00 A.M.  And we begin the great Season of Advent the weekend of November 27th and 28th.  So we join with the entire church throughout the world in all these remembrances and celebrations.  Come and join your parish family of OLQA.  We love to come together and see the face of Christ in one another in our gatherings – in our joys and in our sorrows.  Come, be with us!

Our parish is celebraitng so many wonderful events during the month of October!  Mark your calendars . . . All pets will be blessed on Sunday, October 3rd, at 1:00 in the parking lot.  Bring all your furry, finned and feathered animals.  We will prayerfully mark the death of St. Francis that evening at 6:30 in the church as we celebrated the Transitus.  Our parish will honor and thank all volunteers form the parish at an Appreciation Dinner on Saturday, October 9th, after the 5:00 evening Mass.  There will be food and music to show our appreciaiton to all those who help in any way around the parish.  On Sunday, October 10th, after the 10:30 Mass, we will bless all new drivers of 2010 and their licenses and cars.  The Altar Rosary Society has their annual rummage sale on Saturday the 16th.  There are so many other events that will be happening during the month.  Please check the bulletin and/or the website’s calendar.  Take advantage of all these wonderful happenings at our wonderful parish!

The Samaritans are now collecting any new or used fall and winter clothing in good condition.  We are always in need of children’s clothing, especially boys.  Right now, back to school items (pencils, pens, notebooks, crayons, markers, backpacks, etc.) would be helpful.  You may also donate small household items, bedding and linens (we always need towels).   Our hours for donating items are from 9 am until noon and from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm every Monday and on Thursdays from noon until 5:00 pm.   For more information, please call 382-4487.

 If you have large appliances and furniture in good condition that you would like to give to a person in need, please contact Pat Kaider at 382-1213.  We have a good system in place to see that the exchange happens.

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We are happy to announce that the building for the Samaritan outreach is about to open.  Food distribution will begin from there this week (Thursday, September 2nd) and the store section should be ready within the next few weeks!  This new building is a blessing for our parish and for the community!  It stands as a visible sign that this is truly what we are all about . . . caring for each other and seeing the Person of Jesus Christ in the faces and in the lives of those in need.

The 300 Club banquet is held Saturday at the Station 5 Firehall.  Over $3,000 in prizes are awarded to end the successful year of this major fundraiser to our parish . . . The new monument is now in place near the Stations of the Cross in our cemetery.  This “tear-drop-bench” has inscribed on it the names in whose memory money had been donated for the landscaping of this area . . . August 15th is the Feast of Mary’s Assumprion into heaven.  We pray through Mary that many graces are given to our parishioners and those they love.

Thank you to all those who volunteered this past week and made our dinner fund-raiser such a success.  We sereved 860+ dinners throughout the day.  Mary Beth and Dave Jacobs did another awesome job as they organized the dinner and made sure it all ran so smoothly.  This was just one more example of how our parish comes together, working so hard, and forming a great community as we enjoy the company of one another.

Our parish will celebrate our annual dinner on Sunday, August 1st, from after the 10:30 Mass until 6:00 P.M.  The menu includes your choice of meat, potatoes and gravy, vegetable, cole slaw, roll and butter, beverage, and your choice of homemade pie for dessert.  The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 years of age and younger.  During the dinner you can play instant bingo, and theme baskets, a gas grill, and $150 gas card will be given away at 6:00 P.M.  Raffle tickets for these prizes can be purchased at the dinner.  This is a major fundraiser for our parish, so please try to come and celebrate: great food, lots of fun, and wonderful fellowship!