Dear Parish Family, This week we celebrate the gift of our Catholic Schools! Catholic Schools Week is our time to celebrate our faith and our Lord, our teachers and students, our school parents and parish family, and the blessing of a Catholic education as a whole. Our Catholic Schools invite students and their families into a living relationship with Jesus Christ through a wholesome education of mind and heart. It is a blessing for me and all of our clergy and faculty to minister to our families at St. Mary School. Please pray for our school families, teachers, and for all parents who are the primary educators in the faith for their children, that they may continue to teach the faith with conviction, love, and joy. See today's bulletin for a list of activities planned for Catholic Schools Week, and be sure to stop by for the Pancake Breakfast after the 8 am and 10 am Masses this weekend and drop in for the School Open House from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm.
It's tax time! Remember to make your contribution to the Angel Scholarship Fund (ASF) as you prepare to file your taxes for 2024. ASF is the tax credit scholarship that gives you a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what you owe in state income taxes, and directs your contribution to the school of your choice to be used for a prioritized need tuition scholarship. Don't put this off! It's true, it's real, it's a win-win for everybody, and it's super simple. Please take time to make your contribution before April 15 of this year to claim the tax credit on your 2024 taxes. Information and contribution forms and envelopes are available in the back of church. You can also visit https://stmarychardon.org/asf to learn more and make an online contribution. We're here to assist you. Reach out to me at [email protected] or Frank Rihtar at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Already contributed to ASF? Thank you! Now be a good evangelist and tell your family and friends about it. The opportunity is too good to pass up, and some people still don't know about it! These are people in our parish, your friends, neighbors and coworkers. If they're in the parish, they've already heard from me, but I cannot overestimate how important it is for YOU to tell them the benefits and how simple it is to contribute.
Next weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated 40 days after Christmas when Jesus was first brought to the temple by Joseph and Mary. We will have a blessing of our candles and procession from the back of the church.