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Online Giving Now Easier with Mobile Device Support

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Online Giving Updates to MobileOnline Giving just got a whole lot easier.

The newest release has an updated look and works with mobile devices.

Now you can create new gifts, update or change gifts, and manage the whole system from hand-held and tablet devices.

Online Giving is a simple and safe way to contribute to your parish: 

  • No more having to write checks before Mass or in the pew
  • Interest-free payments
  • Schedule contributions to work with your paycheck schedule
  • Great for when you travel – you can do it anywhere
  • Easily adjust the amount of your automatic contribution
  • Never worry about misplacing your contributions at Mass

By signing up to give your weekly offertory and special collections online, you will help the parish more accurately forecast our finances and plan more strategically.

Online Giving is safe, secure, and dependable.

Online Giving doesn’t require any special hardware or software – all you need is an internet connection.

You can set up several funds for contributions and the appropriate options for giving. You can choose recurring or one-time gifts, or make pledges.

Online Giving can be effectively used on its own or with regular offering envelopes.

Click here for more information about Online Giving or call parish office at 352-8748.

Holy Cross Catechetical News – January 2014

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Last summer we started a very important project-to study the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in a year as part of the Year of Faith.

In October 2011, in announcing the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict asked all the faithful (that’s you) to study the Catechism and become reacquainted with the richness of the Catholic Faith.

That month marked the 20th anniversary of the Catechism’s publication and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II (which initially called for a new Catechism). It was the perfect opportunity to give the project a go. [Read more...]

Holy Cross School News – January 2014

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Happy New Year!

If a New Year’s resolution could be impressed upon all, it would be to spread the word that Holy Cross School builds a community of faith, academics and service to others.

Holy Cross provides a safe, nurturing environment for every child—an environment where education and prayer go hand in hand.

Parents often tell us one reason they choose Holy Cross School is the sense of community they feel when they walk through our doors. Their children feel welcome, cared for and safe. Many students and families build friendships that last a lifetime. From athletic competitions to family events, school activities and liturgical celebrations, we learn, play, pray, and grow together.

As January opens registration for the upcoming school year, I encourage everyone who knows and loves Holy Cross School to impart your knowledge on others in our community.

We have some exciting news from Holy Cross School–we are developing  a preschool program for next school year!  Classes will be offered for children aged three and four.  Brochures for preschool and kindergarten are both available in the back of the church.  The preschool and kindergarten information night is Thursday, January 23 at 6:00 PM.  Children are welcome to attend and play in our kindergarten classroom, while parents listen to the presentation.

Registration is currently open to all children in preschool-eighth grade.  An open house at Holy Cross School is scheduled forWednesday, January 29 from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM.  We welcome anyone interested in Holy Cross School to attend.  The invitation to our open house is also extended to our current families and friends, as we celebrate Catholic School week at this time.

As Catholic Schools Week is celebrated in late January, there is no better time to applaud the students, parents, staff and pastors, both past and present.  Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Catholic education at Holy Cross School.

Chris Ellis, Principal, Holy Cross School

Preschool Program Coming to Holy Cross

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Parents often tell us one reason they choose Holy Cross School is the sense of community they feel when they walk through our doors.

Their children feel welcome, cared for, and safe.

Many students and families build friendships that last a lifetime. From athletic competitions to family events, school activities and liturgical celebrations we learn, play, pray, and grow together.

Holy Cross is proud to announce the development of a preschool program for this coming fall. Classes are available for children ages 3 and 4. Our Catholic preschool provides a safe, nurturing environment for your child–an environment where education and prayer go hand in hand.

As your child progresses into kindergarten, Holy Cross recognizes that each child develops differently and is uniquely gifted by God. Our team of professional staff strives to help all children reach their full potential. We focus on nurturing a safe and caring environment. Using our Catholic values as a guide, Holy Cross kindergarten ensures that your dild is safe and comfortable in our classrooms.

Preschool and kindergarten Information Night is Thursday, January 23 at 6:00 pm at Holy Cross School. Children are welcome to attend with their parents.

Registration for the 2014-2015 school year is currently open for all grade levels (preschool through eighth grade) at Holy Cross School. An Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, January 29 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. If you have any questions, please contact the school at 356-9521.

For over 100 years, Holy Cross School has been building a community of faith, academics, and service to others. We invite you to become a part of the tradition.

F3: Feasts For Fathers

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Did you know it’s fairly common for the parishioners of a church family to feed their priests?

In the past, it’s been a select group of women and families here at Holy Cross who have taken on this service.

Now we’ve all been given the opportunity to treat our priests to a delicious meal.

The calendar has been extended through 2014 and is now available for sign up to provide dinner for Fr. Dave, Fr. Bill, and Fr. Santa. Make a New Year’s Resolution to volunteer one day a moth to make a meal.

Please log in to the calendar and sign up using the following information:

  • www.carecalendar.org
  • Care calendar #154196
  • Helper security code: 9944

Don’t have access to a computer or the internet? Don’t let that stop you! Call the parish office at 352-8748 and we’ll help you schedule a day.

Are you a regular meal provider for our shepherds? Thank you so much and be sure to pick up your dishes in the parish office if you’d like them back. We also have an abundance of reusable containers that you may grab to use on your next F3 meal.

The Christmas Story: Listen With a New Heart

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christmas-story-listenOur Church is calling for a “new evangelization.”

In short, this means “to hear the Gospel anew, or to hear it for the first time.”

We all know the Christmas story. You have heard it many times, I’m sure. But we all can learn more from the story. We all need to hear the Gospel story anew, as if for the first time.

As we listen to Holy Scripture again this season, listen with your heart and let the characters and circumstances of our Savior’s birth come alive and live within you. Visualize and meditate on how Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, feel the panic when there was no room in the inn, experience the humility of being born in a stable and laid in a manger.

The characters and the circumstances of the first Christmas have a lot to teach us about our faith, and how we are to live it–that is, to base every decision in our everyday lives on our faith.

Let’s look at the first characters in the Christmas story who came to the manger, and see what we can learn about our faith from them. The shepherds were the first ones to hear the announcement of Christ’s birth, and the first to visit the manger. The Gospel of Luke describes what the shepherds experienced:

“Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds were simple, hard-working, honest people. They were really peasants. Now, you may consider yourself hard-working and honest, but let’s not be arrogant or naive. Under our layers of sophistication and education, we are all peasants. We all have a peasant soul within us. We all have a needy soul.

Secondly, the shepherds were “living in the fields” –they were outdoors, in the open, under God’s heavens, and not sheltered by any man-made covering or protection. The shepherds were in the open–they were vulnerable–they were open to receive the announcement of Christ’s birth.

We may work in high-rise offices or surrounded by technology, but we too can be open to receiving the announcement of Christ’s birth. We too can admit our vulnerability before God and one another.

The shepherds “kept watch by night.” In the silence of the night, the shepherds watched over their flocks and waited for the breaking of the daylight. We too must keep watch, waiting for the break of the true Daylight–the Word made Flesh to brighten our lives.

This Christmas, may you hear the Christmas story anew–as if for the first time–and come to know more deeply God’s love for you in Jesus Christ.

Fr. Dave

Photo Credit: Waiting For The Word via Compfight cc

Advent: It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas

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Advent Wreath - Christmas preparations

Christmas shopping and preparations begin in our society way before the Church officially begins her preparation for Christmas.

And while the secular culture prepares for Christmas by running up credit card bills and having Christmas parties, the Church prepares in a more somber way—but still with a growing anticipation of Christmas Day.

The word “advent,” from the Latin adventus (Greek parousia), means “coming” or “arrival.”

The season of Advent is focused on the “coming” of Jesus as Messiah. Our worship, scripture readings, and prayers not only prepare us spiritually for Christmas (his first coming), but also for his eventual second coming. [Read more...]