BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH 518 W. State St., Grand Island, NE 68801 308-384-0532 Emergencies Only: 308-249-0009

Website: blsachurch.net E-Mail: bscc_1@msn.com

Sunday, January 12, 2020 The Baptism of the Lord

Reconciliation: Wednesday – 11:30 a.m.-Noon Saturday – 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Christmas is finished, and today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which begins “Extra-ordinary” time. Of course, we usually refer to this time as Ordinary time, but I’m convinced that Jesus’ three years of ministry were nothing short of extraordinary. He preached love and forgiveness; He cured the sick; He even raised people from the dead. What’s ordinary about that?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus comes to John to be baptized. John knows that Jesus doesn’t have any sin to be washed away, so John tries to convince Him not to be baptized. Nevertheless, Jesus insists that John baptize Him anyway. Jesus knew that the water held the sins of those who had already been baptized, so as he stepped into the water of the Jordan River, He took on their sins, thus foretelling the meaning of the Cross to come.

As Jesus is baptized, the heavens are opened, and God claims Him as His own. The Holy Spirit descends upon Him like a dove, and God the Father proclaims Jesus as His beloved Son. Because of this Baptism, Jesus took our sins and gave us His life. This Feast truly makes this time “Extra-ordinary.” The Son of God is one with us, and we are invited to be one with Him forever and ever. Amen.

Fr. Marty

Date Time Intention Saturday, January 11 5:30 p.m. Daniel & Anna Sughrue +

Sunday, January 12 8:00 a.m. Parish Family

Sunday, January 12 10:00 a.m. Merced Corona Lucila +

Tuesday, January 14 12:05 p.m. Francis Maciejewski +

Wednesday, January 15 12:05 p.m. Bernie Stegman

Thursday, January 16 12:05 p.m. Jean Reimers

Friday, January 17 12:05 p.m. Rusty Dugan

Saturday, January 18 5:30 p.m. Lois Ziola +

Sunday, January 19 8:00 a.m. Parish Family

Sunday, January 19 10:00 a.m. Virginia Pfeifer

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITIES Sunday, 1/12 Food Pantry Sunday 2:00 p.m. - 2nd Grade First Communion Meeting 3:30 p.m. - Retrouvaille

Monday, 1/13 5:00 p.m. - TOPS 5:30 p.m. - Yoga 7:00 p.m. - Homeowners

Association Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Women’s AA Meeting

Tuesday, 1/14 6:30 a.m. - Men’s Early Morning Tuesday Group

11:00 a.m. - CDA Meeting/Soup Luncheon

1:00 p.m. - Quilting 7:00 p.m. - Baptism Preparation

Class 7:00 p.m. - AA Meeting 7:30 p.m. - Charismatic Group

Wednesday, 1/15 10:30 a.m. - Scripture Study 12:05 p.m. - Prime Time Lunch 5:00 p.m. - Rel. Ed. P-5 7:00 p.m. - Confirmation

6:15 p.m. - Rel. Ed. P-5 7:00 p.m. - R.C.I.A. 7:30 p.m. - Freshmen & Sophmore

Godparent Groups 7:30 p.m. - Rel. Ed. 6-8

Thursday, 1/16 1:00 p.m. - Quilting 5:30 p.m. - Yoga

Saturday, 1/18 10:00 a.m. - Alanon Meeting 10:30 -11:30 a.m. - Adoration & Confessions

Sunday, 1/19 10:00 a.m. - Children’s Church

Please remember the following individuals in your prayers, who are

experiencing serious health problems/issues:

Roseann Anderson Anna Blake Cari Cobler Dawn Ferris Agnes Fila Cookie Gilroy Rich Glover Anita Graf

Karen Hulit Marie Jakubowski Earleen Moroney Larry Palacz Evelyn Rech Bill Reher Teresa Scarborough Ted Schlick Fr. Louis Sellam Joanne Vodehnal Elizabeth Webster Emily Webster

Please let us know if you, or an immediate family member, are experiencing a serious health issue and wish to be included on this list. To add or remove a name from this list, please call the Parish Office at 384-0532.

Welcomed into the Christian Community through Baptism:

DANI LOUISE LOSCHEN,

Daughter of Dillon & Elizabeth (McGowan) Loschen

RELIGIOUS FORMATION NEWS First Communion Blessing, Sunday, January 12, 10:00 a.m. Mass; “Family Meeting,” 2:00 p.m., Jubilee Center, for 2nd graders and their parents. First Confirmation Class, for juniors, January 15, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Blessed Sacrament Jubilee Center. Questions, contact Deb Wetzel, 395-8521. Jump Night at Spring City Indoor Trampoline Park, Friday evening, January 24, 2020, from 7:00-11:00 p.m. (2300 N. Webb Rd.) for students in grades 6-9. You can bring your friends. Cost per jumper: $11.00 plus $2.00 for socks =$13.00. If you would like to purchase food, please bring additional money with you. Contact Deb Wetzel at 395-8521 to register. All jumpers are REQUIRED to have a signed waiver and release before they can be admitted to the trampoline park. Confirmation Rite of Enrollment, January 26, 10:00 a.m. Mass. All Confirmation candidates should plan to attend. Edgar Barge Memorial Scholarships: Blessed Sacrament will award scholarships in the amount of $1,000 and $500 to two seniors, who are going on to college. All applications must be completed online at www.gicf.org and click on the scholarship tab. Completed application must be electronically submitted on or before February 10 at midnight. No faxes, emails, or paper applications will be permitted.

Baptism Preparation Class, Tuesday, January 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Family Room. This is for parents (and godparents) preparing for the Baptism of their baby. This class is required, unless you have already taken the class within the past year. Please call Deb Wetzel at 395-8521 to register no later than January 13. If we don’t have any registrations, the class won’t be held.

PARISH STEWARDSHIP RETREAT: Saturday, January 25, 2020, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. You are warmly invited to be part of the life-changing event taking place right here in our own parish. Join us, as we take time to reflect on God’s goodness and presence in our lives and listen for what more He has in store for each one of us! Whether you have attended many retreats, or if this will be your first, take this step to re-energize your faith and your life by re-connecting with our Lord Jesus Christ, who wants you to know Him deeply and to give you His peace. The retreat will include Mass, inspiring talks by Fr. James R. Golka, time for quiet reflection and brief small-group discussion. For more information or to RSVP, please

OUR GIFTS OF TREASURE January 4 & 5, 2020

Adult Envelopes $10,443.00 Plate 828.87 Children’s 61.01 Online Giving 1,762.00

Diocesan Appeal Our Goal $70,822.68 Pledged to Date (207) 66,561.15 Received to Date 60,304.15

contact Sr. Bernadette at (308) 384-0532 or email her at sisbern@hotmail.com. There is no cost to attend, and breakfast and lunch are included. Please sign-up by January 15, 2020.

Thrift Store 4th & Eddy Streets

Gross Sales, January 3, 4 & 6 - $973.32 Store Hours: Monday, Friday & Saturday

10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Donations are accepted when the store is open.

BAG SALE – Last Friday & Saturday of every month.

We are really in need of volunteers. Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated. Please

call 398-3443 for more information.

Our Deepest Sympathy to the Family of:

DAVID FREDRICK; Father of Kimary Lane

Catholic Daughters Court Queen of Peace #2227: Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 11:00 a.m. Members will then attend the Healing Mass at 12:05 p.m., followed by a soup luncheon served by the Catholic Daughters. Please bring a dessert or relish tray.

Mass with Anointing of the Sick: Tuesday, January 14, 12:05 p.m. The Catholic Daughters will be serving a soup luncheon immediately after Mass in the Jubilee Center.

Prime Time: Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Mass at 12:05 p.m., followed by lunch (free will offering). Presentation Speaker Topic Surprise!!! Sign-up sheets are in the Gathering Area.

Nebraska Walk for Life 2020: For those who registered, the bus departs the Blessed Sacrament north parking lot at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2020. We begin the return trip at 1:30 p.m. You may bring a sack lunch and drink (with a screw cap). Signs will be available for the walk. Check out information on the speakers at www.nebraskarighttolife.org.

9 Days for Life: Join thousands of Catholics nationwide who will be praying the annual 9 Days for Life novena, January 21-29. Sign up today at www.9daysforlife.com.

Volunteer Appreciation Brunch: Sunday, February 9, 11:30 a.m., Jubilee Center. This brunch is for ALL Volunteers within our Parish, and it includes their family members. Sign-up sheets can be found in the Gathering Area. No individual invitations will be sent out. The last day to sign-up is February 1st.

Adult Enrichment Opportunities: Please indicate interest on the sign-up sheets in the gathering area. The Gospel of Matthew: This study of the text of the Gospel of Matthew will be facilitated by Sr. Bernadette and will use notes she has made from several commentaries including The Jerome Biblical Commentary and The Collegeville Bible Commentary. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for at least 8-10 weeks, depending on the discussion. We will begin on January 27.

“Healthy You in 2020,” Living with Diabetes: These interactive sessions will be facilitated by Colleen Gnewuch on Monday evenings, February 3-24, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Topics are: Week 1. What is diabetes and why should I be concerned? Week 2. What can I eat? Bad carbs versus good carbs. Week 3. Why is exercise and being active healthy for the body and mind? Week 4. How do I prevent the dreaded long-term complications of diabetes?

A Teaching Mass: A Mass with commentary, to help all understand the Mass better, will be planned if there is interest. So, please sign the form in the gathering area if interested.

EVENTS HAPPENING ELSEWHERE Pro-Life Sunday: All are invited to the first annual Pro-life Youth Mass at 5:00 p.m., Sunday, January 19, 2020 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The students from GICC will be the Mass ministers and musicians for the Mass. There will be display tables and a special blessing for our Pilgrims who are traveling to the National March for Life in Washington, DC.

MINISTER SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY 18 & 19, 2020 5:30 p.m. 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.

Lector Jim Duering Cindy Pfeifer Marsha Anderson

Eucharistic Minister

+Saturday Set-up *Check Ministers #Cleanse Vessels

#Ron Bender #Mike Redman + Stephanie Schriner *Vern Schriner Nancy Zahm

#Mandee Lade +Mark Moravec *Kevin Pfeifer Jim Shotkoski #Penny Schwieger

#Bev Brewer Don Brewer Sr. Bernadette Engelhaupt *Lisa Cantrell Dean Graf #Angela McDermott Jack Schultz #Mary Schultz Rich Stobbe Marv Wemhoff Gary Witmer

Altar Server Cooper Kasten Samuel Retzlaff

Ian Arends Volunteer

Derek Coronado Brooke Starman

Hospitality ~Get Gift-Bearers

~Jerry Czarnick Brian Dvorak Robert Markvicka Volunteer

John Lilly Shelly Lilly ~Peg Hinze Volunteer

Mel Bottger Saundra Bottger ~Kathy Brokaw Ruth Tyma

Sound Minister Dave Rehovsky Mike Dvorak Darin Jacobsen