Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time • July 28, 2019

J o h n P a u l I I C l u s t e r

St. John the Evangelist209 5th Ave NE

Independence, IA 50644

(319) 334-7191

sjparish@indytel.com

St. Patrick555 First St. S.

Winthrop, IA 50682

Mailing Address: 209 5th Ave NE

Independence, IA 50644

WEEKEND MASSES:

St. John the Evangelist

Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m.

St . Patrick

Saturday: 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m.

RECONCILIATION:

St. John the Evangelist

Saturday: 3:15 - 3:45 p.m.

St. Patrick

Friday 7:30 - 7:50 a.m.

"Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me

three loaves of bread,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me.' I tell you, if he

does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to

give him whatever he needs because of his persistence." - Lk 11:5b, 7a, 8

Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass ©2001, 1998, 1970 CCD.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Are you guilty of spiritual stockpiling? Spiritual stockpiling isn't an endless rotation of

rosaries and novenas. It's accumulating emotional "goods" to meet your needs. Perhaps it's

a collection of material objects you treasure. Maybe it's a preoccupation with money. It

could also be relationships, making sure there's always enough friends and connections to

never really feel alone. It's our tendency to let things add up so that we won't quite need

God to fulfill our inner life. Yet in this Sunday's Gospel, we have that inescapable petition

from the Our Father. "Give us each day our daily bread."

This life isn't an immediate arrival. And as much as we might try to shore up possessions

and pleasures, we know the journey is unpredictable. Give us this day our daily bread im-

plies enough for the next set of steps, but not enough to stockpile. So here's the big ques-

tion: Do we trust God to give us what we need? After all, "What father among you would

hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?... how much more will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" At the Last Supper, Jesus said he would never

leave us orphaned. God will not abandon us. And surely He wouldn't ask us to pray for

what He does not intend to give.

Of course, sometimes our prayers for daily help can seem to go unanswered. Today's

Gospel has advice for that, too. "I tell you... he will give up to him whatever he needs be-

cause of his persistence." Our spiritual stockpiling increases our self-reliance and decreases

our openness to God's possibilities. Be persistent in your pursuit of God! Trust that He will

keep His promises to provide for us, today and always.

Readings for the week of July 28, 2019

Sunday: Gn 18:20-32/Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 [3a]/Col

2:12-14/Lk 11:1-13

Monday: Ex 32:15-24, 30-34/Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

[1a]/Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42

Tuesday: Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28/Ps 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11,

12-13 [8a]/Mt 13:36-43

Wednesday: Ex 34:29-35/Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 9 [cf. 9c]/Mt 13:44-46

Thursday: Ex 40:16-21, 34-38/Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

[2]/Mt 13:47-53

Friday: Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37/Ps 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab

[2a]/Mt 13:54-58

Saturday: Lv 25:1, 8-17/Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 [4]/Mt 14:1-12

Next Sunday: Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23/Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

[1]/Col 3:1-5, 9-11/Lk 12:13-21

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, INDEPENDENCE ST. PATRICK, WINTHROP

VOCATION VIEWS

“Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be

opened to you.” Believe and act on Jesus’ promise. Pray for wisdom to

discern God’s will. (Luke 11:1-13)

Altar Linen Schedule: All July Betty Miller

Scrip Cash Table Volunteers August 3/4

4:00 pm Jennifer Schmitz & Joan Wieland

10:00 am Jessie Doyle & Kristen Jensen

Cluster FinancesSt. John For Sunday, July 21, 2019

Budget Envelopes $9,619.69

Offertory $300.00

Children’s Collection $25.00

Needed Weekly to Meet Expenses $11,814.00

Last week we were short $1,869.31 to meet our

operational expenses!

This section includes all debt that the church owes to date.

Monies borrowed from DBQ

for building projects: $0

Monies borrowed from

Embrace Our Future/Debt Elimination: $0

St. Patrick For Sunday, July 21, 2019

Budget Envelopes $3,461.89

Offertory $270.00

Needed Weekly to Meet Expenses $3,376.00

ST. JOHN PARISH, INDEPENDENCESaturday, 4:00 pm, August 3, 2019

Eucharistic B Donna Bundy Scott Kleve John Arend

Ministers: B Abby Crawford Nancy Dodge Volunteer

B Jean Crawford

Hospitality Chuck Mazur Dave McInteer

Ministers: Volunteer Volunteer

Lector: Sondra Cabell

Altar Servers: Clara Junk Lane Junk Quentin Krogmann

Music: Carly Boughton Marissa Boss

Sunday, 10:00 am, August 4, 2019

Eucharistic B Susan Johnson Kathy Post Justin Post

Ministers: B Sam O’Loughlin Debbie Michael Volunteer

B Dan Crawford

Hospitality Emily Ownby Ric Corkery Mary Wells

Ministers: Kelli Frisch Dec Corkery Volunteer

Lector: Donna Nabholz

Altar Servers: Zoe Steil Elizabeth Wright Carmen Berns

Music: Bonnie O’Brien Bill Luebbers

ST. PATRICK PARISH, WINTHROP

Saturday, 5:30 pm, August 3, 2019

Eucharistic Ministers : B Jess Flexsenhar

Eucharistic Ministers : W Jill Wilgenbusch Kathy Steffen

Hospitality Ministers*: Bryan & Colin Flexsenhar

*Ushers - Please arrive at 15 minutes prior to Mass to greet

people as they walk into church

Lector: Dianne Fank

Gift Bearers: Dave & Mary Beth Flexsenhar

Altar Servers: Elsie & Lucy Flexsenhar

Music: St. Patrick Choir - Off for the Summer

Sunday, 8:00 am, August 4, 2019

Eucharistic Ministers : B Roger Olsen

Eucharistic Ministers : W Mark & Mary Lou Gaffney

Hospitality Ministers*: Duke & Dylan Kortenkamp

*Ushers - Please arrive at 15 minutes prior to Mass to greet

people as they walk into church

Lector: Joe McIntosh

Gift Bearers: Duke Kortenkamp & Family

Altar Servers: Dalton Kortenkamp Claire Devlin

Music: St. Patrick Choir - Off for the Summer

Monday, July 29, 2019

Collection Counters: Lori Goedken Faye Gallery

THE WEEK AHEAD

Monday, July 29, 2019

Sew & Sew’s Quilting: John Paul II Room, 1:00 pm

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Nothing noted on calendar/schedule

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Mass: 5th Wednesday of the Month - Mass is at Church @ 8:00 am

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Blessings Group: Cluster Office, 9:00 am

Prayer Shawl Ministry: Cluster Office, 10:00 am

Friday, August 2, 2019

Confession at St. Patrick: 7:30 - 7:50 am, before Mass

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Confession at St. John: 3:15 - 3:45 pm, before Mass

MASS INTENTIONS

July 29, through August 4, 2019

St. John Parish, Independence

Tues. 8:00 am Pat Junk

Wed. 8:00 am Avis Weber

Thurs. 8:00 am Frank & Ester Verstrate & Bernice Gulik

Sat 4:00 pm James Grover

Sun. 10:00 am Parishioners of the John Paul II Cluster

St. Patrick Parish, Winthrop

Mon. 4:30 pm Gerald Gaffney

Fri. 8:00 am Ronnie Stroschein

Sat 5:30 pm For Family

Sun. 8:00 am David Fangman

Cemetery Walkers July 16-31 Quass Family

August 1-15 Cemetery Board

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 28, 2019

Remember in prayer:

Lillian Hemmen, Gary Hemmen, Eloise

Baldwin, Michele D'Alessandro, Bernita

Lowder, Emmett Schumann

From the Desk of Fr. Beckman:This is the fourth in a series of bulletin articles on:

“The Family, the Domestic Church.”

As we all know in our modern society, marriage diffi-

culties can be a source of great suffering as well as a

time for reconciliation and true inward renewal. As Pope Francis

has stated, “The Church is called to be the house of the Father,

with doors always wide open, where there is a place for everyone,

with all their problems (EvangeliiGaudium, 47). Separated or di-

vorced persons who remain faithful to their marriage vows are

still sacramentally united with the Church, and are allowed to re-

ceive Holy Communion. People in canonically irregular mar-

riages; i.e., divorced and remarried outside the Church, should not

consider themselves as “separated from the Church, for as bap-

tized persons they can, and indeed must, share in her life” (Famil-

iaris Consortio, 84). “Pastoral charity impels the Church to assist

people who have suffered the breakdown of their marriage and are

living with their situation relying on the grace of Christ. A more

painful wound results when these people remarry and enter a state

of life which does not allow them to receive Holy Communion.

Clearly, in these cases, the Church must not assume an attitude of

a judge who condemns, but that of a mother who always receives

her children and nurses their wounds so they may heal” (Evan-

geliiGaudium, 139-141). “With great mercy, the Church is called

to find forms of ‘accompaniment’ which can support her children

on the path of reconciliation. With patience and understanding,

she must explain to her children that their not being able to cele-

brate the sacraments does not mean that they are excluded from

the Christian life and a relationship with God” (InstrumentumLa-

boris, 103). Let us all reach out with mercy and compassion to ac-

company these children of God on their way to reconciliation. Fr.

David

Amended due to a left out important word!

We did very well this past weekend, but not so much a couple of

previous times regarding visiting in our temporary church space.

Therefore, I would like to kindly remind you that being in the

church hall for Mass is just like being up in the nave of the church

in the sense that the Blessed Sacrament is present in the taberna-

cle. We should maintain a sense of reverence and refrain from

talking to others once we come into the church hall, our tempo-

rary new nave, out of deference for, not only the presence of God,

but for all of us who should be preparing ourselves to listen to

God’s word and to receive him in Holy Eucharistic Communion.

These are precious, sacred, and holy minutes for recollection

within the heart in order to prepare ourselves for our encounter

with Jesus, the living Lord. This demands a sense of quiet reflec-

tion in a sacred space. Even though it might feel as if we are in a

hall, we must transform this temporary space into something holy

and sacred. Yes, fellowship with our neighbors is important, but it

should take place outside of the church proper; otherwise, it is a

distraction for those who are preparing to listen to God speak to

them and be united to Him. Thank You!

Redecoration Update CornerBeginning June 18th, all regular Masses will be held in the

church hall/basement. Please enter the church hall by using

the east or west doors.

The Riehle Church Decorating Group have gotten the scaffold-

ing up and they are beginning to repair the plaster. They will be

working Monday through Friday for at least the next 3 months.

This means that sometime mid-October we should be able to do

the flooring and complete the project hopefully by Thanksgiving

and no later than Christmas. This is our hope if everything stays

on schedule and there are no glitches. Our plan is to hold week-

end Masses downstairs in the church hall. We also encourage

people to drive over to St. Patrick’s in Winthrop to help alleviate

the crowds here. We will also encourage families who may have

a funeral during this period to highly consider holding the meal

at an off-site location. A couple of examples would be the Amer-

ican Legion or VFW halls. There are many other options to con-

sider as well. It is possible that we could hold a funeral in the

church hall if there is not a casket. There is no way to get the

casket downstairs because the elevator is not big enough. We

will hold funerals with caskets at St. Patrick’s in Winthrop. We

will be happy to discuss and consider other options. We appreci-

ate your patience and cooperation throughout this period as we

renew our worship space into a worthy and dignified house of

God.

Also, we want to remind everyone that if you attend Mass at ei-

ther of our Cluster parishes, please use the appropriate church

envelope or write your check out to the church you want

your donation to go to. We do make sure it gets to the correct

church each week and this is very important to remember with

our redecoration coming up. If you attend either church and put

in a cash donation, that money will stay with the church you at-

tended that weekend. Also, don’t forget that you can donate via

EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer). Just call the Cluster office and

we will get you set up (319-334-7191)!

Thanks to all who have helped to make this project possible!

Fall Festival Update!St. John Parishioners will soon be receiving

their annual fall festival raffle tickets in the

mail. We just want to make you aware that

for this year we will only be doing the raffle

and not the fall festival meal due to many cir-

cumstances related to renovation. The prizes this year will be

$500.00 cash, 2 - processed half hogs donated by Schmitz Farms

Indee, and two gift cards donated by the Sew-N-Sews: $100.00

Fareway gift card, and a $100.00 Quick Star gift card. The drawing

for the winners will take place at the 10:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday,

September 22nd.

RE Teacher Needed!St. Patrick’s is looking for a 9th grade RE

teacher. Classes meet on Wednesday nights

from 7:00 - 8:00. If you are interested,

please contact Jessica Gibbs at 319-929-2301. Thank you!

Area Events

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 28, 2019

THANK YOU!

St. John Scrip VoucherPlease Support our Generous

Participating Sponsors

Bill’s Pizza & Smokehouse Boubin Tire

Cy & Charley’s Fabulous Fridays

The Flower Mill Home IndeeD

Ryan Pharmacy (non-RX only) S & K Collectibles

Spahn & Rose

Amount $:

Name:Information and voucher available at www.stjohneagles.com

Register now for Archdiocesan Lay Forma-

tion. IMPACT begins in September, 2019.

Monthly sessions will meet at St. Joseph

Church, Elkader. Grants available. To learn

more, please visit DBQArch.org/Impact or

contact Mary Pedersen, dbqcaf@dbqarch.org Register by visiting

DBQArch.org/Impact and clicking on "2019-2021 IMPACT Appli-

cation."

Grandparenting ConferencePlan to attend the second Grandparenting

Conference: Leaving a Legacy of Faith:

Telling Our Stories, Saturday, August 24,

2019, St. Mary, Waverly. To register, visit:

https://www.dbqarch.org/event/grandparent-

conference/?instance_id=1457

Summer Scrip News!The scrip box is now located at the rectory since the St. John Stu-

dents will be out of school. Please stop by Monday-Friday from

8am - 3 pm to pick up scrip, or before/after weekend masses. As a

reminder, during the summer months, we will be placing our scrip

order on Tuesday mornings, so if you’d like to place a special

order, please make sure it is in the rectory no later than 9am on

Tuesday.

St. John School Summer Office HoursThe school office will be open from 8am - noon each day, except

Fridays. The office is closed on Fridays. However, if you need to

visit the school beyond those hours, please call us between 8am

and noon to make those arrangements. Regular office hours will

resume Monday August 5.

NEW OFFERING:

Walking with Others as Spiritual Mentors. This day is for spiritual mentors, RCIA team members, small group

leaders, etc. Saturday, September 28th , 9:00 am to 1:00 pm., Cen-

tral Location Presenter: Rev. Robert Gross, Certified Spiritual Di-

rector For more information, please contact Mary Pedersen at

319-290-5488 or dbqcaf@arch.org. $25.00 per person. Registra-

tion: https://www.dbqarch.org/event/walking-with-others-as-spiri-

tual-mentors/?instance_id=1456

2020 Archdiocesan Men's Conference Mark your calendars for the 2020 Archdiocesan Men’s Conference:

Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Xavier Catholic High School, Cedar

Rapids. The keynote speaker will be Patrick Madrid, with Arch-

bishop Jackels presiding at Mass.

Thank you for the 15.7 pounds of food donated to the

Independence Area Food Pantry. We appreciate your

continued support.

Release & Remember EventThe 8th Annual Release & Remember celebration will be

held on Sunday, September 8 from 1-3 pm. at the Waterloo River-

Loop Amphitheatre, at 225 Commercial St. in Waterloo. Attendees

will enjoy food, family fun, and music before the program and

mass butterfly release of 1,000 monarch butterflies at 2:30 pm.

This is a fundraising event, and a butterfly can be dedi-

cated in honor or memory of someone special for $25; however

donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. Dedications are

being accepted and more information is available by visiting

www.cvhospice.org or by contacting Cedar Valley Hospice at

319-272-2002.

Thank you in advance for your continued support.

Upcoming Dates - Mark your calendars!Aug 25: Open House from 11am - noon

Aug 25: Ice Cream Social from 11am - noon

Aug 26: First day of school - 1:30pm dismissal

Summer ReadingStudents entering grades 2 & 3 need to read two books and suc-

cessfully complete the corresponding Reading Counts tests, before

school begins on August 26. Students entering grades 4 - 8 need to

read three books, and successfully complete the corresponding

Reading Counts tests.

S.T.E.M. classPlease save your paper towel and toilet rolls for STEM class. The

middle school will once again create rollercoasters with them. We

will need 200+ rolls.

Welcome to the

Parishes of

the John Paul II

Cluster

St. John the EvangelistIndependence, Iowa

&

St. PatrickWinthrop Iowa

Pastor: Rev. David Beckman

Deacon: Tim Post

Pastoral Associate:

Sharon Bainbridge

Religious Education Coordinator:

St. John: Sharon Bainbridge

St. Patrick: Jessica Gibbs

319-929-2301

St. John School Principal: Jim Gieryng

Telephones

Father Beckman: 334-7191

Cluster Offices: 334-7191

St. Patrick Center: 319-935-3871

St. John Church Hall: 334-2817

St. John School: 334-7173

Cluster Email

sjparish@indytel.com

WEEKDAY MASSES:

See Mass Schedule Page 1

WEEKEND MASSES:

St. John the Evangelist

Saturday: 4:00 p.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m.

St . Patrick

Saturday: 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: 8:00 a.m.

RECONCILIATION:

St. John the Evangelist

Saturday 3:15 - 3:45 p.m.

St. Patrick

Friday 7:30 - 7:50 a.m.

BAPTISM:

Arranged after Pre-Baptism Classes.

Contact the cluster office.

MARRIAGE:

Please contact a priest to arrange

marriage preparations twelve to nine

months in advance of the wedding date.

Iowa on a pilgrimage to Mexico and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine.

January 30-February 4, 2020.Join Father Ivan Nienhaus, pastor of St. Patrick’s, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Father David Am-

brosy, pastor of St. Marys, Waverly, Iowa on a pilgrimage to Mexico and Our Lady of

Guadalupe Shrine. January 30-February 4, 2020. Cost out of Cedar Rapids is $2,299.00.

There will be an optional post tour to Riviera Maya February 4-8 for $1,499.00. The Riviera

Maya is an all-inclusive resort plus Father Nienhaus will offer a three day spiritual retreat.

You can pass on the Mexico pilgrimage and meet us at the Maya Resort for $2,199.00. For a

flyer or more information contact Mary Johnston at 319-560-5138 or email at

blessu45@gmail.com.

FORMEDDon't forget to take advantage of the great gift we have as a Parish, and that is our

subscription to Formed. If you haven't joined already, or if you misplaced your password,

please look at the steps to take below.

"A Modern Example of Virtue, Athlete, outdoor enthusiast, avid skier…and possible

future saint? See why the life of Blessed Pier Giorgio has inspired so many to embrace Jesus

and pursue holiness by listening to the audio MAN OF THE BEATITUDES by Fr. Tim

Deeter on FORMED?”

Formed.org: Procedure to Register: 10 Simple Steps1. Login on your browser “Google” to: Formed.org

2. Click on: Register (Lower right hand corner)

3. Enter Parish Access Code: YTHN7V (Case sensitive)

4. Enter your E-mail address

5. Click on: Go

6. Enter your: First Name, Last Name, Address and create your own personal Password,

then re-enter password

7. Check the Agree Box

8. Click on: Submit

9. You will receive a Verification E-mail. Click on that link and

it will take you to the site.

10. Thereafter, when you go to Formed.org all you need to do is click on Sign-in using your

personal password you created earlier.

Find Our Bulletin Anytime You Need It!Do you leave your bulletin in the car after you

drive home on Sunday? Does it get lost in the pile with

the Sunday papers? Do you find yourself looking for it to

get an update on a meeting time, or find the name of that

plumber who advertises every week to support our parish?

Did you know you can find our bulletin online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365

days a year? Go to www.SeekAndFind.com and enter St. John the Evangelist in the search

bar. On our page, you'll see a window called "Recent Publications" with small cover images

of each week's bulletin. Click the one you want to view and it will download as a PDF. To

get the bulletin conveniently and automatically delivered right to your inbox each week,

click on "Subscribe to publications via e-mail" and enter your information. It's that easy to

stay connected!