Sunday Liturgy: 11:00 a.m., Tuesday Mass: 10:00 a.m.

Rosary: Sunday, 10:00 a.m., Narthex, &
Thursday, 6:00 p.m., Church Nave
Confessions: Sunday, 10:40 a.m., Reconciliation Room

The Church & Parish Office are open
Monday & Tuesday: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Online map and driving directions to Parish 

Parish Bulletin for September 5, 2010
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Please Pray for Pope Benedict XVI’s General Intention: That every national and transnational institution may strive to guarantee respect for human life from conception to natural death.    —To see all of Pope Benedict’s General Intentions for 2010, go to the Catholic Links page. 

Important Dates: 
     • Altar and Rosary Society Meeting: Thursday, September 23, at 1:00 p.m. in the Parish Center meeting room.
     • Finance Council Meeting: Tuesday, September 28, at 2:00 p.m.in the Parish Center meeting room.
     • Parish Council Meeting: Tuesday, , September 28 at 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Center meeting room.
     • Worship Committee: Tuesday, November 2, at 2:00 p.m. in the Parish Center meeting room.

Custer County Cares About Cancer Event, September 6: Our Lady of the Assumption Parish will join with “Custer County Cares About Cancer” Walk/Run/Ride Benefit Please help us to raise funds and walk for Custer County cancer patients needing assistance. The Cancer walk benefit is scheduled for Monday, September 6, (Labor Day), beginning at 9 a.m. at Silver Cliff Town Park. Participants will trek along the 1.5 mile park to park trail from Silver Cliff to Westcliffe and back for a total of three miles. Walking, running or riding a bicycle is suggested. No horses or motorized vehicles are allowed.
    All funds raised will be given to Custer County residents who are currently being treated for cancer. Distributing the funds will be the Custer County Public Health Nursing Services office. Here at Our Lady of the Assumption we are going to team up for sponsorship. Sign up to walk in the parish group or sponsor the group.
    Sponsors can make a donation in honor or memory of someone or donate to the general fund. Make checks payable to: WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. It is important to note on your check FOR CANCER WALK. For more information about this worthwhile event call Phyllis Dearborn at 783-9690, or Pat Schulze at 783-2265, or Julie Stepanich at 269-8608.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8: is Celebrated on Wednesday, September 8.
Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God, heralded joy to all the world. For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God. Destroying the curse, He gave blessing; and damning death,  He bestowed on us life everlasting. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice, Christ our God.   — from The Divine Office - Matins (Morning Prayer)

Feast of the Assumption, Sunday, August 15: Our Lady of the Assumption Parish marked the third anniversary of our new church on this date. To celebrate this milestone in our parish history, the parish sponsored a dinner for all in the Parish Hall after the 11:00 a.m. Mass. To see photos of the event taken by Barbara Napolitan, click here.

Faith Formation Teachers Needed: We are in need of teachers for Faith Formation for this upcoming school year. Please speak with Joan Kohler or call the office if you feel called to this wonderful Ministry.

DiDominco Graveside Service Delayed: at a date in September there will be a graveside service at Rosita Cemetery where Tony DiDominco’s remains will be put to rest. Fr. Vicente will preside at this service.

World Youth Day Fundraiser: Every Sunday after Mass we will have Religious/Inspirational items for sale. We would like to provide these items for our parish because they are not widely available here in Westcliffe. They are very reasonably priced. Of course, we are still trying to raise funds to go to World Youth Day in Madrid in August, 2011.

Some of you may not know that we have twelve young people from parish who are hoping to attend World Youth Day, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. The cost is $3,274 per person to travel on the tour with the Diocese of Pueblo. We have been fundraising since last Fall and plan to continue to come up with more great ideas. We have also applied for two grants which we will hear results about next Spring. We have a long way to go to raise the funds that we need.
   If you would like to donate to our cause, please make a check payable to Our Lady of the Assumption with a note that it is for World Youth Day. If you would like to sponsor one teen in particular, please call the parish office and speak to Carmel.
   Thank you so much for your generosity. Photo Credit: Barbara Napolitan

Diocesan Ministry Fund Update: You are probably wondering how the annual DMF campaign is going. Our tax assessment for 2010 is $22,385 and to date, our remaining balance due is $3,045. (providing all existing pledges are paid) This balance due will have to be paid directly from our general operating funds (the Sunday collection).  We have 150 registered families in our parish. If every parish family pledged/paid an extra $40 right now, we would reach our goal. It doesn’t seem so daunting if you look at it like that.
   Even if you have already pledged, maybe you could find it within your means to contribute an extra $40. Please make your check payable to Our Lady of the Assumption with a notation that it is for the DMF. If you have not yet pledged, you will find pledge cards in the pew. Please fill out a pledge card and turn it in to the office or drop it in the collection basket during Mass.
If we can pay the total amount in this way, we will avoid having to take money from our operating budget which could be used for other worthwhile programs in the parish.
   —Thank you and may God bless you for your generosity.

Helping Hands reports a growing need for funds to support critical financial circumstances among many families and individuals here in Custer County. During this period of a serious economic slowdown, folks are frequently turning to Helping Hands for help to pay bills, including rent and medical expenses. You can help by giving a cash donation, which can be placed, in the Sunday collection, made out to “Helping Hands,” or in the jar on the table in the narthex.
   Please place your non-perishable donations to Helping Hands behind the white picket fence in the church narthex.

Icon Paintings: four icon paintings by Father William Hart McNichols have been added to the church nave so far. For their stories click here. At the first of March, 2010, he began his artwork on the icon of San Isidro or Saint Isidore, and it was hung in the church nave in the second week of April.
    The Montanos have generously donated for St. Isidore, the patron of ranchers and farmers, and St. Frances Cabrini. They wish to consider their donation a challenge to the parish so that the final two icons, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Miguel Pro, might be purchased.
    Stained Glass Windows: Our artist in residence, Doug Bayer, has designed a series of stained glass windows which he based on the Book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22. The three windows behind the altar will represent the new Jerusalem where God and the Lamb of God are worshipped in eternity. The main altar window was installed on January 20, 2010. The twelve windows on each side of the church nave will represent the twelve healing trees fed by the river of Life in Revelation 22. We who gather in the church will represent, of course, the servants of the Lamb.
   Our wonderful friends from Texas have donated $32,000 for the three sanctuary windows. Each window in the nave of the church will cost $9,000. The round window, which will have a Eucharistic theme, will cost $11,000. They consider their gift of the three windows to be in the nature of a challenge to other parish members to complete the whole design of the windows.

Past Parish Events: to view photographs of noteworthy occasions from 2010, click here, and 2009, click here. To see photographs from the Dedication Mass on August 15, 2007, to the Christmas Season, 2008, click here. 

Explanation of the Liturgical Calendar: click here

For a list of Catholic-related links, click here.

To see all the homepage banner graphics used through out the church year, click here.

Announcements for the Church Bulletin need to be written and turned in by noon on Tuesday of each week to the parish office. Thank you for your cooperation!

Traveling? If you need to know where to go to get the Mass times of the local church, checkout www.masstimes.org or call 1-305-598-2867. Hint: much more accurate if you select the ZIP code of the parish or the city in the Lookups by Option box rather than entering the city name in the Enter Here search box. If you don't know the ZIP code, try going to google.com and entering the city & state. Usually in the list of the first 10 results will be a hotel, Chamber of Commerce, or other business site with an address with the ZIP code.