Sauk Centre Catholic Parishes Newsletter — September 2021

S T. A L E X I U S - O U R L A D Y O F T H E A N G E L S - S T. PA U L ’S

G ET TO K NOW

Our New Holy Family Teachers!

Kallie Kampsen Kindergarten teacher Tell us about yourself: This is my first year teaching and I am super excited to start my teaching career in my hometown at the same elementary school I attended. I was lucky enough to have attended Holy Family and am ecstatic and blessed to be working at such a wonderful school!

I grew up in Sauk Centre and attended Holy Family School. I then graduated from Sauk Centre Secondary in 2017. I attended the College of Saint Benedict for three and a half years and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. I am the daughter of Tim and Stacy Kampsen of Sauk Centre and am the middle child of three! I have an older brother, Jamine Wiese, and a younger sister, Riley Kampsen.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking, baking, and being outdoors. I especially enjoy camping with my family and going hiking.

Favorite subject to teach: My favorite subject to teach is math. I’ve always loved math and especially love teaching kids how to use manipulatives to help them better understand numbers.

What you are most excited for in this new position?

The thing that I am most excited for in this new position is that I get to share my thoughts and ideas with the amazing staff at Holy Family School. It will be such a treat to be able to work with many of the staff members that I had while attending Holy Family.

I also am super excited to get my own classroom and to get to meet all the new kindergartners who will be attending Holy Family this year. continued on page 2

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S

New Holy Family Teachers continued from front cover Amanda Jensen Third-grade teacher Tell us about yourself: I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead and taught first grade in Fargo, N.D. My husband and I are both originally from Sauk Centre but have lived in Moorhead for the past seven years. We just moved back this summer and are so excited to be back in our hometown.

My husband, Adam, works for the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office. We have two boys, Hank and Gus. Hank is 1.5 years old and Gus is 1 month old.

Our hands and hearts are full!

We enjoy doing anything outside! Going to the lake, fishing, going for walks, and four-wheeling. We love being closer to family and watching our boys play with their cousins.

What you are most excited for in this new position?

I grew up going to Holy Family School and I can’t wait to work there and eventually send my kids there.

It is a great school with amazing staff, families and students. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be a teacher in such an amazing community. I can’t wait to meet my class this year and work with the amazing staff.

Kendra Middendorf Third-grade teacher Tell us about yourself: I grew up in Sauk Centre with my six younger siblings on our family’s dairy farm. The town of Sauk Centre has always held a special place in my heart, and upon graduating high school, I knew I wanted to return to this town someday.

This past spring, I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a degree in Elementary Inclusive Education as well as a minor in Special Education. This will be my first year teaching, and I’m thrilled to be a teacher at H.F.S, the same elementary school I got to attend as a child.

I enjoy going to the lake, playing board games and cards, bonfires, and getting involved in community activities. I’m so excited to give back to the community that raised me and to be able to do so in a faith-centered environment.

Favorite subject to teach: I think there’s something to love about each subject, but teaching religion would have to be my favorite right now. I love watching how kids’ minds are so naturally curious about Jesus and having faith-centered conversations with them. It makes me happy to see all the little and big ways they notice God working in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

An Ongoing Opportunity to Change the World My Dear Friends in Christ,

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n his letters, St. Paul often began by greeting his “brothers and sisters.” Every time I read one of these letters, it reminds me that you and I truly are sisters and brothers in the Body of Christ, the Church, but especially here in our parish. We need to understand that we are indeed a family, and the way we see and treat one another is fundamental to the health and happiness of this family.

Our spiritual family doesn’t stop at the walls of our church, but rather, extends to include every man and woman created in God’s image and likeness. You may be familiar with the term “Catholic Social Teaching,” part of which is built on a commitment to the poor. These are the beliefs that guide Catholics on how to apply the faith to all aspects of life, and they lay the framework for the Church’s teachings on the dignity and sacredness of human life. Once we make a commitment to be disciples of Jesus and pursue stewardship as a way of life, the principles of Catholic Social Teaching become very easy to incorporate into our lives.

Catholic Social Teaching has been around since those first followers of Jesus tried to balance their new faith with the realities of living in a world of Roman oppression. Jesus reminded His disciples then, just as He reminds us now, that caring for and administering to the poor should be at the core of all we do. Recall when the Lord said in Matthew, “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger

and you welcomed me; I was naked and you gave me clothing; I was ill and you cared for me; I was in prison and you visited me.”

This is our foundation as we seek to embody mercy and justice to our fellow man and should be one of our major goals as a faith community. Many of our parish ministries provide for us an opportunity to do just as Jesus asked — to serve those most in need. As we move into the fall season, with Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas soon to follow, now is a good time for us to recommit ourselves to addressing the needs we see around us — both as a parish society and as individuals.

I am proud of our collective efforts in assisting and serving the poor, but I also know that we can do more. Many of us personally need to get involved in these efforts. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has a great love and regard for the poor and, like Jesus, he reminds us often of what we need to do. Pope Francis once said in a homily, “The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty.” Together, we can make a difference.

In our Father’s hands,

Fr. Greg Paffel Pastor

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S S T. A L E X I U S PA R I S H I O N E R P R O F I L E

Brenda Miller:

SERVING GOD

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Brenda Miller is grateful that her family loves being involved in and contributing to parish life.

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hen a couple plans to get married at St. Alexius Parish, they can rest assured that they will be in the best of hands.

“I really enjoy meeting new couples and helping them prepare for their wedding,” says Brenda Miller, who serves as our parish Wedding Coordinator. “I look back on some of the weddings I have attended, and I think that if each couple had just had someone to help them coordinate their wedding, it would have gone smoother. This inspires me to help couples make their wedding day less stressful. I like to have everything ready for them, so all they need to do is just go to the rehearsal, show up, get married, and leave. I love to see their joy!”

While Brenda is serving as the Wedding Coordinator for a particular wedding, she also fulfills the duties of an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and a sacristan, as needed.

“Being able to set everything up for Mass as a sacristan has taught me a lot about the Catholic faith,” she says. “I have learned what various things are and what they mean. I have learned a lot about the Catholic faith this way. I like serving in the background because I am good at taking care of details and I don’t like to be the center of attention.”

Furthermore, enabling couples to have a beautiful, peaceful wedding is not the only thing Brenda enjoys doing. She also enjoys helping make the Sausage Supper a true success. For the past few years, she has tended to various background details, such as entering orders into the computer, running pre-sales, and handling online orders.

“It is such a large undertaking that we need to work at it almost all year round,” Brenda says.

“It has been fun and interesting to see all of the workings that go into the Sausage Supper. We work as a team to collect the money on pick-up day, and I really enjoy this teamwork effort as well.”

Brenda has also enjoyed teaching Faith Formation and the opportunity it gives her to catechize her own children — Anita, 4; Travis, 6; and Caleb, 8 — as well as their friends.

WITH A HEART FULL OF LOVE “I had Caleb in my class last year, and I am looking forward to teaching Travis this fall,” she says. “I am excited to share that experience with him. Overall, it has been very eye-opening to teach my own children. I noticed that sometimes they would come back weeks later and say something about what we learned. I was very happy to see that they were actually paying attention!”

By being a faithful steward and helping out at our parish, Brenda has been able to integrate herself into our faith family and feel right at home.

“I have been able to work with many different people through all of the ministries I am involved in,” she says. “This means I get to hang out with parishioners I may not normally spend time with, and get to know them in a deeper way. It has been such a great way for me to meet new people and make acquaintances. I have also noticed that everyone at the parish pitches in and helps at parish events. Many hands do make light work!”

Brenda is grateful that her husband, Alex, and their children love our parish as well, and they love to contribute to it. Alex serves as the head of the Maintenance Committee, as well as on the Cemetery Committee and as an usher.

“It is very rewarding to be active in the parish as a family,” Brenda says. “It makes a great impact on our children. My husband, Alex, is a lifelong member, but I didn’t join the parish in 2013. I really like our parish because it has a mix of young families, as well as older people who are very welcoming and happy to stay and talk after Mass is over.”

By being a faithful steward and helping out at our parish, Brenda Miller has been able to integrate herself into our faith family and feel right at home.

For more information on how to help out with the Sausage Supper, contact the parish office at 320-352-2196.

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S

UPCOMING EVENTS

in Our Faith Community

FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTIONS:

First Saturday Devotions at Our Lady of the Angels Saturday, Sept. 4 7:45 a.m., Confessions 8 a.m., Adoration 8:30 a.m., Rosary 9 a.m., Mass

Baptism Instructional Class Monday, Sept. 13 7:30 p.m., St. Paul’s Meeting Room If you are expecting your first child and/or it has been over three years since you have taken the class, please call the parish office at 352-2196 to sign up.

Net Retreat Saturday, Sept. 18 For youth in sixth through eighth grade, bring your friends! Day filled with faith, fun and food! We will be talking about being Fully Alive and finding true happiness. Cost is $5. Permission slips are at Centre For Christ and are due Wednesday, Sept. 15.

St. Alexius Annual Sausage Supper Oct. 3 12 to 6 p.m.

Adults — $15 Kids 6-10 — $5 5 and under — free Menu includes homemade headcheese, sauerkraut and sausage from a special family recipe that has been in the parish since the start. Aside from the great food,

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we also have a country store, pumpkin sales, kettle corn stand, Bingo tent and beer garden to offer a great family event. Preorder of sausage and sauerkraut is available, please watch our Facebook page to find the preorder link.

ATTENTION ALL SEARCHING SOULS! Are you seeking to find answers and wanting to grow in your Catholic faith? Join other searching souls every Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Church basement in Sauk Centre for videos and small group discussions with a different topic each week!

Text or call 320-298-6778 for more information or with questions! Join our Searching Souls Ministries Facebook page for more information!

SEPTEMBER TOPICS:

Sept. 6 — 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration Sept. 13 — 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration Sept. 20 — 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration Sept. 27 — 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration *33 Days to Morning Glory is a six-week DoIt-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration, starting Sept. 6 through Oct. 11.

Feel free to join us for the video and discussions!

Bring your book(s) if you have them, but books are not a requirement to participate.

M EET ST. PAUL’S PA RI SH ION ER

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Karen VonWahlde:

Giving Back for All God’s Blessings

t. Paul’s parishioner Karen VonWahlde believes everything in her life is a gift from God. So, what better way to thank Him for those gifts than to be involved in the Church?

For Karen, being involved means using her gifts to assist with ministries at St. Paul’s. She serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, a Gardening and Landscape Ministry volunteer, a money counter, and a committed adorer. In addition, she creates the schedule for Gift Bearers, and she has also been attending the new Searching Souls Ministry.

“I look at the stewardship catalog and I just ask myself, ‘What else can I do to serve?’”

Karen says.

Karen’s involvement started many years ago when Fr. Todd Schneider sent her a letter asking her if she wanted to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She accepted the invite, feeling very honored to do so. She also spent many years coordinating the Mass Server schedule when her children, Briana and Brandon, were in elementary and high school.

She also taught Religious Education classes when her children were younger.

Karen and her husband, Brian, usually attend the Sunday 8 a.m. Mass, where Brian and Brandon serve as Ushers.

Recently, Karen asked Fr. Greg Paffel if she could start a Gift Bearer Ministry. He agreed, so Karen VonWahlde with her husband, Brian, and children, she now creates the schedule for the ministry.

Brandon and Briana “I just love seeing a family carry up the gifts, instead of the ushers,” Karen says. “Fr. Greg said it would be the perfect ministry to start.”

Raised in the Catholic faith at Immaculate Conception in Osakis, Karen even taught Religious Education when she was still living in Osakis.

“I just love being involved in church,” she says. “I do fill a lot of my time with church activities. I wish I could do more, but time doesn’t allow it right now.”

In some ways, the Catholic Church is all Karen has ever known — but that doesn’t mean she isn’t constantly looking for ways to learn more and grow. She loves attending Searching Souls, where she has continued to learn about so many facets of the Catholic Church. She has also been a committed adorer since the opening of the St. Faustina Adoration Chapel — she is there every Sunday at 7 p.m. continued on back cover

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ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S Parish Office: 304 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 (320) 352-2196 parishesontheprairie.org Mass Schedule

Saturday 4:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 5:00 p.m. - Our Lady of the Angels Saturday 8:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 8:00 a.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 8:30 a.m. - St. Alexius Sunday 10:00 a.m. - St. Paul’s Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Our Lady of the Angels

Reconciliation Schedule

Thursday 4:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 3:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Saturday 4:00 p.m. - Our Lady of the Angels Sunday 8:00 a.m. - St. Alexius

Karen VonWahlde

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“If I don’t go to adoration or Searching Souls one week, I feel like something is missing,” she says.

Karen asks all parishioners to consider how their gifts can be used to glorify our Lord. She enjoys gardening, and even uses that in service to St. Paul’s. If you enter St. Paul’s through the back parking lot door, you can see Karen’s gardening work.

“It’s really rewarding when you see the flowers

blooming,” she says.

Karen describes herself as a people person and anyone who knows her would agree — this is another reason she loves being involved. She just enjoys getting to know the folks at all our parishes.

“God gives me so much,” Karen says. “I want to pay it back to Him.” In her free time, Karen enjoys walking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

“I look at the stewardship catalog and I just ask myself,

‘What else can I do to serve?’”

— K A R E N V O N WA H L D E