Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

Sunday, February 15th, 2026

6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes

Mailing address for all three parishes:  PO Box 35, Seneca WI 54654

Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com

Confessions: Normally, 30 minutes before every Mass

and by appointment.

Normal Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:

St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass

St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass

Mass Intentions This Week

Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff – Rectory 608-734-3252 email: frtomhuff@gmail.com

Bookkeeper, Bulletin, Mass Intentions, Membership: Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931

email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

New Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study at St. Mary is on Tuesday February 17^th at 1:30pm

Adult Faith Sessions will not be held during the Lenten Season. Sessions will resume on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at St. Mary’s at 7:00 PM. Please take advantage of these informational learning sessions and join us!

St. Philip Announcements:

St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.

Food Pantry items are needed. Please leave any gift at the rear of the Church.

St Philips Fellowship Sunday, February 15^th following the Sunday service. Stay and visit with each other and enjoy donuts coffee and milk. Please call Peggy Schmitt, 608-295-2107, with any questions

St. Mary Announcements:

Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass

First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, March. 1^st.

Saint Mary’s is open 7:00am – 6:00pm (winter hours) daily. Please feel free to come and pray and light a candle if you would like.

Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.

We need more Mass Intentions for St. Mary Parish

St. Patrick Announcements:

In need of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion! Anyone willing to volunteer your time to be an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Saturday nights or Sunday mornings please text or call Sue Boland @ 608-851-0192.

St Patrick’s 8th grade CCD class is hosting a Baby Drive for 2 area organizations: Door of Hope in Viroqua & Clarity Clinic in Platteville. They are in need of diapers of all sizes and baby wipes. They also accept new or gently used baby clothes from Newborn to 2T. Umbrella strollers have been requested as well. Items can be dropped off at the Church Hall through March 1st. Please contact Heidi with and questions. Thank you for your support!

Tri-Parish Announcements:

Adoration will be held at St. Mary on Saturday March 7^th, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Confession will be available starting at 2:30, Benediction at 3:00.

Lenten Stations of the Cross and Soup Supper will be held on all Wednesdays of Lent at St. Mary at 6:00pm. Stations of the Cross will begin on Wednesday February 25^th. The soup supper will follow the service in the Church Hall. All are welcome.

The Weekly Bulletin is available on our parishes website, this is the link to the bulletin page, updated every Friday: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/bulletins

Other Announcements:

Holy Trinity Fish Fry, will be held at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Eastman, March 13^th 5:00 – 9:00 pm. Cost is $15.00 per person, children ages 7 – 12 $10.00, children 6 and under are free. The proceeds will go to various parish projects.

From the Diocesan Office for Sacred Worship, the season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18. Lenten regulations are as follows:

1. Catholics who have celebrated their 14th birthday are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays in Lent and Good Friday.

2. In addition to abstaining from meat, Catholics who have celebrated their 18th birthday, until they celebrate their 59th birthday, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those who are bound to this regulation may eat only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.

                      Ash Wednesday Masses, February 18^th

Morning                                                              Evening

8:30 am at St. Philip                                               5:00 pm at St. Mary

8:30 am at St. Patrick                                             7:00 pm at St. Philip

                                                                                     7:00 pm at St. Patrick

                                            Income from Last Week

Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the ill and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call: Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954, or Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.

From the Priest’s Corner: Am I Bamboozling Myself?

A young man was looking over a selection of Valentine's Day cards at a gift shop. A clerk asked if he needed help. He said, I want a card that expresses my deepest feelings. The clerk found a beautifully embossed card which was trimmed with lace. The clerk read the saying inside the card to the young man. To my one true love, the light of my life, the joy of my heart, the very essence of beauty and grace. I love you more than I can say. The young man was very happy and said: That's perfect, exactly what I was looking for! I'll take five.

This young man was planning on bamboozling five young ladies into thinking they were uniquely loved by him. He did not care about them at all and was deceiving them for his own selfish intentions, even though the card he chose had beautiful words in it.

Bamboozling, for the younger people not familiar with this term, refers to the act of tricking, cheating, confusing, or deceiving someone, often using underhanded methods or flattery.

"Some of the Pharisees and Scribes were very good at deceiving not only others, but even themselves into thinking that only external conformity to the Law was necessary to be holy and pleasing to God. Our Lord had harsh words for them: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

How about you? Is my relationship with God and my trying to live out my Catholic Faith sincere or is it more like a bamboozling act?

We read in the First Reading today: "If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live. Before each person are life and death, good and evil, whichever that person chooses shall be given to them."

And in the Gospel Jesus gives us a timely reminder: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. . . . Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

A daily prayer we could pray: "Dear God, Please work on my attitude. Teach me to be more loving, compassionate, patient, obedient, and humble. Strip away the anger, stubbornness, laziness, pride, and complacency. Help me to change what needs to be changed within my mind and heart. With Your grace may I serve as an example and inspiration to others, all for your glory. Amen".