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, April 19^th, 2026  -       3^rd Sunday of Easter

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

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, May 2^nd.

Saint Mary’s is open 7:00am – 7:00pm 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.

Saint Mary's Annual Appeal: amount due by June 30^th as of 4/8/26 is $2,245.00

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.

Saint Philip's Annual Appeal: amount due by June 30^th as of 4/8/26 is $6,930.00

St. Patrick Announcements:

The St Patrick's PCCW will be participating in Rummage on the River, Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16 - 8 am - 4 pm each day. Start organizing your donations and bring them to the hall beginning in May (after CCD is finished). We will request free will donations for items purchased. Please sign up to work during setup and throughout the days of the sale (forms are located in the back of church). Contact Susie Garfoot at 608-317-0515 with any questions or suggestions.

Thank You for your Support in Providing the Easter Flowers in memory/honor of your loved ones this year at St. Patrick’s! Your generosity is greatly appreciated and helped to enhance the beauty of our Easter celebration. St. Patrick Decorating Group

Payne Family: In memory of Rylee Payne, Jeanne & Mike Boland: In honor of the Boland Families, Don & Marilyn Palmer: In memory of Ryne Fisher, Ica Boylen: In memory of Jim & Nancy Boylen, Fr. Huff: In memory of Joseph & Jeanne Huff, Dixie McCullick: In memory of Donald McCullick, Kim Redman: In memory of Sandra Greene, Ruth Gudenschwager: In memory of Florence Kozelka, Russ & Julie Chambers: In memory of Bob Chambers & Estherr Elizabeth Stewart, John & Bernie Kane: In memory of Arnold & Patricia Stoehr and James & Margaret Kane, Ann Boland: In memory of Leo & Florence Weber and Mary Fowley and Rick & Carol Hutchcraft, Kayla Chambers: In memory of Muriel Kramer and Bob Chambers, Allen Schneider: In memory of Herb & Helen Schneider, Betty Lynch: In honor of the Lynch Families, Bud & Rose Krachey and Barb Hird: In memory of Mick Fowley & Dennis Hird, Jeff Miller: In memory of Julie Miller, Bob & Nancy Ostrander: In honor of the Ostrander Families, Mark & Ann Johnson: In memory of Norman & Marie Johnson, Pricella Kelly: In memory of Larry Kelly.

Saint Patrick's Annual Appeal: amount due by June 30^th as of 4/8/26 is $3,464.00

Tri-Parish Announcements:

Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study will be at St. Mary’s on Tuesday, April 21^st at 7:00 PM.

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:

There will be a Spring Luncheon at St. Mary Parish in Coon Valley, 900 Central Ave, from 11am – 1pm. $10 per adult, kids 10 and under are free. Guest speaker Professor Emeritus John Zak will present: “Why is There Contention Between Science & Religion These Days—Is it Real?” John is a Professor Emeritus from the department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, where he taught for nearly 40 years, and he has extensive experience in faith-centered education.

From the Priest’s Corner: The Road to Emmaus

The First reading wants to give us glimpse of how changed the Apostles are after seeing and touching the resurrected Jesus. They are no longer fearful men in hiding behind locked doors. They have become transformed into courageous proclaimers of the Good News and are quite open about their loyalty to Jesus and His promises and His teachings. In the second reading, Saint Peter tells us why he and the other apostles were so hopeful and zealous. They now understood that they had been ransomed by precious Blood of Jesus on the cross, and all that Jesus had promised them would be fulfilled. A similar transformation occurs in today’s Gospel!

Two of our Lord’s disciples were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were discouraged and downcast. Jesus and His promises had given them hope that something new and wonderful entered into the world! When they saw our Lord scourged and crucified and the apostles dispersed, they thought that everything they had hoped for, had vanished like a fantastic dream. And suddenly Jesus joins the two disciples. However, Jesus prevented them from recognizing Him at first. The body of Jesus is of the same nature as before, but of different glory after the Resurrection. This means that a glorified body is still a body, but it is not subject to corruption. The glorified body is not subject to the forces and laws of physics and chemistry. Glorified bodies are incapable of decay and incapable of suffering. Jesus wanted to draw them into a deeper understanding that His life, passion and death were all mentioned in the Old Testament. He further explained to them how and why the Christ had to undergo everything He did in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. Hope and light was rekindled in their hearts as Jesus talked, and they said later that their hearts burned within them, so much so, that they pressed this inspiring stranger to stay and to have supper with them. It was getting late, but they found themselves enjoying the insightful words of this stranger. Only at the breaking of the bread did our Lord allowed them to recognize Him!

My brothers and sisters, are our hearts filled with hope when we read or hear the Holy Scriptures? Does the Word of God give us light on how to live out our lives? Do we see Jesus when we receive Him in the “breaking of the Bread” at Holy Mass? It would be tragic if we were to leave Mass unchanged. We have heard the Word of God and we have received the Body of Christ. Let us be transformed into faithful disciples by our weekly encounter with Jesus. May our hearts burn with a deeper love for Him, so that we can declare along with Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but truly Christ Who lives in me.” There is also virtue in knowing when to put doubts aside. Imagine a spouse always checking up on their wife or husband throughout the day so as to have physical evidence that they were not being unfaithful to them. Image a person unwilling to drive their car unless a mechanic first checks out their car. Imagine a person unwilling to eat food placed before them unless someone else tastes it to make sure it wasn't harmful.

Some truths have to be accepted in the light of human faith if we want to live a normal healthy life. Other truths, such as the Resurrection of Jesus, have to be accepted in the light of a God-given faith. This gift of faith is a supernatural grace that enables a believer to accept the truths God has revealed, even when this is difficult. Jesus Christ has given us everything we need in order to believe in Him and His teachings and to love Him. Through His infinite patience and mercy, we can embrace the astonishing reality of His resurrection, and like Thomas, be transformed by it.

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.