Bulletins
Are we Good or Bad Grapes?
Sunday, October 4th, 2026
27th 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:
Sat. Oct. 03 7:00 PM St. Patrick + Harold Shroeder (Susan Stanley)
Sun. Oct 04 7:30 AM St. Patrick Living and Deceased Members of the Houseknecht Family (Fr. Tom)
9:00 AM St. Mary + Fran Leach (St. Mary PCCW)
10:30 AM St. Philip + Jerry Murphy (Patrick & Amy Murphy)
Mon. Oct. 05 8:30 AM St. Patrick Blessings for Fr. Tom (Bishop Gerard)
Tue. Oct. 06 8:30 AM St. Philip + All Souls
Wed. Oct. 07 8:30 AM St. Patrick Special Intentions of Fr. Tom (Fr. Tom)
Thur. Oct. 08 8:30 AM St. Mary Dan & Angela Schmieder & Family (Kenn & Peg Myers)
Fri.. Oct. 09 8:30 AM St Patrick + All Souls
Sat. Oct. 10 7:00 PM St. Patrick Anniversary Blessings for Chris & Dorothy Myers (Ken & Peg Myers)
Sun. Oct. 11 7:30 AM St. Patrick + Muriel Kramer (Mark Kramer)
9:00 AM St Mary + All Souls
10:30 AM St. Philip + Leo Trigs (Family)
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
Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM.
For Mass Intentions, if donating by check, please make all checks payable to: St. Mary Stipend Fund. To avoid errors, please print clearly the intention, who the intention is by, and if a specific date for Mass is requested. Thank You
All Parishioners in the three parishes: to sign into Formed.Org: use St. Mary in Gays Mills as the parish and use the password Mary123!
UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS:
St. Philip's Fall Festival on Sunday October 4th. Serving pulled pork dinner from 11 AM to 2 PM. $12 for adults $5 for children 6 and under.
Tri-Parish Announcements:
Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study will be Tuesday, October 6th at 6:00 PM at St. Mary Parish Hall.
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
St. Mary Announcements:
Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass
First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month except October. All are welcome. Dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, November 1st.
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.
St. Philip Announcements:
Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.
St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.
Join us for our Fall Festival on Sunday October 4th! Serving dinner from 11 AM to 2 PM. $12 for adults $5 for children 6 and under. Dinner includes; pulled pork, scalloped potatoes, coleslaw, cheese curds, baked beans, homemade pie and ice cream. Carry out available, call 608-624-5498. There will be Baked Goods, a Basket Raffle, and Raffle Tickets for sale (drawing Sunday December 13, 2026, after 10:30 Mass). See you there!
St. Patrick Announcements:
None at this time.
Other Announcements:
Knight of Columbus Trinity Council will have the Life Savers for Life drive at our three parishes on the weekend of Oct 17-18.
St. Mary Parish, Coon Valley will hold their annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 7:30 AM – until gone or Noon (whichever comes first). Meal includes: delicious stack of pancakes with local real maple syrup, eggs, sausage, applesauce, milk, orange juice and coffee! Also purchase a tasty treat to take home from the bake sale! $10 for adults, $5 children ages 6-12, 5 and under free. Make your pancakes just the way you like them with our topping bar! Your choice of maple syrup, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, whip cream and peanut butter (while supplies last).
World Mission Sunday 2026 will be celebrated on October 18, 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of this important Catholic collection. Envelopes are in the church.
Divine Mercy - St. Faustina tells Jesus, “You carry me in the bosom of Your mercy and forgive me every time that I ask Your forgiveness with a contrite heart.” In her Diary, St. Faustina quotes Jesus’ reply: “I am always ready to forgive you…As often as you come to Me, humbling yourself and asking My forgiveness, I pour out a superabundance of graces on your soul, and your imperfection vanishes before My eyes, and I see only your love and your humility.” (Diary, 1488, 1293).
Income from Last Week:
St. Mary
Adults
558.00
Plate
126.00
Fall Fundraiser
600.00
Taco Stand Fundraiser
1465.00
Total
2749.00
St. Philip
Adults
765.00
Plate
94.00
Raffle Ticket Sales
145.00
Raffle Prize Donation
30.00
Total
1034.00
St. Patrick
Adults
471.00
Plate
385.00
Youth
5.00
Votives
30.00
Total
891.00
From the Priest’s Corner: Are we Bad Grapes or Good Grapes?
Planting a vineyard is a long-term investment and relationship, a labor that will one day be rewarded by its yield of good grapes. In our first reading the Old Testament tells a sad story of God’s frustration with His people. All that loving labor; the carefully prepared soil, the sunny hillside well-chosen, the selected vine stock planted, the hedge to keep out the animals. has produced a vineyard of bad grapes. God invested much in His Chosen People, but they rebelled against Him and His goodness.
Jesus uses a similar imagery in His parable today, but replaces bad grapes with bad workers in the vineyard. These bad workers will not give the landowner his due. Instead, they beat up and kill the owner's messengers and even kill his Son. This is not a rebellion against an unjust landlord. The workers are evil because they show indifference to the just payment owed to the owner and ingratitude for the livelihood the owner has provided for them. They go even further to disrespect the owner by their bad treatment of his messengers and the murder of his son.
Sadly, many people live in the world ignoring God and His goodness and deny what's owed to Him for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon them. They fail to acknowledge His Son's death on the cross for their redemption and salvation. Even some who have been baptized in the Faith no longer join their brothers and sisters in Catholic Worship. Such persons live and work only for themselves and the things of this world, unwilling to acknowledge God’s love for them and His call for them to return His love by being His faithful children.
The world we live in is God’s vineyard and not our vineyard. As Catholics, we should recognize our calling to be faithful workers in God’s vineyard and the need to produce good fruit for God and His kingdom. The world will be a healthy vineyard in places where Christians are living out the Gospel teachings, producing an abundant and healthy crop of moral goodness for their good and for God's glory. May we be among them!
Who was Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen? Excerpts from an Article by Jason Gray
Peter John Sheen was born on 8 May 1895 in El Paso, Illinois, the eldest of four sons of Newton and Delia Sheen. Since he took after his mother’s side of the family, he came to be called by his mother’s maiden name, Fulton. Raised in a devout Catholic family, he developed an early vocation to the priesthood. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on 20 September 1919.
Recognizing his intellectual gifts, his superiors sent him to Europe for advanced studies. In 1923, he earned a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. His academic formation, grounded in the philosophical and theological tradition of the Church, prepared him for a lifelong apostolate of teaching and evangelization.
After graduating, Sheen’s Bishop assigned him as parochial vicar in a downtown parish in Peoria where he was successful in preaching and inspiring many converts. Throughout his priesthood, Sheen placed prayer at the center of his apostolate. His commitment to a daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament became one of the defining practices of his spiritual life.
Sheen's public ministry expanded through modern communications. Beginning in 1930, he presented The Catholic Hour, a radio program that brought Catholic teaching into homes throughout the United States. His clear reasoning, engaging delivery, and pastoral warmth attracted an audience of more than 4 million people. He was recognized for his intellectual charity, presenting difficult truths in a clear manner, without losing sight of the need for encouragement amidst the challenges of modern society. He published 66 books. The Life of Christ is regarded as one of his most inspired contributions to understand the person of Jesus and the Gospels.
In 1950, Sheen was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. In his work in the Propagation of the Faith, Sheen considered it a privilege to be able to minister to the whole world. In 1951, Sheen brought the Gospel to people throughout the United States through his television program, Life Is Worth Living. Using a simple set and a chalkboard, he captivated an audience of more than 30 million persons by addressing questions of faith, morality, suffering, family, and our human dignity in a clear and candid way. Sheen was a gifted communicator who used philosophical argument, theological insight, humor, and storytelling to reach Catholics, but also Protestants and Jews with his inspirational message.
Sheen participated as a Father of the Second Vatican Council. In 1966, Sheen was appointed Bishop of Rochester, New York at the age of 71. He dedicated himself diligently to the implementation of the Council and to evangelizing the faithful. He retired in 1969 and was given the title of Archbishop. He spent his remaining years writing, preaching, giving retreats and much time in prayer. Archbishop Sheen died on 9 December 1979 in New York City.
His Cause was opened in the Diocese of Peoria in 2002. The miracle for his Beatification took place in 2010 when a child born without heartbeat or respiration was revived after 61 minutes to perfect health. The miracle was approved by Pope Francis in 2019. Pope Leo, who has a personal memory of seeing Bishop Sheen on television when he was young, approved the Beatification which took place in St. Louis, Missouri on 24 September 2026. Blessed Fulton Sheen, Pray for us!
Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the sick 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.
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