Are we saying "Yes" to God?

Sunday, September 27^th, 2026

26^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

    Sat. Sept. 26

                                   4:00 PM St. Mary    + Kathy Olson (Family)

                                    7:00 PM St. Patrick Personal Intensions of Fr. Tom (Fr. Tom)

    Sun. Sept  27          7:30 AM St. Patrick + George Jones (Fr. Tom)

                                    9:00 AM St. Mary    + Katie McDonald (St. Mary PCCW)

                                   10:30 AM St. Patrick + Mary Walter (Pat Anderson)

    Mon. Sept. 28          8:30 AM St. Patrick + Blessings for Fr. Tom (Bishop Gerard)

    Tue.  Sept. 29          8:30 AM St. Philip    + All Souls

    Wed. Sept. 30         8:30 AM St. Patrick  + Ron Becwar (Beverly Becwar)

    Thur. Oct. 01            8:30 AM St. Mary     + All Souls

    Fri.. Oct. 02            4:00 PM St. Mary      Special Intentions of Mark Kramer (Mark Kramer)

    Sat. Oct. 03            7:00 PM St. Patrick  + Harold Shroeder (Susan Starkey)

   

    26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

   Sun.    Sept. 04

                                           7:30 AM St. Patrick  Living & 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)

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 or email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

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

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.

Tri-Parish Announcements:

Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study will be Tuesday, September 29^th 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. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, October 4^th.

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.

REMINDER: Please remember to use the Fall Fundraise envelope at found in your Offering Box (or at the back of the church) during the month of September. Your generous donation is necessary to sustain St. Mary's so we can continue to enjoy and share our Lord's blessings together. Thank you and God Bless!

St. Mary’s religious education meeting for grades 1 through high school (confirmation) students and parents on Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 pm in the Church Hall. We will be setting up the class schedules.

Banns of Marriage for Shane Hansen and Alexa Orth: Shane and Alexa will receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony at St. Mary's Parish on Saturday, October 3rd at 11am.

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.

The raffle tickets for the Annual St. Philip's Raffle are available at the back of the church. Please pick up your envelope with raffle tickets and a letter containing information about the upcoming Fall Festival on October 4, 2026. (We cannot mail the raffle tickets to anyone.) Each envelope contains 10 books of tickets at a cost of $5.00 per book. If you need more tickets, please contact Bonnie Murphy, Peggy Schmitt, or Donna Bell.

You can return your tickets anytime by placing the tickets in the box at the back of church and any money collected can be placed in the collection basket MARKED VERY CLEARLY TICKET SALES. It is very important to mark that TICKET SALE ON THE ENVELOPES or on the checks. You can also turn tickets and money into Bonnie, Peggy or Donna. Thank you and let's make this a GREAT raffle and Fall Festival!

St. Patrick Announcements:

St. Patrick CCD is starting for this school year. The initial class session will be a meeting with parents and students. Parents, please attend with your child/children. Contact Susie Garfoot with any questions at 608-317-0515.

Other Announcements:

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.

Income from Last Week:

     

 St. Mary

 Adults

 628.00

  Plate

 85.00

 Fuel Assistance

 40.00

  Fall Fundraiser

 700.00

 Total

 1,453.00

 St. Philip

 Adults

 746.00

 Plate

 47.00

 Raffle Ticket Sales

  895.00

 Raffle Prize Donation

 100.00

 Dinner Fundraiser

 200.00

 Total

 1,988.00

 St. Patrick

  Adults

 1852.00

 Plate

 80.00

 Votive Candles

  48.50

  Total

 1,980.50

 

   

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.

 Ron McCormick

 Tyrone Beaty

 Michael Monehen

 Rosanne Feye

 David Jacobsen

 Steve Trussoni

 Janice Coggins

 Sequohay Dockry

 Mary (Moran) Orvis 

 Marian Beall

 Karen McCoy

 Jenna Friar

 Maria Camacho

 Bob Wharton

 Jeri Gorman

 Loyde Beers

 Lisa Glass

 Greg Roth

 Wade Dull

 Kiara Meier

 Shirley Whitby

 Shay Vought

 Rick Boehm

 Tom Gillette

 Rita Helgerson

 Jeff Croke

 Joyce Fisher

 Gary “Bucky” George

 Marvin Hansen

 Claudia Safley

 Eve Trussoni

 Rob Donohue

 Larry Boehm

 Todd Safley

 John & Betty Lynch

 Rhiana Morga

 Joshua Ecklund

 William Wright

 Rob Tittle

 Gene & Mary Murphy

 Linda Cowan

 Jerry Boehm

 Phyllis Bell

 Donnie Moran

 Jess Zimple

Lea Whitby

Nicholas Currich

Robin Williams

 Alan Whitby

Jenna Peterson

Janet Black Yznaga

Joni Peterson

Jeanette Wallenhorst

Connor Murray

Isaiah Caya

Susan Monehen

Mason Evens

107^th Maintenance Corp.

 

DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL - St. Faustina quotes Jesus: “When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. …The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of: open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light. ( Diary, 1602, 1725 )

From the Priest’s Corner:  Two Responses to Sharing in God’s Divine Life

Today’s Gospel puts before us two opposite responses to God’s invitation to salvation; a “no” followed by repentance; a “yes” followed by indifference.

The latter response, the position of those who say “yes”, but have no intention of being a faithful Catholic, sadly reflects the situation of those who only tepidly follow the teachings of Jesus and His Church, if at all. Such persons may be found attending Mass on Christmas and Easter, and usually only to please someone else. They may have even attended Catholic Schools or good CCD Programs, but either after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation or at a later times, abandon the practice of their Catholic Faith.

The former response, of saying “no” refers to those who refuse at first to embrace and practice their Catholic Faith through selfishness, ignorance or sin. However, in time they come to realize their need of God’s presence in their lives, along with His mercy and grace, especially given through the Sacraments of His Church.

This process of repentance, even for those who have said a firm “no” to God’s plans for them, brings about a joyful experience of finding the Source of all goodness and truth in this world. For them, it’s like coming out of a dark place into the light, from a place slavery to selfishness and sin into a place of freedom, living as a child of God. Maybe we ourselves are saying “no” to God's invitation, or perhaps we are saying “not yet”. Saint Augustine and Saint Bartholomew Longo were such persons.

Augustine was raised in the Catholic faith, but as a teenager, he loved life and its pleasures. He loved the theater, fun and entertainment and at 18 fell in love with a girl, who became his girlfriend. They could no marry according to Roman law as she was of a lower social class. A year later they had a son, Adeodatus. Augustine remained with his girlfriend for about 14 before they seperated. During this time Augustine joined various religious groups, some of them being very weird, looking for answers to the purpose of his life. He knew the teachings of the Catholic Faith, but was not ready to commit to its teachings. In his autobiography, Augustine writes that it took him 33 years of saying "not yet" to God before he was willing to be baptized and begin living fully the Christian Faith as a Catholic.

Saint Bartholomew Longo had abandoned his Catholic Faith as a young man and became deeply involved with mediums, the occult, and eventually became a priest of Satan. Suffering from severe depression, anxiety, and terrifying visions, he sought guidance from a Catholic priest who advised him to go to confession and pray the Holy Rosary. He renounced his past and dedicated the rest of his life to spreading devotion to the Rosary, building orphanages, schools, and programs to support the children of prisoners and the poor. He was also instrumental in building a large church dedicated to our Lady of the Rosary in the new City of Pompeii, Italy. Bartholomew was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Leo in 2025.

In these times, we need God’s help and the help of His Church, to see the error of our ways and the ability to see the beauty of saying "yes" to what we know is right and good. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the promise of eternal salvation is available for those willing to seek it, even if we at first said “not yet” or "no".