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, January 25^th, 2026               

3^rd 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: Kevin Murray: Email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org or Telephone: 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931

Membership: Yvonne Hady 608 485-2109 email: hadyy@mwt.net

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

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Adult Faith Study at St. Mary is on Tuesday January 27th at 1:30pm

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.

Thank you to the descendents of Lizzy Murphy and all the anonymous people who donated to our new piano at St. Philips. There is a plaque on the piano reading "In memory of Elizabeth Murphy" who was our organist many years ago.

Ed Ehorn is in the nursing home in Richland Center and would appreciate any cards. His address is: Pine Valley Community Village, 25951 Circle View Lane, Richland Center, 53581.

St. Mary Announcements:

St. Mary's Service Group will meet on Tuesday, February 3 at 6:00 PM in the church basement. Agenda items include planning for the upcoming Lenten Soup Suppers and future election of officers.  There will also be a review of parish activities since our Pancake Breakfast.

A Rosary and special prayers for the repose of Fran Leach will be recited at St. Mary on Tuesday, Jan. 27^th at 12 noon. Fran passed away at the nursing home last month.  Please join us in this special remembrance.

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, Feb. 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.

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.

Volunteers needed for praying the Rosary prior to the weekend Masses! If you would like to share in your devotion to the Rosary, please, consider being in the weekly rotation. Each volunteer can pray the Rosary starting approximately 20 min prior to Mass.  For each weekend assigned, you can choose the Mass; Saturday evening OR Sunday morning, depending on your schedule needs that weekend.

If interested in being on the rotation schedule, please, contact Anne Johnson at: home 608-874-4298 ; cell 608-412-1848 ; or by e-mail: waffetti2003@gmail.com

Thank you to all those serving the parish in our current and past rotations!
God bless you all!

Tri-Parish Announcements:

The Lenten Season is soon approaching--Ash Wednesday is February 18. We
are planning for our Wednesday evening Soup Suppers following the Stations of the Cross. We will have 5 Soup Suppers, Feb. 25 - Mar. 25. Anyone from our tri-parishes who would like to participate in preparing/helping out with the suppers would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Yvonne Hady at 608 485-2109 or hadyy@mwt.net by Feb. 2nd if
you are able to help out.

We need more Mass Intentions for All Parishes

Youth Envelopes: If the youth members of our parishes would like their own youth envelopes for giving to the Church let us know. Youth envelopes are available. Please contact Kevin if you are interested.

2026 Donation Envelopes are available now. The envelopes do really help us here in the office and are a good reminder for special collections throughout the year. If you do not receive envelopes currently and would like to, please contact Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931 email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

The Weekly Bulletin Email will no longer contain a copy of the bulletin as an attachment. Instead the email will contain a link to the bulletin page of our website. The bulletin page of our website is updated weekly on Fridays. We have had a numbers of problems with people receiving this email. If you would like to receive an email with the Weekly Parish Bulletin link; please email secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org and you will be added to the email list. Here is the web address that is the link to the Weekly Parish Bulletin:

https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/bulletins

Other Announcements:

A heart-felt thank you from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and our Diocesan Mission Office to St. Philip Parish in Rolling Ground, St. Patrick Parish in Seneca, and St. Mary Parish in Gays Mills for answering our Holy Father’s call to be “Missionaries of Hope Among the People” with your generous response of prayer and sacrifices for World Mission Sunday. We will forward your respective financial contributions of $1,055.00, $660.00, and $285.00 to our national office. They can in turn support Catholic institutions most in need. From Fr. Pace

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.

Income from Last Week

DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL - Jesus told St. Faustina, “I want to tell you that eternal life must begin already, here on earth through Holy Communion. Each Holy Communion makes you

more capable of communing with God throughout eternity.” (Diary, 1811 )

From the Priest’s Corner: The light of Christ displaces the darkness of our Lives

The First Reading and Gospel today both quote the Prophet Isaiah: “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. ”

When we find ourselves in a dark room, or when the sun sets, what do we do? We turn on the lights. Sometimes however, the darkness enters within our minds and hearts due to our own worries and anxieties, our own sins and shortcomings, or due to loneliness and isolation. What do we do? Well, we should not turn to improper use of drugs or alcohol or turning to pornography or some other type of self-destructive action. Instead, as Christians we should turn to Jesus Christ.

Whatever darkness hinders us, the Prophet Isaiah and Saint Matthew invites us out of that darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. After all, the Christmas Season, which we just celebrated, reminds us that Our Savior Jesus Christ became incarnate and offered Himself up on the cross to deliver us from the bonds of sin and evil, and to illumine our path in life to the way of life, truth, peace and consolation.

The Lord is always desiring us to share in His light and grace. By our baptism we too are also called to serve as beacons of light amidst the darkness of our world, radiating the light, the joy, the love, and the hope given by Jesus Christ. Let us be willing to believe in this truth and to give witness to the good news of our salvation. At times we may be among those who are walking in the darkness of sin and the lies and deceptions of the devil, yet the Light of Jesus Christ and His promise of forgiveness and salvation is always near for those willing to walk into His holy light.

A Marriage Retreat for Sacramentally Married Couples

We are excited to begin 2026 by sharing some wonderful news. A marriage retreat for sacramentally married couples will be held in La Crosse on April 25–26 at the Franciscan Spirituality Center. This retreat offers couples an opportunity to begin a shared spiritual journey—or to deepen one that is already underway. It also introduces the Domestic Church (DC) movement for couples who may be interested in beginning formation within a Domestic Church circle.

Are you a couple wanting to experience a more joy-filled marriages? Take part in the Domestic Church retreat at Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse on April 25 & 26th. Couples attending the retreat will experience a renewed love as spouses and find themselves united together in Christ. Register today at: diolc.org/marriage/marriage-enrichment. For more information, email Jeff and Alice Heinzen at: LaCrosse@domesticchurchfamilies.com.

Want a more joyful marriage? Spouses who do things together find the most joy within marriage. Want to learn how to become more united with your spouse in all facets of your marriage? Attend thenext Domestic Church Evangelization Retreat August 25 & 26 at Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse. The retreat begins on Saturday morning and ends at 4 PM on Sunday. Register at: diolc.org/marriage/marriage-enrichment. For more information email: LaCrosse@domesticchurchfamilies.com. Scholarships are available.

We anticipate that you might have some questions. Just email us at lacrosse@domesticchurchfamilies.com or text us at either 715-505-1222 (Jeff) or 715-309-9292 (Alice). We look forward to serving you.

In His Name,

Jeff and Alice Heinzen    (DC Responsible Couple for the La Crosse Diocese)