Church illustration

by Sheri George

1 6 2 7 G R A N D A V E N U E • W E S T D E S M O I N E S , I O W A 5 0 2 6 5

M A R C H 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 ● 5 T H S U N D A Y O F L E N T

Sacred Heart Welcome to the Parish Community of

ONLINE MASS SCHEDULE

Online Sunday (Live-Streamed)

9:00 am 10:30 am en Español

Online Daily Mass (Live-Streamed)

9:00 am

A video of daily Mass can also be found by 12 noon everyday on the Sacred Heart

YouTube Channel. Please visit www.youtube.com,

then search ‘Sacred Heart Church WDM’

Parish Office Phone (515) 225-6414 Sacred Heart School (515) 223-1284

www.sacredheartwdm.org Facebook: @SacredHeartWDM

YouTube: Sacred Heart Church WDM

All other events at Sacred Heart Church are postponed until further notice.

Todos los eventos en la iglesia Sacred Heart están suspendidos hasta nuevo aviso.

Thank you for understanding.

Dear Sacred Heart Parishioners,

The Psalm for the 4th Sunday of Lent is Psalm 23. The Psalmist writes, "The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want... He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and staff, you give me courage." It not only feels like we are, but we truly are walking through a dark valley right now. There is so much uncertainty and so many unknowns about not only the future but even the present moment. The situation around the COVID-19 pandemic changes by the hour, if not by the minute. However, as people of faith, we can walk this dark valley with a certain confidence and trust because we believe and know that God is at our side, giving us courage and hope. We will get through this dark valley together because we know the Lord is at our side. It is at times like this that we realize we need our faith and parish community more than ever. Please be assured of my prayers for you and know that the entire parish staff is praying for you at this time. Please contact the parish office at 515-225-6414 if you need a priest. You can also go to sacredheartwdm.org/ to stay in touch with our parish community. You can find the latest news from Sacred Heart and email links to parish staff under the News tab.

Staying home can be difficult in this day of social distancing, but it may be a call for all of us to go deeper in faith and prayer. Our website has links to many Catholic websites and podcasts to assist in your prayer life. I would encourage you to "like" our Facebook Page, Sacred Heart Catholic Church. W e w ill be offer ing Mass in a virtual manner via Facebook Live each day at 9:00 AM. I would especially like to invite you to join us on Sundays at 9:00 AM so we can gather together as a parish community in prayer, even though remotely, on the Lord's Day. We will also offer Mass on Facebook Live in Spanish each Sunday at 10:30 AM. If you don't have good resources for the daily and Sunday Mass readings, you can find them on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' website http://www.usccb.org/.

Let us remain united in prayer and faith as we journey through this dark valley together. We are confident that God is at our side protecting us and giving us courage and strength.

Sincerely yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Fr. Chris Hartshorn, Pastor

WELCOME If you are new to our Sacred Heart Parish and wish to be a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, please stop by the parish office or call 515-225-6414 to facilitate the New Member Registration. We have programs and activities available for all ages. We offer the RICA program for those who wish to become Catholics. We invite you to become involved as an Active Apostle at Sacred Heart Parish!

BIENVENIDOS Si usted es nuevo al Sacred Heart (Sagrado Corazón) y quiere ser se miembro, por favor pase por la oficina de la iglesia para obtener el paquete de registración. También se puede facilitar un paquete por correo si llama al 515-225-6414. Si usted necesita ayuda en español, por favor llame al 515-225-0546 para comunicarse directamente con la Directora del Ministerio Hispano. Tenemos programas y actividades para todas edades. También ofrecemos el programa de RICA para los quienes desean convertirse a la fe católica o los quienes necesitan terminar sus sacramentos de iniciación. ¡Los invitamos a participar como Apóstoles Activos en la Parroquia de Sacred Heart!

SACRED HEART PARISH CONTACTS

FR. CHRIS HARTSHORN, PASTOR chris.hartshorn@sacredheartwdm.org FR. NIPIN SCARIA THAKIDIPURATHU, PAROCHIAL VICAR FrNipin@sacredheartwdm.org

Parish Office Phone (515) 225-6414 Sacred Heart School (515) 223-1284

www.sacredheartwdm.org

Facebook: @SacredHeartWDM

Rev. Mr. Ed Garza, Pastoral Care, Deacon ed.garza@sacredheartwdm.org Rev. Mr. Randy Horn, Deacon Rev. Mr. Ron Myers, Deacon Joan Miller, RCIA Director joan.miller@sacredheartwdm.org Leah Mohlman, Minister of Music and Liturgy leah.mohlman@sacredheartwdm.org Sue Reichart, Adult Faith Ministry Director sue.reichart@sacredheartwdm.org Sarah Sheerin, Youth Ministry Director sarah.sheerin@sacredheartwdm.org Kayla Richer, Children’s Faith Formation Director kayla.richer@sacredheartwdm.org Karla Vaquerano Willis, Hispanic Ministry Director karla.willis@sacredheartwdm.org (515) 225-0546 SACRED HEART SCHOOL STAFF Jane Kinney, Principal jane.kinney@sacredheartwdm.org Scott Ehlinger, Vice Principal scott.ehlinger@sacredheartwdm.org

MASS INTENTIONS Saturday, March 28 9:00 am Fr. Gene Koch Sunday, March 29 9:00 am Bernard Scott Larry and Ruth Youngwirth Jesse Valdez Monday, March 30 9:00 am Deceased members of the Halterman/Wolff Families Tuesday, March 31 9:00 am Richard Barnes Wednesday, April 1 9:00 am Jack Rief Thursday, April 2 9:00 am Majorie Salazar Friday, April 3 9:00 am Cleo Scheidel Saturday, April 4 9:00 am Lynette Scott Sunday, April 5 9:00 am Kathy Streck Katherine Reihsen Charlotte Heman

PLEASE PRAY FOR POR FAVOR ORE POR

Irene Castelline Amy Jo & Jon Finnegan Connie McGinn Dale Mason Casey Conner Gavin McCoy Viola Dubay Linda Ashby-McFarlane Teresa Kordick Gene McLaughlin Lisa Budde Tina Cannon Gary Julius All those who have been impacted by the coronavirus

Please let us know of if you would like us to pray for you. Call the office or Deacon Ed at 515-225-6414. Por favor déjenos saber si usted conoce una persona quien necesita oraciones de la comunidad. Comuníquese con Karla.

OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY AND PRAYERS TO THE FAMILIES

OF THE FOLLOWING...

Alice Donahoe Parishioner

Vigie Fry Parishioner

Jane Hogan Parishioner

Darlene McDonald Mother of Sheila Bales

Muriel Nelson Grandmother of Matt Nelson

...GOD GRANT THEM ETERNAL REST

MESSAGE OF THE WEEK

I am the Resurrection and the Life

VISION OF OUR CATHOLIC

COMMUNITY OF SACRED HEART:

Sharing the Good News of God’s Love through Active Apostleship

Queridos parroquianos de Sacred Heart,

El salmo para el 4to domingo de Cuaresma es el Salmo #23. El salmista escribe, “El Señor es mi pastor, nada me falta….Por ser un Dios fiel a sus promesas, me guía por el sendero recto; así, aunque camine por cañadas oscuras, nada temo, porque tú estás conmigo. Tu vara y tu cayado me dan seguridad.” No solo se siente como que estamos caminando por cañadas oscuras, pero si de verdad estamos caminando por una cañada oscura en este momento. Hay mucha incertidumbre del presente y del futuro. La situación de la pandemia COVID-19 cambia cada hora, si no por el minuto. Pero, como somos gente de fe, podemos caminar esta cañada oscura con confianza porque sabemos y creemos que Dios esta a la par de nosotros. Él nos da seguridad. Vamos a superar este valle oscuro juntos porque sabemos que el Señor esta a la par de nosotros. Son tiempos como estos que nos recuerda que necesitamos nuestra fe y nuestra comunidad parroquiana mas que nunca. Esten asegurados que todos ustedes están en las oraciones mías y también en las oraciones de todo el personal de la iglesia. Por favor comuníquese con la oficina, 515-225-6414, si usted necesita un sacerdote. Usted también puede usar la página electrónica de la iglesia para mantenerse comunicado con la comunidad, sacredheartwdm.org/. Usted puede encontrar las ultimas noticias y links de los correos electrónicos del staff en la ficha “News”. Quedándose en casa puede ser difícil en este tiempo de distancia social. Posiblemente esto puede servir como una llamada para acercarnos mas a Dios en fe y oración. Nuestra pagina de web tiene varios links a paginas católicas y podcasts para apoyarlos en su crecimiento de fe. Le animo a que usted valla a la pagina de Facebook de la iglesia, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, y haga clic en “Me gusta” para seguirnos. Estaremos celebrando Misa virtualmente en ingles cada día a las 9:00 AM. Ofreceremos Misa en español los domingos a las 10:30 AM. Los invitamos a que nos acompañen, especialmente los domingos a las 9 o 10:30 AM, para que nos reunamos como una comunidad en oración en el Dia del Señor. Usted puede encontrar las lecturas en inglés e español en la página electrónica de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los EE.UU., http://www.usccb.org/ . Espero que nos mantengamos unidos en oración y fe mientras caminamos esta cañada oscura. Tenemos confianza en Dios, El esta a la par de nosotros y nos da seguridad.

Con cariño en el sagrado corazón de Jesús, Fr. Chris Hartshorn, Párroco

Queridos amigos y parroquianos, Ante las instrucciones de salud federales y estatales recientes contra el COVID-19 y en acuerdo con las directrices de la Diócesis de Des Moines y el Obispo Joensen, la Iglesia Sacred Heart está implementando inmediatamente lo próximo hasta nuevo aviso:

1.Todas Misas públicas (diarias y dominicales) están suspendidas hasta nuevo aviso. El Obispo nos ha dispensado de nuestra obligación dominical. 2.Las puertas de la oficina de la parroquia estarán abiertas de 8am-12pm. Usted puede entrar al santuario usando las puertas de la oficina si usted desea visitar el Santísimo para oración individual durante este tiempo. 3. Todas reuniones, comités, y grupos de la parroquia están suspendidos. 4. Personal de la iglesia estará trabajando de sus hogares, o tendrán horas limitadas en la oficina. Si la oficina cierra, llamadas serán transferidas al staff de turno durante horas de servicio regular. 5.Es posible que esta situación va impactar las celebraciones de Primera Comunión, RICA, Semana Santa, y Pascua. Todavía no se sabe. Estamos en el proceso de planificar cambios si es necesario. Si usted o un ser querido esta en necesidad de cuidado pastoral, especialmente los sacramentos de confesión o unción de los enfermos, por favor no dude en comunicarse con la oficina. Nosotros haremos lo posible para cubrir sus necesidades pastorales.nstamos en el proceso de desarrollar más información y detalles y hacerlos disponibles a todos parroquianos. Favor de comunicarse con la oficina si usted tiene preguntas.

Oremos por cada uno de nosotros y por la abundancia de la gracia y sanación de Dios durante este tiempo difícil. ¡Que el Señor, el Medico Divino nos protege ysane!

En Paz, Padres Chris Hartshorn y Nipin Scaria

Dear Friends and Parishioners, In light of the most recent federal and state health instruction mandates regarding COVID-19 and in keeping with the Dioceses of Des Moines Guidelines issued by Bishop Joensen, Sacred Heart Church is immediately implementing the following guidelines - until further notice:

1. All public daily and weekend Masses are suspended until further notice. The Bishop has dispensed everyone from the Sunday Mass obligation. Priest will celebrate private Masses for the mass intentions which have been offered. 2. The parish office will be open from 8-Noon. You may enter the church through the office doors if desiring individual prayer time in our church. 3. ALL meetings of parish sponsored committees and groups are cancelled. 4. Parish staff will have limited office hours, with many working from home. Our receptionist will pass information along to needed groups. If the office closes, phones will be forwarded to an on call office staff member. 5. Alternative plans for the upcoming celebration such as of First Communion, and the Rites of Christian Intimation for Adults (RCIA), are being developed and will be published at a later date. How all of this will impact Holy Week services and Easter is yet to be determined. If you or your loved one is in need of pastoral care and especially in need of the ministry of a priest for confession or anointing of the sick please do not hesitate to contact our parish office and we will do all that we can to minister to your needs. Further information and details are being developed and will be made available to all our parishioners when something changes. Please contact the parish office if you have any questions. Let us pray for one another and for the outpouring of God's healing grace at this time. May Jesus the Divine Physician protect us and heal us!

Peace, Rev. Chris Hartshorn and Rev. Nipin Scaria

Darkness to Light by Allison Ricciardi, of The Raphael Remedy

It’s my favorite liturgical season again…Lent. Time to refocus, reframe and refresh our relationship with the Lord.

There’s no question, we’re living in dark times. And every day it seems, more and more corruption is being exposed. It’s a time of revelation…God is pulling back the curtain and the light is revealing some very ugly stuff.

Examining your spiritual life There’s a similar process that should be happening in our spiritual lives this time of year. We spend more time in prayer, fasting, and giving alms. The goal is to allow God to shine His merciful light upon our own inner corruption and weakness and to plunge it into the crucible of His passion for our redemption. The point is not simply to suffer but to take on some bodily mortifications in order to put our passions right again—to gain some control over our fallen and weak human nature so wounded by original sin and the actual sins we’ve piled upon it.

It can be tough, it being so outside of our comfort zone. It’s so much easier to just keep going the way we are. But taking this period of time to stop, to meditate on the passion of our Lord, to deny ourselves small things in order to reign ourselves in pays such amazing dividends in our lives, spiritually and in other ways as well.

Ponder that. If we’re not right spiritually, we’re not right in any way. It’s the foundation upon which we build our lives. The darkness of the world is in large part due to the lack of spiritual integrity so prevalent today. Every one of the world’s problems would resolve themselves if people truly lived the gospel.

So, that’s the call on us. Not only to work toward our own spiritual improvement but to take that light and shine it on this broken world in which we live. We’re called to evangelize. For many that sounds daunting, but does it need to be? Think about it. We’re told to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Our cross. Not His. We don’t actually nail ourselves to crosses…we give up chocolate or beer or ice cream. We’re only called to small mortifications so think in terms of small efforts toward evangelization. You don’t need to get up on a soap box in the village square and preach. But how about saying grace at meals? How about being ready to answer for this hope that you have in Christ? Let’s not be shy. Keep focused on the Easter joy and light before you and shine.

“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer

and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured

the cross…” (Hebrews 12:1-2) c

Pastoral Care By Deacon Ed Garza

CHILDREN’S FAITH FORMATION “CFF”

Newsflash: Raising Kids is NOT EASY! By Debbie Chalik

A while back, I had dinner with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons. The youngest was already covered in his dinner when I gave him a piece of cake. He picked up the cake, squashed it in his little hands, smashed it on the table and then brushed all of the crumbs on the floor. Then he looked at my daughter and I and gave us the, “Aren’t I cute!” smile. We laughed (not a good idea) which made him giggle.

Raising children is very hard, and sometimes it is hard to laugh. That is why I want to make sure all our dedicated parents and grandparents know how much we appreciate the commitment to include faith and CFF an important part of raising children. We know it’s difficult to add another activity to the week, but there is no greater gift you can give your children than faith!

Newsflash: ¡Criar niños no es fácil! Por Debbie Chalik

Hace un tiempo, cené con mi hija, mi yerno y dos nietos. El más pequeño ya estaba todo manchado de su cena cuando le di un pedazo de pastel. Cogió el pastel, lo aplastó en sus pequeñas manos, lo aplastó en la mesa y luego barrió todas las migajas hacia el suelo. Entonces miró a mi hija y a mí y nos dio la típica sonrisa de "¡A que soy gracioso!". Nos reímos (no fue una buena idea) y el empezó a reír.

Criar niños es muy difícil, y a veces es difícil reírse. Es por eso que quiero asegurarme de que todos nuestros padres y abuelos sepan cuánto apreciamos el compromiso de incluir la fe y la CFF como parte importante de la educación de los hijos. Sabemos que es difícil agregar otra actividad a la semana, ¡pero no hay mayor regalo que puedas dar a tus hijos que la fe!

If you are homebound or hospitalized, or will be hospitalized, and would like a visit from the Pastoral Staff or need Anointing of the Sick, please contact the Parish Office. Our priests and pastoral care minister will be happy to make a pastoral visit if you wish. ed.garza@sacredheartwdm.org

At-Home Resources for Sacred Heart Parishioners

Formed - https://watch.formed.org/

This is a resource the parish has been using. It has videos, talks, and books made specifically for children, families, and adult learning. You will become a new member by indicated you belong to Sacred Heart in WDM. It is free.

Teens and Young Adults – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVdGX3NWIJ5nUvklBTNhAw

Do you have young teenagers or young adults in your home? Ascension presents has a talk on most everything Catholic. The videos are short, witty, and informative. All available on YouTube under Ascension Presents

Adults - https://www.wordonfire.org/

Bishop Barron will take you deeper into the Catholic faith. https://youwerebornforthis.fireside.fm/ start with Episode 14 Plans Changed? This is relevant to each of our journeys in these days along with a tie to how St. Joseph went through exactly the same journey when his plans also changed. These daily reflections are around 12 minutes. Start with the ones that are titled, Be Not Afraid as they are specific to COVID-19.

FREE access: www.sacredheartwdm.formed.org

Get Electronically Connected with Sacred Heart! We want to communicate with you via email! To receive email updates from Sacred Heart Church, please call the church office at (515) 225-6414 or email Tonia at office@sacredheartwdm.org. Please provide your first name, last name, phone number and email address. We ask that you speak slowly and repeat information if leaving a phone message.

Scholarship Available to HS Senior The Sacred Heart Home and School Association is awarding one $500 scholarship to a graduating high school senior who graduated from the 8th grade at Sacred Heart. Information regarding this scholarship has been sent to Dowling Catholic, Urbandale, and Valley High Schools. Applications must be submitted to Sacred Heart School by Tuesday, April 14, 2020. For information on qualifications contact your high school college counselor. Other questions can be directed to Lisa Schwarte, Scholarship Committee Chair at 515-991-2142.

40 items/40 day Lenten Challenge During this season of Lent, we are called to deepen our faith through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. You can help us, help others by selecting an item of clothing EACH DAY to donate to St. Vincent de Paul. Particularly during this difficult time for many families, it is a great opportunity to reflect on our needs and the needs of others. While the retail locations will be closed until further notice, donations can still be dropped off by ringing the doorbell. For more info: http://svdpdsm.org

Social Distance Tithing A sincere thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers as we move through this unprecedented time in our history. I am humbled by your continued kindness and generosity! Even though we are unable to come together in person right now the good work of our parish continues and needs your support. I know it may not be possible for every household to tithe at this time. However, if your financial situation allows you to contribute, we give a couple of ways for you to give to Sacred Heart while still respecting the current call for social distancing.

*We offer the option of on-line giving through our secure website. Visit sacredheartwdm.org/on-line-giving to set up a one time gift or a recurring tithe.

*Tithing envelopes can be mailed to the office or dropped off in the mail-slot on the south side of the church office.

Thank you for your continued support of Sacred Heart. I am praying for all of you and ask you to continue to pray for me. I look forward to the day that we can all come together at the Altar of the Lord once again.

God Bless, Fr. Chris Hartshorn

Active Apostle Shout Out! Sacred Heart School Faculty and Staff

Thank you to the Sacred Heart School faculty and staff for spending most of their Spring Break working tirelessly to create individual learning bags for each and every student at Sacred Heart School. In order for the students to be successful in their new distance-learning home classroom setting, each teacher packed notebooks, textbooks, workbooks, and everything the students needed for the next few weeks of school. The Sacred Heart School library even offered each student up to 10 library books, so they could continue reading. Every family that needed an electronic device at home was given an iPad or a Chromebook to borrow. The drive-through supply pickup was equally as impressive. These amazing acts of dedication and organization are greatly appreciated. Thank you Sacred Heart School faculty and staff for protecting and teaching all the children during this time of unprecedented change.