Father Vincent will be visiting Burma and away from the parish from February 15 through March 27. During Fr. Vincent’s absence, Fr. Henry Lone Saw will say Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00 noon. Scripture and Communion Service will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:25 AM. Stations will be on Friday at 6:30 PM, with Adoration following. Fr. Soosai and Fr. Bill Surmeier will be saying Mass on weekends during this time.

APRIL 26 Parents and Students be in church by 6:30 First Communion Students wear First Communion Clothes and process in front of the Blessed Sacrament CCD End-of-Year Refreshments in Parish Hall following the Eucharistic Procession

Congratulation to our basket winners! You can pick up your baskets Wednesday or Thursday. Thank you for your support! Dump Truck Basket – Jacqui Haffner Shopping Cart Basket – Lisa Weimer Baking Basket – Judy Watkins Baby Basket – Judy Watkins BBQ Basket – Zach Meyer Adult Coloring Basket – Mandy Joslyn Got Milk Basket – Imagen Tremblay Fairy Garden Basket – Kaylee Watkins Jesus & Germs Basket – Gina Schamberger Popt! Basket – Agnes Winter Coffee & Tea Basket – Kim Bruggeman Movie Night Basket – Scott Foote Popcorn & Candy Basket – Wendy Schiefereck Reading & Rain Basket – Dalen Babcock Kids Basket – Ladonna Joslyn Fishing Basket – Brodie Tremblay Car Basket – Tony Meyer Good Morning Basket – Judy Watkins K-State Basket – Gina Schamberger Easter Paradise Basket – Gina Schamberger

March Monthly Feature: Lent BOOK:Saint Helena and the True Cross, MOVIE:Mary of Nazareth, PROGRAM:Forgiven, AUDIO:My Beloved Son Meditations for Lent

Our youth going to NCYC will once again have the Easter Basket Silent Auction fundraiser. This fundraiser will run from March 11th – April 9th. If you have any items you would like to donate towards a basket or if you would like to advertise your business through a Easter basket. please contact Amanda Tremblay or Christy Juenemann.

Date: It looks like there are three weeks that may work. June 11th -16th in Russell July 9th -14th or July 23rd – 28th in Beloit (Hoxie fair is July 17th – 22nd) Those that want to go let me know what week you prefer! Please give your deposit and name to your small group leader or Amanda ASAP as the diocese is already taking reservations. Reservations need to be made by March 15th! Adults, If you would like to enjoy this amazing week with the youth please let me know as soon as possible!

"EXPOSE THE TRUTH", April 8th - 9th @ St. Mary Grade School, Salina Keynote speaker is Father Chester Smith SDV Yes this is Prom weekend. I need to know by Feb 15th if you are interested in going.

February Monthly Features Marriage and Family Life BOOK: The Father of the Family MOVIE: The Jeweller’s Shop PROGRAM Beloved AUDIO: How to Apply Faith to Our Families PROGRAM:Beloved

Sun. Feb. 12th 11:15 pm (following 10:00 Mass) @ Classroom downstairs This is for all youth, parents and sponsors please make every effort to be there. If you did not sign up and would like to go, IT”S NOT TOO LATE! Please come and talk to Amanda after the meeting. Or if you are unsure, please come and hear all about it!

Hoxie -- 7:15 AM, 10:30 AM (LTC), 6:30 PM; at Seguin -- 8:30 AM

By Shawn Larson (The Hoxie Sentinel) Though it has been a couple months since the St. Frances Catholic Church received their new priest, people from the community are still getting to know who this new face is in our town. Personally, I had not yet met him. When walking up to the rectory I was a little nervous. I am not sure what my expectations were going to be of Fr. Vincent Thu Laing. Being Protestant, I have very little experience with Catholic priests, other than what you see on TV or the movies, so this for me, was a new and pleasant experience. Father Vincent, as his parish is fond of calling him, was a nice humble man who made me feel welcome. After introductions, Father Vincent gave me some background on where he was from and how he eventually ended up here in Hoxie. “I am from Burma, now called Myanmar, in Southeast Asia. We share our border with China, Bangladesh, Thailand, India and Laos. In 1999 my Bishop told me I had to go to the U.S. My first mission was in Beloit, KS, for eight months, then to Washington, KS for two years. In 2002 I moved to Norton and was there for 13 years. It was the longest I’d lived anywhere, not even in my village. When I was 11 or 12 years old, I left my village to get a military education.” When asked if he likes living in the United States, he replied, “Yes. Everybody would like to come to United States. There is so much you can learn and so much you can enjoy. It’s the best place in the world.” Since that part of the world is predominantly Buddhist I was inclined to ask how someone ends up being Catholic. “My ancestors were not Catholic, but Buddhist. My grandparents and parents converted to Catholicism, so I grew up Catholic.” “In Burma, 85% of the population is Buddhist. But my village is so special, we have 200 families in my village—all are Catholic. That is so, so special! Our village has produced six priests already and four nuns. Village is surrounded by rivers, so it is remote, and only accessed by boats or walking. It is a faith-based community. It is a simple farming community and I am blessed to live there. Buddhists and Catholics get along. Buddhists are based on love and treat everyone with respect.” When asked how he decided to get into the ministry, he said when he was younger, “I was kind of thinking of becoming a priest, you know, because when the priests tour your village and you see them, it’s kind of amazing. They were enjoying the good food and treated like a king and you enjoy to do that. So it was kind on in the back of my mind. It was not forced on me. But after college one of the priests who support me to go to college, suggest why not try the seminary? At that time I was not ready, as other people had invited me to teach. But I decided to try it, and if I wasn’t happy I would just leave. After three months, I enjoyed doing it so much. I thought maybe this is the right place and I embraced it and became a priest.” As he grew up, and made the commitment to become a priest, he knew to be a priest isn’t “to be a king”, but rather to serve the Father. “It is not really you can enjoy everything. There is a lot of struggle and difficulty and hardship. But when you think on it, to do God’s work is kind of an honor. You kind of really want to do it! No matter what, I feel that was. So I enjoy my life, and I appreciate that God called me to be a priest. Serving others is why I enjoy my life.” When asked what Father Vincent enjoys best and least about his job, he responded, “The most difficult is the managing part, but serving the sacrament and giving Mass, I really love that. My faith is everything. I believe in Jesus Christ. That is everything for me. I will not manipulate or compromise with anything. I will be true to it till I die.” Father Vincent is enjoying our town so far, “Hoxie is a great place and has wonderful people and accept me in every way. I’d heard this community has very, very wonderful people and I am blessed and enjoy the calm, the environment. I am so grateful for the support for allowing me to become a part of it.” Summing it up, “For me, normally priests also might have difficulties in life. For me is, my vocation, my life, is a call by God and God wanted me to do that. So, for me, I might find difficulty; but being a priest, that is enough, that I could not ask more than that. To be a priest, God wanted me and that is a gift for me.” He continued on, saying, “Office work, answer the phone, sign the checks the secretary tells you to. There’s time to pray and do your hobby and talking to people who need encouragement, minister them, visit the sick at home and the hospital.” “I will be 60 on Columbus Day, 12 October, the big six-o. I have two brothers and two sisters. My parents are still living. They are 87 and 86. I choose to visit them every other year or every year. For me is, for being in the United States is really a blessing. I see how people are so fortunate and blessed American, compared to my life.” “I am so grateful and appreciative. I consider to be in Hoxie is a blessing for me. I am thankful for the friendships and would like to enjoy this place and be a part of this place and be treated like one of the family.” Father Vincent Thu Laing, St. Frances Catholic Church and Hoxie welcome you to the community. We wish you all the best.

St. Frances Cabrini/ St. Martin Charity Bazaar October 18, 2015 4-H Building The purpose of the bazaar is to generate funds to offer aid, if needed, to any Sheridan County resident.

Holy Week Mass Schedule St. Frances Cabrini-Hoxie Palm Sunday: 5:30 Vigil Saturday; 10:00 Sunday Holy Thursday: 8:00 PM-Adoration Follows Good Friday: 7:00 PM Holy Saturday: 8:30 PM Easter: 10:00 AM St. Martin-Seguin Palm Sunday: 8:00 AM Holy Thursday: 6:00 PM-Adoration Follows Good Friday: 3:00 PM Holy Saturday: (in Hoxie only) Easter: 8:00 AM

EASTER BASKET SILENT AUCTION Starts: Saturday, March 14 Ends: 1:00 pm Sunday, April 5 St. Frances Cabrini Hall & St. Martin Basement (Themed baskets) HELP SUPPORT STUDENTS GOING TO NCYC For more information, contact: Amanda Tremblay, Christy Juenemann, Sarah Diercks, Sara Meyer

POSITION OPEN FOR PARISH SECRETARY Must have bookkeeping and computer skills and be knowledgeable in Word. If interested call the parish office 675-3300. Leave a message if no answer.

St. Frances Cabrini Parish needs more Extra ordinary ministers (EM) to distribute Communion during mass and Extra Ordinary ministers to Sick to distribute communion in hospital, Long Term Care, and to the home bound on Sundays. Those interested may contact the parish office or Father Thomas at least by the end of August so that we can plan a short training for the candidates to prepare for this ministry.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, is a holy day of obligation. Masses will be celebrated in Hoxie at 7:15 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. and in Seguin at 8:30 a.m. This day commemorates Mary’s assumption of body and soul into heaven, when her earthly life came to an end. Mary’s assumption into heaven is a sign to us that through God’s grace, and our efforts on earth we may one day join her in heaven praising God.

A huge THANK YOU to Marge Haas & Sheri Baalman for organizing our parish picnic this year! Thank you to Scott & Michelle Foote for donating the hamburgers, to Roch Meier for bringing in his picnic tables, and all the committee leaders (Pat Kennedy, Marilyn Meier, Dan Niblock, Jim Rogers, Dolores Mauck, CYO & Ladonna Joslyn) for helping pull it all together!

Thank you to the individuals who gave items for the LTC.  We have a need year round for items.

CYO Fruit Sales Freestone Peaches $31 - per box Bartlett Pears $27 - per box Gala Apples $30 - per box 20 lb. Boxes Reserve your order July 1st through August 6th. Please contact your favorite CYO member! Or call: Pat Friess @ 675-3401 Wendy Schieferecke @ 675-2365 Dana Geerdes @ 855-2326 or 675-8386 Payment due when fruit arrives. Pick up date will be Wednesday, August 27th 7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m. St. Frances Cabrini Parish Hall