Weekly Bulletin

• Week of October 5, 2008

What's New

OUR NEW PASTOR - As was announced at all Masses last weekend, Fr. George Ratzmann has been appointed as our new pastor.  He will arrive October 1st to begin serving here in St. William parish.  Fr. George was born in Queens, NY in 1960 as the youngest of three children.  He moved to Florida when he was seven and grew up in Avon Park, Fl., in the northeast corner of our diocese.  He was ordained in Venice in 1987, and spent his first three years as a priest at Epiphany.  From 1990-95 , he attended the Catholic University in Louvain in Belgium, where he earned a Ph.D. and S.T.D. in Moral Theology.  Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned once again to Epiphany from 1995 to 1997.  He then spent 3 years at St. Ann’s in Naples.  In 2000, he became pastor for the first time at St. Isabel on Sanibel Island.  In 2003, he returned to Epiphany Cathedral as rector.  He has taught moral theology and church history at the Rice School for Pastoral Ministry since 1996.  He also has served on various diocesan councils and committees.  Fr. George has had to learn skills in peace negotiations, as he lives with one bird and a hungry cat.  We look forward to his arrival and trust we all will do our best to welcome him into our parish family as our pastor.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5th IS RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY - We will have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary and quiet meditation  from 12:00 Noon - 2 PM in the church. Join us in praying for an end to abortion in our country and return to sanctity of life from conception to natural death.  From 2:30 - 3:30 PM the annual Life Chain will take place on U.S. 41 from Pine Ridge Road to 5th Ave. S.  You are asked to stand 10-15 feet apart with your sign facing traffic.  This is a silent testimony that we support the right to life!  Signs will be available at St. William Church and right by K-Mart on U.S. 41.  If you have any questions, call JoAnn Carter, Coordinator of Life Chain at 262-5433.

NEW!! PRAYER SHAWL PROJECT - Prayer shawls provide a physical symbol of Love.  The recipient may wrap himself or herself in the shawl with the knowledge that they are draped in prayers while reminded of the warmth of God’s love.  Through the making of the prayer shawl, the knitter or crocheter is reminded it is not unusual to receive more than we give when we give in Love.  Our parish community will be starting a Prayer Shawl Project to make shawls for others in an attempt to bring God’s love through the comfort and warmth of hand made items.  Each shawl is started with a prayer for the recipient and prayers continue to be woven into the shawl as it is made.  We are  looking for persons:  who would like to knit or crochet; would be willing to teach others to knit or crochet; cannot do any of the above but still want to support the project (This can be done by remembering in your prayers, the project, its participants and those who it serves; and by contributing toward the cost, $25 each of a prayer shawl.  Please indicate your donation is for The Prayer Shawl Project.  We will meet the first Thursday of each month at 1PM in the Ministry Center Hall, starting October 2.  Supplies required for knitting a shawl include 3 skeins of Lion Brand homespun yarn and Size 11 or 13 knitting needles.  If you have any questions, are not available at the meeting time, or would prefer to make a shawl in your own home, contact Rosanne Rechlin at 262-0338.

This year’s Respect Life Sunday collection - is scheduled for Oct. 4-5.  Thank you again for your participation in last year’s efforts. With your support, more that $68,000 was shared with 34 facilities or organizations, all within the Diocese of Venice. An abbreviated list:13 residential facilities for pregnant women as well as After-birth care; 13 pregnancy resource centers (7 with ultrasound); 4 Gabriel projects, 1 material goods resource center; abstinence education for youth; promotion of prayer for life; services to the elderly.  The thank you letters received from the directors of the entities assisted indicates their heartfelt gratitude for the assistance provided and the great support they felt by being included.  Your continued generosity will be greatly appreciated.

Mental Illness Awareness Week: is October 5th - 12th, and Tuesday, October 7th is a national day of prayer for our those who live with mental illness. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Collier County has as their mission to improve the lives of those living with mental illness and the lives of their loved ones. Contact them at 239-434-6726 or online at www.namicollierco.org for free information, education, support and advocacy. Click here for a special prayer.

JOHN ANGOTTI IN CONCERT - World famous composer and musician, will be  performing at St. William on Tuesday, October 7 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  John was a featured musician at the World Youth Conference in Australia last summer and played before thousands of young people including Pope Benedict XVI.  This will be an experience you will not want to miss.  Call Gary Robertson for more information, 239-597-7411.

ST. WILLIAM HAS TALENT - As a matter of fact, we have many talented parishioners and we are going to have our first Talent Show on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Hall.  So dust off your top hats and start vocalizing.  Everyone can do something.  We have singers, dancers, instrumentalists, ensembles, magicians, jugglers, comics, prose readers.  This is your chance to shine and show off.  This is strictly for fun and a chance to show others what you can do.

We are going to have tryouts on Friday, October 3rd, and 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Hall.  We are showcasing the Talent we have at St. William, so if you have a group of friends that will be with you that are not members of St. William, that’s okay, they are invited, but there must be at least one person in your group that is a member of St. William.  Then on the evening of November 14, we are going to showcase some of our talent in the Church Hall.  It will be a fun evening for everyone in our St. William Family.  We are blessed to have so many gifted people.  If you can not be a part of the St. William Has Talent, then come and be a part of the fun while our talented parishioners demonstrate their abilities for us all to enjoy.

Call Gary Robertson at 239-597-7411 for more information.

OGSS: It is time for our On-Going Scripture Study course to start again for the fall sessions. This fall, in honor of this having been declared the Year of St. Paul, we will be studying St. Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians. We will begin on Monday, October 13th at 7 PM in the Ministry Center. The course will consist of 10 sessions, all on Mondays from 7 to 9 PM in the Ministry Center. The final session will be on December 15th. The fee for the course is $20.00. If you are interested in joining in or for more information, please call Bernadette in the parish office, 261-4883. Information sheets are on hand there as well. We look forward to seeing you there, and bring a friend as well.