Events & Opportunities
Parish Workday!
Mark you calendar for Saturday, May 16, 9:00am to Noon to help keep our buildings and ground at both St. Mary and Holy Cross in good order. Holy Cross will have special attention in getting ready for Memorial Day. If you can’t come for the entire come, stay as long as you are able. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
Food Pantry Collection
Please bring non-perishable items to Mass May 16/17; we also take up a monetary collection. Thank you for sharing with those who visit The Blessing Box in Elkhart.
Blood Drive
Our Drive is Thursday, May 21, 3:00-7:00pm in the Social Hall. Walk-ins welcome! Each blood donation saves up to three lives and more than 100,000 units of blood are needed yearly. May we count on you to donate blood? It only takes about 30 - 45 minutes from check-in to check-out. Please use this link to find our Drive and sign up to donate: https://www.lifeservebloodcenter.org/donate-blood/. Volunteers and treats are needed the day of the Drive. Contact the Parish Office at bliske@saintmaryhc.org / 515-367-2685 to help out.
Annual Diocesan Appeal
Please prayerfully consider how you can support our Diocese which supports our parish and Father Ross! Every gift, regardless of the size, is vital to the success of reaching our assessment of $47,270. Information has been mailed from Bishop Joensen. Please mail your pledge card and gift directly to the Diocese (check made out to Diocese of Des Moines). You can also donate online, https://www.dmdiocese.org/giving; you will need to choose our parish from the “Designate” dropdown. Thank you for your support!
Opportunity to Assist Your Parish!
Please consider hosting Wine & Cheese after 5:00pm Mass on Saturday, August 1; or hosting Coffee & Donuts after 8:00am Mass at Holy Cross on Sunday, July 5 or August 2 or hosting Coffee & donuts after 10:00am Mass June 7, July 3 or August 2. Please contact Barb at the office to help. bliske@saintmaryhc.org or 515-367-2685, if you have questions or would like to volunteer. Thank you!
History of St. Mary - Holy Cross
As many of you know, we've recently updated our one-hundred-fifty-year history book. We’d now like to take the next step and update the family genealogy records for both churches, with the goal of preserving our church records for future generations. Use this Family Questionnaire that you can use to add new information or update existing records. If you prefer not to include your vital records, simply leave those sections blank. However, if you wish to share your information but maintain privacy, we can keep those details confidential within the database. DEADLINE: July 1, 2026 to have the current information printed into the current 150 year book. There have been numerous errors in the original book so we are cleaning those up for printing after the 1st of July.
Memorial Day
This was established after the Civil War as a means to unify the country with a national day of remembrance. Join us for 10:00am Mass at Holy Cross Church on Monday, May 25. The Maxwell Legion and McKinsey Guard Bagpipers will be present following Mass. Come see our Avenue of Flags and take a self-guided walking tour of the Church and Cemetery.
Help with Avenue of Flags
Could you assist with installing the flags on Saturday, May 23 at 10:00am and/or retiring them Monday, May 25 at 4:00pm? Each session takes 30-35 minutes. For more information, contact Lynn Schreurs, 515-577-8147.
Meal for Family Shelter
Have you ever received a random act of kindness? Pay it forward by helping provide a meal at Catholic Charities Emergency Family Shelter in Des Moines on July 12. One or more families/groups prepare and deliver a meal (about 10 families — up to 34 people) for the shelter in Des Moines. Volunteers can pay for the meal, be reimbursed by the parish, or receive a Gift-In-Kind receipt for a tax deduction. To volunteer or to find out more, contact Stacey Rooney, rooneyslg17@gmail.com or call 515-490-5034.
Work of Our Hands
Members of the Parish who are service providers, hobbyists, or willing to provide their services or goods for a fee or barter are welcomed to join Work Of Our Hands (WOOH). Participants offer their goods and services at a WOOH Festival in the Social Hall. If interested in a discussion about the possibilities for WOOH, please contact Monica Kennebeck-Doyle, kennebeckm@gmail.com / 515-238-4180, or Trish Morris, girardifan@hotmail.com / 515-278-4936.
Blessings Offered
If you would like a blessing for your fields, flocks, pets, house or another blessing, Fr. Parker is more than happy to come to your home for any of these. Please email him for more information at rparker@dmdiocese.org.
Looking For a Way to Become More Involved With Your Parish and Local Community?
Wine & Cheese and Coffee & Donuts: Hosting wine & cheese or coffee & donuts is a great way to meet and get to know other parishioners! If you have not hosted before, we can pair you up with someone who has. Please contact the parish office with questions or if willing to help.
Liturgical Ministers needed: 5:00pm Mass at St. Mary: Altar Servers; 8:00am Mass at Holy Cross: Lectors. 10:00am Mass at St. Mary: Lectors and Ministers of the Eucharist. Please let the office know if you are interested in helping with any of these.
The Blessing Box Food Pantry is seeking volunteers to help box items to distribute to families on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. Please contact Tammi McClain at 515-290-3904 if interested.
Calling All Musicians! We would love to have you join our music ministry to participate during Mass! We are happy to provide training and have you sing or play with mentors. Teenagers welcome! If interested and would like more information, please contact Sue Schmidt, sschmidt@saintmaryhc.org / 515-689-9949.
Thank you for considering these volunteer opportunities!
