May

Free retreat planned at Missoula parish
St. Francis Xavier Retreat Ministries of Missoula is offering a free three-day directed retreat May 29-31, based on St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. The schedule will be 5-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, all at St. Francis church. For an application, call Ann at the parish office, 406-542-0321 ext. 106, or go to the office at 420 W. Pine. Deadline for applying is May 22. Space is limited.

June

Latin Mass continues at Frenchtown parish
Sunday, June 7, is the next date for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy of the Mass (according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal and as permitted by Pope Benedict XVI in Summorum Pontificum) at St. John the Baptist Church in Frenchtown. Mass will begin at 11 a.m. Confessions are scheduled at 10 a.m. and the rosary will be prayed at 10:30 a.m.

Engaged Encounter offers four weekend programs
Engaged Encounter, a marriage preparation program for engaged couples, is planning four more weekends for engaged couples throughout this year. Coming weekends include June 5-7 in Great Falls, Sept. 18-20 in Kalispell, Oct. 2-4 in Butte and Oct. 16-18 in Great Falls.

For information and registration, couples should contact a registration couple in the area where they wish to attend: Jerry and Maureen LaChere, 594-1780 in Butte; Bob and Vickie Williamson, 727-5507 in Great Falls, and Stan and Margie Smith, 756-5848 in Kalispell.

Couples are encouraged to make a weekend one to six months before their wedding date. Non-Catholics are welcome. Engaged Encounter helps them to communicate effectively in marriage and to prepare for marriage, not just a wedding celebration.

Annual video contest open to college students
Deadline for entries to the Christophers’ 22nd annual Video Contest for College Students is June 8. This year’s competition challenges students to interpret the theme, “One Person Can Make a Difference,” in a film of five minutes or less. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 will be awarded, including a first prize of $3,000. Past winning films have included narratives, documentaries, animation and even music videos.

It is open to students currently in undergraduate or graduate programs at colleges or universities worldwide. Entries will be judged on overall impact, effectiveness in conveying theme, artistic merit and technical proficiency. Winners will be announced in September.

Entry forms are available by writing to: College Video Contest, The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; by calling the Youth Department at 212-759-4008; or online at www.christophers.org/videocontest.

The Christophers use print and electronic media to encourage individuals to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world. Their motto is: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Daughters of Isabella convention set in June
The Daughters of Isabella 70th state convention, hosted by Our Lady of Victory Circle 512, will be held June 12-14 at St. Ann’s Parish Hall, 2100 Farragut St. in Butte. The theme is “Christ Our Hope – in Christ We Are Saved.” The agenda includes civic and business sessions, a Memorial Mass, Hawaiian buffet, a tour of the Butte Mining Museum, a Saturday banquet and Sunday Mass.

For registration, call Linda Heard at 406-723-4258, or contact her at 1950 Howard Ave., Butte, MT 59701.

Catholic Women to meet in Kalispell June 26-28
The Helena Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold their 2009 convention in Kalispell this June 26, 27 and 28. The HDCCW is blessed to have two special speakers. Karen Hurley, the keynote speaker, is president of the World Union of Catholic Women, and Mary Frances Thompson is director of the Portland (Oregon) Province; the Helena Diocese is a part of it.

The convention will begin Friday evening, June 26. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and women are asked to dress in a costume of their favorite era. Saturday’s schedule will begin with a continental breakfast, and the evening will end with a banquet. All Catholic women are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity to renew old friendships and make new ones. Consider sharing your faith and beliefs with other Catholic women.

Spend a week with Benedictine Sisters
Could God be calling you to the monastic way of life? Single Catholic women ages 21-45 are invited to spend a week with the Benedictine Sisters of Duluth, Minn., in June, July or August. Celebrate the Eucharist and pray the Liturgy of the Hours with the Sisters. Share meals, work and leisure with them, and spend time in discernment. Room and board are provided at no cost or obligation. They will work with individual schedules. Contact Sister Mary Catherine OSB (218) 723-6646; St. Scholastica Monastery, 1001 Kenwood Ave., Duluth MN 55811; e-mail mcshambour@duluthosb.org Visit their website at www.duluthbenedictines.org

July

Wyoming CCW plans retreat for families
Father Benedict Groeschel, a Franciscan friar, will present a three-day retreat July 3-5 at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Casper, Wyo. He is a popular retreat director, teacher, book author and host of several series on EWTN. The Wyoming Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring the weekend.

A spiritual book exchange is planned.

Mail registration is $75 for one person or $150 per family. It can be mailed to WCCW Retreat, P.O. Box 3685, Gillette, WY 82717, with payment, before June 29. For more information, contact wccwretreat@vcn.com, or call 307-686-0588, or 307-263-4039.

August

Alumni sought for Catholic school reunion
St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Ephrata, Wash., will celebrate its 50th anniversary Aug. 1. Organizers are looking for alumni, parents, faculty and staff from the last five decades. Please contact Natalie Claussen at 509-754-9457, or send e-mail to claussen@donobi.net. More information is available on the school website, www.saintroseschool.org.

Ongoing

Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites
St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, is a local group of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) located in Butte. Presently, members come from Helena, Bozeman, Belgrade and Butte. Secular Carmelites are called to make prayer penetrate their whole existence. Like all vocations within the Church, the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites is a call from God, an invitation. If you desire to learn to pray in a way that fosters a deep friendship with Jesus Christ in faithfulness to his Church, the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites may be worth investigating. The group meets at St. Joseph’s Church, Butte, the third Sunday of the month. For more information, call Melldie Freeman, group leader, 406-494-7949, or Becky Hyle, formation director, 406-494-3892.

Benedictine monastic life
The Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minn., invite single women 21 or older to experience monastic life by living with them and participating in some of their ministries as a Benedictine Associate volunteer for six months to a year or longer. Room and board are provided, plus opportunities to participate in spiritual and educational programs. For more information, contact Sister Grace Marie at (218) 723-5984 or gmbraun@duluthosb.org, or write to St. Scholastica Monastery, 1001 Kenwood Ave., Duluth, MN 55811.

Secular Franciscans meet in Missoula
People who want a deeper experience of Christ and knowledge of the humble and peace-loving traditions of St. Francis of Assisi may contact the Secular Franciscan Order in Missoula. It is a group of Missoula-area married, single and divorced lay people who meet every month in fraternity. A two-year discernment period is required. Meetings begin at 10 a.m. the second Saturday of each month in the Loyola Chapel behind St. Anthony’s parish center. For more information, contact Joe Korona at 549-4239.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 25, No. 5, May 15, 2009.