St. Mary’s Guild Mission Statement

 

St. Mary's Women's Guild will act to support and empower all parish women in spirituality, leadership and service. Our Guild programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world.

 

 

Purpose of St. Mary’s Guild

 

The purpose of St. Mary's Guild is to provide both time and financial resources to support our parish and Milaca area community needs and to foster community involvement.

 

 

Projects of St. Mary's Guild

 

Members and Chairpersons ~ All ladies of the parish are automatically members of St. Mary's Guild. The Guild has three groups referred to as "Circles." Each Circle is assigned two or three chairpersons, in addition to one shared chairperson, and they are responsible for organizing the assigned events for their Circle. Such responsibilities include:  finding volunteers for various activities, calling ladies to donate baked goods, calling new members in Circles and welcoming them, attending Guild meetings, etc.

 

 

St. Mary's Guild Meetings ~ Guild meetings are held on the second Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. A Guild Christmas party, with a potluck meal and games, is held in January.

 

 

Mother-Daughter Banquet ~ The Guild sponsors a Mother-Daughter Banquet in February, March or April. The Officers and Circle Chairpersons of the Guild organize this event complete with a meal and entertainment, and all Circles are assigned a job for the banquet. This has turned into the social event of the year and is looked forward to by many. It is not a profit-making event. All ladies are welcome to attend, regardless if they have someone to bring or not.

 

 

Senior Class Banquet ~ Each May the Guild, along with St. Louis Church in Foreston, financially sponsors a Senior Class Banquet for that year’s high school graduates of St. Mary’s and St. Louis parishes and their immediate families. The location of the banquet alternates yearly between St. Mary’s and St. Louis. The Banquet is usually held on the Saturday or Sunday between Mother's Day and the Memorial Day weekend. It begins with the Senior Class Mass and is followed by a brunch or dinner. This is the Guild’s way of saying "Congratulations!" The Banquet is the responsibility of the junior class members and their parents to prepare and host. St. Mary’s has a coordinator who will work with the junior families to plan this event. The Guild suggests that the juniors and their parents have a meeting with the coordinator in the first part of April to discuss the banquet; determine the caterer, decorations, find a guest speaker and purchase gifts for the seniors. The parish that hosts the banquet pays for the meal and speaker. The gifts purchased for the seniors are paid for by the two parishes.

 

 

Garage Sale ~ Every year the Guild sponsors a spring and fall Garage Sale in the church hall. It is usually held on a Thursday and Friday, with set-up on Tuesday and Wednesday before the sale. Many volunteers are needed for the different shifts, and coffee and rolls for the workers are provided by the Guild. This event has been very profitable. It is the responsibility of the Circle in charge to organize all aspects of the sale, including: advertising in the newspaper, shopper and the church bulletin, finding workers, making sure that the sale items are organized before and during the sale, and finding a place to take the left-over sale items. A receipt for items donated is available upon request.

 

 

Parish Picnic ~ There is a Parish Picnic for St. Mary’s and St. Louis parishes in August or September. St. Mary’s hosts the picnic every other year. When it’s held at St. Mary’s, the three Circles are each assigned a food category to bring for the potluck meal and are also assigned a job. Some other duties include making coffee and lemonade, organizing and running the bake walk, and finding people to organize bingo, the children’s and adult games, and to buy the prizes for the games. A clean-up crew must also be organized.

 

 

Bake Sale and Raffle ~ In November of each year, the Guild sponsors a Bake Sale and Raffle in conjunction with the Fr. Hennepin Club’s Election Day Supper. This event is held on the first Tuesday of November at the Milaca High School Cafeteria from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. They are fundraisers for the Guild, and the participation of all the ladies is essential for this to be a success. All Guild members are asked to donate $10.00 worth of baked goods which have been pre-marked with a price. A donation of $10.00 will be accepted if you are unable to donate items for the Bake Sale.

 

A raffle drawing is also held at the Election Day Supper, and this is a major fundraiser for the Guild each year. Prizes are donated by St. Mary's parishioners, and everyone in the parish is asked to sell or purchase raffle tickets.

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Sunday Social ~ On the first Sunday of every month following the 8:00 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s, the Guild provides coffee, milk, juice and bakery goods for the Sunday Social. Several families have volunteered to serve and clean-up. The volunteer schedule is posted in the kitchen. The coffee should be started 30 minutes before Mass begins as it takes a full hour to perk a 100 cup pot. Those serving are to see to it that cash donations are given to the office staff. Eileen Paulson coordinates the families serving at the Sunday Social. If you would like to join the rotation to serve at the social, please call Eileen at 983-3412. Mary Ziegler orders and picks up the bakery goods and beverages.

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Milaca Elim Home Service ~ The Chairpersons of one of the three Circles will coordinate workers and dessert items for the social at the Milaca Elim Home on the fourth Wednesday of January, April, July and October. Three ladies are needed to plate the goodies and pour coffee and juice for approximately 60 residents of the home and their guests. The Elim Home staff will serve the goodies and drinks to the residents. The social time is typically from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., but it can vary. Workers should be at the Elim Home a half hour early to set up.  A couple of days before the scheduled day of the social, Circle leaders should call Activities Director (982-8246) for the correct location and time.

 

Suggestions for what to serve:

Plain angel food and plain cake (may have a light glaze, but no frosting), sweet breads, muffins, sugar cookies (not chewy kinds), and lemon bars. No nuts in anything please.

 

 

Christmas Cards ~ Each Christmas the Guild provides a Christmas card to the parishioners of St. Mary’s who are homebound, in a nursing home or assisted living. Other Catholic residents of the Elim Home and Country Meadows are also included. If the person lives at home, the card they receive contains a note saying that a Mass will be said for them. If the person lives in a nursing home or assisted living facility, they receive a note saying a Mass will be said for them and the residents of their facility. Two Circles are assigned a portion of the project to complete, and they can contact the parish office for the names of those to receive the cards. The cards are delivered by Guild members when they are available to visit with the recipient for a few minutes.

 

 

Funeral Luncheons ~ St. Mary's hall is free to all active members of St. Mary's Church for a funeral luncheon. We can comfortably seat and serve 130 people. The food for funeral luncheons is prepared and served by St. Mary's Guild with a standard menu of hamburger hot dish, buns, orange Jell-O or coleslaw, pickles, cake or bars, coffee, milk or water. Cakes or bars are donated by ladies of the Circle whose turn it is to work the funeral. If the family wants sliced meat or any changes in the menu, they can make their request to the parish office at 983-3255.

 

Donations are gratefully accepted in accordance to what each family can afford or wishes to give. A guide to use is that the cost of the meal is approximately $3.00 per person. This service will be provided for any member of our parish, regardless if the family can afford to pay for the luncheon or not.