On March 3rd, the light is on for you! On that day, confessions will be held throughout the Diocese of Sioux City. Fr. McCarthy will be in the Sacred Heart Church confessional from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, and Fr. Ball will hear confessions after the 5:30 Mass at St. Mary's Mapleton until 7:00 PM.

This year, Bishop Keehner especially encourages those who have fallen away from the practice of the faith or those who are on the fringes of practicing their faith to take advantage of this opportunity and experience God's unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness.

On Thursday evening, Fr. Ball will have daily Mass at 6:30 PM in St. Mary's Danbury Church and Fr. McCarthy will join to hear confessions. It will be a great opportunity to prepare for an awesome Easter early!

God bless,

Fr. McCarthy.

On Sunday, March 1st after Mass there will be a coffee social in conjunction with the "Walk Through the Mass” presentation luncheon. Please come join us!!!

Sacred Heart Women of Faith Group will have their Bake Sale on Sunday, March 1st with the proceeds going to the SH Women's Group.

Those who attended the speaker night during Eucharistic Rosary Congress last Fall might remember Julie. Julie talked with us about how to listen for God's voice in our lives and more.

Julie will be coming back on March 4th, Wednesday evening from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Several grades of the Religious Education classes will be attending as well as the High School Faith Formation class. We are opening it up to the whole parish as well. If you want to know more about hearing God's voice and the ways he communicates with us be sure to mark your calendar to attend Julie's next session.

The Knights of Ida Grove will be helping all to have a great meal without meat during Lent. They will hold their fish fry meals on March 6th and March 20th.

Danbury Catholic Elementary School will be holding preschool and kindergarten round-ups in March.

The round-up for 3-year old preschool will be held on Wednesday, March 18th. Please call or email to set up an appointment.

Kindergarten round-up will be held from 8:30 until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 20th.

Four-year old preschool round-up will be held on Friday, March 20th from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Questions? Want to set up an appointment for 3-year old round-up? Please call Ms. Fiedler at 712-883-2244 or email her at mfiedler@danburycatholic.org.

Pre-registration for all grades is now available at www.danburycatholic.org.

Danbury Catholic is looking for a PE teacher for the 2026-2027 school year. The position would be fore two partial days per week. Candidates should have a license to teach PE through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners or be able to get one. Please contact Molly Petersen, principal, if you are interested. mpetersen@danburycatholic.org or 712-883-2244.

Danbury Catholic School raised $45,688 in MLTF Scholarships for our students for the next school year! We are so blessed with amazing supporters and can't wait for our families to be blessed with these scholarships!

Paired with the ESA through the state of Iowa, this can fully cover tuition for families. The application window is open through May 1st.

You can find the application link near the top of our website danburycatholic.org in the Applications section or at scdiocese.org/scholarship. The scholarship is open to students age 5 and up

You can learn more about the MLTF Scholarship on the Illuminating Catholics podcast, in the episode from September 9, 2025. This can be found on your podcast app or on YouTube.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Molly Petersen, Principal, at mpetersen@danburycatholic.org.

Danbury Catholic is looking for someone to ride the SRTS bus each afternoon from 3:10-4:30. If you are interested, please reach out to Molly Petersen, principal. mpetersen@danburycatholic.org or 883-2244.

The following petition is available in the entrance of Sacred Heart Church. Please consider signing it.

Petition to OABCIG School Board and Superintendent Alexander:

“We the undersigned residents of the OABCIG School District ask that no school activities be scheduled on Sundays or after 6:00 pm on Wednesday nights as those times are reserved for church activities.”

If you would have had something in church and cannot find it, check out the Lost and Found box in the entryway next to the display of free books, pamphlets, and prayers.

As Lent is fast approaching the Knights of Ida Grove are asking the good ladies of our parish to donate desserts for the fish fries Friday, March 6th and March 20th.

We are looking forward to seeing many wonderful desserts. Thank you.

Adoration is held for an hour every Tuesday after Mass and all day on the 4th Tuesday of each month. Please join us.

The Faith Formation students will lead the Stations of the Cross on Wednesdays during Lent at approximately 6:45 p.m. Please join us!

We will also livestream on the St. Mary’s Danbury Facebook page.

Do you enjoy a little treat after Mass once a month? Are you willing to make a donation to keep these treats coming?

If you would like to donate towards Sweeet Saturdays, please contact Lynn Buth at 893-2160 or 840-0327.

Plan now to attend the Stations of the Cross will be in Mapleton at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays during Lent - March 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th.

Want to help the financially challenged but not sure how? Baskets can be found at the church entrances for non-perishable items. These will be given to the Mapleton Food Pantry to help those in need of a little boost with their groceries and paper products.

St. Mary’s Mapleton is always open during the day to give you a place to get away from everyday distractions to pray and listen to God. However, not all doors will be open each day.

When there is NO daily mass, only the north door will be unlocked from about 8am - 5pm unless a special request has been made (i.e: someone needs the lift).

Please join the Catholic Daughters of America Holy Rosary #1602 of Anthon at Trivia With the CDA. Test your knowledge while supporting the CDA. Proceeds will be used for things like scholarships, events, and local shelters.

The event will be held on Saturday, February 28th at the Anthon Events Center. Doors open at 6:15, and trivia begins at 6:30. The cost is $120 per table of up to 6 people. Price includes a meal. Spectators are welcome! We ask for a free will donation for the meal and to watch. Cash prizes for the top 2 teams and the best team name.

In the next edition of LumeNotes, we have coverage of the Rite of Election with Bishop Keehner, Catholic Charities’ grand opening of Angeline’s Wing for children and families, White Collar bourbon created to give a nod to parish history and support Garrigan Schools, Salix St. Joseph to celebrate 100 years, call for nominations for education awards. As always, see our list list of parish, school and diocesan events, area news, school news, photos, and the Illuminating Catholics podcast. Subscribe for free at news@scdiocese.org or text Notes to 84576. Check your account to switch to text delivery!

Dr. Ray Guarendi, host of the popular The Doctor is In on EWTN stations is our guest for this week’s podcast. He talks about his work in broadcast and gives us a preview of his keynote presentations at the upcoming March 21 Men’s Conference (register at www.scdiocese.org/mensconference). Listen wherever you get your podcasts, on the Diocese of Sioux City YouTube channel or at https://www.lumenmedia. org/illuminating-catholics-podcast.

Married Couples: A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is like Springtime. It’s a weekend of fresh air, the rebirth of romance and new beginnings. If you’d like to make your marriage even more special than it already is sign up now at wwme.org or call Greg & Denise at 563-920-9419 or sign up at wwme.org. Upcoming dates: April 10-12 in Marshalltown and October 9-11 in Epworth.

Loving and generous God, you called the prophets to bring your word to your chosen people. Your Son, Jesus, called the first disciples to be bold proclaimers of the good news.

In the modern world, you continue to call your sons and daughters to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life. Calm the chaos and soothe the sounds of our world, and allow more to hear your soft voice calling them to pick up their cross and follow.

May the Holy Spirit fall upon your church in a profound way, so that we may experience a tremendous harvest of grace. May vocations increase ever abundantly and may your church stand as a witness to the world of the good news of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Writing a check? Remember: When writing a check for your contribution, please make your check payable to St. Therese of Lisieux Parish.

Online Giving: Online Giving is available to all parishioners. To give online, go to https://www.osvhub.com/herlittleway/giving/funds. Select the fund to where you want your contribution to be credited. Enter your account and bank information. Enter the amount you want to give.

For all donations (including grain) to the parish: Please make checks payable to St. Therese of Lisieux Parish.

For donations (including grain) to Danbury Catholic School: Please make checks payable to Danbury Catholic School.

The ongoing financial support of our parish is always appreciated. Thank you!

Can’t make it to Mass? Please to continue to support your parish by mailing your contributions:

Please like and share our Facebook page.

Sacred Heart, Ida Grove - https://www.facebook.com/sacredheartidagrove

St. Mary's, Mapleton - https://www.facebook.com/stmarysmapleton

St. Mary's, Danbury - https://www.facebook.com/StMarysDanburyIowa

Please call Father Bill to make an appointment to do Baptismal preparation and to set a date.

Anytime by appointment in any of the three parishes.

Danbury & Mapleton: Thirty (30) minutes prior to weekend Masses.

Ida Grove: Tuesday and Thursday before and after daily Mass.

If you or a family member is sick, facing surgery, or in the hospital, please contact Fr. McCarthy immediately for visits and to be anointed with the Sacrament by Fr. McCarthy. Also, when one leaves the hospital, please notify Father; this assists him to continue his care for the sick.

Planning a wedding? Contact Fr. William McCarthy a minimum of nine months prior to the wedding date to ensure all diocesan requirements are completed.

Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays. Send info to danigmapbulletin@gmail.com or call Lynn at 712‑893‑2160.

We welcome you into God’s family! If you are interested in learning more about our church, or would like to join, please contact the rectory of your city of residence to register as a new member or if you have change of address or telephone number.

To have a name added to this unpublished list/tree, please contact the following:

Danbury - Pat Brouillette at 880‑0519

Ida Grove - Sherry Hittle at 371‑2070

Mapleton - Pat Sullivan at 881‑2420 or Marilyn Seuntjens at 253‑0603