Gentleman, START YOUR ENGINES!!

Reserve your spot NOW for an unbelievable racing experience. On Wednesday, November 25, (the night before Thanksgiving) we have secured the racetrack at Chicago Indoor Racing in Addison.

Click on this link to check out the action: http://chicagoindoorracing.com/

We are leaving from the Moose Lodge at 5:45 sharp. Transportation will be provided. We need to be in Addison at 6:30 for our training with live racing to follow. Points will be accumulated and winners will be crowned.

The cost will be somewhere around $60-$70 per man, pending total number of racers. We should be back at the Moose around 10:30 p.m., where the band Hindsight will be playing.

PICTURES OF EVENT

Are You Ready for Some Football!!

Let's "break in" the new TV in the Gathering Room.

This Sunday night the Bears take on the Falcons on Football Night in America. What a perfect opportunity to get the men together to do a little indoor tailgate and watch the beloved Bears.

Here are the Details;

--Doors to the Gathering Room will open at 6:00 p.m.

--(Please remember there is also Mass at 6.)

--We will have a set or two of bags, a couple decks of cards, and some squares.

--Snacks and beverages will be provided and a pizza order placed after the 1st quarter

We look forward to seeing you all there and don't forget to grab your neighbors and friends for a fun night of football as we watch the Bears pound the Falcons!

Pictures and Recap from Golf Outing at Ruffled Feathers

Here are photos taken throughout the day at the Golf Outing, thanks to Art Durham. We would also like to thank Miles Boone Photography for providing all the foursomes with their own group photos.

In regards to the outing, the rain actually stopped around 1:00 and we didn't feel another drop until everyone was playing their last hole of the day. The winning team of Fisher, O'Leary, and Matthews ended up 15 under to take home the crown, with 2 other groups tied at -13. After golfing was over everyone met and socialized in the Fairway Room. We ate, drank, and raffled off a number of prizes including golf clubs, dinners, and 4-some at Ruffled Feathers. Despite the rainy, overcast day the event was a huge success raising well over $10,000.

We would like to thank all of the golfers, volunteers, and sponsors who made this such a great event. We look forward to doing it again next year (in warmer, sunnier, and drier conditions) and we look forward to seeing all of you there!!!

Bags Tournament at the Picnic

Once again, this years picnic will be host to the

"Bags Championship of St. Marys".

Last year was a great success with Michael & Renee Malloy capturing the crown with a solid performance from start to finish. Who will challenge the Malloys this year????

Get signed up early so you are assured a spot. We will be registering 16 teams of two on a first come, first served basis. We look forward to seeing you there.

The entry fee is $10.00 per team with a prize being awarded to the winners.

2009 Golf Outing at Ruffled Feathers

St. Marys Men's Group is very excited to be involved this year with the annual golf outing. The event will be held on Thursday, August 27th at Ruffled Feathers in Lemont. Ruffled Feathers is a highly acclaimed course with "First Class" amenities. One of St. Marys' own is responsible for organizing and running these events and they are looking forward to having us.

We will have a 4-person scramble with a shotgun start at 1:30 pm, followed by drinks and appetizers in the Fairway Room.
Everyone in the parish is invited and we hope you will bring lots of friends.

The registration fee is only $130.00 per golfer, same as last year.

We plan on having prizes for the top teams including longest drive and closest to the pin. There will be a raffle with a wide variety of prizes including a 50/50 raffle that will take place after we are through golfing.

Online registration is Closed.

Please call 847-366-9781 if you are still interested in playing.

Make sure to get your checks in for yourself or your foursome. We are limited in the number of golfers and this is sure to fill up fast.

If you would like to participate but don't golf, don't worry, we are looking for volunteers to help with the event and partake in all the "non-golf" festivities.

Here is the link to go directly to Ruffled Feathers for a preview of the outing;

http://www.ruffledfeathersgc.com/

Mens Group Gift for Father Ernie's 25th

SMG Mens' Group continues to enhance Church grounds. Proceeds from the Hold'em Tournament were used to purchase some desperately needed landscaping for the parking lot entry. Oakley Home Builders provided the labor, additional plants and mulch to complete the project. (Thanks Steve)

Tomorrow is Father Ernie's 25th celebratory mass and reception. The festivities start at 6 p.m.

I look forward to seeing you there.

2009 SMG Hold'em Champ

Well, here he is, Mr. Chris Mackenna, the man to beat at our next Hold'em Tournament. Chris having dwindled down to a measly 3 chips made a stretch run that 'Mine that Bird' would have been proud of!! Taking down a number of tenacious card players that included the likes of the "Grim Reaper", Johnny "don't know when to fold em" Denk, and of course Father John. Mike Budzynski made a valiant effort but fell just short to claim 2nd Place.

A fun time was had by all and thanks to the winners we were able to make a sizeable deposit into the Mens Group bank account.
Thanks again to all of those who helped put the event together. We look forward to dethroning the champ in the fall.

Spread the "Mulch"

Saturday, May 16th between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. we will be spreading Mulch donated by Vidito Tree Service around the Church grounds and garden.

Basically, all we will need are wheel barrels (let me know if you have one to lend), shovels and rakes. Saturdays are busy days for all of us, especially with kids and their activities, but if you could donate an hour or two of your time, it would help tremendously. We promise to be organized and make good use of your time.

There is one added benefit besides that feeling of accomplishment to volunteering time during the day on Saturday...

Doing some manual labor around Church should pave the way for an evening of cards and camaraderie, later in the Gathering Place. Our Hold'em Tournament begins at 7:00 p.m.

Please e-mail: btbobbitt@yahoo.com and let me know what times you are available to help.

St Marys of Gostyn Hold'em Tournament

Shuffle up and deal!!!!!!!!!


St. Marys Mens Group will be hosting our inaugural Texas Hold'em Tournament on May 16th at 7:00 pm in the Gathering Place. We will have a No Limit tournament to get the night started, with an entry fee of $ 30.00. After a Champion has been crowned, or you have been eliminated from the tournament, there will be other tables set up for guys to continue to play poker.

As far as food and beverages go, we will have coolers with ice for you to bring your favorite beverage, (we have Father Ernies blessing). We will also have snacks and sandwiches to munch on throughout the night.

Whether you love to play cards, are interested in learning, or just looking for a fun night out with the fellas, this should be a good time.



We will need a count ahead of time to assure we have enough chips, tables, sandwiches, etc.
Please let me know if you can make it, and if you are bringing anyone.

You are welcome to bring family, friends, and neighbors.

St. Mary of Gostyn Men's Group
Your Services Are Requested


Thank you to all who attended last Thursday's outing at the Brickhouse. We had a great turnout which included Father Ernie, who is very excited about the men of the Parish spending time together. It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends you haven't seen all winter and get to know some other men in the Parish.





The objectives of the Men's Group are to involve the men in social, spiritual, and service activities within the Parish. As more of us participate, continue to get involved and contribute our time, effort, and individual skills there is no limit to what this group will be able to accomplish.

At Mass this past Sunday, Fr. Ernie discussed the current financial status of St. Mary of Gostyn, specifically the $60,000 deficit in the budget. The Men's Group war chest is a little short of that amount at this time, (we hope that down the road this could be an option).

That being said there are things we can do besides digging into our shallow pockets. The Parish has a list of several projects that need to be completed, many of which will require hiring and paying trained professionals. However, there are many projects that can be completed by our group if we contribute our time and energy.



The first project we have elected to tackle is the retaining wall on the West side of the Church and address some minor landscaping issues around the Church grounds. One of our parishoners is a professional landscaper, Sean Greaney, and is kind enough to assist us through this process. All we need to do is provide most of the manpower.

We have scheduled this work to happen on Saturday, April 18th.
We plan to start the project at 8:00am and will be looking for all the help we can round up. Please take a look at your calendars and set some time aside that day to participate in Church in a different kind of way.

This promises to be a rewarding and fun experience. The more volunteers we have the less of a burden on the group as a whole and the more fun we will all have!

If you are able to participate please contact Bill Bobbitt at btbobbitt@yahoo.com or cell phone 847-366-9781.

Thanks in advance for your consideration to assist in this endeavor.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME...COLLEGE BASKETBALL?

Let's get together for opening night of the tourney, Thursday March 18th at 6:00p.m.


Why: Because you can never watch enough college basketball.

Plus, it is a great excuse to get out of the house, hang out with some St. Mary's guys, talk about sports, root on your favorite team, and just have a good time.

Where:
Brick House Tavern + Tap
1461 Butterfield Rd.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(Close to Finley and Butterfield Rds. - in the building that was formerly Joe's Crab Shack)


When: Thursday, March 18th - anytime after 5:00pm

Send a link to any one else who might be interested.

Hope to see you there.

Come watch the Madness

March Madness that is.

Proposed venue; the Brickhouse Restaurant

Date;

Time; to follow.