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.