In the Spotlight!

Other upcoming events/activities!

Faith Formation Registration—Due September 1st
Registration packets for preschool through grade 12 were recently mailed.  Be sure to submit registration materials no later than September 1st, and your family will receive an early bird discount of $15.00!  Children in both public and parochial schools are encouraged to register for our faith formation programs.

Senior Mass & Lunch—September 8th
Our next monthly Mass, followed by a hot lunch in the social hall, will be at noon Wednesday, September 8th.
The Senior Club Board has decided to keep the lunch cost at $3.00. Bingo will follow lunch.
Please call either John (612-866-7455), Rita (612-866-8834) or Dick (612-869-0928) for reservations
by Monday, September 6th. 
It is important that you make a reservation so we know how much food to prepare.

VIRTUS Training, September 13th
Help protect vulnerable children and adults at St. Peter’s.  Attend a VIRTUS session and learn the warning signs of sexual offenders.  All parishioners and parents who plan to volunteer with children or vulnerable adults must be VIRTUS-trained.  (If you’ve attended a VIRTUS training in the past, you do not need to attend the training again.)  VIRTUS training sessions are free and conveniently located throughout the metro area. The following sessions are currently accepting registrations:
September 11
St. Stephen’s in Minneapolis, 10:30 AM (Spanish)
September 13
St. Peter’s Church (Blessed Trinity Nicollet Campus), 6:00 PM (English)
September 14
Academy of Holy Angels, 6:00 PM (English)

Pro-Life Evening—All Are Welcome!
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) is sponsoring a Pro-Life Evening
on Wednesday, September 29th,  at 7:00 PM  at St. Peter’s Church.
You will learn about how to help pregnant women in need and be presented with the facts of abortion,
stem cell research and more. Learn how you can make a difference in protecting innocent human life.
Enjoy fellowship and refreshments at this free gathering! For more information visit www.mccl.org.

Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Effort
Decisions to be Announced October 16/17
There are several types of changes which are possible in parishes and schools as a result of the archdiocesan planning process decisions announced by the Archbishop this fall. Changes will be announced at weekend Masses on October 16th and 17th, 2010. As we move forward, all parishes and schools will be expected to increase collaboration with other parishes and/or schools as well as regularly evaluate resources and adjust accordingly. Find out more about the archdiocesan planning process by visiting  http://planning.archspm.org.
You may also leave a comment on the planning process voicemail hotline at 651.291.4435.

Fall Day—Out on October 20th
Seniors—if you have a reservation for the Senior Club “Fall Day-Out” on Wednesday, October 20th
to go to Fanny Hill Dinner Theater in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to see the play On Golden Pond
plan to pay for the trip at the seniors’ lunch on September 8th.
Cost is $48.00 which pays for bus, play and complete lunch including tax and tip.

Pete’s Boutique—October 30th
Pete’s Boutique craft show will be Saturday, October 30th, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. 
Vendors will be charged $40 per table/space. 
Table registration forms are due Monday, September 13.

Long Range Planning, 2010
St. Peter’s parish has ranked, in order of priority, the long range goals for the next four years!  Thanks to everyone who filled out a ranking sheet.  Of course, our intention is to accomplish every single goal, but we can’t work on all of them at once.  By prioritizing them, though, we will be able to hit the ground running!
Click to view the LRP survey results.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
RCIA is a process of instruction in the Catholic faith for adults interested in receiving the sacraments
of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  Inquiry classes will begin in September. 
To learn more about the process, call Father Tony VanderLoop at 612-866-5089.

Pastoral Ministry
If you or someone you know is sick, hospitalized, homebound or has recently entered a nursing center or assisted living, please inform Sister Rita at the parish office.  We want to extend care to as many as possible, but need your help indentifying those in need.

Enrollment Open to the Public
Families who are new to Blessed Trinity Catholic School and would like to enroll for the 2010-2011 school year are welcome to do so anytime.  To schedule a private tour of the Penn Campus for preschool through grade 3, call 612-866-6906.  To schedule a private tour of the Nicollet Campus for grades 4-8, call 612-869-5200.  Or send an email message to Principal Sue Kerr.  We want your child or grandchild at our parish school!

Catholic Services Appeal 2010
Your gift to the 2010 Catholic Services Appeal reaches out to the countless people in need throughout our Archdiocese.  No matter where you turn, you find someone who will benefit from your kindness.  Please consider pledging your support to this worthwhile endeavor.  A video was played at all St. Peter's Masses the weekend of Feb. 6/7, and featured, among other things, Blessed Trinity Catholic School!  To view it, click here.

Giving Goes Green
Churches, with their heavy check volumes, were among the earliest organizations to embrace electronic giving as a way to automate contributions.  Today, electronic giving in all its forms provides convenience for frequent check writers and donation consistency for churches.  A less frequently discussed benefit of electronic giving is its positive impact on the environment.  An enormous amount of natural resources are consumed in the production, transportation, processing and disposal of paper checks.  Since the year 2000, the powerful trend toward electronic payments has already produced more than a 50 percent decline in check use.  If you are interested in setting up automatic withdrawal of your donations to St. Peter’s Church, please contact Patti DeMay at 612-767-1782, or print the Auto Withdrawal form and submit it to the parish office or via the collection basket.

Cash Back Checking with M&I Bank, Richfield
Open an M&I Cash Back Checking account in Richfield, and not only will you receive $50 in cash, but Blessed Trinity Catholic School will receive a $25 donation!  With M&I Cash Back Checking you can earn cash back when you use your M&I Bank Check Card for qualifying purchases at stores, gas stations and hundreds of other places.  You can also earn cash back when you pay bills with M&I Online Banking, make deposits and get your bank statements online.  Learn more by contacting M&I Bank in Richfield at 612-798-3379.  Reference promotion code 10600069.

Blessed Trinity Magazine Drive
Blessed Trinity Catholic School families must fundraise $115,000 again school year. 
It will prove especially challenging because of reduced enrollment. 
If you receive magazine orders, consider going on-line to renew your subscriptions. 
Blessed Trinity keeps 40% of the purchase price.
Visit to www.gafundraising.com  
Click “On-line store!  Open 24 hours a day” found on the upper left
Enter 523167 and click “Go”
Enter “Parishioner” and “St. Peter’s” or a student’s first and last name
Click “Let’s Go Shopping” arrow

St. Peter's Shuttle Bus
Beginning in October, a bus will stop at several Richfield residence buildings on the third Sunday of the month so residents may attend our 9:00 AM Mass.  Click here for more information.

31-Day Vocations Club
All parishioners are encouraged to pray regularly for all religious vocations—priests, deacons, sisters, brothers, married and single life—by joining the parish’s 31-Day Club. It’s easy—no dues, no fees, no meetings!  Just call either Jerry (612-798-5024) or Dick (612-869-0928) and select one date in the month to pray for vocations.  Choose a date that is easy to remember, like your birth date.  Every month, on the date you select, you only need to pray the vocation prayer at least once on that date.  So join the club! And join your fellow parishioners in storming Heaven with prayers from Saint Peter’s parish for religious vocations!

Are you an alum of St. Peter's School?
If you are an alum of one of the Richfield parish grade schools, we want to add you to Blessed Trinity's alumni list. The list is used to organize class reunions and to keep alumni aware of what’s happening at their alma mater. E-mail your name (include address, phone number, and graduation year, if known) to alumni@btcsmn.org. Include any classmate names that you can recall. If possible, drop off or email any class photos you may have. Click to read Blessed Trinity Catholic School's alumni newsletter, Spirited Perspectives.

Still a Member of St. Peter’s Church?
Please call our automated phone line at 612-767-1780 or email stpeters@stpetersrichfield.org if you no longer consider yourself a member of St. Peter’s parish and no longer wish to receive mailings or envelopes from us.  It is important that our roster accurately reflect our active membership.  Thanks so much!