Come furry, feathered friends!

Mark your calendars this Sunday for a pet-friendly celebration! Holy Trinity will be the sight of a tri-parish social event on Sunday, October 3 at 4:30 p.m. There will be a pet blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi on the circle drive behind the church. A pet parade will then follow the ceremony along with refreshments afterwards. Holy Trinity will provide walking tacos, St. Mary's will bring cookies and St. Rita parish is providing drinks. Plan to come in your Sunday best...and that goes for the pets, too! There will be a contest for cutest pet/owner look-a-like! Everyone is invited to enjoy this one-of-a-kind event...even if you don't own a pet!

We have a start date!

The Repair and Refresh comittee is happy to announce that the start date for Kevin Autenrieb to begin interior work at Holy Trinity has been set for Monday, September 27! An alternate start date of October 4 has been set in case anything unforseen comes up. The contract will be signed this week so work can commence as soon as possible. Kevin's plans are to plaster and prime the walls first, and then he will present the congregation with various paint options after mass one Sunday. That date will be announced at a later time so all parishioners can be sure to attend. The painting is scheduled as an 8 week project. As major work begins, it is still very important to keep donating to this project!

Also, the R & R committee recently held their monthly meeting on September 15. Here are some of the highlights:
1. The Chuck Wagon is no longer in operation. It has made a profit of $2,844 with expenses still pending.
2. A Pulled Pork Dinner has been scheduled for October 16 from 5-7 p.m. Meals will cost $8 for adults and $5 for chidren under 10 and free for children under 5 years old. Stay tuned to the blog for more information.
3. Travis Norville has started on 2 more Stations. There are still 2 more stations that need to be sanded and primed for Travis before he can begin painting them.
4. Bids are still out for window repair and tuck-point work on the church foundation.
5. Appropriate lighting is being discussed for all the changes around the Altar of Sacrifice, Reredos, and statues in the Sanctuary--which will require moving or adding additional electrical wiring.

There are many up and coming events planned at Holy Trinity. Keep checking the blog for all the latest information!

Chuck Wagon moved to Stonington

The Holy Trinity Chuck Wagon switched Saturday locations. Instead of setting up shop at the Farmer's Market in Taylorville, the Wagon took it even more local to Stonington and fed the villagers lunch on September 11. Deciding on chips, Mary Curtin took an order from a hungry traveler.

The Chuck Wagon was set up outside of the Fire Station in hopes to get business from the farmers taking grain to the elevator. Unfortunately, weather caused the farmers to stay out of the fields in the morning. But other hungry patrons still made it out. Anita Myers serves lunch to workers from J May Electric.

Bev Henn takes money from another customer. The Chuck Wagon served up hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, cookies, chips and drinks last Saturday.

Brian Henn, Kathy Callen, and Anita Myers prepare a sandwich in Stonington. The Chuck Wagon will be in operation on selected dates in Stonington outside the Fire Station. Check the blog regularly for dates and times!

St. Francis' Pet Parade

In honor of the feast day of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of animals, Holy Trinity has teamed up with St. Mary's of Taylorville and St. Rita's of Kincaid for a special pet blessing on Sunday, October 3 at Stonington. The ceremony will start outside the hall at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and parishioners from all 3 churches are encouraged to bring along their pets for a special animal service. Fr. Hunter will hold a small ceremony and pet blessing for the animals. A pet parade around Holy Trinity will then follow. St. Mary's and St. Rita's are graciously providing food, such as Walking Taco's, and drinks for the gathering. The celebration should last around an hour and a half. Everyone attending should feel free to linger with your pets afterwards for a time of fellowship and fun! This special service and blessing will be a great family and church community event!

R & R updates...

Holy Trinity is about ready to get its much anticipated face lift! Kevin Autenrieb's estimated start date is mid-September for major interior work. The contract has yet to be signed still, but as soon as it is, the R & R committee hopes to get an accurate estimate of the work from him.

Here are a few updates of happenings/changes and events that are slated to occur with the R & R fundraiser:

1. Nancy Mateer has the name and number for a company that provides the filling and vinyl for kneelers. Pat Beck, who has volunteered to repair all of the kneelers, will begin work on those soon.

2. There will be a Harvest Lunch on Saturday, September 11 at the Stonington Firehouse. This lunch is open to the public and will feature pulled pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies and drinks. (NOTE: The Chuck Wagon will no longer be serving at the Farmer's Market at Taylorville.)

3. Bases will be needed to raise the St. Mary and St. Joseph statue to fit properly inside their alcoves. It has also been decided that the alcoves should have some subdued lighting fixtures to showcase them.

4. New kitchen windows will be installed in the basement by Tim Parks of Glacier Hills Construction.

5. A Halloween breakfast is being planned for Sunday, October 31 from 7:30 to 11 a.m. at the Hall. The Altar and Rosary Society is planning the event with all proceeds benefitting the R & R fund.

Keep checking the blog regularly to see pictures and descriptions of work as soon as Kevin Autenrieb begins!