WELCOME TO HOLY FAMILY & OUR LADY OF FATIMA CATHOLIC CHURCHES
Our parishes are a faith community located in the beautiful northern Minnesota Lakes Region in Aitkin County. We are within the Duluth, MN Diocese (about 60 miles west of Duluth), the gateway to the great “up north” – and we love having visitors!
If you visit our area, please come and join us in worship - maybe you’ll even be there on a day when we have fresh coffee and caramel rolls after Mass!
During the winter months many of our parishioners “fly” South for the warmer climate – but many of us stay to enjoy our glorious winter beauty and fun in the snow sports. During summer months our numbers “swell” again as the “Snowbirds” return, along with the many friends and travelers to our beautiful and peaceful land of lakes and pines.
The goal of the site is to help you learn more about us, our faith, and the McGregor and McGrath areas.
Please visit us often to view updates!
Special Announcements
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mass at Holy Family:
Sundays at 8 a.m.
Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m.
Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel:
Sundays at 10 a.m.
Most Tuesdays Father Mike will be at Holy Family from 5:30-6:30/7 pm for confessions/counseling. He will not be at Holy Family on Tuesday, March 28th in the evening.
Stations of the Cross during Lent
Thursdays at 5 pm at Holy Family
Hallow app Free During Lent
Due to a generous CREED grant, we are able to offer ALL the people in our parishes in the Diocese of Duluth access to the Hallow app for all of Lent! If you’re not familiar with the Hallow app, it is a fantastic resource that allows people to be guided in prayer, learn how to pray, learn more about their faith, and listen to beautiful music all right from their phone! They have so many beautiful meditations, reflections, prayers, and more. Check it out here: Hallow – The #1 Catholic Meditation, Prayer & Sleep App.
To sign up, go to: Holy Day Package – Hallow and register with your parish name. All of our parishes have already been added to the site!
The Little Black Book – Six-minute meditations on the Passion according to Matthew
These books are available at each parish for you to use during Lent.
Duluth Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Spring Convention-April 26, 2023
Click here for more information/registration form: CCW Spring Convention 2023
Holy Family Vocation Chalice
Here is more information about the Vocations Chalice: Vocations Chalice history
Sign up to host the Vocations Chalice in your home for a week and pray for more vocations to come from Holy Family.
Pastoral Letter from Bishop Daniel Felton Dec 2022
Capital Thursdays/First Friday Adoration/The Catholic Advocacy Network
Click on the link below to see more information about Catholics at the Capital, mncatholic.org and their events: Capital Thursdays, First Friday Adorations (Adoration at the capital in the Governor’s dining room from 9 am – 4 pm), and The Catholic Advocacy Network.
Men’s Group – All men welcome
Holy Family Men’s group meet on the first and third Fridays of the month at 8 a.m. in the social hall. All men are invited and welcome to be a part of this group.
Scam Alert Notice
Hackers have once again started targeting the public with emails and texts, posing as priests, asking for money or personal information. Please be aware of these phishing (fake) emails. Please contact the parish office if you have any questions or need confirmation that it was sent to you, even if it says it is a secret. Thank you!
CCW
Here is the March 2022 issue of The Hinge (Duluth Diocesan Council of Catholic Women publication).
National Province Conference
2022 PROVINCE CONFERENCE POSTER
Duluth Diocesan Vocation Prayer:
Almighty Father, we beg You for an increase in religious vocations and holy marriages in our diocese. Help us to be generous in our response to Your call. Choose from our homes those who are needed for Your work and strengthen us with the courage to say “yes” and to follow You. Help us as a diocese, as a parish, as families to encourage and foster vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate and consecrated life. We commend our prayers to our patroness, Mary, Queen of the Rosary, and ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bishop Baraga Vocations Apostolate of the Brainerd Deanery Prayer:
Lord, You told us that “The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His fields.” We ask You to strengthen us as we follow the vocation to which You have called us. We pray particularly for those called to serve as priests, sisters, brothers, and deacons. Those whom You have called, Those You are calling now, Those You will call in the future. May they be open and responsive to the call of serving Your people. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Adoration at Holy Family
Adoration will be offered at Holy Family on Thursdays from 9:30 am-5:00 pm, stations of the cross at 5:00, Benediction following. If you are interested in an hour to sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or would like to be on the substitute list please contact Andrea 763-360-2058, call or text.
Single prayer card-Spiritual Comm
Single prayer card-Anima Christi
Direct Giving Option Available: Please fill out the form below and mail it to the office.
Authorization form-OLOF Chapel-revised
TO REACH THE PARISH OFFICE:
Office: 218-927-6581, email office@aitkincatholic.org
BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT: SEE OUR NEW BULLETIN ON THE “Bulletins” page.
SEE THE “WORSHIP SCHEDULE” PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OUR LADY OF FATIMA AND THE UPCOMING MASS SCHEDULE.
Are you an actual member of Holy Family? You may think so because you have been attending faithfully, but have you actually ever filled out a Parish Registration form? If you are not sure, please complete a registration form and return it at your convenience. (Single young people out of school are requested to register as adult members.) An Application for Membership form can be found on the “About Us” page at the top. It is an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file which you can open and print to fill in your information and drop off at or mail to the church. You can also find these forms in the Narthex of Holy Family Church.
THE HINGE: This is the newsletter of the Duluth Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Find it on the Ministries page–under Council of Catholic Women.
Liturgy Schedule
Holy Week Schedule
Good Friday, April 7th
10 am Service at Our Lady of Fatima, McGrath
Noon Service at Holy Family, McGregor
3 pm Service at St. James, Aitkin
Holy Saturday, April 8th
8 pm Easter Vigil Mass at St. James, Aitkin
Easter Sunday, April 9th
8 am Mass at Holy Family, McGregor
10 am Mass at Our Lady of Fatima, McGrath
10:30 am Mass at St. James, Aitkin
Holy Family:
Confessions: Sunday 7:15 – 7:45 a.m. and most Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Mass: Sunday @ 8:00 a.m.
Most Tuesdays @ 8:30 a.m.
St. James:
Confession: Saturday @ 10:00 to 10:45 a.m.; 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Confession: Confession by appointment is also available.
Mass: Saturday @ 5:00 p.m.; Sunday @ 10:30 a.m.
Daily Mass will be in Aitkin on Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and Wednesday – Friday at 8:30 a.m. with Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet starting at 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. respectively.
Our Lady of Fatima Chapel Mass Schedule:
Sundays at 10 a.m. Please note this is subject to change due to priest availability. Check out Our Lady of Fatima page for details.
Adoration at Holy Family
Adoration will be offered at Holy Family on Thursdays between the hours of 9:30 am and 6:00 pm. If you are interested in an hour to sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or willing to be a substitute, please contact Andrea 763-360-2058, call or text.
Feast Days This Week
For the full Daily Mass Scripture Readings please look under Links of Interest -Catholic Links – at the bottom of this page.
Sunday, March 26, 5th Sunday of Lent Collect: By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Monday, March 27, 5th Week of Lent Collect: O God, by whose wondrous grace we are enriched with every blessing, grant us so to pass from former ways to newness of life, that we may be made ready for the glory of the heavenly Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Tuesday, March 28, 5th Week of Lent Collect: Grant us, we pray, O Lord, perseverance in obeying your will, that in our days the people dedicated to your service may grow in both merit and number. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, March 29, 5th Week of Lent Collect: Enlighten, O God of compassion, the hearts of your children, sanctified by penance, and in your kindness grant those you stir to a sense of devotion a gracious hearing when they cry out to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Thursday, March 30, 5th Week of Lent Collect: Be near, O Lord, to those who plead before you, and look kindly on those who place their hope in your mercy, that, cleansed from the stain of their sins, they may persevere in holy living and be made full heirs of your promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Friday, March 31, 5th Week of Lent Collect: Pardon the offenses of your peoples, we pray, O Lord, and in your goodness set us free from the bonds of the sins we have committed in our weakness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, April 1, 5th Week of Lent Collect: O God, who have made all those reborn in Christ a chosen race and a royal priesthood, grant us, we pray, the grace to will and to do what your command, that the people called to eternal life may be one in the faith of their hearts and the homage of their deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, April 2, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who as an example of humility for the human race to follow caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross, graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering and so merit a share in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
PRAYER REQUESTS
If you would like to add a loved one to the prayer chain, please send an email to Holy Family Church with the name of the person needing prayers.
Our faith community has a group of people who pray for those on our prayer chain.
The prayer chain is updated and printed every month – it can be found in the narthex at Holy Family. At Our Lady of Fatima, ask for a copy.