Reminder: all parishioners should return raffle tickets and proceeds by August 23 to be eligible for the Early Bird Drawing. The Early Bird ticket seller will receive $100.

State law requires all unsold tickets to be returned to OLV as well. Please return all sold and unsold raffle tickets in time for the Fall Festival on Sunday, September 20.

Fall Festival Chairpersons: our next planning meeting is Tuesday, August 18 at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please contact Mary Widiger at 218‑770‑2435 if unable to attend.

Thursday, August 27 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Spies Pavilion in Fergus Falls. A fun evening of food, fellowship, and music! Open to the public, with a free-will donation.

Are you interested in learning more about the Catholic faith? OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) is the process by which unbaptized and baptized adults of other faiths are fully initiated into the Catholic Church. 

This process is also for adults who are Catholic but have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation.

An informational meeting to learn more about OCIA will be held Monday, August 31 at 6:30 pm in the St. Joseph room at OLV. 

Please contact Jennifer Dummer at jennifer@ffolvchurch.org or 218-770-1594 with any questions.

Women of the Pelican Valley ACC (18+) are invited to join the 7th season of the OLV Mothers’ Endow Prayer Group beginning September 15.

This year’s study, Aquinas for Beginners (Part 2), explores the virtues and writings of St. Thomas Aquinas through prayer, discussion, and fellowship.

• Tuesdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. (following the school calendar)
• OLV St. Joseph Room or via Zoom
• No homework or attendance requirements—come when you can! 

For more information or study materials, contact Heather Lindgren at olvmothersgroup@gmail.com.

The American Red Cross will host a Blood Drive at the Fergus Falls Community YMCA (1164 Friberg Ave):

• Sept. 9–10 — 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Sept. 11 — 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood — your donation can help save lives.

Schedule an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org (enter Fergus Falls)  or call 1‑800‑RED CROSS.

Give blood Sept. 1–20 for a chance to receive exclusive Red Cross x Hello Kitty merch, while supplies last!

Needed for the Roast Beef Dinner on Oct. 21 at St. Leonard’s. Contact Julie Ann Holt at 218-731-4781 if you are interested.

Thanks to generous volunteer efforts and financial contributions, several improvements have been made at St. Otto’s Cemetery:

• The altar used for outdoor memorial services has been rebuilt.
• The cemetery gate has been repainted.
• A new lawn tractor has been purchased.

Special thanks to Mark Graff and Jerry Neuleib for their hard work, and to Pat Tuel for generously donating the cost of the gate repainting. These improvements help ensure that St. Otto’s Cemetery remains a beautiful and welcoming place for our loved ones.

Gratitude grounds us. It can reshape our minds, relationships, and faith. Gratitude is a widely studied concept in psychology, behavioral health, and neuroscience for its measurable impact on emotional well-being and interpersonal connection. Gratitude influences attention, memory, and emotional regulation. 

Studies show that regular practice improves mood, strengthens relationships, enhances sleep, and reduces physiological stress responses. We can do our own experiment. Pray with gratirufe instead of asking for something, just thanking the Lord for the positives in your life.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” - 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Join families across the nation in praying the Rosary together through Relevant Radio’s Family Rosary Across America.

This live, interactive Rosary is broadcast every evening at 7:00 PM CT and is a wonderful way to gather your family in prayer. 

Learn more and pray along at: relevantradio.com/family-rosary-across-america