In recognition of the sacrament of marriage, Bishop Kagan invites married and engaged couples to attend the Mass in Celebration of Marriage on Monday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck. There will be a special blessing of married couples within the Mass. All are invited to a reception following Mass, hosted by the Knight of Columbus.

Everyone’s invited to the Mardi Gras Dinner Fundraiser hosted by Bismarck’s Corpus Christi Youth Ministry on Friday, Feb. 13. It is a four-course meal with wine, hosted at the Corpus Christi rectory. There are two dinner seating times available at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The cost is $50 per person, and all proceeds go toward supporting the youth attending the Life Teen Restore Mission Trip and the Steubenville Conference this summer. New this year is a king’s cake giveaway. Seating is limited. Please RSVP by Feb. 10 at this link: https://bit.ly/mardigrasdinner.

St. Lawrence Church, Flasher, will host it's annual Mardi Gras celebration on Sunday, Feb. 15, starting at 11 a.m. with a German-style meal of cream chicken, German sausage, kase nip (cheese buttons), kraut nip, German potato salad, coleslaw, kuchen and blachinda. Meal price is $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12, and free for children age 5 and under. There will also be bingo, a silent auction, kids' games, 50/50 drawing, and raffle drawings with 62 prizes. The Mardi Gras celebration will be held in the event room of the Branded Bar & Grill, Flasher. Mass at St. Lawrence Church will be held at 10:30 a.m. that day.

Diocesan offices will be closed for a staff Lenten retreat.

A men’s Lenten retreat will be held at the Church of Saint Anne in Bismarck on Saturday, Feb. 28 beginning with Mass at 8 a.m. Featured speakers are Father Kregg Hochhalter, among others. A light breakfast will be provided following Mass and lunch will also be served. There will be some time for Eucharistic adoration and confession with the retreat ending by 2 p.m. Registration fee is $25 and pre-registration is encouraged for meal planning. Please register online at www.wesharegiving.org/app/giving/WeShare-20001540?tab=home or by sending a check payable to Saint Anne’s Church to 1321 Braman Ave., Bismarck, ND 58501 and write “A Simple Lenten Retreat for Men” in the memo. Contact the Saint Anne’s Parish office at 223-1549 with any questions.