One faith community, two worship sites

LOVE ONE ANOTHER 16 July 2021 Volume 81

July 13, 2021   Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,   I think it was P.T. Barnum who said that there is a sucker born every minute. I believe that I was one of them who was born in that minute. As a boy, I was fascinated by television advertisements for the toys that were included in cereal boxes. One that especially caught my attention was a mini plastic rocket. I watched the ads showing the rocket take off and heard the great blast created by that rocket. I would plead with my mother to buy the cereal, and then I could not wait to open the box and retrieve that rocket. Excitedly I put the rocket on the launch pad, and after I ignited the rocket it traveled for no more than two feet. There was no noise, no explosion, and after two or three tries the plastic rocket was dysfunctional. The power of advertising had achieved its purpose. It enticed a young boy to convince his parent to buy a product that he had little interest in, apart from his fascination with a toy that was worth pennies, and worthless after a couple of tries. In high school a couple of buddies and I traveled to Chicago and went to what was then a famed amusement park called Riverview Park. Walking the midway, we came across the sideshow that advertised a “human phenomenon.” After paying our fee, we entered and saw a bearded lady, a tattooed man, and a physically deformed individual occupying the niches for viewing. Once we were in, the barker then offered, for an additional fee of course, to present an experience that would be unforgettable beyond imagination. We could not wait to get our wallets out to pay the fee. We entered a darkened room where just a single light was focused on a man cloaked in a raincoat on the stage. Our imaginations went wild. What type of monster would we be viewing? Slowly the man took center-stage, and like author Horace Greeley’s famous quote, “Go West, young man,” the man in the raincoat said, “Well, ladies and gentlemen I will go west and east at the same time.” Then, pointing to his feet he turned his feet completely around and walked with his body in one direction, and his feet in the opposite direction. Even though we were not anatomy experts, we realized that he was double jointed. When the barker had said that we would experience something very unforgettable, he was right! We never forgot how naive and gullible we were.   To this day advertising still pulls me, thinking that I am receiving something better than what I should really expect. The pictures at restaurants and fast-food spots often never look like what is actually served. Presentation can be everything. Recently I purchased some “breaded shrimp.” The shrimp pictured on the outside of the box looked scrumptious, but I found out after the preparation that shrimp had little to do with the breading. One had to search for the shrimp, which was rarely found. The ad succeeded. It captured its prey, and I ate breading and imagined the shrimp.   Unlike advertising for products, the cross is not exactly an attractive symbol to the faithful follower. Yet our Lord tells us that if we follow him, we must take up the cross. The Lord never sugar coated the message to His followers, or made promises that he did not keep. “Unless you eat of my flesh and drink my blood you shall not have life. If anyone would lead a little one into sin better for that man if a millstone were tied around his neck and tossed into the sea.” Love is sacrificial which means that we must suffer for love. It is not easy but there is no greater power in the world than love, and we demonstrate our love for God when we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.       Sincerely,     Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki Archbishop of Milwaukee

This Weekend's Mass Worship Aid

Click here for the July 17-18 Worship Aid

Click here if you are able to donate a dessert for the STA celebration

Attention New Parish Members Due to the pandemic, we have not been able to properly welcome our new parish members over the last 18 months or so. We would like to change that now! On August 8 we are holding a Welcome Back celebration for all parish members at St. Thomas and would like to extend a special invitation to our new members. If you joined St. Thomas parish in the last 18 months or so, please consider attending the Welcome Back Celebration. We will have a VIP table set up for new members in the tent area so existing members can stop by and introduce themselves. A special gift bag will also be waiting for each new member family at the table. Come out and enjoy music, food and drinks. Reacquaint with old friends and meet new ones! There will be games for the young ones and more. See below for more details! See you there!!!!!

St. Clare and St. Thomas Welcome Back Celebration It's going to be a party! Our "Welcome Back" weekend celebration is fast approaching and we hope everyone is planning to attend. Guaranteed fun for the entire family so come out and join your fellow parishioners. Attend one or both days! There will be a celebration at St. Clare after the 4:00pm Mass on August 7 and at St. Thomas after the 11:15am Mass on August 8. Everyone attending will be given 2 drink tickets to be used for beer, soda or water. Additional drinks will be available via cash only. St. Clare will be providing burgers, brats, wieners, baked beans and chips for everyone to enjoy. St Thomas will begin with 150 of the famous Lion's Club grilled chicken dinners including, baked potato and coleslaw. (Burgers, brats and wieners will be available if the chicken dinners run out so come early if chicken is your preference!) Desserts will also be available at both events! All food is being provided at no cost but there will be a donation jar for those who wish to do so. Tables and chairs will be available outside under the tent along with music and other fun activities for the entire family. You may even find a few games for the kids with prizes. Come enjoy the weather and the company of your fellow parishioners!!! Finally, we need a few volunteers at St. Thomas to help make our Welcome Back celebration a success! Please see the link below and consider donating a little time that weekend. We need bartenders, set up crews, clean up crews and food servers. Please click the link below and sign up today!

Sign up to volunteer for our Welcome Back Celebration

Holy Cow! It's getting close Just like last year, we are selling two sets of 200 Tickets for Cow Pie Bingo. If you bought a ticket(s) on the St. Thomas website, you are entered on one cow pie bingo board (the orange board). There are only a few spots left on the orange board so act quick if you want in! If you bought a ticket(s) on the St. Clare website, there are 177 left on this board and we need to sell out in the next few weeks! We must sell all tickets to complete both bingo boards! Please consider buying a ticket or two from either the St. Thomas or St. Clare website soon. If we sell all tickets for the first board on the St. Thomas website, any additional purchases on the St. Thomas or St. Clare site will be applied to the second bingo board (purple). This allows you to purchase from either site with ease!! Get in the game(s) NOW! You could win $250 or even $1000. The winners will be decided on August 8. Go to the donate page and select the Cow Pie option. If you are not comfortable using technology send an email to: Bbeaulier@saintthomaswaterford.org or Julieboulware.stclare@gmail.com Tickets are $25 If the cow pies directly on your square, you win $1000. The four touching squares win $250 each. (We will have two sets of winners so don't miss out.)

Who wants to win 1/2 Pig (fully processed) John Henrichs, the Henrichs Family and Henrichs Quality Meats & Show Pigs have generously donated a pig to raffle off. The Knights of Columbus have also stepped in and will cover the processing costs.   Thank you!!!!!   Tickets are $5 a piece or 5 for $20 for a chance at 1/2 pig, fully processed. We will raffle off two winners. Please go to the St. Thomas or St. Clare website and click on the donate page. You will be able to electronically enter the raffle by selecting the "Pig Raffle" button. Just enter a few pieces of information if you are not registered and provide a credit/debit card or account number. It's that simple and completely safe. The system will let us know your name, the number of tickets you purchased and track your payment. We will write your name on the number of tickets you purchase and put them in the raffle bin. If you wish to enter the raffle but really don't feel comfortable using technology, send an email to bbeaulier@saintthomaswaterford.org or Julieboulware.stclare@gmail.com   Drawing will be held on August 7 for the first 1/2 and August 8 for the second 1/2.

Art Exhibit   Beginning Friday, July 16, Frank Korb (one of our parishioners) will display his work and the works of 16 other  Wisconsin artists at the Cedarburg Cultural Center located at  W62N546 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, July 22 from 5 - 7pm with a brief presentation by juror Frank Juarez at 5:30.  Well Done Frank!!!

SENIOR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PICKLEBALL

We had a wonderful turnout for the start of the Senior Pickleball Program on July 12. There were thirteen seniors from beginners to experts who came out to play pickleball in the Uhen Center. We have two courts, paddles and wonderful instructors available. Pickleball will be offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 12 - 2pm.   The Senior Fellowship Program is open to all Seniors (60+) and their guests of our parish and community. You do not have to be a member of St. Thomas Parish to participate. Ask a friend or neighbor to join you!

Thank you!   Thank you to all who supported St. Clare's Balance the Budget campaign with prayers and contributions. Through the generosity of St. Clare and St. Thomas parishioners, there was a total of $27,052 donated for Balance the Budget. A final accounting of the past fiscal year which ended June 30 will be reported in the weeks ahead.

Click here to register for the golf outing

The Archdiocese released a new COVID Comeback matrix on July 1. This is expected to be the last update.

Click here for the full Comeback Matrix details

We would like to highlight and thank a few of our loyal sponsors in each email. St. Thomas and St Clare thanks you very much! A complete list of all our sponsors can be found on our website. Please support them whenever possible

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St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Clare of Assisi parishes Waterford and Wind Lake, WI.