One faith community, two worship sites
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
27 August 2021 Volume 87
August 24, 2021
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Our society seems to be engulfed in chaos and uncertainty. Many do not want to turn on the television and constantly hear the news that world, and domestic peace that we have enjoyed for so long, is now threatened. Where do we go for a sense of peace? Where is the oasis that brings refreshment to the dryness of the world?
 
On Tuesday, August 17, at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we dedicated a nine-foot bronze statue of “Mary Mother of the Church.” We did this for a multitude of reasons, but mostly, to affirm our dedication to profess God’s presence in our world, and our willingness to be instruments of His plan. What better figure of the willingness to be an instrument of God’s plan than the Blessed Virgin Mary, who when Gabriel announced that she would be the mother of God’s Son amidst uncertainty and bewilderment stated, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy will.”
 
The statue is a creation of a priest-artist, Reverend Anthony Brankin, and depicts Mary holding in her one arm the child Jesus, and in the other the tower of our Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The beautiful face of Mary has a pondering look and she seems to be extending these two gifts to us. Her son Jesus, who through the Father’s plan brings salvation to the world through the incarnation, and the Church instituted by Jesus Christ to continue His presence in the world -- the sign of mankind’s salvation. The question in my meditation seems that Mary offers these gifts to us and in wonderment ponders what will we do with them. She herself is an example of what it means to be totally and completely dedicated to God, especially during times of difficulty and challenge. We pray that she will intercede for us before her Son, to assist us in fulfilling our responsibility as witnesses of Christ to the world.
 
Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is dedicated to the memory of St. Pope Paul the VI who at the close of the Second Vatican Council dedicated the work of the Council, and the entire Church, to the care and protection of Mary Mother of the Church.
 
The Statue has a beautiful plaza, which offers an ability to meditate and bring concerns to our Lady, as well as offering an oasis of peace, declaring our confidence in God and our trust in His word. “Be it done to me according to thy will.”
 
I invite you, my LOA readers, to take a drive through the entrance of the Pastoral Center and view the statue, which is situated at the end of the drive. I also invite you to create your own assessment of Mary and meditate on her last words recorded in St. John’s Gospel: “Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you.” Of course, we know that Jesus tells us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
 
Sincerely,
 
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
This Weekend's Mass Worship Aid
The St. Thomas parish office will be closed on Labor Day. St. Clare will also be closed on Tuesday, September 7th. (The St. Clare parish office is closed each Monday.)
Joint Pastoral Council minutes

Three times each year, Pastoral Council members from both St. Clare and St. Thomas get together to discuss shared challenges, successes and opportunities for our parishes. The two councils met on August, 10, 2021 with a summary of the meeting minutes outlined below.

August 10. 2021 Joint Pastoral Council minutes

Meeting called to order at 6:39pm with a prayer

General information:
Minutes of other committee meetings were distributed in advance with Pastoral Council members asked to review in advance. This included a review of current financial reports from Finance Council and various other ministries.  
 
Volunteerism
The councils discussed current challenges and possible solutions for attracting more long term volunteers to the various ministries. Each parish seems to have good success with “event” volunteering however there is a need for people willing to commit for longer term assignments such as stewardship and parish council. Although ownership of this challenge seems to fall with the Stewardship committees based on the current strategic plan, Pastoral Council agreed to take initial ownership of spearheading the ideas generated at the meeting. Look for a variety of approaches to get the word out in the coming months.
 
Archdiocesan Capital Campaign
The Archdiocese will be rolling out a 2 to 3 year appeal for funds to address a wide range of important issues. It will be necessary to identify a number of passionate and committed committee people to help take on the effort. The campaign will kick off in the May 2022 timeframe.  It was determined that Pastoral Council, in partnership with Finance Council, will need to work to identify the appropriate team for this effort. Parishioner input will also be solicited.
 
Welcome Back Celebrations
The events at each parish were a great success and the discussion revolved around the great opportunity it presented for community and fellowship and was only made possible thru the efforts of many terrific volunteers. The idea was discussed of holding an annual “thank you” celebration around the same time. Pastoral Council of each parish will work to find ownership for carrying this forward.
 
St Clare Golf Outing
Looking forward to the upcoming outing at Brown’s Lake golf club. There may still be openings if people are interested. Several members remarked on what a fun time it was and how well it is run. Pastoral Council members were very thankful and supportive of the members who continually step up to create events and opportunities such as this. 
 
High School Update
There were updates provided by several of our youth members as they anticipate returning to school. The Love Begins Here was a huge success; NCYC coming up in November; and two of our youth members explained their potential Eagle Scout projects.
 
Safe Guarding
To ensure the safety of our children and as required by the Archdiocese, all of the council members are to obtain safe environment training and background checks. Members not yet certified are being encouraged to pursue their certification by the October timeframe.  

Meeting adjourned at 8:05pm with a "Glory Be"
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Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. Luke 6:38

The Archdiocese released a new COVID Comeback matrix on July 1. This is expected to be the last update.
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St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Clare of Assisi parishes
Waterford and Wind Lake, WI.