St. Thomas/St Clare newsletter

One faith community, two worship sites

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

06 May 2022 Volume 123

May 3, 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There are signs around us that we are entering into a post-Covid period. Speaking to many of our parish administrators, priests and pastors, they tell me that Sunday Mass attendance is increasing and although not back to pre-Covid days, they can see an increase in the numbers. Even those who do consistent polling have said that attendance has been at 70% of pre-Covid days.

I have been told by many who were attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis that it is so good to be receiving the Eucharist again, and to be with other members of the parish community. It was reported that even holy days – such as Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil – seemed to have a great number of participants. Whether we are cognizant or not, we are connected to one another, and we feel a level of comfort when we see that neighbor of ours at Sunday Mass, even when we don’t always speak to them at any other time.

Recently, our Catholic Schools dinner had numbers exceeding 600 attendees, and our four Catholic Charities Lenten Luncheons had over 600 invitees. All these are signs that we are feeling more comfortable in dealing with Covid and its variants. While some are still very cautious, no doubt a greater sense of normalcy is occurring.

Another sign of our return to normalcy is that this week, over 200 of our priests will gather at the Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wisconsin. We have not been able to gather for almost three years. I personally have felt the loss. It will be good to gather once again.

We will listen to a presentation on “Heart of the Priesthood” by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT. I have been privileged to hear her insights before and have found them wonderfully valuable. She has worked closely with Fr. John Burns in fulfilling his task to raise the consciousness of our community to the challenge and the need for vocations to religious life for women.

At this gathering we will pray, concelebrate the Eucharist, administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and recognize with gratitude the faithful service of our Jubilarians from 2020-2022. We are blessed to have the continued dedication of priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who serve us so well in the name of Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, I humbly ask that you offer a Hail Mary or two for this priest assembly, that we continue to fulfill God’s plan for us as an archdiocese and follow His command to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki

Archbishop of Milwaukee

May 7 and 8 Worship Aid

Click here for worship aid

Click here to sign up to drop off food

Did you know St. Clare has a fund that helps support our maintenance needs?

St. Clare Heritage Fund

Money received for the Heritage Fund will be designated to finance general building and grounds needs along with various maintenance and capital improvement projects. Funding for the Heritage Fund comes from parishioner contributions.

Examples of Heritage Funds expenses have included:

· Bell tower repair

· Roofing repair

· Computer upgrades

· Lighting in the church

· Electrical repair

This year, contributions to the Heritage Fund have been used for:

· Replacement of the iron filter for the water system.

· Replacement of the four outdoor bollard lights lining the walkway to the church entrance.

· Repair of the industrial dishwasher in the church kitchen.

· Repair of the lighting panel in the Narthex

Additionally, our wireless microphone system will be upgraded because of an FCC regulation. The Christian Women have generously donated the cost of this.

Thank you for your much needed contributions to the Heritage Fund!

An anonymous donor has graciously offered to provide a box of girl scout cookies to everyone who gives blood at the May drive so sign up soon!

Baby Bottle Fundraiser

This weekend starts our Baby Bottle Fundraiser benefiting Life’s Connection who serves 2,200 families a year offering medical services, education and mentoring free of charge. We hope you will support Life’s Connection mission by picking up a bottle in the Narthex at St. Clare or Gathering Space at St. Thomas. Bottles can be filled with your spare change, cash or checks made to Life’s Connection and brought back to church over the next two weeks. You are helping to change hearts, save souls and lend support to those who need it most.

Please click here to watch videos of Life's Connection and the work they do

Looking for a few teens to help hand out bottles. Click here to volunteer!

St Thomas Volunteer Recognition Event

Save the Date

On Thursday June 2, 2022, during the St. Thomas Country Fair, the parish wishes to recognize all of our volunteers for their efforts in supporting our parish. If you volunteered at any time in the last year for any event, the St. Thomas Country Fair committee will be providing a free dinner and drink ticket for all parish volunteers as a small token of our appreciation. We will also have a nice door prize to present to a lucky winner.

Meal and drink tickets will be handed out at St. Thomas after each Mass during the mini-ministry fair the weekend of May 21-22. You can also stop by the parish office and pick up your tickets during normal business hours during the month of May. All volunteers are invited! Please be sure to stop by and pick up your tickets in advance of the fair.

Thank you for all you do at St. Thomas

Time is running out

We would like EVERY parish family in our new St. Clare and St. Thomas pictorial directory. We need EVERYONE to make an appointment for a portrait session and there are only a few dates left to choose from. Please consider setting an appointment TODAY. St Clare and St Thomas parishioners are welcome to schedule for the remaining dates:

Remaining Dates to choose from include:

Location: St. Thomas 2:00 - 8:30pm

May 10th thru 13th

Location: St. Thomas 10:30 - 4:30 pm

May 14 (only remaining Saturday date)

ONLINE SCHEDULING INSTRUCTIONS

FOR FAMILY APPOINTMENT SETTING

Go to the Universal Church Directories website

Click here to go to the website

Click on the box on the right side of the homepage entitled “photography appointment scheduling login”
Enter your church code wi175
Enter your church password photos
Click on the Enter button
Click on the desired photography date
Click on the Reserve Time button beside the desired photography appointment time
Enter the appropriate information in all required fields (indicated by the asterisk)
Enter your email address if a confirmation email is desired
Click on the Schedule Appointment button at the bottom of the screen to reserve the photography appointment time in your family’s name
If you have more than five family members being photographed, please reserve two appointments consecutively (such as 6:00 and 6:10)
Print the next screen to use as a reminder of your family’s photography appointment

Contact Kelly Hill (STA) 262-534-2255 or Sue Brunner (SC) 262-895-2729 to change or cancel your photography appointment

ST. CLARE HUMAN CONCERNS COMMITTEE

MAY UPDATE

The purpose of the Human Concerns Committee is to discern the needs of the people in the parish and wider community -especially the poor- and identify resources to meet those needs while enlisting the active support and participation of the parish members. We meet the second Tuesday of each month in Holy Family Hall at 12:00. Please consider stopping in at one of our meetings.

LOVE INC. MEALS IN BURLINGTON

Thanks to all of you that volunteered food and serving our January, February and March Love Inc meals. We are working on setting up dates for future meals. If you have any question, please contact Debbie Klamert at 262-895-7524.

NORWAY HELPING HANDS FOOD PANTRY

We will continue to collect food weekly for the Norway Helping Hands Food Pantry. Thank you to everyone who has donated all year round. There is a greater need for food during the summer months. Summer donations generally drop considerably during the summer months leaving the pantry shelves sparse. The highlighted food and non-food items for the next few months are:

· May: Laundry Soap/ Canned pasta (Ravioli, SpaghettiOs’s etc)

· June: Spaghetti / Pasta sauce – Shampoo / Conditioner

BABY BOTTLE CAMPAIGN

During the month of May, St. Clare Human Concerns Committee will be hosting a Baby Bottle Fundraiser benefiting Life’s Connection located in Mukwonago. Life’s Connection is a faith based local non-profit pregnancy support center. All resources offered are free of charge, support life and help to build strong families. Please take a baby bottle (or two) with you. Ask friends and family to fill it with change, cash or checks made out to Life’s Connection and return to Church at the end of the month. Your donation saves lives and helps moms and babies in need. Your change changes lives!

MOTHER’S DAY FLOWER SALE

We will once again be sponsoring a flower sale for Mother’s Day. We will be selling flowers after all Masses this weekend. Please consider buying a flower for all the beautiful women in your life.

SCHOENSTATT PENNY CANS

A big thank you to everyone that participated in our 22^nd PENNY CAN campaign to help the mission of the Schoenstatt Sisters. If you have not returned your can, please bring it to Church next weekend.

ELIZABETH MINISTRY THROUGH LIFE’S CONNECTION IN MUKWONAGO

Please check out the Rosebud Program “Blessing Bouquet” display in the back of Church by the Reconciliation Room. This is a beautiful way to show respect for the dignity and worth of all life. This program helps a Church identify, pray for, and support those who are pregnant, celebrating birth or adoption, grieving miscarriage, stillbirth, infant or child death, wanting to become pregnant or adopt. If you know of anyone needing prayers or counseling, please fill out tag for a rose and place it in the vase.

· Yellow Rosebud – Wanting a child

· Pink Rosebud – Pregnancy

· Red Rosebud – Birth or adoption

· White Rosebud – Loss

We are richer as a Church for the willingness of those who spend their valuable time on us in order for us to find ways to Love One Another.

Please contact Debbie Klamert at 262-895-7524 with any questions or comments you may have.

St. Thomas Kitchen in the

Gathering Space

The Christian Women have done some serious spring cleaning in the kitchen and closet. The kitchen cabinets have been reorganized and relabeled. There are also new dishes and utensils for our use. The goal is to avoid wasteful use of Styrofoam and to provide a nicer offering to parishioners and guests. Additionally, the closet in the alcove beside the oval table has been organized for storage of your group’s event items. There is a shelf labeled “Hospitality Items” available for collecting items in advance of your event. Please use it rather than the kitchen counters. And take any leftovers home with you afterward.

The kitchen looks like new! Let us all enjoy it, and keep it that way.

Food Service Preschool Cook

Under the direction of the Preschool Director, the Food Service Cook is responsible for the daily operations of the hot lunch program. This includes, but is not limited to, food preparation, serving lunches, management of the food service, conformance of food quality, nutrition and productivity standards. Team participation and exhibiting a positive, collaborative skill set is essential.

Some duties include:

Insure food service operations are established within budgetary guidelines
Follow proper receiving, storage, and preparation techniques to insure that all food items are maintained at a high quality until consumed
Plan, implement, and review all lunch/snack menus based on USDA CACFP nutrition standards
Adjusts menus for children with special dietary needs
Part-time position (approximately 15 hrs week) during school year only (summers off!)

To Apply

Please send resume to Erika Rondeau at erondeau@saintthomaswaterford.org

Phone

262-534-2265 ext. 221

St Thomas Country Fair Is Back For 2022 And We Need Your Help

Mark your calendar for our St. Thomas Country Fair which will be held June 2-5, 2022. We have amazing food, music and more lined up for everyone to enjoy.

We are in need of auction item donations. Items that are creative, fun and unique always generate excitement. New items only please. Cash donations are also greatly appreciated. Get some friends together and create a basket full of your favorite selections. Sporting event tickets! Gift Certificates! Big or small, we can combine with other items so please consider donating. Contact Kathy Weinkauf at 262-716-1939 if you have a donation or a question.

We also need help in selling our Grand Raffle tickets. Over $10,000 in prizes will be given away. Please consider picking up a few tickets in the St. Thomas Gathering Space.

Finally, hundreds of volunteers are needed over the 4 day event to make our fair a success. Please consider signing up for a shift or two. We have jobs for all ages and abilities. Click on the link below or contact Blaise Beaulier at 262-598-6515 with any questions.

Volunteer with the button below and thank you in advance for your help!

Pope Francis Wants Your Opinion

Over the coming months, Catholics from around the world will be participating in a worldwide Synod, or consultation process. Lend your voice to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's response to Pope Francis' Synod on Synodality! What would you like the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and Pope Francis to know? Click the link below and provide your input via a short survey.