What's Happening
at St. John's
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Advent Meandering
Archbishop Dolan has authored a number of books over the years, books that are often based on his own spiritual meanderings. In 2006, he had published a short book entitled Advent Reflections: Come, Lord Jesus. In the early part of his book, he quotes Pope Benedict from a talk he gave in 1965 to University students.
“We often think of Advent as a season that exists ‘before Christ,’ while we exist ‘after Christ.’”
However, Pope Benedict also said, “It is Advent. All our answers remain fragmentary. The first thing to accept is this reality of an enduring Advent. If we do that, we shall begin to realize that the borderline between ‘before Christ’ and ‘after Christ’ does not run through historical time, but it runs through our hearts. Insofar as we are living on a basis of selfishness, then even today, we are ‘before Christ.’ But in this time of Advent, let us ask the Lord to grant that we may live less and less ‘before Christ,’ and certainly not ‘after Christ’ but truly with Christ and in Christ; with Him who is indeed Christ yesterday, today, and forever." (What It Means to Be a Christian by Joseph Ratzinger, pg. 40)
Improving Air Quality In Church
In this time of Covid-19, there are a number of things we have been doing to stay safe: mask, sanitizer, social distance. Another thing we would like to do is install a high-tech air purification system in our heating and A/C units. Many hospitals are using them to clean air by killing bacteria and viruses along with many other air impurities. The way it works is that millions of positive and negative-charged oxygen ions are sent into the air which attach to pathogens and kill them.
We would like to order this new system and have it installed by Easter. The cost of the Bipolar Ionization is about $10,000. I am writing at this time to ask for donations for this new piece of equipment. Even though Covid-19 won’t be with us forever, germs and other viruses will be. This is something that can be used for years to come to keep us as healthy as we can be. If you are able and interested in making a donation, please send your donation to the parish office or drop it in the collection basket.
On a related note, we are receiving a lot of compliments about Covid-19 protection protocols that the parish has put in place. Thank you so much to all our volunteers who help sanitize after all Masses. We have not had an outbreak originating from SJE!
Flu Season
Now that the normal flu season is beginning, be sure that if you have a sore throat, fever, cough, sneezing, muscle aches and pains, you do not come to Church. We are working to keep the Parish as healthy as possible. So please stay home when not feeling well. When you are not feeling well, it is not a sin to miss Mass.
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24-Hour Perpetual Adoration
St. John’s is fortunate to have 24-hour Perpetual Adoration. Please take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to stay close to God in these difficult times. Hand sanitizer is available in the Adoration entrance (south side of Church), and we ask that you practice social distancing and stay at least six feet from others while in Church.
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Advent Wreath Sign Up
Advent is only ten days away. We are in need of families to light the Advent wreath.
Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex.
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CHRISTMAS 2020 at ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
— CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE —
(Prelude music begins 15 minutes before each Mass)
CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES
Thursday, December 24, 2020
2:00 p.m. Church
4:00 p.m. Church
4:15 p.m. Gym
10:00 p.m. Church
CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES
Friday, December 25, 2020
8:00 a.m. Church
9:30 a.m. Church
11:00 a.m. Church
11:15 a.m. Gym
Seating will be on a first-come, first-seated basis in the church proper. Once the church reaches its safe, socially-distanced capacity, guests will be directed to the overflow seating area in the church hall where Mass will be live-streamed and eucharistic ministers will distribute Holy Communion.
Be sure to wear a mask to Mass!
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The Word Among Us
Copies of the Advent issue of The Word Among Us are available this weekend in the Narthex, at the Adoration entrance, and at the parish office for $2 per copy.
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2020 Parish Giving Tree
St. John’s annual tradition of hosting a Giving Tree for those less fortunate will continue this year with a few additional precautionary measures due to the Covid-19 virus. Those will be outlined in future newsletters.
But please know that the 2020 Christmas Giving Tree will soon be full of 400 gift envelopes on the weekend of November 21 & 22. Individuals and families can take a gift tag, shop for that item and then return it between November 28 and December 13. On December 14, all gifts will be given to and then distributed by the House of Peace, Hope House, Sojourner Family Peace Center, Stork’s Nest and the St. John’s Chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (all gifts to St. Vincent de Paul will be in the form of gift cards).
Gift cards can be purchased after all weekend Masses through our SCRIP program.
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Cookie Walk
(Pandemic Edition)
Mark your calendars for our annual Home and School Cookie Walk - “Pandemic Edition.” Pre-packaged 1-pound boxes of assorted homemade Christmas cookies will be available for pre-purchase and pickup after Masses on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13. Cookies are reasonably priced at $8 per pound.
You can call the school to order (414-321-8540) or click here to fill out a form and return to the Parish Office by 5:00pm on Thursday, December 10.
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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First Sunday in Advent
November 28/29, 2020
Today we begin the beautiful and holy season of Advent. With all that we have going on this time of year, it’s no wonder that Advent does not always seem to get the attention it deserves. But if we commit to living this season well, we will experience a more profound conversion to Christ and find real transformation in our lives as Christian stewards.
Why? Advent calls us not only to look back in grateful contemplation of Christ’s first coming, but it also calls us to look forward in preparation for His Second Coming. Advent is a time to reset and regroup, to repent over any misplaced priorities, to turn our minds and hearts back to God while we still have time. We do so not out of fear or guilt but rather out of gratitude for Love Incarnate lying in a manger bed.
Whatever we feel God calling us to do this Advent — committing to a daily Gospel reflection, visiting a lonely neighbor, or donating money to those in dire need — there is no time to waste.
Jesus makes this clear in our Gospel passage from Matthew. He tells the parable of a man going off on a journey. Before he leaves, he “places his servants in charge, each with his own work.” Of course, we are the servants in this parable, each with a mission to accomplish in building the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns us over and over in this passage to remain vigilant to the work He has given us to do because we do not know when we will be called to give an account for it.
Our lives are a gift. This holy season is a gift. Let us recommit to living the stewardship way of life. Love came down to us as a Baby. And He is coming again. Be watchful!
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Stronger...
Providing service learning for our students is a challenge right now. We love to take our students out into the community, whether to visit at Our Lady of the Angels or to serve at St. Benedict the Moor. While all of these activities are on hold, our National Junior Honor Society leaders continue to work to provide service learning opportunities for our students. Most recently, we have been collecting jelly and syrup for the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
Although this seems like an unusual thing to ask for, we were happy to oblige when we learned that the Rescue Mission food pantry was blessed with an abundance of peanut butter and pancake mix, but were desperately in need of the things we take for granted - syrup for our pancakes and jelly for our peanut butter sandwiches. We are so grateful for our generous parishioners, who matched our donations, allowing us to donate a total of more than 600 items!
As has been our practice over the last couple of years, we will not be doing a separate Christmas donation at school, but rather will encourage our students and their families to support the Giving Tree projects. We know that we are so much stronger when we work together!
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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2021 Calendar Raffles
are now Available!
Calendar raffles are available for sale in the Parish Office and in the Narthex after select weekend Masses.
Give the gift that could keep on giving!
Cost is $20 each
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Live-streaming: Mass and Adoration
We are live-streaming daily and Sunday Masses as well as Adoration for those who are unable to attend:
Daily Masses are:
Monday thru Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Weekend Masses are:
Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Our YouTube channel is SJE-Greenfield.
If you miss the livestream, you can watch the upload of each Mass on our YouTube channel.
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CDs from Augustine Institute
Did you know we have CDs (and other items) located in the narthex? Each week we will highlight one of the available CDs.
Cost is $4 each.
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Sister Raffaella Cavallin, a consecrated lay-person with the Apostles of the Interior Life, shares her inspiring spiritual journey. At the height of her professional soccer career, while attending a parish mission, she discovered that the ultimate goal in life is to become a saint. Sister Raffaella’s story illustrates how holiness and happiness go hand in hand, and that through prayer, the Sacraments, and spiritual direction, we can live a Christ centered life and become the person God wants us to be. |
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Start earning the easy way with the new mobile app: RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip
RaiseRight is simply the right way to fundraise for our organization. Shop gift cards from more than 750 top brands to earn on your daily purchases—right from your phone.
Turn your shopping list into fundraising
- Discover new earning opportunities every day
- Narrow your search with categories that fit your everyday shopping needs
- Easily browse brands offering bonus earnings
- Add brands you love to your Favorites for faster shopping
- Manage your gift cards in one place: your Wallet
Pick up right where you left off. Sign in with your same ShopWithScrip username and password. Access your gift cards right away. And check out with payment information already saved to your account.
SCRIP will now be sold before and after all weekend Masses. As always, SCRIP is available at the parish office during regular business hours. We have materials available below if you would like to set up an online account.
To protect the program from fraud, please contact the Parish or School offices for the enrollment code. Once you have an online account you can pay by direct debit from your checking account (Presto Pay), by credit card, or by check here in the parish office. If we do not have the item in stock, we will order on Monday and have the cards by Thursday. Once you have the physical card you can enroll it in your "wallet" and reload it as needed.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the parish office at 414-321-1965.
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This program allows .5% of your shopping on Amazon to be donated to St. John the Evangelist.
If you purchase Scrip, St. John's receives an additional 2.25%. That's 2.75% of your purchases to St. John's if you are already shopping Amazon.
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The newsletter is published on Wednesdays. Articles for each week's publication are due on Mondays at noon.
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"Remember God's Will in Yours!"
Please keep the needs of St. John the Evangelist in mind as you do your estate planning. For information on how to include the parish as a beneficiary, contact the Parish Office at 414-321-1965.
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