What's Happening During Our Catholic Comeback |
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As we navigate our Catholic Comeback, this newsletter will continue to bring you
updated information.
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Welcome Back to Church
Archbishop Listecki announced that beginning on Monday, September 14, the dispensation to miss Sunday Mass was being lifted. All are invited to come to Mass. Of course, for every rule, there is an exception and for coming back to Church, that holds true. Those parishioners who are elderly, or have an underlying condition, or something that prevents them from attending Mass, will still be dispensed; they are not obligated to attend Mass. If you are uncertain if you fit into the dispensed category, please call, email, or contact me.
With the way our Church is laid out, we can accommodate about 150 people upstairs. Presently, and into the future, it is first-come, first-served in the Church. We will be setting up more chairs in the Church Hall to accommodate about another 90 people. Mass will be live-streamed and Communion will be offered to those in the Hall. Between the four weekend Masses, we should be able to host everyone who is able to come to Mass. We ask that you please wear your mask until the Governor gives us the “Go-Mask-less” order.
Of course, with the regular flu season around the corner, more than ever, we ask you to please stay home if you have any flu symptoms such as cough, fever, runny nose, sneezing, and going through hundreds of Kleenex tissues.
Tuesday/Thursday Morning Mass
We are considering moving the Tuesday and Thursday morning Mass times to 8:00 a.m. so all of our morning Masses would begin at the same time. I have heard from several morning-Mass people that it would their preference to have all weekday Masses at 8:00 a.m., basically saying the same thing: “30 minutes makes a difference.” If you would like to weigh in on this discussion, please send your comments to me via email (mmerkt@stjohns-grfd.org) or via the postal service to the rectory.
Catholic Stewardship Appeal
This year, our financial goal for the Catholic Stewardship Appeal is $65,500. As of today, we have donated $49,604. Please consider making a donation to this appeal as it supports all the ministries of the Diocese.
Anointing of the Sick
At this time, anointing of the sick may be done privately. If you would like to receive this Sacrament, make arrangements when possible before going to the hospital. Most hospitals are still limiting visits to one family member.
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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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Christian Women
Meeting and Social
Members of St. John’s Christian Women Society will begin their new season with a Mass on Thursday, September 17, at 6:00 p.m. in Church. Please wear a mask. We will have a short meeting and social to follow in the Church Hall. Social distancing and seating will be required. Also, your yearly $5 dues need to be paid at this time or drop off or mail your check to the Parish Office.
Payment must be by Check Only made payable to
St. John’s Christian Women.
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Restaurant Night
Join us for the first restaurant fundraiser of the year on Tuesday, September 22, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Cafe Zupas located at 8775 W. Sura Lane in Greenfield.
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2020 Seminary Dinner
Friday, September 25
(6:30 - 7:15 p.m.)
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Please join the St. Francis de Sales Seminary in celebrating 175 years of priestly formation! While they are unable to gather everyone together this year, the joy and hope of their Annual Dinner will still be offered to all during a live event that will take place on the front steps of the Seminary. The program will be streamed on their website for online viewing.
They ask that you please support the formation of holy priests by celebrating with them during the event, by praying for the men, and by contributing generously to their formation. Your gift is so important to the men who are studying to become your priests.
To receive an email reminder and link to watch the event online, please register at www.sfs.edu/DinnerRegistration. There is no fee for online viewing. To attend the event in person, please register at www.sfs.edu/DinnerRegistration. There is a $50 cost to attend in person, however children attending with a parent are free. A limited number of people will be allowed on a first-come, first-served basis. Then bring a lawn chair and enjoy! Guests will be asked to respect proper social distancing. In the event of inclement weather, the viewing party will regretfully have to be cancelled and the seminarians will move indoors.
Contributions are accepted online or checks can be mailed to St. Francis de Sales Seminary, 3257 South Lake Drive, Saint Francis, WI, 53235. You can sponsor a Seminarian for as little as $150 or contribute up to $25,000 or more.
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12th Annual Women of Christ Conference
October 10
With millions of sacraments not received over the last five months, there is a void of Sacramental grace. Women of the parish are invited to help fill that void on Saturday, October 10 during a half-day retreat, which will take place at parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
Here at St. John’s, the retreat will begin with Mass at 8:00 a.m., followed by recorded reflections by three local priests - Fr. Patrick Burns, Fr. Jacob Strand, and Fr. Nick Baumgardner, who will share Christ’s message of love and hope during this difficult year. Confessions and Adoration will begin at 10:15 a.m.
Follow this link to sign up:
Space is limited.
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
September 19/20, 2020
Though we can never fully grasp God’s infinite perfection and His ways, a basic knowledge of Scripture reveals that God’s logic often differs from worldly logic.
Our first reading, from Isaiah, reminds us that God often thinks bigger than we do. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.” As His followers, we must strive as best we can to think as God does, using our time (and our talents and treasure, too) with eternity in mind.
In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus offers us a glimpse of the “Godly logic” of the Father through a parable of a landowner hiring workers for his vineyard. Some workers are called early in the day, others not until very late. Yet the landowner pays them all a full day’s wage. This angered the laborers who had worked longest. But those laborers were relying on human logic and human calculations. They did not think as God does.
This can happen to us Christian stewards as well. We can grumble and complain (at least internally) when we compare ourselves to others and sense that not everyone contributes as much as we are to the parish, the neighborhood, our family, and so on. At those moments, we need to think bigger!
We must remember that it is a great privilege to have been called by the Father to work in His vineyard. Living the stewardship way of life brings us meaning, depth, and purpose.
Let’s embrace this Godly thinking and thank Him for calling us to this way of life.
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Planning...
We are starting to find our new routine at school. We look forward to being together for our weekly school Mass, and gathered in our gym for our Monday morning prayer service for the first time last week. We’ve grown accustomed to our masks (though our teachers’ voices are tired and their throats are scratchy by the end of the day) and our students are slowly learning to respect the physical space of their classmates.
Here at St. John the Evangelist school, we are blessed with an amazing staff. Our teachers are accustomed to juggling all of the different aspects necessary to meet the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of their students, all the while making sure that the bulletin boards are inspiring and everyone has a mask!
This year, we have the additional responsibility of preparing for our accreditation site visit which will take place in the fall of 2021. Our Archdiocesan schools are re-accredited every seven years. This process allows us to look at every aspect of our programming through the lens of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Catholic Schools. It’s an exciting time as we consider where we are and plan for how we can improve our school moving forward. It can seem intimidating to plan for a two-day visit from a group of our peers, but they will provide us with feedback that will help us to grow.
Please keep us in your prayers as we meet this planning challenge.
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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Greetings from your Director of Religious Education,
Our schedule for Religious Education Programs for the first two months is as follows:
October 4, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 p.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
October 11, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
October 18, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
November 8, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
November 15, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
November 22, 2020
Grades 1-8 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Grades 9-11 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
We hope to begin Adult Religious Education Programs in November.
God Bless!
Austin Rahill, DRE
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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:
- Monday at 8:00 a.m.
- Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.
- Wednesday at 8:00 a.m.
- Thursday at 7:30 a.m.
- Friday at 8:00 a.m.
- Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and 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 daily 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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Dr. Ray Guarendi shares his story of how logic led him home to the Catholic Church. He found out that, contrary to his Protestant misunderstandings, the Church is coherent and never contradicts herself. Dr. Ray explains how the answers to his objections to Catholicism were both Biblical and believed by the earliest Christians. Explore the logic that led him to the fullness of truth. |
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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
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· 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. We will be outside under the tent in front of the church. 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.
Our enrollment code is 18DE7D4F11822. 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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