What's Happening
at St. John's
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2021 Festival is Cancelled
The Festival Chairman, Ron Heser, and I decided in mid-April to cancel the festival for 2021. At that time, a decision had to be made to keep cancellation charges from vendors and suppliers to a minimum.
At that time, conditions for having a regular festival were not good. The CDC recommended large crowd “size control,” mask-wearing, periodic cleaning of surfaces, and proper disposal of masks, cleaning materials, and other personal property and equipment. We would not have been able to have any sit-down dinners.
Also, in April the vaccination rate was declining (and still is), and knowledge of whether the vaccines would block the variants was unknown.
It was doubtful that all of the necessary volunteers would be willing to work at the festival, and we were concerned for the health and safety of each and every volunteer.
All of which would severely hamper a regular festival.
Therefore, the Festival Committee made three recommendations: that Fr. Michael send out a donation request letter similar to last year, that the parish have a drive-through fish fry on July 23, and that the parish sponsors a money raffle as we did last year.
After volunteering as Festival Chairman for the past five years, Ron has decided that due to personal health issues, he will resign as Chair of the Festival Committee. I am searching for a replacement. Ron has agreed to work with the new Chair Person for at least two years and will continue to consult as needed.
Corpus Christi
All are invited to the Corpus Christi Procession and Rosary Recital after the 11:00 a.m. Mass this weekend. We will proceed out of church with the Eucharist and walk around the parish property. While we do so, we will also be praying the Rosary. Benediction will follow in the Church. For those who cannot walk with us, the Rosary will be recited on the parish property along 84th Street. Please bring your lawn chairs.
To help us celebrate and reflect on the Eucharist, copies of parishioner Bill Wierzbinski’s work on the Eucharist called, “The Real Presence,” will be distributed after all Masses this weekend. Being concerned with the growing lack of understanding and belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Bill wrote and published this 29-page reflection on the Eucharist and Jesus. His beautiful article, published as a booklet, features the St. John Icon on its cover. Please feel free to take extra copies for your adult children. Thank you, Bill, for your generosity and sharing your Catholic faith with us.
Holy Hour of Adoration
All are invited to a Holy Hour of Adoration on Thursday, June 10, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Church to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the USA (Heal Our Land) in union with Fr. Richard Heilman (Grace Force). Future Holy Hours will take place in the Church every Thursday evening through October 7. Fr. Heilman believes such prayers and Holy Hours will lead to a Holy Spirit revival in our country.
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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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Spiritual Bouquet for Father Michael
In joyful celebration of Father Michael Merkt’s 40th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, we would like to show our gratitude and appreciation for his dedicated leadership and spiritual direction to us, his flock. Please join us in presenting Father Michael with a spiritual bouquet.
What is a spiritual bouquet? A spiritual bouquet is a listing of a number of religious acts (Masses, Holy Communions, prayers, sacrifices, etc.) offered for another's spiritual benefit.
You will find the different-colored flower petals in the narthex. Please fill out the flower petal-like those shown below- with your name, your act of prayer or sacrifice, and return it to the designated box in the narthex or the parish office by June 14. The petals will be arranged in a scrapbook and presented to Father Michael.
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Golf Outing
Join us on Sunday, June 6, at Whitnall Golf Course. The first tee time is 1:00 p.m. All are welcome, men and women. This is a fun outing with no competition or prizes. We will be playing 9 holes.
Cost: $20/person walking. Carts are available at extra cost.
To sign up, call Ron Heser at 414-448-7117
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The Holy Name Society will celebrate Corporate Communion at the 8:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, June 13.
There will be a short meeting to follow but no breakfast. All men 16 years and older are welcome, and fathers are encouraged to bring their sons 8 years and older. The Holy Name Society will pray the Rosary at 7:20am in the Church on Sunday, June 13.
Questions?
Call Ron Heser at 414-448-7117.
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 5/6, 2021
As our world faces so much turmoil and change, it is now more important than ever to remember who God is, who we are, and where we are going. It is easy to get distracted and lose focus, especially when we are being pulled in so many directions. We can not only lose sight of God but one another. Maintaining our well developed and mature relationships with God and one another is essential to continuing to live, healthy, happy, and focused lives. In a message to young people, Pope Benedict XVI said, “The happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.” What is true for those who are younger is even truer for those who are older. Regardless of how the particulars of life change over time, human beings are still hard-wired to seek the fullness of life and happiness. How we embark on this journey and what we choose along the way will indicate whether we meet success.
There is so much brokenness and pain in our world. Many people are lost, feeling lonely, anxious, marginalized, victimized, isolated, oppressed, and abused. Every time we receive the Body of Christ, we have an opportunity to become what we eat. The power and presence of Christ in the Eucharist becomes present in us and effects change in ourselves and in the lives of those we meet. We are given the grace to become temples of justice and peace, carrying God’s sacred Presence within us wherever we go. Our faith community is ignited with the fire of God’s love and stands out as a beacon of hope in a world that is lost. This is the only way we can discover peace-filled resolutions to violence and create innovative solutions to what is fueling its need in the first place. True happiness, for the young and old alike, becomes an obtainable goal.
St. John Maria Vianney says it so well. “There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, he would have given it to us.” Only the Eucharist has the ability to connect, sustain, strengthen, and properly orient us, not only on the road of this life but the road to life eternal. Knowing this, when life gets challenging, unsettling, and difficult, we can rely on and cling to this gift we have in the Real Presence of Christ. This actual encounter with God celebrates God’s unconditional love for us and grounds us to the truth of who we are in a way nothing else is able to do. Because through the Eucharist we really do become the Body of Christ, we are also bonded together in a most perfect way to one another as that Body. Nourished, united, and strengthened by the Eucharist, let us individually and collectively, bring this wonderful gift to all we meet, especially the poor with whom we have a special connection.
©LPi
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This evening, our eighth graders will graduate. This year, we are extremely proud of our five eighth-graders. These students have faced a significant number of challenges, not the least of which was completing this year under the constraints of a pandemic. In spite of these challenges, our eighth graders modeled servant leadership. They were quick to step up to help out whenever they could. We know that they are well prepared for the academic and social challenges that high school will bring.
Please join me in praying for all of our graduates, whether they have been with us for 10 years, or only one. We wish them a bit of luck, plenty of God’s graces, and the energy and desire to work hard. We will celebrate their successes, and always remember when they were just “little kids” and we had the privilege of being part of their lives.
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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Congratulations,
Class of 2021!
Tyler Jambor
Christina Kurz
Mikayla Mirr
Ulysses Murillo
Jacob Schmidt
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Cousins Sub Day
Friday, June 11
ALL-DAY
Looking for a quick bite to eat for lunch or dinner? Want to get started on your weekend fun but don't what the hassle of cooking? We have the answer! Cousins Subs at 7495 W. Layton Ave. will donate a portion of all sales to SJE School on Friday, June 11. Just by stopping in and having lunch or dinner, you can help our excellent school.
Scrip cards are available in the Parish Office during regular business hours or after all weekend Masses.
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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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“In giving themselves to others each day, women fulfill their deepest vocation.” Inspired by the insights of St. John Paul II, Sr. Maris Stella, S.V., delivers this important talk on a woman's gift and vocation of spiritual motherhood. “All women are called to this,” she says, “regardless of her age or marital status... our world needs maternal love.” Sr. Maris Stella dives deeply into this reality and shares practical ways in which all women (single, married, religious) can share their maternal love and transform the world. |
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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.
You can also click here to view a how-to video from Scrip on how to open an 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 Thursdays. 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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