What's Happening
at St. John's
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God’s Blessings and Farewell
Mrs. Mary Laidlaw-Otto
After 39 years in education (14 of which have been as principal at St. John the Evangelist Parish School), Mary Laidlaw-Otto has decided to retire from education. St. John’s School has been blessed over the past 14 years under her leadership. During my nine years at St. John’s, I have always felt comfortable that the school was under very solid leadership with Mary.
As teachers retired or moved on in new directions, Mary had the great capability of interviewing and hiring excellent staff. At the heart of her leadership, she always had the care and concern of the students in mind.
During this past year, with the pandemic, we were faced with many new challenges, guidelines, and health mandates. We were blessed to have the school open from August through June 11.
Mary, we thank you for your faithful leadership. Please know that you will be missed. We send you into your future adventures with our promise of prayers. May your well-deserved retirement be filled with many rich and fulfilling experiences—God’s blessing from Fr. Michael, staff, and parish.
New Holy Water Fonts
A big thank you to the donors of the new touchless Holy Water fonts. They were a gift for the parish from many of the morning Mass attendees. Thank you for your generous donations. While one parishioner said he missed dipping his two fingers into the bowl of Holy Water, I have heard many positive comments from parishioners who offered thanks for the return of Holy Water with a no-touch dispenser.
When we bless ourselves with Holy Water, let us call to mind the gift that God gave to us at the time of our baptism. Also, may we be mindful of our God who desires to be with us always. When blessing ourselves, it is also a good time to ask God to strengthen us against all evil and temptations.
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.
There is an open hour on Mondays-
4:00 to 5:00 a.m.
Please call Kay Shomperlen if interested
in volunteering at 414-763-1250.
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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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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 in the Hall 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 7:20 a.m. 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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Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 12/13, 2021
A favorite motto of St. Teresa of Calcutta was, “Do small things with great love.” This is how it works in the kingdom of God. God can do tremendous things with the smallest gesture, especially when it is done in love. We can clearly see that our world is suffering greatly. People are struggling to find peace, navigate through conflicts, earn a sustainable living, find security and enough food to eat and work through political tensions and conflicts. In the light of the magnitude of the difficulties that exist around us and even within us, we can find ourselves floundering to discover practical, effective solutions. How can something so large be helped by someone as small and seemingly insignificant as me? While whole systems and structures may be out of the league of our personal influence, are we really that helpless in the midst of all of the turmoil, sadness, and suffering?
If we believe that God is with us and that God is still working to bring about the glory of God’s kingdom, then the answer is no. We are never helpless or without hope. Armed with a strong life of prayer, we can always flee to God and ask for inspiration, wisdom, and especially love. We are all blessed with unique gifts and talents, and it often seems that considering all that the world lacks, love and charity remain at the top of the list. Life can easily become a battleground of hostility. Because life is challenging and difficult, anger is not far away. We see it on people’s faces and hear it in their voices. There is a measure of frustration that permeates all avenues of life. It is even felt in the air.
As people of faith, we know that what we see here is not the end but only a part of something far greater to come. We know that God’s kingdom is where we are ultimately meant to be, and the Gospel is the way to get there. If love and charity can prevail in us, then God will be able to do what God does best. God will use us to scatter the seeds of his kingdom. Through our small gestures, those seeds can receive the nurturing attention that is necessary for them to bear great fruit. We cannot fall victim to the strife that is around us. We have to keep ourselves refreshed and focused so that even in small ways, we can become part of the solution, not the problem. Love and charity, which come from God, can help to heal the ills of the world. May we bring these simple gifts to the everyday simple tasks of our lives! Watch how big the plant grows!
©LPi
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It is hard to believe that the school year is over. We spent our last week in celebration including kindergarten graduation, our all-school picnic, liturgy, and finally celebrating with our students and parents together. Last August, the year seemed full of insurmountable challenges and yet, we find ourselves in June, having successfully navigated in-person education during a pandemic. We learned so many things and are so grateful to our families for their patience. The challenges definitely presented themselves, sometimes on a daily basis, but our successes and blessings were also present in abundance.
It is the nature of education to endlessly change. New ideas, new families, and different ways of doing things are the norm in education. My time at St. John the Evangelist has been full of these changes. During that time, though, the steadfast support of the parish for our school and for my work has been constant. Since I announced my retirement, I have received many kind notes and words of encouragement from parishioners. The thanks, really, should go back to all of you, for supporting our mission to educate children in our Catholic faith. Whether you supported our school through prayers or donation of time, talent, or treasure, I am so grateful.
We often say that the ultimate goal of Catholic education is to guide our children on the path to heaven. It has been my pleasure to devote my career to this task. Please know that, as I set off on the next chapter of my life, you will all be in my prayers.
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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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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Dr. Scott Hahn explains through his legendary testimony how he was militantly anti-Catholic but self-driven to seek the truth. This ultimately led him into the Catholic Church. He soon became an ardent defender of the Faith and one of its most passionate promoters. |
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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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