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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Confessions will be heard on Friday, July 3,
at the St. Francis Shrine.
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The Parish Office will be closed
Friday, July 3.
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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:
- Saturday, July 4, at 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday, July 5, at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
- Monday, July 6, at 8:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, July 7, at 7:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, July 8, at 8:00 a.m.
- Thursday, July 9, at 7:30 a.m.
- Friday, July 10, at 8:00 a.m.
For the completion of the new sound system installation, Adoration will be closed Monday, July 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, July 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Thank you for your patience as we enhance the quality of worship experience.
Our YouTube channel is SJE-Greenfield.
If you miss the livestream, you can watch the upload of each daily Mass on our YouTube channel.
We are pleased to announce that starting Monday, July 6, we will resume our daily public Mass schedule, including Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. Masses will still be live-streamed for those not able to come to church.
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No More Tickets
After the first month of returning to Mass, we have decided to discontinue the practice of coming with tickets. After consulting with the ushers and fielding comments from parishioners, it was decided that we will forgo using the tickets. People will be seated in church using “Social and Physical Distancing” as set forth by the Archdiocesan guideline. Only 150 people can sit in the church proper. Anyone else will be invited to view Mass in the church hall where the Mass will be live streamed. Holy Communion will be brought downstairs by one of the Eucharistic Ministers.
In the past month, we have used the church hall two or three times. Thank you for your patience with all of the adjustments as we continue to come back to Mass.
Tearing Down Historic Monuments and Statues
Bishop Don Hying penned an insightful article on the history of the United States and a response to protesters destroying historic monuments and more poignantly, a response to Shaun King who said Christians should get rid of all white images of Jesus. I offer two paragraphs of his comments. Please go to the web page for the Diocese of Madison (
www.madisondiocese.org/Bishop
)
and scroll down to “Statements/Links”) to view his full commentary:
“Concerning the destruction of “white” artistic depictions of Jesus, which Shaun King has called for, the principle of enculturation merits our reflection here. In the Catholic Church, every culture, country, ethnicity, and race has claimed Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary as their own. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego as a mestiza, African art depicts Jesus as Black, Asian depictions of the Blessed Mother, too, take on similarities of both bodily appearance and, often, cultural garb. In this context, are white representations of Christ and His Mother inherently signs of white supremacy? I think not. Because the Son of God became incarnate in our human flesh, does not all of humanity – every race, tribe, and tongue – have the spiritual ability to depict Him through the particular lens of their own culture?”
“In the face of Mr. King’s comments, as a shepherd of the Church, I cannot remain silent. I need to denounce such a call to violence and destruction. Our statues, pictures, stained-glass windows, churches, icons, and devotions are holy to us. They are sacramentals, blessed and sacred, visible expressions of the love of God, poured out in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and made manifest in the Saints. They remind us of God, His love for us in Christ, and the nearness of the divine. The secular iconoclasm of the current moment will not bring reconciliation, peace, and healing. Such violence will only perpetuate the prejudice and hatred it ostensibly seeks to end. Religious freedom, given to man by God Himself, and guaranteed by our Constitution, allows us as Catholics to practice our faith, build our churches, pray in public, put up statues and crucifixes on our property, and serve the common good through a remarkable network of health care, schools, and social services. We must not surrender our religious liberty to the voices that seek the destruction of our public presence, the diminishing of our sacramental worship, and the denial of our belief in Jesus Christ as the savior of the world. Only the love of Christ can heal a wounded heart, not a vandalized piece of metal.”
Sincerely in Christ,
+Donald J. Hying Bishop of Madison
July 4th Blessing
In closing, I offer a July 4th Blessing to all of you. Please enjoy the weekend and all celebrations of our nation’s independence.
24-Hour Perpetual Adoration
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen explains how Eucharistic Adoration can lead to theological insights. “Neither theological knowledge nor social action alone is enough to keep us in love with Christ unless both are preceded by a personal encounter with Him. Theological insights are gained not only from between two covers of a book but from two bent knees before an altar. The Holy Hour becomes like an oxygen tank to revive the breath of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the foul and fetid atmosphere of the world.”
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 currently one open hour for Adoration on Monday from 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Please call Kay Shomperlen to volunteer (414) 763-1250. Come join us!
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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Fourteenth Sunday of
Ordinary Time
July 4/5, 2020
The theme of humility is central to our readings today. God Himself is a humble God, so if we wish to follow Him as Christian stewards, we must be humble. In fact, humility is key to the stewardship way of life, and to a peaceful and fulfilling life.
In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus Himself speaks to the Father of the privileged role that humble souls play in God’s plan of salvation. “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.”
What does it mean to be a “little one”? It means that we acknowledge we don’t have it all figured out, but that we are very much in need of a savior. It means we recognize that all we are and all we have been given is a gift from God. It means we embrace the stewardship way of life.
It is not easy, but deep peace and consolation come with this way of life. Jesus offers these warm and encouraging words to entice us to embrace it. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Let us resolve to follow in the footsteps of our Savior, embracing the humble path of stewardship. It is the path that leads to peace here and now, and ultimately leads us to heaven.
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The Word Among Us
Copies of the July/August issue of The Word Among Us are sold out. We will have more available in the Narthex, at the Adoration entrance, and at the parish office next week. Cost is $2.
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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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Jeff Cavins unmasks the trap of unforgiveness that prevents so many from living in the freedom of God's peace and halts spiritual progress. He explains with clarity how forgiveness frees not only the one who is forgiven, but the forgiver. The importance of this is shown in Christ's words, "As you forgive others, so I will forgive you" Matt. 6:14. Includes free bonus segment from Anger and Forgiveness by Deacon Dr. Bob McDonald.
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Although we are starting to come back to weekend Masses, we are unable to have gatherings after Mass. SCRIP is still available at the parish office during regular business hours. However, we have some materials available 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.
These are unprecedented times, but with your help we can keep this fundraising effort viable.
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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