What's Happening
at St. John's
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Thanksgiving Blessings
On behalf of myself and the entire staff here at St. John’s Parish and School, may you have a very blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving week. While the Covid-19 outbreak and flu season will change many of our traditional ways of celebrating, may we still find creative ways to reconnect with family and friends. Also, let us be thankful to God for all the blessings in our daily lives. And may we find time to relax and catch up on our rest.
Praying for the Souls in Purgatory
From 1903 through 1946 lived a saintly Poor Clare Nun in Italy by the name of Sr. Maria Consolata Betrone. She had what we call a Mystical relationship with Jesus. In doing so, she also had a great devotion to the souls in Purgatory. The Lord told her in a revelation that this short simple prayer: “Jesus, Mary, I Love You, Save Souls” is a prayer that one may pray often and each time, releases souls from Purgatory. In this month of November, which is designated for us to pray for souls, let us develop a habit of praying throughout the day for men, women, and children who have gone before us asking God for their entrance into Heaven by praying : “Jesus, Mary, I Love You, Save Souls.”
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.
There is an open hour on Thursdays - 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please call Kay Shomperlen if interested
in volunteering at 414-763-1250.
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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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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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New Acolyte Training
Students in grades 4 - 12 who would like to become altar servers are asked to complete a registration form and attend a training session.
Parents may register their child/children by contacting:
Karen Schulteis, Director of Liturgy & Music,
by calling the parish office at 414-321-1965 (ext. 125)
Please register by Monday, November 23. She will then contact you regarding training session information.
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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Our Lord Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe
November 21/22, 2020
Today we come to the end of the liturgical year, celebrating the magnificent feast of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Our readings provide contrasting images of this King of ours. He has authority over everything, and yet, He is humble and tender in His care for us, especially the most vulnerable.
How can we properly honor and love such a King? By offering Him our very lives through the stewardship way of life.
The Gospel passage from Matthew shows us how. The passage begins with Christ’s own description of His Second Coming, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.” Then the moment of judgment will come. Some will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven — the others to eternal punishment.
This judgment will be based not on how influential we became in society, how high we climbed the corporate ladder, nor any “worldly” achievements. Rather our judgment will be based on how we treated the least of those around us, whom Jesus calls His brothers. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” To make His point very clear, Jesus gives specifics — feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, caring for the ill, and imprisoned.
The more deeply we embrace the stewardship way of life, the more closely our priorities will align with His.
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Grateful...
I am in my 14th year as principal here at SJE, I have been writing a weekly bulletin article for about 10 of those years. Those of you who faithfully read my musings each week know that I often look back at the articles from previous years. I started doing this because it helps me to make sure that I am including important information. However, along the way it has become valuable in considering where we were, how we have built on the challenges along the way, and, of course, an opportunity to think about how we have grown to where we are.
The challenges we face this year were completely unimaginable last year at this time, when we were planning how to fit in painting and the installation of new flooring in our hallways. Right now, in the face of daily reports of disease burden, sudden pivots to virtual education, and friends and family suffering through illness, everything I shared with you last year seems, at best, unimportant.
Our days have changed in so many ways. Instead of greeting students with a handshake in the morning, each child must have their temperature taken as they enter the building. Once inside, we work to remain apart (with varying degrees of success). These practices have allowed us to stay in person thus far. In spite of these challenges, as we approach Thanksgiving, there are still so many things to be grateful for. I am grateful for the good humor of our students and teachers. Our days are filled with “aha” moments. Our students light up with new discoveries, mastery of skills, and experimentation. Our teachers, working to plan for both in person and virtual students, faced with daily news of quarantine, and endlessly adjusting their lessons to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of where the learning is taking place, maintain the positive attitudes necessary to nurture emotional health for our students.
Last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for our parish staff. Fr. Michael, Karen Schulteis, and Denise Kasulke work together to ensure that our students have the opportunity to come together for Mass each week, in person, and that our Mass is live-streamed for parents and parishioners. If you have not watched one of our school Masses, I strongly encourage you to take time to join us in prayer.
There are many lessons for which to be grateful this year. Perhaps the most important one is that of support for each other. Together, we are a strong team. For that, I am the most grateful.
...Together in God’s Name
Mary Laidlaw-Otto, Principal
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Cousins Sub Day
Wednesday, November 25
ALL DAY
Are you tired of cooking for Thanksgiving? Traveling for the holiday and need a quick meal? We have the answer! Cousins Subs at 7495 W. Layton Ave. will donate a portion of all sales to SJE School on Wednesday, November 25. 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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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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Rubi Red's Cranberry
Products are Back!
Rubi Reds is proud to offer SWEETENED, DRIED CRANBERRY PRODUCTS that are grown, processed, and packaged in the Heart of Wisconsin.
They offer anything from dried, chocolate-covered fruits to flavored honey, trail mix, and even soap!
Rubi Red's Products will be offered for sale after all weekend Masses November 7 through November 29.
Orders should be delivered the week of December 14.
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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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Advent, the season in which we prepare for Christmas, is a penitential season. One of the key acts of penance that the Church recommends is almsgiving. But why? Citing the Old and New Testaments, the Catechism, and his own engaging personal stories, professor and author Dr. Michael Barber explains the “inner logic” of almsgiving, and how this often-misunderstood aspect of our faith is a critically important good work, related to our own unmerited redemption in Jesus Christ. |
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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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