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Pope Francis asks prayers for youth during January

1/18/2019

From the Church:

While thousands of young people from around the world arrive in Panama for the World Youth Day that will take place from January 22 to 27, Pope Francis asked that we pray that young people, especially in Latin America, follow Mary’s example in sharing the joy of her Son.

At the initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and in collaboration with World Youth Day, Francis invites the world to pray “that young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the world.”

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Prayers for Pilgrimage for Life

1/17/2019

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Prayers Please! Please keep our group of 38 people in prayer as we travel to Washington D.C. for the Pilgrimage for Life January 16th-20th. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous support of the Jars for Life fundraiser!

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From the Desk of Father Martin - January 13, 2019

1/16/2019

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Praised be Jesus Christ! Our diocesan marriage and family office is focusing on the scourge of pornography this year, along with the hope that God gives to all who struggle with this affront to our purity. Years ago a friend of mine was studying for the Jesuits (he is now a priest in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, MN.) – one of their traditions is to spend a month on their own with no money. My friend spent the time walking from Saint Paul to Milwaukee, staying with priests along the way. He had many incredible adventures, but my favorite is the following one that he gave me permission to share with you: “Finally, there was the incident with “Cruisin’ Chubby.” I was pushing it an extra eight miles to Wisconsin Dells to try and catch the priest there after his 5:00 p.m. Mass. As I was marching along I passed a couple of strip clubs, one by the name of Cruisin’ Chubby’s – a name I recognized from having passed by several times in another location on I-94. Apparently this guy had some sort of chain going with these places. Both clubs elicited strong emotions from me: deep sadness, frustration, and anger over the evil of these places, over the objectification and use of women that goes on there. They struck me as disgusting works of the devil. If only the owner were here, I thought, I would like to meet him and give him a piece of my mind. But I hadn’t the time to check. Later, the five-o-clock hour had passed and I was still a mile or so out of town. I wouldn’t catch the priest by walking. I had to get a ride. So I stuck out my thumb and waited. I’m not sure how much time passed without a ride; all I can say is that I was much relieved when a well-preserved 60’s muscle car pulled over in front of me and came to a stop. I noted briefly as I approached that the characters on the license spelled out “Chubby,” but I didn’t think much of it. Nah... couldn’t be, I thought. The passenger seat was taken, so I climbed in back and was immediately struck by the kindness and good will of the man to whom I owed the ride. He was a middle-aged man with slicked back hair, wearing jeans and a t- shirt that looked like something a college student might wear returning from spring break. After a cordial greeting he asked where I was going. I asked if he knew where the Catholic Church was in town. “The Catholic Church, yeah, I know where that is. St. Cecelia’s, I’ve been there. That’s a nice church. I should go there more often myself.” A brief pause. “So, where you from? Did you go to college?” “Yeah, I went to Marquette,” I responded. Chubby replied, “Marquette, that’s in Milwaukee, right? Lots of good attorneys in Milwaukee. That’s where my attorney’s from, which you need in my line of work.” “Oh?” I said, “And what do you do for a living?” “I own and operate a chain of gentlemen’s clubs here in central Wisconsin, Cruisin Chubby’s. You may have seen them.” “Huh.” That’s all I could muster and I fell silent. Incredible. Just a few hours earlier I was filled with indignation, wishing I could meet this guy, and there I was, Cruisin with Chubby himself. God put me in the place I wanted to be and I balked.” I share this story because it reminds us that the people who run such places, as well as those who work there or frequent there are human just like us. They need our prayers, not our judgment. Ever since reading that story for the first time I’ve been much more inclined to pray when I see signs advertising sin in whatever form. In the weeks to come, we’ll discuss as sensitively as possible the many ways the devil is working to damage us through pornography and its progeny. In the meantime, a robust devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has always been one of the best defenses against assaults on our purity.
May God grant purity of heart to all of His children, especially those most in need of His mercy!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Evening of Recollection on January 17

1/15/2019

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Evenings of Recollection: The next Evening of Recollection will be held Thurs., Jan. 17th from 6:30-8:00pm. Simplicity of Life is the theme for the night. The evening will begin by exposing the Blessed Sacrament followed by a half hour meditation. After that there will be time for silent adoration and confession. Benediction will close the evening. This evening of recollection will take place at St. John’s.

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Pope's letter to US Bishops

1/11/2019

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From the Pope:

The Holy Father sent the letter as an accompaniment to the bishops, who are currently collectively on retreat to pray and discern regarding measures to be taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

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Flocknote and email

1/10/2019

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The best way to contact me is by email, and please sign up for text and email youth ministry updates through Flocknote. Simply text the word “pope” to 84576, or visit this link to sign up. https:// app.flocknote.com/religiousedyouthministry/. You can also reach me by calling the office at 715-384-3252 ext. 6 or email at evangelize@ frontier.com

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From the Desk of Father Martin - January 6, 2019

1/9/2019

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Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish you a very happy Feast of Epiphany! I am actually in New Orleans with my classmates as we celebrate our 20th year of priesthood together. As you know, we get together annually and such fraternity has been a tremendous gift in my life. As Psalm 133 puts it, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers live in unity.” Because this is a milestone year for us (20 is a nice round number), we decided to meet in New Orleans for three days. We had Mass at the Cathedral with the Archbishop and had time to visit the Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos, a Redemptorist priest who was beatified while I was still a student in Rome. A few of my classmates are with us for the first time in many years and more than ever we derive courage and hope from our time together. For Sunday Mass we concelebrated at Saint Stephen’s, where my classmate Monsignor Christopher Nalty is the pastor. If you look it up on the Internet you’ll see that it’s a beautiful old church that they recently renovated. After Mass most of us will drive up to the Tree Farm near Brewton, Alabama where we’ve spent the past 20 years reuniting. Last year I posted a couple of pictures in the bulletin of the bunk house and the chapel. It will be a shorter stay this year because of the time in New Orleans, but any time spent out there is extremely refreshing. It’s still outside of cell phone reception and the Wifi at the upper house is spotty at best. Being “off the grid” for a few days is a blessing and if you’ve never experienced it, I highly recommend it. A personal milestone will happen for me on Tuesday, January 8th. That day I’ll offer Mass for the 10,000th time! When I was young I met an older priest who had a Mass register and he had recorded every Mass that he ever celebrated. I was so impressed that I decided to do the same thing if I ever became a priest. And so I too can tell you a little bit about every Mass I’ve ever offered since my ordination on June 26th of 1999. For example, I have the principal intentions of each Mass, as well as the location and the name of the parish. Some of the Masses were offered in Italian, Latin, and Spanish. These days, most are offered with a decidedly Central Wisconsin accent. Some years I offered just over 400 Masses. Since arriving in Marshfield the average is up to over 600 per year. During the years I was a high school chaplain I lagged way behind my classmates who had already become pastors. My suspicion is that I’ll be one of the first to get to 10,000 Masses... and while there is no special award for such things, I am grateful to God for each and every Mass I ever offered. In faith, we know that one Mass has the power to save every single soul God ever made – the Mass is Christ’s Paschal victory over sin and death. I remember an older priest who wondered out loud, “Who am I to do this, to offer the Mass?” Many times I feel the same way: humbled, in awe, and full of gratitude for all that God has done in my life. My 10,000th Mass will providentially be with my classmates in the beautiful little chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Tree Farm – we’ve been together since we arrived in Rome in 1995 and it will be wonderful to share this with them. I know my heart will be full of gratitude to God for the priesthood, which brings Jesus to us in the Eucharist. I will be thinking of you that day too, as your prayers and support (and timely constructive criticism, given out of love) have helped me more than you know. Please join me in thanking God, who asks only that we model our life on the mystery of His Son’s Cross. And may God, who has begun this good work in me and my classmates, bring it to fulfillment day by day!
May God guide you by the light of His truth, so that your hearts may be free to love generously!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Blessing the Mother Frances Streitel Center

1/8/2019

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Blessing the Mother Frances Streitel Center: Bishop Callahan will bless our new space on Tuesday, January 29th. We sent out invitations this week and if you did not receive one, I am sorry. However, given the limited space and fire code requirements, we’re only allowed to invite about 60 people. That means we’ve invited members of our pastoral and finance council, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, some donors, and local clergy. The Saint John Paul II Adoration Chapel officially opens on February 1st and that will be a new chapter in Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Marshfield.

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Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany

1/7/2019

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Listen to the homily for the Feast of the Epiphany from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

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Pope Francis’ 2018 Christmas Message

1/4/2019

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From the Pope:

"This truth is the basis of the Christian vision of humanity. Without the fraternity that Jesus Christ has bestowed on us, our efforts for a more just world fall short, and even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty.For this reason, my wish for a happy Christmas is a wish for fraternity.
Fraternity among individuals of every nation and culture.
Fraternity among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another.
Fraternity among persons of different religions. Jesus came to reveal the face of God to all those who seek him."

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MASS SCHEDULE
Monday - Friday: 7:00 AM
Saturday: 8:00 AM
Saturday: 4:30 & 7:00 PM
Sunday: 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 AM

CONFESSION SCHEDULE
Monday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM & 7:30-8:30 AM
Tuesday–Thursday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM
Friday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM & 7:00-8:00 PM
Saturday:3:45 -4:15 PM & 6:15 -6:45 PM

ADORATION
Monday: 7:30 - noon

PERPETUAL ADORATION: The Marshfield Deanery has the John Paul II Adoration Chapel located at 510 Columbus Ave. For more information or to sign up, contact Dale at 715-383-2262or Jean Kaiser 715-387-0571 or see available hours here. Or click on image below for a visual tour.

Stay Connected with Our Parish

Welcome From Our Pastor

Welcome to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church! Ever since 1877 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Pope John Paul II called the parish a “school of prayer” and St. John’s is committed to promoting growth in holiness in every state in life. Each of us is called... Read More

Pope Francis asks prayers for youth during January

Prayers for Pilgrimage for Life

From the Desk of Father Martin - January 13, 2019

Evening of Recollection on January 17

Pope's letter to US Bishops

Flocknote and email

From the Desk of Father Martin - January 6, 2019

Blessing the Mother Frances Streitel Center

Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany

Pope Francis’ 2018 Christmas Message

Stay Connected with Our Parish

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