Blog Archives

3 Louisiana causes for canonization

1/24/2020

From the Church

The list of canonized saints from the United States might soon be notably lengthier, with the bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana, set to advance three causes.

Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel is advancing the causes for Charlene Richard and Auguste “Nonco” Pelafigue.
A third cause, for Lieutenant Father J. Verbis Lafleur, requires collaboration from two other bishops since he was in the military, but is also moving forward.

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Pilgrimage for Life Prayers

1/23/2020

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March For Life: Please keep the 61 people from our area in prayer as we attend the Pilgrimage for Life January 22nd-26th. We are praying that life may be valued and defended at all stages from conception to natural death. Thank you for the tremendous support. we receive from you.

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From the Desk of Fr. Jim - January 19, 2020

1/22/2020

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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE
On behalf of your parish family, I would like to express our gratitude for the initial response to our Annual Appeal. As I stated in my letter last fall, the appeal is how the business of the diocese gets done. The various curial offices budgets are supplied through this appeal, as well as the many outreaches that are returned to the individual parishes. As far as I am aware, most dioceses in the United States operate in this or a similar way, and it works fairly well, although it is far from perfect.

St John the Baptist has a goal of $139,200 for this year’s appeal. In the first 4 months of the appeal, we have received a total of $119,557, with a total of 443 donors. This is a very strong response from our parish families, and it is much appreciated. This means that we are in need of an additional $19,643 in order to make our goal. Last year we had a total of 535 contributors, which is close to 40% of our families, and we would love to surpass that number this year. It is normal for parishes in the Diocese to have around 30% to 35% participation, so I commend the St John family, but there remains a challenge for us as well. Increasing this to 55% to 60% participation, we would see an increase of more than 125 families. If the average donation of $270 continues, this would bring in over $35,000, which would put us over the top and include a very nice rebate to the parish.

As a reminder, all gifts that come in over the goal are returned to the parish 100%, and are not subject to the normal diocesan tax that is paid on normal contributions. As the Christmas season has come to a close, and tax season is still a couple months away, this is a special time for an additional push. If you have not yet contributed to the annual appeal, please pray over this, and consider making a contribution. Any and all contributions are much appreciated. I would also like to mention the listing of names in our bulletin in thanksgiving. Everyone that returns a response card, whether making a financial contribution or a spiritual contribution is listed as a means of saying Thank You! The names are listed in order the gift was received by the diocese, and if you have not yet seen your name, due to the number of families that have responded, we are still listing contributors from October; please be patient and you will be listed soon. If you do not wish to be mentioned for any reason, please let the parish office know, and your name will not be included.

In closing I would ask especially for your prayers for this effort. Nothing that we do in the church or family has any value if not supported first and foremost spiritually. Even if you are not able to make a financial contribution at this time, everyone can make this an intention in prayer, and this will be repaid with eternal dividends when we leave this world. God bless.
Fr Jim

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Evangelical Catholic

1/21/2020

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Andrea Jackson, our Evangelical Catholic training consultant will give a presentation on prayer called "The One Thing" on March 24th, at 6:30-8pm in the Columbia Room of St. John's Primary School. All are encouraged to attend this special event.

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Pope Francis calls for prayers for Australia

1/17/2020

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From the Pope

Pope Francis asked for everyone “to pray to the Lord to help the people [of Australia] in this difficult time" as major fires rage across the nation. Addressing Australian speaking pilgrims at the General Audience, the Holy Father said “I am close to the Australian people”.

Major bushfires have broken out around Australia, with more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land burned in recent weeks. More than twenty people have lost their lives in the fires.

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First Reconciliation

1/16/2020

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Please pray for our second grade students as they prepare for their First Confession! Students attending CCS will celebrate their First Reconciliation on January 14th and students in our Religious Education program will celebrate their First Reconciliation on February 5th.

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From the Desk of Fr. Jim - January 12, 2020

1/15/2020

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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

ORDINARY TIME
Have you ever wondered why we have something called ‘Ordinary Time’ as a liturgical season? Many people think of the term ordinary as commonly used in the English language, meaning something that's not special or distinctive, and as a result it is an unimportant season. However, Ordinary Time makes up most of our liturgical year, falling outside of the Advent / Christmas season and the Lent / Easter season, and is far from unimportant or uninteresting. To help gather information for this article, I researched an article dated Jan 5, 2018 on https://www.thoughtco.com by Scott P. Richert:

Why Is Ordinary Time Called Ordinary?

Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" not because it is common but simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church--the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.

It's appropriate, therefore, that the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (which is actually the first Sunday celebrated in Ordinary Time) always features either John the Baptist's acknowledgment of Christ as the Lamb of God or Christ's first miracle--the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana.
Thus for Catholics, Ordinary Time is the part of the year in which Christ, the Lamb of God, walks among us and transforms our lives. There's nothing "ordinary" about that!

Why Is Green the Color of Ordinary Time?

Likewise, the normal liturgical color for Ordinary Time--for those days when there is no special feast--is green. Green vestments and altar cloths have traditionally been associated with the time after Pentecost, the period in which the Church founded by the risen Christ and enlivened by the Holy Spirit began to grow and to spread the Gospel to all nations.

When Is Ordinary Time?

Ordinary Time refers to all of those parts of the Catholic Church's liturgical year that aren't included in the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Ordinary Time thus encompasses two different periods in the Church's calendar, since the Christmas season immediately follows Advent, and the Easter season immediately follows Lent.

The Church year begins with Advent, followed by the Christmas season. Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after the first Sunday after January 6, the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany and the end of the liturgical season of Christmas. This first period of Ordinary Time runs until Ash Wednesday when the liturgical season of Lent begins. Both Lent and the Easter season fall outside of Ordinary Time, which resumes again on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, the end of the Easter season. This second period of Ordinary Time runs until the First Sunday of Advent when the liturgical year begins again.

May God bless all our families through this Ordinary Time of the Year.

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The Annual Parish Bake Sale

1/14/2020

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The Annual Parish Bake Sale will take place Feb.1st and 2nd at all of the weekend Masses. Please consider helping by providing homemade baked goods. Thank you for your support.

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Christians in Iraq stronger than ever

1/10/2020

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From the Church

As the Iraqi city of Mosul struggles to rebuild after the destruction wrought by the so-called Islamic State, the local Catholic Archbishop says Christians are stronger in their faith than ever before.

Mosul served as the unofficial capital of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) from June 2014 until their expulsion in July 2017. The terrorist group left the ancient city in ruins, and depopulated.

Only a handful of the hundreds of thousands who fled their barbaric rule in the northern Iraqi city have returned.

Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa, OP, the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, gave an overview of life in the city.

He told Vatican Radio’s Marie Duhamel that reconstruction efforts in the city are following an uneven path, given the destruction caused by ISIS.

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From the Associate Pastor's Desk - January 5, 2020

1/8/2020

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FROM THE ASSOCIATE PASTOR’S DESK

As we enter into the Epiphany of the Lord, we look at the meaning behind this act of the Magi. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the Three Wise Men; the Magi. It was the Magi who looked for meaning and searched for eternal life. And by following that star, they knew something was not as it had been.

As they journey out to follow the star, they take gifts knowing that something is going to be awesome. The three gifts presented to the Holy Family give all honor that is due a king. Offering gold was to proclaim Christ’s kingship, incense was to adore his Godhead, and myrrh was to acknowledge his mortality. They truly saw Jesus for whom he was.

It is in this same belief, knowing who Jesus is that I count all my blessings that He has given me. Being assigned to the St. John Parish community has been an experience that I have grown from. God’s hand has been active in this, and I thank Him every day for all the love and support each of you have shown me this past year and a half. I have made plenty of mistakes, but you’ve always been able to overlook them, I have doubted myself only to be reaffirmed by you, and during those times of being sick I never felt alone. You are truly a faith community who opens up to your priests with compassion, concern, and ultimately, LOVE!

Thank you for blessing me beyond words and thank you for all the wonderful gifts and cards this Christmas Season. As this is my last Associate Pastor’s Desk blurb, know that St. John’s will always hold a special place in my heart and in my prayers. By the grace of God and the kindness of Bishop Callahan, I’m so thankful I will remain in the Marshfield deanery. I look forward to more meals and sharing time with the friends I have gained here. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
God Bless,
Fr. Barry

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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
Tuesday–Friday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM
First Friday: 6:00-7:00 PM
Saturday:3:45 -4:15 PM & 6:15 -6:45 PM

ADORATION

PERPETUAL ADORATION: The Marshfield Deanery has the John Paul II Adoration Chapel located in the basement of St. John the Baptist Parish, at 201 W. Blodgett St. The chapel is accessible from the rear parking lot. For more information or to sign up:
contact Jean Kaiser 715-503-0118. Click on the image below for more information.

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

3 Louisiana causes for canonization

Pilgrimage for Life Prayers

From the Desk of Fr. Jim - January 19, 2020

Evangelical Catholic

Pope Francis calls for prayers for Australia

First Reconciliation

From the Desk of Fr. Jim - January 12, 2020

The Annual Parish Bake Sale

Christians in Iraq stronger than ever

From the Associate Pastor's Desk - January 5, 2020

Stay Connected with Our Parish

Safe Environment Program

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