QUASI-NORMAL

This weekend brings much in a sense of relief, as we begin the slow path of returning to a more normal practice of our faith. For many of us, both priests and lay people, this has been a long road, and we have experienced a Lent we all pray is unique, and we will never have another one like that in our lives. However, this does not mean that it was a time that lacked fruit. Any experience God grants, with a right intention, can help us grow in our relationship with God; and through a deeper relationship with God our human relationships in our families, at work, in school or any other event can grow stronger as well.

How do we form this intention? It has to begin in prayer. This is the one thing we hopefully never gave up, even when we could not receive the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance. Prayer forms us as disciples, and is the foundation of a sacramental life, for we receive the other sacraments through a form of public worship. Coming to Mass, attending a baptism or wedding, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Anointing; these are all done within the context of prayer. Normally it is a liturgical prayer, but this liturgical prayer should lead to a personal prayer, which then leads back to other liturgical prayers, forming a vortex of prayer that takes us deeper into the center of prayer, the center of our lives, a relationship with the Living and True God.
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As we enter into this first weekend, there are some things we need to recall:

• The Virus has not run its course. According to most estimates, it will be a part of our lives for a long time, much like the common cold or flu.
• The dispensation for Sunday Mass remains in effect; for those in high risk categories or caring for one in such a group, for those with symptoms of the cold or flu, please refrain from attending the public Mass.
• We will practice social distancing, limiting our attendance at Sunday Mass, funerals and weddings to 25% of church capacity, for us around 100 persons.
• There are many directives we have received from the Diocese. Please be understanding as we move forward.
• One of the above directives is to remove all Missalettes from the pews, as well as other worship aids. Masses will be more simple and familiar in choices of music and hymns.
• Communion in the hand only: this is how I will be offering Communion. Please know this is temporary until a fuller sense of normalcy returns.
  
• Online signups will remain for a time as well. An individual may not be able to sign up every week, but I hope that you will be able to sign up at least every other week. If you are able to sign up in a particular week, please refrain from signing up again until late the following week in order to give everyone a chance to attend if they desire.
  

​First Communion will be scheduled in the near future as well. Please continue in your prayers for all those affected, and for our church and civil leaders that they be guided in this by the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit... Fill us with the Fire of Your Love, and Renew the Face of the Earth.
God bless 
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Office Hours: Beginning June 1 , office hours will go back to 9:00am - 5:00pm Monday through Thursday and 9:00am - 1:00pm on Fridays. 

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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

POSITION OPEN AT ST JOHN’S MARSHFIELD

We have an opening at St John the Baptist parish for a part
time bookkeeper/ financial secretary. If you are interested, please submit a resume, cover letter and 3 references to St John’s Rectory, 201 W Blodgett St, Marshfield, WI. We will accept applications until filled.

REOPENING OF THE CHURCH

ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

We are at the opening phase of organizing to open our churches throughout the Diocese of La Crosse on Pentecost Sunday (May 30 / May 31). It will be a stepped process, and will require a sign-up of some form or another. As I write this, I am thinking we will go with another Sign-Up Genius form for the Sunday Masses, but have to finalize the forms. Please keep an eye on the parish website for up to date info. If you do not have internet, you may call the parish office and we will help get you signed up, but please wait until after Memorial Day to do this.

HELP NEEDED: We are looking for volunteers to disinfect the church as well. If you would be able to help out doing this, following a Sunday Mass, please contact the parish office. We are setting up coordinators for this service, but they will need help. We will have masks (optional) and hand sanitizer stations available (recommended).

MORE HELP: We will be looking at asking some of our younger men and women to consider taking on a more active role as ushers. We have a great team of ushers, but many are in the high risk group (a polite way of saying elderly) and may not be ready to attend public worship. Please consider this your invitation, and if you are willing to help in this regard, please contact the parish office at any time and we will get you lined up. This is very much appreciated.

SUNDAY DISPENSATION: This remains in place: for any that are elderly, find they are in a high risk group for other reasons, have cold or flu like symptoms including cough, fever, aches, sinusitis etc., please refrain from attending these Masses. We are entering a time of allergies as well; the problem is we do not know if what I have today is simply an allergy, or something more serious. Please err on the side of caution if you are affected by any of these.

HOLY COMMUNION: On the hand only. I know all the arguments for and against, and am not offering a suggestion. For the time being, there will be no Communion from the cup and the Host will be offered on the hand only. Not all Extra- Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist are comfortable offering Communion on the tongue, and I have decided that this will be the manner of reception until this passes.

1st HOLY COMMUNION: This is a subject that has often come up. The current plan was to have 1st Communion right after the churches were re-opened, but doing this in phases backs that up. We are considering some options, but 1st Communion remains delayed for the time being.

CONFESSIONS: Following Pentecost Sunday, we will begin a more normal Confession schedule. Again, this is a work in process, but they are coming. The dispensation for the Easter obligation of Confession still applies as well, so if you can get to Mass, you may receive Communion with the intent to get to Confession as soon as practical.
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God bless.
Fr Jim

One more thing! At this time, we will have the bathrooms in the church off limits. This is due to the amount of cleaning that it would entail with each use. While we cannot lock the doors, we do have a sign up indicating to please not use the bathrooms. We apologize for this inconvenience! Once the signs are off the doors, you will again have access. 

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​God Doesn’t Call The Qualified. He Qualifies The Called.

Are you being called to welcome a Catholic exchange student into your family? Please listen to Agnieszka’s Witness Talk found on our parish website or at https://youtu.be/_FNRglPiRAA  about what it means to be able to travel from Poland to attend high school and live with an American host family. Columbus Catholic High School would like to welcome TWO students for the 2020-2021 academic year. Please prayerfully discern being a Host Family for a young lady or man from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland or the Ukraine. More Information: Barbara Tota-Boryczka, Global Outreach Executive Director, 920.540.3085 or Barbara.Tota-Boryczka@globaloutreachprogram.com

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

PARISH OFFICE POSITION

We begin this week’s article with a note of gratitude and well wishes for Pam Housworth, the parish financial administrator for the past 4 plus years. In this time, Pam was challenged in getting our financial records onto a new computer program, and has been instrumental in updating these records for our parish, for which we are grateful. Pam has taken a new position at Christ the King parish in Spencer, and we congratulate her and wish her success in this new endeavor.

St. John the Baptist now has a position open for a part- time financial secretary/ bookkeeper. If you would like more information about this position, please contact Brian Kaiser, chair of St. John the Baptist finance council or you may contact the parish office.

RELATIONSHIP IS KEY

As we continue working our way through this time of uncertainty, I am reminded of a note I once received, a note that is applicable for our times. This note (cannot recall the author) read: rules without relationship leads to rebellion. This is a great insight, and it speaks to the critical difference between Christianity and other religions in the world. We are the only ones who know a personal God and savior. When we follow the ‘rules’ we do so out of love; it is a response to God first touching our hearts and minds. Other religions do not have this personal relationship, and for them the rules can lead to rebellion in their hearts. Even for us Christians, if we are not in a relationship with God, the rules can seem overbearing, and can lead to rebellion. I think we all know people or have family members who no longer practice their faith because they lacked that relationship, and the rules became simply unbearable. Relationship is the key to all areas of our lives.

Each Sunday is a celebration that calls us to reflect on our relationship with God as the primary relationship in our life. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are an eternal relationship, and they invite us into their relationship. How are we doing in this relationship? Is my relationship with God the primary relationship in my life? This is the one that all other relationships in our lives are based on, and their strength is a direct ratio of our relationship with the Holy Trinity. Our relationship with our spouse, our children, our friends, our parents; anyone and everyone are only as healthy as our relationship with the Holy Trinity, who is closer to us than our beating heart.

It is easy to forget these things. We can all get caught up in trying to build a perfect world for our children, striving for that perfect job, going after that newer, bigger house with a perfectly manicured yard, spending all our time and energy on things, we can forget who we are doing these things for. None of these are bad in and of themselves, but they need to be in balance, or all of our lives will be out of balance. The Covid19 pandemic is a test for all of us in one way or another. How we respond is a statement of who we trust in. Do we simply trust in the state? Science? Our medical practitioners and medical infrastructure? These are all good, but they are only part of the equation we need as human beings. We are material and spiritual beings. Neglecting our spiritual reality leads us on a dead end path. Perhaps this is a time to strengthen our relationship with our merciful Father, deepening our prayer life and our devotional life, preparing our hearts for the day, hopefully soon, when we can return to the sacraments in their fullness.

Here is an exercise to try: if I were given 5 months to live, what would I change in my life? And remember, for some of us, this is not an exercise.
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God bless, Fr Jim 

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Pope Francis’ Prayer to Our Lady to be recited at the end of the Rosary during the month of May

O Mary, You shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the foot of the cross, were united with Jesus’ suffering, and persevered in your faith.

Protectress of the Roman people”, you know our needs, and we know that you will provide, so that, as at Cana in Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us. For he took upon himself our suffering, and burdened himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen

We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, But deliver us always from ever danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. 

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Happy Mother’s Day
During this month of May, we celebrate Mother’s Day, and we also celebrate Mary, our mother. Although I have not been able to celebrate this holiday with my mom for over 30 years, it remains a very special time for me, indeed for all of us, for we all have a mom. A birth mom, an adopted mom, a foster mom; one of the common traits we have as humans is that we have a mom. In addition, in His infinite wisdom, God gave each and every one of us another Mom, Mary.

Mary is our example to follow when we are trying to build a life of virtue. Patience: Mary was visited by an angel, who told her that she was to become the mother of God. This angel then vanished, appearing to Joseph, but never again to Mary. He wasn’t there to give her direction, to advise her when things didn’t look so good. Mary patiently went on with her life, raising Jesus and taking care of Joseph and their home. Wisdom and understanding: Mary was the first teacher of Jesus, who stumped the teachers in the Temple when he was 12 years old. When it was time for Jesus to begin his public ministry, Mary was there, gently prodding, telling the servants at Cana to ‘do whatever he tells you.’ She is here for us today, to encourage us, to prod us if we need it.

The Pieta: our suffering mother. Mary knows what it is like to lose a son and a husband. She went through many sufferings in her life here on earth. In Luke’s Gospel, we read the prophecy of Simeon; when Simeon blessed them, and said to his mother Mary, Behold, this child is destined to bring about the fall of many and the rise of many in Israel; to be a sign which men will refuse to acknowledge; and so the thoughts of many hearts shall be made manifest; as for thy own soul, it shall have a sword to pierce it (Lk2, 34-35). Here, Mary is our example when tragedy strikes our lives. We can turn to her in prayer, and she will walk with us through the pain and doubt we face many times in life. Mary is the Immaculate Conception; the patroness of the United States. Mary watches over our nation, and intercedes for us before God the Father.

These are just a few of the many titles Mary holds. We will never exhaust the possibilities in emulating her in our lives. During this month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, consider taking up a devotion to Mary. Perhaps a daily Rosary with your family or decorating a Marian statue with flowers and spending some time with her in our homes. Mary is there, waiting for you.

May God bless you, and a blessed Mother’s Day to all moms, especially to our Mom. Enjoy your special day.
Fr Jim 

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