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 From the Church:
The Embassy of the United States to the Holy See recently returned a letter written by Christopher Columbus that was stolen from the Vatican. The handing over ceremony took place in the Vatican Library. Read More...
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 Assorted Saints & the Virtues of Faith, Hope & Love - Vacation Bible School: The week to set aside is July 23rd - July 27th. Adult & teen volunteers will be needed and childcare will be offered. If you are able and willing to volunteer, please call Heather Adler at 715- 897-1941. Registration forms can be found in the kiosk. Help us provide an outstanding Vacation Bible School experience for our young people by taking an “ornament“ off the tree (located in the entranceway of church and either purchase or donate money for the item listed. Please return the item to the box provided or place the money in a marked envelope in the collection by July 15th. Thank you for being a part of helping our children grow in faith.  Praised be Jesus Christ! Years ago when I was in seminary I remember a question that was almost always asked after every homily: “What is the good news?” The idea was to impress on us our responsibility to unleash the hope written into the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit. Maybe you’ve heard homilies that were depressing because there was never any silver lining offered – if the preacher had spent more time in prayer this probably would not have happened. This is a preface to what is very sad news: Ireland legalized abortion in May. But let’s begin with the good news because in America the pro-life cause has arguably never been stronger. For example, the number of abortions has dropped precipitously and the number of clinics performing them has declined from 2,200 to fewer than 500 today. Again, fewer doctors are willing to perform abortions, leading to an aging and dwindling population of abortionists. Because of the dozens of stories testifying to the trauma experienced by abortion staff (e.g. the movie “Blood Money”), many are walking away and never coming back. Our neighbors in Iowa have adopted the strongest laws yet protecting our most vulnerable citizens and the tide is rising that will one day protect each human being from conception until natural death. Without getting too far off the topic, it’s the latter situation (i.e. euthanasia) that grows more bleak by the day. Now as anyone who has ever participated in the annual March for Life knows, the pro-life movement is young, hopeful, and extremely prayerful. And so God has raised up a generation that intuitively knows abortion is never a solution – it only sows seeds of despair. Anyone who is honest about abortion must admit that it leads to greater poverty among women, opens the door to more child abuse (which stands to reason – abortion is an act of violence that desensitizes, paving the way to other forms of violence), and promotes racism (the number of minorities terminated in America, not to mention the location of Planned Parenthood clinics makes this very difficult to refute). Young Americans know this and so the tide is turning to an era that will one day see abortion no longer validated by law or sentiment. Sadly, Ireland has been enticed to take a path that finally will lead to heartache and division. The Catholic Church in Ireland deserves our prayers for all she did to preach the Gospel in our country. The number of priests who came from the land of Saint Patrick to offer our forebears the sacraments is seemingly innumerable. But the devil never sleeps, and he wove a web of corruption and scandal that reduced the Church in Ireland to an anachronism that no longer has a voice of credibility. When the country most needed Catholics to make their voices heard they were crippled not so much by the sins of a few, but by the willingness of some of their leaders to hide those sins, thus needlessly exposing others to harm. And yet the faith in Ireland is ancient and deep, and it has suffered in ways that we cannot begin to fathom. The story being told is how a new generation is throwing off the shackles of a medieval faith so that it can revel in newfound freedom. The good news is that this narrative is a sham that bears little in common with the truth. Certainly the devil found Ireland ripe for the picking and so the evil of abortion has come to their land for the first time. But as we’ve seen in America these past 45 years, the greater the struggle the more glorious the triumph. We thank God in advance for the end of abortion in America, in Ireland and in the whole world. Yes, darkness has had its hour, but we are children of the light. May God convince our world that only in the truth of the Gospel will we find freedom! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin  6th Annual Parish Pull Sign-Up Soon the sign-up sheets for the Parish Pull will be set out in the vestibule. There will be a variety of opportunities as well as times needed that you can choose from. Join the fun and sign up soon so that the chairmen of these groups have sufficient time to contact you. Thank you!
The PCCW will once again be selling pie and ice cream during the Wednesday evening band concerts in Columbia Park. This has been a successful fundraiser for our parish in the past. All ladies in the parish are invited to help make and donate pies, ice cream and other needed supplies. If you would like to donate or help, please call Susan at 715-384-4343. Please come and enjoy a piece of pie as you listen to the beautiful music of our city band. Mark your calendars!!! Fifth Annual Saint John’s Parish Truck & Tractor Pull will be held on Friday night- July 13th at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. The proceeds from this event will help to support Columbus Catholic Schools, Sacred Heart Parish Capital Campaign and Mary’s Place Boarding House in Mfld. Vacation Bible School The week to set aside is July 23rd - July 27th. Adult & teen volunteers will be needed and childcare will be offered. If you are able and willing to volunteer, please call Heather Adler at 715-897-1941. Registration forms can be found in the kiosk.
 From the Pope: Pope Francis says Christians are urgently called to manifest their faith by giving “a sign of neighbourliness and relief in the face of the many forms of poverty” that afflict our world, and at the same time honour them “who are the real presence of Jesus in our midst”. Read More...  As you know, the Diocese of La Crosse is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Our beloved Bishop Callahan has therefore been making visits to each of the deaneries to celebrate this unique occasion. Bishop Callahan’s schedule of events includes the following and you are welcome to come out and meet and greet our good shepherd!
Friday, July 13th: Opening prayer at 7:00pm at the 6th Annual Parish Pull, Marshfield Fairgrounds Saturday, July 14th: Mass at 5:00pm at St. Michael’s, Hewitt  Praised be Jesus Christ! Given that it’s Father’s Day, it’s right and just that we honor our fathers. But we should also pause and meditate on what it means to be a father. Saint John Paul II said at World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002, “every man is called to be a father.” God knows there are countless definitions of what it means to be a real man: when I was a kid guys like Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Sylvester Stallone were the role models of manhood. It’s amazing how our opinion about such things changes as we get older. Manhood is a somewhat subjective category and given the great confusion regarding human sexuality, it’s better to focus on the reality of fatherhood. This allows us to be much more concrete, as certain characteristics are essential to being a good father. For example, a good father is present in his children’s lives. The famous song “Cats in the Cradle” continues to resound as so many children never bond with their fathers in the deep way that God intended. As the book Fatherless America points out, nearly half of our children grow up without much connection to their biological father. This leaves wounds in our souls. All social science points to the reality that kids do best with a Mom and a Dad in a stable marriage. There are countless exceptions to this today, and many children excel against longer odds. Just the same, having a Dad who is a part of your life is of inestimable worth. Another quality of fatherhood is playfulness. This is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life and for a variety of reasons it tends to be the father who fills this role. Pope Francis encouraged parents to play with their children, as this is an extraordinarily effective ways to demonstrate love, as well as to teach lessons of fairness and how to win or lose graciously. When I visit my family, about the only contribution I can make is to play with the kids – and they never tire of playing with someone who is fun and interested in their lives. Again, a good father is honest and holds his children to a reasonably high standard. Because we have a deep, innate desire to make our Dad proud, he has a huge influence in establishing our self-worth. So Dads, compliment your children when they do well – this is a gift only you can give. A quality of fatherhood that is sometimes overlooked is the role they play in the spiritual life. When the Dad is in relationship with the Lord and he shares this with his children, it has a remarkably positive impact. The most consistent predictor of how the children will fare spiritually is whether their Dad practiced his faith. Seeing our fathers attend Mass and go to confession is a lesson that children never forget, even if for a while they reject God and stray from Him. And while many fathers abdicate their spiritual role, programs like “That Man is You” are helping our men become real leaders in the realm of faith. Finally, fathers are characterized by the sacrificial life God asks them to live for their wives and for their children. Saint Joseph is a great model for fathers because he accepted the many challenges of raising God’s only Son while loving his wife with a perfectly pure and chaste heart. If the Dads reading this do not already have a friendship with St. Joseph, find a good prayer to this holy man and ask him to help you live your vocation with great love and courage. I began praying a 30-day novena to Saint Joseph in 2009 – I love that prayer so much that I am still praying it today (nearly 3,300 days later). May God bless all fathers, that their faith will be strengthened and their families know the love of God! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin  The PCCW will once again be selling pie and ice cream during the Wednesday evening band concerts in Columbia Park. This has been a successful fundraiser for our parish in the past. All ladies in the parish are invited to help make and donate pies, ice cream and other needed supplies. If you would like to donate or help, please call Susan at 715-384-4343. Please come and enjoy a piece of pie as you listen to the beautiful music of our city band.
Mark your calendars!!! Fifth Annual Saint John’s Parish Truck & Tractor Pull will be held on Friday night- July 13th at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. The proceeds from this event will help to support Columbus Catholic Schools, Sacred Heart Parish Capital Campaign and Mary’s Place Boarding House in Mfld. Vacation Bible School The week to set aside is July 23rd - July 27th. Adult & teen volunteers will be needed and childcare will be offered. If you are able and willing to volunteer, please call Heather Adler at 715-897-1941. Registration forms can be found in the kiosk.
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MASS SCHEDULE
Monday - Friday: 7:00 AM Saturday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 4:30 PM Sunday: 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 AM CONFESSION SCHEDULE
Tuesday–Friday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM 1st and 3rd Fridays: Confessions begin at 6:00* Saturday: 3:30 - 4:15 PM *Friday confessions begin at 6:00, but vary in duration 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 ParishWelcome 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
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