Praised be Jesus Christ! Some of you might remember the song “Rain on the Scarecrow” by John Mellencamp that came out in 1985. It’s a melancholic look at the plight of the family farm, which has practically disappeared from our American way of life. My Dad was a lifelong member of the National Farmer’s Organization and he always advocated for family farmers. Like everything else in our fallen world, agriculture has been damaged by greed, making it impossible for small farms to survive. Please understand that running a big farm is not inherently evil, but it’s a sad state of affairs when a smaller farm has no chance of making ends meet. Analogous is what I witnessed in Italy: Italians love little shops that specialize in fruits or vegetables or breads or meats. They used to have little stores that carried fresh items straight from the farm. These days the large supermarkets have taken over in Italy and gone are most of the little shops that once flourished. Once again, supermarkets are not a bad idea, but their drive for efficiency and financial success has had its downside. If you would like to learn more, watch the movies “Food, Inc.” and “King Corn.” Now all of this is a buildup to encouraging you to support our local farmers – and you can do so this week by attending the Central Wisconsin State Fair. For our children we owe them the lesson of where their food comes from and how it gets there. We do not have a garden at the rectory, but all summer long we benefit from those of you who do, and we pray for you all the time! Fresh blueberries, strawberries, corn on the cob, tomatoes, and cucumbers are just a few of the items given to us. Life presents us with many opportunities, one of which is choosing some causes to support. Attending the fair this week is one way to show support for our farmers – and God knows they need our support. As a tribute to all who raise the food that keeps us alive and healthy, I will end with Paul Harvey’s famous 1978 speech about farmers: “And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer. "I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer. God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer. God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church. "Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.”

May God bless all farmers, that they be good stewards of His animals and His land!
​Father Martin 

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Adoration Hours Available: Come into the light and presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and receive His grace, His love, His peace and His response to your needs. There are immediate openings on Tuesdays from 11pm-midnight, Wednesdays from 10- 11pm and Saturdays from 1am-2am at Pope St. John Paul II Adoration Chapel. Please call Jean at 715-387-0571 or Dale at 715- 383-2262. God Bless! 
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Introducing the Marshfield Deanery Catholic Men's Group. Our dynamic men's ministry is returning next month, with a new name and brand new content! Our Tuesday 6am meetings will resume on September 12th, in Dillenberg Hall in Our Lady of Peace Church basement. All men in the parish are encouraged to join us for a powerful, brand new program from That Man is You! entitled "The Unveiling of Love". Men who have attended all 4 prior years of TMIY, some of the prior meetings, or are completely new to the program will all find it interesting and powerful. Stay tuned for more details!" 
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Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) There will be a meeting on Monday, Sept. 18th at 6:00pm in the Rectory for anyone interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister. This will be for those interested in helping at weekend Masses as well as those volunteering to go to the hospital. If you are interested please call the parish office at 715-384-9565 ext. 210.

Relics of St. Padre Pio Celebrating the 130 anniversary of Saint Padre Pio's birth, and the 15th anniversary of his canonization, relics of Saint Padre Pio will be available for public veneration in La Crosse on Wed., Sept. 20th, 2017 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman, La Crosse. The relics will be available for veneration from 9am - 6:30 pm. Mass will be offered at 12:10pm and 7pm. The 7pm Mass will be in honor of Saint Padre Pio and celebrated by the Most Rev. Wm Callahan. Confession will also be available thorough out the day. Our Lady of Peace will be sponsoring a bus down to La Crosse for this event. More details to follow. 
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The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is beginning on September 7th, 2017 with full entrance into the church occurring at Easter of 2018. RCIA is the process whereby a person learns about the beautiful Catholic faith that we sometimes take for granted. Please pick up a brochure at the entrance of the church if you or someone you know is interested in becoming Catholic or if you just want to deepen your understanding of the faith. This will be an excellent way to grow closer to God by learning about Catholicism and how it promotes heroic goodness! For more information, contact Dcn. Jeff Austin at 715-676-3186 or Jane Gerend at 715-387-2019. 

Coming this fall! The first bible study ever offered on DVD of the Gospel of John will be offered here starting the first Sunday after Labor Day! It is an 8-part series hosted by renowned apologist Edward Sri. It will be followed by another study from Ascension Press' Great Adventure series, The Acts of the Apostles, which will run into May. Please register by Aug. 30th. For more information to register contact Judy.

This year's Vacation Bible School was a HUGE success thanks to the adult and teen volunteers, donors and the 51 students who attend. This year the students learned about praying the rosary and how talking Mary and praying the rosary is powerful and helps guide us in life. We appreciate all of the support we have received so we can have a true impact on the students that attend, we are already looking forward to another great week next summer! 

Back to School! St. John PCCW will again be collecting school supplies for our St. John Primary and CCD teachers.’ They may be dropped off in the box provided in the back of church. The following are items needed: glue (bottles & sticks), rubber cement, three hole punches & 3 hole punch protectors, white cardstock, colored pencils, mechanical pencils, sandwich & gallon sized ziplock bags, pink erasers, pencil top erasers, CD players, colored ink pads, electric pencil sharpeners, colored Sharpie pens, laminating pouches, #2 pencils, brass fasteners, 3 hole punches, washable bean bag chairs, black & colored Expo markers, Washable markers, yellow & orange highlighters, Sticky notes (any size), Manila file folders, letter sized white envelopes, & a Teacher scissors. Thank you! ​

Praised be Jesus Christ! Before revealing the answers to last week’s quiz, I failed to mention what a perfect score would earn you.... an invitation to Father Sedlacek’s birthday party on August 21st! If Father balks at this and says I failed to consult him, tell him that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. Okay, drum roll please.... the answers are as follows: 1) Genesis and Revelation, 2) Mary’s conception without sin; 3) Saint Luke; 4) fast for 1 hour, believe in the Real Presence (i.e. practicing Catholic), and no mortal sin; 5) Heaven, Purgatory, Earth; 6) St. Francis of Assisi; 7) Cain, Abel, Seth; 8) Saint Luke; 9) Yes – Tuesday, August 15th; 10) 3. Well, how did you do? If you got a perfect score, then you’re welcome to meet Father Sedlacek at the rectory at 10:00 p.m. on August 21st – he will be leading a snipe hunt as this is an ancient Czech tradition used for celebrating birthdays. By the way, please do not ring the doorbell, as I will be sleeping (and I’ve been on enough snipe hunts for one lifetime!). Now let’s transition into a topic apropos of our spiritual growth: reading. Do you like to read? Some people do, some don’t, but for those who do, it’s one of the finest ways to learn more about our faith and about life in general. For example, I read a book earlier this year titled Illuminations by Mary Sharratt that was absolutely enlightening and inspiring. Based on the life of Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179), the book does an amazing job of showing how God’s will can shape a person and forge true holiness, and all of this in spite of many obstacles that would have seemingly made it impossible. Hildegard was recently made a Doctor of the Church, just the fourth woman so honored (joining Saints Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux). This is a book you would enjoy reading and your faith would grow as you witnessed how suffering always goes hand in hand with a deepening faith. Another book that married couples would benefit from reading is A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. “Van” was a good friend of C.S. Lewis and his love for his wife was deepened by the suffering they endured. An excellent book about family life is titled The Story of a Family and describes the crucible that was the life of the Saint Zelie and Saint Louis Martin family, a family that brought into the world arguably its greatest modern saint, Therese of Lisieux. God’s ways are not our ways and this book helps us to accept God’s will, especially when it is at odds with what we expected our life would be. On a lighter note, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a great story about the admixture of light and darkness that characterizes both the world and the human heart. Finally, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown tells of the remarkable determination of the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic rowing team and is sure to inspire. Now for those of you who do not enjoy reading (and maybe none of you are reading this column!), there are countless resources that offer great formation for heart and soul. You are already aware of the website Formed that is a portal to many video series, movies, and other materials. We’ll be offering sessions for married couples beginning in October and will use some of these very same materials. You have access to these things because we have a generous parish that can afford to pick up the tab (in other words, we could not do this without all of you who faithfully give). Another source of learning that does not include reading would be inspiring movies. You are always welcome to join us when we host our “Movie of the Month” – we watch a variety of films, from lives of the saints to true stories of heroism. Allow me to conclude by saying “Congratulations” to those of you aced the quiz! Now go get those snipe!

May God increase our knowledge of the faith so that we will more consistently practice what we preach!
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Your friend in Christ, Father Martin 

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Mission Team Presentation - Monday, Aug.28th 6:30pm - in the Columbia Room Five of the members of St. John’s Mission team that traveled to Tanzania to meet the Sisters of Our Lady Queen of Africa have arrived home and would love to share their stories, reflections, and memories. Through the slide presentation you will be able to see the convent that was built, a glimpse of the daily lives of the Sisters, learn more about their culture and their gratitude for what all has been done for therm. Items from Tanzania will be available to buy with all proceeds going back to the Sisters. There will be refreshments available and a time to answer any questions. We hope to see many of you there! Thank you. 

Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) There will be a meeting on Monday, Sept. 18th at 6:00pm in the Rectory for anyone interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister. This will be for those interested in helping at weekend Masses as well as those volunteering to go to the hospital. If you are interested please call the parish office at 715-384-9565 ext. 210.


Relics of St. Padre Pio Celebrating the 130 anniversary of Saint Padre Pio's birth, and the 15th anniversary of his canonization, relics of Saint Padre Pio will be available for public veneration in La Crosse on Wed., Sept. 20th, 2017 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman, La Crosse. The relics will be available for veneration from 9am - 6:30 pm. Mass will be offered at 12:10pm and 7pm. The 7pm Mass will be in honor of Saint Padre Pio and celebrated by the Most Rev. Wm Callahan. Confession will also be available thorough out the day. Our Lady of Peace will be sponsoring a bus down to La Crosse for this event. More details to follow. 

CCD News: Mark your Calendar! The date for registration for Religious Education classes is Sept. 13th at 6:15 pm. Meet in Church for a parent meeting with Father Martin. Registration is required. 
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The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is beginning on September 7th, 2017 with full entrance into the church occurring at Easter of 2018. RCIA is the process whereby a person learns about the beautiful Catholic faith that we sometimes take for granted. Please pick up a brochure at the entrance of the church if you or someone you know is interested in becoming Catholic or if you just want to deepen your understanding of the faith. This will be an excellent way to grow closer to God by learning about Catholicism and how it promotes heroic goodness! For more information, contact Dcn. Jeff Austin at 715-676-3186 or Jane Gerend at 715-387-2019. 

Coming this fall! The first bible study ever offered on DVD of the Gospel of John will be offered here starting the first Sunday after Labor Day! It is an 8-part series hosted by renowned apologist Edward Sri. It will be followed by another study from Ascension Press' Great Adventure series, The Acts of the Apostles, which will run into May. Please register by Aug. 30th. For more information to register contact Judy.

News from the USCCB:
Nearly $1.4 million in funding approved for Church in Africa, Including Pastoral Care for Migrants and Youth Summer Vocations Camp - WASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on the Church in Africa approved 54 grants totaling nearly $1.4 million in funding to support dioceses and pastoral projects across the African continent. Projects approved to receive funding include:....Read More

News from the Pope:
Pope at Audience: ‘Divine mercy is foundation of Christian hope’ - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis continued his catechesis on Christian hope with pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Hall for the Wednesday General Audience, saying that God’s mercy as embodied by Jesus both transforms us and renews our hope.....Read More

News from the Church:
From Coast to Coast, America is Throwing an Eclipse Party - It isn’t every day that the sun completely disappears from sight. And from coast-to-coast, America is throwing a party. For one hour and 40 minutes on Aug. 21, a total eclipse will be visible in a narrow band running southeast over the American heartland, from the coast of Oregon to South Carolina. Benedictine College sits right in its path. The Kansas college will hold a public viewing to celebrate the celestial event and its continuing commitment to scientific education.....Read more