Blog Archives

Vatican prepares for 1st conference on drugs and addictions

11/30/2018

From the Church:

An unprecedented conference on drugs and addictions will be held at the Vatican by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, from November 29 to December 1.

This symposium will deal with all forms of addiction: drugs and alcohol, gambling, sex and pornography, and digital devices and social networks.

A particular focus of the event will be to discuss the economic factors involved in such phenomena. One of the objectives is to highlight how the poorest are the most vulnerable.

Read More...

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Small group scripture studies in 2019

11/29/2018

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We are planning on launching 7 Scripture-based small groups during Lent 2019, the leaders are currently training with wonderful material provided by Evangelical Catholic. Stay tuned!

Wednesday night youth group (for grades 8-12) If you haven't attended, please join us anytime! The Pilgrimage for Life trip is coming up on January 16-20th, 2019. The Pilgrimage for Life info meeting will be in the Columbia Room Monday, November 19th at 7pm. The cost is $330 per person/$300 for chaperones, the official red hoodie is extra. Please think and pray about joining us, as this is one of our most popular trips. I will also continue the Jars for Life fundraiser, so please be generous in supporting the pilgrims when they are available. The first night of "jar-filling" will be Nov. 27th, 7-9pm in the Columbia kitchen at St. Johns.

New on Formed! The Adventures of Carlos Caterpillar tells the story of Carlos, an ever-curious little caterpillar who often finds himself in various predicaments. Helped by his Uncle Pedro, a wise butterfly, Carlos learns many lessons that will help him through his own little journey of life! Children ages 4 to 10 will enjoy these entertaining adventures done in full 3D animation with great music and Latin flavor! Formed is available online, and also available as an app for both android and IOS devices. The parish access code is c7b2ca, you can create an account online at formed.org

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/

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From the Desk of Father Martin - November 25, 2018

11/28/2018

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Praised be Jesus Christ! My classmate, Father Mark Vander Steeg, recently wrote a great bulletin column and he’s agreed to let me use parts of it for your reading pleasure. Though you don’t know Father Vander Steeg, you might think he’s a wonderful guy by the time you get done reading this... please remember what they say about judging a priest by his column! Okay, here are his thoughts: “We are so blessed here at (St. John’s and Christ the King) to have so many people who appreciate and understand the supernatural value, assistance, and grace of having a Mass offered for a particular intention. It may be for a loved one who has passed on to God, offering the graces of the Mass to assist them on their journey into the fullness of God. It may be offered for a current world concern or for a local or family need. It all shows love for others. We entrust our intentions and prayers to God, particularly through the Mass, asking that His will be done in all things. With this shared knowledge of the value of the Mass also comes the reality that our parish is not always able to fit in every Mass intention (this is more the case at Saint John’s than Christ the King). Sometimes people are saddened when they find out that a particular day is ‘already taken’. We are limited to accepting four Mass intentions a year (two on weekends and two on weekdays) for each person. We also cannot double up intentions without the consent of the original person. However, there are other options for you to remember your deceased loved ones through a Mass intention or have one offered for some other special concern. We have retired priests as well as priests in mission areas that would be very happy to pray for your intention at the Masses they celebrate. All altars are God’s altar. You may contact the parish office to make this arrangement. The suggested offering/stipend for a Mass is $10.00. In conclusion, the Mass is the most powerful prayer on earth because it is the living passion, death, and resurrection of Christ made present to us. It is to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are privileged to participate and receive. How beautiful when the blessing can be shared with our deceased loved ones, friends, and to advance the Lord’s will on earth. Thank you for your reverence and faith in the gift of the Holy Mass.” Lots of good insights, especially about the power of the Mass... and in a surprisingly short amount of space! My homilies may be shorter than the league average, but the length of my columns is probably near the top! As we bask in the glow of Thanksgiving, we pause to remember that the very word Eucharist means thanksgiving and reminds us that love is sacrificial and generous, even to the point of death. And while we offer the Mass for our deceased loved ones so that they might be found worthy of eternal life, we need the Mass too so that we do not grow cold in love, stale in faith or despondent in hope. The greatest reason for sadness in the world is a lack of intimacy with Jesus and His Father. As you know, people are falling away from their faith because of the scandals and we might feel helpless as we watch family and friends leave. Thank God for the Eucharist – we can offer our Communions for this intention and many others. That will bring grace to others while protecting us from becoming judgmental or cynical. God revealed that the Church would endure until the end and that we’re so much better off in the Church than outside of her. Let’s pray for perseverance in these tumultuous times – we’re in this together and with God we cannot fail.
May the graces we receive from the Mass bring healing and hope to us and to the world!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Evening of Recollection on Dec. 6

11/27/2018

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Evenings of Recollection: The next Evening of Recollection will be held Thursday, Dec. 6th from 6:30-8:00pm. Praying the Holy Rosary is the theme for the night. The evening will begin by exposing the Blessed Sacrament followed by a half hour meditation. There will be time for silent adoration and confession. Benediction will close the evening. This evening of Recollection will be held at Christ the King.

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Homily for the Feast of Christ the King

11/25/2018

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

Click here to listen

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Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

11/23/2018

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Listen to the homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

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FSPA Sister Thea Bowman on road to canonization

11/23/2018

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From the Church:

On the third day of the USCCB’s fall meeting in Baltimore, the bishops voted in favor of supporting the cause for canonization of Sr. Thea Bowman, a religious member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration based in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Read More...

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Youth Ministry News

11/22/2018

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Wednesday night youth group (for grades 8-12) is off to a great start. Thanks to Father Barry, Kate Behselich and Katelyn Weichelt for their leadership and hard work. If you haven't attended, please join us anytime! The Pilgrimage for Life trip is coming up on January 16-20th, 2019. Please think and pray about joining us, as this is one of our most popular trips.

I will also continue the Jars for Life fundraiser, so please be generous in supporting the pilgrims when they are available. The first night of "jar-filling" will be Nov. 27th, 7-9pm in the Columbia kitchen at St. Johns. 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/

Have you tried formed.org? Formed is like a Catholic Netflix, but so much more. There are movies, documentaries, bible studies, audio programs, & audio books. Formed is available online and also available as an app for both android and IOS devices. The parish access code is c7b2ca. Create an account online at formed.org

Share Your Cans Please drop off your empty aluminum cans in the can cage next to the rectory garage. The profits help youth attending pilgrimages, summer camps and Steubenville retreats. Thank you!

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From the Desk of Father Martin - November 18, 2018

11/21/2018

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Praised be Jesus Christ! The following comes from an article written by Monsignor Charles Pope that was passed along to me by a friend: “Over 29 years ago, as I was finishing seminary and about to be ordained, my spiritual director at the time gave me some advice on seeking a new one in my diocese. ‘Look for someone who has suffered,’ he said. At the time I wondered about this but have come to find that it was good advice.” The title of the article is “On the Relationship of Suffering and Wisdom,” which is provocative in and of itself. Years ago a wise old priest remarked on how we learn more from our failures than from our successes... what do you think about that? Old timers always talk about the “school of hard knocks” and though we fancy ourselves an evolving race, some elements never seem to change. Each person who lives long enough in this world to become self-conscious learns many things. We marvel as we watch children experience things for the first time – their awe and wonder are a gift to us and remind us of the miracle of life and the ability to experience it in a deeply spiritual way. Unlike other creatures, we’re able to think about what we experience and decide whether we should seek such experiences again. For example, John F. Kennedy believed it was the safety and warmth of our mother’s womb that draws so many of us to the ocean and its rhythmic waves. Yes, it’s fairly safe to claim that we are drawn to beauty and goodness and truth. But the path that leads us to these transcendent realities almost inevitably weaves through the hurts and sorrows that we would otherwise choose to avoid. Every human being suffers in this life – God told us that original sin had won for us a valley of tears and that life would be much harder now than if we had only trusted Him enough to obey Him. And yet, as God is wont to do, He said He could draw good from such sorrow and that suffering, for those who accept it with deep faith, could impart a wisdom that is not of this world. Think for a moment of the wisest person you know – take some time here to really think – have you come up with someone? What sets that person apart? What is the source of their wisdom? Have they suffered? When I was pondering these things a number of people came to mind and I could see behind their many years and wrinkles a gentleness that can only come from a person who has learned to accept life as a gift – and that means to accept the suffering too. For those who believe in a God who suffers, the life we live in this world is transformed from the rat race to accumulate the most stuff (i.e. fame and fortune) to a slow but sure process that makes us truly kind and holy. Did I mention that it’s a slow process? As a rock thrown into the ocean and retrieved after a week shows little change, so too our day to day living the Catholic faith seems to change us hardly at all. But leave that rock in the ocean for 10 or 20 or 50 years and you’ll see a wonderful transformation as it becomes smooth with all the rough edges worn away by sand and salt. So too our faith and its acceptance of suffering; we naturally rebel when it comes, but with God’s help we begin to realize that Our Lord only allows this to help us become what He knows we can be. As Jesus revealed to Saint Rose of Lima some centuries ago, “Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burdens of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true staircase to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb.” Yes, the cross is our means of salvation, even if we sometimes try to avoid it. As we pray this month for the holy souls that have gone before us, we remember that they now know the indispensable role of suffering in preparing us to live with God. May they rest in peace and may their prayers help us to trust in the Lord, who suffered and died that we might live.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Angel Tree Christmas:

11/20/2018

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Angel Tree Christmas: Sign up for Angels begins this weekend and will continue next weekend if there are any left. All gifts should be returned to church by Dec. 2nd. Anyone interested in helping deliver the gifts should sign up at Mass this weekend or next. This year’s gifts will go to children of prisoners and also to St. Vincent de Paul to provide gifts for area children. Adults in need will also receive gifts.

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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
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

Vatican prepares for 1st conference on drugs and addictions

Small group scripture studies in 2019

From the Desk of Father Martin - November 25, 2018

Evening of Recollection on Dec. 6

Homily for the Feast of Christ the King

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

FSPA Sister Thea Bowman on road to canonization

Youth Ministry News

From the Desk of Father Martin - November 18, 2018

Angel Tree Christmas:

Stay Connected with Our Parish

Safe Environment Program

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