Steubenville Conference 2017: St. Thomas University, St. Paul will host this conference from July 28th –30th. This is for teens in grades 8- 12. If interested, you must sign up by Jan. 6th. Contact Dan Kitzhaber at 715-384-4989 ext. 3 or Fr. Sedlacek at 715-387-3252 x213/

Baptism Class for those requesting the baptism of their children will take place Tues., Jan. 31st, 5:30-8:00pm in Columbia Room. Pre-registration is required and you can do so by calling 715-384- 9565 ext 2. For those not registered in the parish, information will be given on how to do so. This class is for all parents of their first child and/or those who have not yet taken Father Martin’s Baptismal class

St. John’s Parish Family has the opportunity to aid the less fortunate in our area by serving a fellowship meal in the Gathering Room of St. Vincent de Paul Center. We next meet on Dec. 28th at 3pm to set up, serve the meal at 5pm with clean-up by 6:30pm. If you are able to help, please call Richard at 715-387-2763.

St. John Catholic Book Club Our next meeting will be on Tues. Jan. 3rd. We are currently reading and will discuss Chiara Corbella Petrillo - A Witness to Joy by Simone Troise & Cristiana Pacini. The Zoo Keeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman will be our January book. We choose our books by consensus, not strictly Catholic tomes or authors, but after considering persons or topics we believe we should be aware of as Catholic Christians. If you would like to join us please call Mari at 715-207-7744.

Teaching the Way of Love: Jeff Arrowood will present this talk to parents and their children in grades 8 - 10 on Wednesday, January 4th. It will be held in the Columbia room from 6:15 - 8:15pm. Adolescence is a time of great change for youth and that change can be confusing. Parents are the ones that create a firm and secure foundation from which a young adult can confidently become the person that God intends them to be. Topics Mr. Arrowood will cover are highlights from Theology of the Body, Self-Worth vs. Self Esteem, Marriage in God’s Plan as well as hold vital discussions. All CCD 8th grade students should report to the Columbia room for this presentation. All high school students (with parent) are invited to attend. For more information, contact Deb Mlsna at 715-659-4480 ext 3.

Adult Confirmation Class: A confirmation class for baptized Catholics will be offered in Jan-Feb. This class will prepare participants to receive the sacrament of Confirmation on March 5th. Class will be held on Monday evenings from 6:30 – 8:00pm beginning on January 16th, 2017. Registration is required – for more information and to register please contact Deb Mlsna at 715-659- 4480 ext 3 or at ReligiousEd@frontier.com as soon as possible. Please note this is not an RCIA class. 

Catholic Kiosk Thanks to the generous support of our Marshfield Deanery Catholic community and the amiable rental relationship with the Marshfield Mall, the Catholic Kiosk has been a source of evangelization in our community for 3 years! As we approach the Christmas season, we are hoping to "beef up" the Catholic Kiosk's inventory of Catholic Bibles, Catechisms, Lighthouse Media and/or Dynamic Catholic Institute books and CD's. We are also always very appreciative of monetary donations to pay for the monthly $150 rental. Please contact Mandy at 715-387-1317 or alcottd@gmail.com if you would like to help support the Catholic Kiosk, a Marshfield Deanery Catholic Community evangelization effort. 

Prayer Shawl Ministry is a way to offer a sense of prayer, comfort, support & love to an individual in times that are difficult such as: death of a loved one, a serious diagnosis, or a life’s struggle. Fleece comfort shawls are now also available. These may be used for young and old alike. All are available in the Bride’s room. For more information contact Lori at 715-387-0244. 
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In need of inspiration or experiencing Jesus' presence or healing? He will provide for your needs in ways we cannot always anticipate. Come be with Jesus in adoration at Pope Saint John Paul II Adoration Chapel, 510 S. Columbus Ave. Fridays at 9pm-10pm or Saturdays at 1am-2am are openings needed to be filled. Please call Jean, 715-387-0571 or Dale, 715-383-2262 to schedule your hour. ​​​​​​

Praised be Jesus Christ! Some of the best music produced these days comes in the form of movie soundtracks. My favorites include “A Beautiful Mind,” “Moneyball,” and “Remember the Titans.” Years ago when I was still in charge of the high school seminary I was taking the students to school when someone asked Matt Marshall (who is now one of our finest priests) how he managed to cut himself shaving so many times. He explained that he’d been listening to the soundtrack of the movie “Gladiator.” Poor Matt - once the adrenaline got going he threw caution to the wind and shaved as if there were no tomorrow! That movie, loosely based on the Roman Empire during the time of Marcus Aurelius and his successor Commodus, refers at various times to an ancient conception of the afterlife. Adopted from Homer’s Odyssey, the Romans thought of life after death in terms of a place at the far edges of the world, a place called “Elysium”. The movie does a decent job of conveying the hope that the Romans had of a world on the other side of mortality. The final scene is the most compelling as it is accompanied by a haunting song titled “Now we are free”. Long before Jesus lived in this world, people had their hearts set on a world that would exceed this one in beauty, love, and peace. Today is no different, as the aspirations for eternal life are commonly heard in music as diverse as Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” or Coldplay’s “Paradise.” It seems people have always hoped our life would continue, even after death played its inevitable part. Jesus made the most radical claims in this regard, as he metaphorically pointed out how He could raise the Temple just three days after it had been destroyed. Only after discovering His empty tomb did the people realize Jesus had predicted His own resurrection from the dead. From that day forward all references to the afterlife could only have traction in connection with Jesus’ great Passover from this world to the world that will never end. And lest anyone think it is not clear that Jesus knew where He was going, His words to the “good” thief while dying on the cross provide convincing evidence to the contrary: “This day you will be with me in paradise,” (emphasis mine). Not everyone is convinced by the Bible because it lacks the scientific rigor we prefer these days when assessing veracity. However, centuries ago folks like Galileo recognized that “the Bible shows the way to go heaven, not the way the heavens go.” Certainly, the Bible is not a scientific tome explaining all of the mysteries that both surround and confound us. Just the same, you know that the word “Bible” can function as an acronym: “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” Maybe that’s a good place to begin: that each of us will leave here someday. In the meantime, we have so many advantages that were not enjoyed by the Greeks and the Romans at the time of Christ. It’s no wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are your eyes . . . . that see what many longed to see but did not see, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it,” (Matthew 13:16a, 17a). As we come to the end of this four week meditation on the last things (death, judgment, Heaven and Hell) the challenge for us is to live always in light of the reality that we are in the world, but not of the world. What happens next week is God’s response to sin and death – He comes to destroy them but almost no one suspected this because of His humble beginnings. This Baby holds the keys to the gates of Heaven: “and a little child will lead them all” – Isaiah got it right, which is good news for all the world! May God teach us to love the things of Heaven so that we may be free of the attachments of Earth!

Your friend in Christ,
​Father Martin

Baptism Class for those requesting the baptism of their children will take place Tues., Jan. 31st, 5:30-8:00pm in Columbia Room. Pre-registration is required and you can do so by calling 715-384- 9565 ext 2. For those not registered in the parish, information will be given on how to do so. This class is for all parents of their first child and/or those who have not yet taken Father Martin’s Baptismal class

St. John Catholic Book Club Our next meeting will be on Tues. Jan. 3rd. We are currently reading and will discuss Chiara Corbella Petrillo - A Witness to Joy by Simone Troise & Cristiana Pacini. The Zoo Keeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman will be our January book. We choose our books by consensus, not strictly Catholic tomes or authors, but after considering persons or topics we believe we should be aware of as Catholic Christians. If you would like to join us please call Mari at 715-207-7744.

Catholic Kiosk Thanks to the generous support of our Marshfield Deanery Catholic community and the amiable rental relationship with the Marshfield Mall, the Catholic Kiosk has been a source of evangelization in our community for 3 years! As we approach the Christmas season, we are hoping to "beef up" the Catholic Kiosk's inventory of Catholic Bibles, Catechisms, Lighthouse Media and/or Dynamic Catholic Institute books and CD's. We are also always very appreciative of monetary donations to pay for the monthly $150 rental. Please contact Mandy at 715-387-1317 or alcottd@gmail.com if you would like to help support the Catholic Kiosk, a Marshfield Deanery Catholic Community evangelization effort. 

Prayer Shawl Ministry is a way to offer a sense of prayer, comfort, support & love to an individual in times that are difficult such as: death of a loved one, a serious diagnosis, or a life’s struggle. Fleece comfort shawls are now also available. These may be used for young and old alike. All are available in the Bride’s room. For more information contact Lori at 715-387-0244. 
​
In need of inspiration or experiencing Jesus' presence or healing? He will provide for your needs in ways we cannot always anticipate. Come be with Jesus in adoration at Pope Saint John Paul II Adoration Chapel, 510 S. Columbus Ave. Fridays at 9pm-10pm or Saturdays at 1am-2am are openings needed to be filled. Please call Jean, 715-387-0571 or Dale, 715-383-2262 to schedule your hour. ​​​​​