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Mass Times for January 1

12/31/2019

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The next holy day of obligation is Mary, Mother of God. Mass times will be available at the following times at St. John’s:

​December 31
st - 5:15pm
January 1
st - 9:00am 

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Men's Renewal Retreat in February

12/27/2019

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Men Renewal Retreat
February 15, 2020
St. John the Baptist
201 W Blodgett St, Marshfield, WI
9 A.M. – 3 P.M.Cost: $25/person (Includes morning snack and lunch)
Cost $30/person at the door
What does it mean to BE A MAN OF THE CROSS?
Join us for a half-day retreat with time for prayer, reflection & renewal led by Deacon Ralph Poyo.
Presented by Diocese of La Crosse – Office for Marriage and Family Life
For more information please contact: Dan Kitzhaber at 608-791-2673
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Mass times for Mary, Mother of God

12/26/2019

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The next holy day of obligation is Mary, Mother of God. Mass times will be available at the following times at St. John’s:
St. John’s

December 31st - 5:15pm
January 1
st - 9:00am 


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From the Desk of Fr. Jim - December 22, 2019

12/25/2019

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​“‘For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger,’ (Luke 2:11-12).”
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MERRY CHRISTMAS

God’s sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty, exactly the same sign has been given to us...God’s sign is simplicity...God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us.. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby- defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love; so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing from us other than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts, and his will- we learn to live with him and to practice with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him and love him...Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God, who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul and our mind to be touched by this fact (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)
The Incarnation of the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity as a man, turned the entire world upside down. We think of a king being born with all the trappings of the world, the best of everything; but he was born in a stable and wrapped with swaddling clothes. His birth was announced by angels to a group of sheep herders, themselves rejected by their countrymen. His kingdom would not be formed through military battles or worldly wisdom; but a kingdom of service to others, based on his teaching known as the Beatitudes. His crown would not be a crown of gold and jewels, rather a crown of thorns. He doesn’t enter his city with a procession of power, but riding on a donkey. His throne was not in a palace; rather a cross on a hill outside the walls of the city. His glory is not occupying a worldly empire; but an empty tomb, the pierced hands of a glorified body, burning memories of a walk to Emmaus, a breakfast of grilled fish on the shore of Galilee; his generals are a group of nobodies that all abandoned him in the moment of his greatest need.
Everything is turned upside down, an inversion of all we hold dear as human beings. This is especially true in light of the scandals that continue to rock the Church. We do not make excuses for the actions of even one person in authority in the Church, but we need to learn to read the world through the eyes of the Gospels, bringing the real world into a sharper focus. On Christmas morning our expectations change. We worship a new born babe; a king who challenges us today and tomorrow, a king who will turn everything upside-down, a king who will lead us in our own journey to join him one day in heaven.
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May God bless all of you and your families this Christmas season.
Fr Jim 

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Reminder: E-Mail Phishing

12/24/2019

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Reminder: E-Mail Phishing into our parishes We have received several reports of targeted attacks by a crafted fake Gmail address, attempting to represent your pastor. There are two things you, and everyone that receives the scam message, can do.

1. Report the Gmail address used to send the phishing message to Google as a violation of the Gmail Program Policies and/or Terms of Use using this link: https://support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse
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2. Report the phishing message by moving the message into your Spam folder and, if you are using Gmail, Open the message, Next to Reply, click More, and then click Report phishing. https:// support.google.com/mail/answer/8253?hl=en 

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Christmas Message from Bishop Callahan

12/20/2019

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Here is Bishop Callahan's Christmas video message for 2019
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Flocknote

12/19/2019

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Flocknote Youth Ministry is using Flocknote for communication (email and text) Please sign up for text or 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 Fr. Jim - December 15, 2019

12/18/2019

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Advent is a Latin word for ‘coming’. It is a time of anticipation and waiting, mostly waiting with our Blessed Mother in her personal Advent of carrying Jesus in her womb for 9 months. But there is another thing we are anticipating: the return of the Lord. The time is approaching fast; this is the reason we wear rose (no, they are not pink) vestments this weekend. This is reflected in nature as well, as Dr Pius Parsch reflects on in The Year of Grace. He writes: ‘Nature’s annual cycle is characterized by two phenomena, light and life. Out of the darkness comes light, out of death comes life. The translation from night to light characterizes the winter season; the transition from death to life is proper to summertime. The holy year of the church is likewise divided into two phases which have similar characteristics.’

Violet calls to mind the diminishing light during Advent and the silence of life in the winter preparing for a new birth in the spring. Black is not a liturgical color, because black is the absence of all color, and we are never in complete darkness. Violet is a dark and penitential color, but it is also the ancient color for royalty and wealth. Through our baptism, we are immersed in light and life, and have the dignity of being children of the King of Heaven.

In this sense, we see the significance of the color rose, a softening of violet, the promise of the light that is approaching, anticipating the birth of Christ during Advent and his resurrection during Lent. Gaudete Sunday is an anticipation and foretaste of the good things to come, things that we experience partially today and confident that we will experience them fully when Christ returns.

The focus of our readings during the first 3 weeks of Advent is on the end times. Since the time of Christ, this has been on the minds of Christians throughout the world. Many have tried to predict the exact date or at least the correct year of the Lord’s return. Thus far, none have been right. But one thing is certain: we are living in the end times. This has been true since Jesus’ Ascension into heaven.

‘When is Jesus coming back?’ is the wrong question. Are the readings from Revelation or the prophets to be taken literally or symbolically? Again, the wrong question. It is a waste of time to speculate about the when or where or looking for signs. These are distractions from what we should be doing: actually preparing our hearts for his return.

St Bernard teaches there are 3 comings of Christ. The first was fulfilled some 2000 plus years ago with his incarnation; this coming was cloaked in human flesh, and was hidden from many of his contemporaries. The 2nd will be his coming in glory, and there will be no such confusion. Lastly there is a third coming, and this is the one we live, as Christ is born in our hearts and minds. It is fulfilled in each heart throughout our lives, and this coming involves a birth as well. Like all births, there is pain involved and we are put to the test; as St John the Baptist puts it ‘He must increase, I must decrease’. This expectant birth does not just come about. We must prepare and plan for it. Much like a couple expecting a child, they want to prepare the home in the best way possible for the new arrival. This new arrival, whether it is the 1st or the 6th, will bring change into the life of the family. As we accept Christ into our lives, it will change us in ways we cannot imagine.

The Lord is Near: so how do we prepare for such an event? Just as The Light approaches, his light is reflected in our liturgies; the violet of the season approaches the white of Christmas morning, and appears as rose. We rejoice in the fullness of the Truth; Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, we rejoice in the promise of his return, and we rejoice now as he is born into our hearts today. We also prepare by calling others to faith in Christ, something all baptized Christians are called to do. As a beautiful way to evangelize this Christmas, consider inviting a neighbor, friend or family member to join you in celebrating Christmas and the birth of our savior at one of our Masses.
God blessings upon your families and loved ones this Advent season

​Fr. Jim 

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Christmas Mass Times 2019

12/17/2019

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CHRISTMAS at St. John’s

December 24 - 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00pm
December 25 - 7:00, 9:00, and 11:00am
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Beatification of Brother James Miller

12/13/2019

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From the Bishop

​Brother James Miller—born and raised in central Wisconsin, martyred in Guatemala, and living today in the Heavenly Jerusalem—will be declared “blessed” Saturday, December 7, in Huehuetenango Guatemala.

Like all others who have been declared “blessed” by the Church, Brother James was remarkable—indeed, heroic—in sanctity. He lived, served, loved, taught, and died after the example of Jesus. Through Brother James’s own flesh and blood, Jesus became incarnate to those whom Brother James served.

Yet, even in his holy heroism, James Miller was one like us. He was born in Stevens Point, raised on an Ellis dairy farm, and graduated from Pacelli High School. In these and many other respects, Brother James was no different from you or me.

Read More...
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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 St. John Paul II Adoration Chapel located in the lower level of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, at 201 W. Blodgett Street. The chapel is accessible from the rear parking lot.  For more information or to sign up, contact Jean Kaiser at 715-503-0118 or Deacon Ray Draeger at 715-207-6085. Click on the image below for more information
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    Stay Connected with Our Parish

    Welcome From Our Pastor
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    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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201 W. Blodgett St.. Marshfield, WI 54449 
​  715-384-3252 (parish office) 715-384-4989 (school)