Blog Posts

Trivia Night coming soon

1/3/2019

TRIVIA NIGHT will be held in the Columbia Room of St. John the Baptist Primary School 7-9PM on Friday, January 11th. This is a fundraiser for Youth Ministry events and to support our brothers and sisters in Venezuela. Mark your calendars and spread the word! This will be general trivia, and is open to all ages. There is space for 14 teams of 8. There is an early bird discount for registering by December 28th, The discounted price would be $60 for a team of up to 6 members, and $80 for a team of up to 8 members. Registrations after December 28th will be $96 for a team of up to 8, and $72 for a team of up to 6. Please visit http:// www.stjohnsmarshfield.org/trivia-night-fundraiser.html for more information.

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From the Desk of Father Martin - December 30, 2018

1/2/2019

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Praised be Jesus Christ! Friends recently gave me the book Make Your Bed, written by Admiral William McRaven. I enjoyed it immensely, and the lessons taught have some impressive spiritual parallels for those who seek to live heroically. One of my favorite stories was early on in the author’s training to become a Navy Seal. He and the new recruits were about to plunge into the Pacific Ocean for an extraordinarily challenging swim. The officer in charge was looking over the candidates and stopped in front of one who was diminutive in stature. Standing just 5’4”, the man looked out of place and the officer began publicly dressing him down, encouraging him to give up now so as to not embarrass himself. After a few minutes of this, the officer leaned in and whispered something to the recruit. Later that morning the author found out that the man’s size belied the desire of his heart – he ended up finishing near the front of the pack. Intrigued, the author asked the little man what the officer had whispered to him just before they dove into the water. The recruit smiled and responded, “Prove me wrong!” And wow, did that light a fire in him. Thank God for the nobility of heart that He put in each and every one of us. As this year winds down, we naturally look back and reminisce on the good times and the struggles. But it’s not long before we begin thinking about how we’d like to do it better in 2019. While not one for making New Year’s resolutions, I nevertheless think it’s a good time to challenge ourselves to grow in virtue and to examine some areas where that might be possible. For example, many of us don’t often think of our omissions as being sinful: Edmund Burke put it best when he wrote, “The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” Maybe there are things that we fail to do out of laziness or selfishness. The statistic of 75% of American Catholics not attending Mass on a regular basis is one illustration of this. Another area that is perennially a struggle for human beings is what some call the “pelvic issues.” That means living the virtue of chastity – the type of love Jesus has for us, which He gives to us as a new commandment: to love others as He has loved us. That means we refrain from impure images (pornography and risqué movies/TV shows), as well as impure humor and sexual innuendo. The pure of heart are promised to be able to see God. Our world makes this a real challenge, but God is offering the grace through confession and a true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Maybe this is the year to work on resisting addictive behaviors. The usual list of chemicals falls into this category (and the Midwest is very susceptible to alcohol abuse), as well as gambling. Again, maybe it’s time to admit that we’re not living in harmony with God’s law – a common example these days would be folks enjoying the benefits of marriage without having made vows before God. This could be cohabitation or irregular marriages (e.g. Catholics that got married outside of the Church). These are areas that typically find a lot of resistance when they are brought up – the evil one gives us a litany of excuses for why we are right and the Church is wrong. But Scripture buttresses the fact that the Church can never err when it comes to teaching faith and morals. Yes, it’s VERY DIFFICULT to be truly holy. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying and sometimes wonder if I’ve made any progress. We’ve got a foe who loves to fill us up with doubts and excuses: the devil loves to tell us that we’re not cut out for greatness and that it’s a waste of time even to try. Thank God for His still, silent whisper, encouraging us to “prove him wrong!” Maybe in 2019 we will.
May God bless you with peace and good health in the New Year to come!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

1/1/2019

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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd The atrium (classroom) for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in St. John’s lower level is scheduled to open on Friday, February 8th. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based Catholic faith formation program where children can grow in their relationship with God through a deep engagement in Scripture and liturgy. Level I is for 3-6 year old children who work with material that has been prepared especially for them as a way of meditating upon the essentials of our faith. Thanks to Stephanie Landwehr, Lori Greenwald, Pat Lloyd, Carol Morgan, Judy Beesing, Bernie Knoeck, Dr. Michael Seelen and Brian Kaiser for making or constructing the materials. Please call Jean Kaiser at 715-387-0571 for more information or to enroll.

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Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

12/31/2018

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Listen to the homily for the Feast of the Holy Family from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

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Youth bring Christ to only mission diocese in the US

12/28/2018

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From the Church

Beginning in June 2018, five young people working in conjunction with the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, launched a mission to bring the Gospel to the people of Northern Alaska.

Fairbanks has the distinction of being the largest U.S. diocese geographically, spanning 409,800 square miles in the northern two-thirds of the state, while serving one of the smallest U.S. Catholic diocesan populations of 18,000. The missionaries lead youth groups, host retreats, conduct Bible studies, promote Eucharistic Adoration and work in efforts to relieve the needs of the poor, bringing the love of Christ and unbridled enthusiasm to all they encounter.

Read More...

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Upcoming Youth Ministry Events

12/27/2018

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Save the Date! We will be attending the Steubenville Rochester Youth Conference July 12th -14th, 2019.

Adventure Camp will continue in the Summer of 2019!, the tentative date being August 4th-9th 2019. More details will follow.

Trivia Night will be held in the Columbia Room at St. John's 7- 9pm on Fri., Jan. 11th. This is a fundraiser for Youth Ministry and to support our brothers and sisters in Venezuela. Mark your calendars and spread the word! This will be general trivia; open to all ages. The cost is $12 per person and there is space for 14 teams of 8.

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From the Desk of Father Martin - December 23, 2018

12/26/2018

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Praised be Jesus Christ! For the record, writing this article almost killed me! Please allow me to explain. For as long as I’ve been here I’ve had an old, solid oak desk in my office. About a year ago I discovered that it was blocking the one vent and that was probably responsible for the fact that I was perpetually cold (no comments from the peanut gallery – I think the fact that it only took 61⁄2 years to figure this out is better than average for me). So we found an old desk in the basement (one that no longer blocks the vent) and found a friend to refinish it. A couple of weeks ago it was time to switch out the old and bring in the new desk (which is working wonderfully – as I’m typing this article I can actually feel my toes). While transferring all of the contents from the old desk to the “new” one, I found the article that I’ve shared below. We intended all along to move the oak desk to the basement, and Father Barry was more than willing to help me. Some of the office help thought we were biting off a bit more than we could chew, but what we lack in brawn we more than make up for in savvy and ingenuity. We were sliding the desk (on its side – it is about 5 feet tall when in this position) down the stairs backwards when Father Barry slipped and missed a step. I was directly underneath the desk and I thought for sure it was over. My life flashed before my eyes and I only wished I had kept my life insurance policy. For whatever reason, the desk did not fall on my head and crush me like a bug. We managed to get the desk to its new home in the basement, but I think I’ll stick to my day job from now on. So please enjoy this article that was written by Michael Perry (a friend of mine passed it along a couple of years ago and I put it in my old desk thinking it would be nice to share it someday): “Gratitude. Such a lovely word. Humble and warm. Humble, because it’s not a word you use if you think you did everything yourself. Humble, because no matter how hard you did work at whatever it is you’re grateful for, you know – and more importantly, acknowledge – there was some luck involved. Warm, because gratitude is not compatible with a cold soul. Warm, because gratitude radiates, like the gentle rays of a heart -sized sun. Gratitude goes softly out and does good works – which generates more gratitude. Gratitude is renewable energy. Gratitude, because to offer anything less would be to ignore all privilege. The privilege of existence. The privilege of health. The privilege of privilege. And now we are back at humility – or ought to be. Gratitude, because the world is awash with the sour surf of opposing sentiments. Gratitude, for those who show us the same. Gratitude, even in grumpiness. Which is to say I am not talking all hosannas, hugs, and puppies here, I am talking about perspective and preponderance and relativity and a sideways glance into the cosmic mirror, where behind me I spy millions of souls who would give all they own for just one of my disappointing Tuesdays. Gratitude as my moral duty. Gratitude, because it’s so easy. A note. A word. You don’t even have to talk. Gratitude can be soundless. You can speak it with your eyes. Share it with a smile. Weave it into your works. You can kneel down and offer it up. Gratitude. A triple- syllabic salutation to the six directions, whichever way you’re pointing. The echoes go on and on. The echoes are gratitude returning. There is the idea among psychologists that gratitude can be cultivated. Put it out there and it comes back to you. Gratitude as a practice. As an intentional act. Gratitude in the form of reflection. A quiet moment. A look back. Gratitude, not as obligation but as celebration. Gratitude, with our loved ones in mind. The ones who suffer our ingratitudes with grace, and that grace yet another reason for gratitude. Grace: cousin and catalyst to gratitude. Gratitude, because as this year draws to a close I am reminded it was another year granted, not guaranteed, and therefore not taken for granted. Gratitude, no matter the season. Gratitude.” Oh yes, gratitude – I’m grateful to spend another Christmas with you!
May God bless you with the grace of His peace this Christmas! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

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Mother Frances Streitel Center update

12/25/2018

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Mother Frances Streitel Center update: You’re now welcome to tour the basement at your leisure. We’ll keep the doors unlocked from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and during the times of the weekend Masses. Please park on Blodgett during the school day and walk along the sidewalk between the church and the rectory to the entrance. People have again been asking if it’s too late to donate. No, it’s not too late. We’ll be taking donations for this work until June 30th of 2019. If you have any questions, you can contact me (Father Martin) or Pam Housworth. And by the way, Bishop Callahan will bless and dedicate the space on January 29th – then Adoration will begin in the new Saint John Paul II Adoration Chapel on February 1st. Deo gratias!

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Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

12/24/2018

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Listen to the homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

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Bishop Callahan's 2018 Christmas Message

12/21/2018

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Watch Bishop Callahan's 2018 Christmas Message below:

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MASS SCHEDULE
Monday - Friday: 7:00 AM
Saturday: 8:00 AM
Saturday: 4:30 & 7:00 PM
Sunday: 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 AM

CONFESSION SCHEDULE
Monday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM & 7:30-8:30 AM
Tuesday–Thursday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM
Friday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM & 7:00-8:00 PM
Saturday:3:45 -4:15 PM & 6:15 -6:45 PM

ADORATION
Monday: 7:30 - noon

PERPETUAL ADORATION: The Marshfield Deanery has the John Paul II Adoration Chapel located at 510 Columbus Ave. For more information or to sign up, contact Dale at 715-383-2262or Jean Kaiser 715-387-0571 or see available hours here. Or click on image below for a visual tour.

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

Trivia Night coming soon

From the Desk of Father Martin - December 30, 2018

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Youth bring Christ to only mission diocese in the US

Upcoming Youth Ministry Events

From the Desk of Father Martin - December 23, 2018

Mother Frances Streitel Center update

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Bishop Callahan's 2018 Christmas Message

Stay Connected with Our Parish

Safe Environment Program

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