From the Church:
While thousands of young people from around the world arrive in Panama for the World Youth Day that will take place from January 22 to 27, Pope Francis asked that we pray that young people, especially in Latin America, follow Mary’s example in sharing the joy of her Son. At the initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and in collaboration with World Youth Day, Francis invites the world to pray “that young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the world.” Read More...
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Prayers Please! Please keep our group of 38 people in prayer as we travel to Washington D.C. for the Pilgrimage for Life January 16th-20th. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous support of the Jars for Life fundraiser!
Praised be Jesus Christ! Our diocesan marriage and family office is focusing on the scourge of pornography this year, along with the hope that God gives to all who struggle with this affront to our purity. Years ago a friend of mine was studying for the Jesuits (he is now a priest in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, MN.) – one of their traditions is to spend a month on their own with no money. My friend spent the time walking from Saint Paul to Milwaukee, staying with priests along the way. He had many incredible adventures, but my favorite is the following one that he gave me permission to share with you: “Finally, there was the incident with “Cruisin’ Chubby.” I was pushing it an extra eight miles to Wisconsin Dells to try and catch the priest there after his 5:00 p.m. Mass. As I was marching along I passed a couple of strip clubs, one by the name of Cruisin’ Chubby’s – a name I recognized from having passed by several times in another location on I-94. Apparently this guy had some sort of chain going with these places. Both clubs elicited strong emotions from me: deep sadness, frustration, and anger over the evil of these places, over the objectification and use of women that goes on there. They struck me as disgusting works of the devil. If only the owner were here, I thought, I would like to meet him and give him a piece of my mind. But I hadn’t the time to check. Later, the five-o-clock hour had passed and I was still a mile or so out of town. I wouldn’t catch the priest by walking. I had to get a ride. So I stuck out my thumb and waited. I’m not sure how much time passed without a ride; all I can say is that I was much relieved when a well-preserved 60’s muscle car pulled over in front of me and came to a stop. I noted briefly as I approached that the characters on the license spelled out “Chubby,” but I didn’t think much of it. Nah... couldn’t be, I thought. The passenger seat was taken, so I climbed in back and was immediately struck by the kindness and good will of the man to whom I owed the ride. He was a middle-aged man with slicked back hair, wearing jeans and a t- shirt that looked like something a college student might wear returning from spring break. After a cordial greeting he asked where I was going. I asked if he knew where the Catholic Church was in town. “The Catholic Church, yeah, I know where that is. St. Cecelia’s, I’ve been there. That’s a nice church. I should go there more often myself.” A brief pause. “So, where you from? Did you go to college?” “Yeah, I went to Marquette,” I responded. Chubby replied, “Marquette, that’s in Milwaukee, right? Lots of good attorneys in Milwaukee. That’s where my attorney’s from, which you need in my line of work.” “Oh?” I said, “And what do you do for a living?” “I own and operate a chain of gentlemen’s clubs here in central Wisconsin, Cruisin Chubby’s. You may have seen them.” “Huh.” That’s all I could muster and I fell silent. Incredible. Just a few hours earlier I was filled with indignation, wishing I could meet this guy, and there I was, Cruisin with Chubby himself. God put me in the place I wanted to be and I balked.” I share this story because it reminds us that the people who run such places, as well as those who work there or frequent there are human just like us. They need our prayers, not our judgment. Ever since reading that story for the first time I’ve been much more inclined to pray when I see signs advertising sin in whatever form. In the weeks to come, we’ll discuss as sensitively as possible the many ways the devil is working to damage us through pornography and its progeny. In the meantime, a robust devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has always been one of the best defenses against assaults on our purity.
May God grant purity of heart to all of His children, especially those most in need of His mercy! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Christ the King Parish is in need of people to be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at all masses, especially 4 pm mass on Saturday and taking the Eucharist to our homebound members. An invitation is extended to those who feel God is asking them to participate more in their parish. A training session at St. John’s Rectory in Mfld. on Tuesday-January 15, 2019 at 6 p.m. Please take time in prayer, as to if this how you wish to be of service in your parish . You will receive special graces for participating in this ministry. After training has been done, your name will be submitted to the diocese for you to be commissioned as Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. After approval has been given, your name than will be placed on the ministry schedule. Please call St. John’s Rectory @ 715-384-3965 Ext # 210 to let Mary, parish secretary know you will be attending. Thank you.
From the Pope:
The Holy Father sent the letter as an accompaniment to the bishops, who are currently collectively on retreat to pray and discern regarding measures to be taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Read More... Religious Education and Youth Ministry are both now primarily 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/
Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish you a very happy Feast of Epiphany! I am actually in New Orleans with my classmates as we celebrate our 20th year of priesthood together. As you know, we get together annually and such fraternity has been a tremendous gift in my life. As Psalm 133 puts it, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers live in unity.” Because this is a milestone year for us (20 is a nice round number), we decided to meet in New Orleans for three days. We had Mass at the Cathedral with the Archbishop and had time to visit the Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos, a Redemptorist priest who was beatified while I was still a student in Rome. A few of my classmates are with us for the first time in many years and more than ever we derive courage and hope from our time together. For Sunday Mass we concelebrated at Saint Stephen’s, where my classmate Monsignor Christopher Nalty is the pastor. If you look it up on the Internet you’ll see that it’s a beautiful old church that they recently renovated. After Mass most of us will drive up to the Tree Farm near Brewton, Alabama where we’ve spent the past 20 years reuniting. Last year I posted a couple of pictures in the bulletin of the bunk house and the chapel. It will be a shorter stay this year because of the time in New Orleans, but any time spent out there is extremely refreshing. It’s still outside of cell phone reception and the Wifi at the upper house is spotty at best. Being “off the grid” for a few days is a blessing and if you’ve never experienced it, I highly recommend it. A personal milestone will happen for me on Tuesday, January 8th. That day I’ll offer Mass for the 10,000th time! When I was young I met an older priest who had a Mass register and he had recorded every Mass that he ever celebrated. I was so impressed that I decided to do the same thing if I ever became a priest. And so I too can tell you a little bit about every Mass I’ve ever offered since my ordination on June 26th of 1999. For example, I have the principal intentions of each Mass, as well as the location and the name of the parish. Some of the Masses were offered in Italian, Latin, and Spanish. These days, most are offered with a decidedly Central Wisconsin accent. Some years I offered just over 400 Masses. Since arriving in Marshfield the average is up to over 600 per year. During the years I was a high school chaplain I lagged way behind my classmates who had already become pastors. My suspicion is that I’ll be one of the first to get to 10,000 Masses... and while there is no special award for such things, I am grateful to God for each and every Mass I ever offered. In faith, we know that one Mass has the power to save every single soul God ever made – the Mass is Christ’s Paschal victory over sin and death. I remember an older priest who wondered out loud, “Who am I to do this, to offer the Mass?” Many times I feel the same way: humbled, in awe, and full of gratitude for all that God has done in my life. My 10,000th Mass will providentially be with my classmates in the beautiful little chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Tree Farm – we’ve been together since we arrived in Rome in 1995 and it will be wonderful to share this with them. I know my heart will be full of gratitude to God for the priesthood, which brings Jesus to us in the Eucharist. I will be thinking of you that day too, as your prayers and support (and timely constructive criticism, given out of love) have helped me more than you know. Please join me in thanking God, who asks only that we model our life on the mystery of His Son’s Cross. And may God, who has begun this good work in me and my classmates, bring it to fulfillment day by day!
May God guide you by the light of His truth, so that your hearts may be free to love generously! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Soon to open the atrium (Classroom) for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in St. John’s basement on Friday - Feb. 8. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based Cath- olic 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 yr. old children, who work with material as a way of meditating upon the essentials of our faith that has been prepared especially for them. Please call Jean Kaiser for more information or if you would like to sign your child up for this program.
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MASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday - Friday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 3:15 - 3:45 PM OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Stay Connected with Our ParishWelcome from Our PastorWelcome to Christ the King Catholic Church! Ever since 1938 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Our mission statement is essentially found in the stained glass window above the main altar: “For Christ our King.” Insofar as God made us and we belong to Him, we have come to... Read More
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