Save the Dates! I am planning to bring a group to Steubenville Rochester July 12-14, 2019. Please contact me if you are in- terested in attending this popular event.
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Praised be Jesus Christ! Congratulations to our CCD students who recently made their first confessions! Moreover, a wise priest told me having another priest available would allow many parents and grandparents to return to the sacrament, sometimes after many years. Thanks to Father Barry for making this possible! All of this is thanks to God’s grace and the preparation that each person must make so that the seeds sown will bear spiritual fruit that will last. We work hard to help the seed fall on good ground, knowing that there will always be rocks, birds, and thorns to challenge the spir- itual growth that we need. In thinking about confession, we natu- rally remember that it leads us to being ready to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. And that is the right order: a clean soul to re- ceive Christ Our King in Holy Communion. But sadly, we forget this or sometimes just plain reject it, which can lead to a very blasé attitude about Jesus and what an extraordinary gift it is to receive Him at Mass. And once we stop confessing our sins, our soul loses its ability to benefit from the grace of Holy Communion – if we know we’re doing this, that makes it even worse because a sacri- lege (i.e. unworthy reception of a sacrament) does real damage to our soul. Now we must always remember Saint Paul’s adage: “where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.” We can struggle with sin all of our life, but there is always the hope of one day be- ing saved by God’s grace and our cooperation with it. As parishes, we want to always be striving to receive Jesus with greater devo- tion and gratitude. One thing we’ll be doing at the beginning of Lent is re-introducing the patens. Many of you will remember that a server attended the priest when he distributed Holy Communion. The server held the paten in such a way that if Jesus was dropped, He would land on the paten and be consumed later by the priest. This practice was never officially discontinued, and we’ve now been asked to resurrect this old tradition. It’s a little way of showing Jesus greater honor and we will always promote that. At Saint John’s we’re going to allow people to receive at the Communion rail if they want. Two of the Communion distributors will be available at the Communion rail for those who would like to receive Jesus while kneeling down. One can receive either on the tongue or on the hands – we don’t want there to be any superiority in either direction, something the devil always entices as he loves to divide and conquer (e.g. “I receive Jesus on the tongue, so must be holier than those who don’t” – this is what we want to avoid, in whatever form it may come). We’ll do a demonstration so that people will know how to do this if they’re so inclined. Again, the main prepa- ration for Holy Communion is to make sure we really believe this is Jesus (not a symbol, not a poetic sign, but truly Jesus: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity). Also, we’re to fast for at least one hour (i.e. no food, no liquids other than water) before receiving our Lord. Finally, we should not be conscious of serious sins on our soul. For example, we should not receive Holy Communion if we’re sleeping with someone who is not our spouse or if we missed Sun- day Mass without a valid excuse, or if we have abused drugs or alcohol. Also, if we’re in an irregular marriage (e.g. married out- side the Catholic Church without permission or in a second mar- riage without an annulment of the first marriage), then we are to make a spiritual Communion but not actually receive Jesus. People are funny about how they read this list, know that they have some work to do, but promptly dismiss it and go about doing what they feel they have a right to do. Such people cannot become saints in this life because their hearts are not open to receive the graces God wants to give. Only God’s grace can bring about such a con- version – this is why more time in prayer is the best thing we can do, as it wins graces for people to finally see that God’s ways, while mysterious, are best.
May God allow us, like our fearless 2nd graders, to trust Him with our sins! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Holy Name Society Annual Pancake Breakfast and Raffle will take place on Sunday - March 3rd, 2019. We are looking for items for the raffle during the pancake breakfast. This was a “big” hit last year and we would like to expand it this year.
From the Church:
In Panama while participating in World Youth Day, Pope Francis gave a very nice gift to the archdiocese of the country’s capital: He himself dedicated the cathedral’s altar. A first on the American continent! Read More... Save the Dates! We will be attending Adventure Camp August 4th - 9th. Adventure Camp is open to students entering the 7th grade this fall through 12th grade. Adult chaperones are needed also. The cost will be the same for youth and chaperones, $415. This cost includes the bus fee, all activities, and all meals at Camp Crosswoods in Mason, WI. This experience is a perfect blend of fun and faith. Please contact me if you are interested in attending. There are scholarships and fundraising opportunities available. Praised be Jesus Christ! By now most of you are familiar with the story of the high school students from Covington who were in Washington D.C. for the 46th Annual March for Life. Sadly, they found themselves in the midst of a media firestorm because of a short video of what appeared to be the students mocking a Native American who was playing his drum. People, as we’re wont to do, jumped to conclusions and said all sorts of very uncharitable things. When another, more accurate version of the story came out, some had the integrity to admit that they regretted not waiting until all the facts came out before thinking they knew just what had happened. Honestly, who of us doesn’t have a certain narrative running in our head about the way we think life should go... and then when something fits neatly into that narrative, we congratulate ourselves for being geniuses and for truly understanding life. As of this writing, the Diocese of Covington is investigating the event so that they can better determine responsibility and place the blame with the proper people. As Patrick Madrid pointed out on his show last week, the goal is similar to when a plane crashes. We have a duty to determine what went wrong and who is to blame so that it can be avoided in the future. We live in calamitous times and the reaction to the aforementioned event is a bit of a litmus test that demonstrates how emotionally unstable we are right now as a nation. Interestingly, when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited the United States in 1976, he already had more than an inkling that things might go this way. Here’s what the future Saint John Paul II wrote over 40 years ago: “We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti- Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it... How many times has the renewal of the Church been brought about in blood! It will not be different this time.” You might be wondering, “What is the anti-Church?” Well, that would be any agenda that undermines the sanctity of human life or the beauty of God’s plan for marriage and family. It would be the irrational (and very unscientific) assault on the genetic reality of human beings falling into categories of male and female. And it would be the organizations that, in the name of tolerance, spew their lies with no tolerance for anyone who opposes them. These things are sadly becoming more widespread as the years go by. And wouldn’t you know it, just about the time we need the Church to be strong and to speak with credibility, she has been devastated by clergy abuse and the scandal of hiding it for years. But as a classmate pointed out recently, a poor, weak Church has always been a key part of God’s plan for rescuing all of us. As Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks pointed out years ago, “The Israelites had betrayed their mission by becoming obsessed with politics at the cost of moral and spiritual integrity. So taught all the prophets from Moses to Malachi. Every time you try to be like your neighbors, they said, you will be defeated by your neighbors. Every time you worship power, you will be defeated by power. Every time you seek to dominate, you will be dominated. For you, says God, are my witnesses to the world that there is nothing sacred about power or holy about empires or imperialism.” Wow, what a brilliant insight into the history of God’s Chosen People. And as Saint Paul puts it, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Hard times are coming and the Church is seemingly on fire, but might these be her finest hours?
May God teach us live the truth with courage so that the world might know true love! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Men’s Renewal Retreat – Mfld. - Feb. 23, 9am-3pm It is great to be a man! It’s also a great challenge and at times even a battle. Plan to attend a one-day retreat that will focus on practical ways to become the man, father, husband, son that God intended. Because you were made for more! The retreat leader, Fr. Guiseppe, who some call “Chuck Norris in a habit” will challenge men to be who they were made to be! Retreat held at St. John the Baptist, 201 W Blodgett St, Marshfield, WI. Cost: $20/person in advance (Includes morning snack and lunch) - $25 at the door. Register at https://menofthecross.org/
From the Church:
The vice-postulator of the canonization cause of Venerable Carlo Acutis announced Wednesday that the youth’s body has been found to be incorrupt. Carlo died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006. The vice postulator, Father Marcelo Tenorio, shared the news on social media. He revealed that he’d seen the pictures but that he couldn’t share them. The priest said that the news had been communicated to him by Carlo’s mother: Read More... |
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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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