Formed is available online, and also available as an app for both android and IOS devices. The parish access code is c7b2ca, you can create an account online at formed.org
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Praised be Jesus Christ! While I’ve been trying to enjoy each and every moment that we have together, I must confess that I did stop to visit Holy Name a couple of weeks ago just to see what the living situation will be. There is another priest in residence, but we really won’t be working together all that often. Just the same, I’m grateful that I won’t be completely on my own. Not that I’m afraid of the dark or anything... it’s just that having another priest around will help keep me accountable. Oh, and the place does have a bathtub! Unfortunately the bathroom is decorated with pink tile - the building was originally a convent and many vestiges of former days still abound. After seeing the situation firsthand, I called Father Burish to ask if he’d be willing to help me decide what to do first in terms of setting up a functioning office as well as some other improvements (it’s been four years since Holy Name had its own resident pastor). I’ll be meeting him at the rectory this Monday (June 3rd) so as to benefit from his knack for fixing things up. Frankly, I never thought I’d ever benefit from knowing him... I’m sure there’s a catch somewhere. Speaking of the future, Holy Name does have a website (holynamewausau.com) and I plan to use it often. I’ll begin recording and posting homilies as soon as possible, and our bulletin will also be available there each week. I mention this mostly because my Mom is a faithful reader of these columns and she wants to know what I’m up to from week to week. If you would like to follow too, that would double the number and I know my self-esteem would benefit from that. All kidding aside, I will try to continue to write on a regular basis as it’s another way to share the Gospel – one never knows who might stop by our website and find something that changes the trajectory of his or her life. Speaking of edification, a friend recommended reading the Chronicles of the Kings, a series written by Lynn Austin. Based on the 1st and 2nd Books of Kings as well as 1st and 2nd Chronicles, the series tells the dramatic story of God’s fidelity and His chosen people’s frequent struggles to truly trust in His Providence. Beginning with King Ahaz and ending with his grandson King Manasseh, these five books are unbelievably good and tell a story that is as reassuring as it is harrowing. Reassuring because it shows how often we try to live life on our own terms – that hasn’t changed since the beginning of time; harrowing, because failing to trust in the Lord leads to some pretty dire straits, both then and now. Austin writes in a way that captures one’s attention right from the beginning and she does a brilliant job of staying true to the Scriptures while filling in the gaps with plausible narrative (a.k.a. historical fiction). At the Easter Vigil this year I listened much more intently to the two readings from the prophet Isaiah because thanks to Austin’s books, I feel like I know him much better. I highly recommend this series for your summer reading. On a separate note, at a recent evening of recollection I recited a post- Communion prayer that someone passed along years ago. A parishioner asked that I share it here, which I am happy to do: “Mary, holy virgin Mother, I have received your Son, Jesus Christ. With love you became His Mother, gave birth to Him, nursed Him and helped Him to grow to Manhood. With love I return Him to you to hold once more, to love with all of your heart, and to offer to the Holy Trinity as our supreme worship, for your honor, and for the good of all of my pilgrim brothers and sisters. Mother, ask God to forgive my sins and help me to remain faithful in His service. Keep me true to Christ until death, that I may worship Him with you for all eternity. Amen.”
May God bless you and your family during these summer days with peace and genuine recreation! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Christ the King Parish WAUSAU WOODCHUCKS Family Outing is Wednesday July 10, 2019. Tickets are $12.00 for your admission, a brat or hotdog, soda and a Woodchucks baseball cap. You can provide your own transportation or carpool with someone. Envelopes are under the north entrance bulletin board by the holy water font. Please put the money for each person attending in the provided envelope into the collection basket. Tickets will be at game ticket booth. Any questions, please call Joan @ 715-384-2774 Directions From the West: Take WI-29 E. Merge onto US-51 N. Take the Bridge St. exit (EXIT 193) Keep right and follow W. Bridge St. (becomes Central Bridge St.) Turn left onto 3rd St. and continue until E. Wausau Ave. (Athletic Park will be on your right) Gate opens at 5:35, Game begins at 6:35. Looking forward to see you there. Family Life Committee From the Church
The relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, affectionately known to Catholics as Padre Pio, are being prepared to tour the United States and Canada this summer and will continue in the fall. The Saint Pio Foundation announced that the two-part tour will run from May 1 to June 15 and, after a brief respite, will resume from September 15 – November 15. Read More... As we wrap up another year of Religious Education, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who assisted with our Religious Education program this year! Thank you to ALL of our very dedicated catechists, to Sharon Rollins for her coverage when I am at St. John’s, to our rosary leaders for the students before CCD begins, for those who have helped ‘as needed’, to our parents and for those who have prayed for our program
We are so very blessed by so many volunteers! THANK YOU! Praised be Jesus Christ! It’s been a long time since I read the book Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, but my quote book has plenty of evidence that it contains some great insights. The book is about the Civil War and the terrible lessons we seemingly have to learn over and over again when our rage turns to violence. As we remember the many men and women who have fought for freedom and truth, we best honor them by trying to live in peace. But peace is only possible when justice abounds, and we know this is not always the case. Injustice comes in many forms, and the hurt it leaves is not easily forgiven or forgotten. That’s because such things affect us deeply, even at the level of our souls. Contrast that with pain – it’s amazing how a person can go through Armageddon physically speaking, and then sometime later appear to be completely recovered and no longer hampered in any way. Frazier makes this point in Cold Mountain: “That’s just pain,” she said. “It goes eventually. And when it’s gone, there’s no lasting memory. Not the worst of it, anyway. It fades. Our minds aren’t made to hold on to the particulars of pain the way we do bliss. It’s a gift God gives us, a sign of His care for us,” (pg. 219). Thank God for the healing effects of time and medicine! One suspects that most of us would agree with Frazier’s conclusion: that while we remember pain, we can never quite reproduce the intensity that was the case when we were first hurt. And while it’s much more challenging, something similar is true of our spiritual life too. For example, many of us have heard a song or smelled a scent that instantaneously took us back to some event from our past. What’s amazing is how powerful our emotions can be as the memory comes back to us full force. I’ve mentioned how the somewhat musty and unique smell of the cry room at Saint John’s on a summer afternoon always reminds me of my very first days here. I was terribly homesick and felt really blue about leaving behind so many people and places that had made my life beautiful. But as time went on the intensity of that spiritual pain softened, thanks to God’s goodness and the kindness you showed me as you supported me with your love and prayers. Now the time comes to again experience the spiritual suffering that comes with separation from people we love. Such is the nature of our time in this world: we experience great joys that we wish we could sustain forever. On the flipside, the overwhelming nature of loss sometimes seems to never go away or get better. Why do the joys seem so fleeting while the sorrows stay with us so long? We’re fallen creatures, and probably the best explanation is that even our power of memory has been damaged: it’s a struggle for us to retain the good and forget the bad. That notwithstanding, some of God’s holy ones discovered a beautiful truth that leads to peace, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances. To wit, it was Father Augustine Tolton’s mom (Father Tolton’s cause for sainthood is presently advancing) who reminded Augustine just before leaving for seminary in Rome: “Never forget the goodness of the Lord.” This from a woman who was born into slavery and had known radical suffering practically her whole life! But she discovered the truth about gratitude: it unlocks our heart for joy. I’m reminded of the timeless words of Dostoevsky in his book, The Brothers Karamazov: “My dear children, there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory... if a man carries many such memories with him into life, he is safe to the end of his days.” This weekend we remember – the men and women who offered their lives in service of the truth and freedom. We also remember the goodness of the Lord through it all. These memories are God’s gift to us, His way of healing us and showing us the way home.
May God grant peace to all who work for justice! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin REMINDER to Parishioners * 24 Hour Eucharistic Adoration for 2019 - First Friday – June 7 thru June 8 * Starting at 9 am on Friday an ending at 9 am on Saturday) Note: There will be a prayer petition book placed out the week prior to our First Friday Eucharistic Adoration. Anyone wishing to have petitions offered during Adoration may enter their petition into the book and they will be prayed for. Attention: Church doors are locked @ 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. if you are coming to pray during this time please knock on door (under carport) 5 minutes before the start of each hour and you will be let in by person already inside of church.
From the Pope
Pope Francis has decreed that dioceses and parishes may organize pilgrimages to Medjugorje, though no official pronouncement on the authenticity of the apparitions has been made. This was announced at the parish shrine at Medjugorje on Sunday by the apostolic nuncio in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luigi Pezzuto, and Archbishop Henryk Hoser, the pope’s special envoy sent to Medjugorje to study the pastoral situation of the shrine. Read More.. Parents and youth can earn credit towards a future trip such as Adventure Camp or Pilgrimage for Life. You are also welcome to help if you don't wish to earn credit. Find out more and sign up online at http://www.stjohnsmarshfield.org/fundraising-opportunities.html Praised be Jesus Christ! With graduation just around the corner, I’m reminded of the many seniors I taught who couldn’t wait for their newfound freedom. Of course, some were under the impression that the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want means you’re free. Oscar Wilde, who knew a thing or two about doing whatever he wanted, later reflected: “It’s not so much what you do, it’s what you become – that’s the problem.” In other words, our actions forge our character – good actions beget a good person, selfish actions... well, you can see where this is going. Because it’s a moral issue, I’d like to weigh in on the tidal wave of support for marijuana and share some thoughts I gleaned from an article written by Dr. Mark Latkovic, a moral theologian teaching at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. Without further ado, here are his thoughts (and for the record, I agree with him): [nowadays] priests have questions about how to minister to those who confess to using marijuana. How should this question be handled in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? In the past, one could always fall back on its illegality as a reason to give penitents and others not to buy or smoke it. There are several reasons that make marijuana use morally problematic. First, unlike with alcohol, the very reason for smoking weed is to “get high,” to get a “buzz.” But since that result means that one has lost or at least has impaired the use of his reason – intending to do so – it is morally wrong. While I would argue that pot smoking is grave matter, how sinful it is would depend on the awareness of its immorality, the level of freedom involved, the circumstances, the possibility of scandal, and so on. The second morally problematic element follows from the first: there is always a danger that the person intoxicated from using marijuana will then do something that can harm himself or others, e.g., drive while he is high, thus endangering human life. Recent studies indicate that more than 50% of medical marijuana patients in Michigan have driven while under the influence of the drug. A third reason is closely related to the first two concerns: the use of marijuana can potentially harm our own health – a fundamental good of the person – and thus also lead to higher health care costs for society. Shouldn’t we be encouraging healthy habits rather than harmful ones, especially given what we now know about the bad effects of this drug on a person’s health? (Note that the THC levels in marijuana are higher today than they have been in recent decades; THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana). As well, I would say this: In our society today, we have a lot of people who have chosen to simply “check out” by “self- medicating” themselves into oblivion. I think primarily of our country’s opioid crisis that has shown no signs of abating. Why not encourage and, dare I say it, even exhort people to engage in morally and medically sound ways of coping with life’s daily struggles? Priests can be particularly important in recommending activities that provide one’s life with greater meaning: e.g., prayer and Church attendance, charitable works, engagement with family and friends, exercise and sports, and so on. Many of these activities also legitimately provide what recreational pot smokers are seeking illegitimately: pleasure. Finally, priests should be able to offer moral counsel and advice about this drug, as well as information about where people can get help to overcome substance use disorders. [Finally], there is the danger of marijuana as a “gateway” drug to other even more seriously harmful (and illegal) drugs such as heroin and cocaine. In a country where we have made so much progress in discouraging cigarette smoking, we seem to have forgotten the health hazards of another kind of addictive product that is smoked: cannabis. When appropriate, priests should point out such facts to those they minister to. More powerful than any “fact,” however, is the Gospel message that those same priests preach. In the Good News, Christians find the hope and healing power to help them meet life’s challenges – including the challenge of illicit drug use. May God guide our graduates to discover the true freedom of living in the truth of His love! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin |
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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