Recent News &
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Recent News &
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On the weekend of March 23 & 24 after all Masses,
we will be hosting a Ministry Fair in the back of church. This is your opportunity to learn about the ministries of Justice and Peace Community Life Stewardship Health and Building and Grounds. Find out what they do perhaps sign-up to serve! Monday, February 18, is the last day to complete the survey about our community. This information will help us set goals for the future. If you have not yet done so, please fill it out on our website or use the paper copy that came in our newsletter. There are also extra copies in the back of church.
Pastoral Council members will now be wearing name tags at Mass. Please feel free to ask them questions or share any ideas with them. A fake e-mail has been sent in my name (I do not have a yahoo account). Don’t ever share personal info online and please let me know if you get any suspicious e-mails. This has been happening with the names of pastors and other staff members at other churches (probably getting the information from webpages). If you are not sure, ask before opening. I will be in Racine with our Salvatorian candidate this coming weekend. Fr. Peter will celebrate Saturday night, Fr. Tigatiga (a Salvatorian confrere from Tanzania) will celebrate on Sunday, and Deacon Patric will preach. Please keep us in prayer. Our readings this week have a very clear message: the values of the Kingdom of God are NOT the values of this world, and the values of the Kingdom of God bring true happiness and peace. The reading from Jeremiah compares those who trust in flesh to a dry, barren land without water, while those who trust in God are like a plant located near water that is always green and bears fruit. In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul calls those “pitiful” who trust only in this life. And Luke’s version of the Beatitudes in the Gospel reading contrasts those who are “blessed” with those who receive “woe.” These readings are challenging us to honestly reflect on our values, not the values we think or want to have, but the values that we are actually living as shown in our actions and choices. The commandments deal with actions; the beatitudes ask us to look inside at our motives. I invite us this week to take quiet time to reflect on how the values of the “beattitudes” are influencing our actions. And let us support each other in prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS featuring food prepared by Chef Joe Bartolotta sponsored by WCS Home & School Associations Saturday, February 23, 2019 from 5-8pm Pre-order & Save $2.00 off each adult and senior ticket CLASSROOM BASKET RAFFLE This years' themed classroom baskets include Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mystical Creatures, House Warming, Making Memories, As Seen on TV, Beer Cave, Tech Nerd/Gamer. NEW this year are Mystery Bags and back by popular demand is the Pot of Gold. BUNZEL'S MEAT RAFFLE Meat raffle tickets and grand prize tickets will be available on the same table as the basket raffle. Winners will be randomly selected throughout the night. Grand prize tickets will be $5.00 each. Good luck! There will be TWO Grand Prizes offered again this year!
Grand Prize #1 includes 12 months of Bunzel's monthly meat deal (winner will receive 12 gift certificates to pick up items at Bunzels). Valued at approx. $200+. Grand Prize #2 includes steaks, 20 pound pork loin, 3 1/2 pound beef tenderloin, gift card and/or a grilling sampler box (various burgers and brats) (winner will receive gift certificate to pick up items at Bunzels). Valued at approx. 200+. PLEASE NOTE: Cash or check only please! Sorry no credit cards. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Nichole Donabar Ash Wednesday - March 6
Services will be held at 8:00 AM at St. Pius X Parish, at Noon at St. Bernard Parish and at 7:00 PM at Christ King Parish. Lenten Evening of Reflection - March 12 On Tuesday evening, March 12th at 7:00 PM we will have a reflection/adoration hour to help us enter into the Lenten season. Entitled Christianity is a Lifestyle, it will include exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a presentation on the theme, some reflection time, and benediction. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. Child care will be available, to enable parents to attend Sign-up here>> SDS Vespers - March 11, 27, and April 11 You are invited to attend the Lenten Vespers services on March 11, March 27 and April 11, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Salvatorian Sisters Community House. The Community House is located at 4311 N. 100th Street at the north end of DSHA High School. Stations of the Cross - March 19 “The Way of the Cross in Solidarity with Our World” - a contemporary version of the Stations of the Cross focusing on Peace and Justice issues - will be held on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 pm in the Church. You are invited to join in this unique opportunity for prayer this Lenten season. Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick - March 30/31 There will be a communal Anointing of the Sick at all of the Masses the weekend of March 30th and 31st . All who wish are invited to receive the graces of this sacrament. Please invite anyone you know who might benefit from this sacrament to join us at Mass that weekend. Sacrament of Reconciliation - April 9 There will be a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 pm. A number of priests will be available for individual confession. You may also receive the sacrament on Saturday afternoons between 4:00 and 4:30 pm in the Reconciliation Room which is located in the Chapel. Reminder: please plan on attending our Lenten reflection/ adoration on Tuesday evening, March 12, from 7 to 8 pm. Child care will be provided. Please watch for the mailing from the archdiocese for the Catholic Stewardship Appeal and be supportive. This appeal funds charitable efforts, as well as important ministries that we use.
Sometimes the incredible generosity of others comes at just the right moment to buoy me up when I am a little down or stressed. This happened last Friday and Saturday (after the bitter cold) when a parishioner, who wishes to remain anonymous, spent hours, accompanied by his wife, cleaning up the rectory kitchen and surrounding areas, after a bad water pipe break. I thank them for their generosity – and the many other community members who volunteer their services in multiple ways, often behind the scenes. May God reward you generously! In our readings this weekend, we have three very clear self-assessments that say the same thing: Lord, I am not worthy. Isaiah says “…I am a man of unclean lips,” but ends up saying, “Here I am, send me,” after the Lord purifies him. Paul says “…I am not fit to be an apostle, for I persecuted the church of God,” but adds, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” Finally, Peter declares, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” but Jesus declares him a fisher of people. The point is obvious: we cannot escape our obligation to bring the love of God to others by saying we are not worthy, by invoking our sinfulness and weakness. It doesn’t matter: it is GOD’S WORK, not ours, we just have to be willing, despite our failings and weakness. The grace of God provides!!! We simply need to step up to the plate. We live our baptismal commitment to bring God’s love to others as individuals AND as a community. For the sake of the community, I ask you to fill out the survey, which you received in The Invitation and which you can find online, to help our leadership develop goals to move us into the future as an evangelizing community. There are also some copies on the table in the church vestibule and in the parish office. As individuals, I invite us to reflect on our commitment to grow in the ability to live in a counter-cultural way, bringing peace and compassion to our world, rather than unrest and division. And let us support each other in prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS The Invitation will be mailed early this week. Please note the survey on our parish community. I would appreciate it if you would fill it out, either on paper or online. Details and a paper copy are in The Invitation.
I thank all who contributed to the diocesan Catholic Stewardship appeal last year. This annual appeal supports services that St. Pius X uses frequently. The 2019 appeal will begin with a presentation by our parish leader, Holly Cartier, at Masses this coming weekend. Watch for the mailing that will come shortly from the diocese. Please support this appeal. Mark your calendars: The Formation and Evangelization Commission will sponsor an hour reflection/adoration for Lent, as it did in Advent, on Tuesday evening, March 12. Child care will be provided. More details will follow, but please plan on taking advantage of this opportunity to enter Lent in a quiet, prayerful way. Our reading from Luke this weekend presents Jesus proclaiming the purpose of His ministry in His hometown of Nazareth. He will be concerned with the poor, the blind, the captive, and the oppressed. And of course, as His followers, we have to do the same. To be truly concerned about those in need is not easy, especially in a consumeristic society that multiplies “needs,” while advocating individualism and taking care of self and family before all else. That is why we need our faith community, as our first two readings remind us. In the first reading, the shattered community that has just returned from exile listens to the entire law being read out loud before recommitting themselves, as a community, to be Yahweh’s people. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that we are all part of the Body of Christ and must work together for the good of all. It is crucial that we come together as a community to worship, that we work side by side to help those in need, that we support each other in prayer. I invite us to reflect this week on what a gift our community here at St. Pius is, resolving to be as supportive as possible through, presence, involvement, and prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS Mark your calendars: The Formation and Evangelization Commission will sponsor an hour reflection/adoration for Lent, as it did in Advent, on Tuesday evening, March 12. Child care will be provided. More details will follow, but please plan on taking advantage of this opportunity to enter Lent in a quiet, prayerful way.
As most of you know, I am the Director of Candidates for my religious community, the Society of the Divine Savior. Four times a year (January through April) I go to Siena Center in Racine to meet with directors and candidates from other religious communities of men and women. The first one for 2019 is this coming weekend. Deacon Patric will be preaching the four weekends I am gone. This weekend Fr. Peter Schuessler SDS will be the presider for the Masses. Please keep us in your prayers. For the Church, the Christmas season ended last weekend with the Baptism of the Lord (Christmas season used to go until February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord [not “Groundhog Day”]). Starting this weekend we observe 7 Sundays of Ordinary Time, before entering into the Lent/Easter season. We are in the year of Luke. Why do we have the wedding of Cana from John? Puzzled, I wrote and asked our Salvatorian expert, Br. Silas, who responded: Epiphany traditionally included 3 "manifestations" of who Christ was: 1) the visit of the Magi (Revelation to the Gentiles), 2) the Baptism (the revelation of Jesus as the Son) and 3) the wedding at Cana (Jesus' first miracle and revelation of his divine power). That mystery solved: this year the Church makes sure we read about all three aspects of Jesus being revealed! The big “ah-ha” at the wedding feast of Cana was that Jesus had power over physical matter, that He was divine. While we can’t change water into wine, we all have gifts that we can use for others, as Jesus used His gift over nature in the Gospel. That is the point of our wonderful reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. Each of us has received gifts from God and we are to use them for the benefit of the community. Sometimes we like to give ourselves a “get out of jail free card,” telling ourselves that we have nothing to give. But we do. It could be time used visiting the homebound and simply listening. It is time and physical strength that can be used in cleaning, decorating, etc. It is musical talents, reading talents, ability to work with children, etc., etc. ALL of us have been gifted by God and called to share with others. Reflection: How good am I at sharing my gifts with others? Am I simply a consumer or do I contribute to the community? How can I do better? And let us support each other in prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS I have been getting thank you letters from the various organizations that were “gifted” on gift Sunday. They are grateful for our generosity in sharing with those in need. Thank you for “making Christmas” for others.
On Christmas day we found a wedding ring (looks like a man’s) with an inscription. It can be claimed in the parish office. Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. In one sense, it is an announcement of the Trinity: the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, the Father spoke, and Jesus was identified as the Son. It is also the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Throughout His ministry, Jesus fought against the ingrained concept that the Messiah would be a military warrior who would reign through power and force, though there were prophets, like Isaiah whom we heard today, who indicated otherwise: he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street… Instead, He comes as …a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. The Kingdom is about helping those in need; it is not about power and force. Through our baptism, we have been incorporated into the ministry of Jesus, the ministry of bringing about the Kingdom of peace, equality, and justice. We do this by living Gospel values in our lives: being compassionate, forgiving, patient, etc., etc., all the things that are opposite of violence and hatred. At the end of it all, this is what is important. Let us strive this year to be beacons of Light in a culture that is increasingly hostile and confrontational, bringing Christ’s gentle compassion and love into a world that needs it so much. And let us support each other’s efforts with prayer. May you have a happy, holy, and healthy 2019. -- Paul James Portland, SDS This is my first letter of the new year! I hope everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy family and friends over the holidays, in addition to thanking God for the gift of His Son, our Savior, and for the many blessings we have received.
You might notice some cars parked during the day in the northeast corner of our parking lot. As you know, Lutheran Home is doing major construction. In an effort to be good neighbors, we are allowing the construction workers to use our lot, which keeps them from having to park on residential streets. Other cars belong to Kingdom Prep High School. This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, sometimes called the Feast of the Three Kings. The word “Epiphany” means “revelation.” Jesus had been revealed to the shepherds (representing Judaism) and is now revealed to the Magi (representing the rest of the world). The message: Jesus has come as a human being for ALL human beings. I was reflecting that, as we read all the scriptures about the birth of Christ, we are presented with three distinct reactions: first there is the reaction of the worldly power, King Herod, who sees Him as a threat and murders numerous children in trying to eliminate Jesus. Then there are the religious leaders, who. knowing the scriptures and the prophecies about Bethlehem, simply dismiss what they are being told. Finally, there are the shepherds and the three kings, all outsiders, all considered unworthy and unclean by the religious leaders, who are in tune with what is being revealed to them and open their hearts to accept Him. My first reaction is to thank God for the gift of faith that puts me with the third group. But perhaps a more growth producing response might be to acknowledge that I have all three reactions within me and the call is for me to diminish the first two and grow the third. When I do something wrong, when I break the commandments, I am blocking or “killing” Jesus’ entry into the world. I am bringing darkness, rather than light. More often, for me, it is the second reaction of simply ignoring a chance to bring the light of Christ into the world: not spending time with the lonely; not reaching out to those rejected by society; not sharing my gifts of time, talent, and treasure with those in need; etc. A new year is a time for making resolutions to improve ourselves. I invite us to reflect on how we can grow in our ability to bring Christ, the Light, into the world and make concrete resolutions to help us do so. And let us support each other in prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS by José Antonio Pagola
Lord, before we enter into the racket and confusion of New Year's, I want to meet up with You slowly and calmly this afternoon. I seldom do this. You know that I don't find the time to pray these days. I've forgotten those prayers they taught me as a child and I haven't learned to talk with You in a more living and concrete way. Lord, the truth is, I don't really know if I believe in You. So much has happened these past years. Life has changed so much and I've gotten so worn out inside. I'd like to feel more alive and close to You. It would help me a lot to believe. But it's gotten so hard for me. And yet, Lord, I need You. Sometimes I feel so bad inside. The years pass and I feel my life fraying. On the outside everything seems to work okay: my job, my family, the kids. Anyone would envy me. But I don't feel good. Now one more year has gone. This night we start a new year, but I know that everything will keep going the same. The same problems, the same worries, the same efforts. But for what? How I would like to be able to renew my life from within. Find within me a new joy, a different energy for living each day. To change, to be better with myself and with everyone. But at my age you can't expect big changes. I'm already too used to my way of living. I myself don't believe very much in my transformation. But on the other hand, You know how I let myself get swept along by the agitation of each day. Maybe that's why I hardly find myself with You. You're within me and I almost always go around outside of myself. You're with me and I go about lost in a thousand things. If at least I would feel You as my best Friend. Sometime I think that that would change everything. What joy it would be if I didn't have that kind of fear of You. I don't know where that fear comes from but it keeps me so far from You. Lord, write it well in my heart that You would only feel love and kindness toward me. Remind me within that You accept me just as I am, with my mediocrity and my sin, and that You love me even though I don't change. Lord, my life is going on, and sometimes I think that my great sin is not ending up believing in You and in your love. That's why tonight I don't ask You for things. Only that You awaken my faith just enough to believe that You are always near and You walk with me. Throughout this new year, may I not get very far away from You. May I know how to meet You in my sufferings and my joys. Then maybe I will change. It will be a new year. I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. I thank all who worked so diligently in the many ministries that helped us experience the spiritual richness of Advent and Christmas. May God bless you for your generosity!
When I read the Gospel about the finding of Jesus in the temple, I can’t help thinking of the many parents who have spoken with me, confused and frustrated because they wanted their teenaged children to grow into independence, but no one had given them a guidebook on how to navigate the process. And then, of course, there are the teenagers who also don’t have a guidebook but want to be independent more quickly than their parents want to let go! A very natural developmental stage in a family, and we see it on display in this Gospel: Jesus is surprised that they were so worried about him (after all, he was in the temple, a holy and safe place); and Mary can’t understand how he could not realize how panicked they would be by his absence. But, in the end, Jesus went with them and “was obedient to them.” The result? He “advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” It was 18 years before he emerged again to begin his ministry, and his time in the Holy Family helped him have the wisdom and maturity and favor to do His Father’s will. One takeaway from this is that we all need help to “advance in wisdom and age and favor before God and people.” It starts in the family and that is why the Church works to build and preserve strong families in which good example is given. It is also why our faith community is so important. Hopefully, our parish family is encouraging us to grow, supporting us in our challenges, and helping us in our needs. That is why it is so important that we all participate in our parish family, both by sharing our needs and accepting the help offered, as well as by sharing our time and talent to be of support to others. As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, let us pray for our families, that they may be strong so our children can grow in wisdom and favor before God and people; and for our parish family, that we may grow in our ability to support all our members as we grow in faith and love. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, bless us! My prayers and best wishes for a blessed and healthy 2019! -- Paul James Portland, SDS Several our student ambassadors had some time to reflect on what IB stands for this week during a meeting with Mrs. IB. What is IB? IB stands for International Baccalaureate. IB means living a global life. At our school, we learn about the IB curriculum. We follow the IB Learner Profile attributes and learn how to apply it to our lives. IB leads us to be worldwide thinkers, to reflect on how our actions can impact ourselves, others, and the world. IB brings us to analyze history in a new way. It teaches us to care for the welfare of the world. While other schools teach kids the answers, our school teaches us how to ask questions. Often, this allows us to find the answers on our own and draw our own conclusions. These questions help develop us into globally active thinkers. We learn who we are and what role we can take in our community. We are only two days from Christmas as we celebrate the last Sunday of Advent. In the letter to the Hebrews, we are told that, rather than sacrifices and holocausts, God wants us to do his will. Our Gospel presents Mary as one who does the will of God. Just before the passage we read this weekend, she utters her famous “be it done unto me according to Your will.” She did not understand, she did not know what would happen, but she trusted and said “yes”!
Immediately after agreeing to do God’s will, Mary “hastens” to the side of her older cousin, Elizabeth, to be of assistance to her. She was not concerned about herself and what would happen to her, but rather she was concerned about another and went to be of service. In this she also demonstrated her ability to do God’s will, that is, live not just for self but for others. And by her willingness to let go, to trust God, and to serve others, Mary brought Christ the Savior to the world. My friends, that is what our discipleship is all about: trusting in God, saying “yes” to His will (whatever it may be), and serving others. The more we can incorporate these into our lives, the more we will bring Christ to the world, as Mary did. I invite us to be particularly reflective these last two days before we celebrate the birth of Christ, resolving to be more open to God’s will, shown through service to others. Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and our world! I wish those of you who will not be able to be with us for one of our services a very blessed Christmas. May the Child Jesus help you grow in faith, hope, and love. Feliz Navidad! -- Paul James Portland, SDS Sometimes there are ancient traditions that can help us focus and enter into the Church year. One such tradition that can help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas in the final days before its celebration is the use of the “O” antiphons. I quote from the webpage of our US bishops: The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. I invite you to use the daily antiphon for a time of quiet reflection during these next seven days before Christmas.
I invite you to use the insert in this bulletin for daily reflections on the O Antiphons this week, as final preparation for celebrating the first Coming of our Savior. It can also be found on our webpage. The O Antiphons have been used in the liturgy of the Church since at least the eighth century, each day highlighting another name for Christ and asking Him to come and help us. A wonderful reflection aid!
Christmas is the day when more Catholics attend Mass than any other day of the year, on average about three times as many. To be good evangelizers, we need to be welcoming. A smile and a greeting go a long way. A couple other helpful gestures of welcome might be to make room in the pew for others; to sit in the middle of a pew, so visitors don’t need to crawl over you; to remember a name given when we greet those around us at the beginning of Mass and use it at the sign of peace; and to ask someone who looks unsure if help is needed. Please be aware that our welcoming attitude might be just what the Lord uses to bring someone closer to Him. With the third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, a word which means “rejoice.” The excitement is caught in the first words of our reading from St. Paul’s letter to Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I say rejoice. The point is that our Savior has come, He has redeemed us, all will be OK. Paul says, Have no anxiety at all, but in everything…make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Christians who are happy and joyful attract others to Christ, the source of their peace. Dour and sullen Christians are not attractive at all. As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, rejoicing in Christ’s presence in our lives and the Salvation He brings, let us reflect on the demeanor that we show to others. Is our joyfulness inviting them to discover what we have that brings us such joy? How can we do better? May the joy of the O Antiphons enliven our hearts! And let us support each other in prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS |