11/27/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear brothers and sisters,
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Christ is King, and Jesus is Lord!—but when the solemnity of Christ's kingship recurs days before a national holiday and in the light of premature Christmas decorations, we often forget the priority of Christ as king in favor of images of Christ as a baby and forgo His celebration this week by substituting it for a harvest celebration. Being a Christian in a culture which is not oriented to Christ is difficult, that much is certain. Nevertheless, our juncture between the anticipation of the return of the King and the memorial solemnity of the first coming of said King is one of utmost importance in the liturgical year. It reminds us that Christmas (and even Thanksgiving) are not worth celebrating if they do not give us hope and anticipation of a beautiful mystery yet to unfold, that of Christ's salvific power in our lives for the sake of our eternal condition.
It should come as no surprise, then, that we continue to pray for the faithful departed in a special way even to the waning days of November. What a fitting time of year to do so as well! Despite the flurry of activity in preparation for holidays which hold a nostalgic place in the lives of many American Catholics, the presence of flurries in the air and the accompanying passage from the vibrancy of fall colors to the dormant bleakness of winter should be a reminder for us of the transitory nature of this passing world. We are merely pilgrims while here, and our hearts are turned toward the promise of the King's great gift of eternal citizenship in His Kingdom.
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While we thank God for the gifts of this world and begin gathering gifts to exchange in a month's time, let us all ask ourselves which is greater: the gift, or the Giver.
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God bless you all,
~Fr. Nowicki
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P.S. Happy Turkey Day, and remember that Black Friday, though atypical as far as Fridays are concerned, remains a reminder of our King's greatest gift to us: His sacrifice on the Cross.
11/20/2024 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
​It’s nearly Thanksgiving! I hope all of you have safe travels and great success in your hunting endeavors!
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The obvious next step after Thanksgiving is Christmas, right? Wrong! Our next step is Advent! It is a time to prepare for Christmas, yes. It’s not just that though! It’s a time to make our hearts ready and is a beautiful season in and of itself! In Advent prepare for Christmas by reflecting on Christ's birth, but here’s something I haven’t thought about until recently, we also prepare ourselves for when Christ comes again. He has promised us that He will, and Christmas is that reminder that He came once and He will come again. Are we ready?
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Believing what we do, that our Catholic faith will lead us to Heaven and prepare us for when Christ does come again, what should we be doing about it? Frequent visits to the confessional is one thing. Reminding ourselves that our goal is Heaven is another. God gives us opportunities to choose him now so that we know Him and are ready to be with Him eternally in Heaven.
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We should also be open to bringing Christ to those who are close to us and to help them know Him as well. In the first week of Advent, Nov. 30th/Dec. 1st, we will have Christmas cards available for anyone who is wanting to invite someone to go to the city-wide penance service or Christmas Mass with them. This would be a friend or neighbor, anyone who has shared with you that they used to be Catholic and are no longer practicing. I am sharing the picture on the front of the card. On the back, we have these dates:
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City-Wide Penance Service:
Dec 19 - 7pm at Notre Dame
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Christmas Eve 12/24 Mass Times:
Notre Dame – 4:30pm
Holy Ghost – 4:30pm & 8:00pm
Midnight Mass – Notre Dame
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Christmas Day 12/ 25 Mass Times:
Holy Ghost – 8:00am
St. Bridget – 9:30am
Notre Dame –10:30am
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Please grab a card and invite someone back to the Faith this Advent! God Bless!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
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11/13/2024 Wednesday Message
Have you ever had your house blessed? If not, you really should strongly consider it as your home is your domestic church. It is where your faith in Jesus Christ and life meld together. Blessing carry a spiritual power that cannot be overestimated. If the faith is not present and practiced in our homes we cannot carry it out into the world where we are called to be salt and light!
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Recently all the clergy (Priest and Deacons) were asked to go to La Crosse and spend a couple days together with our bishop. It is great to be in such a sea of witnesses where so many men have committed their lives to Christ. One of the highlights is getting to hear first-hand from our new Bishop Battersby his vision for the Diocese of Lacrosse as he takes his new office.
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One very clear message from our bishop is that he wants us, as a diocese, to root ourselves in prayer before we look to any changes in the future. Our bishop is doing this in three stages of 9 months each. The first stage which started in July is under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the second is under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the third is under the most chaste heart of St. Joseph. I love his line up of the Holy Family!
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In this first stage the bishop is asking the priest to enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their rectories and is also encouraged in our homes. Also, in this stage he is asking us to: “Re-bless your homes and parishes and do so with regularity. Bless using exorcised water and salt / Use the Pope Leo XIII's prayer for the blessing of a building.”
While enthroning the Sacred Heart can be done without a priest or deacon, I think it is better with a clergy. For the blessing of the home, it is great when the priest can pray those prayers in your home where we should all strive to live our Christians lives to the fullest. If you would like to have a priest do the blessing and/or the Sacred Heart enthronement, please call the parish office to set up a time at 715-723-7108. For more information on the Sacred Heart enthronement visit our dioceses website at: Enthronement of the Sacred Heart | Diocese of La Crosse
God Bless you and your homes!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
10/30/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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Those of you who know me well know that I don’t like to put things off. In fact, I tend to anxiously work ahead on things if I can, probably to a fault. Fr. Sam Martin, my former pastor when I was an associate in Marshfield, would tease me this time of year by suggesting that I probably already had my Easter homily done. Fr. Martin will be here in December to speak at Catholicism on Tap. Don’t believe anything he says about me! No doubt he’ll use this opportunity to roast the pastor!
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For as much as I try to work ahead, some things still may fall through the cracks and catch me off guard. This Wednesday message was one of those things. Not having anything prepared to send off ahead of time, I thought I’d take a moment to say how proud and happy I am to be part of Our Lady of the Falls parishes.
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I’m proud of our staff and volunteers who make so many good things happen here. Many of the things happening in our parishes and in the Catholic community of Chippewa Falls gets attention across our diocese: our various ministries and apostolates, events, communications, our Catholic schools, etc. So much has developed and changed in a positive way across our parishes and community over the last three plus years. We have many new people, many who are engaged in new ministries and are new volunteers, and most importantly, I see a growing number who are striving for real discipleship and holiness. It’s always easy to focus on what is bad in the world and in the life of the Church, and no doubt we have our struggles here too! But when I look around, I’m very encouraged by our three parishes and this Catholic community. Thank you for your commitment to being an intentional disciple, to being a missionary and “bringing one back,” and may God be praised!
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In Christ,
Fr. Jesse Burish
10/23/2024 Wednesday Message
The Our Lady of the Falls community annually turns their attention towards “Time and Talent”, and at Notre Dame last weekend (and again this coming weekend) we sang Richard Gillard’s popular hymn “The Servant Song”. As you consider your own gifts to your parish, I’d like to offer my short reflection on the words of this hymn - a sort of musical Lectio Divina, as it were.
Will you let me be your servant,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to
Let you be my servant, too.
Lord, I pray that my actions and words today will bring the Gospel to life in the hearts of those around me, inspiring them to sainthood.
We are pilgrims on a journey,
We are trav'lers on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
Lord, I pray that you nudge my heart when I need a reminder to live as a Good Samaritan, helping those I encounter throughout my day.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.
Lord, I pray that I am able to have courageous conversations, holding my hand out and bringing one back.
I will weep when you are weeping;
When you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
'Til we've seen this journey through.
Here I must stop and share a story with you. At Notre Dame we have a husband and wife who cantor at Mass, and they bring their infant daughter up to the choir loft with them. As we were singing “The Servant Song” this past weekend, we reached this fourth verse and I looked over the piano at this holy family; dad was standing next to mom, and mom was holding baby, bouncing her gently and smiling deeply while baby smiled back. The congregation singing in the background “I will share your joy and sorrow” was the picture frame of this lyric come to life.
Our cantors give of their time and talent, and they elevate our liturgies..These two cantors (and baby!) brought the message of the Gospel to life for me that morning. As you consider your time, your talent, and how it might serve your parish - do not be afraid! You don’t need to be the best singer, the greatest greeter, or the strongest reader. You need only to offer yourself back to your parish and to the Church.
When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony,
Born of all we've known together
Of Christ's love and agony.
Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame
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10/16/2024 Wednesday Message
Hello Our Lady of the Falls Parishioners!
Fall makes me want to look for an adventure! I love fall, something about the crisp air and the wind that’s ready to pick you up and take you somewhere! The exuberant colors and the falling leaves add to the loveliness of the season.
If you are looking for an adventure, here are some ideas for you!
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Participate in The Falls Faith Quest!
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Consider volunteering for something you’ve never tried before.
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Take time to pray about if there is anyone away from the faith who God might be asking you to accompany and hopefully bring them back to His Church.
Suggestion number 1: if you’re not already checking things off on your Falls Faith Quest Checklist, what’s holding you back! Even if you aren’t particularly interested in winning, there is still so much to discover and learn about your parish and your fellow church goers! Maybe look at the Checklist and instead of answering the questions with people you already know, find some that you don’t know!
Suggestion number 2: There are so many different and new experiences that can be found volunteering! There are also many needs within our parishes that need to be filled! Notre Dame will be doing the Time and Talent Sign-up on October 26th and 27th. If you want to get an idea for what you could do at your parish, you can take a look at this flier, https://www.canva.com/design/DAF6oMl25Jo/jF0UOKumRnr4PmEBHgxunQ/view?utm_content=DAF6oMl25Jo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer. This flier has all of Notre Dame’s opportunities listed, but they can be applied to the other parishes as well.
Suggestion number 3: Might you be called to accompany someone on their faith journey? In some way, shape, or form, we all are called to do this. That does look different for everyone, but we truly have something worthy of sharing and we should help others pursue it as well. I know it is challenging to know what to say or when to start a conversation about the faith. Before you even start a conversation though, you need to show someone that you are there to selflessly be there for them and walk with them. If it makes you sad to hear that someone has wandered away from going to church, consider intentionally making time for them. Invite them to do things with you, they don’t always have to be faith related but they can be. Volunteering is sometimes less intimidating than trying to talk a friend into coming back to Mass with you or going to confession right off the bat. They don’t always think they’re ready for that. See the link above for ideas on what to invite someone to do with you.
“Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure,” Pope St. John Paul II said. Find out how to make it that way for yourself! Ask God in prayer to move your heart to see His will. Pope St. John Paul II (whose feast day is Oct. 22), pray for us!
I love Pope St. John Paul II, so I wanted to share a picture of him on one of his adventures and here is a picture of me and some friends on one of ours!
Have a blessed fall everyone!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
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10/09/2024 Wednesday Message
October 9th is both the Memorial of the Conversion of St. John Henry Cardinal Newman and the (first) annual Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion. Both are patrons of conversion and Catholic education/catechesis. Today, I invite you to join me in prayer. Before I share the prayer, I will provide a little back story: In 2018, when Fr. Justin Kizewski was Dean and I was chairperson of the MACS Education Commission, we began a novena "for the intercession and canonization of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman" who was, in fact, canonized the following year on October 13, 2019. Providentially, October 9th is not only his feast day, but also the anniversary of the Our Lady of Good Help Marian apparition at Champion, Wisconsin. Thus, in 2020, we added prayers for her intercession to our novena (2-for-1!). Again providentially, in 2023 the Holy See officially approved veneration and a local solemnity of Our Lady of Champion on October 9th. Therefore, I have again edited our little novena to acknowledge this new recognition and honor for Our Lady and our state. Wisconsin is the only state in the Union to have experienced an approved Marian apparition.
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This novena is special to me for many reasons, including that the intentions each day are for our Catholic school leadership, but also because it begins with the feast day of the beloved Doctor of the Church, St. Therese of Lisieux, spans many other wonderful saints' feast days, and occurs within the month of the rosary. Please join me in praying today:
We pray that all members of MACS leadership would seek ongoing conversion of mind and heart to deeper belief and trust in Jesus, and that we may be led by the kindly light of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the path to our heavenly home.
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home --
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene -- one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and in spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent,
Till the night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
Our Lady of Champion, pray for us! St. John Henry Newman, pray for us!
Molly K. Bushman
10/02/2024 Wednesday Message
Today is the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. I just spent the last two hours reflecting on my guardian angel in preparation for a homily I will be giving later today. In the collect prayer for Mass today, I am especially interested in these words: O God, who in your unfathomable providence are pleased to send your holy Angels to guard us, hear our supplication as we cry to you, that we may always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company.
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A few words stand out to me here. First of all, God is pleased to send us each a guardian angel. It delights Him to provide these spiritual beings to us. I enjoy the simplicity of this statement and it sounds so playful that God is pleased to provide us more than our lives themselves…but an extra angel to take care of each and every one of us in this life and the next.
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Secondly, hear our prayer as we cry to you. We need to be humble like a little child in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven. A small child will cry for Mom or Dad when they are hurting and/or distressed. Dad might come along and pick them up, consoling and soothing the child. The child will feel loved and comforted. We adults need to remember that crying out for help is not only acceptable, but necessary. Bottling up our feelings and not taking our problems to Jesus will only cause us to put distance between the healing power of Jesus and ourselves.
Finally, I just like to remember that I will be rejoicing eternally in the company of my angel. Maybe I should develop a good relationship with my guardian angel. I’m going to start praying with my angel. I encourage you to do the same!
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​Deacon Sean Hanson
09/25/2024 Wednesday Message
In the Liturgy of the Hours for today, we pray Psalm 27, which includes this verse:
"There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savor the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
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I will sing and make music for the Lord."
The choir director at the seminary I attended would always begin choir practice by praying this particular verse, precisely due to its fundamentally transcendent character. The Psalmist is not asking God to come to him; rather he is desiring to be in the Lord's domain to serve Him instead. This theocentric (God-centered) view of Christian life is a good lens by which we can understand our place in worship of God, especially in the Mass.
While comfort and welcome can be of service to this goal, the point of Mass is not for us to feel comfortable or welcome. Indeed, such a view of the Eucharistic Feast is an impoverishment on the sacred nature of what we come to do: to worship, adore, and give glory to God. To this end, Christians throughout the centuries have been motivated by love of God and a desire to give Him glory that the Church has received an immense deposit of architecture and music. The best examples of these arts lift one's mind and heart to much higher things, impelling us deeper into something far greater than we can imagine. It is truly a paradox for a human endeavor to go beyond its natural bounds to the divine, and yet that is why there is an entire category dedicated to this type of the arts: we call them sacred arts, since they have been rightly reserved for the worship and glory of God. They look different than our everyday lives, but that is so that we can be drawn out of our daily, secular routine to be reminded at least weekly of the divinity that punctures through the ordinary - the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us.
To concretize this reflection a bit, the many construction projects underway in the parishes can be seen as a step away from the familiar and the routine. Organs, liturgical furnishings, and stained-glass windows hardly sound like familiar language in our everyday life. But these things are designed to draw us out of the familiar and into the mystery. Anyone who has been to a church that has taken their breath away or anyone who has heard a chant choir sing in a way that hardly sounds like what is heard on the radio may relate. Yes, they aren't what we're used to, but even the unfamiliar can be a window into the house of the Lord - a house that is very different from my own, but one that, like the Psalmist, in which we desire to live all the days of our life and in which we, too, will sing and make music for the Lord.
God bless you all.
-Fr. Nowicki
09/18/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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What’s Up? We’ve got an exciting new opportunity coming your way! I hope you’ve heard about it by now, it’s The Falls Faith Quest: An Our Lady of the Falls Scavenger Hunt starting this weekend and going until Oct. 27th.
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Why YOU should Participate: Try for a chance to win a prize that is $700 + in value! It’s an opportunity for some friendly competition, but also a chance to participate in parish life and get to know fellow Catholics in the area.
Participants have a month to find as many things listed on The Faith Quest Checklist as they can before the deadline. This Scavenger Hunt is designed with busy schedules and families in mind. The Falls Faith Quest Checklist will be available at the church or on the Announcements page of ourladyofthefalls.org.
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Let’s live our faith with a spirit of fun and adventure! I hope that you will join us!
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In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
09/4/2024 Wednesday Message
After many years of praying and working on finding a solution to our handicapped accessibility to our Goldsmith Adoration Chapel we have begun the work. As I am writing this our temporary adoration chapel in the Avila Room (very near the current Goldsmith Chapel) has also been closed as the demolition of the convent and old brick smokestack presented some safety issues. We will reopen adoration in the temporary Avila Room chapel on September 15th. The Avila Room is a bit smaller, but cozy, and is handicapped accessible. Please make a visit when we reopen in a couple of weeks.
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Remember this is not just a Notre Dame treasure but a deanery adoration chapel that would not remain open without all the dedicated adorers from across the deanery and beyond. We are so grateful for the adorers that come each week for one hour and help us keep Jesus available in His great sacramental presence.
When the dust settles from construction these activities we will see our new Goldsmith Adoration Annex building come up out of the ashes of the convent building. This process will take all winter and the early indications is the construction will be complete around April of next year.
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This new building will be complete with an elevator and handicapped accessible bathrooms as well. Because the new Annex will be at the ground level we will also have access to the basement of the adoration chapel where one will be able to see the tomb of Father Goldsmith who was the pioneer priest that found so many of our area Catholic churches.
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For years we were sadden when our elderly and handicapped parishioners could not share the joy of a weekly adoration hour just when they finally had some extra discretionary time to spend with our Lord. We are even adding a small parking lot next to the chapel with handicapped parking to show the importance of serving those in most need.
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Next to the Mass itself I find adoration to be one of the most edifying experiences. It is sitting down with Jesus in front of you and spending time together. If you do not yet have a weekly hour, please call Andy at 715-568-5243 and he will get you on the schedule.
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God Bless you!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
08/21/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear fellow Our Lady of the Falls parishioners,
As a member of Our Lady of the Falls and parishioner of Holy Ghost, I can't help but notice that there have been a lot of changes in our Catholic community over the past several years. I myself have been involved in some of them. Some of the changes are out of any local control (pandemic challenges, priest assignments) or were unexpected blessings (Inspired by the Spirit Campaign); others are part of local efforts to implement the Meitler Pastoral Plan which is now in its fourth year (combined programs, shared staff, attempt to streamline Mass times, etc.). At the school level, still more changes happen every year, especially as we seek to enact our 2030 Strategic Plan: A Beacon of Hope (curriculum updates, facilities planning, etc.).
I believe that all these changes are within God's providence and, for my part, 100% believe that increased collaboration on all levels (worship, formation, service, and fellowship) is necessary to be successful now and in the future. (I am also over-the-moon excited for the beautification of my beloved Holy Ghost!) However, just because change is necessary and toward a good end, that doesn't change the truth: Change is hard. We as humans are creatures of habit and crave consistency and comfort, the known over the unknown.
My hope and prayer is that everyone reading will make a sincere effort to embrace or at least show patience with changes, and persevere with faith and fortitude. In conversations about changes, let charity reign, give others the benefit of the doubt, and truly listen. Let's not act like the grumbling Israelites in the desert, but instead embrace the gift of the Eucharist and our common Creed to find it within ourselves to put the good of the community over our own comfort level. I have been happy to see many such persons putting the good of the parish over their own individual interests and opinions, to a better result for all involved. By God's grace and fraternal charity, we can persevere through change to a brighter future. The Promised Land awaits.
(Last but not least: please pray for a great school year for our MACS community!)
Molly K. Bushman
08/14/2024 Wednesday Message
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Mother Mary has asked her Son to bestow on us such an abundance of gifts, and He has granted her request. Things like the beautiful music sung by our choirs and cantors, the ability to beautify our churches, our parish picnics, Hospitality Sundays, and Catholicism on Tap. Are there any things that the Father is offering you that you maybe haven’t gotten around to accepting yet?
Jesus and His Mother shower us with graces! Access to the Adoration Chapel, daily Mass, priests who make themselves available for emergencies at any time of the day or night, resources like the Bible in a Year and the Adult Study, people who will care for us and lift us up if we ever take a moment to get to know them!
I have had a crazy time this last week. Many things were going on that demanded my attention, pretty much every day. In my own personal life, I had some struggles and frustrations and it was also hard seeing the parishes and parishioners who I care about struggle to process change. There were sometimes when I wouldn’t notice, but God was still offering me and our parishes gifts through all of this. I had a couple of people guide me through my exhausting week and they supported my stubborn hands to accept the gifts I was being given.
God and Our Blessed Mother always wish to shower Our Lady of the Falls parishioners with graces! This will not change if we’re busy, if we’re struggling, if we move, if we are physically unable to go to Mass, if we’re happy, or if we’re sad. Even in suffering, as the saints will tell us, God bestows many, many gifts! My challenge for you this week is to try to accept a gift you think God might have been offering you, maybe for a long time, or to take to prayer a gift that you have never taken the time to give Him thanks for.
A couple of weeks ago was my 3rd anniversary of starting work at Notre Dame. I love that that anniversary is so close to Notre Dame’s feast day because both of these things remind me to look back on what has happened in the time that I have been here. On this feast of the Assumption, let’s be grateful for how much love our Blessed Mother has for us! This last week and a half we had over 200 people come to Hospitality Sunday at Notre Dame and over 370 people attend Catholicism on Tap! We also got to say thank you to two Religious Education Coordinators, we welcomed over 50 new families to Our Lady of the Falls, there were 45 people at our New Parishioner event on Sunday, and we have 29 people in OCIA right now seeking to enter the Catholic Church!
I hope you enjoy these photos from the last few months at Notre Dame and Our Lady of the Falls. Happy feast of the Assumption!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
This week is a very big day for Our Lady of the Falls! This week we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. It is a holy day of obligation on Thursday and also Notre Dame’s feast day! Let’s celebrate the gift of Mary’s love this week, especially how she bestows her love onto her parishes.I was recently reflecting on the words from a novena I have been praying. The part that struck me gives thanks to God for the Joys He offers us. This novena is a little longer than the typical 9-day novena and I have daily had the reminder that Jesus, through Mary’s intercession, has been offering me innumerable Joys throughout my day. Many I take without reflection or even refuse to take what is being offered to me. This novena has forced me to acknowledge that God offers me gifts that I sometimes fail to recognize or that I take without giving Him praise.
08/07/2024 Wednesday Message
A reflection on the closing Mass of the National Eucharistic Congress
It was an honor to be present at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana last month. My love for Jesus in the Eucharist has grown so much in such a short time. This reflection is only on the final closing Mass of the congress because I had many blessed thoughts throughout and so many glorious images came to me while meditating during the communion block of time.
Just to illustrate for you the immensity of this Mass: The procession of servers, deacons, priests, and bishops took thirty minutes. Communion took thirty minutes as well which is why I was able to have such a fruitful meditation.
During the Mass I imagined being one of Jesus’ hungry followers in the group of 5000 that were fed by five loaves and two fish. I allowed the Holy Spirit to take me there to be present during the miraculous event 2000 years ago. I thought about what it would of felt like to eat and be filled and to have leftovers.
There were 60,000 hungry pilgrims receiving communion together on that Sunday morning, each one being filled by the grace of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. As I sat in awe after receiving, I watched as they filtered up through their communion lines to receive the True Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life. For thirty minutes I watched as small children leaped for joy from just getting a blessing from the holy priests. There was something beautiful happening in Lucas Oil Stadium that morning.
It was a true honor to be one of the 60,000 that day. The world is hungering for Jesus. In the wise words of Monsignor James Shea, we need to show them where the food is. PS…if you have not seen his talk, go to YouTube and search for it on EWTN National Eucharistic Congress.
—Deacon Sean Hanson
07/31/2024 Wednesday Message
A few weeks ago, at our parish Masses, I spoke about how Sunday for us as Catholics is our "big day" because it's the Lord’s Day. We want to put more of our energy into building up Sunday with our key events and offerings building up to and flowing out from the celebration of the Mass. We want to have more Sunday experiences that can be shared across our parishes. Practically, this means that our Mass times need to be better aligned so that more people across our parishes can engage in more things. Secondly, it means a simplification or modest reduction in our Mass schedule so that such an alignment of Mass times is possible, and to emphasize the importance of worshiping together as a parish family.
Naturally, many questions will arise as we propose our new weekend Mass schedule. In the coming weeks, we’ll try to answer the various questions and concerns that might be raised. One fundamental question that should be asked is: What factors are considered in the setting of Mass times?
As we discussed above, priority is given to the Sunday celebration, the day we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection. This is normally at a time that works for the majority of a particular parish or community of parishes. In setting the time(s), we consider the size of our churches in relation to the number of people that attend. Currently, we have about 1,100 people spread over 8 Masses (both Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses), averaging 138 people at each Mass. That is a very low number considering that both Notre Dame and Holy Ghost can accommodate around 300 people per Mass. This is no small consideration. There are times when the Masses are very sparse (sometimes 60 people or fewer). A metric used in other parishes and dioceses is that if there are any two Masses that are under 50% capacity, then one of them should be eliminated. Three out of four Notre Dame Masses are under 50% and three out of three Holy Ghost Masses are under 50%.
The effect that poorly attended Masses have on parish communities is considerable. One of the purposes of a parish is for people in a particular geographical area to come together, first and foremost to worship our Lord at Mass, but also to know and care for one another on the journey to holiness. A parish spread across too many Masses is crippled in its ability to do that. Parishioners see each other less; there is less community and sense of identity. Some have expressed sadness at low Mass attendance and lack of young families, but we do have Masses that are well-attended, with lots of children! We should unite as parishes to pray for and help young families, not merely separate into our favorite Mass times. Further, with so many Mass times, ushers, musicians, servers, readers, and priests are spread more thinly. Fewer Mass times will reduce the load on each person and give us greater opportunity for a more solemn celebration of the Mass. Simplifying our Mass schedule should be a shot in the arm in as it will be more encouraging to see fuller churches, see our younger families, have the wisdom of our older parishioners, and have a greater sense of parish and community as we come together in greater numbers to worship our Lord present in the Eucharist.
Secondarily, the number of priests available to fill in for weekend Masses in the absence of our own priests continues to decrease. We have retired priests in the area who are asked first. Due to health, not all are able to cover all the Masses necessary in the absence of one of us priests. Further, Canon Law and our diocesan policy limits the number of Masses a priest may celebrate in a day. The maximum is three (which is what each of us two priests do here on Sundays currently), but the preference is for two, or even one if possible.
As we anticipate a new proposed Mass schedule for our parishes which will impact the time of most of our weekend Masses, please pray for what is best for our parish for the growth and mission of our parishes.
In Christ,
Fr. Jesse Burish
07/24/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
Thank you all for your kind welcome! I thought I'd make my first Wednesday message a sort of introduction and vocation story.
I grew up in a town called Athens, Wisconsin, raised Catholic by my parents and with one younger sister. While I went to Mass and knew the faith, my intention was never to become a priest as a child. The thought never even crossed my mind! Having an love for math and the sciences, I decided to pursue engineering after high school, so I enrolled at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
This is where Christ's pursuant love entered my life. After a profound experience in confession and an encounter with a Catholic seminarian, I realized that my life was missing fulfillment, a fulfillment that only Jesus can provide. Slowly I started attending Bible studies and going to Mass more than once a week. It all came to a climactic moment in 2015 at the annual Catholic University student conference, SEEK, in adoration. There Jesus said the same words to me that he said to the Apostles: "Follow me." From there I knew my life wouldn't be the same. I didn't know what following Jesus meant, but I knew that this was the answer to my question for fulfillment - and the answer to everyone's need for love and meaning in their lives.
After two years of finishing my degree in 2017, I felt that even though the call to become a priest wasn't crystal clear yet, the Lord was beckoning me to enter seminary. That beckoning was the first step to a more profound encounter with the Lord every single day, especially in the grace He gives us through the Sacraments. This grace sustains all of us and equips us to fulfill our own vocations and our own participation in the mission of the Church. It's what brought me to the priesthood, and I hope with His grace I can share that with all of you during my time here at Our Lady of the Falls.
In Christ,
Fr. David Nowicki
07/10/2024 Wednesday Message
What is community when it comes to church? What does is mean to be a community of believers? We are all part of communities starting with our most basic one being our family. We live in a township or city and we are part of that community. We belong to various groups with work, sports, hobbies and other interests all of which have their own community. It is one thing to belong to a community and it is another to engage in that community. We might lead or participate at community events and that is when the community starts to impact who you are, and in turn you impact that community.
One thing all communities have in common is the more you get to know your community and interact with them the more you influence each other. Within our parish communities we have the same dynamics. What can you do to get involved in your parish community? How can you get to know your community? When it comes to having your faith influence your actions and those of others we need to be a strong community. If we are to go out and invite others to join us, we will be much more successful if we can invite them into a healthy community.
We need your help in forming our parish community by getting to know you and have you present with us not only at Mass but in our activities as well. Speaking of Mass that is one thing I believe makes St. Bridget parish a draw for many is that they have one Mass where their entire community is gathered each Sunday, and their community is not spread over many Masses. This makes for a tighter group of believers where parishioners can begin to know each other. Larger parishes do not necessarily have that luxury of having only one Mass.
How do we make more of the time we have at our Sunday celebrations? What can we do before and/or after Mass to make this time of community more personal and give all a sense of belonging.
We are exploring these ideas and are interested in hearing what you have to say on this topic. If you have ideas and/or want to get more involved, please reach out to myself or our staff. Our contact information is in the bulletin and on our website. Please dream with me on how we can strengthen our community of believers in our parish community!
God Bless you!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
06/26/2024 Wednesday Message
I want to start by wishing you a happy summer! The past few days have seen the rain stop and summer-like sunshine finally breaking through the clouds.
Because the weather is so beautiful, I’m going to offer up my email message this week to Matthew Kelly from Dynamic Catholic. If you’ve ever read “Rediscovering Catholicism” or heard Matthew speak, you’ll recognize the story in this short video.
I know this 8-minute video will speak to you and move you in your heart. I hope that it afflicts you in your comfort and moves you to action in some way in your parish.
Be sure to grab a kleenex!
Every time I hear this story it humbles me, inspires me, and calls me to act. I often find myself at Mass thinking about my to-do list. My mind wanders when I’m listening to Father’s homily for the third time on a Sunday. I’d love to know what this story does to your heart. If you are willing to share, send me an email!
In Christ,
Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame Parish
06/19/2024 Wednesday Message
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Is there anything better than the sound of trumpets at Easter Vigil on a night where God claims a new soul for His own in baptism! It is such a joyful moment for God’s Church! There is also abundant joy when someone who has been away from the faith comes back. Luke 15:10 says, “There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. We can join the triumph in heaven! We can be a part of the joy of God’s Angels by bringing our brother or sister closer to the Church that they have lost sight of.
Why is it Catholics get so excited to hear that a new person is contemplating baptism or coming back into full communion with Christ’s Church? Perhaps we should look at it this way, if we decide to not care and let others just “find their truth”, what then does the faith that we profess mean to us? The way to heaven is through Jesus Christ and His Church, how can we not care?
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Our parishes just started a new phase of Share the Joy, we’re calling it Bring One Back. Share the Joy is all about finding Joy in Christ, with us in the Holy Eucharist, and sharing that joy with the other people who are with us at Mass. With Share the Joy: Bring One Back, we focus on those we meet in our community who have wondered away from the Catholic Faith.
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God might be calling you to evangelize in a way that you have not yet considered! Be open to the possibility that a friend, neighbor, coworker, insurance agent, or hairdresser might need you to care enough to invite them back to church. Think of joining the chorus of Heaven as you support one of God’s children in their journey back to the One True Faith!
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God Bless!
Kate Zweber
06/12/2024 Wednesday Message
Most everyone has heard the song “Imagine” by John Lennon of Beatles fame. Personally, I don’t think the things he imagines in the song are very inspiring (“no religion”? No, thanks). Nonetheless, this poses a question of what we would imagine in place of Mr. Lennon’s version of utopia. Specifically, when you think of the future of the Catholic Church in the Chippewa Valley, what do you imagine?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am always looking ahead (sometimes too far), trying to see what God wants us to imagine, what He wants to invite us to help make reality. Even though my visions are often in regards to our Catholic schools, it’s really all about the Gospel and sharing it with others. As I write this column, I want to invite you into my imagination…
Imagine spouses who love each other, who raise children to love God and their neighbor. Imagine those children becoming young people striving after holiness and discerning their own vocations. Imagine priests, religious, faithful singles living out their particular vocation to holiness, making Christ present to a broken world in sacramental, contemplative, and active ways. Imagine thriving parishes, families of families who share life’s joys and sorrows while living abundantly. Imagine our parishes not simply serving their members but radically reaching out to the community with works of corporal and spiritual mercy, especially sharing the Gospel. Imagine everyday parishioners taking charge of sharing the Gospel with their friends, coworkers, and acquaintances and inviting them to learn more. Imagine those persons hearing God speak to their hearts and eventually finding their rightful place in our universal Church. Imagine overflowing pews, cooing babies, vibrant celebrations. Imagine each of us hearing again every day: Repent and believe in the Gospel.
Take some time to imagine what can be. Nothing is impossible with God. Pray for an explosion of grace in our parishes! Realize that if YOU are reading this, God is calling you to share your faith, to be the light, and to never settle for anything less than everything He is asking of you. This time of Eucharistic Revival is the perfect time to renew ourselves in Christ.
Imagine all the people, living life in Christ.
Molly Bushman
06/05/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear Our Lady of the Falls Parishes,
I would like to begin my message by thanking all of you for your prayers and support as I completed my last five years of formation for the diaconate. I honestly believe that I could not have done it without you. Your generosity, kindness, encouragement, and excitement have kept me going through this whole process and I really appreciate you for all that you have done.
After reflecting on what this Wednesday message would be about, and also contemplating just what a humble servant like me could offer to you, I thought I would just tell you about my last five years of discernment, prayer, and formation. My hope is that through hearing my story you get to know me just a little bit better. There were really three pivotal points during my formation and all three came from holy scripture: Our Lady’s last words in scripture…”Do Whatever He tells you”. God the Father’s last words in scripture…”Listen to Him”. Finally, the last words of Jesus, the Son of God in the Gospel of John…”Follow Me”.
Do Whatever He Tells You: Leading up to my call to the diaconate, I was getting a wonderful formation from Fr. Justin Kizewski during his men’s group on Thursday nights. He challenged me to read the Gospels and since I really hadn’t studied the bible at all leading up to that moment, I took him up on the challenge. I started with the Gospel of John and God brought me closer and closer as I was reading his holy words. I started paying more attention to the readings at Mass at this point, mostly because I was realizing that Jesus was present in those readings as well as in the Eucharist. One thing led to another and I decided to read the whole bible in a year! During the next year, I think it must have been 2018, several people told me that I should go check out the diaconate. I laughed it off as I did not think I would make a very good Deacon. I was lost in my own sinfulness and also way too selfish to dedicate myself to all those hours of formation. Just when I was sure of myself and took a stand against the idea, Mary spoke to me during a homily by Fr. Hoffman. He was giving his homily on the last words of Mary in scripture during the wedding at Cana when she told the servants (deacons) at the wedding to “Do whatever He tells you”. Suddenly, everything got very serious and I felt that Jesus was calling me to be a servant for Him and His holy Church. I told my family right away when we got home, we called Fr. Justin, he called Fr. Felix, and all of a sudden I was on the path to diaconate formation.
Listen to Him: Soon after this, Fr. Justin was planning a pilgrimage to Rome and he was determined that Paula and myself attend this trip. Financially, we were not in good enough shape to make a decision that would cost in the neighborhood of $10,000. I tried talking Paula out of it and we even had a couple of heated arguments about money that ended in frustration on both sides. Fr. Justin even offered to pay for one of us to go to make it affordable. I remember going on a long prayer walk asking the Lord to make it possible for us to go on this pilgrimage. Immediately, it came into my mind that you can withdraw your Roth IRA contributions for no tax penalty at any time. I had just about the perfect amount of contributions to allow for me and my wife to attend the trip to Rome. Shortly thereafter, as I was reading the bible in a year that I had started sometime before, the transfiguration of Jesus was the topic in the readings where the last words of God the Father happen to be “Listen to Him”. I really began putting my trust in Jesus during this time and we had a very prayerful pilgrimage in Rome. Formation continued when we returned from Italy and my motto was to do whatever Jesus says and to listen to Him.
We had amazing instructors in formation. I learned about Canon Law, Church History, Old Testament, New Testament, Philosophy, Homiletics, and even Ecclesiology, just to name a few. I think I like canon law the most, but probably only because Monsignor Deermeyer brought us champagne and chocolates each month.
Follow Me: When everything clicked for me was when I realized that the last words of Jesus in the gospel of John are “Follow Me”. I thought…wait a minute here…Jesus’ mother says “Do whatever He tells you”...Jesus’ Father says “Listen to Him”...and what is Jesus saying?...”Follow Me”. I made a decision right then and there that no matter how hard it got, I needed to finish my formation and become an ordained Deacon for Jesus and to serve his Church and His people.
To follow Jesus will not be easy. Easy would have been quitting a long time ago. I’m glad I didn’t do it my way. I am here to serve you and am looking forward to serving you for the rest of my days.
In Christ,
Deacon Sean Hanson
05/29/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioner,
First of all, I’d like to congratulate Deacon (to-be) Sean Hanson of Holy Ghost! He will be ordained to the diaconate on June 1st. Please join us for the ordination Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse on Saturday, June 1st at 10:00am. As Deacon DeCook is assigned to Notre Dame, Deacon Hanson will likely be assigned to Holy Ghost and possibly also St. Bridget (the exact assignment is to be confirmed by the new Bishop). Deacon Hanson will continue many of the apostolic works he has been doing, only now as an ordained deacon: teaching at McDonell High School and Notre Dame Middle School, and Goldsmith Religious Ed. He will also serve liturgically at weekend Masses. Holy Ghost Parish will be hosting his ordination celebration on June 2nd following the Corpus Christi procession. Please RSVP to Karin Hawkins 715-723-7108 if you plan to attend.
Speaking of ordinations, I’d also like to invite you to the ordination of our new parochial vicar (a.k.a. associate pastor), Fr. (to-be) David Nowicki. You are welcome to join us at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse on Saturday, June 22nd at 10am. His first Mass will be at St. Anthony Parish in Athens, WI on Sunday, June 23rd at 3pm.
Now, I’d once again like to update you on our parish projects following last year’s capital campaigns. After much discernment and planning, and still more to come, some of our projects have begun to move forward, although never as fast as we’d like. I want to sincerely thank my various committee members and volunteers for all their work, as well as those of you who pledged toward the campaigns. To date, our total pledges are as follows:
St. Bridget - $112,329.96
Holy Ghost - $$923,184.01
Notre Dame - $3,211,701.62
Pledges/gifts can still be made throughout the course of the five-year redemption period. If you couldn’t pledge earlier and would like to, you may still do so. Feel free to call our office.
At St. Bridget, we have decided it best to do a full replacement of the windows in the nave of the church, and possibly others, having received an estimate from a local company. We hope to begin this work in the coming months. Church interior painting will follow that. Anticipating that everything will have to come off the walls for repainting, we will be doing some cleaning out of things that have accumulated over the years in the church in storage and on the walls. Please let us know if you would like to join our committee to help advance these and other projects.
At Holy Ghost, we completed the enclosed gathering space and confessional in the back of church before Christmas. The new confessional is great, and the new doors and trim are beautiful! The deteriorating slabs of concrete sidewalk at the front of the church have been replaced and the steps have been patched. The wainscotting in the nave has been removed and the walls have been patched. The carpeting in the sanctuary has also been removed and the floor prepared for new tile. Soon, we will be opening the rose window on the back sanctuary wall. Having the rose window will require moving the current crucifix down the wall somewhat, but we anticipate it visually working out. We are still in need of additional funding for two major unexpected needs: restoring the south nave and choir loft stained-glass windows, and the eventual replacement of the front steps. Please call the office if you would like to contribute to these projects. Finally, we will be making plans for the temporary closing down of the church for interior plaster work and painting September through November 2024. During this period, we will also be replacing the pews. For the time the church is closed, we are exploring the possibility of offering weekend Mass in the little theater of Holy Ghost School.
At Notre Dame, we presented our plans for the Goldsmith Chapel Annex to the parish on January 7th. The final construction documents have received conditional approval from the state. A delay in receiving demolition plans have slowed the process significantly. At this point, we are looking at convent demolition in August with construction of the new Chapel Annex beginning sometime in September. Dell’s Architectural Antiques of Eau Claire has removed much of the woodwork/interior architectural materials and will make them available to the public for sale. Our committee felt this would be the safest and least time-consuming option. We have also set aside several of those architectural elements for use in the new Chapel Annex.
As pastor, it is exciting to see parishioners come together and work for the future of our parishes in these ways. These projects are definite signs of hope and a testament to our commitment to the Church’s mission to pass on and spread the Faith. If you have concerns, questions, or ideas regarding any of our parish projects, please reach out to our committee members whose contact information may be obtained through the parish office:
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St. Bridget: Ted Amelse, Scott Pulver, Renee Jackson. Please let us know if you are interested in participating on this committee!
Holy Ghost: Chad Brady, Tim Strader, Larry Dahl, John Abbe, Karin Hawkins, Rachel Ouimet, Paula Hanson.
Notre Dame: Deacon Kevin DeCook, Gary Gray, Jerre Eckes, Sue Van de Loo, Ted Derks, Joseph Klinkhammer, John Shakal, Joanne Stuttgen.
In Christ,
Fr. Jesse Burish
05/22/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Just a couple of days ago I (along with Fr. Burish and several others from our parishes!) was able to attend the installation of Bishop Battersby; the 11th Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse; our new Bishop! The Mass was utterly beautiful and the rituals of installation were moving. Bishop Battersby took possession of the cathedra (the Bishop’s chair in his cathedral) and the crosier (the Bishop’s staff) and the letter of assignment from Pope Francis was read.
Through it all many of us commented on the feeling of hope that pervaded the Cathedral. There are so many questions about what our new bishop is like and what he will be doing in our beloved diocese, but yesterday none of that seemed to matter as we truly saw and trusted in hope that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Or as our Gospel yesterday read: He is the vine and we are the branches. There is great hope as the torch is passed on to our new Bishop.
For our parishes as well, even in the midst of our own changes, there is great hope! I’m so sad to be leaving and will miss you all; I’ve grown to love you all and moving is always difficult. Nevertheless, there is great hope! Deacon David Nowicki, soon to be priest and your associate pastor, will undoubtedly be a wonderful priest!
Please pray for me during these final weeks of my time here and my transition down to Prairie du Chien, pray for Deacon Nowicki as he prepares for his priestly ordination, and know of my prayers for you all!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
05/15/2024 Wednesday Message
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Hello Everyone!
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“Serve the Lord with Laughter!”, that’s what Padre Pio said. With affection, I know many of you would point at Fr. Guenther and say, “That is exactly what he does!”. And in my few years I’ve gotten to know him, I’d say you’re right! We received some big news the other weekend when we found out that Fr. Guenther has been reassigned and will be leaving Chippewa Falls. His laughter, his skills, his ministry, it is all needed somewhere else. Even though it’s going to be hard to say goodbye, let’s plan on bringing some laughter over to him sometime with a visit to Prairie du Chien, or a letter saying hello! Like Father Guenther has said, “it’s not like I’ll be completely gone!”.
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There will be different going away parties happening at the different parishes, so keep your eyes and ears pealed for more information in the bulletin or as an announcement!
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The other day I was praying the Luminous Ministries of the Rosary, specifically the Transfiguration, when I started reflecting on how God loves us in our humanity. In the Gospel of the Transfiguration, Peter’s humanity seems pretty apparent. Peter saw the moment of the Transfiguration as being good, and wanted to pitch tents and stay with Jesus, Moses, Elijah, James, and John in a moment when everything seemed right. St. Peter is one of the apostles who seems the most relatable, for this reason and many others. He has his very human moments, both good and not so good. However, God lovingly gave him one of the most important responsibilities ever to be received in the Catholic Church!
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It’s a very human thing to want to hold on to things that we see as good, and God loves us in that humanity! He understands our wishes, our desires, our sadness, and our joys. He laughs with us as we laugh at ourselves and at life’s little comedies!
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I think our Catholic Community particularly loves Fr. Guenther for his relatability, for how human he is! I am so grateful that he was assigned to our parishes! I am grateful for the good work he has done here and for the many moments when he showed us how to love God and life in the somewhat unexpected ways!
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Let’s continue to Serve the Lord with Laughter! Let’s also take a little time to pray for Fr. Guenther and for our new, soon to be priest, Deacon David Nowicki!
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Here are a couple of pictures of Fr. Guenther in his time here! Hope you enjoy and God Bless!
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Kate Zweber
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05/08/2024 Wednesday Message
I want to take this opportunity to update you on our Goldsmith Adoration Chapel. Father’s building committee has been pouring over the plans to replace the convent building with a new annex to the chapel. While this is the first phase of Notre Dame’s capital campaign it has wide impact on our Catholic community as many in the area participate in this great devotion of adoration to our Lord Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist.
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Our plans are very near finished and we are now waiting for our contractor to get final bids to complete this project. A copy of the new plans have been posted inside the chapel on the door into the convent for you to take a look at what is to come. We anticipate the project to begin in June or July of this year with completion before winter. While we have to say farewell to our historic convent, we look forward to our new annex to the chapel that will give us handicapped access, new bathrooms, some new dedicated parking, and opportunities for increased security.
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During construction we will temporarily move adoration to the nearby Avila Room which is attached to the garage by the big brick smokestack. We will be posting notices and informing our adorers as the project progresses. Please keep an eye out for this as we move forward.
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Adorers commit to one hour a week to sit with Jesus in His physical presence in a quite and prayerful place. Outside of Mass, I find this to be the best place to pray. Committing one hour a week is a true sign of your love for Jesus. If you want to know Him, you need to spend time with Him. If you do not have an hour, email me at kdecook@ourladyofthefalls.org and we will find a time that works for you!
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God Bless,
Deacon Kevin DeCook
05/01/2024 Wednesday Message
Subject: Bring one back | Wednesday Message - Shakal
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Last summer I was driving home from work when I received a phone call. It was Todd (code name) from Chippewa. He had been raised in the faith and considered himself Catholic, but had not practiced his faith consistently for 40 years. A fellow parishioner in Our Lady of the Falls named Tina (code name), who had recently had a deeper conversion in the faith, had invited him to come back to Mass... but first had invited him to make a good confession in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Todd was nervous, and asked me for encouragement and confession times. I saw him the next day at daily Mass, after which he went to confession for the first time in decades. He entered the confession with the weight of anxiety and sin (don't we all?), but when he emerged, he could barely contain his joy and light-heartedness. He has been a changed man ever since!
Todd came back to Jesus and His Church because someone thought of him, felt the Lord's love for him, prayed for him, and invited him back.
This year--our 3rd year of Eucharistic Revival--brings us to our new mission: a mission for you, me, and every member of the church! It is to share the joy by inviting one back. Think about it: can you name 2-4 Catholics who are away from Jesus, the Eucharist, and His Church? How can they be happy except by being with Jesus? Let's invite one back. Or two, three, or 10.
Imagine: what if every parishioner in our Catholic Community intentionally invited 1 Catholic back to confession and the Eucharist? How would that change our parishes? Our hearts? The halls of eternal heaven?
Let us all prayerfully consider who God is calling us to bring back to him. See some handy resources here: https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/invite-one-back
Remember, God loves and desires these persons to return more than we do... Let's do our part!
For His Glory,
John Shakal
04/24/2024 Wednesday Message
We gathered around home plate, kicking the dirt and spitting the way that only boys pretending to be men can spit. Reviewing the ground rules, I talked my crew through last minute reminders before the coaches joined us for the pregame meeting.
We were a motley crew of pubescent umpires, kids who loved baseball almost as much as we loved getting paid to administer the law of the game. It was a wild kind of rush, a rare kind of role reversal - us as the teenaged arbiters, calling the shots for adult coaches who only the summer before had been telling us how to play.
I worked as an umpire for several summers. I credit much of my cool-under-pressure demeanor to those hot summer nights getting yelled at by coaches, parents and players frustrated by my black-and-white perspective. If you wanted to be safe, you better beat the ball. “Tie goes to the runner” was not in my vocabulary.
I’ve been thinking about this black-and-white perspective recently. In our second reading from last Sunday we heard about how the world does not recognize us because the world did not recognize Jesus. The culture does not see things in black-and-white; the culture suggests that gray is the preferred perspective. The culture often charges the Church with black-and-white thinking, and usually not as a compliment.
How is gray made? By mixing black and white. Gray is a personal, do-it-yourself amalgamation of black and white and at first glance - gray seems good. Gray calls itself compromise. Gray calls itself compassion. The challenge with gray is that, in the absence of the clarity and contrast between black and white, everything starts to look - well, just kinda gray!
So to is it in our relationship with Jesus. We need black and white! We need the clarity that can only can be found when contrasting the vision of our lives as they are with the vision that Christ has for our lives. The gray shade of secular relativism colors this relationship, and soon we are repainting Christ in our image. The strike zone widens. The foul lines are erased. The outfield walls are moved in. The game has changed.
I had a reputation as a tough umpire. I was also regarded as a consistent and fair umpire - my performance reviews complimented my black-and-white strike zone. Players and coaches knew what to expect. The sacraments provide us this same black-and-white contrast and clarity. The sacraments allow us to look at two versions of our selves; the version as we currently are, and the version that Christ has in store for us.
We witnessed this last weekend at Notre Dame with the First Communion of our young people. We compare these black-and-white versions each time we renew our baptismal promises. We contrast these black-and-white versions with a priest during confession.
I challenge you to embrace the black and white of your life by revisiting the sacraments. I encourage you to attend Catholicism on Tap (May 6!) for more on defending the faith from secular relativism. I ask you to pray for me. I’ll be praying for you!
— Mike Renneke
04/17/2024 Wednesday Message
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When we have our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, I always like to look back at how many things we were able to accomplish in the last year. In the last year, because of the support, work, and prayers of you, our parishioners, we have been able to do so much! One year ago, we had a couple of people helping with event childcare, now we have an amazing team of people! A year ago, we hosted our first large speaker event for our Catholic Community. Now we host a speaker event once a month and have an amazing crew of people who help make it happen! In the last year, we’ve had several new ministries and initiatives start up including the Children’s Adoration Hour, the Bereavement Ministry, a Family Discipleship class, and the Men’s Group. All of these things are happening because our volunteers have made them happen!
Those things I listed are just the new things! There have also been some remarkable people who have stepped up to help where there were great needs like church decorating, buildings and grounds, parish events, (including Time and Talent), OCIA, and greeting. There are those volunteers who help with different duties at Mass as well, who make sure Mass goes well and everyone’s needs are taken care of. And I couldn’t forget the volunteers who continue the dedicated work they started years ago in caring for our beautiful Adoration Chapel, directing our choirs, singing for our Masses, serving food to the hungry, or praying for our parish and community!
I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers and I hope that you will join me by making a point to thank a volunteer as well!
We don’t host our volunteer dinner because we think our volunteers expect it. Obviously, it is deserved, but more than that, it’s an opportunity to recognize that God is at work in each of you. He has used you to accomplish great things! Far greater than you might realize now. This is something to celebrate! I hope that you each can recognize it and use it as fuel as you live your life and Share the Joy of Christ in you!
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I want to give one last thank you to the McDonald family for all the amazing work they did to make our Appreciation Dinner a night to remember and to the new volunteers volunteering to help with the volunteer dinner! I’ve included a couple of pictures from the event last night, I hope you enjoy them! Please say a quick prayer of thanksgiving with me for those who continue to bless our parishes through service!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
Hello Everyone! Happy Easter!
We had a very special celebration at Notre Dame on Saturday. It was our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. This event is always so special for me to prepare for and reflect on. As each RSVP comes in, I remember all the things that that volunteer does for our parish. How rich and full our parishes are when we have loving hands so eager to serve!
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Opportunities to serve are all around us! Holy Ghost and St. Bridget’s both just had their Time and Talent Sign-ups. I know that there were several needs for volunteers that they were hoping to find with that. And Notre Dame also has needs as we continue to grow and change and as volunteers have to step away or step up to help with other needs.
04/10/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
As we reflect on the Gospel message in this Easter season and seek to share the Good News with a broken world, I invite you to consider the role of our Catholic schools on the front lines of this great work of evangelization. Later this month, MACS will publish our 2030 Strategic Plan. The plan is the fruit of a meeting of the minds between school leadership and the community we serve, casting a bold vision for the future of our Catholic schools. We build on a foundation of over 140 years of Catholic education in the Chippewa Valley, in light of tremendous growth in enrollment and vibrancy of our programs in recent years. With the support of our parishes, we are united in faith and called to mission as a beacon of hope to our community. We need, want, and boldly ask for your wholehearted support.
Our plan sets ambitious goals and objectives designed to attain those goals. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will achieve success through specific action plans, timelines, and accountability, including annual stakeholder reports on our progress. Our plan is a living document, both measurable and adaptable.
Within the plan, you will find some key terms:
Catholic liberal arts is a classical educational philosophy in which students learn to reason and communicate well, as they develop a strong moral compass and discover their unique purpose. Students learn how to think rather than what to think, focused on what is good, beautiful and true. We sometimes call this “future-proof” education as it is not focused on time-limited job skills but rather long-term student success.
Christian discipleship is founded on love of God and neighbor (Mt. 22:37-39) and includes prayer, sacraments, fellowship and the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2:42). Discipleship necessarily extends beyond the theology curriculum, beginning within the heart and mind of the student and extending to faithful service beyond our walls.
The Cardinal Newman Society is a non-profit whose mission is “to promote and defend faithful Catholic education” and which recognizes “exemplary Catholic educators and institutions committed to truth and the integral formation of their students.” We seek Newman Society recognition, considered the gold standard for Catholic schools.
In Christ our hope,
Molly Bushman, MACS President
04/3/2024 Wednesday Message
Happy Easter everyone! Last year we decided to try our hand at raising chickens. This spring, we continued our chicken adventure by incubating some of their eggs. After much waiting, we found our first two chicks hatched when we got home from Easter Vigil. Throughout Sunday, it was like Jesus rising again and again as each egg popped open with new life! By afternoon, all the eggs had at least “pipped” (the first sign of life within and imminent hatching) except one.
As I looked at the egg with no pip, I figured it had no hope. Eventually I took it out to throw it away, but then thought I should at least candle it, to make sure. Expecting the egg to be dead, I was shocked when I put the light to the egg and saw a head in the air cell rhythmically pecking at the shell. I put my ear to the shell and heard a persistent clock-like tick and then a faint chirp. I quickly put the egg back in the incubator. This was exciting, but made things almost worse because as the egg sat there still unpipped, I was afraid the chick would run out of air. I let the egg be (even though all I wanted to do was make a small air hole for it). Hours later when it finally pipped I grew even more nervous; knowing it took that much time and effort to make a tiny hole, how was this chick ever going to hatch? Even more hours later it finally emerged. It was a tiny (and very tired) black chick who didn't look anything like the others.
So, why am I talking about chickens? I think this situation is a great analogy for the faith life. Sometimes we feel like the chick, pecking away at holiness but never seeming to make progress. It's tempting to just give up. But we need to remember that each peck is one closer to breaking through. In fact, it is more pleasing to God when we trust and hope and keep at it without immediate reward than if we were to stick with it only when we receive consolations from Him. Like the chick, we need to keep pecking because if we don’t the only other alternative is death. There is no in between, even though we like to “invent” one. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30.
Another analogy is that we shouldn't give up on what looks like a hopeless egg. We all have people in our lives who we want to turn towards God. It’s tempting to give up on them, but we need to remember that God is working on them from the inside out, even when we can’t see it. It’s tempting to want to “poke a hole in their egg”, but we can’t force or make them turn. We need to be patient (even when it seems like forever) and let them do their own hatching. We need to notice those small signs of life and remain hopeful that God is working in His own time and in His own way, for the best of that person. It’s also tempting to see what looks like a dead egg and think you should just throw it away, but it is our Christian duty to always try and see the good and foster life. Put that egg back in the incubator! Pray for those you find it difficult to love! Most of all, be patient because have a God who is good and who listens. “‘And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?’” Luke 11: 9-13.
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Paula Hanson
03/27/2024 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
We have certainly had some big news this past week and are very pleased to welcome Bishop Gerard Battersby to be the 11th Bishop of the diocese of La Crosse…to be our bishop. Fr. Burish and myself were very blessed to be in La Crosse for the Chrism Mass and Bishop Callahan gave a great homily of trust and hope for our diocese soon to be in the care of Bishop Battersby; not to mention some relief considering all the health issues Bishop Callahan has been suffering over the last number of years.
All that being said, we have much to be thankful for as we enter this Holy Week, Triduum, and, ultimately, Easter. We are anxiously awaiting our new shepherd, but ultimately this week we come before our true shepherd and our true lamb who sacrifices his very life to forgive our sins and rises to give us new life. Please, if you can, come to the Triduum Liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. These are the most important days of the year for us and for our salvation. If you are looking for some extra ways to pray during these holy days here are a few (of many!) ideas:
- There will be the Tenebrae Service, which is the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, at 6:30AM at Holy Ghost; Thursday through Saturday.
- There is the fun tradition of making a pilgrimage to other churches to pray at their altar of repose on Holy Thursday after Mass. I’ve made it a habit of visiting the other churches in town for a brief prayer.
- The Divine Mercy novena will begin on Good Friday.
Finally, don’t for get that Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence, except those who are very young, elderly, or have a medical condition.
Know of my prayers for you all over these days! Please pray for me, but most importantly pray for Bishop Callahan in his transition out of active ministry and for Bishop Battersby, who will be leaving his home, family, and friends, to come serve as our shepherd.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
03/20/2024 Wednesday Message
Hello!
This week as I was praying with what to say, I thought I’d share with you a beautiful quote that my mind often turns to. It is a quote from my confirmation saint, Bl. Chiara Luce Badano.
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As 19 year-old Chiara was in the hospital, getting weaker and weaker from cancer, she said this, "I have nothing left, but I still have my heart, and with that I can always love."
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I wish that I could make you sit with those words for a little bit!
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How often do we feel we have too much going on? That we are being asked to do so much, we really can’t give anything more? Well, can you offer your heart? Would you be willing to show others that, though you are busy, stressed, or overwhelmed, you can still love them and care about them?
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Our parishioners and parish families at Holy Ghost, St. Bridget’s, and Notre Dame need to show that we are willing to love! It is a great opportunity for growth, and we need to be better at this. How? If you see a new face at church, introduce yourself! If you see someone regularly but you do not know your name, introduce yourself. Blessed Chiara said she had nothing to give, but really, she had everything! She had a heart willing to care for others! Do you? How will anyone know if you do not speak to them? It’s helpful even if all you have time for is a quick exchange of names.
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I know that all three of our parishes could use more greeters. Consider asking your parish about doing that, perhaps for Easter! You might end up greeting someone who has never even walked into a church before! For Notre Dame parishioners, share some things about you on our parishioner intro board that is in the back of church. Sharing things about yourself shows others that you have that heart that we were talking about, and you’re ready to share that with others! Here is a link for you if you would like to participate, Notre Dame’s Share the Joy Parishioner Intros, I hope that you will! If you want to see some of my own shenanigans, I’ve attached a picture of my intro that is up at Notre Dame now!
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Do you have something more to give? Perhaps some time and talent to offer to your parish? Holy Ghost and St. Bridget will both be doing Time and Talent sign-ups in April! You’re welcome to reach out to me as well, particularly if you’re at Notre Dame since our Time and Talen is later in the year. I know that there are already many of you who not only give your heart but are also generous in many other ways! Thank you! Notre Damers, don’t forget to RSVP to our appreciation dinner on April 13th!
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All of you have so much to give! A heart that can love, prayers to offer, and hands to serve! These things are all gifts, let’s glorify God with them!
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Enjoy the rest of your Lent and the beautiful journey through Holy Week!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
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03/13/2024 Wednesday Message
In this time of Lent, I would like to talk about alms giving. This topic is largely seen as negative. All too often people immediately brace themselves for the “big ask” and put up their defenses. What if we instead took a different approach to alms giving? Any time we are asked to share our financial resources we could look at this as an opportunity to share the gifts God has given us. We are called to discern what God is asking us to do with each charitable request.
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When asked for financial assistance, I personally delay a reply for any substantial request. I tell the person asking that I will prayerfully consider the request and then I ask God to guide me in a decision. This helps me set aside the often-emotional request and helps remind me that my finances are ultimately the ones God has given me to work with. So it just makes sense to have Him guide me in deciding which request should be contributed to and at what level. I often end up giving more to certain requests and others go without a contribution.
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I find it is good to have a core group of charities that I give to regularly as well as being open to any the Holy Spirit sends my way. My top priority for a charity is my parish as that is my family and where I connect with God on a regular basis. If your parish is on your list, I want to invite you to consider giving to our Annual Appeal. This appeal is not just a request but a requirement as it is how we share in the needs of the diocese that serves us in so many ways. If we do not meet the goal, then we must use general funds to cover shortages. On the positive side, if we go over the appeal amount, 100% of those funds go to our parish without any diocesan or school assessments. If you are inclined to give to this cause or increase what you have already given, please contact the parish office. Below is a summary of where we are at to date.
Goal Pledged Remaining Need
Notre Dame $92,845 $82,930 $ 9,915
Holy Ghost $59,370 $40,621 $18,749
St. Bridget $15,410 $ 7,840 $ 7,570
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Thank you for your consideration and God Bless your family,
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
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3/6/2024 Wednesday Message
Did you make it out to Catholicism on Tap on Monday (3/4)? It was a tremendous environment in the Heyde Center, with over 340 people in attendance for the Protestant vs Catholic Dialogue. (See pics below!) Many thanks to Kate Zweber and all volunteers who made it happen! And of course, Fr. Burish had the job of central importance: blessing the wine and beer...
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I continue to be impressed with the thirst for faith, hope, and charity of the Catholics in our community. Moreover, the attendance of over 100 of our Protestant brethren (and ~240 Catholics) at On Tap demonstrates that there can be progress in growing Christian Unity. Does it happen overnight, or during one evening of (sometimes intense!) conversation? Hardly. There are a lot of personal wounds and doctrinal misconceptions about the Catholic church that need to be undone, first. And though Christian unity (for our purposes between Catholics and Protestants) sometimes seems perilous and uncomfortable, it is the goal to which Christ and His Church continually calls to accomplish. (See John 17:20-23 and CCC 817-821.)
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So what happens now? Five next steps can include:
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Fast and pray for healing and Christian Unity, that all Christians return to Christ in full communion in his One, Holy, Catholics, and Apostolic Church
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Read Scripture with awe and zeal, participating in Bible Studies (one meets weekly on Tuesdays at 9:30am in the Notre Dame GREC! All are welcome.)
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Invite Protestant friends to join you in a book study of Stunned by Scripture (Bergsma) or By What Authority (Shea) or The Lamb's Supper (Hahn), inviting discussion from what you both read
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Learn about the Early Church, the content and Unity of the Bible, and how Scripture needs and presupposes Sacred Tradition. Catholic.com has excellent resources for this.
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Attend future Catholicism on Tap events with your Protestant Christian friends, inviting them to hear the beautiful teachings of Christ's Church.
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Our next one is "Every Christian's Call: Understanding the Biblical Roots of the Mass" with Patrick Conley. This is a great follow up for a curious Protestant (and Catholic, for that matter!) The date is 4/8/24.
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I was humbled to participate in this dialogue with Troy Solava, and we plan to continue... stay tuned for a follow up conversation between us when we answer the 40+ questions that we did not have time for on Monday!
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The (fuzzy, but serviceable) video recording from Monday's Dialogue is attached below. Enjoy and share!
2/28/2024 Wednesday Message
I was once fortunate enough to find myself in London on an evening with nothing to do and a few college friends to do it with. We made our way to the West End and eventually found ourselves with some last-minute rush tickets to see “The Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theater. (At least, it was Her Majesty’s theater at the time!)
If you have ever found yourself with last minute tickets or ‘obstructed view’ seats, you might nod your head with a familiar understanding - “nose bleed” doesn’t begin to describe how terrible our seats were. An usher might as well have offered us oxygen on our way up. Our seats were so high up in the theater that we were actually seated above the infamous chandelier.
If you are familiar with “The Phantom of the Opera”, there is a pretty remarkable scene where the chandelier falls from the ceiling in a remarkable bit of theatrical drama and engineering. When you are seated on the floor beneath it, watching the chandelier fall on your head is a pretty dramatic thing!
When you are seated above the chandelier, watching a small chandelier become even smaller is much less dramatic. I left kind of underwhelmed - this was the thing that everyone raved about, running on 35 years?
I have since seen “Phantom” from much better seats and it shouldn’t be surprising that when your view isn’t obstructed the show is much more compelling. Might there be a parallel we can draw to the Mass?
We shouldn’t pick the worst seat in the house and then wonder why we leave underwhelmed. We shouldn’t sit in the back of the church and then wonder why we feel distant from the Mass. We shouldn’t come late and leave early and then wonder why we don’t feel a connection. We shouldn’t bury our talents in the sand and then wonder why they do not bring meaning and joy to our lives.
These are just examples - there are many very good and valid reasons to sit in the back of the church, to come late, and to not have the bandwidth to fully utilize our talents. My wife and I now have three of them; one aged 4 years, one aged 2 years, and one just 6 days old.
We cannot journey through Lent with an obstructed view and then wonder why we cannot see the bright sunrise of Easter morning. If your Lent is going like mine (meaning: poorly!) it is never too late to recommit. Change your seats and change your perspective. Spend 10 minutes after Mass has ended in quiet prayer in the pew. Join the choir for Triduum. Pray for me. I’ll be praying for you!
Mike Renneke
2/21/2024 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone and happy Lent!
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How has your lent been going? Are there new ways that you are implementing the three pillars of Lent? The three pillars are Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.
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As Lents go, I haven’t started out the strongest this year and I am still working on my concrete plan for what I am going to do. I’ve been a bit caught up in the busyness of life, though I know that isn’t much of an excuse! It’s important to have people who will help us and support us in our faith journey though, and I am grateful for my boyfriend who decided we were going to pray a rosary together every day during Lent. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the habit of doing an entire rosary on a regular basis. It's been nice so far though! This new practice has especially been a good reminder to me of the power of prayer and how beautifully it unites us.
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There are many prayer ministries at Our Lady of the Falls, and we are particularly blessed to have our beautiful Goldsmith Adoration Chapel. Christ is present in that monstrance. He’s looking back at us as we kneel before Him in adoration. He is also present in other monstrances around the world. As we look up at Him in our chapel, letting Him love us and loving Him, we are united with the thousands of others who are doing the same a few cities away or halfway around the world! It is such a gift to be able to join other Catholics in spending time with Jesus who is in the Eucharist! If you haven’t gotten an hour yet, or you’d like to pick up another hour, fill out this form, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeL96kA62dSD87ac1w5YgdA5-gGUNovmfy0S8TV56Vx5LdHCg/viewform?usp=sf_link
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The liturgy of the hours also unites us as a Church as it is the daily prayer of the Church. It’s something that we as lay people can choose to pray at different hours of the day. Priests and other religious are, as a general rule, supposed to pray the Liturgy of the Hours at least five times a day. When we pray night prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, for example, we are praying along with thousands of others, lay people, priests, deacons, and other religious. The liturgy of the hours are also really extraordinary because when we pray them we read through Psalms that reflect on a wide variety of places that we could be in our faith. We might not be feeling discouraged for example, but when we are praying the liturgy of the hours, we can pray them in consolation with and for someone who is feeling discouraged. It’s such a cool and unique way to be united with other Catholics! If you’re interested in praying the Liturgy of the hours, I would encourage you to look up ibrivary and download the app!
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For Share the Joy, one of the suggestions was to ask a fellow parishioner how you could pray for them. I’d like to invite you again to consider doing this! I know it can be a challenge, but also consider taking time to actually pray with someone. If they mention a struggle or a need take a moment to say, “You know, let’s say a little prayer for you right now!”. Lent is a time where we can really challenge ourselves, so maybe try to do this just once during Lent.
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Other things that you can do to be united with fellow Catholics in prayer and to pick up something new for stronger prayer during this season of Lent:
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Be a part of an email Prayer Chain for our parishes.
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Attend the Monday Adoration Prayer Meeting that’s at 9am in the Adoration Chapel
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Find 4 friends and do a living Rosary where each of you does a different decade of the Rosary every day
I hope this Lent proves to be a good one for you and you use this beautiful season to grow your prayer life!
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In Christ, Kate Zweber
2/14/2024 Wednesday Message
Our Catholic Schools are an essential and growing parish ministry. Centered on Jesus Christ and His Church, we partner with families to nurture young people's spiritual, intellectual, physical, and moral formation through a PreK-12 Catholic liberal arts education and vibrant student life of discipleship, athletics, and the arts. Please follow our McDonell Area Catholic Schools Facebook page to follow along and see how we are living our mission every day!
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Over the past two years, McDonell Area Catholic Schools has developed a new mission and vision statement, and is in the process of finalizing goals and objectives for our 2030 Strategic Plan. All parishioners are invited to attend a Stakeholder Feedback Session to give feedback on the 2030 Strategic Plan. The session will be held at McDonell Central Catholic High School on Wednesday, February 28th 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Please join us!
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The five focus areas reviewed by our subcommittees are: Nurturing Our Students, Partnering With Families, Growing Our Catholic Identity, Embracing Our Community, and Building Our Future. Each group set 3-5 goals under each focus area, which will be presented at the feedback session for comment. Our new mission, vision, and strategic plan will set the priorities for our ministry over the next 6 years. As many of you know, the last five years have been very exciting for our Catholic schools as we have reinvigorated our Catholic identity and started a journey to the heart of education by embracing Catholic Liberal Arts. As enrollment has grown exponentially, we are also seeing a growth in the fervor of the faith among students and families, often expressed in sacramental initiation and participation.
We have areas of opportunity to better serve ALL Catholic families of our parishes, and I 100% welcome all Catholic families to contact me and let me know how we can better partner with you in the spiritual, intellectual, physical, and moral formation.
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As I write this, I am about to attend one of four school Masses taking place on Ash Wednesday. One of the best ways to celebrate our Catholicism as schools and families is by living the liturgical year together! May God bless all parents and families and may He continue to allow us to build His kingdom through the ministry of Catholic schools. This Lent, may He strip away whatever may be holding us back from closer relationship with Christ through His Church.
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I look forward to seeing you at the Stakeholder Strategic Planning Session on Wednesday, February 28th!
Molly K. Bushman
McDonell Area Catholic Schools
System President
1/31/2024 Wednesday Message
Parishioners of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls Deaneries and members of our local community,
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As local Deans, on behalf of all the pastors, we reach out in pastoral concern and care for our community. We were shocked and greatly disappointed to hear of the upcoming closure of our local Catholic hospitals, HSHS Sacred Heart in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s in Chippewa Falls. This is truly a death in the family for our local Catholic community. While we understand HSHS worked for a different outcome than a complete exit, this solution is extremely painful and difficult for many.
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Our hearts go out to those employed by HSHS, Prevea Health, and L.E. Philipps, as their lives and families will be greatly impacted. We reverence your raw emotions of fear, anger, grief, and uncertainty regarding your professional and personal future.
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We also send our prayers to the thousands whose healthcare may be disrupted. We’ve heard many in our community comment on the excellent, compassionate care they have received over the years. Our community will be less without Catholic healthcare, rooted in the Gospel, that serves the whole person, body and soul.
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We are truly grateful for all of those who for nearly 140 years have worked in the HSHS healthcare ministries in the Chippewa Valley. The many Hospital Sisters, administrators, physicians, nurses, and staff dedicated their careers to Catholic healthcare. They served our community generously and professionally. It’s impossible to recount the many lives touched and healed through these hospitals.
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While this is a time of grief, not all hope is lost. Many in our community have already been discussing ways to alleviate the economic and healthcare concerns this decision causes. We will soon have details on a spiritual offering to provide healing for those experiencing stress, anxiety, and trauma from this decision. Bishop Callahan will also celebrate a Mass honoring the history of St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart Hospitals on a later date that will be announced.
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The healing mission of Jesus Christ belongs to his Church. Even when institutions falter and end, the healing mission of the Lord Jesus Christ continues. The responsibility and gift of this healing mission is entrusted to all of us as his missionary disciples. May the Holy Spirit pour out his gifts and renew our fervor and courage to see what must be done and gain the strength to do what we have seen.
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In Christ,
Very Rev. James R. Kurzynski
Dean of Eau Claire
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Very Rev. Jesse D. Burish
Dean of Chippewa Falls
01/17/2024 Wednesday Message
Your life is a testament to God’s goodness and His love for the world He created! There’s a song, Counting My Blessings, where they sing “The more that I look in the details, the more of God’s goodness I find”. Let other people see those details, don’t just keep them to yourself! Discover those details in other people and let yourself be awed by the love that God has for His children!
One of the Share the Joy suggestions this month is to find an opportunity to introduce yourself or your family to other parishioners. I am pretty sure there will be someone you don’t know at Mass this weekend. Introduce yourself and show that person that they are seen, that they are known and worthy of being known, and that they are loved, by the Father and His children. Be willing to let others see you! Be willing to show others how God has given you joy in your life. Be willing to hear the words, “Yes, oui si ja!”.
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
Dear parishioners,
Bear with me, I’ve found a little joke for you!
An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a German are all standing watching a street performer do some excellent juggling. The juggler notices that the four gentlemen have a very poor view, so he stands up on a large wooden box and calls out, “Can you all see me now?”
“Yes,”
“Oui,”
“Si,”
“Ja,”
Are you willing to let people see you? One of the biggest things that holds people back from trying to meet someone new is that it’s hard to let others see you sometimes.
1/10/2024 Wednesday Message
1/10/2024 Wednesday Message
When is your mother’s birthday? My mom will be 93 this January 15th. I know this because I have it marked on my calendar. I want to be sure I call her since she lives a couple of hours away and a visit is not likely to happen. With my 13 siblings you might think that if I forget to call her she will not notice. Wow was I wrong when I forgot a few years ago! Sometime after her birthday when I called her for a random chat, she made a point to let me know I was the only one who did not call her on her birthday. She was keeping a list! I don’t know where I was on Santa’s list that year, but I was not on the nice list for mom!
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I am writing this Wednesday message on January 1st the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God. While not a Holy Day of Obligation this year, it is a day to remember. I am sure Jesus will not forget to call his mom today. Mary is also our mother and so if you did not make it to Mass on the 1st, be sure to at least give her a belated call by reciting a rosary or some other devotion to Mary such as a novena or praying the Magnificat.
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Mary has a special place in her heart for those who love her son Jesus. She has adopted us as spiritual children. She prays for us and asks us in turn to look to her for help in praying to her son. She does not seek glory for herself, but rather encourages us to invoke her help so she can show us the way to her son.
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May God Bless you this new year by keeping close to your spiritual Mother Mary and may this Christmas season continue for you even when the secular world has moved on.
Deacon Kevin DeCook
1/3/2024 Wednesday Message
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Rachel and I have been blessed with 4 wonderful little kiddos. On Christmas day, my oldest son Benedict (5) asked Joseph (2 1/2) if he wanted to wear matching clothes to Mass. Initially suspicious of the idea (perhaps because Joseph is suspicious of wearing clothes altogether), Joseph changed his mind and agreed. The picture attached shows the heartwarming result! Why the change of heart for Joseph? Perhaps the biggest reason is his subconscious admiration for his older brother. And of course, Benedict does not realize the power of his influence yet, but you and I can clearly see how his words and actions and questions impact Joseph.
About two weeks ago I was enjoying a beverage in the new Chippewa Caribou coffee shop. I was in the middle of a meeting with a woman whose 8 year old son was interested in becoming Catholic and receiving first Holy Communion with his peers at MACS (such is the power of a faithfully Catholic school!). This woman and her family were raised Christian (Lutheran) and had long been acquainted with the basics of the Christian faith. But her son wanting to enter the Catholic church also seemed to spark a desire for her own spiritual renewal.
In the course of our conversation I eventually asked her a question that I ask almost every person I meet with; this question is so fundamental that you may be tempted to chuckle at its simplicity and move on. However, though I asked this question to probably near 100 people this past year in discipleship meetings, very few people seemed confident in answering it. Frankly most people seemed to be caught off guard and perhaps had never been asked the question before in an informal conversation, and feel it is both a massively important question but also a deeply personal one.
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The question is this: "Who is God?" or "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" Her answer was similar to many of the answers I have heard (yes, from dozens of Catholics, too). Something like: "God is someone I can talk to when I need help" or "Jesus is my hidden friend."
Is there truth in these answers? Of course. But do they demonstrate that understanding that God has revealed Himself in Jesus and is the loving Lord of the universe, the Lord of their lives, also? Of course not. Yes, perhaps they could add to their answer, but might I submit to you two simple invitations for this New Year:
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First, like Benedict, recognize the influence you have in sharing the truth of the Gospel. If you strive to know Jesus, people look up to you, even if they are originally suspicious of the Faith.
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Second, answer "yes" to your call to evangelize. The Church needs you to; God has great plans for you. Perhaps simply ask people that one question, and invite their view of Jesus to be refreshed.
Know of my prayers, and please pray for me. For a bonus on this topic, check out this short video from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
Would you like to evangelize and share the Gospel with greater confidence? I would love to connect with you!
For His Glory,
John Shakal
12/20/2023 Wednesday Message
Gaudete! Rejoice! It is easy to find joy surrounded by family and friends, especially when they’re as fun as my cute little niece in this picture!
This Sunday was Gaudete Sunday where we are particularly called to rejoice in the Lord. We talk about Joy a lot at our parishes. Why is Joy so important? Probably because we know that if you find joy you find a lot of other things too. You find that you have peace. You find that you are more yourself. You find that your faith isn’t taking a backseat in life but is alive and well in you!
Joy does not always come easily. Please do not be discouraged when it doesn’t! Our Blessed Mother gives us a beautiful example of Joy and how to cultivate it, and her life wasn’t easy at all. She was mysteriously pregnant before she was living with Joseph, she was 9 months pregnant and had to travel to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, she had to leave her home suddenly because someone was determined to kill her child, and all that isn’t even half of what she went through! Mary also loved deeper than any of us. She did not have the weight of sin holding her back from loving to its fullest. If Mary loved so much, can you imagine how much pain she felt seeing the one she loved most be crucified? Yet, Mary never lost her sense of Joy.
In all the excitement of the nativity scene with angels singing God’s glory and the shepherds bowing their heads in praise Luke chapter 2 says, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”. Mary simply rested in God’s love and contemplated His goodness in that moment. It is in contemplation that I have seen Joy grow. By remembering God's presence in different moments and allowing these memories to stir our hearts, Joy can start to flourish. In acts of charity Joy is strengthened, and we are given more to contemplate as we find new evidence of God’s goodness and His love for us. In the silent reflection of our hearts the Holy Spirit’s voice is heard, our Joy is turned into action, and it radiates for the rest of the world to see.
This Advent and Christmas I hope you will allow yourself to do as our Blessed Mother did, to recognize God in the special moments, to keep all these things and reflect on them in your heart.
Have a very Merry Christmas and don’t forget to Share the Joy!
Kate
12/6/2023 Wednesday Message
One of life’s greatest annoyances for those of us living in colder climates is being ready to hop into the car and go somewhere only to find that you have to scrape frost off the windshield. This unanticipated task can make us late or just start the day off on the wrong foot. This very event happened to me the other day…
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I was walking to my car that was parked on the street. I had my arms filled with various items that I needed for the day and I was also listening to Fr. Mike’s podcast “Catechism in a Year” on my phone. As I approached my car I saw the frost and thought, “one more thing to do”. I shoved my things in the passenger side seat and went around to start the car as a huge garbage truck rumbled by. At the same time I noticed a city water department truck pulling to a stop on the other side of the street. Not paying attention, I started my car, grabbed my windshield scraper, walked back to the passenger side of the car, and started scraping. As I hastily, and poorly, finished one side, I looked up and saw the guy from the truck walking towards me. “What does he want? Is there some water project that is going to make it so we don’t have water in the house or something?” But no, he simply said, “Let me help”. He handed me a pair of gloves to put on my cold hands and started scraping my windshield. I didn’t really know what to do. I took the gloves, holding them in one hand with my phone blaring Fr. Mike, and continued scraping with my other hand. No words came out of my mouth as I contemplated the weirdness of this situation. I managed a “thank you” as he scraped off the last piece of frost. He smiled, said “Your welcome, have a nice day”, headed back to his truck and drove off. I was still holding the gloves in dismay as I got in my car and drove away.
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What had just happened to me? As I began to contemplate the significance of this unexpected kindness a few things came to mind. First, I thought, “This guy must have been from some protestant church and had been challenged by his pastor to help someone in need this week.” That first thought made me pause. Why would I assume he was protestant and not Catholic? I didn’t like that my gut instinct was that protestants were more likely to do something like this. Where did that presumption come from? What did it say about my view and practice of the Catholic faith? How could I work to change that presumption in myself and in my Church?
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Another thought that entered my mind was, “Why do I think this is so odd?” Shouldn’t it be normal for people to help each other out? Most of my shock came from the fact that I’m not old or disadvantaged and this wasn’t an out of the ordinary situation, like a flat tire. I was just an average lady scraping her windshield. I think we tend to think that we are mostly called to help people out in extreme cases. While it is true that we should help people out in extreme cases, we are primarily called to help others out in everyday cases. I was helped by a stranger, but it is just as important to help those we are close to. In fact, there are many more opportunities to help out those we know in ordinary ways than those we don’t know in extraordinary circumstances. When you help someone out or someone helps you out, it shouldn’t be odd.
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A final thought that came to my mind was that maybe this was an angel in disguise. Why? Why couldn’t it just be a regular old person? Which is more amazing to me, a person helping another person or divine intervention? The answer should be both. Both are amazing because they both come from God. One is a person following the promptings of the Holy Spirit, acting as a messenger of God and one is a direct messenger of God. I’ve been reading a book, In the School of the Holy Spirit by Jacques Philippe, about how to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Well, here was someone who wasn’t just reading about it, but was doing it. It’s amazing when we allow God to work through us. Perhaps even more amazing than an angel messenger being sent to us. Why? Because as the catechism states, “With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God.” We humans, on the other hand, are broken and can very easily reject the promptings of God to be his messenger. So, it’s more amazing when we humans actually do God’s will. It’s more pleasing to God when we become his messengers than when an angel is. That’s food for thought….
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There are many other ways that I have analyzed this situation, but I keep coming back to this main point- that someone DID something and didn’t just think about doing something. I like to think that I’m holy, but do I act holy? “By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.” (CCC 143) Do I trust God enough to follow his promptings and let him work through me? This is a living Faith.
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Paula Hanson
11/29/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Following the call of our bishops for a Eucharistic Revival, you may have noticed a number of new things in our parishes over the past year: our regularly praying for a Eucharistic revival at the end of our parish Masses, the use of Communion patens held by servers (if available) during the distribution of Holy Communion, increasing our efforts to bring Holy Communion to our homebound more consistently, connecting the joy of the Eucharist to how we interact with and welcome our fellow parishioners at Mass in our “Share the Joy” efforts, as well as a few other things. More personally, I want to invite you to grow in your devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist by dedicating some time to Him in Eucharistic Adoration (if that is possible for you), and by regularly going to confession so as to receive Him worthily.
Related to all this, I’d like to update you on the distribution of the Precious Blood in our parishes. Nearly two years ago following the pandemic I made the decision to indefinitely forgo distribution of the Precious Blood to the congregation from the chalice, except for those receiving their First Holy Communion, or being newly received into the Church, or those on their wedding day. There are a few reasons why, I, as the pastor may choose to limit distribution of the Precious Blood: to avoid obscuring the role of the Priest and the Deacon as ordinary ministers of Holy Communion by having more extraordinary ministers than absolutely necessary; to avoid having to cleanse several vessels following the distribution of Holy Communion; to reduce the risk of the Precious Blood spilling.
I also stated that given the Church’s liturgical tradition and directives, a reasonable case for distributing from the chalice more frequently may be made depending on the circumstances of the parish community. While the Church acknowledges that “the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident” with reception of Communion under both kinds, she also acknowledges reasons for limiting it. Whether the Precious Blood is distributed at Mass or not, we as Catholics should understand what is referred to as the doctrine of concomitance, i.e., that the Real Rresence of Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, is present whole and entire in each species, consecrated bread and wine. In other words, whether we receive the Host or from the chalice, we receive Christ completely.
Over the past couple years, many of you have inquired about a return of reception of the Precious Blood from the chalice. Weighing out the legitimate reasons for limiting it with the legitimate reasons for making it available, we will distribute the Precious Blood to the congregation from the chalice on four special occasions throughout the year: (1) the Sunday following Christmas (usually the Feast of the Holy Family), (2) the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, (3) Divine Mercy Sunday, and (4) the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi).
May our Eucharistic Lord continue to make our hearts like unto His!
Fr. Jesse Burish
11/22/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this finds you all well! During this time of year I always await anxiously the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30th. On that day we begin the St. Andrew’s Christmas Novena…which is technically not a novena, nor does it have much to do with St. Andrew other than its start date. Rather, it is a prayer that, during the season of Advent, helps us to increase our desire for Jesus, God incarnate, born on Christmas day. Further, I can personally attest to the great power of this prayer. I generally have one intention to which I dedicate the entire novena; often it is for the health and/or conversion of someone in my family. God answers these prayers powerfully, even if it isn’t how we always imagine it (often it’s way better!).
Simply pray this prayer 15 times daily from the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30 through Christmas Day:
"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen."
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
11/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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Happy early Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, safe travels, and good luck with any hunting endeavors! Since it was just All Saints Day, I thought I’d share a picture of me and my friend Rachel from a party that we went to. I was dressed up as St. Agnes, with the ridiculous halo and sash, and Rachel was my lamb! If you don’t know who St. Agnes is, she is definitely worth looking up! Let me know why you think she is always pictured with a lamb.
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“I would create the universe again just to hear you say you love me”. Jesus said this in a vision to St. Teresa of Avila, isn’t it beautiful? Jesus has a desire that you reciprocate His love as well. Are you ready to say those words to Him? Perhaps it’s hard for you, like it is for me sometimes, to say this when God can feel so far away. A little reminder that I was given recently is that God is constantly showing us His goodness through other people. I will often come back from a meeting or a chat with a parishioner and be in awe of that person's kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. Recently, I have been working on inviting our Lord to be present in those conversations more as well as thanking God for those people and recognizing His presence in each of them.
C.S. Lewis said, “Do not shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him”. Many of Our Lady of the Falls parishioners have done this for me and have brought the words “I love you, Lord Jesus” more readily to my heart and mind. How will you bring those words to your prayer life in these next few weeks? How will you take those words and put them into action?
In case you’re drawing a blank I will list a couple of ideas. As part of Share the Joy we will be handing out cards this weekend, take a couple and send them to other members of your church as a way to care for your fellow parishioners. Another suggestion would be to ask a family or a parent if there is any way that you can help them. You could also make a point to just check in with someone to see how they are doing. There are really many opportunities! Let me know what you come up with!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
11/8/2023 Wednesday Message
Volunteers are wonderful people that give of themselves without any monetary reward. Volunteering is not just about getting work done, but it is one main way we build relationships within our parish family. We have an excellent group of volunteers that make our parishes run. However, there are many things that go undone for lack of committed volunteers. We need everyone in the pew to contribute by volunteering in some way.
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There is such a wide opportunity and need that most everyone should give some time to help. We are not to be a church of people that only show up at Mass, events, or sacraments as consumers. Some say they are too busy to volunteer and so they support the church financially only. That too is necessary, but we also need your time even if it is only a couple hours a month.
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The parish is a family unit and I think we all know how it is when a family member does not contribute to the work that must be done in a household. Things don’t get done or other family members have to do the extra work and over time they can get burned out or overwhelmed. Our parishes are the same.
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We need tons of volunteers just to do Mass well. Besides the priest we need servers, sacristans, ushers, readers, EMHCs, musicians, cantors, someone to bring up the gifts, greeters, techy people for recorded Mases, script sellers, cleaners, decorators, money counters, and maybe even a deacon (hope I didn’t miss anybody). But guess what! Mass is not the only thing we do! We have many wonderful ministries that I will not list here and each of them have their own list of needed volunteers. There are also many ministries that do not even exist in our parishes because we do not have enough volunteers.
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You might be thinking we have employees to do this work. Yes we do have excellent employees that give us some great stability, but in a vibrant parish the employees work hours should be much less than the volunteers as our budget would never support all the wages for all the work the Lord has for us to do. For us to do our part in proclaiming the Kingdom of God we need to give of our time. You might be thinking this is easy for me to say, but I too am a volunteer that does not get paid for my time. Believe me I would much rather be in the pews at times where I wasn’t in the spotlight, but then I would not be doing God’s will sharing the gifts he gave me. He gave you gifts too, and you are called to share them with your parish family. If you do not know where you might fit in as a volunteer please contact me, Father Burish, Father Gunther, Sister Yvonne, Kate Zweber or just call the parish office. Our contact information is online or in the bulletin (for you younger folk, that is the paper things by the church doors 😉). Remember we need and want you to join us in volunteering not only to get the work done, but also to share time with you as part of our parish family.
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God Bless your efforts!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
10/25/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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It was 2007 and I was standing on the 50 yard line, the halogen lights blinding in their contrast with the cool night air. The stadium was full to the brim, a sea of people alternating in green and purple with flecks of gold. In my crisp white band uniform I was a stark contrast to the giants who littered the sidelines.
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It was halftime of “Monday Night Football” and the Green Bay Packers were hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. ESPN was providing the broadcast coverage, and the university marching band had been called in to provide halftime entertainment at the last moment when Green Bay opted to cancel the original plan of a ceremony honoring Brett Favre - for some unexplained reason. The clock was ticking down on the commercial break as I gestured madly towards the sideline.
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“How will I know when to begin?” I shouted.
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“You’ll figure it out!” the camera man shouted back.
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In a previous email I had written about how we never know how the little things we say to others will impact the trajectory of their lives. The cameraman offhandedly saying “You’ll figure it out” gave me a phrase that I have repeated hundreds if not thousands of times to my students, my children, and myself.
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I consider my Monday Night Football experience to be a ‘spotlight moment’ - a moment in life when it seems all attention is focused squarely on your shoulders; when you are clearly the main character in the story. We all have spotlight moments, some filled with the light of joy and others marred by the shadow of grief. Birthdays and baptisms. Weddings. Funerals. New jobs, new homes, new cities.
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By definition a spotlight casts a narrow and intense beam of light, drawing attention and focus to someone or something. Who is directing the spotlight in your life?
Are you allowing someone else to determine where your spotlight is pointed? To decide who and what gets your attention and focus?
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We can give God control of our spotlight through daily prayer, weekly Mass, and monthly confession (thanks, Father Guenther!). While God may use your spotlight to show you where to look, He won’t tell you what to see.
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You’ll figure it out.
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Michael Renneke
10/18/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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I am writing to you as a new world traveler! Three weeks ago I landed in Rome, Italy with some friends to attend a diaconate ordination for our diocese and explore a bit of Italy.
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Looking around at St. Peter’s Basilica, it would be hard not to feel pride in our faith. The basilica was designed so that it doesn’t feel as big as it actually is. Statues on the ground were 6 feet tall while the statues up higher were as big as 24 feet, yet they looked as if they were the same size! The amount of careful thought and planning that was put into every detail is astounding. You know what is also astounding though? The beautiful sunsets and serene countryside of Italy! Those things also were created with great intention and love. What is the greatest thing that all this beauty does? It sings God’s praises just by existing!
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Our lives are similar in a way. Sorrows as well as Joys that are brought to God are more beautiful to Him than any sunset. God is glorified in our lives! The most unglamorous situations in life can be given to God and they will be cherished. A Bereavement Ministry to help those who have lost a loved one is starting at Our Lady of the Falls parishes, Oct. 26th. Think of how this group will be joining hands to support one another and to grow in faith. Think of the little ways that have come up with Share the Joy. Today I am encouraging you to think about the kind of gift that you are preparing for God. What kind of painting will you give to Him? Are you ready to make it more beautiful?
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
10/11/2023 Wednesday Message
How many of you, like me, sometimes struggle with spending too much time on your phone or device?
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Recently, MACS parents and students learned about creating safer digital spaces through programming provided by the organization Protect Young Eyes. The parent recording "How to Create a Tech-Ready Home" is available to watch on our website at Parents - Forms/Resources
https://www.mcdonellareacatholicschools.org/parents/forms.cfm
I highly recommend Protect Young Eyes' materials and resources to all families. They provided advice and recommendations in five areas: modeling healthy behaviors, pursuing authentic connection, delaying devices and social media, diligently preventing harm, and forging strong families.
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While parental controls, safer routers and devices, and other tools can help, nothing can replace the role of parents in modeling healthy behavior and creating authentic connection with their kids. When we think of dangers such as cyber-bullying, pornography, suicidal thoughts, do we as parents and caring adults realize that our own behaviors around screens can unwittingly contribute to these evils? The truth is, when you or I choose our device/screen over authentic personal connection with our children, and model excessive or even inappropriate usage of technology, they follow suit in ways that are likely to harm them.
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So, parents and grandparents, let's start with ourselves. Find the digital wellbeing tools on your phone and use them - set a bedtime, screen time limits, app limits, and for goodness' sake turn OFF your notifications. Make a point to pursue authentic connection and non-digital activities with the children in your life. Technology is not evil in itself, but it can be the devil's playground if we are not intentional about how we use it and, more importantly, the way we model healthy digital behavior to our children.
May God aid us in our efforts!
Molly K. Bushman
10/4/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Parish Community,
The Notre Dame Building Committee is excited to share with you the latest developments regarding the new organ and ongoing building projects here at Notre Dame. Your commitment and support have been instrumental in getting us to where we are today, and we wanted to keep you informed about the progress we’ve made.
Over the past several months, the Notre Dame Building Committee has been hard at work, making important decisions to ensure that our parish facilities meet the evolving needs of our community. We began this journey with a commitment to preserving the rich history and spirit of Notre Dame, and we are pleased to report that this commitment remains at the forefront of our efforts.
Foremost, the Committee has divided the project into different phases than initially proposed. This revised approach allows us to prioritize the most critical aspects of our renovation while staying fiscally responsible. The first step of which was signing a contract with the Levsen Organ Company. We are anticipating installation of the new organ in late Summer or early Fall 2024.
Secondly the Committee has transitioned to a local architect, Gary Kucko, and a local design team, including Rohm Construction as the general contractor, SEH for civil design and environmental analysis, KOA (Krech Ojard & Associates) for structural design, and APEX for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design. These trusted partners have been involved in several successful projects with us, including the past restoration of Notre Dame, and they have been working diligently with us to simplify the initial phase of construction, with a focus on reducing overall costs.
This initial phase will address the needs of the Goldsmith Memorial Chapel, by building an accessible entrance annex with two code-required bathrooms and a small check-in and library area for adorers. Additionally, an information display on the lives of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and of Father Goldsmith will be added. Father Goldsmith’s crypt beneath the chapel will also become more readily accessible for quiet visits and reflection. As such, we invite you to attend an information and feedback meeting which will feature displays for the Goldsmith Annex and explain the next steps in the building project. Two dates for these info sessions will be offered in the GREC Dining Hall: Monday (10/23) at 6pm, and Sunday (10/29) at 11:15am after 10am Mass.
In parallel with these design decisions, we have taken essential steps to ensure the safety and feasibility of our construction plans. SEH’s environmental study of the entire campus has identified hazardous materials, such as asbestos, that will need to be addressed. This information will guide us as we create strategic demolition plans of the convent, boiler room, and garage that salvage items of historical importance, helping to preserve our cherished heritage.
In the coming months, we will be sharing more detailed plans and updates with you, including the architectural designs and timelines for the Goldsmith Chapel Annex. We are also looking forward to sharing details as we begin the design process of Phase 2, which will include some of the more exciting additions to our parish campus, so stay tuned.
We want you to be a part of this journey with us and we invite your thoughts, feedback as we move forward. We are grateful for your unwavering support and dedication to our beloved Notre Dame Parish. Together, we will grow our parish while preserving the essence of our rich history.
Thank you for your continued prayers, commitment, and generosity, and hope that you can join us in the GREC Dining Hall for either of the information and feedback meetings: Monday Oct. 23rd at 6pm, or Sunday Oct. 29th at 11:15am.
Yours in faith,
The Notre Dame Building Committee
9/27/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the beautiful colors emerging as we slide into Fall. If there is anything that marks this month of September more than just about anything else, it is the beginning of both a new school year and a new year of Religious Education. I have enjoyed having the students back in session at Holy Ghost; there is a lot more life around here! On Wednesdays there is double the life as Religious Education begins after school at Holy Ghost! Later in the evening we are able to be with our older students at Edge and Lifeteen for middle and high schoolers, respectively.
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This all leads me to a question: What have you learned about your faith this year? One thing that amazed me during my first years of priesthood is how quickly all that knowledge I learned in seminary begins to fade! I often have to revisit even basic concepts to make sure I have them down both for my own growth in holiness and so I can teach others well. Recently, I have enjoyed Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year Podcast, “Stunned by Scripture” by Dr. John Bergsma, and several books by Jacques Philippe. None of these are hardcore theological textbooks by any means. In fact, I frequently recommend these books because they are so clear and accessible! If you haven’t had a chance to learn about your faith in a more intentional way, I’d challenge you to do so. Studying for its own sake is something uniquely human and to study topics related to God and our Faith are eternally important. Not to mention they help to enrich our prayer life. You don’t have to be a bookworm either! There are a number of very well done video series on Formed.org (look up “The Search” or any of the series on the Sacraments). Finally, we have a number of “in person” events like Catholicism on Tap (next Monday, October 2nd!) and other adult bible and faith studies.
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Our faith is so rich and beautiful, when we intentionally study it we inevitably encounter God Himself, who is our ultimate goal and source of all truth. Know of my prayers for you!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
9/20/2023 Wednesday Message
Last time I spoke about the power of prayer most especially with others. This time I would like to speak about daily Mental Prayer with God and you alone. Why is this so hard for many? I recently listened to a video series on prayer from Dan Burke with the Avalia Foundation on their website Videos - SpiritualDirection.com where there is a great list of resources on prayer. While he has many great things to say, I will give you the reader’s digest version and hope that you will explore further if you struggle like I do in this area. He suggests three main things to help you succeed in prayer.
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1 - Sacred Time:
Set aside the same time each day of the week. My time is 6am. When I succeed, I start my day with at least 15 minutes minimum with mental prayer before I begin my other daily prayer activities such as Morning Prayer Liturgy of the Hours | USCCB. You might have more time or less but the trick is to begin and grow it as you can. While I write this I am on a vacation with my little kids and this is a tough thing to do when you are out of routine!
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2 - Sacred Space:
I am lucky to have a converted closet that has my spiritual images and quite space. I have my favorite picture of Jesus (The Divine Mercy Image) as well as other art that brings my mind into a state of prayer. This space should be like going into church where your mind is drawn to God whom you meet in this space.
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3 - Sacred Attention:
Dan tells us this is the hardest part. How do you quiet your mind but stay present to meet God? Is that me speaking in my mind or God? With Sacred Time and Sacred Space your chances increase greatly at being successful in this part. Dan recommends what the Church calls Lectio Divina. Start by reading a short section of the bible a couple of times through. Starting with your favorite gospel would be an excellent choice. Prayerfully imagine you are at the place where the gospel is unfolding. Think about what various characters might be thinking and how what is being related might inspire you. Ask God to speak to you about it and ask Him any questions that you might be thinking. Scripture is God talking to you. Now give some time to let God enlighten your mind. Finally make a resolution to change something you learned in this process to better follow God’s will for your life. If you would like a more structured explanation see this link. A Guide to Lectio Divina: What it is and whether it helps prayer life! (spiritualdirection.com)
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The big thing about this process is not to expect anything from each individual session. What you should expect is spiritual growth over time even though each session by itself might not seem that amazing. I encourage you to start today. If you can commit to this with another person, you will both be more likely to succeed.
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God Bless your efforts!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
9/13/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels like I need to have a reason to get together with a friend! Or who feels like there needs to be a reason to approach a stranger and talk to them! It’s silly! I know it is! How do we grow in friendship if we only talk to our friends when there is a need? How much are we missing when we only get to know new people if something in life throws us together?
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Sometimes it is helpful to have a reason to meet with a friend or a reason to approach a stranger though! No excuse is needed to seek out friendship or to pursue a deeper friendship with another parishioner, but I’m going to give you one! Invite someone to volunteer with you! It could be a total stranger who you have seen across the church from you, but who you have never talked to. It could be a person who you know, but who you would like to know better.
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We all should have this common goal, to get to heaven and to help as many as we can get there too. What better way to do this than when our hands are joined together in service and in prayer to care for our church and our community!? It is so much easier to get to know someone when you share a common experience, working together to do something important!
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My mind goes so fondly to the beautiful people who helped me with the hospitality and food for Catholicism on Tap! They are such wonderful volunteers, and it is such a joy to work with them! I think of the ushers and how much they love to tease! I think of going to Agnes Table and laughing with the other volunteers as we prepare to serve there.
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Volunteering is a great way to Share the Joy! How will you invite someone to come to discover and Share that Joy with you?
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Kate Zweber
9/6/2023 Wednesday Message
THE USE OF LATIN IN TODAY'S LITURGY
The use of Latin at Mass has a long history, but at present is sometimes seen as not useful. Some even believe it was banned by Vatican II. Let's look at this issue a little more closely.
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"Didn't Vatican II get rid of Latin?"
No, it didn't! It allowed for the use of the vernacular, but maintained that the congregation should still be able to sing the Ordinary Mass parts in Latin. Vatican II also gave Gregorian Chant "pride of place" in the liturgy. According to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the document issued by the council, "the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (paragraph 36.1).
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"But it's a dead language!"
Indeed. And in its "dead" state, it is stable. You don't have to buy a new Latin dictionary every year because slang words have been added to the language. It is timeless and connects us to our history. Latin is the language of the Church Fathers!
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"How can I participate when I don't understand the words?"
Do you fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity when it's explained to you in English? Just because you understand the words, doesn't mean you fully understand the mysteries of God. You can still enter into a prayerful state of reflection while listening to Gregorian chant in Latin despite not being able to translate it. And I would wager a lot of you know more Latin than you think! Dominus, regina, salve, Agnus Dei...the list might go on even farther for those of you who were raised singing everything in Latin. Fret not over what you cannot understand, but use the calm and tranquil melody of Gregorian chant to worship God interiorly.
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Ad Dei Gloriam!
Crystal Biccum is Assistant to the Notre Dame Music Director, Mike Renneke. A professional musician, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Performance. A retired Air Force Bandsman, she is currently pursuing a Master of Catholic Studies from Franciscan University and a Master of Sacred Music from the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. You can usually find her seated at the organ during Mass and occasionally chanting. Feel free to come up to the loft and say hello!
8/30/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! The last time I wrote the Wednesday Message I gave an update on our parish capital campaigns and projects. Since more has developed since then, here’s another update. Praise God, the active portions of our campaigns are complete! I want to sincerely thank all our many parishioners who participated in the campaigns, either by their pledges, or by volunteering, or both. To date, our parishes have raised:
St. Bridget - $112,329.96
Holy Ghost - $909,764.01
Notre Dame - $3,135,0041.00
Pledges/gifts can still be made throughout the course of the five-year redemption period. If you couldn’t pledge earlier and would like to, you may still do so.
At St. Bridget, when the parish finance council met in early May, we agreed to move forward with the church window and interior repainting. A small committee has formed and is still looking for more members to help advance the church painting and other capital projects. It has been a struggle to obtain responses and estimates from various contractors. We have obtained a solid estimate for the restoring and repainting of the church windows and will be seeking others. Due to the size of the project and contractor availability, this will not begin until spring. Interior painting will need to follow that. Please let us know if you would like to join our committee to help advance our projects.
At Holy Ghost, we recently finalized our contract with Rhom Construction to begin work on replacing the front exterior steps of the church, several slabs of concrete sidewalk going out from the front of church, as well as constructing a gathering space and confessional below the choir loft. Work on the interior gathering space and confessional is set to begin September 5th and will likely take about six weeks. Initially, we anticipated the concrete work on the front of church to begin weeks ago, but we have had difficulty finding a contractor with availability to do the project. Having made a few modifications to the design and construction process of the steps, we are remaining hopeful that we will be able to start with a contractor before winter. Even though there will be work being done this fall on the interior and exterior of the front of church, we still anticipate being able to use the church for Mass. Finally, we are also in the process of obtaining updated proposals for interior painting and plaster work. This work can’t begin until the gathering space under the choir loft is complete, and until we have replaced the air conditioning units on the interior walls. Most painting/plaster work contractors at this point are at least a year out on their availability.
At Notre Dame, by the end of July, our contract was signed with Levsen Organ Company for the installation of our “new” (used) pipe organ for above the choir loft. Installation will not take place for another year as Levsen is booked out that far on other projects. Our building committee last met on August 21st with our new architect, Gary Kucko, to discuss his first design proposal for the Goldsmith Chapel Annex. The look and size of the building has changed from the proposed design used in the campaign after our committee further refined the priority list of needs for the building. It’s been determined that we cannot demolish the convent until we are certain of the footprint and design of the Chapel Annex. We are still hopeful of demolition happening this winter. We are also considering our options for salvaging materials from the convent building before its demolition. Many parishioners and others in the community have made requests for various materials. It is our hope to use some pieces from the convent (e.g., wood trim, flooring, and other architectural elements) in the new chapel annex structure. You will hear more about this once we have determined our final design for the chapel annex and our process for convent demolition and salvage.
This is an exciting time for our parishes. The funds that have been raised for the abovementioned projects not only help to secure the future of our parishes, but they are necessary for our parishes to accomplish our mission of inviting all people to encounter Christ and inspiring them to become saints. I ask your patience as our parishioner committee members work to advance these projects. You will notice that the one consistently repeating chorus in the above descriptions is that the slower speed of our projects is determined mostly by low contractor availability. Most of these projects will come to fruition gradually over the coming few years as careful planning takes place and both funds and contractors become available.
If you have concerns, questions, or ideas regarding any of our parish projects, please reach out to our committee members whose contact information may be obtained through the parish office:
St. Bridget: Ted Amelse, Scott Pulver, Renee Jackson. Please let us know if you are interested in participating on this committee!
Holy Ghost: Chad Brady, Tim Strader, Larry Dahl, John Abbe, Karin Hawkins, Rachel Ouimet, Paula Hanson.
Notre Dame: Deacon Kevin DeCook, Gary Gray, Jerre Eckes, Sue Van de Loo, Ted Derks, Joseph Klinkhammer, John Shakal, Joanne Stuttgen.
In Christ,
Fr. Jesse Burish
8/23/2023 Wednesday Message
My family has spent a good deal of time this summer at the public library. Strolling through the aisles with kids who don’t yet know how to read themselves means that much of “book selection” duty falls to me.
I am writing today to admit to you all that I almost exclusively pick books based on their covers.
If the cover has dinosaurs or construction machines, it gets picked. If it has an alliterative title, it goes in the bag. If it has pop-ups or ‘scratch ‘n sniff’ pages, it gets snatched up. If it is a pop-up book about dinosaurs called “Daily Dose of Delightful Dinosaurs” I carry it above my head like the Lectionary.
Note: I can hear the collective consciousness of the internet crying out, “don't judge a book by its cover!”
I’ll avoid the cliche by taking a more modern approach. What if we were to judge a movie only by its trailer? What if we judged a new activity or hobby only by the initial feeling or reaction? What if we judge an email by its opening line?
If you were to continue an activity based only on its initial feeling, what would you never do?
I’ll tell you mine. I would never run. Anyone who has been a ‘runner’ for any amount of time will tell you about the euphoria that comes at the end of a run, but the near insurmountable hurdle at the very beginning of a running career gets much less air time.
Is there an element of the liturgy that you ‘don’t like’ right now? Is there a part of your prayer life that just isn’t clicking for you - yet? Is it because of a metaphorical book cover? Or might you discover a few pages in or a few miles down the road that the Holy Spirit has gone to work on you through this discomfort and since revealed new joy and understanding?
It is only fair to reflect. Everyone deserves a fair shake. Every book deserves more than a cursory glance. As our parishes begin a renewed focus on sharing the joy of the Eucharist, I challenge us all to look for more than the scratch ‘n sniff pages. Pray through the discomfort. Stretch a little bit more. You might just find yourself in the middle of a real page turner.
Mike Renneke
8/16/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Our Lady of the Falls parishioners and friends! Today is the day after the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption! How did you celebrate? Were you Sharing the Joy?
Yes, I am bringing up Share the Joy again! Why? Because it’s IMPORTANT! Share the Joy is an invitation, a request, that all of you take a step back and then take a step forward. Take a step back to see the goodness of our faith and of the people around you. Then take a step forward by taking action and intentionally seeking deeper relationships and intentionally seeking or picking simple ways to care for your parish family.
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There have been a few things that I have been doing as a challenge to myself as Share the Joy has started. I will admit that I did not start planning Share the Joy with the idea that I would be doing anything differently. I am now finding that’s not the case at all!
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One of the ways I feel I have been asked to Share the Joy is by having four people who I especially pray for and intentionally walk with. One of those people was obvious, she and I pray together, talk about our faith and our struggles, and help each other through them. Another is someone who is very different from me but who I feel I am especially called to pray for and be present to. Another is someone new and unexpected and I do not know yet how God is calling me to journey with them. As for the fourth person, I don’t know who they are or if it’s going to change every week!
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Another thing I am planning to do personally for Share the Joy is to invite a group of friends to do an Adoration hour with me, specifically to pray for each other, and to then get ice cream after.
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How each of us chooses to Share the Joy is going to look different. However, there are 2 things that are going to be true for everyone. One, we each must choose to be a part of Share the Joy. Two, we are all called to deeper relationships and to have people that we will journey with.
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So, I would like to ask, have you chosen to Share the Joy? Who do you think you are being called to journey with?
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Thank you for reading my little note and let me know (for those of you willing to share) if there is anything that has come up since starting Share the Joy that has surprised you!
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God bless!
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Kate Zweber
8/9/2023 Wednesday Message
🎶 Notes from the Loft 🎶
Gregorian Propers for the Assumption Vigil
The Saint Cecilia Choristers have been working hard since June! They've learned not only how to sing square notes (the standard notation for Gregorian chant) but also how to pronounce and sing in Latin! Let's take a look at the Gregorian Propers you will hear if you attend the Vigil Mass on August 14th. Fun fact, the Assumption is Notre Dame's patronal feast day!
Introit:
Assumpta est Maria in caelum: gaudent Angeli; laudantes benedicunt Dominum.
Mary is assumed into Heaven: the angels rejoice; joyfully they bless the Lord.
Communion:
Beatam me dicent omnes generationes, quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, alleluia.
All generations shall call me blessed, for He that is mighty hath magnified me, alleluia.
For the Offertory they will sing the Simple Tone Salve Regina, as this is an acceptable option as per the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
Worship aids will be provided and we hope to see many of you there. Let's support these young ladies in their endeavor to make a joyful noise to the Lord!
Ad Dei Gloriam!
Crystal Biccum
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Crystal Biccum is Assistant to the Notre Dame Music Director, Mike Renneke. A professional musician, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Performance. A retired Air Force Bandsman, she is currently pursuing a Master of Catholic Studies from Franciscan University and a Master of Sacred Music from the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. You can usually find her seated at the organ during Mass and occasionally chanting. Feel free to come up to the loft and say hello!
8/2/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
A few weeks ago we had the parable of the weeds in the wheat. I wanted to share a really great homily that I listened to by Fr. Mike Schmitz on that parable. I hope you find it inspiring. https://youtu.be/xfIrRFrBfB8
Keep on fighting for your faith!
Paula Hanson
7/26/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! I hope this message finds you all very well. I have to admit I am a bit tardy in writing my Wednesday Message! But as I’m writing a bit late, it happens to be the feast of Ss. Joachim and Anne; the parents of our Blessed Mother, Mary. At Mass, the prayer after communion helps us to reflect on the mystery of how God uses families in His plan for salvation:
“O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should be born from among humanity
so that by a wonderful mystery
humanity might be born again from you,
we pray that, in your kindness,
you may sanctify by the spirit of adoption
those you have fed with the bread you give your children.
Through Christ our Lord.”
God willed that Jesus be born from “among humanity.” God also willed that each of us be saints from “among humanity.” That is, God calls us to Himself no matter our circumstances, especially the circumstances of our families, which can influence us particularly heavily. I, myself, have yet to meet a family (including my own!) that didn’t have some struggles; some smaller, some larger. Nevertheless, God chooses to sanctify each of us “by the spirit of adoption.” We are adopted as God’s children; born again through our baptisms. Of course, we know that our particular family struggles don’t disappear just because we are striving for holiness. However, we can let God begin that healing process, first in ourselves, then in others through us as His instrument.
In all of this my heart goes out to those whose children and grandchildren are no longer practicing their Catholic faith. Many dozens of people have expressed their grief and concern on this front and rightly so! We especially want the people we love the most to go to heaven. Not seeing them have that same desire is very distressing. There may be a time and place to discern how we might have done things differently, but most of all we continue to seek their return by prayer, example, more prayer, gentile invitation, and even more prayer. We pray especially that God would soften their hearts to hear His call; to know of His love. We pray that God would continue to form our own hearts to be an example of faithfulness. We pray that God would show us the moment when we might make an invitation back to faithfulness. Finally, know of my own prayers for you all! Ss. Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
7/19/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone!
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Thank you for all the prayers and support for my brother and on his ordination day! Above is a picture from Father Zweber’s first Mass during one of the most beautiful parts of that weekend, consecration! We should all try to make the Eucharist a source of our Joy!
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A few weeks ago Father Guenther spoke of Mother Teresa’s decision to share the Joy of the Eucharist. How she would even Share the Joy of Christ’s presence while feeling very far from Him herself. We all have the ability to do this, no matter where we are in our faith life!
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Years ago, as a young college student in a new city, I went to Mass and my only plan was to pray reverently and meet my Sunday obligation. I often felt a great sense of peace and Joy after receiving the Eucharist, but I did not look outside of myself to find ways to share that joy. I see so clearly now how much I missed out on! There is so much Joy and beauty possible when we look outside of ourselves and take a step towards connecting with someone else! A quick word of welcome or a simple act of kindness, even just a smile can show someone else that they are seen, they are known, and they are loved!
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My approach to Mass started to change when a stranger in the pew next to me turned, looked me in the eyes and said, “You, young lady, seem nice but you could really smile more.”
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I am a little embarrassed to say how much I needed to hear that! I let self-consciousness, shyness, and a narrow focus prevent me from letting others see my own Christian Joy and from sharing that joy with others. I let those things prevent me from seeking authentic friendships, and even the strengthening of my own Joy in Christ.
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Today, I’m giving you a nudge like the nudge I received from that stranger all those years ago. If we believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist and in us, in our very being, as we receive Him, we know that our lives and our joy should be shared with each other!
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I invite you to begin this journey with Our Lady of the Falls to show everyone here that they are seen, known, and loved. Throughout the year, you’ll see suggestions in the bulletin and the Share the Joy posters every month, but every person is different! How do you think you can join us in Sharing the Joy?
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With just a little bit of extra effort, each of us has the ability to help someone see the Joy of Christ. we can’t underestimate God’s ability to make an impact in us and in others if we are willing to do even a simple thing for Him! Today I, along with Father Burish, Father Guenther, and Deacon DeCook, invite you to grow with us in our Joy in the Eucharist and to come and Share that Joy with each other.
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God Bless!
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Kate Zweber
7/12/2023 Wednesday Message
Do we really believe in the power of prayer? When someone is having a hard time and you know they need prayer, what is your response? Do you take the easy route and tell them you will pray for them? This has been my approach for decades. It is easy and seems to be appreciated. From a practical standpoint it is quick in a situation that would otherwise be awkward or at the very least uncomfortable to do at the time. As a matter of fact, that is usually what I get when someone recognizes that I need prayer.
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I personally have been having that model challenged. How about when God nudges us to pray for a person, we stop what we are doing and pray for that person right then and there! Does that scare you? It does me! What if I say the wrong thing, what if I sound stupid, what if the person does not want me to pray for them right then, prayer is supposed to be private, that is a protestant thing, this makes me uncomfortable… The list of reasons goes on.
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I have occasionally got past all these excuses and actually have prayed for people in the moment with a definite quick prayer to the Holy Spirit to help me out first. In almost all situations it has been a great experience where none of the above reasons not to pray in the moment were true. The prayer usually only takes a minute or two and the person on the receiving end was very appreciative. They were heard, they felt their pain was acknowledged, they knew you really cared, and most importantly God was brought into the pain and was invited to bring healing, peace and joy to the issue.
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I invite you to get over the fear of praying for others in their immediate need and bring God’s love, peace and joy to them right away! If you believe in the power of prayer, do not delay in bringing God’s healing power to a soul in need.
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God Bless your efforts!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
7/5/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear friends,
Just last week I sat down to meet with a newly married couple. As we enjoyed our beverages at the new Caribou Coffee shop in Chippewa, they told me how they have been desiring to join the Christian Initiation program and become Catholic. Except, guess what? It turns out that they were already baptized Catholic, but their parents were not practicing Catholics and did not intend to raise their kids in the Faith. One of the individuals that I was meeting with was only baptized because it was his Catholic grandmother's dying wish... so he was baptized at the age of 14 years old, and almost never set foot in a Catholic Church again, since his parents did not find it important. When I asked them both why their parents chose not to live and share the faith, the answer I received was disheartening but all too common. It is the same reason that many of my Catholic neighbors have given to me when explaining why they no longer go to Mass or Reconciliation. This reason has been crippling faith for generations, and it needs to stop. What is it? That the Catholic Church is judgemental and makes people feel guilty.
Now, why so many people have this impression of Jesus' Church and its adherents may be various and complex, and we won't get into it here. However, can we all, as disciples of Jesus Christ, pray mightily against this notion and spirit of religious joylessness that many people have experienced? Regardless of how or why, many lapsed Catholics who view the Church as an unhelpful option have it all wrong: the Church is the center of joy and life because it is built upon Jesus Christ who abides with us in the holy sacraments! If we as Catholics have lived our faith without a spirit of joy (at times, I know I have), Jesus is calling all of us to renewal, both personally, and as a Catholic Community. The Trinity is communion of perfect love, and the Trinity is at work in the life of the Church.
As such, I invite you to consider how the Lord is calling you to live a life of greater Christian joy. I invite you to invite others to experience the joy of the risen Lord as well, who is alive in His Church. Perhaps an invitation to Catholicism on Tap on July 10th can kickstart this endeavor. (The topic happens to be "The Blessed Trinity: God in Himself.")
PS The young couple I met with has felt a warm welcome from our Catholic Community, and are joyfully pursuing Christ in His Catholic Church. They even invited a friend to join CHristian Initiation as well to be confirmed. And guess what, he said "yes," because they shared the Joy of the Gospel with Him: Jesus is alive, is present in the Eucharist, and desires to unite us all in a bond of peace!
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In His Peace,
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John Shakal
02/14/2024 Wednesday Message
Our Catholic Schools are an essential and growing parish ministry. Centered on Jesus Christ and His Church, we partner with families to nurture young people's spiritual, intellectual, physical, and moral formation through a PreK-12 Catholic liberal arts education and vibrant student life of discipleship, athletics, and the arts. Please follow our McDonell Area Catholic Schools Facebook page to follow along and see how we are living our mission every day!
Over the past two years, McDonell Area Catholic Schools has developed a new mission and vision statement, and is in the process of finalizing goals and objectives for our 2030 Strategic Plan. All parishioners are invited to attend a Stakeholder Feedback Session to give feedback on the 2030 Strategic Plan. The session will be held at McDonell Central Catholic High School on Wednesday, February 28th 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Please join us!
The five focus areas reviewed by our subcommittees are: Nurturing Our Students, Partnering With Families, Growing Our Catholic Identity, Embracing Our Community, and Building Our Future. Each group set 3-5 goals under each focus area, which will be presented at the feedback session for comment. Our new mission, vision, and strategic plan will set the priorities for our ministry over the next 6 years. As many of you know, the last five years have been very exciting for our Catholic schools as we have reinvigorated our Catholic identity and started a journey to the heart of education by embracing Catholic Liberal Arts. As enrollment has grown exponentially, we are also seeing a growth in the fervor of the faith among students and families, often expressed in sacramental initiation and participation.
We have areas of opportunity to better serve ALL Catholic families of our parishes, and I 100% welcome all Catholic families to contact me and let me know how we can better partner with you in the spiritual, intellectual, physical, and moral formation.
As I write this, I am about to attend one of four school Masses taking place on Ash Wednesday. One of the best ways to celebrate our Catholicism as schools and families is by living the liturgical year together! May God bless all parents and families and may He continue to allow us to build His kingdom through the ministry of Catholic schools. This Lent, may He strip away whatever may be holding us back from closer relationship with Christ through His Church.
I look forward to seeing you at the Stakeholder Strategic Planning Session on Wednesday, February 28th!
Molly K. Bushman
McDonell Area Catholic Schools
System President
6/28/2023 Wednesday Message
She sat behind me in my 10th grade Biology class. I went to a high school with 2,500 other students so it was fair to admit that she and I weren’t close. She had spent nearly the entire semester sitting behind me as we learned about plants, fish, and trees in a shared silence.
One day I felt a stern tap on my shoulder.
“Your shirt collar is wrinkled.”
It was quite the opening.
“Thanks,” was my clever reply.
“I work at a dry cleaner,” she continued. “You should unbutton your Oxford collar before you put it in the wash.”
We never spoke again.
Do you know how many times I think of that? Do you know how many times that piece of advice rattles around in my head? It is an underestimation to say that I think about that every week. Every week since midway through 10th grade I have thought of the advice to unbutton my shirt collar before putting it in the wash.
I’m certain that we all have advice, sayings, or thoughts that live inside our hearts and minds. Small things in the day can bring these tidbits, profound or not, bubbling back up to the surface.
Now, imagine the flipside of this - how many things have YOU shared with someone else that might be bubbling in their brain on a near daily basis?
Catholic author and speaker Matthew Kelly says that our actions are determined by our last, most dominant thought. If you knew that something you were going to say to someone would continue to roll around in their consciousness long after the conversation concluded, what would you say? Would you be more careful with your words?
Living with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old I have learned very quickly that most of what I say outloud is going to settle deep into my children’s souls. At the very least it will get repeated in front of their mother.
We often get to see the impact of our words and actions on those closest to us. Children grow, relationships change, and connections are made and broken every day with words and actions. We rarely get to see the impact that a kind word, a friendly smile, or a tap on the shoulder with a bit of wisdom can have.
At Mass this weekend I’d encourage you to share a word. Start with a word of welcome. Build up to a word of encouragement. You just never know the impact you might have.
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Mike Renneke
6/21/2023 Wednesday Message
In a few short days, my brother will be ordained a priest! Growing up, we were very close in age, and I have jokingly told him that he should give some credit to his sister for his vocation. If anything, I think I’ve at least helped him develop the patience needed to get through 8 years of schooling and formation!
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All kidding aside, I have been able to be a part of my brother’s vocation in a small way. I was able to be there for the different steps that the (almost) Father Zweber has taken to get to this point. I have been able to laugh at him when he seems too serious. I have been able to pray for him and his vocation. Because of these things, he knows that he has the love and support of myself and the rest of the family and that is not insignificant!
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I am sure that each of you can say that you also, have been there for someone in your life, or you can think of someone who has been there for you. In seemingly small ways we can make an impact! My sister-in-law said to me recently that everyone needs to know that they are seen, known, and loved. Even without knowing the lady walking into church with you, or the man in the pew in front of you, you can treat them in a way that reflects this truth, that they are seen, that they are known, and that they are loved. We all need to be shown this and reminded of this sometimes!
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My challenge to you then, is to think of this and consider how you can show the people in church these three things. You do not need to know the person. You do not even need to engage in a conversation if it’s not the right time or you do not feel ready. A modest smile, a word of greeting or goodwill, and a simple action is all that is needed! And who knows, your act of kindness might change someone’s day, their view of the church, or how they view themselves. A simple thing you do might turn into a remarkable friendship that you needed too.
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I hope that you all have a beautiful summer! Please know that you are seen, that you are known, and that you are loved and please pray for Deacon John Zweber as he prepares for his ordination this weekend!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
6/14/2023 Wednesday Message
Would you consider yourself someone who is more contemplative/prayerful or more outwardly active in your faith life? Are you a stereotypical "Mary" or "Martha"?
The truth is that both dispositions are good, both are necessary in the life of the church, but contemplation is "the better part" as Jesus tells Martha. A few in the Church spend their lives in contemplative religious communities, immersed in prayer. Many, on the other hand, work in active ministries or apostolates as missionary disciples in the world.
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Why do I draw attention to this apparent dichotomy? First, I want to point out the complementarity of active ministry and contemplative life in the Body of Christ. As one who works in the apostolates of motherhood and Catholic education, I probably more often appear as a "Martha" but I am deeply grateful for the contemplative orders, the "Marys" whose prayer sustains me and others.
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Second, each one of us needs to find ways to tap into God, the spring of living water, in order to sustain our active ministry and not become like dry, broken cisterns filled only with pride. (I highly recommend the book The Soul of the Apostolate for more on this point.) Daily prayer is essential, of course, among other practices, but I want to focus here on the importance of consecrating longer periods of time to the Lord: the role of regular retreats in the life of missionary disciples.
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Personally, I am in the habit of taking two multi-day quiet retreats each year. Typically, my Advent retreat is to a pilgrimage site such as Holy Hill in southeast Wisconsin. In the summer, I often retreat to my family cabin in Hayward, with an Adoration chapel close by in town. Often, people will say something like, "Good for you that you are able to do that. I am way too busy etc." While it is true we are all in different seasons of life with varying responsibilities, I can safely say I am also quite busy. However, in my experience retreats are needed precisely because I *am* so busy. (Thanks be to God I have a husband who is supportive!)
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Every retreat, in some way, often unexpected, I grow closer to the Lord and, by His grace, allow my heart to be conformed more closely to His. I fuel my spiritual tank to go back into the world with renewed energy.
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So go. Go on retreat. Find rest for your soul.
In hope,
Molly Bushman
6/7/2023 Wednesday Message
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
The quote above is often attributed to Socrates. Whether it truly is or is not his quote is not the point of my sharing it. The point is that in our modern day we can get discouraged about our youth, however, that discouragement is nothing new. Sometimes it is easier to look at what is going wrong and pick out the negative than to see the good around us. It is especially easy to see the negative in others while overlooking the goodness in them. We were all made good and there is goodness there, even when we don't see it. Sometimes we have to actively seek it out, but where there is good, there is God.
With this in mind, I wanted to share some good words from today's youth. If you didn't know, my daughter Megan graduated from McDonell Central Catholic High School this year and was awarded the Bishop's medal. Along with this great honor, she gave a speech at graduation. I hope it inspires you and gives you hope about our future. Her speech begins 15 minutes into the video.
https://cesa10.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/t/1_2pqcurqp/255922113
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Paula Hanson
5/31/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I believe I may hold the diocesan record for spending the most consecutive months doing parish capital campaigns (September 2022 – June 2023). Unfortunately for me I don’t think they’re giving out any trophies. While I’ll be happy to be done at the end of June (when Notre Dame’s campaign concludes), I must say I’ve been learning a lot. By now most of us have probably heard of the “Inspired by the Spirit Campaign,” a campaign initiated by the Diocese of La Crosse to raise funds for capital needs such as making updates to the Holy Cross Diocesan Center, the establishment of a diocesan foundation, and including last fall’s Diocesan Annual Appeal. This was also an opportunity for the parishes of our diocese to raise funds for their own long-term needs with either a percentage or fixed amount of their total campaign goal being allocated for the diocesan needs. Our three Our Lady of the Falls parishes have been “taking turns” doing their parish campaigns. I thought I would take this opportunity to give you an update on the parish campaigns and projects so far.
We began St. Bridget’s campaign last September and quickly met and exceeded our goal of $90,000.00 by Thanksgiving raising over $100,000.00. The case statement items for the campaign were: new furnaces for the church, repainting the church interior (which includes repainting and reglazing the church windows), new refrigeration for the parish hall, and addressing the parish parking lot by seal coating or whatever seemed appropriate. The parish finance council met in early May and, with over $23,000.00 of campaign funds already in hand, agreed to move forward with the church interior repainting. A small committee has formed to collect a few more estimates to advance the project.
We began the Holy Ghost campaign in January and completed it by the end of March, with over $907,000.00 raised (as of 5/24/23). While short of our initial $1.1 million goal, we still have significant funds to begin our proposed projects: reconstruction of the crumbling front steps of church as well as sidewalks, exterior lighting, some exterior brick repair, seal-coating the parking lot, constructing a gathering space and confessional below the choir loft, updating the HVAC units, repairing the church interior plaster and decoratively repainting the nave and sanctuary, installing new church pews, sanctuary flooring, and altar furnishings. We have contracted with local architect Gary Kucko. His plans have been finalized and a permit from the state has been requested. We are also in the process of securing our general contractor. We anticipate exterior work on the church beginning as early as July and interior work on the gathering space and confessional as early as August.
We began the Notre Dame campaign in May with a goal of $3 million. As of 5/24/23, about $2.4 million has been raised. Our projects fall into three main areas: taking down the old convent building to construct a new entrance facility to the Goldsmith Adoration Chapel with handicap accessibility, bathroom, and parish meeting space; construction of a first phase of a parish center on the south side of the church with meeting spaces and indoor accessibility to the church, along with reconstruction of the church sacristy; and renewal of the church organ. We are establishing a committee of parishioners to assist in the selection of an architect, contractor, and to assist with the design and construction process. We are aiming to begin the process for demolition of the convent as early as this fall.
This is an exciting time for our parishes. The funds that have been raised for the abovementioned projects not only help to secure the future of our parishes, but they are ultimately necessary for our parishes to accomplish our mission of inviting all people to encounter Christ and inspiring them to become saints. I want to thank all our parishioners for investing in the future of our parishes. May God reward you!
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Fr. Jesse Burish
5/24/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope you have had a blessed Easter! As we find ourselves between the great solemnities of Christ’s Ascension and Pentecost, we have made several appeals concerning the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults and Children (we refer to these as OCIA and OCIC respectively). We were very blessed to accompany a number of people in to the Church and the fullness of the sacraments this year. I myself was very blessed to be more closely involved in our first year of OCIC. The desire that these two young people had for our Lord was nothing short of inspiring! Their baptisms at Easter were nothing short of beautiful! I know that my own faith was strengthened by their zeal. I could go on, but I guess my point is: Whom do you know that might be open to the Catholic faith? That could mean any number of things. A Catholic that has fallen away; a baptized Christian that might be open to the fullness of the faith in Catholicism; or an unbaptized Christian who hasn’t yet heard the Gospel. I would challenge you not so much to invite them, but to walk with them as a friend or family member; To share with them the gift you have received in your own faith. This can be intimidating, but know that Christ is with you on this journey of faith…and so are we! If you need help our have questions, we would love to help you.
Practically speaking, there are a few things that we can attend or invite others to over this next year. On Monday evenings we will have OCIA and OCIC; these are designed more specifically for those who hope to become Catholic or Catholics seeking sacraments outside of their normal reception ages (first confession and communion, and confirmation). There are also a number of opportunities for faithful Catholics to deepen their faith, keep an ear out for announcements and an eye on the bulletin for details on Catholicism on Tap, Christ with Us Adult Studies, and more!
Know of my prayers for you all!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
5/17/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello everyone, I hope you all had a beautiful Easter!
There are so many powerful moments leading up to Easter! It would be hard not to be moved during Holy Week as we walk with Christ and the other figures from the Passion. For a short while, we are immersed in the life of Christ, then, at the Easter Vigil we go through the Creation, and other parts of our history. In all of this, we are reading of God’s great love story to all of us. We are part of that great love story still! As we walk with Christ in His passion, He wishes also to walk with us in our lives. Lives that He cherishes!
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Are you willing to let Christ be with you in your life and to walk with you in everything that you face? Are you willing to let others be Christ to you and to walk with you? Are you willing to be Christ to others and walk with them in their lives? Sometimes the answer is an easy “Yes”. It is not always though. Sometimes we give up little opportunities to be there for others or we refuse to let others who want to be Christ to us care for us! What is a way that you can walk with someone today, tomorrow, this week, or this year? Let us not ignore the different opportunities we are given to be Christ to others!
Kate Zweber
5/3/2023 Wednesday Message
The World Day of Prayer for Vocations was this past Sunday April 30th. On this day in the Church’s calendar, we are asked to pray for vocations. The USCCB states “While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious life, societies of apostolic life, consecrated virginity), secular institutes in their diversity of services and membership, and to the missionary life.” If you missed praying for this intention, please do so now for if we don’t pray for vocations, we will not get them! If you happened to hear Father Burish’s homily this weekend, he expressed how a sign of a flourishing parish is to see what vocations are being produced in there. This had me reflecting on recent vocations in our parishes in Our Lady of the Falls.
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Starting with Notre Dame, we recently have had two men enter the seminary for the priesthood. John Francis who grew up in the parish is formally entering seminary this fall. The other, Dr. Michael Tupta, who joined the parish two years ago, has become a seminarian for his home diocese in West Virginia. Then, of course, somehow, I got ordained a deacon last May (truly anything is possible with God). We also remember Sister Mary Veronica of the Sacred Heart who joined the Poor Clare Sisters a few years back and just made her simple profession of vows.
At Holy Ghost, Sean Hanson has been working his way through the five-year diaconate program and, God-willing, will be ordained a deacon next year. Even though not a recent new vocation, I would be remised if I did not mention Sister Yvonne Hiess, SSND who has been serving St. Bridget’s for years in the parish where she was born and raised.
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Know these vocations don’t just happen by accident. For vocations to take fruit they need the prayers and encouragement of the parishioners of the parish. If you are inspired to speak a word of encouragement to a person that you think may have a vocation, please pray for them and then it is important to let them know that you see in them a potential vocation. Sometimes the individual will not see it in themselves until someone else points it out to them. In fact, this is a question I was asked when discerning the diaconate, “have others told you that they thought you might have a vocation to the diaconate”? Hopefully many called to God’s service in this way will be able to give a resounding Yes!
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Please pray often for vocations from our parishes!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
4/26/2023 Wednesday Message
It might be a side effect of my day job as a high school band director, but I’ve seen a lot of parades. As a musician I’ve been lucky enough to march in parades as varied as the Pure Water Days parade in Chippewa Falls to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. I’ve even marched in a parade down the Via della Conciliazione towards St. Peter’s Square where my college band played for Pope Benedict on New Year’s Day. The picture is of me, 15 years and 15 pounds ago, shortly after the Pope delivered his New Year’s blessing. (The torch was handed to me as the Pope departed, but I think it was more related to a local sporting event and less about the Vatican.)
While the word “parade” is synonymous with “procession” the two words typically don’t conjure up the same mental imagery. When we think of processions we typically think of funerals or a graduation ceremony. A parade is something boisterous and entertaining, whereas a procession tends to be mellow and dutiful - a dignified way to get from Point A to Point B. I like to think back to Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts and songs of “Hosanna!” - what a parade that must have been!
Something equally remarkable happens at the beginning of Mass and yet it is so familiar we might miss it. Mass begins and we rise and we sing. Are we that excited to see Father Burish? Is the music that good? Does Father Guenther inspire a sort of liturgical Beatlemania?
While we are always happy to see our faithful priests, truly we are welcoming Jesus. Through his Holy Orders the priest is configured to Christ and is a sacramental sign of the presence of Jesus. It is more than just a way for Father to make it from the back of the church to the front.
If we believe that he who is processing down the aisle of the church is not Father Burish nor Father Guenther - would you stand a little straighter knowing it is Jesus Christ, robed in priestly vestments, come to minister to us in Word and Sacrament? Would you turn and watch Him enter? Would you sing a little louder?
The beginning of Mass is an opportunity for us to witness the arrival of Christ into our churches. How beautiful that our lives and liturgies are filled with the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, quite literally down the aisle, whether that be for communion or veneration, confession or adoration. I pray that we may not lose the thrill of Palm Sunday in the joy of Easter. What a parade, indeed!
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Mike Renneke
4/19/2023 Wednesday Message
Friends, this is the week. To summarize "phase 1" of our Eucharistic Revival initiative, nationally known speaker and author Chris Carstens is coming to town. You don't want to miss it! Bring your family and friends (and kids! Email Kate kzweber@ourladyofthefalls.org for childcare).
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Thursday (4/20) at 6:15pm
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St. Charles Fellowship Hall | 810 Pearl St, Chippewa Falls, WI
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Event is free-will offering
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Second, the Vatican International Eucharistic Miracles display will be at the Notre Dame GREC Dining Hall this Sunday, April 23 from 9am - 1pm! What a tremendous gift to view dozens of Eucharistic Miracles on the same weekend as the First Holy Communion for our young people at Notre Dame. Make a plan to check out the display and browse our inventory of merchandise (excellent First Communion gift resources!) this Sunday (4/23) between 9am-1pm.
Questions? Email John jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
I will pray for you; please pray for me and my family!
In His Peace,
John Shakal
4/5/2023 Wednesday Message
When I realized that my week to write the Wednesday message was Holy Week, I felt rather unworthy. I’m not a theological expert or a priest and there are so many others who could speak more clearly about the beauty and gift of Holy Week.
Then, I realized that the very gift of Holy Week is that none of us are put above or below another in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus suffered and died for us all, regardless of our merit. All he asks is that we walk with him and in his way.
As Jesus walks through Holy Week, let us walk with him and be his comfort. Below are some ways I like to reflect on Holy Week.
Palm Sunday- Jesus is humbly entering Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna in the Highest”. The people hail him as their king. Jesus is entering into his passion to show us what being a true king is about. How do I hail Jesus in my life and show others that he is my King? How do I humble myself as he did?
Holy Monday- Jesus is keeping fairly quiet. It is believed that Jesus stayed at the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus on this day. I imagine him spending some of his last quiet hours with those closest to him, enjoying the fruits of his creation through friendship and good food. How am I spending time with the Lord, accompanying him in his last days? Have I made a peaceful home for him in my heart?
Holy Tuesday (Fig Tuesday)- Jesus is hungry and curses a fig tree after he finds no figs on it. The tree had many leaves and appeared fruitful, but it was not fig season. Are we waiting for it to be fig season before we produce fruit? What spiritual excuses do we allow ourselves that prevent us from bearing fruit?
Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday)- This is the day that Judas goes to the chief priests and accepts money in exchange for handing Jesus over to them. It is the most painful when those closest to us betray us. It is a gift to be close to Jesus, but sometimes our closeness can breed over-familiarity and spiritual sloth. God has made himself vulnerable to us through his condescension. How do I abuse this relationship?
Holy Thursday- Jesus is sharing his last meal with his disciples. He institutes the priesthood and the Eucharist. Afterwards, he goes to the garden at Gethsemane to pray and his disciples fall asleep. He is arrested. Jesus spends the night imprisoned underground. It is believed that while he was alone there he prayed Psalm 88 . Pray it with him.
Good Friday- Jesus dies. God dies. We kill God. My sin puts him on the cross and his love for me keeps him there. Mary is watching her son and savior die. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Holy Saturday- All is still. Jesus’ body lays in his tomb. The earth waits in stillness for the resurrection of its Lord. Jesus is at work. He descends to the abode of the dead (Sheol) to free the just ones who have been waiting. Imagine Christ freeing Adam and Eve. This is one of my favorite icons of the “Harrowing of Hell” explained.
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Paula Hanson
3/29/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners.
Occasionally people tell me that they don’t like to watch the news because they get depressed, or angry, or frustrated. I’ve often heard people make the claim that our society is getting worse, that the world is… “goin’ to Hell!” Perhaps they are right. Either way, whether things in our world are just as bad as they always were, or they truly are getting worse, one thing is for sure: Our world is fallen. Sin and Satan still reign, not only on the grand scale of war, social injustice, and in the moral decay of our culture, but also in our own thoughts, actions, and omissions.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Jesus enters Jerusalem where he knows he will die. He knows he will encounter the worst of human depravity and be put to death on a cross as a result. But Jesus also enters the depravity of our world right now, and into our own lives and hearts. He willingly takes all this upon himself. He enters right into “our Hell” with us and shows us the way out, through his cross, and our own crosses.
As I look back at my own Lent, I’m more aware of some of the faults and sins that I just can’t seem to rid myself of, things that I don’t know how to rid myself of. With some things I feel greater discouragement and frustration. If you feel at all like me, Holy Week is just what we need! It is the time to completely surrender ourselves and let Jesus enter “our Hell” to take control.
During this Holy Week, what do you need to surrender more completely to the Lord? During this week especially, come to as many of the Holy Week liturgies as you are able. Pray for the conversion of our parishes and Catholic community. Pray also for the resolution of the great problems of our world and society. Pray for peace and for those suffering persecution. Pray for elected officials. Pray for the leaders of the Church. Pray for the protection of life, and religious freedom, and the family. Might I suggest offering a Rosary and/or the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day this week, or a visit to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for these intentions. Why wouldn’t special graces flow at this most holy time of year?
When all we hear of in the news are things that make us depressed, or angry, or frustrated, or we feel that way about ourselves and our own failures, let us not forget our greatest Christian power and duty! We may or may not feel that we are in a position to take “action.” Really though, we are! We are taking “action” when we surrender all these things to the Lord in prayer and place him in charge. Don’t forget that Jesus willingly enters Jerusalem and he will ultimately leave victorious.
Praying for a grace-filled Holy Week for you all,
Fr. Jesse Burish
3/22/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I think last time we talked about some of my favorite things as a priest: accompanying couples and young families though wedding and baptism preparation. On the other end of the spectrum, another very important part of priestly ministry is being with the dying and their families; those moments where eternity is in sight. During such times, the Church gives powerful sacraments and prayers to prepare souls for their journey. We hear in the prayer of anointing:
Through this holy anointing
may the Lord in his love and mercy
help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit…
May the Lord who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
We also hear the beautiful commendation for the dying that is prayed in those final moments before death:
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christian.
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the Angels and Saints.
With all this in mind, as a practical note, if you have any friends or family that are sick or elderly, Fr. Burish and I would love to visit them to receive the sacraments as soon as possible! Emergencies happen, but it is much better if we can make an appointment to come while your loved one is still lucid and can participate in the sacraments, especially to receive the Eucharist and make a good confession. Please do not hesitate until the last moment to call, if at all possible!
Finally, we are all called to reflect on the fact the we will one day die; we will enter eternal life and come before our Judge, all just and all merciful. We hope that, with an eye on eternity, we might truly live during the time we have been given! That we might truly strive for holiness and the works of charity, to which we are called as Christians, especially during this holy season of Lent.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
3/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Some of you may not know this but I love music! Do you ever listen to a song and wish there were words so you could sing along? Perhaps you hear something and you start wishing you knew how to dance without feeling self-conscious or funny. Music can express something we wouldn’t know how to express in words, something joyous and meaningful. Sometimes life seems like a song. The other day I had asked a volunteer to help with something totally new for her. She fell into this role so gracefully and well; it literally felt like a dance was being played and she knew all the steps. Where do you think the music is playing in your own life? Would you be ready to dance?
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The answer might sometimes be “no”. I think back to all the wedding dances I’ve been to. Have you ever been one of those people who sat on the side and watched everyone else dance? Have you ever left a wedding wishing you had danced more? I certainly have! I let uncertainty and self-consciousness hold me back. We all let things from life hold us back sometimes. Memories of when we’ve been hurt or let down. Fear of taking on something because you don’t know where it will lead. Fear you won’t be able to measure up somehow. Sometimes another person’s failings or mistakes that leave us feeling unvalued and unwilling to make ourselves available again. Unfortunately, this is something we see at church sometimes. I myself, am far from perfect. There are things I wish I could undo or fix, but with new humility and hope I will try to be better. We all need to hope for the future!
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Less than perfect people have been leaders in the Church. They have said and done things that should never have been said or done. These things are hard to deal with; hard to understand. We might be left with questions and feel uncertain or like we don’t matter. But you do matter and to say otherwise would be one of the biggest lies that anyone could utter! We are part of a different sort of symphony when we will turn to God and decide to love Him and His creation despite seeing the more broken part of the world that we live in. The song that we are a part of is made more beautiful because of the trials that we overcome to continue playing it.
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Today, especially in this Lenten season, let us think if there are any things that hold us back. It could be many things: fear of commitment, fear of not being who we think we are, fear of failure, fear of being less than perfect, fear of the unknown, fear of being judged, but these things make an even more beautiful “yes” when they are overcome.
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Blessings to all of you! You are in my prayers.
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
3/8/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello friends,
Last week I wrote about the Eucharistic Revival. This week I would like to continue that theme, a theme that we will be emphasizing and exploring for many months to come. Please see the poster and videos attached to see the short and long term ways that we are devoting ourselves more deeply to Jesus Christ, present in the Eucharist. Put April 20th in your calendar when Chris Carstens comes to town to explain the Mass in depth. This speaker capstone event will be hosted in the brand new St. Charles Borromeo Fellowship Hall in Chippewa Falls!
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John Shakal
3/1/2023 Wednesday Message
What aren't we more amazed? How come more Catholics aren't shocked and in joyful awe about Jesus being really and truly present in the Eucharist? As we continue our journey of Eucharistic Revival hear what St. John Paul II had to say about this essential topic:
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Want to hear more? Grab a coffee/tea and join your Fathers as they discuss our next steps into this revival
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Clear your calendar for April 20th 6:15pm as author and speaker Chris Carstens comes to Chippewa Falls to discuss "A Devotional Walk Through the Mass
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John Shakal
2/22/2023 Wednesday Message
The picture I’m sharing today is of my great-grandparents, Arnold and Laura Renneke. My Great-Grandpa died when I was young, but my Great-Grandma Laura lived to be 105 years old. Like most Midwestern farmers, my great-grandparents lived on the farm next to my grandparents; they shared a long gravel driveway.
After she died, my family spent some time cleaning the farmhouse. Have you ever been cleaning the home or storage area of an older relative and stumbled upon some ‘ancient’ gizmo or gadget? At first glance it seems arcane, out of date, or woefully inadequate. A cute sort of nostalgia sets in - “Can you believe people used to think this was helpful?” we’d laugh to ourselves.
Popular magazines have tried for decades to imagine or predict what future technologies would look like. Full of renderings and mockups they have tried to guess what a future decade would find useful or advanced. The modern understanding is that whatever the future holds, it needs to be bigger, brighter, louder, and flashier.
Going through my Great-grandma’s farmhouse I found myself bringing home a cast iron skillet. It has now become my favorite tool to cook with. It can saute, fry, sear, reheat, boil, bake, and a whole number of other things that I haven’t tried yet. The cast iron skillet has found great use in its simplicity. It doesn’t need any accessories. It doesn’t need any ornament. It does what it is supposed to do while also being capable of so much more that I don’t know about yet.
As I continue to spend time with it and marvel at its humble simplicity, it continues to reveal mysteries to me that as a young cook I would have never found on my own.
Sound familiar?
As Lent begins we modify our liturgy to its simplest forms. We skip the Gloria. We cover the statues. We use silence in the place of music. It is easy to think of Lent as a time of less, or as an arcane practice that has no place in the complexity of our modern lives; a cute gadget from a less sophisticated time. But to view Lent in such a way would be to miss the beauty of its simplicity.
Where in your daily life is there room for simplicity? Where in your daily prayer is there room for silence? Where might the lives of the saints lead us if we follow their simple instructions?
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Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame Parish
2/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
Wasn’t it just the other day that I was writing and wishing you a merry Christmas? Now it is almost lent! There have been many good and beautiful things that have happened at our parishes in the last month, and there are also many good things coming up! One thing I am especially excited about is that we have 8 new ushers who were just trained in at Notre Dame! We are also continuing to grow our group of greeters which has been another wonderful blessing at our parish!
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With all our new ushers, we decided it would be a good idea to do an usher refresher and training session. Preparing for the training gave me the opportunity to reflect on the role of our usher. Our ushers look out for the needs of our parishioners, often in ways that seem very simple. However, what they do in each of their duties helps us to put our attention more fixedly on our purpose in going to Mass, glorifying God! During lent shouldn’t we try to do something similar? Choose to do often very simple things that will help us fix our attention on Christ. Picking up from my last message, have you picked a new way to love God more this year? What will that look like as we approach lent?
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Have a blessed lent!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
2/8/2023 Wednesday Message
I enjoy praise and worship music by a somewhat controversial group Hillsong United. Songs like "Oceans" and "What A Beautiful Name" play regularly on my Spotify. If you want, take a listen to their music!
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One song gets me every time. "So Will I" moves from creation to salvation, proclaiming a resolve to worship God and ultimately to serve His children. The final verses are as follows:
[God of salvation,]
I can see Your heart in everything You've done
Every part designed in a work of art called love.
If You gladly chose surrender, so will I.
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save.
If You gave Your life to love them, so will I.
Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire?
You're the One who never leaves the one behind.
The Church is a mission. Our schools are the preeminent apostolate of that mission. We are here to provide a Catholic atmosphere and teaching to Catholic students as well as to all who are open to receive it.
Some expect a Catholic school to resemble a banal painting of heaven: cherubic children playing harps on puffy clouds. I am sorry to disappoint, but the only time you will find heaven on earth is during the Holy Mass (see attached photos from Catholic Schools Week Mass!). However, what you will find in our schools is faith, hope, and love. In the midst of the messiness of the human condition, He is here. We worship Him, we proclaim Him, we serve Him. No, Catholic schools are not heaven on earth. Rather, they are the beginning of the narrow road leading to eternal life.
2/1/2023 Wednesday Message
One of my favorite events of the year is being able to witness First Reconciliation. It is such a blessing to watch students go into the confessional nervous and come out at ease and almost shining with grace. I can remember feeling like that as a kid as well. Feeling lighter and almost giddy after going to confession. I didn’t know why; it just was the way it was. Children are so humble and receptive that I think God delights in filling them up with grace. They just come to him with open hands and receive his mercy so fully.
As adults, the simple acceptance of God’s love is sometimes more difficult and mistaken as something we need to earn or don’t deserve. The truth is that we will never deserve it, but that it is given to us nonetheless as a completely free gift. We just need to get over ourselves and accept it. Our feelings of shame stand in the way of our being open vessels to God’s mercy. We have to work harder at accepting the fact that our sin isn’t bigger than God’s love and that there is no price tag on God’s love. It’s open to everyone, at all times, no matter what we’ve done or who we are.
It took me a long time to realize this in my own life. As I’ve mentioned before, I fell away from the Church after high school. It took my own daughter receiving her First Reconciliation to get me to go back to the sacrament of reconciliation after 16 years. I dreaded it. I didn’t want to admit to all of the stupid things I had done in my young adulthood. In fact, I had convinced myself that my sin wasn’t that big of a deal and didn’t really affect me. After I finally went to confession, my life started to change. It was a slow change, but I can still point to that confession as when my life started to make change. My anxiety started to fade away, I was happier, my life started to make more sense, and I had a deep sense of peace starting to take root in my soul.
My challenge to everyone, including myself, is to try to receive God’s mercy in confession like a child does. Believe that you really are forgiven and live as if you’ve been given the most wonderful gift imaginable, because you have. God delights in filling you up with grace just as much as He desires you to run to him with open hands and receive His mercy.
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Paula Hanson
1/25/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! With a new year comes lots of new things. For myself, it seems like a lot of new appointments on my calendar, almost all of them wedding and baptism preparation meetings. What a joy! Some of my favorite things at the parish are helping couples prepare for marriage and prepare for a child’s baptism. The only thing better is actually doing the weddings and baptisms! I look at these two moments, the moment when a family is formed and when a family is increased, as profound opportunities for God to be especially present. Even if a couple has been far from the Church or simply fell away from practicing their faith, both marriage and baptism help to open their eyes to the great mystery of creation and God’s unconditional love for them. First, when a couple becomes one flesh, we see in a particular way God blessing a natural union, but more than a blessing, a sacrament. That is, in a unique way God elevates the love of a husband and wife to reflect the mystery of his love for us and the Church. Then God invites that same couple to participate in creation (even if a couple isn’t able to have a child, God still calls them to fruitfulness in some way). I don’t believe I have met a couple that hasn’t been humbled at the birth of their child; how they are called to sacrifice so much, but do it willingly out of love. In the greatest act of love, the couple, through their child’s baptism, gives their child entry into God’s covenant; God’s everlasting covenant, by which we have the opportunity for eternal life in heaven.
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These are just some musings on the profound moments I’m blessed to accompany people in, but each of us is afforded these same opportunities to encounter God every day! In particular through our daily prayer, but profoundly in the healing and forgiveness offered in confession, but most profoundly in the Eucharist at Mass and in adoration. In all these ways and in many more, God calls each of us everyday into the depths of His love. He calls us to eternity.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
1/18/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello and happy new year!
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With the new year comes new opportunities, new sorrows, new joys, new struggles, and new discoveries. These things we expect with the coming of the new year. They are inevitable. Many of us are also looking at new ways to live our lives with new year's resolutions like eating better, exercising more, or getting out of bad habits. In this new year, why not look for a new way to consistently choose to love God more? Especially the goodness that he has placed in you and in your life.
I think about many of our volunteers who are remarkable examples of this. A volunteer with artistic skills volunteering to decorate the church. A volunteer with leadership skills volunteering to help with a church project. A volunteer with administrative skills volunteering to coordinate other volunteers for Sojourner House, Agnes Table, SCRIP, or the Homebound Ministry. I don’t know if all of these volunteers have thought about this, but they have taken something that God has given them and are using it to give Him glory!
If you’re wondering what it would look like to find a new way to love God this year, there are Adoration hours available, needs for volunteers in different areas, and things you can do in your everyday life to love Him more. You could choose one song to listen to every morning and sing the Lord’s praises. You could give up drinking anything but water on one day of the week. St. Therese and her little way was all about looking to do ordinary things with extraordinary love; let that be a guide for you!
I hope you will also take me up on an invitation of self-discovery. Find something good that our good Father has placed in you. Give Him thanks for this gift and seek ways to love Him more by using this gift. If you are not sure how to use a gift, go ahead and call the parish office, or, if you are a Notre Dame parishioner, please just give me a call!
Let this year be a year of new discoveries! Discovery of God’s love for you and discovery of how you can love Him in return! Let me know how your journey with this is going, I’d be delighted to hear about it!
Kate Zweber
1/11/2023 Wednesday Message
Friends, in my time as a Catholic evangelist and catechist, I have observed two practices (in addition to a personal sacramental and prayer life, which are essential) in the life of a Christian disciple that are particularly impactful: (1) study of Sacred Scripture (2) and spiritual mentorship/accompaniment. I invite you to see what is happening in OLF Catholic Community below, and consider if you might be poised to encounter God in either or both of these areas.
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1. Want to dive deeper into Sacred Scripture? Our Lady of the Falls is excited to be offering two new Bible Studies: on the Gospel of Matthew and the Salvation History. Both Bible Studies are offered during the week on Tuesday at 9:30am in the GREC.
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The Gospel of Matthew: Just in time for the readings for the year C Mass readings, take a deep dive into the Gospel of Matthew and unlock the hidden treasures of the most famous synoptic Gospel! All are welcome to join this 16 week Bible Study, which begins January 3rd. If you are interested in joining this study group, email Deana at jdsuilmann@gmail.com
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Salvation History: Does the "big picture" of the Bible confuse you? Buckle in for a fast paced journey through the Bible and witness the breathtaking harmony of God's plan to save his people! All are welcome to join this 14 week Bible Study, which begins January 10th. If you are interested in joining this study group, email John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
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Note: Do you have experience leading a Bible Study small group or would you like to learn? Our Lady of the Falls is offering small group formation to equip all Catholics to understand and share Sacred Scripture though Bible Studies. For more info, contact John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
2. Spiritual mentorship and accompaniment goes hand in hand with following Christ in His Church. We are all in need of authentic friendship with other people who are running after Christ. (The alternative is what the Devil prefers: isolation and autonomous practice of our faith.) For example, those seeking to enter the Church in OCIA are urgent need of vibrant and joyful Catholics who are exciting about living and sharing their Catholic faith! As such, I invite you to consider: how is God calling you to share your faith with others, to "mentor" or "accompany" them spiritually in authentic friendships? While we are need of growing our team of OCIA sponsors as we look to the future, accompanying others in their faith journey is more fundamental that OCIA. It starts in our lives today, as God has currently arranged them. As such, I invite you explore what being a spiritual mentor/sponsor might look like for you: check out "Sponsor Formation Night" this Monday (1/16) at 6:25pm in the GREC Joseph Room. (We will meet in the Joseph room briefly before moving to a different room.) There will be a 90 minute session on the practicals of discipleship and how to walk with another person in the faith. There will also be plenty of time for questions and insights for getting started. For more info, contact John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
Know of my prayers for you!
John Shakal
1/4/2023 Wednesday Message
Evangelization is one of the most frightening words in Church for many of us. It is one of those things that we want “others” to do. However, evangelization is not the work of a few but is supposed to be the work of all us in the Church. I have always wanted to bring others to Christ, because my life with Him is sure better than it was without Him. But I felt that if I am just a good person and do churchy things then others will see that and come to want what I have in Christ. While that is a great start, it is often not enough. People most often need to be invited into the faith by someone they see living the faith. This is where I have so many times got hung up. I didn’t want to be that guy that pushed Jesus on people.
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Recently though John Shakal has been helping me through a book that Focus ministries www.focus.org uses on college campuses called Foundations of Discipleship by Curtis Martin and Edward Sri. While we are in the early stages of this book study, I can already see places where I can evangelize that I have been missing. For example, when someone casually asks me how I am doing, I don’t have to give the canned answer of “fine”. Instead, I can share with them the joy I have due to Jesus being part of my life! I need to be ready and maybe even practice a bit, about how to respond to people that ask me why I am joyful. I also need to remind myself that if I am not radiating peace, joy and love then why would anyone want what I have in Jesus? Think twice the next time someone asks how you are doing, and be ready with an answer that gives witness to the joy in your life that is found in Jesus Christ!
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Do you feel unprepared or nervous about sharing the Gospel (evangelizing)? Check out these simple evangelization tips from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
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God Bless!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
12/28/2022 Wednesday Message
Good morning! You might be one of the people who is reading this email first thing in the morning - you wake up, grab your phone, and dive right into the business of the day. Whether you are an early riser or a slow starter, this message is for you!
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What is the first thing you say when you wake up in the morning? What is the
first thing you do? Who is the first person you talk to? There is a healthy body of research that suggests our first moments, actions, and thoughts can dictate the direction of our entire waking day. Matthew Kelly, founder of Dynamic Catholic, describes it:
“Human thought is creative. What we think, becomes. You send your thoughts down one road, your actions are going to follow your thoughts. The actions of our lives are determined by our last most dominant thought.”
The Church recognizes this. The Church has prescribed texts for each day of the liturgical year, and the texts we have been talking about the most lately are the Entrance Antiphons, or ‘Introit’ in Latin. They are the ‘first thing’ we sing or say at Mass. Father Burrish alluded to this in his homily while wearing his flashy pink rose robes - throughout history the name, title, or reference of a particular day in the Church year becomes synonymous with first word or words from the Entrance Antiphon. The most recent example of this is the Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday, from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon - “Rejoice”!
Now think back to when you woke up this morning, whether that was minutes ago or hours ago. What was the first thought you had? What was the first thing you did? If the title of your day was based on your first word or action, what would each day be called?
I know in my house we would be celebrating a lot of “A Kid is Sick Thursdays” and “Where Did the Weekend Go Mondays”. The modern culture has co-opted “Thank God It’s Friday”; how often have you used this prayer yourself?
My challenge for you this week: put a piece of paper or notepad by your bed. For seven days, write down the first thing you think or do each day. One week later, look back over your list and see what it tells you about the road your thoughts are taking you on.
Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame Parish
Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash
12/21/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello and happy Advent!
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Today I’d like to give a special shout-out to all of the ushers for our parishes and to the new greeters who have been helping at Notre Dame. Greeting has been on my mind a lot lately, it’s a bit of an occupational hazard! As a reflect in this season of Advent, I have been specifically thinking about my own greeting to Christ in the Eucharist as I enter our church or the Adoration Chapel and of the importance of greeting others as they walk through our doors. The warmth and kindness you show when welcoming others is a way to let them know they have a place here, that we care, and that we are happy that they’ve come. I am grateful to all of those who make this happen. Our ushers and greeters in particular, but also those of you who make an effort to say hello to someone you do not recognize or who always send a quick smile to someone you’ve never seen before.
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These things are especially important as we approach Christmas! With Christmas, we will have many visitors. People from out of town and people who may not come to church often. We do not know where they are in their spiritual journeys, but we can be assured of this, we each have Christ within us. I’d like to also add that we sometimes need to recognize Christ in others before they can recognize Him in themselves. Let us greet each other then, this Christmas and always, with warmth and kindness, knowing that we each have a place here in our Catholic community and that Christ is living among us!
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I also want to encourage you to think about how you will greet your savior on Christmas day as you come in for Mass. John the Baptist leaped for joy to be near Jesus. The magi traveled hundreds of miles to humbly worship this small child. Simeon and Anna waited years to catch a glimpse of the Messiah. Can you imagine how they trembled as they saw him and could hold him in their arms? And we get to be even closer to him every time we go to Mass as we receive Him in the Eucharist! There are many little prayers we can say to get ready to greet Him. A simple one that I have been praying with this year is this, “Father, please remove any barrier that prevents me from jumping up to meet you. Remove any fear in me that prevents me from taking the journey that brings me to closer You. Remove any doubt that prevents me from trembling for joy as I draw near to You.” Let us get ready to greet each other and Our Lord with great joy this Christmas!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
Volunteer & Hospitality Coordinator
Notre Dame Catholic Church
12/14/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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As Advent is the start of a new liturgical year, characterized by the theological virtue of hope, this is also the time of year when we at MACS are already preparing diligently for the following school year. Enrollment opens on January 29, 2023, the first Sunday of Catholic Schools Week. We are excited to share that we we will be moving forward with renewing our preschool programming to provide whole-child, Catholic faith-based 3K and 4K to Chippewa area families. We intend to include school readiness attainments while also incorporating virtuous habit formation, outside exploration and play, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and more! We are also looking for individuals who are interested in becoming trained as CGS catechists, so please contact Mary Beth Pfeifer or Mary Huffcutt in our central office if you are interested at (715)723-0538. Please watch for upcoming dates for a parent informational meeting and registration event and pray for the success of our new program launch.
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Harkening back to hope, the theological virtue most consonant with Advent: hope is what resonates with me both personally and as leader of our schools. Hope believes in the morning at midnight, sees the Resurrection in the crucifixion. Hope believes in the harvest at planting time, sees the future evangelist in the skeptical adolescent. Hope is what is needed more than anything else in this broken world, especially for our students. Even secular mental health experts will tell you that hopelessness is the true epidemic of our time. This is why the mission of our Catholic schools is absolutely essential! We must become a beacon of faith, hope, and love in our communities, especially with our young people who ARE the future of our Church. Here at MACS, we persevere in hope and trust in God's faithfulness. The Holy Spirit never fails, and hope does not disappoint us.
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Blessings to you in gratitude for your support in this Advent and Christmas season. Come, Lord Jesus.
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-Molly Bushman, MACS President
12/7/2022 Wednesday Message
For Advent, I am reading daily reflections by St. John Henry Newman. One of his reflections reminds us of the importance of wonder. Wonder abounds during the seasons of Advent and Christmas if we look with the eyes of a child. I am certain that one of the greatest blessings God has given me in working with youth (through RE, MACS, and with my own three children) is being able to witness their wonder. It is humbling and a challenge to grow in being child-like.
Below is an edited version of Newman’s reflection from “Waiting for Christ: Meditations for Advent and Christmas” (the full version is Newman’s Sermon 22: The Weapons of Saints). May we all rediscover wonder this Advent and Christmas and let it lead us to God and a deeper relationship with Him.
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-Paula Hanson, DRE Our Lady of the Falls, teacher of 3-5 music and band at MACS
“We have most of us by nature longings more or less, and aspirations, after something greater than this world can give. Youth, especially, has a natural love of what is noble and heroic. We like to hear marvelous tales, which throw us out of things as they are, and introduce us to things that are not. We love to fancy ourselves involved in circumstances of danger or trial, and acquitting ourselves well under them. Or we imagine some perfection, such as earth has not, which we follow, and render it our homage and our heart. Such is the state more or less of young persons before the world alters them, before the world comes upon them, as it often does very soon, with its polluting, withering, debasing, deadening influence, before it breathes on them, and blights and parches, and strips off their green foliage, and leaves them, as dry and wintry trees without sap or sweetness. But before that time, they have desires after things above this world, which they embody in some form of this world, because they have no other way at all of realizing them. While their hearts are thus unsettled, Christ comes to them, if they will receive Him, and promises to satisfy their great need, this hunger and thirst which wearies them. He does not wait till they have learned to ridicule high feelings as mere romantic dreams: He comes to the young; He has them baptized betimes, and then promises them, and in a higher way, those unknown blessings which they yearn after. He seems to say, in the words of the Apostle, "What ye ignorantly worship, that declare I unto you." You are seeking what you see not, I give it you; you desire to be great, I will make you so; but observe how,—just in the reverse way to what you expect; the way to real glory is to become unknown and despised.
He says to the aspiring: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve" [Matt. 20:26-28.] Here is our rule. The way to mount up is to go down. Every step we take downward, makes us higher in the kingdom of heaven. Do you desire to be great? Make yourselves little. There is a mysterious connection between real advancement and self-abasement. If you minister to the humble and despised, if you feed the hungry, tend the sick, succor the distressed; if you bear with the froward, submit to insult, endure ingratitude, render good for evil, you are, as by a divine charm, getting power over the world and rising among the creatures. God has established this law. Thus He does His wonderful works. His instruments are poor and despised; the world hardly knows their names, or not at all. They rise by falling. Plainly so, for no condescension can be so great as that of our Lord Himself. Now the more they abase themselves the more like they are to Him; and the more like they are to Him, the greater must be their power with Him.
Let us then, my brethren, understand our place, as the redeemed children of God. Some must be great in this world, but woe to those who make themselves great; woe to any who take one step out of their way with this object before them. Of course no one is safe from the intrusion of corrupt motives; but I speak of persons allowing themselves in such a motive, and acting mainly from such a motive. Let this be the settled view of all who would promote Christ's cause upon earth. If we are true to ourselves, nothing can really thwart us. Our warfare is not with carnal weapons, but with heavenly. The world does not understand what our real power is, and where it lies. And until we put ourselves into its hands of our own act, it can do nothing against us. Till we leave off patience, meekness, purity, resignation, and peace, it can do nothing against that Truth which is our birthright, that Cause which is ours, as it has been the cause of all saints before us.
This be our duty in the dark night, while we wait for the day; while we wait for Him who is our Day; while we wait for His coming, who is gone, who will return, and before whom all the tribes of the earth will mourn, but the sons of God will rejoice. “It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” [1 John 3:2-3.] It is our blessedness to be made like the all-holy, all-gracious, long-suffering, and merciful God; who made and who redeemed us; in whose presence is perfect rest, and perfect peace; whom the Seraphim are harmoniously praising, and the Cherubim tranquilly contemplating, and Angels silently serving, and the Church thankfully worshipping. All is order, repose, love, and holiness in heaven. There is no anxiety, no ambition, no resentment, no discontent, no bitterness, no remorse, no tumult. "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because He trusts in you. Trust in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord is an everlasting rock." [Isa. 26: 3-4.]
11/30/2022 Wednesday Message
Earlier this Fall, I gave a tour of Notre Dame Church to OCIA candidates and catechumens of our three parishes. Spending some time walking through the church building with those considering becoming Catholic is insightful. They ask questions about the kinds of things we are always used to seeing and don’t really think about or may take for granted. I thought I would share with you today some of the main points I made in that tour. Perhaps we might look at our church buildings in a new or different light.
It’s been said that architecture is the built form of ideas. In other words, the way in which one builds a building conveys their values and what they believe about its intended purpose. Therefore, church architecture is the built form of theology, i.e., what we believe about God, or relationship with him, and how he is to be worshiped. The church building, in the Catholic view should be a “catechism in stone” that everyone can read. Catholic church architecture has developed over the centuries as such a catechism. Many churches constructed in recent decades have not always used the architectural vocabulary of that Catholic tradition and theology. Many older churches have also been significantly remodeled. What I explain below about the Catholic church interior, therefore, will be clearer in some churches than in others. Whatever the case, these are some things to contemplate when you enter a Catholic church.
The Catholic church building should not be seen as just a utilitarian gathering space, but a sacramental space, an occasion of grace, a place where heaven comes down to earth, literally. A traditional biblical image for the church interior is the “heavenly Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is where the Temple was built, the very dwelling place of God for the people of Israel. Because Jerusalem was the holy city, it became an image for heaven in which God dwelled with his people for eternity. The Catholic church building should, therefore, be like heaven or the heavenly Jerusalem. The statues, images, stained glass windows, and icons of saints should remind us of their presence among us in worship. They should all stir our imaginations to the transcendent. Another image for the church interior is the Garden of Eden, i.e., a return to the world before the Fall, or rather a renewal of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. The whole of the interior should be beautiful, like a garden.
One enters the church building in what is called the narthex, the place of transition from the world of sin to the Kingdom of God. At the narthex, before coming into the main nave of the church, one passes holy water stoops. As we bless ourselves and make the sign of the cross with the holy water, we are reminded of our baptism, our initiation into the life of grace when sin was washed away. While many of our churches today often have their baptismal fonts up near the sanctuary so that baptisms may be visible to the congregation, traditionally, these fonts were often near the narthex, or even in a separate baptistry room or building to be a clearer sign of the transition into the Kingdom of God from the world of sin. Also to make the transition, many older churches often had their confessionals toward the back near the narthex.
When one enters the nave, or main body of the church where the congregation worships, it should be like entering a vast cosmos compared to the more confined and dark narthex transition space. The word “nave” describing this part of the church comes from the Latin “navis,” meaning “ship.” A ship or boat is a great image for the whole Church as in the “ark of salvation” for the world, calling to mind the fact that Noah’s Ark served as a refuge from the flooded sinful world. Similarly, we are on a voyage of faith in the Church as we make our way through life to eternity. In all the movements of the Mass (kneeling in adoration, standing in praise, or sitting in contemplative attention), we are going somewhere. We are going to the place of encounter with God in the sanctuary at the altar.
Finally, at the sanctuary we reach the fulfillment of the Jewish Holy of Holies in the Temple, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, the Presence of God. Today, this is the tabernacle, or during the Mass, the altar. Traditionally, the communion rail marked the transition into this space. At the altar, to where we are all journeying, Christ at Calvary is re-presented. The next time you walk into the Catholic church building, pay attention to the details. What reminds you and assists you on the journey to meet the Lord in eternity?
May God bless you!
Fr. Jesse Burish
11/23/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this message finds you all well and full of God’s peace! As summer has definitely ended and fall seems to be coming to a close rather fast these days…winter is approaching (if it hasn’t already arrived as I look out my window at all the snow!).
During the winter months, I often like to go downhill skiing. And perhaps similar to my last Wednesday message, I’d like to make a kinda cheesy, but (hopefully!) relevant point. When you are skiing and want to slow down there is a temptation to lean back and away from the hill. This is a mistake and often leads to a tumble. Rather, you need to bravely lean down hill and use your skis in order to slow to a safe speed or stop. This is true in our life of faith. As we move along our journey of faith there are many temptations and many times where we will have difficulties and doubts in God’s plan for our lives. This is natural. Many of us suffer with great crosses and temptations; much less all that is happening in the world around us. Our response, however, isn’t to “lean back and away” from the life of faith; we don’t shy away from our crosses and difficulties. Rather, we bravely lean forward, taking a leap of faith. And we “use our skis;” that is, we use what the God has given us (especially through the Church). We take time for daily prayer, weekly (or more frequently!) Mass, and monthly confession. As we end this ordinary time and begin Advent, what is holding you back the most from truly leading the life God wants for you? Let’s shed ourselves of these things and bravely take a leap of faith!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
11/16/2022 Wednesday Message
Time and Talent, we all have both, even if our time to share these is somewhat limited. Notre Dame has just completed an official Time and Talent Sign-up, but both Holy Ghost and St. Bridget’s could use your Time and Talent as well. At Notre Dame, we wanted our sign-up to be an invitation, an invitation to our parishioners to join us in the ministries we have, in order to accomplish our mission and goal as a parish. Thank you to all of those who filled out our form! We were blessed to receive many responses, both from new volunteers and current volunteers.
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Our goal as a parish is that we glorify God, strengthen relationships with Him, and bring others close to Him. What does it mean to be a part of this greater mission? It means that you have been given a role in something bigger, something bold and beautiful. If there is just one thing that I hope I can have you realize, it is this, that the role that you play has an impact on our mission and without YOU we will never reach the fullness of our potential.
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I am not good at allowing myself to recognize the good things I am able to do for God’s greater glory. I think that some of you might be the same way. This is not right! We have given Him gifts through our lives, in service, and in prayer and we must rejoice with Him in the giving of these gifts! This week I’d like to challenge you to do this: take delight in the fact that in your life, in how you serve now, and, for some of you, in how you will be serving soon, by these things you can give God glory!
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“Know, O Beautiful Soul, that you are the image of God. Know you are the glory of God.”
~ St Ambrose of Milan
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
11/9/2022 Wednesday Message
How did we do on the picnics/dinners this year?
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I have often been asked how the Festival of the Falls combined city parishes events went this year. Having St. Charles, Holy Ghost and Notre Dame have their annual picnic/dinners on the same weekend was a great idea of the volunteers. After much collaboration and organizing a weekend was picked and the events were successfully accomplished. It was wonderful to see the parishes working together as they each decided to do what they do best. Personally, I had only ever gone to Notre Dame’s event. But with the new excitement of working together, I went to all three events, and it was great to see parishioners enjoying time together from all the parishes at each event.
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Being on the finance councils I can tell you that both Holy Ghost and Notre Dame had increased profits from their events from prior years. I don’t know about St. Charles, but I heard from the person donating the pork for their dinner that he gave substantially more pork than they asked for this year, and they still ran out! While I could not make it to St. Bridget’s picnic this year, I did see their numbers and they also did considerably better than last year. A big thanks to all our volunteers who made this year a success!
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What this says to me is we can do great work together when we put our mind to it. These community events are a lot of work, but they introduce our parishes to the wider community. I pray we will rejoice in this success and find new ways to bring our faith into the local community in ways that Jesus will be better known. When others see us working in union together it makes our faith that much more appealing and convincing that we have something worth having. This something being Christ!
God Bless!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
10/26/2022 Wednesday Message
Good morning! My name is Mike Renneke, and I write to you today as the music director at Notre Dame Parish. I’ve used my previous messages to talk about music and the Mass, and being the self-proclaimed “music guy” this certainly made some sense. Today, though, I’d like to reflect with you on the opposite of my professional work. We need to talk about silence.
Now, as the guy who is constantly putting notices in the bulletin to “join the choir”, talking about silence might seem a bit self-defeating. Silence also suffers from a bit of a public relations problem; too often we view it as a negative, or as the absence of something. If you turn on the TV and there's no sound, that is a problem. When the birds and bugs stop chirping at night, you know a storm is coming. Ask any parent with kids playing in the next room - silence is a bad thing!
Robert Cardinal Sarah wrote a book in 2016 called The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. In this book he calls for a redefinition of what silence in our lives means:
"Silence is not an absence. On the contrary, it is the manifestation of a presence, the most intense of all presences. In modern society, silence has come into disrepute; this is the symptom of a serious, worrisome illness. The real questions of life are posed in silence. Our blood flows through our veins without making any noise, and we can hear our heartbeats only in silence."
It is in the quiet stillness of our hearts where we are able to begin to process the rhythm of our life; where we can begin to determine what is music and what is noise.
So, here comes the challenge for the week: can you embrace the moments of silence as opportunities to listen? Can you create more silence in your life? What is God saying to you in the silence?
The irony is not lost on me as I challenge you to be silent while my two kids are in the front pews making joyful noise. I also don’t want you to click away from this email thinking I’m suggesting you stop singing at Mass. God speaks in silence, as he did to Elijah in the Book of Kings (1 Kings 19:11-13). The noise of our modern culture suggests we say “Listen Lord, your servant is speaking”. Instead let us be like Samuel - “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
10/19/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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As MACS President, one of the fun things I get to do is host our MackChat podcast, in which I welcome and interview guests including Macks faculty, students, and community members to chat about all things MACS, from campus ministry to sports to the classroom, as well as connections to our parishes such as our August episode advertising the Festivals of the Falls. I invite you to follow our podcast either on the Eau Claire Hometown Media website, Spotify, or iTunes to keep up to date with the latest and greatest episodes. Our most recent episode was a "Meet Your Principal" episode featuring Mr. Jerry Smith and student Ryker M. Thanks be to God, we are excited to share that both Mr. Smith and Ryker are currently going through OCIA and OCIF classes and, God-willing, will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter. Please enjoy this episode, which also includes Ryker's musings on Fr. Guenther's chess game and the origin of Mr. Smith's southern accent. As always, thank you very much for our parishes' support of our Catholic schools, and pray that we would continue to grow as a living witness to the Catholic mission of evangelization. We are here to serve our parish families by providing all students with a rich Catholic Liberal Arts education and vibrant student life, preparing them for their vocations as disciples of Christ.
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In hope,
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Molly Bushman, MACS President (and host of MackChat!)
10/12/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello everyone,
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Did you know that you have a part to play that no one else can!
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Just a few hours a month helping in one of the ministries at our parishes has an immense impact on your church. We have a vibrant faith community, achieved because of our dedicated volunteers who have given their gifts to see our parish thrive. Can you imagine the amazing things that could be done at our parish if all of our parishioners gave just one additional hour a month?
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Volunteering is good for the parish. It is good for us as well. I will admit, growing up I wasn’t always a very willing volunteer; I could serve at a food stand all day but oh how I would drag my feet if we had to take up the gifts! However, in volunteering (or being voluntold) in different areas, I learned several beautiful things as a child that are now engrained in my memory. One, I got to recognize as an elementary and high school student one of the most freeing things imaginable, that not everything was about me and that I had the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. And two, it showed me that every person has their own unique skills to offer that can make efforts and ministries flourish because of them.
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I’d like to encourage you to truly recognize that you have gifts to offer! For families, consider signing up to help with a ministry together. Dads, consider signing up for the same ministry as your son or daughter, or perhaps with buildings and grounds. Moms, consider helping your daughter or son with something like decorating the church or being a sacristan. There are many opportunities, and we are looking forward to getting you involved with them!
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What a gift it is to be able to walk with Christ in these ministries and with each other!
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In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
1/31/2024 Wednesday Message
Parishioners of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls Deaneries and members of our local community,
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As local Deans, on behalf of all the pastors, we reach out in pastoral concern and care for our community. We were shocked and greatly disappointed to hear of the upcoming closure of our local Catholic hospitals, HSHS Sacred Heart in Eau Claire and St. Joseph’s in Chippewa Falls. This is truly a death in the family for our local Catholic community. While we understand HSHS worked for a different outcome than a complete exit, this solution is extremely painful and difficult for many.
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Our hearts go out to those employed by HSHS, Prevea Health, and L.E. Philipps, as their lives and families will be greatly impacted. We reverence your raw emotions of fear, anger, grief, and uncertainty regarding your professional and personal future.
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We also send our prayers to the thousands whose healthcare may be disrupted. We’ve heard many in our community comment on the excellent, compassionate care they have received over the years. Our community will be less without Catholic healthcare, rooted in the Gospel, that serves the whole person, body and soul.
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We are truly grateful for all of those who for nearly 140 years have worked in the HSHS healthcare ministries in the Chippewa Valley. The many Hospital Sisters, administrators, physicians, nurses, and staff dedicated their careers to Catholic healthcare. They served our community generously and professionally. It’s impossible to recount the many lives touched and healed through these hospitals.
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While this is a time of grief, not all hope is lost. Many in our community have already been discussing ways to alleviate the economic and healthcare concerns this decision causes. We will soon have details on a spiritual offering to provide healing for those experiencing stress, anxiety, and trauma from this decision. Bishop Callahan will also celebrate a Mass honoring the history of St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart Hospitals on a later date that will be announced.
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The healing mission of Jesus Christ belongs to his Church. Even when institutions falter and end, the healing mission of the Lord Jesus Christ continues. The responsibility and gift of this healing mission is entrusted to all of us as his missionary disciples. May the Holy Spirit pour out his gifts and renew our fervor and courage to see what must be done and gain the strength to do what we have seen.
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In Christ,
Very Rev. James R. Kurzynski
Dean of Eau Claire
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Very Rev. Jesse D. Burish
Dean of Chippewa Falls
01/17/2024 Wednesday Message
Your life is a testament to God’s goodness and His love for the world He created! There’s a song, Counting My Blessings, where they sing “The more that I look in the details, the more of God’s goodness I find”. Let other people see those details, don’t just keep them to yourself! Discover those details in other people and let yourself be awed by the love that God has for His children!
One of the Share the Joy suggestions this month is to find an opportunity to introduce yourself or your family to other parishioners. I am pretty sure there will be someone you don’t know at Mass this weekend. Introduce yourself and show that person that they are seen, that they are known and worthy of being known, and that they are loved, by the Father and His children. Be willing to let others see you! Be willing to show others how God has given you joy in your life. Be willing to hear the words, “Yes, oui si ja!”.
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
Dear parishioners,
Bear with me, I’ve found a little joke for you!
An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a German are all standing watching a street performer do some excellent juggling. The juggler notices that the four gentlemen have a very poor view, so he stands up on a large wooden box and calls out, “Can you all see me now?”
“Yes,”
“Oui,”
“Si,”
“Ja,”
Are you willing to let people see you? One of the biggest things that holds people back from trying to meet someone new is that it’s hard to let others see you sometimes.
1/10/2024 Wednesday Message
1/10/2024 Wednesday Message
When is your mother’s birthday? My mom will be 93 this January 15th. I know this because I have it marked on my calendar. I want to be sure I call her since she lives a couple of hours away and a visit is not likely to happen. With my 13 siblings you might think that if I forget to call her she will not notice. Wow was I wrong when I forgot a few years ago! Sometime after her birthday when I called her for a random chat, she made a point to let me know I was the only one who did not call her on her birthday. She was keeping a list! I don’t know where I was on Santa’s list that year, but I was not on the nice list for mom!
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I am writing this Wednesday message on January 1st the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God. While not a Holy Day of Obligation this year, it is a day to remember. I am sure Jesus will not forget to call his mom today. Mary is also our mother and so if you did not make it to Mass on the 1st, be sure to at least give her a belated call by reciting a rosary or some other devotion to Mary such as a novena or praying the Magnificat.
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Mary has a special place in her heart for those who love her son Jesus. She has adopted us as spiritual children. She prays for us and asks us in turn to look to her for help in praying to her son. She does not seek glory for herself, but rather encourages us to invoke her help so she can show us the way to her son.
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May God Bless you this new year by keeping close to your spiritual Mother Mary and may this Christmas season continue for you even when the secular world has moved on.
Deacon Kevin DeCook
1/3/2024 Wednesday Message
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Rachel and I have been blessed with 4 wonderful little kiddos. On Christmas day, my oldest son Benedict (5) asked Joseph (2 1/2) if he wanted to wear matching clothes to Mass. Initially suspicious of the idea (perhaps because Joseph is suspicious of wearing clothes altogether), Joseph changed his mind and agreed. The picture attached shows the heartwarming result! Why the change of heart for Joseph? Perhaps the biggest reason is his subconscious admiration for his older brother. And of course, Benedict does not realize the power of his influence yet, but you and I can clearly see how his words and actions and questions impact Joseph.
About two weeks ago I was enjoying a beverage in the new Chippewa Caribou coffee shop. I was in the middle of a meeting with a woman whose 8 year old son was interested in becoming Catholic and receiving first Holy Communion with his peers at MACS (such is the power of a faithfully Catholic school!). This woman and her family were raised Christian (Lutheran) and had long been acquainted with the basics of the Christian faith. But her son wanting to enter the Catholic church also seemed to spark a desire for her own spiritual renewal.
In the course of our conversation I eventually asked her a question that I ask almost every person I meet with; this question is so fundamental that you may be tempted to chuckle at its simplicity and move on. However, though I asked this question to probably near 100 people this past year in discipleship meetings, very few people seemed confident in answering it. Frankly most people seemed to be caught off guard and perhaps had never been asked the question before in an informal conversation, and feel it is both a massively important question but also a deeply personal one.
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The question is this: "Who is God?" or "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" Her answer was similar to many of the answers I have heard (yes, from dozens of Catholics, too). Something like: "God is someone I can talk to when I need help" or "Jesus is my hidden friend."
Is there truth in these answers? Of course. But do they demonstrate that understanding that God has revealed Himself in Jesus and is the loving Lord of the universe, the Lord of their lives, also? Of course not. Yes, perhaps they could add to their answer, but might I submit to you two simple invitations for this New Year:
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First, like Benedict, recognize the influence you have in sharing the truth of the Gospel. If you strive to know Jesus, people look up to you, even if they are originally suspicious of the Faith.
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Second, answer "yes" to your call to evangelize. The Church needs you to; God has great plans for you. Perhaps simply ask people that one question, and invite their view of Jesus to be refreshed.
Know of my prayers, and please pray for me. For a bonus on this topic, check out this short video from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
Would you like to evangelize and share the Gospel with greater confidence? I would love to connect with you!
For His Glory,
John Shakal
12/20/2023 Wednesday Message
Gaudete! Rejoice! It is easy to find joy surrounded by family and friends, especially when they’re as fun as my cute little niece in this picture!
This Sunday was Gaudete Sunday where we are particularly called to rejoice in the Lord. We talk about Joy a lot at our parishes. Why is Joy so important? Probably because we know that if you find joy you find a lot of other things too. You find that you have peace. You find that you are more yourself. You find that your faith isn’t taking a backseat in life but is alive and well in you!
Joy does not always come easily. Please do not be discouraged when it doesn’t! Our Blessed Mother gives us a beautiful example of Joy and how to cultivate it, and her life wasn’t easy at all. She was mysteriously pregnant before she was living with Joseph, she was 9 months pregnant and had to travel to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, she had to leave her home suddenly because someone was determined to kill her child, and all that isn’t even half of what she went through! Mary also loved deeper than any of us. She did not have the weight of sin holding her back from loving to its fullest. If Mary loved so much, can you imagine how much pain she felt seeing the one she loved most be crucified? Yet, Mary never lost her sense of Joy.
In all the excitement of the nativity scene with angels singing God’s glory and the shepherds bowing their heads in praise Luke chapter 2 says, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”. Mary simply rested in God’s love and contemplated His goodness in that moment. It is in contemplation that I have seen Joy grow. By remembering God's presence in different moments and allowing these memories to stir our hearts, Joy can start to flourish. In acts of charity Joy is strengthened, and we are given more to contemplate as we find new evidence of God’s goodness and His love for us. In the silent reflection of our hearts the Holy Spirit’s voice is heard, our Joy is turned into action, and it radiates for the rest of the world to see.
This Advent and Christmas I hope you will allow yourself to do as our Blessed Mother did, to recognize God in the special moments, to keep all these things and reflect on them in your heart.
Have a very Merry Christmas and don’t forget to Share the Joy!
Kate
12/6/2023 Wednesday Message
One of life’s greatest annoyances for those of us living in colder climates is being ready to hop into the car and go somewhere only to find that you have to scrape frost off the windshield. This unanticipated task can make us late or just start the day off on the wrong foot. This very event happened to me the other day…
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I was walking to my car that was parked on the street. I had my arms filled with various items that I needed for the day and I was also listening to Fr. Mike’s podcast “Catechism in a Year” on my phone. As I approached my car I saw the frost and thought, “one more thing to do”. I shoved my things in the passenger side seat and went around to start the car as a huge garbage truck rumbled by. At the same time I noticed a city water department truck pulling to a stop on the other side of the street. Not paying attention, I started my car, grabbed my windshield scraper, walked back to the passenger side of the car, and started scraping. As I hastily, and poorly, finished one side, I looked up and saw the guy from the truck walking towards me. “What does he want? Is there some water project that is going to make it so we don’t have water in the house or something?” But no, he simply said, “Let me help”. He handed me a pair of gloves to put on my cold hands and started scraping my windshield. I didn’t really know what to do. I took the gloves, holding them in one hand with my phone blaring Fr. Mike, and continued scraping with my other hand. No words came out of my mouth as I contemplated the weirdness of this situation. I managed a “thank you” as he scraped off the last piece of frost. He smiled, said “Your welcome, have a nice day”, headed back to his truck and drove off. I was still holding the gloves in dismay as I got in my car and drove away.
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What had just happened to me? As I began to contemplate the significance of this unexpected kindness a few things came to mind. First, I thought, “This guy must have been from some protestant church and had been challenged by his pastor to help someone in need this week.” That first thought made me pause. Why would I assume he was protestant and not Catholic? I didn’t like that my gut instinct was that protestants were more likely to do something like this. Where did that presumption come from? What did it say about my view and practice of the Catholic faith? How could I work to change that presumption in myself and in my Church?
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Another thought that entered my mind was, “Why do I think this is so odd?” Shouldn’t it be normal for people to help each other out? Most of my shock came from the fact that I’m not old or disadvantaged and this wasn’t an out of the ordinary situation, like a flat tire. I was just an average lady scraping her windshield. I think we tend to think that we are mostly called to help people out in extreme cases. While it is true that we should help people out in extreme cases, we are primarily called to help others out in everyday cases. I was helped by a stranger, but it is just as important to help those we are close to. In fact, there are many more opportunities to help out those we know in ordinary ways than those we don’t know in extraordinary circumstances. When you help someone out or someone helps you out, it shouldn’t be odd.
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A final thought that came to my mind was that maybe this was an angel in disguise. Why? Why couldn’t it just be a regular old person? Which is more amazing to me, a person helping another person or divine intervention? The answer should be both. Both are amazing because they both come from God. One is a person following the promptings of the Holy Spirit, acting as a messenger of God and one is a direct messenger of God. I’ve been reading a book, In the School of the Holy Spirit by Jacques Philippe, about how to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Well, here was someone who wasn’t just reading about it, but was doing it. It’s amazing when we allow God to work through us. Perhaps even more amazing than an angel messenger being sent to us. Why? Because as the catechism states, “With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God.” We humans, on the other hand, are broken and can very easily reject the promptings of God to be his messenger. So, it’s more amazing when we humans actually do God’s will. It’s more pleasing to God when we become his messengers than when an angel is. That’s food for thought….
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There are many other ways that I have analyzed this situation, but I keep coming back to this main point- that someone DID something and didn’t just think about doing something. I like to think that I’m holy, but do I act holy? “By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.” (CCC 143) Do I trust God enough to follow his promptings and let him work through me? This is a living Faith.
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Paula Hanson
11/29/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Following the call of our bishops for a Eucharistic Revival, you may have noticed a number of new things in our parishes over the past year: our regularly praying for a Eucharistic revival at the end of our parish Masses, the use of Communion patens held by servers (if available) during the distribution of Holy Communion, increasing our efforts to bring Holy Communion to our homebound more consistently, connecting the joy of the Eucharist to how we interact with and welcome our fellow parishioners at Mass in our “Share the Joy” efforts, as well as a few other things. More personally, I want to invite you to grow in your devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist by dedicating some time to Him in Eucharistic Adoration (if that is possible for you), and by regularly going to confession so as to receive Him worthily.
Related to all this, I’d like to update you on the distribution of the Precious Blood in our parishes. Nearly two years ago following the pandemic I made the decision to indefinitely forgo distribution of the Precious Blood to the congregation from the chalice, except for those receiving their First Holy Communion, or being newly received into the Church, or those on their wedding day. There are a few reasons why, I, as the pastor may choose to limit distribution of the Precious Blood: to avoid obscuring the role of the Priest and the Deacon as ordinary ministers of Holy Communion by having more extraordinary ministers than absolutely necessary; to avoid having to cleanse several vessels following the distribution of Holy Communion; to reduce the risk of the Precious Blood spilling.
I also stated that given the Church’s liturgical tradition and directives, a reasonable case for distributing from the chalice more frequently may be made depending on the circumstances of the parish community. While the Church acknowledges that “the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident” with reception of Communion under both kinds, she also acknowledges reasons for limiting it. Whether the Precious Blood is distributed at Mass or not, we as Catholics should understand what is referred to as the doctrine of concomitance, i.e., that the Real Rresence of Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, is present whole and entire in each species, consecrated bread and wine. In other words, whether we receive the Host or from the chalice, we receive Christ completely.
Over the past couple years, many of you have inquired about a return of reception of the Precious Blood from the chalice. Weighing out the legitimate reasons for limiting it with the legitimate reasons for making it available, we will distribute the Precious Blood to the congregation from the chalice on four special occasions throughout the year: (1) the Sunday following Christmas (usually the Feast of the Holy Family), (2) the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, (3) Divine Mercy Sunday, and (4) the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi).
May our Eucharistic Lord continue to make our hearts like unto His!
Fr. Jesse Burish
11/22/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this finds you all well! During this time of year I always await anxiously the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30th. On that day we begin the St. Andrew’s Christmas Novena…which is technically not a novena, nor does it have much to do with St. Andrew other than its start date. Rather, it is a prayer that, during the season of Advent, helps us to increase our desire for Jesus, God incarnate, born on Christmas day. Further, I can personally attest to the great power of this prayer. I generally have one intention to which I dedicate the entire novena; often it is for the health and/or conversion of someone in my family. God answers these prayers powerfully, even if it isn’t how we always imagine it (often it’s way better!).
Simply pray this prayer 15 times daily from the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30 through Christmas Day:
"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen."
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
11/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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Happy early Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, safe travels, and good luck with any hunting endeavors! Since it was just All Saints Day, I thought I’d share a picture of me and my friend Rachel from a party that we went to. I was dressed up as St. Agnes, with the ridiculous halo and sash, and Rachel was my lamb! If you don’t know who St. Agnes is, she is definitely worth looking up! Let me know why you think she is always pictured with a lamb.
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“I would create the universe again just to hear you say you love me”. Jesus said this in a vision to St. Teresa of Avila, isn’t it beautiful? Jesus has a desire that you reciprocate His love as well. Are you ready to say those words to Him? Perhaps it’s hard for you, like it is for me sometimes, to say this when God can feel so far away. A little reminder that I was given recently is that God is constantly showing us His goodness through other people. I will often come back from a meeting or a chat with a parishioner and be in awe of that person's kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. Recently, I have been working on inviting our Lord to be present in those conversations more as well as thanking God for those people and recognizing His presence in each of them.
C.S. Lewis said, “Do not shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him”. Many of Our Lady of the Falls parishioners have done this for me and have brought the words “I love you, Lord Jesus” more readily to my heart and mind. How will you bring those words to your prayer life in these next few weeks? How will you take those words and put them into action?
In case you’re drawing a blank I will list a couple of ideas. As part of Share the Joy we will be handing out cards this weekend, take a couple and send them to other members of your church as a way to care for your fellow parishioners. Another suggestion would be to ask a family or a parent if there is any way that you can help them. You could also make a point to just check in with someone to see how they are doing. There are really many opportunities! Let me know what you come up with!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
715-705-2240
11/8/2023 Wednesday Message
Volunteers are wonderful people that give of themselves without any monetary reward. Volunteering is not just about getting work done, but it is one main way we build relationships within our parish family. We have an excellent group of volunteers that make our parishes run. However, there are many things that go undone for lack of committed volunteers. We need everyone in the pew to contribute by volunteering in some way.
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There is such a wide opportunity and need that most everyone should give some time to help. We are not to be a church of people that only show up at Mass, events, or sacraments as consumers. Some say they are too busy to volunteer and so they support the church financially only. That too is necessary, but we also need your time even if it is only a couple hours a month.
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The parish is a family unit and I think we all know how it is when a family member does not contribute to the work that must be done in a household. Things don’t get done or other family members have to do the extra work and over time they can get burned out or overwhelmed. Our parishes are the same.
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We need tons of volunteers just to do Mass well. Besides the priest we need servers, sacristans, ushers, readers, EMHCs, musicians, cantors, someone to bring up the gifts, greeters, techy people for recorded Mases, script sellers, cleaners, decorators, money counters, and maybe even a deacon (hope I didn’t miss anybody). But guess what! Mass is not the only thing we do! We have many wonderful ministries that I will not list here and each of them have their own list of needed volunteers. There are also many ministries that do not even exist in our parishes because we do not have enough volunteers.
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You might be thinking we have employees to do this work. Yes we do have excellent employees that give us some great stability, but in a vibrant parish the employees work hours should be much less than the volunteers as our budget would never support all the wages for all the work the Lord has for us to do. For us to do our part in proclaiming the Kingdom of God we need to give of our time. You might be thinking this is easy for me to say, but I too am a volunteer that does not get paid for my time. Believe me I would much rather be in the pews at times where I wasn’t in the spotlight, but then I would not be doing God’s will sharing the gifts he gave me. He gave you gifts too, and you are called to share them with your parish family. If you do not know where you might fit in as a volunteer please contact me, Father Burish, Father Gunther, Sister Yvonne, Kate Zweber or just call the parish office. Our contact information is online or in the bulletin (for you younger folk, that is the paper things by the church doors 😉). Remember we need and want you to join us in volunteering not only to get the work done, but also to share time with you as part of our parish family.
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God Bless your efforts!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
10/25/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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It was 2007 and I was standing on the 50 yard line, the halogen lights blinding in their contrast with the cool night air. The stadium was full to the brim, a sea of people alternating in green and purple with flecks of gold. In my crisp white band uniform I was a stark contrast to the giants who littered the sidelines.
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It was halftime of “Monday Night Football” and the Green Bay Packers were hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. ESPN was providing the broadcast coverage, and the university marching band had been called in to provide halftime entertainment at the last moment when Green Bay opted to cancel the original plan of a ceremony honoring Brett Favre - for some unexplained reason. The clock was ticking down on the commercial break as I gestured madly towards the sideline.
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“How will I know when to begin?” I shouted.
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“You’ll figure it out!” the camera man shouted back.
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In a previous email I had written about how we never know how the little things we say to others will impact the trajectory of their lives. The cameraman offhandedly saying “You’ll figure it out” gave me a phrase that I have repeated hundreds if not thousands of times to my students, my children, and myself.
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I consider my Monday Night Football experience to be a ‘spotlight moment’ - a moment in life when it seems all attention is focused squarely on your shoulders; when you are clearly the main character in the story. We all have spotlight moments, some filled with the light of joy and others marred by the shadow of grief. Birthdays and baptisms. Weddings. Funerals. New jobs, new homes, new cities.
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By definition a spotlight casts a narrow and intense beam of light, drawing attention and focus to someone or something. Who is directing the spotlight in your life?
Are you allowing someone else to determine where your spotlight is pointed? To decide who and what gets your attention and focus?
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We can give God control of our spotlight through daily prayer, weekly Mass, and monthly confession (thanks, Father Guenther!). While God may use your spotlight to show you where to look, He won’t tell you what to see.
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You’ll figure it out.
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Michael Renneke
10/18/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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I am writing to you as a new world traveler! Three weeks ago I landed in Rome, Italy with some friends to attend a diaconate ordination for our diocese and explore a bit of Italy.
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Looking around at St. Peter’s Basilica, it would be hard not to feel pride in our faith. The basilica was designed so that it doesn’t feel as big as it actually is. Statues on the ground were 6 feet tall while the statues up higher were as big as 24 feet, yet they looked as if they were the same size! The amount of careful thought and planning that was put into every detail is astounding. You know what is also astounding though? The beautiful sunsets and serene countryside of Italy! Those things also were created with great intention and love. What is the greatest thing that all this beauty does? It sings God’s praises just by existing!
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Our lives are similar in a way. Sorrows as well as Joys that are brought to God are more beautiful to Him than any sunset. God is glorified in our lives! The most unglamorous situations in life can be given to God and they will be cherished. A Bereavement Ministry to help those who have lost a loved one is starting at Our Lady of the Falls parishes, Oct. 26th. Think of how this group will be joining hands to support one another and to grow in faith. Think of the little ways that have come up with Share the Joy. Today I am encouraging you to think about the kind of gift that you are preparing for God. What kind of painting will you give to Him? Are you ready to make it more beautiful?
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
10/11/2023 Wednesday Message
How many of you, like me, sometimes struggle with spending too much time on your phone or device?
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Recently, MACS parents and students learned about creating safer digital spaces through programming provided by the organization Protect Young Eyes. The parent recording "How to Create a Tech-Ready Home" is available to watch on our website at Parents - Forms/Resources
https://www.mcdonellareacatholicschools.org/parents/forms.cfm
I highly recommend Protect Young Eyes' materials and resources to all families. They provided advice and recommendations in five areas: modeling healthy behaviors, pursuing authentic connection, delaying devices and social media, diligently preventing harm, and forging strong families.
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While parental controls, safer routers and devices, and other tools can help, nothing can replace the role of parents in modeling healthy behavior and creating authentic connection with their kids. When we think of dangers such as cyber-bullying, pornography, suicidal thoughts, do we as parents and caring adults realize that our own behaviors around screens can unwittingly contribute to these evils? The truth is, when you or I choose our device/screen over authentic personal connection with our children, and model excessive or even inappropriate usage of technology, they follow suit in ways that are likely to harm them.
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So, parents and grandparents, let's start with ourselves. Find the digital wellbeing tools on your phone and use them - set a bedtime, screen time limits, app limits, and for goodness' sake turn OFF your notifications. Make a point to pursue authentic connection and non-digital activities with the children in your life. Technology is not evil in itself, but it can be the devil's playground if we are not intentional about how we use it and, more importantly, the way we model healthy digital behavior to our children.
May God aid us in our efforts!
Molly K. Bushman
10/4/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Parish Community,
The Notre Dame Building Committee is excited to share with you the latest developments regarding the new organ and ongoing building projects here at Notre Dame. Your commitment and support have been instrumental in getting us to where we are today, and we wanted to keep you informed about the progress we’ve made.
Over the past several months, the Notre Dame Building Committee has been hard at work, making important decisions to ensure that our parish facilities meet the evolving needs of our community. We began this journey with a commitment to preserving the rich history and spirit of Notre Dame, and we are pleased to report that this commitment remains at the forefront of our efforts.
Foremost, the Committee has divided the project into different phases than initially proposed. This revised approach allows us to prioritize the most critical aspects of our renovation while staying fiscally responsible. The first step of which was signing a contract with the Levsen Organ Company. We are anticipating installation of the new organ in late Summer or early Fall 2024.
Secondly the Committee has transitioned to a local architect, Gary Kucko, and a local design team, including Rohm Construction as the general contractor, SEH for civil design and environmental analysis, KOA (Krech Ojard & Associates) for structural design, and APEX for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design. These trusted partners have been involved in several successful projects with us, including the past restoration of Notre Dame, and they have been working diligently with us to simplify the initial phase of construction, with a focus on reducing overall costs.
This initial phase will address the needs of the Goldsmith Memorial Chapel, by building an accessible entrance annex with two code-required bathrooms and a small check-in and library area for adorers. Additionally, an information display on the lives of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and of Father Goldsmith will be added. Father Goldsmith’s crypt beneath the chapel will also become more readily accessible for quiet visits and reflection. As such, we invite you to attend an information and feedback meeting which will feature displays for the Goldsmith Annex and explain the next steps in the building project. Two dates for these info sessions will be offered in the GREC Dining Hall: Monday (10/23) at 6pm, and Sunday (10/29) at 11:15am after 10am Mass.
In parallel with these design decisions, we have taken essential steps to ensure the safety and feasibility of our construction plans. SEH’s environmental study of the entire campus has identified hazardous materials, such as asbestos, that will need to be addressed. This information will guide us as we create strategic demolition plans of the convent, boiler room, and garage that salvage items of historical importance, helping to preserve our cherished heritage.
In the coming months, we will be sharing more detailed plans and updates with you, including the architectural designs and timelines for the Goldsmith Chapel Annex. We are also looking forward to sharing details as we begin the design process of Phase 2, which will include some of the more exciting additions to our parish campus, so stay tuned.
We want you to be a part of this journey with us and we invite your thoughts, feedback as we move forward. We are grateful for your unwavering support and dedication to our beloved Notre Dame Parish. Together, we will grow our parish while preserving the essence of our rich history.
Thank you for your continued prayers, commitment, and generosity, and hope that you can join us in the GREC Dining Hall for either of the information and feedback meetings: Monday Oct. 23rd at 6pm, or Sunday Oct. 29th at 11:15am.
Yours in faith,
The Notre Dame Building Committee
9/27/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the beautiful colors emerging as we slide into Fall. If there is anything that marks this month of September more than just about anything else, it is the beginning of both a new school year and a new year of Religious Education. I have enjoyed having the students back in session at Holy Ghost; there is a lot more life around here! On Wednesdays there is double the life as Religious Education begins after school at Holy Ghost! Later in the evening we are able to be with our older students at Edge and Lifeteen for middle and high schoolers, respectively.
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This all leads me to a question: What have you learned about your faith this year? One thing that amazed me during my first years of priesthood is how quickly all that knowledge I learned in seminary begins to fade! I often have to revisit even basic concepts to make sure I have them down both for my own growth in holiness and so I can teach others well. Recently, I have enjoyed Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year Podcast, “Stunned by Scripture” by Dr. John Bergsma, and several books by Jacques Philippe. None of these are hardcore theological textbooks by any means. In fact, I frequently recommend these books because they are so clear and accessible! If you haven’t had a chance to learn about your faith in a more intentional way, I’d challenge you to do so. Studying for its own sake is something uniquely human and to study topics related to God and our Faith are eternally important. Not to mention they help to enrich our prayer life. You don’t have to be a bookworm either! There are a number of very well done video series on Formed.org (look up “The Search” or any of the series on the Sacraments). Finally, we have a number of “in person” events like Catholicism on Tap (next Monday, October 2nd!) and other adult bible and faith studies.
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Our faith is so rich and beautiful, when we intentionally study it we inevitably encounter God Himself, who is our ultimate goal and source of all truth. Know of my prayers for you!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
9/20/2023 Wednesday Message
Last time I spoke about the power of prayer most especially with others. This time I would like to speak about daily Mental Prayer with God and you alone. Why is this so hard for many? I recently listened to a video series on prayer from Dan Burke with the Avalia Foundation on their website Videos - SpiritualDirection.com where there is a great list of resources on prayer. While he has many great things to say, I will give you the reader’s digest version and hope that you will explore further if you struggle like I do in this area. He suggests three main things to help you succeed in prayer.
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1 - Sacred Time:
Set aside the same time each day of the week. My time is 6am. When I succeed, I start my day with at least 15 minutes minimum with mental prayer before I begin my other daily prayer activities such as Morning Prayer Liturgy of the Hours | USCCB. You might have more time or less but the trick is to begin and grow it as you can. While I write this I am on a vacation with my little kids and this is a tough thing to do when you are out of routine!
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2 - Sacred Space:
I am lucky to have a converted closet that has my spiritual images and quite space. I have my favorite picture of Jesus (The Divine Mercy Image) as well as other art that brings my mind into a state of prayer. This space should be like going into church where your mind is drawn to God whom you meet in this space.
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3 - Sacred Attention:
Dan tells us this is the hardest part. How do you quiet your mind but stay present to meet God? Is that me speaking in my mind or God? With Sacred Time and Sacred Space your chances increase greatly at being successful in this part. Dan recommends what the Church calls Lectio Divina. Start by reading a short section of the bible a couple of times through. Starting with your favorite gospel would be an excellent choice. Prayerfully imagine you are at the place where the gospel is unfolding. Think about what various characters might be thinking and how what is being related might inspire you. Ask God to speak to you about it and ask Him any questions that you might be thinking. Scripture is God talking to you. Now give some time to let God enlighten your mind. Finally make a resolution to change something you learned in this process to better follow God’s will for your life. If you would like a more structured explanation see this link. A Guide to Lectio Divina: What it is and whether it helps prayer life! (spiritualdirection.com)
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The big thing about this process is not to expect anything from each individual session. What you should expect is spiritual growth over time even though each session by itself might not seem that amazing. I encourage you to start today. If you can commit to this with another person, you will both be more likely to succeed.
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God Bless your efforts!
Deacon Kevin DeCook
9/13/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels like I need to have a reason to get together with a friend! Or who feels like there needs to be a reason to approach a stranger and talk to them! It’s silly! I know it is! How do we grow in friendship if we only talk to our friends when there is a need? How much are we missing when we only get to know new people if something in life throws us together?
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Sometimes it is helpful to have a reason to meet with a friend or a reason to approach a stranger though! No excuse is needed to seek out friendship or to pursue a deeper friendship with another parishioner, but I’m going to give you one! Invite someone to volunteer with you! It could be a total stranger who you have seen across the church from you, but who you have never talked to. It could be a person who you know, but who you would like to know better.
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We all should have this common goal, to get to heaven and to help as many as we can get there too. What better way to do this than when our hands are joined together in service and in prayer to care for our church and our community!? It is so much easier to get to know someone when you share a common experience, working together to do something important!
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My mind goes so fondly to the beautiful people who helped me with the hospitality and food for Catholicism on Tap! They are such wonderful volunteers, and it is such a joy to work with them! I think of the ushers and how much they love to tease! I think of going to Agnes Table and laughing with the other volunteers as we prepare to serve there.
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Volunteering is a great way to Share the Joy! How will you invite someone to come to discover and Share that Joy with you?
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Kate Zweber
9/6/2023 Wednesday Message
THE USE OF LATIN IN TODAY'S LITURGY
The use of Latin at Mass has a long history, but at present is sometimes seen as not useful. Some even believe it was banned by Vatican II. Let's look at this issue a little more closely.
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"Didn't Vatican II get rid of Latin?"
No, it didn't! It allowed for the use of the vernacular, but maintained that the congregation should still be able to sing the Ordinary Mass parts in Latin. Vatican II also gave Gregorian Chant "pride of place" in the liturgy. According to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the document issued by the council, "the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (paragraph 36.1).
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"But it's a dead language!"
Indeed. And in its "dead" state, it is stable. You don't have to buy a new Latin dictionary every year because slang words have been added to the language. It is timeless and connects us to our history. Latin is the language of the Church Fathers!
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"How can I participate when I don't understand the words?"
Do you fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity when it's explained to you in English? Just because you understand the words, doesn't mean you fully understand the mysteries of God. You can still enter into a prayerful state of reflection while listening to Gregorian chant in Latin despite not being able to translate it. And I would wager a lot of you know more Latin than you think! Dominus, regina, salve, Agnus Dei...the list might go on even farther for those of you who were raised singing everything in Latin. Fret not over what you cannot understand, but use the calm and tranquil melody of Gregorian chant to worship God interiorly.
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Ad Dei Gloriam!
Crystal Biccum is Assistant to the Notre Dame Music Director, Mike Renneke. A professional musician, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Performance. A retired Air Force Bandsman, she is currently pursuing a Master of Catholic Studies from Franciscan University and a Master of Sacred Music from the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. You can usually find her seated at the organ during Mass and occasionally chanting. Feel free to come up to the loft and say hello!
8/30/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! The last time I wrote the Wednesday Message I gave an update on our parish capital campaigns and projects. Since more has developed since then, here’s another update. Praise God, the active portions of our campaigns are complete! I want to sincerely thank all our many parishioners who participated in the campaigns, either by their pledges, or by volunteering, or both. To date, our parishes have raised:
St. Bridget - $112,329.96
Holy Ghost - $909,764.01
Notre Dame - $3,135,0041.00
Pledges/gifts can still be made throughout the course of the five-year redemption period. If you couldn’t pledge earlier and would like to, you may still do so.
At St. Bridget, when the parish finance council met in early May, we agreed to move forward with the church window and interior repainting. A small committee has formed and is still looking for more members to help advance the church painting and other capital projects. It has been a struggle to obtain responses and estimates from various contractors. We have obtained a solid estimate for the restoring and repainting of the church windows and will be seeking others. Due to the size of the project and contractor availability, this will not begin until spring. Interior painting will need to follow that. Please let us know if you would like to join our committee to help advance our projects.
At Holy Ghost, we recently finalized our contract with Rhom Construction to begin work on replacing the front exterior steps of the church, several slabs of concrete sidewalk going out from the front of church, as well as constructing a gathering space and confessional below the choir loft. Work on the interior gathering space and confessional is set to begin September 5th and will likely take about six weeks. Initially, we anticipated the concrete work on the front of church to begin weeks ago, but we have had difficulty finding a contractor with availability to do the project. Having made a few modifications to the design and construction process of the steps, we are remaining hopeful that we will be able to start with a contractor before winter. Even though there will be work being done this fall on the interior and exterior of the front of church, we still anticipate being able to use the church for Mass. Finally, we are also in the process of obtaining updated proposals for interior painting and plaster work. This work can’t begin until the gathering space under the choir loft is complete, and until we have replaced the air conditioning units on the interior walls. Most painting/plaster work contractors at this point are at least a year out on their availability.
At Notre Dame, by the end of July, our contract was signed with Levsen Organ Company for the installation of our “new” (used) pipe organ for above the choir loft. Installation will not take place for another year as Levsen is booked out that far on other projects. Our building committee last met on August 21st with our new architect, Gary Kucko, to discuss his first design proposal for the Goldsmith Chapel Annex. The look and size of the building has changed from the proposed design used in the campaign after our committee further refined the priority list of needs for the building. It’s been determined that we cannot demolish the convent until we are certain of the footprint and design of the Chapel Annex. We are still hopeful of demolition happening this winter. We are also considering our options for salvaging materials from the convent building before its demolition. Many parishioners and others in the community have made requests for various materials. It is our hope to use some pieces from the convent (e.g., wood trim, flooring, and other architectural elements) in the new chapel annex structure. You will hear more about this once we have determined our final design for the chapel annex and our process for convent demolition and salvage.
This is an exciting time for our parishes. The funds that have been raised for the abovementioned projects not only help to secure the future of our parishes, but they are necessary for our parishes to accomplish our mission of inviting all people to encounter Christ and inspiring them to become saints. I ask your patience as our parishioner committee members work to advance these projects. You will notice that the one consistently repeating chorus in the above descriptions is that the slower speed of our projects is determined mostly by low contractor availability. Most of these projects will come to fruition gradually over the coming few years as careful planning takes place and both funds and contractors become available.
If you have concerns, questions, or ideas regarding any of our parish projects, please reach out to our committee members whose contact information may be obtained through the parish office:
St. Bridget: Ted Amelse, Scott Pulver, Renee Jackson. Please let us know if you are interested in participating on this committee!
Holy Ghost: Chad Brady, Tim Strader, Larry Dahl, John Abbe, Karin Hawkins, Rachel Ouimet, Paula Hanson.
Notre Dame: Deacon Kevin DeCook, Gary Gray, Jerre Eckes, Sue Van de Loo, Ted Derks, Joseph Klinkhammer, John Shakal, Joanne Stuttgen.
In Christ,
Fr. Jesse Burish
8/23/2023 Wednesday Message
My family has spent a good deal of time this summer at the public library. Strolling through the aisles with kids who don’t yet know how to read themselves means that much of “book selection” duty falls to me.
I am writing today to admit to you all that I almost exclusively pick books based on their covers.
If the cover has dinosaurs or construction machines, it gets picked. If it has an alliterative title, it goes in the bag. If it has pop-ups or ‘scratch ‘n sniff’ pages, it gets snatched up. If it is a pop-up book about dinosaurs called “Daily Dose of Delightful Dinosaurs” I carry it above my head like the Lectionary.
Note: I can hear the collective consciousness of the internet crying out, “don't judge a book by its cover!”
I’ll avoid the cliche by taking a more modern approach. What if we were to judge a movie only by its trailer? What if we judged a new activity or hobby only by the initial feeling or reaction? What if we judge an email by its opening line?
If you were to continue an activity based only on its initial feeling, what would you never do?
I’ll tell you mine. I would never run. Anyone who has been a ‘runner’ for any amount of time will tell you about the euphoria that comes at the end of a run, but the near insurmountable hurdle at the very beginning of a running career gets much less air time.
Is there an element of the liturgy that you ‘don’t like’ right now? Is there a part of your prayer life that just isn’t clicking for you - yet? Is it because of a metaphorical book cover? Or might you discover a few pages in or a few miles down the road that the Holy Spirit has gone to work on you through this discomfort and since revealed new joy and understanding?
It is only fair to reflect. Everyone deserves a fair shake. Every book deserves more than a cursory glance. As our parishes begin a renewed focus on sharing the joy of the Eucharist, I challenge us all to look for more than the scratch ‘n sniff pages. Pray through the discomfort. Stretch a little bit more. You might just find yourself in the middle of a real page turner.
Mike Renneke
8/16/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Our Lady of the Falls parishioners and friends! Today is the day after the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption! How did you celebrate? Were you Sharing the Joy?
Yes, I am bringing up Share the Joy again! Why? Because it’s IMPORTANT! Share the Joy is an invitation, a request, that all of you take a step back and then take a step forward. Take a step back to see the goodness of our faith and of the people around you. Then take a step forward by taking action and intentionally seeking deeper relationships and intentionally seeking or picking simple ways to care for your parish family.
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There have been a few things that I have been doing as a challenge to myself as Share the Joy has started. I will admit that I did not start planning Share the Joy with the idea that I would be doing anything differently. I am now finding that’s not the case at all!
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One of the ways I feel I have been asked to Share the Joy is by having four people who I especially pray for and intentionally walk with. One of those people was obvious, she and I pray together, talk about our faith and our struggles, and help each other through them. Another is someone who is very different from me but who I feel I am especially called to pray for and be present to. Another is someone new and unexpected and I do not know yet how God is calling me to journey with them. As for the fourth person, I don’t know who they are or if it’s going to change every week!
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Another thing I am planning to do personally for Share the Joy is to invite a group of friends to do an Adoration hour with me, specifically to pray for each other, and to then get ice cream after.
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How each of us chooses to Share the Joy is going to look different. However, there are 2 things that are going to be true for everyone. One, we each must choose to be a part of Share the Joy. Two, we are all called to deeper relationships and to have people that we will journey with.
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So, I would like to ask, have you chosen to Share the Joy? Who do you think you are being called to journey with?
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Thank you for reading my little note and let me know (for those of you willing to share) if there is anything that has come up since starting Share the Joy that has surprised you!
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God bless!
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Kate Zweber
8/9/2023 Wednesday Message
🎶 Notes from the Loft 🎶
Gregorian Propers for the Assumption Vigil
The Saint Cecilia Choristers have been working hard since June! They've learned not only how to sing square notes (the standard notation for Gregorian chant) but also how to pronounce and sing in Latin! Let's take a look at the Gregorian Propers you will hear if you attend the Vigil Mass on August 14th. Fun fact, the Assumption is Notre Dame's patronal feast day!
Introit:
Assumpta est Maria in caelum: gaudent Angeli; laudantes benedicunt Dominum.
Mary is assumed into Heaven: the angels rejoice; joyfully they bless the Lord.
Communion:
Beatam me dicent omnes generationes, quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, alleluia.
All generations shall call me blessed, for He that is mighty hath magnified me, alleluia.
For the Offertory they will sing the Simple Tone Salve Regina, as this is an acceptable option as per the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
Worship aids will be provided and we hope to see many of you there. Let's support these young ladies in their endeavor to make a joyful noise to the Lord!
Ad Dei Gloriam!
Crystal Biccum
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Crystal Biccum is Assistant to the Notre Dame Music Director, Mike Renneke. A professional musician, she holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Performance. A retired Air Force Bandsman, she is currently pursuing a Master of Catholic Studies from Franciscan University and a Master of Sacred Music from the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. You can usually find her seated at the organ during Mass and occasionally chanting. Feel free to come up to the loft and say hello!
8/2/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
A few weeks ago we had the parable of the weeds in the wheat. I wanted to share a really great homily that I listened to by Fr. Mike Schmitz on that parable. I hope you find it inspiring. https://youtu.be/xfIrRFrBfB8
Keep on fighting for your faith!
Paula Hanson
7/26/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! I hope this message finds you all very well. I have to admit I am a bit tardy in writing my Wednesday Message! But as I’m writing a bit late, it happens to be the feast of Ss. Joachim and Anne; the parents of our Blessed Mother, Mary. At Mass, the prayer after communion helps us to reflect on the mystery of how God uses families in His plan for salvation:
“O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should be born from among humanity
so that by a wonderful mystery
humanity might be born again from you,
we pray that, in your kindness,
you may sanctify by the spirit of adoption
those you have fed with the bread you give your children.
Through Christ our Lord.”
God willed that Jesus be born from “among humanity.” God also willed that each of us be saints from “among humanity.” That is, God calls us to Himself no matter our circumstances, especially the circumstances of our families, which can influence us particularly heavily. I, myself, have yet to meet a family (including my own!) that didn’t have some struggles; some smaller, some larger. Nevertheless, God chooses to sanctify each of us “by the spirit of adoption.” We are adopted as God’s children; born again through our baptisms. Of course, we know that our particular family struggles don’t disappear just because we are striving for holiness. However, we can let God begin that healing process, first in ourselves, then in others through us as His instrument.
In all of this my heart goes out to those whose children and grandchildren are no longer practicing their Catholic faith. Many dozens of people have expressed their grief and concern on this front and rightly so! We especially want the people we love the most to go to heaven. Not seeing them have that same desire is very distressing. There may be a time and place to discern how we might have done things differently, but most of all we continue to seek their return by prayer, example, more prayer, gentile invitation, and even more prayer. We pray especially that God would soften their hearts to hear His call; to know of His love. We pray that God would continue to form our own hearts to be an example of faithfulness. We pray that God would show us the moment when we might make an invitation back to faithfulness. Finally, know of my own prayers for you all! Ss. Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
7/19/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone!
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Thank you for all the prayers and support for my brother and on his ordination day! Above is a picture from Father Zweber’s first Mass during one of the most beautiful parts of that weekend, consecration! We should all try to make the Eucharist a source of our Joy!
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A few weeks ago Father Guenther spoke of Mother Teresa’s decision to share the Joy of the Eucharist. How she would even Share the Joy of Christ’s presence while feeling very far from Him herself. We all have the ability to do this, no matter where we are in our faith life!
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Years ago, as a young college student in a new city, I went to Mass and my only plan was to pray reverently and meet my Sunday obligation. I often felt a great sense of peace and Joy after receiving the Eucharist, but I did not look outside of myself to find ways to share that joy. I see so clearly now how much I missed out on! There is so much Joy and beauty possible when we look outside of ourselves and take a step towards connecting with someone else! A quick word of welcome or a simple act of kindness, even just a smile can show someone else that they are seen, they are known, and they are loved!
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My approach to Mass started to change when a stranger in the pew next to me turned, looked me in the eyes and said, “You, young lady, seem nice but you could really smile more.”
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I am a little embarrassed to say how much I needed to hear that! I let self-consciousness, shyness, and a narrow focus prevent me from letting others see my own Christian Joy and from sharing that joy with others. I let those things prevent me from seeking authentic friendships, and even the strengthening of my own Joy in Christ.
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Today, I’m giving you a nudge like the nudge I received from that stranger all those years ago. If we believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist and in us, in our very being, as we receive Him, we know that our lives and our joy should be shared with each other!
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I invite you to begin this journey with Our Lady of the Falls to show everyone here that they are seen, known, and loved. Throughout the year, you’ll see suggestions in the bulletin and the Share the Joy posters every month, but every person is different! How do you think you can join us in Sharing the Joy?
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With just a little bit of extra effort, each of us has the ability to help someone see the Joy of Christ. we can’t underestimate God’s ability to make an impact in us and in others if we are willing to do even a simple thing for Him! Today I, along with Father Burish, Father Guenther, and Deacon DeCook, invite you to grow with us in our Joy in the Eucharist and to come and Share that Joy with each other.
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God Bless!
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Kate Zweber
7/12/2023 Wednesday Message
Do we really believe in the power of prayer? When someone is having a hard time and you know they need prayer, what is your response? Do you take the easy route and tell them you will pray for them? This has been my approach for decades. It is easy and seems to be appreciated. From a practical standpoint it is quick in a situation that would otherwise be awkward or at the very least uncomfortable to do at the time. As a matter of fact, that is usually what I get when someone recognizes that I need prayer.
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I personally have been having that model challenged. How about when God nudges us to pray for a person, we stop what we are doing and pray for that person right then and there! Does that scare you? It does me! What if I say the wrong thing, what if I sound stupid, what if the person does not want me to pray for them right then, prayer is supposed to be private, that is a protestant thing, this makes me uncomfortable… The list of reasons goes on.
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I have occasionally got past all these excuses and actually have prayed for people in the moment with a definite quick prayer to the Holy Spirit to help me out first. In almost all situations it has been a great experience where none of the above reasons not to pray in the moment were true. The prayer usually only takes a minute or two and the person on the receiving end was very appreciative. They were heard, they felt their pain was acknowledged, they knew you really cared, and most importantly God was brought into the pain and was invited to bring healing, peace and joy to the issue.
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I invite you to get over the fear of praying for others in their immediate need and bring God’s love, peace and joy to them right away! If you believe in the power of prayer, do not delay in bringing God’s healing power to a soul in need.
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God Bless your efforts!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
7/5/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear friends,
Just last week I sat down to meet with a newly married couple. As we enjoyed our beverages at the new Caribou Coffee shop in Chippewa, they told me how they have been desiring to join the Christian Initiation program and become Catholic. Except, guess what? It turns out that they were already baptized Catholic, but their parents were not practicing Catholics and did not intend to raise their kids in the Faith. One of the individuals that I was meeting with was only baptized because it was his Catholic grandmother's dying wish... so he was baptized at the age of 14 years old, and almost never set foot in a Catholic Church again, since his parents did not find it important. When I asked them both why their parents chose not to live and share the faith, the answer I received was disheartening but all too common. It is the same reason that many of my Catholic neighbors have given to me when explaining why they no longer go to Mass or Reconciliation. This reason has been crippling faith for generations, and it needs to stop. What is it? That the Catholic Church is judgemental and makes people feel guilty.
Now, why so many people have this impression of Jesus' Church and its adherents may be various and complex, and we won't get into it here. However, can we all, as disciples of Jesus Christ, pray mightily against this notion and spirit of religious joylessness that many people have experienced? Regardless of how or why, many lapsed Catholics who view the Church as an unhelpful option have it all wrong: the Church is the center of joy and life because it is built upon Jesus Christ who abides with us in the holy sacraments! If we as Catholics have lived our faith without a spirit of joy (at times, I know I have), Jesus is calling all of us to renewal, both personally, and as a Catholic Community. The Trinity is communion of perfect love, and the Trinity is at work in the life of the Church.
As such, I invite you to consider how the Lord is calling you to live a life of greater Christian joy. I invite you to invite others to experience the joy of the risen Lord as well, who is alive in His Church. Perhaps an invitation to Catholicism on Tap on July 10th can kickstart this endeavor. (The topic happens to be "The Blessed Trinity: God in Himself.")
PS The young couple I met with has felt a warm welcome from our Catholic Community, and are joyfully pursuing Christ in His Catholic Church. They even invited a friend to join CHristian Initiation as well to be confirmed. And guess what, he said "yes," because they shared the Joy of the Gospel with Him: Jesus is alive, is present in the Eucharist, and desires to unite us all in a bond of peace!
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In His Peace,
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John Shakal
6/28/2023 Wednesday Message
She sat behind me in my 10th grade Biology class. I went to a high school with 2,500 other students so it was fair to admit that she and I weren’t close. She had spent nearly the entire semester sitting behind me as we learned about plants, fish, and trees in a shared silence.
One day I felt a stern tap on my shoulder.
“Your shirt collar is wrinkled.”
It was quite the opening.
“Thanks,” was my clever reply.
“I work at a dry cleaner,” she continued. “You should unbutton your Oxford collar before you put it in the wash.”
We never spoke again.
Do you know how many times I think of that? Do you know how many times that piece of advice rattles around in my head? It is an underestimation to say that I think about that every week. Every week since midway through 10th grade I have thought of the advice to unbutton my shirt collar before putting it in the wash.
I’m certain that we all have advice, sayings, or thoughts that live inside our hearts and minds. Small things in the day can bring these tidbits, profound or not, bubbling back up to the surface.
Now, imagine the flipside of this - how many things have YOU shared with someone else that might be bubbling in their brain on a near daily basis?
Catholic author and speaker Matthew Kelly says that our actions are determined by our last, most dominant thought. If you knew that something you were going to say to someone would continue to roll around in their consciousness long after the conversation concluded, what would you say? Would you be more careful with your words?
Living with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old I have learned very quickly that most of what I say outloud is going to settle deep into my children’s souls. At the very least it will get repeated in front of their mother.
We often get to see the impact of our words and actions on those closest to us. Children grow, relationships change, and connections are made and broken every day with words and actions. We rarely get to see the impact that a kind word, a friendly smile, or a tap on the shoulder with a bit of wisdom can have.
At Mass this weekend I’d encourage you to share a word. Start with a word of welcome. Build up to a word of encouragement. You just never know the impact you might have.
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Mike Renneke
6/21/2023 Wednesday Message
In a few short days, my brother will be ordained a priest! Growing up, we were very close in age, and I have jokingly told him that he should give some credit to his sister for his vocation. If anything, I think I’ve at least helped him develop the patience needed to get through 8 years of schooling and formation!
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All kidding aside, I have been able to be a part of my brother’s vocation in a small way. I was able to be there for the different steps that the (almost) Father Zweber has taken to get to this point. I have been able to laugh at him when he seems too serious. I have been able to pray for him and his vocation. Because of these things, he knows that he has the love and support of myself and the rest of the family and that is not insignificant!
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I am sure that each of you can say that you also, have been there for someone in your life, or you can think of someone who has been there for you. In seemingly small ways we can make an impact! My sister-in-law said to me recently that everyone needs to know that they are seen, known, and loved. Even without knowing the lady walking into church with you, or the man in the pew in front of you, you can treat them in a way that reflects this truth, that they are seen, that they are known, and that they are loved. We all need to be shown this and reminded of this sometimes!
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My challenge to you then, is to think of this and consider how you can show the people in church these three things. You do not need to know the person. You do not even need to engage in a conversation if it’s not the right time or you do not feel ready. A modest smile, a word of greeting or goodwill, and a simple action is all that is needed! And who knows, your act of kindness might change someone’s day, their view of the church, or how they view themselves. A simple thing you do might turn into a remarkable friendship that you needed too.
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I hope that you all have a beautiful summer! Please know that you are seen, that you are known, and that you are loved and please pray for Deacon John Zweber as he prepares for his ordination this weekend!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
6/14/2023 Wednesday Message
Would you consider yourself someone who is more contemplative/prayerful or more outwardly active in your faith life? Are you a stereotypical "Mary" or "Martha"?
The truth is that both dispositions are good, both are necessary in the life of the church, but contemplation is "the better part" as Jesus tells Martha. A few in the Church spend their lives in contemplative religious communities, immersed in prayer. Many, on the other hand, work in active ministries or apostolates as missionary disciples in the world.
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Why do I draw attention to this apparent dichotomy? First, I want to point out the complementarity of active ministry and contemplative life in the Body of Christ. As one who works in the apostolates of motherhood and Catholic education, I probably more often appear as a "Martha" but I am deeply grateful for the contemplative orders, the "Marys" whose prayer sustains me and others.
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Second, each one of us needs to find ways to tap into God, the spring of living water, in order to sustain our active ministry and not become like dry, broken cisterns filled only with pride. (I highly recommend the book The Soul of the Apostolate for more on this point.) Daily prayer is essential, of course, among other practices, but I want to focus here on the importance of consecrating longer periods of time to the Lord: the role of regular retreats in the life of missionary disciples.
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Personally, I am in the habit of taking two multi-day quiet retreats each year. Typically, my Advent retreat is to a pilgrimage site such as Holy Hill in southeast Wisconsin. In the summer, I often retreat to my family cabin in Hayward, with an Adoration chapel close by in town. Often, people will say something like, "Good for you that you are able to do that. I am way too busy etc." While it is true we are all in different seasons of life with varying responsibilities, I can safely say I am also quite busy. However, in my experience retreats are needed precisely because I *am* so busy. (Thanks be to God I have a husband who is supportive!)
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Every retreat, in some way, often unexpected, I grow closer to the Lord and, by His grace, allow my heart to be conformed more closely to His. I fuel my spiritual tank to go back into the world with renewed energy.
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So go. Go on retreat. Find rest for your soul.
In hope,
Molly Bushman
6/7/2023 Wednesday Message
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
The quote above is often attributed to Socrates. Whether it truly is or is not his quote is not the point of my sharing it. The point is that in our modern day we can get discouraged about our youth, however, that discouragement is nothing new. Sometimes it is easier to look at what is going wrong and pick out the negative than to see the good around us. It is especially easy to see the negative in others while overlooking the goodness in them. We were all made good and there is goodness there, even when we don't see it. Sometimes we have to actively seek it out, but where there is good, there is God.
With this in mind, I wanted to share some good words from today's youth. If you didn't know, my daughter Megan graduated from McDonell Central Catholic High School this year and was awarded the Bishop's medal. Along with this great honor, she gave a speech at graduation. I hope it inspires you and gives you hope about our future. Her speech begins 15 minutes into the video.
https://cesa10.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/t/1_2pqcurqp/255922113
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Paula Hanson
5/31/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I believe I may hold the diocesan record for spending the most consecutive months doing parish capital campaigns (September 2022 – June 2023). Unfortunately for me I don’t think they’re giving out any trophies. While I’ll be happy to be done at the end of June (when Notre Dame’s campaign concludes), I must say I’ve been learning a lot. By now most of us have probably heard of the “Inspired by the Spirit Campaign,” a campaign initiated by the Diocese of La Crosse to raise funds for capital needs such as making updates to the Holy Cross Diocesan Center, the establishment of a diocesan foundation, and including last fall’s Diocesan Annual Appeal. This was also an opportunity for the parishes of our diocese to raise funds for their own long-term needs with either a percentage or fixed amount of their total campaign goal being allocated for the diocesan needs. Our three Our Lady of the Falls parishes have been “taking turns” doing their parish campaigns. I thought I would take this opportunity to give you an update on the parish campaigns and projects so far.
We began St. Bridget’s campaign last September and quickly met and exceeded our goal of $90,000.00 by Thanksgiving raising over $100,000.00. The case statement items for the campaign were: new furnaces for the church, repainting the church interior (which includes repainting and reglazing the church windows), new refrigeration for the parish hall, and addressing the parish parking lot by seal coating or whatever seemed appropriate. The parish finance council met in early May and, with over $23,000.00 of campaign funds already in hand, agreed to move forward with the church interior repainting. A small committee has formed to collect a few more estimates to advance the project.
We began the Holy Ghost campaign in January and completed it by the end of March, with over $907,000.00 raised (as of 5/24/23). While short of our initial $1.1 million goal, we still have significant funds to begin our proposed projects: reconstruction of the crumbling front steps of church as well as sidewalks, exterior lighting, some exterior brick repair, seal-coating the parking lot, constructing a gathering space and confessional below the choir loft, updating the HVAC units, repairing the church interior plaster and decoratively repainting the nave and sanctuary, installing new church pews, sanctuary flooring, and altar furnishings. We have contracted with local architect Gary Kucko. His plans have been finalized and a permit from the state has been requested. We are also in the process of securing our general contractor. We anticipate exterior work on the church beginning as early as July and interior work on the gathering space and confessional as early as August.
We began the Notre Dame campaign in May with a goal of $3 million. As of 5/24/23, about $2.4 million has been raised. Our projects fall into three main areas: taking down the old convent building to construct a new entrance facility to the Goldsmith Adoration Chapel with handicap accessibility, bathroom, and parish meeting space; construction of a first phase of a parish center on the south side of the church with meeting spaces and indoor accessibility to the church, along with reconstruction of the church sacristy; and renewal of the church organ. We are establishing a committee of parishioners to assist in the selection of an architect, contractor, and to assist with the design and construction process. We are aiming to begin the process for demolition of the convent as early as this fall.
This is an exciting time for our parishes. The funds that have been raised for the abovementioned projects not only help to secure the future of our parishes, but they are ultimately necessary for our parishes to accomplish our mission of inviting all people to encounter Christ and inspiring them to become saints. I want to thank all our parishioners for investing in the future of our parishes. May God reward you!
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Fr. Jesse Burish
5/24/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope you have had a blessed Easter! As we find ourselves between the great solemnities of Christ’s Ascension and Pentecost, we have made several appeals concerning the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults and Children (we refer to these as OCIA and OCIC respectively). We were very blessed to accompany a number of people in to the Church and the fullness of the sacraments this year. I myself was very blessed to be more closely involved in our first year of OCIC. The desire that these two young people had for our Lord was nothing short of inspiring! Their baptisms at Easter were nothing short of beautiful! I know that my own faith was strengthened by their zeal. I could go on, but I guess my point is: Whom do you know that might be open to the Catholic faith? That could mean any number of things. A Catholic that has fallen away; a baptized Christian that might be open to the fullness of the faith in Catholicism; or an unbaptized Christian who hasn’t yet heard the Gospel. I would challenge you not so much to invite them, but to walk with them as a friend or family member; To share with them the gift you have received in your own faith. This can be intimidating, but know that Christ is with you on this journey of faith…and so are we! If you need help our have questions, we would love to help you.
Practically speaking, there are a few things that we can attend or invite others to over this next year. On Monday evenings we will have OCIA and OCIC; these are designed more specifically for those who hope to become Catholic or Catholics seeking sacraments outside of their normal reception ages (first confession and communion, and confirmation). There are also a number of opportunities for faithful Catholics to deepen their faith, keep an ear out for announcements and an eye on the bulletin for details on Catholicism on Tap, Christ with Us Adult Studies, and more!
Know of my prayers for you all!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
5/17/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello everyone, I hope you all had a beautiful Easter!
There are so many powerful moments leading up to Easter! It would be hard not to be moved during Holy Week as we walk with Christ and the other figures from the Passion. For a short while, we are immersed in the life of Christ, then, at the Easter Vigil we go through the Creation, and other parts of our history. In all of this, we are reading of God’s great love story to all of us. We are part of that great love story still! As we walk with Christ in His passion, He wishes also to walk with us in our lives. Lives that He cherishes!
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Are you willing to let Christ be with you in your life and to walk with you in everything that you face? Are you willing to let others be Christ to you and to walk with you? Are you willing to be Christ to others and walk with them in their lives? Sometimes the answer is an easy “Yes”. It is not always though. Sometimes we give up little opportunities to be there for others or we refuse to let others who want to be Christ to us care for us! What is a way that you can walk with someone today, tomorrow, this week, or this year? Let us not ignore the different opportunities we are given to be Christ to others!
Kate Zweber
5/3/2023 Wednesday Message
The World Day of Prayer for Vocations was this past Sunday April 30th. On this day in the Church’s calendar, we are asked to pray for vocations. The USCCB states “While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious life, societies of apostolic life, consecrated virginity), secular institutes in their diversity of services and membership, and to the missionary life.” If you missed praying for this intention, please do so now for if we don’t pray for vocations, we will not get them! If you happened to hear Father Burish’s homily this weekend, he expressed how a sign of a flourishing parish is to see what vocations are being produced in there. This had me reflecting on recent vocations in our parishes in Our Lady of the Falls.
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Starting with Notre Dame, we recently have had two men enter the seminary for the priesthood. John Francis who grew up in the parish is formally entering seminary this fall. The other, Dr. Michael Tupta, who joined the parish two years ago, has become a seminarian for his home diocese in West Virginia. Then, of course, somehow, I got ordained a deacon last May (truly anything is possible with God). We also remember Sister Mary Veronica of the Sacred Heart who joined the Poor Clare Sisters a few years back and just made her simple profession of vows.
At Holy Ghost, Sean Hanson has been working his way through the five-year diaconate program and, God-willing, will be ordained a deacon next year. Even though not a recent new vocation, I would be remised if I did not mention Sister Yvonne Hiess, SSND who has been serving St. Bridget’s for years in the parish where she was born and raised.
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Know these vocations don’t just happen by accident. For vocations to take fruit they need the prayers and encouragement of the parishioners of the parish. If you are inspired to speak a word of encouragement to a person that you think may have a vocation, please pray for them and then it is important to let them know that you see in them a potential vocation. Sometimes the individual will not see it in themselves until someone else points it out to them. In fact, this is a question I was asked when discerning the diaconate, “have others told you that they thought you might have a vocation to the diaconate”? Hopefully many called to God’s service in this way will be able to give a resounding Yes!
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Please pray often for vocations from our parishes!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
4/26/2023 Wednesday Message
It might be a side effect of my day job as a high school band director, but I’ve seen a lot of parades. As a musician I’ve been lucky enough to march in parades as varied as the Pure Water Days parade in Chippewa Falls to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. I’ve even marched in a parade down the Via della Conciliazione towards St. Peter’s Square where my college band played for Pope Benedict on New Year’s Day. The picture is of me, 15 years and 15 pounds ago, shortly after the Pope delivered his New Year’s blessing. (The torch was handed to me as the Pope departed, but I think it was more related to a local sporting event and less about the Vatican.)
While the word “parade” is synonymous with “procession” the two words typically don’t conjure up the same mental imagery. When we think of processions we typically think of funerals or a graduation ceremony. A parade is something boisterous and entertaining, whereas a procession tends to be mellow and dutiful - a dignified way to get from Point A to Point B. I like to think back to Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts and songs of “Hosanna!” - what a parade that must have been!
Something equally remarkable happens at the beginning of Mass and yet it is so familiar we might miss it. Mass begins and we rise and we sing. Are we that excited to see Father Burish? Is the music that good? Does Father Guenther inspire a sort of liturgical Beatlemania?
While we are always happy to see our faithful priests, truly we are welcoming Jesus. Through his Holy Orders the priest is configured to Christ and is a sacramental sign of the presence of Jesus. It is more than just a way for Father to make it from the back of the church to the front.
If we believe that he who is processing down the aisle of the church is not Father Burish nor Father Guenther - would you stand a little straighter knowing it is Jesus Christ, robed in priestly vestments, come to minister to us in Word and Sacrament? Would you turn and watch Him enter? Would you sing a little louder?
The beginning of Mass is an opportunity for us to witness the arrival of Christ into our churches. How beautiful that our lives and liturgies are filled with the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, quite literally down the aisle, whether that be for communion or veneration, confession or adoration. I pray that we may not lose the thrill of Palm Sunday in the joy of Easter. What a parade, indeed!
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Mike Renneke
4/19/2023 Wednesday Message
Friends, this is the week. To summarize "phase 1" of our Eucharistic Revival initiative, nationally known speaker and author Chris Carstens is coming to town. You don't want to miss it! Bring your family and friends (and kids! Email Kate kzweber@ourladyofthefalls.org for childcare).
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Thursday (4/20) at 6:15pm
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St. Charles Fellowship Hall | 810 Pearl St, Chippewa Falls, WI
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Event is free-will offering
Second, the Vatican International Eucharistic Miracles display will be at the Notre Dame GREC Dining Hall this Sunday, April 23 from 9am - 1pm! What a tremendous gift to view dozens of Eucharistic Miracles on the same weekend as the First Holy Communion for our young people at Notre Dame. Make a plan to check out the display and browse our inventory of merchandise (excellent First Communion gift resources!) this Sunday (4/23) between 9am-1pm.
Questions? Email John jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
I will pray for you; please pray for me and my family!
In His Peace,
John Shakal
4/5/2023 Wednesday Message
When I realized that my week to write the Wednesday message was Holy Week, I felt rather unworthy. I’m not a theological expert or a priest and there are so many others who could speak more clearly about the beauty and gift of Holy Week.
Then, I realized that the very gift of Holy Week is that none of us are put above or below another in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus suffered and died for us all, regardless of our merit. All he asks is that we walk with him and in his way.
As Jesus walks through Holy Week, let us walk with him and be his comfort. Below are some ways I like to reflect on Holy Week.
Palm Sunday- Jesus is humbly entering Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna in the Highest”. The people hail him as their king. Jesus is entering into his passion to show us what being a true king is about. How do I hail Jesus in my life and show others that he is my King? How do I humble myself as he did?
Holy Monday- Jesus is keeping fairly quiet. It is believed that Jesus stayed at the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus on this day. I imagine him spending some of his last quiet hours with those closest to him, enjoying the fruits of his creation through friendship and good food. How am I spending time with the Lord, accompanying him in his last days? Have I made a peaceful home for him in my heart?
Holy Tuesday (Fig Tuesday)- Jesus is hungry and curses a fig tree after he finds no figs on it. The tree had many leaves and appeared fruitful, but it was not fig season. Are we waiting for it to be fig season before we produce fruit? What spiritual excuses do we allow ourselves that prevent us from bearing fruit?
Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday)- This is the day that Judas goes to the chief priests and accepts money in exchange for handing Jesus over to them. It is the most painful when those closest to us betray us. It is a gift to be close to Jesus, but sometimes our closeness can breed over-familiarity and spiritual sloth. God has made himself vulnerable to us through his condescension. How do I abuse this relationship?
Holy Thursday- Jesus is sharing his last meal with his disciples. He institutes the priesthood and the Eucharist. Afterwards, he goes to the garden at Gethsemane to pray and his disciples fall asleep. He is arrested. Jesus spends the night imprisoned underground. It is believed that while he was alone there he prayed Psalm 88 . Pray it with him.
Good Friday- Jesus dies. God dies. We kill God. My sin puts him on the cross and his love for me keeps him there. Mary is watching her son and savior die. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Holy Saturday- All is still. Jesus’ body lays in his tomb. The earth waits in stillness for the resurrection of its Lord. Jesus is at work. He descends to the abode of the dead (Sheol) to free the just ones who have been waiting. Imagine Christ freeing Adam and Eve. This is one of my favorite icons of the “Harrowing of Hell” explained.
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Paula Hanson
3/29/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners.
Occasionally people tell me that they don’t like to watch the news because they get depressed, or angry, or frustrated. I’ve often heard people make the claim that our society is getting worse, that the world is… “goin’ to Hell!” Perhaps they are right. Either way, whether things in our world are just as bad as they always were, or they truly are getting worse, one thing is for sure: Our world is fallen. Sin and Satan still reign, not only on the grand scale of war, social injustice, and in the moral decay of our culture, but also in our own thoughts, actions, and omissions.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Jesus enters Jerusalem where he knows he will die. He knows he will encounter the worst of human depravity and be put to death on a cross as a result. But Jesus also enters the depravity of our world right now, and into our own lives and hearts. He willingly takes all this upon himself. He enters right into “our Hell” with us and shows us the way out, through his cross, and our own crosses.
As I look back at my own Lent, I’m more aware of some of the faults and sins that I just can’t seem to rid myself of, things that I don’t know how to rid myself of. With some things I feel greater discouragement and frustration. If you feel at all like me, Holy Week is just what we need! It is the time to completely surrender ourselves and let Jesus enter “our Hell” to take control.
During this Holy Week, what do you need to surrender more completely to the Lord? During this week especially, come to as many of the Holy Week liturgies as you are able. Pray for the conversion of our parishes and Catholic community. Pray also for the resolution of the great problems of our world and society. Pray for peace and for those suffering persecution. Pray for elected officials. Pray for the leaders of the Church. Pray for the protection of life, and religious freedom, and the family. Might I suggest offering a Rosary and/or the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day this week, or a visit to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for these intentions. Why wouldn’t special graces flow at this most holy time of year?
When all we hear of in the news are things that make us depressed, or angry, or frustrated, or we feel that way about ourselves and our own failures, let us not forget our greatest Christian power and duty! We may or may not feel that we are in a position to take “action.” Really though, we are! We are taking “action” when we surrender all these things to the Lord in prayer and place him in charge. Don’t forget that Jesus willingly enters Jerusalem and he will ultimately leave victorious.
Praying for a grace-filled Holy Week for you all,
Fr. Jesse Burish
3/22/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I think last time we talked about some of my favorite things as a priest: accompanying couples and young families though wedding and baptism preparation. On the other end of the spectrum, another very important part of priestly ministry is being with the dying and their families; those moments where eternity is in sight. During such times, the Church gives powerful sacraments and prayers to prepare souls for their journey. We hear in the prayer of anointing:
Through this holy anointing
may the Lord in his love and mercy
help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit…
May the Lord who frees you from sin
save you and raise you up.
We also hear the beautiful commendation for the dying that is prayed in those final moments before death:
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christian.
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the Angels and Saints.
With all this in mind, as a practical note, if you have any friends or family that are sick or elderly, Fr. Burish and I would love to visit them to receive the sacraments as soon as possible! Emergencies happen, but it is much better if we can make an appointment to come while your loved one is still lucid and can participate in the sacraments, especially to receive the Eucharist and make a good confession. Please do not hesitate until the last moment to call, if at all possible!
Finally, we are all called to reflect on the fact the we will one day die; we will enter eternal life and come before our Judge, all just and all merciful. We hope that, with an eye on eternity, we might truly live during the time we have been given! That we might truly strive for holiness and the works of charity, to which we are called as Christians, especially during this holy season of Lent.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
3/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Some of you may not know this but I love music! Do you ever listen to a song and wish there were words so you could sing along? Perhaps you hear something and you start wishing you knew how to dance without feeling self-conscious or funny. Music can express something we wouldn’t know how to express in words, something joyous and meaningful. Sometimes life seems like a song. The other day I had asked a volunteer to help with something totally new for her. She fell into this role so gracefully and well; it literally felt like a dance was being played and she knew all the steps. Where do you think the music is playing in your own life? Would you be ready to dance?
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The answer might sometimes be “no”. I think back to all the wedding dances I’ve been to. Have you ever been one of those people who sat on the side and watched everyone else dance? Have you ever left a wedding wishing you had danced more? I certainly have! I let uncertainty and self-consciousness hold me back. We all let things from life hold us back sometimes. Memories of when we’ve been hurt or let down. Fear of taking on something because you don’t know where it will lead. Fear you won’t be able to measure up somehow. Sometimes another person’s failings or mistakes that leave us feeling unvalued and unwilling to make ourselves available again. Unfortunately, this is something we see at church sometimes. I myself, am far from perfect. There are things I wish I could undo or fix, but with new humility and hope I will try to be better. We all need to hope for the future!
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Less than perfect people have been leaders in the Church. They have said and done things that should never have been said or done. These things are hard to deal with; hard to understand. We might be left with questions and feel uncertain or like we don’t matter. But you do matter and to say otherwise would be one of the biggest lies that anyone could utter! We are part of a different sort of symphony when we will turn to God and decide to love Him and His creation despite seeing the more broken part of the world that we live in. The song that we are a part of is made more beautiful because of the trials that we overcome to continue playing it.
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Today, especially in this Lenten season, let us think if there are any things that hold us back. It could be many things: fear of commitment, fear of not being who we think we are, fear of failure, fear of being less than perfect, fear of the unknown, fear of being judged, but these things make an even more beautiful “yes” when they are overcome.
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Blessings to all of you! You are in my prayers.
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
3/8/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello friends,
Last week I wrote about the Eucharistic Revival. This week I would like to continue that theme, a theme that we will be emphasizing and exploring for many months to come. Please see the poster and videos attached to see the short and long term ways that we are devoting ourselves more deeply to Jesus Christ, present in the Eucharist. Put April 20th in your calendar when Chris Carstens comes to town to explain the Mass in depth. This speaker capstone event will be hosted in the brand new St. Charles Borromeo Fellowship Hall in Chippewa Falls!
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John Shakal
3/1/2023 Wednesday Message
What aren't we more amazed? How come more Catholics aren't shocked and in joyful awe about Jesus being really and truly present in the Eucharist? As we continue our journey of Eucharistic Revival hear what St. John Paul II had to say about this essential topic:
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Want to hear more? Grab a coffee/tea and join your Fathers as they discuss our next steps into this revival
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Clear your calendar for April 20th 6:15pm as author and speaker Chris Carstens comes to Chippewa Falls to discuss "A Devotional Walk Through the Mass
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John Shakal
2/22/2023 Wednesday Message
The picture I’m sharing today is of my great-grandparents, Arnold and Laura Renneke. My Great-Grandpa died when I was young, but my Great-Grandma Laura lived to be 105 years old. Like most Midwestern farmers, my great-grandparents lived on the farm next to my grandparents; they shared a long gravel driveway.
After she died, my family spent some time cleaning the farmhouse. Have you ever been cleaning the home or storage area of an older relative and stumbled upon some ‘ancient’ gizmo or gadget? At first glance it seems arcane, out of date, or woefully inadequate. A cute sort of nostalgia sets in - “Can you believe people used to think this was helpful?” we’d laugh to ourselves.
Popular magazines have tried for decades to imagine or predict what future technologies would look like. Full of renderings and mockups they have tried to guess what a future decade would find useful or advanced. The modern understanding is that whatever the future holds, it needs to be bigger, brighter, louder, and flashier.
Going through my Great-grandma’s farmhouse I found myself bringing home a cast iron skillet. It has now become my favorite tool to cook with. It can saute, fry, sear, reheat, boil, bake, and a whole number of other things that I haven’t tried yet. The cast iron skillet has found great use in its simplicity. It doesn’t need any accessories. It doesn’t need any ornament. It does what it is supposed to do while also being capable of so much more that I don’t know about yet.
As I continue to spend time with it and marvel at its humble simplicity, it continues to reveal mysteries to me that as a young cook I would have never found on my own.
Sound familiar?
As Lent begins we modify our liturgy to its simplest forms. We skip the Gloria. We cover the statues. We use silence in the place of music. It is easy to think of Lent as a time of less, or as an arcane practice that has no place in the complexity of our modern lives; a cute gadget from a less sophisticated time. But to view Lent in such a way would be to miss the beauty of its simplicity.
Where in your daily life is there room for simplicity? Where in your daily prayer is there room for silence? Where might the lives of the saints lead us if we follow their simple instructions?
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Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame Parish
2/15/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
Wasn’t it just the other day that I was writing and wishing you a merry Christmas? Now it is almost lent! There have been many good and beautiful things that have happened at our parishes in the last month, and there are also many good things coming up! One thing I am especially excited about is that we have 8 new ushers who were just trained in at Notre Dame! We are also continuing to grow our group of greeters which has been another wonderful blessing at our parish!
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With all our new ushers, we decided it would be a good idea to do an usher refresher and training session. Preparing for the training gave me the opportunity to reflect on the role of our usher. Our ushers look out for the needs of our parishioners, often in ways that seem very simple. However, what they do in each of their duties helps us to put our attention more fixedly on our purpose in going to Mass, glorifying God! During lent shouldn’t we try to do something similar? Choose to do often very simple things that will help us fix our attention on Christ. Picking up from my last message, have you picked a new way to love God more this year? What will that look like as we approach lent?
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Have a blessed lent!
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
2/8/2023 Wednesday Message
I enjoy praise and worship music by a somewhat controversial group Hillsong United. Songs like "Oceans" and "What A Beautiful Name" play regularly on my Spotify. If you want, take a listen to their music!
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One song gets me every time. "So Will I" moves from creation to salvation, proclaiming a resolve to worship God and ultimately to serve His children. The final verses are as follows:
[God of salvation,]
I can see Your heart in everything You've done
Every part designed in a work of art called love.
If You gladly chose surrender, so will I.
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save.
If You gave Your life to love them, so will I.
Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire?
You're the One who never leaves the one behind.
The Church is a mission. Our schools are the preeminent apostolate of that mission. We are here to provide a Catholic atmosphere and teaching to Catholic students as well as to all who are open to receive it.
Some expect a Catholic school to resemble a banal painting of heaven: cherubic children playing harps on puffy clouds. I am sorry to disappoint, but the only time you will find heaven on earth is during the Holy Mass (see attached photos from Catholic Schools Week Mass!). However, what you will find in our schools is faith, hope, and love. In the midst of the messiness of the human condition, He is here. We worship Him, we proclaim Him, we serve Him. No, Catholic schools are not heaven on earth. Rather, they are the beginning of the narrow road leading to eternal life.
2/1/2023 Wednesday Message
One of my favorite events of the year is being able to witness First Reconciliation. It is such a blessing to watch students go into the confessional nervous and come out at ease and almost shining with grace. I can remember feeling like that as a kid as well. Feeling lighter and almost giddy after going to confession. I didn’t know why; it just was the way it was. Children are so humble and receptive that I think God delights in filling them up with grace. They just come to him with open hands and receive his mercy so fully.
As adults, the simple acceptance of God’s love is sometimes more difficult and mistaken as something we need to earn or don’t deserve. The truth is that we will never deserve it, but that it is given to us nonetheless as a completely free gift. We just need to get over ourselves and accept it. Our feelings of shame stand in the way of our being open vessels to God’s mercy. We have to work harder at accepting the fact that our sin isn’t bigger than God’s love and that there is no price tag on God’s love. It’s open to everyone, at all times, no matter what we’ve done or who we are.
It took me a long time to realize this in my own life. As I’ve mentioned before, I fell away from the Church after high school. It took my own daughter receiving her First Reconciliation to get me to go back to the sacrament of reconciliation after 16 years. I dreaded it. I didn’t want to admit to all of the stupid things I had done in my young adulthood. In fact, I had convinced myself that my sin wasn’t that big of a deal and didn’t really affect me. After I finally went to confession, my life started to change. It was a slow change, but I can still point to that confession as when my life started to make change. My anxiety started to fade away, I was happier, my life started to make more sense, and I had a deep sense of peace starting to take root in my soul.
My challenge to everyone, including myself, is to try to receive God’s mercy in confession like a child does. Believe that you really are forgiven and live as if you’ve been given the most wonderful gift imaginable, because you have. God delights in filling you up with grace just as much as He desires you to run to him with open hands and receive His mercy.
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Paula Hanson
1/25/2023 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Praised be Jesus Christ! With a new year comes lots of new things. For myself, it seems like a lot of new appointments on my calendar, almost all of them wedding and baptism preparation meetings. What a joy! Some of my favorite things at the parish are helping couples prepare for marriage and prepare for a child’s baptism. The only thing better is actually doing the weddings and baptisms! I look at these two moments, the moment when a family is formed and when a family is increased, as profound opportunities for God to be especially present. Even if a couple has been far from the Church or simply fell away from practicing their faith, both marriage and baptism help to open their eyes to the great mystery of creation and God’s unconditional love for them. First, when a couple becomes one flesh, we see in a particular way God blessing a natural union, but more than a blessing, a sacrament. That is, in a unique way God elevates the love of a husband and wife to reflect the mystery of his love for us and the Church. Then God invites that same couple to participate in creation (even if a couple isn’t able to have a child, God still calls them to fruitfulness in some way). I don’t believe I have met a couple that hasn’t been humbled at the birth of their child; how they are called to sacrifice so much, but do it willingly out of love. In the greatest act of love, the couple, through their child’s baptism, gives their child entry into God’s covenant; God’s everlasting covenant, by which we have the opportunity for eternal life in heaven.
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These are just some musings on the profound moments I’m blessed to accompany people in, but each of us is afforded these same opportunities to encounter God every day! In particular through our daily prayer, but profoundly in the healing and forgiveness offered in confession, but most profoundly in the Eucharist at Mass and in adoration. In all these ways and in many more, God calls each of us everyday into the depths of His love. He calls us to eternity.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
1/18/2023 Wednesday Message
Hello and happy new year!
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With the new year comes new opportunities, new sorrows, new joys, new struggles, and new discoveries. These things we expect with the coming of the new year. They are inevitable. Many of us are also looking at new ways to live our lives with new year's resolutions like eating better, exercising more, or getting out of bad habits. In this new year, why not look for a new way to consistently choose to love God more? Especially the goodness that he has placed in you and in your life.
I think about many of our volunteers who are remarkable examples of this. A volunteer with artistic skills volunteering to decorate the church. A volunteer with leadership skills volunteering to help with a church project. A volunteer with administrative skills volunteering to coordinate other volunteers for Sojourner House, Agnes Table, SCRIP, or the Homebound Ministry. I don’t know if all of these volunteers have thought about this, but they have taken something that God has given them and are using it to give Him glory!
If you’re wondering what it would look like to find a new way to love God this year, there are Adoration hours available, needs for volunteers in different areas, and things you can do in your everyday life to love Him more. You could choose one song to listen to every morning and sing the Lord’s praises. You could give up drinking anything but water on one day of the week. St. Therese and her little way was all about looking to do ordinary things with extraordinary love; let that be a guide for you!
I hope you will also take me up on an invitation of self-discovery. Find something good that our good Father has placed in you. Give Him thanks for this gift and seek ways to love Him more by using this gift. If you are not sure how to use a gift, go ahead and call the parish office, or, if you are a Notre Dame parishioner, please just give me a call!
Let this year be a year of new discoveries! Discovery of God’s love for you and discovery of how you can love Him in return! Let me know how your journey with this is going, I’d be delighted to hear about it!
Kate Zweber
1/11/2023 Wednesday Message
Friends, in my time as a Catholic evangelist and catechist, I have observed two practices (in addition to a personal sacramental and prayer life, which are essential) in the life of a Christian disciple that are particularly impactful: (1) study of Sacred Scripture (2) and spiritual mentorship/accompaniment. I invite you to see what is happening in OLF Catholic Community below, and consider if you might be poised to encounter God in either or both of these areas.
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1. Want to dive deeper into Sacred Scripture? Our Lady of the Falls is excited to be offering two new Bible Studies: on the Gospel of Matthew and the Salvation History. Both Bible Studies are offered during the week on Tuesday at 9:30am in the GREC.
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The Gospel of Matthew: Just in time for the readings for the year C Mass readings, take a deep dive into the Gospel of Matthew and unlock the hidden treasures of the most famous synoptic Gospel! All are welcome to join this 16 week Bible Study, which begins January 3rd. If you are interested in joining this study group, email Deana at jdsuilmann@gmail.com
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Salvation History: Does the "big picture" of the Bible confuse you? Buckle in for a fast paced journey through the Bible and witness the breathtaking harmony of God's plan to save his people! All are welcome to join this 14 week Bible Study, which begins January 10th. If you are interested in joining this study group, email John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
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Note: Do you have experience leading a Bible Study small group or would you like to learn? Our Lady of the Falls is offering small group formation to equip all Catholics to understand and share Sacred Scripture though Bible Studies. For more info, contact John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
2. Spiritual mentorship and accompaniment goes hand in hand with following Christ in His Church. We are all in need of authentic friendship with other people who are running after Christ. (The alternative is what the Devil prefers: isolation and autonomous practice of our faith.) For example, those seeking to enter the Church in OCIA are urgent need of vibrant and joyful Catholics who are exciting about living and sharing their Catholic faith! As such, I invite you to consider: how is God calling you to share your faith with others, to "mentor" or "accompany" them spiritually in authentic friendships? While we are need of growing our team of OCIA sponsors as we look to the future, accompanying others in their faith journey is more fundamental that OCIA. It starts in our lives today, as God has currently arranged them. As such, I invite you explore what being a spiritual mentor/sponsor might look like for you: check out "Sponsor Formation Night" this Monday (1/16) at 6:25pm in the GREC Joseph Room. (We will meet in the Joseph room briefly before moving to a different room.) There will be a 90 minute session on the practicals of discipleship and how to walk with another person in the faith. There will also be plenty of time for questions and insights for getting started. For more info, contact John at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
Know of my prayers for you!
John Shakal
1/4/2023 Wednesday Message
Evangelization is one of the most frightening words in Church for many of us. It is one of those things that we want “others” to do. However, evangelization is not the work of a few but is supposed to be the work of all us in the Church. I have always wanted to bring others to Christ, because my life with Him is sure better than it was without Him. But I felt that if I am just a good person and do churchy things then others will see that and come to want what I have in Christ. While that is a great start, it is often not enough. People most often need to be invited into the faith by someone they see living the faith. This is where I have so many times got hung up. I didn’t want to be that guy that pushed Jesus on people.
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Recently though John Shakal has been helping me through a book that Focus ministries www.focus.org uses on college campuses called Foundations of Discipleship by Curtis Martin and Edward Sri. While we are in the early stages of this book study, I can already see places where I can evangelize that I have been missing. For example, when someone casually asks me how I am doing, I don’t have to give the canned answer of “fine”. Instead, I can share with them the joy I have due to Jesus being part of my life! I need to be ready and maybe even practice a bit, about how to respond to people that ask me why I am joyful. I also need to remind myself that if I am not radiating peace, joy and love then why would anyone want what I have in Jesus? Think twice the next time someone asks how you are doing, and be ready with an answer that gives witness to the joy in your life that is found in Jesus Christ!
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Do you feel unprepared or nervous about sharing the Gospel (evangelizing)? Check out these simple evangelization tips from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
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God Bless!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
12/28/2022 Wednesday Message
Good morning! You might be one of the people who is reading this email first thing in the morning - you wake up, grab your phone, and dive right into the business of the day. Whether you are an early riser or a slow starter, this message is for you!
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What is the first thing you say when you wake up in the morning? What is the
first thing you do? Who is the first person you talk to? There is a healthy body of research that suggests our first moments, actions, and thoughts can dictate the direction of our entire waking day. Matthew Kelly, founder of Dynamic Catholic, describes it:
“Human thought is creative. What we think, becomes. You send your thoughts down one road, your actions are going to follow your thoughts. The actions of our lives are determined by our last most dominant thought.”
The Church recognizes this. The Church has prescribed texts for each day of the liturgical year, and the texts we have been talking about the most lately are the Entrance Antiphons, or ‘Introit’ in Latin. They are the ‘first thing’ we sing or say at Mass. Father Burrish alluded to this in his homily while wearing his flashy pink rose robes - throughout history the name, title, or reference of a particular day in the Church year becomes synonymous with first word or words from the Entrance Antiphon. The most recent example of this is the Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday, from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon - “Rejoice”!
Now think back to when you woke up this morning, whether that was minutes ago or hours ago. What was the first thought you had? What was the first thing you did? If the title of your day was based on your first word or action, what would each day be called?
I know in my house we would be celebrating a lot of “A Kid is Sick Thursdays” and “Where Did the Weekend Go Mondays”. The modern culture has co-opted “Thank God It’s Friday”; how often have you used this prayer yourself?
My challenge for you this week: put a piece of paper or notepad by your bed. For seven days, write down the first thing you think or do each day. One week later, look back over your list and see what it tells you about the road your thoughts are taking you on.
Mike Renneke
Music Director, Notre Dame Parish
Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash
12/21/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello and happy Advent!
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Today I’d like to give a special shout-out to all of the ushers for our parishes and to the new greeters who have been helping at Notre Dame. Greeting has been on my mind a lot lately, it’s a bit of an occupational hazard! As a reflect in this season of Advent, I have been specifically thinking about my own greeting to Christ in the Eucharist as I enter our church or the Adoration Chapel and of the importance of greeting others as they walk through our doors. The warmth and kindness you show when welcoming others is a way to let them know they have a place here, that we care, and that we are happy that they’ve come. I am grateful to all of those who make this happen. Our ushers and greeters in particular, but also those of you who make an effort to say hello to someone you do not recognize or who always send a quick smile to someone you’ve never seen before.
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These things are especially important as we approach Christmas! With Christmas, we will have many visitors. People from out of town and people who may not come to church often. We do not know where they are in their spiritual journeys, but we can be assured of this, we each have Christ within us. I’d like to also add that we sometimes need to recognize Christ in others before they can recognize Him in themselves. Let us greet each other then, this Christmas and always, with warmth and kindness, knowing that we each have a place here in our Catholic community and that Christ is living among us!
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I also want to encourage you to think about how you will greet your savior on Christmas day as you come in for Mass. John the Baptist leaped for joy to be near Jesus. The magi traveled hundreds of miles to humbly worship this small child. Simeon and Anna waited years to catch a glimpse of the Messiah. Can you imagine how they trembled as they saw him and could hold him in their arms? And we get to be even closer to him every time we go to Mass as we receive Him in the Eucharist! There are many little prayers we can say to get ready to greet Him. A simple one that I have been praying with this year is this, “Father, please remove any barrier that prevents me from jumping up to meet you. Remove any fear in me that prevents me from taking the journey that brings me to closer You. Remove any doubt that prevents me from trembling for joy as I draw near to You.” Let us get ready to greet each other and Our Lord with great joy this Christmas!
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
Volunteer & Hospitality Coordinator
Notre Dame Catholic Church
12/14/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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As Advent is the start of a new liturgical year, characterized by the theological virtue of hope, this is also the time of year when we at MACS are already preparing diligently for the following school year. Enrollment opens on January 29, 2023, the first Sunday of Catholic Schools Week. We are excited to share that we we will be moving forward with renewing our preschool programming to provide whole-child, Catholic faith-based 3K and 4K to Chippewa area families. We intend to include school readiness attainments while also incorporating virtuous habit formation, outside exploration and play, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and more! We are also looking for individuals who are interested in becoming trained as CGS catechists, so please contact Mary Beth Pfeifer or Mary Huffcutt in our central office if you are interested at (715)723-0538. Please watch for upcoming dates for a parent informational meeting and registration event and pray for the success of our new program launch.
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Harkening back to hope, the theological virtue most consonant with Advent: hope is what resonates with me both personally and as leader of our schools. Hope believes in the morning at midnight, sees the Resurrection in the crucifixion. Hope believes in the harvest at planting time, sees the future evangelist in the skeptical adolescent. Hope is what is needed more than anything else in this broken world, especially for our students. Even secular mental health experts will tell you that hopelessness is the true epidemic of our time. This is why the mission of our Catholic schools is absolutely essential! We must become a beacon of faith, hope, and love in our communities, especially with our young people who ARE the future of our Church. Here at MACS, we persevere in hope and trust in God's faithfulness. The Holy Spirit never fails, and hope does not disappoint us.
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Blessings to you in gratitude for your support in this Advent and Christmas season. Come, Lord Jesus.
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-Molly Bushman, MACS President
12/7/2022 Wednesday Message
For Advent, I am reading daily reflections by St. John Henry Newman. One of his reflections reminds us of the importance of wonder. Wonder abounds during the seasons of Advent and Christmas if we look with the eyes of a child. I am certain that one of the greatest blessings God has given me in working with youth (through RE, MACS, and with my own three children) is being able to witness their wonder. It is humbling and a challenge to grow in being child-like.
Below is an edited version of Newman’s reflection from “Waiting for Christ: Meditations for Advent and Christmas” (the full version is Newman’s Sermon 22: The Weapons of Saints). May we all rediscover wonder this Advent and Christmas and let it lead us to God and a deeper relationship with Him.
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-Paula Hanson, DRE Our Lady of the Falls, teacher of 3-5 music and band at MACS
“We have most of us by nature longings more or less, and aspirations, after something greater than this world can give. Youth, especially, has a natural love of what is noble and heroic. We like to hear marvelous tales, which throw us out of things as they are, and introduce us to things that are not. We love to fancy ourselves involved in circumstances of danger or trial, and acquitting ourselves well under them. Or we imagine some perfection, such as earth has not, which we follow, and render it our homage and our heart. Such is the state more or less of young persons before the world alters them, before the world comes upon them, as it often does very soon, with its polluting, withering, debasing, deadening influence, before it breathes on them, and blights and parches, and strips off their green foliage, and leaves them, as dry and wintry trees without sap or sweetness. But before that time, they have desires after things above this world, which they embody in some form of this world, because they have no other way at all of realizing them. While their hearts are thus unsettled, Christ comes to them, if they will receive Him, and promises to satisfy their great need, this hunger and thirst which wearies them. He does not wait till they have learned to ridicule high feelings as mere romantic dreams: He comes to the young; He has them baptized betimes, and then promises them, and in a higher way, those unknown blessings which they yearn after. He seems to say, in the words of the Apostle, "What ye ignorantly worship, that declare I unto you." You are seeking what you see not, I give it you; you desire to be great, I will make you so; but observe how,—just in the reverse way to what you expect; the way to real glory is to become unknown and despised.
He says to the aspiring: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve" [Matt. 20:26-28.] Here is our rule. The way to mount up is to go down. Every step we take downward, makes us higher in the kingdom of heaven. Do you desire to be great? Make yourselves little. There is a mysterious connection between real advancement and self-abasement. If you minister to the humble and despised, if you feed the hungry, tend the sick, succor the distressed; if you bear with the froward, submit to insult, endure ingratitude, render good for evil, you are, as by a divine charm, getting power over the world and rising among the creatures. God has established this law. Thus He does His wonderful works. His instruments are poor and despised; the world hardly knows their names, or not at all. They rise by falling. Plainly so, for no condescension can be so great as that of our Lord Himself. Now the more they abase themselves the more like they are to Him; and the more like they are to Him, the greater must be their power with Him.
Let us then, my brethren, understand our place, as the redeemed children of God. Some must be great in this world, but woe to those who make themselves great; woe to any who take one step out of their way with this object before them. Of course no one is safe from the intrusion of corrupt motives; but I speak of persons allowing themselves in such a motive, and acting mainly from such a motive. Let this be the settled view of all who would promote Christ's cause upon earth. If we are true to ourselves, nothing can really thwart us. Our warfare is not with carnal weapons, but with heavenly. The world does not understand what our real power is, and where it lies. And until we put ourselves into its hands of our own act, it can do nothing against us. Till we leave off patience, meekness, purity, resignation, and peace, it can do nothing against that Truth which is our birthright, that Cause which is ours, as it has been the cause of all saints before us.
This be our duty in the dark night, while we wait for the day; while we wait for Him who is our Day; while we wait for His coming, who is gone, who will return, and before whom all the tribes of the earth will mourn, but the sons of God will rejoice. “It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” [1 John 3:2-3.] It is our blessedness to be made like the all-holy, all-gracious, long-suffering, and merciful God; who made and who redeemed us; in whose presence is perfect rest, and perfect peace; whom the Seraphim are harmoniously praising, and the Cherubim tranquilly contemplating, and Angels silently serving, and the Church thankfully worshipping. All is order, repose, love, and holiness in heaven. There is no anxiety, no ambition, no resentment, no discontent, no bitterness, no remorse, no tumult. "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because He trusts in you. Trust in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord is an everlasting rock." [Isa. 26: 3-4.]
11/30/2022 Wednesday Message
Earlier this Fall, I gave a tour of Notre Dame Church to OCIA candidates and catechumens of our three parishes. Spending some time walking through the church building with those considering becoming Catholic is insightful. They ask questions about the kinds of things we are always used to seeing and don’t really think about or may take for granted. I thought I would share with you today some of the main points I made in that tour. Perhaps we might look at our church buildings in a new or different light.
It’s been said that architecture is the built form of ideas. In other words, the way in which one builds a building conveys their values and what they believe about its intended purpose. Therefore, church architecture is the built form of theology, i.e., what we believe about God, or relationship with him, and how he is to be worshiped. The church building, in the Catholic view should be a “catechism in stone” that everyone can read. Catholic church architecture has developed over the centuries as such a catechism. Many churches constructed in recent decades have not always used the architectural vocabulary of that Catholic tradition and theology. Many older churches have also been significantly remodeled. What I explain below about the Catholic church interior, therefore, will be clearer in some churches than in others. Whatever the case, these are some things to contemplate when you enter a Catholic church.
The Catholic church building should not be seen as just a utilitarian gathering space, but a sacramental space, an occasion of grace, a place where heaven comes down to earth, literally. A traditional biblical image for the church interior is the “heavenly Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is where the Temple was built, the very dwelling place of God for the people of Israel. Because Jerusalem was the holy city, it became an image for heaven in which God dwelled with his people for eternity. The Catholic church building should, therefore, be like heaven or the heavenly Jerusalem. The statues, images, stained glass windows, and icons of saints should remind us of their presence among us in worship. They should all stir our imaginations to the transcendent. Another image for the church interior is the Garden of Eden, i.e., a return to the world before the Fall, or rather a renewal of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. The whole of the interior should be beautiful, like a garden.
One enters the church building in what is called the narthex, the place of transition from the world of sin to the Kingdom of God. At the narthex, before coming into the main nave of the church, one passes holy water stoops. As we bless ourselves and make the sign of the cross with the holy water, we are reminded of our baptism, our initiation into the life of grace when sin was washed away. While many of our churches today often have their baptismal fonts up near the sanctuary so that baptisms may be visible to the congregation, traditionally, these fonts were often near the narthex, or even in a separate baptistry room or building to be a clearer sign of the transition into the Kingdom of God from the world of sin. Also to make the transition, many older churches often had their confessionals toward the back near the narthex.
When one enters the nave, or main body of the church where the congregation worships, it should be like entering a vast cosmos compared to the more confined and dark narthex transition space. The word “nave” describing this part of the church comes from the Latin “navis,” meaning “ship.” A ship or boat is a great image for the whole Church as in the “ark of salvation” for the world, calling to mind the fact that Noah’s Ark served as a refuge from the flooded sinful world. Similarly, we are on a voyage of faith in the Church as we make our way through life to eternity. In all the movements of the Mass (kneeling in adoration, standing in praise, or sitting in contemplative attention), we are going somewhere. We are going to the place of encounter with God in the sanctuary at the altar.
Finally, at the sanctuary we reach the fulfillment of the Jewish Holy of Holies in the Temple, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, the Presence of God. Today, this is the tabernacle, or during the Mass, the altar. Traditionally, the communion rail marked the transition into this space. At the altar, to where we are all journeying, Christ at Calvary is re-presented. The next time you walk into the Catholic church building, pay attention to the details. What reminds you and assists you on the journey to meet the Lord in eternity?
May God bless you!
Fr. Jesse Burish
11/23/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this message finds you all well and full of God’s peace! As summer has definitely ended and fall seems to be coming to a close rather fast these days…winter is approaching (if it hasn’t already arrived as I look out my window at all the snow!).
During the winter months, I often like to go downhill skiing. And perhaps similar to my last Wednesday message, I’d like to make a kinda cheesy, but (hopefully!) relevant point. When you are skiing and want to slow down there is a temptation to lean back and away from the hill. This is a mistake and often leads to a tumble. Rather, you need to bravely lean down hill and use your skis in order to slow to a safe speed or stop. This is true in our life of faith. As we move along our journey of faith there are many temptations and many times where we will have difficulties and doubts in God’s plan for our lives. This is natural. Many of us suffer with great crosses and temptations; much less all that is happening in the world around us. Our response, however, isn’t to “lean back and away” from the life of faith; we don’t shy away from our crosses and difficulties. Rather, we bravely lean forward, taking a leap of faith. And we “use our skis;” that is, we use what the God has given us (especially through the Church). We take time for daily prayer, weekly (or more frequently!) Mass, and monthly confession. As we end this ordinary time and begin Advent, what is holding you back the most from truly leading the life God wants for you? Let’s shed ourselves of these things and bravely take a leap of faith!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
11/16/2022 Wednesday Message
Time and Talent, we all have both, even if our time to share these is somewhat limited. Notre Dame has just completed an official Time and Talent Sign-up, but both Holy Ghost and St. Bridget’s could use your Time and Talent as well. At Notre Dame, we wanted our sign-up to be an invitation, an invitation to our parishioners to join us in the ministries we have, in order to accomplish our mission and goal as a parish. Thank you to all of those who filled out our form! We were blessed to receive many responses, both from new volunteers and current volunteers.
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Our goal as a parish is that we glorify God, strengthen relationships with Him, and bring others close to Him. What does it mean to be a part of this greater mission? It means that you have been given a role in something bigger, something bold and beautiful. If there is just one thing that I hope I can have you realize, it is this, that the role that you play has an impact on our mission and without YOU we will never reach the fullness of our potential.
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I am not good at allowing myself to recognize the good things I am able to do for God’s greater glory. I think that some of you might be the same way. This is not right! We have given Him gifts through our lives, in service, and in prayer and we must rejoice with Him in the giving of these gifts! This week I’d like to challenge you to do this: take delight in the fact that in your life, in how you serve now, and, for some of you, in how you will be serving soon, by these things you can give God glory!
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“Know, O Beautiful Soul, that you are the image of God. Know you are the glory of God.”
~ St Ambrose of Milan
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In Christ,
Kate Zweber
11/9/2022 Wednesday Message
How did we do on the picnics/dinners this year?
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I have often been asked how the Festival of the Falls combined city parishes events went this year. Having St. Charles, Holy Ghost and Notre Dame have their annual picnic/dinners on the same weekend was a great idea of the volunteers. After much collaboration and organizing a weekend was picked and the events were successfully accomplished. It was wonderful to see the parishes working together as they each decided to do what they do best. Personally, I had only ever gone to Notre Dame’s event. But with the new excitement of working together, I went to all three events, and it was great to see parishioners enjoying time together from all the parishes at each event.
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Being on the finance councils I can tell you that both Holy Ghost and Notre Dame had increased profits from their events from prior years. I don’t know about St. Charles, but I heard from the person donating the pork for their dinner that he gave substantially more pork than they asked for this year, and they still ran out! While I could not make it to St. Bridget’s picnic this year, I did see their numbers and they also did considerably better than last year. A big thanks to all our volunteers who made this year a success!
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What this says to me is we can do great work together when we put our mind to it. These community events are a lot of work, but they introduce our parishes to the wider community. I pray we will rejoice in this success and find new ways to bring our faith into the local community in ways that Jesus will be better known. When others see us working in union together it makes our faith that much more appealing and convincing that we have something worth having. This something being Christ!
God Bless!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
10/26/2022 Wednesday Message
Good morning! My name is Mike Renneke, and I write to you today as the music director at Notre Dame Parish. I’ve used my previous messages to talk about music and the Mass, and being the self-proclaimed “music guy” this certainly made some sense. Today, though, I’d like to reflect with you on the opposite of my professional work. We need to talk about silence.
Now, as the guy who is constantly putting notices in the bulletin to “join the choir”, talking about silence might seem a bit self-defeating. Silence also suffers from a bit of a public relations problem; too often we view it as a negative, or as the absence of something. If you turn on the TV and there's no sound, that is a problem. When the birds and bugs stop chirping at night, you know a storm is coming. Ask any parent with kids playing in the next room - silence is a bad thing!
Robert Cardinal Sarah wrote a book in 2016 called The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. In this book he calls for a redefinition of what silence in our lives means:
"Silence is not an absence. On the contrary, it is the manifestation of a presence, the most intense of all presences. In modern society, silence has come into disrepute; this is the symptom of a serious, worrisome illness. The real questions of life are posed in silence. Our blood flows through our veins without making any noise, and we can hear our heartbeats only in silence."
It is in the quiet stillness of our hearts where we are able to begin to process the rhythm of our life; where we can begin to determine what is music and what is noise.
So, here comes the challenge for the week: can you embrace the moments of silence as opportunities to listen? Can you create more silence in your life? What is God saying to you in the silence?
The irony is not lost on me as I challenge you to be silent while my two kids are in the front pews making joyful noise. I also don’t want you to click away from this email thinking I’m suggesting you stop singing at Mass. God speaks in silence, as he did to Elijah in the Book of Kings (1 Kings 19:11-13). The noise of our modern culture suggests we say “Listen Lord, your servant is speaking”. Instead let us be like Samuel - “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
10/19/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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As MACS President, one of the fun things I get to do is host our MackChat podcast, in which I welcome and interview guests including Macks faculty, students, and community members to chat about all things MACS, from campus ministry to sports to the classroom, as well as connections to our parishes such as our August episode advertising the Festivals of the Falls. I invite you to follow our podcast either on the Eau Claire Hometown Media website, Spotify, or iTunes to keep up to date with the latest and greatest episodes. Our most recent episode was a "Meet Your Principal" episode featuring Mr. Jerry Smith and student Ryker M. Thanks be to God, we are excited to share that both Mr. Smith and Ryker are currently going through OCIA and OCIF classes and, God-willing, will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter. Please enjoy this episode, which also includes Ryker's musings on Fr. Guenther's chess game and the origin of Mr. Smith's southern accent. As always, thank you very much for our parishes' support of our Catholic schools, and pray that we would continue to grow as a living witness to the Catholic mission of evangelization. We are here to serve our parish families by providing all students with a rich Catholic Liberal Arts education and vibrant student life, preparing them for their vocations as disciples of Christ.
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In hope,
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Molly Bushman, MACS President (and host of MackChat!)
10/12/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello everyone,
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Did you know that you have a part to play that no one else can!
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Just a few hours a month helping in one of the ministries at our parishes has an immense impact on your church. We have a vibrant faith community, achieved because of our dedicated volunteers who have given their gifts to see our parish thrive. Can you imagine the amazing things that could be done at our parish if all of our parishioners gave just one additional hour a month?
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Volunteering is good for the parish. It is good for us as well. I will admit, growing up I wasn’t always a very willing volunteer; I could serve at a food stand all day but oh how I would drag my feet if we had to take up the gifts! However, in volunteering (or being voluntold) in different areas, I learned several beautiful things as a child that are now engrained in my memory. One, I got to recognize as an elementary and high school student one of the most freeing things imaginable, that not everything was about me and that I had the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. And two, it showed me that every person has their own unique skills to offer that can make efforts and ministries flourish because of them.
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I’d like to encourage you to truly recognize that you have gifts to offer! For families, consider signing up to help with a ministry together. Dads, consider signing up for the same ministry as your son or daughter, or perhaps with buildings and grounds. Moms, consider helping your daughter or son with something like decorating the church or being a sacristan. There are many opportunities, and we are looking forward to getting you involved with them!
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What a gift it is to be able to walk with Christ in these ministries and with each other!
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In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
10/5/2022 Wednesday Message
There have been many wonderful changes to our religious education and confirmation programs that I (Paula Hanson) would like to share with you this week. Our faith formation team consists of Fr. Guenther, Paula Hanson (Our Lady of the Falls DRE), Renee Zimerman (Our Lady of the Falls CRE), Alexis Pomietlo (St. Charles and St. Peter DRE), Erica Boehm (MACS Campus Minister and Chippewa Falls Youth Minister) and many wonderful volunteer catechists. The letter below is from all of us as well as Monsignor Gorman, Fr. Burish, and Fr. Hokamp.
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Dear Parishioners,
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As our religious education team reflected on the previous year, we wanted to clarify our goal; to answer the question: why do we exist and do what we do? The answer came simply, We are all here to help bring our families to Christ.
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At baptism, parents promised to raise their child in the faith. The Church, for her part, promised to aid them on that journey. Parents are keeping that promise in making sure their children are receiving catechesis and we are here to assist them. However, we wanted to make sure we were doing our best. The clarification of our main goal, along with the opportunity to solve some scheduling difficulties and other challenges, helped us to make four principal changes this year.
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The first exciting change is that the Chippewa Falls Area Catholic Community, including Notre Dame, Holy Ghost, St. Charles, St. Bridget, and St. Peter, have combined forces for grades 1-10 religious education and confirmation. Our hope is to have a greater Catholic unity and to use our resources more wisely to serve you better. We are calling our new combined programs “Goldsmith Religious Education” and “Goldsmith Confirmation.”
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The second exciting change is adopting a “hybrid” teaching model for grades 1-8. In a nutshell, that means the program includes a family learning/teaching portion and a traditional classroom portion as well as a monthly all-family meal for building Catholic community. We didn’t make this decision lightly, knowing how demanding being a parent is. Our hope is to help families grow in faith, while still taking some of the catechesis load off during the traditional classroom time.
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The third exciting change is to our sixth-eighth grade curriculum. We have decided to use “EDGE” from Life Teen. Edge is a Catholic middle school ministry program that presents Catholic teaching in a way that young people can understand. It provides a safe fun place for youth to find solid Catholic community, to get answers to their questions about faith, and, most importantly, to experience Jesus in a profound and personal way. Edge is designed for and speaks to middle school youth. A typical EDGE night consists of a welcoming activity, a full group teaching, breaking into small groups for discussion, and a “send” portion with prayer. We have an adult core team who lead small group discussions and assist in other portions of the session. In addition, we have teamed up with MACS campus minister Erica Boehm so that both religious education and MACS students are socializing and learning together.
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The fourth exciting change is that we are moving to a two-year confirmation program. In year one of confirmation (public school students only) we are using the Youth Alpha Series and Life Teen’s “Purpose” confirmation program. Both programs focus on evangelizing youth and utilize small group discussion with a group of “core team” adults. In addition, Youth Alpha includes a retreat and Purpose has a portion focused on Lectio Divina and prayer. In year two, MACS students join the program, we finish out the “Purpose” confirmation program. Several other components are built into the year two program, but we will skip the detail at this time. It is exciting to focus on evangelizing youth and creating safe spaces for talking about faith while using relevant and engaging materials.
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The foundation of the new Goldsmith Religious Education and Confirmation program, as with all things, is prayer. Would you please pray for us, our catechists, and our families, that we might be blessed with a wonderful and fruitful year of Religious Education and Confirmation?
9/28/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this message finds you well and abundantly blessed in our Lord, Jesus Christ! Just a few weeks ago I was blessed to take a trip to Colorado to hunt Elk. Though I’m not a particularly good hunter, I love being outside in some beautiful areas both in our own state and, in this case, elsewhere. I remember, in particular, one long day. We began hiking up the mountain before the sun was up and spent nearly all day sitting behind our binoculars searching for elk. As the hours wore on without any action, I noticed I was just restless; I wanted to get an elk so bad! However, I was soon surprised by another thought: “What if I desired holiness this much?” What a humbling thought. Certainly I do desire holiness, but it is so easy to be distracted with so many things, even good things like hunting.
That being said the fall season is a great opportunity to re-center our desire for holiness. There are many opportunities at our parishes to help us on our journey to holiness: Religious Education, DTS, EPIC families gatherings, First Friday visits, and so much more. All of this along with our normal schedule of Masses, confessions, and adoration. Even in the midst of so many opportunities, we know that our Lord is always calling us to Himself ever more deeply in our daily prayer. We pray that the Lord would ever increase our desire for holiness!
Know of my prayers for you all!
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
9/21/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello everyone!
I was listening to the most recent Ask Your Father video (see all episodes here) when one thing they said really struck me. While both fathers have much wisdom and insight in their discussions, the thing that struck me was John’s reminder of the devil’s response to God showing him His plan for humanity. Upon seeing God’s plan for the world Lucifer rebelled and said, “I will not serve”. In that reminder, I thought, with the devil’s resounding “No” let my own voice be a resounding “yes” to God’s call and His asking me to draw close to Him. With his declaration of “I will not serve” Lucifer lost his place in Heaven; let us gain ours by saying the exact opposite! When discouraged, tempted, tired, or frustrated we have the ability to work past those things and to say “yes”, and in this moment we choose not ourselves but Christ.
We had a beautiful example of this during the Festivals of the Falls that happened at Holy Ghost, Notre Dame, and St. Charles last week. I have no doubt that there are many examples of this during the St. Bridget’s picnic as well. I wish I could name all of the families and individuals who helped with these events. There is one family who put particular effort to make Laissez Faire at Notre Dame the beautiful event that it was. Another individual had a key role in putting the Holy Ghost picnic together and though I know she was probably very busy and perhaps a bit tired she still stopped to welcome me with the biggest smile and a hug. To those individuals and to everyone who helped with our festivals and picnics I would like to say Thank You! Thank you for your efforts and for the gifts that you bring to our parishes! The Festivals of the Falls are over, and the church picnics are done for the year, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a thousand other ways for you to say, “Yes, I will serve You!”.
We have a beautiful Adoration Chapel and not all of its hours are filled; will you serve? We have church cleanings scheduled and sometimes not enough people who come; will you serve? We have hundreds of people surrounding us each week just looking for a smile and a kind word; will you serve? You have gifts to give that no one else can offer. With these gifts how do you think God is calling you to serve Him?
In Christ,
Kate Zweber
9/14/2022 Wednesday Message
Today I wanted to share some great news about all three parishes of Our Lady of the Falls. Father Burish some time ago asked me to sit on all the finance councils of our three parishes due to my finance background. My “day job” that supports my family financially is working as a CFO at a local Eau Claire real-estate company.
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Each year a budget is set for our parishes. Our fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th. When the estimated budgets for Notre Dame and Holy Ghost were set up last year, we were looking at a significant potential financial loss for the year just recently ended on June 30, 2022. Our finance councils were of course disturbed by this, as we never want to plan for a loss but there just wasn’t enough income to support the needed expenses. So, we came up with a plan to address it, as we felt all the expenses were necessary to run the parish in a way that would allow for not only maintenance but some growth as well.
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Our plan to invite parishioners to actively address the problem had multiple steps which included informing parishioners of the need and inviting them to reconsider their financial giving.
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I want to share with you, that our parishioners responded beyond our hopes and not only brought us out of our negative budgets but allowed our parishes to put a bit of money aside for future needs. Congratulations to all our parishes that have invested in our parishes to end the fiscal year June 30, 2022 in the black! I can personally assure you we are trying very hard to respect your giving. We are investing in the parishes in ways to help them maintain, as well as, look for new ways to grow in faith, discipleship, and outreach to not only our current parishioners but those who hopefully will join us in the future!
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God Bless!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
9/7/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear parishioners,
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Christ's peace to you!
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How often do you consider the power of your invitation?
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When I was a freshman in college I was invited to join a Bible study. Believe it or not, I confidently declined the invitation to join not once or twice, but seven times. After I declined for the seventh time, my friend asked me a question that finally made my heart open up: "Have you truly and prayerfully considered coming to Bible study?" My interior walls and stubbornness finally fell, and I finally received the grace of my friends persistent and gentle invitations.
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I was proud and overly self-reliant, but I, like every single person in the world, was craving relationship with Christ. As Catholics, we are offered the gift of relationship with Christ in the context of his Church. Think about it: since the Church brings holds ALL of the gifts and graces Christ wants to give his people, the life of Christ in His Church is the answer to all of the worlds problems. This Church is made up of imperfect people, but Christ still feeds us with His Body and Blood. So many people go without His nourishment, hungry and bereft of happiness. But what if we were more bold in our invitations? What if we were more prayerful and persistent in our proposals to others to encounter Christ, their one true happiness?
I encourage you to join me in praying for greater boldness and zeal, so that no one lives without the Joy of Gospel simply because we did not invite them. (Note: on average, a person must be invited 7 times to a ministry event before they agree to attend. Don't be surprised be a few "no" responses. My friend wasn't!)
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In His Peace,
John Shakal
8/31/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
Fr. Justin Kizewski, former pastor of Holy Ghost and St. Bridget, would sometimes joke that he wanted to get a t-shirt that read this on the front: “This is me on prayer.” In other words, “If you think I look bad now, just imagine what I’d look like if I didn’t have a lot of people praying for me!” It’s funny, and I laugh at it because feels true for me as well. Every one of us, of course, regardless of vocation, has their own unique crosses to bear. But the case may be made that our world today poses some greater challenges to priests and the priesthood than in previous generations. There is undoubtedly a spiritual war taking place, and Satan does not like priests. I know several priests just in our diocese alone who over the last few years have not simply aged out or retired, but left in the prime of their ministry due to poor health, physical injury, personal struggles, scandal, etc. I can’t think of any other reasonable explanation for this line up than a battle that is at its core a spiritual one. I love being a priest and I believe all that the Catholic Church teaches about the priesthood. But I’m also fully aware that the pressures and temptations are great, and I’m also truly grateful that I have so many that pray for me.
In times such as these we must continually re-commit to prayer, not only prayer for priests, but regular and consistent prayer in general. Prayer is simply putting ourselves in touch with reality by taking time to humbly place ourselves before the Lord and be open to his will. If you can sign up for an hour of Eucharistic adoration at the Goldsmith Chapel, please do so by calling Andy at 715-568-5243, and/or consider coming to adoration at Holy Ghost on Thursdays from 3-5pm. There is also a prayer group that meets every Monday at 9am in the Goldsmith Chapel that prays for our families, parishes, Church, nation, and world. The Rosary, Chaplet, and Litany of Trust are offered. Please join them! I also invite you to take part in our Bible studies. The updated schedule is in the bulletin. The more we grasp the Scriptures, the better we can pray with them. Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to the seven women from our parishes who participate in the “Seven Sisters Apostolate.” They commit to an hour of prayer each week for both Fr. Guenther and me. To them I am truly grateful, and I don’t thank them enough.
Please remember to pray for me, Fr. Guenther, the other priests of our deanery and diocese. I’d like to recommend a great prayer written by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus:
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O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests; for your unfaithful and tepid priests; for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for your tempted priests; for your lonely and desolate priests; for your young priests; for your dying priests; for the souls of your priests in purgatory. But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …). O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
8/17/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello to all of you!
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All three of Our Lady of the Falls parishes have groups of volunteers who generously make and serve meals at a homeless shelter in Eau Claire. For months Notre Dame had been looking for a lead volunteer for Sojourner House. We had an amazing and dedicated volunteer, Joan Hosley, filling this position for many years. Joan did an incredible job keeping the group organized and informed. When she had to step down, we were not sure who we would find to fill her shoes. However, after much praying, searching, and asking, we have someone to fill this role! The first time I spoke to Kellie Wagner I got off the phone thinking how thankful I was of all the great people we have in our Catholic Community. I was also struck by how organized and kind she was. After getting the chance to meet with Kellie, I can say that those initial impressions certainly rang true! Kellie has generously stepped up to use her gifts as the Sojourner House Lead at Notre Dame!
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Perhaps you are not called to serve Christ and His Church like Kellie is, and that’s okay! However, you do have many unique gifts that God is inviting you to use. The Church and the world will not be the same if you don't. Using these gifts and offering them to Him is especially pleasing to Him. Afterall, He gave you these gifts for a reason! If you are looking for ways to use your gifts and to serve our parish or community but aren’t sure how, I would encourage you to reach out to your parish and see what opportunities are available. What things bring you joy? Is there a way for you to do those things while serving others? We become better versions of ourselves when we use the unique gifts that God has given us. We miss out on so much joy and fulfillment when we let them remain untouched!
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You have gifts that no one else can offer. How are you going to use them?"
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In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
8/10/2022 Wednesday Message
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Luke 12:49
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, one can almost hear the longing in Jesus’ voice. This begs a question: do you and I share His longing? Do we understand His desire for us to set a fire on this earth? Sharing the Gospel - lighting this spiritual “fire” - is evangelization. Evangelization is essential to Our Lady of the Falls’ mission to invite all people to encounter Christ and inspire them to become saints. However, many of you may not be aware that there is a Catholic evangelization team right here in Chippewa Falls!
I am happy to share that John Shakal, parish Director of Outreach and Evangelization, will be stepping up as leader of our local St. Paul Street Evangelization (SPSE) team. In 2017, I founded the team through Holy Ghost parish, with activities such as evangelizing at Irvine Park, OneFest, the Bridge to Wonderland Parade, and through prayer ministry at St. Francesca Resource Center. The team includes members from all of the city parishes and, thus, is a great example of the increased collaboration we all hope for. However, after beginning my work at MACS in 2019, I have not been able to devote very much time and energy to the team. Thus, I am so very grateful to John for stepping up to the call to team leadership, and excited to see what the Lord has in store.
You may be asking, what exactly is SPSE? Founded in 2012, SPSE’s mission is to train, equip, and mobilize Catholics for the urgent work of evangelization. Nationally, SPSE provides the tools and resources for Catholics to engage the culture in a simple, non-confrontational method of evangelization which involves making themselves available to the public to answer questions about the faith and to pray with those who request it. True evangelization begins with listening and authentic friendship, continuing with proclamation of the message of salvation (kerygma) and invitation to follow Jesus in His Church. Often this involves sharing sacramentals such as rosaries or Miraculous medals and praying with others. Believe it or not, in five years of evangelizing, not one person has refused me an offer to pray with them!
Joining our evangelization team is one way to live out the call to become a missionary disciple. As people in the pews, it is normal for each of us to be in a different place in our relationship with God. A beginning disciple has committed their life to Jesus and is just beginning to grow in habits of discipleship like prayer, fellowship, etc. An intentional disciple consciously lives the habits of discipleship and has a close relationship with God through His Church. Finally, missionary disciples are both inward and outward-focused in their faith, having embraced the mission to “set the earth on fire” with Jesus’ love. They have a strong desire to use their gifts to build up the Body of Christ.
I invite you to ask the Lord in prayer whether He might be calling you to missionary discipleship through involvement in our parishes’ SPSE apostolate. If you would like to learn more, please check out the team website at www.streetevangelization.com/chippewafalls or email our new team leader, John Shakal, at jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org
No matter what “phase” of discipleship you might find yourself, know that God sees you as you are, loves you as you are, and in that love is always calling you to more.
In Christ our hope,
Molly Bushman
7/27/2022 Wednesday Message
The morning of Friday, July 1st I was rushing in from Holy Ghost parking lot to make it to 8:30am Mass on time. I was thinking of how Fr. Burish always seems to start Mass early (not how I tended to be just on time or late). As I rounded the corner of the church and started to ascend the steps, I looked up and saw this. (For more info click here.) Everything stopped. What was I supposed to think of this?
As I sat through Mass, I tried to focus but my mind kept coming back to those two huge X marks on our church doors. I knew it had to be a protest against the over-turning of Roe v. Wade that happened a week prior, but my mind wasn’t focused on that, I was instead thinking about our cancel culture. It is very real that some in our culture want to cancel the Catholic Church. How do we respond to this?
Well, some thoughts from family and friends responding to the vandalism picture I texted them were helpful. One response was, “I’d rather have paint than the right to abortion.” Another, in response to the vandalism at Notre Dame, was, “Well, whenever I walk past that doorway at Notre Dame that says “no,” I’m making it my goal to say “yes” to God. Look at what is most profaned in the world, and you’ll find what is most sacred.” Another was, “Wow! So it begins.” What would your response be?
We, as a Church, are not strangers to persecution. If we are living the Christian life well, we are living as pilgrims, helping ourselves and each other to get home to heaven. This means that what we believe will appear strange and foreign to those who don’t know or fully believe in the Gospel. Persecution is good in the way that it makes us think about why we are Catholic and believe what we believe. It can be strengthening because we need to choose where we stand. Do we believe what Christ’s Church teaches will make us happy or do we believe what the world teaches will make us happy? Persecution, like the kind Peter encountered during the Lord’s Passion, asks us to give our “yes” or “no” to God. It makes it very difficult to stand on middle ground. Of course, there is always room for us to give a “no” and be forgiven, like Peter. But I challenge you to give your ”yes” to Jesus. Ask yourself, “Do I stand with Christ and His Church?” If your answer is "yes," are you helping others and not just yourself get home to heaven? This is the only way to combat cancel culture. If your answer is "no" what do you, like Peter, need to wrestle with in order to stand with Him and with Her?
I hope you all have a blessed August. I will be praying for you, please pray for me. -Paula Hanson
7/20/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello!
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I have a question for all of you! Do you have a patron saint?
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In my work here as Volunteer and Hospitality Coordinator, I have chosen two patron saints. I chose St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta because of her magnificent example of service and of lifting people up (I’m sure I will have more to say about her in the future). I chose St Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, because of her model of hospitality and for the joy and humility she had in welcoming Mary and our unborn savior.
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It is with that same joy and humility that I hope to be able to greet those coming to Our Lady of the Falls’ New Parishioner Event on August 14th.
Our three parishes have close to 100 new families from the last 3 years who are invited! Look at those in the pews around you. Christ is living among us, wanting us to see Him in each other. I invite you to look for Him in your fellow parishioners. Consider connecting with someone you have never spoken to before. Attend Hospitality Sunday, it’s on the first Sunday of every month after the morning Masses, say hello to someone after Mass, or go to the Festival of the Falls on September 9th, 10th, and 11th! Some of us may not be ready to leap up to see Him, as St. John the Baptist did in his mother’s womb. We might not be willing to stretch out our arms as wide as St. Elizabeth, but what we should be ready for is to recognize Him; He is ever present in our tabernacles and in the faces of others. Let us be ready to great Him there!
In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
7/13/2022 Wednesday Message
Blessings!
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We are making a difference in the lives of people here at Notre Dame. I was greatly encouraged this last Sunday when visiting both Donut Sunday events after the 8am and 10am Masses. After the 8am Mass, I connected with a potential volunteer for our needed additional office staff and as well as an old friend. On my way to the second event, a couple of different parishioners mentioned how much they appreciated what is going on at Notre Dame and the rich beautiful Mass that day. That 10am chant choir just knocks it out of the park every time! Father Gunther’s impromptu incense storm added even more to the richness of what a Sunday Mass is meant to be.
At the donut social, there was a new large family that Kate Zweber had handed a new parishioner welcome packet to. This family had searched around the Chippewa Valley area for a parish that met their desires for a strong traditional Catholic environment that they found here at Notre Dame.
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It is good to share this with you, as people are noticing we have good things going on here at our parish. As a side note, when Father Gunther was promoting donut Sunday, he said to save him a donut and I am happy to say we had a full house after the 10am Mass and so he barely got his donut. Please do join us next first Sunday of the month for some fellowship after Mass as it is a good way to meet people and connect with your fellow parishioners!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
7/6/2022 Wednesday Message
Why would a successful young dentist with a blossoming career leave that behind to become a.... Catholic priest? Check out what Notre Dame parishioner Dr. Michael Tupta, DDS says in his own words.
(See the video "description" for more info!) https://youtu.be/U6nSRO56sjo
Second, I want to draw your attention to some new terms that you might have heard (or will hear) in our parish community. As our family parish hones in on its identity and mission, we will find these terms like helpful guideposts.
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The "habits of discipleship:" Referring to Acts 2:42, these are the signs of an "intentional disciple:" "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
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Seeker/inquirer: Someone who is curious and open to learning more about the Good News of Christ and His Catholic Church
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Intentional Disciple: Someone who has consciously and faithfully decided to follow Christ in the context of His Church with daily prayer, Weekly (or more!) Mass participation, engagement in parish fellowship, and seeking to learn more about the richness of the Catholic Faith.
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Missionary Disciple: Someone who is not only faithful to Christ and the Church (re: intentional disciple) but who actively seeks to be fruitful in living and sharing their faith as their deepest life Mission. This person (lay persons, as they are able!) devotes their time and energy to living the "Mission of the Christ and His Church" in word and deed through evangelization, volunteering, deeper prayer, and total surrender to God.
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Spiritual gifts/charisms: Supernatural gifts or abilities that every baptized person receives by virtue of their baptism into the Spirit of Christ. These charisms are Divine in origin (not human skill), and exist to build up the Church and benefit other people. These gifts/charisms often need to be prayerfully discerned and exercised to be understood by the individual and benefit the community.
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Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit exist to benefit each Christian individual in their discipleship with Christ. These are given at Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation: wisdom, piety, understanding, fortitude, fear of the Lord, and counsel.
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Thoughts, questions, or feedback? I am always happy to hear from you! jshakal@ourladyofthefalls.org.
In His Peace,
John Shakal
6/29/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
You haven’t heard from me in these weekly Wednesday messages for a while. I hope regularly hearing from several others who work and serve our parishes has afforded you the opportunity to get to know them better and the great work they do. The vitality of this Catholic community has been a great encouragement to me, and I hope for you as well. We are now at the one-year anniversary of having our parishes united under one pastor.
Many great things have happened over the past year for which I’m grateful to God. First, I’m grateful for the presence and ministry of Fr. Guenther. Instead of receiving the preaching, pastoral gifts, and charisms of just one priest, we get two. Father is approachable, sensible, witty, and he rides a motorcycle, which makes him a lot cooler than the pastor. Second, I’m grateful for the ways the staff of our parishes have been working together. We all meet weekly and some of them efficiently share/exchange duties. Third, I’m grateful for how you as parishioners have adapted to the changes of the past year, seeing ourselves as a united community with the common mission of inviting all people to encounter Christ and inspiring them to become saints. When I look at our bulletin and other communications, I see a lot happening in different areas of parish life. There are many opportunities for growth in discipleship and to serve. Just by way of example, I’ve been edified in the last couple of months by how many people stepped forward to be trained as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for the purpose of visiting and bringing the Eucharist to our many elderly and homebound parishioners. Thank you!
As you think about our Catholic community, how are you being spiritually fed and growing as a disciple of Christ? How are you serving and/or being called to serve? What are the gifts that God has given you for the building up of the Church? What do you see as needs for ministry and the outreach of our parishes? What is the weak spot in our organization or ministry that God is calling you to strengthen with your time and talent? This might be in one of our pastoral or faith formation ministries, or in office administration, or helping with buildings and grounds, or with service to the dignity of the Liturgy. If there is something on your heart, let us know. May God bless you!
Fr. Jesse Burish
6/22/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello! My name is Mike Renneke and I am the part-time music director at Notre Dame Parish. As a ‘music guy’ - my day job sees me as a high school music teacher - I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about music and the Mass. The two really go hand in hand, and I’d like to challenge your perspective ever so gently.
Christians have sung in sacred liturgy since the Church’s earliest days. Before them, the Jewish people have sung praise to God, in the context of holy worship, for thousands of years. The Psalms are the record of the liturgical song-prayers of the Jewish people. When we sing in the context of Holy Mass we join a tradition of sacred worship that goes back to at least the time of King David himself. “Let us come before him with a song of praise,” wrote King David, “joyfully sing out our psalms.”
Sung prayer reaches its high point in the sacred liturgy, the public worship of the Church. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is made more beautiful by the singing of every Catholic who is called to active participation—through sung prayer, especially—in the Mass.
With such a high value and sanctity placed on singing the Mass, it can be easy for our Midwestern sensibilities to overcome us as we allow those seated around us to carry the tune. My challenge for you is to increase your ‘active participation’. Have you considered sharing your musical gifts with your parish?
We often think of musical gifts as only being a ‘good voice’, but it can be so much more than that! Volunteer as a cantor or accompanist. Join the choir at Christmas or Easter. Offer to help sort music and organize files. Dust the piano 😀
As the folk singer-songwriter Bill Staines said, “All God’s creatures have a place in the choir”. I pray that your active participation, both musical and otherwise, grows each time you join the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
6/15/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer! With many of us going on vacations and trips I wanted to reflect a little on our homes.
Sir Walter Scott wrote a poem called Breathes There a Man. The poem reflects on the home and how the amount of value a person has for their home shows their character. The poem made me think of my own home and the fondness and comfort I found in it and of the warmth and joy felt returning to it.
Today I thought of that poem, but in a different context. I thought of our spiritual homes that are our churches; the spiritual home we have that is in the Church. What makes a house a home? It's the people! Who is in every Catholic church around the world? Who is there waiting for you; longing for you to come close to Him? Our Lord in the Eucharist!
Is your church, or even a church that you are just visiting, a place that you find joy in coming to? Psalm 69:10, “Zeal for my house will consume me”, comes to mind as well as John 2:14, where Jesus drives out the merchants and money-changers from the Temple. Are our churches places to inspire such zeal? They should be! Our church is the house of Our Lord, present in the Eucharist and thus the place for our souls to find peace and rest. Do we always look at it in that way though? I often take our church for granted, coming with my mind totally occupied with the things going on outside of the church walls. I do not spend time to think about where I am or to be grateful for the home that I can find there.
Today I would like to invite you to join me in a challenge. The challenge to strive for greater zeal towards our spiritual homes that are our churches. Wait in joyful anticipation, count down the days, until you get to come back to church and to the Mass. Think of other ways grow in fondness towards your spiritual home. We also have many ways in which we can physically show our zeal for the Father's house. We are looking for more people to help with church cleaning once a month or people to take care of flowers or the grounds. Think about ways in which you can grow your own zeal for the Church and be grateful for the gift that we have in all the churches throughout the world.
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Yours in Christ,
Kate Zweber
6/8/2022 Wednesday Message
Woohoo! Summer is here! If any of you remember your school days, you remember that sentiment well. God has carried us through another year of graces and for that we are thankful. I ask for the prayers of our parishioners that our students and teachers would have a safe and rejuvenating summer break. In particular, please pray for our students and staff who are participating in campus ministry events such as Adventure Camp, Steubenville Rochester, Totus Tuus, OneFest, and Wednesday fun nights.
Summer also kicked off with a leadership team retreat in Hayward to reflect on the year and begin to set Spirit-led goals for the coming year. We continue to look for increasing collaboration to work as a ministry of our parishes in the religious education of all parish youth. I also ask your prayers that the Lord would inspire our leaders with the gifts we need to know and do His will, and to be protected from all evil and division.
Finally, we continue to look for a choral director for our middle and high school. Please refer a friend and pray we'll find someone to lift our community's minds and hearts to the Lord through music!
Know of my prayers for all parishioners, as well. Our Lady of the Falls, pray for us!
Molly Bushman
6/1/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello Everyone,
In college, my trumpet professor always used to tell us to practice with other people because everyone has different strengths that you can learn from to improve your own playing. He also said we should listen to recordings of master trumpet players and strive to imitate them. Through doing so, we would eventually develop our own style of playing.
This advice applies to our faith lives as well. We are the Body of Christ and everyone around us has different gifts given by God from which we can learn. When we recognize other’s gifts and our own gifts, we can use them effectively build up Christ’s Church.
We can also look to the masters of the faith, the Saints, and strive to imitate them. Through doing so, we can discover our own unique paths to holiness. The Saints have been wonderful guides for me, and I invite you to begin reading and learning about the Saints today.
Some books recommendations are below. If you are not a reader, you can find Saint movies and audio media on formed.org Our parishes have a subscription, so it’s free to you.
If you like things short, check out Franciscan Media’s Saint of the Day
Books:
“The Story of a Soul” by St. Therese of Lisieux
“The Confessions” by St. Augustine (I mentioned this last time I wrote)
“Interior Castle,” by St. Teresa of Avila
“A Simple Path,” by St. Teresa of Calcutta
“33 days to Morning Glory” by Fr. Michael Gaitley
Thanks for your time and happy discovering!
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Paula Hanson
5/25/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
I hope this message finds you well and in the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The time is surely flying by and it is hard to believe I have been with you for nearly a whole year. As an interesting fact, often I just refer to myself as the “associate pastor” of our three parishes, but my official title is “parochial vicar,” which is an interesting title, especially since “vicar” really just means a “representative” or a “deputy.” So really my job is to help Fr. Burish by being where he can't be; to represent him in the care for you all and your spiritual well being. As I often like to joke, this means I get to do a lot of the “fun” stuff, like sacramental preparation, religious education, etc., while Fr. Burish heroically does a lot of the important administration. I certainly am spoiled to so concretely help others spiritually and sacramentally with the priesthood God has given me.
Some new things we have begun or restarted this year include (but are not limited to!) EPIC families, Order of Christian Initiation for families, young adult ministry, and so much more! I am constantly amazed and grateful at the wonderful staff at our parishes who work hard to build God’s kingdom through teaching, building community, volunteering, and sacramental preparation. Sometimes I can admittedly get caught up in the day to day stress and minutia, but it is worth "zooming out,” so to speak, every now and then; to reflect on all the good work God has done over this past year. God is present in so many ways in our community softening hearts to his Word and showing us his plans for our lives, especially in the grace of the sacraments. If you have a chance in the coming days and weeks, take some time yourself to reflect on where you see God acting in your life, your family, and your community. What are the areas that God wants to be more present? How can we continue the good work God has begun in our midst and in our hearts?
Please know of my prayers for you all, especially at the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In Christ,
Fr. Brandon Guenther
5/18/2022 Wednesday Message
Greetings!
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I would like to first thank all of you who have been praying for me as I prepared to become a deacon. On Saturday May 7th after five years of preparation, our bishop ordained me to the order of deacon! I pray I live up to that title by serving you and our community especially at Notre Dame where I am officially assigned.
Today, I feel compelled to tell you about Eucharistic Adoration (see this link for more information!) where my vocation was quietly nurtured over many years of being a weekly adorer at our Goldsmith Adoration Chapel connected to Notre Dame. If you have not yet visited this chapel where Jesus is physically present and waiting for you to come visit Him, please take a moment to stop by sometime in the next week or two.
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While Mass is the spiritual highlight of my week, adoration is just behind it. I strongly encourage you to be one of the many adorers who make a weekly commitment to visit Jesus in our Goldsmith chapel for one hour each week. When you get “your weekly hour” set up for the same time every week, you will be changed even if it takes months or years. This is like having coffee with a good friend every week. You can’t help but to get to know them better and look forward to your time with them.
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The biggest hurdle most of us have is we know we can’t make it every week because life is busy. Don’t let that be your reason for not signing up as we have an easy method for filling in a sub when you can’t be there. Many hours are looking for a second committed adorer to sign up with someone who already has that hour. When we have two scheduled adorers for the same hour, we call each other “prayer partners”. I remember when I lost my first regular prayer partner who I had for years due to her mobility issues. How I missed seeing her every week. She is like a grandma to me.
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The second hurdle you might have is not enough time to commit weekly. I don’t have enough time either! But I have found when you give Jesus the time, you will see you have more time than you think. Ask Jesus to show you where you have overcommitted, then make the change to spend more with Him.
Please, just give it a try. If you don’t know what to do in silence for an hour at adoration, that is ok I didn’t either when I started. Stop in for a visit a few times and if you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them. After your visit send me an email to get signed up or let me know what is holding you back.
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Jesus, I trust in You!
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Deacon Kevin DeCook
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5/11/2022 Wednesday Message
Happy Easter! This Easter is an especially joyous one for my family and I as we are also fast approaching the day of my brother John’s ordination as a transitional deacon!
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It has been a special blessing for me to be able to witness the last 7 years of my brother’s formation, and to see John now as he is taking one more big step to becoming the man that God has asked him to be; a Catholic priest for the Church which He Himself established.
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This gift of self, isn’t it beautiful? Some of you reading this might think, “that’s great”, but then move on; thinking that this kind of commitment to God’s will is only for the most holy people. However, I am going to tell you, as only a sister would, that my brother is not perfect, and I know that he would be the first to agree with me! However, he is trying.
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That is all God really asks of any of us; to try! If you think my brother and what he is about to do is a bit radical, let me ask you a few questions. How might God be calling you to serve Him?
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Maybe we aren’t called to serve God as my brother is. That is okay! What is not okay is thinking that the only calling in life is that of a religious priest or sister. One of the greatest saints of the Church says, “Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them”. (St. Therese) In our everyday lives we are called to do little things with great love and great joy. Being the person God is calling you to be does not start with just the external, but the internal as well. Draw closer to God in your heart and mind. Think of Him during the daily struggles of life, both large and small, and try to go through them joyfully for Him. Another way to draw closer to Him is to strive to live a life of gratitude. Fr. Guenther suggested in a homily to pick three things to be grateful for as you lay down to sleep at night.
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No matter what path you take and where God has put you, he is always asking you, longing for you, to draw closer to Him. And as you draw closer to Him you are drawing closer to being the person He is calling to you be.
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In Christ,
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Kate Zweber
5/4/2022 Wednesday Message
Praise be the Risen Lord! As we find ourselves in the midst of the Easter season, which celebrates the best news in the history of humanity, let us take a moment in our day to move beyond “going through the motions” of the Christian Faith, and rather be shocked and startled by how earth shattering it is! This is not just “the good news” we’re talking about; it is the best news that we could possibly be told! (Take a minute to check out the links attached below.)
Recently I was talking with a group of High School students about Jesus and Catholicism and I asked them if they perceived that being a practicing Catholic was actually “good news” to them? Many of them warily shook their heads and spoke of the Church’s rules, laws, obligations to go to Mass and Reconciliation. In short, these individuals viewed Jesus Christ and His Church as bad news, as an inconvenient imposition on their lives. Do you know anyone that feels this way? I know that I used to (perhaps a universal high school experience!), until I encountered the Risen Lord really and truly present in the Eucharist.
This week, our daily Mass readings are drawn from the famous “Bread of Life Discourse” from chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, in which Jesus unequivocally teaches that He is literally and truly present in the Eucharistic bread: His body, blood, soul, and divinity. Though a central tenet of the Catholic Faith, recent research shows that only nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” Why do you think this is the case? Jesus’ words are clear, and it is indeed the best news we could imagine: that He is risen and still with us in the Eucharist.
If you would like to clarify and strengthen your belief on whether Jesus historically rose from the dead, or in His Real Presence in the consecrated host, I warmly encourage you to read an excellent book like “Why We’re Catholic” (and while you're at it, share it with a friend!) or make some time for weekly Eucharistic Adoration. There are several hours in need of Adorers, and is there anything better than spending time with Jesus?
Finally, if you know someone who is away from the Catholic Faith, I encourage you to invite them back. They need Jesus, just like we do. Or, if you know someone who is not Catholic who is open to hearing more, invite them to check out Search for God.
Know of my prayers for you.
John Shakal
4/13/2022 Wednesday Message
As a parishioner of Holy Ghost, wife, and mother of four children ages 9-19, I am blessed to be serving in my third year as President of McDonell Area Catholic Schools. Catholic schools are an incredibly important apostolate of the Church, partnering with parents to educate children in the Catholic faith. As the culture becomes more difficult to navigate and at times hostile to our student's faith, our job becomes even more demanding: we must not only provide religious education but truly focus on forming intentional disciples. At MACS, we have recommitted to integrating the faith throughout our curriculum, prioritizing the hiring and formation of faithful teachers, and providing robust campus ministry.
At the moment, I am most encouraged by the conversations starting in the parishes to help provide more effective family ministry. Why? Because we can do all the right things at school, but if the students' parents are not making faith a priority at home, our job becomes extraordinarily difficult. Parishioners, parents, friends, we CAN do this together, and by God's grace! Let's raise up a generation (or two, or three...) to claim the faith as their own and continue to build on the only foundation that will last: Jesus Christ.
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May all of us humbly receive the graces of this Easter Triduum as we participate in our own salvation in the days ahead.
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In gratitude and hope,
Molly Bushman
4/6/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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I hope this email finds you enjoying the last days of lent. I am not sure that you all know who I am, so I’ll start by introducing myself. I am Paula Hanson, Director of Religious Education for Holy Ghost, Faith Formation coordinator at St. Bridget, and Faith Formation Coordinator at MACS. I am not a Chippewa Falls daughter, although I’ve been here long enough that I hope I am adopted. I’ve lived in Chippewa Falls for 19 years. My husband is Sean Hanson (band director at McDonell and Notre Dame) and I have three children in the MACS system. Megan (junior), Jack (8th grade), and Caroline (5th grade).
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I began my ministry in Chippewa Falls by teaching band at McDonell and Notre Dame for five years. I then moved to Holy Ghost School and taught general music and band part-time for ten years. Sometime in there, I became the part-time coordinator of religious education for Holy Ghost Parish. As time went on, I felt the Lord calling me towards parish work. I felt I was needed there more than at the school. So, three years ago, I resigned from by music position and began to work for St. Bridget and Holy Ghost parish and help with teacher formation at MACS.
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I could elaborate more on my work, but I think the main point that I want to focus on is that it took me a long time to be able to hear and listen to the voice of the Lord and how he was working in my life. Like so many others, I am a cradle Catholic who strayed from the Church in my college and young adult years. While I still called myself a Catholic, I was far from practicing my faith. There came a time that I became disenchanted with my life. I had a wonderful family and a great job, but I kept waking up with an empty feeling, wondering if there was more. Nothing ever really satisfied me. In 2015, when I answered the call to become the coordinator of religious education at Holy Ghost, God began working on me. I really had no business saying yes to being a CRE. I was poorly formed and still not consistently practicing my faith, but I said “yes” anyway. The Lord did a lot with that “yes.” He knew me with all my faults and inadequacies but called me to serve anyway. My heart became on fire with wanting to learn all that I could about the faith. I read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numerous Saint books (including St. Augustine’s Confessions and I fell in love with my new/old patron Saint Augustine) and really any book about the faith that I could find. My husband and I watched the Symbolon series together and would hit pause and look at each other in amazement as we learned about our faith through adult eyes. We began to go to Mass every Sunday and went to confession regularly. We began to pray daily and for the first time in my life I didn’t feel empty or like I was searching anymore. I had found God and He was all I needed.
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My life and my family changed. We finally knew who we were and who we belonged to. It made life easier, and we have found happiness on a deep unshakable level. We still have disagreements, and our lives are far from perfect, but we discovered real faith, hope, and love and that changed everything.
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So, there’s my introduction. I hope that it gives you hope. We all have those in our lives who are far from the Faith. It’s painful to see them struggle. But the Lord is near them, and he is working even if we can’t see it. What’s most important to remember is that we can always work on ourselves. The Lord wants first us, and then to work through us. Open yourself to the Lord. Learn more about your Faith. Pray. Go to Mass and confession. You can’t change others, that’s God’s job. You can change yourself and become a conduit for God’s love. Let him work on others through you.
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Paula Hanson
3/30/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello,
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For those of you who do not know me, my name is Kate Zweber and it is my joy to be serving Notre Dame as their Volunteer and Hospitality Coordinator.
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As I was preparing to take this job last July, I thought about all the reasons why this job was important and of my own journey, not only as an individual about to take a new job, but also as a Catholic. I think we all know what it is like to feel that we really are not the person that we could be, that we are not living up to who we are supposed to be. This uneasiness comes and goes, but it is no small coincidence, for myself at least, that this feeling was always connected to how much of a priority I allowed my faith to take in my life. We can go through the motions, attend Mass on Sundays, say our prayers, and repeat. We might think we are doing what we are supposed to, but the confusion and the frustration that comes from not being who you are meant to be is still there. It is easy to say that faith has nothing to do with this and blame it on something else that is much easier to deal with. Being Catholic does not and should not mean just attending Mass and saying the prayers. God calls us to more than this. He asks us to let our faith be more than a thing we do; He asks us to let it be a part of who we are, part of our very identity.
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My hope and my prayer in this position is to help those looking for ways to make their faith a part of who they are. My particular focus is in two areas. The first being volunteerism; serving the Lord by serving in His Church and by serving others. The second being hospitality; welcoming others to their spiritual home and into their spiritual family as brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Much of who we are can be seen in our habits and in how we choose to use our time. It also shows to others and ourselves the things that we see as being the most important. Christ’s love is ever-present in the lives of each of us, in our unique gifts and in the unsurpassable gift of Himself in the Eucharist. He asks us to take on our identity in a new way and to its fullness. He asks us not to let His gifts to us be wasted!
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As Fr. Mike Schmitz likes to say, “I am praying for you. Please pray for me!”. Thank you and God Bless!
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Yours in Christ,
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Kate Zweber
3/23/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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“To invite all people to encounter Christ and inspire them to become saints.” This is our mission statement, but perhaps we can ask the question: What is a mission statement? It seems that every company and every entity spends a lot of time and effort crafting just the right mission statement. If we look to a simple internet search you might find an answer that defines a mission statement as: “an action-based statement that declares the purpose of an organization and how they serve their customers.” This is still a bit nebulous, but gets us on the right path. First, a mission statement is action-based, it is indeed a mission, literally “a sending;” the thing we are sent out to do. But perhaps what makes the Catholic Church unique is the origin and the content of our mission. Our origin is in Christ, the Son of God; sent to redeem us from original sin and death. The content of our mission is salvation. Our mission then is solemn; ours and others eternal life hangs in the balance. We don’t serve customers as many business will, we serve souls. Therefore, though our mission as a parish is defined, each of our particular missions will be different; God will call each of us differently in accord with our strengths and weaknesses (and sometimes in spite of them!). We are all called to invite and to inspire. Really we see here both a skill, something we can learn to do well, and an art, something that arises from our own personal relationship with Christ. So as we continue to reflect on how God is calling our parish to respond to our mission in general, we each, in our own prayer and relationship with God, seek to respond to this great mission: “To invite all people to encounter Christ and inspire them to become saints.”
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In Christ,
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Fr. Brandon Guenther
3/16/2022 Wednesday Message
Hello, this is Kevin DeCook, one of the many dedicated volunteers at Notre Dame.
This is the first and last time I will likely be writing to you as a lay person. God willing, I am to be ordained a deacon this coming May 7th and will begin to serve you in a new capacity as an ordained clergy. Two days after this column is published, I begin my 5-day canonical retreat as a final big push for discernment before ordination. Please pray that I may do God’s will!
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I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you a bit to the permanent diaconate. Many of you long-time Notre Dame parishioners may remember Deacon Mark Arnold who served this parish as well as Sacred Heart in Jim Falls where he resided with his wife and only son at that parish rectory. While he was a full-time paid deacon, most of the deacons in our diocese are volunteers and continue to have secular jobs for their financial support, as do I. As much as I would love to dedicate 40 plus hours to serving my fellow parishioners, with my work requirements and being the father of 11 children, I will be only able to serve less than half of that until my other responsibilities naturally reduce over time.
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You might be wondering, “Why does the church have deacons?” While deacons were present in the early Church, they mostly disappeared except men who were transitional deacons on their way to the priesthood. The permanent diaconate was restored to the hierarchy of the Church after Vatican II in recognition that this office is an important link to connect laity to the clergy since most deacons are married and work or have worked in secular jobs as do much of the laity. This connection, hopefully, will help them relate in a way that gives them insight to effective evangelization to the world.
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Your second question is likely to be, “Well then, what do they do?” While they are often like the laity in the married state with a secular job, their ordained sacramental character is to be in the person of Jesus Christ the servant. Deacons can solemnly administer baptism and do weddings without Mass in the name of the Church. They are ordinary Eucharistic ministers. They are the proper readers of the gospel at Mass and can give a homily. They also officiate at funerals without a Mass. While they assist priests and bishops, they do NOT do confessions, act as presider at Mass, administer anointing of the sick, or other things proper to the bishop such as confirmation and ordinations.
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That is the short class on what the diaconate is about because this is supposed to be a short column. If you would like to know more, please track me down and I would be happy to tell you more and get to know you as well.
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God Bless!
3/9/2022 Wednesday Message
How RCIA Invites all of us to Deeper Conversion
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"In all things, may the Name of the Lord be praised! Last September, we were blessed to start up a city-wide RCIA group for all who were seeking full entry to Christ's Church. Truth be told, I was not sure what to expect since this RCIA group was starting up on the heels of the pandemic and limited our ability to promote and invite. The RCIA leadership team was hoping for 3 to 4 participants. But the Lord had different plans, as 7 people came forward to join RCIA! This group has 5 Candidates (baptized, seeking full communion with the Church) and 2 Catechumens (unbaptized, seeking Baptism, first Communion, and Confirmation) and has been energetic and courageous throughout the entire process.In fact, they just returned from a weekend trip to the Diocese for the Rite of Election. Please congratulate them and introduce yourself!
Witnessing their growing trust in God is a compelling lesson for each one of us. Conversion is difficult, especially as an adult. Sometimes we question whether conversion really happens, that people actually join the Church rather than leave it behind. But true and thorough conversion is possible; moreover, it is the fundamental interior event(s) that "converts" us from our ego-drama to God's Theo-drama. These 7 persons journeying through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults invite all of us to examine our hearts this Lenten season: do we live and practice our Faith with our gaze on Christ or on ourselves? Are we ready and willing to follow Jesus wherever he goes as His disciple, or do we stick to the status quo or our "spiritual comfort zone"? May we run after the Lord, letting no grace go to waste!
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In His Peace, John Shakal
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P.S. Do you know anyone who is interested in hearing more about Catholicism or desires to become Catholic? Search for God, a group geared to introducing people to Jesus, His Catholic Church, and RCIA begins after Easter. Please spread the news, invite them, and contact me with any questions!"
3/2/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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A blessed Ash Wednesday and Lenten season to you all! For over a year now, you have been receiving a Wednesday message from me as pastor in which I have often reflected on the day’s Mass readings or saint. Today, with the change of season in the Church, I’d like to announce something a little different. With the help of some of our staff and volunteers, we will be taking these weekly messages in a new direction.
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Many of you have heard me mention in homilies and in other contexts the mission of Our Lady of the Falls Catholic Community, i.e., our mission: To invite all people to encounter Christ and inspire them to become saints.
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It’s important for us as Catholics and as members of our parishes to be focused on that mission and considering whether we are indeed working to accomplish it. Are we growing as disciples of Christ? Are we winning more souls for his kingdom? While you will still hear from me in this weekly message on occasion, going forward you will also get to hear several other voices in our community of parishes. Each week we will be attempting to share with you more clearly our mission in action. You will likely hear of opportunities for growth in discipleship, new ministries, personal stories of conversion and faith from those you see in the pew next to you on Sunday. You will become better acquainted with the various persons who work for our parishes, and those who give of their time as volunteers. You will also become updated on special community events and other exciting news.
As we journey together as disciples on mission, I hope you will find this shift in focus informative and inspiring.
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May God bless you!
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Fr. Jesse Burish
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2/23/2022 Wednesday Message
Dear Parishioners,
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Today is the memorial of St. Polycarp, a bishop of the early Church. He was one of the great Apostolic Fathers who are links to the age of the apostles themselves. It is said that he was a disciple of St. John the apostle.
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We can only imagine how thrilling it must’ve been for him to listen to the stories about and teachings of Jesus from somebody who was there and had been personally called by the Lord. The precious testimony of an eyewitness to the great events of the world’s redemption must’ve been a profoundly moving experience that created in Polycarp a strong faith.
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He led and guided the Church in a place called Smyrna (today, Izmir, Turkey). We know few details about his life, but we know a great deal about his death. He was betrayed as a Christian by a servant of his. Polycarp was at this time about 90 years old. He was slated for martyrdom during a persecution. He was evidently a man of immense personal dignity and was ordered to deny Christ as his Lord.
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Polycarp refused and said that for over 80 years he had been Christ’s servant and he was not about to deny Christ as his life came to an end. He was faithful to the Lord in his life and would continue to be so in death. He was ordered to be burned at the stake. The way he died was a powerful witness to his faith and the courage he received from the Holy Spirit. He was not tied down but stood in the flames. It is said that the flames did not kill him and so he was stabbed to death. Polycarp’s courage was not a “last minute grace.” It flowed from a life of union with the Lord. “We die as we live.” If our life is one of fidelity, that fidelity will not leave us as we face death. The graces of perseverance in faith and trust in Christ will be ours.
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None of our lives are free of misunderstanding, hostility, opposition, and even ridicule for our faith. Polycarp shows us how to remain people of dignity and grace even when others fail to show the same. As Polycarp kept his dignity even surrounded by flames, we can keep our Christian dignity in any crisis.
May God bless you,
Fr. Jesse Burish