Last week, many of you noticed the new addition to the interior of the parish church, the Italian wood carving of the Holy Spirit. There have been many compliments regarding this addition, and also a number of comments as to which beam it should be descending from. Before we make any changes, we will live with it where it is located. This wood carving is a gift to the parish from the St. John’s Christian Women Society. The gift was made possible by the fruits of their hard work organizing and running the annual Rummage & Book sale. Thank you to all who have worked so hard at the annual sale and to those who have made donations that make the sale a possibility.

A big thank you to all the parish landscapers who returned this spring to attend to the parish flower gardens, keeping the property attractive and beautiful. While the landscapers have been working over the past few weeks, this past Tuesday, the entire group came and worked in all the different garden plots. Thank you so much for all of your hard labor, which keeps the entire property looking so great.

Congratulations to our new members, Jim Ley and Len Felske. 

Thank you to our other candidates, Mark Frohna and Justen Arzamendi.

We are looking for a few volunteers who would be willing to mow our soccer fields. The parish does own a mid-size John Deer tractor. Training will be provided. Please contact Fr. Michael if you are able and interested.

Last week, I shared with you the recent news from the Archbishop that gave parishes permission to begin offering the Precious Blood of Jesus during Mass. This practice was suspended during COVID. In order for our parish to begin the distribution of the Eucharist under both “Species,” we will need to increase the number of our Extraordinary Ministers. I would like to keep the present Extraordinary Ministers for distributing the Body of Christ. If you are willing to become an Extraordinary Minister of the Cup, please call our parish secretary Jan at 

414-321-1965 and tell her you are willing to join this Ministry and indicate which weekend Mass or Masses you would be available. For those Mass times which have enough Ministers of the Cup, we will begin this practice on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ on the weekend of June 10 and 11. There will be a brief instruction before Mass for the new “Cup Ministers.”

Also, on June 11, we will have a Eucharistic Procession after the 10:30 am Mass. We will prayerfully walk around the church property. This year, we will walk on the hard surface of the property and conclude with Benediction in Church.

In his message about resuming the reception of Holy Communion under both forms, Archbishop Jerome Listecki promised to provide some solid, Eucharistic theology to help us all understand the transition. Below is part two of five articles:

The Eucharist has been at the center of the life of the Church since apostolic times. We know from reading the Acts of the Apostles that Christians met in one another’s homes for “the breaking of the bread.” (Acts 2:42, 46) Although today’s Mass is quite different from those first early gatherings of Christians, there has always been a certain constancy in the celebration: the community comes together with a bishop or priest to hear the Word of God, to give thanks and remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, and to partake of the sanctified bread and wine that in faith have become the Body and Blood of Christ. In one sense, we could say that to be Church is to celebrate the Eucharist. 

Just as our families gather to share stories around the supper table, the Eucharist is the meal at which the Christian family gathers to hear the stories of our salvation in Christ and to share a meal. No one is a stranger at the Eucharist,  rich and poor, powerful and powerless, young and old; all who constitute Church are united around the altar of the Lord, who feeds us again and again with His Body and Blood.

The relationship between the Eucharist and the Church is intimate and dynamic. The Eucharist is an active celebration when we eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Lord. This we see in the oldest text we have on the Eucharist, which is from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:23-26): “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in memory of me.’ In the same way also, the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat of this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

This passage also shows us that the Eucharist is first an action of Jesus himself in the shedding of His blood to redeem us from our sins. It is the sacrifice of Christ that restored our relationship with God the Father. Furthermore, by the command of Christ at the Last Supper, the Eucharist is also the action of the Church. At Mass, the priest stands in the person of Christ, head of the Church, and he offers the sacrifice on the altar. In turn, we, the Church, join ourselves to that sacrifice, and in accepting of Jesus’ invitation to take and eat and take and drink, we enter into sacramental communion with the Son of God and form one body in Christ. It is in gathering for the Eucharist that individual Christians become the Church, and therefore, we can say that the Eucharist makes the Church.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is participating in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s call to have a movement of “Eucharistic Revival” across the nation. We here at St. John’s are joining countless bishops, dioceses, parishes, and apostolates to be healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.” The mission of the Revival is “to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” On Saturday, June 10, from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm, there will be a Mass, Confession, a Eucharistic Procession, and Eucharistic Adoration throughout the day at the Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center, 3501 S. Lake Drive in St. Francis. The cost is $10 per person or $25 per family.  You must register by June 1.  Register at: www.archmil.org/evangelization/Eucharistic-Revival.htm#CONGRESS. 

Contact Kay Shomperlen at 414-763-1250 to volunteer. 

If you miss the Livestream, you can watch the upload of each Mass on our YouTube channel.

It’s time for golf! Come join fellow parishioners for an afternoon of golf at the Whitnall Golf Course on Sunday, June 11. All are welcome, men and women. The first tee time is 3:00 pm. Participants will be playing nine holes; the cost is $20 per person walking. Carts are available at an extra cost. To sign up, call Ron Heser at 414-448-7117. This is a fun outing with door prizes, some minor awards, refreshments, and sandwiches afterward in St. John’s Church Hall.  

The 2023 parish festival is set, and they are beginning to accept items for the Raffle Booth and Mystery Packages. You may drop off your items at the parish office during regular business hours. It is too early to donate grocery items, so please hold off on those until further notice. 

Meanwhile, the Festival Committee is in need of new leadership. Due to continuing health issues, this will be the last year that Ron and Barb Heser will be the Festival Chairs. Please prayerfully consider volunteering for these important positions. The festival not only contributes to the parish budget but also builds the parish community by involving all volunteers in a common goal. Plus, you will make friendships that will last for years to come.

We are looking for a couple, or two couples, or just a group of friends to be our new leaders. But volunteers are also needed at every level of the festival, so please let the parish office know if you have a bit of time on your hands. July will be here before you know it. Thanks!

SJE is in need of a volunteer to be our new Athletic Director. We currently have teams throughout the school year. Soccer in the fall, volleyball, and basketball in the winter, and track and futsal in the spring. The Athletic Director, in conjunction with the athletic board, will be responsible for providing outstanding experiences and opportunities for our SJE student-athletes. It is an excellent opportunity to serve our community and help our children grow. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, willing to submit to a criminal background check, and complete Archdiocesan Safeguarding training. 

If you are interested in becoming the Athletic Director or helping with our athletic program in any way,  please email: boberdorf@sje.school or call 414-321-8540.