I was just visiting one of our parishioners in the hospital. She said she really appreciated the Good Friday service and was “amazed at the over 300 people that attended. Also, there was such a sense of unity among the people who gathered. And I loved the reverent silence as people walked out and the solemn gonging of the bell.”
Over the past 10 days, I have heard many people complimenting the beauty of the Triduum Liturgies. There are many people who make the Holy Week services come together. To mention a few: on Holy Thursday, the men and women who said “Yes” to have their feet washed; on Good Friday, those who carried the cross for veneration; and on Holy Saturday, Wally Allan provided a beautiful fire for the blessing and lighting of the Easter Candle.
Again, on Easter Sunday, there was a great turnout of parishioners and guests filling the church. All of this was supported by our parish Music Ministries, both the adult and children’s choir, along with the adult and children’s Bell Ringers and Cantors. The Music Ministry is under the director of Karen Schulteis, who puts in many hours to rehearse the choirs and arrange the beautiful seasonal music.
In addition, there are many other ministries that add to the beauty and flow of the services, from Ushers to Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and Acolytes, and, of course, Deacon Steve Pemper. I also want to thank all those who help decorate the church, clean the church, and those who take the time to livestream our services. Many thanks to each of you for your labors of love for God, the church, and particularly for the St. John the Evangelist parish. A special thank you to all who took the time to gather and worship. Our attendance numbers remain very strong and slightly above last year’s numbers. Once again, thank you, and Easter blessings to you all!
As we continue to celebrate the 50 days of Easter, I would like to close with an Easter prayer attributed to St. Augustine.
O Lord, the resurrection
of your Son has given us new life
and renewed hope. Help us to live
as new people in pursuit
of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
and the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it. Amen.
This month, members and friends of our parish community have been learning how to pray the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours, and, beginning April 22, we’ll commence the Augustine Institute’s six-session program on the prayer of lectio divina. These initiatives are being offered in response to the Holy Father’s invitation to embark upon a Year of Prayer that will lead us to the Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025. Participation in these programs is free and open to all.
There are many reasons to take formation in the faith seriously, even as adults. Our Baptism and Confirmation oblige us to grow in our knowledge of the faith. In fact, no adult member of the Church is excused from that obligation. Sacred Scripture itself urges us to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” Even the Code of Canon Law itself legislates that “all the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.” But how can we fulfill the mandate of the law if we do not take the time to study our faith and grow in knowledge of it? That’s an obligation that we ourselves must fulfill. Outsourcing it to someone else is just paying lip service to God!
It is not always possible to attend the programs we offer here at St. John’s. For that reason, I would like to propose two terrific YouTube channels. They’re packed with excellent content, and there’s something for everyone. Ascension Presents strives to proclaim the “truth and beauty of the Catholic faith through media and to answer the longings of the human heart with the transformative power of the Gospel.” Search on YouTube with the keywords “Ascension Presents” or visit ascensionpresents.com. Augustine Institute offers content-rich media that will “help you understand, live, and share the Catholic Faith.” Search for this channel on YouTube using the keywords “Augustine Institute.”
As always, stay up to date with the latest information and updates about programs and other offerings by joining our SJE Adult Formation Flocknote or following us on Facebook.
Our prayer pod activity on Holy Thursday was a Bible scavenger hunt throughout the school building. Our prayer pod groups (mixed-aged groups of students K4-8) moved to different locations throughout the school to find different Bible citations. Once at each location, our students found the passage in the Bible, read it, and decided if the passage was about the Last Supper, Crucifixion and Burial, or Resurrection. After deciding what the passage was about, the students colored a puzzle sheet based on their decision. Each group then discussed and decided on a word, phrase, or picture that represented something that stood out to them from the passage and added it to a poster at each location.
Our school community gathered at the end in the gym. Students found out that when the coloring sheet was turned sideways, Jesus was spelled out. Our posters were gathered and posted in the gym, and our students participated in a gallery walk to see all the words, phrases, and pictures added by other groups.
It was great to see our older students interacting with our younger students in such a positive way. Here are some pictures of us growing in faith while learning together, playing together, and praying together.
Remember, Jesus is the bread of life.
April 14 | The Third Sunday of Easter
Friends, in today’s Gospel, the risen Jesus appears to his eleven disciples. He does not appear as a Platonic soul, a ghost, or a hallucination. Instead, he can be touched and seen, has flesh and bones, and can consume baked fish. Against all their expectations, a dead man had returned, through the power of God, bodily and objectively, from death.
Even while insisting on this bodiliness and objectivity, we must not go to the opposite extreme. It really was Jesus, the crucified, who had returned from the dead. But he did not come back simply resuscitated to the confines of ordinary space and time. He was not, in a word, like Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus or the son of the widow of Naim, all people who had been raised only to die again.
Instead, Jesus’ body is transformed and transfigured, independent of the strictures of space and time; it is, in Paul’s language, a “spiritual” body. And the point is this: he has triumphed over death, and all that pertains to death. His resurrected body is a foretaste and promise of what God intends for all of us.
-Bishop Robert Barron
Explore the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Faith.
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St. John’s is fortunate to have 24-hour Perpetual Adoration. Please take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to stay close to God.
There is currently one hour available:
Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00 pm
We also need a second Adorer on:
Wednesdays from 11:00 pm to Midnight
Sundays from 11:00 pm to Midnight, Midnight to 1:00 am, and 1:00 to 2:00 am
Other hours are available for a second Adorer as well.
Call or text Mary-Eileen Swart at 414-687-3512 if you are interested.
Live-streaming: Mass and Adoration
We are live-streaming daily and Sunday Masses as well as Adoration for those who are unable to attend:
Daily Masses:
Monday thru Saturday 8:00 am
Weekend Masses:
Saturday at 4:30 pm
Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 am
If you miss the Livestream, you can watch the upload of each Mass on our YouTube channel.
The Holy Name Society will gather for Corporate Communion at the 8:30 am Mass on Sunday, April 14. Rosary will begin at 7:30 am. Breakfast will follow in the Church Hall. The Holy Name Essay Contest Winners and their families will be our special guests. All men of the Parish (and their sons) are invited to join the Holy Name Society.
The Christian Women's Society will meet on Thursday, April 18, at 6:00 pm in the Church Hall. Our guest speaker will be Anne Haines from St. Josephine Bakhita Worker House. Please bring your donated items for the house. A meeting and social will follow.
If you wish to attend the bus trip (tour and lunch included) to St. Joan of Arc Chapel on Thursday, April 25, please bring a check for $10 made payable to St. John the Evangelist.
Thank you to everyone who helped make our rummage sale a great success!
Join us on Thursday, April 18 (every third Thursday), for our OPEN HOUSE council meeting at 16334 W. Glendale Drive, New Berlin, WI 53151. Food and refreshments will be provided. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. RSVP to Peter Kurz at 414-659-2656.
If you want to discover what the Knights are all about, join us for the Rosary or the meeting; contact Len, Peter, or Jason.
Len Felske, Membership Director, at 414-339-5779
Peter Kurz, Worthy Grand Knight, at 414-659-2656
Jason Zidek, Deputy Grand Knight, at 414-793-0450
We have many programs you may be interested in participating in or leading.
https://www.kofc.org/en/what-we-do/faith-in-action-programs/index.html
Scrip is available at all weekend Masses or during regular business hours at the parish office.
Download the RaiseRight app to reload cards, purchase ecards, or purchase physical cards. Contact the Parish Office or School Office for the enrollment code.
Learn more about the National Eucharistic Congress from Father Rocky in this short 2-minute video. All your questions are answered here – give it a watch now!