Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA)
We will soon be holding instruction for adults who would like to become Catholic, or were baptized Catholic but were never “schooled” in what it means to be a Catholic and what being a disciple of Christ is all about. Also, if you are an adult, this class would be good for you to take before Confirmation. If interested, please call the parish office.
Join Us for Daily Mass
In this, the third week of August, there are a handful of beloved saints being celebrated at daily Mass.
On Tuesday, we celebrate St. John Eudes, a French missionary and founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity. On Wednesday, August 20, it is the Feast Day of St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church. He was a prominent French Abbot and theologian in the 12th century.
On Thursday, August 21, it is the Feast Day of St. Pius X, who served as Pope from 1903 to 1914. He is known for his commitment to reforming the Church and making the Eucharist more accessible to the faithful.
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on Friday, August 22, as we honor Mary for her role as the Mother of God.
We wrap up the week on Saturday, August 23, with the Feast Day of St. Rose of Lima, who is the Patron Saint of Peru and Latin America. She cared for the sick and poor in the city of Lima, Peru, and lived her life in prayer and solitude.
When you are able, please join us for morning Mass at 8:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Weekday Mass is followed by daily devotions, which usually begin with the recitation of the Rosary, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Every Tuesday, devotions start with the powerful Novena to St. Anthony of Padua.
"Live a life that reflects God's love."
2025-2026 St. John’s Religious Education Program
Now is the perfect time to start thinking about enrolling your children in our parish's Religious Education program! Designed for students in grades 1 through 11, this program helps children and teens grow in their Catholic faith and deepen their relationship with Jesus. Additionally, we offer sacramental preparation for our second- and eleventh-grade students. During the fall semester, second graders prepare to make their First Confession, and in the spring semester, they prepare to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. Eleventh graders spend the entire school year preparing for their Confirmation.
Religious Education is more than classroom learning—it’s about forming disciples. Through engaging lessons, prayer, and a welcoming parish community, your child will discover what it means to know, love, and serve God in today’s world.
As parents, you are the first and most important teachers of the faith. Our parish is here to walk with you, providing the support, formation, and resources your family needs to grow in Christ. Our religious education program is one such resource.
Classes begin in early October, and registration will open online in early September on our parish website. Don’t miss this opportunity to nurture your child’s faith and future in the Church.
For more information, please email me at jpshimek@stjohns-grfd.org.
Starting next week, view the 2025–2026 Religious Education calendar by visiting our parish website and clicking on “Lifelong Faith Formation, then select “Religious Education.”
We look forward to growing in faith with your family!
To keep up to date, join our SJE Adult Formation Flocknote or follow us on Facebook.
St. Mary Parish Grief Support Group
Have you recently lost a loved one? If so, the St. Mary Parish Grief Support Group will soon be available to help you navigate your journey through grief. You will have the opportunity to talk with others who have experienced similar losses and find support and strength to carry on with life, renewed with new hope.
Several of our parishioners have found support and comfort in this group for their grief.
The facilitator-led group meets regularly from Fall through Spring on the first and third Mondays of the month from 10:30 a.m. to Noon. The meetings will resume on Monday, September 15, at the Holy Trinity Room inside the parish office, located at 9520 W. Forest Home Avenue in Hales Corners.
Please contact Diana Gilles at (414) 427-1291 for more information and to register if you would like to attend.
Save the Date for the
St. John’s-Christian Women's Blood Drive
The 2025 Blood Drive is scheduled for September 8 from 2:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Church Hall. Help save a life!
You can also call Diane Gaffke at (414) 327-6780 to reserve your time slot.
Saint Francis de Sales Seminary’s 23rd Annual Dinner will be an evening to remember!
“It will be an extraordinary celebration of all that the Lord is doing at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary.” You will learn about the Lord “sending us good, holy men to be formed as His priests, His guiding of our capital campaign so that we can renovate, restore, and expand the Salesianum, His provision of a temporary home while the work is underway, and His blessing us with faithful supporters like you.” The evening is an opportunity to “meet our seminarians, get an update on the building progress, and enjoy a night with devoted Catholics who believe in standing up for truth, beauty, and goodness in our world. It is an event that will inspire you on your own faith journey.”
Please unite with these hundreds of faithful Catholics at the Baird Center, Fourth-Floor Ballroom, 405 West Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, on Friday, October 3. If you are unable to attend and would like to offer significant help, you can do so by making a donation.
Please consider joining Fr. Michael and your fellow parishioners at this joy-filled evening!
Dennis and Mary Baumgardner are organizing the group from St. John’s (usually, the checks are sent in together). If you are interested in further details, would like to donate, or would like to attend, please contact Dennis or Mary by August 24 at the latest (414-427-0832).
Thank you in advance for your generous consideration!
Friends, the statement of Jesus that we have in the Gospel for today is frightening: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” He’s throwing fire down, much like the God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Okay, so how do we make sense of all this? I thought the angels on Christmas morning said that he had come as the Prince of Peace? Jesus is the Incarnation of the God who is nothing but love, but this enfleshment takes place in the midst of a fallen, sinful world. Therefore, it will appear as something threatening, strange, and off-putting.
The world, on the biblical reading, is a dysfunctional family. When Jesus comes, he necessarily comes as a breaker of the peace, as a threat to the dysfunctional family. Now we can begin to understand that strange language about setting three against two and two against three.
This is why Jesus wants to cast a consuming fire on the earth. He wants to burn away all that is opposed to God’s desire for us. He has to clear the ground before something new can be built. Is this utterly painful? Yes!
Okay, so how do we make sense of all this? I thought the angels on Christmas morning said that he had come as the Prince of Peace? Jesus is the Incarnation of the God who is nothing but love, but this enfleshment takes place in the midst of a fallen, sinful world. Therefore, it will appear as something threatening, strange, and off-putting.
The world, on the biblical reading, is a dysfunctional family. When Jesus comes, he necessarily comes as a breaker of the peace, as a threat to the dysfunctional family. Now we can begin to understand that strange language about setting three against two and two against three.
This is why Jesus wants to cast a consuming fire on the earth. He wants to burn away all that is opposed to God’s desire for us. He has to clear the ground before something new can be built. Is this utterly painful? Yes!
-Bishop Robert Barron
St. John’s is fortunate to have 24-hour Perpetual Adoration. Please take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to draw closer to God.
We have several open hours of Adoration:
Every Other Tuesday (twice per month), 1:00 to 2:00 a.m.
Thursdays, Midnight - 1:00 a.m.
We are also seeking a second Adorer for many of the late evening and overnight hours, particularly on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. If you are looking for some quiet time to be with Our Lord, please consider signing up.
Call 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.
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.