Summer Missionary Appeal
On the weekend of September 13 & 14, Sr. Jan Gregorcich and Margaret Ward, a Board Member of Global Partners Running Waters, will be with us to present this year’s water project. Together, they will invite us to help bring fresh running water to a village in Guatemala.
Global Partners Running Waters is an affiliated ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a ministry begun by Sr. Jan Gregorcich, SSND. (Sr. Jan is also a sister to parishioner Marty Gregorcich.)
This year’s project is located in Xeabaj Centro, Joyabaj. Global Partners is working to raise $50,000 towards the project. The community of Xeabaj is comprised of nearly 155 families who are committed to raising $11,000 and undertaking all the work for the project.
As Sister Jan will remind us, “We are a Missionary Church!” Last year, our parish alone contributed nearly $12,000 towards another water project in Guatemala, and the recipients were most grateful.
Sr. Jan says to us, “Thank you ahead of time for your generosity once again and your solidarity with this ‘el Quiche’ community.”
2026 Mass Intention Book Open
The Mass Intention book for 2026 will open on Thursday, September 4, at 8:30 a.m. Please bring your desired dates and the names of your loved ones to the Parish Office on that date. Mass Intentions will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Cash or checks are accepted.
Our SJE school staff returned on August 18 to get our school ready to welcome students back on August 25. The staff prayed together, worked together, and laughed together as we prepared for the 2025-26 school year. This year, the staff will be teaching 162 students and serving 106 families. Here is a picture of our staff as we begin our school year.
"Live a life that reflects God's love."
Registering for the 2025-2026
SJE Religious Education Program
Our online registration portal for our 2025-2026 Religious Education program will open on Friday, September 5, 2025. Before beginning the process, please read the following carefully, as several things have changed this year.
Parent Meeting Update:
We will not hold a mandatory in-person parents’ meeting this year. Instead, parents will have the opportunity to meet me, the Director of Lifelong Faith Formation, as well as their child’s catechist, on the first night of classes.
Registration for Grades 1 and 3–10:
Parents/guardians enrolling children in our ongoing Religious Education program will complete the following:
- Archdiocesan Emergency Information and Contact Record
- Media Release Form
- Religious Education Program Registration Form
During the registration process, you will also receive information about our Alive in Christ and Didache curricula, as well as the Circle of Grace safe environment curriculum. Please remember to download, save, and print our 2025–2026 Religious Education calendars.
Sacramental Preparation – Grades 2 and 11: Additional steps are required for students preparing for the sacraments:
- Grade 2 (First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion): Parents/guardians must submit sacramental records.
- Grade 11 (Confirmation): In addition to submitting records, Confirmation candidates must complete specific requirements and participate in an interview before being considered fully registered.
Because these steps require time and careful preparation, we strongly encourage parents and guardians, as well as Confirmation candidates, to begin the registration process as early as possible.
To keep up to date, join our SJE Adult Formation Flocknote or follow us on Facebook.
You can also call Diane Gaffke at (414) 327-6780 to reserve your time slot.
The Christian Women Society of St. John’s will begin their fall season on Thursday, September 11, with Mass at 6:00 p.m. in the Church. Please wear something red, white, and blue to honor 9/11. There will be a business meeting, followed by a social in the Church Hall. Yearly dues of $5 need to be paid at this time. Please bring your check with you to the meeting or mail it to the parish office. Payment must be made by “Check Only” made payable to the SJE Christian Women. Also, please bring your non-perishable food items for the raffle (no outdated items, please). All women of the parish are invited to join them at Mass and come see what the Society is all about.
Enjoy Some Quiet Time at a Redemptorist Retreat
Ladies of the Parish are invited to the annual spiritual retreat at the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Oconomowoc, the weekend of October 3-5. The retreat offers time for prayer, the celebration of the Sacraments, engaging discussions, and, most importantly, quiet meditation. The cost is $285.00 for the two-night stay, including a private room and all meals. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required.
Please call Barb at 414-448-7117 for more information or the Retreat Center at 262-567-6900.
Friends, our Gospel today is the well-known passage from Luke’s Gospel that deals with honor at a banquet. Jesus has been invited to the home of a prominent person, one of the “leading Pharisees,” and he notices how people jockey carefully for position, status, and prominence.
Who will notice me? Who can I impress? And Jesus puts his finger on the most desperate scenario for an egotist. Trying as hard as he can to be noticed, he gets noticed, but for all the wrong reasons! His egotistic games backfire dreadfully, as everyone sees him reduced to embarrassment. So what’s the solution? Stop playing the game. Take the lowest place on purpose. Opt out.
Another strategy is suggested at the end of the parable. It’s also a strategy of noncooperation with evil. I’ll have dinner for people, but only so that they can pay me back with another dinner. So opt out! Don’t play. Invite people to a party who have no capacity whatsoever to invite you in return. “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.”
Who will notice me? Who can I impress? And Jesus puts his finger on the most desperate scenario for an egotist. Trying as hard as he can to be noticed, he gets noticed, but for all the wrong reasons! His egotistic games backfire dreadfully, as everyone sees him reduced to embarrassment. So what’s the solution? Stop playing the game. Take the lowest place on purpose. Opt out.
Another strategy is suggested at the end of the parable. It’s also a strategy of noncooperation with evil. I’ll have dinner for people, but only so that they can pay me back with another dinner. So opt out! Don’t play. Invite people to a party who have no capacity whatsoever to invite you in return. “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.”
-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 and Wednesdays 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.