2026 Festival News
The weather is turning warmer, and our Parish Festival will be here in no time. The festival dates this year are Friday, July 24; Saturday, July 25; and Sunday, July 26. A few recommendations from the Festival Committee include:
- If you still have a festival yard sign from last year, please return it to the parish office or leave it in the back of the church.
- You can begin donating to the Grocery Raffle and Mystery Package in the back of church or at the parish office.
- If you like to bake, keep in mind the festival dinners will need cupcakes or bars and there is also the bake sale after Mass.
- Inside food operations is looking for workers to fill many slots before and after the festival. A complete list is available in the parish office.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Marie Stemo (414) 427-7467 or Mary Mitchell (414) 916-2298.
Additional volunteer opportunities will be included in future bulletins. If you have never volunteered at the festival, give it a try this summer. You will make new friends and have a lot of fun. There are also opportunities for families to volunteer together and begin to make special memories for years to come.
Holy Name Society Essay Contest
Each year, St. John’s Holy Name Society sponsors an Essay Contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students in the day school, religious education, and home-schooled children of St. John’s Parish.
The theme for this year’s contest was: “How Can Christ Affect the Joys of the Family?” Holy Name offered a prize of $75 for 1st Place, $60 for 2nd Place, and $40 for 3rd Place. This year’s winners are: First Place—Nick H., Second Place—Thomas M., and Third Place—Lauren H.
St. John’s Holy Name Society wants to thank Principal Ben Oberdorf for promoting this contest, Emily Wisniewski, Middle School Literacy teacher who coordinated the essays, and Matthew Courchane and Wendy Dunning for judging the essays.
Parish elections will be coming up soon. This weekend, April 18 and 19, is nomination weekend for the next Pastoral Council Election. We have two At-Large Members who serve three-year terms and one Trustee who serves a two-year term. Nominees must be registered parish members, baptized Catholic, at least 18 years of age, and not be immediate family members of employees of the parish.
Nominations are due in the parish office by Monday, April 27, at 5:00 p.m. A biography (subject to editing for length) and a headshot color photo are due in the office by Tuesday, May 5. Both can be sent by email to rectory@stjohns-grfd.org.
The photos and biographies will be in the bulletin on May 10. The election for the Pastoral Council will take place at the weekend Masses on May 16 and 17.
Nominations are due in the parish office by Monday, April 27, at 5:00 p.m. A biography (subject to editing for length) and a headshot color photo are due in the office by Tuesday, May 5. Both can be sent by email to rectory@stjohns-grfd.org.
The photos and biographies will be in the bulletin on May 10. The election for the Pastoral Council will take place at the weekend Masses on May 16 and 17.
The Christian Women Society will meet on Thursday, April 16, at 6:00 p.m in the church Hall.
The guest speaker will be from the Milwaukee County Zoo. The topic will be the History of the Zoo.
All are welcome.
The guest speaker will be from the Milwaukee County Zoo. The topic will be the History of the Zoo.
All are welcome.
Rummage Sale Thank You
The St. John's Christian Women Society would like to thank everyone who helped make their Rummage Sale a huge success. Those who did the collecting, sorting, cleaning, and marking in the Shed, then moving items to the Gym, setting up tables, unpacking, organizing, selling, wrapping, taking down tables, packing up leftovers, cleaning, and delivering any leftovers to different organizations.
Thank you to all!
St. John’s Prayer Shawl Ministry News
The St. John’s Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on Friday, April 24, from 10:30 am to Noon. The meeting location is 8101 W. Dreyer Place, with easy access and no stairs. Bring your new creations of Prayer Pockets, Shawls, Lap Blankets, Twiddle Muffs, and Baptismal Gifts. If you enjoy knitting and crocheting, please join them and learn more about this ministry. Thank you for dropping off your monetary and new yarn donations at the Parish Office to help in this mission! For more information, contact Diane Oakland at 414-617-0721 or email her at dianeoak@gmail.com.
Panel Members Needed For Justification of Graduation (JOG) Presentations
This year, our 8th-grade students will continue the St. John’s JOG tradition on May 11 and 12. Our 8th-grade students will present to their parents, mentors, and members of the parish and school community on how our parish school has prepared them for their futures.
Would you be interested in being a part of the viewing panel? As a member of the panel, your job is to sit back and listen to an 8th-grade student's accomplishments in the areas of Catholic faith, academics, service, extracurricular activities, and future plans, and then offer positive feedback.
Please consider being a part of this event. Each PowerPoint presentation should last approximately 20 minutes. We would like you to consider listening to two or three students’ presentations.
Two presentations will take about one hour. Presentations are scheduled for:
May 11, from 8:30 am-11:30 am and 12:30 pm-2:00 pm. May 12, from 8:00 am-11:30 am and 12:30 pm-2:00 pm.
If you are interested, please contact me at 414-321-8540 or email boberdorf@sje.school by April 30 to let us know of your interest and availability.
"Live a life that reflects God's love."
An Evening with Jason Evert
St. Francis Borgia Parish in Cedarburg is inviting all teens (13+) and their parents to a powerful evening with nationally-known Catholic speaker Jason Evert, one of the most sought-after presenters in the Church today and a featured speaker at the National Eucharistic Congress.
This event will take place at 1375 Covered Bridge Road in Cedarburg on Thursday, April 23, from 6:00–9:15 p.m. While Cedarburg is a bit of a drive from Greenfield, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear Jason Evert much closer to home than his appearance at the National Eucharistic Congress, making it a rare and worthwhile experience for local families.
This dynamic evening combines Purified and Gender & the Theology of the Body, offering engaging insights, practical guidance, and a clear presentation of God’s plan for love, relationships, and human identity. The event also includes Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship, and an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You’ll leave feeling renewed, refreshed, and energized for your Catholic mission, with a deeper sense of connection to the wider Archdiocese and the Church beyond Greenfield.
The cost is $25 per person. To learn more, visit https://www.archmil.org/events/st-francis-borgia-hosts-a-night-with-jason-evert to watch a promotional video about the event.
To stay updated, join our SJE Adult Formation Flocknote or follow us on Facebook.
Vacation Bible School
Elementary school–aged children entering grades K5 through 6 are invited to join us for an exciting week of faith and fun at our 2026 Vacation Bible School: Rainforest Falls – An Epic Adventure of Faith! Vacation Bible School will run from June 15-19 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.
Each day, children will discover God’s love through engaging Bible stories, music, games, and hands-on activities in a vibrant rainforest setting. A snack will be included.
Space is limited, so please register today. The cost is $10 per child or $30 per family (for families sending three or more campers).
Students entering grades 7 and 8 are welcome to apply as Junior Crew Leaders, and high school students may apply to serve as Rainforest Rangers.
For more information about the Rainforest Rangers program, please contact me.
To register campers (grades K5-6) and Junior Crew Leaders (grades 7-8), simply scan the QR code to access our registration page. Those applying to serve as Rainforest Rangers should contact me at jpshimek@stjohns-grfd.org.
To stay updated, join our SJE Adult Formation Flocknote or follow us on Facebook.
Sunday, April 19, 2026 | Third Sunday of Easter| Luke 24:13–35
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus joins two disciples on the road to Emmaus, but they do not recognize him. In the course of their conversation, he opens the Scriptures to them, disclosing the great biblical patterns that make sense of the “things” they have witnessed. The interpretive key is none other than his own suffering and death, his willingness to go to the limits of godforsakenness in order to save those who had wandered from the divine love.
And through this process, they begin to understand the Bible in its totality, and their hearts burn within them. The two disciples press him to stay with them as they draw near the town of Emmaus. Jesus sits down with them, takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gives it to them—and in that moment they recognize him.
The ultimate means by which we understand Jesus Christ is not the Scriptures but the Eucharist, for the Eucharist is Christ himself, personally and actively present. The embodiment of the Paschal Mystery, the Eucharist is Jesus’s love for the world unto death, his journey into godforsakenness in order to save the most desperate of sinners, his heart broken open in compassion.
-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.
There is one open hour of Adoration:Saturdays 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
We are also seeking Adorers for several hours during the week, with many options to fit your schedule! Please consider an hour during the day, the evening, or overnight.
If you are looking for some quiet time to be with Our Lord, please 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.
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.