We are called to be servants to others.
In this weekend's Gospel, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for what is coming. This is the second time in Mark’s Gospel that he has told them about the passion and death he must endure, and the resurrection that would follow. But the disciples weren’t getting it; they didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about. How could they? Everything he was saying was so foreign to them that it makes sense that they were confused.
One might think that the disciples would be curious, that they would want to know more, to understand what Jesus was talking about. But they do not engage the topic, and all we know is that they were afraid to question him.
Instead, they move on to a different question, one they are not afraid to broach with Jesus: Who among them is the greatest, the second in command? Jesus answers that it is the last, the servant of all. He says that to receive a child in his name is to receive him, and whoever receives him receives the one who sent him – the Father.
Jesus is focused on what will happen, while the disciples engage in speculation. Jesus wants to change the way the disciples think; he wants to teach them that they will be judged based on the humility with which they serve others, not how important they are.
Humility, service, and childlike faith – these are qualities of the kingdom. We might argue that curiosity, as a child is curious, is also a kingdom quality because it is a desire to know God more and more, and to be fearless in seeking that knowledge. The disciples clearly did not exhibit these attributes in this exchange.
This is an opportunity for us to reflect and change as necessary how we think about our relationship with God. Instead of focusing solely on things of the world, we can seek wisdom that is of God. We can strive to be more Christ-like in our way of living.
Ultimately, as Jesus Christ is the suffering servant, the one sacrifice made for all, we imitate him in our love for and service to others. We pray for the grace to be who he asks us to be and do what he asks us to do: to live humbly and serve one another in love.
May each of you know His love, today and always!
Deacon Don
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis! Holy Mary, pray for us!
Summary of what's Going On:
- That Man is You - New semester has begun! - We want to see you there men!
- Scaffolding is coming down - no more Progress pictures of St. Mary Restoration!
- WE NEED HELP cleaning St. Mary Church after the scaffolding comes down! All hands on Deck!
- We Lift next speaker September 21! Gina Schmalz!
Masses return to St. Mary on October 7! First Mass Monday October 7 at 1pm!
Invitation to the Reveal Gala below!
We need you to read about RADICAL HOSPITALITY! Entertaining angels Unaware!
Diaper Drive - Vida has an immediate need for diapers. Deadline September 30!
Menasha Harvest Festival September 21! SM & SJB are sponsors!
40 Days for Life Kicks off September 21!
St. Mary Cemetery Rosary Walks - Thursdays in October 3pm!
St. Francis Pet Blessing 5pm on Wednesday, October 2.
Check out our Faith Formation and Youth Events!
Check out what's happening at St. Mary Catholic Schools
Consider a donation towards Altar Flowers.
- Have you registered as a parishioner? Consider joining our parishes!
- Have you tried using SCRIP! IT'S EASY!! SCRIP contributes $50,000 to the bottom line of our parish budgets. Try using SCRIP for a tank of gas and a bag of groceries! Scrip is for sale after all Masses and in the Parish Office!
- Online Giving is available through We Share. Leave your checkbook at home.
****As you can tell, we have a lot going on! Our Weekly Update continues to grow. Some of you may be missing some of the news. 😳 When browsing the Weekly Update on your computer or phone you may find a note when you get to the "bottom" that says "Message clipped" View Entire Message. If you click "View Entire Message" then the rest of the Update will load. Be sure to look this week, you don't want to miss anything! 😉****
Have an idea for the Weekly Update? Drop me an email!
DD
Do you have some free time around
September 26-October 4? Be one of first to see the St. Mary Restoration up close.
We need cleaners M-F 8am-3pm,
Saturday 9am-1pm. Excluding Sunday 9/29. Come for a couple hours or the whole time.
SMCS Students...you have off school on Friday 9/27, get some service hours!
We will also need docents (tour guides) in different shifts throughout the weekdays who can take folks on tours of our renovation. Don’t worry, you will be trained on all the history and restoration detail.
To be a cleaner or docent please call our Parish Office (920)725-7714.
THANK YOU!!!
Friends as we prepare for St. Mary to reopen and for things to return to "normal" in our parishes, we need to do our best to welcome those visiting our parishes!
In Hebrews 13:2 we read “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Friends, every week we have angels in our midst at our daily and weekend Masses. They are our fellow parishioners and the visitors who join us for worship. The Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to show hospitality, and that is what I want to call us to focus on as our parishes return to "normal" after a summer of construction and renovation. Christian hospitality is lived out at our parishes and we are all called to welcome every person as an honored guest. Do you know that someone looking for a parish home makes the decision to join our parish in as little as the first 3 minutes they spend on our campus, and that includes the time in the parking lot! It is vital that they experience our churches as warm, welcoming places. Hospitality is the way we express the love of Christ for every individual. It is the sense of genuine welcome people feel when they first enter our churches. Hospitality only works if everyone does it, supports it, and understands it. It’s hard work! In all we do we need to make sure our parishes are places that people are drawn to, where people can feel at home. We can’t be satisfied with the ordinary, we need to kindle a fire of radical hospitality.
As we recall each Christmas, God’s mission in Christ is to be Emmanuel: God-with-us. That mission continues in the great gift of the Eucharist. As Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We should also experience His real presence by our real, attentive presence to one another through our hospitality. Hospitality is a quality (virtue) that cannot be assumed or taken for granted. It takes attention and effort. We need to pay attention to those we encounter at Mass. Just think about where you sit at Mass. We may have sat around someone for ten years or more in church and yet have never spoken with them or learned their name. When people come into our church home, they need us to be attentive to them by putting forth the effort to be hospitable to them—to be like Christ.
Here are some examples that we can ALL do (not just assigned Greeters or Ushers) before, during or after Mass: 1) We need to engage people (fellow parishioners and visitors alike!) with a friendly smile and a few warm words. 2) Be attentive to see to people who may be unfamiliar with our churches and offer assistance. 3 When you find a pew, sit in the middle so people do not have to climb over you to find a place to sit. 4) Greet people with a nod or smile as they enter your pew. 5) Make it a point to sit in a different pew or section of the church occasionally. 6) Strike up a casual conversation after Mass by asking a simple question (what is your name, where are you from). 7) After Mass introduce yourself to someone you recognize but do not know, or even better, someone you do not recognize. 8) When standing with two people you know ask if they know each other. If not, introduce them to each other by name. 9) Make it a habit to meet someone new on a regular basis (every Sunday or once a month). 10) These same examples don’t just work at Mass, use them at any parish gathering.
My friends, let’s be aware of the angels in our midst, let’s all make a conscious effort to welcome one another and our visitors with the love of Christ. If we can do this, we will be blessed people will wanting to join simply because we welcome them as we would like to be welcomed, as honored guests.
Hebrews 13:25 “Grace be with all of you!”
Deacon Don
That Man is You! honestly addresses the pressures and temptations that men face in our modern culture, especially those relating to their roles as husbands and fathers. TMIY harmonizes current social and medical science with the teachings of the Catholic Church and the wisdom of the saints to develop the vision of man fully alive! The goal of That Man is You! for St. Mary and St. John the Baptist is to bring each man closer to God and to build a community of men. All are welcome, come and join us! Our fall semester has begun! We gather starting at 5:45am for coffee, video presentation at 6am, small group discussion at 6:30am and you are on your way by 7am! For more information, contact Aaron Spielbauer at (920) 213-3223. Join us, you will be glad you did !
Pet Blessing 5pm on Wednesday, October 2!
Calling all creatures great and small! St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, and to celebrate St. Francis' works, members of the church, school, and community are encouraged to bring their pets to St. Mary for a blessing. Our St. Francis Pet Blessing will take place at 5:00pm on Wednesday, October 2 at the Parish Office/School entrance at St. Mary on 2nd Street. We will have a brief prayer service and all pets will be blessed. Bring a picture if you pet doesn't travel well. Don't have a pet? Bring your favorite stuffed animal! St. Francis loved all God’s creatures and followed God’s example of kindness, mercy, compassion, and love for all creation. Hope to see you there! Please invite your pet loving friends!
MINISTRY PRO SCHEDULER!
The current Ministry Schedule goes through October 13. The next ministry schedule will go from
October 19 - January 12, 2025. Please sign into Ministry Pro Scheduler and enter your "Can't Serve" dates for that time period. The cut-off for dates to be entered is Friday, September 27. If you don’t have a computer you can call the parish office. It is very important these dates are entered into the system before the schedule is created.
Thank you in advance!
Vida provides medical, mentoring, material, and maternity housing support to empower individuals to make life-affirming decisions. All size diapers, from Newborn to Size 6, are in high demand at Vida. Please consider helping them restock our shelves for the families we serve!
Donated diapers can be dropped off in the back of church or at the parish office, cutoff September 30. You can also purchase diapers on their online gift registry! https://friendsofvida.org/donate/
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
CGS Corner
This week the students have been getting used to their new space in the atrium - this special place where we listen for God's voice, where we speak to God and where we work.
One of the presentations given this week to a few students, was the Our Father. We talked about how each of the lines of the Our Father could be its own prayer. "Give us this day our daily bread", "Hallowed be thy name". "Deliver us not into temptation."
After we read the Lord's prayer directly from scripture, one of the 1st grade students shared that, "I heard the prayer in God's voice". How beautiful!
SUMMIT - Calling all high-schoolers!
The SUMMIT kick-off was so much fun, and the fun keeps going!
Join us on the following dates at Mt. Tabor Center
(522 2nd Street, Menasha) - right next to St. Mary's Church:
September 24
October 1
October 8........
EVERY Tuesday from 7:04 - 8:30pm
Check out this link to learn more: https://linktr.ee/spiritusteam
College Care Packages!
We would love to be able to send your college age child a care package from the parishes! We send packages this year before each finals week (we send one in November and in April) Please click this link or contact Bethany at the parish office and we will send them a small package to brighten up their day! https://forms.gle/3wPKEoJcjffjTxzV8
This ministry is funded ENTIRELY on donations!!
If you would like to donate toward the college care packages - we have an Amazon wishlist set up for this! You can follow the link below, or contact Bethany Robinson at the parish office to donate directly.
Amazon wishlist: https://a.co/2uDdd1n
DEADLINE for sign ups and donations is October 18
Join the choir! You'll be glad you did!
Our St. Mary and St. John Choirs are seeking new members!
We are a welcoming group which actively encourages singers of all ages,
expertise, and backgrounds to join us in making excellent music! We work toward education in
vocal technique during our rehearsals, leading to beauty in our sacred music liturgies.
We are looking for students, adults, families...all are encouraged to join. We are hoping to add voices to our choir for a beautiful, warm welcome, to our newly painted St. Mary’s, and [eventually] to a refinished choir loft at St. John’s.
When: Thursday nights beginning September 5th, 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
Where: Basement of St. Mary’s [until restoration is complete]
Questions? Please contact Allison Ellis at
We would love to have you join!
Are you registered with us?
One way to know is if you receive regular communications from us, such as offertory envelopes, newsletters or emails. If you do not receive at least one of these, then perhaps you are not registered here, you may want to check with the parish office staff.
Registering in the parish is a statement of faith and confidence in the life and work of our parish.
As parish members, we are all here to help each other on our spiritual journey; we don’t want to do this alone.
As much as you need us, we need you, too! Stop by the welcome table at either parish for a New Member Form. Please call Deacon Don in the Parish Office if you have any questions. (920) 725-7714 x416.
Let's keep up our SCRIP Purchases!
Scrip is fundraising using gift cards. They are the same gift cards you would normally purchase from a retailer at your local retail stores, and they work the same way. You'll find cards you can use at grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, home improvement stores and at almost any business that accepts gift cards. You can also purchase Scrip and use it for payment on your phone with RaiseRight.
HOW DOES SCRIP WORK?
You buy a gift card for face value. St. Mary & St. John earn a rebate. It really is that simple!
Your support of the Scrip program helps our church continue to fulfill Christ’s mission locally and around the world!
You bless your parish with income by simply purchasing your groceries, gas, completing home improvement projects, taking a trip, enjoying a dinner out, giving Christmas gifts, and much more!
SCRIP BENEFITS EVERYBODY! A VIBRANT SCRIP PROGRAM:
· Provides income for our parishes without additional offertory
· Helps with church operating costs
· Supports local businesses and jobs
· Makes your household budgeting easier
BE A PART OF THIS GREAT PARISH SUPPORT OPPORTUNITY THAT PROVIDES EXCELLENT BENEFITS FOR SM & SJB AT NO COST TO YOU!
There is an order form below of cards that we inventory that you can purchase after Mass or at the Parish Office during the week.
Spend an Hour with Jesus!
Jesus is waiting for you!
Adoring Christ in the
Blessed Sacrament takes no special skill —
just a willingness to spend time with the Lord.
We are blessed to have 8 hours of Adoration followed by Benediction available to us each week!
Find a time that meets your schedule. Spending time with Jesus will change your life!
Eucharistic Adoration is available at
St. Mary** (St. John the Baptist during Restoration)
Tuesdays: 6:30am – 7:30am and 12pm – 1pm
Wednesdays: 12pm – 1pm and 6pm – 7pm
St. John the Baptist
Thursdays: 6:30am – 7:30am and 12pm – 1pm
Fridays: 12pm – 1pm and 6pm – 7pm
Perpetual Adoration is available at the Twin Cities Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Margaret Mary.
Prayer Cards Available.
Pray for one another. One of the greatest things we can do for our friends and family is to pray for them before the Blessed Sacrament. When we pray for others, it also allows us to experience the joy that comes from seeing someone else receive God’s blessings. It is a wonderful feeling to know that we have played a part in someone else’s healing or salvation.
To let you let your loved ones know you have prayed for them, we have made some beautiful prayer cards for you to fill out and give them.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ( Galatians 6:2)