When we confess our sinfulness, we acknowledge God’s power to forgive us.
My friends,
In this weekend's readings, Isaiah and Simon Peter encounter God, and their immediate response is to acknowledge their own sinfulness. Isaiah declares his lips unclean, and Peter calls himself a sinful man. When we confess our sinfulness, we also acknowledge God’s power to forgive us. To recognize that God is God, and we are not, is an act of praise. And it is this attitude of humility that puts us in a position to be forgiven and healed.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah sees God seated on a throne. The seraphim above him cry out, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! During Mass, we join the angels in this refrain just before the Eucharistic Prayer. Isaiah says he is doomed because it was believed that no one could see God and live. Upon seeing God, Isaiah acknowledges his unworthiness, declaring he is a man of unclean lips. After he makes this confession, one of the seraphim touches his mouth with an ember from the altar to remove his wickedness and purge his sin. Through this action, Isaiah is made worthy of his call to be God’s prophet. This event is referenced before the Gospel is proclaimed. At Mass, when I ask Father for a blessing before I proclaim the Gospel, his blessing for me is: "May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well, in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit." When there is no deacon at Mass, Father himself prays quietly, “Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.”
In the Gospel reading, Simon Peter also witnesses God’s mysterious power. Simon has been fishing all night without catching anything. He has cleaned his nets. His work is finished. But when he follows Jesus’ instructions to cast his nets one more time, he catches an astounding number of fish. In response to the miraculous sight, Peter falls to his knees and says, Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. Peter simultaneously acknowledges Jesus’ identity as Lord and his own sinfulness. In response, he will leave everything behind and follow Christ.
Referencing both of these passages, the Catechism says: “Because God is holy, he can forgive the man who realizes that he is a sinner before him” (CCC 208). When we confess our sinfulness in God’s presence, we put ourselves in a position to be forgiven. It is this attitude that we take when we pray the Confiteor at Mass. We dare not approach the altar, where the Lamb of God is seated on his throne, without first confessing our own sinfulness. We leave everything behind to follow the one with the power to make us worthy to receive him.
May each of you know His love, today and always!
Deacon Don
From Father Michael, Do Not Be Afraid: How We Are Bringing Hope to the World
“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.” – Luke 5:10-11
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After fishing all night, Simon Peter, James, and John must have been tired. Imagine how you would have felt if you were them. Your body would ache from casting large, heavy nets into the sea over, and over, and over again. You’d be exhausted from staying awake all night. And, you’d be frustrated: not a single fish made it into your net.
Jesus saw the tired, frustrated men and instructed them to cast their nets into the sea once more. Simon Peter felt it was impossible. But because Jesus instructed him, Simon Peter and the men casted their nets. The nets tore as hundreds of fish swam into them, to the point where their boats were starting to sink. With great fear and shame, Simon Peter told Jesus to leave him. He felt undeserving to be among Jesus. Yet, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” After witnessing the power and compassion of the Son of God, the three men gave up everything to follow Jesus and bring hope to the world. We are called to do the same.
Just like Jesus and His disciples, our diocese is answering the call. Parish faith formation programs and Catholic schools help our young people find hope in a friendship with Jesus. Catholic Charities counselors are Bringing Hope to the World. With counseling services for mental health struggles, debt management, adoption and parenting support, and marriage and family difficulties, counselors help people hear Jesus’s words: “Do not be afraid.” Jesus is their hope today and always. This and even more is made possible in our parish and our diocese because of your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal.
Please prayerfully consider how you can share your gifts to the 2025 Bishop’s Appeal. For just $5 a month, you can help diocesan ministries share the hope of Jesus with members of our parish. Thank you for answering Jesus’ call to follow Him and share His hope with others!
To give to the Appeal, contact our parish office, use the pledge card you received at home, or visit the Bishop’s Appeal website at www.catholicfoundation.com/give to make your gift.
Thank you for your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal and for your support of St. Mary and St. John the Baptist.
CGS Corner (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd)
Students in the school and parish are learning SO MUCH about our Catholic faith, and they LOVE the time they spend in the Atrium! One of my favorite things about the Atrium is the connections the students make all on their own—many times they are things I would never have thought of myself! We ask open ended questions allowing the children to ponder different things in the Atrium. I have been presenting the parable of the Precious Pearl to the children recently. A parable is a story with a hidden meaning. After reading this parable (Matthew 13:45-46) One of the children said, “The merchant might be God—what he gave away was Jesus, because His Son is all that God had, and He gave His Son away so that God could be with us—we are the pearl.”
What a beautiful response from an 8 year old! I had never thought of this parable in that way. Have you pondered any of His parables recently?
We are always looking for more help in our atrium, as each year we are expanding and adding more grades! If this interests you, or if you would like to observe a session to see this beautiful work in action, please contact Bethany Robinson at (920)725-7714 ext. 424
ALL RISE! The Northeast Wisconsin Passion Play Open Auditions
Open auditions for ALL RISE! The Northeast Wisconsin Passion Play, a dramatic musical based on the life of Christ, will be held on Thursday evening, January 30th and Saturday morning, February 1st, at the Xavier Fine Arts Theatre, 1600 W. Prospect Avenue, Appleton. Adult and student performers, grades three through twelve, of all faiths are invited to audition. Director Jim Romenesko seeks singers, dancers and actors for the community production.
Performances dates for the 2025 season are April 10-13, with a special performance for Religious Education / Faith Formation groups on April 9th.
Chorus, lead and supporting roles, both singing and non-singing are available. Those auditioning will also be asked to do a simple movement/dance audition.
Performances and rehearsals are held at the Xavier Fine Arts Theatre, 1600 W. Prospect Avenue Appleton on Sunday evenings with soloists & actors in leading roles also rehearsing on some Sunday afternoons. Peter Leschke is the show’s musical director. Mary Doverspike, Jr. is the choreographer.
For more information visit the production’s website: www.newpassionplay.org and click or tap the “Join Our Cast” button near the top of the page.
Center for Suicide Awareness Monthly Support Group
The Center for Suicide Awareness is inviting anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide to join their monthly support group which is held on the second Monday of every month throughout the year beginning at 6:30pm at St. Joseph Parish, 404 W. Lawrence St., Appleton, WI. The support group meets in the Holly Hall Building which is located between the church and parking lot. There is no pre-registration required. Just come.
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.
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
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)
Sharing our Gifts
As with our family, we care deeply for our church and want to ensure that it will continue to flourish and grow long after we are gone. St. Mary & St. John Parishes are sustained by the generosity of our parishioners through time, talent, and treasure. We are sincerely grateful for kind remembrances in memorials, donations, and wills. Donations may be tax deductible. For all that you do Thank You!!
Bequests & Legacy Giving
Charitable gift planning is stewardship of our assets, just like our weekly offering. Please consider St. Mary and/or St. John the Baptist Parish in your estate planning.
The simplest planned gift to St. Mary and/or St. John the Baptist Parish is a bequest in your last will or testament or in your living trust. This demonstrates the obvious necessity to have a valid will or trust in order to accomplish your goal of leaving a legacy to the Church as your final act of stewardship.
Even if you choose to make an outright bequest to St. Mary and/or St. John the Baptist Parish, you may consider the parish as the beneficiary of a contingent bequest in the event all your other named beneficiaries no longer exist at the time of your death. This is sometimes referred to as a “clean up” provision. It ensures that your property is distributed according to your plan rather than the state law on estate distributions.
A tax planning point for bequests: To the extent possible, your bequest should be from assets referred to in the Internal Revenue Code as “income in respect of a decedent.” Some examples of these assets are U.S. savings bonds and retirement plans such as 401(k) plans and IRAs. Such gifts to St. Matthew are ideal because they are subject to income tax if received by a tax-paying beneficiary, such as a family member. However, since the Church like other charities, is tax-exempt, income tax can be avoided on bequests of these assets. Other assets, such as bank accounts, life insurance and corporate stocks and bonds, and real estate proper-ties which do not involve income tax shortcoming, are better assets to distribute to family members.
Bequests may take several different forms:
A bequest of a specific amount
“I give $$$ to ….”
A bequest of specific property:
“I give 100 shares of XYZ Corporation to….”
A bequest of a portion of the residue of your estate:
“I give 10 percent of the remaining property in my estate to….”
A bequest of the complete residue of your estate:
“I give all of the remaining property in my estate to.…”
If you are seriously considering a bequest or legacy contribution to St. Matthew, contact your family attorney to see how you can best give to St. Matthew’s Parish. Attorneys have information with respect to the documentation you will need.
IRA Giving
Age 70 ½? — Make a Tax-Free Charitable Gift through Your IRA!
Normally, a distribution from your IRA is taxed as ordinary income. However, federal tax legislation enacted in December 2015, allows you, if you are 70½ or older, to make a direct gift from your IRA to the Church through your parish, or other qualified charity without the distribution taxed as income to you. Unlike prior years, this legislation has no expiration date.
The IRA charitable rollover law may provide a very good charitable giving vehicle if you are age 70 ½ and take the standard deduction rather than itemize deductions on your tax return. The law may also allow you to avoid a tax increase on your Social Security benefits. Thus, your IRA could be considered a special fund for distributions to the Church and charities without the normal consequences of reporting additional taxable income.
The distribution must be from your IRA, not a 401(k) or other retirement plan. However, consult with your financial or tax advisor about the possibility of transferring funds from one of these other plans to establish an IRA, with the distribution to charity coming from the newly established IRA.
The IRA distribution must be a direct charitable gift and not a distribution to a donor-advised fund, a charitable remainder trust or for a charitable gift annuity. Distributions to charity cannot exceed $100,000 in a taxable year.
To take advantage of the IRA charitable rollover to support the Church, please review the following helpful tips on how to handle your charitable gift correctly:
- Contact your IRA custodian or representative before making a gift to arrange for the proper transfer of funds from your IRA directly to the Church and other qualified charities. The check or other payment issued from the IRA must be made payable to the charity.
- If you have elected to have income tax withheld from your normal IRA distributions, advise your IRA administrator not to withhold taxes from distributions to charity.
- Consult your tax advisor for the tax reporting of the special election described above.
While this topic is fresh on your mind, ask your attorney and financial advisor how to make the Church a beneficiary of your will or trust or your IRA.
For more information about how you and the Church can benefit from an IRA charitable rollover, contact the parish office at 920-725-7714.
These helpful tips are only for your information and are not to be considered as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult with your legal, tax and financial advisors to implement the benefits of the IRA charitable rollover law and related matters.
