What's Happening
at St. John's
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Meanderings of 40 Years
As I mark the 40th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, I thought I would share some thoughts and answers to questions I have been asked through the years. The most common question has been: When did you first think of becoming a priest? Studies have shown that 75 percent of priests began thinking about being a priest by the age of eight or the second grade.
My first recollection of thinking about being a priest was at age four. It was the first time I remember being at a Sunday Mass. It was the first time I was allowed to attend Sunday Mass in the choir loft of the old Holy Apostles Church with my three older brothers while my Dad sang in the men's choir for the then-Latin Mass. My siblings and I sat in the first pew of the choir loft, giving us a perfect view of the Mass below. I was taken up by seeing our pastor, Fr. Trost, and acolytes proceeding up the church aisle to the altar. I remember Father was wearing his Biretta, and during the prayers at the foot of the altar, I thought: This could be me someday. This was the beginning of my thinking of becoming a priest. While there were many other events between then and ordination, this is my first recollection.
Someone recently asked me: What was the most memorable event of the past 40 years? While there have been many, I have to say the actual ordination ceremony was one of the most moving experiences of these years. The ordination Mass took place on Father’s Day, June 21, 1981, at Holy Apostles in New Berlin. The ordination Mass began at 3:00 p.m. Holy Apostles Church is the same parish where I was baptized, made my first Confession, First Holy Communion, was confirmed, and graduated from grade school.
While it was unusual for a Capuchin to be ordained at his own home parish, I was the only Capuchin ordained that year. I asked to be ordained in the parish of my baptism, and they said yes. Bishop Richard Sklba was the ordaining Bishop. He was my Old Testament Scripture professor and Rector of St. Francis Seminary before he became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Appreciating his skills as a professor and his insights into Scripture, I asked him if he would be willing to be the ordaining Bishop.
My first assignment after ordination was Saints Peter and Paul’s Parish in Huntington, Indiana, which was staffed by the Capuchins. It was also the parish where I was stationed as a Deacon. After ordination, I remained with the Capuchins for 10 years before requesting to join the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In 1991, I came to Milwaukee. The first three years, I was stationed at Blessed Sacrament, then appointed temporary Administrator of St. Catherine in Mapleton for three months before becoming Associate Pastor at Mary Queen of Heaven in West Allis for five years, and then becoming Pastor for 12 years In 2011, I was appointed Administrator of St. Mary’s in Menomonee Falls, and then in 2012, became Administrator at St. John’s before being appointed Pastor in 2013.
When I think about the priesthood, it is about relationships—the primary relationship with God and others. Through the joys and sorrows of the past 40 years, I am most grateful for the vocation of the priesthood. Today, I am grateful to you, St. John’s parishioners, for all the work and ministry we have done together over the past nine years. God only knows what the future holds during the next 40 years. But with God, all good things.
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24-Hour Perpetual Adoration
St. John’s is fortunate to have 24-hour Perpetual Adoration. Please take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to stay close to God in these difficult times. Hand sanitizer is available in the Adoration entrance (south side of Church), and we ask that you practice social distancing and stay at least six feet from others while in Church.
There is an open hour on Mondays-
4:00 to 5:00 a.m.
Please call Kay Shomperlen if interested
in volunteering at 414-763-1250.
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Thursday, June 17 (9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.)
Friday, June 18 (9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.)
Saturday, June 19 (9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
Saturday Specials:
all items are 1/2 price or
anything you can fit in a
Sendik's bag is $5.00!
8500 W. Cold Spring Road
in the Gym
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Your donations are needed and will help us
continue to operate during these unsettling times.
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Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 19/20, 2021
As we look at our lives and world events, do we ever find ourselves wondering if God is sleeping? After all, maybe God’s patient, unconditional love has run its course, and He is finally fed up with humanity’s reluctance to accept the truth about who we are. God really can’t be that patient! All throughout human history, many have prayed to God for intervention or for particular needs. Because their prayers were not answered in the way they wanted or anticipated, they felt that God may have abandoned them. Were they right? It seems that we are continuing, at a rapid rate, down a path of destruction. Do you not care, God, that we may be perishing? When the boats of our lives are rocking and the seas tumultuous, we want to know that we have God’s attention. Even more so, we want God’s intervention.
Maybe the storms and the waves are necessary. If we listen, they can teach us valuable lessons. Without them, we would never learn that we have the strength to endure, understand the uselessness of fear and worry, or develop the ability to really trust. If God immediately rushed in and simply calmed things down before they got difficult, what good would that really be? We would miss opportunities to learn how to drink more deeply of life, treasure its complexity, irony, and beauty, and fully engage ourselves in surrendering to the love of our Creator. It is easy to walk on the surface of life without immersing ourselves in its messiness. Life has to burn its way through us in order to bring us to a place of secure trust. It’s unfortunate that some prefer a shallower journey.
That’s the balancing act that comes with faith. It is not God’s job to prevent us from encountering the torrential rains and winds of life. Many believe that if faith is done the right way, that God will provide for smooth sailing. That’s not how it works. God permits us to ride out the difficult stuff knowing that the storm will eventually be calmed. Do we not have faith that God will do this? True faith trusts in the steadfastness of God’s love when the seas are calm and when they are choppy. God’s unconditional loving presence shines through all of it and endures forever. Knowing this allows us to put our boats out into unchartered waters without hesitation. Knowing that we prefer the comfort and safety of what we know to be still waters, how do we feel when Jesus says, “Let us cross to the other side”?
©LPi
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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 are:
Monday thru Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Weekend Masses are:
Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Our YouTube channel is SJE-Greenfield.
If you miss the livestream, you can watch the upload of each Mass on our YouTube channel.
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CDs from Augustine Institute
Did you know we have CDs (and other items) located in the narthex? Each week we will highlight one of the available CDs.
Cost is $4 each.
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Scare tactics, guilt trips, and the climbing teen pregnancy rates don't really inspire anyone to love. In this presentation from Jason and Crystalina Evert, you'll discover the difference between love and lust while getting straight answers about dating, relationships, and sexual purity. |
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Start earning the easy way with the new mobile app: RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip
RaiseRight is simply the right way to fundraise for our organization. Shop gift cards from more than 750 top brands to earn on your daily purchases—right from your phone.
Turn your shopping list into fundraising
- Discover new earning opportunities every day
- Narrow your search with categories that fit your everyday shopping needs
- Easily browse brands offering bonus earnings
- Add brands you love to your Favorites for faster shopping
- Manage your gift cards in one place: your Wallet
Pick up right where you left off. Sign in with your same ShopWithScrip username and password. Access your gift cards right away. And check out with payment information already saved to your account.
SCRIP will now be sold before and after all weekend Masses. As always, SCRIP is available at the parish office during regular business hours. We have materials available below if you would like to set up an online account.
You can also click here to view a how-to video from Scrip on how to open an account.
To protect the program from fraud, please contact the Parish or School offices for the enrollment code. Once you have an online account you can pay by direct debit from your checking account (Presto Pay), by credit card, or by check here in the parish office. If we do not have the item in stock, we will order on Monday and have the cards by Thursday. Once you have the physical card you can enroll it in your "wallet" and reload it as needed.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the parish office at 414-321-1965.
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This program allows .5% of your shopping on Amazon to be donated to St. John the Evangelist.
If you purchase Scrip, St. John's receives an additional 2.25%. That's 2.75% of your purchases to St. John's if you are already shopping Amazon.
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The newsletter is published on Thursdays. Articles for each week's publication are due on Mondays at noon.
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"Remember God's Will in Yours!"
Please keep the needs of St. John the Evangelist in mind as you do your estate planning. For information on how to include the parish as a beneficiary, contact the Parish Office at 414-321-1965.
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