Saint Peter's Point- The Catholic Blog of Saint Peter Parish, Stevens Point Wisconsin

Please prayerfully remember our former parishioner, Sister Mary Veronica of the Divine Indwelling (in the world Katie Buss), who on July 16 completed one year of the novitiate of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. The community was officially established in 1962 by Mother Angelica who, of course, also founded the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). The community's charism – or particular supernatural character, goal and spirit – bestowed by the Holy Spirit and confirmed by the Church is offering prayers and sacrifices for the salvation of the whole world. As their name indicates, the life of prayer of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration is specially centered on adoration of our Lord present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. God's blessings on Sister Mary Veronica and all the members of her community!

Have you ever thought of visiting the Holy Land – to see and pray at the places made holy by Jesus Himself and that are spoken of in the Bible? Father Robert Schaller – former Pastor of Saint Peter now serving at Saint Elizabeth in Holmen – and I are leading such a pilgrimage February 8-18, 2009. We are the spiritual guides for the pilgrimage celebrating the Holy Mass each day. A growing number of parishioners from Saint Elizabeth and our own Saint Peter have already committed themselves to this spiritual tour. The number of pilgrims is strictly limited so that we can all travel together on one bus thereby creating a more intimate atmosphere conducive to a prayerful absorption of all that we will see and experience. Some of the highlights include visits to Caesarea Philippi (now known as Banias) where Jesus declared to Simon, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church", Cana in Galilee where couples may renew their marriage vows, Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, as well as Jerusalem where we will walk the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Of course, this only scratches the surface of the magnificent and moving sights to be seen and places to offer prayers! The cost of $2799 includes airfare, expert native Christian tour guides, many meals, and lodging in first class hotels. For a complete itinerary and more information please consult the brochures available in church or at the rectory or contact Father Louis.

In the next five years our parish anticipates having to address a number of issues with regard to our physical plant including the increasingly dangerous buckling of the carpet in the church proper and the sanctuary (which is very obvious now in the humidity of our Wisconsin summer), the hazardous deteriorating bricks and concrete between the garage and the church, the incredibly wasteful heating system in the rectory, and the security of our magnificent church (which has been vandalized three times in recent weeks!) – to name just a few. We will only be able to solve these problems if each and every parishioner generously participates in the We Belong To Christ Campaign now being conducted in our parish. Complete and return your pledge card immediately. If we do not hear from you we will be contacting you personally.

Each year June 30 ends one fiscal year and July 1 begins the next. We ended the 2005-2006 fiscal year in financially catastrophic fashion being $112,848.76 in debt. You will recall that thanks to a most generous grant from Bishop Listecki (through the Diocesan Annual Appeal) and absolution of the remaining debt by the Dean of the Stevens Point Deanery, we broke even. We ended the 2006-2007 fiscal year with a $39,090.00 surplus, although that was very misleading insofar as we again received a substantial grant from Bishop Listecki (through the Diocesan Annual Appeal) as well as the proceeds from an incredibly large estate. As of June 30, 2008, we have ended our 2007-2008 fiscal year $26,600.00 in debt. In all likelihood, we will be required in short order to take out a loan in order to pay off this debt. We were fortunate again this year to receive a grant from Bishop Listecki (through the Diocesan Annual Appeal), but significantly less parishioners remembered Saint Peter in their wills and in memorials of loved ones compared to recent years. As soon as humanly possible, we will be publishing the financial eport for this year's picnic as well as the parish fiscal year report.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis