Starting on November 27, 2011, we began celebrating Mass according to the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.  This is a new translation of the Latin text of the Mass into English. Several phrases that have been familiar for many years have been updated to a translation more in keeping with the original Latin.  Pew cards are available in church to help teach the new parts.  In addition, there are several resources available from both our Diocese and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Why was a new English translation needed?

The Roman Missal is originally a Latin text which, since Vatican II, has been translated into the vernacular languages of the world.  The Latin version of the missal itself has gone through three revisions, with the most recent being under Pope John Paul II, introduced in 2002.  It is this third edition of the (Latin) Roman Missal that we are receiving in English beginning the First Sunday of Advent.  Following Vatican II and through the subsequent years, the missal has been continuously studied in an effort to make an English translation that is more consistent with the Latin text.  The new translation offers a new richness and accuracy (closeness to the original Latin meaning) that was not available in the earlier translations.

What will be different about the Mass?

Probably the first thing we will notice at Mass on the First Sunday of Advent is that when the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” the people will answer “And with your spirit.“  This is only the beginning of a new experience with the texts of the sacred liturgy that will cause us to pay more attention than we may have been doing when we had all the prayers memorized. (You will also notice a more formal-sounding language and slight changes to familiar phrases in the prayers that the priest prays). Follow along with the pew cards and you’ll be able to go with the flow.  Here are some videos that will help with singing some of the new translations of the prayers:

Gloria (Glory to God)

Preface Dialogue

Sanctus (Holy)

Memorial Acclamation

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

The Diocesan Office of Sacred Worship has several articles and resources for reflection and study.  In addition, the office has information on the Gregorian Chant Introit Project.

The USCCB’s page on the Roman Missal is an excellent source of the history and timeline of the new Missal.

You’re always welcome to come worship and pray, or just visit with us! Our address is:

Saint Peter Catholic Church
800 Fourth Avenue
Stevens Point, WI 54481-1627 U.S.A.

Our church is located on the corner of 4th Avenue and 2nd Street, in the northern part of Stevens Point, close to downtown and the Wisconsin River. It is close to UWSP (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and several area hotels and bed and breakfasts. To see a map of the area or get directions from your location, click on the links below.

Using gift cards available through the SPACS gift card program is an easy way to support your parish and the Catholic School system at no additional cost to you!

Many of the local stores, including Copps, Trigs, Walmart and Lowes, have agreed to gift back to the Catholic schools a percentage of the face value of gift cards purchased through the program.  For example, if you purchase a $50 card, a percentage (ranging from 2% to 50% depending on the merchant) comes back to the school system and parish.

Best of all, there is no cost to you!  If the merchant is giving back 10%, then, for that $50 card, you get to spend the entire $50, and $5 comes back to St. Peters and the SPACS school system.  You get to use the entire value of the card, and help out the Church at the same time.

To get started, simply fill out the gift card form and submit it to the parish office.  Your cards will be waiting for you at the weekend masses at the gift card table.  Just pay (checks payable to SPACS) and you cards are ready for use.

Click here to go to the online order form.

Amazon.com is one of the largest internet marketplaces with millions of products for sale from thousands of merchants. Each time you visit Amazon from St. Peters website, St. Peters will earn a commission from 4% to 6% of the sale. There is no cost to the parish, and this commission will greatly help St. Peters meet our financial obligations. Thank you for your support!

Visit Amazon.com now to shop and help St. Peters!

With the passing of the great Pope John Paul II to eternal life, the memories of his visit to Stevens Point and to Saint Peter Catholic Church in August 1976 have been rekindled. During a Stevens Point deanery memorial celebrated a few days after his April 2005 passing, a slide show and table of books, photos, newspaper clippings and other information about Pope John Paul II was displayed in the St. Faustina Room at St. Peter’s which included, among a variety of images of the late Pope, some newspaper articles depicting Cardinal Wojtyla’s visit to Stevens Point. During the memorial Mass, Fr. Derek Sakowski shared his reflections on being a member of the “John Paul II generation” and the son of Zofia and (the late) Waclaw Soroka, who were instrumental in bringing the Cardinal to Stevens Point, gave some background on the visit (only months after his elevation to Cardinal, and just over two years before his election as Pope). He also spoke about the Polish community in Stevens Point, as well as the life of Pope John Paul II. For those who were too young to remember, the facts were recounted that Cardinal Wojtyla arrived in Stevens Point Municipal Airport courtesy of John Joanis’ arrangement of a Sentry jet, that he spoke at UWSP, and said Mass in the SPASH Fieldhouse (none of the area churches were large enough to contain the large congregation that came for the Mass).

Now that the public media has taken an interest in the life of Pope John Paul II, many have become familiar with his heroic fight against fascism and communism. As a philosopher he was well respected even in the secular realm. Personal humanism and phenomenology are words synonymous with the thought of John Paul II. His defense of life, promotion of families, and the development of a completely new theology, Theology of the Body, were just a part of his legacy. His pontificate was dedicated to fulfilling the goals of Vatican II, and leading the Church into the Third Millennium, “Crossing the Threshold of Hope.”

The honor that Saint Peter Catholic Church shares with the rest of Stevens Point and Portage county should not be forgotten, and so that the momentous visit of Karol Cardinal Wojtyla would not be lost in time, a sculpture of the Joyful Mother with a prayerful John Paul II kneeling before her and the Child Jesus, was commissioned in 1997. On the day of Pope John Paul II’s death and for several days afterwards, this sculpture became an impromptu and heart-warming shrine to John Paul the Great, with flowers, candles, handwritten notes, and rosaries laid on the marble foundation of the sculpture.

Perhaps as Pope John Paul II’s cause for canonization advances, this sculpture and Saint Peter Catholic Church itself will become a place of pilgrimage for those seeking the intercession of this great man of heroic virtue. We invite you to join us in prayer for the intercession of Pope John Paul II for your own intentions.

Prayer for the Intercession of Pope John Paul II

O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

Saint Peter features a beautiful selection of sacred art, from the stained glass that is over 100  years old to the floor medallions in the recently completed church floor.  We will be adding more images soon, but here is a small sample of the interior and exterior of the church building.

CHRONOLOGY

June 1876: Bishop Henni sent Fr. Bogacki to oversee the organizing of Polish parish
August 1876: Work began on the church structure
1887: School building and lots were purchased
October 1896: St. Peter’s church was destroyed by fire
May 1897: Construction of the new church building was awarded to Joseph Hutter
December 1897: The new structure was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Messmer
January 1898: New pipe organ and Stations of the Cross blessed
June 1901: St. Peter’s celebrated its Silver Jubilee
1910: Side altars were donated by two anonymous parishioners
September 1914: Installation of new Stations of the Cross donated by parishioners
Early 1915: Sanctuary and sacristies were built. Oil ceiling paintings donated by parishioners. Main altar donated by John J. Bukolt.
December 1915: New sanctuary, bells, altar and Stations of the Cross were blessed by Bishop Rhode
1922-1923: Church basement remodeled into parish hall with a stage and complete kitchen
Early 1926: Installation of seventeen new stained glass windows
1928: New steeple cross erected and covered with gold leaf
1929: Complete cleaning and painting of church interior
September 1930: Dedication of new organ donated by Bukolt Family
Fall 1943: East and West side entrances were added. Confessionals recessed in the church walls
Spring 1944: Pulpit moved to the sanctuary. Interior of the church was renovated and new light oak pews were installed
1946: Church tower clock was electrified
1947: Steeple was remodeled. Exterior masonry was sand blasted. Interior of church was thoroughly washed and cleaned
1963: Communion rail lowered and thorough cleaning of the entire worship area
1969: New steps for the front of the church were placed. The organ was cleaned and renovated
1970: Kitchen equipment was installed in the church hall kitchen
1973: New roof, wiring, light fixtures and complete redecorating including carpeting
August 23, 1976: Karol Cardinal Wojtyla visits St. Peter Church
Spring 1993: Organ-mechanical renovations take place with up to date electronics. Heating system is switched from steam to hot water. New roof is put on the church and steeple.
1994: Renovation of the church hall, later renamed as Kolbe Hall
1994-1995: Re-ordering of the church. Reconciliation room designed and installed. Entire church redecorated including statues, Stations of the Cross and ceiling paintings
September 1995: Bishop Raymond Burke rededicates the worship area
1996: Kolbe Hall kitchen is remodeled and new appliances and equipment are installed
Fall 1996: Church tower clock faces are replaced
Spring 1997: Computerized electronic clock system is installed.
July 1997: One hundred year celebration included the revealing of the contents of the cornerstone and dedication of Joyful Mother/John Paul II sculpture.
June 2001: Celebration of 125 years of the Foundation of St. Peter’s Parish.

More historical data and pictures:

Portage County Historical Society Archives

http://www.pchswi.org/archives/church_histories.html

Waclaw Soroka’s history of Polish Parishes and Churches

Religions in Portage County (an interesting perspective)

Learn about Cardinal Wojtyla’s visit to Saint Peter Catholic Church.