Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

Where can you find 4 religious sisters, 3 religious communities, 4 priests-including our diocesan vocation director, Irish ceili dancing, snow football, presentations on Saint Francis and Saint Claire, the Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, Stations of the Cross, skits, all-night adoration, confessions being heard till 1:15AM in the morning, Mass, and a host of amazing young adult Catholics?   All were part of last weekend’s John Paul II Young Adult Discernment Retreat.  44 people were part of this retreat, now in its 9^th year.  

To give you a sense of the faithfulness of these young people, confessions began about 9PM on Saturday evening and didn’t end till 1:15AM. (Don’t worry, the priests truly enjoyed working with the young adults, even for such a long duration!)  Similarly, we had no difficulty filling all the time slots for all-night Eucharistic adoration.   It is always such an inspiration to be around so many amazing young people! 

The retreatants came from St. Peter’s of course, but others came from as far away as Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and La Crosse.   As far as I know, this is the only retreat of its kind in Wisconsin.  It is a beautiful gift to get this large a group of faith-filled young adults (ages 18-39) together to strengthen each other, inspire each other, and ultimately ask the most important questions, i.e. “what does God want me to do with my life?” 

This retreat was first initiated as an opportunity for the St. Peter’s college-DTS group to go deeper in their faith and concretely as God to what vocation He is calling them. 

Some of the evaluation sheet comments: 

“I was reunited and convicted of my Catholic faith again. I believe I have the strength and courage to say yes to God’s will and say no to my own.”

“…it was BEAUTIFUL being around people my age asking God about vocations.”

“I am encouraged by how many young folks are discerning their call.”      

“Please keep having these retreats!”

Please keep these young adults in your prayers—from retreats like this will come our future priests, future religious, and the future adult pillars of our parishes.    

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

                        Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

“Thank you for helping (us) prepare for our wedding day & marriage, and for helping us understand how God is with us during it all.  It feels good knowing that the Church cares about us and keeping our forthcoming marriage healthy and strong.” 

The above was received as a thank you note from a couple married at St. Peter’s.    

St. Peter’s spends more time preparing couples for marriage then most parishes.  The couples have 4  – hour long  sessions with me in which we cover everything from the Church’s teachings on marriage to the practical skills and communication that help a marriage to flourish.   The couples then attend a retreat weekend organized by the deanery.  We also have large group sessions for all the parish engaged couples.  Finally, the couples take an online course in NFP (Natural Family Planning.)  In addition, the couples have a total of 4 meetings with the pastor which covers the FOCCUS Test, a prenuptial questionnaire and of course planning the actual ceremony.  The whole Marriage Prep Checklist which couples are given can be found on the parish website.  

About 5 years ago, an effort was undertaken to strengthen the parishes’ marriage preparation program.  Everyone knows the dire statistics on divorce and we want to ensure we do everything possible to prevent that from ever happening to the couples who approach the altar at St. Peter’s.  The vast majority of couples appreciate the efforts on their behalf as indicated by the note above.  I recall last year a couple who was going through the process. They shared with me a conversation with a friend about the marriage preparation process.  The friend expected they would be dreading all the steps they had to take to get married here.  The soon to be groom instead told his friend how much he was enjoying it and how much it was strengthening his and his fiancees’ relationship!

“The family that prays together, stays together.”  As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, here’s a prayer I give to couples and encourage them to pray daily.  I first discovered this prayer when my wife and I got engaged—and it’s a prayer we’ve prayed every night since. 

Prayer of Spouses for Each Other

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.

May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                        “Does It make a Difference?”

          Sometimes we’re tempted to wonder if our efforts make a difference.            This is particularly true in our efforts to proclaim the Gospel of Life in the face of a culture that seems to continually find new ways to degrade it.   

            We are incredibly blessed to have the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Pro-Life Apostolate approved by Bishop Raymond Burke, present at St. Peter’s, especially through the work of our own Jennifer Dunnett.  The Servants do tremendous pro-life work through their prayers, teaching, sidewalk counseling, peaceful demonstrations, and presentations—which literally take place all over the world.   It was tremendous to see just how deeply the parish has embraced this group in the response, (both donations & purchases) made at the bake sale the weekend of Nov. 12th/13th—and the many, many positive comments made about their work.  

            St. Peter’s has a justly deserved reputation as being one of the strongest “pro-life” parishes.  Did you know the pro-life group at UWSP, the Pointers for Life, originated about 7 years ago from St. Peter’s DTS & college students? 

          As far as the difference these efforts can make:  This past spring during a 40 Days for Life Campaign (DFL), sidewalk counselors related the following:   A woman and her two-year-old stopped by 40 DFL in Milwaukee. She wanted to show sidewalk counselors her little boy, alive today due to pro-lifers’ sidewalk counseling efforts. The mother had gone to the clinic seeking an abortion and had encountered these witnesses to life.   In talking with them, she changed her mind.  No one knew about this save until that very moment; like so much of the work that we do, the fruits are sometimes not seen till much later, if at all!

            The fall 2011  40 Days for Life Campaign, which included a site in Wausau, just ended.  At least 508 lives were saved, that is women who went to the clinics seeking an abortion but had a change of heart due to the witness of these men and women.  Overall, an estimated 4500 babies have been saved through 40 Days for Life Campaigns around the country.  In fact, 19 abortion clinics have now closed down due to 40 Days for Life Campaigns.  And of course, the effort doesn’t stop with the conversion of heart.  These same witnesses to life are the first ones to offer support to the mother and baby.  I regularly get updates from their efforts in Madison, and I’m amazed at how quickly these pro-life witnesses are to open their own homes, share of their resources, even offers to adopt, whatever it takes to save a life.  What beautiful examples! 

            I mentioned our own Jennifer Dunnett, who is a member of the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I’d like to share one particular story.  Jennifer was praying at the abortion clinic in Madison when she encountered a young pregnant couple who didn’t feel they had any other options outside of an abortion.  Jennifer talked to them, loved them, and was able to direct them toward resources that could be of assistance.  That young couple chose to give life to their baby.  And Jennifer?  The couple invited her to the hospital where the birth took place.  See the picture of Jennifer holding Baby Zion.   Jennifer is currently working with them to bring their child to God in Baptism.   She indeed, made a difference, for without her, it’s likely Baby Zion…and countless others wouldn’t be here.   

          Monday, Dec. 12^th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the Unborn. May She continue to intercede for all of us!

                        God bless you!

                        Phil Lawson

                        Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Baby Zion & Jennifer

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

        A warm welcome to our RCIA Catechumens, Joelle Koelzer, Martin Rakacolli & David Wright.  And a warm welcome to our RCIA Candidates, Yvonne Stanke & Lydia Janka. 

At the 10AM Mass last Sunday, the RCIA participants were formally presented to the parish, welcomed and encouraged as they continue their journey into the Catholic Church.  They have been meeting weekly for instruction and formation these past few months.  Having grown in their conviction to follow Christ into His Church, they now seek the continued blessing of God and support of the parish. 

        Please keep them in your prayers as they continue this journey toward the reception of the Sacraments and full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter! 

        Almighty God, source of all creation, you have made us in your image.  Receive with love those who come before you.  Lead our catechumens to the baptism of new birth, and our candidates to a deeper share in the paschal mystery, so that, living a fruitful life in the company of your faithful, they may receive the eternal reward that you promise.  We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.  Amen.  (Prayer over the Catechumens and Candidates)

                        God bless you!

                        Phil Lawson

                        Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                        Renewing Marriages

            Last Saturday, with a little encouragement from my wife, we attended the marriage renewal retreat held at Saints Peter & Paul Parish in Wisconsin Rapids.  Dr. John Buri from the University of St. Thomas was the featured speaker.  Some 60 people, ranging from the very young to more mature couples were in attendance.  The retreat was fruitful both personally—after all we never stop growing and learning in our marriages—and professionally for St. Peter’s.  At the parish we’re always trying to better prepare couples for the life-long commitment they’re embracing.  In fact, I had attended a conference hosted by Dr. Buri several years ago, and subsequently implemented a few of his resources into St. Peter’s Marriage Preparation Program. 

            Dr. Buri’s final presentation stressed 5 keys to a successful marriage which I’d like to pass along here.  He listed the points in reverse order:

            5. Servant:  Be a servant.  Don’t just serve because you have to, but because it is a gift to your spouse and an investment in your marriage and your ultimate happiness.  How much are you willing to invest in each other?

            4. Growth:  Couples who are willing to grow and change to become better people have more successful marriages.  It is not helpful to view marriage as finding “soul mate” and living “happily ever after”.  Both husband and wife must be willing to grow and so become better people together.  Each spouse is called to help the other be the man or woman Christ is calling them to be.

3. The two of you and God are entwined (3).  Dr. Buri is a psychologist by training. He stated that there is not one study anywhere which shows a negative relationship between religiosity and marriage. When God is present it is always a positive for the marriage. As each spouse grows closer to Christ and becomes more Christ-like, the spouses grow closer together.

2. We—the two become one.  The two “me’s” become a “we”.  Always take equal responsibility for actions, never speak ill of your spouse or “throw them under the bus” as he said.  (i.e. You can’t go to the party because Dad said so; rather your Father and I decided you can not go.).  He also emphasized forgiveness here—stating that good marriages are the union between “2 forgivers”.

1. Gratitude.  He said, nothing predicts love better than gratitude.  He suggested an activity which studies have shown to be very helpful.  Couples who spend 10-15 min a night journaling about specific things that they appreciate about their spouse and to reflecting on what life would be like without them for 1 ½ months, have a much greater love for each other and happier marriage than they did prior to the journalling.  In fact, one study took a group of marriages, statistically ranked in the bottom 20% for love and happiness and had them do just that.  They later followed up with those same couples and found that 85% rated their marriage as “very happy.” 

Dr. Buri has a website if you’d like more resources or information:  http://personal.stthomas.edu/jrburi/                     

                        God bless you!

                        Phil Lawson

                        Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

            Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

Perhaps you’ll forgive me for writing about our Confirmation candidates for a 3^rd straight week.  The young people continue to inspire and it certainly seems appropriate to celebrate the strength and beauty of their faith.  As I mentioned last week, the students took an exam to help demonstrate their readiness for confirmation.  One part of the exam asks why they want to be confirmed and if they are ready. Here is what one young lady wrote: 

“I want to be confirmed in the Catholic Church because I want to receive the Holy Spirit.  I don’t want the pool of the church and our faith to be something I just dip my feet in.  I want it to be something I walk up to blindfolded in trust and dive into, head first….I will be the Church’s disciple and witness by Not being afraid to let others know my faith, by spreading the faith, and by loving the faith, because the faith isn’t just part of me, it can’t be, because MY FAITH IS WHO I AM.”  

            Isn’t that amazing?  In the first class I have with the candidates, we talk about being “open to the Holy Spirit and God.”  In other words, what is their disposition?  Every year I watch the young people be confirmed by the bishop.  As I watch the students’ faces, some literally shed tears of joy at this encounter with God, while others appear to be doing little more than going through the motions.  Indeed, all of them are confirmed, but some are more affected then others.  As I tell the students, “God will fill you to the extent that you allow yourself to be filled.”  If your heart is wide open to the Holy Spirit, He will completely fill you.  If your heart is only a little open, well He will fill you up only a little bit.  God is Love and love cannot be forced or compelled.  God gives His love, but we must then receive and accept it.  The more open the students are, the more they will be affected and changed.  Throughout their preparation, they’ve been encouraged to pray for just this openness to the Holy Spirit in their daily prayers. 

            From what I’ve observed, including the young woman’s words above, these young people have taken that counsel to heart!

Finally, I just finished correcting their exams, the average exam score for the students was a robust 92%.  May God continue to bless and guide these precious young people!

                        God bless you!

                        Phil Lawson

                        Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

“I felt real

The Retreat concludes with Adoration, Confessions & Mass

peace”

This was written by one of our Confirmation candidates at the end of last weekend’s retreat.  We have the young people anonymously write down their comments to give us a sense of their reactions to the retreat as well as helping us to improve it from year to year.

The Confirmation retreat begins Friday evening and concludes Saturday night. It’s held at the Rosholt Lions Camp.  The retreat includes a mix of prayer, presentations, and both physical activity and fun.  This year, having been blessed with beautiful weather, we spent a lot of time outdoors.  In fact, the boys took a late night Rosary walk Friday evening.   A big focus of the retreat is what it means to be a Man or Woman of God. How does this faith that they are claiming manifest itself as they become adults?   Toward that end, we were once again blessed with some amazing retreat leaders, specifically Jeff Leslie, Forrest Schey, Patrick Burkhart and myself for the boys and Angel Gebeau, Mary Roe, Elizabeth Glodowski, Emily Gollmer, and Kris Zdroik for the girls.

As the young people are preparing to receive the Holy Spirit, we also talk about vocations and how one discerns where God is calling them, be it priesthood, religious life, marriage, or the single life.   I regularly draw some our retreat leaders from our college-age DTS group, as these faithful young men and women are in the process of discerning where God is calling them.  Not being that much older than our Confirmation candidates, they make great role models and witnesses.

Finally, the retreat ends with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confession and Mass Saturday night.

I’ll close with one of the other evaluation comments:

“I definitely feel closer to God.  This retreat made my relationship with God really grow. It was a great experience.” Please keep these precious young men and women in your prayers as they prepare to be confirmed Oct. 30^th!

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Parents should request the Baptism of their infants at least two months prior to the anticipated date of Baptism.  The Baptism of infants is normally scheduled on the fourth Sunday of the month either at 11:15 am or during any of the regularly scheduled Masses of the Lord’s Day.  Baptisms are not celebrated during Lent.  New parents are required to take part in a preparation program if possible before the child’s birth.  Next Baptism Prep Series: Nov.  2, 9, 16, 30th    7-8PM each night in the Rectory Conference Room.  To register call the Parish Office at 344-6115.

Congratulations on your engagement!

Scheduling Your Wedding at St. Peter Church

Couples who want to request the celebration of the Sacrament of Matrimony should contact the Pastor at the time of formal engagement or at least six months prior to the anticipated date of the wedding. Couples are required to participate in a two-fold marriage preparation program: the Stevens Point Deanery-based group course and our parish-based six-session program. An overview of the process is listed below:

• An initial meeting with the Pastor
• Parish-based preparation program, consisting of meetings with the Director of Catechesis and Evangelization (Phil Lawson)
  • 4 individual sessions and 2 large group sessions
• Natural Family Planning (NFP) Course
• FOCCUS TEST
• Deanery Engaged Couples Retreat Weekend (Contact Deacon Art and Kathy Schaller (715) 592-3692 to register or call Saint Peter Parish Office for Brochure.)
• Meet with the pastor to review FOCCUS Test results
• Meeting with the director of Sacred Music (Patrick Burkhart) to discuss wedding music
• Final meeting with Pastor to go over the Wedding Ceremony

Also, when one of the parties is not a Catholic or is a non-practicing Catholic, the couple must arrange for a course of instruction in the Catholic faith. Weddings are not normally celebrated during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Contact the parish office at (715) 344-6115 for more infomation.

For more information about the Diocesan Marriage Preparation program, and locations and dates of program offerings throughout the diocese, see the information posted by the Family Life Office.

“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213). Before so great a gift and mystery, how can the person approaching the Church for Baptism – for oneself or one’s child – be filled with anything but awe and wonder! — Father Kevin C. Louis, July 2, 2006

Baptism Preparation

Parents must request the Baptism of their infants at least two months prior to the anticipated date of Baptism. The Baptism of infants is normally celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the month either at 11:15 am or during any of the regularly scheduled Masses of the Lord’s Day. Baptisms are not celebrated during Lent. New parents are required to take part in a four-session preparation program conducted in February, August, or November. Participation in the program should be completed before the birth of the child.

BAPTISM PREPARATION SESSIONS

Ideally Baptism Preparation should be attended prior to the birth of the baby. To register for the session contact the parish office during office hours (8:30-11:30 AM and 12:30-3:30 PM). The office phone number is (715) 344-6115.

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON BAPTISM
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says the sacraments of initiation, including Baptism, “lay the foundations of every Christian life.” (1212) The CCC goes on to say (quoting Pope Paul VI):

The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.

In other words, receiving the sacraments of initiation makes a person a Catholic, with all the treasures of the Church available to help him or her get to heaven.