There will be a Mass of Anointing at Saint Peter’s on February 11, 2013 at 10:30 am.  There will be a luncheon hosted by the Rosary Society of chicken soup, bread and dessert following the Mass.  A free will offering will be taken.

On November 4th, six students from our parish were Confirmed by Bishop William Patrick Callahan. We congratulate them on this important step in their faith journey.

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                                    “Corpus Christi”

            As we celebrate Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we perhaps do well to consider Who we consume in the Eucharist. 

            Katrina was a 16 year old when I met her.  She had just returned from a Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference.  At these conferences the young people often come to a deeper realization of Jesus’ Presence in the Eucharist.  Katrina shared with me that after the conference, her knees would shake as she would go up to receive Communion.  She KNEW who she was receiving.

            A few years ago I saw another young lady, a freshman in high school.  She had just exited the Church on a Wednesday evening after spending some time in Eucharistic Adoration.  As she walked through the inner church door, she looked back one last time at the Monstrance and blew a kiss to Jesus.   I was amazed.  For she KNEW the one who was present in the Eucharist, Jesus our Lord.

            A long time ago, the King of France, St. Louis IX would serve Mass on his knees on the bare floor.  One time a servant offered him a kneeler, but the king responded, “At Mass God offers Himself as a sacrifice, and when God sacrifices Himself, kings should kneel on the floor.”  He KNEW before whom He was kneeling.

            One of the few things I remember from 2^nd grade was this tidbit from Sr. Mary Ella Francis, “when you go up to Communion, repeat to yourself, ‘My Lord and my God’ for that is who you are receiving.”  You may note that those are the words of St. Thomas upon seeing the Resurrected Christ in John 20:28.   You know what?  I still repeat those words to myself every time I go up to Communion some 27 years later!  Sr. Mary Ella Francis KNEW who she was introducing us too. 

At the recent training session for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion I shared with those present that when I first began assisting in the distribution, my hands would tremble at what I was doing, and Who I had in my hands.  I KNEW who I was giving to others in Communion.  I try never to lose sight of that reality and encouraged the Extraordinary Ministers of Communion to do the same. 

Pope St. Pius X famously said, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven.”  And why wouldn’t it be as the same Lord we KNEW in this life in the Eucharist is the one who escorts us and grants us access to Heaven in the next. 

May we all come to KNOW the One we adore and receive in the Eucharist. 

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                     

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                                    “Among my Heroes”

            Whenever I conduct Communion services at any of our area nursing homes, I refer to the residents as some of “my heroes.”  When I look out at the residents gathered to receive our Lord in the Eucharist, to receive him as “food for the journey” in the Eucharist—they inspire me.  I hope my faith is as strong as theirs when I’m 75, 80, 90+ years old!   During one visit a few years ago, there was one resident, 100 years old.  Because of her physical condition, she couldn’t come to the Service, but the resident staff made sure I visited her with Holy Communion.  She was sleeping when I arrived, but the staff knew how important receiving Jesus in the Eucharist was to her and so they stirred her awake.  She looked up as I gave her Holy Communion, received It, smiled, and said, “now I’m ready to go” with a great look of peace upon her face.  Wow!   I don’t know that I’ll ever forget that encounter. 

            During another recent nursing home visit I was talking to a couple who had been married over 60 years.  And while I was technically there to bring Christ to them, and indeed we said some prayers, I was happy to sit and listen and learn from their experience and modeling of a lifelong commitment to Christ and each other!  

            My wife’s grandfather, “Papa” as he was called, recently passed away, at the tender age of 102!  (Living in San Diego may have had something to do with that!)  Even well into his 90’s, he still would walk to daily Mass early each morning.   In fact, he would never miss it.  His passing reflected the “holy death” that we pray for each time we say the “Hail Mary”. 

            Pope John Paul II wrote a Letter to the Elderly in 1999, writing “as an older person myself”.  The document can be found on the Vatican’s website www.vatican.va or by simply doing a Google Search.  It is a beautiful reflection on the dignity of our older brothers and sisters and the gifts they have to offer.   A few years ago, I even assigned this papal letter to my junior high and high school students.  Far from being a “burden” as society would sometimes castigate them, these folks are amongst the heroes of life. 

The late Pope John Paul II concluded his letter to the elderly with this:

“Despite the limitations brought on by age, I continue to enjoy life. For this I thank the Lord. It is wonderful to be able to give oneself to the very end for the sake of the Kingdom of God!   At the same time, I find great peace in thinking of the time when the Lord will call me: from life to life!”

So to all our older parishioners, I say thank you.  And my prayer is that all of our faiths’ be as strong when we also reach the twilight of our lives! 

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                     

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                                    “The Brown Scapular”

            Last Sunday, our 1^st Communicants were enrolled in the Brown Scapular.  This is a tradition that goes back centuries.  In fact, it was a gift given to St. Simon Stock in the 1200’s.   Mary appeared to him and gave him a brown Scapular, urging him to wear it as a sign of her favor and his devotion, promising her intercession for him.   She promised:  “Receive my beloved son, this Scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor…he who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection.” 

            The Scapular is a sacramental, i.e. a sacred sign which resembles the sacraments, and by which spiritual effects are gained.   When I’m explaining the Scapular to young people I use the analogy of a sports jersey. Most young people have an Aaron Rodgers or other Packer jersey.  Why do they wear it?  So that they can show their support of the team.  It represents their beliefs.  Wearing the Brown Scapular demonstrates a person’s love of Mary and the Church.  Significantly however, whereas wearing an Aaron Rodgers jersey won’t make me zip passes like him, wearing the Brown Scapular results in the prayers and intercessions of Mary in Heaven.  Nor is it a superstition or lucky charm, for in order for it to have any effect, the individual must be living a life in fidelity to the Commandments. 

            Numerous miraculous events have been associated with the Brown Scapular, including: 

“In 1845 a ferocious storm came upon the English ship, King of the Ocean.   The water was lashing the ship and threatening to capsize it.  A minister and his family, not Catholic, came on deck and saw the situation.  They were afraid and begged God to save the ship.  One of the sailors on the ship was a Catholic named John McAuliffe from Ireland. He saw how close the ship was to sinking, opened his shirt and took off his Scapular. He made the sign of the Cross with it over the sea and then threw it into the sea.  At that very moment the wind stopped and became calm.  Only one more wave lapped over the deck.  With it, came John McAuliffe’s Scapular right back to his feet.  The protestant minister, named John Fisher saw all this happen.  He and his family would convert to Catholicism.” (Source:  Garment of Grace:  The Brown Scapular).

            Interestingly enough, once you’ve been enrolled in the Brown Scapular, for instance at your 1^st Communion, you never need to re-enroll.   Even if you haven’t worn one for many years, you can simply pick one up at the local Catholic bookstore, “By the Cross” and begin wearing it anew.  

From the Prayer of Enrollment in the Scapular:

“…wear it as a sign of the motherly protection of the Virgin and of your pledge to imitate her.  May the Mother of God help you to be clothed in Christ. May He abide in you to the glory of the Trinity and to dedicate yourself to the Church for the good of your brothers and sisters.”

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                   

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

                                                 “Food for the Journey”

            A warm congratulations to our young people who received their 1^st Holy Communion on Sunday!  

One way of referring to the Eucharist is as “viaticum” or “food for the journey”. In fact, viaticum is what the Eucharist is called when given near death.   I’d like to reflect a little on this theme of the Eucharist as “food for the journey.”

  Consider that Jesus first instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, in part so that the Apostles would have the sustenance to persevere in their journey through the coming passion of Christ.  Consider also that it was in the “breaking of the bread” that the disciples recognized Jesus and then promptly began a journey back to Jerusalem.   Every aspect of our spiritual journey begins with the Eucharist, the sustenance for it.  When our teenagers go on the various Catholic summer trips like Steubenville and Adventure Camp, it always begins with a Mass.   The Annual pilgrimage to the March for Life in Washington, DC begins with a Mass. 

            In a certain sense, the most important life step for the majority of us is our wedding day.  What was included in our wedding Mass?  The Eucharist of course—food for the journey.  And what married couple can say they haven’t needed to rely on the ongoing strength that comes to us in the Eucharist?  

            There is a beautiful story that comes from the life of St. Vincent de Paul.  He had a very difficult mission to send his priests on, but before telling them the assignment, he asked if they had celebrated Mass and received the Eucharist that day.   After all of them had indicated they had, “‘Then,’ responded the Saint, I can now tell you what this entails.  You must abandon your country, family, friends and go into exile in a strange land in order to speak about God to the savages and afterwards certainly die, miserably.”  Having received the Eucharist, the food for the journey, all the priests courageously said ‘yes’ and offered themselves in this mission to save souls.  (Source: Jesus:  Our Eucharistic Love by Fr. Stefano M. Manelli, FI)

            Miraculously, a number of the saints have even lived off the Eucharist alone, not taking any other form of food or nourishment.  The list is pretty impressive including St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Lidwina (lived the last 19 years of her live without any food except the Eucharist), St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Rose of Lima, St. Juliana of Cornillon, St. Nicholas of Switzerland, St. Mary Ann de Paredes, St. Catherine of Genoa along with numerous others.  One more recent example, a lay woman in Germany, Therese Neuman, lived the last 36 years of her life on nothing but the Eucharist.  She died in 1962.  Over the years numerous doctors, diocesan officials, and scientists examined her life and concluded the only thing keeping her alive was Holy Communion. 

            Our young people have received their first taste of the Eucharist, their ‘food for the journey.’  May they be sustained continually as they make their way through life and toward their Heavenly home at its conclusion!  Every time we say the “Our Father” we ask for our “daily bread”.  May we continue to take advantage of this great gift offered to us in the regular reception of the Eucharist!

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                     

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

            “Boy, you guys have a lot of kids around here.”

That was a comment said by a recent visitor to the parish following the Sunday morning Mass.  The number of Baptisms a parish has is a good indicator of the “youthfulness” of a parish and the spiritual vitality of the parish.  Out of curiosity, I went all the way back to 1995 and counted the number of Baptisms we’ve had at St. Peter’s each year up through 2011.  We averaged 25 Baptisms a year with a high of 37 (in 2008) and a low of 15 (1998 and 2004).

Last summer, while visiting another parish, I got roped into helping move a few items around in the Sanctuary—one of which was actually the Baptismal font.   As the priest and I slowly moved it, he noted the dust and commented, “it’s never good to have a dusty Baptism font. “  In other words, it hadn’t been used in a while.  Thanks be to God we don’t have any dust on ours!  

This Easter we’re blessed to add 3 more names to our Baptismal Register as Yvonne Stanke, Joelle Koelzer and Martin Rakacolli are Baptized, receive their 1^st Holy Communion and are Confirmed.  Each has been preparing over the course of this last year to enter into union with Christ and His Catholic Church through the RCIA Process.  They have each made a remarkable journey.  Please keep them in your prayers and warmly welcome the newest members of our Church!

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                     

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

                        Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

            I had come across this some time ago and it seemed like a fitting reflection for the start of Holy Week as we seek to join our Lord in the carrying of the Cross.

Married on a Crucifix

Imagine a world without divorce. Imagine families without separation. Imagine no children or hearts torn apart.

by Michael Mullan, LC | Source: Catholic.net

Imagine a world without divorce. Imagine families without separation. Imagine no children or hearts torn apart.

People of one place in this world do not have to imagine.
     In the town of Siroki-Brijeg in Herzegovina not one of the 13,000 inhabitants can recall a single divorce or broken family.
     What is their secret? One look at their marriage rite says it all.
     When the bride and bridegroom go to the church to be married they carry a crucifix with them. The priest blesses the crucifix and exclaims, “You have found your cross! It is a cross to love, to carry with you, a cross that is not thrown off but rather treasured.”
     When they interchange the marital vows, the bride puts her right hand on this crucifix and the groom puts his right hand over hers. Both are united to the cross. The priest covers their hands with his stole while they pronounce their promises to love each other in good times and in bad.
     Then they both first kiss the cross, not each other. If one abandons the other, they abandon Christ on the cross.
     Afterwards, the newly-weds cross the threshold of their home to enthrone that same crucifix in a place of honor. It becomes the reference point of their lives and the place of family prayer.
     In times of difficulty and misunderstandings, as all human relationships experience, they do not turn immediately to the lawyer or psychologist, they turn to the cross. They kneel, cry and open up their hearts begging for the strength to pardon and implore the Lord’s help.
     The children are taught to reverently kiss the crucifix daily and to thank him for the day before going to bed. These children dream of enthroning one day a crucifix of their own.
     The family is indissolubly united to the cross of Christ. Is this simply a morbid outlook on marital and family life? Or is it a piece of wisdom that few in our modern world can understand. Until our world does, it will continue to imagine and long for the unbroken hearth.

-Information taken from Marian Observer Feb. 2002.

God bless you!

Phil Lawson                                                                                   

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

                        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