 SSPP Handmaids of the Lord Group This newly formed group allows for women and girls to serve our parish at the altar of our Lord just as men and boys are called to serve as deacons and servers. Monthly family rotations of cleaning duties are opening up. If you’re interested for more information or want to join please email Emilie Glavin at  The Church presents us with three readings from the Sacred Scriptures each week at Sunday Mass. This is done so that we can be exposed to more of the Bible and can learn from the truth presented in the Word of God. Today’s lessons instruct us in the importance of forgiving others from the heart. Typically, we appeal to this teaching when we desire to be forgiven, but conveniently forget it when it comes to forgiving others who have wronged us. Don’t let hatred or vengeance blacken your soul. Listen to what our God teaches us in the Scriptures.
The Church’s liturgical year is filled with many beautiful celebrations: commemorating the lives of the Saints and of the Blessed Mother, and especially celebrating the Feasts of the Lord. The Feast of the Holy Cross was observed September 14. Hail Cross! Our only hope!! This Feast calls our attention to the means by which our Lord accomplished our salvation: on the Cross. We just observed the 22nd anniversary of the attack on 9/11. Who can forget that terrible experience of evil visited on our country? And who can forget the sign of hope which emerged from the rubble where once the Twin Towers stood? Do you remember how – seemingly miraculously – there appeared in the midst of that destruction the Cross formed by the intersection of two steel I-beams? The Cross is truly one of the deep mysteries of our Faith. God desired to have His own Son experience our own lives, and our own suffering. The Cross represents His suffering – and ours – by which we are also saved. It's now been over 10 weeks since SS Peter & Paul and St. Vincent de Paul parishes came to be served by a common Pastor and Associate Pastor. How are you doing? How am I doing? Among my goals as pastor is to preserve the identity of each parish while doing those things in common which can benefit both parishes. So today we begin publishing a joint parish bulletin. You’ll continue to receive the news and info proper to your parish, while also seeing what’s happening in the other Eastside parish. Let me know how you like it – or how it can be improved. May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  Dead Theologians Society 6:00pm Wednesday, September 13 In the SSPP church basement Like the first Christians under persecution, the DTS meets in a catacomb-like space, learns about God and his saints, and chants praises to God. All Middle and High schoolers welcome!  Ballroom Dance Fall Dance Session begins September 23! Beginner, Intermediate and Silver level classes being offered here at SSPP. Flyers/Sign up sheets are located in the Holy Family Cenacle, or at the Parish office. For more information, please contact the Parish Office at 715-423-1351 or office@ssppwisrapids.org  "No man is an island.” The English poet John Donne wrote those words nearly 400 years ago. They express a truth found also in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in today’s readings. None of us lives in a vacuum; rather we are bound together by our common humanity. And much more than that, we are bound together by our Faith, by Baptism. We are truly responsible for each other. This is most easily seen within the family, where parents take care of their children and children watch out for each other. This also provides the motive for evangelization. We need to do all we can to bring others to know, love, and serve God, and to live the Faith. Out of love for others, we should assist them with their physical needs, and teach them in word and action the moral and spiritual truths of our Faith.
It has been an adjustment for our two Eastside Parishes of WI Rapids, SSPP & SVdP, these past two months. The changed Mass schedule is certainly the most noticeable and has the biggest impact on many families’ Sunday routines. The staff from both parishes is also adapting to some changes. We have converted both parishes to a new phone system which will provide better service and at a much-reduced cost. We have been making needed improvements in the St. Vincent de Paul parish office building (former convent, then rectory), which now also hosts the central office of Assumption Catholic Schools (north end of the first floor). This provides a mutual benefit: rent for SVdP and modest cost to ACS. By the end of the month the SSPP parish secretary will be moved to the SVdP parish office building, where Fr. Williams and I already have our offices. Each parish’s secretary works part-time. By staggering their hours, we will be able to provide greater accessibility for all our parishioners. And beginning next Sunday, September 17, we will publish a single bulletin for the Eastside Parishes of WI Rapids. That will reduce bulletin preparation and provide fuller information for both SSPP & SVdP parishioners. I have been attending the Catholic Medical Association conference in Phoenix, AZ the past week, and will be back this Tuesday. My thanks for Fr. Williams for holding down the fort! May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  In-Person Introduction to NFP Class
The Creighton Model Introductory Session Saturday September 9th @ 10am In the SSPP School Building This session is about 1 1/2 hours and it's free to women and married or engaged couples interested in learning more about fertility awareness and cycle charting. Please email Lauren Rubenzer to register and for additional questions  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” This acclamation by Simon Peter (from today’s Gospel) was not simply a conclusion he had come to after careful consideration using human logic. Rather, it was an insight given to him by the Father. It is yet another example of how God chooses us, rather than the other way around. Simon Peter then receives from the Lord authority “to bind and to loose”. The Church has always seen this event as key to understanding the authority that Peter and the other Apostles (and their successors) exercise in the Church. It is not mere human authority. They do not derive it from any human consent. We have the Lord’s promise that no human power, nor “the gates of the netherworld” shall prevail against the Church which He establishes upon the authority of Peter.
The late Pope John Paul II said that the new millennium is a time for renewed evangelization. In addition to the formation in faith which our Catholic schools, religious education programs, confirmation program, and adult faith classes provide, our parish also provides opportunities for those interested in becoming Catholic to learn more about our Faith. The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is designed for those who have never been baptized, and for baptized Christians from other churches, who are interested in becoming full members in the Catholic Church. Please call Deacon Jerry Ruesch at the SSPP or SVdP parish office (423-1351 or 423-2111) to register. May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  Baptism Classes Baptism classes will be offered Thursday & Friday 6pm, Oct. 19 & 20, 2023 Attending a baptism class before the birth of your child is recommended. Please call the parish office at 715-423-1351 if you plan to attend. Thank you! Next classes will be Jan. 18 & 19, 2024  We celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven this past Tuesday, August 15. This solemnity is always observed on August 15, and is a Holy Day of Obligation (except when it falls on Saturday or Monday in the Dioceses of the U.S.). Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, is rightfully honored by the Church because she was first honored by God. She was preserved from the stain of original sin (which we commemorate on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8). By the power of the Holy Spirit she conceived the Savior of the world within her womb. She was the first and most perfect disciple of the Lord. She stood at the foot of the Cross at His crucifixion. The Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption acknowledges and celebrates the fitting end of her life on this earth: namely, that at the end of her life on earth she was assumed body and soul into heaven by the power of God. Eastern Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians refer to this feast as the Dormition of Mary, that is, her “falling asleep”. The belief of the Catholic Church is that Mary never suffered the corruption of her body, but that she was taken to heaven while still alive (or perhaps, at the very moment of death). This feast of Mary, like all the Marian feasts, is another way of recognizing the saving work which God has brought about through His (and Mary’s) Son, Jesus Christ. Mary, as the best disciple – as the one who cooperated most perfectly with God’s Grace – fittingly should be the first to enjoy everlasting life in heaven. May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  Family Faith Formation Sign-up Night and Dinner Wednesday August 30th at 6pm in the church basement. Bring the whole family for dinner! After dinner children can meet their teachers, see classrooms and have fun while parents learn about the upcoming year and register children for classes. Family Faith formation is for children K-12th grade. We meet one Wednesday a month and while the children are in class, parents have a class with Father. The following weeks parents are responsible for their child's catechesis. Research has found the parents are the most influential factor in faith formation. We are here to walk beside you and equip you with the tools you need. “The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.” The right and duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable. (CCC, #2221) For more information contact Mindy Konkol |