 Brewing Truth Cor Jesu 6:30pm, Fri, Feb. 3 @ St. Philip, Rudolph 6957 Grotto Ave, Rudolph, WI 54475 Join us for an hour of Eucharistic adoration, confession, & music to grow closer to the Heart of Jesus. Social for youth & young adults with snacks & fun to follow.  Ballroom Dance Classes The winter session of Ballroom Dance begins Feb. 4 on Sat. evenings at 6pm here at SSPP. Beginning & intermediate classes offered. For more info, please see the registration forms available in the back of church, the parish office, & on the Facebook page “Wisconsin Rapids Ballroom Dance Classes.”  Today’s Gospel presents for us one of the best known teachings of the Lord: the Sermon on the Mount. If you read through the Gospels you will find many occasions when Jesus was teaching His Apostles and disciples, or the whole “crowd”. That responsibility to teach the Faith was handed on to His Apostles and their successors, the bishops. One of the chief responsibilities of the Bishop is to teach the Faith within his diocese. Not just his ideas or opinions; but the Faith taught by Jesus, handed down by the Apostles, and still taught by the Church today. One of my responsibilities as pastor is to teach the Catholic Faith here at Saints Peter & Paul Parish. And finally, parents have the responsibility (and the right!) to teach their own children within the family. The Church has always stressed the primacy of parents as the first and most important teachers of their own children, especially in matters of the Faith. Though increasing numbers of parents may choose to homeschool their children, most make use of public, private, or Catholic schools. In every case the parents retain the privilege of directing their children’s education. It is proper for parents – indeed, all citizens - to have an active interest in how their schools are operated – not only regarding fiscal responsibility, but especially concerning the content of the curriculum. This applies to all schools: public, private, and Catholic schools. This week the Church celebrates Catholic Schools Week - an occasion to give thanks for all that our Catholic Schools have accomplished, and to re-commit ourselves to excellence in our Catholic Schools. I strongly encourage you who are parents to consider the value of a Catholic School education for your children. Now is an excellent time to explore the opportunities available for your child (ren) at Assumption Catholic Schools. My siblings and I benefitted greatly from our Catholic School experience. (For the record, I attended eight years of Catholic school at Saint Patrick’s in Onalaska, and graduated from Holmen (public) High School, and Marquette University).
May God bless you! Fr. Schalle  Palm Burning Bring in your old palms! Sun, Feb. 19, after 10am Mass... Fr. Schaller will be burning palms. A basket for your old palms is located in the Holy Family Cenacle  Friends in Faith 3pm, 1st & 3rd Mondays @ SSPP school Beginning a discussion on Creation vs. Evolution. Join us as we seek to help deepen our prayer life & faith through informal group discussion in a relaxed setting. For more info, contact Sr. Barbara  On our coins is inscribed the motto E Pluribus Unum, which means, “out of many, one”. This is a shorthand way of recognizing that, though we are made of many different peoples from around the world, we are one nation. In a more profound way, St. Paul has expressed a similar thought in today's second reading (from 1 Corinthians). And he is only restating – in a different way – what the Lord Himself prayed for: that we might all be one. Factions within the Church are not a new phenomenon. Right from the beginning there were squabbles and disputes. But we must never allow disagreements (frequently over petty things) distract us from the unity which Christ desires for us. That unity of faith and practice is preserved when we submit ourselves humbly to Christ and His Church. Christ established His Church upon Peter and the Apostles, whose successors are Pope Francis and the bishops in union with him. It is good to recall that Bishop William Callahan is also successor to the Apostles. Pray that he might be a good and holy shepherd and that we might humbly follow his lead.
50 years ago today the Supreme Court decided the Roe v. Wade case, and effectively legalized abortion throughout our country. For most of the years following we have been observing this day with solemn prayer and public protest in the support of life. Who could have thought that the same Supreme Court would over turn this infamous ruling, as it did this past year in the Dobb’s case? A just nation should seek to protect the rights and dignity of every person, and welcome every child into the world as a gift from God and a blessing to the family and society. And every baptized child enriches the life of the Church! May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  The Blue Army/ World Apostolate of Fatima 4:30-5:30pm, 2nd & 4th Mondays @ SSPP School (3rd & 5th Mondays in January) All SSPP parishioners are invited to join this prayer cell of the World Apostolate of Fatima and discover the miracles, apparitions, & messages of Our Lady of Fatima, & how to apply the messages in our daily lives for our salvation & the salvation of mankind. For more info, please call Debbie  Yarn Central Gathering
6-8pm, Jan. 19 @ SSPP School (1st & 3rd Thursdays) Knitters, spinners, crocheters: drop in with a project & spend a couple hours with other fiber lovers to gather, work, & share projects. All skill levels are encouraged to drop in! For more info, contact Teri Jaeger  Whenever Christmas falls on a Sunday, as it did this year, we have the longest Advent season and the shortest Christmas season. In quick succession the Church celebrated the Nativity of the Lord, Mary the Mother of God, and our Lord’s Epiphany. The Christmas season ended then with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on this past Monday, January 9. It would appear to be a rather big jump from His Epiphany to His Baptism – some thirty years separates the two events. The Church places these feasts together to show that the Lord’s public ministry is manifested by His Baptism, as His divinity was made manifest to the gentiles by the Epiphany. As the Baptism of the Lord inaugurated His public witness as the Messiah, so Baptism for a Christian begins a life seeking holiness – of emulating the Lord. This Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is also the First of the Luminous Mysteries (or Mysteries of Light) which Pope John Paul II introduced in October of 2002. Whereas the other Mysteries of the Rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious) focus on events early in the Lord’s life, or at the very end, the Luminous Mysteries present for our meditation the very events of our Lord’s ministry.
Having entered now the season of “Ordinary Time” today’s Gospel recounts the events following our Lord’s baptism by John. John the Baptist testifies that “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.” And consequently, having received this revelation from the Father, St. John acclaims: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Do you recognize these words? The Church has appropriated these words of Sacred Scripture (and many more!) within the Sacred Liturgy. And we rightly respond: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” May God bless you! Fr. Schaller  Baptism Classes Baptism classes will be offered... Thursday & Friday 6:30pm, Jan. 19 & 20, 2022 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! |