St. Pius X Faith Community! The Pastor s Corner Fr. Paul Portland, SDS No. 154 January 2019 Dear Friends, I hope you had a blessed celebration of the birth of our Savior. I thank all who contributed with their time and talent to our wonderful celebrations. The children s pageant Christmas Eve was inspiring! As we begin a new year, I thank our staff and all volunteers for their ministry to the community. May God bless you for your generosity and service. Sunday afternoon, December 16, after everything had quieted down at the church, I was visiting various people at Lutheran Home. As I walked down the hallways, crisscrossing back and forth, I was struck by the fact that every television in use was tuned to the Packers-Bears game. Elderly men, elderly women, younger persons in rehab: all had their eyes glued to the game. I thought to myself: I am really in Packer Country! As I was driving home to my community after the visits, I was reflecting how wonderful it would be if we were in Jesus Country, that is, if every Christian had that much enthusiasm and commitment to a strong relationship with Jesus and a life lived according to His values. What a different country we would have! What a different world! That has been the goal that the Pastoral Council has been addressing for the past year: to help us build a stronger, personal relationship with Jesus. To move us in that direction, it established the Formation and Evangelization Task Force, which recently became a permanent commission of the Pastoral Council. That task force/commission has chosen reflection/family material for Advent and Lent, organized various spiritual events for parish leadership and for the parish as a whole, such as the Advent evening of reflection, and will continue to do so, for example, with a Lenten reflection evening. The commission is also working with the Pastoral Council to establish a goal for the parish for August 2019 to June 2020 through the use of a questionnaire on how our ministries are serving the needs of the parishioners and what could be changed or added to help us grow in our relationship with the Lord and our daily living of Gospel values. The hope is that all councils, commissions, and committees will keep that 1 goal in mind as they plan and execute their ministries for the year. An evaluation at the end of the year will help formulate a goal for the following year. All of this is still in process, so I ask you to keep it in your prayers. We have a strong community; we need to continue growing in our ability to bring the light of Christ into the world around us. I thank each of you for being a part of our family and wish you a blessed and healthy 2019. Catholic Identity Holly Cartier I love the one-word statement this time of year, Believe. I have it on a poster, on a shirt, and now on a mug. But on the mug, it is followed by the definition. to have confidence in the truth, existence, or the reliability of something although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. Seeing it defined somehow brought the act into something more profound. Made me realize my Faith life is rooted deeply in the basic beliefs my parents and teachers at St Plus X instilled in me beginning with my Baptism and continuing throughout my school years and now into my life as a teacher and member of our parish. We affirm these basic tenets every time we say the Apostles Creed...I believe in God...and in Jesus Christ... I believe in the Holy Spirit... I Believe. This is our Faith, this is our Catholic Identity. Holly welcomes comments at hcarts.hc @gmail.com The Mission of St. Pius X Catholic Community is to nurture, deepen, celebrate and live out our identity as an apostolic community, a people who are called, gifted and sent by our God. Served by the Society of the Divine Savior Salvatorians
A New Year Message from the Justice and Peace Commission When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To shelter the homeless, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among the peoples, To make music in the heart. 2019 Financial Pledge Drive Drawing to a Close Thank you to everyone who has returned pledge cards. As of the writing of the newsletter, we now have 216 pledges (48% of our parishioners) at $320,514 (75.4% of our goal). 66 (31%) of those that have replied have increased their pledge, WOW! It s not too late to make your pledge. In fact, please do so that the burden of additional follow-up calls can be lessened. Place your card in the offertory basket, drop it off in the church office, pledge online, or call or email Dean Weyer 453-3875, Ext.16 or dweyer@stpiusparish.org Thank you in advance for your support of our parish ministries! Parish Collaborative is providing A Meal for Guest House Shelter for Men When: Wednesday January 23rd 2019 Time: 5:00 to 7:00 PM The Guest House currently provides shelter for 86 adult men. It is the largest publicly funded emergency shelter in Milwaukee. We need volunteers to donate or prepare food and or serve for this one-night commitment. We are planning a "comfort meal" of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and vegetables. This is an opportunity to help others as a Parish Collaborative family. If you are interested in donating food, money or your time, please email Linda Swiderski at soundfiddler@aol.com or Tony Burkart at burokart55@aol.com for specifics. Three Health Ministry Updates A thank you from Gift Sunday: Thank you to the human concerns committee and the wonderful congregation of Saint Pius X for the gift cards for our older adult clients. All of our clients in subsidized housing were able to get a gift card this year because of your generosity. Merry Christmas to you all and a happy and healthy New Year, Amy Dedow, Manager Greater Tosa Interfaith Neighborhood Outreach Program UNISON, Inc. (formerly Interfaith Older Adult Programs, Inc.) (414)-453-5750 1529 Wauwatosa Ave. Wauwatosa, WI 53213 Yoga for You Yoga is a powerful medicine but a slow medicine. With the practice of yoga, practitioners reflect a calm sense of well-being, a willingness to accept the differences of others, and an orientation toward peace that makes for a stronger, more flexible and healthier world. All are welcome, women and men 9:00 am 10:00 am Room 101 Bring your mat or a chair is available. Classes are free and are taught by parish member Mary Snow, a licensed and certified yoga teacher. The next session will start January 14 to February 18th. Energy Assistance that will keep you warm and happy this winter Through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, qualified Milwaukee County residents receive a one-time payment (usually paid to energy supplier) to make your heating and electric bills more affordable! Make your money go further while keeping your home warm and your family safe. It is as easy as 1-2-3! 1 See if you qualify (175,000 MKE county residents will. Range: one-person annual income $27,480 to 8 in the household $72,927) 2- Make an appointment (on line or by calling) 3. Visit any of the six convenient locations. 2 For more 1-2-3 information visit KeepWarmMKE.org or call 270-4653. The program ends April 15 th, 2019. A few fliers are in the Health Ministry alcove in the vestibule of church.
News from our School Wauwatosa Catholic December at Wauwatosa Catholic was all about preparation. Discussions of the season of Advent could be heard in all classrooms, from the youngest K3 to our eighth graders. Every student participated in an all school Advent project making a wreath of their handprint. In the middle of their hand they wrote what they were doing to prepare their heart for Christmas. This Advent wreath is on display next to the gym. Families participated in building Christmas baskets for six families. These gifts were delivered right before Christmas break, in three SUVs! The wish lists for the six families included just the winter necessities, no toys or extras. This alone led to many interesting discussions with some of our older students. In giving, we all discovered again how much we really have. We celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. After our all school Mass we had a special prayer service led by the eighth graders. Four students processed to the altar with a banner and roses, commemorating the miracle associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe. Father Paul shared some of the history of Our Lady during his homily. The 8 th graders led reflective prayers. Our Middle School students visited their adopted grandparents on December 20. They were able to decorate sugar cookies. The grandparents look forward to these visits. Many of them shared some of the Christmas traditions they took part in as children. Our students had cards and lots of smiles to share with the grandparents. Our annual Christmas Concert was performed to a standing room only crowd at St. Pius X church. All the students sang, much to the delight of their parents. It was a most successful evening. Please save the date of Sunday, January 27, as Wauwatosa Catholic School hosts its annual Open House. School will be open from 9:00 1:00 with parents, students and staff available to lead tours and talk about our phenomenal school. If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit your parish school, please join us! Everyone at Wauwatosa Catholic wishes you a happy, healthy, New Year. Please remember always how much your support is appreciated by the entire school community! Adult Formation Opportunity: Friday Morning Reflection on the Sunday readings: Join the group that meets after the 8:00 AM Mass in the rectory each Friday morning. Read and learn about the Mass readings for the next Sunday and share in discussion and prayer. All are welcome. Email List please join! Each month the parish newsletter is sent to all members. We hope to be able to connect with parishioners through email. If you have received a paper copy of this newsletter, please visit the parish website www.stpiusparish.org and look for the email sign-up link to subscribe to our mailing list. Using email saves us money for paper and postage and allows you to get the latest information sooner. Thank you. Prayer Network If you, or if you have a relative or friend who is struggling with illness, loss of a loved one, a spiritual crisis or any of countless other life challenges, we have a group of parishioners who have committed to interceding in prayer on your or their behalf. If you would like to have someone included in the daily prayers of the network members or if you would like to become a member of the network, interceding on behalf of others, contact John Kielich at jkielich@wi.rr.com or at 414-732-7295. Because of HIPAA policies, a hospital cannot notify the parish of admittance of a parishioner, so a family member must take the initiative. To arrange for a priest to visit a loved one in the hospital, please contact the parish office. SCRIP Thank you to everyone who purchases SCRIP for their shopping needs. SCRIP gift cards can be purchased after each Mass and in the church office Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm See the bulletin to track our SCRIP profit. In November and December, we made almost $2000 for the parish. What a wonderful way to support our parish ministries. And it s an easy safe place to write a check and using SCRIP instead of a credit card leaves you safe if a business is hacked. 3
Update on Living Waters SWLD team with drill at Namiungo site Starting in 2012, St. Pius X Parish has donated wells that provide fresh, clean water to villages in rural Tanzania through the Safe Water for Life and Dignity group (SWLD). Fr. Dan Pekarske inspired the young seminarians who founded SWLD when he was teaching at the Salvatorian Seminary in Morogoro, Tanzania. The men of SWLD donate their time. All money donated goes to surveying, educating villagers, testing the water, and building the wells. Each well donated can serve between 500-1000 people. Through the generosity of Pius parishioners we have donated 27 wells in the past six years, (over $100,000), and have improved the lives of over 30,000 people. The fresh, clean water in these wells decreases the prevalence of water-borne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, and it often means that girls are able to attend school instead of walking to get water for hours each day. If the people have enough water, they can grow more crops and the way of life is improved for all. Drilling the well in Namiungo Last summer when I was in Tanzania, I visited some of the wells we ve donated and learned more about the difference these wells make in the lives of the people. Sometimes there is a water hole between two villages. Often as the people meet at the waterhole there can be violence as they compete for the water. Also, when the women can be in the village instead of being gone for six hours a day getting water, there is more family unity. Pump Installation The living waters project does more than just provide clean water: it improves lives and leads to peace in the villages. More good news is that the Salvatorians in Tanzania have collaborated with the men of SWLD to build wells near their formation house in Namiungo. This is quite a distance from Morogoro, but the need is very great. The site inspection and hydrogeological surveys showed that the water table is quite deep and the ground is quite rocky. It took a more money to dig this well, but it is so very worthwhile. The lives of many people who never imagined they would have clean water are forever improved. Well celebration Look at the pictures on the bulletin board and in the binder in the back of church. Asante sana! (Thank you very much) Mungu awabariki sana (May God bless you so much) 4
St. Pius X Community Calendar January, 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 PC Agenda 6:15 R/LR/DR/Apt J4J 7 pm Church 3 Health Min. 6pm Conf. Rm 4 5 New Year s Day 6 Fellowship Steward HS Form Night 6 pm Mass Church 7 pm Class School 7 8 9 J4J 7 pm Church Councils 6:30 pm @ CK 10 B Scouts 6:30 pm 11 12 Family Skate/Pizza 6 pm Café, Gym 13 No Fellowship Child Faith Form 12 pm Café 14 Yoga 9 am 101 15 16 J4J 7 pm Church Dartball 7 pm 101 17 18 19 20 Fellowship Finance HS Form Night 6 pm Mass Church 7 pm Class School 21 Yoga 9 am Steward 6pm R/LR 22 J & P 6:45 pm R/LR 23 Rose So. 6:30 pm 24 B Scouts 6:30 pm 25 Refl on Sun scrip 8:30 am R/DR 26 27 Fellowship Liturgy 28 Yoga 9 am Finance 6 pm R/LR 29 30 PC Agenda 6:15 R/LR/DR/Apt 31