St. Pius X Faith Community The Pastor s Corner Fr. Paul Portland, SDS No. 142 November 2017 Dear friends, A couple weekends ago, our Gospel reminded us to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar s and to God the things that are God s. The point is that God has been very generous to us and our way of showing thanks is to be generous in sharing the gifts that have been given. Our support of the State through taxes brings services that make for a better life for all citizens, including the poor. And Pius parishioners are very generous in sharing with those who are in need. One example is the $34,950 given during Lent this year that built 6 wells in rural communities in Tanzania and repaired a number of others. Now I ask your generosity for needs closer to home, that is, for our own parish ministries and those we serve. Our 2018 parish pledge drive has begun. In this newsletter you will find a report, similar to the last two years, of where each $100 comes from and how it is spent. As you can see, 66% of our income comes from your stewardship support. You know from paying bills that inflation increases expenses: the same thing happens here at the parish. That reality, as well as an aging infrastructure that requires more and more maintenance, means we need more income. So I ask you to please be as generous as possible, recognizing that support of the parish makes all our worship, formation, and outreach possible. Thank you. As we move from fall into winter during the month of November, we also move toward the end of the Church year, which comes on the feast of Christ King (this year on November 26). As plants die or hibernate for the winter and the trees lose their leaves, our readings remind us of the end time and judgment. In this year of Matthew, the Gospel for Christ King is the account of the Last Judgment, when Christ the King will say to the saved: when I was hungry, you gave me to eat. When I was thirsty you gave me to drink This is a reminder to us that the ultimate measure of our lives will be the way we have treated others, especially the most needy among us. Sharing the good things the Lord has given us (love, mercy, forgiveness, food, drink, time, talent, etc.) is the sign of a true disciple. As we move to the close of our Church year and begin our preparation with Advent to celebrate the Incarnation, let us thank the Lord for His generosity to us and express that gratitude by being generous in response. That is TRUE stewardship! All Parish Meeting November 18/19 After all Masses Mark your calendar, Plan to attend 2018 Financial Pledge Drive to Begin Please pray and reflect on your gifts from God, your faith in God and your individual gifts back to God, and return your pledge card at Mass or mail it to the office. If you give through EFT (electronic fund transfer) please return your card with any updates, or sign up for EFT during this pledge drive. An envelope containing information and your pledge card should have arrived this week. Thank you in advance for your support of our parish ministries. God Has Blessed Us We Give Thanks You are invited to the Parish Collaborative Thanksgiving Liturgy Thursday, November 23 at 9:00 at Christ King Parish 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 1
Advent 2017 The season of Advent begins the weekend of December 2/3. During advent, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord, to watch and wait with hopeful expectation not only for the Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem but also for all the ways God chooses to take flesh in us every day. Here at St. Pius we have a long tradition of reading out to those in need during the season of Advent. you are invited to participate in these efforts on the Sundays of Advent. 1 st Sunday of Advent Card Sunday We prepare the way of the lord as we touch the hearts of parishioners who are homebound, in nursing homes or in hospice, by writing Christmas cards for them which we place in the basket in the sanctuary. The cards will be delivered, along with a holiday plant, when our shutins are visited by one of our Ministers of Care. (Watch the November bulletins for a list of names. 2 nd Sunday of Advent Gift Sunday We prepare the way of the Lord as we help to brighten the holidays of those in need when we place the gifts we have purchased in the sanctuary. They will be distributed to various organizations in the community. (A list of needed items will be in the November bulletins.) 3 rd Sunday of Advent Food Sunday We prepare the way of the Lord as we bring our food donations for the hungry in our community to church so that others may have the opportunity to have joyful and nourishing holiday meals. 4 th Sunday of Advent Family Sunday God is with us as we focus on being Christ to others especially in our families. Please reflect on how you can be Christ to one another in you immediate, parish, community and global families. A list of suggestions will be found in the bulletin on this weekend. Please note: The 4 th Sunday of Advent is Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. There will be one Mass on Sunday morning the 24 th at 8:00, and the usual Christmas Masses at 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm Other Advent Services: Feast of the Immaculate Conception Join in celebrating this holy day. The Collaborative Parish Liturgy will be held on Thursday, December 7 th that 7:00 PM at St. Pius. Communal Anointing of the Sick The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will take place at all the liturgies the weekend of December 9 th /10th. All are invited to obtain the graces of this special sacrament. Communal Reconciliation Service Sunday, December 10 th at 6:00 pm at Pius X Parish 2 Make a Joyful Noise! Kathy Wellenstein Director of Liturgy and Music Have you ever wanted to join the choir but just don t have the time to commit to it on a weekly basis? How about joining with our Celebration Singers for our 10:00PM Christmas Liturgy on December 24 th. Rehearsals take place in the church and begin at 7:15 PM. The Christmas Music rehearsal lasts about an hour but you are welcome to stay and also join us for the Sundays of Advent. Christmas Ringers Wanted You ve probably heard our parish children ring hand bells at some of our weekend or school liturgies. Have you ever thought about joining a hand bell choir yourself? How about joining our Seasonal Hand Bell Choir? We will be ringing for the 10:00 PM Christmas Liturgy on December 24 th. A Christmas Invitation Instrumentalists All instrumentalists of the Parish are invited to share your talent with your Parish community and to Make a joyful noise unto the Lord at our Christmas Liturgies. Instrumentalists of all ages are invited to play in small groups, in pairs, or as a solo at your choice of the Christmas Masses. If you wish to join in any music ministry activities contact Kathy at kwellenstein@stpiusparish.org or call 453-3875, ext. 14. You are also welcome to just show up at the rehearsal. The more who get involved, the more festive our Christmas celebrations will be. Catholic Identity Holly Cartier At the baptism of the newest generation, the pastor gave a rousing sermon on the theme of recognizing Jesus in all we meet. He asked if Jesus came to us today, would we recognize Him? To get his point across, he thundered, Who do you say I am, who do you say I am? From the back of church, a quavering child s voice said, I think you re Jesus. As the congregation chortled, the pastor quietly said, well, I am glad you know that. Do we recognize Jesus in all we meet? When we meet Jesus in the stranger, the sick, the poor and lost, do we say, I think you re Jesus.? Let us welcome each other into our lives, as we would welcome Jesus. This is our Faith. This is our Catholic Identity. Holly Cartier (comments or discussion is welcome at hcarts.hc@gmail.com).
Health Ministry News Take Care: Caregiving is Hard Work November is National Family Caregiver Month. Health Ministry invites family caregivers to a special evening by a witty, insightful, thought-provoking and delightful presenter, Lynda Markut, Education and Family Support Coordinator for the Alzheimer s Association of SE Wisconsin. This presentation helps caregivers (not just those caring for someone with dementia) understand what makes caring hard work, what caregiving can do to us as well as what it does for us. Information is offered on stress to help caregivers acknowledge the stress of caring. Through stories and personal examples, caregivers will start to identify if they are caring too much, losing sight of themselves, and are only focusing on a disease process as opposed to focusing on living. This session helps participants gain perspective to take steps to care for themselves as they care for their family member. Lynda will not be doing a presentation on dementia, but will include information on why caring for someone with dementia is more challenging than caring for someone with other chronic conditions. Join us on Monday, November 13 th, 5:30 7:30 PM, in the rectory living room. To celebrate you, the family caregiver, and to give you a break, a light supper will be served. The session is open and free of charge;; please RSVP by calling the parish office by Thursday, November 9th: 414-453-3875. *Parking: Street parking or east church parking lot, enter building off Wauwatosa Ave. and follow the signs. News from our School Wauwatosa Catholic Wauwatosa Catholic is involved in two major IB projects. Our application for authorization for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme was submitted on September 28. All of the MYP staff worked extremely hard to ensure that this would be submitted but we also know the work does not end. We know that the IB is a work in progress. All of us are inspired by the depth of the IB programmes. The effects on our students are truly amazing. Students at all levels show their ability to use higher level thinking skills on a daily basis. They show that they can take responsibility for their own learning. The second major deadline is the PYP evaluation piece. The written work is due on December 1. Everyone in the Wauwatosa School community has been asked to take some part in this evaluation. At the end of last school year, questionnaires were completed by members of various school committees, staff and volunteers. The results of those questionnaires are part of a 75-page report due to the IB. An amazing amount of documentation will be uploaded. In March, we will host our Evaluation Site Visit. This process is meant to ensure that schools, once authorized, are keeping up with the standards of IB. Our 1 st grade students worked in the Transdisciplinary Unit Who We Are. The central idea was Humans have different basic human needs based on their living situations. They studied geography, climate, the difference between needs and wants and natural resources. Their summative assessment was to choose a location around the world, research its geographical features and determine what kind of home they would need to build for a person living there. Students built a model of that home and presented their projects to the class. The 1 st graders are now working on a Religion Project. They each picked a saint. They are doing research on their saint, learning where this person lived, how he/she lived, and will explain what their saint did to be named a saint. They will dress as their saint on November 1 st. They will process into church. After Mass they will present their research to their classmates. Every Primary Years Programme class finished their first unit of inquiry, and are beginning their second. Each month one of the grades will be highlighted in this column. On Tuesday, October 24, we held our second Awards Program. Twenty-one students from grades K3 through 8 were chosen to be students of the month for exemplifying the IB Learner Profile of Thinker. These students showed that they are able to use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. They think things through and are able to make reasoned, ethical decisions. Our Middle School Students are continuing to learn the vocabulary of the IB Middle Years Programme. They are adjusting to learning in eight core classes. These classes are: The Arts, Design, Individuals and Society, Language Acquisition, Language and Literature, Math, Physical Education/Health and Science. As always, the Wauwatosa Catholic School community thanks you for your support. We could not accomplish all the wonderful things we do without that support. Please feel free to stop in and see our wonderful school any time, we take pride in what we do. Please know that you are always in our prayers! Email List please join! 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. 3
A message from the Justice and Peace Commission: Thank you to everyone who is helping our parish consume less at fellowship by using mugs instead of disposable cups. And doesn't the coffee taste better? It may not seem like much, but week after week, month after month, small and relatively easy steps like this, can have quite an impact. And maybe it will motivate each of us to use a little less in the way of disposables items at home;; the planet is paying a high price for our convenience! If you have any ways to suggest how we as a parish might decrease our consumption, please let us know and we'll see if we can implement it. As the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, the Justice and Peace Commission would like to consider how gratitude and generosity play a role in the care of our common home. When we realize the precious but fragile gift this planet is to us, most of us are filled with gratitude. We in this country have been blessed beyond measure with the fruits of our planet, especially in comparison to other peoples throughout the world. As followers of Jesus, that recognition naturally challenges us to generosity, sharing those blessings and limiting our use of the world's resources, so that others may have access to their fair share as well. At St. Pius, our commitment to generosity, brought about by our gratitude, has a rich history which bears noting and celebrating. One of the most beautiful examples of that generosity appears in the altar area every Advent at Gift Sunday. Many times a year, it's evident with countless bags of donated food items that support the Tosa Food Pantry, the Hunger Task Force and the House of Peace. Once a month for years, more than 40 parishioners make meatloaves, rice, salad, purchase fresh fruit, and serve it to those in need at the St. Vincent de Paul meal program. Parishioners' generosity has built wells in Tanzania so that people there have access to safe water and helped our Guatemalan sister parish, Santa Maria, build catechism centers throughout the extensive area served by that parish. Almost three years ago, Pius parishioners helped sponsor a Rohingya Muslim refugee family from Burma settle in the U.S., setting up an apartment for them, and helping them learn about life here. That beautiful family has allowed us to see quite clearly how fortunate we are, when we imagine what it must be like to settle in a new country far from our homeland. Our commitment for the last year to watch and possibly reduce our consumption of water, energy, plastic and "things" has moved many of us to participate in the Milwaukee area river clean up, recycle our less than desirable old clothing to Better Earth Recycling, rely less on our cars to get around and pledge to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. How fortunate we are to be a part of a community that lives a spirit of gratitude and generosity;; St. Pius has much to be proud of. The Justice and Peace Commission invites all of us to be cognizant of our many gifts and this holiday season, consider all the ways that generosity can take an even stronger hold in our hearts, influencing our priorities and actions to build the kingdom of God here on earth. Adult Formation Opportunities: Friday Morning Prayer: Join the group that meets with Br. Silas Henderson, SDS 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. Scripture with Scholars Please note: Save the date: Wednesday, December 6, Rev. Michael Witczak, associate professor of liturgical studies at the Catholic University of America and former rector of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary will speak on the history and theology of Eucharistic celebration, sacramental liturgy, history of liturgy and liturgical celebration of the saints. Archdiocesan Stewardship Appeal We Are One is the resounding theme of this year s stewardship appeal. If you have not been able to yet give, please prayerfully consider offering any amount to the appeal. You can donate by dropping an envelope marked Archdiocesan Appeal into the Sunday basket, or go online at https://www.archmil.org/2017-catholicappeal/home.htm and click the Donate Now button. Thank you and God Bless You for your donation. 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 my home phone 414-449- 5094. 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. 4
INVITATION TO DISCIPLESHIP *THE GIFT OF FAITH* Stewardship is an expression of discipleship, with the power to change how we understand and live out our lives..... They know themselves to be recipients and caretakers of God s many gifts. They are grateful for what they have received and eager to cultivate their gifts out of love for God and one another. Stewardship, A Disciple s Response - A Pastoral Letter on Stewardship USCCB So, what are these gifts given to us by our God which we are to steward and cultivate? Ask this question to a group of individuals and the answers undoubtedly will vary, mostly in terms of physical attributes. But what about spiritual gifts, such as being merciful, forgiving, or patient? What about the gift of faith? How often do we reflect on our faith as being a gift from God in which He enters into a relationship with us, as something for which we need to be grateful? And how do we go about cultivating or growing in this gift? Faith is both a personal and a communal relationship. It is personal in that I believe and have a personal relationship with the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and believe in the truths God has revealed. Growth in personal faith is primarily through prayer and spiritual reading, especially scripture. Faith is communal in that our personal faith brings us into a relationship with God s people. At Mass, we join together to profess our faith and experience being the Body of Christ. The community then also strengthens our personal faith. PRAYER INTENTIONS* We encourage all parish members to include the following intentions in your daily prayers during the coming month. For blessings on all our nation s veterans, and for the protection of those who serve in our country s military. That our faith community will grow in holiness, especially through outreach to the poor and needy. That our annual parish pledge campaign will be a success through the participation of all parish members in submitting their pledge card. For all the sick and shut-in members of our faith community and for all the intentions on our Wailing Wall in the rear of our church. *FAITH SHARING* For each of us, our personal faith life is a pilgrimage. Along the journey, there are insights, questions, and doubts that arise as we reflect and grow in our unique personal relationship with the Lord. We are all called to share our faith. This is frequently interpreted as sharing our faith with non-believers. However, our personal faith life can also be strengthened through sharing within the faith community. With this in mind, if there is any interest in this type of faith formation, perhaps we can initiate some type activity in this capacity. Nothing specific at this time, just curious as to whether or not there is any interest. If you would like to pursue this, you may reach me, John Kielich, at 449-5094 or jkielich@wi.rr.com.. *MONTHLY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION* Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. Rom. 10:17
St. Pius X Community Calendar November, 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Give Thanks 5 Fellowship-PC 9 am café Auction clean up am thru 2:30 pm Gym Wednesday Thursday 1 Auction set up 6-9 pm Gym AA 12:15 pm Tri-P Agenda 6:15 R/LR/DR, Apt Tri-P Mass 7 pm Darball 7 pm 101 2 3 Auction set up all day Gym S Glass Sing/Ring 3:30 choir rm Adult Faith Form 7 pm R/LR Health Min 7 pm R/DR Auction set up all day Gym AA 7 pm Reflection (after 8 am Mass in R/DR) 8 9 10 AA 7 pm Reflection (after 8 am Mass in R/DR) 6 7 Liturgy 6 pm Bldg & Grnd 5:45 AA 12:15 pm R/LR Choir 7:15 Church J4J 7 pm Church S Glass Sing/Ring 3:30 choir rm B Scouts 6:30 101 Adult Faith Form 7 pm R/LR 13 14 16 S Glass Sing/Ring 3:30 choir rm Adult Faith Form 7 pm R/LR YM 6 pm Church 101, 103, 104, Gym, Café, R/LR/DR, School 12 Fellowship (CLC) 9 am café CLC 9 am Cafe Caregiving 5:30 Child Faith Formation R/LR 9 am school Summer Outreach 12 noon Cafe 15 Choir 7:15 Church AA 12:15 pm J & P 7 pm R/LR J4J 7 pm Church Dartball 7 pm 101 19 Fellowship (Lit) 9 am Café All-Parish Mtg. after 8 & 10:15 Mass Child Faith Formation 9 am school YM 6 pm Church Rm 101, 103, 104, R/LR/DR, School, Café, Gym 20 21 22 Senior Bd 10 am AA 12:15 pm R/DR Stewardship 6 R/LR Rose So 7 pm 101 C Scouts 6:30 101 23 9 AM Mass @ Christ King 26 27 Finance C 6 R/LR 30 NO Fellowship 28 29 Seniors luncheon AA 12:15 pm 10 am church, R/LR/DR, kitchen J4J 7 pm Church Dartball 7 pm 101 S Glass Sing/Ring 3:30 choir rm Choir 7:15 Church Friday Saturday 4 Auction All Day 11 17 18 AA 7 pm Reflection (after 8 am Mass in R/DR) 24 AA 7 pm Reflection (after 8 am Mass in R/DR) 25 All-Parish Mtg. after 5 pm Mass