Antigo Area Catholic Churches Newsletter — Feb 2023

Antigo Area

Umland Brothers Faithfully Serve on the Altar at SS. Mary and Hyacinth

CORDELL, CONNOR AND COLE UPHOLD COMMITMENT TO SERVING HOLY MASS

If you chose a Mass that teenage boys would be regularly at tending, the 7 a.m. Sunday Mass would probably be the last pick — but not for Cordell, Connor, and Cole Um land! They’ve been serving at the 7 a.m. Sunday Mass for as long as any of them can remember. Cordell is 19 and currently attending St. Norbert College. He, along with his brothers — Cole, 18; and Connor, 15 — have faithfully served since the third or fourth grade.

“It’s an interesting experience,” Cordell says. “It’s not often you see a whole family involved in a church community for as long as we have been.”

The boys chose the 7 a.m. Mass because they are often busy with sports. They knew the earlier Mass would have less of a chance of creating schedule conflicts.

“It really became a weekly routine for us,” Cordell says. The boys’ parents, Mary and Jay, are very proud of their sons and all the time and talent they have given to the parish. The brothers have been called on for everything from funerals and weddings to special Masses with the bishop. They also serve during Holy Week. For the Umland brothers, it’s been an honor to help each time.

For Cordell, the best part of serving has been getting to know all priests and ministry members.

“It’s been fun seeing the church community develop over the 11-plus years that I’ve served,” he says.

When Cordell is home from college, he serves if he’s able. It’s easier, of course, that the boys always serve together. They know who does what.

All these years later, Cole and Connor still stay busy with sports, so it’s nice that they carve out time to serve the parish — in turn, setting a true example for all of us.

“Back when I started, not knowing how to serve, Cordell and Cole helped me know

The Umland boys serve the 7 a.m. Mass at SS. Mary and Hyacinth.

STEWARDSHIP:

What to do With a Windfall?

Abusinessman sells some property for a nice profit. A woman retires from a 20-year career at age 43. A high school student discovers he has an exceptional talent for playing the piano. What do they have in common?

Each person has recently received a windfall — an unusually large gain of money, time, or talent. Now each must answer a question — what to do with this newfound gain?

The businessman, already somewhat financially successful, finds that the profit from the sale of rental property is unexpectedly large. For the first time, he feels an urge not to save it, but to share it. The next Sunday, even though he already contributes to his parish, he puts a larger sum in the offertory basket. He also knows of a local charity that supports low-income mothers, and mails them a generous donation.

After her retirement from the Air Force, a woman finds she has a large amount of time during the day. Her husband works full-time and her two children are in high school. She hears a quiet voice asking, “How can you give back for all that you have received?” She calls her pastor and explains that she has the time to play a significant role in a parish ministry. He asks her to re-invigorate their

newcomer’s ministry and visit each new family, to which she happily agrees.

In his high school music class, a 10th-grader discovers an amazing talent to play piano. After encouragement from family and friends, he joins the ensemble at the Sunday morning Mass. He even volunteers to play at special functions at the parish when needed.

In all three cases, the businessman, retiree and student have received something of value, and have made deliberate choices to share it with others, particularly within their parish.

Of course, it could have been different. The businessman could have taken

an especially extravagant vacation. The woman could have done any number of things with her free time (couldn’t we all?). The young pianist could have used his talent to form a band or make a recording. And the truth is that they can still do all those things. But having received such wonderful gifts, their gratitude compels them to share a portion of them. After all, what do they lose by sharing what was already a gift to them from God?

We’re all gifted and are called to share on a daily basis. But when the big blessings come, let’s pray for the grace to be even more generous than ever.

We’re all gifted and are called to share on a daily basis. But when the big blessings come, let’s pray for the grace to be even more generous than ever.

A Letter From Our Pastor

Do You Want to Hear God Speaking to You?

His Word is Closer Than You Realize

Dear Parish Family,

TheGospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We know that the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, but God’s word is also present to us through Holy Scripture. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us?

Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part – the Liturgy of the Word. The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel, and a Homily.

We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. We know that the Bible contains information about God, stories of faith, history lessons, and great literature. But

present to His people through His Word. God’s Words nourish our spirit, renew our hearts, and guide our lives. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word.

The ultimate acceptance of God’s Word is found not so much in the hearing, but rather in the doing. Are we living lives of self-giving love? Are we lifting up the poor? Are we welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear and then to act requires humility and obedience. It also requires commitment. If you don’t already have a favorite Bible, get one and put it by your bedside. As one of my seminary professors loved to say, “Don’t let a day go by without opening and reading God’s Word.” You will find Scripture to be a faithful friend and an encouraging companion.

HOMILY BIBLE STUDY: Our Faith Community

The Bible is called “the Living Word of God.” Each and every day, the Holy Spirit brings the words to life and we are given the opportunity to listen to God truly speak to each of us. Through Sacred Scripture, we hear God’s voice through the inspired words. These words may have been written centuries ago, but they are just as relevant and true today as they were then. In John 1:14 we hear, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus still lives in every one of us and is present in the Living Word of the Bible today.

So, it is especially fitting that the Homily Bible Study begins each week with the Angelus prayer, which prays that exact verse of John. When we take time to enter into Sacred Scripture, we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us and give us the grace to hear God’s voice.

Each week, parishioners are invited to join Fr. Joel as he leads the Homily Bible Study — Fr. George is often in attendance as well. During this time, attendees are encouraged to share what they got out of the readings and the homily that they heard that week. Even if parishioners were out of town and attended a different parish, their thoughts and experiences are always welcome.

“I first began a study of this nature when I was a campus minister,” Fr. Joel says. “The students wanted a Bible study and this was the absolute easiest thing that I could do. I needed to work on my homilies anyway, so this was a way that I could do that! Now, it really helps to give us feedback on how our preaching is being received by the parishioners. I

get a sense of where each parish is at and how our homilies are coming across. We have accountability from people to hear if our message was delivered and if it was effective.”

This group meets on Tuesdays at noon, so that parishioners who work may have the opportunity to come and participate on their lunch break. After discussing the previous week’s homilies, the group reads the Sunday readings for the following week to get a head start on praying with those readings.

“I have experienced that it really helps me to listen to the readings during Mass,” says Rick Guzinski who has been attending this study for about three years. “It promotes actively listening to the Scripture. Knowing that we will be accountable to discuss the homily with others encourages me to listen better

and think critically about what Father is saying.”

Jenny Behrens joined this study a couple years ago so she could delve into the Catholic faith more, as well as get to know the priests better.

“I became Catholic when my daughter started school at All Saints,” she says. “However, it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I really started to take my faith seriously. I wanted to start learning more and participating more, so I started attending this study each week. It helped me so much to pay more attention in Mass as well as growing in community with others in the church.”

“We really enjoy getting to hear the different perspectives from our parishioners,” Fr. Joel says. “We also have such a wide range of participants in this study. We have a homeschooling mom who

(Standing) Kristen Rolling, Bob Benishek, Rick Guzinski, Janet Waterhouse, Fr. George Daniel; (seated) Rose Marie Kerner, Joyce Zacharias, Mike Geib, Alison Quinlan, Fr. Joel Sember

Draws Closer to God’s Living Word

also brings her sixth grader. We have priests, deacons, stay-athome moms, parishioners who work, retirees, and everything in between. They get to hear the perspective of others who may have different experiences. It is special that we can share and grow in this way.”

This study is mutually beneficial for both the priests and the parishioners. The priests get helpful feedback on their homilies and the parishioners can learn more and experience how the Holy Spirit is speaking to others.

“This study is open to anyone and everyone,” Fr. Joel says. “The honest sharing of the parishioners is special and we have begun to celebrate birthdays and important celebrations with each other, as well. It is a great way for our parishioners to get together and learn.”

Lent is Coming — Feb. 22

Mass Schedule for Feb. 22, Ash Wednesday

7:15 a.m. at Sts. Mary and Hyacinth

8:15 a.m. at St. John

4:30 p.m. at Sts. Mary and Hyacinth

7:15 p.m. at Sts. Mary and Hyacinth

You do not have to be Catholic to receive ashes — all are welcome!

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence from meat. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

(From left ) Rick Guzinski, Jenny Behrens, Carl Plzak, Bob Benishek, Kristen Rolling, Mike Geib, Susan Hickey

DRAWING FROM THE Traditions of Spirituality IN OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH

If you knew that the person who loves you most in the world was longing to spend some time with you, would you want to meet with them? What if this person was also the only one capable of saving your soul for all eternity, not to mention blessing you abundantly on earth?

It would seem ridiculous to say “no” to getting to know them just a little better, right?

That being said, you may wonder how you can best go about getting to know this particular person. To do just that, as Catholics, it is important that we seek out and read things from our Catholic Christian tradition — immersing ourselves in the spiritual works of those who have found Christ in a very deep way in accordance with the Church. Indeed, there are many great saints who have flowered out of the community of believers, and we can turn to them to get to know God better.

Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has been profoundly touched, enriched and enlightened by spiritual masters whose works are powerful enough to convert souls. It is also important to recognize that the spiritual traditions in the Church express many of the same ideas but in different ways, bearing witness to the ineffable, mosaic-like beauty of Catholicism.

St. Benedict began the first formal monastic tradition in the western Catholic Church, basing it on the Rule of St. Benedict. To this day, Benedictine spirituality is centered around the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, simplicity and the appreciation of the Holy Eucharist.

The Franciscan spiritual tradition began with St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. These saints brought about the Counter-Reformation that still marks the Church with splendor today. St. Francis is widely known for his Gospel-centered living, love of poverty, devotion to Christ Crucified, and mercy for all men and creatures.

The Life of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure, as well as The Little Flowers of St. Francis both help one to learn more about this magnificent saint.

Similar to St. Francis, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila also sparked a critical reformation within the Carmelite Order, which later influenced the entire Church in a positive way. Carmelite spirituality is a desert spirituality, which bases itself on silence, deep contemplative prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, outstanding penance, and various traditional Catholic devotions. The Story of a Soul , which is the autobiography of renowned Carmelite St. Therese of Lisieux, the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila , and the works of St. John of the Cross all capture the essence of Carmelite spirituality.

Furthermore, Salesian spirituality stems from the great life and work of St. Francis de Sales. The Introduction to the Devout Life is a fantastic primer for those desiring to enter more profoundly into a life of union with Christ.

Ignatian spirituality is known for educating people on the discernment of spirits. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, as well as The Discernment of Spirits by Fr. Timothy Gallagher are excellent resources for learning more about this powerful spiritual tradition.

Last but not least, The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin is modern-day spiritual work that can help those who are seeking Christ, to find Him.

The rich variety of spiritual traditions we have in the Catholic Church are an indication of how diverse our Church is. There are so many different ways of following Christ and praying — and to do so, we can draw from the spiritual “greats.” But of course, we must always pray in the way that God is leading us, in a way that we can truly encounter God in conversation.

Funeral Dinners Ministry

Offers Compassion and Comfort in Time of Loss

Members of St. Wenceslaus Parish who have lost a loved one may turn to our Funeral Dinners Ministry to provide a comforting meal for those gathering in the loss.

Pearl Maly chairs the ministry, with assistance from Ann Meyer. Terri Devore, along with three other members, works with the ministry volunteers to help according to the family’s wishes.

When a parish family has a death, our local funeral directors can provide them with the meal options available. Once the choice is made, the directors contact the Funeral Ministry to begin the arrangements.

“We have two options,” Terri says. “The family can either pay for the cost of the food and needed items to prepare a meal, and we prepare and serve the meal at the church. This consists of ham, buns, hot dogs, parslied potatoes, and beverages. We then call our volunteers to donate food, such as a salad, hot dish, or dessert to bring to the church.

“The second option is, if the family chooses, to hold the dinner at Quinn’s here in Deerbrook, which has the capacity to seat 100,” she adds. “The family can contact the restaurant to arrange the menu.”

Whichever choice the family makes, they are assured they are being cared for by fellow parishioners who value the sense of parish community. When the pandemic led to the halt of some groups, the Funeral Ministry met last summer to determine its own direction. The ministry members’ own life experiences at St. Wenceslaus guided their decision.

“We felt it was necessary to provide this service for the people who’d given so much to the church through their lives,” Terri says. “So we know there is a need for funeral dinners. We felt we should do it, in recognition of all the work done in a person’s years.”

The feedback the ministry has received has been excellent.

“People are so thankful and grateful,” Terri says. “At a recent funeral, the family was so grateful for a place to come. We have an elevator in the church, which helps those who cannot use

stairs. They were so grateful that we did this, and that they could spend time together for a while afterward. It was a very positive experience for everyone.”

Serving in the Funeral Ministry is also a positive way to practice stewardship. This was evident when 11 parishioners came forward for the ministry during the Stewardship Renewal.

“We have close to 40 on our list we can call,” Terri says. “We always try to be flexible. I remind the members that we don’t expect you to come at 8 a.m. and stay all day. If you can come when you can come, that is great. We try to make it ‘user-friendly.’ We have a couple new church members and tried to make them feel welcome. We are very appreciative of our volunteers.”

Those who did not have the opportunity to join the ministry during the Stewardship Renewal may contact Terri Devore at 715-623-7921 to join.

“We felt it was necessary to provide this service for the people who’d given so much to the church through their lives. So we know there is a need for funeral dinners. We felt we should do it, in recognition of all the work done in a person’s years.”

— TERRI DEVORE

Saint John the Evangelist

415 6th Ave.

Antigo, WI 54409

(715) 623-2024

stjohn@antigoareacatholicchurches.com

Saints Mary & Hyacinth

819 3rd Ave.

Antigo, WI 54409

(715) 623-4938

ssmh@antigoareacatholicchurches.com

Saint Wenceslaus

N5340 Church Rd.

Deerbrook, WI 54424

(715) 627-2126

stwencel@antigoareacatholicchurches.com

Umland

Brothers continued from front cover what to do,” Connor says.

Their parents are so proud of them.

“It’s rare for them to be at Mass and not serve,” Mary says. “I really wanted them to participate in Mass and be part of everything instead of sitting back and not doing a whole lot.”

When considering their memories of serving, they all chuckle, recounting a time that Cole fainted while serving.

In all seriousness, they’ve all most enjoyed getting to know other people involved in ministries.

“It’s given us the opportunity to build a better relationship with other people at church, like the priests, lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and choir

members,” Cordell says. “You see the behind-the-scenes of it all.”

“When you get involved, it makes you want to be more involved,” Cole says.

“When you are up there serving, you have to be paying attention,” Connor says. “You really take it to heart.” To get involved as an altar server, contact Fr. Joel Sember at jsember@antigoareacatholicchurches.com.

“It’s given us the opportunity to build a better relationship with other people at church.”

— CORDELL UMLAND