Dear Friends,
Something I hear often these days is who would have thought that 2020 would turn out as it has, and secondly, when will it be done?
As the pandemic continues to spin, as our communal search for justice and peace moves on in fits and starts, as division in politics infiltrates the very air we all breathe, our hearts are tired and sad and worried. Our very existence is weary.
We read in this Sunday’s second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (ch. 4):
“I know how to live in humble circumstances; I also know how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”
In all the suffering we are facing, maybe God is asking us to let something new be born in our hearts! Maybe our very weariness is the source of new growth and insight. Maybe if we really trust Christ, like St. Paul and a lot of people who have suffered before us did and can witness—something is happening, and it will be good! It will be good.
Stay hopeful and have a blessed week.
In Person Mass. Our Mass schedule can be found on the Reopening and Mass Times pages of the parish website. Please be sure to register online to attend an in person Mass. Registration can be found on the Reopening page of the parish website. The link is included every week in the dark blue box at the bottom of this newsletter.
Video Mass for Sunday, October 11th. Here is the recorded Mass for this upcoming Sunday (the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time). We provide a
worship aid to help you better enter into the prayer of the Mass. Please know that we will continue these recorded Masses indefinitely. We are so grateful to DV Productions, our Liturgists Mary Robertson and Brian Eggers, and our music ministers for their efforts in making our prayer as beautiful as possible.
Eat, Drink & Be Catholic. On Wednesday, October 14th, Chad Griesel, Sean Carroll and Michael Adams will introduce this year’s theme, “From Social Distance to Encounter,” and will reflect on the powerful need for what Pope Francis calls a "culture of encounter" amidst an ongoing pandemic, calls for racial justice, and growing hyper-partisanship in an election year. Eat, Drink and Be Catholic offers women and men of all ages a casual opportunity to explore the Catholic faith. We hope to provide space for intellectual, relational and spiritual growth as well as some real community building. Due to the ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, our gatherings will take place via Zoom until further notice. The conversations will also be recorded and posted on the Family of Four Parishes YouTube channel. For further information or to receive the Zoom link for October 14th, contact Chad Griesel, Pastoral Associate of Formation and Justice, at
grieselc@archmil.org.
Catholic East Elementary. Check out this video update on some of the great things happening at Catholic East Elementary and the Seton Catholic Schools network. Thank you for your continued support of our parish school!
Virtual Food Drive. It's a new month, so we have a new challenge!! Please continue our relationship of mutuality with the Riverwest Food Pantry by supporting them in this month's virtual food drive. You'll notice some new items this month: breakfast foods! You can purchase food to be delivered directly to the pantry at
https://yougivegoods.com/familyoffourparishes-october.
St. Vincent de Paul. October is Vincentian Awareness Month! Oftentimes, it is through the invitation to ‘do’ something that a person joins the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Volunteering time and talent to help others is a natural response for followers of Christ. Vincentians heed the invitation to volunteer and then embrace the vocation to grow in holiness using their God-given gifts to ease the suffering of others. From its beginning, the Society has been organized for lay people to put their faith into action applying three essential elements: spirituality, friendship and service. The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Milwaukee is dedicated to the elimination of hunger and poverty in our community. Learn more about our mission and what Vincentians do to fulfill that mission. Contact our Six Saints Conference parishioner (THW, OLDP, SSPP) coordinator Laurie Jacobs at 815-861-4645 or Old St. Mary parishioner coordinators Tom and Karen Guszkowski at
tom.guszkowski@gmail.com, 414-559-4394 or
karen.guszkowski@gmail.com, 262-227-0810.
Faithful Citizenship. As we are now less than a month from this year's presidential election, we offer the attached information as you prepare your vote! This week's
Faithful Citizenship flyer highlights the importance of Catholic Social Teaching: the centrality of the life & dignity of the human person, as well as considerations of poverty and economic justice.
Parish Financial Support. We continue to be humbled by your financial support of the parish during these tender and tenuous times. Thank you so much, it has been amazing to witness the generosity of so many! Please mail in your envelopes and contributions to our parish office (SS Peter & Paul Parish, 2491 N Murray Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211), and our parish staff will process these.
Please do not hesitate to contact me (Cell: 414-762-7986;
kitzket@archmil.org) or Fr. John (Cell: 414-305-3824;
baumgardnerj@archmil.org) if you need anything! Be assured of our love and prayers.
Sincerely, with love,
Fr. Tim
