Weekly Message from Fr. John

October 15, 2020

Dear Friends,

For some time, the month of October has always been one of my favorite months of the year. With October comes a new school year, Packers football, and the crisp fall weather which I enjoy very much. In the Church, October is Respect Life Month which reminds us that every life is sacred, from the moment of conception until natural death. October is also a month in the Church traditionally dedicated to Mary and to praying the Rosary. And last but not least, the Church’s liturgical calendar in October is quite full with many celebrations of the lives of the saints. So even in the midst of our present circumstances, it still makes for a beautiful month!

This past week, we celebrated one of the great Saints in the life of the Church – Saint Teresa of Avila. She was no stranger to suffering, yet her deep friendship with Jesus Christ gave her the gift of interior peace which sustained her through many trials. Like Saint Teresa, I can only imagine how much is on your mind these days and that there is much that could easily lead us down the path of fear, doubt, or anxiety. Saint Teresa reminds us to trust in the Lord always, to never be afraid, and to be at peace. I share now this beautiful poem she composed entitled “Nada Te Turbe” (“Let Nothing Disturb You”):

May the peace of the risen Christ fill your hearts and the hearts of your loved ones this week. Know of my love and prayers always!

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 18th. Here is the recorded Mass for this upcoming Sunday (World Mission Sunday). 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.

Riverwest Food Pantry Thanksgiving Meals. Now more than ever, neighbors in our community will need help to provide a Thanksgiving meal for their families. This year, to keep our entire community safe, the Riverwest Food Pantry is collecting financial donations for food gift cards instead of collecting non-perishable food items. Buy a Thanksgiving Meal for a family in our community by going to www.riverwestfoodpantry.org/thanksgiving-giveaway.

Annual Mission Cooperation Plan. Are you aware of the life-giving friendships that members of Saints Peter and Paul maintain with our sister parish in Chiapas, Mexico and that members of Three Holy Women maintain with our sister parish in Padibe, Uganda?? This year, we are able to extend these relationships to our entire Family of Four community through our Annual Mission Cooperation Plan! This weekend at Mass (or next weekend at THW) you'll hear from parishioners who have visited with our brothers and sisters in Chiapas and Padibe. You'll hear about the projects that are moving forward in both locations. To learn more, to watch a brand new video, or to make a donation to our Padibe Annual Mission Appeal, please visit www.threeholywomenparish.org/padibe, and to learn more and make a donation to our Chiapas Annual Mission Appeal, please visit ssppmilw.org/sister-parish!

St. Vincent de Paul. The Six Saints St. Vincent de Paul Conference members are continuing to make home visits to individuals and families within our service area of our church neighborhoods. We are following safe distance practices by making “phone visits” or visiting on porches rather than indoor home visits. We provide for the basic needs of those experiencing economic distress, including beds, furniture, some appliances, and household items. We also provide resource contacts for information about other possibilities for assistance. One of our most important gifts to leave behind is a feeling that someone cares and that there is hope. During this COVID time our requests have greatly increased with our conference seeing three to five families a week. Many of our requests are for beds. If you'd like to make a financial donation to help St. Vincent de Paul with these expenses, please write a check made out to St. Vincent de Paul with "Six Saints" in the memo line and mail it to the Three Holy Women Parish Office at 1716 N Humboldt Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Contributions to the Cathedral/Old St. Mary's Conference of St. Vincent de Paul can be mailed to 831 N Van Buren St, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

Women’s Support Center. October is Pro-Life Month so you are invited to learn more about... and support the good work of... the Women's Support Center. The Women's Support Center is a very busy Catholic, pro-life crisis pregnancy help center on 21st and Wisconsin, between Marquette University and Planned Parenthood, serving approximately 150-200 women a month. All services they offer are 100% free and include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, counseling against abortion, post-abortion counseling, teaching natural family planning, breastfeeding classes and much more. Please help them continue their life-saving mission by going to www.wscmil.org/donations and donating today! You can also mail checks to Women's Support Center, 2051 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233.

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: 414-305-3824; baumgardnerj@archmil.org) or Fr. Tim (Cell: 414-762-7986; kitzket@archmil.org) if you need anything! Be assured of our love and prayers.

Sincerely, with love,
Fr. John