 Born in Canada, Fr. Stephen Eckert joined the Capuchin order, was ordained in 1896 and sent to New York for his first assignment. While there he fell in love with African Americans and felt a desire to minister to their spiritual needs, something that was rarely heard of in America at the time.
This calling was further cemented after a visit to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Philadelphia, a religious community founded by St. Katherine Drexel, who served various African American communities. He was convinced that God was calling him to this apostolate and wrote to his superior in 1903. “I humbly ask you for the privilege of devoting my life to missionary work alone, in conformity with God’s holy will. I must point out that since last year I have been thinking of going south to work with the Blacks; so if you think that this might redound to the greater glory of God, I would be glad to do so…” His dream wasn’t fulfilled until he was appointed pastor at St. Benedict the Moor Parish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read More...
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 Visit Formed.org to access quality Catholic content for everyone in your family. Follow the steps below today! 1. Visit Formed.org 2. Click the "Sign Up" button 3. Click "I belong to a Parish or Organization" 4. In the search box, type "St. John the Baptist Marshfield WI", or simply "54449" 5. Click the listing that appears, "St. John the Baptist 201 W Blodgett St Marshfield WI" 6. Click "Next" 7. Type your name and email address in the boxes provided, then click "Sign Up" 8. You will receive an email with a link to sign in to your formed account. This link will only be active for 2 hours. 9. Find the email, and click the link. Now you can access all the content on formed!  In need of “Ministers of Holy Communion” at all Mass times. Fr. Barry is extending an invitation to those who would like to become new Ministers of Holy Communion. Please consider serving in this ministry and to call the parish office, if you wish to be a part of this rewarding ministry. Your names will be submitted to the Diocesan office before becoming commissioned and after approval is given, you will receive instruction. Thank you.  From the Desk of Father Jim: Dear Friends, The announcement last week was a long time coming, and it has taken a toll on our bishop as you can see by watching the announcement on the diocesan website. Looking at the list of priests in the diocese with a substantiated allegation, there are some names that will be recognized after serving in this area. It is a time that calls for reflection and prayer, and a time of reparation. It is hopefully the beginning of a time of healing as well. Please pray for all involved in this scandal that has rocked and continues to rock our Church. As Bishop Callahan noted, this disclosure is an important step. Just as when we go to individual confession, it is important that we name our sins. Shining the light of Christ upon our sin helps remove the power sin holds over us. Remaining in darkness only benefits Satan as he thrives in darkness, and make no mistake; Satan’s hand is all over this abuse scandal. Bishop Callahan also writes that this is a necessary step. Victims often state they feel no sense of justice, and this step helps to provide them with this. He concludes stating this is also a painful step; for victims as it reopens painful wounds and it is painful for the faithful laity and clergy who feel anger and humiliation for the sexual abuse and abuse of power committed by these men. You can find the bishop’s letter and video of his announcement as well as a list of those with substantiated allegations on the diocesan website (www.diolc.org). These efforts are meant to be a way forward. Sin has been a part of the history of mankind since the dawn of time, and we are living in a time of heightened sexual abuse both within our Church and in Western society, which the ‘Me Too’ movement attests to. There is never anything that can justify any of this, but we need to do our best to acknowledge it and put into place protections so these things end. Again, we are steeped in sin, and it will never be totally eradicated, but we need to be honest and strive for perfection as we move forward, so this terrible part of our past is not a part of our future. With God’s grace and mercy we can overcome this as we have overcome many other failures in the history of our Church. God bless Fr. Jim  From the Church
The list of canonized saints from the United States might soon be notably lengthier, with the bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana, set to advance three causes. Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel is advancing the causes for Charlene Richard and Auguste “Nonco” Pelafigue. A third cause, for Lieutenant Father J. Verbis Lafleur, requires collaboration from two other bishops since he was in the military, but is also moving forward. Read More...  Please keep the 61 people from our area in prayer as we attend the Pilgrimage for Life January 22-26. We are praying that life may be valued and defended at all stages from conception to natural death. Thank you for supporting the Jars for Life fundraiser and for your prayers! Please keep the 61 people from our area in prayer as we attend the Pilgrimage for Life January 22-26. We are praying that life may be valued and defended at all stages from conception to natural death. Thank you for supporting the Jars for Life fundraiser and for your prayers.  ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE
On behalf of your parish family, I would like to express our gratitude for the initial response to our Annual Appeal. As I stated in my letter last fall, the appeal is how the business of the diocese gets done. The various curial offices budgets are supplied through this appeal, as well as the many outreaches that are returned to the individual parishes. As far as I am aware, most dioceses in the United States operate in this or a similar way, and it works fairly well, although it is far from perfect. Christ the King has a goal of $36,575 for this year’s appeal. In the first 4 months of the appeal, we have received a total of $28,480.00 with a total of 147 donors. This is a very strong response from our parish families, and it is much appreciated. This means that we are in need of an additional $7,750.00 in order to make our goal. Last year we had a total of 174 contributors, which is close to 50% of our families, and we would love to surpass that number this year. It is normal for parishes in the Diocese to have around 30% to 35% participation, so I commend the family of Christ the King, but there remains a challenge for us as well. Increasing this to 60% or higher participation, we would see an increase of around 35 families. If the average donation of $200 continues, this would bring in additional monies, which would put us over the top and include a very nice rebate to the parish. As a reminder, all gifts that come in over the goal are returned to the parish 100%, and are not subject to the normal diocesan tax that is paid on normal contributions. As the Christmas season has come to a close, and tax season is still a couple months away, this is a special time for an additional push. If you have not yet contributed to the annual appeal, please pray over this, and consider making a contribution. Any and all contributions are much appreciated. I would also like to mention the listing of names in our bulletin in thanksgiving. Everyone that returns a response card, whether making a financial contribution or a spiritual contribution is listed as a means of saying Thank You! The names are listed in order the gift was received by the diocese, and if you have not yet seen your name, due to the number of families that have responded, please be patient and you will be listed soon. If you do not wish to be mentioned for any reason, please let the parish office know, and your name will not be listed. This year is a special year for Christ the King Parish as well. We are excitingly looking forward to the appointment of our own priest after many years being served through St John the Baptist in Marshfield. This is an opportunity for our parish family, but it comes at a cost, as we will be responsible for taking care of the priest appointed in all ways, financially, materially and spiritually. As you are aware, we have embarked upon a capital campaign in order to construct new parish offices and a rectory. In so many ways, parish life is reflected in our personal lives. Just as we invest in our personal businesses and farms, without a guarantee, we move forward in trust and faith. How much more so should we approach our faith life and our spiritual home? The responses to our survey were overwhelming positive, and for that reason we are moving forward with this project. Please continue to pray for the continued growth and vibrancy of our parish family. This project is separate from the annual appeal, which will continue coming up each year, while the capital campaign is a 3 year challenge. In closing I would ask especially for your prayers for this effort. Nothing that we do in the church or family has any value if not supported first and foremost spiritually. Even if you are not able to make a financial contribution at this time, every- one can make this an intention in prayer, and this will be repaid with eternal dividends when we leave this world. God bless. Fr Jim  In need of “Ministers of Holy Communion” at all Mass times. Fr. Barry is extending an invitation to those who would like to become new Ministers of Holy Communion. Please consider serving in this ministry and to call the parish office, if you wish to be a part of this rewarding ministry. Your names will be submitted to the Diocesan office before becoming commissioned and after approval is given, you will receive instruction. Thank you.  From the Pope
Pope Francis asked for everyone “to pray to the Lord to help the people [of Australia] in this difficult time" as major fires rage across the nation. Addressing Australian speaking pilgrims at the General Audience, the Holy Father said “I am close to the Australian people”. Major bushfires have broken out around Australia, with more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land burned in recent weeks. More than twenty people have lost their lives in the fires. Read More...  Please prayer for our second grade students and their families as they prepare to confess their sins and receive the grace offered by Jesus Christ through the sacrament of Reconciliation! First Reconciliation will be celebrated on January 22 |
MASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday - Friday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 3:15 - 3:45 PM OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Stay Connected with Our ParishWelcome from Our Pastor
Welcome to Christ the King Catholic Church! Ever since 1938 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Our mission statement is essentially found in the stained glass window above the main altar: “For Christ our King.” Insofar as God made us and we belong to Him, we have come to... Read More
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