JULY 2022
Antigo Area FIT SHEPHERDS:
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Men Gather to “Honor God and Honor Our Bodies”
s many of us strive to maintain our health — both physically and spiritually — we can look to Scripture for both inspiration and direction. For instance, as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” In turn, this verse demonstrates why it’s important that we have women’s and men’s groups at our parishes that exist to combine prayer and exercise. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, so we should keep them spiritually and physically fit. Fr. Zach Weber helped get the Fit Shepherds group going about three years ago. John Gagnon joined when he moved to the area as a way to meet people from the parishes, and he now coordinates the group, which meets at 7 a.m. on Saturday continued on page 5
(From left) Greg Oelke, Ken Shestak, John Gagnon and Tony Quinlan
Faustina Fit:
Women Gather to Share in Weekly Prayer and Workout W hen it comes to saints and how they inspire us, we can certainly look to St. Faustina’s example in how we strive to live out our faith each day. As she once said, “From today onwards, I am going to strive for the greatest purity of soul, that the rays of God’s grace may be reflected in all their brilliance.” St. Faustina wanted to do her very best to have a pure soul to better show God’s grace. This is one of the principles on which the Faustina Fit group was founded — to find ways to become the best version of ourselves. The group meets weekly for prayer and physical activity. Faustina Fit meets at 8:15 a.m. every Saturday in St. John’s Hoffman Hall. All women 13 and older are welcome regardless of athletic ability. The women begin with a prayer, and then they engage in a workout, followed by stretching and more prayer. The workout can be anything from hiking or snowshoeing, to a circuit series. Jen Oelke has enjoyed leading this group and growing with the other women who are involved. “It really feels like a family after a while,” she says. “We really care for each other.” Jen wants women to know that the members are not judgmental — women can come as they are. Everyone is just trying to get stronger, whatever that means for them.
“This group fortifies you for your week,” she says. The group meet 15 minutes after the Fit Shepherds men’s group ends. This gives parents a chance to switch if they have kids at home that need care. Fr. Zach Weber was the impetus behind starting the Fit Shepherds, while Jen and Elyse Snider worked together to get Faustina Fit started. The leader for the week starts with a prayer. They end the workout by meditating on a section from St. Faustina’s diary and going around to pray for intentions. Jen loves that she can rely on this group of women to pray for each other anytime. “I can count on these ladies,” Jen says. “We have a text chain where we go around sometimes when someone needs prayers.” Jen says this group can really work to counteract the messages women receive from society on who they are supposed to be and what they need to do to look beautiful. “God in His greatness has given us so many gifts to bring us into communion with Him and be our best selves — who we were intended to be,” Jen says. “In order to glorify God, we come together to make ourselves stronger in mind, body and soul.”
“God in His greatness has given us so many gifts to bring us into communion with Him and be our best selves — who we were intended to be. In order to glorify God, we come together to make ourselves stronger in mind, body and soul.” — JEN OELKE All women 13 and older are welcome to join Faustina Fit by gathering at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday mornings at St. John’s Hoffman Hall. 2
A Letter From Our Pastor
Lessons from the Sunday Scripture Readings Dear Parish Family, ne of my favorite parish ministries is the Homily Bible Study. We meet once a week over the lunch hour at SS. Mary and Hyacinth. Participants go around the room sharing what they remember from last Sunday’s homily. Then we read the readings for the coming Sunday. We pause between each reading for a minute or so of silent time. After all the readings have been read, people share first impressions — what struck you? Then we get a little deeper into themes, the meaning of a particular word, or the practical application to our lives. It’s a combination Bible study, faith sharing, and sounding board. Fr. George and I learn a lot and it helps us both to preach better. Reading the upcoming Sunday readings is a great habit for any Catholic. You can find the readings in a Daily Roman Missal, a monthly missal such as the Magnificat publication, or free online at https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading. If you eat dinner together every night as a family, and you have small children, perhaps you could take just one reading each night of the week and reflect on it briefly. Families with older children might sit down once a week and read all the readings. You can use car trip time or even the drive to Sunday Mass. You will get a lot more out of the Mass readings if Mass isn’t the first time you hear them. The month of July gives us Gospel readings that show hospitality and generosity. Allow me to reflect briefly on two of them. The 16th Sunday (July 17), we will read from Luke 10:38-42, the story of Martha and Mary. Martha welcomes Jesus into her home. While she is busy preparing a meal for Jesus, her sister sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to him speak. Martha has welcomed Jesus into her home but not into her heart. She continues to be both busy and burdened. God does not intend His children to be anxious and worried. When we take time to sit quietly and listen to Jesus, we find peace. Summer can be a busy time. Are you making time to sit with Jesus and listen to Him?
O
On July 31, we will read from Luke 12:13-21. Jesus tells a parable to a man fighting with his brother over his inheritance. How often do families get into big fights over the inheritance? If we realize that God is taking care of us, then we don’t need to grasp and stockpile possessions. We will find the freedom to be generous to others, as God has been generous to us. Give generously and store up “treasure in heaven.” You are all welcome to join us when Homily Bible Study resumes in September. Keep praying and playing. Have a great summer! Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Joel Sember Pastor
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MEET PARISHIONER
Ash
Beginning a Lifelong Journe B
The Leiterman family — Jake and Ashley with their children, Riley and Layna
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orn here in Antigo, Ashley Leiterman was raised in the country and has always enjoyed being outside in nature. When she was growing up, her family practiced the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod faith. She was baptized when she was just a week old and grew up attending church services weekly. After going through the RCIA process, Ashley joined the Catholic Church during this past Easter Vigil! Ashley married her husband, Jake, eight years ago, and together they have two children — Riley, 5, and Layna, 2. She has passed on her love for nature to her family and together they enjoy camping, gardening, canning, and spending any time they can outdoors. In April 2021, Ashley and Jake were invited to attend “The Search.” This was an eye-opening experience for her, which really motivated her to think about her faith and to desire more knowledge. “After ‘The Search’ had ended, Fr. Joel reached out to Jake and I and actually stopped by our home to visit with us,” Ashley says. “He talked with us about our current religious situation and our intentions for our religion as a family. He encouraged us to pray together and as a family. And he also encouraged me to consider RCIA.” Ashley’s son, Riley, was starting 4K at All Saints and she knew that RCIA would be a wonderful way for her to deepen her own knowledge of the Catholic Church — not just for herself, but also for her children’s faith journey. “When I decided to begin the course, I didn’t have intentions of becoming Catholic,” Ashley says. “But I did have intentions of trying to gain as much knowledge as possible of the Catholic faith. The PowerPoint
hley Leiterman
ey of Engaging in Our Faith for the first class began and I was intimidated. For once in a very long time, I realized how little I truly knew. From there on, it was a journey.” The weekly courses and homework led to Ashley reading and questioning more things about her faith than she ever had. She was studying and developing a closer connection to Jesus at the same time. She learned the true definitions of things that she always thought she knew, learned about the significance of every aspect of the Mass and learned different ways to pray and see Jesus working in her life. “Having never attended an Easter Vigil before, this Mass was beautiful,” Ashley says. “The lighting of the fire and the procession into the church was a wonderful experience. I would recommend this Mass to everyone. The significance at this Mass is a true representation of the
FIT SHEPHERDS
Easter season. Adding the Sacrament of Confirmation into this Mass was an honor for me.” Ashley plans to attend weekly Mass and to continue deepening her relationship with Christ, so that she can better help her children grow in their faith, as well. She hopes to be involved in another “The Search” program to help give others the impactful, enlightening experience she had. “I would encourage anyone looking to learn and deepen their faith to attend RCIA,” she says. “It truly builds you from the ground up in your faith. Having attended the course as someone who had little knowledge of the Catholic faith, alongside other parishioners who grew up Catholic, I realized we all had questions. RCIA helped me gain the knowledge necessary to be on this lifelong journey of continued learning and continued worship.”
continued from front cover
mornings at St. John’s. The group starts with prayer or a devotional, does some kind of workout, and ends the time with prayer. Members alternate leading for the week. They do anything from a short run or a circuit to a light weights workout. “It’s important to be spiritually and physically prepared,” John says. “We honor God when we honor our bodies. Our bodies are the temple when we receive the Eucharist.” John enjoys working out, so he knew this would be an excellent way to get involved and meet other men of faith. He appreciates having a group to hold him accountable in prayer and physical fitness. “This is great discipline to be spiritually and physically
fit,” John says. “It’s also a great way to kick off your weekend.” John invites anyone to come, no matter their physical ability. All levels are welcome, and there’s no pressure to attend every week. The group also meets on some Tuesdays for a 30 to 40-minute workout.
“It’s important to be spiritually and physically prepared. We honor God when we honor our bodies. Our bodies are the temple when we receive the Eucharist.” — JOHN GAGNON
Anyone 13 and older is welcome to join Fit Shepherds on Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. at St. John’s. 5
Celebrating Blessings of First Communion We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our young parishioners who received their First Communion this spring. It is a joy to celebrate this occasion as a faith community!
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Getting to Know the
“Summertime” Saints S
chool is out, and summer is now in full swing. The days are longer, warmer and filled with plenty of fun summertime activities.
St. Christopher
St. Joseph of Cupertino
St. Brendan the Navigator
St. Adjutor of Vernon
This summer, as we take family vacations, gather with friends and loved ones for barbecues, spend time by the pool, and enjoy all of the usual summertime activities, we can also take the time to reflect on some of the saints who are associated with the summer. Family vacations are perhaps the most iconic of all summertime activities. Although there is no patron saint of vacations, there are a number of saints associated with traveling. One of the most popular is St. Christopher. According to his story, St. Christopher was an extremely tall and strong man who served Christ by helping people cross an especially dangerous river. That is why many people wear St. Christopher medals while traveling — to ask for his blessing and protection. For those of us who are taking road trips this summer, there is St. Frances of Rome, the patron saint of cars and drivers. While St. Frances died well before cars were invented, her story says that her guardian angel went ahead of her when she traveled at night and lit the road with a lantern to keep St. Frances safe. There are also saints we can look to when traveling by plane. St. Joseph of Cupertino was a Franciscan friar who is said to have frequently and miraculously levitated off the ground during intense prayer sessions. Because of this levitation, he is recognized as the patron saint of air travelers. St. Therese of Lisieux is also associated with aviators and flying. If you are going on a cruise this summer, you can ask for the intercession of St. Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk who founded the Clonfert monastery and monastic school, and is the patron saint of mariners and sailors. He and his brothers sailed the Atlantic Ocean and evangelized on a number of islands, and may have even reached the Americas. Another favorite summer activity is swimming. Whether you choose a pool, a lake or the ocean, seek the intercession of St. Adjutor of Vernon, a knight who was captured in the First Crusade. His captors tried to force him to give up his faith, but St. Adjutor escaped by swimming to his freedom. For this reason, he continued on back cover
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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
Getting to Know the “Summertime” Saints continued from page 7 is the patron saint against drowning, and for drowning victims, sailors and swimmers. The summer is also a time of amusement and enjoyment. One of the biggest national celebrations of the summer is the Fourth of July. For this type of summertime activity, we look to St. Barbara, the patron saint of fireworks. There are also a number of saints with feast days during the summer. The feast day of St. Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is
celebrated on July 26. July 31 is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is also associated with stewardship. These are just two of the many saints whose feasts we celebrate this summer. No matter what kinds of activities we choose to enjoy during the summertime, let us remember to honor the saints who have gone before us, and give their intercession for us as we walk through our own journeys of faith.
MASS & CONFESSION TIMES SAINT JOHN: Masses: Monday, 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, 8:15 a.m., Saturday, 6 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. Confession: Tuesday, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Saturday, 5:15-5:45 p.m. & Sunday, 8:15-8:45 a.m. SAINTS MARY & HYACINTH: Masses: Wednesday, 7:15 a.m., Friday, 7:15 a.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. (First Saturday only) & 4 p.m., Sunday, 7 a.m. Confession: Saturday following the 8 a.m. Mass & 3-3:45 p.m. SAINT WENCESLAUS: Masses: Tuesday, 8 a.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. Confession: Sunday, 10:15-10:45 a.m.
