MAY 2022
Antigo Area Meet Parishioner Katie Klemp: Helping Build the Body of Christ
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or parishioner Katie Klemp, stewardship is something to which we are all called as Catholics. “I believe that we need to be actively involved in the parish because that’s what we are called to do,” Katie says. “We are each a part of the Body of Christ, and your part and my part are important to the success of the life of the whole Body. The members are what gives the parish life, personality, depth, richness, and the ability to grow and reach out.” A parishioner of SS. Mary and Hyacinth for 55 years, Katie has been Katie Klemp works at her desk at the cemetery office. married to her husband for 44 years and has three adult children. She is the grandmother of five wonderful grandkids, whom she gets to see often. Katie began working for the parish when her youngest child was in third grade. Over the years, she has been involved in the Harvest Fair and Raffle, various study groups, Soup and Sharing, the Charismatic Prayer Group, the Stewardship Committee, the Liturgy Committee, Alpha, Building and Grounds, the Charity Fund, and Communion to the Homebound. “Parish involvement for me was pretty easy, mainly because I thought there was value in what I was doing,” Katie says. “As long as I can remember, I always thought it was important to be actively involved in parish life.” Katie grew up as a farm girl, and there were always chores to do. As a young girl, she learned her mother’s motto, “You do things because they need to be done.” Katie does things, not because they are her job or because she expects to get paid, but simply because they need to be done. Katie believes that everyone has been blessed with a set of gifts and abilities and that we are called to share them, especially with our parish family. “There are so many good people in our parish, and to become involved enriches your life and theirs,” Katie says. “Happy experiences are fun to share, and continued on back cover
The Bible The Textbook of Stewardship
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ave you ever wished that life came with an instruction manual? What a valuable resource that would be! Whenever you find yourself running in circles, this instruction manual would give you step-by-step instructions on how to fix the problem and reroute your course. Well, here’s some good news. For those living a Christian life, there is such a manual — the Bible. Sometimes referred to as the “textbook of stewardship,” the Bible is a bountiful resource for the present-day Christian. Written by anointed prophets and sages, this collection of divinely inspired parables, poems and letters is full of testimonials that express the blessings that come from true discipleship, conveyed through lives of stewardship. Stewardship is not a new concept. The Bible gives proof to this claim through passages such as the 26th chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy. We read Moses’ words, as he tells the Israelites to offer the choicest portions of their harvest to God: “When you have come into the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you as a heritage, and have taken possession and settled in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land the LORD, your God, is giving you; put them in a basket and go to the place which the LORD, your God, will choose as the dwelling place for his name… ‘Now, therefore, I have brought the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, LORD, have given me.’ You shall set them before the LORD, your God, and you shall bow down before the LORD, your God” (Dt 26:1-2, 10). St. Paul briefly touches on the essence of stewardship when he said, “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of
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the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Again, in St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we read about living a life of Christian stewardship: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7). While this is well and good, what does it mean for the present-day Christian? Why should it matter that the Bible alludes to stewardship in various passages? It shows us that Christians and Jews have struggled with and benefitted from the concept of stewardship for thousands of years. It ties the message of stewardship to the role of a Christian disciple. It gives proof that stewardship and discipleship go hand-in-hand. It offers encouragement to us, that stewardship is in fact a foundational component of the Christian life, a way of life that one of the founding fathers of the Church — St. Paul — preached about and advocated. The Bible is indeed the textbook of stewardship. It lays out the steps we must take to become true disciples of Christ. Reading and meditating upon God’s Word is always a fruitful exercise. Those who regularly delve into Scripture often develop a deeper understanding of Who God is, how and why He loves us, and how we can show Him our love in return. As you strive to become a grateful steward and live the life of Christian discipleship, develop a love for Sacred Scripture. Allow God’s Word to nourish your soul regularly, and watch as stewardship changes from a foreign concept to an integral component of your daily life.
A Letter From Our Pastor
The Month of Mary: A Time for Celebration and Joy Dear Parish Family,
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n the Catholic Church, we designate a particular devotion for each month — and May is when we honor our Blessed Mother Mary. Thus, this is a good time for us to think about and concentrate on our devotion to the Mother of God. Perhaps we can add a few more Marian prayers to our daily routine. Praying the Rosary might become a priority. Of course, that assumes that daily prayer is part of our daily routine — which it should be. Our Blessed Mother is important to our faith and our Church. Her willingness to serve in a way that allowed the Lord to take human form made our salvation a possibility. Because of her complete trust in God, she lived her life free from sin, and after her life, she was assumed into heaven by the power of God and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is, of course, not divine. We worship only our Lord Jesus Christ, but we honor Mary as a saint, and also in many other ways. We honor God when we remember the role of Mary in our salvation. Devotion to Mary always leads to Jesus Christ Himself. Mary was joyous when she said “yes” to God. That is the kind of joy we need to seek — and we, too, must say “yes” to the Lord. Let us be grateful to Mary for bringing us her Son. This is why we crown her on our Catholic version of Mother’s Day. Through Mary, we are given an invitation into the Catholic fold. Her feminine presence and the safety of her motherhood may help us grow. For most of us, this time of year is a month of growth in relation to nature. It is difficult not to have May as one of our favorite months for so many reasons. May is a beautiful time. We are called to make it even more beautiful, and we can do that as we serve and love one another. I am deeply blessed to be your pastor. I may say that often, but it is true. My priesthood has been a blessing and serving you all has made that blessing even more significant. I pray for you daily. Please pray for me. God bless you and keep you always. Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Joel Sember Pastor 3
T H E O U R L A DY O F O
n a fateful day in May of 1917, three peasant children — Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia — were tending the sheep for their families when suddenly “a lady all in white, more brilliant than the sun” appeared before them. This lady asked the children to pray the Rosary daily for the conversion of sinners. These apparitions took place near Fatima, Portugal and from May through October, Our Lady appeared to the children on the 13th day of each month. Mary gave the children three “secrets” during these apparitions. The first was a vision of hell and a desperate plea to pray to save souls. The second was a prophecy of World War II and told of the immense dangers that Russia was to humanity, spreading Communism through the world. The third secret was revealed in 2000 and was of a “bishop clothed in white” as he struggled to the cross amid the martyrs. He too falls to the ground amid the hailstorm of gunfire. As the children received these visions, there were many believers as well as many critics of whether they were actually receiving these visits from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many people would gather on the 13th day of each month. When it was revealed that Our Lady would make her final appearance on Oct. 13, nearly 70,000 people came to the location of the apparitions, despite torrential downpours that had been happening for three days leading up to that day. At the end, the clouds parted and the sun danced in the sky, drying the land and the clothes of the thousands of witnesses of this miracle. Since this apparition was approved, many faithful have had a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. And amidst these devotions, many shrines have been built in honor of our Blessed Mother and her faithfulness to her children throughout the world. Fr. Henry Hubert was a priest at St. Wenceslaus who had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. He commissioned the building of the shrine in memory of his friend, Gene Shimon. The statues were carved by regional artist Robert Petscheider. For Deacon Andy Bures, this particular devotion feels fitting for a community such as the Antigo Area Catholic Churches.
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F FAT I M A S H R I N E:
Finding a Sense of the Holy through Mary
“When I think of the Blessed Mother appearing to three simple farm children, I feel that we can really relate to that,” he says. “We take pride in our farming heritage and there are lessons in life to be learned on the farm that you can’t really learn anywhere else. I think we feel a connection and a sense of the holy with Mary appearing to these children.” The shrine is a source of beauty and peace on the grounds of St. Wenceslaus. For many years, Delores Ruhl lovingly maintained the shrine and the flower beds that gracefully surround it. For the last few years, Cinda and Rick Theilman have been taking care of the maintenance. They care for the flowers, weeding, and watering. They
clean the glass and the statues inside, as well as any additional upkeep that is needed. “It is so peaceful and quiet to spend time at the shrine,” Cinda says. “To gaze upon Mary and Jesus is just so special.” When the parish recently removed trees on the grounds to make room for the parking lot, parishioners Dave Devore and Dave Meyer joined Rick Theilman on the project to use those cedar trees to make benches for the shrine as well as the addition of the new crucifix. The Fatima Shrine at St. Wenceslaus is a beautiful treasure for all in the area to enjoy as a part of the history of the parish and of our deep and rich Catholic faith.
“When I think of the Blessed Mother appearing to three simple farm children, I feel that we can really relate to that. We take pride in our farming heritage and there are lessons in life to be learned on the farm that you can’t really learn anywhere else. I think we feel a connection and a sense of the holy with Mary appearing to these children.” — DEACON ANDY BURES 5
The Rosary: Our Lady’s Lasso T
here was a priest who once said, “It is no coincidence that rosaries look like lassos, as Our Lady wraps them around lost souls and pulls them out of the depths of hell.” This thought is comforting but provokes inquiry — what exactly is the Rosary, how does one pray it, and why should one pray it? Since May is the month of Mary, this is a great time to consider the theology behind this intense spiritual weapon. There are two putative origins of the Rosary. For many centuries, it was believed that the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Dominic and exhorted him to encourage the use of the Angelic Salutation — or Hail Mary — for the conversion of souls and comfort of the afflicted. Modern scholarship traces the Rosary back to Irish monasticism of the ninth century. Monks would pray all 150 psalms or “psalters” every day, a form of prayer too complicated for uneducated laypeople without access to copies of Scripture. So, many began reciting the Lord’s Prayer or the Angelic Salutation in response to each psalm, keeping count with pebbles or a knotted rope. Through many centuries, the Rosary evolved into three sets of five mysteries, each mystery consisting of 10 Angelic Salutations and one Lord’s Prayer recited while meditating upon the life, death or glory of Jesus Christ. In The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort expounds the dynamics of the Rosary. The prayer consists of both vocal or exterior prayer, and meditative or interior prayer. The first vocal component of the Rosary, the Creed, is important because faith is “the foundation of all Christian virtues, of all eternal virtues, and also of all prayers that are pleasing to Almighty God.” The Lord’s Prayer is the “perfect prayer” to the God of heaven because it was authored by Christ, is free of all human limitations, and “contains all the duties we owe to God, the acts of all the virtues and the petitions for all our spiritual and corporal needs.” The Hail Mary blesses the name of Mary and her Divine Son and implores her powerful intercession as mediatrix of graces. But the Rosary is not simply a physical incantation. Vocal prayer is accompanied by contemplation of the mysteries of Christ’s life and the virtues of the Virgin Mary. It is by lifting the incorporeal soul in prayer that one quiets the passions, tastes the peace of Christ, marvels at His loving plans and promises, and grows in the desire to emulate Him and His sinless mother. Because the soul animates the body, a strengthened soul means nobility of action and a will that is commensurate with the will of God. As St. Louis de Montfort says, “The Rosary is a blessed blending of mental and vocal prayer by which we honor and learn to imitate the mysteries and the virtues of the life, death, passion and glory of Jesus and Mary.” The Rosary’s emphasis on both vocal and meditative prayer caters to man’s nature as an embodied soul — one’s entire being, both physical and spiritual, cries out to God in praise, repentance, thanksgiving and supplication. Thus, it is no surprise that the magisterium and countless saints have encouraged devotion to the Rosary. Pope St. John Paul II said of the prayer, “The Rosary is my favorite prayer, marvelous in its simplicity and its depth.” The late pontiff also added five more “luminous” mysteries to the Rosary to help the faithful meditate upon significant moments in Christ’s earthly ministry.
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Meet Parishioner Carolyn Heuss Joyfully Sharing Faith and Love for the Eucharist
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ummer is just around the corner! While other recent high school graduates may be working, playing a sport, or soaking up time with friends before moving to college, Carolyn Heuss will be sharing what she learned at Confirmation with youth from across Wisconsin as a counselor at Camp Tekakwitha in Shawano. The Catholic camp is a ministry of the Diocese of Green Bay. Having attended “Camp Tek” before, Carolyn looks forward to the summer. “It’s an amazing camp,” Carolyn says. “I’ve worked at camps before, and I really enjoy that. I’m excited to be a part of this important ministry this summer.” Carolyn received the Sacrament of Confirmation in early 2022. Her sister-in-law, Brandy, is an inspiration to her, so much so that Carolyn chose her as her sponsor. Carolyn chose Esther for her Confirmation saint because Esther’s life and leadership touched her. She enjoyed learning more about her faith and the saints through Confirmation classes — and she most enjoyed getting to hear what Brandy had to share. “She recently came into the church, actually,” Carolyn says. “She is somebody who I can count on to continually remind me of my faith and who I am trying to be.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic,
Carolyn Heuss on a trip to Roan Mountain State Park
Carolyn was involved with the Youth Group. Now, she devotes her extra time to Eucharistic Adoration. Spending time with Jesus in adoration is so special to Carolyn. “It’s really a blessing to be with Jesus,” she says. “I love the time for quiet, silent prayer.” After graduation, Carolyn plans to further her studies in business. Wherever she attends school, she knows she will continue to practice the faith.
“What I love about being Catholic is the relationship that we have with Jesus through the Eucharist,” she says. “That’s what is so special about the Catholic Church. We believe Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.” In her free time, Carolyn enjoys being with friends and family. As the middle child of six, she has nieces and nephews with whom she loves to spend time. Carolyn also enjoys reading and studying.
“What I love about being Catholic is the relationship that we have with Jesus through the Eucharist. That’s what is so special about the Catholic Church. We believe Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.” — CAROLYN HEUSS 7
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
Meet Parishioner Katie Klemp challenges are made so much easier when you have likeminded people lifting you up.” Katie also believes that being involved gives you a purpose outside of yourself. Instead of working to complete your own agenda, you are helping to build the Body of Christ. “The successful program or ‘niche’ is the one that works for you, the one that will keep your interest and enthusiasm,” she says. “Everyone has talents, gifts, and ideas. Let
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others feel valued, welcomed, and needed. Become involved in an area that interests you, where you can make a positive impact, and where you feel your time is well spent.” While Katie will be stepping down from her role as secretary at Queen of Peace Cemetery, she doesn’t expect any great changes since she is still involved in many areas of the parish. However, she is looking forward to more flexibility in her days and the ability to travel to see her youngest son and daughter-in-law in Seattle.
“There are so many good people in our parish, and to become involved enriches your life and theirs. Happy experiences are fun to share, and challenges are made so much easier when you have like-minded people lifting you up.” — KATIE KLEMP MASS & CONFESSION TIMES SAINT JOHN: Masses: Monday, 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, 8:15 a.m., Thursday, 8:15 a.m., Saturday, 6 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. Confession: Tuesday, 5:30-6:15 p.m. & Sunday, 8-8:45 a.m. SAINTS MARY & HYACINTH: Masses: Wednesday, 7:15 a.m., Thursday, 7:15 a.m., Friday, 7:15 a.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. & 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, 10-10:45 a.m.
