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“The love of Christ impels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14)![]()
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Dear Friends,![]()
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The greatest adventure, the greatest challenge for every Christian is to know and to experience themselves to be infinitely loved by God.![]()
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Perhaps it is the case that that we are able to know the love of God more easily than we can experience it, and yet the adventure is not completed until we have plunged ourselves into the bottomless pool of God’s mercy and swim freely across the ocean of his love for each of us.![]()
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In the past couple of days, I have been learning that narratives have the power to influence our lives for the better.![]()
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Some narratives are destructive, true. Sometimes we fall prisoners to narratives that others create about us and, no matter how much we prove these narratives wrong, they sink deep into people’s minds and hearts. Destructive narratives are often easy to be believed and sometimes quite convenient, especially when someone wants or needs to make us look in a certain way in the eyes of others.![]()
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We also can create destructive narratives for ourselves, “I am not loved,” “I am alone,” “no one protects me,” “I am an evil person.” These narratives are contrary to what is truest about each of us, namely that we are infinitely loved by God, and we must be “really good” to captivate the attention and heart of the Almighty!![]()
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In only seven weeks since I became the associate pastor at the Family of Four, I have had the great joy of witnessing several weddings (and I am hoping to be able to witness many, many more!) There is one idea that I have been repeating at every wedding that is becoming a new narrative in my life, the kind of narrative that changes your life for the better. I tell people at the wedding celebration, “when we look at ‘Joe’ looking at ‘Mary’ today, the day of their wedding day, with that tenderness, with that care, with that love, we are invited to think, ‘and God loves me that way too, and even more!’”![]()
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I have repeated this idea for my wedding homilies so often that now I am starting to believe it all the more! And it is beautiful to know and to experience oneself to be so loved by our loving and merciful God.![]()
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“The love of Christ impels us.”![]()
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I pray you have a wonderful weekend, and that many times this week you may catch God looking at you as he always does… with love.![]()
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Fr. Carlos
Nova Summer SQUIRT GUN Spectacular!![]()
August 17(rain date)![]()
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Happy Summer! All Middle schoolers who just completed 5th grade through those who just completed 8th grade are welcome to join our Nova Night SUMMER SQUIRT GUN SPECTACULAR on August 17 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. This will be an exciting and unique night to enjoy the summer and meet each other before an official Nova Night season kicks off in September. We will have lots of squirt guns and play many squirt gun games! So bring a swimming suit, towel and squirt guns if you have them!![]()
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Register at tinyurl.com/novarocks2021. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Nino Rebholz at nrebholz@ffpmke.org.
There are still slots available to sign up for Habitat for Humanity build days! We will be siding and painting Sister Thea Bowman's Milwaukee Catholic House in the Harambee Neighborhood of Milwaukee. For more information and to register, please email Tim Logman, Habitat Parishioner Coordinator for the FFP, at logs56@earthlink.net or visit archdiocese.mkehabitat.volunteerhub.com. Thank you for your consideration in joining Habitat's essential mission to provide affordable and safe housing in Milwaukee!
Are you looking for ways to support expectant mothers? Leap for Joy, Inc. provides support and encouragement to women facing unplanned or challenging pregnancies through one-on-one virtual mentorships. Women over the age of 18 in all vocations and seasons of life are invited to become a mentor and provide support, encouragement, and joy to an expectant mother via phone calls, texts, Zoom calls, etc. Training is provided and there are no physical meet-up requirements or fees. Visit www.leapforjoyinc.com to apply. To learn more or explore other ways to get involved, contact leapforjoyinc@gmail.com or Sarah Haus, Director of Human Concerns, at shaus@ffpmke.org. Now is the time to put our faith into action and support new mothers!
Did you know the Capuchin Community Services serve the poor, hungry, and homeless within just a few miles of our parishes? Now that it’s almost time for back-to-school, they have begun their annual school supply drive. To help break the cycle of poverty, the Capuchin Community Services’ kids need a good education, and it’s important that they are properly outfitted with school supplies. Many parents cannot afford these costs. Can you help? The friars gather supplies in late July/early August; donations are needed by Friday, August 12. If time is short, shop their Target Registry (tgt.gifts/ER2_JEstp1y7NCERkAmfvg) or Amazon Wishlist (www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3HPPXYY2XHG4Q/ref=cm_sw_em_r_z_g__wb). You do the shopping and it’s shipped right to the Capuchins! Or drop off donations at the House of Peace Monday-Friday 8:30-noon or 1-3:30 pm, at the 17th St. door (1702 W. Walnut St, Milwaukee, WI 53205). Or give a monetary gift to the Capuchins’ school supply drive here: tinyurl.com/3rn2mrvp. Thank you for any help you can give the children!
“All that is gold does not glitter; Not all who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither. Deep roots are not reached by frost.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)![]()
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Dear Friends,![]()
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The gift of having a kidney stone this past week has helped me grow spiritually and pastorally. To those who face pain every day, know your old pastor totally understands and loves you and is with you! No ache is too small, no pain is too big that we are not called to carry things together. That’s what Christians do—whatever your pain, it matters to us and to Christ.![]()
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But the experience also reminded me what the above quote and the figure of Abraham in our readings this weekend revealed to me. To those of us getting older, we must still dream! We must plan for whatever the future brings! We must not wither or even worse, become grouchy. We are all needed in the body of Christ, whether running the marathon or cheering on those who do.![]()
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I thought of our younger parishioners when I read the Gospel about watching where we put our treasures, for that is where our hearts will be. Youth is a time for setting roots, for planting deep in a world that lives in the electronic whirl of the instant. You can wander, you can even be lost, but Christians know that when you have roots in something more, in Someone more, you will always make it. Fun is expected and the energy young people bring does amazing things, but in the mix, winter will come, and with Christ we do not fear. Many before have sustained so much and by their example, they remind us we need not only amazing light but comforting warmth!![]()
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So old or young or someone in between, people who seem to have it worked out and those still in process, people whose pain makes them feel alone or those who whose success isolates them, whoever you are—you are family and we love you.![]()
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Sincerely, in Christ (the Master of the kidney and everything so painfully human!),![]()
Fr. Tim
St. Vincent de Paul Helps the Community![]()
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In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable about the rich man who selfishly stored all his grain and goods only to die and not enjoy his abundance anyway. What we struggle all our lives to learn is that life does not consist of possessions or our perceived security, but of being possessed by God. We have continued to do home visits to our 'Neighbors in Need’. From October 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, we have had 400 requests for needs of beds, appliances, and household items. Due to your generous donations, we have been able to continue helping these families in need.![]()
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Monthly Love Story:![]()
As the secretary of the Six Saints St. Vincent de Paul, my work goes on generally behind the scenes, but I witness our volunteers being the Good Samaritan in their work. Our members meet people where they are in life and help without question or judgment. This help shows up in many forms. To some in need, help may be in finding a meal program or a food pantry. To others help may be a household item such as a bed or an appliance. A recent donation from a parish member is allowing volunteers to take fans to clients. Think of the comfort of those fans on a hot night. I see our volunteers quietly model the compassion of the Good Samaritan, and it is a blessing for me to hear their stories. If you would like to donate to, learn more about or join Six Saints St. Vincent de Paul in our mission, please contact Laurie Jacobs at ljacobs9073@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!![]()
-Kimberly Newman, Six Saints Secretary
Curious About Choir?![]()
Have you always wanted to sing in a choir but didn’t know how? Maybe you missed singing during the pandemic and need some help getting back into it? During the month of August, our parishes will be offering a low-pressure, positive choir learning opportunity. If you’ve been thinking about joining a choir, this is a great way to discover what it’s all about before making a long-term commitment. Come learn how to sing in a group and have fun doing it!![]()
For more information, contact:![]()
Meggie Moyer (OSM & SSPP) – mmoyer@ffpmke.org![]()
Mary Robertson (OLDP & THW) – mrobertson@ffpmke.org
We had a fabulous time at last week’s Good News Adventure Summer Camp! Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make it so successful! Check out the photo slideshow of the best week of summer on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/6PwU1lPO9w8.
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Good News Adventure is a free summer VBS camp with over 130 children, youth and adult volunteers. Check out the highlights of the camp! Email Anh Clausen, Di...