Easter Sunday - Alleluia - He is Risen!
Scriptures
Easter Sunday  
April 12, 2020
1st: Acts of the Apostles
10:34a, 37-43 (42ABC)
2nd: Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel: John 20:1-9 
Easter Vigil Reading and Reflection
Easter Sunday Reading and Reflection
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
TV and Online Mass Schedule
SJB Church Open for Individual Prayer
Monday - Thursday
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Friday
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
(No confessions on Saturday, April 11)
Message from Father Phil
Dear Parishioners:
     Happy Easter!!!
    Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there is indeed reason to be . . . well, if not “happy” at least not totally despondent and discouraged. Look! The cardinals are singing. We haven’t been subjected to any late-season snow storms or other weather extremes. And it’s actually pleasant to be outside, even if at a socially safe distance from other human beings.
    I came across an exciting article in the April issue of Commonweal magazine. It is authored by Austen Ivereigh, generally acknowledged as being one of the best “readers” of the mind of Pope Francis. (Ivereigh has written two full-length books about Pope Francis in English, The Great Reformer [2014] and Wounded Shepherd [2019], and a third in Italian, Tempo di Misericordia [2014]. He also led a symposium on Pope Francis at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners in 2018.) The Article, “New Wine, New Wineskins,” is sub-titled “How to read Francis’s apostolic exhortation on the Amazon” and offers an absolutely revolutionary interpretation of that document. Let me back up a little.
Last Fall, the Pope convened a synod – an official gathering of bishops and laity – to address issues facing the Church in the region of the Amazon (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Equador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela and French Guiana). Among those issues was the scarcity of priests serving in that huge area and the consequent unavailability of the Eucharist to Catholics throughout the region, but especially in remote areas. There had been a lot of speculation that the Synod would address the possibility of ordaining married men as priests and perhaps women as permanent deacons.
The Synod’s conclusions and recommendations were presented in its final document, “Th e Amazon: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.” Pope Francis’s response comes in the form of the apostolic exhortation “Querida Amazonia” which Ivereigh analyzes in his article.
Pope Francis frames his response in what he calls “four great dreams” for the region of the Amazon: a social dream, a cultural dream, an ecological dream, and an ecclesial dream. As part of the last of these dreams, he writes of inculturation:

In the end, this means allowing and encouraging the inexhaustible riches of the Gospel to be preached ‘in categories proper to each culture, creating a new synthesis with that particular culture’. . . . What is needed is courageous openness to the novelty of the Spirit, who is always able to create something new with the inexhaustible riches of Jesus Christ. Indeed, inculturation commits the Church to a difficult but necessary journey. . . . But let us be fearless; let us not clip the wings of the Holy Spirit.

It looks like both Ivereigh and Pope Francis both have great expectations of the Church of the Amazon as it responds to the bidding of the Holy Spirit. If you’d like to “catch the fever” during these stay-at-home times, why not download Ivereigh’s article and/or the Pope’s exhortation? One or both should make for a very happy Easter, indeed!
Fr. Philip D. Reifenberg, Pastor
Ringing of the Bells
All parishes and Catholic faithful within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are invited and encouraged to participate in proclaiming the joy of the Resurrection by ringing bells on Easter Sunday, April 12, at noon.
Parish Prayer
The following prayer resources are available outside the parish office:
Little White Book
This Little White Book is meant to help you enjoy six minutes a day in prayer during these next 50 days of the Easter season.
Thank you to the SJB Christian Women for providing this resource for our parish.
W ORD Among Us
A monthly magazine offering daily meditations based on Mass readings, inspirational essays, stories of the saints and more ($1 suggested donation).
There is also complimentary access on the Word Among Us website.
A quarterly booklet of daily reflections on one of the scripture readings from the day's Mass ($1 suggested donation). Thank you to the St. John the Baptist Christian Women for providing this resource for our parish. There is also complimentary access on the Living Faith website. CLICK HERE
Pray the Rosary with us live on Facebook each
Friday at 4:00 pm while Mass is suspended.
A Facebook account is not necessary to participate.
If a "pop-up" prompts you to log in, just select "not now". Please remember to "Like" our Facebook page to receive posts from St. John the Baptist.
Mass Intentions
Although public Masses are suspended, Father Phil continues to offer Mass privately for our requested intentions. Please keep our parish weekly Mass Intentions in your daily prayers as well.
The practice of offering Masses for others, living or deceased, is a long standing tradition in the Catholic Church. When we face the death of someone, even a person who is not Catholic, to have a Mass offered for the repose of their soul and to offer our prayers is beneficial and comforting.

If you would like to have a Mass offered for a loved one, please stop by the parish office, or call 892-4006. There is a customary $10 stipend per individual Mass intention.
SJB School and Family Formation Update
Principal's Message
Over the past couple of weeks the faculty and I have missed the students and our daily interactions with them face-to-face. However, what a blessing technology has been during this time! The teachers and I have been able to meet virtually with the students on a weekly basis. It is wonderful being able to see them and to be able to converse with them. 
   Though learning virtually is new for most and has had its ups, there have been challenges to figure out as well. I am proud of how the teachers and students have embraced these challenges to the best of their abilities. Each new day has been filled with some amazing learning opportunities. 
  I am truly humbled by the outpouring of caring and compassion that we witness in our school community on a daily basis especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your commitment to Catholic education is what sets us apart from all others. In closing, I wish all of you an Easter Sunday that fills you with hope, happiness, prosperity and abundance, all received through God’s divine grace.

Amy Nelson, Principal
SJB Faith Formation Resources
 As we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, we pray that you are able to continue some of your family Easter traditions. With this new normal, our faith is the foundation to get us through. 
"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26
Keeping Connected
Resources available from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Courageous Communion
Resources for daily living for quarantined Catholics. All resources are available for free, including weekly and daily plans, reflection videos, Holy Week resources, and more.
Daily Reflections
The bishops of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are offering, "Daily Reflections," to help us understand the spiritual dimension of the crisis we are going through. CLICK HERE
Two Guys and a Gospel
Prepare yourself for this week's Gospel with Fr. Phillip Bogacki and Fr. Ricardo Martín as they brainstorm about their homilies and reflect on the Gospel reading. CLICK HERE
Parish Support
Thank you for your generosity this Easter season and all year long!
We sincerely appreciate any and all financial support of our parishioners and friends of SJB! You may choose to make your offerings online. We still welcome cash and/or checks which can be mailed or placed in the parish office drop box (115 Plymouth St.) Have a blessed Easter!
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