A Letter From Fr. Paul - August 13, 2017

I received a thank you from Fr. Diego, pastor of our sister parish, for our prayers for them and solidarity in the Mass of the Martyrs. Their Youth Missionary week leading up to the Mass was a big success, with 74 leaders from 14 different countries participating. They will now have a week of prayer preparing for the feast of the Assumption, when they will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their Catholic radio station, The Voice of Nebaj. They are truly quite active and missionary. Our collection to support them is coming the weekend of September 23-24. Please be as generous as you can.


Four special events are coming up that I hope you will be able to participate in: our day of prayer on August 21, the feast of St. Pius X; our Grass Mass and luncheon on September 10; the celebration of 125 years of the Society of the Divine Savior in the USA on September 16; and our annual ministry fair at the weekend Masses on September 30 / October 1. Please watch for detailed information in the bulletin.


Wauwatosa Catholic is a school that combines Catholic education with an International Baccalaureate curriculum – they complement each other wonderfully. Learn more about our school on its webpage. I strongly encourage you to send your children to the school. If money is a concern, talk with the principal about the possibility of tuition assistance.


People flock to a spectacular miracle (Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe) and are inspired. But our readings today challenge us to remember that we most often encounter God in the little events of daily life. Elijah did not find God in the raging wind, the earthquake, or the roaring fire, but in the tiny, whispering sound. So it is with us: the smile when we are down, the kind gesture, the willingness to share time and resources, the visit to someone lonely, etc., etc. Living a Christian life involves giving and receiving the presence of God in the daily interactions with others. A song we sing often, The Servant Song, says it well: “Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you; pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.”


From Monday afternoon through Friday, I will be at a retreat for all the men in formation for the Salvatorians. Please keep the success of this retreat in your prayers.

​-- Paul James Portland, SDS