Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the sight of God who formed us...and let those who have

love in Jesus Christ keep the commandments of Christ.

(Pope St. Clement I, “Letter to the Corinthians”)

SAINT CLEMENT CATHOLIC PARISH135 South Washington Street – Lancaster, Wisconsin 53813

Founded in 1859

For Parish Membership, Baptisms, Weddings, Communion Calls or any other pastoral need, contact the respective parish office.

Bulletin Announcements: Deadline is Monday at noon to the St. Clement Parish Office or to st_clement@tds.net

Fr. William Vernon, Pastor 723-4990Bill Manthe, Parish Associate 723-4990Katie Crosby, Parish Secretary 723-4990

Website: www.saintclementparish.com

Josh Jensen, Principal 723-7474Nick Crosby, CRE 7-12 723-4990Rebecca Dean & Melissa Martin, CREs K-6

Email: st_clement@tds.net (Katie)

Diocese of Madison, Bishop Donald J. Hying

OFFICE HOURS:St. Clement Parish Office is currently

closed until further notice. Please call if you need assistance, have questions or for a Sacramental emergency.

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER MAY 10, 2020

STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE

May 2 & 3Church Support Envelopes � � � � � $6,334�00Offertory Cash� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �$145�00Weekly Electronic Giving � � � � � � $1,048�001st of Month Electronic Giving � $1,440�00Easter Envelope � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �$20�00Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$8,987.00

Budgeted Offertory for May � � � $33,380�00Offertory Received in May � � � � � $8,987�00Budgeted Amount Still Needed . . $24,393.00

Monthly Offertory Comparison April 2020 (4 weekends) . . . . . . . . $34,364.00April 2019 (4 weekends) . . . . . . . . $32,524.00

Weekly Mass Schedule

Tuesday, May 12� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs;

Saint Pancras, Martyr)

† Kathleen Kiefer & Mary Kilcoyne

Wednesday, May 13 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (Our Lady of Fatima)

† Larry Drew

Thursday, May 14� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (Saint Matthias, Apostle)

Chuck & Juli Boughton

Friday, May 15 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (Saint Isidore)

Brianne Boughton

Saturday, May 16 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (morning) † Amelia Snyder & her

Deceased Family Members (evening) † Ray Kirschbaum

Sunday, May 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sixth Sunday of Easter

† Don & Florence Pluemer People of Our Parish

From Our Pastor:From Our Pastor:Every day, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us to experience a spiritual renewal

in our life, to realize His gifts of faith, hope and love that lead us to communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit� We can freely embrace or reject these gifts from God who is love (1 John 4), as He will not force us to be faithful, hopeful and loving� By His grace, once we say yes to Jesus and commit to conversion, to turning to the Lord, we then learn to pray in faith and experience His love, hope, peace and joy� Faith is an adherence to God as His sons and daughters “beyond what we feel and understand” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2609)� Knowing how much we can be swayed and side-tracked by our feelings, Jesus Christ consoles and counsels us in the Gospel this Sunday: “Do not let your hearts be troubled� You have faith in God…” ( John 14:1-12)�

It’s certainly been difficult to not let our hearts be troubled in recent weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdowns� Our faith has been tested, challenged� I pray that it’s also been strengthened and renewed as we may have re-focused on what truly matters in life: faith, hope, love, family, friendships� Due to many initial unknowns about the virus and erroneous predictions, most people, including medical experts, political leaders and the media, became extremely anxious and fearful� Now, with actual effects of the virus better known and documented, let’s pray that we’ve learned some lessons about protecting the vulnerable and those most at risk in the midst of a virus outbreak or any other crisis – first and foremost, protecting the elderly and those with weakened health conditions, safely caring for all who need to be quarantined� Trusting in God, may we encourage everyone to use common sense and be reasonable, allowing everyone to work safely and prudently to support their families, farms and businesses, and to freely practice our faith� We the People can safely, peacefully, lovingly, faithfully and freely practice our religion in our houses of worship and in our daily lives (while those with health concerns can practice their faith from their home)� Let’s keep praying for God’s strength, courage, healing and peace for all people, for all healthcare workers, all in law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, and all in our U�S� Armed Forces, as they’re all ensuring our safety, health, peace and freedoms� Let’s keep praying for all who have been able to work from their homes or at their actual worksites, all parents and children who’ve had to adjust to school closures, and for the more than 30 million Americans who are suffering from unemployment, and all the farmers, small-business owners, and all businesses that have been severely hurt by the shutdowns in our Lancaster community, state, country and the world�

You see, when we have the freedom to live the faith, in our churches and in the public square, in our words and deeds, amazing things happen in our life: we experience communion with the Lord Jesus and are able to do the opus Dei (work of God), realizing that God has prepared for us a dwelling in Heaven� Like the Apostles, therefore, we cry out, “Increase our faith, Lord!” (Luke 17:5), asking God to help us live the faith that we profess, to be instruments of His love and mercy for others� Each day, we need God’s grace in order to pray, to proclaim the Truth with love, to keep His Commandments (Ephesians 4; Romans 8; John 14:15; 15:1-17), and stay close to Him in His Church, His Word and His Sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist� When we follow Jesus Christ, we cannot settle for compromise or mediocrity, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life ( John 14:6)� Adherence to Jesus Christ, by His grace, ensures that where He is we too will be, even unto the ultimate Communion with Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit in eternal life in Heaven�

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, let us thank God for all our moms, living and deceased, remembering the 103rd Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 and asking Jesus Christ’s mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the perfect disciple, to pray for us, and to help us to pray, and to be in closer communion with her Son, Jesus Christ, the Only Savior of the world� Amen� Alleluia�

With peace and prayers in Christ, for you and all your families,Fr. William

RECONCILIATIONFridays: 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Saturdays: 4:00 – 5:00 PMFace-to-face reconciliation by appointment only�

IN MEMORIAMAs we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus

Christ, we ask your prayers for two of our parishioners who died this past week� Linda Reynolds died on Sunday, May 3, and her graveside service was on Wednesday, May 6� Linda was 81 at the time of her passing from this life to life everlasting� Linda grew up in Glen Haven and eventually moved to Lancaster, marrying Ed Reynolds Jr� Many will remember Linda from her years working at John’s IGA, Dick’s Supermarket, and at Piggly Wiggly� Linda was very devoted to her family and friends� As we keep her in prayer, please pray too for her children – Jeff, Julie (David Nihles), Mark (Laura), and Brian (Brenda), as well as her grandchildren and great-grandkids, her sister Lucille Kinyon, her brother Paul Felder, and all of her family� May the Holy Spirit comfort them in this time�

Sherman Knutson died on Tuesday, May 5, and his funeral Mass was offered on Friday, May 8� Sherman was 87 when the Lord called him home� Sherman grew up in rural Grant County and he proudly and courageously served our country prior to and during the Korean Conflict, earning two Purple Hearts� Sherman married his sweetheart Ruth Reynolds on December 26, 1953, and together they raised two children� Sherman was very devoted to his family and to his faith� Mass was very important to him and to Ruth� Even at the nursing home he was looking forward to Mass beginning again for the residents� As we pray for him, please pray too for his beloved wife Ruth, his children Laura (Bruce) Gibson and Perry (Lynn) Knutson, and for all of his family� May the Holy Spirit sustain and console them in their sorrow�“Eternal rest grant unto Linda and Sherman, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful

departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION PRAYERMy Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed

Sacrament� I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul� Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart� I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You� Never permit me to be separated from You� Amen�

** We look forward to that day, prayerfully soon, when we can worship together again, and receive our Lord in the Holy Eucharist!

FAITH FORMATION AT HOMEThis week on May 13 the Church celebrates the Feast of Our

Lady of Fatima� To learn more about this important feast of the Church watch “FATIMA: A Message of Hope” at FORMED�org� This movie documents the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, from May through October 1917� These events, especially the Miracle of the Sun, were witnessed by tens of thousands of people and Our Lady’s message is one that is relevant for our time� “FATIMA: A Message of Hope” tells this story through historic details and interviews with leading Fatima experts, including family members of the Fatima seers� View this film, plus other films about Our Lady of Fatima, at FORMED�org� And don’t forget about FORMED LIVE discussions each week at 1 PM� You can also watch previous LIVE events at FORMED�org�

DID YOU KNOW? OUR LADY OF FATIMA & POPE SAINT

JOHN PAUL IIOn May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary

first appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal� Sixty-four years later, on May 13, 1981, in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope John Paul II was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca� Four bullets hit the Holy Father, two of them lodged in his lower intestine, the others hit his left hand and right arm� Two bystanders were also wounded� The Pope, who lost nearly three-quarters of his blood and suffered shock from blood loss, underwent five hours of emergency surgery� The world watched not knowing if the Holy Father would survive�

By Divine Providence he lived� While he was recovering in the hospital, Pope John Paul II reviewed the Church’s documentation of Our Lady of Fatima� The Pope was convinced that the Blessed Mother had saved his life� In gratitude for Mary’s intercession, Pope John Paul II went back three times to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, first on May 13, 1982, one year after the assassination attempt, again in 1991 on the tenth anniversary, and once more in 2000�

In December of 1983, Pope John Paul II visited Mehmet Ali Agca in prison� Agca asked, “Why didn’t you die? I know that my aim was true and I know that the bullet was very powerful and mortal�” The Pope responded: “One hand fired the shot� Another (the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary) guided it�” The Pope also extended his forgiveness to Agca, whose pardon he supported in 2000�

As a measure of his gratitude, Pope John Paul II gave the bullet that was taken from his abdomen to the shrine� That bullet now forms part of the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal�

MAY: HONORING MARY, HONORING MOTHERSMother’s day is upon us, and so we give thanks to God for the

precious gift of life we received from our moms! Mothers sacrifice so much for their children, providing and caring for them physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually� The love of a mother for her children is like no other� In gratitude for everything, the life we were given, the care, support and love we received, and the memories created, we say THANK YOU MOM! May the Lord richly bless you!

We also honor and give thanks for our Heavenly Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary� At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of His Mother to the beloved disciple, St� John, when He said, “Behold your mother�” Jesus also entrusted His Mother Mary’s love, care and devotion to St� John as He said, “Woman, behold your son�” In doing so, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus, also became Mother of the Church� She is our spiritual mother whom we turn to in our needs, asking for her intercession�

During this time of pandemic and hardship for many, consider using this prayer throughout the month of May�

“O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother Mary, We, your children of every nation,

turn to you in this pandemic. Our troubles are numerous; our fears are great. Grant that we might deposit them at your feet,

take refuge in your Immaculate Heart, and obtain peace, healing, rescue, and timely help in all our needs.

You are our Mother. Pray for us to your Son.

Amen.” ~ from the Morning Offering website

C

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