A u gu st 1 5, 2 0 2 1 - T h e A s su m pt i o n of t h e B l e s sed V i r g i n M ar y - P ag e 77 0

The is prayed before Holy M-F @ 7:35 am SERVANTS SCHEDULE

MASS INTENTIONS Saturday, 21st- 4:30 p.m.

th Knights of the Altar: Frederick Ellis/ Clements Monday, August 16 Ushers: Geoff Alford/Ryan Clements Stephen of 8:00 a.m. - † Janet McFadden Sunday, August 22nd- 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 17th Knights of the Altar: Knights 8:00 a.m. - † Jim Brennan Ordinary Minister: Jason Hutzler

th Ushers: Robert Rifenberg/Curt Riley/ Wednesday, August 18 Colin Riley 8:00 a.m. - † H. Marcoullier

th Sunday, August 22nd - 9:30 a.m.

Thursday, August 19 Knights of the Altar: Ken Schelfhout/Geoff Alford Saint John Eudes, Priest Ordinary Minister: Deacon Jason Hutzler 8:00 a.m. - † Father Norbert Landerville Ushers: Tom McConaghy/Gary Brauer/ Friday, August 20th John Dawidowski/John Koelbl Saint Bernard, and 8:00 a.m. - Intentions of Joan Altman Sunday, August 22nd - 11:30 a.m. Traditional Latin Mass Saturday, August 21st Ushers: TBD Saint Pius X, 8:00 a.m. - Intentions of Richard Reichlin BANNS OF MARRIAGE 4:30 p.m. - Intentions of Saint James Parishioners

Sunday, August 22nd - Twenty First Sunday in William Joseph Coppernoll and Abigail Lynn McDonald 7:30 a.m. - Living and Deceased Members of Karl and Mary Apel Family (III) 9:30 a.m. - † Thomas Koelbl August 14, 2021 11:30 a.m. - Intentions of Stevenson CHURCH SUPPORT of Reconciliation August 8, 2021

Envelopes $ 5,587.00 First Fridays Plate $ 441.97 and every Saturday Vigil candles $ 113.50 after morning Holy Mass Giving Online $ 465.00 Total $ 6,607.47

“God removes the sin of the one who makes MAKE DONATIONS ONLINE - ONLINE GIVING humble confession, and thereby the devil We offer an option for people who prefer to make dona- tions online, called Online Giving. loses the sovereignty he had gained

For quick access to Online Giving, visit our website: over the human heart.”

www.saintjameslax.com Saint and follow the instructions provided. For any questions about Online Giving, please contact Maria Stegmeier at: 608-782- 7557. DISCOVER AND SUPPORT THE WORK OF Visitation of the Sick: If you become homebound because CHARITIES OF THE DIOCESE OF LA CROSSE of illness and would like to be visited, please call Saint James office 608-782-7557 embodies the heart and hands of Christ to our neighbor in need. It does incredible Anointing of the Sick: Those who are seriously ill or have work in addressing homelessness and poverty, providing been sick for a long period of time should receive the Sac- crisis pregnancy and adoption services, assisting the elder- rament of the Sick and Holy Communion. Please call St. James office to make arrangements: 608-782-7557. ly, people with disabilities and immigrants, rushing to aid our communities when disaster strikes, and so much more. Learn about its mission and services, and how you can , pray for us! volunteer or donate, by visiting www.cclse.org. HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS Weekly Readings August 16th - August 22nd, 2021 Monday-Friday 8:00 am Novus Ordo Saturday 8:00 am Traditional Holy Mass Monday Jgs 2:11-19/Ps 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 4:30 pm Vigil - Novus Ordo 43ab and 44 [4a]/Mt 19:16-22 Sunday Masses 7:30 am Novus Ordo Tuesday Jgs 6:11-24a/Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14 [cf. 9b]/ 9:30 am Novus Ordo Mt 19:23-30 11:30 am Traditional Holy Mass Wednesday Jgs 9:6-15/Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 [2a]/Mt 20:1- 16 SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Thursday Jgs 11:29-39a/Ps 40:5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10 [8a Saturdays and First Fridays after morning Holy and 9a]/Mt 22:1-14 Mass Friday: Ru 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22/Ps 146:5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10 [1b]/Mt 22:34-40 Saturday: Ru 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17/Ps 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5 TELL CONGRESS - NO TAXPAYER FUNDING [4]/Mt 23:1-12 OF ABORTION Sunday: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b/Ps 34:2-3, 16-17,

The Hyde Amendment and similar laws have pro- 18-19, 20-21, 22-23 [9a]/Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32/Jn 6:60-69 tected taxpayers from funding elective abortion for 45 years. Now, powerful members of Congress, with the support of the Biden Administration, want to take BANNS OF MARRIAGE away these laws that both Democrats and Republicans have supported for nearly half a century. Here are two Nicholas Allen Bontkowski and ways you can tell Congress "no" to taxpayer funding Brianna Lee Nowlan of abortion: (I)  Sign the petition sponsored by the U.S. Bishops at September 4, 2021 notaxpayerabortion.com.

 Visit marchforlifeaction.org and click on the link for "Save Hyde" to send an email to your U.S. REGISTRATION FOR CCD BEGINS

Senators and Representatives. It is time to register your children for religious education classes beginning in September. Please “Faith is a beam radiating from the call Donna at 608-782-7557 and a registration form face of God” will be mailed to you. Please do this as soon as pos- Saint John Eudes sible as it helps us to prepare for the upcoming year.

If any parent would like to volunteer their Sunday COUNTERING THE LIES OF GENDER mornings to teach, it would be appreciated. We had IDEOLOGY many long-time catechists retire last year and we are HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PARENTS, CATHO- in need of catechists. You do not have to be a theolo- LIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND CATECHISTS gian to teach CCD. A love for children and for the Faith is all you need to qualify! Gender ideology is rapidly reshaping the culture, and causing confusion and serious harm. Gender ide- ology is a false system of beliefs about the person that RCIA CLASSES claims human identity is fluid (can change according to feelings) and that human identity is self-defined. Fr. RCIA classes will begin Thursday, September Paul Check presents understandable and foundational 23rd for those who are interested in entering into full information in a session entitled "Pastoral Care and communion with the , and for those amid Confusion about Sexual Identity. Visit: who are Catholic and would like to learn more about

diolc.org/catechesis/recordings-foryour-ministry the Faith. Classes begin at 6:00 p.m. and are held in Murphy Hall.

Another excellent, user-friendly tool is the Person For more information or to register, call Donna and Identity Project. This site presents sound infor- at 608-782-7557. mation, which helps to illuminate the truth about who Thank you. we are, but also to counter the lies of gender ideology. This website provides tools for parents, schools and programs to see the depth of the gender theory's KNIGHTS OF SAINT JOSEPH influence and the seriousness of what is at stake. Click 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. here: personandidentity.com the FIRST FRIDAY of every month. HOLY MASS ON THE OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED MARY HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI St Thomas of Villanova Parish, Castel Gandolfo. Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters, On 1 , Venerable Pope Pius XII proclaimed as that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. This truth of faith was known by Tradition, was af- firmed by the Fathers of the Church, and was a particularly important aspect in the of the Mother of Christ. Precisely this devotional element, so to speak, was the driving force behind the formulation of this Dogma. The Dogma appears as an act of praise and exaltation of the Holy Virgin. It also emerges from the text of the , where it affirms that the Dogma is proclaimed for “the honor of her Son... for the increase of the glory of that same au- gust Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church”. What was already celebrated in the veneration and devotion of the as the highest and most permanent glorification of Mary was thus expressed in the form of a ; the act of the proclamation of the Assumption was presented almost as a liturgy of faith. And in the which we have just heard, Mary herself prophetically pronounces a few words that orientate us in this perspective. She says: “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). It is a prophecy for the whole history of the Church. These words of the , recorded by St Luke, indicate that praising the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, intimately united to Christ her Son, regards the Church of all ages and of all places. The fact that the Evangelist noted these words presupposes that the glorification of Mary was already present in the time of St Luke and he considered it to be a duty and a commitment of the Christian community for all generations. Mary’s words tell us that it is a duty of the Church to remember the greatness of Our Lady for the faith. This Solemnity is an invitation to praise God, and to look upon the greatness of Our Lady, for we know who God is in the faces of those who belong to him. But why is Mary glorified by her Assumption into ? St Luke, as we have heard, sees the roots of the exaltation and praise of Mary in Elizabeth’s words: “Blessed is she who believed” (Lk 1:45). And the Magnificat, this canticle to God, alive and active in history is a hymn of faith and love, which springs from the heart of the Virgin. She lived with exemplary fidelity and kept in the inmost depths of her heart the words of God to his people, the promises he made to , and , making them the content of her prayer: the Word of God in the Magnificat became the word of Mary, the lamp for her journey, thus preparing her to receive even in her womb the Word of God made . Today’s Gospel passage recalls this presence of God in history and in the unfolding of events; in particular, there is a reference to the Second Book of Chapter Six (6:1-15), in which moves the Holy . The comparison is clear to the Evangelist: Mary expecting the birth of her Son Jesus is the Holy Ark that contains the presence of God, a presence that is a source of consolation, of total joy. John, in fact, leaps in Eliza- beth’s womb, just as David danced before the Ark. Mary is the “visit” of God that creates joy. Zechariah, in his song of praise says explicitly: “Blessed be God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people” (Lk 1:68). The house of Zechariah experienced the visit of God by the unexpected birth of , but above all by the pres- ence of Mary, who bore within her womb the Son of God. But now let us ask ourselves: how does the Assumption of Mary help our journey? The first answer is: in the Assumption we see that in God there is room for man, God himself is the house with many rooms of which Jesus speaks (cf. Jn 14:2); God is man’s home, in God there is God’s space. And Mary, by uniting herself, united to God, does not distance herself from us. She does not go to an unknown galaxy, but whoever approaches God comes closer, for God is close to us all; and Mary, united to God, shares in the presence of God, is so close to us, to each one of us. There is a beautiful passage from St Gregory the Great on St Benedict that we can apply to Mary too. St Gregory the Great says that the heart of St Benedict expanded so much that all creation could enter it. This is even truer of Mary: Mary, totally united to God, has a heart so big that all creation can enter this heart, and the ex-votos in every part of the earth show it. Mary is close, she can hear us, she can help us, she is close to everyone of us. In God there is room for man and God is close, and Mary, united to God, is very close; she has a heart as great as the heart of God. But there is also another aspect: in God not only is there room for man; in man there is room for God. This too we see in Mary, the Holy Ark who bears the presence of God. In us there is space for God and this presence of God in us, so important for bringing light to the world with all its sadness, with its problems. This presence is realized in the faith: in the faith we open the doors of our existence so that God may enter us, so that God can be the power that gives life and a path to our existence. In us there is room, let us open ourselves like Mary opened herself, saying: “Let your will be done, I am the servant of the Lord”. By opening ourselves to God, we lose nothing. On the contrary, our life becomes rich and great. And so, faith and hope and love are combined. Today there is much discussion on a better world to be awaited: it would be our hope. If and when this better world comes, we do not know, I do not know. What is certain is that a world which distances itself from God does not become better but worse. Only God’s presence can guarantee a good world. Let us leave it at that. One thing, one hope is certain: God expects us, waits for us, we do not go out into a void, we are expected. God is ex- pecting us and on going to that other world we find the goodness of the Mother, we find our loved ones, we find eternal Love. God is waiting for us: this is our great joy and the great hope that is born from this Feast. Mary visits us, and she is the joy of our life and joy is hope. What is there to say then? A great heart, the presence of God in the world, room for God within us and room for us in God, hope, being expected: this is the symphony of this Feast, the instruction that meditating on this Solemnity gives us. Mary is the dawn and the splendor of the Church triumphant; she is the consolation and the hope of people still on the journey, it says in today’s Preface.

This Sunday, , 2021, it is my delight to wish you all a very blessed and joyful Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The title evokes memories for me of my second assign- ment in the diocese. 1998 I was moved from Parochial Vicar at St. Anne Parish, Wausau to Parochial Vicar for Holy Rosary, Lima; , Mondovi and St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Durand. Although is was a brief assignment, it was a period of peaceful recovery in the midst of hardships. My Dad had suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 54. I struggled to ‘let go’ of my first assignment as a priest. Our family was trying to help Mom as best we could in caring for Dad at home and making decisions about life that she previously thought the two would make together. During all of it, our Blessed Mother, particularly under the hope and strength she exemplifies in the Assumption, was a source of accompaniment and intercession. So, under similar circumstances in your own lives, I en- courage you to turn to her, who was assumed body and soul in heaven, as the precursor for us. By the grace and mercy of her Son, Jesus Christ, we hope to share in the same glory by participation now and in fullness at the end of time. In the remaining space here, I want to call your attention to some coming academic activities fast approaching in the fall. Catholic Schools and programs for the of Christian Doctrine (CCD) are a source of elevated education and formation increasingly vital in our society. While secular pursuits of intellectual and behavioral development have their advantages, allowing them to stand alone apart from quality spiritual formation is a dead end road at best. In the worst forms, exclusive secularism becomes a dangerous and harmful open door to the trappings of sin and . But for- mation according to God’s will is open to an experience that is, using a description St. John Paul II of- ten highlighted, more fully human and more fully alive. Because of this truth, I want to thank all you parents who desire the best upbringing for your chil- dren and work tirelessly to offer it by example of life, words of encouragement and discipline as well as the countless sacrifices you make for their care. By God’s design, parents are the primary teachers of faith to their children. In them, their children experience the first encounter with God. From the moment of conception He begins to form each child in the womb and care for him in love through his mother and father. That is God’s plan for each indi- vidual and each family. This plan is not easy but it is essential. That is why I am grateful for the ways in which parents also involve the Church in the formation of their children. The practice of faith and the joyful reception of the is a source of strength for Catholic families and a source of hope for all humanity. Furthermore, it is a privilege to be entrusted with the assistance we can pro- vide. Soon local students will be returning to Aquinas Catholic Schools, Providence Academy, St. James the Less CCD Programs and our other outreaches of Catholic education, formation and evangelization. Please take time to extend a word of thanks and support to those you know who are part of the army of people who form the faculties, staffs and volunteers in our various institutions. They generously share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the faith in many and various ways according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I also ask that you pray for the students who are served. May God inspire them to grow in their understanding of all His creatures. May they also increase in their love of Him who creat- ed each of them in His image and, by grace, recreates them in the likeness of His Son. Together may we strive toward the perfection to which we are called.

“Not only are the attitudes of teachers crucial for the success of Catholic education, but also the attitudes of Catholic parents…”

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