St. Lawrence Parish

St. Lawrence Parish St. Lawrence Catholic Church, located in Hartford Wisconsin, is family-friendly, traditional parish community that was founded in 1846!

Lawrence Parish is a traditional, small-town, and welcoming community! We have many events and socials for people of all ages! We have a thriving religious education program and many opportunities for the youth of our parish to be involved! Father Davies says mass every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00! Join us for devotions to our Mother of Perpetual Help after the 8:00 mass on Tuesday! Our weekend m

asses are on Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 9:45 AM. Please like our page and invite others to like our page to promote St. Lawrence's faith-filled mission and stay in touch with what's happening within the Church!

Just a friendly reminder!
09/06/2026

Just a friendly reminder!

09/01/2026

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

September 1, 2026

Hello Everyone —

“From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” (Mt 16:21)

Last weekend in the Gospel, we witnessed a crucial turning point in the Matthean Gospel regarding the Lord Jesus’ divine mission. It is a pivotal moment. There can be no looking backward as a result. The issue is not heaven and hell — but the immediate and long-range consequences of a personal choice and way of life. It is about integrity — about being a person in the here and now — as someone living in the present moment.

The shift of focus — the change in course — is about Jerusalem — Calvary — and the cross! Death awaits — even though Resurrection is foreshadowed. But Peter is not having it! His reaction is intense. However, Jesus’ rebuke to Peter is even more intense. The profundity of their disagreement is reflected in Jesus’ final accusation: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mt 16:23)

Our dear Peter has had quite a trajectory over the past few weekends of Sunday readings, hasn’t he? On the weekend of August 8-9, Peter asked to come to the Lord on the water — it started out pretty well — but then it took a turn. When doubt entered in, he quickly began to falter and sink.

Just last weekend, we witnessed a renaming — Simon becomes the “rock” based on his profession of faith. But now suddenly Peter is renamed “Satan.” He finds himself getting in the way. In this latest development, the ever-zealous Peter becomes the stumbling block in Jesus’ path. It becomes a critical moment of reflection for Peter. How will he embrace the rest of his discipleship? The same is true for us. In this exchange, we are given a reason to pause and reflect on our own spiritual journey.

The image is of two persons –— one of whom is walking on a path to reach a particular destination when the other places in his path a snare that could potentially cause the first to stumble and fall — thus putting that person’s goal out of reach. The divine plan has been booby-trapped, so to speak. For Jesus to call Peter a stumbling block is of no small consequence. It is stylistic of Matthew to make the very practical choices and actions of life the measure by which persons are judged. It is not a question of counting up individual acts and weighing the good ones over and against the bad ones. It is the whole tenor of one’s life — one’s overall style of life and sense of direction in life that will count in the end.

Recall the final judgment scene which appears later in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46). It provides all kinds of specifics. But the unifying spirit is the choice of doing or not doing in favor of those who are least. Recall the judgment: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)

At this particular moment in Matthew’s narrative, Jesus faces the focal point of purpose and direction — the ultimate consequences of being who he is — and who he is intended to become for the world. The drama intensifies for salvation’s sake as Jesus looks forward to embracing his cross. But this shift in focus and direction is not only for Jesus. Through his own actions, Jesus establishes the pattern for all who are willing to choose him. His words are uncompromising: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16:24)

Let’s be clear about one thing. Jesus does not want admirers — nor does he want fans. Jesus desires followers!! We see that play out in his rebuke of Peter. Jesus did not tell Peter, “Oh, get out of my face” or “Get lost.” Rather, Jesus tells him, “No, Peter, you missed the point. Get behind me!” In other words: “Follow me!”

May God’s grace assist us in renewing our resolve to follow Him, too.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

08/25/2026

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. (Hebrews 4:16)

August 25, 2026

Hello Everyone —

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19a)

The image of a key is a powerful one, isn’t it?

In your own life, you may recall experiences in relationship with keys — receiving the keys to your first home — giving the car keys to a teenager for the first time — entrusting someone with the key to your heart, poetically speaking. Significant moments.

Growing up — achieving a level of maturity — realizing a certain independence — these plus others are symbolized in the reception of keys — as well as the demand for continued growth and responsibility.

The symbol — and the reality — of being the holder of keys continues in the Gospel as we just heard:

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Mt 16:19b)

As holder of the keys, Peter is placed in a position of trust. He is given the responsibility of opening the kingdom of heaven in sharp contrast to other leaders whom Jesus would address elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel by saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” (Mt 23:13)

Peter cannot become a leader like that!

Jesus’s gesture of offering the keys to Peter is less about what kind of rock he is — and more about the Lord’s regard for Peter’s potential — and human potential in general. It is less about Peter’s faith in Christ and more about Christ’s faith in him. The Lord accepts him as he is, trusts him, and is ready to let him grow into the kingdom of God. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is often critical of persons and institutions — but he does not write them off. He continues to trust their potential.

Our Catholic Tradition is founded on such moments of challenge and promise as we see recounted in Matthew’s Gospel. It is not so much Peter’s checkered history or, for that matter, the checkered history of the Church — or of the papacy over the ages that is at issue. It is instead God’s fidelity to human beings and God’s insistence that human beings can be trusted to carry out God’s will.

Peter’s unworthiness is not the core of the story. The consistency or inconsistency of his rock-solidness is not the bottom line.

Almost in spite of himself, Jesus gives Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.” God entrusts human beings and human institutions with the opportunity and responsibility to unlock for others the kingdom of heaven — to invite people into a place where healing and reconciliation can be found — where love and mercy can be celebrated — where a festive table is set. Only in time will Peter discover what it fully means to shoulder that key.

In a real sense, we all have been given keys to the kingdom of heaven. All of us possess the potential to open certain doors and to close others — to bind up wounds — to loose from fear and guilt — to invite others to share the feast that we have already begun to taste.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

✨August Spotlight Group of the Month✨St. Lawrence Strong
08/19/2026

✨August Spotlight Group of the Month✨

St. Lawrence Strong

08/18/2026

Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. (Isaiah 56:1)

August 18, 2026

Hello Everyone —

Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”

He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done
for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. (Mt 15:21-28)

Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshalom are master violin makers. Three decades ago, a man came to the Weinsteins with an old violin that he wanted repaired for his grandchild. The man explained that he had played the violin when he was being held in a N**i concentration camp during the Holocaust. When Amnon opened the violin, he found black powder inside — ash from the camp’s crematorium.

That violin was the beginning of “Violins of Hope,” a collection of 70 restored string instruments that the Weinsteins have lovingly repaired and restored that were played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust.

They have also been able to preserve many of the stories behind the instruments. Among them:

A violin owned by an Italian woman who was sent to Auschwitz. Her son managed to take the violin with him to a labor camp where he would play it at night with frozen fingers. After the war, he studied engineering and went on to build ships to transport and settle Jews in Palestine. After his death in 2012, his widow and daughters gave the instrument to Violins for Hope.

Then there is the violin owned by Erich Weininger, a butcher in Vienna as well as an amateur violinist. Though not allowed to play in the camps, he, too, managed to hold on to his instrument. Weininger survived imprisonment at Dachau and Buchenwald. After the war, he settled in Palestine where he played in a small orchestra with other deportees.

Another instrument survived a heartbreaking journey. In 1942, a train transporting Jews from Paris to concentration camps in the East stopped along a road. A man heard workmen speaking French. The man cried out, “In the place I now go – I don’t need a violin. Here, take my violin so it may live!” The man threw his violin out the railcar’s narrow window and one of the workers picked it up. Years later, the instrument was found in an attic and given to Violins for Hope.

The collection travels around the world where the instruments are played in concerts — many are played by the descendants of victims and survivors of the Holocaust. There are also exhibits and educational programs on the history of the Holocaust told through the stories of these instruments. In fact, from September 2025 through January 2026, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra participated in hosting the Violins for Hope in our own locality.

The work of Violins of Hope preserves the memory and dignity of those who endured the horror of the Holocaust. The instruments preserved by the Weinsteins should inspire our world with hope that the merchants of hate and violence will not silence the “music” of God’s Spirit of peace and justice. Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman is a sign of that same hope, challenging us to transform our own perspective of those we dismiss as less than we are because their culture, language, gender, or faith differs from our own.

May our eyes and hearts be open to see every man, woman, and child as God sees them: as God’s beloved children, brothers and sisters to one another, all made in the image of God and with dignity, and all embraced by the heart of God.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

Congratulations to the seven 2026 St Lawrence scholarship recipients! May God bless you in all of your future endeavors.
08/13/2026

Congratulations to the seven 2026 St Lawrence scholarship recipients! May God bless you in all of your future endeavors.

08/11/2026

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. (1 Kings 19:12-13)

August 11, 2026

Hello Everyone —

Some of you reading these words may recall a cult-classic TV series of the early 1970s entitled The Night Stalker. Darren McGavin played a rumpled, wire-service reporter in Chicago by the name of Carl Kolchak. Again and again, Kolchak throughout the 20-episode series would inevitably back into mysterious murders involving a garden variety of creatures of the night.

In one episode, while steeped in yet another investigation, one of the characters tried to shed some light on those things that unsettle us and cause us to fear. The character did so by turning “fear” into an acronym for “false evidence appearing real.” It was a bit of conventional wisdom that has stuck with me all these years.

The disciples were terrified! Certain that it was a ghost, they cried out in fear. Even before Peter got out of the boat, he had his doubts. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” As one commentator put it while reflecting on last Sunday's gospel (Mt 14:22-33), had not Jesus just spoken to them? Did Peter not trust his hearing? The strength of the wind is what scared Peter. But it was his fear that made him sink — not the wind.

Fear — doubts — dread — skepticism. These and more fly in the face of hope.

A little closer to our own time, in 2008, Pixar released a thoughtful sci-fi film called Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-class). Although an animated feature, it is not your typical movie. It is a challenging parable about humanity’s ability to destroy itself — and the resources we humans possess to save ourselves as well.

Set some seven hundred years into the future, the earth had become a dark, arid pile of garbage. Humans had fled the planet long before. An economy consecrated to the manufacture and consumption of ever more stuff had ravaged and destroyed the earth.

Wall-E is the last of a mechanical army of solar-powered robots left behind to clean up the mess. Wall-E spends its days gathering and compacting garbage and lifting the blocks into precise arrangements resembling skyscrapers. But this plucky, hardworking little machine possesses a sense of joy and wonder (his human creators had managed to install something of a “soul” in Wall-E).

While he goes about sweeping up the mountains of garbage, Wall-E is fascinated by some of the things he finds. He saves Christmas lights and a myriad of bright, colorful objects. Interestingly, the little robot learns about love and friendship from an old videotape of the movie Hello Dolly.

But Wall-E’s most precious discovery leads to the rebirth of humankind. In a rusty old refrigerator, Wall-E finds a tiny perfect green plant. Wall-E replants the little sprout in an old shoe and cares for it. It is a sprig of hope that maybe, just maybe, the earth can bloom again — that humankind can return and recreate itself and its world. Wall-E’s gentle care of the plant leads to an unexpected blossoming of hope. And not only that but also of friendship and love in a barren world where fear and desolation once dominated.

“Immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him (Peter).”

May we recognize the same outstretched hand in our fears and doubts.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

08/07/2026

Please join us as we celebrate St. Lawrence’s Feast Day this Sunday, August 9 at the 10:00 Mass.

The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Schuerman, followed by a Eucharistic procession around our church grounds. There will also be lunch and a social to follow. Our Half Cash raffle winners will be picked during the luncheon!

08/04/2026

May your mercy, Lord, be upon us; as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:22)

August 4, 2026

Hello Everyone —

This week, we have a number of wonderful liturgical celebrations to mark the passage of our days. Among the saints, there is John Marie Vianney (today), Pope Sixtus II, Cajetan, and Dominic, as well as the anniversary of the dedication of one of the major Roman basilicas, St. Mary Major. Each with their own biography and/or history.

However, on Thursday, we will celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. And it is here that I wish to spend a short time in reflection. The gospel for the day comes from Matthew 17:1-9. In fact, it is the same scripture passage that was used this year for the Second Sunday of Lent (March 1, 2026).

From your own reflection and prayer, you may have come to realize that especially at the high points in Matthew’s Gospel, we experience a clear tension between two ways of understanding the spiritual life: what a living relationship with God is all about and what we can expect from such a relationship.

The first is peace — a deep sense of well-being or inner calm. In touch with God, I am well-grounded, in good order, and in harmony with life. With God, I am at home. The second, strangely enough, sounds like just the opposite. In touch with God, I am motivated, challenged, and uncomforted or dis-comforted. With God, I am on a journey.

Despite this seeming contradiction, it is necessary to see our lives in both ways. We can expect to experience God as both present and absent — as available and unavailable — as with us and ahead of us — as known and unknown — as intimate and distant — sometimes all at the same time.

If God is truly personal, isn’t such a dynamic to be expected? Doesn’t a good marriage, a strong family, or a long-lasting friendship bring with it both comfort and challenge, a sense of security and a sense of being stretched? Even within oneself, doesn’t even a mature person feel both at home in one’s own skin and restless?

Faith is a way of living this creative tension — this experience of humanity — this mystery. In the transfiguration story, this tension or dynamic is at play.

Peter says to Jesus: “Lord, it is good that we are here.” But Jesus does not respond. As the story unfolds, He reaches out and touches them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”

Only after Jesus had gone up onto the mountain did he cure the crippled, the deformed, the blind, and the lame. It was from the mountain to which Jesus had called them that he sent the disciples forth to make disciples of others. Situating the transfiguration on a high mountain marks its importance and makes it among the most significant moments of Jesus’ life and ministry.

On this particular mountaintop, Jesus is in very good company. He is talking with Moses and Elijah, consulting with experts as it were. They know what faith and struggle are all about. They know what it feels like to be at home in their own skin and restless at the same time. They both know first-hand the dynamic of intimacy and distance, God’s availability and unavailability.

Of course, the disciples accompanying Jesus were overcome with fear. Mountaintop experiences are awesome and bewildering. The same is true of life. The call to be with the likes of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus is neither lightly extended nor lightly accepted.`

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The stakes are high. It is the consequence of transfiguring moments and encounters in any life. Following Jesus guarantees a life-altering trip.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

Address

4886 State Road 175
Hartford, WI
53027

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8:30am - 4pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4pm

Telephone

(262) 644-5701

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