St. Lawrence Parish

05/31/2026

Thank you to everybody who supported our Steak Fry. We had a great turnout!

05/30/2026

Is anybody else eager for warm summer days and grilling season?

Mark your calendar for a Steak Fry on the front lawn!

05/29/2026

The weather is looking ☀️PERFECT☀️ for our Steak Fry tomorrow and Sunday after 4:00 and 10:00 Mass!

Is anybody else eager for warm summer days and grilling season?

Mark your calendar for a Steak Fry on the front lawn!

05/27/2026

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.
(Wisdom 3:1-3)

May 26, 2026

Hello Everyone —

Memorial Day 2026 is already a memory and another workweek is underway. I hope that your weekend and Memorial Day were in some way an opportunity to catch your breath – even if you found yourself at work.

I had the privilege of celebrating Mass on Monday at St. Adalbert Cemetery on 6th Street in Milwaukee. I am always edified by the number of people who turn out to pray and remember – to pay tribute and give thanks. And rightly so!

As the faithful gathered, it gave me pause to reflect that as distinct as each of us may be, there is a common experience that binds us together as firmly as if we all originated from the same family unit. That experience is the loss that comes as a result of death. No one is spared such a separation – and as a result, no one escapes the pain and heartache of grief.

It has been said that as a result of death, we have to accept certain realities that we do not want to have happen, that we have to learn things that we do not want to know, and that we have to let go of individuals we do not believe we can live without.

Indeed, the loss of someone we love thrusts us into a tremendous pool of uncertainty as
our world is turned upside down. What can we really know for certain? How are we ever going to make sense of things again? Or at least that’s how we can feel while in the grip of grief and loss.

But as we work our way through the mourning process and ride the waves of our emotions, we come to realize that there are certain things of which death cannot rob us, namely:

1. The accomplishments of a person’s lifetime
2. Our memories
3. One’s faith

The accomplishments of a lifetime
How does one go about measuring such things? Each life is shaped by its own unique
set of circumstances, each person’s individual history, each one’s way of being in the world.

In our uniqueness, we establish different sets of priorities – different ways of placing value on things – based on what we believe. How do we journey through the good and the bad in our lives – the easy times and the challenging ones. And, through it all, how do we find purpose and meaning?

Memorial Day helps us to be especially mindful of the sacrifices made by those who
served in our country’s armed forces. Incredibly brave men and women walked into the midst of something they did not start but were directed to bring to an end.

These were individuals whose lives exemplified James Bryce’s words:
“Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be
righteous as well as strong.”

Our memories
How often is it the case that after someone we love dies, we frequently slip into the mode of telling stories about that person?

“Remember the time when Dad did that?” “Do you remember when Aunt Sophie said that?”

If we just sit for a moment of silence and call to mind our deceased loved ones, how
quickly our minds are flooded with thoughts – so many memories. And in our remembering, we sense them close to us once again.

One’s faith
When we arrive at this third category, we are no longer looking to the accomplishments of another or finding ourselves walking through the hall of memories, but we turn our attention to our own faith journey.

John’s gospel details a powerful encounter between Martha and Jesus when he comes to Bethany to mourn the death of his friend, Lazarus. Jesus, after declaring that He is the resurrection and the life, asks Martha, “Do you believe this?”

Do you believe that there is something more to this life than just simple appearances? Do you believe that you will be reunited one day with those whom you have loved and who have died? Do you believe that those who live in the Lord never see each other for the last time?

Martha was quite clear in her resounding “yes. It is forever inscribed in the pages of sacred scripture. But what about us, you and me? How does our faith direct us to respond? Do we believe in the life that is to come? May our belief in the Resurrection be as resounding as Martha’s.

Among the myriad of intentions we lift up in prayer, let’s not forget to pray for our dear country and for all our service men and women, living and deceased.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee
Archdiocese of Milwaukee

05/19/2026

All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, the great king over all the earth. (Psalm 47:2-3)

May 19, 2026

Hello Everyone —

In a way, the feast of the Ascension of the Lord is the ultimate homecoming party for all who courageously witness to the Lord.

In his collected homilies, Fr. Flor McCarthy, SDB, recounts a wide variety of stories and legends. Among them is found the following:

The story is told that when Jesus returned to heaven after his death and resurrection,
the Archangel Gabriel was surprised to see him back so soon. And He still bore the
wounds of the crucifixion. If you think about it, thirty-three years is not a long time,
especially when you consider the importance and proportions of the task Jesus had
been given to do.

“Back so soon?” Gabriel said to Jesus.
“Well, I would have stayed longer but they crucified me,” Jesus replied.
“Oh, so they crucified you,” said Gabriel. “That means you failed.”
“Not necessarily,” said Jesus. “You see, I called together a little group of disciples.
They will carry on my work.”
“And what if they should fail?” asked a frowning Gabriel. “Surely you have made
other plans.”
Jesus replied, “Gabriel, I haven’t made any other plans. I’m counting on them.”

Last Sunday, we were reminded of the plan as recorded by St. Matthew:

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the
end of the age.” (28:18-20)

Before leaving his apostles, Jesus commissioned them to preach the Gospel to all nations. He gave them a mandate to be his witnesses in the world — to continue rolling out the plan He began. And so it has been passed down to us. The task of preaching the Gospel to the world now depends upon you and me. WE are Christ’s witnesses. It is a great privilege — but a daunting task.

The inherent beauty of the plan, fortunately, is that the disciples did not have to go it alone — nor do we. The Lord’s Ascension prepares the way for Pentecost — for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who gives to all disciples exactly what we need to go out and preach — to heal — to love — in His Name. As a result, we are empowered. Jesus ascends not to escape us but to draw all things to Himself — to make room for the Holy Spirit and to draw us into his own unfolding plan — the ongoing work of redemption.

Let us prepare ourselves to be enlivened once again by the power of God’s Spirit. Pentecost is soon upon us. Let us ask for the Advocate to renew and refresh us:

Holy Spirit, Lord divine.
Come, from heights of heav’n and shine,
Come with blessed radiance bright!
Come, O Father of the poor,
Come, whose treasured gifts endure,
Come, our heart’s unfailing light!

Light most blessed, shine with grace
In our heart’s most secret place,
Fill your faithful through and through!
Left without your presence here,
Life itself would disappear,
Nothing thrives apart from you!

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

05/13/2026

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the invocation of God in prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

May 12, 2026

Hello Everyone —

When is the last time you used the word “husbandman” in polite company or at a cocktail party? It is not a term that necessarily slips off the tongue or is found often in common parlance. Nonetheless, I’m campaigning to bring it back. Remember, I’m a farm boy by birth.

Merriam-Webster defines the term as someone who plows and cultivates land or is a specialist in some aspect of the farm. The term’s usage dates back to the 14th century. But before the term existed, St. Isidore, the Farmer (1080-1130) walked the earth.

A cursory reading of “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” provides us with a barebones sketch of St. Isidore, a.k.a. the husbandman. Although mostly unknown during his lifetime, his reputation grew considerably after his death, leading to his canonization in 1622. And if accomplishment is measured by those with whom a person is associated, Isidore won it in spades as he was raised to the dignity of the altar in the company of Ss. Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri. Quite an outstanding class of saints!

One biography concerning the saintly husbandman from Madrid, written about 150 years
after his death, captured the miraculous occurrences that punctuated the life of this farm worker, resulting from his prayerfulness and great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. By a special decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dated February 22, 1947, St. Isidore was constituted as the special protector of Catholic rural life and American farmers.

So, as the Church celebrates the memory of St. Isidore on Friday, May 15, we are given the opportunity to turn our attention to the large portion of this archdiocese that is rural and populated with farms. We raise up in our prayer the many farmers, farming families, and migrant workers who till the soil, plant and harvest, raise livestock for food or dairy products, and otherwise cooperate with God’s creative plan.

St. Isidore’s feast also allows me to draw attention to a renewed collaboration with Catholic Rural Life (CRL), a faith-based organization focused on renewing the Catholic faith in rural communities. Since 1923, CRL has been applying the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social, economic, and spiritual development of rural America, strengthening and sustaining the Church in the countryside by educating and inspiring leaders (priests, deacons, religious, and laity) through various programs and resources.

Let us ask for St. Isidore’s intercession on all dimensions of rural life in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

O God,
who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additionally, I ask your specific prayers for the following young men who will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, May 16, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Deacon Alexander Becker
Deacon Peter Danner
Deacon Joel Kolb
Deacon Andrew Swietlik
Deacon Redmond Tuttle
Deacon Nicholas Waddell

May Mary Immaculate surround them with her motherly care and love, and may St. John
Vianney accompany them always.

As I do for you, please pray for me,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

05/08/2026

💡Our Spotlight Ministry of the Month: Choir 💡

Music is the prayer the heart sings! We are looking for people who love to sing to join our choir. If interested please contact Joan Krebs at (262) 305-2774 or come to the choir loft during Mass.