St. Mary & St. John Parishes

09/08/2026

Good morning, my friends!

What a sunrise God gave us this morning!

As I stood looking at that incredible sky behind St. Mary, I couldn’t help but smile at the timing.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! 💙

There is something wonderfully appropriate about beginning Mary’s birthday with such a beautiful dawn.

The Church has long seen Mary as the dawn announcing the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. In fact, that beautiful image is why our parish newsletter is called The Dawn’s Herald.

The dawn isn’t the light itself. It tells us the light is coming.

And Mary does the same.

Her birth was the quiet beginning of something the world could not yet see. God’s plan of salvation was unfolding. Jesus was coming.

One of the Gospel options for Mass today tells that story in a rather interesting way:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…”

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23.

Give it a read sometime. 😎

That long list of names is the Gospel I get to proclaim every year at Christmas Eve Mass!

I still remember the first time I had to proclaim it. I was terrified. So many names. So many opportunities for a deacon to get himself into trouble!

Then came the first time I had to preach about it.

I may have been even more terrified! 😉

But somehow, the Holy Spirit handled it.

Why do I worry?

Because when we get past all those difficult names, Matthew is telling us something beautiful.

God works through real people and real families. Through saints and sinners. Through beautiful stories and messy ones. Through generations of people who probably had no idea how their little part fit into God’s much bigger plan.

And then, near the end of that long genealogy, we come to Mary.

A young woman who couldn’t possibly see everything that lay ahead.

She simply trusted God enough to say yes.

Maybe that is why these words from Psalm 63 in Morning Prayer struck me this morning:

“For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life…”

None of us knows exactly where our little “yes” to God fits into His much bigger story.

Mary didn’t either.

She trusted.

And perhaps that spectacular dawn over St. Mary this morning is a reminder for all of us:

God is always at work, even when we cannot yet see what He is doing.

The dawn tells us the light is coming.

So today, on our Blessed Mother’s birthday, perhaps we can ask for a little more of her trust and a little more courage to simply say yes.

And when we start worrying about everything that comes next?

Well…

The Holy Spirit will handle it.

Why do I worry? 😊

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! Pray for us. 💙🙏

Mass tonight at 6:00 PM in the Chapel at St. Mary. Come celebrate with us!

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

St. John’s Update - The roof is having additional work done to prevent further water from getting into church. This past week we found out great news that the testing of the insulation that blew into church was negative for asbestos. This allowed us remove the the carpeting to prevent mold from growing. Now we need to have the glue and tile tested for asbestos.
To ensure the safety of the Statuary, we have removed them from the walls of the sanctuary and front of the nave.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day, my friends! 🇺🇸

What a blessing to have a three-day weekend and a little extra time to rest, recharge…and, apparently in my case, lay out new plant beds and plant grass. 😉

I’ve been working on redoing some of our landscaping after losing some trees that were prominent in the yard in the tornado. Landscaping has always brought me joy, and I’m beginning to look at this as an opportunity to do some things I probably never would have done otherwise.

Of course, I tend to design as I go. I move something here, stand back and look at it, move something else there, stand back again…and eventually decide where everything belongs.

This drives Deb crazy. 😂 She is a visual person and would much rather see the plan before we start the plan! Somehow, after all these years, we make it work.

Maybe there’s a little Labor Day lesson in that.

So much of our work—and our lives—doesn’t come with a finished blueprint. Sometimes we simply take the next step, do the work in front of us, and trust that God can bring something beautiful from it.

That seems especially true after everything our community has been through these past weeks. None of us would have chosen the storm or what was lost. But little by little, we are rebuilding, replanting and discovering new possibilities.

The concluding prayer from Morning Prayer seems especially fitting today:

“Lord God,
king of heaven and earth,
direct our minds and bodies throughout this day,
and make us holy.”

Whatever your “labor” looks like today—whether you are working, resting, rebuilding, planting something new, or simply enjoying the people you love—may God direct it all.

And hopefully Deb will eventually approve of where I put everything. 😉🌳

Happy Labor Day, my friends. May your work be blessed and your rest be renewing! 🙏
In Christ,
Deacon Don

09/06/2026

Every day, faithful Catholics throughout northeast Wisconsin lead with integrity, compassion, and service. The Faith That Works Awards celebrate individuals whose faith influences the way they work and serve others.

If someone comes to mind, now is the time to recognize them.

Nominate a deserving individual today! onmiss.io/FaithThatWorks

09/06/2026

Good Sunday morning, my friends! ☕️🙏

After preaching at Mass last night, Deb and I enjoyed dinner with some dear friends. It was wonderful simply to unwind, laugh, enjoy their company — and, of course, share some Luigi’s pizza! 🍕😊

This morning, as I settled into Morning Prayer, I came to one of my favorite Sunday canticles from the Book of Daniel. Again and again comes the invitation:

“Bless the Lord.”

All creation is invited to bless Him — the heavens and the earth, the sun and moon, the rain and dew, the winds, the mountains, the seas, and finally, all God’s people.

And I thought: It’s Sunday. What better day to bless the Lord?

To bless Him for another week completed.
For friends who walk beside us.
For laughter around a table.
For the strength to keep going.
For the blessings we sometimes overlook because life gets so busy.

Whatever this past week held for you — joys, struggles, exhaustion, gratitude, or a little bit of everything — today we gather again and simply say:

Bless the Lord. Praise and exalt Him above all forever.

Have a beautiful and blessed Sunday, my friends!

In Christ,
Deacon Don

09/05/2026

23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, St. Mary & St John the Baptist at St Patrick’s. Fr Matthew Settle presiding, Deacon Don Schultz Homilist.

09/05/2026

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. St. Mary and St. John the Baptist Mass at St. Patrick’s. Fr. Matt Settle presiding, Deacon Don Schultz homilist.

09/05/2026

Friends, please consider coming to CIA on September 21 at the Xavier Fine Arts Center to see Sr. Nancy Murray (Bill Murray’s sister!) and her presentation on St. Katherine Drexel. There will be a free will offering collected and all donations will come back to us for Tornado Relief. I will be there so I ask you to join me! Blessings, Deacon Don!