St Mark Catholic Parish, Rothschild

09/02/2026

A moment with Helen...
How important is a sense of community?

The Gospel for this Sunday is from Matthew. It closes with the words, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” In meditating on this gospel reading we realize that community is very important. Not only is Jesus with us when we gather for the Eucharistic celebration, but Jesus is with us as we try to live in harmony. The first part of the reading describes how we should come to be reconciled with one another. It involves a repeated effort to come to reconciliation. Perhaps in some instance we cannot achieve this goal.

Our community is the Parish of St. Mark. We cannot forget that Jesus lives in our midst. We should always remember that Jesus is there in the assembly gathered, in the Scriptures we hear proclaimed, in the bread and wine we share and in the presider. One is not more important than another. As we struggle to always be reconciled we do it in community. In our daily life we might encounter times when we are not getting along with others. We need to reach out to one another and come to enjoy the Holy Spirit of God who lives in each of us but often in different ways.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

09/01/2026

Bishop Battersby's welcome back to Catholic School message.

As our schools open their doors for the 2026–2027 school year, Bishop Gerard W. Battersby has a message for our students, families, teachers, and superintendent throughout the Diocese of La Crosse:

youtube.com/watch?v=CDNXWzG9KoI

"God delights in you, and He aches for your companionship. One of the reasons we have Catholic schools is so that you might come to know your identity in Christ... and learn about who you are and whose you are."

Watch Bishop Battersby's full welcome message and join us in praying for a blessed and grace-filled year ahead for all our students, teachers, and families. 👇

youtube.com/watch?v=CDNXWzG9KoI

Regis Catholic Schools
Pacelli Catholic Schools
Aquinas Catholic Schools
Assumption Catholic Schools, Wisconsin Rapids Area, WI
Columbus Catholic Schools
Newman Catholic Schools
McDonell Area Catholic Schools

08/26/2026

A moment with Helen...
Do we think as God does, or do we think as the ordinary humans we are?

Jesus is always teaching us about God and God’s ways. Often we think in a way that denies the need for suffering. In Matthew’s Gospel we hear Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me.” Jesus also indicates to Peter that he is not thinking as God thinks.

What does this mean for us? When we read the Scriptures, we come to know a Jesus who accepts suffering in his life. He knows that his way to the fullness of God will require suffering. He knows that he will have to die on the cross. If we are to be followers of Jesus we should take up our cross and accept suffering knowing that God always walks with us in our suffering. If we understand that God’s way is not our way, we might be able to better understand the role of suffering in our lives. So often we pray that our suffering be taken away instead of understanding that suffering is a part of life. Jesus was human as we are human. He knew full well about suffering and so should we. When we do, we will be thinking as God thinks. We will come to know how much God loves us even in our suffering.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

08/19/2026

A moment with Helen...
Who is Jesus to you?

One of the most important things we search for is our identity. In the Gospel from Matthew this Sunday, Jesus is asking the apostles how people view him. Some think him a prophet but Jesus wants them to think more deeply. How do they view Jesus? Jesus says, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” Is it possible the human Jesus is searching for his own identity? He is helped when Peter answers that he is Christ, the Son of the living God.

We are also called to examine our own identity. Who are we? By way of our Baptism we are the sons and daughters of God. We are one with God. There is a holiness imparted to us. By way of our prayer life, we come to know that this Jesus was able to determine his identity. He came to understand that he was to be the Messiah. He was ready to suffer and die because of his love for all humanity. He was ready to rise on the third day when he came to know the fullness of God and claim his true identity. Indeed he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

08/12/2026

A moment with Helen...
Changing your mind!

Today’s gospel reading from Matthew is one of my favorites. In it Jesus changes his mind. Since he is in the region of Tyre and Sidon, he encounters a Canaanite woman who is not Jewish. She begs him to heal her daughter. He makes it clear to her that he is only concerned about the lost children of Israel. She challenges him all the while showing her respect. She points out that even the dogs eat the scraps from the table. She is asking this because she can. Jesus responds to her because of her faith. He changes his mind.

Changing our mind as Jesus did is something we need to examine in our own lives. There are many times when we need to change our minds. It might be a situation of rejecting someone of another culture. It might be rejection of others because they belong to a different denomination. It might be rejection of even a family member because they think differently than we do. The woman is persistent in asking and eventually Jesus changes his mind. He realizes that he is to be concerned for all people offering them healing. We too should be willing to change our minds.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

08/05/2026

A moment with Helen...
What is the state of our trust in Jesus?

It seems that we need a certain amount of silence to experience our trust in Jesus. We need to quiet our inner most self to be able to come to trust. The readings for this Sunday, the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, tell of the need for silence. The first reading from I Kings indicates that Elijah will find God in a tiny whispering sound. He needs to be quiet. The Gospel from Matthew tells us that Peter finds it difficult to approach Jesus. He needs to quiet himself so that he can approach Jesus when Jesus invites him to walk on water. When Peter gets out of the boat, which is caught in a storm, he can at first approach Jesus. When he becomes aware of the storm, he loses his trust and begins to sink. Jesus immediately reaches out and catches Peter.

It seems that we too need some silence within us to experience trust in Jesus. If our minds become preoccupied with many things, our trust in Jesus can waver. Our trust in Jesus can grow as we recall the many instances when God is with us. What often happens is that we become so preoccupied that our trust falters. May we always know that God is there to save us as we experience the storms of life.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

08/01/2026

Congratulations to Ian and Ashley who celebrated the Sacrament of Marriage today. May the Lord bless and protect you all the days of your lives.

07/29/2026

A moment with Helen...
Are you compassionate in the way of Jesus Christ?

Paying attention to the gospel readings we hear on Sundays gives us insight into the person of Jesus Christ. This Sunday we hear from the gospel of St, Matthew. Jesus finds it necessary to remove himself from the crowds to mourn. He is compassionate toward himself. Compassion is an understanding of someone suffering. Perhaps Jesus needed to be compassionate toward his need. He was followed by crowds and he saw their need. It is said that he had pity for them. He cured many. When his followers indicated to him that the crowd needed food, he responded by blessing what the disciples had and distributed it among the crowd. Perhaps the crowd was able to reach out to others by sharing what they had.

When we practice compassion, we find that action is necessary. The question we need to ask ourselves is can we be compassionate as Jesus was compassionate? If we say yes, we need to do something to address the needs of others. There are many needs in our world, in our neighborhoods and in our Church. When we acknowledge the needs, we should move toward concrete actions to eliminate the suffering. In this way we can join with Jesus who showed us how to be compassionate.

Helen Ackermann, St. Mark Parishioner
Retired Parish Minister

07/28/2026

Parish Picnic celebrations our Nation's 250th Anniversary.

07/22/2026

Area Youth Taco & Trivia Night

Area youth gathered at St. Mark for an evening of fellowship, tacos, and friendly trivia competition. The night was filled with laughter, teamwork, and fun as youth from across the area enjoyed hanging out together and strengthening their faith and friendships.