April Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation
What do you know about the Vatican Swiss Guard?
The Swiss Papal Guard protects the Pope. Wearing uniforms designed by Michelangelo and commonly armed with halberds, they are capable of using heavier weapons if needed. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft.
Each member is Catholic, male, and Swiss and must complete military training in Switzerland. They must demonstrate good conduct and be at least five-foot-eight in height. The Swiss Papal Guard is the oldest active military unit in continual existence since 1506. They are willing to give their lives for the Pope, in extreme circumstances.
Fox Valley Vicariate Day – May 7th at St. Katharine Drexel (St. Mary’s Site) in Kaukauna
This event is free of charge and RSVPs are not required. Parking is available in the lot on 7th and Main or on the street. If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Lefeber, Vicariate Coordinator at clefeber@gbdioc.org or at (920) 272-8286.
CIA-Faith Mission Operatives ministry is excited to present “God’s Healing through Music, Story & Art” on April 22nd at Xavier Fine Arts
On Monday, April 22nd at 7 p.m. at the Xavier Fine Arts Theatre, our CIA-Faith Mission Operatives ministry is excited to present “God’s Healing through Music, Story & Art”. This special night will bring together internationally known singer/songwriter and recording artist Luke Spehar, author Bob Kroll (“The Father Wound”), and artist Brian Keliher (Ars Deo “Art for God”).
CIA-Faith Mission Operatives is an all-volunteer, lay Catholic ministry recognized by the Diocese of Green Bay. It exists to encourage and enable Catholics to “investigate their faith” through a variety of events involving speakers, live performances, films, etc. We gratefully acknowledge our collaboration with St. Francis Xavier High School, Appleton WI.
Calling all high school students! Join us for Prom Mass on April 27th!
Start off your Prom with the beautiful tradition at St. John Nepomucene where you attend the 4:30 p.m. Mass and receive a special blessing!
We are looking for high school students to participate in the readings and Prayers of the Faithful during Mass. Please contact Tyler in the Faith Development Office at (920) 788-9033 or at tsterr@stjn.org if you are interested or have any questions.
FORMED Video of the Month for April – St. John Nepomucene
“The Search Begins” is a series hosted by Chris Stefanick that asks teenagers life’s tough questions and what’s the purpose of life. It explores the person of Jesus Christ and how young people can respond to his invitation.
The Search Begins emphasizes why teens should care to ask life’s tough questions. It features teen commentary and facilitates honest conversations between teens and their youth ministers, parents, teachers and peers.
FORMED! The best Catholic content – all in one place!
Did you know that St. John Nepomucene is welcoming you to sign-up and enjoy FORMED for FREE! Please see the information below and to sign-up, please click the following link: formed.org/signup.
Diaconate Inquirer Luncheon – April 27th at the Diocese of Green Bay, Melania Hall
All men discerning the permanent diaconate and their wives are invited to join us for prayer, lunch, and an informational session on Saturday, April 27th at 11:00 am. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the vocation to the diaconate and the application process for the next cohort beginning in the fall of 2025.
There is no cost to attend and we ask that you RSVP by April 15th. You may sign up at: onmiss.io/InquirerLuncheon. For any questions or for more information, please contact Heidi Rosenthal at hrosenthal@gbdioc.org.
Here are a few dates with the opportunity to support our Youth going to Catholic Heart Work Camp this year! Stop by in front of the Holy Spirit School (located at Cty Rd KK) on the following Saturdays:
April 13th, April 20th & April 27th
May 4th & May 11th
To learn more about Catholic Heart Workcamp, please click here!
Construction Site Update / Contractor Parking Lot – St. John Nepomucene
Please note that the contractor parking lot area is for contractors only. This area is located in the church parking lot to the left of the church when you drive in from Vandenbroek Street.
Please do not park in the inside of this area when the gates are open. Also, please do not block the gate or park in front of it as the contractors come and go throughout the day.
This is for everyone’s safety and we ask that you abide by these guidelines. Please contact the parish office if you have any questions at (920) 788-9061. Thank you.
Updated Stipend and Stole Fee Structure – Effective July 1, 2024
The Diocese of Green Bay and our parishes are grateful to all those who have generously provided a donation for Masses, funerals, weddings and Quinceaneras in the past. The donation for these sacraments and services has remained the same for over thirty years throughout the Dioceses of Wisconsin. Recently, when the Bishops of the State of Wisconsin gathered, they decreed that stipends should be adjusted to reflect the current time. The new stipend structure is as follows:
This new fee structure will become effective July 1, 2024. It will not be applied retroactively to those who have already paid the appropriate amount from the former fee scale. The new fee structure will be applied to all new requests received as of July 1, 2024. As always, if someone is not able to offer the stipend, the parish is always happy to provide the sacrament or service with no fee. Please know, too, that any stipend money collected goes to the parish in support of its ministry and services provided to the parish community; it does not go personally to the priest.
Please contact the parish office at (929) 788-9061 if you have any questions.
You may have heard at Mass last month that during the demolition of our old parish office, which was built in 1960, we found a time capsule behind the cornerstone. After opening, we found some materials from 1957-1967.
A $1000 Bank Note with the date December 15, 1840 was among the treasures. After a little online research, however, the bank note is a hoax. You can see the serial number is 8894, and according to Coin Word, it’s the most common fakes in history! Apparently it was produced in mass quantities in the 1960’s on fake parchment and put in cereal boxes as a promotion. If the serial number had been 8893, it would’ve been worth $1,920, but in this case, it’s worth $0.
There was a photo of the current pastor into the time capsule, Fr. Marty H. Vosbeek, who was pastor from 1956 – 1969. Fr. Ron is begging the staff not to do the same with his own photo.
Several newspaper clippings were included. Pictures of them are below. We hope to display some of these articles in our new parish center. One article says, “The Indians had, of course, made the early history of St. John Church. The first wedding there took place on Feb. 1, 1836, when Peter Quoquinata took Theresia Wahetin for his bride; and the first baptism was that of baby Paul Sawanon, son of Comaicin and Maria Mitamon.”
There were also several Annual Reports. Did you know, the overall cost of the parish office building built in 1960 was $150,000 compared to our current parish office building that’ll cost $7 million? The 1956-57 report states that St. Johns had about 1500 families, and it also included how much each family gave to the parish that year, when the annual suggestion appeared to be $156. “Wouldn’t that be fun to do!” Fr Ron said, jokingly of course. Other notable amounts: the pastor salary and car allowance was $1,500, the approximately 15 nuns in the grade school and high school had a combined total income of only $11,000, the choir director earned $300 in a year and St. Johns gave $2,000 to the diocese.
A dollar bill given to Fr. Marty from Daniel Steinberg, Jr. on October 3, 1958 with a written note on a napkin from the Butte Des Morts Golf Club.
A plaque reading “Alter Consecrated by Most Rev. Bishop P. P. Rhode on Oct. 28, 1917; Relics enclosed of Saints Mansveti and Vitalis; Rev. J. J. Sprangers Pastor”
And finally a photo of Midnight Mass in 1966. The church looks a little different!
St. John Nepomucene Catholic Community 