St. William Parish Newsletter
Volume X
Number 1
In Preparation for Easter
On March 5th, Ash Wednesday, the Season
of Lent will begin. It is a season of penance,
reflection, and fasting which prepares us for
Easter Sunday. Our foreheads will be
marked with ashes to humble our hearts and
remind us of our mortality. As he blesses
our foreheads, Father John will tell us, "Turn
away from sin and be faithful to the
Gospel." Ashes are a symbol of penance,
and they help us develop a spirit of humility
and sacrifice.
The ashes are made from the blessed palms
used in the Palm Sunday celebration of last
year. They symbolize penance and contrition
and are a reminder that God is gracious and
merciful to those who call on Him with
repentant hearts. The Church calls on us to
seek mercy during the entire Lenten season
with reflection, prayer, and penance.
On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,
Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59,
whose health enables them to do so, are
permitted to eat only one full meal that can
be supplemented by two smaller meals,
which together should not equal the full
meal. Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all
Fridays during Lent are also days of
abstinence from meat.
Ash Wednesday is the day after Shrove
Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
St. William
families will celebrate Mardi Gras on March
4th with festivities held in the Parish Hall.
More details about this celebration will be
published in the weekly bulletin. Attending
this celebration is a prayerful way to prepare
ourselves for the Lenten Season, and all
parish members are welcome.
Winter 2014
Other Lenten opportunities that will help us
prepare for Holy Week and the solemn
celebration of Easter will be published in the
bulletin in the coming weeks.
Meet New Members
of Our Parish Family
The following families
are new members of
St. William Parish.
Andrew
& Amber
Andrew is
employed at Supply
One, and Amber is
employed at Ott
Schweitzer
Distributing. They are expecting a baby in
February.
Glass.
Ross & Jennie Greenleaf. Ross is a
Broadband
Technician
at
Charter
Communications, and Jennie is a teacher at
Milton High School. They are the parents of
Harrison, age 7 months.
Patricia A. Mitchell. Patricia is employed
at Kishwaukee College. She is the mother
of one adult child.
Sara Plemon. Sara is employed at A.M.
Mailing. She is the mother of twins, Lillian
and Ethan Kendall, age 7, and Ivy
Wadsworth, 4 months.
We hope these new friends and all who have
recently joined our parish will soon come to
feel accepted into our faith family and share
their talents by volunteering for any of the
many ministries at St. William. This is a
great way to meet people and become an
active participant in their new faith
community.
and ten percent of the proceeds will be
donated to St. William School.
Parish School News
Catholic Schools Week
These are great opportunities to provide
funds that are used for the benefit of our
students and share quality time with other
families.
In spite of the bitter
cold
weather
that
closed schools the first
two days of Catholic
Schools Week, students
enjoyed
the
week
Registration for School
Year 2014-2015
dedicated to recognizing
Registrations are now being accepted for the
2014-15 school year. Tours are available
and welcome at any time; just call the school
office at 608-755-5184 to arrange a time.
the many benefits of a
Catholic School education. This year's theme
was "Catholic Schools: Communities of
Faith, Knowledge, and Service".
A "Kindergarten Kick-Off" will be held on
Friday, March 21st. This is a chance for
next year's kindergarten students to meet the
teacher and each other while experiencing a
shortened day of kindergarten.
In keeping with this theme, students prayed
for special requests submitted by
parishioners. The requests were submitted
on slips of colored paper which were linked
together as a chain throughout the entire
school.
For specific details and to register, please
call the school office at 608-755-5184.
Parishioners also had an opportunity to be
part of the celebration. Volunteers from the
parish acted as "Rocking Chair Readers" by
reading a favorite book to a grade of their
choice. This has been a traditional activity
that is one of the favorite of the students.
Sponsor-A-Student Campaign 2014
Catholic Schools Week served as the kickoff to our 2014 Sponsor A Student
Campaign. All donations are used as partial
tuition scholarships for families who value a
Catholic School education for their child but
are unable to pay the full amount of tuition.
Please consider donating to this campaign.
Checks made payable to St. William School
can be sent to the attention of Diane Rebout,
Principal. For more information or
questions, please contact Mrs. Rebout at
608-755-5184.
Students enjoyed many fun activities during
the shortened week celebration.
Open House was held at the school on
January 29th. Parents and staff acted as
guides. Visitors saw the classrooms, met the
staff, and viewed samples of the quality of
work done by the students.
Enjoy Dinner Out - Support
St. William School
News From the
Office
of Faith
Formation
On February 18th, why not join other parish
families and dine out at Culver's on Court
Street. Ten percent of the proceeds from 4-8
pm will be donated to our school.
To close the first semester
of Faith Formation, a
special party was held to celebrate Jesus'
Also, on March 20th, you can celebrate the
first day of spring by dining at Mac's Pizza,
2
birthday. All of the birthday presents were
donations to this year's service project, the
Pregnancy Helpline. Once again, our
families were very generous, and the baskets
were overflowing with diapers and wipes.
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the word, for I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me, I was
in prison and you visited me." Matthew
Second grade students have had a great start
getting ready to celebrate the Sacrament of
Reconciliation on March 12th. As part of
their mini-retreat, students decorated a
personal cross that represents them as a
child of God. The crosses will be displayed
in the church during Lent.
25:34-36
And the King will then answer them,
"Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of
the least who are members of my family,
you did it to me." Matthew 25:40
During the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday,
February 16th, the freshman class will be
affirmed and blessed into the Confirmation
Formation Process to assist them on their
continuing journey.
Did you know that St. William Catholic
School has 166 students, pre-K - 8th grades.
More St. William Catholic School year
2013-14 facts:
 Increase of five students over last
school year.
 Second highest enrollment of the
four Janesville Catholic Schools.
 Average student-teacher ratio is
14/1.
 Cost of educating a student is
$4,600.00.
 Tuition cost for school year 2013-14
is $1,700.00.
 Second lowest tuition of the four
Janesville Catholic Schools.
 Difference between these figures is
made up through parish support and
fundraisers.
 employs 15 full-time and 12 parttime staff members
Please watch the Sunday bulletin for more
information about the March 4th Mardi Gras
celebration.
All are welcome to
attend the Ash Wednesday
Mass on March 5th at 6:30
pm.
Did You Know?
Did you know that through the generosity of
St. William Parish members, 100 children
and 36 families from our Madison and
Washington Elementary Schools enjoyed a
more special Christmas, also, an average of
18 men each night received food and shelter
during the week that St. William Parish
hosted
the G.I.F.T.S. program (Men's
Homeless Shelter) in November, and over
200 Parker High School students were
provided help with food, clothing, and
personal hygiene items through donations to
The Parker Closet.
According to a recent parent survey, the
number one reason for sending their child to
St. William Catholic School is the high
quality academic instruction. The other four
top reasons were:
 Religious instruction
 Nurturing faculty
 Family atmosphere
 Class size
"Then the king will say to those at his right
hand, Come, you that are blessed by my
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Did you know that The Adult Spirit Club
acts through its members from area parishes
to prayerfully support, empower, and
educate in spirituality, friendship, and
service. It is open to all area men and
women, and there are no membership dues,
although a free will offering is accepted at
each meeting.
April 4th. Tickets will be available at the
door. You will not want to miss witnessing
the talents of all of our 5th-8th grade
students.
Girl Scout Troop 3178
It has been several years
since St. William has
offered Girl Scouts, and
we are excited to have
new TROOP 3178 up and
running!
Meetings are held the second Wednesday of
each month September through May at St.
John Vianney Marian Hall. The facility is
wheelchair accessible.
Jamie Stout is the Troop
and Daisy Leader, Becky
O'Leary leads the Brownies with the help of
Stephanie Mills, and Wendy Rainiero assists
with the Cadettes.
A potluck luncheon is shared beginning at
noon, followed by a program at 1:00 pm.
Each attendee is asked to bring a dish to
pass and personal table service.
The March meeting will be held on
Wednesday, March 12th. The Questors of
Rock County will present a program
regarding their goals.
Girls Scouts is an organization dedicated to
offering girls vast opportunities to work with
others, become leaders, and help their local
communities and worldwide organizations,
all while having FUN!!
Featuring Our Young Stars
In the short time the troop has been together,
the Scouts have been actively involved in
the ECHO Thanksgiving food drive, and
they made Christmas cards for our soldiers.
They have gone sledding and plan to go
roller skating, ice skating, horseback riding,
camping, and perhaps spend a night at the
Discovery Center in Rockford, IL. Many
other events are offered through the
Badgerland Council.
Serra Club Annual Student
Recognition Honorees
This year, Luke Klubertanz and Riley
McDade were honored at the Serra Club
Annual Student Recognition Mass and
Luncheon held at St. William Church.
Seventeen students from area Parish
Religious Education Programs and schools
received this award for exemplifying the
practice of their faith and demonstrating a
commitment of service to the church and
their parish.
Delicious Girl Scout
Cookies will be available
for immediate purchase
after weekend Masses in the
Church narthex beginning February
15th through March 2nd. There will also be
a "drive-in" cash/check and carry sale at the
O'Leary Dental office parking lot on
Sunday, February 9th from 10 am-12 pm, as
well as booths at various businesses. Of
course, the girls will offer traditional orders
Congratulations to Luke and Riley!
Performance of Godspell Jr.
The Middle School students will be
performing Godspell Jr. as their spring
musical. New this year is a matinee
performance as well as an evening
performance. Both will be held on Friday,
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to be delivered late March. These sales
teach the girls to set goals, conduct sales,
and budget, as well as provide financing for
future awesome activities. It is an allaround win when you purchase these
delectable treats. Oh...and check out our
new gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread
cookie.
Consider
supporting
Troop 539 by attending
their 18th Annual Prime
Dinner on March 29,
2014. The price of a
ticket is $16.00, though pricing may vary as
the event draws near, so hurry to buy.
Scouting is a great opportunity to help our
young men achieve leadership skills as well
as teamwork, outdoor, and camping skills.
There is a wide variety of interests and
activities that might be just right for your
son or grandchild. The Troop meets Sunday
evenings at 6:30 pm in the Parish Hall.
Please contact Kevin O'Leary, Scoutmaster,
at 758-2004 for more details about joining
Troop 539.
Troop 3178 is full of lively, friendly girls,
and it is open to any girl K-8th grade
interested in having wonderful adventures.
The Troop meets every third Tuesday, 3:15
pm-5:00 pm at St. William School.
For more information, please contact Jaime
or Becky at gstroop3178@gmail.com or
look at the www.gsbadgerland.org website.
Boy Scout Troop 539
Coming Events
Boy Scout Troop 539 began the
new
year
with
new
leadership elections.
Elected to lead the
Troop
as
Senior
Patrol Leader was Ted
Charnecki.
His Assistant
Senior Patrol Leader is Colin Parker. The
'Phoenix' patrol will be led by Alex Fugate,
and the 'Radioactive Killer Rabbit' patrol
will be led by Daniel O'Leary.
Annual St. William Rummage Sale
Do you have that
"cabin fever", "can't
wait for spring", "pent
up energy because it's
too cold to go outside"
feeling?
Why not
tackle those "winter
blues" by delving into your cupboards,
closets, and basements and clean out those
spaces. St. William Annual Rummage Sale
is just the place to donate all those items that
at one time you just could not live without!
Dee Lancour and Sharon Treinen are already
making plans for this huge undertaking.
They will need many volunteers to help sort,
price, and display all of the donated items.
New faces are more than welcome to help
with this event. Watch the weekly bulletins
for more information as the dates of sale
approach.
Pictured above is Ted Charnecki being
sworn in as Senior Patrol Leader.
5
You will experience the journey of the
Passion, Crucifixion, and the Glorious
Resurrection of Jesus with beautiful music.
WED, APRIL 23rd - 3:00-8:00pm
Drop Off - Sort - Price
Special Notes
THUR, APRIL 24th - STOP IN
ANY TIME 8:00am-8:00pm
2014 Distinguished
Graduate Award
Drop Off - Sort - Price
We are pleased to honor Tom Gehl as the
recipient of the 2014 Distinguished
Graduate Award. Recipients of this award
are honored for a life of service to their
church and community.
FRI, APRIL 25th - 8:00am-Noon
Continue Pricing and set-up for Sale
FRI, APRIL 25th - 4:00-7:00pm
Tom is a 1971 graduate of St. William
Catholic School. He graduated from Parker
High School and went on to graduate from
Northwestern University and the School of
Police Staff and Command in Evanston, IL.
He is a retired Commander from the Rock
County Sheriff's Office.
SALE BEGINS!
Straighten Tables and Cashier
SAT, APRIL 26th
8:00 am-5:00pm
A member of Nativity of Mary Parish in
Janesville, Tom has served on the school
board, Parish Council, and as Parish Trustee.
He has also volunteered with the St. William
Boy Scout program for several years.
SALE ALL DAY!
HELP NEEDED ALL DAY
Straighten Tables and Cashier
Tom and his wife, Beth, have two children,
Erin and Patrick, who are graduates of St.
Mary School.
SUN, APRIL 27th - 9:00am-Noon
$2.00/BAG SALE
Tom stated, "I believe that a Catholic
education is important to the development of
a whole person - religious, moral, ethical,
academic, and outward looking."
1:00 - 3:00pm
CLEAN-UP!!
He has often been reminded of the influence
that St. William has had in his life. His
favorite memories of attending school at St.
William involve participating in classes and
activities.
Easter Cantata
The combined choirs of
St. Peter Lutheran
Church and St. William
Parish will again be
presenting an Easter Cantata on Sunday,
April 27th at 2:00 pm and again at 7:00 pm
at St. William Church.
Congratulations to Mr. Tom Gehl on his
many accomplishments and being named the
2014 St. William Catholic School
Distinguished Graduate!
6
The focus of the organization is to help
widows move forward after the death of a
spouse.
Whether a widow is newly
widowed, single, remarried, struggling or
thriving, Modern Widows Club is available
to bring women together in a warm,
comforting environment. The Janesville
Chapter of Modern Widows Club began
holding monthly social gatherings in
January of this year.
Calling All Alumni
The St. William Education and Faith
Formation Committee has been diligently
compiling a list of all St. William School
alumni. The goal is to mail the alumni an
annual newsletter each February. If you are
an alumnus, or if you know of one, to be
added to the alumni list, please email the
name, current address, and the year of
graduation to stwilliam@charter.net.
For more information, contact Annette Vogel
Little at Annette@modernwidowsclub.com or
Home and School Scholarships
visit www.ModernWidowsClub.com and
click on Chapters and read more about
Janesville's chapter.
Again this year, the St. William Home and
School Association will be awarding a
scholarship to two high school seniors who
will be pursuing further education at a
technical or four-year college. Applications
are available in the high school counselor
offices, or call the St. William school office,
Men's Retreat
The St. William Parish Retreat for Men is
scheduled for February 21-23 at the
Redemptorist Center in Oconomowoc.
or email a request to principal@stwilliam.net.
The deadline for applications is April 4,
The retreat's theme is "We are a People of
Hope!". Our natural human hope is limited.
The Virtue of Hope, which comes from
God, flows from our Faith in God's promises
and His parental love for us.
2014. The awards will be presented at the
high school awards night.
Scholarship
money will be awarded the second semester
with required documentation.
Modern Widows Club
Janesville, WI Chapter
To register, call 262-567-6900.
Prayer for Military Personnel
Two St. William parishioners, Annette
Vogel Little and Sherrie Szemraj, recently
founded Modern Widows Club which is one
of ten new chapters in the United States.
Annette acts as the chapter leader and
Sherrie as co-leader.
O Prince of Peace, we
humbly ask Your protection
for all our men and
women in military service.
Give them unflinching
courage to defend with
honor, dignity, and devotion
Becoming a widow is full of challenges.
Aiming to help guide widows through this
journey, The Modern Widows Club (MWC)
was formed in 2011 by Carolyn Moore of
Orlando, Florida. It is a widow mentoring
movement consisting of local MWC social
chapters that are connected within
communities.
the rights of all who are
imperiled by injustice and
evil. Protect our land and its peoples from
enemies from within and without. Grant an
early peace with victory founded upon
justice. Instill in the hearts and minds of
men and women everywhere a firm purpose
to live forever in peace and good will toward
all. Amen
7
St. William Parish
1815 Ravine Street
Janesville, WI 53548
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Janesville, WI 5358
Permit #1283
Return Service Requested
"Oh Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures."
Psalm 104:24
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
02/09 - Girl Scout Cookie Sale - O'Leary Dental Office Parking Lot - 10am-Noon
02/15 thru 03-02 - Girl Scout Cookie Sale - St. William Church Narthex After Weekend Masses
02/15 - Knights of Columbus Euchre Tournament - 5:30 Reg./6:00 Cards - Parish Hall
02/16 - Sacrament of Confirmation Formation Process - 10:30am Mass
02/18 - Dinner-Out Night - Culver's, Court St. - 4-8pm
02/21-23 - St. Wiliam Parish Retreat for Men - Redemptorist Center - Oconomowoc
03/05 - Ash Wednesday - Lent Begins - Mass - 6:30pm
03/12 - Sacrament of Reconciliation - St. William Church
03/12 - Adult Spirit Club - St. John Vianney Marian Hall - Noon
03/20 - Dinner-Out Night- Mac's Pizza -4-8 pm
03/29 - Boy Scout 539 18th Annual Prime Rib Dinner - Parish Hall
04/04 - Godspell Jr. Performance - School Gym - Afternoon and Evening Performances
04/23 thru 27 - Annual Rummage Sale and Preparation -Parish Hall
04/29 - St. Peter Lutheran and St. William Catholic Churches Combined Choirs Cantata St. William Church - 2 & 7pm
8