FRIDAY FIAT
November 2026 | St. John the Baptist Parish
Upcoming Events:
CALENDAR DATES
November 1st - All Saint's Day Party
November 9th - Social Justice and Sacred Worship meet at 6pm
November 10th - PCCW Meeting at 6pm in the Columbia room
November 13th - 14th Alpine Holidays at Columbus High School
November 17th - Finance Council meets at 6:30pm in St. Francis Hall
November 24th -Pastoral Council meets at 6:30pm in the Columbia Room
November 26th - Thanksgiving Mass at 8 am
November 28th - Giving Tree Collection begins
Reach out to Niki Viegut at nviegut@stjmf.diolcparish.org with any questions!
Youth Group Updates!
The next youth group will be Wednesday, November 4th, 7:30PM-9PM!
We will:
- Meet at 7:30pm at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery (see details below)
- Pray a Candlelight Litany of the Saints for all our deceased loved ones - all parents/families are invited to join us in the cemetery for prayer!
- Move to St. John's after prayer for Fun, Fellowship, and Food until 9pm
Youth in grades 8-12 are welcome to join us in the Francis room of St. John's primary school for youth group! Please enter through the west door that has a statue of St. Francis above it. Youth Group dates and times are below.
Wed. November 4th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. November 18th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. December 2nd - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. December 16th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. January 6th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. January 20th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. February 3rd - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. March 3rd- 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. March 31st - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. April 7th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. May 5th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. May 19th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Donations Needed for the Alpine Holiday Book Sale!
Collection boxes will be available in the narthex/entryway of St. John the Baptist Parish until November 9th. We welcome gently used books for adults, teens, tweens, and children, as well as board games and puzzles for our Alpine Holiday Book Sale. Proceeds will benefit the St. John the Baptist Youth Group. Please ensure donated books are appropriate for a general audience, and that puzzles and games have all their pieces.
March for Life 2027
We will be traveling to Washington D.C. with Pro-Life WI January 20-24 for the March for Life. If you are interested in joining us, contact David Alcott to register by November 15th to receive Early Bird pricing.
May God reward you for your support!
David Alcott, Director of Faith Formation, (715)384-3252 ext.4
Wed. November 4th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. November 18th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. December 2nd - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. December 16th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. January 6th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. January 20th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. February 3rd - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. March 3rd- 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. March 31st - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. April 7th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. May 5th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Wed. May 19th - 7:30pm to 9pm
Donations Needed for the Alpine Holiday Book Sale!
Collection boxes will be available in the narthex/entryway of St. John the Baptist Parish until November 9th. We welcome gently used books for adults, teens, tweens, and children, as well as board games and puzzles for our Alpine Holiday Book Sale. Proceeds will benefit the St. John the Baptist Youth Group. Please ensure donated books are appropriate for a general audience, and that puzzles and games have all their pieces.
March for Life 2027
We will be traveling to Washington D.C. with Pro-Life WI January 20-24 for the March for Life. If you are interested in joining us, contact David Alcott to register by November 15th to receive Early Bird pricing.
May God reward you for your support!
David Alcott, Director of Faith Formation, (715)384-3252 ext.4
It's Not Too Late to Join OCIA!
- Are you unbaptized?
- Do you have children who are unbaptized?
- Are you baptized, but haven’t received First
Communion or Confirmation? - Were you baptized in another Christian faith, but
now feel called to explore the Catholic faith? - Contact Mandy Alcott at 715-384-3252 ext 5 if you would like more information
Honoring The Dead
Join our Pastoral leadership and the Bereavement Ministry in honoring the deceased of the parish at an All Souls’ Day Mass.
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Time: 6:30pm
We will be remembering in a special way, all the parishioners that we have lost in this past year.
Lector: Laurel Rudolph-Kniech / Ann Kundinger / Joe Fischer
Eucharistic Minister: Joe Fischer / Ray Housworth
Music Minister: Cathy Heuer
In the vestibule of the church is the Book of the Names of the Dead. You are most welcome to include additional names of your deceased relatives and friends who have died since last October. This book will be there until October 31st and then will be placed on the Marian Altar. Their souls and souls of all the faithful departed will be remembered in prayer throughout November.
Columbus Catholic Corner!
Alpine Holiday is nearly here! Join us Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14 at Columbus Catholic High School for shopping, food, free live entertainment and family fun! Something for Everyone! Come hungry and stay for the fun! Enjoy Friday’s Fish Fry and Richie Yurkovich & Polkarioty, Saturday’s Pancake Brunch, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Pulled Pork Dinner, plus the Craft Boutique and FREE live entertainment throughout the weekend. We hope to see you at Alpine Holiday!
Calling All Bakers! Columbus Catholic Schools is looking for donations of homemade baked goods for our annual Alpine Holiday fundraiser on November 13 and 14! If you enjoy baking or have a favorite dessert you love to make, please consider sharing your talents to help support our schools. Please call 715-387-1177 to let us know what you would like to donate. Thank you for helping make Alpine Holiday a sweet success!
Script -Gift Cards: The holidays are fast approaching, and this is a reminder to
purchase your gift cards at the Columbus High School Office. Gift cards are available for many local businesses. This is another way to tithe to your parish as a percentage of each gift card you buy comes back to the parish. Last year we received back $1961.04 from the gift cards that parishioner purchased. Questions? The ladies in the Columbus office are happy to help.
Alpine Holiday – Calendar Raffle. Time is running out to get your Alpine Calendar Raffle tickets! Tickets are $20 each, with over $12,000 in prizes, including the $10,000 Grand Prize. Purchase your tickets today by scanning the QR code.
2026-2027 Chaplain's Fund Travel Raffle
This year, from October 7th (Our Lady of the Rosary) to December 8th (Immaculate Conception), we will be selling raffle tickets to raise money for the Chaplain's Fund. This fund helps subsidize all youth trips like the March for Life, SEEK, Adventure Camp, the Mission Trip, Steubenville Youth Conferences, etc. We accept cash or checks made out to the 'Chaplain's Fund'. Tickets are $50 each and only 600 will be sold.
This year, the grand prize is two tickets to join Fr. Clements on a 8-day Pilgrimage to Lithuania and Poland (April 12-19, 2027) or the cash value of $4000. Tickets will be sold after all the Saturday and Sunday Masses at OLP, Saint John's, and Sacred Heart, and at the OLP and Saint John's Offices between October 7th and December 8th. The winning ticket will be drawn on December 8th. Please consider buying a ticket or two or three in support of our students.
If you have any questions, contact Fr. Jared Clements (fatherclements@marshfieldparishes.org, 715.387.1177ext3316).
Thanksgiving Collection
Saturday, October 31st - Sunday November 15th
The annual Thanksgiving “food drive” will be held this year as it was last year. St. John’s will continue to help our parish families as well as St. Vincent de Paul.
Donations can be mailed in to the parish office or dropped in the lock boxes in Church. All donations must be in by November 16th. THANK YOU!
With the money received, the Social Justice Committee will purchase gift cards for groceries which will be delivered to the families before Thanksgiving. Members of St. Vincent de Paul will purchase the items needed to fill their shelves for the community assuring that the needs of many will be met.
If you or someone you know could use assistance, please contact the parish office at 715-384-3252. All information shared will be kept confidential.
Thank you for your support and kindness! If you would like to help, we ask for monetary donations only. This can be done by check (written out to St. John’s) or cash and placed in an envelope provided here or in any envelope clearly marked Thanksgiving Collection.
Every household is invited to enjoy a free 20-minute professional photo session and receive a complimentary 5x7 or 8x10 portrait. Use the QR-code or button below to sign-up. We want and need you for the directory to be complete!
Below are some important updates:
Below are some important updates:
- ONE FINAL SESSION: Nov. 30 - Dec 3.
- PARISH LIFE PICTURES NEEDED: The new directory will include photos of parish life. If you have some digital photos that capture aspects of our parish, please email them to Dan Kitzhaber drkitzhaber@gmail.com
- CENTENNIAL FAMILIES: If your family has had membership at St. John's for more than 100 years, please contact the parish office so we can honor this milestone in our new directory
Cherubs
A new season of Cherubs is about to begin in September! Cherubs is a special time at Mass where children from the ages of 4 - 6 are invited to a lesson designed just for them. To be able to offer Cherubs, we need teachers and teacher helpers! We still need to have 4 or more willing adults to teach on a rotating basis. This is also an excellent opportunity for Confirmation students! If you have a gift for working with our little ones, please contact Heather Adler at 715-897-1941. Cherubs runs through May.
Uplifting + Inspirational
Restore the Roots: November 2026
Also, with October 31 approaching, costumes are coming out, candy is filling the shelves, and spooky decorations are appearing on front porches. But did you know that Halloween actually has deep Catholic roots? There will be three parts to the Hallowtide series, including Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day through three beautifully connected parts of the family of God:
- Halloween (October 31) is dedicated to the Church Militant—that’s us on earth, still actively engaged in the spiritual battle.
- All Saints’ Day (November 1) belongs to the Church Triumphant, celebrating all the members of the Church who have successfully attained heaven.
- All Souls’ Day (November 2) acknowledges the Church Suffering, remembering the souls in Purgatory who are waiting on their purification to attain heaven.
“Let us always pray for one another” Pope Francis
Would you like to offer prayers for someone special? Our next group of young people will be confirmed next September and we need prayer warriors! This year we have 15 students from St. John the Baptist preparing for Confirmation. At their Baptism, God made a promise to them to never lose sight of them. Would you like to pray for one of these students daily through this next year? If so, please call the parish office and you will be given a card with the first name of one of these students. It is our hope that your simple daily prayer for them will help draw them closer in friendship to God. As Confirmation draws near, we ask that you prepare a Confirmation card telling the student that you have kept them in daily prayer. You can choose to sign it or not. On behalf of these students, we thank you!
The Society of St Vincent de Paul – St John’s Conference would like to thank all the Parishioners of St John’s for the great support you have provided, through your time, talent and donations. Below are the numbers of friends and neighbors we supported this past April to June:
Food Pantry-
1,243 people were served and over 107,000 lbs of food were provided.
Fellowship Meals–
1,149 people were served. Meals are served on Mondays & Wednesdays.
Med Clinic-
62 people were served.
Voucher program-
$8,633 in clothing, $1,109 in furniture, $621 in household items and $3,698 in mattresses were provided.
The conference members conducted 15 home visits. The home visit is the heart and soul of Outreach. The visit helps us determine what other needs a family may have, in a dignified manner.
·Without the support of the parishes and the community none of this would be possible.
·Envelopes for SVDPhave been added in the back of church. Your donation directly helps those in need.
·THANK YOU! If you would like to join the conference or volunteer in the food pantry or our thrift store please call Lonny Roberts (715) 751-7830
Many people would be surprised to learn that the "Home Visits" are the primary mission of this conference!
“Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude.”
Please note that there will be no First Friday devotion on Friday, July 4th.
