Was in Stevens Point for work this week... A reader (Hi Cheryl!) saw my comment on a blog post from a while back that I would like to visit Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Wisconsin Rapids while I was in the area, emailed me and invited me for evening Mass and a potluck supper. First, pictures!
Notice the Latin:)
Sts. Peter and Paul was renovated in 2010-11. A great example of a renovation done well (the church's website is very good, too, btw; they have pictures of the renovation process, if you're interested.)
On Tuesdays, a 5:15pm Mass is held, then Vespers, and then the potluck. (A Latin Mass is also held on Sundays for those who may be interested...) Thank you, again, to the parishioners who welcomed us into their supper!
About a half-dozen homeschool families compose the St. Guido Guild at the parish. St. Guido is the patron saint of sacristans. Many of the homeschool families' boys are altar servers; before and after the potluck supper, the boys tend to caring for the sacristy, changing linens, etc.
It's hard to explain, but I really felt at home at this parish. One of the families I met had 13 children, and as someone with 85-ish first cousins, that may be part of it! Being introduced as "Virginia from the Badger Catholic" had a nice ring to it, ha! Too bad the parish is more than 2 hours from Milwaukee. If any of you readers live/visit the Wisconsin Rapids area and are parish-shopping for a traditional parish, I would recommend checking out Sts. Peter and Paul. Fr. Jim Altman, the parish priest, is solid as well.
This photo is from church basement/cafeteria, where we had supper. Growing up, my parents had similar pictures above the fireplace mantle, and we would always say our family Rosary in front of pictures like this. I remarked how it was wonderful to see so much of the church preserved and well cared for, and a parishioner said the priest (now passed on) who was here for 40 years refused to, as the priest said, "Protestantize anything." So there you have it.
4 comments:
Hi Virginia!
How wonderful your trip was on a Tuesday and you could join us! Hope your entire trip turned out well for you - we await your 40 Days for Life video :-)
Hopefully we Guido Guild members will get to meet the other Badger Catholic and his family the next time we venture to La Crosse - which will likely be the ordinations in June.
Dear Virginia,
Thank you for the kind words regarding this great parish, and the awesome parish families who zealously stand up for their Catholic Faith. I am privileged to serve them. The Tuesday evening Holy Mass is particularly joy-filled, with lots of "voices" of God's precious little ones. You and your family are welcome to visit any time! I wish you Grace and peace,
God bless,
Fr. Jim Altman
Just as a side note, the Tridentine Mass is said only on the first Sunday of the month.
Good pictures!
What a lovely blog post. We have just found Sts. Peter and Paul and the Guido Guild. How blessed we are to have been so warmly welcomed. It was very nice to meet you last Tuesday.
Annabelle Wall
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