In the Second Book of Samuel, and recounted

again in the First Book of Chronicles, there is

the obscure but very instructive story of King

David deciding to take a census of the people

of Israel. At first glance this seems like a

harmless thing to do especially to a society

such as ours which counts people

continually. Therefore it might also puzzle us

to read the rest of that Old Testament story and discover that

David “greatly sinned” by deciding to number the people,

incurring God’s wrath as a result.

The reasons for David’s decision to count his people, and the

reasons for God’s anger over this action, are not obvious

from the text itself, but some safe speculation on our part is

in order. In the ancient world, as with today, only someone

who was a rightful owner of something could count it.

Numbering something was, and is, an act of making a claim

of belonging on it and of mastery over it. For King David to

order a census was to behave like a secular, pagan ruler who

believed he had sole title to his realm and his people. This

was not the acceptable way of the King of Israel who should

have known that the Israelites belonged to God, not to the

King.

King David was looking for some source of earthly strength

or security, some type of prideful measurement, in

numbering what had become a large nation under his

rule. God would have none of it. “A King is not saved by

his army, nor a warrior preserved by his strength” (Psalm

33:16). Israel’s refuge is the Lord, and Israel belongs to the

Lord. David had succumbed to the classic temptation to base

his measurement of success on numbers, even though God

had shown him over and over again that in the great battles

for the nation of Israel, and of salvation, God’s math is very

different than ours. In Old Testament math, over and over

again, God’s smaller army defeats the larger ones, but only as

long as God’s army places its trust in God and not in its own

devices which are feeble.

The story of David’s census has been on my mind a lot these

days for various reasons. For one, I have been counting

money a bit more carefully these days at the parish because

our regular stewardship and revenue stream has been tougher

to predict which has been an operational challenge for the

mission of the parish.

That said, I am also reminded that our true treasure is in

heaven where neither moth nor rust can destroy it (Matthew

6:20). Maybe God is trying to tell me that we don’t need

money at Cabrini? Time will tell.

I am also more and more aware that over the last seven years

that I have been pastor of the parish, our school enrollment,

baptism numbers, sacramental numbers, CCD numbers, Mass

attendance numbers, parish family count, and revenues have

all declined. To be fair, these are all trends that I inherited

when I took over, but, to my dismay, and in spite of my

tireless efforts, I have not been able to reverse them.

As pastors of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we are given

memo after memo these days about the same trends occurring

all across the Archdiocese of declining counts in so many

categories. We are told that we need to attract people back to

Mass by offering more upbeat hymns, friendlier homilies,

and more smiling people at our front doors.

There are multiple problems with this whole picture. One

would be that we have been singing upbeat, vacuous hymns

and preaching fluffy homilies across the Archdiocese for

decades now and it clearly has not reversed our numbers

problem. I would say it has actually made it worse for

reasons I will get into another time.

There is also the problem of David. I do not think that God

wants us to become a numbers obsessed Church. Granted,

everyone of us should be intensely concerned about why we

do not have more disciples, more children, more adults, more

marriages and the like because God has commanded us to

make more of these things (that includes having babies: “be

fruitful and multiply,” Genesis 1:28).

Continued on Page 2...

...it is easy to make the

mistake of thinking big

numbers mean strength,

or that it is from something

that WE did rather than God.

“Do Numbers Matter?” by Father Nathan

Family Members: Emily is the new Associate Director of Catholic Formation at SFC.

(see page 3 for more info on our new formation program) Wil is a Teacher/Athletic Director and

Gianna Marie is 10 months old.

Favorite Part about being involved at SFC:

I am super excited to begin to work with the Catholic Formation program and all

the people involved with it. I am very grateful for feeling so welcome already and looking

forward to all God’s graces to come.

Favorite Prayer: Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer

Favorite Saint: Saint Gianna Molla

What are some of your favorite things to do as a family?

We love baseball; playing it, watching it or coaching it - it has always been a big part of our family.

Music has also been a large part of our family and our traditions.

Recipe to Share: The recipe I am shar ing is my grandma’s coffee cake. It is affectionately known as “Patty Cake”

around my family, named after my grandma Patty Rauh. This was a Sunday favorite that my dad made after Church on Sunday

mornings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ c. Flour

1 c. Sugar

3 Level tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 egg in 1 c. measuring cup

filled with milk

1 tsp Vanilla

3 T. Melted Butter

Cinnamon & Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°

Sift flour & sugar together.

Add baking powder, salt, egg, & milk to dry ingredients.

Then add vanilla and melted butter.

Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over top of batter (when in

9x13 cake tin).

Bake 35 mins.

Top with melted butter while still hot.

ENJOY!

Visit www.formed.org Log in using our parish code: TDRZJQ

“Patty Cake” Coffee Cake

Continued from Page 1… At the same time, if one only focuses on the numbers it is easy

to become deceived about the apparent need to compromise

our core principles and to soften our message just to gain

followers. To put it another way, it is easy to make the

mistake of thinking big numbers mean strength, or that it is

from something that WE did rather than God. David

abandoned fidelity, mistaking numbers for a sign of his

amazing administrative genius, forgetting that it was God, all

along, who had given him everything. As a result, he brought

disaster on his people.

Numbers do matter, it is true. But, they are a tricky thing, and

a spreadsheet is a seductive mistress. In the end, I think it is

better to simply be faithful to the teachings of the Gospel, and

to the most difficult teachings of the Church, even at the risk

of turning some away, so that God can be in charge of

counting. He is much better at numbering the true members

of his flock than I am.

Blessings,

Father Nathan

Have you Binge-Watched anything worth your time lately? Check out FORMED...It’s FREE!

HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR ROOTED?

WHO:

Families with children in K4 through twelfth grade (one time for all age levels!)

WHAT:

ROOTED which is a Family Formation Program starting in the Fall of 2018 for all Catholic families

being hosted at Saint Frances Cabrini. Families come together once a month for fellowship, catechesis

(teaching) and practical ways to grow in one’s faith.

WHERE:

Saint Frances Cabrini Parish and School

WHEN:

ONLY once a month! We know you are busy – we wanted to create a program that would be relevant

for the whole family. Each session will have time to spend together as a family, and time for parents

and children to learn separately. Topics covered will be relevant and keep us rooted in our Catholic

faith. Additional activities for families are also provided throughout the year.

CHILDCARE:

Childcare will be provided for free on Sunday’s during class for children under the age of four.

DO YOU HAVE A CHILD ENROLLED IN A LOCAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL?

Families with children in our Catholic Schools are able to participate in ROOTED for FREE! This is

included as part of your child’s tuition payment.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Katie Schaitberger, Shared Pastoral Associate and Director of Catholic Formation at

262-346-1275 or kschaitberger@wbparishes.org.

READY TO REGISTER?

If you need another copy of the registration form, please stop by the parish office or visit our website at:

http://www.saintfrancescabrini.com/learn-with-us/familyformation/

Meet the Catholic Formation Staff(Le to Right)

Andrea Lehnerz, Catholic Forma"on Program Assistant

Ka!e Schaitberger, Director of Catholic Forma"on and Pastoral Associate

Emily Comfort, Associate Director of Catholic Forma"on

(see page 2 to learn more about Emily and her family)

SFC Rummage Sale Thursday, September 20th

8am until 5pm

Lunch and Coffee 10am-1:30pm

Friday, September 21st

8am until noon

Rummage Items Drop off:

September 15th thru September 19th.

NO TV’S OR BIG FURNITURE

Baked Goods Drop Off:

Wednesday, September 19th

Questions: Mary Krueger 338-0539

CABRINI USED BOOK SALE Saturday, September 8

th 9am-4pm

Sunday, September 9th

8:30am-12noon

Mother Cabrini Hall · We will accept your used books now through

September 7th

at noon.

· Please drop them off in the lower level of the church at

the south side door.

· Volunteers are needed to help sort books on

Friday, September 7th

from 9am-3pm

· Interested in joining the fun? Call Mona at 262-334-2988

Journey is a program that embraces a unique mission: to teach

and share the richness and fullness of the Catholic faith with

persons six years thru adult with intellectual and developmental

disabilities.

Our goals for Journey are to: *Enable our friends to learn the Catholic faith and make it a

lifelong journey of faith.

*Celebrate the sacraments.

*Participate with the community at Mass by being servers,

ushers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and greeters.

*Be an integral part of the Catholic community by volunteering

and participating in events and fellowship.

*Provide dignity and respect to our friends with special needs.

We offer :

* Group sessions and one-on-one lessons

* Volunteer opportunities in the parish community

* Full participation in the Mass. We are in need of volunteers to serve as Mentors in the

group sessions and one-on-one sessions—must be 21 years old. We

are also looking for teens 16 and above interested in working in the

field of educa"on or therapy to help as aides to our students in the

one-on-one sessions. All training is provided—including

explana"ons of diagnosis and "ps for working with people with

disabili"es.

· For more informa!on, please contact Chris!na

at 338-2366 ext. 124 or

cspindler@wbparishes.org.

· Join us on Facebook at: Journey Program of

Washington County, WI

· Learn more and watch our promo!onal video

at

h"p://www.sain#rancescabrini.com/learn-with-

us/religious-educa!on-and-faith-forma!on/

journey-program/

Meet Our New Principal, Mr. William Waech

Many of you know our new principal, Mr. William Waech, as he hails from West Bend. He attended Holy Angels School and West Bend West. Most recently, he has been a teacher of Middle School Social Studies, History, and Government at Lumen Christi Catholic School in Mequon.

Father Nathan says of Mr. Waech: “In our search and hiring process for this position, the interview team of parents, students, teachers, and parish staff all agreed that in Mr. Waech we were blessed to find the person the school needs to take us to the next level. We were all impressed by his energy, his sense of mission, his eagerness to learn, his natural disposition as a strong leader, his solid Catholic faith, and by his clear love and commitment for the community of West Bend.”

Fun Facts about Mr. Waech: I am married to my High School Sweetheart, Brittany, and we have a golden doodle puppy named Finley. (pictured below). I am the oldest of 7 kids. I am most looking forward to sharing my passion for Catholic Education with the students, staff and parents of SFC.

Favorite Things: Food: Tacos Book: 1984 or The Giver Movie: Transformers Prayer: Hail Mary Saint: Pope John Paul II Animal: Eagle Song: Anything by Dierks Bentley or Eric Church Color: Blue Holiday: 4th of July U.S. President: Abraham Lincoln Sports Team: Michigan Wolverines. GO BLUE! Summer Activity: Camping Winter Activity: Selling Christmas Trees at Christmas on Indian Lore Subject in School when growing up: Social Studies and Phy Ed. Least Favorite Subject in School when growing up: Math, not a fan of math that includes letters!?!

Some of our biggest news is the opening of our new early childhood center, called the Little Saints Early Learning Center. Earlier in the year we surveyed our families and found that there was a great deal of interest in a daycare program on our campus, and we decided to move forward. In spring we hired our new director, Missy Dieterich. She has been busy planning the new center, hiring staff, and overseeing the renovations of the Education Center (formerly the convent) where the center will be housed. In addition, Missy will be overseeing our Before and After-School programs, and Homework Center. We have begun accepting registrations, and anticipate we will enroll fully. We are delighted to welcome Missy and this new program.

As you can see the Cabrini Outreach Center will be a huge

benefit to our continued mission to serve the poor in Haiti.

The excitement among the people we minister to is amazing

and giving them hope for themselves and their children’s

futures. For us to complete the center we need your help. We

are asking that all our parish members, families, and

groups step up their giving or if you haven’t started,

please start giving to the Haiti Ministry Cabrini Outreach

Center. Reach out to your businesses, employers and

community groups and ask if they are willing to donate

financially to help our parish make this dream of the Haitian

people come to completion.

Here are some of the areas which need your financial help

· Finishing fabrication

· Erection of building, container and shipping

· Septic and water collection

· Underground and above ground plumbing and electrical

· Concrete slab and flat work

· Generator for building

· Electrical poles, wiring and service

· Windows and doors

· Kitchen Equipment

· Interior furnishing / Baths and Tiling

Hello, my name is Kathy Philippi, I was on

the very first mission trip in 1994. I was

blessed to be able to go for many trips

since then. In February of this year I was

happy to be reunited with the mother’s

from the bible study group which began in

2011. There are now two mother’s groups.

In the 2012 mission trip, I was able to teach the women how to

make the crocheted tote bags. This program grew like fire. All

we needed was a few mothers to learn how to do it and they

taught the others.

During the 2018 trip I had another beautiful experience. I was

coming up to the classroom and heard this beautiful singing.

When I entered the room, I saw it was some of our mothers

making this beautiful music. It sounded like they were singing in

parts and it was like music from heaven. The joy that showed on

their faces was radiant. It touched my heart so as to bring tears to

my eyes. Fifteen of the Bible Study moms volunteered for the

choral group called "The Singing Moms of Jacmel". Their hope

and ours is that they will be able to go and perform to raise

money for the Bible Study groups. We are also training a

drummer to accompany them.

The next beautiful experience was the water filter program. A

representative from the company we purchased them from

taught the Bible Study women how to use them and have safe,

clean drinking water. Over 2 days’ time, we delivered 30

systems to a safe spot in their homes. The Director in charge of

this program is Gepthe Pierre and he will be following up on the

water systems monthly to make sure they are being cleaned and

used properly.

As many times as I have been to Haiti, I had never seen such

rough terrain these women have to walk to get back and forth to

their homes. Their homes are in the surrounding hills. I was

impressed that they would take the time to walk this rough

terrain to come to Bible Study, roughly one mile. They are so

eager to learn about God.

Once the Cabrini Community Center is finished, all these

ministries and many more will operate from the building. It will

provide a sense of community and a place of support and

encouragement for the families. Remember that 60% of the

people in Haiti are under the age of 18 so improving family life

becomes so important to the families.

To see some of the frugal homes they lived in was another

experience. They consisted of cinder block walls, a lot of them

had no windows and just a cloth for a door. Most of these were

just one room homes. They cooked outside and basically just

used their houses for sleeping and protection from the elements.

This whole experience reminded me of how very blessed I am

and how little materialistic things mean to me. I don’t need

THINGS to make me happy!

Lord, I thank you for giving me a chance to experience the life,

love and simplicity of these beautiful people! We ought to be

thankful to have

the Haiti

Outreach

Ministry in our

parish and to

have the

experience to

share the love,

joy and

simplicity of our

Haitian brothers

and sisters.

**3 ways to give** · Digitally via We Share on SFC web site

· Cash/Check via Envelopes in the Narthex · Automatic Deduction from your bank account

by contacting the SFC Office

For Informa!on about our Hai! Mission or to volunteer call

Marianne at 262-338-8845 or Marianne@mboehme.com

Parish Office: …………………….………………..262-338-2366

Father Nathan Reesman, Pastor……..........nreesman@wbparishes.org

Father Andrew Infanger, Associate Pastor..ainfanger@wbparishes.org

Assisting Priests: Father Bob Bales, Father Dennis Dirkx

Deacon Michael Koebel………..……michaelkoebel@wbparishes.org

Deacon Ron Schneider………..………….rschneider@wbparishes.org

Rick Doll, Director of Administration...……….rdoll@wbparishes.org

Maribel Estrada, Bookkeeper….…..……....mestrada@wbparishes.org

Mary Hernikl, Pastoral Care……..………..mhernikl@wbparishes.org

Jan Kolb, Community Life Coordinator……....jkolb@wbparishes.org

Russ Lee, Director of Maintenance.....………….rlee@wbparishes.org

Jill Maria Murdy, Director of Liturgy……….jmurdy@wbparishes.org

Jeanne Rude, Administrative Support…….…...jrude@wbparishes.org

Christina Spindler, Director of Journey……cspindler@wbparishes.org

Connie Theis, Administrative Support………..ctheis@wbparishes.org

Tammy Waech, Communications…………...twaech@wbparishes.org

Catholic Formation Office:

Katie Schaitberger, Pastoral Associate/DRE…..kschaitberger@wbparishes.org

Emily Comfort, Associate Director………………....ecomfort@wbparishes.org

Andrea Lehnerz, Program Assistant………………...alehnerz@wbparishes.org

The Cabrini News

The Cabrini News is a publication sent to the homes of all

registered parishioners 3 times per year. For anyone interested in

submitting articles or pictures for the Cabrini News, please see the

schedule below for upcoming issues. We encourage you to

e-mail articles and pictures to twaech@wbparishes.org

Please reference our communications policy located under

the communications tab of our website.

Cabrini News Issue Articles Due

Fall Issue October 1

Spring Issue February 1

Summer Issue June 1

Parish Website: www.saintfrancescabrini.com

Please contact Tammy Waech about any content on the

Parish website. twaech@wbparishes.org 262-338-2366x118

General Information

SFC School ……………………………………..262-334-7142

William Waech, Principal……….......wwaech@wbparishes.org

Little Saints Early Childhood Center……..

Missy Dieterich, Director………...mdieterich@wbparishes.org

SFC MORTGAGE BALANCE Our mortgage balance on May 31, 2018 is

$541,277. If you are interested in making a

dona!on toward our mortgage balance,

please note so on your check, or contact

Rick Doll in the parish office.

$700,000.00

$600,000.00

$500,000.00

$400,000.00

$300,000.00

$200,000.00

$100,000.00

Mortgage Balance

~SCHEDULE CHANGE~

Beginning on September 2, 2018, The 10:00am Mass at SFC will be Shifting to a 10:30am start time.

Beginning September 2, 2018

MONDAY-SATURDAY: 8:00am SATURDAY ANTICIPATORY: 4:30pm

SUNDAY: 8:00am 10:30am 6:00pm

NON-PROFIT

US Postage

PAID

West Bend WI

Permit No. 34