St. Anne Parish CHRISTMAS: SOLEMNITY OF

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD 3 January 2021

THE NATIVITY SCENE in our church is a result of the inspiration, creativity, preci-sion and craftsmanship of several people, including Ralph Murkowski who died this past November at the age of 80. Born near Poniatowski, Ralph had an intense interest in art, which led to art school in Milwaukee after high

school and a life-time of seeking out and appreciat-ing significant pieces of art

throughout the country, as well as his own work of creation and restoration. The creche that graces our Christmas environment had its origins in a visit Ralph made to Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, where he saw a full-sized Nativ-ity scene that caaught his attention. Ralph was a member of St. Mi-chael Parish, but his interest and talent in artistic endeavors did not go unnoticed by area pastors, particularly in repairing and repainting various statues and other images, including the people and animals often associated with depictions of Jesus’ birth, a custom that originated with St. Francis of Assisi who is said to have cre-ated the first Nativity scene in 1223 in Greccio, Italy. Fr. Anthony Fischer, St. Anne’s pastor from 1952-73, was one of the pas-tors who called upon Ralph’s creativity and skill. Large Nativity figurines pur-chased by Fr. Fischer had devolved into disrepair, with broken fingers, ears and chipped paint. Ralph restored each piece, but his dream of recreating the creche he’d seen in Chicago went unreal-ized until Fr. Steve Brice, another long-time St. Anne pastor, from 1994-2012, introduced Ralph to Bob Weller, a St.

See NATIVITY on Page 5

A Nativity Story

There is an ancient and venerable tradition in the Church of announcing the date of Easter and other feasts in conjunction with the celebration of the Epiphany. The tradition comes from a time when people did not have access to calendars and similar resources. Regardless, this proclamation as we celebrate Christ’s birth reminds us that we are always anticipating the Paschal Mystery, which culminates in his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

PROCLAMATION OF THE DATE OF EASTER

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return. Through the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate the mysteries of sal-vation.

Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his crucifixion, his burial and his rising, celebrated between the evening of the first of April and the evening of the fourth of April. Each Easter, each Sunday, the holy Church makes present that great and saving deed by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death.

From Easter come forth and are reckoned all the days we keep holy: Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the seventeenth of February; Pentecost, the twenty-third of May; and the First Sunday of Advent, the twenty-eighth of November.

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Christ who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, forever and ever. Amen.

ST. ANNE PARISH Living the Gospel with love and courage.

715.849.3930 | stanneswausau.org 700 W. Bridge St., Wausau WI 54401

Parish Office: Please call or email

Fr. Tom Lindner, Pastor frtom@stanneswausau.org | Ext. 309

Deacon Erv Burkhardt ervb@stanneswausau.org | Ext. 303

Kristine Lato, Liturgy Coordinator & Administrative Assistant

kristinek@stanneswausau.org |Ext. 307

John Schmitt, Lee Ann Lella Disciple Formation Co-Directors

johns@stanneswausau.org | Ext. 306 leeannl@stanneswausau.org | Ext. 308

Bobbi Gadke, Finance Director & Office Manager

bobbig@stanneswausau.org | Ext. 310

Newman Catholic Schools Jeff Gulan, President

www.NewmanCatholicSchools.com 715.845.5735

“We Three Kings of Orient Are” John H. Hopkins Jr. We three kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar Field and fountain, Moor and mountain, Following yonder star.

Refrain: O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to the perfect Light.

Born a babe in Bethlehem’s plain, Gold we bring to crown him again; King forever, Ceasing never, Over us all to reign. Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I; Incense owns a Deity nigh, Prayer and praising Gladly raising, Worshiping God on high. Refrain

Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gath’ring gloom; Sorrowing, sighing, Bleeding dying, Sealed in the stone cold tomb. Refrain

Glorious now behold him rise, King and God and sacrifice: Heav’n sings, “Hallelujah!” “Hallelujah!” earth replies. Refrain

Psalm 72, “Every Nation on Earth” Michael Joncas

Gospel Acclamation Sussex Carol, Barbara Bridge

Profession of Faith (The Apostles’ Creed) I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was cru-cified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrec-tion of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

General Intercessions: We conclude the prayers of intercession with this dialogue: Priest: May the Divine Assistance be with us always. ALL: And with our absent sisters and brothers. Amen.

PRO-LIFE SIGNATURE AD: An advertise-ment opposing abortion will appear in the Jan. 21 issue of City Pages and sup-porters of life are encouraged to include names for that ad. Names for the ad can be submitted in two ways by Jan. 11 — submit your name by mail to WRTL, Box 58, Wausau WI 54402; or sign-up online at wrtl.salsalabs.org/signaturead2021/index.html. If you are able to include a donation, that would help to defray the cost of the ad. In addition, a Light the Night for the Unborn event will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22 at the Forest Street front of the Courthouse. RELIGIOUS ITEMS made of olive wood and crafted by people in the Holy Land will be sold at Masses next weekend, Jan. 9/10. The sale is being conducted by Blest Art, an organization dedicated to supporting Christian artisans and fami-lies in the Holy Land. People whose liveli-hoods depend on selling sacred items to pilgrims and tourists had already been struggling because of political and securi-ty realities, and that adversity has inten-sified as Covid-19 severely restricts trav-el to the Holy Land.

JOINING OUR PARISH: Fr. Tom would be glad to talk with you about parish mem-bership. Send an email to frtom@ stan-neswausau.org or call 849.3930.

Amen Mass of Creation, Marty Haugen

NEW YEAR BOOK CLUB: The signifi-cance of Abraham, “our father in faith,” will be studied and discussed in the first book discussion series of 2021. “Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths” by Bruce Feiler will be dis-cussed on the internet platform Zoom at 6:30

p.m. Tuesdays beginning Jan. 12. Parish-ioners and friends of the parish are invit-ed to participate. Find a copy at the li-brary, a local bookseller or online, and read the first few chapters. Send an email to frtom@stanneswausau.org to join the discussion.

“What Child Is This” William C. Dix What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping?

Refrain: This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, The babe, the son of Mary.

So bring him incense, gold and myrrh, Come peasant, king to own him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone him. Refrain

Eucharistic Prayer Mass of Creation, Marty Haugen

Mystery of Faith

CHRISTMAS GIVING: Gift cards are being collected for St. Vincent de Paul to share in their outreach to individuals and fami-lies in need. Cards are requested for Kwik Trip, Pick ’n’ Save, Walgreens and Trigs valued at $5 to $25. Donations can be mailed or dropped at the parish office, or put in the collection basket at Mass. Cards will be accepted until Jan. 10, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This will replace Share Sunday collections in December and January.

This Week

LITTLE BLUE BOOKS continue to guide our prayer through Jan. 10.

2021 CALENDARS have been provided by Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home and are available at the main entranceway.

MONDAY 4 JAN / 1 Jn 3:22-4:6/Mt4:12-17,23-25

TUESDAY 5 JAN / 1 Jn 4:7-10/Mk 6:34-44 • 7 AM - Mass +Ed & Gert Burek

WEDNESDAY 6 JAN / 1 Jn 4:11-18/Mk 6:45-52 • 8:15 AM - Mass +Jean Urmanski

THURSDAY 7 JAN / 1 Jn 4:19-5:4/Lk 4:14-22 • 8:15 AM - Mass +Lisa Krogwald

FRIDAY 8 JAN / 1 Jn 5:5-13/Lk 5:12-16 • 7 AM - Mass +Gerald Trudell

SATURDAY 9 JAN / 1 Jn 5:14-21/Jn 3:22-30 • 9 Am - Reconciliation

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 9/10 JAN Is 55:1-11/1 Jn 5:1-9/Mt 1:7-11 • 4 PM Saturday +Susan Richards • 9:30 AM Sunday +Joan Moss Links to the readings listed above can be found on the main page of the St. Anne web site: stanneswausau.org.

DIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL 2020-21 Parish Target: $102,285 Pledges/Contributions: $59,540

163 contributors / 15% of parish Still needed: $42,745

“Wood of the Cradle” Francis Patrick O’Brien

ST. ANNE PARISH GIVING Total collected (Dec. 21): $21,349

Amount needed: $14,266 per week Total collected (since July 1, 2020): $351,776 Amount needed: $356,642 Shortfall: -$4,867

PARTICIPATION AT MASS Christmas

2 PM - 102; 4 PM - 102; 6 PM - 105 8 PM - 98; 9:30 AM - 85 567 views on YouTube

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Dec. 20 4 PM - 51; 9:30 AM - 86 356 views on YouTube

Thank you to those who gener-ously responded to our recent Hope & Gratitude letter. Parishioners have contributed $43,736, which allows us to enter this new year with consid-erable hope, as well as deep gratitude!

A Prayer for Comm-union for Worship Online

We give thanks to you God for your divine life within us. Fill our hearts with gratitude for the sacramental presence of your son, Jesus Christ. Increase in us faith, hope and love so that we can be His presence in the world. We make this prayer through Christ, with whom we are united whether together or apart, He who is Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

Stewardship

PARISH OFFICE: The Parish Office re-mains closed until further notice due to Covid-19 precautions, but staff members are working and available by email and phone. REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON MASS at StAnnesWausau.org beginning on Mon-day of each week. MASS ONLINE: The 4 p.m. Saturday Mass is offered online. Find a link at StAnnesWausau.org.

Lamb of God

“Epiphany Carol” Francis Patrick O’Brien

Music reprinted under ONE LICENSE #A-729229. | Cover image: Annunciation II ©Jan Richardson, janrichardson.com.

NATIVITY / from Page 1

Anne parishioner. Ralph had photos of what he’d seen in Chicago – a structure that would provide a life-like setting for the figures of Christ’s birth. Bob pro-vided the innovation, building expertise and a place in which to construct what Ralph had long imag-ined. As Bob explains, barn boards gathered from a farm north of Wausau were laid out, cut and as-sembled without one saw cut showing, keeping the creche as natural as possible. The four sides, top and base – with rollers, which would be invaluable in moving the heavy structure – were transported to the church and rolled into place. Ralph then proceeded to carefully place the figurines, re-creating the scene he’d captured in his mind so many years before. That was in 2002, and for every Christmas that followed Ralph main-tained a personal connection with the creche at St. Anne’s, being present to assist with and oversee the transporting and precise placement of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, sheep, and, of course, Jesus. In 2019, as Christmas approached, Ralph’s health no longer allowed him to personally carry or arrange the images, but he sat at the creche directing others as to where to place precisely each figurine, so that peo-

ple who gathered at St. Anne to celebrate Christmas would en-counter a Nativity scene of wonder and grace. We can only hope that in re-creating the Nativity scene this year, what Ralph so lovingly imagined and created for us is at least close to what he would have desired.