2016 was a year of strength for St. Francis de Sales Parish. A capital campaign was held to raise funds to renovate our church building (constructed in 1892) and other areas of our campus. Not only did the campaign surpass all financial goals by raising over 2 million dollars, but friendships were formed, groups worked together, people prayed for our parish, and many new volunteers stepped up to help, finding renewed strength in their abilities and talents. Our “Generous Hearts” Stewardship Campaign successfully increased our offertory income to support our programs and day to day operating costs.
Our parish was chosen by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (one of 10 in the Archdiocese) to be a site for a Holy Door for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Throughout this past year, Pilgrims came from near and far to walk through the Holy Door, seeking God’s mercy and asking to become merciful people. The Jubilee Year of Mercy inspired a challenge to our parishioners to keep track of volunteer hours during this time. Over 500,000 hours were logged by adults and students of our parish, strengthening our many ministries and outreach programs while creating renewed awareness.
Over the past year, 55 babies were baptized. 22 weddings and 6 Quinceañeras were celebrated. 20 high school students received the Sacrament of Confirmation and 57 children received their First Communion. 55 people were anointed and our parish community comforted families for 32 funerals. 4 adults were welcomed into the Catholic Faith through RCIA. Our children’s programs remain vibrant with 164 students in our grade school and 220 in our religious education program. Our parish continues to grow, as we welcomed 70 new families over the past 12 months. Our church calendar is overflowing with meetings, fundraisers, prayer groups, rehearsals, bible study groups, and more!
It’s no coincidence that our very busy parish has a very busy pastor! Fr. Jim Schuerman recently completed a term as the head of a deanery for the Archdiocese, overseeing several parishes in Walworth County. His kindness and compassion for all is second to none. He meets with people for spiritual guidance, counsels the grieving, writes homilies and articles, makes sick calls,hears Confessions and celebrates the Mass at the jail weekly, attends several evening meetings a week, says daily and weekly Mass, teaches in the classrooms, oversees the staff and help out priests, and still finds time to greet and shake hands with parishioners as they come out of Mass on the weekends. He is well loved by our Hispanic community as he is fluent in Spanish and truly cares about their customs and heritage. His quiet and steady leadership is an inspiration to us all!
Next year will be a historical landmark for St. Francis de Sales as we embark on the 175th anniversary of the formation of this parish. We enter it with a healthier financial foundation, a spirit of anticipation of our church renovation, and an atmosphere of care and compassion from our many wonderful volunteers and ministries. Thank you to all who have been such tremendous supporters with your time and talent. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of the St. Francis de Sales community!