Spring Valley and Boyceville welcome Father Larry Berger who celebrates Masses this weekend. Father Berger was one of my religion teachers at Marshfield Columbus High School in the 1970s. We are most grateful for his continuing generous priestly service in his retirement!

Today Sacred Heart Parish Elmwood celebrated 100 years of faith with a special Mass at 9:00 AM. Sales for the centennial dinner have closed but at the Village of Elmwood Auditorium there will be games, snacks, auctions, and other fun throughout the day until 3:00 PM. At 2:00 PM cake will be served in honor of my 25^th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. All are welcome to join in the festivities!
I thoroughly enjoyed all the science classes I had at Marshfield Columbus High School. Chemistry, physics, and biology really captured my imagination. It was fascinating to learn how ecosystems and living beings grew, adapted, changed, and died. Even before getting into high school I had already ?caught? a love of history from my father. I devoured books chronicling various individuals, peoples, and events. Here, too, I was intrigued by us human beings and the stories of our choices that comprise the vicissitudes of history. My fascination with human history and with the ability of living beings to change and adapt are, in fact, intimately connected.

So, for example, a parish ? like any institution comprised of us humans marked by the sin of Adam ? is a living being and the study of its history gives us some (much-needed!) perspective on challenges we must face in the ?now? of our existence. Sadly, it is possible for a parish to issue its own death sentence ? both from the perspective of sociology and, more importantly, from the perspective of the spiritual life. It may happen that the individuals who are its members and the parish as a whole choose to ignore the fact that circumstances have changed, that the world has changed, that our nation has changed, that our community has changed ? and that the pace of these and other changes continues to accelerate. It is a choice to become ossified in yesterday as yesterday. ?We?ve always done it this way!? is the rallying cry. Such a choice renders the individuals and the parish as a whole unable to grow ? above all, spiritually ? because it dismisses any intervention of God, any adaptation, any new path God may be opening up through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This choice is tragic because it does not allow the parish to move forward into a hope-filled future, the future that God desires. A parish such as this is a corpse, or at least its death rattle is becoming loud enough for all to hear.

Such perspectives are opened up before our eyes as we rejoice in the centennial of Sacred Heart Parish in Elmwood whose ?mother? is Saint Nicholas Parish of Farm Hill (1883-1949). When examining Sharon Fleming?s compilation of the Elmwood parish?s history, it is striking how truly alive ? humanly and spiritually ? Saint Nicholas and Sacred Heart Parishes have been throughout more than a century! The remarkable ability of the parishes to adapt and change is evidenced by the incredible number of groups and organizations that have existed ? and ceased to exist ? over these many decades as well as the varied ways in which the priestly care of souls has been organized. So at different times various needs were perceived among the parishioners and then a group or organization was founded to meet those needs. And when the need no longer existed or when the group refused to adapt to changing needs, organizations died. The same is true with regard to the configuration by which the priestly care of souls is delivered ? Saint Nicholas and Sacred Heart were established and served by priests coming from Plum City or Eau Galle, Saint Nicholas was suppressed and combined with Sacred Heart, and eventually multiple parishes shared one Pastor once again just like at the origins of the parishes. In all this there has been a lively attentiveness to changing circumstances and God?s will. Changes in our parishes are signs of life and the willingness of parishioners to follow God where He is leading today. Our ancestors in the faith here knew this and lived it. Our history shows it. And so we cannot be surprised by ? or reject ? new paths down which the Lord desires to lead us as He advances His Kingdom moving into our second 100 years in Elmwood!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Saint Luke, pray for us!
Very Rev. Kevin C. Louis, STL