From the Desk of Father Jason - October 25, 2026

Dear Saint Francis Xavier Parishioners,

The Holy Mass is the most important treasure of the Catholic Church. Hence, she protects it.

Over the past few months, the Diocese of Green Bay has issued a number of documents in regard to the Holy Mass and changes that need to be made. As a parish, we will make those changes. Seeing this as an opportune time, we will also make other changes in the way we do things in the liturgy. The goal is to have all the changes and training of ministers in place for the first weekend of Advent 2026, November 28-29.

As part of this, Deacon Art and I will provide training and re-training for ministers at the Mass during the month of November. This includes Greeters, Ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Readers, and Altar Servers.

I would like to highlight one area of change, for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, formerly known as Eucharistic Ministers. The change: anyone providing Holy Communion at or outside of Mass must be trained, approved by the Bishop, and commissioned at the parish as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC). This includes pastoral care ministers, spouses, children, and friends who have previously been bringing Holy Communion to loved ones at home. Anyone approaching an EMHC with a pyx requesting consecrated hosts will be gently referred to the priest. As the parish administrator, it is critical that I know who in our community is receiving Holy Communion at home and who is in need of pastoral care. This is one example of the changes that need to be made.

We are called to excellence in regard to the Holy Mass. As a parish, we will do our best to carry out the Church’s vision of how to properly worship the Lord God at Holy Mass.

Please make your best attempt to be at the training. If you cannot, you can make arrangements with me to make sure we are all on the same page.

Sincerely through Jesus,

Fr. Jason