Parish/Church
St. Clare, Wrightstown, WI (Wrightstown Site)
Date and Mass time
December 7, 2014 – 9:00AM Mass
Celebrant
Father Dennis Bergsbaken
Deacon Mike Zebroski
Weather
We skipped November due to busy schedules, so this was our first real winter weather trip. It was great! Temps in the low twenties, but mostly clear skies and only minimal snow cover made it a very nice trip. A truly beautiful December Sunday morning!
The trip there and back
Kay’s mom Joanne joined us today. The trip was VERY uneventful and the fact that this is my daily commute to work even makes it more uneventful, but it was a nice day. With the cold weather we knew we wouldn’t spend a lot of time outside, but we did get a few pictures. The outside is pretty standard but very nice and well kept.
After Mass we stopped at the grocery store in Wrightstown, which is pretty much required anytime we are in Wrightstown. (As I have mentioned before, the sugar cookies are pretty spectacular) Overall a GREAT trip!
Parish History
There was no parish history to be found on the website and not much via Google. The parish is actually recently merged and includes Wrightstown, Greenleaf, and Askeaton sites. The local scuttlebutt is talk of a “new” church building due to the age of some of the sites. Even though we are trying to visit all “parishes” I think we may try to visit each of these sites along the way…
Reflections
While the outside of the church looks pretty normal or standard, the inside is pretty awesome. I think that is a common theme here as we see different churches. I hope God opens our eyes to the beauty of each, but St. Clare in Wrightstown really was nice. There was a lot of stone but it was very warm and welcoming. The sanctuary was very simple, but beautiful. The stained glass, the statuary, and the ceiling were beautiful.
We are not “positive” Fr. Dennis officiated, but after looking at the picture on the website, I think this was him, he just is looking a little “older”. He gave a nice homily on peace and on St. John the Baptist. Deacon Mike was also there and read the Gospel. Overall, a very nice Mass. Both Father and Deacon Mike took the time to say Hi and shake out hands today.
Also of note was a really nice and special surprise. My brother Carl was in church! Funny as on the way there Joanne asked where Carl went to church and I told her I wasn’t sure but that I knew he at least sometimes went to Wrightstown. There he was! We had a nice talk after Mass to really make it a great day!
One thing about churches with a lot of stone… The music is often not very deep and it gives the impression of it being not as good as some other churches, but I think a lot of it has to do with the stone, and that was the case here… But maybe not many sang either…
This was again another unique trip, which I think is just great! Some of it was due to the different weather and such, and again I think going was a felt to be a bit of a “chore”, but once you get there and see the Holiness of the place and have the opportunity to worship with a whole different group of strangers, but still part of our one Catholic faith, it is REALLY a special thing. It’s great!
Pictures
