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Sons of Zedebee SS. James and John, Fond Du Lac

Sons of Zedebee SS. James and John, Fond Du Lac

Our Parish Roots:

Sons of Zebedee SS. James and John parish was formed in the late 1990s by the merger of two much older parishes. You guessed it: they were St. James in Oakfield and St. John (the Evangelist) in Byron. St. John was one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, having been founded in 1847, while St. James can boast a shorter but still-significant history from its founding in 1909. Legal structures were changed with the merger, and a new name was crafted, but the mission of the one parish now operating out of two sites in 2022 remains the same as it was in 1847: the right worship of Almighty God and the salvation of immortal souls. Today, Sons of Zebedee is in a time of exciting transition. Many new people have joined over the past couple of years. Many long-time members have embraced and welcomed the new ones. There is desire for reverent worship and the flame of Catholic faith and piety is spreading. At the same time, there is the recognition that more must be done to (re)ignite the Catholic faith in our area. The personal, intimate, family feel of the parish can be leveraged as a strength in the mission field. Divine grace and the work of the Holy Spirit are primary in a successful effort to share the Gospel. Gospel. It is especially in the opportunities for formation and the provision of a more inspirational setting for prayer that the LOA campaign can make a significant, positive impact on Sons of Zebedee’s ongoing growth.

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Our Share

Through prayer, planning, and conversation, we have identified our greatest needs and initiatives to strengthen our mission and vision for years to come. Our share of the funds raised will be used for capital projects as well as to strengthen our community by expanding our opportunities for life-long Faith Formation, support for all forms of Catholic education, spiritually enriching parish missions and pilgrimages.

Parish Goal

$142,192

Parish Share

$85,315

Final Total Pledged

$293,295

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Capital Improvements - $46,923.50

We have been blessed with two beautiful churches that help us to connect to God and one another through the sacred celebrations carried out within them. Built in 1867, our St. John church is one of the oldest Catholic church buildings still in use in our entire archdiocese. Our St. James church is a much newer structure, but it too has been built on the sacrifices of our forebears and remains the place of divine worship in Oakfield. Now it is up to us to preserve, beautify, and pass these historic buildings on to our kids. At St. James, to give a number of examples, peeling paint and the stucco all around the exterior needs repair and re-painting. The interior of St. John is in desperate need of new flooring to replace the worn, wrinkly carpet, and plans are in the early stages to beautify the entire interior.

Outreach and Faith Formation Programs - $38,391.50

Fostering Catholic faith locally and worldwide is a key element of our mission at Sons of Zebedee. As we strive to continue the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, our outreach and evangelization efforts (including the Oakfield Food Pantry and our Faith Formation Programs) are key elements of parish life by which we strive to serve our Lord by serving others. In addition, we hope to lead others to know, love and serve God with us! To this end, we will bolster our life-long Faith Formation opportunities, offer support for all forms of Catholic education, and be able to fund different opportunities (speakers, parish missions, pilgrimages, etc.) that will help inspire us to follow Jesus. These elements of our parish campaign case are especially exciting, since they offer direct assistance to realize the heart of our mission and purpose as a parish: the salvation of souls.