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Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24, 2023
Dear Friends,
It has been a busy month indeed! I am so very grateful to you, my dear SJE family, for always being there for our parish. Your generosity is astounding, and it enables us to do so much more than one individual can possibly doon his/her own.
The sheer volume of our OUTREACH activities is staggering!
If anyone should ask you what you do for charity and service as a Catholic, you can proudly tell them about all that you do through our vibrant and giving community of faith-filled parishioners, which is the theme of this letter.
This past week was the most delightful time of our Outreach program. It felt like the culmination and best expression of all that we do. Here are the highlights:
- We packed 5,000 backpacks of food for the Children’s Hunger Project, which provides meals for children to take home on the weekends, thus helping to address the huge food insecurity problem of children in Brevard county
- We were visited by nearly 200 Developmentally Challenged Brothers and Sisters on Thursday 14th The joy and delight I witnessed are indescribable. Our guests had a blast! Because we have been doing this for the past 4 years, our guests were very familiar with the process and were very comfortable in our company. They knew the ritual: the joyful welcome, the little prayer before eating, the sumptuous meal, and then the visit of Santa with his gifts. I saw the most amazing, pure, innocent joy on display that day, on the face of volunteers and guests alike. A huge thanks to Cindy and Pete Lamonica for coordinating this event, and to our tremendously talented Kitchen Crew and the dozens of dedicated volunteers.
- A very special thanks to Josefina Perez for orchestrating our first–ever Breakfast with Santa on Sunday 17 December She enlisted her brother from New Jersey and her parents to deck the Hall and Patrick Peyton room. These places were transformed! It was like a visit to Disney World. Spectacular! Many, many thanks to all the lovely people who helped with this, sharing their time, talent and treasure so generously. A special thanks to the Kitchen Crew, who made the delicious pancakes and all that goes with them. Mr. and Mrs. Santa and their elves did an outstanding job. I could see that our children enjoyed every bit of it. Even the parents had a good time. I hope that this too will become an annual tradition. Start planning now for next year, Josefina!
I want to take this opportunity to highlight all of our other outreach accomplishments this year, along with those who have made it all possible, including each one of you who help and/or donate to our Outreach and Social Concerns ministries.
- Thanks to all who participated so generously in the Christmas Giving Tree We received over 400 gift items that surely brought a smile to the faces of all the children, the elderly, and the farm workers who received them. The beneficiaries include: children from Central Brevard Sharing Center; seniors from Aging Matters and Triad for Brevard Seniors; children from the Fellsmere Farm Workers community; Wraparound Youth Services programs; and the handicapped brothers and sisters served by the Congregation of Holy Cross in Peru. A special thanks to Susan Answay for spearheading this wonderful project.
- Feed My Flock ministry helped deliver baskets of household goods for the St. Stephen’s Way affordable housing project; they also are feeding homeless families during the week following Thanks to Janet Owen for leading this ministry, and to all who assist her.
- CCW has been doing an astounding job of raising money for so many of our parish outreach A special thanks to Debbie Hogan and her board members for their dedication to continuing to support our parish’s outreach efforts.
- Our Outreach Ministry has helped many non-government social service organizations (NGOs). Through them, we are able to reach even more of the needy, the vulnerable, and the marginalized than we have staff and volunteers to address. Included among these NGOs are: Family Promise of Brevard, Brevard Senior Nutrition Program, Our Daily Bread, the Sharing Center of Central Brevard, the Haven for Children, New Life Mission, Bishop Grady Villa, the Children’s Hunger Project, Stephen’s Way, and some of our Catholic Parishes and Schools who are in need. This is an amazing achievement.
- We have served the Farm Workers in Fellsmere with canned food items and through shoe and long-sleeve shirt
- Our parish Outreach Ministry continues to help pay for emergency housing expenses and utility bills for the many needy folk who knock on our
- Gratia Plena, I. N. G. S. Ministry and Blessed is She Ministry have been helping with many of our Outreach programs. Thanks to all of them.
In addition to all the above, you have been generous in helping the Holy Cross Missionary Co-op from Mexico, our Sister Diocese in the Dominican Republic, and Catholic Charities.
We also have a number of ministries that serve the faith, spiritual, and psychological needs of our parishioners and the larger community:
- Deacon Rick and many other volunteers with our Ministry to the Sick visit the hospitals and more than 12 nursing home facilities within our parish In addition to bringing patients and residents our Eucharistic Lord, these volunteers make present to them His and our love, helping them feel that they matter.
- Our Rosary Makers Ministry volunteers make several hundred rosaries a year for those in hospitals and nursing homes as well as others who ask for a rosary.
- Our Sunshine Ministry volunteers make hundreds of prayer shawls each These are offered to those dealing with loneliness and spiritual and physical suffering.
- Our Funeral Ministry volunteers served more than 90 families last They provide comfort to grieving families. They are a liaison between the parish, the families and the funeral home during the planning and celebration of a loved one’s passing. Their guidance and support help make it easier for families to handle the most difficult time in their life. They also plan and coordinate the beautiful Mass of Remembrance, during which we remember all those from our parish who died the preceding year.
- Our Grief Share Ministry helps 20 – 30 grieving members of our community each year walk from the deep ache of loss to a place of acceptance and
While I am counting all the blessings that our parishioners provide through acts of kindness and service, I must not forget to mention the many wonderful things done by the following ministry, committee, and crew volunteers. I offer my heartful gratitude to each of you for your incredible dedication and commitment.
Our dedicated Liturgical Ministry volunteers serve our parish as Altar Servers, Ushers, Greeters (Hospitality Ministry), Sacristans, EMHCs, and Lectors. A special thanks to the children who participate so beautifully in our liturgies and to those who train and coordinate them.
We also have volunteers who prepare people prepare people for the sacraments: the Baptism Prep Team, those who help with First Communion and Confirmationprep, the OCIA Ministry, and the Wedding Coordinators.
Those who volunteer in our Faith Formation program deserve special recognition: the Catechists and their assistants for the SJE Kids (K – 5th grade students), Anchored in Faith (6th – 8th grade students) , and Fiat (high school students) programs. And we mustn’t forget those who made our annual Vacation Bible School program possible.
In addition, there are the many volunteers who serve our parish through the Music Ministry, the Art and Environment Committee, the Reception Ministry, the Altar Guild, the Altar Linens Ministry, the Media Ministry, the Digital Media Ministry, the CRHP teams, the Respect Life Ministry, the Church Cleaning teams, the Gardening Crew, the Guardians of the Grotto, the Coffee and Donut Ministry, and the Welcome Ministry.
We also are blessed to have people involved in ministries that pray for us and for the many others in need of prayers. We are grateful to these ministries: Flourish Our Faith, Kerygma Healing Prayer, Charismatic Prayer Group, Contemplative Prayer Group, Small Christian Communities, Small Spanish Christian Community, Men of St. Joseph, those who lead the Rosary before and after various Masses, and to Peter and Fran who lead the Rosary at the Grotto.
Finally, recognition and thanks to the many often invisible individuals who accept my assignments “on the go.” Praise God for these, and for the many others who help anytime for any occasion without hesitation.
I offer a special word of thanks to those who participated in Our Catholic Appeal 2023, helping the Diocese of Orlando reach out to many people in need of food, housing, and medical assistance. Through OCA, you have helped our diocesan Seminarians, Deacons and Priests in their formation, and your generosity has also helped the Diocese keep up with its wonderful liturgies.
YOU make all this POSSIBLE!
I am so indebted to each and every one of you, my dear brothers and sisters. On behalf of Fr. Vincent, Deacon Rick, Deacon Mike, Deacon Lee, almost– Deacon Tom Buddington, and our lovely staff, I thank all those who volunteer and for your generosity that makes it possible for us to reach out to people in need and to provide all the that goes into creating our liturgies and addressing the spiritual needs and growth of our congregation. Together, we help form a community that walks together, shoulder to shoulder, into the life that glorifies the Lord and does Hiswork.
Do not forget, my dear friends, to share with everyone you meet that deep, abiding joy rooted in Christ! You can’t share Christ’s love without JOY in your heart and on your FACE as well!
By the way, the Christmas Season begins now. We just finished Advent. So do not pack away your nativity sets until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrate on Monday, 8 January 2024. Until then, discover the serenity and joy that comes from meditating daily on the Nativity Scene.
Please note: on Monday, 1 January 2024, we will have 2 Masses to celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God: 10 a.m. in the church and 4 p.m. in the Grotto.
On behalf of Fr. Vincent, the Deacons, and the Staff, I wish you all a Blessed and Joyful Christmas! Maythe Child Jesus penetrate our busy world with his healing and merciful light. Have a wonderful Christmas week!
With Love,
Fr. John
Contact
(321) 637-9650
Saint John the Evangelist
5655 Stadium Parkway
Viera, FL 32940
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
5655 Stadium Parkway
Viera, FL 32940