The Ascension of the Lord, May 12, 2024
Dear Friends,
Congratulations again to our children who received their First Communion last weekend. Congratulations to their parents, grandparents, and godparents! I hope you are very proud of our children. I truly pray that you will continue to support these children in their faith journey. A special thanks to Kelli, our Director of Faith Formation, and our Catechists Janie Rodriquez, Sonia Santiago, and Monique Rivera Vargas for their tireless dedication to training our children.
Please join us for daily Rosary at 6.30 p.m. in the Grotto during the Month of May in honor of our Blessed Mother. This time of prayer is in addition to the Rosary in church after each daily Mass, which is led and prayed faithfully by parishioners dedicated to this ministry.
Congratulations again to Deacon Steve Lumbert and his daughter Karina Lumbert Fabian, authors of the book There You Are, God ! Thanks for your generosity in offering the proceeds from book sales here to St. John’s.
I also wish to thank those who responded to my call to serve our parish in various ministries that need help. For those who have not chosen a ministry, I ask: please do not hesitate to be involved. It is your parish and your family. Please do not just be a spectator. I am incredibly grateful to all those who have volunteered and support us by their service through so many ministries.
Thank you to all who attended the two presentations by Dr. Mary Soha on the History of the Devotion to Our Lady of La Leche and Her Confraternity and on the Defense of the Eucharist – The Story of the Martyrs of La Florida. A huge thanks to Dr. Mary for her dedication to her mission.
We celebrate our Mothers today, and I want to thank all those who undertake the sacred duty of mothering. In this group I include grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and godmothers as well. Your presence in our lives and in the life of our parish is a huge blessing. You help us to remember and celebrate life, a thing not to be taken for granted. Your passion to pass on the faith to your children and grandchildren is unparalleled and unrivalled. Your role in shaping the faith and values in your family is indispensable. No one else can take that place. We THANK YOU for the multitude of sacrifices you make to keep our families intact. In short, U R Irreplaceable! Your heart is so special that it moved St. Thérèse of Lisieux to say, “The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.”
Please take a moment today to honor your mother: visit her; call her; send her a card and/or a gift; go with her to Mass, the greatest gift of all. Don’t forget to tell her that you love her. There are so many mothers who are neglected by their children. And so, we pray for mothers who are not well understood; who are not cared for; who are tempted to despair; who are addicted; who are in difficult situations; who are tempted to abort. We pray for single mothers who sometimes must bear the heavy burden of mothering without any help. May all these know of God’s love and our prayers for them. WE LOVE YOU MOMS! Please continue to keep the flame of faith bright in the hearths of our homes.
Lest we forget: on Mother’s Day we also recognize the special gift that Christ gave his church: our Mother Mary. He bequeathed her to us when He said from the Cross, Behold, Your Mother. He invites us take her into our homes, just as St. John did. There she continually shows us the way to her Son. It is fitting, therefore, to honor her also on this special day and to ask for her intercession. She is not only the Mother of God, but also of all the Faithful.
Our liturgical celebration today is the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. Traditionally, the Ascension is celebrated 40 days after the Resurrection, which this year was on Thursday, the 9th of May. However, in this Diocese and many others, the celebration of the Ascension is moved for practical reasons to the Sunday after Ascension Thursday. What do we celebrate? The task given to Jesus has been successfully accomplished. He is now “seated at the right hand of God,” from where He continually intercedes for us. Through Christ’s Ascension, we are given a place in God forever. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “We draw close to Heaven; indeed, we enter Heaven to the extent that we draw close to Jesus and enter into communion with him.”
From the Feast of the Ascension through the Saturday before Pentecost, we are called to intensely prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore fitting and appropriate that we pray this beautiful prayer, the Veni, Sancte Spiritus! sequence (Come, Holy Spirit!):
Come, Holy Spirit, and send out from heaven the ray of your light. Come, father of the poor; come, giver of gifts; come, light of hearts. Greatest comforter, sweet guest of the soul, sweet consolation. In labor, rest; in heat, temperateness; in tears, solace. O most blessed light, fill the inmost heart of your faithful. Without the nod of your head, there is nothing in man, nothing that is harmless. Cleanse what is unclean, water what is parched, heal what is wounded. Bend what is inflexible, warm what is chilled, correct what has gone astray. Give to your faithful, who trust in you, the sevenfold gift. Give virtue's reward, give salvation's end, give joy eternal.
Have a Blessed Week!
With love, Fr. John
Dear friends, Believe it or not, the season of Advent is here. This weekend, we begin a new liturgical year, cycle A, on this First Sunday of Advent. During the season of Advent, the liturgical theme and tone change to one of waiting. There is a call for silence, a call for prayer, a call for preparation, a call for patience, a call for anticipation, a call for revived hope, a call for emptying ourselves of all that does not satisfy and making room for that which will, a call for faith in the one for whom we wait, and a call for penance and repentance, as the one for whom we wait is our Lord and Savior. We can do all of these if we simply trust that we do them for the sake of opening ourselves ever more to the mystery of the Incarnation. Incarnation is simply the celebration of a love that comes to us, seeking us as though we were the only human beings ever to exist. Therefore, it is fitting for us to consider Advent as a time of cleaning house in preparation for receiving a very special guest. In her hymn, “People, Look East,” Eleanor Farjeon offers: People, look east. The time is near Of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, Trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east and sing today: Love, the guest, is on the way. The only downside to the season of Advent is that it is very short−lived. The season runs for four weeks, and sometimes the last (4th) is the shortest. Typically during this season, we do not experience much waiting for, in reality, it is the busiest time of year. There is a lot of shopping, end of the school semester, lots of anticipated Christmas parties and festivities, etc., all of which rob the season of its real intent and purpose. The question, as always, is, “How do we intend to spend these days of preparing for the birth of our Lord in a spiritual sense?” The challenge is to find the right and healthy balance between our social life and the spiritual life. The Church, through its liturgies and Scripture readings, will help us enter into this season of joyful anticipation with purpose and intention. There are a variety of things we can do to keep the tradition of Advent meaningful, such as using an Advent calendar, preparing an Advent wreath with candles, working on a Jesse Tree and, of course, getting ready the Nativity scene. All of these should be done with prayerful consideration of this season of anticipation. To begin this year’s Advent journey, let us consider dedicating a corner in your living room where you can decorate with an Advent wreath and candles and try to make time to pray together as a family using songs such as, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” May your Advent enrich your experience of joyful and hopeful anticipation of the birth of our Lord. Happy Advent! On this First Sunday of Advent, we will be celebrating the Rite of Entrance into the Catechumenate and welcoming the candidates preparing to become Catholic at the Easter Vigil. We are blessed with many brothers and sisters who have joined the OCIA. Let us walk with them and pray for them during these next several months. In an article titled, “New Yorkers turning to the church, number of Catholic converts soaring,” Kirsten Fleming has reflected on a surge of conversion to Catholicism. In her article, she notes: ““There’s a lot of turmoil right now, and I’m in transition, so I feel like I needed something to lean on,” said 22−year−old East Village resident Ian Burns who was baptized in the Episcopal church and stopped attending services because hoops took up his time.” Why Catholicism? “It’s the original religion of Christianity, and I wanted to get to the root of it rather than branches.” Congratulations are in place for the recipients of the Family of the Month for November, Mirian and Richard Krassowsky. These are amazing people who give selflessly of themselves to our parish. Mirian is an usher, and Richard is both an usher and part of our media ministry. A retired electrical engineer, Richard has also spent countless hours fixing our many electrical issues. We are grateful to them both. At the start of this new liturgical year, I am pleased to welcome and introduce to you Deacon Steven Prebeck and his wife Sandy! Steven and Sandy were married 43 years ago in 1982. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1979 with a degree in Aviation/Meteorology, Deacon Steven spent 26 years in the US Air Force. After retiring, they settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado where Steven was ordained a Deacon in 2020 for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. They moved to Viera in February of 2025, and I am so happy that they are here with us to serve our parish community. A hearty welcome to you, Deacon Steven and Sandy. Catholic Giving Tuesday: One of the blessings of this season of Thanksgiving is the spirit of giving. This is yet another time of the year when we are reminded of our call to serve others. This Catholic Giving Tuesday, 2 December, we invite you to support our parish in making a difference in our faith community. Your generous gift will allow us to maintain and expand our good works now and into the future. Please visit our website at https:// www.stjohnviera.org. As always, With Love, Fr. John
Dear friends, Last weekend, I was reflecting with you about how the month of November lends itself toward the end of another calendar year, and so it is with the Church’s liturgical year and the readings that foretell the end of time. This weekend marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year with the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. The USCCB has put out an explanation that I thought might help us to understand why this focus is on Christ the King: “Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 with his encyclical Quas primas (“In the first”) to respond to growing secularism and atheism. He recognized that attempting to “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law” out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations. This solemnity reminds us that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever. During the early twentieth century, in Mexico, Russia, and some parts of Europe, militantly secularistic regimes threatened not just the Catholic Church and its faithful but civilization itself. Pope Pius XI’s encyclical gave Catholics hope and—while governments around them crumbled—the assurance that Christ the King shall reign forever. Jesus Christ “is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind” (Quas primas, 7). Christ’s kingship is rooted in the Church’s teaching on the Incarnation. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is both the divine Lord and the man who suffered and died on the Cross. One person of the Trinity unites himself to human nature and reigns over all creation as the Incarnate Son of God. “From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures” (Quasprimas, 13). The Church calls us to acknowledge Christ’s kingship with our whole lives: He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘as instruments of justice unto God.’ −Quas primas, 33 Today, religious freedom for many people means that we can believe whatever we want in private, but when we enter the public square or the marketplace, we may not speak of anything that relates to our faith. However, the Church acknowledges the reign of Christ, not only privately, but publicly. This solemnity encourages us the celebrate and live out our faith in public. “Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King” (Quas primas, 26). For Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized in public life, we can fall into the habit of compartmentalizing our lives. We love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from acknowledging the kingship of Christ in social life. When we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, we declare to the world and remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord of the Church and of the entire universe.” One special person who honored Christ as her King and Lord is St. Cecilia whose feast we celebrate on 22 November every year. When she was threatened with death if she didn’t marry the prefect’s son, she responded saying, “Do you not know that I am the bride of my Lord Jesus Christ?” We pause this weekend to THANK Heidi, our Music Director, and all the musicians, cantors, and choir members who lend their talents in helping us raise our minds and hearts to God the Father, author of all the talents and gifts we have received. As we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving later this week, I want to make sure that you know how grateful I am to you for being a very faithful, joyful, welcoming, and generous community. On behalf of Fr. Martin, the deacons, and the staff, I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. As we continue to celebrate God’s mercy to us all these past 25 years, I want to join you all in THANKING GOD for HIS faithfulness. May our collective voices continue to cry out to the world: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving! With love, Fr. John
Dear friends, Having celebrated the special feast days of the Commemoration of All Souls on 2 November and the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica on 9 November, we passed over the 31st and 32nd Sundays. This Sunday, we are back on track with the 33rd Sunday in Year C, the penultimate Sunday in the liturgical calendar, the Sunday before the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Rightly so, the readings from the Scriptures reflect on the end of time. The first reading from the prophet Malachi, last of the prophets from the Old Testament and also the last book of the Old Testament, identifies Israel’s sinful ways and exhorts them to reform and, in turn reap the harvest that results from remaining faithful to the Lord. The proud and evildoers will meet their fate on the day of the Lord, while the righteous ones who persevere will live to see the day of the Lord. Today’s gospel reading tells of the last days of Jesus’ ministry, concluding with his prediction about the persecution of his followers. Luke 21: 5−19 invites us to persevere in days of persecution and give witness to our faith: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” During this Silver Jubilee year, as we give thanks to God for the many blessings showered upon us during these 25 years, we also thank God for using us as a channel of blessings for others, especially to those most in need. As part of our “Days of Giving Back,” we will be serving hot meals to guests at Matthew’s Hope in Cocoa, FL. Our team of volunteers will be getting things ready on Monday, 17 November and then serving on Tuesday, 18 November. I thank you for your donations in support of this endeavor. Thanks to Janet Owen, her Feed my Flock ministry members, and all who have signed up to prepare the food, deliver, and serve. Your generosity and kindness are deeply appreciated. We would like to make this jubilee year a true blessing for everyone. This weekend, we will have the opportunity to help support the efforts of the Catholic Charities of Central Florida in serving thousands of people throughout our diocese, including our own Brevard County. Our support of this collection is critical to their ability to respond to the ever−increasing needs of our families. I thank you in advance for your kind support. There will be two collections this weekend, and your generosity in the second will remind us all that “Every family we help is one less family in need.” In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With love, Fr. John
Dear friends, You did it again … our fall harvest food drive to support local farmworkers exceeded expectations. I am grateful to Lulu and Tim Farrell and their team for coordinating this annual event. Lulu writes: “We are deeply grateful for the generosity and service we received to ensure we could deliver more food than ever to the Farmworkers Association of Florida. Maria, leader of the farmworkers in Fellsmere, was overwhelmed with the amount of food we delivered which was twice as much as last year.” The food was delivered on Sunday, and I thank you all for your bountiful generosity. We have received donations of electric wheelchairs that will be available for those in our parish to use as needed. We also have wheelchairs and walkers. Contact the office for assistance. During the month of November, please continue to pray for the deceased members of our families and of our parish community, also for those orphaned souls who have no one to pray for them. Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote: “As we enter Heaven, we will see them, so many of them, coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say ‘a poor soul you prayed for in Purgatory." This weekend, 9 November, we do not celebrate the 32nd Sunday as should be but, rather, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Hence, we will have special readings that focus on the concept of the temple and the vital role it plays in our liturgical life. Just as we celebrate with joy the anniversary of the dedication of our parish church on 20 January, so also does every diocese throughout the world celebrate as a local feast day the dedication of its cathedral as its “spiritual headquarters.” The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome holds a special place in the history of the Church. It was dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in the year 324. When centuries of persecutions ended with Constantine’s 313 edict granting Christians the right to publicly practice their faith, St. John Lateran became the first basilica where Christians were allowed to worship freely in public. It is the oldest church in the West, and the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop of Rome, although many of us erroneously presume that to be St. Peter’s Basilica. As such, this basilica represents the unity of the Church under the leadership of the pope. I have had the privilege of visiting St. John the Lateran when on pilgrimage there with a group from our parish. The basilica has been a place of special significance throughout its long history, having hosted five ecumenical councils. The Baldacchino over the main altar is said to contain relics of the apostles Peter and Paul. The nave of the church is lined with exquisite marble statues of the apostles, all crafted by the Italian master Bernini. We will have the privilege of visiting it in March 2026 when on again pilgrimage to Italy. This day also invites us to ask some very serious questions. What does our church mean to us? Is it just a building, merely a gathering place? Do we recognize it as a place where God dwells so intimately? Do we recognize Jesus present in the tabernacle? Do we recognize that the church is a holy place where prayers and sacrifices are continuously being offered? What is our attitude when we enter our church? Do we treat it as a place of prayer? Are we mindful of other people praying, desiring quiet time to pray? Have you ever spent 15 minutes or so in silent prayer, resting yourself in the presence of the Almighty? Can you hear Jesus’ passionate plea to keep his Father’s house sacred? Are you filled with the zeal of Jesus in keeping the house of God a sacred place of worship and prayer? There is tension over this in our parish. Unfortunately, some of us treat this sacred space as a gathering place to visit with others and catch up with friends. Others feel it should be like a monastery with total silence at all times. When we gather for Eucharistic celebrations, we should all be mindful of how we conduct ourselves living−beings gathering for prayer and worship with the utmost reverence for God’s presence among us. I request that we be gentle with each another, respecting our collective worship as a community of believers in this sacred space. In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With love, Fr. John
Dear friends, It was wonderful to have so many of your friends, neighbors, and relatives join us for the “Each−One Bring−One” to Mass Silver Jubilee special event last weekend. That person or family came because you invited them. You have brought many blessings not only to them but also to us, the SJE family. I have heard so many stories of people who are now true worshipers of the Lord because one person thought of offering that special invitation: Would you like to join us for Mass at our church? You did your part by inviting them; let us now confidently leave the rest to the Lord to do His will. I would like to thank Indroutie Jones and Jennifer Fine for coordinating this wonderful event. We were blessed to have Alan Ames visit us again and to see so many people come from far and near to be healed. I thank Fran and Peter Behrens for making his visit possible, and I invite all of you to take part in the many other events that have been organized for our parish family. What a blessing during this year of Silver Jubilee to receive so many graces. Congratulations to Nancy Fitzpatrick, recipient of the Family of the Month award for October 2026. Thank you, Nancy, for all you do for our community. I heartily welcome Fr. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., here with us this weekend as part of the Hesburgh Lecture Series hosted by the Notre Dame Space Coast Club. Fr. Paul is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and his presentation will be on the topic: The Global Future of the Catholic Church. Thanks to the ND Club for hosting this event. This Sunday is the 2nd of November, and we observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day). Following the Feast of All Saints, this celebration of praying for the dead is significant in the life of the Church. There is an intrinsic connection between us and those who have gone before us in faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in 954 speaks of three states of the Church: “When the Lord comes in glory, and all His angels with Him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to Him. But at the present time some of His disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating in full light, God Himself triune and one, exactly as He is. These three states are known as the Church Militant, the Church Penitent, and the Church Triumphant and comprise the communion of saints that we profess in the Creed. The Church Militant is all of us who are on our earthly journey, fighting “the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7) as soldiers for Christ clad in the “armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10−18) as we engage in spiritual warfare with the forces of evil that seek to turn us to sin and away from Christ and His Church. The Church Penitent refers to all the souls in purgatory who have completed their pilgrimage on earth but have yet to reach their final destination in heaven. Also called the Church Expectant, these souls rely greatly on the prayers of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant to see them through their process of repentance and purification. The Church Triumphant is the saints in heaven who have “finished the race, kept the faith” and won the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7−8). They now bask in the glory of the fullness of the presence of the Holy Trinity for eternity in heaven. “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us … so by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped” (CCC 956). In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With Love, Fr. John
Dear friends, I extend a very hearty welcome to our guests who have come to worship with us today as part of our “Each One, Bring One” effort. You are here because someone thought of you as a very special friend. Thank you for joining us and for honoring the person who invited you. Our doors are always open! Please join us in worship of our Lord Jesus during Eucharistic celebrations or come simply to pray and find some peace, perhaps in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes which has proven to be an oasis of peace. Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for your presence with us. I am deeply honored to welcome Sr. Joan Grace who is visiting us from Ireland. She taught for several years at St. Mary’s School in Rockledge and then served as chaplain of the Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge for many years before retiring to Ireland. She has indeed touched the hearts of so many people during the course of her 70 years of service in our area. She is truly a woman of faith in action. I am extremely grateful to Anjanette Wicks and Roma Zimmerman for coordinating the Jubilee Gala. Their efforts — along with those of so many others — made for a memorable evening. One of the highlights of the event was a cake made by Maria and Jackie Panellas in imitation of our Grotto. Moved by the beauty of the cake, I asked not to cut it but, rather, to share its beauty and depth of detail with all parishioners during the Sunday Masses. Last week, we celebrated World Mission Sunday and reflected on how we are all invited to focus on mission work around the world and to support their efforts both financially and through prayer for those less fortunate. We were privileged to hear from Raquel Cespédes, Director of Missions for the Diocese of Orlando, about our sister diocese in the Dominican Republic and how our financial support has had a definitive impact on their lives. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, I thought about rafling off the cake, and one generous parishioner offered $3000 for it in support of the people of our sister diocese. God truly works in mysterious ways! Trunk−or−Treat this year had a unique Silver Jubilee flavor with a different location and so many activities. The children had a great time walking by 65 trunks, treating themselves to pounds of treats that will last them at least a year. The children had an amazing time with roasting marshmallows by the fire, story−time with the saints, bounce houses, games, crafts, and goodies galore. Thanks to all who shared their decorated trunks. I am immensely grateful to Justin and Amanda Libak for orchestrating the entire event and to all who donated treats and their time to make this event possible for the children of our parish. Please don’t forget to keep praying the Rosary during the month of October and making it a daily “habit” for the rest of your lives. The number of creative activities provided to engage us in praying the Rosary in our parish has been astounding. Our beautiful Grotto is always there to provide the perfect ambience for prayer. Fr. Patrick Peyton, a Holy Cross priest, always invited families to pray the Rosary together every day, encouraging them with the words that a “family that prays together stays together.” This rings truer now more than ever. As we end the month of October, I would like to offer a Mass at the Grotto on Thursday, 30 October, at 6 p.m., followed by the Rosary. On the 31st, Alan Ames from Australia will be with us for an evening Mass and healing service. Alan is a Catholic visionary, mystic, and celebrated author. Please come and benefit from this amazing opportunity for healing. This 30th Sunday in Year C offers beautiful Scriptural passages centered around our dispositions to God, others, and the nature of our prayers. The Book of Sirach comes from the Deuterocanonical section and is a collection of writings from Israel’s wisdom tradition. In this first reading, we see how God is portrayed as a God who inclines his ear to the cry of the poor. It says, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds, it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” The Gospel of Luke further demonstrates this aspect in presenting the disposition of two very different people who go to pray: one is a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee has an attitude rooted in comparison and contrast. His prayer indicates self−righteousness, that he needs nothing from God, and judgement of others. The prayer of the tax collector, on the other hand, is one of humility. He does not even dare to lift his eyes to heavens. His demeanor indicates that he is sinful and stands in need of God’s mercy. The humble man’s prayer certainly pierces heaven, and his prayers are heard. This passage is unique to Luke and teaches us profound lessons. What is our attitude when go to pray? Are you full of yourself leaving no room for God to fill you with His love? Or are you, in humility, able to bare your empty heart so that God can fill it with His love? In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With Love, Fr. John
Dear friends, Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C, founder of Holy Cross Family Ministries and known the world over as “The Rosary Priest,” believed that praying the Rosary can bring peace to the world: “The Rosary has saved the world in the past; it will save the world again by saving the family.” During the month of October, we are honoring our Mother here each evening at 6 p.m. with the Rosary at the grotto. I invite you to stop by and join us. SJE Rosary Fitness will begin on Tuesday, 21 October, at 6 p.m. in the parish hall. Men and women aged 16 and up are welcome. Please bring your exercise mat and a set of light weights (optional). Thanks to Janet Fovargue, GFI, CPT, SFC, who has offered to lead this opportunity to pray while working out together. In addition, the WINGS ministry is hosting a Rosary Walk on Wednesday, 22 October. All women are invited to meet by the Pieta statue at 6 p.m. for a walk to the Viera Regional Park (approximately 3 miles round trip) while praying the Rosary together. We are invited to join Holy Cross Family Ministries at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 October, the Feast of Saint Pope John Paul II, for their second annual worldwide rally for peace, bringing countries together to pray the Rosary as one. This powerful event will truly be a global effort for peace in our own hearts, in our families, throughout our countries, and across the world. All Holy Cross Family Ministry centers across five continents and in 18 countries will lead us to pray in unison as a single, human family, creating a global experience of simultaneous, unified prayer. Fr. Patrick Peyton’s memorable statement still rings true today: “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.” Please visit HCFM.org to tune into this event. On 19 October, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, an opportunity to pray for the mission of evangelization around the world. Pope Leo, in his video message to every parish in the world, said this: Dear Brothers and Sisters, On World Mission Sunday every year, the whole Church prays, united, particularly for missionaries and the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors. When I served as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, I saw first−hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities. I urge every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday. Your prayers, your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories. This October 19th, as we refiect together on our baptismal call to be "missionaries of hope among the peoples," let us commit ourselves anew to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our Hope to the ends of the earth. Thank you for everything you will do to help me help missionaries throughout the world. God bless you all! Our diocese has been helping our sister diocese in San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic for the past three decades. We welcome Raquel Cespédes who is in charge of the mission there to speak to us about the powerful impact of our generous assistance in the lives of the people of that region. Thank you for your contributions to the mission of the Church worldwide. On this 29th Sunday in Year C, we are treated to Scripture readings which emphasize the importance of prayer , the key theme being that of persistence . I wish to thank Ismael Munoz for his gracious assistance as bookkeeper for four months when we needed him most. He and his wife Nina are people of amazing faith, and we are blessed to have them in our parish family. Our new bookkeeper, Shannon Coffman, joined the staff on 13 October. She is a native Floridian from the Titusville area with over 30 years of accounting experience. Shannon and her husband Marty have two grown children, and we extend a warm welcome to them all. In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With love, Fr. John
Dear friends, For the first time in our short history as a parish community, we celebrated the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary with a candlelight Marian procession on Tuesday, 7 October. Our candles were lit from the Eternal Flame; what a privilege and responsibility to be keepers of the flame! I am greatly indebted to Peter and Fran Behrens for coordinating the Marian procession with all of its beautiful decorations. I’d also like to thank our Filipino community for decorating Mother Mary who was carried in the procession. Thanks to our Brazilian community for decorating the grotto with flowers galore and to the many others who worked so hard to plan such a beautiful tribute to our Mother. October is the Month of the Rosary. We are blessed to have our beautiful Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where people flock to pray the Rosary and to meditate on the Stations of the Cross. Every evening this month, we will be praying the Rosary at the grotto at 6 p.m., so please join us as we help one another get to heaven. In his book, “Rediscover the Rosary,” Matthew Kelly asks us these questions: “Loving devotion to Mary is part of Christianity that can be traced back to the very first Christians. Who is Mary to you? What role does she play in your spiritual life?” Paco Farach deserves our whole hearted gratitude for making this year’s Silver Jubilee Golf Tournament an amazing experience. Thanks to all who worked on the team. Thanks to our sponsors and players for their support. We now have a new ministry for doctors, nurses, and all those in the medical profession: the SJE Medical Ministry . I am very grateful to Dr. Kevin Campbell and Dr. Brendan Prendergast for heading this ministry. We are truly blessed to have so many in the medical profession in our parish. They will help us with any medical emergencies during our weekend worship and, while we thank them for their generosity, let us also pray for them, that the healing ministry of Jesus may continue to be accomplished through their service. Please join us in honoring them with a White Mass (also known as “Health Care Mass” ) on the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of physicians and medical professionals, to be celebrated on Saturday, 28 October at 10 a.m. in the church. On this 28th Sunday in Year C, the Scripture readings speak of the healing that God worked among the people of Israel − even among those from other backgrounds − through the ministry of the prophets as we hear in the first reading taken from the second Book of Kings. Naaman, army commander for the king of Aram, comes seeking to be healed of his dreaded leprosy by the prophet Elisha. Once cleansed and freed from his leprosy, he is filled with gratitude and recognition of the power of the God of Israel. He has a conversion experience and, as a result, commits himself to worshipping the Lord in his own land upon his return. In the Gospel of Luke, we are given the example of the ten lepers who desire to be healed by Jesus. While they may not have fully understood who Jesus was, they recognized him as a prophet and did what he asked them to do. Of the ten who were healed, only one, a non−Jew (a Samaritan) returned to give thanks to Jesus, recognizing the power of God. He, though an outsider like Naaman, responds with gratitude. What is our attitude to Jesus for the innumerable healings we experience every day of our lives? Do we simply take them for granted? Do we have an attitude of entitlement? Both Naaman and the Samaritan leper who were healed challenge our attitude of complacency in our faith life, a great lesson to ponder this week. In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend, With Love, Fr. John
Dear friends, Wednesday evening’s presentation by Chris Stefanick was dynamic, full of enthusiasm, and inspiring, and I thank God for using lay evangelists like him to fan the fires of our faith. We thank Ann Marie Goldberg, Event Manager for the Real−Life Catholic team, for providing guidance to our team of volunteers for this amazing event. All in attendance were truly blessed. To continue the fervor ignited by Chris’ REBOOT, our Flourish Our Faith team will present an 11−week study, “Living Joy,” beginning on 16 October. Consider joining us as we learn how to LIVE WITH JOY!! The month of October reminds us that life is a precious gift from God. Every life – from the moment of conception to natural death – is to be revered and honored. This Sunday is designated as Respect Life Sunday which marks the beginning of “Respect Life Month” for the Catholic Church in the United States. We are invited to renew our commitment to building a culture that protects life. Let us pray to be agents of gratitude and hope. October is also the Month of the Rosary. We are blessed to have our beautiful Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where people flock to pray the Rosary and to meditate on the Stations of the Cross. Every evening this month, we will be praying the Rosary at the grotto at 6 p.m., so please join us as we help one another get to heaven. In these days of growing darkness and hatred in our country, the Rosary, in the words of St. Padre Pio, “is the weapon of our times.” An increase in unspeakable atrocities committed against our communities is proof enough that we are engaged in battle, and the appropriate weapon is the Rosary. For the first time in our short history as a parish community, we will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary with a candlelight Marian procession on Tuesday, 7 October at 6.30 p.m. Please gather in front of the hall for the start; Mass will follow in the Grotto. Our candles will be lit from the Eternal Flame. Thanks to Peter and Fran Behrens for coordinating this initiative. WINGS Ministry: I am deeply grateful to Darline Granados for overseeing this ministry with such love and passion for making a difference in the lives of the women of our parish. Due to family circumstances, she is unable to continue in the leadership position, so Jennie Fine will be taking up the reins moving forward, assisted by Holly Russo and Linda Lane. Thank you in advance! The WINGS ministry was created for women seeking fellowship and spiritual growth to come together in a safe and welcoming environment as they navigate their busy and often messy lives. Next up for this ministry is a six−session ENDOW study on Pope John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Holy Rosary) beginning 10 October. All women aged 30−50−ish are invited to attend and can sign up to receive info on upcoming service projects and social events. On this Twenty−Seventh Sunday, the same words expressed by the prophet Habakkuk in the first reading continue through time to echo in our hearts: “Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.” Last weekend, we witnessed another act of evil when a deadly shooting and arson attack in Grand Blanc, Michigan took four precious lives and gutted the entire Mormon church. “How long, O Lord? I cry for help and you do not listen.” God assures us, like Habakkuk, that He will act in the fullness of time, that His providence will prevail. In his letter to Timothy, Paul encourages us to endure while suffering for our faith, a faith that requires continual tending to burn strong and bright. From the Gospel of Luke, we join the apostles in praying, “Increase our faith.” In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With Love, Fr. John
Dear friends, “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” I am profoundly grateful to God for all that he continues to do in our lives. My heart also overflows with gratitude to you, my dear family of St. John’s, as we echo the psalmist in response to our Jubilee Prayer: “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own!” (Psalm 33). I am so grateful to all who helped with the organization of our inaugural celebration. I want to thank Sandy Samuel for overseeing the Jubilee committees and Jason and Yleem Pobletes for their coordination of the 11 a.m. Mass with Bishop Noonan, including their preparation of the program to commemorate the day. In addition, I add special thanks to them for securing the “Peace Light” from the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem, an eternal flame from the birthplace of our Lord and Savior which now burns brightly in our sanctuary. Many thanks to the choir, the kitchen crew and Justin and Amanda Libak and family for taking charge of all the picnic−related items and feeding over 1000 folks, and to each of you for your contributions/donations to our opening celebration. It is my fervent hope that all parishioners will join in as we give honor, praise, and glory to our God. Bishop Noonan’s uplifting message set the tone for a continued spirit of evangelization at SJE in bringing the love of Jesus to others. Fr. Emmanuel Kallarackal, our Vicar General from Rome, represented the entire family of Holy Cross, and his note of congratulations, best wishes, and prayers was greatly appreciated. As a fitting conclusion to our opening celebration, we honored our Lord for his Divine Presence with us in the Blessed Sacrament with 40 unbroken hours of adoration. The 11 a.m. Mass can be viewed on our website: https://www.youtube.com/live/CIN−uS_4T7A. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Fr. James Martin Nobles, O.P., a friar of the Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres (Southern Province) and the Provincial Promoter for the Laity. He will preside at the 11 a.m. Mass this weekend and receive four new members from our parish as candidates of the Lay Dominican Order. He will also witness the “temporary promise” of three candidates. In addition, we welcome Mrs. Donna Farrell−Pellisier, O.P., Provincial Secretary of the Lay Dominicans. Two of our newest ministries are up and running, the SJE Mom’s Ministry and Seedlings of Hope. Our St. Monica Ministry will launch on Friday, 26 September at 7 p.m. We invite all mothers whose spouses and/or children have left the Catholic faith to join this movement of love for your families. In addition, I invite all doctors, nurses, and medical professionals for a meeting on Tuesday, 30 September at 6 p.m. to begin a ministry for their healing profession. Our world and our country are experiencing agonizing times as we witness frequent acts of violence born of hatred and division. Recently, we watched a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota in which two children were killed. We also witnessed the stabbing death of a young woman, Iryna Zarutska, in the subway of Charlotte, NC last month and, just a week ago, the heartbreaking assassination of Charlie Kirk and the deep sense of loss experienced by his wife and young children. He was a man who will be remembered for his courageous faith. Bishop Barron noted that Charlie “was indeed a great debater and one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian.” He and the many others who have become victims of heartless violence have been robbed of every dream they and their parents and families might have had for them. We lift them up in prayer. These senseless incidents bring us to the painful realization that our country is infected with cancer, and I fear that we are in danger of losing her to it. There is so much deep−rooted animosity and a seemingly unfathomable divide. As Kelsey Reinhardt has noted: “That advanced cancer is evil, widespread, and metastasizing. The disease is not only political. It is spiritual. A culture without God will always end in confusion, division, and violence. But if we focus only on political solutions, we will not only be disappointed, we will fail. The root of our decline is spiritual – hate exists in the human heart.” Where are we as a nation? Where are we as a community of believers? The readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time offer some consolation for us. St. Paul Timothy 2:1−8 asks “that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone … that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1−8). In today’s gospel reading, Jesus affirms that “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16: 1−13). The cancer of violence, hatred, and division has its roots in our nation becoming increasingly God−less. In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master. Let us pray for the healing of our fractured nation, and may this jubilee year bring us ever closer together and bind us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and a deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With Love, Fr. John