Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 15, 2024

SJE Admin • September 15, 2024

Dear Friends,

Sunday, 15 September, is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lady of Sorrows is the Patron of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and so her feast day is very special to us. Needless to say, I ask for your prayers for the Brothers, Sisters, and Priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross, that they may be rooted in faith and the knowledge of the love of God for us. At St. John’s, we are blessed to have the Courtyard of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is meticulously maintained by our lovely Council of Catholic Women (CCW) sisters. I invite you to stop by the courtyard and say a prayer. I also take this opportunity to thank our dedicated CCW cleaning team. Their work keeps the courtyard a place of beauty, so that prayer, meditation, and relaxation can occur without distraction.

The Third Sunday in September is celebrated as Catechetical Sunday in the United States. It is a day on which we rededicate ourselves to the task of ensuring a top-quality faith formation for our children. This task is of prime importance to us as baptized members of the Church. It is therefore appropriate to take time today to recognize and thank our wonderful catechists, who offer their time and talent unstintingly to instill in our children the love of God and knowledge of our faith. Without them we would not be able to fulfill the task given to us. They go way beyond just communicating the content of our faith; they also lead our children to love the Lord. Let us pray for Kelli and Schonda from our Faith Formation Office and also for our catechists at all levels who help with this enormous labor of love. Our Office of Faith Formation staff is thrilled to say that we are bursting at the seam with an influx of children into our Faith Formation Classes from K through 12. What a blessing! Have you thought about becoming a catechist? We need you!

Congratulations are in order! We made our Holy Hour Challenge goal! To those who heeded my call for prayer and adoration, I offer my thanks, while I acknowledge at the same time that this was a gift you gave yourselves, besides which my thanks are paltry.

I was delighted by words of thanks from our out-of-town friends for allowing their time in Adoration also to be counted. Donna Hill, from Connecticut, contacted me and asked that I include the 15 hours spent by their family in Adoration during one week, which were offered as a prayer for us all.

I was particularly edified by a note from Leslie Manns; his was one of the first 25 families to join St. John’s. He said: “Is there any way I can help while being confined to home as an 89-year-old handicapped parishioner. I would love to add hours. I am praying for you. Les.” Wow, that is a great sign of solidarity. In a subsequent email, he asked me to log in 8 hours of prayers from just one week. That really touched my heart. I am truly grateful to Les and all those who pitched in to pray for us.

This weekend is Ministry Fair Day, during which we celebrate our vibrant and diverse parish ministries. We are blessed with 60+ ministries, and a few more on the way. I am immensely grateful to the more than 500 people who serve in these varied ministries. They make our parish a most welcoming and spiritually fulfilling one. Please stop by the hall after each Mass where the ministries will be on display. Witness for yourselves what the Holy Spirit can do with those open to receive him. Please join me in thanking them for their commitment. Show appreciation for their efforts by going around to each of the ministry tables. See the diversity of ministries and opportunities for service and/or spiritual growth that they offer. Which ones draw your heart? In which ones would you be happy to contribute your time and talents?

To show our appreciation to our ministry volunteers, we held a Ministry Day on Saturday, 14 September 2024. A huge and profound thanks to our presenter, Fr. Ivan Olmo, Pastor of the Annunciation Parish in Altamont Springs. He set our ministers on fire with love of the Lord by his amazing presence and talks. I am certain that the gifts flowing from this day will keep them energized and filled with enthusiasm to continue serving the Lord and our community with ever-growing joy.

On the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, the church invites us to continue relishing the theme of being open to God’s message. But there are ramifications. If we remain loyal to HIM, we may experience much suffering, as Isaiah points out in the first reading. But despite this, Isaiah offers comfort: “God is near who upholds my right … See, the Lord God is my help; who will prove me wrong?” (Is 50: 5-9) Jesus confirms that suffering is part of following him. He compels his disciples to weigh this implication of following him as he says: “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8: 35) If you and I can answer the question Jesus proposes -- namely, “Who do you say that I am” -- in the way Peter answers -- “You are the Christ” (Mark 8: 29) -- then we can muster sufficient courage to endure any hardship for the sake of HIM who loves us more than we can ever imagine.

Have a Blessed Week!

With love,

Fr. John

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First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025

March 9, 2025

Dear friends, The holy season of Lent has begun with a glorious Ash Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see our children at the 7 a.m. Mass that day. They wore the cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads to school, proud to show their faith and be silent evangelizers. We are very proud of them! Now that it is Lent, we will offer Stations of the Cross at the Grotto each day of the week except Sunday, including the traditional Stations on Fridays. I urge you to look at the bulletin for all the details about special Masses and other spiritual activities that have been created to support you on your lenten journey. I ask that you take the Lenten Schedule on page 8 and post it where you will remember to look at it. In particular, note the information about the Lenten Mission on March 16-18, the special programing for the Tuesdays of Lent, and the many spiritual activities on Fridays. We can approach Lent as the opportunity to do a spiritual “spring cleaning.” As one good priest reminded me: “Lent is a time to re-read the ‘owner’s manual,’ to tune our ‘engines,’ and to refurbish our ‘vehicles’ – not only for the journey of 40 days but also for the journey of life, the right life–and the right eternity.” God has given us an inexhaustible capacity for the transformation needed for becoming holy. Lent is also that special time of year when we walk with our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to become full members of the Catholic faith during the Easter Vigil. We are called to support them through our prayers and examples of faith. Remember to pray for their sponsors and their families as well. During the Vigil Mass on 8 March, the St. John’s family will join with our catechumens in celebration of the ritual called the Rite of Sending. In this rite, they will be recognized for the progress they have made in their spiritual formation. Then we will send them on to the Rite of Election which will be celebrated by Bishop Noonan the next day, 9 March, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication of our sisters and brothers . In this Jubilee Year 2025 themed, “Pilgrims of Hope,” it is good to reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila about hope and what it accomplishes: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.” On the First Sunday of Lent, we always revisit the scene of the temptation of Jesus in the desert where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. We also recall our ancestors in faith, the ancient Israelites, who for 40 years trudged their way through the desert to the promised land. Jesus, through his patient acceptance of suffering and his rejection of the allurements of the devil, models the correct response in times of adversity and testing. This is in contrast with the ancient Israelites who murmured and complained bitterly about their ordeal. Jesus never swerved from being obedient to his Father; he completely and utterly depended on Him. Let us, too, place complete confidence in the Father during our times of trial, of which there will be many. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, continues to need our prayers. Let us continue to pray for his healing: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” I take this opportunity to announce that Beth Lowry has joined our parish staff as the new Business Manager. She held the position of bookkeeper in our office some years ago. Beth is well known to many at St. John’s. She and her devoted husband Steve have long been involved in many of our ministries. Beth brings a rich variety of work experience and abilities to her new position, and we wish her a positive and pleasant experience as she takes on this leadership role at St. John’s. Welcome, Beth! Have an inspiring and enriching LENT! With love, Fr. John