Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 8, 2024

SJE Admin • September 10, 2024

Dear Friends,

On 8 September 2024 is a huge feast, one celebrated in the all Marian Shrines around the world to honor our Holy Mother Mary on her birthday. This year, because 8 September falls on a Sunday, the Church does not observe this feast as grandly as we would like.

As you know, there are only three people whose birthdays are celebrated in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church: Jesus’ birthday on 25 December, John the Baptist’s birthday on 24 June, and as we just mentioned, Mother Mary’s birthday on 8 September. What an honor it is to celebrate our Mother! So, since we have our beautiful Grotto, we will offer another Mass at 7 p.m. in the Grotto on this Sunday, the 8th of September.

The 8th of September also is a huge day for us here at St. John the Evangelist. On this day, we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the founding of our parish in 2001. We gratefully remember all who helped to create our parish alongside the Congregation of Holy Cross: the Bishop of Orlando; Fr. Larry Olszewski, C.S.C.; Fr. Bob Wiseman, C.S.C.; and all the amazing people who enrolled with great faith to be founding members of this fledgling parish, which had nothing to call its own -- neither land, nor buildings, nor worship space. While some original members of our parish have moved on, either elsewhere in this world or to their home in the next, we are still blessed to have some who are very much present here with us. We thank them for placing their trust in Divine Providence.

We are inching ever closer to the commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of our founding. We will celebrate this jubilee for a whole year with many wonderful events starting on 8 September 2025. Throughout the jubilee year, we will offer thanksgiving to God for the wonders he wrought during our founding years and those He continues to work in our days as well.

As we enter the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B cycle, the prophet Isaiah’s words bring us warmth and comfort, for he says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God . . . he comes to save you.’” (Isaiah 35: 4) Wow, that message is so needed in these days of fear and anxiety. Can you hear in these words the message God is sending? that you are special, that your God cares for you?

We not only hear what God can do, but we can see it happen in Mark’s Gospel, in the person of Jesus Christ. In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus goes about incarnating the words of the prophet Isaiah, making them come alive. People brought a man who was unable to hear or speak to Jesus, and He put his finger into the man’s ears and touched his tongue and said: “Ephphatha! – that is, “Be opened!” And the man could hear and speak. In astonishment, the witnesses of this miracle say, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

What is our impediment, our deafness, our blindness? What prevents us from hearing and seeing and speaking of the wonders God, who continues to do marvelous things in us through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Please remember: on Saturday, 14 September, all who participate in St. John’s ministries will come together for our Ministry Day, a whole morning of reflection. Fr. Ivan Almo, Pastor of Annunciation Parish, Altamonte Springs, will be the speaker. This time of reflection is designed to renew and rejuvenate our volunteers in their ongoing commitment to serve in our parish. In addition, it is a way for me to thank each one for their dedication.

On the weekend of 14/15 September, we also have our Ministry Fair after each Mass. Please be prepared to stay after Mass to visit Holy Cross Hall. The Fair is an opportunity for you to learn about each of our ministries and cherish our deeply committed parishioners who carry out the 60+ ministries here at St. John’s.

Some of our ministries need many new volunteers, while others do not. Even for the latter, there will be ministry representatives present to explain what their ministry is all about. Last weekend, you heard me talk about the two new ministries we have launched (You Cared for Me and CarePortal). Be sure to stop by and learn more about them, for they need many to help carry out the purpose and the activities of the ministries.

What a blessing it is to belong to a parish community that cares for all areas of our parishioners’ lives!

We have just one more weekend to reach/exceed our Holy Hour Challenge of 2,000 hours of Adoration. I am so proud of those who have responded in some way to help us meet this challenge. But I need to remind everyone: wherever you do you your adoration, in the Church or in the Chapel, log in your time. You can do that on the log-in form or on the iPad by the entrance to the Adoration Chapel. Or you can simply write down the date and your time. Then call or stop by the office to let us record your time for you. In this way, we will know when we reach our goal.

Why are we making this huge effort? It is my heart’s desire that we show our love for the Lord in the Eucharist, and let Him increase our love for Him though the holy act of Adoration. Remember what St. Padre Pio said: “A Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament is worth more than a thousand years of human glory.”

Have a Blessed Week!

With love,

Fr. John

< Older Post Newer Post >

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