St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community

CLICK HERE FOR PRAYER FOR REPOSE OF POPE BENEDICT

The Community of St. John the Evangelist mourns the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. We will be offering special prayers at the Masses in the next week for this beloved teacher of our faith.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI passed away Dec. 31 at 9:34 a.m. in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican Gardens. Pope Francis is scheduled to preside over the funeral Mass Jan. 5 in St. Peter's Square.

Dear friends,

We are blessed to enter into yet another year of grace, each new day a gift from the Lord.  As we step into this new year,our hearts should be full ofgratitude knowing that God continues to walk with us.  I take this opportunity once again to thank all of you for making our parish communitymost welcoming, a place where people can experience God’s love through not only our worship of the Lord in the liturgy but also through our many and varied ministries that renew and reinvigorate us on our spiritual journey.  In addition, our social outreach ministrycontinues to manifest the love and care we have for both our local and wider communities.

The final day of the year, December 31, 2022, brought news of the passing of our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He spent his life teaching us how to cherish our friendship with Jesus and has left behind an enduring legacy of published writings to enrich our determination to follow Jesus.  With indomitable courage to think and speak of the eternal truths, he lived with profound conviction and credibility.

The last 10 years of his life were spent seeking an encounter with the face of Jesus, having written on 6 February 2022: “Soon I will stand before the ultimate judge of my life. Although in looking back on my long life I may have much cause for fear and dread, I have nevertheless a joyful spirit because I firmly trust that the Lord is not only the righteous judge, but, at the same time, the friend and brother who has already suffered my inadequacies himself and therefore, as judge, is at the same time my advocate.Looking at the hour of judgment, the grace of being a Christian thus becomes clear to me. Being a Christian gives me knowledge and, moreover, friendship with the judge of my life and enables me to cross the dark door of death with confidence.In this regard, I am constantly reminded of what John recounts at the beginning of Revelation: he sees the Son of Man in all his greatness and falls to his feet, as dead. But He, laying His right hand upon him, says to him, ‘Do not be afraid. I am...’” (cf. Rev. 1:12-17).”What a man of faith. As he meets his advocate and paraclete, may he safely enter the gates of heaven and intercede for us.

I extend my warmest welcome to KELLI SALCEDA, our new Director of Faith Formation. Kelli comes to us from California where she served in that role for many years.  She will be a perfect fit for our parish.  A hearty welcome to you, Kelli.

This year, we will be going on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe from 15-20 May 2023.  Another 11-day pilgrimage to Greece and Ephesus is planned for 11–21 October 2023.  Please contact the office for more details.

I will be leaving soon for my home visit to India; hence, I am combining the news for both January and February.

January 2023:

1 January 2023: We begin each year with the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, which invites us to imitate Mary in her discipleship, the most beloved and perfect disciple of the Lord. We seek our Mother Mary’s maternal protection for all of us and for our families.

1 January 2023:  As part of your New Year’s resolution,I strongly encourage you to learn about the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). The best and easiest way to do so is to follow the podcast The Catechism in a Yearby Fr. Mike Schmitz. Fr. Mike breaks the Catechism into easily digestible sections for each day of the year.  Just as we did with The Bible in a Year, all who participate will greatly benefit from this important resolution to learn about God’s love for us and how we might dwell in that love.You can also go to our website, www.stjohnviera.org, and follow this podcast.

7 January 2023: The statue of Saint Brother Andre has been with us for more than three years.  He came to us during the pandemic, and then our campaign 2.0 focused on the completion to our church and the access road to our property.  At long last, the time has come for us to enthrone this humble saint in his beautiful place.  He stands ready to welcomeall who come to our church, just as he had done so throughout his life in welcoming the students and parents of Notre Dame school in Montreal. Brother Andre was a brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross and was canonized on October 17, 2010 by, not coincidentally, Pope Benedict XVI. His devotion to St. Joseph was the hallmark of his life, and he even helped start the construction of one of the largest churches in the world dedicated to St. Joseph which is located in Mount Royal, Montreal. Since his feast day has now been permanently moved from the 6^th of January to the 7^th, we have planned a special feast day Mass for Saturday, 7 January at 10 a.m.  Following the Mass, we will bless the statue of this “Miracle Man of Montreal.” He is to all of us a friend, a brother, and a saint. Our new access road has been named after him, “Brother Andre Dr.” In addition, gracious parishioners have donated two beautiful benches and a trash can for the covered drop-off area which will offer a place to sit and pray to this gentle,spiritual giant. May Brother Andre watch over all who enter the portals of our church.

7/8 January:  Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

**We will resume faith formation classes for children in grades K through 5^thfrom 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. in the parish hall and classrooms.  High school youth ministryfor grades 9 – 12 will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall.**

9 January:  Monday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. After today’s Mass, the Christmas Season officially comes to an end, and the Christmas decorations can finally be put away. Congratulations to those who continued to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. 

10 January:  Beginning today, the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year returns andcontinues until the day before Ash Wednesday.  Then, we won’t experience Ordinary Time again until after the Eastertide.

11 January:  EDGE sessions for grades6 – 8 resume in the parish hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

12 January:  Sacramental prep classes for First Holy Communion begin in the parish hall from 6 – 7:15 p.m.These classes will be held every other Thursday.

23 January:  The Gratia Plena ministry is hosting its monthly meeting.  The theme of this reflection will be“In the Pink,” and the focus will be to renew and refocus our prayer life. The guest speaker will be Anjanette Wicks.

February 2023:

4/5 February: We will celebrate the Memorial of St. Blaise, patron of throat-related illnesses, with the blessing of the throats after every Mass.

11/12 February: Weekend of Our Catholic Appeal 2023.  St. John’s is now one of the larger parishes in the Diocese of Orlando.  Thanks to your kind generosity, we have exceeded our goal each year.  I appeal to you once again to prayerfully consider your support of the diocese and its many ministries and missions.

Christ Renews His Parish Retreat Weekendfor the women of our parish.  This weekend is one of the best ways to grow closer as sisters of shared faith and to become more familiar with our parish and the variety of ways to serve. Many lives have been enriched by this amazing program. I invite the women of our parish to join us, especially those of you who are new to the area.

Super Bowl LVII.  Our high school youth ministryteens will be sponsoring the annual“Super Bowl of Caring” on this weekend, a non-perishable food drive to benefit the Sharing Center of Central Brevard.  They will be collecting food items before and after all Masses.

14 February is a great day for the Congregation of Holy Cross.  Fr. Patrick Neary C.S.C., a brother priest of our Province, will be consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud.The Ordination Mass will take place at 1:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Mary in St. Cloud, MN.  We wish the Bishop-Elect God’s abundant blessings.

17/18 February:Christ Renews His Parish Retreat Weekend for the men of our parish. Many who have attended this weekend have been so moved by their experience that they are now actively involved in the life of our parish.  I ask that youconsider registering for and participating in this weekend’s retreat, especially if you are single or new to the parish.  It is one you will certainly not regret.

20 February:  Gratia Plena ministry is hosting its monthly meeting.

22 February:  Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our Lenten Season.We will offer three Masses: 8 a.m., 12:05 p.m., and 7 p.m.

24 February:  Our Lenten tradition of Friday Adoration begins after the 8:00 a.m. daily Mass, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m., Evening Prayer, and Benediction at 5.30 p.m. Soup Supper begins at 6 p.m. in the parish hall and Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. in the church.

25/26 February: First Sunday of Lent.  The Lenten season invites us to journey with Jesus for 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begin on Ash Wednesday and end at sundown on Holy Thursday.  It is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.  During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting.  We are called to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully. 

28 February: For some time now, I have been thinking about hosting an event that would create greater awareness about cancer and its impacts on both our lives and those of our loved ones.  I have witnessed so many of our parish family suffer the effects of this dreaded disease; hence, in collaboration withComplimentary Cancer Care,a not-for-profit organization located in Brevard County, St. John’s will be hosting a panel of healthcare and support resources – to include doctors and nurses of oncology, social workers, mind-body experts, a Catholic priest, and cancer survivors – for an open discussion about managing the effects of cancer. We will offer spiritual guidance, practical information, suggestions on coping, and healthy-living practices. Please come and benefit from this panel discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

I also invite you to keep all Tuesdays during Lent for something special from St. John’s to enrich and enliven your spiritual journey.

May the Lord bless you and yours abundantly as we step into another year of grace!

With love,

Fr. John

Weekly Offertory

Thank you for your continued support of our Parish. Without your help we wouldn't be up and running. If you have not made your weekly donation you have the following options:

1. Online at stjohnviera.weshareonline.org 

2. Offertory can be sent by mail.

3. Offertory can be dropped off at the Parish.

Thank you to those who have already made their donation. You are all in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Office Hours

Monday - Friday
8:30am - 5:00pm

Church Address

5655 Stadium Parkway

Viera, FL  32940

Contact Us

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (321) 637 9650
Fax: (321) 637 9651