St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community

Dear friends,

We enter the month of May with an enormous sense of gratitude.  Life has begun to blossom, and the earth is bearing witness to the hand of the Creator.  Let me give you an update on things happening around our campus:

Mass Attendance:  We are happy to see so many of our parishioners returning to celebrate the Eucharist, the source and summit of our Christian life.  The dispensation from attending Mass was lifted on Palm Sunday, and sacramental life is returning to normal.  Welcome back!

First Holy Communion:  We were thrilled to have 49 of our children receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time at a special Mass on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 10 a.m.  Our hearts are brimming with joy for these children, blessed by their parents who showed tremendous commitment toward preparing them to receive the Lord.  My heartfelt thanks to them and the children’s godparents and grandparents for persevering in their walk of faith as a family.  So many of our children had perfect attendance for sacramental prep, with some missing just one class due to illness or unavoidable circumstance.  The real challenge is to ensure that these children continue their faith formation in the years to come!  I entreat the parents to ensure that all of our children continue faith formation every year. I am grateful to Dawn Hurley and her dedicated team of catechists who helped prepare our children for their sacraments:  Kathy Drake, Monique Vargas, Sonia Baldwin, Shamir Patel, Evaluz Shea, Janie Rodriquez, Jennifer and Audrey Wiant, and Ariana Alves.  Thank you, and God bless your continued commitment.

The Month of May is dedicated to Mary, our Mother.  I invite all to look to Mary as our model and a sure help in leading us to Jesus.  Please pray the rosary every day of this month and be inspired by the life and discipleship of Mary.  It has now become an established tradition to crown our Mother Mary at the beginning of the 9 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of May.  The women of CCW accompany the children who received their First Holy Communion the previous day, leading them to our Mother with carnations to be placed in a vase, the act of which symbolizes the passing on of our faith to the next generation.  Because May Crowning is such a significant and moving tradition of our faith, I intend for each child to be paired with one of our CCW members at the beginning of the sacramental prep year to have the ladies praying for each and every one of our children preparing for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  This special bond will be a way for our older generations to care for and witness to our younger ones in passing along our faith.  Pope Francis asks that we pray with him for this current of salvation to flow through our parishes:  “May the Lord help us, doing this, to grow in harmony with families, that constructive harmony that goes from the oldest to the youngest, that beautiful bridge that we must protect and safeguard.”

Baccalaureate Mass:  The month of May is a busy one both in our parish and in our families.  Many of our children will be graduating from different levels of their school life, and we want to honor their hard work and achievements.  I request all who will be graduating from high school or college to please contact Schonda Rodriguez with the details of your graduation and a photo so that we can celebrate your accomplishments.  Our Baccalaureate Mass will be held on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at the 4.30 p.m. Mass.  Congratulations to our graduating students!

Progress Report on Our Construction Projects:  Although much has been accomplished since last month, we have not been spared the supply chain issues afflicting our nation, thereby forcing us to move beyond our deadline.  If everything goes well moving forward, the probable completion date will be the end of June.  I ask that you please bear with us for another month in patient anticipation for a lovely space in front of our church.

Progress Report on the Campaign for GHOD 2.0:  I am so very grateful to the 655 families who pledged and contributed to our 2.0 campaign.  As of the end of April 2022, we have received $1,236,126 toward the campaign.  Thank you for your kind generosity.  I invite others to join in with an outburst of generosity and celebrate our blessings.  As you can see, much work has already been done.  The road is complete, and trees are now being planted and landscaping added.  Asphalting of the parking spaces and the road leading to the covered drop-off area are also complete.  Concrete work at the entrance of the church is underway.

Kairos Prison Ministry:  A number of our parishioners regularly share the Good News of the Gospel to those in prison.  We request your prayers for the success of this ministry as well as for the conversion of those in prison.  During the weekend of 7/8 May, there will be sign-up sheets for you to join in praying for them and their retreat with the prisoners on 12-15 May.

Mother’s Day:  We remember our mothers with celebrations during the weekend of 7/8 May, offering the gift of our prayers.  We will provide slips of paper for you to write your mothers’ names, living or deceased, and place them in a special basket that will be presented during the offertory procession at all Masses.  Please take this opportunity to thank God for our precious mothers and to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day!

Thank you very much for being a wonderful part of our parish community.  We would not be who we are without you and your involvement.  Please keep our children in your prayers, our teens preparing for Confirmation on Saturday, June 4^th, and for all involved with this year’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) which will be held from 13- 17 June 2022.

Have a blessed month!

With love,

Fr. John

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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