Dear Friends,
The Lord is kind and merciful. Let its sweetness echo through the week.
Once again I want to Thank You all for your generous support to Our Catholic Appeal. Many of you have done just as we hear in the Gospel today: a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing. You have given without hesitation. And because of your generous support we reached our goal last year. Please remember you will be given likewise. Many of you have given from what you can. Thank you for showing your support. Because of you our participation level has seen the spike. But with all that we have only seen 46.2% of participation. This does not reflect the true nature of who we are. I appeal to the rest of our community to please come forward to show that you belong and that you are proud to belong to our vibrant parish. Remember the nature of our church as St. Paul beautifully describes in 1Corinthians: “if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the partsshare its joy” (12: 26). Please feel part of the parish. Kindly do not feel that others will take care of this task. Ultimately your non participation hurts us.
Let me now share something about Christ Renews His Parish retreat weekends. Last weekend we had 19 of our sisters attended the retreat weekend. This weekend (23/24 February 2019) about 10 of our brothers are in their retreat. This program has brought so many of our brothers and sisters so close that there is a familiar family feeling that is evident. It also nurtures in them a deep love for the Eucharist and for the sacrament of Reconciliation. What a splendid way to integrate and insert yourself with this very vibrant parish of St. John the Evangelist. Next time the retreat is offered please do not hesitate to join in and get to know more of your brothers and sisters in our parish.
Praying for Vocations to religious life and priesthood is an essential task of each one of us. I request each family to pitch in one week in two or three years to pray for vocations by taking the St. John’s Vocation Cup home. We will begin this very worthy spiritual exercise from the First Week of Lent (10th March 2019). Please fill out the form placed in the pews and drop it off in the collection basket and the coordinator will reach out to you to find a week that is convenient to you to take the cup home.
Next week (3rd March 2019) our brothers from Knights of Columbus will be serving Pan Cake Breakfast after the 7.15 and 9 a.m. Masses. I take this opportunity to thank our brother Knights for their selfless service to our parish and many other noteworthy causes. Our brother Knights are ever ready to reach out to us at all big events be it Liturgical, Social or Service Oriented projects. Please join us in celebrating these noble, dedicated, committed, and faithful Catholic Men who have always stood by the church and who will continue to stand by it. Thank You Brother Knights. When you see one, feel free to thank him just as you would any of our military personnel.
Have a Blessed Week!
Your brother in Christ, Fr. John