Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24, 2023

Dear friends, Mother Church invites us this day to contemplate the mystery of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. Epiphany usually falls on January 6th, which is twelve days after Christmas. According to tradition, this is the span of time from the birth of Jesus until the visit of the magi from the east. Epiphany doesn’t always fall on a Sunday, so the Church celebrates it on the nearest Sunday (this year, January 4, 2026), and it is called “Epiphany Sunday.” The Greek word “epiphany” simply means “to reveal” or “to make manifest.” It was the name given by the early Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the revelation of God’s love to the world (John 3:16). The Church observes this feast to recognize that Jesus, the Son of God, comes to reveal God’s plan to save the world. Jesus Christ is the inextinguishable light of the gospels. This feast also reminds us that God is always at work revealing himself, even today, and that he has not abandoned his people. He is always close at hand, working in, around, and through us, leading us to other “epiphanies” so that we might realize just how much God loves us. As such, I take this Sunday to reflect with you on the impact you have made not only on both the global missionary efforts of the Church and diocesan evangelical efforts but also on our local communities through our many outreach initiatives. I am immensely grateful to Cindy and Pete Lamonica and the teams of people who work under the umbrella of our Outreach ministry, to include Janet Owen−Jones and the Feed My Flock ministry and Lulu and Tim Farrell who coordinate the Farmworkers effort. Our Outreach ministry also has helped many non−government social service organizations (NGOs). Through them, we are able to reach even more of the needy, the vulnerable, and the marginalized than we have staff and volunteers to address. Included among these are: Family Promise of Brevard, Brevard Senior Nutrition Program, Aging Matters, Street Showers, Our Daily Bread, the Sharing Center of Central Brevard, the Haven for Children, Bishop Grady Villa, the Children’s Hunger Project, St. Stephen’s Way, and some of our Catholic parishes and schools that are in need ... and the need continues to grow each year. One of the most uplifting Christmas events sponsored by St. John’s was held on 11 December, when approximately 300 young adults with various medical challenges enjoyed a wonderful Christmas luncheon with their caretakers in our beautifully decorated hall. This annual event brings such joy to all in attendance. As a parish community, we packed 5100 meals for the Children’s Hunger Project, that in addition to the 2,700 packed by the Feed My Flock team and the 1300 by the Notre Dame Club. This amazing effort provides meals for children who go hungry on the weekends when school is closed. The Feed My Flock team also provided more than 310 cupcakes for the Ministry to the Sick, bringing joy to hospitals, nursing homes, and the homebound. They also fed four families in shelter at WoodSpring Suites through Family Promise of Brevard. In support of our 25th Jubilee, our parish came together to prepare and distribute over 300 peanut butter & jelly and meat sandwiches during our Matthew’s Hope outreach to feed neighbors experiencing homelessness. A group of volunteers also went to Matthew’s Hope to help serve a hot lunch to the guests who visited the facility. Through Aging Matters, we donated bread for distribution and packed and delivered 400 unperishable food item baskets to homebound seniors. Through our Christmas Giving Tree ministry coordinated by Susan Answay, we were able to bring joy to more than 400 children and adults. With your generous assistance, we supported the Farmworkers of Fellsmere with annual collections of nonperishable food items and clothes to assist with their mission. Many other ministries such as CCW, Gratia Plena, Seedlings of Hope, SJE−4−Veterans, WINGS, Blessed Is She, the Sunshine Ministry, Gen Hope, blood drives, our Faith Formation programs, and our Mom’s ministry have offered a number of activities not only in support of our parish needs but also those of the larger local community. Our Rosary Makers have made several thousand rosaries that have been shipped to various people in nursing homes and hospitals and to other organizations both within our country and abroad. Our Kitchen Crew with wonderfully talented chefs and helpers and our Parish Life ministry team have helped feed thousands this past year through numerous events. In addition to all of the above, you have been most generous in helping the Missionary Co−op from Africa, our Sister Diocese in the Dominican Republic, the Holy Cross Peru missions, and Catholic Charities. Our Funeral Ministry team has assisted with the funerals of more than 100 individuals and have provided guidance, comfort, and consolation to their grief−stricken families. In addition, our GriefShare ministry has sustained our ongoing efforts to walk with grieving members who continue to experience a void in their lives left by the loss of a spouse/child. All of that being said, I must also mention both the various liturgical ministry teams and our Faith Formation programming that facilitate the spiritual needs of all in our parish. I express my sincere and heartfelt thanks to the 73 ministry leaders and their team members for such amazing dedication and commitment to our parish life, a gift to all. Fr. Martin and our deacons and staff have been an amazing blessing in supporting the needs of such a large and vibrant parish. Your assistance and support often go unrecognized, and I thank you all! As noted, the sheer volume of our outreach is astonishing, and it is accomplished only through the expression of our continued love for one other and our neighbors. The challenge is to multiply our efforts 1000−fold by continuing to gather as a parish community, sharing generously of our time, talent, and treasure. What would l I do without YOU! You make the Impossible POSSIBLE. WHAT A BLESSING YOU ARE! With love, Fr. John Who is St. Brother André Bessette? Saint Brother André Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, and died on January 6, 1937. He was canonized a saint on October 17, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI declared him a saint for the Universal Church in a ceremony in Rome. He is the first Congregation of Holy Cross member to receive this honor. Saint André believed in the healing power of Christ Jesus. His devotion to Saint Joseph was his guide to God’s fidelity. Alfred Bessette, his baptismal name, came from humble beginnings and was considered to be illiterate. He came from a large family near Montreal, Quebec, Canada but was an orphaned He was weak in body and strength. He suffered from stomach ailments. Because of his frailty, he was not considered a suitable candidate for religious life. His life was filled with paradox. Yet, God raised him up to reveal to others how faith mends body and soul. Alfred desired a life of prayer. He wanted to join a religious community. His pastor at his home parish suggested the Congregation of Holy Cross. The priest told the superiors of the community, “I am sending you a saint.” At first, Holy Cross was reluctant to accept him. However, they soon became aware of Alfred’s integrity and prayerfulness. Alfred became “Brother André,” as he entered religious life. The Congregation of Holy Cross assigned Brother André to serve as Porter for Notre Dame College near Montreal. He ministered at the door for the next 40 years. However, he didn’t just open the physical door for guests, he began to open the door of faith for many who were sick, disabled, and in need of physical nourishment and security. Brother André’s devotion to Saint Joseph began to flourish in the encounters he had with people. Word of Andre’s healing touch spread rapidly. Brother André never sought out the limelight. André always realized that Saint Joseph was allowing people to receive the healing they needed, so he sought the foster father of Jesus. Brother André leaned deeply into his relationship with Saint Joseph and invited others to do the same. People requested Brother André for spiritual healing for their children and also for themselves. Word spread before the Internet, before social media, and before television. The healing miracles began to emerge. At the high point of Brother André’s ministry, he encountered 600 people a day. He told them to be short, to be quick, because of the number of people in line to seek his faith and healing touch. Brother André did not have the physical strength to spend much time with the many requests that came to the door of the college. Yet, he welcomed their stories and their souls. The Holy Cross community in which Brother André served struggled at times to support the ministry of Brother André. They were confused about what to do with all the people who wanted just a moment of advice from the saintly man. As with any prophetic person, Brother André just did not fit into the ministry and life of the other members of the Holy Cross community. Brother André persisted in his inner call to bring people to Saint Joseph and to the sacraments of the Church. Brother André spent his days listening to people’s requests for healing and their stories of pain, anguish, and uncertainty. Perhaps, even more importantly, Brother André spent his nights praying for the people with whom he encountered during the day. It was not unusual for Brother André to sleep only an hour or two at night. He wanted to work through the pain people confessed to him. He knew people needed spiritual help and he kept knocking on heaven’s door all through the night. His life was purely devoted to God. He begged God to heal the people whom he listened to during the daylight hours. God consumed him. People’s suffering became his life work, his prayer, and his way of life. One of the most important aspects of Brother André’s life was hospitality, which may be defined as the radical acceptance of others. To truly listen to people’s anguish, their stories, and their suffering became his holy hospitality. People felt heard by Brother André, even though their encounters with him were often brief. They experienced a recognition from another human being that their lives mattered. When doctors and healthcare workers gave up on people’s healing, Brother André accepted them. He put a spiritual arm around them. He comforted them with his integrity and his prayerful heart. Hospitality for André became his life and true acceptance of people became his spiritual story. Please pray on January 7, his feast day, for the healing of the sick, the discouraged, and the forgotten. Saint André Bessette, pray for us. Rev. Ronald Raab, C.S.C.

Dear friends, It is the final weekend of 2025, the new year is nigh, and we must ask ourselves, “Are we prepared?” Please come and spend an hour with our Lord on the last day of the year, Wednesday, 31 December at 4 p.m. We will celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, immediately following with a Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Masses on Thursday, 1 January 2026, will be at 10 a.m. in the church and at 5 p.m. in the Grotto. Today, the Church invites us to celebrate this last weekend with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Who better to spend time with during the season of Christmas? In the Gospel of Matthew, we are given a unique perspective on the life of the Holy Family. They had to flee to Egypt at the prompting of an angel, later returning to Nazareth. It is a story of migration, the identity of their ancestors, our ancestors, and it all began with the father of our faith, Abraham, when he and his wife Sarah and their children’s children all had to migrate to Egypt. The people of Israel who were slaves in Egypt had to migrate to the Promised Land, thanks to the guiding hands of our Heavenly Father. Today’s Scripture beckons us to consider the plight of those throughout history who have had to migrate from place to place, country to country, to find a safe place to call home. Even today, immigration has become a hotly contested topic in our country. On November 12, 2025 at the Fall Plenary Assembly of Bishops in Baltimore, our bishops offered for the first time a unified voice on this issue. It is titled, “2025 USCCB Special Pastoral Message on Immigration.” See BELOW for the full statement. I take this opportunity to congratulate Fr. Martin as he celebrates his 15th Ordination Anniversary! His story of coming to St. John’s is nothing short of a miracle. How is it possible for an uncle and a nephew to minister as priests in the same parish? I thank him most sincerely for his services. He has been a source of blessing not only for me but for all. Congratulations to Jean Reilly, recipient of the Family of the Month Award for December 2025. Jean has been a faithful, committed, and loving usher at the 7:15 a.m. Mass, a blessing to our parish. On behalf of Fr. Martin, the deacons, and the staff, I wish you a most blessed and peaceful New Year! May our Mother Mary wrap us in the mantle of her love and lead us ever closer to her son, Jesus Christ! Our annual participation in the 5K walk or run to benefit the Children’s Hunger Project is underway. It will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The race begins at Viera High. Dawn Hurley is our point of contact. As in year’s past, Fr. John Patrick Riley, C.S.C., will be joining us. Please see the bulletin for more details. With love, Fr. John 

Dear friends, This weekend, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and we will be lighting the last of the four candles, this one representing LOVE. In the gospel reading, Matthew peers into the life of Mary and Joseph who are an indispensable part of the season. Through the message of an angel, both Mary and Joseph come to know even of the name of the child before his birth. The angel says in Matthew 1:21 that “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The birth of Jesus is the birth of a savior, not of an ordinary mortal being. Let us thank God the Father for his mercy in choosing to send his only begotten Son to be born for us as an “Emmanuel” God, a God who will always be with us. The Incarnation of the Son of God is the biggest turning point the universe has ever known. This Fourth Week of Advent is a short one, barely a three−day affair, in busy preparation for Christmas. A significant part of these last days of Advent is the use of the “O Antiphons” during Evening Prayer from 17 to 23 December. Each Antiphon invokes Christ by means of an Old Testament symbol: O Wisdom, O Sacred Lord, O Flower of Jesse's Stem, O Key of David, O Radiant Dawn, O King of All Nations, and O Emmanuel. Grace Hetzel sums up their importance: “The O Antiphons proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but our present desires as well.” C.C. Pecknold says that “They prepare us for the great Vigil of Christmas, uniting Israel’s hopes and the desire of nations as a kind of prophetic summa in praise of divine providence. In the heart of winter’s darkness, the O Antiphons call us to worship Jesus Christ as the center of salvation history.” I wish you would have time to do exactly that. On Tuesday, 23 December at 7 p.m., we will have an opportunity to pray the Evening Prayer in the Fr. Patrick Peyton Room, during which time we will pray the Antiphon “O Emmanuel.” Please come and experience the splendor of waiting for the fulfilment of our heart’s desire: Jesus Christ, our “Emmanuel” God who is always with us. Following this, the Christmas celebrations will be just around the corner with morning Mass on Wednesday, 24 December at 8 a.m., as usual. Following that Mass, the season of Advent will be over, and the Christmas season begins . The celebration of Christmas begins on 24 December with the following Masses: 4 p.m. Mass is hugely popular with families with children. The children’s choir will begin with carols at 3:30 p.m., and the Nativity pageant will follow at 3:45 p.m. This is the first time we are having the pageant before the Mass to help our children — all of us — focus our attention on the Mass itself. Hence, I request you to come early. We have arranged for an overflow Mass in the Holy Cross Hall which will be simulcast. Then we will offer the following: 6:00 p.m., 8 p.m., and midnight Masses. The choir will begin with carols at 11:30 p.m. On 25 December, we will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m. which will also be simulcast in the hall for overflow. We will follow with another Mass at noon. For Christmas, our office will be closed from Wednesday, 24 December at noon through Friday, 26 December. The office will reopen on Monday, 29 December. We are privileged to celebrate Fr. Martin’s 15th Ordination Anniversary and the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, our patron, on Saturday, 27 December, with a special Mass at 10 a.m. That evening, we will celebrate Fr. Martin after the 4.30 p.m. Mass in the Holy Cross Hall with a dinner. Our annual participation in the 5K walk or run to benefit the Children’s Hunger Project is underway. It will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The race begins at Viera High. Dawn Hurley is our point of contact. As in year’s past, Fr. John Patrick Riley, C.S.C., will be joining us. Please see the bulletin for more details. On behalf of Fr. Martin, the deacons, and the staff, I wish you and yours a very joyful and peaceful Christmas! May the Baby Jesus for whose birth we have been waiting find us alert, awake, and prepared to behold him. Have a joyful Advent and blessed Christmas! With Love, Fr. John

Dear friends, The Third Sunday of Advent is called by the Church “Gaudete” Sunday or “Rejoice” Sunday, as it sets the tone of joyful expectation for the Lord’s birth and second coming. To mark this change in tone, the vestments worn by the priests and deacons will be rose in color. The prophet Isaiah begins the first reading (35: 1−6) with a note of joy as well: The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song … they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God … Here is your God … he comes to save you.” We rejoice this Sunday, for close at hand is our God who comes to save us. What a blessing to know that in Jesus we have a God who knows our struggles and sufferings, and he will be with us soon. Then we can sing with everlasting joy! As part of our preparation for Christmas we will host our Advent Reconciliation on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. Please make use of this time of grace and the presence of many priests to receive the grace of forgiveness through the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. What an inspiration it was to have Johnnette Williams with us. She was on fire with her presentation at the women’s conference and during all three nights of the Advent mission. I am grateful to all who could make it. A huge thanks to Anjanette Wicks who worked on securing Johnnette’s visit with us and to the core team that orchestrated the entire event. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing group of wonderful people in our parish. The next big event on the calendar is the second Day of Giving Back, when we will distribute food packets to the homebound seniors of Aging Matters. I thank Janet Jones−Owens for coordinating this event, along with her team of volunteers. This time, our task is to have 40 or so drivers who will distribute the food to a number of locations. Please sign up using the signup genius, and let us share the joy of Christ with those who are lonely and in need. Unfortunately, during this time of year, there are many scams with the sole aim of exploiting unwary givers. Please do not fall for it. I received this message from Thomas Korenstra, Director of Communications from the Congregation of Holy Cross, and I would like to share his information with you: “During the holiday season, cyber criminals noticeably ramp up efforts to phish (scam) people for personal and financial information. This message includes tips to help you guard against falling victim to their malicious methods! People are busy with travel, events, shopping, and family this time of year, and a busy person is often easier to manipulate. I encourage everyone to set up 2−Factor Authentication (2FA), also known as Multifactor Authentication (MFA), even on your personal accounts. Please review the list below! Unsolicited messages : Phishing often begins with unexpected emails, texts, calls, or even postal mail. Ask yourself : Do I recognize the sender? Is the email address correct? (e.g., support@micros0ft.com with a zero is malicious). Was I expecting this message? Legitimate customer support will not initiate contact out of the blue. Requests for personal data : Malicious actors may ask for passwords, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive details ‘to verify your identity.’ Never share this information in communications you did not initiate and never share your password with anyone. Attachments : Phishing emails often include harmful attachments. Do not open files from unsolicited senders. If you were expecting an attachment, confirm the sender and context before opening. Many phishing attempts occur when a person clicks a link for a sale or special deal. False urgency : Attackers may claim you’ll lose access unless you act immediately. Treat urgency as a red flag and verify before responding. TIPS : Hover before you click : Place your mouse over the sender’s email address or any link to reveal the true destination. Do not reply : Never respond to phishing messages. Verify coworkers : If a message from a colleague seems suspicious, call them directly to confirm. Check tone and grammar : Poor spelling, odd phrasing, or unusual mannerisms are red flags. When in doubt, verify by phone. While phishing efforts are increased during the busy holiday season, please be on guard year round.” Have a joyful Advent! With love, Fr. John

Dear friends, The first week of Advent has already passed; three short weeks until Christmas, and there is so much more to do. In the week that has just slipped by, I haven’t had time to do all that I thought I would for my own spiritual preparation. You might be thinking of things like: I thought I would spend some time in silence to pause and ponder the mystery of God coming to visit me and, yet, I didn’t make the time. I thought I would go to the Stations of the Crib on Tuesday, and I missed it. Most of us are in the same boat, but we can still do some solid things to make this Advent count. This weekend, we heartily welcome Johnette Williams, founder and president of Living His Life Abundantly® International, Inc., a Catholic evangelization apostolate with outreaches in television, radio, print, and internet communications. She is also founder of Women of Grace®, a Catholic apostolate for Christian women that features a number of outreaches including conferences, curricula, study groups, and more. She has been a consistent presence on Catholic radio since 1987 and on Catholic television since 1988. Johnette has been published in major Catholic magazines and has authored several books. What a privilege it is for us to have her share her journey of faith. Johnette will present our Advent mission on three nights beginning this Sunday through Tuesday, December 7 − 9, at 7 p.m. each evening. Please join us in preparing ourselves to reflect on the theme of our Silver Jubilee, “A Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope.” As the mission statement points out, we pray that the Holy Spirit might help us experience a new “Advent” of the Lord with burning zeal to know, love, and serve the ONE who comes to us as a helpless little Babe in the manger. While Johnette is here with us, she will also be the guest speaker at our women’s luncheon on Sunday, 7 December, at 12:30 p.m. As founder of Women of Grace, it is fitting that she is able to meet with our women and help us PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD. We will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Monday, 8 December, a holy day of obligation and the patronal feast day of the United States of America. We will be offering three Masses: 8 a.m., 12:05 p.m., and 6 p.m. Since the beginning of the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been regarded as the holiest and most blessed of all disciples. Celebration of the Immaculate Conception began in the 7th century under the title, “Conception of Mary by Saint Anne” and was changed to “Immaculate Conception” with the definition of the doctrine in 1854. We celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent with the appearance of some of the most significant people who were blessed with the Advent spirit. The prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, the desert preacher, lived their lives with such joyful anticipation for the coming of the Savior of the world. They knew deep down in their hearts that the world as they knew it was not how God intended it to be; hence, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to believe and profess that a Messiah would come from above to offer a vision totally different from the one they lived. We, too, live in times where things are far from how God wants them to be. How our hearts long to live in a world where every human being is respected, where the sounds of gunfire and exploding bombs would be heard no more, paving the way for peace, where the riches and wealth of the nations would ensure elimination of poverty and hunger in the world, where one would not fear another because of race, nation, or ethnicity, where we would be free to walk our streets or gather in churches or market places without fear of being harassed or attacked. The prophet Isaiah spoke of a shoot sprouting from the stump … can we be the fruits of the new shoot with dreams of a just and peaceful world characterized by deep and lasting tranquility? We know God’s vision for us because He sent His only Son to live among us. Let us, therefore, commit to living the spirit of Advent with a certain hope and longing — that if all of humanity were to come together to work toward building a world of justice and peace as anticipated by the prophet Isaiah, urged by John the Baptist, and lived by Jesus our Savior, it would be possible to transform the world. In his letter to the Romans, Paul offers two suggestions that might help us live in harmony and unity: endurance (to willfully choose to remain faithful to Christ) and seeking encouragement of the Scriptures. May we heed the clarion call of John the Baptist to repent and transform our lives to meet the Lord who is close at hand. This Advent season, may we gently fan the glowing embers of his presence among us until they start to flame. Have an adventurous Advent! With love, Fr. John

Dear friends, Believe it or not, the season of Advent is here. This weekend, we begin a new liturgical year, cycle A, on this First Sunday of Advent. During the season of Advent, the liturgical theme and tone change to one of waiting. There is a call for silence, a call for prayer, a call for preparation, a call for patience, a call for anticipation, a call for revived hope, a call for emptying ourselves of all that does not satisfy and making room for that which will, a call for faith in the one for whom we wait, and a call for penance and repentance, as the one for whom we wait is our Lord and Savior. We can do all of these if we simply trust that we do them for the sake of opening ourselves ever more to the mystery of the Incarnation. Incarnation is simply the celebration of a love that comes to us, seeking us as though we were the only human beings ever to exist. Therefore, it is fitting for us to consider Advent as a time of cleaning house in preparation for receiving a very special guest. In her hymn, “People, Look East,” Eleanor Farjeon offers: People, look east. The time is near Of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, Trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east and sing today: Love, the guest, is on the way. The only downside to the season of Advent is that it is very short−lived. The season runs for four weeks, and sometimes the last (4th) is the shortest. Typically during this season, we do not experience much waiting for, in reality, it is the busiest time of year. There is a lot of shopping, end of the school semester, lots of anticipated Christmas parties and festivities, etc., all of which rob the season of its real intent and purpose. The question, as always, is, “How do we intend to spend these days of preparing for the birth of our Lord in a spiritual sense?” The challenge is to find the right and healthy balance between our social life and the spiritual life. The Church, through its liturgies and Scripture readings, will help us enter into this season of joyful anticipation with purpose and intention. There are a variety of things we can do to keep the tradition of Advent meaningful, such as using an Advent calendar, preparing an Advent wreath with candles, working on a Jesse Tree and, of course, getting ready the Nativity scene. All of these should be done with prayerful consideration of this season of anticipation. To begin this year’s Advent journey, let us consider dedicating a corner in your living room where you can decorate with an Advent wreath and candles and try to make time to pray together as a family using songs such as, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” May your Advent enrich your experience of joyful and hopeful anticipation of the birth of our Lord. Happy Advent! On this First Sunday of Advent, we will be celebrating the Rite of Entrance into the Catechumenate and welcoming the candidates preparing to become Catholic at the Easter Vigil. We are blessed with many brothers and sisters who have joined the OCIA. Let us walk with them and pray for them during these next several months. In an article titled, “New Yorkers turning to the church, number of Catholic converts soaring,” Kirsten Fleming has reflected on a surge of conversion to Catholicism. In her article, she notes: ““There’s a lot of turmoil right now, and I’m in transition, so I feel like I needed something to lean on,” said 22−year−old East Village resident Ian Burns who was baptized in the Episcopal church and stopped attending services because hoops took up his time.” Why Catholicism? “It’s the original religion of Christianity, and I wanted to get to the root of it rather than branches.” Congratulations are in place for the recipients of the Family of the Month for November, Mirian and Richard Krassowsky. These are amazing people who give selflessly of themselves to our parish. Mirian is an usher, and Richard is both an usher and part of our media ministry. A retired electrical engineer, Richard has also spent countless hours fixing our many electrical issues. We are grateful to them both. At the start of this new liturgical year, I am pleased to welcome and introduce to you Deacon Steven Prebeck and his wife Sandy! Steven and Sandy were married 43 years ago in 1982. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1979 with a degree in Aviation/Meteorology, Deacon Steven spent 26 years in the US Air Force. After retiring, they settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado where Steven was ordained a Deacon in 2020 for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. They moved to Viera in February of 2025, and I am so happy that they are here with us to serve our parish community. A hearty welcome to you, Deacon Steven and Sandy. Catholic Giving Tuesday: One of the blessings of this season of Thanksgiving is the spirit of giving. This is yet another time of the year when we are reminded of our call to serve others. This Catholic Giving Tuesday, 2 December, we invite you to support our parish in making a difference in our faith community. Your generous gift will allow us to maintain and expand our good works now and into the future. Please visit our website at https:// www.stjohnviera.org. As always, With Love, Fr. John

Dear friends, Last weekend, I was reflecting with you about how the month of November lends itself toward the end of another calendar year, and so it is with the Church’s liturgical year and the readings that foretell the end of time. This weekend marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year with the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. The USCCB has put out an explanation that I thought might help us to understand why this focus is on Christ the King: “Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 with his encyclical Quas primas (“In the first”) to respond to growing secularism and atheism. He recognized that attempting to “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law” out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations. This solemnity reminds us that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever. During the early twentieth century, in Mexico, Russia, and some parts of Europe, militantly secularistic regimes threatened not just the Catholic Church and its faithful but civilization itself. Pope Pius XI’s encyclical gave Catholics hope and—while governments around them crumbled—the assurance that Christ the King shall reign forever. Jesus Christ “is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind” (Quas primas, 7). Christ’s kingship is rooted in the Church’s teaching on the Incarnation. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is both the divine Lord and the man who suffered and died on the Cross. One person of the Trinity unites himself to human nature and reigns over all creation as the Incarnate Son of God. “From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures” (Quasprimas, 13). The Church calls us to acknowledge Christ’s kingship with our whole lives: He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘as instruments of justice unto God.’ −Quas primas, 33 Today, religious freedom for many people means that we can believe whatever we want in private, but when we enter the public square or the marketplace, we may not speak of anything that relates to our faith. However, the Church acknowledges the reign of Christ, not only privately, but publicly. This solemnity encourages us the celebrate and live out our faith in public. “Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King” (Quas primas, 26). For Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized in public life, we can fall into the habit of compartmentalizing our lives. We love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from acknowledging the kingship of Christ in social life. When we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, we declare to the world and remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord of the Church and of the entire universe.” One special person who honored Christ as her King and Lord is St. Cecilia whose feast we celebrate on 22 November every year. When she was threatened with death if she didn’t marry the prefect’s son, she responded saying, “Do you not know that I am the bride of my Lord Jesus Christ?” We pause this weekend to THANK Heidi, our Music Director, and all the musicians, cantors, and choir members who lend their talents in helping us raise our minds and hearts to God the Father, author of all the talents and gifts we have received. As we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving later this week, I want to make sure that you know how grateful I am to you for being a very faithful, joyful, welcoming, and generous community. On behalf of Fr. Martin, the deacons, and the staff, I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.  As we continue to celebrate God’s mercy to us all these past 25 years, I want to join you all in THANKING GOD for HIS faithfulness. May our collective voices continue to cry out to the world: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving! With love, Fr. John

Dear friends, Having celebrated the special feast days of the Commemoration of All Souls on 2 November and the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica on 9 November, we passed over the 31st and 32nd Sundays. This Sunday, we are back on track with the 33rd Sunday in Year C, the penultimate Sunday in the liturgical calendar, the Sunday before the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Rightly so, the readings from the Scriptures reflect on the end of time. The first reading from the prophet Malachi, last of the prophets from the Old Testament and also the last book of the Old Testament, identifies Israel’s sinful ways and exhorts them to reform and, in turn reap the harvest that results from remaining faithful to the Lord. The proud and evildoers will meet their fate on the day of the Lord, while the righteous ones who persevere will live to see the day of the Lord. Today’s gospel reading tells of the last days of Jesus’ ministry, concluding with his prediction about the persecution of his followers. Luke 21: 5−19 invites us to persevere in days of persecution and give witness to our faith: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” During this Silver Jubilee year, as we give thanks to God for the many blessings showered upon us during these 25 years, we also thank God for using us as a channel of blessings for others, especially to those most in need. As part of our “Days of Giving Back,” we will be serving hot meals to guests at Matthew’s Hope in Cocoa, FL. Our team of volunteers will be getting things ready on Monday, 17 November and then serving on Tuesday, 18 November. I thank you for your donations in support of this endeavor. Thanks to Janet Owen, her Feed my Flock ministry members, and all who have signed up to prepare the food, deliver, and serve. Your generosity and kindness are deeply appreciated. We would like to make this jubilee year a true blessing for everyone. This weekend, we will have the opportunity to help support the efforts of the Catholic Charities of Central Florida in serving thousands of people throughout our diocese, including our own Brevard County. Our support of this collection is critical to their ability to respond to the ever−increasing needs of our families. I thank you in advance for your kind support. There will be two collections this weekend, and your generosity in the second will remind us all that “Every family we help is one less family in need.” In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With love, Fr. John

Dear friends, You did it again … our fall harvest food drive to support local farmworkers exceeded expectations. I am grateful to Lulu and Tim Farrell and their team for coordinating this annual event. Lulu writes: “We are deeply grateful for the generosity and service we received to ensure we could deliver more food than ever to the Farmworkers Association of Florida. Maria, leader of the farmworkers in Fellsmere, was overwhelmed with the amount of food we delivered which was twice as much as last year.” The food was delivered on Sunday, and I thank you all for your bountiful generosity. We have received donations of electric wheelchairs that will be available for those in our parish to use as needed. We also have wheelchairs and walkers. Contact the office for assistance. During the month of November, please continue to pray for the deceased members of our families and of our parish community, also for those orphaned souls who have no one to pray for them. Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote: “As we enter Heaven, we will see them, so many of them, coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say ‘a poor soul you prayed for in Purgatory." This weekend, 9 November, we do not celebrate the 32nd Sunday as should be but, rather, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Hence, we will have special readings that focus on the concept of the temple and the vital role it plays in our liturgical life. Just as we celebrate with joy the anniversary of the dedication of our parish church on 20 January, so also does every diocese throughout the world celebrate as a local feast day the dedication of its cathedral as its “spiritual headquarters.” The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome holds a special place in the history of the Church. It was dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in the year 324. When centuries of persecutions ended with Constantine’s 313 edict granting Christians the right to publicly practice their faith, St. John Lateran became the first basilica where Christians were allowed to worship freely in public. It is the oldest church in the West, and the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop of Rome, although many of us erroneously presume that to be St. Peter’s Basilica. As such, this basilica represents the unity of the Church under the leadership of the pope. I have had the privilege of visiting St. John the Lateran when on pilgrimage there with a group from our parish. The basilica has been a place of special significance throughout its long history, having hosted five ecumenical councils. The Baldacchino over the main altar is said to contain relics of the apostles Peter and Paul. The nave of the church is lined with exquisite marble statues of the apostles, all crafted by the Italian master Bernini. We will have the privilege of visiting it in March 2026 when on again pilgrimage to Italy. This day also invites us to ask some very serious questions. What does our church mean to us? Is it just a building, merely a gathering place? Do we recognize it as a place where God dwells so intimately? Do we recognize Jesus present in the tabernacle? Do we recognize that the church is a holy place where prayers and sacrifices are continuously being offered? What is our attitude when we enter our church? Do we treat it as a place of prayer? Are we mindful of other people praying, desiring quiet time to pray? Have you ever spent 15 minutes or so in silent prayer, resting yourself in the presence of the Almighty? Can you hear Jesus’ passionate plea to keep his Father’s house sacred? Are you filled with the zeal of Jesus in keeping the house of God a sacred place of worship and prayer? There is tension over this in our parish. Unfortunately, some of us treat this sacred space as a gathering place to visit with others and catch up with friends. Others feel it should be like a monastery with total silence at all times. When we gather for Eucharistic celebrations, we should all be mindful of how we conduct ourselves living−beings gathering for prayer and worship with the utmost reverence for God’s presence among us. I request that we be gentle with each another, respecting our collective worship as a community of believers in this sacred space. In this year of our Silver Jubilee, let us renew our commitment to keeping God as our one and only Master, binding us as people chosen by the Lord, a people on a mission to transform lives through devotion to the Eucharist and love of neighbor. Let us shine courageously and cheerfully, embodying hope and deep love for both ourselves and our communities. May ours truly be a “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope!” Have a blessed weekend! With love, Fr. John