Dear friends,
I am filled with inexpressible gratitude to God for enabling us to celebrate with joy yet another anniversary to commemorate the dedication of our beautiful sanctuary, the house of God where we find comfort, solace, forgiveness of our sins, and consolation. I am reminded of our forefathers in faith when they were in exile and unable to worship their Lord and God in the Temple and how eagerly they longed to come into the house of the Lord. The psalmist expressed boundless optimism when he proclaimed, “One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple” (Psalm 27:4). Oh, how good it is to worship you, Lord, in your sanctuary!
This Sunday, we honor Misty Huff, our business manager, who has tirelessly served the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community since 2005. St. Paul tells us on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time that “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (1 Cor 12: 7). Misty has used that gift at the service of our community. Extremely competent and wholly dedicated to our Catholic faith and to her ministry, Misty gives of her time without counting the cost. Holy Cross priests assigned to St. John’s during the past 20 years have been blessed to have her on staff and are grateful for her extraordinary devotion and love of Holy Cross. Hence, the Province of the United States of the Congregation of Holy Cross is pleased and honored to present her with the Spirit of Holy Cross Award. Thank you, Misty, for your dedication to the mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Thank you for your time, expertise, support, and kindness shown to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community. For this, we are truly grateful. Your spirit of giving – the Spirit of Holy Cross – will live on. Congratulations!
In connection with these two celebrations, we are honored to have with us our shepherd, Most Rev. John Noonan, Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando. We also welcome Julianne Wallace, Director of Apostolic Mission and Charism for the Province of the United States. This is her first visit, and we hope she will return with frequency to guide us in living the charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross more vibrantly.
We are also honored to have with us Fr. John DeRiso, C.S.C., Director of Vocations, United States Province of Priests and Brothers. Fr. John formerly served as rector of the Shrine of Blessed Basil Moreau and as pastor of the parish of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix (Le Mans, France). In addition to preaching at all the Masses this weekend, Fr. John will give a presentation on Monday, 17 January at 7 p.m. in the church on the founding principles and charism of Holy Cross and Fr. Moreau. Please come and learn a little more about the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Sunday, 23 January 2022, is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, also celebrated as the Sunday of the Word (Bible Sunday). More than 500 parishioners joined me in listening/reading the Bible in a Year podcast.
If you have not yet read the Bible, I urge you to please consider joining The Bible in a Year podcast hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz by going to www.ascensionpress.com or the St. John’s website, www.stjohnviera.org. You might also consider joining The Great Adventure – The Bible Timeline study beginning on 20 January at our parish.
On Friday, 28 January at 7 p.m. in the church, St. John’s will be hosting a special concert by King’s Cadence Men’s Gospel Quartet. Please bring your family and friends.
Sunday, 29 January 2022: The Diocese has assigned Fr. Selvaraj from India to be our annual Mission Co-Op speaker during all Masses again this year, giving us the opportunity to share in the life of those in need. We will also celebrate the Knights of Columbus on this day as they prepare and serve a pancake breakfast for us after the 7:15 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. Masses. We thank the brother Knights for their service.
Wishing each of our families a very happy 4th anniversary of the dedication of our beautiful place of worship!
With love,
Fr. John