Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2025

Dear friends, On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the gospel focuses our attention on our Lord, the Good Shepherd (John 10:27-30). The Good Shepherd longs for us to hear His voice, to know Him and follow Him. He wants us to be united with him forever, and so He promises eternal life to us that we might not perish. In the Book of Revelation (Revelation 7:9, 14b-17), John has a vision of the Lamb in the center of the throne, shepherding those who have survived times of great distress. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. (Rev 7:17) This image of our Lord as our Shepherd is so powerful and the reason this Sunday is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Thus, it makes perfect sense that today is observed as the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations,” the 61st annual commemoration. The World Day of Prayer for Vocations was created so that the Church and its people might publicly fulfill Jesus’ instruction: "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). As the climax to a prayer that is continually offered throughout the Church, the World Day of Prayer affirms the primacy of faith and grace in all that concerns vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life. While it appreciates all vocations, including those of a secular nature (marriage and the single life), the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), the consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious congregations, societies, and institutions; societies of apostolic life; consecrated virgins; and secular institutes) and the missionary life. One of my many dreams for us is to make our parish a seedbed for vocations. This parish has reached a level of maturity where it is ready to support the vocations of those in our parish who feel called to be priests, deacons, brothers, and sisters. Let us, therefore, pray fervently to the Lord of the Vineyard for more vocations here. In light of this, I invite each of you keep the following prayer intention in your heart and mind this week: We pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, to the diaconate, and to the consecrated life. And, in a special way, we pray for the Congregation of Holy Cross: that more men might respond with open and generous hearts to be priests after the Heart of Christ and brothers seeking to imitate the virtues of Saint Joseph, model of fidelity. Lord, hear our prayer! May 11, 2025 is also Mother’s Day. What a blessing we have in our moms! As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I wish to thank all of our mothers for all that they do. I especially want to express my gratitude for their dedicated commitment to the faith. St. Pius X said something so sweet about mothers: “Every vocation to the priesthood comes from the heart of God, but it passes through the heart of a mother.” In my case and Fr. Martin’s, this is absolutely true. Because of my mom and Fr. Martin’s grandma, we have had three vocations from my family alone: Fr. Martin, my sister, Sr. Nirmala Mary, a Franciscan nun, and me. A lot of what we do every day here at St. John’s is largely accomplished through the consistent and tireless efforts of the mothers in our parish. They are the primary ones making sure that the children in their families get baptized, attend religious education and sacramental preparation classes, celebrate the sacraments, and regularly worship the Lord our God in church. No doubt, they do this along with our dads, but we need to accept that the push basically comes from the mothers. We are blessed to know that, thanks to some amazing men in our parish, this initiative comes from both our moms and dads. I bow my head to all our amazing mothers: Thank You, Mothers, for all you are and all you do that affirms and shares the fire of your love for the Lord. Happy Mother’s Day! Fr. Martin is enjoying a much-deserved vacation for the next three weeks. He is in India visiting our families. He has been on the go right from the day he arrived at St. John’s, and I am grateful to God for his presence here with us. Let us pray each day for safe travels for him and that he might bring joy and comfort to all with whom he visits and will encounter. As I write this column, the world’s eyes are on the conclave in Rome. Now that the days of mourning for Pope Francis are over, we turn our gaze to the College of Cardinal-electors gathered in conclave to elect our next Holy Father, the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church. It could be that by the time you read this, we have a new pope. However, our responsibility to pray for the pope never ceases. Therefore, let us pray throughout the conclave and beyond: O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Prayer for the Election of a New Pope, from The Roman Missal) I have been wanting to tell you how much we love preparing couples to get married or to have their marriages convalidated in the Catholic Church. What a blessing it is to witness a wedding in our beautiful church. I am very grateful to our wedding and FOCCUS coordinators for their enormous help with this preparation and with the celebration of the Sacrament of Matrimony. For those who intend to marry or have their marriage convalidated at St. John’s or elsewhere, it is of great importance that you give us at least six (6) months to a year to work with you. There are many logistics to work out and often paperwork requirements that are out of our hands but that you must, nevertheless, obtain before we can proceed with your wedding. We will guide and help you meet any and all requirements, but these things take time. Please help us to serve you well and follow these basic requirements: Make an appointment to meet with me first before setting any dates. If you are planning to have your wedding ceremony in any other church, you will need to meet with me at least a year before you plan to marry. Marriage in a church other than your home parish involves, besides the usual preparation steps for the couple, the sending of all necessary paperwork from us to our diocese and from our diocese to the diocese where the wedding is to take place. You must be a registered and participating member of St. John’s for at least one year before we can work with you on your wedding. As you know, the St. John’s Silver Jubilee will be starting in September 2025. Our Jubilee theme is “Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope.” Please, mark the following important Jubilee dates on your calendars: · 14 September 2025: Opening Ceremony · 18 January 2026: Dedication of the New Rectory · 24 May, 2026: Mass of Thanksgiving to be held at the USSSA Stadium Have a splendid week! With Love, Fr. John

Dear friends, Congratulations to the 70 young people who received their First Holy Communion this weekend. Wow! It makes our heart leap for joy to see so many children coming to know our Lord Jesus through this glorious sacrament. We thank and praise God for the gift of their faith. It was such a blessing to come together to offer a Memorial Mass for our beloved Pope Francis on Saturday, 26 April at 11:00 a.m. I am grateful for the number of parishioners who came to give thanks with us for the life of this “People’s Pope.” At this moment, we are without a chief shepherd, and it is our solemn duty to pray for the Cardinal electors who have gathered to choose our next pope. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide their hearts—just as God guided Samuel to choose David to be the next King of Israel— in electing the man whom the Lord desires. May He choose for us a leader with the heart of a father, a man on fire with love for the Lord and his people, one who can enkindle in each of us the same fervent love and faith. The Easter Octave is over, but we are still in the Easter season, the 50-day period from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. During the remainder of this season, we are asked to continue celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus—and all that it means—with joy and exultation. You will notice that the Paschal candle, a symbol of the presence of the risen Christ among the people of God, remains in a place of honor in the sanctuary near the ambo until the Solemnity of Pentecost. St. Athanasius says that this season is to be celebrated as one “great Sunday.” Please remember to continue to sing the Easter Alleluias with vigor and gratitude! As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter this weekend, we are invited to continue to rejoice in Jesus’ appearances to His apostles. Today, from the Gospel according to St. John, we hear about the experience of Peter and some other apostles in a moment of frustration and confusion after Jesus’ Resurrection. They have not seen the Lord in a while, and they seem to have lost hope. Peter says, “I am going fishing,” and the others say they will go with him. They fish the whole night and catch nothing. Imagine their desperation and disappointment! Nothing is working right without Jesus, not even those things they used to do so well. Their horrifying experience of the crucifixion of their Lord, their sense of shame at having abandoned Him, all weigh heavily on them, tainting all they do. As they struggle with their feelings in the early dawn of a new day, the Lord calls to them, offering a suggestion as to what they might do to accomplish what they failed to do on their own. They obey, and behold! They are blessed with the catch of all catches! Hope is reborn, and action bears fruit when our Lord is with us and we listen to Him. Congratulations to George and Martha Chambers, recipients of the Family of the Month award for April 2025. We are grateful for their presence among us since 2005 and for their active participation in many ministries. In addition, they have been married for 67 years, and their faith in God is remarkable. I am so pleased to have been able to lay out the details last week of how, as a community, we will celebrate the parish’s Silver Jubilee (8 September 2001 – 8 September 2026). It’s hard to imagine that, 25 years ago, we began with just 200 families! We are immensely grateful to God for the amazing grace of His constant guidance during these years. We have created a multitude of committees to oversee all aspects of this celebration, which certainly needs to be much more than a one-day event. We need a full year to properly give thanks and celebrate what God has accomplished here. Sandy Samuel has graciously agreed to be the chief coordinator of our mammoth event-planning and production efforts. I am grateful to her and to the diverse and very talented members of our community who have stepped up to help plan and develop each of the elements comprising the year-long celebration. They have been hard at work since November of 2024 to create and bring to fruition all of our plans. In the weeks to come, I will lay out each of the important events to take place throughout the silver jubilee. For now, I request you to take note of the following three important Sundays during the year: Please, do not miss being here for them! Opening Ceremony on 14 September 2025 Dedication of the new rectory on 18 January 2026 Mass of Thanksgiving to be held in the USSSA Stadium on 24 May 2026. Please, do not miss being here for them! For now, let us begin to reflect on the theme of our silver jubilee: Journey of Grace, Faith, and Hope. Each May, we find our parish calendar for the month is filled with a rich harvest of liturgical, spiritual, and family events. Please be sure to check the pages of this bulletin for the events during the first week of May and to read my monthly update email for a description of what we will be celebrating and experiencing throughout the month. Have a stupendous week! With love, Fr. John

Dear Friends, Thank you, my dear family, for coming out to honor our beloved Pope Francis at the Memorial Mass held in his honor on Saturday, April 25, 2025. In his 12 years as pope, Francis truly reflected the merciful face of the Father to the whole world. He carried the church through some very trying times, such as the Covid pandemic and unrest in various parts of the world. Through it all, he showed what it means to be the pastor of the universal Church. His funeral Mass in Rome last on Saturday, 26 April, was attended by thousands of people of many nationalities and all walks of life, including many of the world’s leaders. What a beautiful testimony to his life! The timing of our beloved pope’s death shook us a bit, coming so quickly after the hopeful sign of his appearance for the annual papal Urbi et Orbi Easter message for the world. But it was a blessing that he died on Easter Monday, of the Divine Mercy week! In his Easter Vigil homily, he said: “We are to reflect Easter in our lives and become messengers of hope, builders of hope, even as so many winds of death still buffet us.” Let us take heed of his words to be people of hope. May his life and commitment help us walk with hope. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen Conclave: Our next task is to pray for the Church and its cardinals as they prepare for and engage in the process of electing the successor to the Chair of Saint Peter. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the hearts of the cardinals during the conclave and that a leader will emerge who has the heart of a father and is on fire with the Holy Spirit, able to enkindle in each of us the fervor of love and faith. Canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis: In the wake of Pope Francis’ death, the Vatican has announced that the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, set for 27 April, has been postponed. While the Jubilee of Teenagers will proceed, the much-anticipated ceremony for the first millennial saint will be delayed. Divine Mercy Sunday: The Octave (Eighth) Day of Easter is celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Scripture readings for the day help us reflect on the amazing gift of mercy that our loving God offers each and every one of us, even when we doubt him as Saint Thomas did. May we have the courage to declare with the doubting apostle: My Lord and my God!  Year of Mission in the Congregation of Holy Cross: In 1840, Blessed Basile Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, sent Brother André Mottais, Brother Alphonsus Rodriguez Tulou, novice Brother Ignace Feron, Father Le Boucher, and Father Victor Drouelle to Algiers. This was the Congregation’s first overseas mission. To mark the 185th anniversary of their sending, our Superior General, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., announced a Year of Mission with the theme, Hope Beyond Borders, one which the whole family of Holy Cross will celebrate. This Year of Mission begins Monday, 28 April 2025, and will end on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. I will be talking about celebration throughout the coming year. In honor of the start of the Year of Mission, we will pray a special Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate Mass on 28 April. In addition, I invite you to pray daily the following Congregation of Holy Cross prayer for the Year of Mission: Lord God, source of all goodness, in your divine Providence You entrusted Blessed Basile Moreau with the task of sending missionaries We thank you for those faith-filled religious who risked going beyond the borders of every sort to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. Enkindle in us all, members of the Family of Holy Cross, a renewed missionary zeal. Grant that we may sow the seeds of faith and be heralds of hope to all peoples, especially among the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized, that you may be known, loved, and served. Through the intercession of Servants of God Flavian Laplante and Vincent McCauley, co-patrons of our Year of Mission, give us the grace to respond generously and wholeheartedly to the urgent call of evangelization. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen. With Love, Fr. John

Dear Friends, Today is the day, the day we have been waiting for. Yes, it is Easter! The Lord is Risen! Alleluia! We can now unleash our joy and burst into singing Alleluia! Alleluia! HE IS RISEN AS HE SAID! Alleluia! Wow, what joy it brings to keep singing this song of glory. Pope John Paul II made the word “Alleluia” even more significant when he said, “We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song!” St. Augustine describes the use of this song even more poignantly: [With regard to the present, when we are pilgrims on this earth, we sing Alleluia as a consolation, to be strengthened along the way; the Alleluia we are saying now is like the traveler’s song; yet, as we take this difficult path, we are striving to reach that homeland where repose awaits us, where, once all that we are involved in today has passed away, all that will be left is the Alleluia. This is why the Church deems it fit to prolong the experience of Easter Sunday for 8 days, known as the Octave of Easter. This is an intensely joyful period that ends with the Solemnity of Divine Mercy Sunday on 27 April. However, the Easter season lasts for a full 50 days, all the way to Pentecost on 8 June. Welcome to our Elect and Candidates who came into the Church and our Community at the Easter Vigil! We had 26 this year. Wow! Praise God! Their preparation for this life-changing and life-giving event has not always been easy. I take this opportunity to congratulate them on their commitment to this demanding journey. Walking alongside them is deeply significant for us, the community of the baptized, as it allows us to witness God’s grace at work and to participate in the work of the Holy Spirit. Accompanying them in their preparation for Baptism and the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist also serves to remind us of our own call to renewal, to strengthening our bond with Christ, and to reaffirming our baptismal promises. What a blessing they are to us! I want to thank Kelli Salceda, our Director of Religious Education, for her outstanding job in coordinating the OCIA curriculum. She was ably assisted by some amazing catechists who are walking witnesses of love for Jesus. I am also grateful to the sponsors who followed along with those they have undertaken in care for their spiritually. A huge thanks to all those who made the 40 days of Lent and the celebration of the Triduum— the three most significant days in the Life of the Church—a very meaningful, joyful, and most enriching time in our community. These days of solemn celebrations required a lot of coordination and efforts from the staff and ministry teams. Thanks to each and every ministry - from the most visible to those behind the scenes - for their tireless efforts in glorifying the Lord through all the liturgies and other celebrations that are the life-blood of our community. A special thanks to all the ministries that led the Stations of the Cross and prepared and served the soup suppers during the Fridays of Lent. We have an amazing community of dedicated and loving parishioners who assisted with an participated in the many wonderful Lenten opportunities for prayer, worship, adoration, and fellowship. Every year on the first Saturday after Easter, the Congregation of Holy Cross, USA Province, celebrates the ordinations of those ready for the priesthood. This year, the date is 26 April 2025 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. We are so grateful to God that four will be ordained on this date: Richard Bevington, C.S.C., Noah Junge, C.S.C., Aaron Morris, C.S.C., and David Murray, C.S.C.; their ordination will be held in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame. Please pray for them. You can follow the ordination liturgy by via livestream at livestream.holycrossusa.org. The staff, the deacons, Fr. Martin, and I wish you and yours a most blessed and joy-filled Easter! May we all celebrate Easter with unrestrained rejoicing. Have a fabulous Easter Octave, With Love, Fr. John

Dear Friends, During the 40 days of Lent, our intention has been to walk with Jesus. We have been determined to remain close to Him, so that we might fully experience His profound love for us—a love so huge that it impels Him to endure the excruciating pain inflicted by His torturers, the bitter humiliation heaped on Him by His mockers and revilers, the shame of being publicly stripped naked, and even the ignominyof beingcrucified like acommon criminal. Oh, what ineffable love! Our commitment and dedication to this Lenten journey has been our way of demonstrating our love for Him. In the process, something profound has happened. We have been changed. Jesus seeks us as and where we are. Whenever we are beaten down and lie there, frustrated and alone, waiting for someone to help us get back on our feet, Jesus finds us, lifts us up, and invites us to walk to with him. As we do, He introduces us to His most loving Father and welcomes us into Their intimate life of love. Because Jesus reached out to us, a new way of life has opened up to us, as it did for the Samaritan woman at the well and the man born blind whom Jesus healed. Our Lenten journey has taught us how to pickup our mats and move towards the new horizon that Jesus has revealed to us. If we have failed in our resolution to follow Him closely, it’s not too late! We can still have the experience of being transformed by Jesus. All we need do is muster up the courage to stay close to Him throughout the upcoming Holy Week, the most important days of the liturgical year. Holy Week is filled with such blessings that we need to look at each day carefully so we can map out the final days of our spiritual pilgrimage.  † Palm Sunday —the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Our pilgrimage begins with blessed Palms in our hands. We, too, should sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” † Monday of Holy Week —Jesus clears out the temple with a whip. It is a day to reflect on the humanity of Jesus. † Tuesday of Holy Week —after a long day of preaching on the Mount of Olives, Jesus and His disciples go to Bethany to rest. It is here that Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anoints Jesus with perfumed oil, a sign of His pending death. We, too, are invited to rest with him. † Spy Wednesday —Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot. It is a day when Jesus experiences a most painful blow to His carefully formed relationship with His disciples. It is a day of great sadness, and we are invited to take time to mourn this rupture. † Holy Thursday —the first day of the Easter Triduum. It begins in the evening, when Jesus celebrates the Last Supper with His disciples as they commemorate the Jewish Holy Day of Passover. During this commemoration, Jesus institutes both the priesthood and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Later that night, Jesus spends time in intense agony as He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane before being arrested. We, like Peter, James and John, are invited to watch and pray with Jesus. Can we, will we? † Good Friday —a day of incredible suffering during which Jesus is sentenced to death, tortured, mocked, beaten, scourged, crucified, dies on the Cross, and is buried. Today is the day to help Jesus carry His cross and console His sorrowful Mother. † Holy Saturday —the body of Jesus lays in the tomb while He descends into hell. This is a day of silence and preparation for Easter. As night falls, we begin the Easter Celebration during the Vigil Mass. At the Vigil, we have the joy of receiving our Elect and our Candidates into the Catholic Church and in to our St. John’s Family! † Easter Sunday —We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from death. The history of the world changed on this Sunday. It was -and remains- a life-changing day for believers. Let us tell all the world: He is risen! These are critical days for our Catechumens, now known as the Elect of God, as well as for our Candidates, who have been preparing for the past several months to embrace “the way of faith and conversion” before receiving First Eucharist and/or Confirmation. It is absolutely our most solemn duty as parishioners to accompany these wonderful people who are soon to reach the goal of their devoted preparation. I invite you to continue to pray for them, especially during Holy Week, that they might find in our community a visible expression of what it is to be followers of Christ. Stay close to the fire! With love, Fr. John

Dear friends, Take heart! We are more than halfway through Lent. This weekend, we begin the Fifth Week of Lent. Very soon, Lent will give way to Easter, and we will see the light of the Resurrection shining brightly. Do not loose heart if fulfilling your Lenten resolutions has been sluggish. God is always faithful in His commitment to walk with us. As we ascend the Mount of Calvary along with Jesus during Lent, let us keep firmly in mind that we have the sweet obligation of walking with our Elect of God (the unbaptized) and Candidates as they prepare to embrace the fullness of the Catholic faith. On the Third and Fourth Sundays of Lent, we celebrated the First and Second Scrutinies with our Elect and Candidates. These scrutinies assisted them in a process of continued purification and enlightenment, which is characterized by intense preparation and prayer. During this period, they focused on deepening their conversion and strengthening their resolve to live in Christ. During the First Scrutiny, we joined our Elect and Candidates in reflecting on the contrast between thirst and water with the help of the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. At the celebration of the Second Scrutiny, we looked with them at the contrast between blindness and sight through the story of the man born blind. On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we celebrate the Third Scrutiny at the 11:00 a.m. Mass. During the Third Scrutiny, Mother Church leads the Elect — and us — to consider the stark and ultimate contrast, namely, death and life. We hear and reflect on the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45 taken from Year A), through which our Lord illustrates the ultimate contrast: Out of death, He calls forth life. Our Lord comes to Bethany, near Jerusalem, knowing that his presence there and the miracle he intends to perform will soon lead to his own Passion and Death. The Apostle Thomas, ever a realist, says to the others, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). The scene is filled with emotion. When Jesus, the One who came to give us life in abundance, encounters the suffering of death, He is deeply disturbed and greatly troubled. For four long days, Lazarus has lain in the earth — four days which, for the Jews, meant that he had been fully overcome by the power of death. But the One who proclaims to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life,” is not constrained by the decay of death, and with ultimate authority he commands, “Lazarus, come out!” The regular readings for all other Masses on the Fifth Sunday of Lent are taken from the Year C cycle. Normally in Year C, the gospel is taken from Luke. However, this Sunday, we borrow a passage from the Gospel of John, which places before us the story of the woman caught in adultery. The authorities have been contemplating various ways to trap Jesus, and this time, they use the poor woman caught in the act of adultery as the bait. Jesus will not buckle under pressure. He holds to his teaching of forgiveness and mercy. Unlike the scribes and pharisees who are determined to condemn the woman, Jesus insists on mercy. Without condoning her actions, He commands her to sin no more and invites her to begin a transformed life. What is our response to God’s constant invitation to sin no more and be transformed? I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Hardi and Sandy Samuel, recipients of the Family of the Month Award for March 2025. What a blessing they are to our parish family! I am deeply indebted to Sandy for shouldering so many responsibilities in the parish. Among the numerous things she does, the one coming up is the biggest. She is coordinating our parish’s upcoming Silver Jubilee celebrations, for which I soon will reveal all the details. I thank Hardi for taking care of their household chores so that Sandy is free to donate her time to our parish. Thank you, Sandy and Hardi! Congratulations to the seven parishioners who completed the six-week Compass Ministry course dealing with faith and finance. Thanks to Joy and Tony Ramirez for leading this ministry. Congratulations also to those who completed the recent Flourish Our Faith course. Thanks to the wonderful team that is so dedicated to this ministry. Get ready for the next one coming soon. Stay close to the fire! With Love, Fr. John

Dear friends, We are about halfway through the season of Lent, and for those who have stayed close to the events of this Holy Season, some sense of joy should be present. After the inspiring Lenten mission and celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we should be experiencing a fresh surge of grace. Thus, we have reason to rejoice. This weekend, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Lent – do you remember that this is known traditionally as Laetare Sunday? “Laetare” is Latin for “rejoice.” Today's gospel describes the reason for our joy: God's great love for us has been revealed in Jesus. Through His passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus reconciled us with God and one another. As a family, we at St. John’s continue to accompany our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to embrace the fullness of the Catholic faith. Last Sunday (Third Sunday of Lent), we celebrated the First Scrutiny with them. This Sunday, we will celebrate the Second Scrutiny. The Rites of Scrutiny which we witness during three consecutive Sundays are a sign of the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. During this period, our Elect (the unbaptized) and candidates are focused on deepening their conversion and strengthening their resolve to live with Christ. As part of the Second Scrutiny rite, we hear about and meditate on the story in the Gospel of John of the healing of the man born blind which is taken from Cycle A of the Sunday Mass readings. From the first moment of Creation, when God spoke the word “light” into the dark void, the Divine illumination has infused meaning into the visible universe. The account of the gradual healing of the man born blind is proclaimed to the Elect during the Second Scrutiny to encourage them to accept the Light of Divine Meaning (Logos) into their lives. In the gospel story, Jesus approaches the man who has been in a state of natural darkness his whole life and places a mixture of saliva and clay onto his unseeing organs of sight. Along with the command, “Go and wash,” our Lord uses these outward signs to effect a miracle of seeing, as the man experiences natural light for the first time. Let us pray for our elect and candidates, that they may begin to say of their own lives, as in the hymn Amazing Grace, “I once was blind, but now I see.” For those of you who will not be attending the 4:30 p.m. Mass this Sunday, you will experience the beautiful image of a God who never ceases to love us (Cycle C readings for Sunday). In the first reading, we celebrate the fulfilment of God’s promise to the people of Israel as they arrive at the Promised Land (Joshua 5:9a, 10-12). Here, the Lord God removes their bondage to slavery, by saying, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you,” God reinstates the covenant relationship with His people that had been shattered by their unfaithfulness. In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the Parable of the Prodigal Father, a man who lavishes love on the son who had completely rejected him in the past. In an extreme display of unconditional love, the prodigal father welcomes his wayward son with joy and restores their original relationship, making him once again a beloved son and heir. Wow! What a blessing it is to have such a heavenly Father! He is so prodigal in His love that He always has room for us, is always ready to draw us into His household and lavish on us all the blessings He has promised His children. Therefore, let us rejoice!  Stay close to the fire! With Love, Fr. John

Dear friends, The holy season of Lent has begun with a glorious Ash Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see our children at the 7 a.m. Mass that day. They wore the cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads to school, proud to show their faith and be silent evangelizers. We are very proud of them! Now that it is Lent, we will offer Stations of the Cross at the Grotto each day of the week except Sunday, including the traditional Stations on Fridays. I urge you to look at the bulletin for all the details about special Masses and other spiritual activities that have been created to support you on your lenten journey. I ask that you take the Lenten Schedule on page 8 and post it where you will remember to look at it. In particular, note the information about the Lenten Mission on March 16-18, the special programing for the Tuesdays of Lent, and the many spiritual activities on Fridays. We can approach Lent as the opportunity to do a spiritual “spring cleaning.” As one good priest reminded me: “Lent is a time to re-read the ‘owner’s manual,’ to tune our ‘engines,’ and to refurbish our ‘vehicles’ – not only for the journey of 40 days but also for the journey of life, the right life–and the right eternity.” God has given us an inexhaustible capacity for the transformation needed for becoming holy. Lent is also that special time of year when we walk with our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to become full members of the Catholic faith during the Easter Vigil. We are called to support them through our prayers and examples of faith. Remember to pray for their sponsors and their families as well. During the Vigil Mass on 8 March, the St. John’s family will join with our catechumens in celebration of the ritual called the Rite of Sending. In this rite, they will be recognized for the progress they have made in their spiritual formation. Then we will send them on to the Rite of Election which will be celebrated by Bishop Noonan the next day, 9 March, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication of our sisters and brothers . In this Jubilee Year 2025 themed, “Pilgrims of Hope,” it is good to reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila about hope and what it accomplishes: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.” On the First Sunday of Lent, we always revisit the scene of the temptation of Jesus in the desert where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. We also recall our ancestors in faith, the ancient Israelites, who for 40 years trudged their way through the desert to the promised land. Jesus, through his patient acceptance of suffering and his rejection of the allurements of the devil, models the correct response in times of adversity and testing. This is in contrast with the ancient Israelites who murmured and complained bitterly about their ordeal. Jesus never swerved from being obedient to his Father; he completely and utterly depended on Him. Let us, too, place complete confidence in the Father during our times of trial, of which there will be many.  Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, continues to need our prayers. Let us continue to pray for his healing: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” I take this opportunity to announce that Beth Lowry has joined our parish staff as the new Business Manager. She held the position of bookkeeper in our office some years ago. Beth is well known to many at St. John’s. She and her devoted husband Steve have long been involved in many of our ministries. Beth brings a rich variety of work experience and abilities to her new position, and we wish her a positive and pleasant experience as she takes on this leadership role at St. John’s. Welcome, Beth! Have an inspiring and enriching LENT! With love, Fr. John

Dear Friends,