St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

Transcription

1 St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 2414 Seventeenth Street, Gulfport, Mississippi Telephone (228) Fax (228) Staff: Rev. Joseph Uko, Pastor Deacon David Allen, Pastoral Associate Sr. Mary Kealy, PBVM, Pastoral Associate Teri Patton, Parish Secretary Masses: Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m. First Saturday Devotion: 9:00 a.m. Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m. Daily Mass: Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. Spanish Mass: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Holy Days: 6:00 p.m., Vigil, 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. Confession: Saturday 4:00 4:45 p.m. and anytime on request March 22, 2015 ~ Fifth Sunday of Lent NOT FOR MY SAKE... We struggle with the meaning of losing our life in order to find it, of dying in order to live. In the covenant of our world, these contradictory concepts make no sense. But Jesus came to establish a new covenant, one of service and of love. He learned obedience from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Obedience and suffering are two much-misunderstood concepts. To obey means to listen and take to heart. Jeremiah speaks of God s law being written in our hearts, and that we will come to know our God. Psalm 51 cries out to God for a clean heart, for it is with a clear conscience and clear vision that we will see God s will for us. BUT FOR YOURS Just as the prophets and the psalms proclaimed the true way to know and follow God, Jesus shows us in his teaching and in his life how we are to love and serve God and each other. The letter to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus reverence for God that manifested itself in obedience and suffering, not for its own sake, but for ours and for the glory of God. This mutual love of God and humanity is made perfect in Jesus, and we begin to see how our suffering can serve others and give glory to God. Our work and our prayer are to be for the good of all, not just for our own benefit: I will draw everyone to myself (John 12:32). Jesus goodness and his sacrifice attract us to him and show us the enormity of his love and care for us. He held nothing back that could help us find God. Where I am, there also will my servant be (John 12:26). We look to Jesus for our help in loving God and each other, in giving glory to God and service to others. Our glory and honor lie in serving God and our neighbor with love and reverence. Copyright 2005, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

2 Fifth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2015 I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 C.C.D. (Grades K-12)... Sundays, 9:00-10:15 A.M. Knights of Columbus... 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 7:00 P.M. K C Ladies Auxiliary... 3rd Tuesday, 6:30 P.M. R.C.I.A...Tuesdays, 6:30 P.M. St. Vincent de Paul... 2nd Wednesday, 9:00 A.M. Young At Heart... 4th Thursday, 12 Noon Welcome to St. John the Evangelist Church! If you are new to the parish and have not yet registered, please call Lenten Schedule Daily Mass: Monday-Friday 7:00am, 12:00noon Stations of the Cross: Fridays of Lent, 6:00pm Seder Meal: March 17 Presentation Hall at 6:00pm Lenten Penance Service: March 23 6:00pm Live Way of the Cross by the Youth-March 27- Presentation Hall-3:00pm Abstinence and Fasting: The Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence from meat. Abstinence is to be observed by those 14 years and older on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent. Days of Fasting are on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday for those over 18 and under 59 years of age. Fast means one full meal and two ligh ones, not equaling one meal. Happy birthday wishes to: Naomi Patton celebrates Mar. 21; Halela Nguyen celebrates Mar. 22; Brooke Papania & Jessie Campbell celebrate Mar. 23; Nancy Vierling celebrates Mar. 25; Ahmaud McNair celebrates Mar. 26; Linda Bodisch celebrates Mar. 27. May God Bless them with many more Happy Birthdays! The second collection at all Masses next weekend is for our St. Vincent De Paul Society food pantry. Our Parish family will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday, March 23 at 6:00pm. The sacrament of forgiveness and peace was given to the Church on Easter Sunday when the Risen Lord breathed on the Apostles and said, Peace, Peace. Receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive sins, they are forgiven. This Lenten Penance Service is very important. All practicing Catholics are encouraged to go to Confession and receive the Eucharist at Easter. There will be several neighboring priests available to assist us with confession. Please plan to attend and celebrate this Sacrament of God s love, healing and forgiveness. The 2nd collection at all Masses this weekend is for the Altar Society to purchase the Easter Flowers for the church. Please contribute to help make our church beautiful for Easter. Palm Sunday is next weekend~ Palm Sunday recalls the dramatic occasion when Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before he died. He came riding on a donkey. Yet, he was acclaimed by the people as son of David, heir to the Kingdom. To commemorate this event we are going to have a procession around the church. Everyone will be invited to leave the church by the east entrance, pick up a palm and gather for prayer, readings and the blessing of the palms. We will then process back in to the church through the 25th Avenue door. Let us take up our palms and sign a resounding hymn in honor of Christ our King. April Schedules for Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Servers are on the tables in the back of church. Just a reminder,,,,,our prayer group meets every Thursday afternoon from 5:15-6:15pm. Everyone is invited to join us. For more information call the Parish office,

3 Thank you to all who joined in the celebration of our parish Seder Meal. It was truly a beautiful way to come together and prayerfully reflect on God s revelation of His love in bringing the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. The Seder Meal is the highlight of the Passover festivities and it continues in our liturgy in the celebration of Holy Thursday. We also wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to our Hospitality committee, Men s group and everyone who in many different ways contributed and helped make this celebration possible and meaningful. The Catholic Sharing Appeal- We can be raised to new life by giving some of our blessings to the ministries of our Church. Be supportive and generous, by pledging to the Catholic Sharing Appeal. Help us meet our goal of $30,465, this year. There are envelopes on the back tables. St. Patrick Catholic High School Drama Guild invites all to attend their spring production of the musical, "Footloose". The show runs from Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, March 29 in the school's theatre. Tickets for the show are $10. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended due to the limited seating in the theatre. Tuesday and Wednesday have matinees at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have evening performances beginning at 6:30 p.m. The final performance will be a 2:00 matinee on Sunday, March 29. Our campus is located at St. Patrick Road, Biloxi, MS. For questions or to reserve tickets, call (228) The chorale group from USM will present a concert at St. Michael Biloxi this Saturday March 28th at 7:30pm. They will be singing an arrangement of sacred music including Latin hymns and English hymns from across the centuries. Come be lifted up in harmony and voices that connect us with God. Fund Raising Committee- We will have a meeting of the fund raising committee on Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00pm in the parish office building. Everyone on the committee, PLEASE attend. If you are not on the committee and would like to join and help us in any capacity...you are welcome. You can call the parish office with any questions. Thank you! The Young at Heart will gather for lunch and fellowship on Thursday, March 26 at 12:30pm (after the Noon Mass) in Presentation Hall. The main dish will be provided. Please bring your favorite vegetable, salad or dessert dish to compliment the meal. Please plan to come enjoy some delicious food, good company and exciting games of bingo. THE NEW COVENANT When the prophet Jeremiah coined the term new covenant he was actually doing something quite radical. For the Jewish people, there was only one covenant, the one made between the Lord God and Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. For Jeremiah to suggest that God would somehow supersede the covenant with a new one would have sounded audacious to Jewish ears. But in this way he is a predecessor of Jesus who, in the Gospel of John, is continually portrayed as superseding the past, establishing the reign of God in a new way. And in today s Gospel passage, Jesus the new covenant speaks the language of his new commandment of love when he tells of the dying grain of wheat, and of our own need to die to self in order to be raised with Christ. As Lent ends and we prepare to enter into Holy Week, the dying grain of wheat serves as an excellent symbol of the kind of dying and self sacrifice to which disciples are called, a symbol of that new covenant written deep within our hearts. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. The Gulf Coast Messiah Chorus (GCMC) announces their Spring, 2015 season with matinee concerts March 29th and April 12th. Sunday Afternoon, March 29th, 3:00 p.m. Crossroads Church of the Nazarene 6150 Firestone St., Ocean Springs, MS AND Sunday Afternoon, April 12th, 3:00 p.m. St. Augustine Seminary Chapel 199 Seminary Dr., Bay St. Louis, MS These concerts are free and open to the public! The Gulf Coast Messiah Chorus is honored to be supported in part by The Bacot-McCarty Foundation and The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. For more details please contact Ed Cake at or ed.cake@yahoo.com. GOD S WORD TODAY I will be their God, and they shall be my people. This statement is at the heart of the new covenant God established with the house of Israel. God promised to remember their sin no more. This Lenten season has offered us opportunities to recall the covenant God established at the moment of our baptism. In that moment, we became the people of God. Too often we forget this covenant and turn away from God. Lent is all about returning to the Lord with our whole heart. As the living word of God is proclaimed today, let us remember the faithfulness of our God and offer thanks for the gift of the Lord Jesus, who, as today s letter to the Hebrews tells us, is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. From Saint Margaret Sunday Missal, copyright J. S. Paluch Company

4 William Allen Theresa Barlow Lisa Bass Mary Anne Bishop Ruby Bouchard Harriett Bowles Pablo Cabasa Carol Campbell Danny Carlisle Buddy Cospelich Rhonda Cospelich Kevin Crane Gerald Cuevas Linda Eschler Deanne Fasold Lynn Foster Felecia Galle Nicole Gilbert Jal Giuffria Peter Giuffria Betty Godo Tom Goode Anna Grice Jessi Hebert Please Remember in Your Prayers Hazel Herrington Klaus Jeschke Mary Kealy Kemberly Lacap Gary Lacy Elton Ladner Diane Lefkowitz Herman Lefkowitz Churck Lepowsky Joann Liner Patty Loftin Walter Lolley Celeste McInnis S. J. Marengo Dot Miller Rhonda Mires Luz Monzon Karen Nelson Tillie Nettles Melvin Olive Kent Olsen Trey Patterson Jane Pendergrass Mike Price Gary Reeves Chris Richards Randy Richardson Glenda Rockwell Sharon Rogers Ken Saxon Joseph Schultz Don Seymour Gary Seymour Marie Stanbro Norman Stanbro Wanda Stephens Emerson Stringer Tracy Taylor Lisa Thompson Bennye Turner Becky Truxillo Felecia Vann Kathleen Walker Jim Wetzel, III Rosemary White Addie Wittmann Ginger Worth Prayer is the door through which all God s Graces comes to us -St. Theresa of Avila TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION As we approach Holy Week, the creative juices of the ancient church of Jerusalem begin to shape our journey. In old Jerusalem at this season of the year, the attempt was made to recall the events leading up to Christ s passion. Those attempts were based not only on time, with celebrations of events as close to the day and hour as possible, but also on people s best guesses as to the actual place of these events. Vast numbers of pilgrims flooded the city during the forty days of Lent, many of them catechumens in their last stages of preparation for initiation. The fourth-century Spanish nun Egeria wrote a delightfully detailed diary of her experience of this lively and aerobic liturgy, which involved hearty singing, strong preaching, and nimble processions across vast and arduous terrain. Much of this energy was lost over the centuries, with the procession of palms a noteworthy exception. Northern climates had to reinterpret this Jerusalem liturgy, using forsythia, willow, or olive branches, but to this day the entry into Holy Week by a community on the move accompanied by joyful song hearkens back to a venerable tradition. Egeria s letters were rediscovered a little more than a hundred years ago, but they reveal a pattern of prayer: full, conscious, active participation, to which we have a right and a duty. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. TODAY S READINGS First Reading I will make a new covenant; I will write my law upon their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34) or Ezekiel 37: Psalm Create a clean heart in me, O God (Psalm 51) or Psalm 130. Second Reading Christ learned obedience and became the source of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:7-9) or Romans 8:8-11. Gospel If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit (John 12:20-33) or John 11:1-45 [3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45]. The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, [41c-62]; Ps 23:1-6; Jn 8:1-11 Tuesday: Nm 21:4-9; Ps 102:2-3, 16-21; Jn 8:21-30 Wednesday: Is 7:10-14; 8:10; Ps 40:7-11; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38 Thursday: Gn 17:3-9; Ps 105:4-9: Jn 8:51-59 Friday: Jer 20:10-13; Ps 18:2-7; Jn 10:31-42 Saturday: Ez 37:21-28; Jer 31:10, 11-13; Jn 11:45-56 Sunday: Mk 11:1-10 or Jn 12:12-16 (procession); Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mk 14:1 15:47 [15:1-39] SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fifth Sunday of Lent; Third Scrutiny Monday: St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Wednesday: The Annunciation of the Lord Friday: Abstinence Collections: March Identifiable: $4135 Unidentifiable: $805 ACH: $1500 Catholic Relief Services: $656 Thank you for your generosity! MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Saturday: +Ben North Sunday: 8:00am +Dr. Edmund Crane; +Matthew & Thelma Serpa 10:30am +Mrs. Stephanie Todaro 6:00pm People of the Parish Monday: +Toni Kalifeh Tuesday: +Nicky Creel Wednesday: +Mackie Fayard Thursday: +Phil Cajaio Friday: Special Int. of Mrs. Jenny Lizana

5 Annual Lenten Friday Fish Plate Fund Raiser St. Therese Catholic Church Hall, Dine in or take out Every Friday during Lent beginning February 20th,,11:00am-1:00pm Includes Fried Catfish, potato salad, peas, bread, cake $9.00 per plate; $1.00extra sides (drinks not included) Delivery on orders of 10 or more; delivery starts at 10am To place orders call Thank you for your support! Calendar of Events Mar 23 Lenten Penance Service, 6pm Mar 26 Young at Heart, Presentation Hall-12:30pm Mar 29 Palm Sunday - Apr 2 Holy Thursday-Mass of the Lord s Supper, 7pm Apr 3 Good Friday - Live Stations of the Cross at 3pm Good Friday Services at 7pm Apr 4 Easter Vigil at 7pm Apr 23 Young at Heart, Presentation Hall-Noon May 3 First Holy Communion, 10:30 Mass May 9 Confirmation at 5:00pm Mass May 10 Mothers Day May 13 Pastoral Council Meetin May 17 Recognition of Seniors at 10:30 Mass May 24 International Festival & Raffle, After 10:30 Mass Choir practice is every Friday at 6:00pm in the Church. New voices are always welcome to help elevate our praises to God. Please consider being a part of this very important and beautiful ministry. Please support our Bulletin Advertisers! Take a bulletin home with you and look at all our advertisers. We appreciate their generosity and support of our parish. When you patronize them, thank them for their support of our parish. Reminder, if you or anyone in your family is ill at home or in the hospital and would like us to visit you-please call the parish office at

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