St John the Baptist Catholic Church THE LITURGICAL WEEK www.stjohntryon.com MASS INTENTIONS Saturday, May 16 4:30pm - For St. John Parishioners Sunday, May 17 The Ascension of the Lord 8:30am - Regina Sulovski 11:00am - Rich Nelson 12:30pm - Fr. Tony Harold Monday, May 18 St. John I 8:30am - Jim Kenny Tuesday, May 19 8:30am - Priest s Intention Wednesday, May 20 St. Bernardine of Siena 5:15pm - The Froehlich Family *Thursday, May 21 St. Christopher Magallanes & Companions * 7:30am - William Froehlich Friday, May 22 St. Rita of Cascia 8:30am - Addie Kenny Saturday, May 23 4:30pm - Frances Strachwitz Sunday, May 24 Pentecost Sunday 8:30am - For St. John Parishioners 11:00am - Patricia Skadow 12:30pm - For St. John Parishioners CONFESSION Mondays 7:30-8:15am Wednesdays 4:00-5:00pm Fridays 7:30-8:15am Saturdays 3:30-4:15pm DEVOTIONS ADORATION Wednesday at 5:45pm MORNING PRAYER After Mass on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET After Morning Prayer on Monday THE SANCTUARY LIGHTS are lit this week in memory of Leonard Markitell *Time Change from Regular Schedule Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. ~St. John the Baptist (John 1:29) PRAYERS FOR OUR SICK & SHUT-INS Please remember the infirmed of our parish, especially those who, by request, have been placed on our parish prayer intention list. If you would like to be added to this list, please call the parish office. You may also call for a copy of the prayer list. UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS! MAY 17, 2015
From Magnificat Monthly Vol. 17, No. 3 / May 2015 THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD! SPIRITUAL READING & REFLECTION As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself FOR THEM, SO THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE CONSECRATED IN TRUTH. JOHN 17:18-19 Christ Enthroned, Jovan Vasilievic, 18 th Century CONSECRATE THEM IN THE TRUTH Jesus prays, sanctify them that is, perfect them and make them holy. And do this in the truth, that is, in me, your Son, who am the truth (Jn 14:6). It is like saying: Make them share in my perfection and holiness (sanctity). And thus he adds, your word, that is, your Word, is the truth. The meaning is then: Sanctify them in me, the truth, because I, your Word, am the truth. Or, we could say this: Sanctify them, by sending the Holy Spirit. And do this in the truth, that is, in the knowledge of the truths of the faith and of your commandments: You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (Jn 8:32). For we are sanctified by faith and the knowledge of the truth: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Rom 3:22). He adds, your word is truth, because the truth of God s words is unmixed with falisty: All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them (Prv 8:8). Further, his word teaches the uncreated truth. Another interpretation: In the Old Testament everything set aside for divine worship was said to be sanctified: Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel to serve me as priests (Ex 28:1). Accordingly he says, sanctify them, that is, set them aside, in truth, that is,to preach your truth, because your word, which they are to preach, is truth, Saint Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas Aquinas ( 1274) was a Dominican priest from Italy. He remains one of the Church s premier Doctors. THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED! PAGE 2
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS For sacramental emergencies, please call 828-859-9574, ext. 6 If you or anyone you know is homebound or hospitalized, even temporarily, please call the office so that we may arrange for them to be visited by one of our Extraordinary Ministers. DAILY MASS READINGS May 17 Sun The Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26/1 Jn 4:11-16/Jn 17:11b-19 May 18 Mon Acts 19:1-8/ Jn 16:29-33 May 19 Tue Acts 20:17-27/Jn 17:1-11a May 20 Wed Acts 20:28-38/Jn 17:11b-19 May 21 Thu Acts 22:30; 23:6-11/Jn 17:20-26 May 22 Fri Acts 25:13b-21/Jn 21:15-19 May 23 Sat Acts 28:16-20, 30-31/Jn 21:20-25 May 24 Sun Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11/1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25/Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 FINANCIAL FACTS This Week Y.T.D. Actual $ 6,985 $335,810 Budgeted $ 7,038 $316,731 Variance ($ 53) $ 19,079 (unfavorable) This is the collection report for the Sunday Masses of May 9 & 10, 2015. Everyone prepares an annual budget. The ministries funded by the DSA are no different. They depend on your contributions to meet their annual budget needs. If you have not yet made a gift, please give prayerful consideration to how you can Share God s Gifts with thousands of people throughout our diocese. Thank you so much for all of your efforts to promote and support the DSA in our parish. Thousands of people will be helped as a result of your work. PRIESTHOOD "If some of you hear the call to follow Christ more closely, to dedicate your entire heart to Him, like the apostles John and Paul, be generous, do not be afraid, because you have nothing to fear when the prize that you await is God himself, for Whom, sometimes without ever knowing it, all young people are searching." -Blessed John Paul II MAY 23 & 24 SECOND COLLECTION EARTHQUAKE RELIEF A second collection will be taken at all Masses on May 23 & 24, to provide assistance to the earthquake victims in Nepal and India. Please make your check out to: St. John Church. Thank you for your generosity. QUO VADIS DAYS Attention all Catholic young men ages 15-25! Do you know where your life is going? The Lord Jesus has a great plan for you! You are invited to attend the third annual Quo Vadis Days (QVD) camp to spend time with other young men your age looking at the Lord s call in your life while having fun. QVD is led by priests and seminarians of the diocese and is supported by the diocesan Office of Vocations. QVD will be held from June 15-19, 2015 at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont. The cost of the camp is $100.00. If you are interested, please visit our website, www.charlottediocese.org/quo-vadis-days or contact Father Christopher Gober, Director of Vocations at (704) 370-3327. UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS! PAGE 3
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD! PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS SECOND COLLECTION TODAY The second collection today combines 5 collections into one. This International National Combined Collection contributes toward the Catholic Relief Services Collection, the Collection for the Holy Land, the Collection for the Works of the Holy Father, the Catholic Communications Campaign, and the Catholic University of America. Please be generous to these programs. PARISH LIFE AT A GLANCE Mon May 18 9:00am 2:00pm 5:30pm 7:00pm Divine Mercy Chaplet Tryon Estates Mass Schola Choir, Church RCIA, Parish Center Tue May 19 5:15pm Children s Choir Rehearsal, Church Wed May 20 6:00pm Faith Formation Classes, Parish Center Thur May 21 9:30am Patriotic Rosary, Church Fri May 22 Sat May 23 DEACON SANTIAGO S PRAYER KNEELER St. John has the privilege of hosting a special kneeler on which we may kneel and pray for our parish s seminarian, Deacon Santiago Mariani, as he prepares for his ordination on June 27, 2015. We invite you to take this opportunity before or after Mass today to pray for Deacons Santiago and Casey Coleman, our priests and for an increase in vocations. Earlier this week, we welcomed the prayer kneelers of both Deacon Santiago and Deacon Casey Coleman on Wednesday evening which provided the youth and parents of faith formation a blessed opportunity to kneel and pray for our seminarians, our priests and for vocations. Deacon Casey s kneeler moved onward to his home parish this weekend as we retained Deacon Santiago s kneeler here in his home parish. Mary s Sons is an apostolate established by lay Catholics in our diocese. Their mission is to promote prayer, support and love for our priests through daily prayer, sacrifices, and by supporting monthly Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Hours in our parishes for an increase in vocations and for the sanctification of our priests. As part of their support program for our seminarians, they purchased personal kneelers for each of our soon to be ordained priests, Deacons Santiago and Casey. These kneelers are making a prayer pilgrimage around the diocese. We thank Mary s Sons for this blessed opportunity and the graces that will undoubtedly flow from our prayers. ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST St. John the Baptist will be awarding a first year college scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year in the amount of $1,000. If you are a confirmed, active, registered member of the parish; a 2015 high school graduating senior and will be enrolling in college in the fall of 2015, then you are eligible to apply. Applications are available in the parish office or you can download an application from the parish website: www.stjohntryon.com Any questions, contact Theresa in the parish office: 859-9574 ext 3. St. John the Baptist Scholarship Application Deadline: Monday, June 15, 2015. PRAYING THE ROSARY BEFORE MASS IN MAY The rosary will be prayed one-half hour before each Sunday Vigil (Saturday evening) and Sunday Mass during the month of May. Please join us in this beautiful devotion to the Blessed Mother. All are welcome. THE SANCTUARY LIGHTS are available for the week of May 30 June 6 The suggestion donation is $20. Contact Andrée in the Parish Office YOUTH GROUP SUNDAY, MAY 17 TH 9:45AM SOCIAL HALL THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED PAGE 4
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! FAITH FORMATION YOUTH GROUP Sunday, May 17 th This Sunday morning! You have your Youth Breakfast with Fr. Arnsparger at 9:45am in the Parish Social Hall Youth, don t forget Totus Tuus July 26 th through 30 th Sunday through Thursday, 7 to 9pm. You won t want to miss it. Be sure to sign-up (forms available May 18 th ). Also, we welcome you and we need you to serve as a volunteer at Totus Tuus during the day (M-F). Great service hours and just plain fun! Contact Ms. Fitch in the parish office to sign up to volunteer. Note: Mark calendars for Ignite Your Torch, July 9 12 & Totus Tuus, July 26 31 FAITH FORMATION ATTENTION FAMILIES If you are a NEW family to St. John the Baptist Church, or you have a child entering first grade (public school or home school) this fall, please contact Theresa in the parish office to place your family s name and address on the FF registration list for this coming year of Faith Formation classes. NOTE: All families must be registered with the parish in order to enroll in Faith Formation classes. Please contact Andrée Harrison in the parish office to register with the parish. Faith Formation Registration /Enrollment will take place in August 2015. Theresa D. Fitch 828-859-9574 ext 3 stjohnff@windstream.net TOTUS TUUS FAITH FORMATION NEWS Important Sacramental Information: Attention Students in 8th grade: ALL forms and sponsor certificates are due! Sponsor certificates must be signed by parish priest. Rehearsal for Sacrament of Confirmation: Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 10:00am. Meet at the church. Sacrament of Confirmation: Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 7pm. Arrive by 6:15pm. Meet in the social hall. Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. St Catherine of Siena JULY 26 31, 2015 Totus Tuus is returning to our parish again this summer! Parents and youth, mark your calendars now for Sunday, July 26 through Friday, July 31, 2015. Registration will open at the end of May. Totus Tuus, Totally Yours, is a fun and energetic parish-based summer catechetical program a week-long parish mission for Catholic youth (grades 1 st 6 th and 7 th 12 th ) led by college-aged teams of two men and two women. Any questions, contact Theresa in the parish office or at stjohnff@windstream.net. God is good all the time! All the time God is good! We need your help! We are in need lunches daily for the team and volunteers. Anyone interested in hosting an evening meal for the TT Team or providing support for this extraordinary program please contact Theresa in the parish office. Questions? Please call me! UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS! PAGE 5
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD! ANNOUNCEMENTS WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES 2015 Love Is Our Mission, The Family Fully Alive September 22-27, 2015! Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Families and individuals, called together from all over the world in faithful celebration of the family the sanctity of love and life Love is Our Mission Preparatory Catechesis Website: WorldMeeting2015.org Families can look forward to seeing and hearing Pope Francis, guest speakers, celebrations, kids activities, and prayer, all of which will bring renewal and transformation for you, your loved ones and the world. May 2015 Light in a dark world Pope Francis referred to the Holy Family in highlighting the qualities of generosity and interior freedom that enable a good marriage: Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God, he was deeply sensitive to his secret will, he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart and from on high. He did not persist in following his own plan for his life, he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, he was ready to make himself available to the news that, in such a bewildering way, was being presented to him. And thus, he was a good man. He did not hate, and he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul And Joseph thereby became even freer and greater. By accepting himself according to God s design, Joseph fully finds himself, beyond himself. His freedom to renounce even what is his and his full interior availability to the will of God challenges us and shows us the way. Love is Our Mission 2015 N.C. MARIAN ROSARY CONGRESS The Family that Prays Together Stays Together. Reserve your seats for this event at St. Mark Catholic Church, on Stumptown Rd., Huntersville, N.C., on June 13 th, 10am to 3pm. Deadline for registration is May 15. Bishop Jugis will be our main celebrant. Call 1-844-YES-MARY, or go online at www.jesusthroughmary.org. Registration is $10 through PayPal; $15 after the deadline. HANDS OF HOPE FOR LIFE POLK COUNTY Needs the following items: baby stroller, baby swing, newborn socks, formula, maternity clothes, nursing bras, preemie clothes. Call Tina at 980-241-9419. Thank you. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST BROTHERS IN CHRIST THE NEXT MEETING IS MAY 28 TH The St. John the Baptist men s group meets once a month on the last Thursday of each month, until June 25th. We will meet in the Church at 7:00pm for prayer, followed by a presentation in the social hall, covering different topics that are part of the Church s deposits of faith, teachings, and doctrines. Please join us for an evening of learning and fellowship. For more information please contact Greg Lobas at 828-817-0774 or Bob Then at 864-457-2554. MASS INTENTIONS PROCEDURE In order that Mass intentions and sanctuary lights may be accurately recorded and accounted for, they must be made in person during office hours. If you are homebound, please call Andrée to secure a Mass time. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM There will be a Religious Liberty March and Prayer Vigil on June 26 th. We will begin the march at the parking lot at 1524 Palmer St., Charlotte, N.C. (across from the Pastoral Center) at 11:30am. Please arrive early to park and be prepared for the instructions by 11:15am. The march will include Fr. Michael Kottar pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Shelby, N.C., preaching at Trade and Tryon Streets followed by the Litany for Religious Liberty. Then we will pray the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in front of the Federal Courthouse at 401 W. Trade St. Please come and be a witness in uptown Charlotte to defend Religious Liberty! Questions e-mail: religiousliberty@windstream.net or call Tina at 704-301-2531 Visit www.marchforlifecharlotte.org/ relib.html If you have recently moved or changed your phone number or e-mail address, please call Andrée in the Parish Office at 828-859-9574 or email at: stjohnchurch@windstream.net, with your updated information. Thanks! THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED PAGE 6
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! L ENT AND E ASTER WITH THE C HURCH F ATHERS SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER SUNDAY John Cassian, Conferences, 21, 14-15 We can live the liturgical year, and this period in particular, as a sort of gym for the soul (and also for the body), training ourselves for a richer and more authentic experience of living in accordance with the Gospel. Where do we start? What equipment do we use? The program is already laid out, and the Sunday readings are certainly the starting point, but we also need to think with intelligence, to act with sound judgment, and to trust in the Holy Spirit. MONDAY John Chrysostom, Homily on Holy Pentecost, 1 Come, Holy Spirit, send us a ray of your light from heaven. Come, Father of the poor, come, giver of gifts and light of our hearts. Perfect consoler, gentle guest of the soul, most tender relief, rest in the midst of labor, shelter in the midst of heat, comfort in the midst of tears, O most blessed light, flood the hearts of your faithful. Without your strength, there is nothing in humanity without guilt. Wash what is dirty, water what is dry, heal what is bleeding. Bend what is rigid, heat what is cold, straighten what is crooked. Grant your holy gifts to your faithful who confide in you alone. Grant virtue and recompense, grant a holy death, grant eternal joy. (See Pentecost Sequence.) TUESDAY Pseudo-Macarius, Spiritual Homilies, 18, 1-3 Praying to the Holy Spirit means recognizing the great treasure left by Christ for the Church and for all of us. Intense and constant prayer is the path to successfully respecting, with simplicity and firmness, all of the divine precepts that up until now were impossible for us to observe without proper aid. No one can feel alone in his divine presence! WEDNESDAY Basil the Great, Homily on Faith, 3 The Holy Spirit is the light that fills the Church and every Christian. Lavished with his seven gifts, we are called to be credible and courageous witnesses of the Gospel, bearers of light where there are shadows of sin, mistrust, misery, pain, and death. May the Spirit be the light of our consciences in our ordinary activities, in our daily choices, in the large and small concerns of life, and in moral and spiritual growth. THURSDAY Augustine, On Faith, Hope and Love, 14, 53 We are the most well-to-do heirs: we are the favorite children of the merciful Father, witnesses to the Gospel who, through the virtues and sufferings of Christ, walk in the world carrying our crosses. Renewed in Baptism and abandoning sin, we live as risen men and women passing through this world with our feet on the ground, our hands out-stretched toward our neighbors, and our gaze set on heaven. FRIDAY Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures XVI, 22-23 Looking directly into the Sun with the naked eye is impossible, just as it is difficult to understand the way the Holy Spirit works in us without the lens of faith and without knowledge of the Gospel. Belief is the Christian s yes to God s proposal of a holy life, which comes to us through the intervention of the Paraclete, the defender, the advocate, the mediator, the love of the Father and the Son. SATURDAY Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures XVI, 19-21 Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (Jn 3:5-8). This is what John the Evangelist tells us from Nicodemus s encounter with Jesus. What was our encounter with Jesus like? Did we allow the light of the Spirit to light up the darkness of our hearts? PENTECOST SUNDAY Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, 5, 9, 2-4 It will come to pass in the last days, God said,/ that I will pour out a portion of my spirit/upon all flesh./your sons and your daughters shall prophesy/your young men shall see visions,/your old men shall dream dreams./indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids/i will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days,/and they shall prophesy. / And I will work wonders in the heavens above / and signs on the earth below:/blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke./the sun shall be turned to darkness,/and the moon to blood,/before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,/and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:17-21). UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS! PAGE 7