Revival At the beginning of a new year, we all look for ways to “revive” our lives: cleaning and organizing our homes; deciding on a new exercise regimen or renewing our commitment to our current one; or maybe even embarking on “Bible in a Year” or “Catechism in a Year” with Fr. Mike Schmitz! 😉  … Continued

Epiphany! This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.  The feast marks the end of the Christmas season.  Traditionally, Epiphany was observed on the January  6 and is a feast of the Church older than Christmas.  Since 1970, the celebration is held in some countries on the Sunday after January 1; more … Continued

What a Sunday, the Solemnity of the Holy Family…J.M.J., Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! There was no Catholic school in our town,  so Mom and Dad chose to homeschool my sister and me.  J.M.J was the first thing written on all our papers.  To this day, I type or write those initials on my papers.  Why?  … Continued

The Stations of Advent If you’re anything like me, by now – the 3rd Sunday of Advent – you’re tired of trying to come up with the “perfect” gift ideas, tired of the running around & busyness, and especially tired of hearing the same five Christmas songs on endless repeat.  Yet, today, this Gaudete Sunday, … Continued

PRAYING THE PARISH FORWARD The current rallying cry for St. John Parish is prayer: “Discipleship Deeply Rooted inPrayer.” Prayer is the essential conversation with God, and prayer is intimately tied tothe four powerful “themes” of the four weeks of Advent; the virtues of hope, peace, joy,and love. We’ve started presenting a series called Praying the … Continued