Explore the latest bulletin articles from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Parish in Jackson, MI—featuring weekly reflections, pastoral insights, faith formation, community updates, and spiritual inspiration for parishioners
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The Amazing Parish Conference
Dear Parish Family, Thanks to the New Evangelization grant we received from the Trinity Foundation, four parish staff and I were at The Amazing Parish Conference in Atlanta from Monday to Thursday morning of this past week. Joining 1100 people from about 200 parishes from across the country, we learned from the best experts in…
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Music Notes
The season of Lent is upon us! You have probably noticed a big change in the music at Mass. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about why the Lenten season is so different when it comes to music. Why is there no “filler music” during Lent…it seems so quiet and awkward! According…
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Are There 40 Days of Lent or 46 Days?
Dear Parish Family, We talk about the 40 Days of the Great Fast of Lent, but from Ash Wednesday to the Easter Vigil, there are 46 Days. What gives? Well, in the colorful history of this penitential season, there are three points that help us resolve the question: 1) The season of Lent used to…
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True Greatness
In this past Tuesday’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37), Jesus gave his original disciples and, by way of the Sacred Scriptures, gave us present-day disciples a beautiful lesson on what comprises true greatness. As they were journeying to Capernaum, the Twelve were talking amongst themselves about who was the greatest among them. When they get to Capernaum,…
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The Richness of Simplicity
Over ten years ago, I was on retreat at a flourishing Benedictine monastery about an hour east of Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of the senior monks there was giving me spiritual direction and said something that has stuck with me: “There should be a little bit of monk in each of us.” Why? A monk knows…
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Do You Enjoy Welcoming People?
Dear Parish Family, A couple of years ago, we made an initial attempt to have greeters (or hospitality ministers) to warmly greet people as they come into church. This has given us a few regular greeters, and maybe you’ve enjoyed the salutations of fellow parishioners like Dan Deverell, Nick Januszewski, Bob & Colleen Irvin, Dan…
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Check out our Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit!
Dear Parish Family, You may have noticed something different about our parish center’s Community Room! For one month, we are privileged to have on display a Vatican International Exhibition called The Eucharistic Miracles of the World. The exhibit chronicles some of the extraordinary ways that God has confirmed our faith in the real presence of…
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Discover Your Giftedness!
Dear Parish Family, Discover your giftedness, and you will discover your calling! A huge part of our happiness and sense of fulfillment is the conviction that “I am doing what I was created and called to do!” Do you fully know what that calling is? Many of you have been called to the sacrament of…
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Eucharistic Miracles
Greetings brothers and sisters, Each week as we assemble in Mass to worship our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reminded of one of the foundational teachings of our Catholic faith: the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (CCC #1373.) At each and every Mass around the world, Jesus becomes fully present in the Eucharist…
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Youth Ministry Update
It’s a new year. How does time fly so fast? These past five months of serving the youth at St. John’s have been so blessed. I’ve met some of the coolest teens, gotten paid to laugh and talk about the Church, and have been surrounded by such a supportive community through this whole process. And…
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How To Read The Bible
Dear Parish Family, You may have heard me encourage you to dive into the Good Book and pray the Scriptures, but then I may not have followed it up with how. It can be intimidating because we don’t even know where to begin. Last Sunday’s homily answered the question, “How do you prayerfully read the…
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Happy New Year!
Dear Parish Family, Ah, a new year brings the hopes of new beginnings! Many make new year’s resolutions, including some of us in the parish office. We decided to have a little competitive fun with a weight-loss challenge! The majority of new year’s resolutions seem to revolve around our physical health, but how about our…
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Merry Christmas!
Dear Parishioners & Visitors, With JOY we gather together! “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light!” (Mt 4:16). As we close the year, one that was marked with unpredictability and considerable conflict and division both at home and abroad, we as Christians nevertheless rejoice! We rejoice because, even amidst our difficult times,…
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Follow-up Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday!
Dear Parish Family, We received the “Witness to Hope” Feasibility Study Report back (Executive Summary inserted in this bulletin), which summed up all of the interviews, in-pew surveys, and the first town hall meeting. Your input and feedback have been heard! It appears at this point that there is NOT sufficient support for Heritage Hall,…
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Follow-up Town Hall Meeting #2 on Dec. 20!
Dear Parish Family, With the “Witness to Hope” Campaign beginning in January, we will be having a follow-up Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, December 20. Once again, it will be a 6:30 p.m. social gathering with the meeting itself beginning at 7:00 p.m. There has been a lot of parishioner input through this feasibility study…
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Meet our new Finance Manager, Marvic Welch!
Dear Parish Family, We are excited to introduce Marvic Welch, who will be fulfilling the lion’s share of the duties Rose Noble had as Finance Manager. Marvic comes to us with a recent background in bookkeeping and project management and teaches online business classes at a local college, having done so for other colleges for…
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Meet our New Director of Parish Operations, Mr. Andy Bihl!
Dear Parish Family, Last week, I wrote a little bit about our new Director of Parish Operations, Andy Bihl. With his passion, personality, experience, and eagerness to make Jackson his new home, he was the clear choice among the parish and cemetery staff. I wanted to give him the opportunity to introduce himself, as well…
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Our New Director of Parish Operations!
Dear Parish Family, We are pleased to announce that we now have a Director of Parish Operations, Mr. Andy Bihl! He has a wealth of applicable experience, including being the Director of Facility Services for seven years for Sodexo, serving three college campuses. Prior to that, he worked for Aramark/ServiceMaster for over twenty years, including…
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