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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Happy Gaudete Sunday!
Dear Parish Family, Happy Gaudete Sunday! Gaudete means “Rejoice,” and we rejoice because the “Lord is near at hand!” We’re over the hump, the halfway point, in our preparation for the coming of our Savior. Let us express our rejoicing together at the Friday evening Hour of Adoration, “O Come, Let Us Adore Him!” at
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Rejoice In The Lord Always
The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” because the Mass for this Sunday begins with the opening antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Be joyful, because we are preparing for the very joyful occasion of the birth of Jesus. We light the rose candle to remind ourselves that our joy is in God
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O Come, Let Us Adore Him
Dear Parish Family, I was able to visit my folks in Missouri for Thanksgiving and thus able to tell them all about parish life. There is much for which to be thankful, the greatest of which is the gift of God giving his very own self to us in Jesus Christ. All gifts come from
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Ready The Way
“Prepare” is the great theme of Advent, as it is the essence of nearly everyone’s preoccupation at this time. The Advent preparation we are called to do is compared to a road. We hear in the gospel reading that the path is to be made straight, the valleys to be filled in, the hills laid
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We Need You!
Dear Parish Family, The entire parish staff joined hundreds of priests and lay people involved in parish ministry in the Diocese of Lansing for the historic diocesan assembly convoked by Bishop Boyea. It was an exhilarating two days, filled with the Holy Spirit, that set the course for implementing the New Evangelization in the parishes
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Our Hope In Christ
The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Expectation and Hope. As the word “Advent,” means “coming,” so in Advent we celebrate the three various comings of Jesus. The first coming of Jesus was as the Word incarnate born at Bethlehem and God amidst us. We look forward to his second coming in glory,
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A Big Thank You!
Thank you to all who came to the Installation Mass at noon last Sunday! Because it has been 19 years since the last one, this was the first time for many to be at an installation. A few commented to me of their surprise at being so moved by it, and I certainly had a
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Why did God make you?
We get the answer from the Baltimore Catechism that “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” God created man that he might possess his Creator forever in the beatific vision. Those who die in the state of
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Making it Official
Dear Parish Family, Every July, as priests reach the age of retirement and receive “senior priest” status, new pastors are assigned at the parishes from which they retire. Sometime during their first year at their new assignments, the bishop visits each parish with new pastors and “installs” them. Bishop Boyea is here this Sunday for
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How to invest your life?
We have the parable of the talents for our reflection from the gospel. The master called his servants before a journey, and entrusted to them, five talents, two talents and one, to each one according to his abilities. The ones who had received five and two traded and made five more and two more with
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Purgatory Prepares Us for Heaven!
Dear Parish Family, “Father, it’s been ages since I last heard about purgatory from the pulpit!” said one parishioner. “You really rocked me with that sermon!” said one senior. Yes, both an elderly man and a woman really used the phrase, “rocked me!” Is that a Jackson thing? Anyway, those were the kinds of comments
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Visible and Invisible Church
This Sunday in the Church’s calendar, we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This ancient place of worship in Rome was dedicated and consecrated to the Lord, by Pope Sylvester I, on November 9, 324. The Lateran basilica was honored as the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop
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Hearty Congratulations! We did it!
Dear Parish Family, CONGRATULATIONS! We have hit our goal of $100,000 for our “Thank You, Fr. Murray” fund, which means that the Diocese of Lansing will wipe out an additional $100,000 off our debt! When you add that with the $420,000 that Fr. Francis Murray donated to our general fund, that frees us from all
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Why did God make you?
We get the answer from the Baltimore Catechism that “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” God created man that he might possess his Creator forever in the beatific vision. Those who die in the state of
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Remembering St. John Paul the Great!
Dear Parish Family, My column for the Sunday bulletin is due on Wednesday, and this particular Wednesday happens to be the very first feast day that we celebrate St. John Paul the Great since his canonization this past April 27. He is a personal hero to so many who grew up during his pontificate. He
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Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Jesus was a crowd puller, so the Jews challenged Jesus at various stages. They tested Jesus’s approach towards paying taxes or not paying taxes and about keeping the Commandments. Therefore a scholar of the law asked Jesus: “Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus often answered people’s questions with one of his
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Things that are God’s
The opponents of Jesus joined together to trap Jesus and asked him whether it is lawful or not to pay taxes. A capitation tax, a Denarius, which was equivalent to a day’s wage, was imposed on the people by the Romans. The Pharisees looked for an answer from Jesus on the issue of tax. They
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Bishop Earl is coming on Nov. 16
Dear Parish Family, On Sunday, November 16, our very own Bishop Earl Boyea is coming to our parish to install me as your new pastor. The Installation will be at the noon Mass that Sunday, as well as some type of reception in the parish hall afterwards.
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