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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Corpus Christi Sunday
Corpus Christi I remember Bishop Boyea at the second Diocesan Assembly shouting out to the large audience! What’s the most important part of the mass? Embarrassingly, I seized up under the pressure of an immediate response. However, my fellow Catholics bailed me out by loudly responding in unison: “The Eucharist.” The Feast of Corpus Christi…
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Come Holy Spirit!
This Pentecost Sunday I pray not that we might get more of the Holy Spirit but that the Holy Spirit might get more of US–that our will, our reactions, our world-view, our very character should become controlled by the Spirit. First off, who is the Holy Spirit? Let’s turn to a little known bishop of…
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Why Do We do That? Curiosity Corner…
We all have questions! This new “Curiosity Corner” is meant to give some answers about “why we do what we do” as Catholics. We recently had a parishioner ask this question: “Isn’t praying (worshipping) Mary wrong? I grew up Catholic, but now I wonder if it’s wrong to pray to Mary…1st Commandment: Thou shalt not…
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Good Shepherd Sunday and Mother’s Day
Hello Parish! “My sheep hear My voice,” says Jesus in today’s Gospel reading, “I know them, and they follow Me.” What a gift it is to know the voice of one who loves us! On this, the celebration of the fourth Sunday of Easter and the secular celebration of Mother’s Day, we can reflect on…
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From the Messy Desk of the Youth Minister…
Dear St. John family, This weekend we’re celebrating some of our very own receiving the Eucharist for the first time! It’s a happy, holy, exciting time of the year, and it’s one of my favorites to experience. The look of awe on our children’s faces as they participate in the Mass completely transforms…
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Curiosity Corner: Divine Mercy Sunday
CURIOSITY CORNER: WHY DO WE DO THAT? The Feast of Divine Mercy of Jesus is such a beautiful, holy celebration that is part of our rich Catholic tradition. But in the midst of the joy of Easter and other things filling our calendars,…
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Free Financial Advice from God
Honestly, I personally loathe dealing with money matters. It just bores the living daylights out of me. My wife Jill recently said: “We need our WILL done!” And I thought, “Ok, no problem honey!” So being a person that would rather just figure it out myself, I started down the path. Oh my! What a…
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Encounter School of Healing
The Encounter School of Healing is all about teaching lay faithful how to be instruments of the Lord’s healing in their communities. Join us April 26-27th, 2019 at St. John the Evangelist for powerful teachings on prayer and receiving more the Holy Spirit. The weekend concludes at a Jackson-wide healing service at St. Mary Star of the…
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Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving
Happy penitential season, everyone! I’d like to offer a few lines on the three disciplines (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving) that I’ve been finding helpful. The first is that the three disciplines are a direct response to the Fall of man. When we as a race fell, through the actions of our original parents, we lost…
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From our School Principal, Kristi Blair…
As our parish school nears its 150th birthday (2023), I would like to take a moment to reflect back on our roots. St. John the Evangelist School was the first Catholic school in Jackson and among the first in Michigan. The opening day of school was September 15, 1873 when four IHM (Servants of the…
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Generosity: The 5-4-1 Model for Giving (Homily 3-17-19)
If you missed Fr. Chas’ homily during the 2nd week of Lent, read it here to learn about the Generosity Challenge using the 5-4-1 Model that has been adopted by several of the Catholic parishes here in Jackson and beyond. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone! I’ve had an eventful one so far. Around 2:30…
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Journeying through Lent in Love
Whether you were able to make it to Ash Wednesday services or not, you probably have noticed that the season of Lent is in full swing. Church basements smell of fish frys, our church is dressed in purple, our bi-annual Holy Hour, O Come Let Us Adore is just around the corner (a perfect way…
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The Three Practices of Lent
If we lack discipline in our lives, we can often feel weighed down—spiritually, physically, and even materially. There is a reason why simplicity movements have become so popular these days. There is something liberating about not being weighed down by a lot of stuff. We regularly need to shed the excess in our lives, so…
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Witness to Hope Update
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Lent: On the Fast Track
When Jesus talks about prayer, fasting and alms-giving he assumes we are already doing those spiritual practices. He says “WHEN you pray… WHEN you fast… WHEN you give alms…” We’ve spent a lot of time on the topic of prayer this year, and we will be spending some time on alms, stewardship and tithing. For…
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How Do Our Souls Walk Toward God?
Join us for 5-part Lenten Series! Come for Stations of the Cross and walk in the footsteps of our Lord, then stay for a light meal and stories of faith. Dcn. Dave Etters will take us through different souls journeys as they grew ever deeper with the Lord and encountered His divine Mercy. As we…
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4 Senses of Studying Scripture
Happy Sunday, everyone! How do we study the Bible? Traditionally, the Church teaches that every story in the Bible has four senses, or ways of reading it. Remembering these four senses can give added weight to our experiences studying the Scriptures at Mass and at home. The literal sense: Real people told real stories about…
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Continuing Education: Study
For many careers today, continuing education goes without saying. Those in countless professions are expected to consistently learn more about their chosen career every year. As technology advances, methodologies move ahead, and general understanding of the dynamics of a job increases, employers not only expect but mandate that their employees grow in knowledge. And it’s…
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