Dear Parish Family,
What a special weekend for our St. John family as 55 children received their First Holy Communion! Because there were so many, we had two different Masses, one on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Oratory and the other on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at St. John Church. Seeing these children all dressed up and having the honor of giving them the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the first time makes this one of my favorite weekends of the year!
We are so grateful for the whole First Holy Communion team that prepared the children for this most august Sacrament and made their big day possible: our Director of Faith Formation, Todd Gale; our principal, Kristi Blair; our second grade teachers, Ms. Sarah Deluca & Mrs. Jackie Staudacher; our religious education catechists, Mrs. Kathy Tarnowski & Mrs. Shawn Vanheyningen; our musician, Julie Pienkos, and those who helped with coordinating the liturgies, Jeromy Alexander, Angel Koerkel, Jo French, Jennifer Mietelka, and Angela Van Dam, along with a host of other helpers. Thank you!
See all the pictures from the April 30th Mass at St. Joseph Oratory
See all the pictures from the May 1st Mass at St. John Church
Happy Mother’s Day!
To all our mothers out there…THANK YOU for the gift of life and love! There are things that only Mom can do, a warmth that only Mom can give, and a devotion for her children that only Mom can have. Forgive us for all the things we take for granted. We love you, Mom!
On My Annual Retreat
As I’m writing this bulletin article, I am at St. Vincent Arch Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on my mandatory annual retreat. St. Vincent is the oldest monastery in the United States. With over one-hundred monks in residence, it also is the largest. I basically am a monk for a week! Please pray that I may have a fruitful retreat, as I keep you all in prayer.
I hope to see you at the Pentecost Healing Service that Fr. Mathias Thelen is leading next Sunday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Chas