Fr. Chas Canoy, Pastor | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church | Jackson, Michigan
Discover pastoral reflections and homilies from Fr. Chas Canoy, Pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Jackson, MI. Stay rooted in faith and parish life.
-
Being a Gracious Host this Christmas!
Dear Parish Family, Christmas is coming! For many, that will entail getting the extended family together. I encourage you to be sure and invite them to your spiritual home of St. John as well. This is the time of year when nominal Catholics, non-Catholics, and even the non-Christian are most open to going to church.
-
The Jubilee Year of Mercy has Begun!
Dear Parish Family, With Pope Francis’ opening of the Holy Doors on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy has commenced! What all of this entails will be explained throughout the year in homilies, bulletin articles and faith formation events. What is our Holy Father Francis’ hope for
-
“O Come, Let Us Adore Him” Friday December 11
Dear Parish Family, Some of the scenes from Black Friday were pretty crazy! Don’t let consumerism take over this holy Advent season of preparation. Relax and take time to focus on the Prince of Peace. Our “O Come, Let Us Adore Him!” event this Friday is the perfect time to do that, as our church
-
How to Have a Blessed Advent
Dear Parish Family, We appreciate things more when we get a chance to properly prepare for them. This goes for celebrating Christmas, and the Church has an entire liturgical season just for this preparation. The season of Advent, however, is not only meant as a preparation for Christmas, but also for the final and definitive
-
Heritage Hall idea
Dear Parish Family, The Church’s liturgical year comes to an end this Saturday, and a new one begins Nov. 29 with the first Sunday of Advent! On Nov. 9, I was walking in a mall and already there was a Santa booth. We were still nearly three weeks from the season of Advent, and our
-
The Last Catholicism on Tap for the Year!
Dear Parish Family, Have you had any family or friends who are not Catholic (or not practicing the Catholic faith in which they grew up) ask you a question or two about Pope Francis or Catholicism in general? Take up the charge given to you by Christ as a member of his Body to reach
-
Meet Dennis & Rose Wingfield!
Dear Parish Family, The departures of Barb Dwyer and Ben Dandrow from our staff have left some big holes to fill. While no one can replace them, we thankfully have two very qualified people who will join us as part-time employees, Dennis and Rose Wingfield. And yes, they happened to be married! Dennis and Rose
-
You’re called to be a Saint!
Dear Parish Family, This year, All Saints Day falls on a Sunday. Inspired by all our brothers and sisters in heaven who have gone before us, it’s a great day to remember that each and every one of us is called to be a saint. “Not me!” you say. But remember this: “Every saint has
-
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary!
Dear Parish Family, October is the month of the Holy Rosary! There are a number of ways to observe this, one of them obviously being to pray the holy rosary. Pray daily if you can, even if it is only one decade a day. Maybe try a novena of rosaries from Oct. 24 to Nov.
-
The Alpha Course Kicks Off!
Dear Parish Family, The Alpha Course began on Wednesday evening, October 7 with over 100 people strong! It was beautiful to see so many of our parishioners come together to open wide our doors of hospitality for their fellow parishioners and newcomers who are exploring the big questions of life and the person of Jesus
-
Be One of the One Hundred!
Dear Parish Family, Our Pope Francis Initiative is going full speed ahead. We are hoping that our beloved pope will inspire new people or those who have fallen away from the Catholic faith of their childhood to come home, their spiritual home of St. John Parish! As you may have heard in my homily last
-
The Pope Francis Initiative!
Dear Parish Family, If I was presiding at the Mass you celebrated last Sunday, you heard me speak about applying the lesson from the second reading (James 5:1-6) about being “doers of the word and not hearers only” by taking part in the new Pope Francis Initiative I announced. As a number of people were
-
NEW FACES ON STAFF
Dear Parish Family, The send-off dinner we had for our seminarian intern, Mark Martin, was a wonderful time for all. While many were involved, I particularly want to thank Cindy Smith, Jeanne Barrett, Dave & Marcia Etters, Linda LaRowe, Susie Powers, and some Knights of Columbus who did the lion’s share of the planning and
-
Wishing Suzzanne All the Best!
Dear Parish Family, She was the mainstay and face of St. John Parish as parishioners and guests walked into the parish office. You may have heard the sad news that our beloved Suzzanne Sinkovitz has decided to resign after twenty years with us! Upon hearing of her decision, you can be sure I repeatedly tried
-
40 Days for Life – Sept. 23 to Nov. 1
Dear Parish Family, In last Sunday’s bulletin, I described how the graphic and damning undercover videos have revealed Planned Parenthood’s harvesting of body parts of aborted babies and selling them for research. Though half a billion dollars of federal aid still goes to benefit a mere 700 “clinics,” the movement to defund PP of our
-
Pray, Educate, and Act!
Dear Parish Family, Most of you I suppose have seen or at least heard about the several undercover videos from the Center for Medical Progress implicating Planned Parenthood (PP) of harvesting the body parts of aborted babies and selling them for research. If you’ve avoided them, I don’t blame you because they are very disturbing
-
Who Has God Placed on Your Heart?
Dear Parish Family, Last Sunday, I encouraged everyone to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a person in your life that has yet to know our Lord Jesus and his peace. God will place that person on your heart. Once you know who that person (or people), begin to pray about
-
Who in Your Life Needs Jesus?
Dear Parish Family, Who in your life needs Jesus? In some ways, I ask a stupid question. Everyone needs Jesus because everyone needs God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We all yearn to discover the way to happiness, the truth of who we are, and the fullness of life. The beautiful
-
The God Who Cares
When a project is completed usually the taskforce will sit down and evaluate the results and drawbacks of their execution. Jesus also did the same with his team of disciples. The disciples had returned from their missionary journey. With the authority and power of Jesus they cast out demons, healed the sick and proclaimed the
-
Ready for Year Two!
Dear Parish Family, My first weekend here at St. John as your pastor was on June 28, 2014. While on vacation last week, I was able to reflect on the many blessings of my first full year. It has been a delight to get to know so many of our parishioners through the 21 Jackson
-
What Now for Marriage?
Dear St. John Family, It is a little over a week since that historic decision that redefines the legal definition of marriage in our country. Please read the response of our Michigan bishops printed in this bulletin. While many are celebrating this decision, it can leave many faithful Catholics very discouraged and even insecure about
-
Welcome Back, Fr. Zach Mabee!
Dear Parish Family, Welcome back to Fr. Zachary Mabee, who will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving at today’s 5:00 p.m. Mass! We are so proud of you, Fr. Zach. Best wishes to your assignment to the cluster of parishes in Flint! St. John Cemetery After this past Father’s Day weekend, I received some complaints
-
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
It’s been an amazing year for some of our youngest parishioners here at St. John the Evangelist. Last year, several of our dedicated volunteers approached Father Chas about beginning a Children’s Liturgy of the Word. With his blessing and support, plans proceeded quickly. Since then, our children at the 10:00 a.m. Mass have been treated
-
Happy Father’s Day to Our Dads!
Dear Parish Family, Blessings to all the fathers of our parish! Thank you for all that you do and have done together with your wife in raising your children to be “good citizens of both heaven and earth” as our “Year of Marriage” prayer states. Studies have shown that the greatest sociological predictor of a