Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,
Gratitude
I am thankful for you! Thank you for your commitment to following Jesus Christ as his disciple as a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School. I am thankful for your ‘yes’ and your faith as you pursue the presence of Jesus Christ found in the Catholic Church. Be assured of my gratitude and prayers for you.
Advent- Restored to Joy
We are about to begin a new liturgical year and it is a new opportunity to be restored to life! Take time this Advent season to be with the Lord. Spend time with him in silence. He wants to take away your fears and restore you to the confidence that He alone can give. We have a couple of opportunities to be restored this Advent. I will be doing the Restored to Joy retreat with Chris Stefanick (see the information below.) Please join me and be restored to joy this Advent season. You are also welcome to take the 1% challenge and spend 15 minutes a day meditating on the Sacred Scriptures. (see information below.)
Personal updates
My brother Dominic will be moving in with me this Friday for about 3 weeks as he begins a long-term sub position at St. Agnes Catholic High School. So if you see another young man who looks like me around, it’s actually my brother :). Also, I am preparing for my sabbatical. I have some time planned with family, some travel/vacation, time for further studies, and a couple of retreats. I will be on a planned sabbatical from December 27, 2021-April 6, 2022. A sabbatical is allowed after 7 years of priesthood and so I am taking my sabbatical this year. You may remember Fr. Skluzacek took a 6-month sabbatical in 2015. The point of the sabbatical is to be restored and renewed to serve the people of God. The theology comes from the Old Testament stories of working the land for 6 years and resting on the 7th. It also is seen in the creation story where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Although I will very much miss you, I am looking forward to rest and study. I will be praying daily for all of you during my sabbatical. Fr. Jaspers, Fr. Doug Ebert, and Fr. Al Bachman will be serving here in my absence. I am thankful to them and our hard-working staff who will continue to serve you well.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you can join us for Mass tomorrow morning at 9 am. We will give thanks to God for his blessings and graces of this past year!
As the Father loves me, so I also love you,
