General

Advent at St. John’s

December 21, 2023
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,
 
Merry Christmas (early)! God has come to save us! He has come to rescue us from slavery to sin and reveal to us the path to Heaven!  This short season of Advent was filled with grace as God strengthened our parishioners in many ways from the small group ministry to the Father and Son Advent Retreat with Matt Birk, the beautiful Masses, to the teachings on the Mass, to gathering to sing morning prayer together, to the beautiful celebration of the Immaculate Conception, to the children’s Sunday School concert, to our two school concerts, to the Senior Advent Party, to the thousands of confessions, this season has been truly full of grace!

Looking forward to 2024, we will soon celebrate the completion of the Restore to Gather Capital Campaign. We have seen the grace of God unite us and lead us. We will soon see the Holy Spirit restoring our campus as we work together to complete improvements across our campus. Our goal is to make sure the love of God will continue to be encountered for generations to come! The Lord is working and I am grateful to be part of this important time in the life of our parish community. 

We are committed to praying for peace in the world and an end to the wars that plague our society. We need the light of Christ to guide us through this darkness and bring humanity to a place of peace. We pray as well for those who are ill or lonely this Christmas season, that the presence of Christ would bring them hope and healing.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, we give thanks to God for the gift of human life among us! We have so many young families and expectant parents. In fact, we had 7 sets of expectant parents at our blessing earlier this month as we celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Unborn. We also pray for those who have passed on, that they would be born into Eternal Life with Mary and all the Saints of Heaven. Christ came to rescue us here on Earth and lead us into Heaven. 

Please be sure to take a copy of Beautiful Eucharist, our Christmas gift to you, after attending Christmas Mass. Inside each book is a special prayer card featuring the beautiful icon of the Blessed Mother that hangs in St. John’s Adoration Chapel, Our Lady of Tenderness. Take time during this Christmas season to visit our Adoration Chapel where Jesus waits for you. May His Real Presence in the Eucharist bring you hope and peace as we celebrate His birth and look forward to His many blessings in the New Year!

 
As the Father loves me, so I also love you,
Father Paul
Pastor