Father Gregory A. Reichlen

“Eucharistic Amazement”

Week 2:

In the Eucharist, we come to faith in Jesus who wants to nourish us.

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

This is the second week in

which we hear from the “Bread of Life” Discourse of the Gospel of John chapter 6. As we begin coming back to in-person worship at weekend Mass, it’s important to more deeply understand why we do what we do when we gather for the Eucharist.  Why do we have liturgical ministers? Why do we have to go to Mass, according to the Bishop? Last week to kick off this series, we talked about how in the Eucharist, we get to participate in Jesus’ redemption of the world. Jesus’ 

Real Presence is greater than any celebrity, any sports figure, even the Pope, because in the Eucharist, we actively participate in the redemption of the world! 

 

       Today’s Gospel reading continues the story of John 6. Jesus has performed the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves, satisfying the hunger of the 5000.  They are amazed at Jesus’ miraculous power, and they want more.  Jesus then comes to 

Capernaum, his home base. The big crowd then gets word of where Jesus is, and they go to Capernaum too.  

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Wise Guys and Prophets”

Week 5:

Faith gives us Courage


Dear brothers and sisters,

This is the fifth and final week of our summer series that has looked at books of the Old Testament: the author, the message, and how we can apply their message to our lives today. We talked about two books of
Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. The Book of Job offers a message that God’s ways are not our ways, and this is especially true regarding how we human beings look at suffering and evil in the world. The Book of Wisdom proposes faith in God as a way of wisdom. We too ought to propose faith as a pathway in which we walk and grow, day by day, into becoming the best version of ourselves, on our way to our heavenly home, rather than simply imposing faith as merely a series of rules to follow. Two weeks ago, we turned to the prophetic books of the Bible. The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel challenges us to have a proper vision of our lives, a vision that measures both the bad and the good. Last week, the Prophet Amos challenged us to cultivate an awareness to see and hear the cry for justice all around us, and to fight injustice wherever it may be. We said that true faith always strives for justice.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Wise Guys and Prophets”

Week 4:

Faith Always Strives for Justice!


Dear brothers and sisters,

This is the fourth week of our summer series focusing on the First Reading we’ve heard each week at Sunday Mass: the book, author, and how the book’s message is relevant to our lives today. The Bible is not just
a book but a library of God’s wisdom through the ages, and when we come to know and read God’s Word, we are
getting to know and love Jesus Christ, the Living Word. The Book of Job expresses that God’s ways are not our
ways, especially regarding evil and suffering in the world. The Book of Wisdom proposes faith as a practical wayof wisdom, rather than imposing faith as something to blindly obey. The Book of Ezekiel offers a realistic vision of the future, which includes both bad news and good news. 
Today we hear about the Prophet Amos. As we saw last week, a true prophet speaks God’s Word and not his own words; and Amos is one of the earliest prophets for whom we have a collection of oracles

in writing.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
“Wise Guys and Prophets” Week 3:

A Realistic Vision of Both Bad and Good

Dear brothers and sisters,
During the course of this series we’ve been looking at the First Reading of Scripture for Sunday Mass, readings from the Old  Testament. We’ve been looking at the books, the authors, and how their message can be applied to our lives today. Thus far, we’ve looked at two books of Wisdom Literature. We saw that Book of Job tells a message that God’s ways are not our ways, especially when it comes to suffering. Last week, we looked at the Book of Wisdom, and how the author proposes faith in the Lord God as a way of practical wisdom. I argued last week that we Christians, too, ought to propose our faith in Jesus Christ as a way of wisdom, rather than simply impose our faith as a set of rules and teachings to be obeyed.


For the next three weeks, we are going to look at a few major Prophets from the Old Testament. We will learn what the Bible teaches about the identity of a true prophet vs. false prophets, and some characteristics of true prophets. Today, we hear from the Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was born into a wealthy family of priests from Judea, and Ezekiel’s prophecy, in the Book of Ezekiel, occurs entirely while he and other religious and political leaders of Judea and Jerusalem are in exile in Babylon, in the 6th century BC. During Ezekiel’s lifetime, the Babylonian Empire defeated and eventually destroyed the tiny Kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, including the Temple, between the years 601 BC and 587 BC. Ezekiel saw this played out – the exile and death of the royal descendants of King David, the attempted destruction of their religion, and the slaughter of thousands. Ezekiel was one of the lucky one who survived in exile.


Facing so much hopelessness and death to his nation, people, and religion, Ezekiel could have been driven to despair. Instead, he spoke what the Lord God told him. Ezekiel’s message is long – 48 chapters – and the oracles that God gave him extended over a period of over 20 years, at the beginning of the 70-year period when Israel was in Babylonian exile. Ezekiel’s message, at first, condemns the people for their infidelity to God, as the reason for why this destruction has happened to them. In today’s First Reading from chapter 2, the Lord prepares Ezekiel to face a people with hardened hearts. This is one 

characteristic of true prophets in the Bible – they never simply tell people what they want to hear, but what God knows they need to hear, and sometimes this is a hard and difficult message. However, the second half of his book offers a hope for the future rebuilding of the nation and people, a new Temple, and a renewed Covenant. For example, his Vision in Ezekiel 37 of a field of dry bones, coming alive through the breath of God’s Spirit, into a vast army, expresses concrete hope for the people’s future.


As we celebrate the 4th of July, we can see much that is bad in our country today – division, ideology, hatred, and injustice. We may fear for the future of our country. However, there is hope as well, if we have eyes to see it. The same is true for the Church, and for our individual lives. Do you have a realistic vision for your life? This means assessing both the bad and the good – not just one or the other. It may mean facing some brutally hard facts about your current reality, whether it’s in your relationships, your health, your financial situation, or your relationship with God; and it also means seeing the blessings and the opportunities with clear vision, as they present themselves. If we lean too far in one direction or the other, we may lose sight of the true problems or opportunities in front of us. This week, ask yourself whether you have a realistic vision of your future, and if not, what aspects of your future should be reassessed? In Jesus Christ, we can always gain practical hope, no matter what obstacles we face in life. 

Happy 4th of July!


With blessings,
Fr. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
“Wise Guys and Prophets” Week 2:
We Propose rather than Impose

Dear brothers and sisters,
In this summer series, we are looking at the First Reading of the Scripture at Sunday Mass – the book, the author, and how their message can be applied to our life today. Last week, we looked at the Book of Job, and how this great book of Wisdom Literature in the Bible expresses to us how God’s ways are not our ways, especially regarding suffering.


Today we are looking at the Book of Wisdom. The Book of Wisdom is also a book of Wisdom Literature, but the context is somewhat different. First of all, it is one of the 7 books in the Old Testament that is in Catholic Bibles but not Protestant Bibles, because (in short) it was written in the Greek language and not in Hebrew. Most likely, it was written by an anonymous author in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, in the late first century BC or the early first century AD – so perhaps the author was actually still alive during the life of Jesus. Egypt at the time was multi-cultural and a mix of religions and philosophies, including Greek Platonism and Stoicism, and public worship of Greek and Egyptian gods, along with Roman political  occupation – think of the historical character of Cleopatra and her affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.


In Alexandria, there was a large Jewish population of as many as a million Jews, but they were a minority within the greater pagan population. They had to compete in the “religious marketplace” of many different ideas and ways of life. The Book of Wisdom is a clear defense of Judaism and monotheism, especially as a righteous and wise way of living. The author seems to have felt the pressure of living as an observant Jew in the face of the majority who did not share the same beliefs, and were sometimes hostile toward them. Wisdom chapter 2, for example, depicts the “wicked” as those who falsely judge and condemn the righteous and wise man because of how he lives. Overall, the Book of Wisdom proposes true Wisdom as a Jewish way of life that is superior to that of other proposed philosophies or religions. In other words, the Book of Wisdom serves as a positive advertisement, or  proposal, to find true Wisdom through the way of following the Lord.


We as Catholic Christians can relate to the plight of the author of Wisdom, because we live as a minority religion in a culture that is sometimes hostile to our way of life, but most often is indifferent. In addition, we struggle because only a minority of baptized Catholics practice their faith – as few as 1 in 10 baptized Catholics under 50 years old go to Mass. In the past, we have sought to “impose” our faith on others, whether on entire countries and cultures, or simply within families. In the future, we will need instead to “propose” Catholicism as a positive way of life. This week, I invite you to reflect on a few questions: (1) has your Catholic faith been proposed to you rather than imposed, and (2) can you or do you propose Catholicism as a way of life and happiness to others, especially family and friends? Why or why not?


With blessings,
Fr. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Wise Guys and Prophets”

Week 1:
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways!


Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we begin our first summer message series that will last 5
weeks. In this first series, we are going to look at a few Bible figures and books, and how their messages can be applied to our life today. The Bible is really a library of God’s Wisdom through the ages. The Bible is neither an exact history nor a mere collection of myths and stories, but rather a collection of different genres of text: prose, poetry, historical narrative, wisdom literature, prophecy, and more. We believe that the Bible is inspired – that means that God himself speaks to us through the Scripture. That’s why I am so passionate about Bible study, because when people learn to love God’s Word, they come to know and to love

Jesus Christ, the living Word.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time. Half Truth Week 5:
“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”


Dear brothers and sisters,
This is the fifth and final week of our series Half-Truth. In this series, we’ve been confronting several
popular half-truths in our culture when it comes to faith and religion. To close out the series, today we will
confront the popular saying: “God will not give us more than we can handle.” This is true if we mean that God
always provides his love and grace; and that God is in control of the world. It is also true to say this, if we mean
that God will always be with us.
The whole truth, however, is that God often gives us more than we can handle. He does so for a few
reasons: so that we will return to his presence, depend on his power, and grow in our faith and trust in him.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

“Half-Truth” Week 4:

Holy Communion is ‘just a symbol.’


Dear brothers and sisters,
This is now the fourth week of a message series in which we are looking at a few major “half-truths” that
are popular in our culture, when it comes to faith and religion. This weekend celebrates the truth that Jesus is
really, truly present in the Holy Eucharist – his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Today’s “half-truth” is
prevalent among many people who are otherwise believers and followers of Christ. What we believe as Catholics regarding the Eucharist is not something that all Christians believe, and sadly, the majority of baptized
Catholics do not understand or fully believe the whole truth regarding Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Trinity Sunday. “Half-Truth” Week 3

“All religions are the same.”


Dear brothers and sisters,
  In this message series, we are briefly examining certain half-truths that are popular in our culture, such as “There are many ways to God:” and “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” These weeks in the Church’s liturgical calendar correspond with major feast days in the Church. Last week was Pentecost Sunday, the end of the Easter season and the birthday of the Church; and we looked at the half-truth that “You don’t need a church to have a relationship with God.” This is partially true, because you and I can and should connect with God outside of the church building. However, the whole truth is that the Church is Christ’s chosen means to be present in the world! We need the Church to meet Jesus in the Sacraments and in the community; we need the Church as a visible sign of what God is doing in the world; and we need the Church in order to exercise our God-given spiritual gifts.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

“Half Truth” Week 2
I don’t need a Church to have a relationship with God
Dear brothers and sisters,
A half-truth is a statement that has some element of truth in it, but because it is partly wrong, it expresses a whole lie. During the course of this message series, which coincides with some major feast days of the Church, we’re going to refute certain half-truths that are popular in our culture, when it comes to faith and religion.  We kicked off this series last week, saying that there is only one way to God, not many – the person of Jesus Christ. Who do you say that Jesus is?  All of us are challenged to believe what he says about himself: I am THE Way, THE, Truth, and THE Life (John 14:6). 

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear brothers and sisters,

A half-truth is a statement that includes some element of truth; the statement might be partly true, but in leaving out the rest of the truth, it brings about a deception. The half-truth often leads us to embrace a whole lie. Today, on this 7th Sunday of Easter, we begin a new five-week series that will take us through the great late-Spring feast days of the Ascension, Pentecost, Holy Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi. In this series we will confront popular misconceptions and errors in thinking that our culture believes. As we celebrate in these weeks the Ascension, Pentecost, the Trinity, and the Eucharistic Body of Christ, we will explore each of these truths of our faith.  The goal of this series is to show some popular misconceptions that they refute, including the following: “There are many ways to God;” “All religions are the same;” “You don't need a Church to connect with God;” “the Holy Eucharist is just a symbol;” and last, “God won't give you more than you can handle.”

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear brothers and sisters,

All mothers love their children. I’d wager to guess as well, that most mothers feel that they fall short at being a mother, at least from time to time. Some of you mothers may feel inadequate some of the time, and some of you may feel that you’re falling short, or even failing, all of the time. Well if you’re reading this message, chances are that you’re in church on this Mother’s Day weekend because you love Jesus Christ too, and you want to follow him more closely. You may or may not believe, at least to some degree, that true joy – the complete joy” that Jesus speaks about in today's Gospel, the joy that our hearts yearn for – cannot be found apart from our friendship with Jesus Christ. 

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

5th Sunday of Easter. 

“Anything but Ordinary”

Week 5: 

Remaining Connected to Christ!

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

 

             This is the fifth and final week of our Easter Series, in which we’ve talked about the extraordinary power of the Resurrection, a power that’s available to us in some surprisingly ordinary ways. We’ve talked about the power of coming together as a team, and how this is something we don’t always think about when it comes to our faith. When we come to church with the same attitude as the early Church did, with a shared mission and vision that’s clear and simple, and a desire to make church not about “me” but about that mission, then we will grow in our own faith, and attract others. We also talked about the power of words spoken into our lives, and the practice of reading AND applying the Word of God to our daily lives. Some people think that Bible study is something that Catholics don’t do, but this is wrong – when we grow in both knowing and applying God’s Word, we gain access to God’s power!  Perhaps we feel intimidated by the Bible or even ashamed that we know so little about it – but remember that faith and discipleship is a lifelong journey, and we take one step at a time! 

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

4th Sunday of Easter.  “Anything but Ordinary” Week 4: Service to Others

Dear brothers and sisters,

             During this Easter Season we’ve been talking about how the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ, can transform our lives from the normal ordinary patterns that we tend to settle for, to something more – to something extraordinary. Today is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday, because we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel reading an excerpt from John chapter 10, the “Good Shepherd Discourse.” Today is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. We pray that young men answer the call to imitate Jesus the Good Shepherd, in order to serve extraordinary lives as priests and pastors. We also pray today for all who aspire to serve the Church in a role of leadership and service – including many of you who are serving or have served on our parish staff, in Catholic schools, in various volunteer positions, and in “mission” outside the walls of the church, in our community and beyond.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Applying God’s Word to Everyday Life

Week 3

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

             In this Easter series we’ve been saying that the Resurrection is the most extraordinary event in history, and as amazing as that is, there’s more. The power of God who raised Jesus from the dead is available to us, in our lives, in some ordinary practices. Our lives were never meant to be merely “ordinary.” Last week, we talked about the power of teamwork when it comes to our faith. The early Church was united in God’s purpose for them – to witness to the Resurrection – and because of that, they were blessed with God’s favor and attracted others.

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Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Easter!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear brothers and sisters,

Happy Easter! On behalf of our Parish Family of St. John’s, I wish you and your families a blessed Easter Sunday! Among all the holidays of the year, Easter is the most important for our faith.  When it comes down to it, our faith rests on the testimony of the empty tomb – that Jesus, who came into our broken, divided, messy world, suffered an agonizing death, but on the other side, he brought new life!  This is our ultimate hope as believers! What we are experiencing right now in our world is anything but ordinary. ALL OF US have been impacted and even shaken out of our ordinary routine because of COVID-19.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Happy Holy Week!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,

 

We once again approach the most holy week of the year, following our Lord Jesus to the Cross and the Resurrection.  We do so this year still, in the midst of a global pandemic that continues to affect our lives.  This year, at the very least, we are able to celebrate public liturgies in the church, and we have every hope that some restrictions will be lifted in the near future.  Next week, Easter Sunday, we will have a big announcement about the next steps here at St. John’s on reopening! Stay tuned!

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

“Needy”

 Week 5: Our Need to Die to Ourselves 

March 21, 2021 V Sunday of Lent

Dear brothers and sisters,

Spirituality 101 is this: there is a God, and it’s not you.  It’s helpful to repeat this over and over again!  God as a Creator is sufficient in himself, but we as created beings have needs.  Spiritual maturity and health is about recognizing those needs; just as if we neglect our physical needs we will suffer, if we neglect our spiritual needs, then we will suffer in our spiritual lives.  Loving and caring for others, as we’ve said, rests on love and care for ourselves.  We have a need for God, and a need for people.  We have a need for healing, because in this fallen world we’ve been beaten up in various ways, including by our own sinful choices.  We have a need for finding the right rhythm between work and rest.

 

   Love,

      Fr. Reichlen    

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

New Message Series “Needy”

Week: 4 The Need for Work and Rest

March 14, 2021 Fourth Sunday of Lent

Dear brothers and sisters,

 We began our Lenten series by talking about Spirituality 101: there is a God, and it’s not us.  Because we are the created, we have needs.  We’ve talked about our need for God to help us tend to our needs; and our need for soul-satisfying work, balanced with soul-satisfying Sabbath rest. Today we’re going to talk about our need for healing – healing for physical wounds, and healing for wounds in our hearts and souls.  In Mark 2:1-11 we hear the story of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic who was lowered down by his friends into the roof of the house where Jesus was staying, in order to access him.  Jesus sees their faith, and he says, “Child, your sins are forgiven” (2:5). 

 

“Happy Lent!”

Love Fr. Reichlen   

  

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

New Message Series “Needy”

Week: 3 The Need for Work and Rest

March 7, 2021 Third Sunday of Lent

Dear brothers and sisters,

 Spirituality 101 is this: there is a God, and it is not us.  We are the created, and therefore we are needy.  We’ve talked about meeting our legitimate needs in legitimate ways.  Like an unhealthy person who doesn’t get medical help, if we don’t take care of our needs, we will grow unhealthy, whether it’s in our physical, emotional, or spiritual lives.  Last week we talked about the deepest need of our heart and soul – our need for God – and meeting that need through prayer.  

 

“Happy Lent!”

Love Fr. Reichlen   

  

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

New Message Series “Needy”

Week: 2 our Need For God

Dear brothers and sisters,

Spirituality 101 is this: there is a God, and it is not you.  Because we are the created, we have needs.  Ultimately, we can only love our neighbor as ourselves, when we first meet our own needs well.  Today we’ll look at our need for God, which is our greatest need.  We have a “God-sized” hole in our hearts!  This might just seem like a pious thought that you expect to hear from church.  For most of us, we don’t necessarily wake up every morning thinking about God.  Instead, we’re probably thinking about coffee, or breakfast, or what we have to do for the day.  Often, we get numb to thinking about our need for God because our sinfulness, or simply because of the busy-ness of life.   

 

“Happy Lent!”

Love Fr. Reichlen   

  

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this time of COVID-19 and great stress and burden for so many people, it may be revealed more clearly than ever that we need God, and that we need others.  We can’t live life on our own!  Because of our fallen nature, all of us will be tempted at times to selfishness, and as we kick off our Lenten series, we want to look at a subtle way that our neediness can express itself in our lives, by our lack of self-care.  To kick off this series, we recognize a simple truth, that there is a God, and it’s not us.  

“Happy Ash Wednesday!” 

“Happy Lent!”

Love Fr. Reichlen   

  

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Dear brothers and sisters,

This upcoming week we begin the Season of Lent, a 40-day spiritual journey that unites us as Catholics on a common path, as we prepare once again for the joyful celebration of Easter.  Our Message Series for Lent 2021 is called “Needy,” and it’s about how God has created us with basic needs outside of ourselves.  Our hope is that our Lenten preaching and prayer is a timely and uniting experience during this ongoing season of difficulty for our Church and society.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and blessings for all married and engaged couples! 

Love Fr. Reichlen    

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

To all parishioners, staff,

and volunteers,

Happy New Year! 2021​

 

''Defining Moments'' Week 6

Teachable Moments​!

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

Defining Moments are short experiences, brimming with meaning; they help us to define ourselves, our world, our relationships, and our God. Over and over in Scripture, God uses specific moments to help people connect with him. Defining moments also help us to better understand ourselves – we are challenged to grow, and sometimes we are called to something new in our lives.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

To all parishioners, staff,

and volunteers,

Happy New Year! 2021​

 

''Defining Moments'' Week 5

Responding to the New Things God is Doing!

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this series for the New Year, we’ve been talking about the power of specific moments in our lives, and how “defining moments” – short experiences brimming with meaning – are important for our relationship with other people, our world, and our God. God uses defining moments to connect with him, to better understand ourselves, and to help us love other people. At this time, we all hope in
2021 for something new – something new in our country, and in our life situation, especially in our hope for an end to COVID.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

To all parishioners, staff,

and volunteers,

Happy New Year! 2021​

 

''Defining Moments''

Moments of Challenge Week 4

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

Moments are important in our lives; and we’ve said that “Defining Moments” are short experiences brimming with meaning. This week we are talking about moments when we are stressed or stretched to our limits. Moments of challenge that are out of our control sometimes happen very quickly, like sickness or sudden
tragedy. In the Old Testament, the Book of Ruth offers an example of a big moment like this. The story begins with Naomi who has two sons who get married, but immediately we hear that Naomi’s husband dies, and then her two sons die. Ruth is one of Naomi’s daughters-in-law.​

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

To all parishioners, staff,

and volunteers,

Happy New Year! 2021​

 

''Defining Moments'' Week 3

Accepting God's Invitation

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

We’ve been looking in this series at how God orchestrates certain moments that are brimming with meaning in the life of People moments that draw them closer to him; moments that challenge or stretch people; moments that give people a fresh start; or moments that call us to a greater cause. 

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

To all parishioners, staff,

and volunteers,

Happy New Year! 2021​

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are excited about a new series for the New Year, that can help us all with the fresh start that we all need in 2021. Psychologists tell us that when we look back at seasons of our life, we look especially at defining moments.

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Pastor's Blog!

Father Gregory A. Reichlen

Encore Videos Series!

''Fourth Week of Advent​''

Dear brothers and sisters,

Let us remember that the Christmas

heart is giving heart A wide-open heart that thinks of others first.

Church of St. John Christmas 2020:

A Christmas to Remember! 

Posted In Church Bulletin | Posted On December 2020 | Posted By Heathers

Dear friends of St. John’s,

            

The in-person Masses will be Thursday December 24 at 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm; and Friday December 25 at 10 am (no Midnight Mass this year).   Because we expect all of the Bishop’s requirements of social distancing, wearing a mask, and limited participation (i.e. no singing, etc.) to still be in place, we know that this experience will not be what we normally expect for Christmas worship. Covid may still be around, but we will make every effort to protect everyone and still REJOICE!   Reservations will be required for these Masses.  There will be a very limited number of spots available for walk-ins; thus, we ask everyone who plans to attend an in-person Christmas Mass, to register beforehand.  

 

Sincerely in Christ,                                                                          

Fr. Reichlen                                                                                              

Spiritual

Communion Prayer

 

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen

''Our Lady of Guadalupe​''

The most important event in the evangelization of the New World occurred in December, 1531. Over the course of four days, the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared to an indigenous convert named Juan Diego.

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