Masses for the week of March 16 - Saint John the Baptist

MARCH 15, 2015 – FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Page 1 | 232 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

John 3:16

Masses for the week of March 16 - 22, 2015

Morning Prayer in St. Joseph Chapel, 8:15am Mon to Fri.

Monday, March 16 8:35am (chapel) Charlotte Lear (Sue Rogers) 6:30pm – PARISH LENTEN PENANCE SERVICE

Tuesday, March 17

8:35am (chapel) John Vinceguerra (Loving Family)

Wednesday, March 18 8:35am (chapel) Sam & Josie Vinceguerra (Loving Family) 7:30pm (chapel) Parishioners’ Intentions Thursday, March 19 8:35am (chapel) Intentions of Elaine Jocelyn (Maxine Vogan) Friday, March 20 No School Mass - Adoration begins after 8:35am Mass 8:35am (church) Aaron Sam (SJB School friends) 7:30pm (church) Stations of the Cross Saturday, March 21 9:00am – 24 hour Adoration Closing Mass & Benediction 5:00pm (church) John Przyuski (John & Janet Reidler) Sunday, March 22 – SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION 8:00am (church) Intentions of the 2015 Confirmandi 10:30am (church) Grace Rossi (Janet & Tony Souza)

Meetings for the week of March 16 - 22, 2015

Mon. March 16: Knights of Columbus, 7:30pm – Parish Hall Light Weigh, 7pm – Parish Office Tues. March 17: Altar Society, 1pm – Marian Room Thurs. March 19: Nitty Gritty Garden Club, 7pm – Marian Room Sat. March 21: Men of Faith, 8am –Marian Room Cancer Survivor Group, 9am – Narthex Conference Roomo B CONFIRMATION REHEARSAL, 6:30PM – School & Church

The Church Cleaning Team for the week of March 16th is Team #5: Marion Wolf, Janet Reidler, Fred Furmaniak, Beth Baird, Peggy Farley, Patty Combs

Your parish thanks you!

With great joy, we welcome the newest members of our parish

family through the Sacrament of Baptism:

Jacob Paul Davidow Jack Henry Fling

Please remember in your prayers our

parishioners who are sick, homebound,

in the hospital, under hospice or residential care.

Susan Ackerman, Rose Marie Alex, Lillian Appleman, Roger Bahnck, Mary Balbirer, Elizabeth Bartolillo, John & Loretta Bodisch, Emily Bryant, Ann Burns, Libby Chapman, Anne Colyer, Charlene Cornell, Matthew Crance, Jim Crawford, Chrissy Davis, Joy Davis, Glen DeKutosli, Larry & Joanne Diehl, Terry Dunn, Arlene Eichlin, Josephine Fasano, Bernice Fees, Charles Fees, Jr., Kathryn Ferris, Patricia Fite, Sara Fleck, Nancy Fratrik, Mary Gallo, Kathleen Gaughan, Dylan Geroni, Kathy Geroni, Marie & Rosalyn Giardullo, Anna Giebler, Judy Green, Susan Gross, Mary Halwski, Florence Hancharik, Steve Hancharik, Bill Hejnor, Joyceann Heley, Eli Hinkie, Charles Houston, Doris Johnson, Martha Juchnowicz, Kathleen Kershaw, Kimberly Koch, Georgine Kocher, Kocsis, Jack, Anthony Kondracki, Deanna Kovner, Barbara Kuehnle, Ryan Leven, Kathy Donahue Lewis, Kathy Lightkep, George Lovett, Charles Lutcavage, Julia Maher, Eileen McCarty, Adelaide McElderry, Bridget Julia McHugh, Michelle McNevin, Anne McNichol, Florence Middleton, Joseph Moore, Jennie Moreno, Nancy Moreno, Wanda Muth, Frances Nowicki, Helen Patzek-Charlton, Ryan Phillips, Nicholas Powell, Gladys Proca, Marianne Przyuski, Don Raman, Mike Ramos, Rachael Rice, Gregory Rickert, Joseph Ripp, Valerie Roberts, Sandy Romaszewski, Sam Rothman, Frederick R. Rude, Dolly Rutherford, Zina Sauerwine, Jean Scattergood, Lana Schell, Herbert Scheuermann, Mario Sciacca, Joe Shuman, Gail Silveira, Carolyn Stahley, Shane Stroup, Michael Suder, Sean Thatcher, Baby William Patrick Thomas, Maddie Tomaszewski, Douglas & Frank Toner, Barbara Vogan, Diane Wesoski, Tamara Widmer, Ed Wismer, Baby Logan Yoder.

Edward Armstrong, Jr., Fionna M. Boyle, Derek Brosius,Christopher Brune, Kyle

Crossland, Casey de Lauretis, Steehly de Lauretis, Michael Froeder, A.J. Giovino, Aaron Given, Bob Hankinson, Victor Hormilla, James Kidd, Stephen Lindmeier, Jason Litschauer, Cory Litzenberger, Dan O’Connor, Jonathan Pucci, Dusty Rhodes, Craig Russell, Nicholas

Spangler-Loch, Don Valdez, Justin Walsh.

Thank you for serving & protecting our freedom!

Mass Collection

Sunday, March 8, 2015 $ 6,696.00 Thank you for your generosity!



Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

John 3:14

This fourth Sunday of Lent brings us closer and deeper in our reflections on the mystery of God’s love for us that is expressed in a most surprising, very repulsive yet most attractive way: the grievous suffering and death of His Son on a cross; and His resurrection from death. All of humanity since the beginning of creation has had to struggle in their understanding of God’s ways: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our Lord Himself has had to teach us very slowly, over centuries and many generations, and in very deliberately ways that are perceptible to us and our level of intelligence. We are very slow and God is very patient but persistent. He will not give up on us. So all of the history that is recorded in the Old Testament is God’s ways of teaching us His ways and preparing us for the ultimate teaching moment: His Son’s suffering, death and resurrection. All of history since the beginning of creation was God’s way of introducing and preparing us for this one moment, this one event. The event of Holy Week is God’s ultimate teaching moment of how He thinks about us. Everything He has been saying and doing in the past have been pointing to this moment. In this moment will you find the meaning of everything He has done in the past? Everything He will ever do after this moment of His Son’s suffering, death and resurrection will flow from this moment and will be the only true value and meaning of any other moment in the future. Existence will only find meaning and fulfillment on this moment: the Holy Week, in which God’s Son suffered, died and rose. In today’s gospel we see one such moment in history finding value and meaning only in the suffering death and resurrection of Christ. When during their sojourn in the desert, when God led the people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, they had to suffer the pain of their own sin of grumbling through snake bites which led to the deaths of many. God’s solution? Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will

look at it and recover.* Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered. (Numbers 21:8-9) Strange. This remedy that God provides seems very strange when taken on its own face value. But we will find its meaning only centuries later. God was already back then pointing to HIs Son’s being is mounted on a pole and being the remedy for the poison of sin that is killing all of His creation. This mystery of our saving and the healing of His wounded and dying world are being introduced to another slow learner, one like us: Nicodemus. Beginning his slow but sure learning of God’s love for His fallen creation, Nicodemus slowly progresses from being a sympathizer of Jesus to being a believer of Jesus. Nicodemus who began his humble journey of understanding God’s ways as a student of the night, slowly became a witness for Jesus and the one who helped Joseph of Arimathea ask for the crucified and dead body of Jesus so that they may accord it a fitting burial. (John 19:39) Nicodemus became the instrument by which God entered all the tombs of all human souls who are poisoned and doomed to die. Nicodemus became the instrument by which Christ entered our poisoned existence and became our remedy. Slow as we are, let us patiently follow Christ like Nicodemus to Calvary and to the tomb. In all that poison of sin, of suffering and death, the resurrection awaits us.

Fr. Simi.

24-Hour ADORATION continues this WEEKEND.

Starts FRIDAY, MARCH 20

th after the 8:35am Mass

(no school Mass this week)

Concludes with 9am Mass & Benediction

on Saturday, March 21st

Gospel Reflections A Letter from

Our Pastor, Father Simi



Our Parish 7th Graders celebrated a day of

Praise & Worship at their Confirmation Retreat,

“SAINTS A.L.I.V.E.” featuring the musical

talents of “ARRAY OF HOPE.”

Confirmation Rehearsal

6:30pm starts at school ends in Church.

On Sunday, March 22, 2015

during the 10:30am Mass

our parish 7th graders will receive their

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Attention Parishioners…. In anticipation of family and friends who will be in attendance to witness the reception of this Holy Sacrament, we expect the church pews and parking lot to fill up early. Please plan attendance at Mass this weekend accordingly.

The Regina Academy

at

St. John the Baptist

Our students enjoy a variety of opportunities to help organize, plan, and participate in athletics, clubs & projects

•CYO Basketball •CYO Softball •Science Explorers Science Club

•Drama Club •Yearbook Club •Music Lessons •Choir •Star Gazing •Grandparent Day• Spaghetti Dinners• Fall Bonfire •Class Trips • Student Council • Dances • Service Projects

For Information and to Register please call

the School Office at 610-847-5523

KNOWING ~ LOVING ~ SERVING ~ LEADING

Visit us at

www.sjbottsville.org

Spring Sports

registration has begun…Track, Volleyball & Softball. Registration forms can be obtained on the Parish website. Please contact Claire at [email protected] with any questions.



FATIMA HOUSE RETREAT CENTER, Bedminster, PA

Please join us in… Prayer for Vocations and World Peace. Weekly Prayers Mondays at 7pm in Our Lady’s Chapel: Adoration, Liturgy of the Hour, Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet Wednesday at 9:30 -10:30am in Our Lady’s Chapel: Liturgy of the Hour, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet For additional information or directions, please call Joan Black at 215-795-2947.

“MORNING JOE”

Wednesday, March 19th Following the 7:30am Mass

Celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph’s Day with the 2nd Anniversary of Pope Francis’ Pontificate with a hot cup of coffee and the traditional “St.

Joseph’s Table” of bread and pastries while enjoying good friends & conversation. A special gift will be given to anyone with the name “Joseph!” Are you on your way to work? Don’t worry! Have your “Morning Joe” to go! There is no cost to participate and no registration is required.

Corpus Christi Church – Religious Education Room Lansdale, PA

2nd Annual Spring Gala April 10th, 2015 Blue Bell Country Club

Tickets $125 single; $200 couple and $900 table of 10. Limited to 250 guests.

Order Tickets: email [email protected]. Visit the website to make a donation www.thekingsmen.us

Parents of TEENS! Bring your teen(s) and be informed

and inspired at a mini-conference designed to help you learn how to safeguard your kids and their devices from our toxic culture. Your teens will learn how to positively transform the culture around them through the freedom found in sexual integrity and virtue based on JP2’s Theology of the Body. March 21st, 1-4:30pm, Our Lady of Czestochowa, $25 teen, $15 parent/additional teen (family max of $60.) More Info: Contact Kerry Monastra [email protected] or 215-804-1012

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary Legion of Mary Mary, Mother of the Blessed Sacrament Praesidium

Invites you to the 22nd Annual

MARIAN DAY Saturday, March 21, 2015

9:00 - 4:00 pm “Saint Louis Marie de Montfort: Priest and Preacher of

The True Devotion to Mary” 9:00 am Registration / 9:30 Morning Session

11:15 Mass 12:00 pm Lunch

1:15 Afternoon Session / 2:45 Holy Hour RSVP before March 13, 2015 at [email protected]

or 610.785.6270

Bucks County Choral Society will perform Johahann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor on Sunday March 22, 4 PM, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Buckingham. The performance will feature four guest soloists, the Riverside Symphonia Orchestra, and the 100+ voice Choral Society. The music is sure to inspire anyone.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is located at 5175 Cold Spring Creamery Road, Buckingham, PA.

Healing or Hoax? New Age Energy Medicine & Alternatives The Catholic Life Institute is hosting New Age expert Susan Brinkmann, OCDS for a 2-hour seminar on New Age healing techniques and alternatives. Topics to be discussed include Reiki, Acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractics, essential oils, muscle testing, supplements, etc. What does science say about these methods? Why do people believe they work? And what does the Church have to say about their use? Get the answers on Saturday, April 11 from 9-11 a.m. at Fatima House in Bedminister. $35 fee includes refreshments. Registration required. Visit www.freeandfaithful.com or call/text 215-983-9701.



6 Months &Counting.... Have you registered yet????

Visit www.worldmeeting.org to REGISTER today!

VISIT http://www.phillyevang.org/wmof FOR A SCHEDULE OF LOCAL MARRIAGE AND FAMILY EVENTS.

MINISTRY SCHEDULE

March 21 & 22, 2015 Fifth Sunday of Lent

Extraordinary Minister Lector Altar Server Music

Saturday, 5pm

Gerri Belsito Joe Cegielski

Dorothy Cegielski Marion Wolf

Marie Louzon Johann Krug Brendan Krug Liam Reixinger

Anna Schmidt Jim Roney

Sunday, 8:00am

Mark Fetter Kevin Murphy Weez Roney Joel Roney

Jeanne Keller Angelina Day Jacob Fetter

Gabriel Fetter

Patty Leidner Karen Parash

Sunday, 10:30am

CONFIRMATION

None Kathy Fetter Megan Johnson

Jacob Fetter Brendan Krug Shea Maxwell Kiera Maxwell

James Gammello Gianna Gammello Samantha Froman

Danny Froman

Ordinary Time

Friday, Feb. 27th Stations of the Cross

7:30pm

Johann Krug Brendan Krug

Documents

Masses for the week of March 16 - Saint John the Baptist