We Share - Direct and Online Donations
Your continued generosity is important to help our parish maintain financial stability and services during these unprecedented times. Please consider signing up for online donations at https://stjohnalden.weshareonline.org If you are having difficulty with this link, or you would prefer to set up your donation directly, please email Kate Wypij at [email protected]
Donations (checks only, please do not send cash through regular mail) may also be mailed or dropped off to the office at 2021 Sandridge Rd, Alden, NY 14004.
Thank you!
Welcome
St. John the Baptist family of parishioners is a faith-filled Catholic Christian community which believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Church and its teachings, under the direction of our spiritual leaders. We watch and pray as we follow His call to love, life, fellowship and holiness.
Mass Schedule
Weekend Masses have resumed and are being held in our parking lot at 4pm Saturdays and 9:30am Sundays. All weekend Masses are available via Live Stream and On Demand for playback at your convenience. Come pray with us by visiting our Live Stream Portal. Or, you can Like our Facebook page and see it there ... click this link St. John the Baptist Church Facebook page.
Daily Morning Mass at 8:30am has resumed.
Please check the Reopening Plans tab for further information.
Office hours
Due to current New York State restrictions, we do not have any office hours at this time.
The emergency line is still available and will be checked regularly. All staff members can be reached via email. We apologize for any confusion during these trying times and encourage everyone to stay safe, stay home and pray.
(716) 937-6959
Spring Sweepstakes Winners
Our first ever Drive-thru Chicken BBQ and Plant Sale were a huge success! Thank you EVERYONE who made this day soooo great!
Congratulations to the WINNERS of the Spring Sweepstakes Drawing...
$4000 Laurie Coccionitti
$1000 Ron Mayer
$500 Marie Bieniek
$500 WNY Asset Management (Donated back to St. John's)
$250 Rick Szymanski
$250 Mike Was
$100 Judy Fleming
$100 WNY Asset Management (Donated back to St. John's)
$100 Ellen Faucett
$100 Joan Sommer
$100 Rocky Kotas
$50 Marie Strauss
$50 Tracey Golding
$50 Mike Boling
$50 Barbara Galina
$50 Marie Bieniek
$50 Jena Caparrelli
$50 Jeff Zaleski
$50 Jeff Zaleski
$50 Margaret Trembley
$50 Mark Krysczak
Up Coming Events
Our Pastoral Council is forming a St. John's Helpline so people who need help or have a question can contact the hotline (which is Pat Heslin) and help will be provided. Please call (716) 937-9293 (Pat Heslin) and she will get the information to someone who can help. Jennifer LeRoy, Stephanie Genco, Margaret Trembley, Pat Heslin, Everett Boone, and their team have come up with this terrific outreach plan.
Our Pastoral Council is also making home care comfort kits to go home to shut-ins and those who request them with things such as:
Masks (paper or handmade for our seniors or any parishioner in need)
Gloves
Antiseptic wipes
Hand sanitizer
Granola bars (or other individually labeled healthy snacks)
Crossword (or other) Puzzle/Activity books
Chocolate or hard candy
Rosaries (provided by Pam Turton and team)
**We also will include a card from children if we can get the kiddos to make some!
Any donations can be placed in the foyer in labeled bins. Thank you! We will then have one person sanitize all collected and make care packages and we hope to get them into the hands of those in need.
Respect Life News:
"St. John's 200 Club "Dinner Dance for Life"- an update from the Collector Team:
Our Mission Statement holds true and carries on into our 23rd year!
St. John the Baptist's 200 Club For Life is a parish family community that is committed to nurturing and sustaining God’s precious gift of life. We support our youth and parish pro- life activities. Central to this endeavor is the promotion of the culture of life from conception to natural death.
Unfortunately, the Dinner Dance must be indefinitely postponed - Banquets are impossible for the near future.
Membership continues!
Collectors have or will be contacting all members. Weekly drawings begin May 9 - all ticket money must be in by June 1. We sincerely appreciate members' continued support. There are some tickets available! Please call Pam at (716) 785-7195 for more information. We have some projects in store and will keep all informed!"
-Pam Turton
*If you'd like to be involved in any Respect Life activities, please give Pam a call!
Parish Town Hall Meeting: Our scheduled Town Hall Meeting has been postponed. We will publish the new date when known.
Bulletin: During this time without Mass, we will not be printing out any bulletins.
Masses and Sanctuary Light: We will not be taking Mass requests for public Masses at this time. Fr. Jim Walter is graciously offering Masses at his private residence for those with scheduled intentions at this time. If you would like to reschedule a Mass, please contact the Rectory to change the date.
Tax Letters: If you have not received your tax letter yet, please contact Kate at [email protected] or at 937-6959 and we will happily send it out to you.
Cook Book: Our Churches’ 170th anniversary is this year! To commemorate this special occasion, we would like to release a cookbook for purchase around Christmas time. If you would like to help compile and create the book, or have a recipe you would like to share, please mail to the rectory (2021 Sandridge) or email to [email protected]
PARISH CALENDAR - Attention All Ministries and Parish Organizations: Before we know it, it will be time to work on the Parish Calendar again. Please start getting your meeting dates and events together. We are asking for start and end times as well as the location for the meeting/event, and if you would like it to be published in the bulletin. The due date for the calendar will be announced within the next couple of weeks, and we hope to get everything together ASAP. Thank you!
Staff
- Deborah Brown, Pastoral Administrator
- Rev. Msgr. Vincent Becker, Priest Moderator
- Rev. James Walter, Sacramental Minister
- Rev. Richard DiGuilio, Weekend Assistant
- Deacon Marc Leaderstorf, Permanent Deacon
- Deacon Peter Donnelly, Permanent Deacon
- Jonna Johnson, St. John's School Principal
- Jennifer Golinski, Family Faith Formation Director
- Katherine (Kate) Wypij, Business Manager
PrayerForce One Blog
"I" is a four-letter word
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 07/07/20
Homily - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 5, 2020)
I begin with a ... Read More »
Trinity Today
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 06/06/20
I've struggled with writing today about what should be a joyous celebration of the ... Read More »
Pentecost Catholics
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 05/31/20
I had a Pentecost homily ready to go … and then two stories broke ... Read More »
St. John's Herald
Virtual Live Adoration
Daily Mass Readings
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
08/14/20 5:30 am
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr
Reading 1 EZ 16:1-15, 60, 63
Read MoreThursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
08/13/20 5:30 am
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
08/12/20 5:30 am
Message from Debbie
How difficult is your life right now? There is so much strain on everyone in so many ways. We are fearful of the virus, fearful of our economic future, struggling with our relationships and, all the while, wondering when life will get back to normal. Father Jim Walter suggested an reflection, entitled “Fever” by Ronald Rolheiser, written May 4, 2020 because it gives some good emotional and spiritual insights that we can use right now. Here is an excerpt that I hope you find helpful. At the end is the link to the whole article.
"I recall, too, as a graduate student sitting in on a series of lectures by the renowned Polish psychiatrist, Kasmir Dabrowski, who had written a number of books around a concept he termed, “positive disintegration”. His essential thesis was that it is only by falling apart that we ever grow to higher levels of maturity and wisdom. Once, during a lecture, he was asked: Why do we grow through the disintegrating experiences such as falling ill, falling apart, or being humiliated? Would it not be more logical to grow through the positive experiences of being loved, being affirmed, being successful, being healthy, and being admired? Shouldn’t that fire gratitude inside us and, acting out of that gratitude, we should become more generous and wise?"
He gave this response: "Ideally, maturity and wisdom should grow out of experiences of strength and success; and maybe in some instances they do. However, as a psychiatrist, all I can say is that in forty years of clinical practice I have never seen it. I have only seen people transformed to higher levels of maturity through the experience of breaking down."
Jesus, it would seem, agrees. Take, for example, the incident in the Gospels, where James and John come and ask whether they might be given the seats at his right hand and left hand when he comes into his glory. It is significant that he takes their question seriously. He does not (in this instance) chide them for seeking their own glory; what he does instead is redefine glory and the route to it. He asks them: “Can you drink the cup?” They, naïve as to what is being asked of them, responded: “Yes, we can!” Jesus then tells them something to which they are even more naïve. He assures them that they will drink the cup, since eventually everyone will, but tells them that they still might not receive the glory because being seated in glory is still contingent upon something else.
What? What is “the cup”? How is drinking it the route to glory? And why might we not receive the glory even if we do drink the cup? The cup, as is revealed later, is the cup of suffering and humiliation, the one Jesus has to drink during his passion and dying, the cup he asks his Father to spare him from when in Gethsemane he prays in agony: “Let this cup pass from me!”
In essence, what Jesus is telling James and John is this: There is no route to Easter Sunday except through Good Friday. There is no route to depth and wisdom except through suffering and humiliation. The connection is intrinsic, like the pain and groans of a woman are necessary to her when giving birth to a child. Further still, Jesus is also saying that deep suffering will not automatically bring wisdom. Why not? Because, while there is an intrinsic connection between deep suffering and greater depth in our lives, the catch is that bitter suffering can make us deep in bitterness, anger, envy, and hatred just as easily as it can make us deep in compassion, forgiveness, empathy, and wisdom. We can have the pain, and not get the wisdom.
Read the full article here.
You are in my thoughts and prayers as you go through these difficult times. May you know the love and care and guidance of Christ as you go. May you grow in the way of Christ not the way of bitterness.
In my deepest faith, hope, and love for all,
Debbie
Bible Search
Debbie Brown Liturgical Corner
Pentecost is here – the Easter celebration comes to a close with a bang. Some argue that this is the second most important feast behind Easter because it is the day the Holy Spirit was called into action by Jesus to the world that Jesus had lived in and had redeemed with his life and death. This world – no more then than now, is desperately in need of the whole Holy Trinity – God the Father, Creator; God the Son, Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit – animator and sanctifier. This outpouring of the Spirit on the Church boosted the efficacy of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Instead of being bound by geography and culture and finite human reality, Jesus could now be everywhere at once in every person. St. Joe’s University recently posted on their website that on Ascension Thursday, Jesus started working from home. How true is that?! And it is the Holy Spirit that keeps us all connected so Jesus Christ is as present in the world today as when he was alive in his human form.
But we don’t always feel that presence. It is guaranteed and as powerful as ever, but amidst the doubt, and despair, and fear in the world , sometimes we are left to wonder if our faith is well founded. We can’t help but think God does not care or if God doe care, he is powerless to help. Then we come to the ultimate question – does he exist at all? The answer lies in our heroes and saints both those alive today and those who
Pentecost is here – the Easter celebration comes to a close with a bang. Some argue that this is the second most important feast behind Easter because it is the day the Holy Spirit was called into action by Jesus to the world that Jesus had lived in and had redeemed with his life and death. This world – no more then than now, is desperately in need of the whole Holy Trinity – God the Father, Creator; God the Son, Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit – animator and sanctifier. This outpouring of the Spirit on the Church boosted the efficacy of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Instead of being bound by geography and culture and finite human reality, Jesus could now be everywhere at once in every person. St. Joe’s University recently posted on their website that on Ascension Thursday, Jesus started working from home. How true is that?! And it is the Holy Spirit that keeps us all connected so Jesus Christ is as present in the world today as when he was alive in his human form.
But we don’t always feel that presence. It is guaranteed and as powerful as ever, but amidst the doubt, and despair, and fear in the world , sometimes we are left to wonder if our faith is well founded. We can’t help but think God does not care or if God doe care, he is powerless to help. Then we come to the ultimate question – does he exist at all? The answer lies in our heroes and saints both those alive today and those who have gone before us. Every time someone does something that pushes back against hopelessness, helplessness, or fear, the Holy Spirit is at work. It would seem that not only are heroes and saints present, they are even more present and effective when there is a disaster – natural or human. The spirit-led among us rise to the occasion and be God for the world. It heartens and strengthens all believers and even some who are seeking faith.
Throughout his ministry and especially in his post Resurrection appearances, Jesus often said “Peace be with you.” That peace is “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” This is the phrase used at the end of the prayer of committal at the cemetery. This kind of peace only comes when we live our baptismal call to do God’s will. When we are close to God, his will is made known to us and we are given the strength to live according to it. In this time of great trial, the Our Father gives us the perfect prayer to say because it leads us to the Trinity and to peace. Without mass, the church seems so far away from us. But, the truth is the church is not where the Trinity is per se, the Church right now is mobilized. We are St. John’s, we are Catholic Christians at work in the kingdom. That is the only way the kingdom can fully be known on earth. The church right now is like the tomb on Easter morning – empty. But, like Easter morning and like Jesus, that is because we are already at work in the world offering Christ’s love and hope and peace. The only thing that stands in the way is us.
have gone before us. Every time someone does something that pushes back against hopelessness, helplessness, or fear, the Holy Spirit is at work. It would seem that not only are heroes and saints present, they are even more present and effective when there is a disaster – natural or human. The spirit-led among us rise to the occasion and be God for the world. It heartens and strengthens all believers and even some who are seeking faith.
Throughout his ministry and especially in his post Resurrection appearances, Jesus often said “Peace be with you.” That peace is “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” This is the phrase used at the end of the prayer of committal at the cemetery. This kind of peace only comes when we live our baptismal call to do God’s will. When we are close to God, his will is made known to us and we are given the strength to live according to it. In this time of great trial, the Our Father gives us the perfect prayer to say because it leads us to the Trinity and to peace. Without mass, the church seems so far away from us. But, the truth is the church is not where the Trinity is per se, the Church right now is mobilized. We are St. John’s, we are Catholic Christians at work in the kingdom. That is the only way the kingdom can fully be known on earth. The church right now is like the tomb on Easter morning – empty. But, like Easter morning and like Jesus, that is because we are already at work in the world offering Christ’s love and hope and peace. The only thing that stands in the way is us.
Parish & School Calendar
Prayer for a New Bishop
Merciful Father, you gave us shepherds as successors of the apostles to guide and govern your church.
We implore your Holy Spirit to guide the selection process as a new bishop is chosen to lead our diocese.
May he be a pastor filled with holiness and compassion who will foster healing and a greater love of your name.
Allow our hearts to be open to the candidate of your choosing so that, together as disciples of Jesus, we may continue to build your kingdom. Amen.
"Let us ask God to help us set out on a path of true conversion. Let us leave behind our selfishness and self-absorption, and turn to Jesus’ Pasch. Let us stand beside our brothers and sisters in need, sharing our spiritual and material goods with them. In this way, by concretely welcoming Christ’s victory over sin and death into our lives, we will also radiate its transforming power to all of creation." Pope Francis, October 4, 2018
Catholic News
Update: Lebanon's Catholic leaders seek help; here's where you can donate
08/06/20 10:21 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/Aziz Taher, ReutersBy BEIRUT (CNS) -- As Lebanon's Catholic leaders appealed for help for their country, international and U.S. organizations appealed for donations for Beirut, capital of a country already suffering from a severe economic downturn.
"The church, which has set up a relief network throughout Lebanese territory, now finds itself faced with a new great duty, which it is incapable of assuming on its own," said Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch. He called for a U.N.-controlled fund to be set up to manage aid for the reconstruction of Beirut and other international assistance to aid the stricken country.
Read MorePriest's 100-mile bike ride raises COVID-19 aid for parish -- and hope
08/06/20 8:12 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of BrooklynBy Ian AlvanoWASHINGTON (CNS) -- Father Christopher Heanue started his morning July 27 by celebrating Mass at 5 a.m. and then took off on a 100-mile bike ride.
It wasn't just any ride. Father Heanue called his journey "100 Miles of Hope," which was a fundraiser to help support his parish, Holy Child Jesus, in Richmond Hill, New York, in the Brooklyn Diocese. He is the administrator and a parochial vicar of the parish in the New York borough of Queens.
Read MoreWeapons must be set aside for peace to flourish, pope says
08/06/20 4:25 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/Yuriko Nakao, ReutersBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For peace to flourish, weapons of war must be set aside, especially nuclear weapons that can obliterate entire cities and countries, Pope Francis said on the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.
"May the prophetic voices" of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki "continue to serve as a warning to us and for coming generations," he said in a written message sent Aug. 6 to Hidehiko Yuzaki, governor of the Hiroshima prefecture, who led a peace memorial ceremony.
Read MoreNYS Catholic Conference
Federal election alert slider
07/28/20 10:15 am
Born Alive Survivors Protection Act
07/21/20 4:16 pm
Memorandum of Support Re: A.7816 Manktelow / S.5332 HelmingEstablishing the born alive abortion survivors’ protection act This legislation would restore legal protections to children who are born alive during late-term abortion procedures. The New York State Catholic Conference strongly supports this measure and urges favorable votes. Prior to the 2019 enactment of the Reproductive Health Act, […]
Read More‘Study’ of Crisis Pregnancy Centers
07/21/20 2:58 pm
Memorandum of Opposition Re: A.8212 Glick / S.6311 HoylmanIn relation to pregnancy centers The above-referenced legislation would authorize the New York State Commissioner of Health to conduct a study and issue a report on the impact of pro-life pregnancy centers in the state. The pre-determined outcome of the “study” is that such services are too […]
Read MoreBusted Halo
Understanding and Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption
08/14/20 6:30 am
*Editor’s note: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, dioceses around the country have lifted the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. Large gatherings…
The post Understanding and Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read MoreA Morning Rosary and a Mother’s Influence
08/12/20 12:06 am
In my room at my parents’ house, above my bed, I have a shelf with my top 20 or so books by my favorite authors.…
The post A Morning Rosary and a Mother’s Influence appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read More9-Day Back-to-School Prayer Challenge: A Novena for the Start of the School Year
08/10/20 2:03 am
Ah, back-to-school season. The time of year that most students (teachers?) dread and all parents rejoice. It’s also the time that my control freak tendencies…
The post 9-Day Back-to-School Prayer Challenge: A Novena for the Start of the School Year appeared first on Busted Halo.
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