Mass Times
Saturday Vigil Mass - 4:00 pm
Sunday Masses - 8:00 am, 9:30 am & 11:00 am
Weekdays (Monday - Friday) - 8:30 am
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:45 pm and by request
Office hours:
Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm
(716) 937-6959
2020 Mass Intentions
If you would like to have a Mass said for a friend or loved one in 2020, we still have dates available. Please call the Rectory at 937-6959 to schedule a Mass.
Up Coming Events
Upcoming Events
Soup Supper: St. John’s School will be hosting another Soup Supper on Thursday, January 16th from 4:30-6 p.m. For $5 you get soup, salad, a drink and dessert. All proceeds will go to one family in our school with a parent battling cancer.
The Rectory will be closed Monday, January 20th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2019 Tax Statements: Tax Substantiation Letters are being prepared and will be sent out to parishioners who have donated more than $500 to St. John’s in 2019. Please call Kate at the rectory (937-6959) to request a letter if you do not receive one by January 20, 2020 and would like one. Happy New Year!
Please Visit The Sick And Home-bound! We are in need of people willing to bring the Eucharist to those who cannot make it to Mass. We would like to be able to bring Communion to people more often than just on first Friday visits. If you are a Eucharistic Minister and would like to help kick-start this ministry, please contact the Rectory.
Attention Eucharistic Ministers: The schedule for the next 6 months will be available to you by the end of January. If anyone would like to change Masses or knows dates when you are unavailable to serve please let me know ASAP. Also rather than mailing the completed schedules to you I will leave them in the Priest's Sacristy with a list of names on a sheet of paper. Please cross off your name when you take your schedule. Thank you for your cooperation as always. Pat
Hopefully you've seen or heard about the Pro-Vita Award for St. John's! Huge congratulations to Brandon Adkins and all of us in the Youth for Life & Respect Life Ministry. Brandon is to receive the main award. The March for Life Pilgrims, Ladies for Life and all of you 200 Club for Life leaders are to be recognized also with certificates from Bishop Scharfenberger at the Roe v Wade Observance Mass on Saturday, January 11, 4:30 St. Joseph Cathedral. Reception follows.
Wednesday Nights of Faith Series at 7 pm. Everyone is invited to come learn more about their Catholic faith. On January 22, we will learn about Christology. Christology is the theological study of who Jesus is. The Nicene Creed says: "Jesus is the only begotten son of God." It says that he was "begotten, not made," and is "consubstantial with the Father." Deacon Peter will help us to better understand what all this means! Jan. 29 is a Prayer Fair!
Click below for a link of all our speakers until May
Wednesday Night Speakers and Topic
Winter Scarf, Hat, and Glove Drive: Through-out the month of January, we will be collecting new or gently used scarfs, hats, and gloves for Neat Repeats, The Marilla Food Pantry, and The Mother Theresa House (baby and toddler sized.) We would love to help as many people as possible, young and old, stay warm through the winter. A donation bin will be located at the back of the church and in the entry way of the rectory. To all of you who can help, thank you.
Is the Spirit Calling You to Serve?
Our parish always welcomes additional helpers in our various liturgical ministries. Lectors, those who are appointed to proclaim the Word of God in the liturgical assembly, are particularly needed at this time, especially for the 8:00 a.m. Mass. More Eucharistic Ministers, those who assist at Mass by distributing the Holy Eucharist and Precious Blood to members of the congregation, are also needed for all Masses. To learn more about becoming a lector, please contact Judy Bowman at 523-9287. Those interested in serving as Extraordinary Minsters of Holy Communion, please call Pat Heslin at 937-9293. You could also speak to Deacon Marc or Deacon Peter or call the rectory (937-6959) during the week. If you know someone who would be good in one of these ministries, please encourage them, too!
Save the Date for the 68th Annual Diocesan Youth Convention (Leap Year Edition!) February 28th, 29th, and March 1st, 2020 It is at the Buffalo Grand Hotel Downtown and High school students from across the Diocese will once again gather to celebrate the Holy Spirit at work within us and among us! We hope that you will plan on joining us on February 28th-March 1st, 2020 For more information, please contact Brandon Adkins at 937-6959 or at [email protected]
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.
Staff
- Deborah Brown, Pastoral Administrator
- Rev. Msgr. Vincent Becker, Priest Moderator
- Rev. James Walter, Sacramental Minister
- Rev. Richard DiGuilio, Weekend Assistant
- Marc Leaderstorf, Permanent Deacon
- Peter Donnelly, Permanent Deacon
- Jonna Johnson, St. John's School Principal
- Jennifer Golinski, Family Faith Formation Director
- Katherine (Kate) Wypij, Business Manager
Debbie Brown Liturgical Corner
We are back in Ordinary Time! Readings in this Liturgical season focus on the end times, which we refer to in theological terms as the Eschaton (The End). Eschatology is the study of the end whether it is at our personal death or at the end of the world at the ultimate second coming of Christ. The spring version of Ordinary Time is short and is focused on the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry which began at his baptism (which we celebrated last week). This helps us to understand and live out our own call to ministry which began at our own baptism.
On the second Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear the testimony of John the Baptist. The Gospel is from John the Evangelist (John 1:29-34). Every year this is the Gospel that begins Ordinary Time. We will hear from the synoptic cycle Evangelist beginning next week, but this passage from John the Evangelist regarding John the Baptist is important. John affirms who Jesus is and the end of our passage sums it up nicely: ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he (Jesus) is the Son of God.”
The first reading (IS 49:3, 5-6) is from one of the four Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah. Here is a good summary of them from GotQuestions.org:
There are four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah that describe the service, suffering, and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah. All four songs show the Messiah to be God’s meek and gentle Servant. He is a royal figure, representing Israel in its ideal form; He is the high priest, atoning for the sins of the world. Isaiah predicts that this Servant of the Lord would deliver the world from the prison of sin. In the royal terminology of the ancient Near East, a servant was a “trusted envoy,” a “confidential representative,” or “one who is chosen.” The Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42:1–9; Isaiah 49:1–13; Isaiah 50:4–11; and Isaiah 52:13—53:12. https://www.gotquestions.org/Servant-Songs.html
The earliest disciples saw the life and ministry of Christ in these passages. Verse five today gives us a good example of a passage the relates to Jesus: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” The Responsorial Psalm (PS 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10) is a call for all of us to say yes to our baptismal call: “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.
The Gospel then is how John the Baptist pointed out the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John not only baptized Jesus (reluctantly, according to the Synoptic Gospels), he pointed him out and sent his followers to follow Jesus. He knew Jesus was more than a prophet, and he understood that Jesus was the Son of God. If we truly believe that, then following him is imperative. As we go through Ordinary Time, let us become ever more committed to following Jesus.
Weekly Envelope Update
Update 1/14/2020- We have been in contact with Cathedral Corp and the envelopes were brought to the post office on January 2,2020. They have contacted the Post office in the mean time to try and rectify the situation and get answers as to why so few envelopes have been delivered. We are one of eleven churches in our area experiencing the same issue. Again, we are extremely sorry about the delay. Please continue to let us know if you have not received your envelopes, and we will remain in contact with Cathedral until the problem is solved. If you have not receive your envelopes by the weekend Mass, please feel free to put any contributions in an envelope with your name (number if known) and we will credit it to your account. Thank you all for bearing with us and hopefully all will be sorted out soon.
We apologize for your collection envelopes being late. Last week, we called Cathedral Corp who prints and mails the envelopes to find out why no one was receiving their envelopes and they said it was due to them mailing out late. Today (1/13) after receiving more notifications about lack of envelopes being mailed, We called Cathedral Corp again to further investigate the situation. Again, we would like to apologize for all the confusion and thank you for bearing with us as we work to rectify the situation.
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
Bible Search
Event Cancellations
Advent Vespers and Confirmation Class for Wed December 11th, 2019 at St. John the Baptist Church are cancelled.
Publications
Sun, Jan 19th
Sun, Jan 12th
Catholic News
Bishop Strickland says he asked pope about McCarrick report
01/21/20 5:46 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican MediaBy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, said he asked Pope Francis about the Vatican investigation into Theodore E. McCarrick and the release of a promised report on how the former cardinal managed to rise through the church ranks.
The bishop, who was making his "ad limina" visit to Rome, drew widespread attention in August 2018 for a public statement saying he found "credible" the allegations made by retired Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former nuncio to the United States, regarding McCarrick.
Read MoreSupreme Court to reexamine contraceptive mandate for religious employers
01/21/20 5:28 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic StandardBy Carol ZimmermannWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Little Sisters of the Poor are once again going to the Supreme Court.
The order of women religious who care for the elderly poor have been down this road before, twice defending their right to not comply with the government's health law requiring employers to provide contraceptive coverage in their health plans.
Read MoreIntegral development for all is a moral duty, pope tells leaders at Davos
01/21/20 2:14 pm
IMAGE: CNS photo/Denis Balibouse, ReuteBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis told global business and government leaders that everyone has the moral responsibility to seek the integral development of all people, but especially those who are in need, suffering injustice or whose lives are threatened.
"The moral obligation to care for one another flows from this fact," which must never be forgotten, that "we are all members of the one human family," he said in a message read to those attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Read MoreNYS Catholic Conference
Statement on Commercial Surrogacy Proposal
01/08/20 2:45 pm
Following is a statement by Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference: “The push by Gov. Cuomo and members of the state legislature to legalize commercial surrogacy is a dangerous policy that will lead to the exploitation of poor, vulnerable women, and has few safeguards for children. “The surrogacy legislation is designed mainly to […]
Read MoreStatement on Buffalo Diocese appointment
12/04/19 9:52 am
Following the announcement by the Holy See that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Richard J. Malone from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Buffalo and appointed Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of the Diocese of Albany as apostolic administrator until the appointment of a permanent bishop, NYS Catholic Conference Executive Director Richard E. […]
Read MoreFatal Flaws in Assisted Suicide Legislation
08/27/19 2:17 pm
Printable PDF Here Proponents of the so-called “Medical Aid-in-Dying Act” (A.2694/S.3947)argue that it contains safeguards which protect vulnerable patients. Yet a close examination of the bill’s language reveals inadequate protections for patients most at risk of abuse, and lower medical standards than elsewhere in the Public Health Law. The bill lacks transparency and accountability, and […]
Read MoreBusted Halo
Noisy Children at Mass Are Part of Our Catholic Community
01/16/20 4:00 pm
I once sat behind an older man who was angry because our then-3-year-old was talking in church. The man spent the entire Mass huffing and…
The post Noisy Children at Mass Are Part of Our Catholic Community appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read MoreDoes It Spark Joy? Applying Marie Kondo’s Lessons to My Faith Life
01/15/20 1:01 am
“Does this item spark joy?” I asked myself for the hundredth time, holding an old but well-loved T-shirt in my hands. Like many people around…
The post Does It Spark Joy? Applying Marie Kondo’s Lessons to My Faith Life appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read MoreWhy Spiritual Direction Is Good for My Soul
01/13/20 1:00 am
I vividly remember standing in line for Confession on a Saturday afternoon nervously fidgeting in the pew, my mind divided between praying a decade of…
The post Why Spiritual Direction Is Good for My Soul appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read More