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!
Craft Show 2020
Come sign up and be a part of our virtual craft show!
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 inside at 4pm Saturdays and 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am 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
9:00 am until 2:00 pm
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
Upcoming Events
St. John the Baptist Parish Town Hall Meeting: Thursday, November 5th, 6pm in the Church. This evening will include a financial report. We encourage you to submit questions in advance, either in the suggestion box or via email to [email protected] by November 2nd.
Let's pray for our Police who protect us And let's Do this Halloween a little different! You still get to wear a mask! On Saturday, October 31st, St. John's Works of Mercy Ministry and Respect Life Committee, in union with our Parish groups are sponsoring a Rosary Rally for our Nation and honoring all our men and women in blue. At Noon on St. John's Church property, we will be praying peacefully and honoring those who serve and deserve our Respect. Could you spare an hour of prayer to demonstrate how much we care?! Sign up sheets in vestibule. Police are invited to join us. Please support this respectful event. Rosaries provided if needed. All are welcome!
Babcia’s is Coming Back: On November 14th, we will be hosting Babcia’s again from 2-6 pm at our church. They will be serving up Polish dinners $13.00 pre-sale and $15 for the day of. They will also have the freezer truck here for other polish delights available for purchase. If you would like to pre-order, please call 716-436-3894 or visit their website at https://babciaspierogi.com/event/st-john-the-baptist-drive-thru-polish-dinner-fundraiser.
We will be having a bake sale on November 14th from 2-6 pm. If you would like to donate a baked good, please contact the rectory.
Temporary Ushers St. John’s Church is in need of men and women to serve as temporary ushers for weekend Masses during the time we are observing protocols for Covid-19. Ushers assist at Mass by helping people sign in and get seated and take up the collection in the church and in the parking lot and help ensure that proper social distancing is maintained during dismissal. If you are currently comfortable attending one of our indoor Masses and you can assist, please contact Carl Matthies at 937-7433.
St. John’s Fall Cash Raffle: It’s that magical time of the year again! Tickets for the annual raffle are now available for a $20 donation. If you would like us to mail you a ticket, please call the rectory at 937-6959 or email us at [email protected] Tickets are also available at the school, in the rectory entryway, or in the side entryway of the church..
Mass Intentiond and Sanctuary Light: We have started taking Mass Intention and Sanctuary Light requests again. If you would like a Mass requested
PARISH CALENDAR - Please note that all ministries must let us know if they would like to use any of the buildings for meetings for safety reason and anything used must be cleaned up. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact the rectory.
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
Choose Love
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 10/12/20
We’re faced with an interesting situation this weekend. Usually, it’s the Old Testament 1st ... Read More »
Respect Life
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 10/05/20
This weekend we mark Respect Life weekend, and all month, Respect Life month. We ... Read More »
Am I Worthy?
Posted in PrayerForce One Blog on 09/22/20
This past weekend (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time) we heard Matthew's parable of the ... Read More »
St. John's Herald
Virtual Live Adoration
Regulations for Using the School
Please follow this link to see the guidlines set for use of St. John's School after hours
*Please remember that no one is allowed into the building during regular school hours*
Daily Mass Readings
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
10/28/20 5:30 am
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
10/27/20 5:30 am
Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
10/26/20 5:30 am
Debbie Brown Liturgical Corner
Today is the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time but this year this Liturgical day takes a back seat, as it were, to the Solemnity of All Saints which is always celebrated on November 1. There is a hierarchy of Liturgical Days to give us guidelines as to what is important. Our most important Liturgical day is, of course Easter with Christmas and Pentecost next in the order of importance. Those feasts and seasons, including their preparatory ones (Advent in Lent) are at the top of the hierarchy. On any Sunday in these Liturgical Days take precedent. The next level of importance is Solemnities. These celebrate the mysteries of Christ’s life and include honor for Mary, his mother and our mother. There are several of these that include All Saints this week. Next are the Sundays in Ordinary Time, which are split into two sections: a small section between Epiphany and Lent and a long portion beginning after Pentecost until the Solemnity of Christ the King on the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time (coming in 3 weeks). Then there are feasts and commemorations for martyrs and saints, ( include All Souls) which fill the Sanctoral cycle. Martyrs and saints provide role models of how we live our Catholic faith.
Our readings today are focused not on the earthly lives and goodness of the saints, but on the consequences of their good choices: Eternal Life in heaven with the whole communion of saints gathered before the throne of God.
The first reading from Revelation (Rev 7:2-4,9-14) gives us a powerful image of this. One of the elders spoke up and asked who are those dressed in white robes in front of the throne? The answer: “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 24:1-6) says: “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face .”
The second reading (1 John 3:1-3): “We do know that when it is revealed, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.” The final verse of the reading adds this important note: “Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure as he is pure.” If we truly have faith in Christ, we will live a pure life so we can be with him in heaven.
The Gospel (Matt 5:1-12a) describes the perfect “attitudes” to achieve our goal of heaven. This is how we achieve the purity that St. John talks about in the second reading
The readings as a whole are meant to give hope, particularly in difficult times, of what our ultimate destination really is – Heaven. The readings affirm that it will not be easy, that there will be times of “distress” and “persecution.” The only way to survive, and even thrive despite all the challenges and difficulties., is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the Eternal glory he won for 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
Bible Search
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
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10/05/20 7:36 am
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Busted Halo
5 Spooky Saints to Help You Celebrate Halloween
10/26/20 1:45 am
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The post 5 Spooky Saints to Help You Celebrate Halloween appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read MoreCatholic Social Teaching in Action: How to Follow in the Footsteps of Holy Men and Women
10/23/20 1:00 am
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The post Catholic Social Teaching in Action: How to Follow in the Footsteps of Holy Men and Women appeared first on Busted Halo.
Read MorePray for Us Complainers: Transforming Our Words From Protest to Praise
10/21/20 1:52 am
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The post Pray for Us Complainers: Transforming Our Words From Protest to Praise appeared first on Busted Halo.
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