On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the United States in its companion decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Since that time, millions of children have lost their lives, and millions of women and families have been wounded by abortion. (click message for more)
This Sunday is the Epiphany of the Lord. There is a tradition that on the feast of Epiphany we pray for God’s blessing on our homes, marking the entrance with chalk.
We mark the main door of our home with the initials of the Magi - Caspar, Melchior & Balthasar - and the numerals of the new year connected with crosses. (click message for more)
In 1921 Pope Benedict XV formally inserted the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph into the Universal Calendar of the Church. He did this to present the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and Jesus, as the model and exemplar of all Christian families. (click message for more)
What is special about the Third Sunday of Advent called “Gaudete Sunday?” The word “Gaudete” is Latin for “Rejoice.” On Gaudete Sunday, the season of Advent shifts its focus. For the first two weeks of Advent, the focus can be summed up in the phrase, “The Lord is coming.” (click message for more)
This year the Second Sunday of Advent falls on December 8th. As a result, the observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Patronal Feast of the United States of America, is transferred to Monday, December 9th. (click message for more)
The holy season of Advent has arrived and so has a new liturgical year as well. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The season of Advent is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth as well as to His second coming at the end of time. (click message for more)
The Feast of Christ the King which we celebrate this weekend was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year. He desired to reassert the sovereignty of Christ and His Church over all forms of government and to remind Christians of the fidelity they owed to Christ, who by His Incarnation and death on the Cross made them both adopted children of God and future citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. (click message for more)
As Catholics we are blessed by our relationships with a wide array of men and women throughout the centuries who are recognized in heaven after living lives of exemplary holiness on earth. (click message for more)
Christmas Choir rehearsals will be held on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, beginning November 4, 2024. Choir members will be preparing to sing Christmas hymns for one-half hour prior to Christmas Eve Mass. If you enjoy singing, choir members would love to have you join them. Reading music is not a requirement.
For more information, see Jane Burgoyne after one of the weekend Masses.
Although our love and care for our beloved dead is expressed each week at our parish in many ways through our funerals, Mass intentions, prayers of the faithful, devotions, private prayer, and cemetery visits, the month of November is set aside in a special way for prayers for the dead. (click message for more)
Every year during the month of November we are asked to pray for the dead in a special way.
Over the years I have invited families prayerfully to consider that if they possess the cremated remains of a loved one in their home, they now may now decide lay them to rest in St. John’s Cemetery. This is free of any costs on the Saturday following All Souls Day in November. Many have responded over the years and it has been a very positive experience. (click message for more)
On September 14th, Fr. Thiago will visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the dedication of the Oratory of Our Lady of Aparecida, which represents our Brazilian Community at Saint John’s. (click message for more)
High school graduation season in early June is an exciting time for our teens. It is accompanied often by national news stories of diplomas granted to senior citizens who for some reason or another missed their high school graduations many years ago.
Such a story came to light this past June when 100-year-old Ethel Nishimoto was surprised... (click message for more)
In New England, the seasons of Summer and Fall have always been a popular time to celebrate the holy Sacrament of Matrimony.
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and culminates with “the wedding feast of the Lamb.” (Rev 19:7,9) Marriage reflects the spousal love Jesus has for the Church. (click message for more)
The Catholic Church cares deeply about marriage. The Second Vatican Council stated that, “The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family.” (Gaudium et Spes, 48) Marriage is a great gift to society. (click message for more)
Over the coming weeks, I will attempt to clarify the truths and dispel common myths about three areas of Church practice. We will begin with Annulments. One of the unfortunate myths about divorce is that a civilly divorced Catholic is “excommunicated” and no longer able to receive the Sacraments of the Church. This is not true. (click message for more)
July 30 marked the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, sponsored by the United Nations. This year's day was dedicated to children. One in three victims of human trafficking globally is a child and a disproportionate number of them are girls, according to the U.N.'s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Children are also twice as likely to face violence during trafficking than adults. (Click message for more)
The Catholic author, Daniel Fitzpatrick, recently wrote an excellent book entitled Restoring the Lord’s Day: How reclaiming Sunday can revive our human nature. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s book is based upon the Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini, promulgated by St. Pope John Paul II in 1998. I highly recommend it. (click message for more)