Sunday, November 10, we welcome Cardinal Gregory to St. John’s to celebrate our 11:30 a.m. Mass and bless our new Crucifix and Stations of the Cross! My deep thanks to everyone who has generously supported these projects! In time, we pray that these additional sacramentals will invite all who visit St. John’s, and especially our young people, into a deeper contemplation of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, the utter perfection of love that draws us into the divine life.
The Parish Office will be closed for the Veterans Day Holiday on Monday, November 11, and will reopen Tuesday, November 12 , at 9:00 a.m. There will be only one Mass at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 11.
On Friday, November 1, we celebrate All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation. Masses will be offered at 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. (with our school), and 7:00 p.m. All students in 7th and 8th grades and High School are invited to our Youth Group All Saints Day Dinner at 5:30 p.m. before Mass.
On Saturday, November 2, we celebrate All Souls Day, and all parishioners are invited to join us for our 9:00 a.m. Mass in which we will remember those who have died and whose funerals were celebrated at St. John’s in the past year. A reception will follow, sponsored by our Bereavement Ministry.
Join us for our first Youth Ministry gathering with our new Youth Ministry Director, Robert Gilmore. Come to the 11:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, September 29, and stay afterwards for free pizza and our SJB Youth Group kick off in the Kazista Center Large Conference Room. Invite your teammates, friends, and classmates to come check it out with you. Consider the possibility that your participation in SJB Youth Group and your invitation to someone else, just may be an answer to prayer (yours or theirs).
All Middle School and High School students are invited to join us as we build up our Youth Ministry again at St. John’s!
This year at our SJB Community Picnic, Sunday, September 8, we will have a fingerprinting station beginning at 1:00 p.m. for all those wanting to volunteer at St. John's. Adults in the archdiocese must have child-protection (Virtus) certification to volunteer with children, and fingerprinting is needed to become Virtus Certified. American Identity Solutions will have a fingerprinting station at the picnic in the Kazista Center Large Conference Room. If you are already Virtus Certified, you do not need to complete these steps again.
Father Nathanael Anderson’s three-year assignment with St. John the Baptist will conclude the first week in July. After the 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Masses on Sunday, June 23, Fr. Nathanael will be available in the Gym to receive your expressions of thanks and well wishes. We will have a cake following the 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. Masses. We will certainly miss Fr. Nathanael and wish him well in his new assignment.
All families with young children are invited to the SJB Family Wellness Retreat on Saturday, April 20, 9:00-11:30 a.m., in the Lyon Center sponsored by St. John’s and the Archdiocese of Washington. There will be a Mass, breakfast, talks and more. Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with other families too. Daycare to be provided by school staff. Please RSVP to Eddie Argauer at: [email protected].
Please note that the St. John the Baptist Parish Food Drive will be the 1st & 3rd Saturday mornings each month 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Drop off will be at the Lyon Center parking lot behind the church where you may safely drop bags or boxes (canned or boxed dry foods only, please.) Donations will be transported to the St. Camillus Food Bank. Cash or check donations (payable to SJB Church with “Food Drive” in the memo) are also welcome! If you have a question or need more information, please email Cynthia Norris, [email protected].
SJB School follows Montgomery County Public School closings for weekday weather related cancellations/delays. Despite school closures, we always have Mass. Religious Education and other parish activities follow Montgomery County Public Schools weekend closures. If Montgomery Country Public Schools weekend activities are cancelled, we will not have Religious Education Classes on Sunday. If there is a Religious Education weekend cancellation, a Flocknote will be sent by the SJB Director of Religious Education, the Catechists will be notified and the Catechists will contact each family. To receive Flocknote text notifications regarding cancellations, please text SJB1 to 84576 from your cell phone to subscribe to Flocknote. The Parish Office follows the Federal Government for cancellations and delays.
Our Christmas Mass schedule will be a little different than in previous years. The 4th Sunday of Advent is December 24, and so please note that our weekend Mass schedule for the 4th Sunday of Advent will be the 5:00 p.m. Vigil on Saturday, 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Sunday Masses (we will NOT have the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, December 24). Later that evening, our two Christmas Eve Masses will be at 5:00 p.m. (Family Mass) and 9:00 p.m. On Christmas Day, December 25, we will have two Masses at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
SJB students have been preparing for the upcoming Christmas Choral Concert. Please join us for this SJB Concert that will help put you in the Christmas spirit. All are welcome. Christmas Choral Concert in the Church Matinee Show – Tuesday, December 19, 10:30 a.m. Evening Show – Tuesday, December 19, 7:00 p.m.
From Genesis to Jesus Series Join us for a 12-part video series: “From Genesis to Jesus”. This exciting program provides the big picture of scripture in an interesting, accessible, and comprehensive manner. Understand the Bible’s entire story as Joan Watson weaves the complete thread of salvation history from creation to the ascension. This series will be shown in the school on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. beginning October 8 with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss. Each episode is 25 minutes long. Please contact our Faith Formation Director, Eddie Argauer, [email protected] or 301-622-1122, with any questions.
Please welcome our new Pastor, Reverend Andrew T. Wakefield from St. Patrick Church in Washington, D.C. who will be at St. John’s starting July 5. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Fr. Andrew graduated from Albion College where he majored in history and then came to Washington, DC where he worked in area social service agencies through his participation in the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. After his “Ruined for Life” year in JVC, he attended the University of Michigan where he earned degrees in law and public policy before returning to Washington.... (READ MORE)
The casserole project allows individuals to help feed the hungry by preparing casseroles in their own homes, freezing the casseroles and then delivering the frozen casseroles to St. John’s. Volunteers collect the casseroles on the first Sunday of each month. The collected casseroles are delivered immediately to Elizabeth House, a soup kitchen in Laurel. Participation in the project is on an as able basis; some cooks prepare casseroles every month, others only two or three times a year. A set of six recipes is used. A particular recipe is assigned each month and all are fairly easy to assemble. If you have any questions or comments about the project, please contact Kim and Jeff Paniati at [email protected].