March 25, 2020
Dear Parishioners,

During these challenging times, it is difficult not to address the financial difficulties created by the extended period of time that people are away from church. As a point of reference, on a typical Sunday we would collect well over 300 envelopes in addition to cash at our Masses. This last weekend, we received 10 envelopes in the mail. While certainly much of what we do has slowed down or in some cases stopped, a good portion of our costs do continue, in particular the manner in which we minister to our employees and the maintenance of our facilities. I recognize that this outbreak has put a strain on all of us and I am grateful for whatever support you can provide to St. John’s during this unprecedented event. I have noted the ways you can give below. Most importantly I continue to ask for your prayers for me, Fr. Michael and the entire St. John’s community as we come into the holiest season of our Catholic faith.  Please know of our continued prayers for all of you.

Ways to Give
Envelopes: If you currently use envelopes provided by St. John’s, those can be mailed to the church. Contributions can be mailed in any manner even if you do not have the envelopes we provide.
On-line giving: A special thank you to all who currently give electronically. eGiving is faster, more secure and provides much needed donation consistency. If you’d like to register to give in this manner (either with an on-going contribution or one time gift), or make a change to your existing gift, please click here .
Text to give:  A new mobile app GIVEPLUS+ is available for those who prefer the ease of managing accounts on your phone. New users can easily create an account and those currently enrolled in electronic giving can use their same login information on the app. Search for "GivePlus Church" in your app store to quickly find and download the app. 
*Please email frontdesk@stjohns-savage.org if you experience trouble logging into your account.
 
Electronic and traditional givers accustomed to texting can now give through text giving as well. Make one-time or recurring offerings by simply texting the amount you wish to give to our secure account at 833-351-0063. It's a convenient solution when you can't attend services or don't have cash or checks with you. *A minimum $5.00 donation is needed. 

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Ben Little
*please note daily updates will be published each afternoon by 5PM; if you know someone not receiving the email please send a note to communications @stjohns-savage with their name and email address to be added to the list.

**our website will continue to host the most up-to-date information for your easy reference.
EASTER FLOWERS
We are planning to decorate the church for Easter, the most important and significant celebratory season of our Catholic Faith. The Easter season stretches seven weeks from the Easter Vigil on April 11 through Pentecost on May 31. It is our hope and prayer that at some point during the Easter season we will once again be able to gather to worship as a faith community. Once again, this year you have the opportunity to contribute donations for flowers in honor of a loved one. These names will be printed in our Easter bulletin on April 12 (and posted on our website). In order to have the name of your loved one printed, we must receive your donation by Monday, April 6 . Please use the designated envelope in your package and mail to the church indicating who you would like remembered (please print clearly). If you don’t have an envelope, just mail in a plain envelope and mark your contribution “Easter Flowers” and include the name to be listed.

Our address is:
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
c/o Easter Flowers
4625 West 125th Street
Savage, MN 55378
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
Changes resulting from the Governors statement this afternoon (3/25) are imminent. Please be advised that tomorrow we will have a full update regarding how that will affect the few remaining options we have open at this time. For now, the reminders below still hold true.

  • The parish office IS CLOSED.
  • Door #11 is open daily from 7AM-6PM to receive deliveries and allow entrance for those wishing to pray in church with the Blessed Sacrament.*messages will be checked but email communication will be answered quickest. Staff listing found HERE.
  • The school office and entire school building IS CLOSED.
  • The church atrium is CLOSED.
  • Funerals will be limited to immediate family with no visitation and no luncheon. This is an interim protocol determined based on guidelines from the federal government and CDC to not exceed 10 persons in a single gathering.
  • There are no baptisms at this time.
  • Perpetual Adoration is in the church. Scheduled adorers will follow normal adoration protocol until directed otherwise.
  • The next opportunity for confession will be Saturday, March 28 at 3:30PM. *note that this could be changing

Those entering the church to pray or come to adoration should please utilize extreme caution and use the following guidelines:
  • If you choose to come to church, maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people
  • Do not leave anything in the pews
  • Wash your hands and cover your cough
  • If you are in a high-risk group, please stay home
  • If you are ill or exhibiting symptoms of cold or flu, please stay home
EVENT UPDATES
Per the mandated suspension of Mass and government issued social distancing order,
no on-site events will occur at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School at this time per recommendation by the MHD likely through May 1. As updates are learned and changes are made, they will be communicated through this daily update.
ALL IN RESOURCES
JOIN IN PRAYER!
An invitation to prayer from our beloved Sisters of Pro Ecclesia Sancta. Please take a minute to watch this short video.
INSPIRATION
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”   Luke 1:30–33
DAILY MASS
Father Little and Father Barsness wish to bring you daily Mass. However, they wish to bring it to you free from technical difficulties that keep them from being present with our Lord and cause you frustrations. We are going to iron on these "kinks" and will NOT be brining you our morning Mass on Thursday(3/26) and Friday(3/27) this week. We hope to be in a good place to offer a livestream of Sunday Mass (3/29) as well as daily Mass beginning next week. We will communicate with you as that becomes more clear.

If YOU have technical resources to help with live-streaming, please reach out to Sara at communications @stjohns-savage.org.

In the meantime, please tune into Relevant Radio or Bishop Barron for daily Mass.
TEXT TO GIVE
A new mobile app GIVEPLUS+  is available for those who prefer the ease of managing accounts on your phone. New users can easily create an account and those currently enrolled in electronic giving can use their same login information on the app. Search for "GivePlus Church" in your app store to quickly find and download the app. 
*Please email frontdesk@stjohns-savage.org if you experience trouble logging into your account.

Electronic and traditional givers accustomed to texting can now give through text giving as well. Make one-time or recurring offerings by simply texting the amount you wish to give to our secure account at 833-351-0063 . It's a convenient solution when you can't attend services or don't have cash or checks with you. * A minimum $5.00 donation is needed.