September 14, 2022

Registration is open for Sunday School 2022-23

Sunday School for ages 4 and 5 meets in the Extended Day Care (XDC) rooms in Quigley Building during the 10:30am Mass each Sunday - beginning October 9th through May. 

The entrance is from the parking lot side.

Click here for the Registration form.

Season of Creation Events:

1. Wednesday, Sept 28 at 7pm. Stations of Creation at St John. Join us for a special stations of the cross centered around creation.
2. Sunday, October 2 at Noon. Annual Blessing of the Animals at St John. This is a wonderful event to bring your pet for Father Crispin's special blessing. More details forthcoming.

See the Laudato Si column at the bottom of this newsletter for more information.

Fr. Crispin’s 60th!!

   Fr. Crispin turned 60 on September 2, while he was on retreat in Kenya.  

We are planning to celebrate him at Mass on Sunday, September 25 at 10:30am followed by a reception in Egan Hall.  

   We also thought a great way to celebrate this milestone birthday would be to send him to the Holy Land. This is a trip he has always wanted to go on, but has not yet had the chance. If you would like to contribute to this gift, you may mail or drop off funds at the parish office or make a gift online here. Use the “Other – Parish” button and note "Father is 60".

Shhhhhhhhhhh!! This is a surprise - please don’t say anything to Fr. Crispin!

Questions? Contact Teresa Gillett at 206-782-2810 ext.355 or tgillett@stjohnsea.org

Blessing of the Backpacks

Wednesday, September 21, 8:15am

School Parking Lot

Updated Information for This Year: There have been changes in the food needs and distribution at Broadview-Thomson K-8. They still provide food that goes home with students on the weekends that includes snacks and non-perishable food items, but they no longer provide the daily food pantry for the school and the community. They also do not have the physical space to store as much food in their pantry. Please click here for a list of what is most needed and what they do not need.

Taking all of this into consideration, this year we will split the food donations between BTK-8 and our St. Vincent de Paul food pantry here at St. John.  Read more.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Needs You!

Interested in helping children learn about the Gospel?

Children's Liturgy of the Word will be starting up again this fall. The commitment involves working as a team with another person during the 10:30 Mass to teach the young people about the meaning of the Sunday readings. We are happy to train you and materials are provided.

If you are interested, please contact Kim Burkhardt, kburkhardt@stjohnsea.org

The collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development will be taken up this week. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to help support programs that empower people to identify and address the obstacles they face as they work to bring permanent and positive change to their low-income communities.

Please visit the Archdiocese of Seattle website for online giving options to support this collection.

It’s not too late to register for Fall 2022 X-Country

To register for CYO X-Country, click here.

Financial aid is available by emailing Jonna Skokan, Athletics Director at St John.

Tooting Our Own Horn

My dad always used to (incorrectly) quote Shakespeare as saying: 

“He who tooteth not his own horn, the same remaineth untooted.”

In other words, if you don’t tell others about your accomplishments, they just won’t know about them. 

So, our parish St. Vincent de Paul hereby toots its own horn, in hopes that you will be moved to:

   a)      join us,

   b)     donate money or food, and/or

   c)      pray for us.

Since the beginning of this year, our conference members have volunteered more than 730 hours in furtherance of our mission to help the poor. This does not include the additional time spent by those of our members who have been accompanying the RV Pump-out program sponsored by the City of Seattle in collaboration with St. Vincent de Paul. Our conference has been praised by the Council Board as being most helpful to that program.

Our pantry group has worked tirelessly to organize the food you’ve donated to us, as well as to obtain supplies and assemble at least 30 hygiene kits every week. 

Since the first of this year, we have helped at least 210 people with rent, utilities, and other household needs.

We’re proud of what we do. We appreciate the help you give us.  

Liturgical Life of the Parish

As part of our response to the requests for Adult Faith Formation in our St John Synod meetings, we are pleased to share these brief essays on liturgical topics. Each week, this space will feature a short article on the mass, the whys and wherefores of liturgy, sacraments, the liturgical year, Mary and the Saints, and many other topics.

Participation

You come to Mass not as a spectator, but as a participant. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says in paragraph 14 that the full, conscious, and active participation of the people is their right and obligation as the priestly people of God (1 Peter 2:9).

The phrase “full, conscious, and active participation” expands a sentiment expressed by Pope Pius X in On Sacred Music, where he urged the assembled faithful to acquire the true Christian spirit from its source: “active participation” in the mysteries and solemn prayer of the Church. When he wrote this in 1903, most people prayed devoutly at a typical Mass, but not yet fully engaged with the liturgical action exercised by the ministers in the sanctuary.    Read more...

In order to raise awareness of social justice issues, we are starting a Social Justice themed lending library. If you are willing to share a book, please drop it off at the parish office or into the black box below the northside table in the back of the church. Please include your name and telephone # or email address.

St. John Catholic School is celebrating 100 years this academic year! As part of our centennial celebration, we are pleased to announce that we will honor Michele Thornquist, our previous Development Director, at our 2022 Endowment Event. Michele has been integral to accelerating the St. John School Endowment Fund’s growth. Please join us on Saturday, October 22 in Egan Hall for this celebratory fundraising event. Enjoy drinks, appetizers, and a family-style dinner catered by Ethan Stowell Restaurants. Tickets are limited so purchase yours today! Registration closes on October 8. Can’t attend the event? Visit our donations page to make a donation.