Holy Week At St. John’s

Holy Week is a special time in the life of the Church. As such, we set the time aside with a number of opportunities for worship and personal devotion. Holy Week begins this Sunday with Palm Sunday (March 24). This liturgy has two very distinct parts. The first part celebrates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We process with palm branches as we remember those who received Jesus so joyfully. The second part features the Passion Reading in which we recall the events surrounding the arrest and trial of Jesus. For the 10 am service this liturgy will begin with the Liturgy of the Palms in the Parish Hall. All who wish are invited to join in the procession at the beginning of the service. 

++ On Holy Monday, March 25, we will gather for Vespers at 7:00pm in the church. Our Vespers liturgy will combine prayers from our Evening Prayer service with select congregational singing. 

++ On Tuesday of Holy Week, March 26 we will be walking the Stations of the Cross together. At each of the 14 “stations,” we pause to reflect upon Jesus’ own walk to Gethsemane as he bore his cross. This liturgy will begin in the church.

++ A Service of Healing and Holy Eucharist is offered on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00pm in the church. In this service of worship, we bring to God both our struggles and our hope of God’s healing. The music for this service will be drawn from the Taize tradition. This liturgy will be in the church. 

++ Our Maundy Thursday worship is on March 28th at 6:00pm. The liturgy for Maundy Thursday conveys the strength of solemnity and restraint. It is the beginning of the sacred three days of the celebration of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ (called the Triduum). The washing of feet and stripping of the altar are hallmarks of this service. This liturgy will be in the church.

++ Our Good Friday worship will be at 12:00noon on March 29th. This solemn liturgy of the passion and death of our Lord is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday liturgy and begins in silence as the night before ended in silence. In the course of the Good Friday liturgy we will read the longer Passion reading that leads us through the last hours of Jesus’ life on earth. This liturgy will be in the church 

++ At 3:00pm on Friday, Prayers at the Cross will be offered to mark the point of Jesus’ death on the cross. Please note that this brief service will be online only.

++ Finally, on Good Friday, March 29th at 7:00pm, a service entitled Entering the Darkness will be offered. This liturgy has characteristics of a traditional Tenebrae service, the most conspicuous feature of the service being the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. Entering the Darkness will be in the church.

Stations in the Wilderness

Join us tonight, Friday March 22 at Tamarack Nature Center for a sunset Stations of the Cross hike. We will gather at one of the pavilions in front of the main building at 5:30 to share a light meal before heading off on our hike. Tamarack is located at 5287 Otter Lake Rd, White Bear Township, MN 55110.

A Case For Love

On Sunday March 24 at 2pm, Redeemer Lutheran Church has invited us to a screening of A Case for Love, a documentary featuring Bishop Michael Curry that explores the idea of unconditional love as a solution to our societal divides. Following the screening, there will be a discussion of the film. We will go out for lunch beforehand at the Little Village Pub, meeting there at 12:30. Little Village is located at 2670 Co Rd E East, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. Redeemer Lutheran is located at 3770 Bellaire Ave, White Bear Lake, MN 55110.

Contact Maggie for more info and to rsvp.

2024 Maundy Thursday Easter Plants and Flowers

Order Here!

Orders must be received by Sunday, March 24 to be included.



During the Lenten Season flowers are not placed on the altar. Following the Maundy Thursday service on March 28th the Altar of Repose is surrounded with beautiful plants to evoke the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before Jesus’ Crucifixion. At Easter services, in celebration of Jesus’ glorious resurrection, the altar and sanctuary are decorated with beautiful floral arrangements and flowering plants. 

The Altar Guild will order these plants through Hummingbird Floral and Gifts, who will choose the healthiest and most colorful plants. We invite you to purchase plants as a memorial or a thanksgiving. You may take your plant home to enjoy after the 10:00 a.m. Easter service, or we will deliver it to a homebound parishioner. Order forms can be found on the sign in table by the parking lot entry way or online. Please return the forms to the Parish Administrators mailbox, by mail (2175 1st St., White Bear Lake, MN 55110, or in the collection plate. You may also order using our online form here.

Questions, please contact Pris Campbell 651-426-3540 or Shelley Page 651-216-5291.

A friendly reminder for all cat owners! Lilies are very toxic for felines. We recommend going here for the ASPCA list to find out more about what is safe for our furry friends.

Cooking Oil Drive

In preparation for our trip to volunteer at Casa Maria on Saturday April 6th, we are holding a cooking oil drive. Cooking oil is a high demand item at Casa Maria, so please consider donating a bottle of vegetable, corn, or canola oil to their food shelf. There will be a box in the entryway where you can place donations. Thanks in advance!

TWO upcoming local theater events are planned for SJW Fellowship - choose to participate in ONE or BOTH! RSVPs and payment of tickets for BOTH events is due by Sunday, March 31.

Sunday, April 28 at 2pm

“The Addams Family” A New Musical Comedy at Mahtomedi High School (MHS)

Come see MHS Junior and fellow SJW parishioner, Xavier Knauss, perform as Gomez Addams, the family patriarch, in the MHS musical, “The Addams Family”. Lunch at Donatelli’s preceding the performance. “The Addams Family” details, RSVP and payment information can be found at this link: https://forms.gle/vuPEj9HhnSM7Bzjs7

Thursday, June 13 at 7:30pm

“Come From Away” Musical at the Ordway

Join fellow St. John in the Wilderness parishioners and MHS students, their families, and friends for the Tony Award Winning Broadway Musical Touring production of “Come From Away”. This show is phenomenal, you won’t want to miss it! Dinner at Bear Town Bar & Grill in White Bear Lake preceding the performance. “Come From Away” details, RSVP and payment information can be found at this link: https://forms.gle/GPEwFUfahQjPM3dx5

Direct questions to Chantell Knauss at SJWFellowship@gmail.com or 651.387.8288.

Save the Date for Future Fellowship Events:

• Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 7:30pm - "SIX" Broadway Touring Production at the Ordway
• Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 7:30pm – “Little Shop of Horrors” Musical at The Guthrie
• September 2024 (Exact Date/Time TBD) – “Back to the Future” Broadway Touring Production at the Orpheum
• Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 1pm Curtain; 11am Lunch - "White Christmas" Musical at Chanhassen Dinner Theater
• December 2024 (Exact Date/Time TBD) – “Book of Mormon” Broadway Touring Production at the Orpheum

Rector's Eastertide Book Study

Father Art will be leading a book study this year on Mariann Budde's newest book, How We Learn to Be Brave. From the book jacket: "The decisive moments in life are those pivot points when we're called on to push past our fears and act with strength. 

With How We Learn to Be Brave, Bishop Mariann Budde teaches us to respond with clarity and grace even in the toughest times. Being brave is not a singular occurrence; its a journey that we can choose to undertake every day. ...With Bishop Budde's wisdom, readers will learn to live and to respond according to their true beliefs and in ways that align with their best selves. How We Learn to Be Brave will provide much-needed fortitude and insight to anyone searching for answers in uncertain times." 

If you do not already own the book, you can order it online here.

We will meet at Father Art's home (2304 6th Street, White Bear Lake) on the following Monday nights from 6-8pm: April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20. Dinner will be a part of each evening's gathering! Come join us as we learn to be brave! Sign up on the Grow Board in the hall.

Transformed by the Word:

Join us in person or online here.

During Lent the Transformed by the Word Bible Study will be reading and discussing the following Sunday's lectionary readings:

Mar. 20 - readings for Mar. 24

• Jeremiah 31:31-34
• Hebrews 5:5-10
• John 12:20-33
• Psalm 51:1-13
• or Psalm 119:9-16

Connect with Kathy Smith or Sylvia Lovett to find out more about this great group!

Contact Maggie Howe here for event information and to get on her mailing list!

Wilderness Wednesdays!

From 5:30-6pm, we will share in a light supper, and then from 6-8pm, we will offer a variety of ongoing program options. Some of our offerings will include Heartbeat band practices (for all ages), a maker's space, game nights, Bible studies, CONNECT group gatherings, and more. Childcare will be available in our downstairs nursery throughout the evening.

Rummage Sale News 

Yes, we are planning a Rummage Sale again this year. Please start saving salable items and paper sacks for bagging. Sale week has changed slightly to the last full week of September this year. Plan on helping, too, if you can. More information, such as when we can start bringing in sale items, will follow as the time gets closer. Meanwhile, for your questions, please call Lynn Gadbois at 651-270-8934

Weekly News and a Weekly Message from Bishop Loya

The Episcopal Church in Minnesota also has a weekly e-news, where you can read a message from Bishop Craig Loya, (or sometimes a special guest author), and read about what is happening in the Episcopal Church in MN and beyond! A great way to stay connected and learn about our church outside the walls of St. John's. 

To receive the ECMN news go here, scroll to the very bottom right and sign up.

Parish Family Prayer List

We are in the process of updating our prayer list. Please use the link below to request prayers as we rebuild the list. Please let us know if you would like the request to be publicly listed or private. Unless specifically requested, prayer requests will be kept on the list for a month.

We ask your prayers for:

Angie G, Cindy K, Pat P, Jean T,  David G, Larry K, Tony & Amanda



Click the button below to fill out the web form, or email prayer@stjohnwilderness to request prayers and to be added to the parish prayer list.

For the Parish

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven

and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen

the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent.

Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring

us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP p. 817

Morning Prayer & Compline

Join us on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8 AM for morning prayer and

Monday and Friday evenings at 8:30 PM for Compline.

Both prayer services are held via Google Meet. All are welcome.

The word liturgy comes from a Greek term meaning “public work or work done on behalf of the people.” Liturgy always referred to an organized community. A work, then, done by an individual or a group was a liturgy on behalf of the larger community.

If you would like to become part of the many ministries that help make our work, our worship, our liturgies, our community, please talk to one of our clergy.

Connect!

Our parish office is open Monday - Thursday, 9 am - 3 pm. Stop by and say hi!

Financial Coordinator: Maureen Vruno | Office hours M,T, Th, 7:30am - 2:30pm maureen@stjohnwilderness.org 651-429-5351 ext 12

Rising Generations Coordinator: Maggie Howe | maggie@stjohnwilderness.org

Parish Coordinator: Carrie Thomas | carrie@stjohnwilderness.org 651-429-5351

Deacon: The Rev. Margaret Thor | margaret@stjohnwilderness.org

Associate Priest: The Rev. Kate Maxwell, OSB |

kate@stjohnwilderness.org 651-263-3840

Rector: The Rev. Arthur Hancock |

art@stjohnwilderness.org 651-350-8425

Our current Health & Safety Protocols

• St. John’s encourages all of its members to get vaccinated and boosted.
• If you feel sick or have the typical symptoms of Covid-19, we ask you to worship with us online.
• Masks are optional while inside all parish buildings for those who are boosted and vaccinated. If conditions change and we experience another surge of Covid-19, we may alter our protocols.