September 7, 2022

Fr. Augustine will celebrate Mass for us Thursday, Sept. 8th at 9am

in honor of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Saint Andrew of Crete says that the whole creation is jubilant on this special day because the birth of Mary is a joyful prelude to the gift of humanity's salvation.

We welcome you to join us.

Season of Creation Events:

1. September 9th, 9-10 AM: Divestment 101: Investing in Our Common Home via Zoom. This informative seminar will be led by Joseph D’halluin, who serves as the divestment campaigner for the Laudato Si’ Movement as well as Alexis Fleming, the Western Region Finance Manager for the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Register here: tinyurl.com/divest-101.
2. September 13, 6:00-7:30 AM: Listen to the Voice of Creation via Zoom. This reflective event offers motivations and spiritual insights, especially to Religious local communities and Congregations, to join the Laudato Si’ Action Platform in order to respond to the signs of the times and the invitations of the Holy Spirit in line with their own specific mission. Register at tinyurl.com/lsap-listen. 
3. September 13, 10-11 AM: A Powerful Opportunity for the Faith Community: Putting Our Faith into Action Through Renewable Energy Investments and Funding via Zoom. Another chance to learn about responsible investing. Catholic Climate Covenant is leading a conversation exploring the incredible new opportunities to put our faith into action that will be available thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Register at tinyurl.com/ccc-invest. 

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

Volunteer and Membership Opportunity here at St. John:  

The Knights of Columbus are looking to grow our membership and volunteers. If you are a male, practicing Catholic and would be interested in finding out more about this group you are welcome to join us on Tuesday, September 13th at 7 pm in the Parish Admin Bldg. - 106 N 79th St. We will have introductions and time for questions and answers regarding our activities and ways to fit in your skill set.

We look forward to your interest in joining. Light refreshments will be served. 

See you at the meeting Tuesday evening. Jim Anderson  

Scouting at St John since 1936

Our goals are to get outdoors, build leadership skills, make new friends, and have fun! We have been doing that for over 86 years and now we are open to all genders so that families can enjoy scouting together. If you think your kid (Kindergarten - 12th grade) might be interested please attend the recruitment event or contact Alan Byars at cubmaster.chiefseattle121@gmail.com. Also check out GreenwoodScouts.com for more details.

  Recruitment Event

  Date: Wednesday, September 14th

  Time: 6:30-7:30 pm

  Location: St John's Egan Hall Auditorium (123 N 79th St)

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 with a reception in Egan Hall afterward.  

   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 a 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’s 60th.

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

St. John Centennial – Alumni Interviews

In celebration of St. John School’s 100th year, we are seeking alumni to be interviewed by students in Fall 2022. We are eager to learn more about your time at St. John! If you are interested in participating, please complete this form and stay tuned for more information this fall. Please forward this form to anyone who may be interested or complete it on their behalf if they cannot. Please reach out to the Centennial Committee at sjs100th@gmail.com with any questions.

Now look what you’ve done!

(for our Parish St. Vincent de Paul conference)

She and her boyfriend have been living in a broken-down car for the last seven months. They shower at friends’ places. Her boyfriend has a full-time job, but she hasn’t had a job for several years. She is looking for work, but it’s discouraging trying to find a job when you don’t have proper clothing. Finally, they had a chance to get into an apartment, but they needed a damage deposit and first month’s rent.  We helped her with a voucher to get some clothing and paid part of the first month’s rent. We also gave her a list of other resources to help with the rest.

He is legally blind. His father has cancer; his brother is on disability. His rent is 30% of his income. All of a sudden he has a problem with bugs in his apartment. It’s hard for him to see them to clean them up. He has a vacuum he got at Goodwill, but it didn’t include the power cord. We gave him a voucher to help pay for the cleaning products and power cord he needs.  

He had a job, but then he was assaulted, so he can’t work now. He’s waiting for his application for disability to be processed. Meanwhile, his car needed repairs, and he couldn’t pay the bill. One of our members helped him work out what buses he would need to take to get to the doctor’s office. We also gave him help with his rent in order to free up cash to pay for the car repairs.  

Our parish St. Vincent de Paul conference couldn’t have done any of this if it weren’t for the generosity of our parishioners. Thank you.  

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.

Facing the people

     The post-Vatican II Mass features good visual contact between the priest and the people. This has helped bring life to the dialogues of the Mass, inspire prayerful worship, increase focus on the celebration, invite participation of the people, gather the congregation at a common altar of sacrifice, and unify the entire assembly in the house of God.   Read more...